29. Explosions
Hella was holding a chain with a crystal attached to the end over a map, scrying for Lauren's whereabouts. Bo waited with bated breath after what seemed like hours, the crystal finally stilled.
"There," Hella pointed to the map, certain of the crystals obvious response. "It's a warehouse district by the river."
"Oh great, another warehouse, how original."
Hella had been keeping something else from Bo and she told the group of friends who were gathered there the one thing that none of them wanted to hear. "Bo, there's something else."
Bo met Hella's eyes, her relief at finding Lauren's location evaporated from her. She swallowed and braced herself for the mystic's information.
"There is little time… I'm afraid it might even be too close to say if you will make it in time. I believe she and Reese are – strapped to bombs."
You could've heard a pin drop in The Dal. Tamsin's eyes flashed panic but Dyson and Hale stayed quiet and stoic.
Bo suddenly knew what this was likely about, the pipe bomb, revenge, "How long?"
"Thirty-two minutes and seventeen seconds… sixteen seconds… fifteen seconds," Hella seemed gone as the psychic overtook her, connected to the timer and speaking on its behalf.
The group started to leave but Dyson had to know something, "Why hasn't she used her powers?" His brow was furrowed, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.
"She is – she's basically taken a vow. She will never use her powers against humans because she knows what it's like to be human and be powerless to the Fae, she won't do it even to save herself or her brother. But I can see into her psyche, this broach from her cloak is a powerful talisman and it's allowing me to know her innermost thoughts," Hella rubbed her fingers over the rowan tree broach from Lauren's cloak. "The only circumstance in which she would harm a human is if her daughter or Bo's lives were in danger."
Dyson nodded, "Thank you."
"Hurry wolf, I'm afraid whether or not you will succeed has yet to be determined. Good luck."
Dyson nodded again and ran from the bar to follow the group.
They raced to the warehouse and quickly entered it, no one noticed the van parked across the street, too focused on saving Lauren and Reese.
"Lauren!" Bo ran to her wife's side. Lauren was drenched in sweat and panting from the prolonged adrenaline rush she'd been having.
"Bo," Lauren managed to whisper with relief as she panted.
Bo reached for the vest and Lauren shook her head, "No! Stop! If you remove it, it will detonate, it's pressure sensitive, the only thing keeping it from blowing is the fact that we're wearing them."
"How do we stop it?"
Lauren shook her head, her eyes welling with tears and her heart raced as if she was having a heart attack, there was only minutes left on the timer.
"There is no time, you guys have to get out of here," tears fell from Lauren's eyes.
Bo cradled Lauren's glistening face in her hands and shook her head firmly. "I'm not leaving you. Tell me how we stop it."
"There's not enough time Bo, trust me if there was any other way I'd be the first to tell you. I don't want-" Lauren's voice broke as she crumbled, "I don't want our daughter to grow up an orphan. Now get out of here," she said through gritted teeth as she cried. Bo's tears fell as well and she kissed Lauren's lips softly, careful not to disturb the vest.
"How!" Bo demanded through her tears.
"You have to find the trigger, the detonator, they took it with them."
"I can smell them," Dyson said, his head swiveling around as he tried to follow the scent. "They're in the van across the street." Dyson said as his eyes flashed wolf.
"No, you stay here, we don't need you going wolf on a bunch of humans. Protect them with your life, Hale, with me," Bo's eyes flashed blue as she raced to the entrance of the warehouse, Hale right by her side.
Bo raced up to the van and ripped the back door open, breaking the locked handle off in her hand as her body surged with Succubus strength. There were three startled humans in the back huddled around a monitor that showed the inside of the warehouse, there was thankfully no sound. They all pressed up against the walls of the van, trying to distance themselves from Bo and Hale.
Bo jumped in the back and grabbed one of them by the collar and shook him, hard, her face inches from his, "Where is the detonator?"
He laughed at her, though she knew he was scared. "We will never tell you, you'll have to kill us first."
"Oh trust me, I'm going to kill you anyway, but first you're going to tell me where the detonator is." Bo saw his determination, crumbling though it was, she sighed. "God dammit, I don't have time for this," She brushed her palm over his face, sending a pulse of power into him, "Where is the detonator."
He took it from his pocket and handed it to her as the other humans protested in confusion. She handed it to Hale, "Take this to Lauren."
"Bo-" Hale started, Bo knew what he was going to say, she knew he was going to tell her 'they're only human' and not to harm them. But she would never let somebody who had threatened her families lives live, ever.
"Go Hale! There's no time," Bo's voice was aggressive, almost not her own. Hale shut his eyes and shook his head, knowing there was no chance in hell that he could talk her out of killing them, and unsure if he should even be arguing with her in the first place. He took the detonator and ran.
"Now, which one of you wants to die first?" Bo asked, smiling. They all cowered, begging her not to kill them. She shut the doors of the van and then turned back towards them, an unbearable hunger surging through her body.
She grabbed one by the collar and started feeding, the other two men started screaming and she smiled and threw her head back, laughing.
"Bo! Stop!" Lauren had opened the doors to the van.
At the sound of her wife's voice, Bo was pulled from her rabid feeding. Her eyes were wild, crazed. This had been bubbling up in her for months, ever since her Lauren's kidnapping by Carman and her kidnapping by Hera – it didn't feel like enough, to kill them, the hunger for revenge, the hunger to protect her family – it was like an itch she just couldn't scratch, it never seemed to end. She wanted to kill them all.
"Let them live Bo."
Bo had drained the chi from two of them and was working on the last, she'd left them with just enough that they were still alive, planning on torturing them afterwards. It had started become something of a tradition in these situations, he realized with a morbid amusement, would it never end? Would they ever be safe? Would they ever be free?
"Why?" Bo asked, not releasing the man currently gripped between her white knuckled hands.
"Because, I – they believe – I hurt their families, they were just looking for revenge."
"They don't deserve to live. They'll never stop," Bo rationalized.
"We can wipe their memories, Trick knows how, he knows a serum that I've helped him recreate. They'll stop searching."
Bo visibly struggled, her hunger not yet satisfied. She growled low in her throat, knowing she was about to lose her inner battle. Lauren crawled into the van and laid her hand on Bo's shoulder.
"I'm safe, you can stop," Lauren whispered. Bo let out a choked sob, her eyes returning to normal. She dropped the human and turned to her wife, falling into her chest as she broke down crying.
Lauren wrapped her arms as tightly as she could around Bo, whispering comforting sweet nothing's and rubbing her back.
"When will it end?" Bo asked brokenly, gripping Lauren's shirt like it was the only thing holding her back from falling into the darkness.
"I don't know," Lauren admitted, her cheek pressed to Bo's head. "But we'll always win, you know that."
"I don't want to win anymore, I don't want to have to fight to get you back or keep you safe at all."
"I know, neither do I."
"What do we do?" Bo asked, showing her vulnerable side to the only person she ever did, her Doctor, her Elf.
"We focus on the most amazing news we could've ever hoped to have gotten, except for the news that we were pregnant with the beautiful girl who's safe and sound at home with Kenzi – that I'm finally free." Lauren smiled and Bo lifted her head and smiled through her tear stained cheeks.
"I know, it's kind of incredible."
"Kind of? This is without a doubt incredible. Can you even imagine what this means? I don't have to hide in the shadows anymore, what this means for my research is unimaginable."
Bo smiled and placed a chaste kiss to Lauren's lips, "You're right. I'm happy."
"Are you okay?" Lauren asked, concerned about the side of her wife that had just gotten out.
"I'm okay, now that you're safe. Let's get them to The Dal."
