3 Days Later…

Kenzi, Bo and Lauren were sitting at an empty Dal with Trick in his usual spot behind the bar. The group had just come from the Light Fae compound and a meeting with the Ash and Elders over Brun. As Hale thought, it was decided that he would serve out his sentence in the dungeons. Being a wolf shifter, this would be a particular tough punishment as he would not have access to the moon or outdoors to replenish his spirit or commune with his gods. Dyson had not shown up for the meeting, despite being invited, and in fact no one had seen him since he left the warehouse.

"Do you think D-Man is okay? Should we go looking for him?" Kenzi asked, her concern more pronounced that the others.

Trick shook his head. "He is a shifter, you would not be able to find him if he did not want to be found. I think he just needs some time to come to terms with what has happened and then he will return to us."

"I have had that time," came a voice from behind the seated women and everyone turned to watch as Dyson loped in to the bar. His clothes were a little muddy, but he had a soft smile on his face and his eyes were gentle.

Kenzi leaped off the stool and wrapped him in a huge bear hug as he chuckled and hugged her back. "We missed you," she whispered, a big smile on her face.

"I missed you to," he whispered back as he guided them to the bar where everyone was eyeing him expectantly. "Trick, Bo, Lauren," he nodded as he greeted each of them.

"My friend, it is good to have you back," Trick smiled at him.

"Thanks Trick. I needed a few days to gather my thoughts, so I went to the Great Forrest. It has been too long since I have been there anyway, and I realized how much I missed and needed it. I needed to be able to come to terms with what my father had done, as well as some other things…." he said as his eyes flickered over to Bo momentarily.

Looking up at the two women, he spoke "Bo and especially Lauren, I am so sorry for what my father did. I swear to you I had no idea about any of it and I am ashamed at his actions. "

Bo reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "Dyson, you don't need to apologize, you were just as much a victim as we were. I know, probably more than most, that you cannot be judged by your parents actions. You are not your father." Dyson nodded as he accepted her understanding and turned his attention to Lauren.

"And Lauren, I know I have been an ass to you for way too long. I let my prejudice against humans and my jealousy over your relationship with Bo consume me, and that was unfair. You are a brilliant doctor and one of the most unselfish people I have ever met. I know how deeply you love Bo and I wanted to say I am sorry, sorry for how I have treated you in the past. I beg for your forgiveness and hope that we can try to become friends in the future."

Lauren stared at the shifter in disbelief, though she knew he was being honest from the look in his eyes. She nodded, "Of course, Dyson, I would like that very much. I haven't been the nicest person to you either, and I promise I will work on that as well."

Smiling, Dyson then turned back to Bo who was staring at him with slightly wide eyes as she couldn't believe that he had just apologized to Lauren for treating her like shit for years. "Bo, my time in the forest also gave me a chance to deal with my feelings for you. The Wolf Spirit saw into my heart and freed me from the mating bond with you. Though I will always love you, the Spirit knew you had bonded with another and gave me back my heart so that maybe, someday, I can find my own happiness."

Bo was speechless, she didn't know if she should say congratulations or I am sorry. She knew she loved Dyson, but not how she needed to and not anywhere near how she loved Lauren. And she did want him to be able to find and experience the same happiness she felt with the doctor. Before she could settle on a response though, Kenzi broke the tension as she blurted out, "Damn Wolfman, I think you need to go run in the forest more often, you come back all deep and understanding with less of that emo shit!"

Dyson chuckled. "Perhaps you are right Kenzi. The Great Forest is a magical place, but I am happy to be home."

Bo smiled at him. "We are happy you are home too."

6 Days Later….

The blonde at the bar slammed down her fourth shot in the past half an hour, not noticing the brunette who had entered a few minutes ago. The brunette had looked around as soon as she entered, letting her eyes acclimate to the darkened environment of the seedy bar, her eyes settling on the blonde. Rather than head over in her direction, she moved slowly and quietly through the mostly empty bar, touching each patron and whispering something in their ear. No one noticed the orange glow that accompanied her touch, or paid attention as one by one the patrons left their drinks and headed for the exit. Only when the bar was empty, did the brunette move to the blonde, sitting on the empty bar stool next to her. Finally sensing another person, the blonde looked over, her eyes widening briefly at the woman next to her.

Grabbing her fifth shot and pouring it down her throat, she didn't look at the woman next to her, but said with a trace of surrender, "I have been expecting you succubus. Surprised it took you so long to find me, though I suppose you probably have been pre-occupied fucking your little human." Bo's eyes flashed blue at the words from the Valkyrie as she grabbed her by the neck and dragged her off the chair. "Why Tamsin? I thought we were friends, that you respected Lauren. Why would you throw away your career, your life, everything, for some pocket change?" she asked. Despite everything, she still wanted to know what would possess the woman to try to kill Lauren. Fae could easily use their powers to seduce and trick humans for whatever material or monetary gain they needed, they had little need for stealing.

"Please Bo, you think this was about money? This was about you. Everything is always about you," she spat, clearly annoyed at herself.

"Me? I get that was Dyson's father's motivation, but what does that have to do with you? You weren't going to mate with me…." Bo's voice trailed off as the thought hit her. "You wanted Lauren out of the way so we could be together? You tried to kill her and thought that I would run to YOU?" Bo's voice was rising along with her anger.

"Well, I knew you sure as hell weren't going to run to that mutt Dyson. Even if Brun had succeeded, you would never have mated with Dyson, that train had left the station long ago. But we had something, you know it, and with no one standing between us…."

"Fuck you Tamsin. You are worse than Brun. At least he, as misguided as he was, at least he was doing it for his son. You were only in it for yourself."

"Whatever succubitch. Just do what you came here for, suck my chi, free me to go back and serve Odin and get back to your perfect life with your perfect little human pet."

Bo's eyes were flashing blue as she allowed her anger to wash over her. She wasn't trying to suppress it, she had matured enough that she knew she needed to embrace it and control it. "As you wish Tamsin, but your chi is not worthy enough for me to taint myself with and I am sure as hell not going to give you the satisfaction of getting anywhere near me. Enjoy your time with Odin," she said as she reached into her greatcoat and pulled out her sword, swinging it and slicing off Tamsin's head with one swift motion. As her head rolled on to the floor, Bo returned her sword to the sheath at her side, and headed towards the exit. Casting one final glance at the woman she once thought would be her friend, she walked out into the night and back to woman she loved more than anything on earth.

Four months later…

The past four months had been challenging for both women, but they had weathered it together and their relationship was stronger for it. Lauren had filled Bo in on how Hale had bowed to her as they were now meant to take over the fae throne. They spoke about it for several days and though they knew they wanted to change several things about the fae, they ultimately decided it was not a job either of them wanted right now. They needed to focus on their relationship with each other, and Bo still had a lot to learn about the fae. Meeting with Hale and Evony, they all agreed that the current power structure would remain intact, with Bo and Lauren acting as secret advisors until they were ready to rule, if that day ever came. Not wanting to lose power, but knowing it was not theirs any longer, both the Ash and Morrigan quickly agreed, even with the two conditions that had been set upon them.

The first condition was around the treatment of humans. All humans were freed from slavery and offered paying jobs with the fae. They were also banned from being used as food, unless they explicitly agreed. The Morrigan grumbled the most about this condition, for obvious reasons, but agreed as she had no other choice.

The second change was in relations between the two sides. Bo and Lauren did not want to change the structure between light and dark as it had worked for many centuries, but they didn't want fae to be forced in to choosing a side, and if they did, they didn't want them to be afraid of the other. So the choosing ceremony still existed, but now young fae could choose light, dark or unaligned. It was kind of like being in a union, as choosing a side did offer certain benefits, and in fact most fae continued to choose one over the other. But if someone wanted to strike out on their own, they could. This, along with a new spirit of cooperation, would go a long way in ensuring peace between the sides. A joint police force, hospital and research facility were the first steps in that direction. Of course, Lauren was going to head up the research facility, allowing all fae to benefit from her knowledge and intelligence. Today was the ceremony opening the new facility, ironically located in the abandoned garage Brun had kidnapped Bo to.

And now, lying together in bed, both women were nervous about putting the final piece in to place for their immediate future. Bo shifted around with nervous energy before mumbling something and sitting up quickly.

Lauren cast a skeptical look at Bo as she moved out of the bed they had been relaxing in. "You are going to do what?" she asked, not at all happy with having lost her snuggle partner.

"Make waffles. Why do you sound so disbelieving?"

"Bo, in all the years I have known you, toast has been the most complex thing you have ever made. Waffles are a science, you need the right mix of buttermilk, flour, salt, eggs and baking powder…..if you get one ingredient wrong, you will end up with hockey pucks and not waffles!"

Bo smirked at her lover, who looked so adorable all pouty wrapped up naked in a sheet. "I guess you will need to trust me then. Today is a big day and I want to make it special."

Lauren smiled at how cute Bo was when she was trying to prove something. "Tell you what babe, I know a better way to make today special…come back to bed and let me show you, and I will take you out to breakfast after."

Bo's eyes turned blue as she watched Lauren's aura shoot up and her eyes flash. Unable to resist, she pretended to whine as she eagerly got back in to bed and climbed on top of Lauren. "This is so not fair, you know I can't resist you."

"Oh, and what you did to me in the bathroom of the Dal the other night was fair?" the blonde enquired, blushing at the memory of how Bo had pounced on her that night.

"Mmmmmm," was all Bo could get out as she had started kissing down Lauren's neck. She could not even describe how happy this woman made her, so she set about showing her in no uncertain terms.

Nine months later….

Bo and Lauren were standing under a giant Willow tree, hands intertwined as they stared in to each other's eyes. Lauren had on a crisp white button down shirt, fitted around the chest, and grey dress slacks that accentuated her long legs and toned body; she was classically elegant. Bo had on a beautiful maroon corset and matching waistcoat, with a pair of tailored black pants. Their styles were very different, but they came together well, blending classical and modern, with a touch of the darker side thrown in for fun.

Though there were several hundred people watching them, neither seemed to notice as they were both mesmerized by the beauty of the other. Hale stood in front of them, leading them through their vows. With a smile at both women, and a quick glance at Kenzi, who stood at Bo's side, he happily announced, "By the powers vested in me by the Elders and office of The Ash, I now pronounce you married. You may kiss the bride."

Bo and Lauren stood staring at each other for a moment, their eyes and bond conveying the bottomless love they had for each other. Slowly Bo leaned over and brushed her lips against Lauren's, whispering "I love you Dr. Lewis, for eternity." Lauren smiled back, "I love you too, Mrs. Lewis, for eternity" and moved to show her new wife just how much she meant it.