A/N: Thank you for sticking with me and the story. Thanks for the reviews and please keep writing them.

All errors are mine.

xo

XXXXX

Timid ray of sunshine emerged under the heavy drapes and fell gently and warmly on Lauren's face as she slept. Leaning on her elbow, her head resting on her hand, Bo had just the perfect angle to contemplate Lauren tenderly blossoming like wildflowers as she slowly woke up from her sweet dream. Her fingers entwined with Lauren's, she lowered in to give the lovely woman a kiss on her shoulder and inhaled her sweet and comforting scent.

"Mmmm" Lauren hummed at the feel of the lips on her skin as she opened her eyes. She gave Bo a soft, sleepy look and smiled, "Good morning."

"Morning sunshine. You slept well?"

"Like a baby."

Bo smiled wider, "I like watching you, sleeping like a baby."

"Should I mention that it sounds a little creepy…for a first night?" A teasing smile appeared on Lauren's still sleepy face.

"Say what you want, I would have still watched you. You looked so peaceful." Bo smiled, then on a softer tone said, "It was wonderful last night."

"It was. It truly was. I haven't felt that way in a very long time. Actually, I don't think I've ever felt anything…that sensational and…delightful …in every possible way."

"I'm happy to hear that." Still joined with hers, Bo laid a kiss on the back of Lauren's hand. What they had shared was electrifying and yet, soul-stirring and heartwarming. Bo didn't think it was even possible to feel all these strong sensations and deep emotions at the same time either.

Lauren looked at their joined hands as if she was studying every joints and folds of their merged fingers. "You know, for the most part of my life, I took care of others and often…forgot about myself. I cared for my mother. I cared for every single person who came into my life, close to me or not. Now, I care for all my patients, they occupy my days and my nights. I try to help the best I can." She turned her gaze to Bo, "It's good to feel that I am being taken care of for once, just like last night. Just like now."

Bo laid another kiss on Lauren's hand. "If you let me, I'd take care of you." The words were said spontaneously as Bo tightened her grip on their interlocked fingers. Without a doubt, they sounded so foreign to Bo herself, but yet, felt so true and honest.

Lauren smiled in return. "With the hectic life I chose to live, it would be a great challenge for you."

"I'm up for any challenge." Bo said with a little excitement in her voice.

Thoughtful, Lauren seemed to be considering this heartfelt proposal. She wanted to believe it. Bo's willingness may sound typical and vanilla from a partner on a first night together, but it was more than anyone had ever offered her.

She kissed Bo's hand and forcefully said, "I should get going." She slowly pulled the dark cherry red satin sheet off of her when Bo, still holding the doctor's hand, stopped her in her motion.

"Lauren…stay." The request she just made surprised Bo as she said it. But it was what she wanted. "Stay for a few more minutes...please."

To which Lauren smiled and pulled the covers back up. She went back to snuggle in Bo's warm embrace with a tinge of happiness in her heart.

xxxxx

"I miss her already."

Raising her eyebrows at her friend, Kenzi did not try to hide that she found this a little silly, "Ummm dude, she left like 20 minutes ago!"

"I know right! Isn't it crazy?"

"Bo, I do realize it's an uncommon thing for you, but..."

"It was…intense last night."

"Oh that! I believe you! Uh huh…I heard E-ve-ry-thing!...and they weren't baby steps!" Kenzi said furrowing her brow as she poured more Baileys and whiskey in her coffee.

Bo barely heard what Kenzi had said; she had already gazed off into her memories of the previous night and this morning. How physically and emotionally intense it was.

"Hmmm, Bo…the eggs are burning!"

"Oh!"

Kenzi watched as Bo hurried to remove the pan of scrambled eggs from the heat and turn every knob to off. They had conveniently taken the day off, which gave them the opportunity to chat during this late brunch again.

"I mean…I felt something so special, so deep…so real. I may actually have…serious feelings for her. Could that be?"

"The fact that you didn't kick her out of your bed or of the apartment, or pretend to have an emergency you needed to take care of at the pub at 9 am, or say that your best friend was too drunk to find her way home and you needed to leave and go pick her up at some random place…oh…actually, that had happened a couple of times, never mind! Anyway, it's a great indication that you may actually had…fallen for her…I'm afraid."

"I may have." She smiled. Then a hint of confusion appeared on Bo's face as her brain tried to process all these new things her heart had been feeling.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you found your soulmate but…"

Bo cut her off, "I know." She set the plates on the counter while thinking about her situation. "But there's always this…investigation." She made a big plate of eggs, sausages and toasts for Kenzi and a normal one for herself. As she was about to take her first bite, her mood changed one more time. "I don't want to hurt Lauren, but I can't abort my plans either. So, this is why I can never tell her. She can never find out Kenzi. Ever!" Bo said in what sounded like a plea. She had suddenly lost her appetite. "I can't hurt her. She can't find out." Bo whispered to herself.

"Bo, you can count on me. I won't say a word, even if they pay me to go on a food tour of the best restaurants in the city. Your secret is safe with me, but…how long would you go on living this…double life?" Kenzi asked with her mouth full.

"I didn't want to rush things with Lauren, but it happened and I don't regret anything. Anything at all. And I hope one day I could fully and completely…live the whole thing, my feelings for her." Bo's eyes had just started to glow but rapidly turned dark. "However, as much as I want this thing with the Thornwood to be over, I can't rush it and risk ruining my covers. This is the only way to find the truth, so I have to be patient."

"How many other dinners with Rainer will you have to have after the one tonight?"

"As many as I would need to, and as many late-night-after-dinners he would want to. The good news is I'm getting somewhere. Tonight I'll get to know his brother Dyson a little more. Next time hopefully, his dad. Jack Thornwood is the guy I want to get close to. He's the man I need to investigate further on and for that, I need to win their trust. Tonight I'll focus on Dyson and see if he can be of use."

"Well, you have a huge task on your shoulders. Let me know if you need me."

"I will need your help for sure." Bo went back into her deep thoughts. "I want to enjoy Lauren's presence. I want to…freely be with her…and nobody else. I really don't like this double life situation, really. I wish I didn't have to do any of this." Bo looked up into her friend's eyes. "I'm glad I have you Kenz, in both lives. Thank you for being here."

"I know Bobo." Kenzi replied as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Now eat!"

xxxxx

Lauren had made the last confirmation phone call. Everything was now set and ready.

Aside from working at the hospital, Lauren had been investing her time as a clinician in the research dedicated to advancing Cystic Fibrosis therapies. She had worked in the therapeutics lab, but also took part in clinical trials. Still, she wanted to do more. Last year she had accepted an offer of an opportunity to do more but in a different way. Reluctant at first, she was now happy with the decisions she had made to go forward with this little project, and to do it again this year.

If on a personal level her life had been uneventful the last few years, and lacking of any reason for excitement, this was one project she had held dear and had been proud of.

With a stemless wine glass in her hand, she leaned back in her armchair feeling more satisfied and happy than ever. Everything felt right. Everything seemed to be going the way she had only dare to wish for. It took her some time, it took her years, but she was finally there, where she deserved to be.

Lauren wanted to share this state of mind and this feeling with Bo. She wanted Bo to be part of this. And she didn't want to wait any longer.

xxxxx

Bo had let Rainer pick her up at the Crack Shack this time, but she had nicely let him know she didn't like anyone showing up at her place unannounced, and had asked him to respect that. That being said, she would have to ask Lauren to do the same.

She normally couldn't care less. In fact, she would have loved to have Lauren show up at her door steps announced any day, every day. But this precaution would avoid having her two lovers to accidentally cross path.

"I'm glad you came." Rainer said, offering his arm for Bo to hang on to as they walked up to the restaurant door after leaving his car keys to the Valet.

"Why wouldn't I?" Bo asked with the flirtiest smile.

"Well, I can completely imagine a pretty and smart woman like you to be very busy doing what you are doing. But I have to say…tonight, I wanted Dyson to get to know you a little better. Also, I just couldn't wait to see you again."

They entered the very fancy restaurant; one of those Bo would think she would only see in classic movies. The decor and atmosphere fitted the patrons and diners, who looked way too formal and uptight for Bo to feel comfortable around them. It made her realize that she would have to get used to this, unfortunately. It was a good thing she had chosen to wear her short black dress; otherwise she would have felt under-dressed. With his cotton city fit blazer and pants, and particularly his manners, Rainer looked like the perfect cavalier for Bo tonight.

The 19th century building had certainly seen many transformations done to it over the years. The revamped restaurant was big and part of it was spread over two floors. Bo and Rainer took the stairs up to the second floor to find their table in a VIP section where Dyson and his date were already seated, waiting for them. Bo glimpsed at Dyson, who looked just as handsome as she remembered him from the golf tournament day, but noticed the blond woman sitting next to him had changed her facial expression when she saw Bo and Rainer arriving at the table. She seemed to be annoyed that they were interrupting her alone time with the older brother.

"Bo, you remember Dyson?" Rainer asked pointing to the man in navy sport jacket check.

"Of course I do." Bo said, sending him a smile.

Dyson nodded in return.

"And this is Tamsin…Dyson's…friend."

"Well, we're very close...friends." The woman said proudly, obviously trying to send a message.

Bo noticed Tamsin was also dressed to impress her male companion with a very short red dress. It fitted her well though, Bo thought.

Bo sat next to Rainer but happened to be right in front of Tamsin, who didn't seem to share any enthusiasm at all for this double date dinner.

"I see you two have been seeing each other a lot since the tournament." Dyson commented as he opened the drink menu, but barely paying attention to the menu.

There was something in the remark Bo didn't like. No much for what was said, but in the way it was said. The tone made it sound almost like a reproach.

"Actually no, I wished there were more though. But it doesn't matter how many times; it was love at first sight…from my part anyway, I can't speak for the lady…" Rainer turned to gaze at Bo.

Bo went along and played the game of the new girlfriend in awe with her beau. She tried to make conversation with Tamsin as well, showing interest in the brothers' lives and their so called friend. But she couldn't wait to get into the serious matter.

"So how long have you been working for the firm Dyson?" Bo asked after taking a bite at her lamb chop.

"It's been just over 15 years now. I started my career there, just like Rainer did when he joined a few years later."

"Wow, you have been around for quite a while! In your opinion it's a good place to work at?"

"Well our dad co-founded it over twenty five years ago, so I'd say yes. It's the best place to work at if you are a driven person with high ambitions. And the best asset management company to bring your money to."

Urg, this guy is way too arrogant. I don't think I would want to see him again if I had a choice. But okay, let's play for real and dig deeper. "So there's never been any issue at the company, with people or…with money?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well every big company has its secrets, just like any successful family. I've read about many accounting scandals happening in financial firms and frauds committed by their top executives. Morpheus has never had any problem with the Securities and Exchange Commission?" Bo could see her statement and her question took the brothers aback, but she was impatiently waiting for the answer they would be giving her.

"No. Our father had always surrounded himself with people he trusts. He would never let anything or anybody taint the company he worked so hard to build and maintain." Dyson became slightly impatient and annoyed with the woman who seemed to be having too much interest in the company.

"Dyson, didn't Morpheus have had a bunch of audits done in one year, a while back?"

"That was two decades ago, at the start of the company. But there was nothing fraudulent with how it was run and managed. It's normal for a young company to experience some financial problems along the way, before gaining success."

"And...Is it also normal that the same year, other tragedies stroked the firm? Like the death of one of its V-Ps and his pregnant wife?" It was Bo's turn to become irritated.

A long silence followed. All three were staring at Bo, speechless.

"I…I never heard about that. Bo, you seem to know a lot about Morpheus..." Rainer managed to say.

"I uh…read that somewhere." Realizing she got carried away and may have said too much tonight, Bo tried to calm herself down and needed to find something credible to say. "I've always got a keen interest in finance and business, so…I read a lot about it, even if I'm not working in the field." She cleared her throat before taking a sip from her wine glass.

"Okay…this is no fun subject. Why don't we talk about the next party your family will be throwing?"

"It's not a party Tamsin." Dyson corrected, still a little bothered by Bo's comments and questions.

"Well, fancy food and fancy drinks in a fancy place with fancy people, for me it's a fancy party." Tamsin said with a small laugh.

Bo couldn't focus on the conversation anymore. She was still upset. Although, she knew she blew her plan. If she had wanted to gain Dyson thrust tonight, she failed. Big time.

She remained mostly quiet for the rest of the dinner, chugging glasses and glasses of wine. The huge amount of wine was necessary tonight, to help her get in the mood for what was going to happen next, once they got to his place.

xxxxx

The next morning was rough. Not so much because of the alcohol, but because of all the negative emotions she had felt the previous night. All night. From the restaurant to Rainer's bed, there had not been one moment she was satisfied about.

Bo stayed at Rainer's place longer than she had wanted. She had to admit that he was a sweet man especially when compared to Dyson. But he was still a Thornwood and they must all be the same deep down if she ever scratched the surface a little more. She had just seen bits of Dyson last night, but there were certainly more to see beside his somehow territorial behavior when it came to the family business and his extreme loyalty and devotion to their father.

Regardless of how much of a gentleman Rainer was with her, she couldn't wait to get back to her own place. She got up, showered with him and got changed into the clothes she had brought along with her last night as she knew they were coming back to his place. They had breakfast then called a cab to get them to the Dal. Bo had asked to be dropped there as she wanted to see Trick for a moment and this time was perfect since the pub was not too busy at this hour of the day. She had not seen him a few days already and missed her grandfather.

Rainer had left his car at the restaurant the previous night given that he had also had too many drinks. He came along so he could pick up his car after dropping Bo off. When Bo stepped out of the taxi, Rainer got out too and went around the vehicle to take Bo in an embrace.

"Hey, sorry again for last night, if my brother didn't make a good impression on you. He's really…protective of his family and friends and only wanted to get to know the woman I'm seeing a little better. And he normally has an unlimited patience, but yesterday I don't know what got into him, for him to have a…short fuse like that."

"It's okay, don't worry. I may have provoked him too with my incessant questions about the company. I hope it didn't bother you."

"No, nothing you would do will ever bother me." Rainer tightened his hand around Bo's waist and placed the other on the back of her head, then pulled her in for a kiss.

Long seconds had passed when she finally pulled away. She smiled at him and said "The taxi is still waiting for you."

"Yeah, uh, before I let you go, can you make sure you save next Saturday for me? There is an important event my family is planning. It was what Tamsin called a fancy party." He smiled, "I want you to come, and you will meet the rest of my family. You'll finally meet my dad…you know, the guy behind Morpheus Capital Management, the firm we talked about all night yesterday." Rainer smirked and winked to tease her and remind her of the awkward situation in which she was with Dyson. He didn't wait for Bo to give him an answer and disappeared in the cab, but not before shouting, "I'll call you".

Bo waved and sighed heavily as she watched them drove away.

When she entered the pub, it was quiet as expected. The few customers were either having a coffee or looking at their menu, trying to decide on their late breakfast options.

Trick appeared from the back of the pub. "Bo, so glad to see you!" The old man greeted his grand-daughter.

"Hi grandpa! I'm happy to see you too." Bo took a seat at the bar. "I know I said I would try to see you more often, but I've been busy lately."

"I can see that." Trick pointed to the doors. "Who was the young man outside with you."

Oh shit. "Uh…it was an old friend I haven't seen in a long time. I ran into him last night and…crashed at his place." Bo replied, realizing she hadn't thought everything and every detail through. She needed to work on that.

Trick smiled and shook his head, "Oh Bo!...So you."

Bo sighed, "You know me too well."

"Before you tell me about your week, you want a coffee?"

"Yes please!"

"Alright, give me a few minutes, I have to get some from the back and make more. I just realized we ran out of coffee." Trick left shaking his head again at himself this time.

"No rush. Thanks."

She took out her phone and dialed Lauren's number. She missed the woman. She had missed the woman's gaze, the woman's touch, since they parted the previous morning. Strangely agitated, Bo waited to hear Lauren's voice on the other end of the line. But she got no answer. The call went to the doctor's voicemail.

"Lauren…it's me. I guess you're busy. Uhm…you know what? I...I already miss you." Bo smiled at the thought of how silly it sounded, "Yeah...so...Call me back…bye."

She sighed and looked at her phone. Disappointed, she put the phone back in her pocket and decided she would try again tonight if she didn't hear from her. Only Lauren could bring some good to her heart right now. She really wanted to see Lauren. She needed to be with Lauren.

xxxxx

The phone had rung. She had wanted it to stop, badly. She had let it rung until it finally stopped.

She received a message. She stared at her bag, where the phone was, on the passenger seat. The message was definitely from her, she knew it, but she was still so sick to her stomach. Tears in her eyes, she couldn't shake off the images.

Lauren had gone there in the hope to see her, knowing she had taken the day off. She had wanted to casually surprise her. She would have had called her to come join her if she didn't find her there.

But Bo was there, on the sidewalk in front of the pub.

In the arms of another. Lover.

Lauren had seen it with her own eyes. Bo smiled at him, with the mesmerizing smile Lauren knew too well, and then kissed him, whoever it was, deeply.

What Lauren had witnessed had paralyzed her. She had not been able to move even when the man had finally left with the cab.

Bo had seemed so captivated by the feeling of the kiss left by him, she hadn't even seen Lauren, who was standing straight in front of her, merely twenty meters away.

Lauren's heart was aching. Her body was shaking. She felt sick. She had watched Bo enter the pub, then finally managed to gain enough control over her muscles, hers limbs, her body, her mind, to turn around and run to her car, holding the tears that had threatened to cover her eyes.

She had gone there for a reason.

She had wanted to share more of her life with Bo. She had wanted to invite Bo to be a part of her project. She had wanted Bo to be a part of her future. Instead, she got a slap in the face. A punch to the stomach. A stab to her heart.

Sitting in her car, unable to turn the key to start it, Lauren gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white. She hated herself. Her heart still pounding angrily in her chest, she gritted her teeth.

How could you do this to me!?...