Hey folks! So, the setback has only caused Bo's despair to be met with more determination. She will go through with her plans, come hell or high water. Right…? Enjoy!

Chapter 3 – Unveiling

Bo discharged herself from the hospital and returned to one of the many places she and Lauren had called home over the last years. After joining the Dark, the doctor had moved into a small place situated in their territory, that much later became one of the couple's safehouses. And after the Clubhouse burned to the ground and Kenzi permanently moved to Spain, Bo had established a secret network of small apartments in the city – courtesy of Evony – where Lauren was safe, but could also reach the clinic when she needed to, as well as continue her research.

Typing in the eight-digit passcode that Bo had changed to Lauren's birthday after her passing, she entered the apartment for the first time in weeks. It still smelled of the blonde, and for a second, Bo was tempted to pillage the hamper and get into bed to bury herself in her wife's clothes, which she'd deliberately never washed… to get drunk on her scent, eventually crying herself to sleep as she'd done so many times before. But she didn't. Because she knew, soon, she would finally be with her again. A small smile crept over her face, when she entered the tiny hidden space adjoining the bedroom, where she kept her arsenal. Running her fingers across the assortment of swords, sabres, and shuriken, she knew there was only one weapon she could possibly pick – her favourite and most frequently used dagger.

The simple, razor-sharp, smooth, and durable black synthetic blade elegantly curved towards a short guard, connecting to a leather-wrapped hilt, which ended in a stainless-steel pommel holding the only decorative ornament: a beautiful clear cerulean blue sapphire representing the eyes of Bo's inner beast. The exquisite and extremely well-balanced weapon had been an anniversary gift from Lauren a few years ago. Closing her eyes, Bo kissed the gem and attached the holster to her leg. Then, she left the apartment without giving it a second look and headed for her final destination.

The sun had already set when Bo arrived at the graveyard. Little by little, countless twinkling stars were showing themselves on the darkening clear sky. She took a deep breath and smiled, finding herself reminded of a better, easier time years ago, when she and Lauren had spent many a starry summer night making love and falling asleep entangled in each other on a secluded glade far outside of the city. Soon, Bo would visit that glade again, together with her love.

Kneeling down on Lauren's grave, she lovingly traced each letter engraved on the heavy tombstone, before taking the dagger from its sheath. Momentarily, the silence was disturbed by a gush of wind, but Bo only vaguely noticed. Holding onto the black marble with one hand and tightly clutching the dagger in the other, she positioned the blade on her throat.

You are not finished here.

Much like the wind before, the voice didn't register with Bo. Drawing a small amount of blood to test the position of the sharp weapon, she smiled contently. If she wanted to trick her beast and keep her from simply sucking chi from half the city to heal Bo again, she had to be precise, thorough and quick. She had to do it in one efficient move – slit her own throat to bleed out before her succubus had a chance to react.

You are not finished here. Stop it this instant!

Bo frowned. Her inner voice, the ever-present annoying companion since Lauren's death, was usually a lot more restrained. This commanding tone was new. Not that it fazed her much. She was here on a mission, and nothing would stop her from going through with it – especially as ending her life would mean getting rid of the voice once and for all. Taking another deep breath, she stared at Lauren's name on the tombstone.

"I'm coming home, my love." The promise echoed through the silence of the peaceful expanse, when Bo pressed the blade against her skin. She was about to complete the slash, when a sudden movement jerked her arm away, sending the knife flying through the air.

"What the fuck!", she gasped, jumping after the unwillingly discarded weapon, picking it up, and in one swift move getting on her feet to observe her surroundings.

"Who's there?", she demanded to know, but there was no answer.

"Show yourself!" Nothing.

Huffing, Bo reassumed her position on the grave, trying to relocate the perfect spot on her neck for a precise suicide. When she was satisfied and calm again, she repeated her previous course of actions, only to be interrupted again. However, this time, the dagger remained in her hand. Rage rose within her, and she felt her Queen emerge.

No. Calm down, she's the last one you need now, she chided herself. "Vex, is that you, you goddamn jester?", she called out into the night, but once again, nobody replied.

Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth, searching for chi sources nearby, but there were none. Taking a good look at her dagger, she considered the possibility of Lauren being the saboteur here. Bo wouldn't be surprised – after all, she knew for a fact that the blonde never would have wanted her to hurt herself in her name. Besides, the fae world held all kinds of strange wonders, so ghosts weren't exactly a far-fetched idea. Then again, Lauren wasn't fae, so the supernatural rules didn't apply to her. Staring at the sharp weapon, pondering her options, Bo arrived at the very same truth she'd uncovered time and time again during the weeks since her love's death – that she couldn't possibly live without Lauren. She would deal with the doctor's wrath once they were reunited in the beyond.

Calm took possession of her once again, when she settled back on the blonde's grave to finally do what she came here for. Quickly positioning the blade for the last time, she didn't waste any time. She managed a pretty deep cut, before the weapon was brutally kicked out of her hand and the voice returned with a boom.

"Will you stop it, you foolish child!"

This time, Bo knew for sure that it wasn't in her head. It likely never had been. With a roar, her beast surged forward, and she leapt to her feet, lunging at the spot where her dagger lay. But she couldn't pick it up. It was as if an invisible force was blocking her.

Out of the blue, all strength drained from her body, and she let herself sink to the ground. A manic laugh bubbled up inside of her, forcing its way from her lungs and to the surface. She remained like this, laughing like a crazy person, until the tremors eventually died down.

"Whoever… whatever you are, you can't keep watch forever", she taunted the darkness. "I once vowed to live the life I choose, and now I'm going to die the death I choose. And there's nothing you can do to stop me." The last words were dripping with spite.

In a flash, Bo went for the dagger again, delighted at the fact that she could pick it up… Her avid watcher didn't seem to be quite as avid as she'd feared. In one swift move, she lifted the sharp blade, aiming for her own guts. She felt the cold material enter her body, when a dreamy smile began to spread over her face, as the force of the impact knocked the air out of her lungs. She knew this wasn't going to be enough, knew that her inner beast would heal her once again, but it didn't matter much. The promise of death drove her to a grim, previously unknown determination, and with sudden clarity, she realised that this was truly what she wanted. Pulling out the knife, she positioned it against her throat to finally fulfill her mission.

"Enough!", the voice roared, an iron grip taking possession of Bo's hand, jerking the weapon away once again. This time, Bo sensed something nearby. At lightning speed, she lifted the other hand that until now had been innocently resting by her side, pouncing at the pesky intruder, but catching nothing but air.

With a sudden jolt, Bo moved her other hand to slit her own throat at last… when the creature, who had been disturbing her peace and preventing her silent death all along, finally showed itself… or rather, herself.

For a split-second, Bo thought she was seeing the countenance of a ghost, hovering centimetres above her face. "L-Lauren…", she whimpered, tears flooding her eyes, obscuring her view, her hands weakly falling to the ground beside her, the sharp weapon forgotten. It took her seconds to realise that the beautiful blonde woman… whose expressive hazel eyes were currently dripping with ire and whose delicate features were distorted in an angry frown… wasn't Lauren at all.

Bo swallowed, awestruck. "Who…?" Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. "Who are you?" She couldn't move, because the stranger still had her pinned down, but as soon as she saw Bo's tears, her angry expression softened. Grabbing the dagger, she took one more look at the brunette before suddenly disappearing. "What the…?", Bo gasped, when she heard a noise behind her. Trying to scramble to her feet, she cried out in pain. The wounds on her throat and belly were bleeding heavily and hurt like hell. For a split-second, she pondered her options. Deciding to let her Queen emerge, she opened her mouth to heal herself with the combined chi of various random sleeping individuals all throughout the city, who didn't even notice the small portions of life force leaving their bodies.

When the gaping hole was mended, Bo looked up at the mysterious woman, who was now sitting on Lauren's tombstone. She had her back turned to the succubus, but Bo could tell from her dull aura that her soul was in pain. Hesitantly, she walked over to her, her mind overflowing with questions she didn't dare ask.

"You've got pretty good at that, Isabeau", the blonde woman said in a neutral tone, still facing the other way.

Bo was flabbergasted. "Good at…?", she echoed dumbly.

Sighing, the woman turned around, and for the first time, Bo was able to take a better look at her. She was clad in a long, old-fashioned, withered-looking dress, which once might've been white. Her features were beautiful, no doubt, but now that Bo's initial surprise was gone, she realised that this blonde was older than Lauren. Also, she looked exhausted… almost defeated. And incredibly sad.

"Using your inner Dark Queen to heal from many without harming any", she answered.

That damned healing. Bo scoffed. "Yeah, my inner Queen is awesome", she spat, full of contempt. "Just peachy. And isn't that the main thing? Not like she cares what I fucking want." Suddenly, her wrath was back. Fuming, she clenched her fists, which were covered in her own blood, and let out an angry roar. Pacing back and forth in front of the other woman, she remembered what had brought them here.

"And you!", she said, accusingly pointing a finger at her. "You're just as annoying. Who are you, anyway, and why do you keep pestering me?", she demanded to know. "And don't try to give me any shit, because I know that this voice… in the back of my mind…?" Bo was impatiently tapping at her own head now. "… was you all along!"

To her surprise, the woman snorted. "Is that a way to thank me for saving your life?"

Bo scowled at her. "My life didn't need saving, so I don't see the point in thanking you."

"Oh, but I disagree. Your life is the most valuable thing you have. Throwing it away is foolish, and, to be frank, selfish."

For a moment, the brunette was speechless. Who was this stranger to judge her for her decisions? "You know nothing about my life", she growled dangerously. "I've had it with people trying to dictate my actions…"

"Oh, you mean like the wolf shifter did?", the woman harshly interrupted. "He's suffering, too, you know? Why don't we ask him to join us and see what he thinks about your childish determination to end your life, hm?"

"Childish? Childish?!", Bo screeched, too occupied with her anger to wonder how this person even knew about Dyson. "This is my life, and my choice, and you don't even know what I feel or… or what I'm going through! I'm sorry for him, I really am, but I can't help him. He doesn't understand… unlike Kenzi!", she added triumphantly.

"Ah, Mackenzie, yes." The woman nodded knowingly. "You think she gets you, because she suffers, too, right? Because she is broken, just like you are." Her eyes narrowed. "And yet, she's still here. She never ended her life, even after what happened to Hale. Because she would never leave you behind."

Bo defensively crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Yes, she would… she did when she left all of us by walking through that portal."

The blonde sighed, shaking her head. "To save the world, Isabeau. Do you really want to go there? Are you really going to blame your best friend for something that you were hellbent on doing to her mere minutes ago, and without the world at stake?"

Ashamed, Bo realised that the woman was right. How could she talk like that about the one person, who truly understood what had to be done? She dropped to her knees, Lauren's tombstone shifting back into view.

Lauren…

Reality crashed down on Bo once more. "Lauren…", she wailed, wrapping her arms around the black marble and pressing her face against the cold stone surface. All anger draining from her, she sank back into the familiar embrace of hopelessness. Lauren was dead, and that was all that mattered.

"I don't know what you want from me and I don't care anymore", she whispered, tears running freely now. "I have no more reason to live and you won't be able to keep me forever from ending my life. You had no right to the first time."

"Ah, see, that is where you are wrong." The woman turned and put her hand on Bo's face to lightly caress her hair. It was soothing, but at the same time filled the brunette with even more sadness. "I know you, Isabeau Dennis. In some ways maybe better than you know yourself", she said, her voice warm. "And I know that you are not finished here."

There it was again. That nagging voice that hadn't left her alone since the love of her life had died. Bo had to get rid of it, there was no other way. "You do not know me, so would you stop it already with the patronising tone!", she boomed, jumping to her feet. "This is my life, and I alone decide what to do with it! Not Dyson, not my Queen, and certainly not some random lady, who just happens to waltz into my life, trying to play the hero." Bo had talked herself into a rage. Eyes glowing blue, she held out the dagger in front of her. "So, will you finally leave me in peace, or do I have to make you?"

Once again, the woman let out that condescending snort of hers, and Bo snapped. In a flash, she took a stab at her, but before she'd even come close, the blonde was gone. From the corner of her eye, Bo spotted her behind her back and turned on her heel to try the same approach… without success. Again and again, she aimed at her, but whatever move Bo made, the woman always seemed to be one step ahead – repeatedly snapping out of existence, only to reappear somewhere else the next moment. For minutes, they continued their dance, until Bo was out of breath and started to feel dizzy from constantly turning around. Dropping the dagger, she surrendered, letting herself sink to the ground once more, her back sliding along the tombstone. Exhausted, she pressed her face against Lauren's engraved name.

"Lauren, my love…", she whispered, new tears welling up in her eyes. "I'll come home to you, I promise."

She heard footsteps approach and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want anything more to do with the mysterious woman. Maybe, if she ignored her long enough, she'd eventually give up and leave her be. Continuing to whisper words of love, she ran her fingertips along the mottled marble, when she felt the woman sit down next to her.

"Go away", she said, her voice hollow. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"I tried that. It didn't work."

Bo shook her head. She was so tired. Tired of this stranger speaking in riddles. Tired of crying. Tired of suffering. Tired of life. She didn't intend to grace this person with any more attention and turned her back to her, lying down in the dirt opposite the tombstone, hugging it with her whole body. "Lauren… my love… my love. I'm coming home. Soon, my love." Exhaustion was starting to overwhelm her, and, lulled by the perfect silence of the graveyard, she was on the verge of falling asleep, when the other woman spoke again.

"You're right, you know. I won't be able to watch over you forever." A deep sigh. "I'd hoped you'd come to your senses eventually. That you'd stop trying to destroy yourself."

"You're not the first to underestimate me", Bo replied, despite herself. "And you won't stop me."

"I know", the other woman admitted in a defeated tone. "Which is why I broke one of the most sacred fae laws in existence by revealing myself to you."

"Lucky me", Bo mumbled. At this point, she'd lost all interest in this weird stranger that had apparently appeared for the sole reason of pestering her. She didn't care, which high-and-mighty law she was talking about, and why she seemed to know so much about Bo and her friends. What did it matter? Nobody could bring back the dead. "Now, leave."

"I can't, child. It's too late for that now." Once again, her voice was calm and warm. Caring. Loving.

One more chance. Bo would give her one more chance to explain herself. "Why?"

"Because I showed myself to you."

"Not my decision, not my problem."

"But it is. Like it or not, by revealing myself, I made a decision for you. One that I can't take back and one that you can't escape."

"Watch me." Once again, Bo went for the dagger, but the woman quickly kicked it out of reach, earning herself a killing glance.

Sighing, the blonde shook her head, finally deciding to go all in. "You don't understand. It's not just that you cannot escape it… you also won't want to. I made this decision for you because after watching you over the last weeks, I knew you wouldn't decline my offer."

"And what offer might that be?", Bo pressed forth through clenched teeth, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"To bring her back."

Bo's head turned so quickly that her neck cracked loudly. Wary of the doubtlessly false hope rising in her chest, she opened and closed her mouth a few times like a stranded fish, but didn't speak. She didn't dare ask the countless questions flooding her mind. Bring who back… Lauren? Lauren, who was forever gone? How? Why me? And why do you even care? No, she must've misheard. Waiting for some kind of explanation, she just stared at the woman.

For minutes, they remained quiet. The brunette was intently watching the blonde, who kept nervously running her hands through her hair, seemingly busy fighting an inner battle. The gesture was familiar, but Bo was too distracted to pay attention to her own observation – especially when she noticed tears well up in the woman's eyes.

Impatiently wiping her face, the stranger got up on her feet. "I have to", she reassuringly mumbled to herself, starting to pace back and forth. "One tiny thing for me, just this once…"

Bo swallowed nervously, but didn't interrupt.

Abruptly, the woman stopped dead in her tracks and took a deep breath. Then, straightening her back as if preparing for a particularly tough fight, she faced the brunette. "I'm mourning her loss just as much as you are, you know", she informed her, biting her trembling lip to keep from crying.

"Why?", Bo whispered, her voice cracking.

The blonde closed her eyes, and despite her efforts, tears streamed down her face. "Because your beloved Lauren was my daughter."