Hey folks! Things are starting to look more hopeful, as the strange woman is shedding some light on the situation. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4 – History

The words echoed heavily across the quiet graveyard, carrying for miles, it seemed, until they finally faded. But despite their momentous significance, they didn't quite register with Bo.

"W-what?", she asked weakly.

The woman let out a deep sigh, that sounded almost relieved, and sank back down to sit on Lauren's tombstone. "You heard me right."

Bo's mind was racing, desperately trying to process the magnitude of the revelation. But it was too much. Grasping the consequences of it, she found, was impossible. The sheer number of questions pelting down on her like hailstones was overwhelming. So, instead of asking even one of them, she just sat there, dumbfounded, gaping at the stranger.

Sensing Bo's utter confusion, the blonde gave her a compassionate look. There was no going back now, and in a way, it felt freeing to finally do what she'd never allowed herself before. It was time to reveal herself fully. Bending down to place a hand on Bo's cheek, she smiled warmly. "This will probably take a while", she said with an apologetic look. "Are you sure, you want to do this here?"

Bo closed her eyes, curiously relishing in the warm, motherly touch of this stranger. Pondering the question, she slowly nodded. The graveyard was the only place, where she could still feel connected to Lauren. She had nowhere else to go.

"Yes", she firmly answered, opening her eyes to face the woman. Her gaze still held the same friendly expression, and now that Bo was taking the time to study her features up close, it became clear to her that she did know the blonde… albeit not in the classic sense. She just seemed oddly familiar. Not her voice. Not her likeness. But her presence.

For now, though, Bo decided to keep the impression to herself and remained quiet, patiently waiting for what she had to say.

Nodding in acknowledgement, the blonde patted the stone, silently asking Bo to sit down next to her, which, after a fleeting hesitant moment, she did.

"My name is Théainu", the woman started, immediately catching Bo's alienated expression. She rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. It's old, okay? Just call me Théa."

The eye-roll matched Lauren's exactly, and Bo couldn't help an amused little snort from escaping. But it wasn't only that, she suddenly realised. The way she tousled her hair when she was agitated or nervous, the way she paced back and forth, talking to herself to help along her thinking process, and the unquestionable similarity in facial features. If there had been any doubt left in Bo's mind that this woman truly was Lauren's mother, they were now gone.

Too distracted by her own racing thoughts, the blonde missed the other woman's reaction and scrutinising gaze. Now that her big secret was out in the open, she wanted to give Bo the whole truth, and suddenly, she couldn't wait to finally tell someone what she'd been withholding for an eternity.

"I'm a time-shifter", Théa explained, "which means I can command both space and time."

Bo's mouth fell open. "So earlier, when I tried to fight you, you…", Bo said, unable to even finish the question.

"I teleported, yes."

"Wow. Such power", Bo commented, her stare still incredulous.

The blonde let out a small, sad snicker. "It comes at a price, believe me, child…" Interrupting herself, she threw Bo a sheepish look. "But who am I telling, right?"

Despite herself, Bo had to smile. For a few seconds, they shared a moment, exchanging the knowing look of two extremely powerful women, who, with all the power they wielded, had lost so much.

"My mother Nairu was an Anjana Dwende", Théa said, a hardly noticeable smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, while she remembered. "She was beautiful. So beautiful…" She trailed off, absentmindedly rubbing the back of her hand, until a sigh erupting from her own throat brought her back to reality. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, she passed away a long time ago, but I still miss her."

Without saying a word, Bo took her hand to gently squeeze it.

Théa gave her a grateful look. "Anjana Dwende are able to bend space, which is the reason I can teleport. And it's because of my father Lú that I can bend time. He was a Chronos." She made a little pause, intently studying Bo's expression. "They weren't supposed to have me, you know… because of my parents' combination of powers. Much like your parents crossed a line by having you." She pointed a finger at Bo. "Your birth was an affront to the elders. But when your father was called in front of the council to explain himself, he claimed that Aife wasn't nearly powerful enough to warrant any worry." She snorted, and once again, Bo found herself reminded of Lauren.

The blonde saw her frown, and, mistaking it for confusion with the abrupt change of topic, decided to go into more detail. "Despite Hades' affirmations, the elders of both sides feared that a child fathered by the god of the Underworld would be too powerful, no matter how much or little power the mother held. The bottom line is that they were afraid of you before you were even born… so they went after Aife, even though she was just a lowly succubus."

Bo raised an eyebrow. "My mother was immensely powerful", she objected, and Théa nodded knowingly.

"That she was. But also an excellent deceiver, as you probably remember. She fooled everyone into thinking she was harmless and then escaped, trying to save you. Ironically, it was the rule of the elders that made her this powerful in the first place. Had it not been for her incarceration, she may never have transformed into the fury she eventually became." Théa sighed. "Of course, Hades knew the magnitude of her power… her potential. I believe, it's why he chose her to become the mother of his only child."

Bo snorted a bitter laugh and hung her head. "He never wanted a child. Just a tool to channel his own power and use it for himself. That's all I ever was for him."

The blonde placed a finger under her chin to catch her gaze. "But his mission failed, honey. Because he suffered from the same flaw all beings holding too much power eventually give in to…"

Bo lifted a questioning eyebrow.

"Unmatched arrogance", Théa added with a wink.

The succubus' expression softened. "So, if the elders were so afraid of your powers, how come your parents were allowed to have you after all? Don't tell me, your mother took off and gave you up for adoption, too?"

"No. I was raised by my biological parents." A frown paired with a sad smile graced her features, until she collected herself and continued. "The only reason I was allowed to live was because they gave their blood oath, effectively allowing the elders to watch my every move, keeping the development of my powers under close scrutiny."

Bo exhaled a breath. That was a tough one. She'd always valued her freedom above all else and couldn't imagine, how hard it must've been for Lauren's mother and her poor parents.

"For decades, nothing happened", Théa recounted, giving Bo a reassuring squeeze. "As the years passed, some of the original elders perished and were replaced, and the watchful gaze on my existence somewhat faded. I was happy with how things were. My whole life, I'd been told, what would happen, should both my parents' powers manifest within me… which they did, at a very early age. But I could never use both at the same time. So, eventually, the elders and most of the clans simply forgot about me. Until my Dawning came…"

Remembering her own "fae puberty", Bo shuddered. The experience had been anything but pleasant. "What happened?", she asked, almost anxiously.

"What everyone had been afraid of from the start", Théa replied with a small shrug. "I managed to combine my powers. And immediately, they came after me."

"But you knew all along that was going to happen, didn't you? This may sound stupid, but… why didn't you just run from them? Hide? Shouldn't be hard with your abilities."

"Because what you witnessed earlier, when you tried to fight me, took hundreds of years of practice. Right after my Dawning, I was overwhelmed with the power flooding my body. I was at the mercy of my own abilities, and the elders took advantage of it. They detained me and basically put me on trial. The result was the law I told you about. The one I broke. I had to give them my blood oath to never use my powers to interfere with the timeline of either the human or fae world."

"Your blood oath…", Bo mused, hesitantly looking around. "But if you broke it by showing yourself to me, why are you still alive and breathing? Why are we not surrounded by fae law enforcement?"

"Well, as you know, law is a tricky business", she replied with a wink. "And just like an attorney looking for gaps in human law to serve their purpose, I've had many years to spot some in my very own fae law, which, as it turns out, only states that I mustn't use my powers to interfere. So, technically, I haven't done anything wrong. Yet."

"But you said showing yourself to me already broke the law", Bo protested.

"I may have exaggerated a bit on that end", she replied with a smirk. "To get your attention. Worked, didn't it?"

The brunette snorted and crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting for the other woman to go on.

"You're right, alerting you of my existence technically broke the rule, because doing so could potentially result in the timeline disrupting. However, by revealing myself to you and only you, I exploited a gap in the law." She made a little pause, collecting her thoughts. "Your decision to end your own life gave me the opportunity to follow through with my idea." She fixated her gaze on Bo. "In this timeline, you, Isabeau, are dead, which means that I showed myself to someone, who no longer exists."

"But you're the only reason I am alive at this point", Bo replied, her gaze filled with confusion. "Which means, you did interfere… doesn't it?"

Théa smirked. "Exactly."

"I don't get it."

"I know, it's hard to understand. All things to do with space and time are. I mean, have you ever fully grasped the entire Terminator storyline?"

Bo laughed. Out loud. A heartfelt, open sound that she hadn't heard herself utter in weeks. It startled her, and a moment later, it ended as abruptly as it had begun.

Théa took her hand and searched for her gaze. "I interfered with a timeline that technically no longer exists. Your time on this planet ended with your death, which I prevented. But because the future hasn't happened yet, nobody's timeline is affected by yours continuing."

Bo still wasn't convinced. "What do you mean, the future hasn't happened? Don't tell me you haven't seen it."

"But it's true, I haven't. Because I can't, as it simply doesn't exist yet."

"Huh", Bo said. "Bummer."

Théa chuckled. "Believe me, nobody really wants to know their future. Time travel is messy business…" She paused, absentmindedly running her fingers over the smooth marble of Lauren's tombstone. "I am, however, able to visit the past, as long as I stick to my rule of not interfering."

Bo had stopped listening after Théa's remark about not wanting to know the future. Because she was wrong. A few weeks ago, Bo would've given up anything to know the future, if it would've meant saving Lauren. Which brought her back to the older woman's initial promise. "So…", she started tentatively, "what do I have to do to bring her back? Just tell me, I'll do anything."

"I know. Which is why I revealed myself to you in the first place."

Bo frowned, remembering her statement from before. "Right. What exactly does that mean though?"

Théa looked into her eyes, holding her gaze. "I've been watching you, Isabeau. Both of you, your entire lives. I saw the bond you shared, witnessed it with my own eyes. It was… is exceptional. If my daughter was fae, your succubus would've mated with her years ago, binding you together…"

Bo's head was spinning with the sudden flood of input. She held up her hands, effectively stopping Théa mid-sentence. "Wait a minute, that was a bit too much at once…" The blonde closed her mouth and waited for the succubus to continue. "First of all, what do you mean, you've been watching us? Ew?"

The blonde grimaced, lifting a questioning eyebrow, but Bo just shrugged. "Okay, for the record, no I never watched when you… god, seriously? How can you even think something like that, she was my daughter!"

Now, it was Bo's turn to grimace. "Okay, let's pretend I never asked… Still though, what did you mean by 'watching us'? And what bond are you talking about? Or my succubus mating…?"

Théa took a deep breath. "Alright, I guess it was a bit much at once. I keep forgetting, that even with all the power you hold, you are exceptionally young… for fae standards."

Bo nodded, waiting for her to continue. Out of the blue, her previous impatience was gone. Learning all these news about Lauren's past, things not even her wife had been aware of, and meeting her mother, all at the same time, was both overwhelming and calming. She felt a weird connection to this stranger, but before she could think about it any further, the blonde continued.

"I watched you, Isabeau, from the moment you entered my daughter's life. Just like I watched Mackenzie, Dyson, Fitzpatrick and everyone else connected to her in one way or the other."

Truth dawned on Bo. "So, that's how you knew about my friends." Théa nodded, and out of the blue, Bo had another thought – one that made her blood curdle, especially as the question was so blatantly obvious that she was wondering why she hadn't thought of asking it before. "Why though? Why watch her from a distance? How come you… Why didn't you… Why weren't you the one, who…?" She didn't know how to phrase it without offending the other woman, but Théainu cut her off with a gesture, before she could start rambling.

"Raised her?", she finished Bo's question, and the brunette nodded weakly. Théa let out a defeated sigh. "Before I answer that, I need you to know that I loved… love my daughter more than anything in the world. You must believe me, Bo."

"Do I really, though?", the brunette spat at her, anger suddenly flaring up inside her chest. It was the first time Théa had addressed her with her chosen name, but instead of pacifying her, it had the opposite effect. It reminded her of the way Lauren used to say her name, and all of a sudden, the unbelievable magnitude of the other woman's powers dawned on her. Abruptly, she got up and clenched her fists, glaring at the blonde. "You can bend space and time, for crying out loud! If you loved her as much as you claim you did, why did you allow a horde of crazed underfae to rip her to shreds? Why did you let her die? And Bruce, too!" Bo was shaking with helpless anger and sadness, and the tears had started running again.

Théa was hurt by her words, but she understood where they came from. "I couldn't", she replied simply.

Her gaze was so defeated that Bo felt sympathy well up inside her. But no… This woman wasn't worthy of her compassion. Bo was mad now. Bo needed to be mad. "Oh, because of your stupid law, right?", she hissed, desperately trying to hold onto her ire. "Well, do you want to know, what I think? I think, you're a coward! You had the power to prevent her death, but you didn't! If you loved her even remotely as much as I do, you would've died for her!" She pointed at her accusingly. "If I was in your place, I would've broken every single stupid ancient fae law in existence to keep her alive. I would've died for her. I was going to die for her, until you stopped me!" With a sob, she sank back down on her knees and grabbed fistfuls of dirt, as if she was trying to dig up the grave to get to her wife. "Lauren…", she whined. "Lauren…"

For a while, Théainu remained where she was, giving Bo time to calm down. The accusations from the young succubus didn't surprise her. In fact, she'd expected them a lot sooner. Bo was right, after all. Théainu had seen what was happening to her own child, but hadn't interfered. But Bo was also wrong in some respects.

When the brunette's sobs had died down, her face blank with sadness, Théa got up and put her hand on her shoulder. "Come on, get up, honey", she whispered gently. To her surprise, Bo didn't fight her. Apathetically and almost submissively, she rose to her feet and sat next to her on the tombstone.

Bo's anger had evaporated the second she'd snapped at Lauren's mother. "I do believe you", she finally stated, sniffling and wiping her nose with her wrist. "I can see it in your eyes. That you loved her, I mean." Théa breathed a sigh of relief. "But still… why?", Bo added weakly.

The blonde looked down at her hands, nervously fiddling with her thumbs. "You're right about one thing… I didn't interfere because the stupid ancient fae law, as you so charmingly called it, forbids me to." Bo looked up at her, waiting. "I'd watched the two of you for so long, and I knew the kind of danger you constantly lived in. I didn't interfere because it would've effectively killed me, preventing me from keeping watch over you, child."

Bo frowned. "I didn't need your protection", she growled.

"I think you did. And still do." Anticipating Bo's protest, she defensively lifted her hands. "You have to admit… you'd be dead now, if it wasn't for me." The brunette looked away, sheepishly staring at her own hands. "I knew you were the only one able to bring my daughter back to me, so…"

"Why though?", Bo cut in. "Why me? Why now?"

"I told you, you and Lauren shared a special bond. Something unique that most people never experience in their lives, whether human or fae. And it is this very bond that gives you the power to bring her back, Isabeau."

"Call me Bo."

"Bo." Théa smiled at her. "I promise, I will explain everything to you in due time, but… let's start at the beginning, shall we?"

The brunette breathed in deeply, reminding herself that this woman had vowed to bring back her beloved wife. Bo owed her to at least listen to her story. For her own sake. But more importantly, she did believe that Théa's love for her daughter was true. She knew from the deep sadness in her gaze. A sadness only Bo could grasp. The truth was, she'd seen her own grief reflected in the older woman's eyes. It was time to swallow her anger and listen for once.

"Okay, I'm ready", she said.