Hey guys! We're slowly getting to the bottom of things. Slooowly. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3

The two returned to the Crackshack in silence. The brunette had a lot to think about, and her friend didn't want to intrude. Besides, today had really taken it out of the young woman, so she soon fell asleep in the car. Bo was so caught up in herself that she didn't even notice until she pulled up next to their makeshift home. The whole drive back, she was lost in thought, and, if she was totally honest with herself, increasingly worried. Alistair's last warning had resonated with her, and she didn't take it lightly. The shock of coming so close to once again killing someone was still fresh, and to think, that someone had been Lauren… the notion alone made her want to weep.

But even though she knew of the dangers, every fibre of her yearned to see the blonde again – to touch her again. Bo had no clue how she was supposed to even breathe without her by her side, especially now she knew that the longing stemmed from the succubus she'd suppressed almost all her life. How could she possibly learn communicating with her when all she could think about was Lauren?

With a sigh, she got out of the car, cradling the limp form of her sleeping friend in her arms to carry her upstairs to bed. Listening to the young woman's incoherent mumbling, Bo was in the middle of taking off Kenzi's boots to tuck her in, when she had a thought. Brooding on the "how" wasn't helpful right now. Instead, she needed to face the facts and find solutions.

Feeling a little more confident, Bo walked to her room and sat down on the bed, going through everything she'd learned so far. Fact number one was that Lauren was human, and Bo needed to stay away from her for now, or her succubus would likely kill her, which Bo couldn't allow under any circumstances. Fact number two was that Bo needed chi to survive the following weeks, but couldn't risk leaving her cover to avoid detection by those pompous fae overlords.

So, what to do but approach this in a level-headed manner? Because what it all came down to was fact number three: Bo didn't have a choice. She may have no clue why, but she knew she needed Lauren like the air she breathed, and that was that. It was high time to stop wallowing in self-pity and take action. The quicker Bo learned to control her beast, the sooner she'd be able to safely approach Lauren, and whatever chi she needed during her training, she would get from Alistair.

Bo thought back to what he'd told her before they'd left him at his hideout: "Close your eyes and focus on her", he'd said, referring to Bo's succubus. "The longer you ignore her, the more you will grow apart. Let her in. Stop fighting her. Embrace her. Only then will she grant you full control. Think of her as a wild horse you want to tame. All it takes is patience and kindness."

Easier said than done. Patience wasn't exactly a virtue Bo was blessed with, and kindness… Well, how do you approach a murdering beast with kindness? And how to communicate with a being you can't even see?

Enough already with the how, she scolded herself, remembering to focus on the facts. Getting up to get ready for bed, she decided to start with the basics and follow Alistair's hands-on advice.

After lying down, she closed her eyes, trying to reach the elusive beast within her. Up until now, her succubus had simply taken over, whenever she started to get hungry. Each time, the sensation had been like an irresistible pull, which Bo now had to recreate – not an easy task after her earlier feed. Relaxing her body, she tried to empty her mind and focus on the feelings she only knew from memory. The hunger… the yearning… and the addictive maelstrom, spiralling her downwards, into a dark place, where the strange coupling of pleasure and death was all-powerful and ever-present.

Underneath closed eyelids, Bo's irises turned blue. Without noticing, she'd entered a state between sleep and trance, and was guided to a place she'd never seen before…

She was standing in a long, white hallway with a single door at the opposite end. A mirror was mounted on the wall next to her. Placing her hands on either side of it, she stared at her reflection.

Her eyes shone a blazing cerulean blue, and she could feel the beast rise within her. Communicate, she reminded herself, when she heard another voice buzzing from deep inside.

Give in to me. A growl. An order.

No. You made me kill all these people. Defiant. Angry.

I did not. You were not aware. But you know now that we are the same. Softer. Gentle. Accept us. Accept yourself.

Bo's insides tingled with a mix of fear and anticipation. Her beast was speaking to her, which was good. She was actually surprised at how easy it had been to find a connection. A little too easy maybe… Bo couldn't help but wonder whether she was being set up by… that thing.

I am not a monster. We are not a monster. Embrace me. Embrace us, and you will learn control.

Wow. This was going way too fast for her liking. The pressure was almost tangible. Bo needed a distraction. Where am I?

Wherever you need to be.

Why thanks, what a helpful answer. Geez. Bo was beginning to think that there must be some secret law that made all fae constantly speak in goddamn riddles – including her own bloody self.

Go now and start learning. Be with her. That's what you want most, isn't it?

What?! Bo's head snapped to the side, and her gaze fell back to the single door at the end of the hallway. Glancing back into the mirror a split second later, she noticed that her eyes had changed back to their usual dark brown. Wait! Who are you talking about? Are you saying Lauren's behind that door? What if I hurt her? What if I kill her?!

Silence.

Apparently, conversation time was over. So much for 'too easy'. Scoffing, Bo removed her hands from the wall and turned away from the mirror. Fear crept up on her once again, but there was excitement, too. And a sudden thought. How did I actually get here? She racked her brain, trying to remember… There were blurry images of Alistair and Kenzi. Her and Bo leaving his lair. Coming home. Going to bed… falling asleep? But then, nothing. Looking around, she tried to find an exit or entrance to this strange hallway. But there was just that one door. Slowly but surely, excitement started to outweigh Bo's fear.

And then, with sudden clarity, she realised that none of this was real – at least not… really.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she walked the length of the hallway, hesitating for only a second before opening the door. She didn't know what she'd expected, but this place wasn't it. She was standing in an apartment – a large room with white walls, adorned with some pictures, an open kitchen area with various greenhouse-like display cabinets containing all kinds of plants, and a set of stairs to her right, leading up to a gallery. A desk in front of the plant display housed a computer setup, a microscope, a small tabletop centrifuge and all kinds of other medical equipment.

But Bo didn't notice any of the details. None of the knick-knacks mattered, for on the chair beside all the science stuff sat the most beautiful being in the whole world. "Lauren…", she breathed.

XXX

Days… it had been days, and Lauren still hadn't found the tiniest hint as to what had happened that day between her and Bo. It was driving her mad. Of course, as a scientist, she was used to waiting forever for results, but this was different. Her body and soul were yearning for the brunette, and she had no clue, why that was. Which to her, was a big problem.

She barely knew Bo, and yet, the succubus was on her mind all the time, distracting her from work. It had got so bad that the Ash was beginning to notice something was off… which was dangerous. Who knew what would happen to Lauren if he found out what really had transpired in the lab that day? Neither the Light nor the Dark approved of relationships between humans and fae – and the outrageous unaligned status of a certain stubborn succubus wasn't exactly helping the situation either. Which was why it was elemental for Lauren to get to the bottom of their strange connection, before anyone else did – for her own protection, as well as Bo's.

So, after days of fruitless endeavours, Lauren had grasped the last straw she could think of and turned to Trick, owner of the Dal Riata, a pub in neutral territory that served as the city's waystation for both Light and Dark. Lauren didn't dislike the mysterious bartender by any means, but he was a rather… uncommunicative person, to say the least. He'd chat with his patrons, but only ever about trite things. Not that this part alienated her; in fact, she much preferred keeping to herself as well. But there was something about Trick… some kind of secret he seemed to harbour, which made Lauren tread carefully around him. Firstly, because she was just a lowly human amongst fae. But secondly and more importantly, because even the Ash seemed to harbour great respect, maybe even fear towards the gentle-voiced man.

Eventually though, the looming danger started to outweigh her wariness, so she went to see him to borrow whichever books he might have that she hadn't found in the archives. To her surprise, he was quite forthcoming as soon as she mentioned Bo's name. Not only did he give her two of his most precious tomes to read at home, but he shared some information about the brunette's rare kind that only someone close to such a creature would know. Blushing profusely, he'd told her that sometimes, if they found a suitable partner, succubae would deviate from their species' usual promiscuous ways and mate, effectively making them immune to the need to feed from others.

But Lauren was human, so there was no way… was there?

After thanking Trick, she hurried back home to bury her nose in the books. She'd barely started reading when something caught her eye. It was a depiction of two nude people – one obviously a succubus with blazing blue eyes, touching and pulsing the hand of an unspecified man sporting a remarkable erection. The language of the caption underneath was old, so Lauren couldn't decipher everything, but she understood enough to get the gist of it: If the beast harboured within happens to meet her optimal mate, she will waste no time and seal an everlasting bond by imbuing them with her energy, it read, and further down: Said bond cannot be forced by either side, meaning the match has to be mutual. Furthermore, once the mating is completed, feeds from other creatures remain possible, but will eventually become ineffective, rendering the succubus dependent on their mate.

"Their mate… but what kind, what kind?" Lauren let out a tired sigh. She didn't dare to believe that this text passage meant what she thought it did. Not once since she'd learned about their existence had the fae treated Lauren as an equal, and eventually, she'd grown to accept their inherent arrogance as a shared cultural trait. But while Lauren was no expert on sociology, she knew that cultures changed over time. It was very possible that the fae's deeply-rooted belief of human inferiority was a more recent development.

Pensively, she went back to Trick's book to read some articles that she'd previously ignored, as they didn't contain any information on succubae. Frowning, she scanned pages upon pages and after a while, found her hunch confirmed: There wasn't a single hint at the ancient author making a difference between humans and fae. Nothing whatsoever indicated the genus of the described succubus mate. Lauren exhaled an exhausted breath and rubbed her eyes, looking up to check the time. It was late. She hadn't got much sleep last night… or any night since she'd last seen Bo.

Bo…

She crossed her arms and put them on the desk to rest her head. Then, she closed her eyes for a bit, her mind drifting back to the day at the lab. Was it really possible that one simple touch had completed the everlasting mating ritual described in Trick's book? The article clearly stated that the process had to be mutual, but how could anything be mutual when both parties were totally oblivious of the process itself?

In all honesty, Lauren was surprised that she wasn't in an all-out state of shock over all of this. An eternal bond between her and a stranger…? Granted, said stranger was one she'd shared the most earth-shattering kiss with anyone had ever heard of, but fact was that she didn't really know Bo. Besides, even if it was true that Lauren could sustain a grown succubus, what would happen after she died? She was only human, and fae lived hundreds of years. Would her death inevitably lead to Bo's? She couldn't bear the thought of that…

By now, Lauren felt so sleepy that the awkward position she was in seemed like the most comfortable ever… But if she wanted to find answers to her questions, she would have to suck it up and keep reading. Maybe Trick's second book would shed some more light on the topic. She was about to grab it when a soft gasping sound roused her from her thoughts.

"Lauren…"

The voice came from the door. Puzzled, she looked up, vaguely thinking that in her eagerness to learn, she'd probably forgotten to lock it. And there she was… The literal woman of her dreams casually standing in the doorway like she belonged. Though "casual" wasn't the right word at all – in fact, she seemed rather nervous as she kept wiping her presumably sweaty hands on her pants.

"Bo…", Lauren croaked out, getting up from her chair and circling the desk. Just like during their first meeting, she felt instantly drawn to her, but Bo's reserved demeanour stopped the blonde dead in her tracks. She didn't know whether to run at her and sink into her arms, or scold her for unceremoniously showing up in the literal middle of the Light's headquarters. For a while, they just stood there, staring at each other, until Lauren found her voice.

"Bo, what are you doing?", she asked weakly. "It's too dangerous for you to be here. Someone could've seen you."

Despite her hesitancy to get too close, the brunette had to smile at Lauren's worried tone. "I don't think, 'here' is where you think it is", she replied, nodding in the direction of where the desk stood.

Lauren followed her gaze… and saw her very own self, slumped over the tabletop, sound asleep with her head resting on the hard surface.

"Oh…" This was beyond astonishing! Highly intrigued, she looked around, noticing a row of strangely random changes around the room – a missing picture on a nightstand, a chest of drawers that curiously enough lacked all of its handles, and the temperature display of the fridge, which only showed gibberish. Awestruck, Lauren patted herself down and examined her hands. They were there… she was there, but the apartment looked like a sloppy copy of the real thing.

"I think, I'm asleep at my place", Bo stated, breaking the silence, ripping Lauren from her astounded state. The brunette still hadn't moved an inch, but her eyes were glued to the other woman's, the yearning in them almost tangible. "Is this a dream?", she added with a frown.

Lauren snapped her mouth shut and collected herself. "I don't think so. But it's not real either. It's something in between, like… limbo." She held Bo's intense stare, her muscles ready to pounce on her any second. But she didn't dare make a move. So instead, she turned to what she did best and entered science mode. "It seems that we're both asleep, but we're also aware of this fact. However, while lucid dreams aren't unusual, it seems highly unlikely that we'd share the same one." Looking Bo over from head to toe, she made a little pause. "So, uh… I think we'd have to touch to see if my, um… theory is true." Swallowing, she took a careful step towards the brunette.

Bo's breathing sped up. "What…" Her voice cracked, so she cleared her throat. "What theory is that?"

Lauren inched another step closer. "That we're here for a reason. Because we share a connection. You feel it, too… don't you?" Her last words were but a hopeful whisper.

"I do", Bo husked. Lauren was so close now. Close enough for Bo to simply reach out her hand and touch her. But she was still hesitant. Scratch that, she was terrified. "What if I hurt you again?", she asked, her voice trembling.

"You won't." Lauren closed the remaining gap, and Bo swallowed, desperately trying to hold on to the last bit of self-control she had left in her. But she found herself getting weaker by the second. Lauren's eyes were so beautiful that she felt herself drowning in them… the wild patterns of her irises mesmerising, pulling the brunette into a current of never-ending bliss. "Do you trust me?", Lauren added.

"Yes." The reply was instant. "But I don't trust myself…"

The blonde's mouth was millimetres away from Bo's, her golden tresses framing her stunning, perfect face like a silky curtain. "You can't hurt me here", she whispered against her lips. "I know it. I feel it. Let it happen, Bo. Please. I need you."

And just like that, all fear… all thought was gone, when Bo finally relented, sinking into Lauren's arms. The brunette felt like she was floating in mid-air. The feeling of Lauren's soft lips on hers was every bit as amazing as the first time they'd kissed… and so much more, because here, they were safe.

Just like Lauren, Bo felt it in her very core, so when the irresistible force urging her to feed overcame her, she didn't fight it. Any resistance would've been pointless anyway, because there was nothing she could've done to stop it. Bo was helpless, but for the first time ever, there was no guilt. All she felt was the pure bliss of Lauren's mouth, her lips… her tongue, softly caressing her own, each stroke evoking waves of pleasure rippling through her body as the blonde's divine chi imbued her every fibre.

You need to stop the feed.

The voice was far away and yet close by, echoing inside Bo's head like a stern warning.

No… no stopping. Ever. I can't. I won't. This was too good. Why stop something this good?

You have no choice.

Why? Who are you to lecture me about my choices?

I am you. You are me. Remember, where you are. And stop. You're here to learn. To make the killing stop.

Killing…? Memories started trickling through Bo's head, images flashing before her mind's eye, blurred faces from the past, limp bodies in her arms. Tears of despair. A monster… a killer. Suddenly, she felt the familiar panic rise, fooling her into the role of a liquid-starved person surrounded by nothing but salt water. So tempting, so deadly. Death… always death.

No! This is Lauren! I can't kill her – not her. Make it stop, make it stop!

Only you can make it stop. Pull away. Use your hands and push. Distance yourself. You can do it.

Bo felt like she was swimming against a strong, relentless current. It would cost all the strength in her body to beat it, but she had to do it. She couldn't lose Lauren. Lauren was her mate… she couldn't bear the thought of being without her. Opening her eyes, she pressed her hands against the blonde's shoulders and watched rifts tearing into the steady flow of chi – small at first, then growing bigger and bigger, until it stopped. Was it too late? It had to be…

"Lauren?" Bo's voice cracked, producing nothing but a desperate whimper. Her gaze fixated on the other woman, she felt tears well up in her eyes. This would be so much worse than all the other times before. What if she'd hurt the one person she couldn't be without? What if…?

The blonde opened her eyes, and relief washed over Bo like a tsunami. "I did it", she sobbed, still on the verge of tears. "I stopped."

"Yes, you did." Smiling, Lauren held out her hand. "We're safe here", she reminded her. "Come to bed with me, Bo."

She followed her upstairs and through a door leading to the blonde's bedroom. Seeing the bed, she felt her arousal return with a bang. She'd been so caught up in worry and fear that for a moment, she'd forgotten how desperately she wanted to touch Lauren… to feel her and explore her body. Ever since that fateful day at the lab, the beautiful doctor had dominated her every thought.

Ever since she'd left her behind…

Standing next to the bed, Lauren was about to lean in, when Bo stopped her. She had to get this out now, before they went any further. "I'm so sorry I hurt you before", she whispered, her voice trembling with guilt. "I never meant to… I didn't know how…"

The blonde covered Bo's mouth with a finger. "I know, and I understand. But you need to let all that go. I'm still here."

"You are", said, holding Lauren's gaze and kissing the finger resting on her lips. She relished in the other woman's presence, but remembering the last feed, she couldn't help but get caught up in the old notion of being a monster. It was so powerful that for a second, she forgot where they were. "But how is that possible?", she asked. "I know I stopped just now, but it took me so long. Too long, really. You… you should be…" She couldn't utter the word, didn't even want to think it.

"Shh", Lauren shushed her. "But I'm not." Bo still seemed anxious, to the blonde decided to try the science approach to ease her lover's guilt. "How do you feel?", she asked. "Stronger? Or the same as before?"

Bo frowned, a little confused. "Weirdly, the same as before."

"That's what I thought", Lauren stated, softly caressing the brunette's cheeks with both hands. "You can't feed here to sustain your body, which is why you can't hurt me either. Just see it as a…" She made a little pause, looking for the right word. "A training simulation."

Lauren winked at her, and Bo's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Lauren was right. This was… limbo. They could do whatever they wanted here, without any consequences for the blonde's health. The thought made Bo's eyes flash blue, to which Lauren reacted with a low growl. Bo shuddered at the sound and gave the doctor a seductive pout.

"Hm", she hummed, pretending to think really hard. "So, what do we do now?"

Lauren leaned in closer. "Time for your reward", she purred in a low voice. "Make love to me, Bo. Please." Her tongue darted out to lick the brunette's lower lip, and Bo was done for. Pressing herself against her lover, she caught Lauren's tongue with her mouth and once again felt the inevitable pull. But this time, she resisted, turning her head to devour the blonde's jaw and neck, while busying herself with the buttons of her shirt.

Ever so slowly, she let her hands wander downwards, until the fabric gave way. Sliding her fingertips over Lauren's shoulders, she got rid of the garment and dropped it to the floor. With the path cleared, she kissed and licked her way down the blonde's toned neck, pushing the straps of her camisole and bra out of the way to suck the delicate skin of her collarbone.

Lauren moaned, subconsciously intrigued by her own fixation on the alluring brunette. Had this not been Bo, she would surely be sitting at her desk right now, trying to figure out the science behind this strange place she'd so very unscientifically called "limbo". But the woman currently peeling her out of her clothes while covering every square centimetre of her skin in kisses was Bo. Lauren couldn't recollect ever wanting anyone this much. She vaguely remembered reading that succubae emitted pheromones to entice their potential lovers, but that could hardly be true for this dreamland-type half-reality. No, this was all her. She longed for Bo – craved her beyond all reason, and now that she had her, she wouldn't let her go ever again.

"I touched myself, thinking of you", she husked, basking in the sensation of her lover's lips on her skin. "I couldn't help it, couldn't stop it. You're on my mind all the time."

The brunette moaned softly and pressed herself closer. Suddenly, she knew what had caused all those almost-orgasms over the last few days. "I felt you", she breathed. "Every touch, I was there with you." Her hands moved down, towards the seam of Lauren's pants and caressed the blonde's heated skin, before slowly opening the button and zipper. "It made my longing for you unbearable. I needed you so badly." Her voice was urgent, almost pleading. Not wanting to waste another moment, she slipped her hand into Lauren's panties and reached for her centre, pressing down on the hardened nub.

Lauren cried out and held on to Bo, trying to gain some balance to support her buckling knees.

"God, you're wet", the brunette mewled, barely able to form a coherent thought. Steadying her lover with one arm, she kept working her clit with the other, beyond eager to finally hear and feel her come. "So wet for me…" Her mouth was latched onto the skin of Lauren's neck, while she pleasured her with long strokes – letting her slick fingers slide up and down her soaked slit over and over again, until finally entering her with a forceful thrust.

With each push, the blonde let out a small scream, and soon, she felt her climax approach. Being touched by Bo felt unimaginably good. Lauren's fantasies of the beautiful succubus had been enticing, but this… this was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. So, when her inner walls started clenching, she grasped fistfuls of the fabric of Bo's top, desperately clinging to her. "Bo…", she whimpered, her gaze fixated on the brunette's. "I'm coming… Bo…"

"Yes, baby, come for me", Bo moaned, rubbing her lover's clit at lightning speed, not wanting to wait another second to listen to the music of Lauren climaxing.

"Ah- ah- ahh!", Lauren cried, unable to form any more words. All she could do was to repeatedly scream out her release, utterly incapable of comprehending the intensity of the earth-shattering orgasm rocking her whole body. Shuddering with each wave, she let herself sink into Bo, who held her with superhuman strength, somehow cradling her form, until the last twitch had ebbed away.

"Oh, god", Lauren groaned, on the verge of giving in to her violently shaking legs, when the brunette bent down, swooping her up into her arms to carry her to the bed. Immediately, Lauren felt safe. She tightly wrapped her arms around her woman, never wanting to let go.

Bo sensed her need for closeness and lay down next to her, snuggling into her body and resting her head on Lauren's heaving chest…

A teeny-tiny cliff-hanger never hurt anyone, right? ;) Next update is coming soon enough, so bear with me. Also, let me know what you think. Much love to all of you, and Happy New Year!