These snapshot moments occur in the same universe and are a continuation of the story contained in the multi chapter crossover story "The Thirteen
Happiness, Bo had discovered, was a living tangible thing. The touch and taste and feel of it surrounded her. The sound of it filled her life, built the moments of her existence. And after everything she had gone through, she was more than willing to bend to its weight.
As a Succubus, Bo gave and felt love primarily through touch. The feathered brushes of her fingers ghosting across Lauren's body; the affectionate squeeze of Tamsin's hand on her shoulder; the sisterly hugs she shared with Kenzi or Buffy or Daisy. She knew the fire that her own touch inspired and the cooling solace of Lauren's hand on her own skin. She knew the pleasure her hands could bring, the comfort, the reassurance. And drew the same from the touch of those she loved.
But the all encompassing nature of this beautiful life of hers was measured in more than touch. It was measured in moments. Perfect moments, pinpricks in the universe that contained a star's worth of experience, of touch and taste and smell. Of the sights and sounds of those almost mundane drops of honey that wove through her life between grandiose battles and apocalypses.
It was measured in the breathless gasp of her wife when they made love. It was measured in the giggles of her daughter, in the triumphant laugh the day she took her first faltering steps. It was measured in the clamour of hammering as Dyson built the swing in their garden; in the noise of Fitz's muttering as he bent his head under the hood of her car on a visit from across the boundaries of their universes; in the teasing of friends who knew her every facet and loved her anyway.
Her happiness was found in the glint in Evony's eyes as she talked her and Lauren back into holding a second wedding after their doubts on the return of the Nexus. In the former Morrigan's calm outlining of Fae tradition and ceremony and the fact it was the only way Lauren and Isobel would be fully accepted as her wife and child. In the clear colours of a day of celebration where she once more spoke the words "I do" to the love of her life. In the look of surprise on both of their faces as The Thirteen companions joined them once more for their precious day. In the squeal of delight from the now toddling Isobel as she caught a glimpse of Uncle Angel and practically threw herself into his arms. In the silent joy on Angels' face as he pulled the little girl to his chest.
It was there intertwined with the smell of each pizza shared with Kenzi and Tamsin, in the sharp tangy taste of late night Tequila, in the stifling heat of the nightclub dancefloors she hunted in. It pulsed through Lauren's comforting touch, her soft fingertips brushing the succubus' breasts in adoration. And it flowed into her with the unmatched addictive taste of Lauren's chi, her essence filled with the burning intellect, the compassion for others and the utter devotion to Bo.
Such moments, characterised by how they stimulated her senses threaded through her life, and marked the waystations along her path. They stood as beacons, positive reinforcement to hold back the primal force within her. And she used them to bridle and tame the power that could destroy. And forced it to bring life and hope and happiness to others.
XXXXX
Lauren pushed the front door open with her foot, her arms full of bags and research she had brought home. It had been one of those long days where the number of patients she had had outnumbered the time set aside for treatment – but no matter how much she loved her research she would always put people first. As she hung her coat up, she heard a scuffle in the kitchen, a scraping of a chair and then her wife's voice. "Lauren, is that you? Don't come through here." The blonde doctor rolled her eyes and sighed indulgently. "Honey, you know that's the exact thing to say to actually make me more likely to come straight through, don't you?"
"Well, alright. But… don't be mad, okay?" Lauren chuckled to herself and made her way to the kitchen. "Honey why do you think I would be…. Oh my God!"
Bo stood in the kitchen with a sheepish look on her face and covered in what Lauren could only imagine had been the dessert of Isobel's lunch, their daughter in a similar predicament. The red fruit sauce was in Isobel's hair, smeared across the tray of her high chair, down various cupboard doors and over the floor. This was not seeming to faze the baby Succubus who was merrily clanging her spoon on the tray in front of her and still dipping into what was left of her dessert. At the sight of the state her wife and daughter were in, Lauren did the only thing she really could. She laughed. And laughed some more.
Stepping towards the Succubus she opened her arms to embrace her wife. Bo lifted up a hand. "Babe, you'll get covered." The blonde just grinned. "Do you know how much I love you right now?", she murmured into the shell of Bo's ear. The brunette melted into her wife's embrace, a smile now spreading over her face. If either of them had even an inkling that it would turn into something more, the thought was quickly disabused by the happy shout of their daughter and more spoon banging. Lauren pulled back from Bo and chuckled at the sight of her two girls. Running her eyes over the Succubus she leaned in and gave her a gentle peck on the lips. "This was a nice welcome home sweetie. Now let's get the two of you cleaned up." So saying, the doctor scooped Isobel out of her high chair and held out her free hand behind her for Bo to take in a simple show of affection.
And Bo was never more grateful for the gentleness and love of her wife.
XXXXX
"Mami! More!" Isobel's demand from her vantage point on the kitchen surface drew Lauren's attention. Smiling indulgently at the infant, Lauren scooped a few more dollops of the cake mixture from her own bowl into Isobel's smaller bowl where little brunette was eagerly stirring. She booped her daughter on the nose eliciting a giggle. After the last kitchen incident with Bo, Lauren had been careful to ensure she dressed Isobel in her full body baby apron and she even snapped a few photos of her looking cute in the yellow plastic apron, topped by an oversized chef's hat bought for her by FitzSimmons. Dagny sat quietly next to the older infant, though due to her Valkyrie aging looking like a three year old. She had her own little bowl, but no apron needed. Unlike Isobel, Dagny was almost meticulous in her dislike for messiness. Which the smaller girl took advantage of by occasionally catapulting globs of cake mixture the little Valkyrie's way.
On the third attempt at telling her daughter 'no we don't throw food at Dagny' Lauren finally lifted them both onto the floor and removed temptation from Isobel by taking her bowl away. She had to turn away to stop laughing at the very Bo-like scowl that Isobel aimed at her. There was no use in enforcing rules if the little succubus thought her actions might actually amuse her mother.
Just as Lauren was putting the fairy cakes in the oven, she heard the front door open and stuttered steps on the wooden floor. "Lauren!" She started at the mild panic in Tamsin's voice as the pale blonde shouted from hall and ran through to see the Valkyrie supporting her wife slumped over and half conscious. Looking over the succubus once she could see a half healed cut on her arm and another perilously low on her neck. She immediately stepped into the other side of Bo and slid an arm around her waist, taking much of the weight from Tamsin. The Valkyrie was looking mostly uninjured, but a little green around the gills.
"Did she…?" Tamsin nodded. "She just fed off me enough to stay conscious. I flew us both straight here. I know I should have taken her to the clinic…" Sensing the Valkyrie's increased anxiety, Lauren reached gently across the brunette between them and placed a calming hand on her fellow blonde. "It's okay. You did the right thing. I'll take it from here. Watch the girls." As if summoning their daughters, Dagny emerged from the kitchen, an unsteady Isobel toddling behind her. Quickly checking that Lauren held Bo, Tamsin gently eased Bo's arm from around her and bent to pick up both girls, one in each arm. A tiny crinkle appeared on Isobel's face. "Mama hurt?"
"It's okay Izzy," Tamsin soothed. "Your Mami is gonna help fix her." She nodded at the doctor and walked with the two little girls into the living room.
Lauren took a deep breath and heaved her wife closer, grateful for the enhanced strength she had gained from the serum that had saved her life. She cupped the Succubus' cheek and turned Bo's head to her. "Can you help me help you up the stairs?" Bo's face creased into a pained frown; her eyes open just enough to meet Lauren's concerned gaze. "I think so. I'm sorry…I should be more careful."
"Let's save any possible recriminations until after we've had sex, okay sweetie?" Only getting a nod in reply, Lauren pulled Bo even closer and pulled her as quickly as she could up the stairs.
The pair made it to their bedroom and Lauren swiftly pushed the door closed behind her and turned the lock. There were some things in their life that could not be interrupted. She pulled Bo over to their bed and sat beside her, taking a closer look at the unsightly gash on her neck. Thankfully it looked like a clean wound. Whomever Bo and Tamsin had been fighting, it looked like it was a blade rather than claws that had caused the injury. Shucking Bo's jacket, she started to unbutton her own blouse. She felt Bo's hand on hers and looked up into deep pools of brown, eyes that could draw her in; eyes that transitioned to blue in a flash.
Bo's mouth was on hers then, biological imperative combined with passion and devotion and the utter need between them. She finished pulling her top off before allowing herself to be pushed down onto the bed, the weight of the succubus falling onto her in a blanket of arousal. Bo nestled a thigh between Lauren's and canted her hips forward. The first pull of Chi came and Lauren gasped, pulling her wife closer, closer; impossibly close. And there was finally that smile on Bo's face and the confidence of one who knew she was in safe hands with her wife. In a burst of energy and frantic urgency the two women divested themselves of the rest of their clothes.
Once completely naked, it was Lauren who turned over and pushed Bo onto her back, her thigh once more slotted between Bo's and starting an almost punishing rhythm. In turn, Bo hooked one leg over Lauren's and gripped her arse, matching the blonde's rhythm beat for beat. A hiss of pleasure spilled from Bo's mouth as her wife ground into her and simultaneously massaged her breast eagerly. "Lauren," Bo groaned in a husky voice as she took another pull of Lauren's exquisite Chi. The Chi exchange, combined with the driving rhythm and the Succubus' touch was quickly pushing Lauren into ecstasy. But she still had enough wherewithal to lift herself up and look deeply into those startling blue eyes; supernaturally blue, pulsing with power. "Take as much as you need sweetie, you know I can take it." The response was a hard passionate kiss and another pull of chi. "I'm almost there." Bo grinned and flipped them again, her movements no longer sluggish or pained.
Dipping her hand between Lauren's thighs into unimaginable heat and wetness, Bo grinned as she coaxed her wife closer to completion. The blonde, now breathless, met those blue eyes with her own honey brown. For once at a loss for words, she merely held Bo's face with one hand, the other caressing the now healed body. Gratitude, love, desire; all swirled within her as Bo moved to the finale, the succubus taking a last sip of Chi at the exact moment of Lauren's intense orgasm, the same tipping her over moments later.
Lauren sighed deeply as her wife moved gently to work her down through the aftershocks. Flopping over on her back, Bo worked through her own breathlessness. She turned to give the blonde a gooey 'totally in love' look and smiled to see the same thrown her way. "We should clean up and relieve Tamsin. She's probably being terrorised by Izzy and Dagny. And she should know I'm okay."
"I think she probably figured you're all healed up sweetie, we weren't exactly quiet." Bo blushed at Lauren's words and the blonde smiled. It always gave her a little bit of pride that she could make Bo feel the things she could and that the Succubus of all people could still blush at some things. A gentle kiss on her shoulder and a hand on her hip refocused her attention. "Bo," she said in as steady a voice as she could manage. "Our daughter…"
"Is in safe hands right now."
"You were the one who said we should go back downstairs." Bo huffed into Lauren's smooth skin in frustration with a tell-tale smile. "Fine. We can finish this later." And without a second look back she scooted off the bed and began to put her bloodied clothes in the washing hamper. Lauren fell back into the pillow, her arm over her head. "Do you have to look like that?"
"Like what?" Bo answered with a grin, knowing exactly how she looked in all her naked glory. "Just get dressed," Lauren muttered, throwing a clean bra at the brunette.
It wasn't long before the two women were back to being presentable and heading back downstairs to Tamsin and the children. Following Lauren closely, Bo was brought to a sudden stop in the doorway as Lauren halted her progress. The brunette leaned her chin on her wife's shoulder, her hands settled onto the blonde's waist. "Why'd you stop babe?" In way of reply, Lauren merely leaned her head on Bo's, bringing a hand up to cup her face tenderly and nodded to the scene before them in the living room.
Tamsin was laid on her back, knees pulled up. The two girls were sitting straddling her, Isobel leaning back on the Valkyries knees and Dagny facing her, just under Tamsin's breasts. Isobel was babbling, a building block in one hand and the other resting on her knee. Dagny was looking at her like she hung the sun and moon, a goofy smile plastered over her face. Tamsin was periodically lifting her hips to raise both girls, making them laugh and shout "Again!".
Lauren felt Bo's smile and a content happiness settled on her. "Let's make another." She breathed the words into Bo's hair. The answer came in Bo's arms snaking fully around her waist and pulling her in closer. "You sure?"
"I am. I love Dagny and I know Isobel loves her too. But I want to give our daughter sisters and brothers. And I don't want a big age gap. And I love you so much Bo. I want to make another person with you and…" A tear escaped down her cheek. She felt those soft Succubus lips kissing it away, then insistent hands turning her head and the lips met her own in a searching, comforting kiss. "I love you more than anything Lauren Lewis."
XXXXX
A sharp cry from her daughter's room across the hallway jerked Bo out of her slumber. Reaching over to the empty space where her wife usually slept, she belatedly remembered that it was one of two nights in the week that Lauren was working a night shift. It had been a sort of compromise between them; Lauren would limit her hours to 40 a week, but there had to be two night-shifts in there and every fourth weekend. For a functioning workaholic like Lauren, it had been quite the concession and a testimony to her love of Bo and commitment to making their marriage work.
The distressed cry from Isobel's room sounded again. Bo sighed and pulled a t-shirt over her head and wandered over the corridor. As soon as Isobel saw her mother, the cries increased in intensity. Bo lifted the little girl from her cot and held her close to her chest, whispering comfort into the top of her head. A hiccoughed sob escaped Isobel's lips followed by a wail of "Mami!". Bo sighed again. "Sweetheart, mami is working tonight. I got you. Everything is going to be okay." The crying didn't stop. Isobel's face was getting redder and redder and Bo could see she was starting to find it difficult to breathe. She screamed another "Mami!" and buried her head in Bo's chest.
Increasingly worried for her distressed daughter, Bo sent the mildest of Succubus pulses through her. This stopped the most hysterical crying, but Isobel remained clinging to Bo and continued to sniffle. The brunette sat on the rocking chair in the corner of Isobel's room and held the child close, continuing her soothing mantra that everything would be alright. She felt Isobel take a deep breath and the little fingers tighten on her arm. "Mami. Mami hurt."
"She's just working sweetheart, she'll be home soon. No-one will hurt you Izzy." The child pulled herself away from her mother, and with a look that belied her mere seventeen months she cocked her head and said once again, "Mami hurt." Bo narrowed her eyes and looked closely at Isobel. "You dreamed mami was hurt?"
"Mami hurt," was the only answer she got. Bo leaned her head back in frustration and closed her eyes. Slowing her breathing and reaching deep within herself she focussed on the part of herself that could always feel Lauren's presence; their odd mystical bond that told her that her wife was alive and well. And yet when she opened her eyes and saw the whimpering child on her chest, something told her to trust whatever it was that had panicked Isobel. She shifted carefully and lifted the little succubus's chin so that their eyes met. "You wanna go visit Mami at work?" The child snuffled and pushed herself back into Bo's chest, her grip tightening. "See Mami." Kissing her daughter gently on the head, Bo stood in one smooth movement.
She strode out of the bedroom and along the landing to Tamsin's room. Her insistent knock brought the Valkyrie to the door, a dazed and confused look on her face. "Can you call Evony to watch Dagny? We need to go to the clinic." The pale blonde creased her face. "I have company Bo, you're not the only one…"
"Tamsin." Bo's stern tone silenced the Valkyrie immediately. "I'll be right there," the blonde mumbled. "Good job my company is Evony, it'll save us some time."
While waiting for her companions Bo went back to her own room and threw on some proper clothes; a task that proved to be more difficult than usual due to her daughter being unwilling to be put down without screaming bloody murder. Bo winced through the sounds of Isobel's distress as she quickly pulled on her tight leather trousers and comfortable burgundy top, then scooped the little girl back up into her arms. She retrieved her 'phone from the side of her bed and made to call Lauren's cell. That there was no answer was not unusual, night shifts at the clinic could be busy at times, their small emergency room facility being one of the few places where both Fae and human could come with no strings attached. That there was no answer on either of the clinic's lines once she had failed to get hold of Lauren on her cell was more worrying.
She met the other two women downstairs in the hall, Tamsin pulling on her practical leather shoes. Evony made to take Isobel from Bo's arms, but the girl pulled away and curled even closer to her mother, her legs like vines around Bo's waist. "It's okay Evony, Isobel's coming with us. Just stay here with Dagny will you?"
"Bo, what's going on?"
"I don't know, and that's what most worrying. I can't put Isobel down, the state she's in and I can't leave her behind. She was practically busting a blood vessel back there until I had to use my touch to calm her…"
"You 'succubused' your daughter?" Bo deadpanned a look at Evony and the former Morrigan held her hands up. "You know best, 'Mama'."
"Yes, I do." Bo said firmly, finally fastening her thigh holster and sliding her trusty dagger into its place. "Call Dyson; tell him to meet us there." She leaned down to pick up the sturdy framed baby carrier that would fit snuggly on her back and stalked out of the door. Looking mournfully after her and then back at Evony, Tamsin made to follow then stepped back and kissed the dark haired woman. "This isn't really how I wanted Bo to find out about us…" Evony shrugged indifferently and let out a half snort. "Well, there isn't really and 'us' for her to find anything about is there. Go follow your girl before she gets into trouble." Tamsin knew it was an act of course. But she flashed her a smile and kissed her quickly on the cheek again before heading out of the door.
Tamsin trotted out to where Bo stood by the distinctive yellow Camaro, Isobel still cradled in her arms. Their eyes met and Tamsin nodded knowingly. She saw it then, happening in real time. A shudder passing through Bo and her eyes widening at the same time as Isobel's hysterical crying started up again. It was unusual for her to see fear in Bo's eyes, but it was there now. Without thought she stepped closer to the Succubus and held her for a moment. Then taking the keys from her hand she ran round to the driver's side. "Whatever you just felt coming from Lauren, we're gonna get there…"
"She's frightened Tee, I mean really scared." Bo's words came out in almost a whisper. Tamsin started the car and turned back to Bo. "Then you'd better get in and hold on to Isobel. There's no way we're getting that kid in a car seat the way she is right now, and we gotta get going." Bo nodded, grateful for Tamsin's level headedness and her loyalty. She jumped into the passenger seat, Isobel clinging to her tightly and the three of them were on their way to Lauren's clinic.
It didn't take them long; Tamsin broke every speed limit and there was almost no traffic this late at night. They came to a halt outside the clinic just as Dyson swept up on his motorcycle, the detective clearly already on high alert. Both women could feel it too and they cautiously followed him inside once they had manoeuvred the still sniffling Isobel into the steel framed baby carrier on Bo's back.
The lights in the reception area were off, not unusual for this time of night, but the lack of any of the ambient night time lights brought all three Fae up to full fighting readiness. Bo tasted the acrid bitterness of adrenalin in her throat and could smell the faint but recognisable smell of blood on the air.
"Shit!" The expletive burst from Tamsin's mouth as they rounded the corner to find one of Lauren's staff nurses on the ground, lifeless glassy eyes staring into nothing and three messy gunshot wounds in her chest. Bo's eyes flashed blue but before she could follow her instinct to the room where she could feel Lauren and her increasing fear Dyson grabbed her arm. The baby on her back was completely silent now, but her dark eyes flitted over the three adults and it was only the sense of that scrutiny that kept Bo from snarling at her friend. She shrugged his hand from her arm and leaned momentarily on the wall, taking a breath the sight of the dead woman at her feet. The woman's name came floating up from her memories of all the times Bo had visited Lauren or come to pick her up. Fiona. Another name to add to Bo's inner roster, the list that always started with Kyle. If she had only got here quicker the woman might be alive. As if her could read her mind, Dyson leaned in close to her and took her arm again, this time much more gently. "Don't do that Bo. This is not your fault." She looked up at him and smiled weakly. He nodded and smiled back. "Now let's go get your girl."
Bo took point walking carefully down the corridor, her companions walking behind her, guns drawn, ready for anything. Just ahead in one of the treatment rooms they could now hear agitated voices. And above them, Lauren's voice; her calming, reasonable tone contradicting what Bo could feel rolling from her wife. The three Fae crept closer to the room now and peered through the window set in the door.
They could see Lauren and six of her staff, one of the nurses on a bed with what appeared to be a patient, cradling his head. The others in the room were four masked and armed men. Dyson's eyes flashed gold and he mouthed 'human' at the two women. It didn't make them any less dangerous considering the weaponry they were toting. Just then a fifth man came into the room from the other doorway.
"I locked all the patients and the other doctors in that one big room boss. All 'phone lines have been cut and everything else is locked up tight…"
"Everything?"
"Well, I left the front door open, for us to get out of." Bo could hear the uncertainty in the newcomer's voice and the spitefulness in the biting sarcasm of the person who replied. "Just stop trying to use your initiative Derek."
"I thought we weren't supposed to use our names boss…" The sound of the gunshot made Isobel jump and Bo was terrified that she would start to cry again, drawing attention to them. But in some kind of miracle, as if she knew the stakes, the baby stayed quiet, her eyes like saucers. Bo reached a comforting hand over her shoulder and brushed Isobel's cheek gently. "Dyson, I'm going in," she hissed to the wolf. He grabbed at her arm once more. "Wait."
"What for? For that maniac to shoot my wife? Big nope Dyson." He held her in a firmer grip, but seeing her eyes once more flash blue he gave a quick nod and chambered a round in his gun. "My Queen."
"Today I really am." She squared her shoulders and pushed the door open purposefully, careful not to startle the men pointing weapons at her wife.
The moment she entered the room her eyes met Lauren's. The doctor's expression flickered in a combination of relief, vindication and a remnant of fear, her eyes darting to the masked man whose gun still smoked from its last shot to the head of poor Derek. In response, Bo quirked her eyebrow, almost imperceptibly; a tiny facial quirk only Lauren could read. Love and trust flooded along their bond and Bo smiled.
"Babe! So this is why you're late. I thought new patient intake was on Mondays." The boss swung his gun in Bo's direction. "On your knees, soccer mom. You are way outside your lane here." Bo lifted her hands carefully. "I'm sure Doctor Lewis would be more than happy to help you out in normal office hours, although the discount is out of the window now that poor Derek's brains have stained the floor here."
"Shut the fuck up!" The butt of the weapon cracked across Bo's jaw and the two Fae behind her winced. She rubbed her face and just smiled at him, which she knew would just enrage him further. Enrage him enough that he would make a mistake. She decided to push him just that little bit more, knowing the attention of the other masked men were on her and not on Tamsin and Dyson, both inching closer to their targets. "Well now that was just rude. You can't just go around hitting the wife of the person that has what you want. The cost will just keep going up."
"This isn't a joke Bitch!"
"Now now Dereksbane, can I call you Dereksbane? Anyway, I don't much tolerate such language in front of my daughter. But if you apologise, I'll see to convincing my wife to consider giving you whatever drugs it is you came here for." That pushed him over the edge and he stepped into her space, momentarily dropping his gun. Her supernatural companions had seen what was about to happen and as one of her hands shot to his throat, with the other gripping the wrist of his gun wielding hand, Dyson and Tamsin both pounced on a man each, disarming them with ease. In shock, the last of the gang pulled the trigger on his gun, but not before a punch from Lauren which rendered the shot useless, the gun having awkwardly aimed at the ceiling. A second punch from the doctor, using all her acquired supernatural strength and he was out for the count. She moved beside Bo and pulled the mask from the leader now held securely in the Succubus' strong grip.
"I never forget a face, Dereksbane. I don't care why you came here. But you're going with my cop friend and turning yourself in. And when you've served your time, if you ever come near my wife again…" Bo finished her statement with a subtle twist of her wrist, snapping the man's forearm like wood. He crumpled in pain at her feet.
She felt arms throw themselves around her and Lauren's lips on her cheek and neck. Putting her own strong arms around the blonde she pulled her close and breathed in that inimitable scent. "I got you babe, I got you Lauren." They held each other for long moments, the fear and panic washing away until only comfort and love remained.
They were interrupted by an insistent shout from just above Bo's shoulders. Lauren opened her eyes and looked at Isobel reaching out for her. "Mami!" A frown flashed over Lauren's face as she pulled her daughter out of the baby carry and into her arms. "You brought our daughter to a hostage situation?" Bo blushed. "Not exactly."
"How exactly then?"
"More like, she brought us…" Bo offered that quirk of a smile, the hopeful and irresistible one full of warmth and charisma. "It was Izzy who knew something was up. She woke me and was hysterical. She wouldn't let me put her down. If she hadn't…" The brunette pulled her wife back into her embrace. "No more night shifts Lauren. I swear, If I lose you…"
"You won't lose me. It seems our daughter won't let that happen. And with another…" Lauren paused, the emotion making her lips quiver. Bo's eyes widened and she peered into Lauren's face, then down at her stomach and back up. "Another?" Lauren nodded meekly. "This isn't how I really wanted to tell you. Reach into my top pocket here, I have the pregnancy test in there."
"Pregnancy test?" The smile beginning to dawn on Bo's face then was her fullest and most beautiful. Lauren kissed her gently on the nose. "We did it honey. Isobel is going to have a little brother or sister." And the Succubus swept her wife and daughter together into one big hug.
XXXXX
Lauren's head tipped back in laughter. Bo loved to see it. Loved this side of her wife that their current visitors brought out of her. Gemma Simmons laughed along with the blonde doctor and added a shout to her husband who was tinkering in the back room. "You hear that Fitz?"
"Hmm, yes horses. Lovely." Bo grinned as she peeked round the corner to see Simmons' husband not even remotely listening, his focus on the old radio he was dismantling. The three girls who were his audience sat fascinated, Isobel eagerly attempting to crawl into his lap and Dagny pulling her off again. His own daughter Alya occasionally darting an eye to the two Fae children and giggling at their antics.
Bo's attention was pulled back to Lauren as she was finishing regaling Simmons with the description of their latest tangle with the more obscure side of the Fae world. "Honestly Gemma, it was the most ludicrous thing I have ever seen, and I've seen some things."
"I can't believe you didn't get a picture! Purely for science, of course."
"Of course," Lauren finished with a wink. Simmons gave a sigh of contentment and leaned back into the couch. "It's so good to see the two of you. And good for Alya to properly get to know Dagny and Isobel. We had such a fleeting visit last time." She brought herself up short as she saw Lauren shift nervously. "About that Gemma. I was hoping the three of you would stay for a while." A questioning crinkle furrowed Gemma's brow. "Well, I suppose we're due a nice long leave period from our Shield duties and I can't say it's a hardship being here…." Lauren's eyes flitted to Bo and back to her friend. "You don't have to say yes, but I was actually hoping to ask you a favour. A kind of 'can you make this a working holiday?' kind of favour."
"Of course Lauren, anything for you and Bo. You're family."
"You don't know what it is yet." Simmons placed her hand affectionately on Lauren's knee. "I don't have to hear it. We'll stay as long as you need." Lauren beamed a smile in reply and squeezed her friend's hand. "Thank you. But let me ask anyway, okay?"
"Go ahead," Simmons said with a smile. "Well, we're pregnant again and I don't really have a gynaecologist and that's mainly because you're really the only other doctor I absolutely trust and you were there for the whole…"
"You're rambling Lauren," Simmons interrupted in a fond tone. She glanced over to Bo and stage whispered conspiratorially "These are the little geeky rambles that got you hooked in the first place I assume?" Bo chuckled and reached out to take Lauren's hand. "Absolutely. Hook, line and sinker. Well, that and the tight jeans that showed off her…"
"Wait, you don't have a gynaecologist?", Simmons interrupted. Lauren flicked her eyes nervously and shrugged her shoulders. "Not yet." Simmons rolled her eyes. "It's not my area of expertise. But we all did pretty well together last time around. So it's a yes. Like I said, anything for the two of you." A beaming smile spread across Lauren's face. Bringing her arms around Simmons, she hugged her friend close. "Thank you, you don't know what this means to us." A modest smile crept onto Simmons' lips. "The honour is all mine. And congratulations! I should have known something was up when you asked me to bring Weetabix and Branston Pickle." Lauren tipped her head back in laughter once again. "Oh yes. I love Toronto, but there are some things that can only be got in the UK and I just needed them."
The two doctors continued their chatter and catching up, now laced with baby and pregnancy talk. Bo was content to be a mere observer, basking in her wife's happiness at their friend's presence. The Succubus loved Fitz and Simmons dearly, but she knew that hours and hours in a med bay and lab together, along with their scientific minds, had forged a special bond between Lauren and the two Brits. Considering the grace with which Lauren behaved with regards to Bo still having to feed from others at times, Bo was more than willing to share her wife with those who could give her what she could not.
She was roused from her thoughts by the two doctors getting up from the couch and moving towards the doorway. "Where are you going?" Lauren rolled her eyes. "You didn't listen to anything?"
"My mind might have wandered a little." The blonde stepped back into Bo's space and cupped her face before giving her a gentle kiss. "Oh Bo, I do love you," Lauren murmured affectionately and grabbed the brunette's hand and pulled her along. "If you had listened, you would know it's scan time." The succubus beamed a smile and happily trotted behind the two doctors down to Lauren's home lab/office/medical room.
Lauren helped Simmons set up the ultrasound scanner before hopping onto the examination table. Smiling up at Bo, she held her nervous wife's hand tightly. "Hey honey, I'm already more than human this time. There's been morning sickness, but nothing like the dizziness or fatigue that I had with Isobel. It's going to be okay. This is just routine." Bo pulled the blonde's hand up to kiss it gently. "If you say so babe. But I'll be happier once we see our baby." At a signal from Simmons, Lauren lifted up her top and allowed the Englishwoman to squirt to gel onto her stomach and swirl it around with the little scanner head. Simmons ran the scanner over Lauren's abdomen, fiddling with the dials and switches on the monitor. A momentary flash of confusion flashed over her face and she bent closer to the monitor, peering at the image. With a sharp intake of breath she looked at the two women in front of her and her surprised resolved into a delighted smile. "Okay my friends, let's turn the sound on here and let you hear the heartbeats."
"Heartbeats? Beats… as in more than one?" Bo's eyes went wide. She and Lauren could hear the familiar fluttering sound of a foetus' heartbeat. Except it was far from familiar; it had an echo. And there, as Simmons pointed them out, they could see in the grainy image on the screen not one but two tiny heads, two tiny bodies, two tiny pairs of hands. Bo swallowed and glanced nervously at her wife. "Babe? You okay?" A gleam of a tear appeared in Lauren's eye and she met her wife's gaze. The smile that followed put any of Bo's fears to rest. "Twins," Lauren whispered reverently. "We're having twins."
"Let's turn this volume up, shall we?" Simmons' gentle voice floated through to the enraptured couple and Lauren gave her friend a nod of gratitude and fondness. And so, Bo and her beloved soaked in the moment, listening to the high fluttery heartbeats of two foetuses.
XXXXX
Happiness was a living tangible thing and Bo revelled in it. Moment upon moment, wrapped up in sights, smells, tastes, sounds and above all touch. Each sense both cementing and evoking the memory. Even scary moments that contrasted to her joys were allowed in the mix; because they brought into light how precious that happiness and contentment were. This life; her extraordinary, magical, practically immortal life with her wife and children, with her wider family was filled with moments she continued to cherish and bring out when she needed that warmth and comfort. It was these moments that reminded her that her wedding was not in fact the happy ending she had sought. It was merely the happy beginning. And these moments were the happy middle. The sight of her and Isobel covered in fruit sauce; the gentle touch of her wife as she tended to wounds and coaxed out pleasure; the sharp acrid taste of adrenalin and the bitter smell of blood; the sound of two heartbeats. All these and myriads more measuring her time between each Faepocalypse.