Chapter 29 – Storytelling
"Now this is the way to travel – Bill Gates style. Is that a minibar? If that's a minibar, I'm moving into this airplane. Sorry Bo, it was fun but I can't be your roomie anymore." Kenzi did a running leap onto a huge, thickly cushioned couch, and rolled around happily.
"Good. Then I won't have to worry about you walking in on me when I have company," Bo slapped her friend on the butt as she walked past.
"Does that happen often?" Lauren raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, constantly. Kenzi doesn't understand the concept of closed doors, and I have people over all the time for dirty, hot, kinky sex – the kind that would make you insanely jealous. Do you feel insanely jealous?" Bo teased.
"No. But I feel like I should get a Hepatitis shot."
"Ha ha." Bo gave her a poke in the ribs, then ran a finger along the thick bandage in the crook of Lauren's elbow. "You've had enough shots for the day. You and Kenzi both. I didn't realize there were so many ways to die in the jungle that don't involve getting bitten or eaten or squeezed to death by a python."
"The microscopic killers are the most dangerous. Malaria is not a pleasant way to go," Lauren said. She followed Bo to the very back of the airplane. The Ash's personal jet was a sight to behold. It was much larger than most private jets - almost the size of a 747. The seats were more like La-Z-Boy couch/recliners than the stiff coach seats the Doctor was used to. There were ten rows of these couches spread out through the entire length of the fuselage, each with curtains that could be pulled closed to create mini-compartments. Each compartment had its own personal television/stereo/gaming system, along with a fridge stocked full of beer, pop, and sandwiches.
Bo sighed happily as she collapsed into a couch and pulled Lauren down onto her lap. One hand immediately went to close the curtain, affording them total privacy. The other hand slipped under Lauren's shirt.
Lauren chuckled. "Well that didn't take long."
"Why wait?" Bo grinned, licking a slow line up Lauren's neck, pausing on her pulse point so she could feel the Doctor's heart beating faster and faster.
"Why? Because we're in a plane filled with my close friends, who are all very much awake and alert." Lauren groaned contentedly as Bo's hands massaged her neck. "And if Kenzi's no good with closed doors, I doubt closed curtains are going to stop her."
"Kenzi is running on two hours of sleep. She'll be conked out in five minutes. And," she grinned wickedly, "You forget, I can read sexual energy. Dyson and Ciara won't notice us; they're all over each other already. Hot and heavy."
"That is a visual I didn't need." Lauren rolled her eyes. "You've put me off, completely."
The engine roared to life underneath them. Lauren tried to extricate herself from Bo's firm grip, but the Succubus wasn't quite ready to let go. Lauren frowned. "Bo Dennis. Federal air safety regulations require that we be buckled in during takeoff, landing, and any instance of heavy turbulence whilst airborne. You need to let me go now."
"Unf." Bo made a guttural noise. "I love it when you pull the stern, sexy librarian routine."
"Down. Now."
"Fine." Bo groaned and lifted her arms, so Lauren could scootch back onto the couch. They both found the seatbelts hidden in the cushions, and buckled up. Lauren sighed. As soon as she'd been released from the comfort of Bo's arms, she remembered where they were going. The Congo. The site of Lauren's worst hour.
Bo noted the abrupt change in Lauren's expression, and how the Doctor was wringing her hands together with white knuckles. Bo placed a hand over Lauren's fist, gently rubbing with her thumb in what she hoped was a reassuring way. The relationship stuff was still so new to her that every little romantic gesture or simple touch felt like a leap into the unknown. Her curiosity about Lauren's time in the Congo was way beyond piqued, but she didn't want to push Lauren to talk before the Doctor was ready. They sat in silence until the plane was up in the air, holding steady at 35,000 feet.
"So. The Congo." Lauren finally cleared her throat to begin her story. But as soon as she met Bo's eyes her courage faltered. She sighed deeply, eyes dropping to the floor.
"Hey, look at me." Bo pushed a strand of Lauren's hair behind her ear, then ran her fingertips along Lauren's cheek and under her chin, gently lifting up to make Lauren look her in the eye. "You know that you can tell me anything, right?"
"I don't know about that, I really don't."
"Come on, what could possibly be so bad that you're beating yourself up like this? Lauren, you're perfect…"
Lauren winced at the word. "No I'm not. Not even close. Bo, this is…if I tell you this story, you'll have seen the worst part of me. This is the stuff I am the least proud of. And once I tell you, there's no taking it back." She kissed the back of Bo's hand. "I just want to enjoy these last few seconds, because who knows if you'll even want me anymore, after all is said and done."
"Lauren, you could tell me that you were a serial-killing, nose-picking donkey rapist, and I would still want you."
Lauren managed a sad grin. Bo traced the outline of her lips with a finger, which Lauren kissed gently. This trusting, almost innocent touch from the Succubus, from Bo, finally gave Lauren the guts to speak.
"It was 2005. Not long after medical school. I'd decided to specialize in pathology and microbiology, specifically as it pertains to curing some of the most devastating diseases of the human condition. After completing a rigorous study of the practices of the medicine men of the Aka tribe while earning my PhD, I was convinced that one of their most frequently used medicinal plants, the kismembari flower, had great potential as a possible cure, or at least treatment, for Alzheimer's. After an intense competition, I won a research grant to go to the Congo."
"I had written a paper on my findings about the Aka, and by the time I left for the Congo it had already been published in several leading medical journals. The secret was out. So, when I arrived just outside of a small Aka village in the deeper reaches of the Congo rainforest, mine was not the only team present. I was told that there was a group of Chinese researchers about 30 miles to the east. And a team being led by a Dr. Richard McGill of Princeton University, five miles to the south."
"So I settled in, and began my research. Conditions were primitive to say the least, but we were very excited by our findings. As I spent time with the Aka, I began to pick up on bits and pieces of the language and culture. I kept hearing references to something called the Khassu. The Feeders. However, any time I tried to ask the people about the Khassu they refused to talk, so I put it to the back of my mind."
"One afternoon a few weeks in, we received an unexpected visit from Dr. McGill. He just showed up in camp with a picnic basket and thermos, and invited me to lunch. At least, that was his excuse for coming; I was fairly certain he was there to spy on us. But I took him up on his offer, out of sheer curiosity. We spoke at length about our backgrounds. He was a professor, and former chief of surgery at a Boston hospital. Much older than me, much more experienced. He too, was in search of a cure for Alzheimer's."
"I didn't like him from the start. He was brash, arrogant, and misogynistic. His attitude towards me and my team was completely condescending. His attitude towards the Chinese team was blatantly racist." Lauren paused to shake her head, and calm herself down. Bo stroked her arm softly, encouraging her to continue.
"I found out that his trip was being entirely funded by a large American pharmaceutical company. Any discoveries he made would belong to that company, and that company alone. He would take a percentage of profits from sales, making himself millions and the company billions. Meanwhile, those who most needed the medication would be susceptible to price gouges, and those who couldn't pay would be shit out of luck, so to speak, and left to suffer. I wanted to find a cure to Alzheimer's and make it available to the whole world. He wanted to find a cure to Alzheimer's and make enough money to buy his own private island. He offered me a spot on his team. I declined."
"After that conversation, I threw myself into my work like never before. But things began to take a turn for the worse. Our team's botanist suddenly became quite ill, and needed to return to North America for treatment. One of our local security crew disappeared entirely from his bed one night, leaving all of his things behind, never to be seen again. I continued to hear whispers about the Khassu. And my progress on the kismembari flower came to a screeching halt. Without delving too deeply into the science of it…the Aka have a high predominance of the L1 genetic haplotype, which is the most divergent human DNA haplotype."
Lauren allowed herself a small smile. As soon as the world haplotype came out of her mouth, Bo's eyes had completely glazed over. "What that means is, a cure that works on the Aka needs to be modified to work on the rest of us."
"Aaaaahhh." Bo nodded her head.
"Sorry if I'm boring you with all the science stuff. It ties in at the end, I promise."
"Don't apologize. I could listen to you talk all day."
"All day?" Lauren raised an eyebrow.
"Well…okay, most of the day. Listening to you talk will make me want to touch you. And once I touch you I'm gonna want to take your clothes off. And once I take your clothes off…well, there won't be much talking at all." Bo winked.
Lauren grinned. "Like, 'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie'?"
"More like, 'If You Give a Succubus a Hot Blonde'."
The two women laughed heartily, breaking the tension. "Okay," Bo prodded. "You're a young, idealistic doctor in the Congo, working your butt off to help other people. So far, nothing in this story would make me want to leave you."
Lauren sighed, before jumping back into the story. "Right. I had been in the Congo for three months, and my research had hit a brick wall. Around this time, rumors began spreading throughout the village of a terrible sickness affecting tribes in the north. That's when I learned about the Khassu. They were an advanced tribe, very solitary and very much feared, living in a village of several hundred people about a day's hike north of my camp. The legend among the Aka was that the Khassu were demons who fed on men and women while they slept. No one ever went near their village. One afternoon a tribesman stumbled into our camp, raving with fever and covered with lesions and a horrible rash, shaking as though he were having a seizure and coughing up blood. He looked at me and said three words, in perfect English: 'Khassu. Help us.' And he dropped down, dead, right in front of me."
"I packed up provisions that very day, and found a local guide to take me as far as the river. After that I would be on my own. The Aka warned me not to go, but I was needed. My research wasn't going anywhere, and I wasn't of use to anyone just sitting around, chewing pencils and pulling my hair out. I needed to do something. So my team stayed behind to continue their work, and I headed north."
"When I arrived at the village, it was complete chaos. There were six hundred and thirty-two men and women in that village, along with another ninety-eight children, all of whom were suffering from varying stages of the same illness. Many had already died, and there was no treatment, let alone a cure. I set myself up in a hut just outside of the village, and began seeing patients and taking cultures and samples. I was shocked to discover that most of the tribe spoke English. Their small society seemed much more advanced than that of the Aka. And they certainly didn't seem evil or dark in any way. If anything, they were grateful that someone had come to help. But as I continued running tests, I discovered biological anomalies. These people were different, for sure, even more so than the L1 Aka. But I tried to put it out of my mind in favor of studying the disease. I quickly learned that it was a virus. But beyond that, there wasn't much I could do with so little equipment in so primitive a setting. People kept dying. It was devastating."
"A few days later, a man showed up in the village. I wasn't sure where he'd come from, but he came toting crateloads of medical and laboratory equipment. He seemed to have some sort of authority amongst the villagers, and I distinctly remember feeling an aura of power around him the first time he shook my hand. He certainly looked like a leader. Tall, powerful build, crisp white suit, deep voice. I'm talking 'Barry White' level of deepness. He introduced himself to me as Wallace Smith. I showed him the progress I had already made on the virus. He seemed incredibly impressed, and offered me all of his resources to continue my work. He was a brilliant man, and we worked side-by-side developing a vaccine. Normally that process would take months, but thanks to him we had it finished within the week. I administered the shot to each member of the tribe, and within hours their symptoms had cleared up. They were all fine. It was amazing."
"That evening he invited me to dinner in his camp, to celebrate. Over our meal he asked at least a hundred questions about me, my medical background, what I liked to study, that sort of thing. As the night went on the conversation grew strange. We talked about myths and legends of Africa. He asked me if I believed in monsters and creatures that go bump in the night. I gave him the standard answer about the possibility of still undiscovered species, blah blah blah. I mentioned that the tribes in this part of Africa displayed unique genetic variations and mutations. I mentioned how different the Khassu seemed, on a biological level."
Lauren took a deep breath, before continuing. "I'll never forget what happened next. He asked me, 'What if these people aren't people at all?'. Then he held out his hand, palm facing upward. And a small flicker of flame emerged, right there on his skin. I had to blink and shake my head, to make sure I was actually seeing what I thought I was seeing. The flame grew larger, and he twirled it around his fingers. He snapped his wrist and the flame shot out to the corner of the tent, incinerating a bookshelf, turning it to ash in just seconds. He looked at me and, said, 'What if I'm not a person? What if I'm something different?' I was speechless. And that's when he told me all about the Fae."
"He spoke for hours. I was enthralled. And when he finally reached the end of his explanations, he offered me a job, as Doctor to the Light Fae. Before Val and Lachlan this man, Wallace Smith, was the Ash."
"And you accepted?" Bo asked.
"You need to understand I was already on a high from curing the disease of the Khassu. And this man – suddenly he was offering me everything! An entire new genus to study, filled with hundreds of unique and fascinating species! Unlimited resources to research whatever I wanted whether it affected human or Fae. A full staff of experts under my authority – individuals who had been alive since the days of Hippocrates and Hypatia. Bo, it was like he was setting an entire, brand new universe right in front of me and saying, 'Here, take it. It's yours!'" Lauren's hurried speech subsided, as she sunk deeply into the chair. "It was temptation, in its purest form. Eve and the Serpent. Me and The Ash."
"Lauren, I still don't understand what's so horrible…"
"It's horrible, because in that conversation I became just another Dr. McGill. As The Ash was talking, I could see myself winning the Nobel Prize for my discoveries under The Ash's employ. I could see myself being mentioned in the same sentence as Jonas Salk. And the second I let it become about me, and not about helping people, I was done for. I was so wrapped up the idea of glory that I didn't stop to consider what I would be giving up, if I took his offer. You've heard the phrase, 'read the fine print?' That's a universal truth, Bo. I was so eager to get started that I didn't even glance over the fine print, or think of the consequences. And my greed cost me my freedom."
"You were young…"
"That's not an excuse." Lauren shook her head. "But you're right. I was young. And it was a long time, years even, before I realized the magnitude of my decision." She sighed. "I gave up my Alzheimer's research. McGill was successful, but he double-crossed the pharmaceutical corporation. Now he's being paid by several governments, insurance conglomerates and medical organizations to keep his mouth shut. With the amount of money spent annually on treatments for those with Alzheimer's, there is more cash to be made with a treatment than a cure. And that is all on me. That's my fault. I could have beaten McGill to a cure. But that evening, when I agreed to servitude under The Ash, I abandoned humankind. I haven't had time to return to the Congo to continue my research. In fact for a long time, I'd forgotten about it entirely." Lauren rubbed her forehead, face contorted with shame that felt physically painful.
"But, back to that night. I agreed to servitude, but with the Fae, nothing is ever easy. It's not as simple as signing a contract. The Ash taking on a human requires a ceremony, in a place of power, officiated by an Elder. The Ash told me there was just such a place nearby – an ancient temple standing amongst the ruins of the prehistoric city of Okahange, considered by the Khassu to be the resting place of their ancestors. The next morning The Ash collected one of the village Elders, we packed a few supplies and off we went."
"I won't go into the details of the ceremony…but do you see this scar?" Lauren held up her right palm so Bo could take a look. She saw a tiny scar shaped like a runic character, on the webbing between the thumb and forefinger. "Oss. It marks me as one who belongs to the Light. Apparently they used to use necklaces, but those were too easy to pull off and throw away. So, lucky me, it's burned into my skin," she smiled sadly.
"Damn Lauren. If I knew about this before, I'd have asked for your freedom, not for a lousy three weeks of vacation."
Lauren laughed. "It's okay Bo, really. I love what I do. And things are really great for me with Val as the Ash. I couldn't leave now, even if I wanted to – which I don't. I've learned so much, and seen so many amazing things that most people never get to see. I've met some incredible Fae. I met Dyson, and Ciara, and Hale. I met you. So no, I don't regret the choice that I made. I just regret how I made it, and why. Oh!" Lauren exclaimed, as Bo pulled her in for a tight hug.
Bo tried to put every ounce of feeling, every ounce of respect and gratitude and…well…love that she felt for Lauren into that hug. "Thank you," she murmured into the soft skin of Lauren's cheek.
"For what?" Lauren sat stiff as a board, confused, as Bo pulled her in deeper.
"For trusting me." Bo pulled back, gently cradling Lauren's cheeks in her hands. "Thank you for telling me the truth." She kissed Lauren on her forehead. "Thank you for sharing the parts of yourself that you don't like." She kissed the tip of her nose. "Thank you for sharing your dark side." She kissed her cheek. "Which, by the way, isn't all that dark." Bo teased, kissing Lauren's other cheek and eliciting a smile from the Doctor. "Just…thank you." Bo kissed her on the lips, almost overwhelmed by the strength of her feelings for the suddenly vulnerable human in front of her.
"As much as I'd love to see where you're going with all this," Lauren paused as Bo kissed her lips again, "don't you want to know about the stone?"
"Oh yeah. The stone." Bo pulled back. "What does that have to do with the Congo?"
"That afternoon I went to the temple with The Ash and the village elder…something happened that The Ash didn't know about. Before we left, the elder removed one of the rocks from the temple wall. Behind it, there was a small box. And inside that was a small, blue stone, shaped like an owl. He approached me, and said he wanted to give me a gift as a thank you for saving his tribe. He put the stone in my hand, closed his own hands around it, and began to chant. I didn't understand what he was saying, but a bright blue light shot out from the between my fingers. It expanded and snaked around my entire body, and then just like that it was gone. The Elder finished his chant, smiled at me, then took the stone and put it back where he'd found it."
"Whoa," Bo cut in. "What did it do?"
Lauren shrugged. "Nothing, as far as I could tell. I didn't feel any different. I still don't. The only person I ever mentioned it to was Trick – I was hoping he could offer an explanation but he was stumped too. I suppose knowing what we know now, that it was the Siancyn, could offer up some clues. But like I said – I feel the same now as I felt six years ago, before the whole incident. Except maybe a little bit older and wiser."
Bo grinned. "Well, that's what the stone is supposed to do, right? 'Grant untold wisdom'? Maybe you only feel a little bit wiser because you were already a wise, supergenius to begin with."
Lauren rolled her eyes so violently it actually stung. "Yeah, right." She pulled Bo close and kicked up the recliner, so they were practically lying down on the couch. "But thanks," she said, feeling a bit of happiness for the first time since she'd started her story. Bo laid her head on Lauren's chest, enjoying the slight rise and fall as Lauren breathed in and out. "You wanna fool around?" Lauren asked.
Much to Bo's shock, she found that she didn't. She was perfectly happy to stay right where she was, for as long as she could. "Do you?" She hedged.
"Not really." Lauren wrapped her arms tighter around Bo, and bent slightly to breathe in the scent of Bo's shampoo. "But I do feel like I've been talking too much. It's your turn." She closed her eyes and smiled. "Tell me a story."
"What kind of a story?"
"How about… 'If You Give a Succubus a Hot Blonde?'"
"Whaaat?" Bo asked, her head bouncing up and down as Lauren laughed heartily. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. I'll even get you started." Lauren cleared her throat. "If you give a Succubus a Hot Blonde, she'll want to take her to dinner."
Bo chuckled, but quickly picked up the story. "And if she takes the Blonde to dinner, she'll want to order wine."
Lauren grinned. "And if she orders wine, they'll both get a little tipsy."
"And if they both get tipsy, they'll take a taxi home."
"And if they take a taxi, it'll drop them at the doorstep."
Bo laughed. "And if the Succubus is at the doorstep, she'll want a kiss goodnight."
"And if the Succubus gets her kiss, then the Blonde will invite her inside." Lauren chuckled.
"And if the Succubus goes inside, she'll never want to leave." Bo looked up at Lauren, suddenly all seriousness. Lauren took a few seconds before finishing.
"And if she never leaves…they'll live happily ever after." The two women stared at each other, before breaking out in simultaneous shy, embarrassed grins. Lauren held tightly to Bo until they dozed off in each other's arms.
They slept all the way to Africa.