HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS! Thanks to all of you who were kind enough to let me know there had been a formatting error on the last chapter. I hope everyone is still with us and that you guys are enjoying this journey as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Love those reviews, please keep em coming!

Cheers eh!

The Joy in Dying:

Chapter 11:

Everything was so dark, and it hurt to move. Everything hurt, but most of all, it hurt to breathe. The nauseating smell of blood filled my nostrils and in the distance I heard voices. I was scared but I managed to open my eyes, a paramedic was kneeling in front of me shinning a flash light to my eyes. I was so weak and knew I could end my own misery with the flick of a hand, but I didn't. I steeled my resolve and paid attention to the man's instructions.

"Can you hear me? Blink once for yes, two for no" so I blinked once.

"Great! I don't want you to try and move, understand?" another single blink.

"Good, now my name is Joshua, do you remember what happened?" a single blink was given to the friendly paramedic and he gave me a sympathy smile "we're taking you to the hospital, I'm going to sedate you to be able to move you without any pain, are you allergic to any medication?" two blinks "Any medical conditions?" two blinks "this might hurt" he said before I felt a slight prick on my arm and then everything faded to black once more.

I heard the beeping of the monitor before I could comprehend where I was. Once the stale cold air and the alcohol aroma filled my nose I realized where I was. I opened my eyes and sighed looking at the hospital ceiling trying to recollect my thoughts when I heard the door open. I looked over and saw it was my mother, I was surprised to see her here on such a short notice, but expected nothing else from her. She was disheveled and her eyes were all swollen from crying I managed to give her a small smile and she smiled between tears. She held my hand and stroked it comfortingly, even though everything still hurt. I opened my mouth but her finger silenced me.

"No, don't try and talk...are you thirsty?" she asked and I nodded, she pulled a bottle of water from her purse and placed a straw into it giving me to sip on. I loved how she carried practical things on her purse.

"I can't believe this" she admitted defeated as she took a seat next to me.

A knock on the door resounded through the room and I flinched terribly she looked at me concerned and stood to open the door. Dyson was there, by his stance I could see it was official business and the way he wore his badge around his neck let me know this was official business. I didn't miss his swollen red eyes and the gentle fragile look he was giving me. He was followed into the room by who I assumed was a nurse.

"Mom, I'd like to ask her a few private questions if you don't mind" Dyson said to my mother as she shook her head.

"I'm not leaving her alone." She was firm and her hold on my hand tightened but I knew why Dyson was here and I couldn't share that in front of my mother.

"Actually Mom." I rasped as she gave me an incredulous look. "Just for a few minutes, there's stuff I'd like to keep private."

She nodded understanding and with one kiss on my forehead she turned to leave.

The nurse assessed me carefully as Dyson and I spoke volumes with our eyes. I wanted to ask so many questions and say so many things. I was exhausted and wanted so desperately to heal quickly so I could go find Lauren. The last hours of my life had been a nightmare and I couldn't wait to be in her arms and safe. Tamsin came in, her badge hanging off her neck as well, she threw me a pained look as the nurse spoke up.

"I'm glad you're feeling better we thought we were going to lose you a couple of times, I'm amazed of your recovery, hang in there sport" she murmured as she left the room and Dyson cleared his throat.

"Doctor says you can sit up, would you like that?" he asked as I nodded my head carefully.

"Yes please" my voice sounded foreign to me, I felt so confused about everything, who was here and who wasn't, my mother was here, but where was my father? My friends? Where was Lauren? Did she know I was in the hospital? Does she know...

"I'm gonna have to ask you a series of questions, and I know you have had a long traumatic experience, we just wanna sort things out once and for all, alright?"

"How long have I been here?" I asked suddenly scared.

"It's your second day here, you have been out of it" he said with a sympathetic face.

"Does she know I'm here?" I asked "my girlfriend?"

"Let's leave that for after I'm done with my questions shall we?" he proposed gently and I couldn't understand why Dyson would want to postpone such a thing.

"Bo, we have to find whoever did this to you." Tamsin stressed as I remembered what had happened clearly.

"Oh God, I remember what happened." I pulled my trembling hand to my lips as anger started to seep through me besides the fear of the moment already passed.

"I know it's hard, but we need this information, I'm sorry honey but I need you talk to me from the beginning, one of Lauren's friends mentioned you had been with her before this whole thing started." he said comfortingly and I wiped off my tears and gave him a sad smile.

"I can do that." I mumbled.

My heart was racing at the unknown but Dyson's hand on mine comforted me to no end.

"I'm proud of your control, even when wounded you resisted the humans trying to help you." He mused with a sad expression.

Tamsin had pulled up a notebook and a small recorder. From what I could remember they wouldn't need any of this human police work. They would need some Fae help and some big one.

"I fell asleep but when I awoke Lauren was gone and had left me a note on my side table saying she'd be back in an hour, two at most and that if I needed anything to call her. I had to take over your shift at the Dal so I woke up and got changed."

I smiled to myself at the note Lauren had left me, I held it over my chest and sighed, God I loved this girl so damn much. I had been scared; scared of telling her, scared of her knowing because it all felt so real. If I admitted it out loud then she would have to do something about it. If I had learned anything about being with the beautiful blonde it was that things needed to go slow for her to be comfortable and eased into situations.

I grabbed some clothes and made my way into the bathroom for a nice shower before I had to get ready for work. It amused me how things of mine were scattered along Lauren's things. I barely spent time in my apartment now-a-days anyways, I was always here or at the Dal. As I grabbed the jersey to put it back on again I smiled.

I knew it wasn't the most salacious piece of clothing I owned and that it covered my girls but the way Lauren would look at me when I wore it was enough to justify it. It reminded me of the way her eyes ran through my body the first time she threw her jersey at me and it made me shiver for her.

I picked up my phone, deciding what to text Lauren, I wanted to know where she was so I could go surprise her before I picked up my bike, but I didn't know if she wanted some time alone for herself. I put the phone back on my dresser and put on my riding suit with some leather riding boots. Lauren hated my bike but she sure as hell didn't mind my riding attire or the way I looked on the metal beast.

Not long ago we had met up for lunch. Lauren had insisted to meet me outside, she was very cute like that and liked entering places together. I saw a small space in front of the restaurant and smiled as I saw the blonde before pulling in. My bike slid into the spot effortlessly and I loved the way Lauren's eyes drank me up. I moved my leather clad leg over and dismounted the vehicle taking my helmet off and as she grabbed my hand I felt her arousal amplify in my Succuvision.

I placed my cell phone in my pocket to go grab a jacket when the door was knocked upon. It wasn't my crib or anything but I wasn't going to leave the door unanswered. Besides, I had sat an afternoon with Alex selling through the back door so I knew all I had to do if it was a straggler at the front. I pulled my jacket on as I grabbed the spare keys Lauren had left me with the note. I looked through the peephole and saw a familiar looking girl on the other side of the door, yet I could not place where had I seen her before.

"Who is it?" I asked before anything else.

"Hey, I'm Zee, a co-worker of Lauren and she took some of my books earlier this week I think she mixed them up with hers." she said and that's when I remembered, I had seen her outside the lab with Lauren.

I opened the door and let her through.

"Lauren isn't in yet, but you could see if any of the books she left here are the ones you're looking for." I said and led her to where Lauren had stashed her work books alongside my sketchbooks I had brought over.

For a moment I looked to where our books blended with each other, some of her notes carelessly thrown where mine were, our scribbles amusing me, her tidy scrawl next to my chicken scratch and I knew that this could be our reality. Not just our books but our clothes mixed in together, our favorite foods side by side on the pantry, I wanted to be with her always.

My thoughts were disturbed when I felt the woman behind me grab my arms and pin them behind me, I struggled but she smashed me face first into the wall, breaking my nose and tightening the plastic cuffs around my wrist. I was confused, wasn't this Lauren's friend? Before I could use my persuasion she had broken skin contact and shoved my face on the floor with her boot.

"Don't you fucking think I'm letting you touch me Ysabeu." The crazy bitch spat with hate in her voice. "Just like your fucking mother, a pain in my ass and a blunder in my plans."

My blood ran cold, I had no doubt in my mind who this was now. She was going to kill me. I struggled and this earned me a kick in the ribs with her steel toed boot that undoubtedly at least cracked my rib. Tears of pain and desperation ran down my face, how could she want to kill me, we were blood relatives; family. Before I could protest any longer she covered my mouth and nose with a cloth and everything went black.

When I woke back up I was gagged and tied. I saw she had my phone in her hands and I was helpless as she called Lauren. I was scared Lauren would come after me and that was the last thing I wanted. I tried to scream not to come, to get help but not to come, but all that was heard where muffled incoherent gagged screams. I looked around to see we were in an abandoned apartment full of debris and broken wood, and trash. I was sweating and nauseous, I had caked blood on my mouth and face, my nose throbbed painfully and uncomfortably and my vision was blurred. After she hung up with Lauren she turned to me and smiled, that smile etched itself in my mind forever.

"We're gonna play a little game. We both know I could kill you fast and have it over and done with but where's the fun in that? Your father has been a thorn on my side for far too long and now I'm going to enjoy this. How many bullets does it take to kill a Succubus in 15 minutes" she said as she raised a 9mm and cocked it.

I knew I was done for right then and there. Tears fell from my eyes at the thought of this being my death, my siblings, my friends -oh god- my Mom and Father and then there was Lauren. I couldn't die now after everything, I couldn't die now... I had to, at least, tell Lauren I loved her one last time. I struggled my weight on my feet which were not bound and charged against my captor.

Her gun going off and my ear ringing badly told me I was still alive. I managed to get her to the floor before I could succu her she zapped me. I head-butted her hard enough to stun her and as we separated dazed I noticed my side was bleeding; the bitch had shot me! There was no time to think about that, I painfully but expertly pushed my left arm as far to the right as possible dislocating my shoulder.

I rotated my right wrist clockwise within the handcuffs as it cut into my skin. I curled my right wrist making my left arm tugged upward at the same time, I scraped my shoulder blade with my right arm until both of my hands were behind my neck, tucked my chin to my chest, brought the crook of my right arm over my head and pop the handcuffs around the left forearm I brought my left arm down in front. In seconds my hands were in front of me just when the bitch grabbed the gun again.

She shot three times and then jammed, one caught me in the shoulder I had dislocated and I hissed in pain as I dropped on one knee to the floor, the second one missed me by inches and the third one by a foot or so. I growled in frustration and gritted my teeth trying hard not to think of the pain that was to come, I balled my fists and struck her in the head with the handcuffs making a huge gash. She looked disoriented again for a minute before her eyes focused on me once more. I was tired, my breathing was shallow and I couldn't comprehend why I was having peripheral vision, but I had to fight this, I was not dying today.

With the small strength I had my eyes flashed blue as the anger swept through me. I was tired of holding back and controlling myself for so long. She raised her hands to shock me and I started sucking her Chi at the same time. It was a battle of wills and as we struggled I grit my teeth hard. Getting electrocuted is no joke and it hurt every molecule of my being. As we struggled with power I prepped myself and took action once more.

I charged at her once more trying to take the gun away from her, it struck the window sill and went off catching me on the hip. I dropped to the floor cursing angrily about my luck and struggled towards the gun now lying on the floor, she kicked my face once more as we struggled on the floor and blood fell from my nose freely once more, I was seeing stars and 3 pairs of guns. Luckily I made my way to the right one just as she swung a plank of wood from the many lying around on the floor, as soon as it collided with my head the shot went off, dead center on her forehead.

"Next thing I knew there was a paramedic giving me instructions, and here I am" I tried to shrug but my shoulder screamed in pain.

"Bo… if it is who we think it is, then you know what that means." Dyson was worried now pacing the room.

"Zeus is not dead, just that body." I confirmed as he nodded.

"We have to speak to Father, this could turn out into a blown out war." Dyson growled.

"I have to speak to Acacia at once. If what Bo is saying is true it's not just your family in danger. It sounds like Zeus has finally gone off the deep end." Tamsin mentioned rapidly as all sorts of scenarios ran through her head.

Zeus was arguably one of the most powerful Fae alive along with my father. Known as the Ancients their power was almost unfathomable and I was surprised that I had even survived. I tried staying on track with their rambles but to no avail. I tried shaking my head to take the thoughts out of my head, but the panic rat had been let loose with a vengeance inside my head. As soon as my mother peered into the room I voiced my thoughts

"Where's Lauren Mom? I need to see Lauren" I plead with tears in my eyes.

Honestly in some sick way I was hurt that she wasn't by my side as my mother was. At the same time my heart sank with probabilities and possibilities. Everything had been so overwhelming I just needed my girlfriend to comfort me and pamper me 'til I got better.

"I was so scared of never seeing her again" I added and looked up to my mother, she sobbed softly and it was so uncharacteristic of her that it took me aback.

I shot a panicked look at Dyson as he looked down pained and frustrated. I could see the tears stinging behind his eyes and I swallowed hard. It wasn't until I looked to Tamsin looking out the window biting her lower lip as her tears streamed down her face that I was terrified. I turned and looked at my mother once more.

"Lauren; where is she?" I asked even more firmly.

"Oh my Ysabeau…" she sobbed "Lauren tried getting to you that night, she got on your bike and sped through the city trying to get to you."

"No Mom, not Lauren, never Lauren in my bike you must be confusing her" I replied laughing out of nervousness, my mother never got like this, I wasn't hearing right, "Lauren would never get on my bike, let alone know how to drive it!"

"Oh Bo!" my mother exclaimed, and I could see the sorrow in her eyes as she held me tears fell from my eyes, she was trying to tell me that Lauren was gone, wasn't she? I looked at her stunned.

"Mom where's Lauren, I need to see her!" I demanded trying to sit up.

"Bo don't struggle, you'll hurt yourself, please!" she said as she struggled with me trying to keep me still while I fought to get up, my eyes brimmed with tears, Lauren couldn't be gone.

"She was crossing the intersection before where they found you and I suppose she ran a red light in her hurry-"

"No Mom!" I exclaimed still trying to get up as my sobs grew louder "Mom please don't lie to me, I need to see Lauren!"

"A truck clipped her Bo, she was trying to save you. The driver was found a few miles with his eyes zapped. Zeus was controlling him." she tried explaining once more as she struggled to keep me in bed.

My heart stopped at her words, my whole being felt cold, this couldn't be happening. I had made it, I had survived to get to her, she couldn't be gone. My eyes met my mother's and I knew what she was saying was the truth, I started shaking my head side to side my eyes wide in disbelief. The door opened and a man in full body scrubs came inside sighing loudly, he took one good look at what was going on and took his mask off, it was my father in his surgery outfit. He crossed the distance between the door and the bed in a heartbeat and with the carefulness of a doctor who knew exactly where my wounds were embraced me.

I sobbed hysterically into his shoulder and I heard as he cried in my arms, I had never heard my father crying in my life. He pulled me at arms-length and cupped my face in his hands kissing my forehead repeatedly.

"My girl, my girl...I thought I had lost you... oh god" he exclaimed as he held me once more.

"Father" I chocked trying to find the words for the deep sorrow I felt "Is she gone Father?"

His eyes searched mine and his grave face was replaced by his professional one. I looked up at him expectantly hoping against all odds. Slowly I could see the tears form in his eyes again and his jaw tensed. I knew his answer before he uttered it.

"I tried everything I could Bo. She's gone." He choked and I crumbled onto the bed.

My cries and screams were probably heard throughout the hospital as I internalized what was going on. My fucking aunt had tried to kill me and because of her taunts against Lauren and my life my girlfriend was dead. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think and the worse of all was I hadn't told her I loved her. There must've been something we could do. We were Fae, my father was an Ancient, a God!

My head snapped up immediately as I stared at my father, the wheels in my head clicking. His brow furrowed as he looked into my eyes trying to read what I needed. He wanted to take my pain away but he didn't know how.

"Has she crossed yet?" I asked rapidly.

"No, it takes longer than this. For the soul to cross into the Underworld it takes at least 6 hours. I just came from her paperwork so she's still fresh." My father explained with a gloom expression "Ysabeau, even if she was on the other side I cannot do anything for her there. Once in the Underworld you can't come out"

"Disney made it seem like a piece of cake in Hercules" Tamsin mumbled sarcastically.

"They also made me look like a fruit cake." My father lamented, he had never let go of that one.

"Guys focus!" I yelled and they all turned to me once more.

"If she's fresh as you say Father, wouldn't mom be able to bring her back!?" I asked hopeful as my mother shook her head.

"It's been far too long, an hour or so Bo." My father lamented and I could tell now they were focused on getting me to accept it and grieve like they had when Kyle died. "Bo it's time we start looking into what arrangements to do with her.

"No! No!" I yelled "I'm not giving up! This is not some high school puppy love, this is the love of my life, my entire existence. Don't you understand Father? I cannot believe she's…gone, I cannot fathom it or speak it. If I do, I will lose myself to the darkness." I whispered the last part as I felt the whole room grow heavier, they understood what I meant.

"I have to at least try." I begged as my parents nodded.

"You'll need your strength Bo, you can take all you need from me." Tamsin offered and I nodded grateful.

My family left the room so I could feed. While I took Chi from Tamsin as cleanly as I could my mother went around 'convincing' the nurses and personnel that had attended me that I had minor injuries. When I came out Kenzie stood by my door. Her jaw was clenched tightly in the way that I knew she could shift in front of us at any second. When our eyes met I saw her unshed tears as her hands trembled.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled and I sighed.

"Kenzie-" I tried.

"No Bo. I broke my promise and I'll never forgive myself over it. I told you after… after Kyle that I would never let that happen to you again." She lamented. "I failed."

I hugged her and she held me tight as I whispered in her ear.

"You have my back sis, it ain't over. I refuse to give up."

She held me tight and after a bit I parted as we rushed to the room where my father was waiting for me with Lauren. She looked so broken and cold in the bed that I couldn't help but sob hard. Even though my father still had her connected to all the respirators and machines I could feel she wasn't there and it was killing me.

I refused to believe it even as I ran my fingers along her still pale face. All the life from her was gone, her lips were blue and pasty and not the vibrant pink I absolutely loved. She smelled sterile and weird and not the fruity smell of her body splash with the hint of book musk. I cried as I realized that me feeding her Chi had done nothing but fix her body, however her heart was still not beating on its own.

I had to do something. Anything. I looked up after my attempts as my father paced the room afraid for me and my well-being. He looked at me with concern and another idea popped into my head.

"I heard Zeus talking with Lauren when she was coaxing her out to save me. She wants you back in the underworld." I explained and I saw his jaw clench.

"Bo, I've been selfish enough, I've costed you your happiness." He lamented and I knew where that was going.

"You're not going back." I explained firmly as his eyes met mine.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" he forbade as he understood where my wheels kept turning to.

"Father, there's nothing you can do but help me. Anything else will be held against you by me." I didn't like to threaten him with my feelings, he knew I adored him but this was a last resort.

"Bo-" he whispered with a knot on his throat.

"Please Father, all I need to know is how to get to where Zeus is." I admitted sternly as I was careful not to disturb Lauren's body.

The silence was thick between us as he deliberated. I was determined this was the only way. I'd get Lauren one way or another, but I wasn't going to exist without her. If not with this plan with another and another until I got her back.

"I know how to keep her body safe and useful until you get back." He resigned as his head hung "I have been down there for centuries, it's a dark dark place Bo. I've never seen a soul escape the river, but I know if anybody can find a way it'll be you."

I nodded as I assured myself. I'd be the one to bring Lauren home.

AN: This is NOT how this was supposed to go. However I knew you guys were hopeful and I have to let Bo take at least a crack at it before you guys run at me with pitchforks. ;) From here on out I'm free-handing this one and seeing where it takes me like this chapter did. Next update will be soon but I'm also working in a new piece in case anybody is interested in a new refreshing story. (still don't know when it will be ready to go up). Remember to review, until next time!