Chapter Six

AN: I try not to make these things too OC-heavy, but I need a few for purposes of the plot, so I'm borrowing from my other story again. I'll try to keep the OCs to the side, though.

Tamsin wasn't sure she heard the succubus correctly. "Your…father? Bo, you had a dream."

"But it was the same dream I had before my Dawning, and during my Dawning. And where else would I have heard that phrase?"

"You might have seen it in what you were reading yesterday," Tamsin argued.

"But there's no way I could've pronounced it correctly. I got a glance of the Táin when Kenzi passed it to Trick and I couldn't read shit."

Tamsin sat up with a sigh, rubbing her eyes again. "Whatever you're dreaming about is probably just a reaction to everything going on, ok? It's not that unusual."

"Why won't you believe me?!" Bo cried, actually grabbing her pillow and hitting the Valkyrie with it. "I know it's stupid and maybe doesn't make sense and is maybe impossible but what if it is possible! Think about it, Tamsin! He had to be able to get me on the Death Train in the first place and wouldn't he have to reach through the veil to do that? Wouldn't that mean that there was already a tear in the veil that my mom could've been taken through and escaped through with me?"

Tamsin's heart twisted in her chest as she was slammed with the weight of her guilt. She'd never told Bo what the Rune Glass was for. Never told her how it was she'd been able to be taken. Bo may have torn the veil by jumping from the Train, but Tamsin was just as much at fault for putting her there as the Wanderer was.

"Hey, hey," Tamsin soothed, rubbing the succubus's shoulders. "I don't not believe you. It just seems really impossible. There's still a lot we don't know and still a lot we have to find out, but I don't want you to be scared of something that might not be true."

Bo let out a shuddering sigh as she fell into Tamsin's embrace, wrapping her arms around the Valkyrie's neck. Tamsin drew her back down to lie against the pillows. "Go back to sleep, Bo."

The succubus relented, snuggling closer to Tamsin, but after a moment of silence, she whispered, "I'm not scared. Not so long as I have you."

Tamsin closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall, struggling to keep control of her emotions. By the time she had calmed, Bo had fallen asleep. The Valkyrie watched her for a moment before pressing a kiss to her hair. "I will always watch over you, mo laoch."

…

Kayleigh was waiting for Tamsin at a booth in the Dal but she wasn't expecting the Valkyrie to have a human in tow. "Yours?" she asked.

"Hey, I am a free woman," Kenzi protested. "Unless it gets me in trouble. Then I'm Bo's."

Kayleigh's eyebrows touched her hairline. "Bo? The Unaligned Succubus? Wow, Tamsin, you're really keeping fine company these days, aren't you?"

"Momz, this is Kayleigh. Kayleigh, Kenzi."

"Momz?" the empath repeated, eyebrows rising even higher.

Tamsin rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "She…kind of raised me at the beginning of this life cycle."

"Nice to meet you," Kenzi said as she extended her hand. Kayleigh just looked at it for a moment before looking back up at the Russian.

"You're so human it's cute," Kayleigh chuckled. "No one ever touches an empath without permission."

Kenzi folded her arms over her chest and arched an eyebrow. "Permission to bitchslap?"

"I like you. Tamsin, I like her." Kayleigh held her hand up for a high five, which Kenzi returned with a smirk before she and the Valkyrie slid onto the opposite bench. "So, more questions?"

"All the deets you got," Kenzi replied.

"I would be surprised that you're in the loop but I can feel the strength of your affection for each other."

Kenzi's eyes widened. "So you're some scary, thought-reading-and-feeling Fae? Like what's-her-face's daughter?"

Kayleigh laughed. "I think I know exactly whose daughter you're talking about. I can't read your mind, though. Empaths read and feed off of other people's emotions. We can sense what people are feeling and how strong that feeling is. You two have an obvious connection that's almost parental on your side, so hearing that you're 'momz' makes sense."

"So why can't people touch you without permission?"

"Our senses heighten through touch and sometimes it can be overwhelming. Not many people want to be in contact with empaths anyway, though because of the nature of our power."

Tamsin smirked. "You should watch her walk through a room – everyone moves out of the way."

"Dude, for realz?" Kenzi exclaimed, gaping at Kayleigh. It was the empath's turn to smirk.

"Tell you what – I'll go get us some beer and you can see for yourself."

Kenzi watched as the empath got to her feet and made her way to the bar. Nearby Fae instinctively moved away from her, causing a ripple effect in the crowd again. The Fae drifted back together after a minute or two but immediately parted again as Kayleigh made her way back with three pints of beer. "That's awesome!" the human grinned as the empath sat down and passed the drinks around.

"Glad you think so. Most people do it out of fear instead of respect for our sensitivity, though. I actually met Tamsin because she was the one person who didn't move away from me when I sat down at the bar."

"Sounds like my Lil' T," Kenzi quipped, throwing an arm around Tamsin's shoulder. The Valkyrie rolled her eyes and shoved her off. "So what makes you the expert on…this slight problem?"

"Well, to answer that I have to continue with how the two of us met. Tamsin cast doubt on this creeper that was coming onto her and made him crawl out of the bar sobbing. I said something like 'nicely done' and she looked right at me, but I didn't flinch. She knew that meant I'd seen a Valkyrie's face enough times not to be fazed, so we got to talking and it turns out she knew my mother."

"Alexandra," Tamsin nodded. "I saw her take off six heads with one swing of her longsword back in the American Rev. We lost touch after that, so I'd heard that she'd found herself a husband and a kid, but I'd never met either until I ran into Kayleigh about twenty years back."

"So when you say she found a husband…" Kenzi began, her lips curving into a wry smile.

"And that's what Tamsin asked me yesterday," Kayleigh brought the story back around. "And I'll tell you what I told her: not all Valkyries who get married Fall, nor do they necessarily Rise."

"But your parents did?"

Kayleigh nodded with a proud smile. "They did indeed. And now you want me to tell you everything I know about it, right?"

"All the deets," Kenzi repeated with a smirk.

Kayleigh canted her head to the side and gave her a long look. "Ok," she shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

There was a pause as both human and Valkyrie frowned. "Um…I'm not sure we actually thought that far ahead…" Tamsin admitted, and Kayleigh laughed.

"Start simple, then."

"Did your mom Fall when she met your dad?" Kenzi asked.

"The way she told it, she said she fell the moment she looked into his eyes, but she didn't actually Fall until about a week later. She didn't tell him, though – didn't want to pressure him into anything, even though they'd already begun a relationship."

"When did she tell him?"

"They were stuck in some crevasse outside some battle somewhere and she had to fly them both out. When he saw her wings, she had to explain the whole thing to him. He accepted the bond right then."

"There's no ritual or something? No bonding 'I do' vows?"

Kayleigh shrugged again. "There are, but apparently they're different for everyone." The empath chuckled. "Mom said that when she finished explaining things to Dad he got down on one knee, pulled a ring out of his back pocket, and said 'I've been meaning to ask you if I could keep you in my life forever' and she smiled at him and said 'You already have me, you idiot.' And then her wings turned white."

"Aww!" Kenzi gushed, and it was Kayleigh's turn to roll her eyes. "So they're off on adventures living on into eternity?"

The empath's smile faded. "Not quite," she murmured.

Realizing she'd crossed a line, Kenzi stammered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean – "

"No, it's ok," Kayleigh cut her off. "If you want to know everything then you need to hear everything. Just because a Valkyrie and a warrior are bonded doesn't mean something can't happen to them. For my parents… It was World War II. Dad had been drafted, and Mom wasn't about to leave him or me, so I went with them to the battlefield. Most of the generals were Fae who knew us, so they let us stay. Dad and I took away fear and Mom inspired courage. When the battle was over and the guns had stopped firing, Dad hadn't come back, so Mom and I went out to look for him. We found him dying, a gunshot wound in his stomach and no way to stop the inevitable. Mom showed her face and spread her wings. They both squeezed my hands and told me to be good. She bent to kiss him – to share his last breath – and then she wrapped her wings around him and took him Valhalla. Neither of them came back."

Silence settled around the trio. Tamsin reached out and took Kayleigh's hand, which the empath accepted with a smile. Not wanting the solemnity to linger too long, Kenzi changed the subject, hoping to brighten the mood. "So, uh, your dad was the empath?"

"Yup," Kayleigh replied, releasing Tamsin's hand and leaning back. "I think Mom was a little disappointed that I didn't turn out like her, but she still taught me everything she knew. She used to show me her true face when I was in trouble," she laughed. "Once I was old enough to start fighting the doubt on my own, she taught me the rest."

"You can fight it?" Kenzi asked, surprised.

"Not at full power," Kayleigh replied. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Tamsin, but Valkyries don't need to use their full power of doubt on people if they don't have to. If they do, it's enough to kill some of the most powerful of Fae within seconds. You can learn to resist it in small doses, but not at full force." When Tamsin nodded, Kayleigh continued, "The only exception is a Valkyrie's chosen warrior. They can resist any and all doubt the Valkyrie can project and oh – here's a little secret for you…" She bent forward and Tamsin and Kenzi did the same. "They can resist doubt that any Valkyrie projects."

Tamsin gaped at the empath. "They…what?!"

Kayleigh leaned back again with her hands behind her head. "True story. I saw it for myself when I was a kid. Mom was teaching me swordplay while Dad looked on and another Valkyrie came up and challenged Mom. Well, she didn't challenge her so much as put on her Valkyrie face and started throwing insults. Dad got up and walked towards the Valkyrie and she turned and cast so much doubt on him that even I could feel it. Dad didn't flinch, though. He marched right up to her and immediately tore her down."

"Tore her down how?" Kenzi frowned.

"Just with his words and his power. He could feel all her insecurities and hit her with every single one. It was his own way of casting doubt, I guess. Calm as you please he just laid all her worst feelings in front of her, some of which shocked even my mom. Turns out the Valkyrie was just jealous of the bond. The Valkyrie turned on her heel and never bothered us again. The story must've gotten around, 'cause sometimes when other Valkyries would walk past my dad they would give him a nod of respect. Mom thought the whole thing was hilarious, even though she practically swooned at the way Dad defended her."

"Alexandra? Swoon?" Tamsin repeated. "Now I know you're making this up."

"Believe what you like, Tamsin, but she had it bad for that man."

Kenzi lifted her pint. "Here's to Alexandra and…"

"Elisedd," Tamsin supplied for her.

"Elisedd," Kenzi repeated. The other two women lifted their glasses and clinked them to Kenzi's.

"May their combined wit bring many a headache to Valhalla," Kayleigh quipped. Tamsin chuckled as she remembered all the times Alexandra's deadpan humor had her doubled over laughing. The empath downed her drink in one long swig again to Kenzi's shock and delight.

"Daaaaamn, woman, you got skillz!"

"You should see me do shots," she smiled. "Now – back to the issue at hand. Does your warrior know and how does your warrior feel about you?" Kayleigh asked point-blank.

"Way to go in for the kill," Kenzi admired.

"It's what I do. Well?" the empath prodded.

Tamsin sighed. "She doesn't know and I have no idea how she feels about me."

"Uh, 'scuse me, she cares about you a lot more than you think she does."

"As a friend."

"Not as a friend."

"Ok, enough," Kayleigh held out her hands to stop them. "Next question: are you going to tell her or wait for her to find out at some most likely inopportune moment?"

Tamsin clenched her jaw. "I am ready to remain Fallen for the rest of my days if it means she has her freedom," Tamsin ground out.

"Not an answer," Kayleigh replied firmly. "She could want you for all you know. But at least you have time to find out."

"That's what I said!" Kenzi smacked Tamsin's shoulder.

"Listen to the human. It's rare that I say things like that, but listen to the human." Far from being offended, Kenzi snorted her amusement. "If your worry and heartache are anything to go by, you've Fallen hard, and I for one am not going to let you live out your life in this pain."

"What do you mean 'let me'?" Tamsin retorted with a scowl. "You can't make me do anything."

"Jesus, you sound like a petulant child. Get it together, Tam. The human and I are gonna help you through this whether you like it or not."

"Also what I said," Kenzi smirked in triumph.

Tamsin buried her face in her hands. "Fine. Meddle in my life. See if I care. It's not going to do much good, anyway."

Kayleigh had opened her mouth to reply when she stopped, canting her head to the side. After sensing for a moment, she turned to see who was approaching and her gaze stopped Bo in her tracks. "Hi?" the succubus offered.

"Hey, Bo!" Kenzi greeted with as much cheer as she could fake.

"Who's your friend?" she asked Tamsin, and Kayleigh had to hide her amusement at the jealousy in her tone.

"Bo, Kayleigh. Kayleigh, Bo," Tamsin introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Bo held out her hand.

"You can't touch an empath without permission," Kenzi piped up, and Kayleigh nearly burst out laughing.

"It's fine," the empath said, reaching out and shaking Bo's hand. "Nice to meet you, too." She maintained her grip for a moment with a curious frown before letting go, glancing at Tamsin as she did.

"So, uh, Trick wants our help looking up more stuff on the sídhe."

Kayleigh frowned again. "What are you researching the sídhe for?"

"Oh, well done, succubus," Tamsin scolded with dripping sarcasm. "Way to keep a secret."

"Sorry?" Bo squeaked out guiltily.

"Chill, Tamsin. I don't care why you're looking them up; I ask 'cause I might be able to help you. My girlfriend's an empath, but her brother's sídhe – a gancanagh."

"Bless you," Bo said, only half-joking. Kayleigh rolled her eyes and Tamsin had to bite back her laughter.

Kenzi wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Wait, so they're half-siblings? How does that work?"

"Fae genetics aren't my thing, but we tend to inherit one of our parent's powers," Kayleigh replied. "It's why I'm an empath and not half-and-half. Aislinn's mom was an empath but her dad was a gancanagh, and so her brother is, too."

"You're dating an empath? Way to live on the wild side," Tamsin teased.

Kayleigh's responding grin was almost a leer. "It has its perks, believe you me."

"I'll just bet."

"Soooo, can you talk to them for us? Maybe have them meet us here?" Bo interrupted.

The empath nodded. "Sure, no bother. I was planning to head to Aislinn's after this, anyway, so I'll ask her then."

"Thanks!" Bo grinned. "Anyway, you two coming?"

"Right behind you, Bo-Bo," Kenzi replied, getting up and following the succubus. "Nice meeting you, empath."

"You, too, human," Kayleigh called after her. Tamsin had gotten up and was about to follow as well when the empath grabbed her wrist. "Her?" she asked, a disbelieving grin on her face. "Really? Her?"

Tamsin wrenched her hand away with a scowl. "Leave it, Kayleigh."

The empath folded her arms across her chest. "You know…not that it's any of my business…but the human's right: she does care for you, and as more than just a friend."

"I can't get my hopes up, K."

"Not yet, T. Not yet." The empath stood and clapped her friend on the shoulder. "I'll call you when I talk to Aislinn."

Once again, Tamsin watched Kayleigh clear a path through the Dal and out the door. Only when she was gone did the Valkyrie head for Trick's lair with a conflicted sigh, bringing her and Kenzi's beer with her. With the way things were going, they would need it.

Aislinn is pronounced "ASH-lin." I'm willing to bet that "Ashlyn" is a modernized/Americanized form of the name.

I'm not telling you what "mo laoch" means. Yet.