A/N: Thanks for waiting, guys! I know it took longer than expected but I'm really excited about how this full chapter turned out! So I put the first part of the chapter (that I posted on Friday) with this. I would suggest either re-reading the whole thing or just the last few paragraphs because I start right back up where I left off. If you decide not to, just scroll until you get to the break that says LG~LG. Enjoy!

Bo slipped out of her and Lauren's bed as quietly as possible, trying to avoid moving the bed too much so Lauren would stay in her deep slumber. The woman slept like the dead but Bo didn't want to risk waking her because then there would be questions and concerns. And Bo would have to explain and the last thing she wanted to do this late was talk. As quietly as she could she made her way out of their bedroom and down the stairs. Walking into the kitchen she kneeled down grabbing the bottle of scotch that she hid in the back of the cabinet. Pouring herself a drink, she sat at the island in their kitchen, thinking about everything and nothing.

In the last few weeks, it had become her new routine at nights. Stay with Lauren until she falls into a deep enough sleep that Bo was able to sneak out of bed and come to the main floor. Then she would drink enough until she could fall into a dreamless slumber. Since their new revelation of Bo's condition, she had been having nightmares. Nightmares that scared the living shit out of her. She would be standing in front of Lauren, seeing that she was taking all of her life force but unable to stop. It was almost as if she was watching as a bystander but at the same time she could taste the love of Lauren's chi and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't cut off the connection.

When it was over and Lauren would fall lifelessly to the ground; Bo always woke up before she could catch her.

Bo decided it was best to keep her nightmares to herself. She knew it was reckless, that if she asked, Lauren would help, but she felt exposed. Everyone she loved and respected walked around her with caution, talked to her with caution, explained things with caution. Like the tiniest thing would send her into a rage. It pissed her off, but the truth is they had no idea what was happening within her. So caution was needed.

During the day, Bo tried to be upbeat and positive. Never letting anyone close to her, but not pushing them fully away either. It was a complicated balance, in her opinion, she was doing an amazing job. But every now and then she would look up to see Lauren looking at her with worried eyes. Bo knew Lauren suspected something was going on, but the blonde never asked and Bo never told. She recognized that Bo needed her space, she would get over her own despair of not being the one Bo confided in.

Missing Lauren, Bo decided to go lay in bed for a while before they had to get up. As she walked into their bedroom she stopped short when she saw Lauren sitting on the edge of the bed looking at her.

"I didn't know if you were going to come back up tonight." Lauren spoke quietly, but the pain her voice did not go unnoticed by Bo.

"I missed you." Bo said with sincerity. All she wanted to do was to hold Lauren close to her, protect her from all harm – even herself.

Lauren's response was a short hum. All she wanted to do was force Bo to open up, be frank with her. But she knew if she forced anything on the brunette it would just cause her to shut down emotionally. The last few weeks have been hard. Lauren exhausted all her resources trying to find a way to help Bo, but all her efforts were futile. She was getting discouraged. The biggest dilemma they faced was that Bo's condition was very rare. Not many studies have been done on it, and when she did find one it lacked the most important part – a cure.

Bo sat down next to Lauren on the bed, even mere inches away from each other they didn't touch. Their love was not in question, never was. But walls that were torn down before were being rebuilt, and as the days turned into weeks it became harder and harder to talk to each other. They wanted to – desperately – but wanting to didn't make it any easier. It was like trying to write a beautiful poem or song for someone, but not having the knowledge of how to do it eloquently.

"I miss us." Lauren added weakly, "I miss being able to talk to you about anything. I miss our easy banter and our daily routines. I miss rolling into your embrace at night after we've both fallen asleep. I miss us."

"I do too."

At that point, Lauren couldn't sit still anymore, she got up and started to pace in front of the bed. It had been a long time since she felt anger like this start to bubble up her. It seemed the more she held it back the stronger it grew, and it was finally ready to show itself in all its glory.

"Then why have you pulled away, huh? Why do you choose alcohol over me every night? I know you're scared! I grasp that, but do you realize that I feel the same way! That I'm terrified I'm letting you down because I can't figure out how to fix this! Jesus, Bo!" Lauren yelled trying to hold back tears.

Lauren turned her back to Bo, refusing to let her see her cry. She wanted to be strong for Bo, be her unwavering rock, but she had done that for 4 weeks. Now it was her time to crumble.

LG~LG~LG~LG

Lauren jumped slightly, when a hand touch her shoulder. Taking the silent command, she slowly turned around, meeting teary brown eyes.

Bo brought her hand up, resting it gently on Lauren's cheek wiping away the fallen tears. In her opinion, she had caused all of Lauren's pain, so her solution was to pull away.

Looking deeply into hazel eyes, Bo attempted to explain, "I'm sorry, Lauren, I'm so sorry. I-I thought I was protecting you. It was the only way to protect you. I know it was less than ideal – "

Lauren scoffed, "Less than ideal?! BO! Wake up! You've been drinking! And I'm not talking about an occasional drunk night out with a couple of friends. I'm worried about you! You're not talking to me, or anyone for that matter. You're more closed off than I've ever seen you. Just tell me what the hell is going through your head!"

"I couldn't let myself hurt you!" Bo screamed back, shocking both herself and Lauren by her volume.

Lauren's brow furrowed, then it hit her, "Your dreams?" When Bo looked up sharply at her, she softened her voice before continuing, "I know about the dreams Bo. I'm not an idiot. I just didn't know what they were about until now."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Letting out a disappointed laugh she replied, "Because I thought when you were ready, you would. But it's been 3 weeks since they started and not once did you come and talk to me."

"I thought I could deal with it alone; I didn't want to burden you."

"Bo, if we're ever going to make this work long time, we have to talk to each other. We have to share all of our burdens." Lauren grabbed both of Bo's hands, "It's not a battle of who's the strongest, I don't care about that but I guarantee we are stronger together than apart."

Bo let out choked sob, mumbling, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry,"

Taking initiative Lauren pulled Bo's hands towards her, while pulling Bo into a tight embrace, wrapping her arms around the brunette's middle. Bo snaked her arms around Lauren's shoulders, holding on for dare life, while her emotions washed over her.

"Shhhhh, it's okay, I'm not letting you walk out of my life Bo Dennis," she whispered into the succubus' ear, "You're mine."

Bo responded by tightening her grip even more than Lauren thought possible, but she didn't mind. They both stood in the same position, until Bo's harsh cries turned to quiet sniffles. Lauren only pulled back after squeezing Bo one more time, making sure she knew that Lauren was still there.

"I want you to try and sleep. I'll be with you the entire time. Come on." Lauren said in a sweet voice.

Bo climbed into bed positioning herself next to Lauren so she could hear the steady beat of her girlfriend's heart. It was the most reassuring thing she's ever heard. And Lauren didn't question it for a moment, willing to do anything if it meant her girlfriend would sleep.

Once they were comfortable, Lauren started humming a quiet lullaby singing Bo to sleep. It didn't take long until both were sleeping restfully, both exhausted emotional and physical ordeal.

Lauren was woken up by the buzzing of her cell phone. She moaned, knowing that the only person that would call her this early would be her job. With her eyes still closed she reached her arm to her nightstand and grabbed the irritating object. Without looking at the caller ID she answered.

Mumbling into the phone, "Lewis."

"Lauren! Sweetheart, is that you?" An emotional feminine voice responded.

Lauren never thought it was possible to sit up as fast as she did. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, nerves taking over her normally calm personality – her previously tired self was awoken in a matter of seconds. She hadn't spoken to her mother since before she and Nadia went to the Congo. She was forbidden by the Ash to contact anyone in her past life. That included the woman who raised her.

"Mom?" Lauren responded in a small voice that barely sounded like herself.

Melissa Lewis, was a sweet woman with a big heart. She had raised Lauren by herself when her husband walked out on her after she had gotten pregnant. Lauren, always admired her and wanted to follow in her footsteps as a physician. And she did with a slightly different direction.

"Oh, Lauren!" An obviously crying Mrs. Lewis responded, "Where are you!"

Lauren closed her eyes, she needed to gather her thoughts. As much as she wanted to tell her mother everything that has happened since the last time they've talked to each other, she couldn't risk exposing the fae. And knowing her mother she would definitely know she was trying to hide something. Lauren decided that the less she told her, the easier it would be on both of them.

"I'm safe, Ma, that's all you need to know. Are you still at the old house? Maybe I can make a visit…"

"Lauren, I never thought I would hear your voice again. I would love for you to come visit, especially since I haven't seen you in ten years. But, if you think I'll accept an answer like that you have another thing coming, young lady."

Lauren let out a breathy chuckle, "I know, look I have to talk with someone first, but I'll see if I can make a trip up there. Can I call you back on this number?"

"Someone? Do you mean Nadia? I know who she is Lauren, if I remember correctly I'm the one who introduced her to you!"

For the second time that morning, Lauren's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. She missed Nadia, of course, and mourned over her death for a long time. But she finally felt like she was able to move on from the pain of her not being in this world. She had Bo and a family who loved her here. But her mother adored Nadia, telling her that she was killed by the very person who holds her heart now, would probably not go over too well. So she did the one thing she hated to do: she lied.

"She, uh, passed away a few years ago. It was a tragic car accident – drunk driver."

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry! I know how much you loved her."

"I did, I'm sorry, Mom. I tried to protect her the best I could."

"I know you did."

A comfortable, but sad silence fell over both of them. They had so much to talk about but it needed to be done in person not over the phone. Not to mention, Lauren had thousands of questions to ask, starting with how her mother found her number.

"And before you ask, her name is Bo Dennis, she works at the local police department, normally homicides. She's amazing, beautiful, and fiercely loyal. You'd like her."

At that moment, Lauren finally took a look at her surroundings, the shades over the windows were closed, so the room was filled with an unfamiliar darkness for the morning. Looking to Bo's side of the bed, she noticed that the brunette wasn't there. She was disappointed, she thought last night's conversation was a step in the right direction.

"Well, I would love to meet this Bo at some point." Feeling like her daughter wasn't listening, "Lauren?"

"I'm here," Lauren said a little too quickly, "Sorry, I just noticed that she wasn't here with me. I'm sorry, I should go find her. Can I call you back on this number?"

"Yes, baby, and Lauren?"

"Mm?"

"I love you, please do call back."

With a small smile Lauren replied, "I love you, too. I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"Alright, bye dear."

As Lauren hung up the phone, she got an anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach. She quickly made her way down the stairs, noticing a dark silhouette looking out the full wall window in their living room. She looked haunted. Lauren decided that subtly would be the best approach.

"Bo? Honey, it's me, Lauren. Are you okay?" Lauren tried to keep her voice calm but firm, even as her fight or flight response kicked in. Her entire body was on high alert.

When the figure turned around, Lauren sucked in a breath and had to force herself not to back up. The woman in front of her looked fierce, stunning, and absolutely terrifying. Bright ice blue eyes contrasted her pale face and dark hair. Lauren realized quickly that this woman was no longer her girlfriend but Bo's succubus. This creature wanted power, and control. The thing Bo has felt she lacked for a while now. Lauren cursed herself for not picking up on the signs.

The succubus didn't speak. But she moved elegantly towards Lauren in stealthy determination. Lauren felt as though she was being hypnotized, but she tried her hardest to stay lucid; even as she felt her entire body long for the woman in front of her. Before she could comprehend it, the dangerously beautiful creature was mere inches away from her. Lauren felt completely intoxicated. She wanted to touch, speak, grab Bo, anything to jostle her awake, and come back to the body she normally resigned.

"Mine." It was the first and last word her Succubus spoke, before pulling her into the most exhilarating kiss of her life. She couldn't stop herself from caving in, and giving her entire self to the beautiful creature that was now kissing her.

She realized as soon as it started that she was in trouble. She felt a slight pull from within her, knowing that chi was leaving her body. She tried to fight it, but she was no doubt weakened when pressed against Bo. Her fear was building every second that Bo pulled chi from her. She knew by the end of 42 seconds she would be unconscious. No human could sustain a constant pull of chi for that long.

Thirty Seconds. Lauren thought about everything they had been through: The Garuda, the Ash, the Morrigan, Nadia, Hades, Aoife, Dyson. NO. It couldn't end like this. They would not end like this.

Twenty seconds. She felt her energy slowly depleting her body, she could do nothing to escape. She felt like she was in limbo. She couldn't fight, couldn't give in. Then the memory of Bo's scream "I couldn't let myself hurt you!" flashed across her eyes. She let out a small whimper at the desperation in Bo's voice.

Ten seconds. This was it. It wouldn't be long until she was no longer in the world of the living. And then something changed in Lauren. She took control of Bo's feed. She was not going to let them end this way. Putting every feeling she could into it, she grabbed the brunette by the waist pulling her forcefully towards her. Tilting her head, she deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue along Bo's bottom lip asking for entrance which she was immediately granted. The woman in front of her was surprised but didn't fight it any more than Lauren did when the positions were switched.

Five seconds. Lauren felt her knees go weak, she was losing consciousness. She was trying to hold on, hoping her Bo would come back to her, but she just kept feeding. Damn it, Bo. Lauren had one more idea, one last thing that could save herself and Bo. But she was terrified, if this didn't work, not only would she die, but Bo's world would shatter. She had no doubt that if she didn't survive this Bo would never be the person she once was.

One second. Lauren pushed every ounce of chi she had left at Bo. It was instinct. She didn't know how she did it she just knew that she had too. Then instead of being pulled tighter towards Bo like she expected, she was being shoved away.

The connection broke, she found herself on her hands and knees heaving and chocking on air. In seconds, she felt her girlfriend's hand on her back and saw her slide down in front of her. Grabbing Lauren's face with Bo hands, she pushed chi back into Lauren.

"Oh God, Lauren, breathe honey, breathe." She whispered this like a mantra as Lauren fought to get her breath steady again.

"I'm okay," Lauren whispered in a weak voice.

Bo pulled Lauren close, they were both on the ground, Bo's arms wound tightly around Lauren. She felt different; stronger. And she felt more connected to Lauren than she ever had been. Kissing Lauren's brow, she whispered the thing she felt she had to say the most, "I love you, Lauren, thank you for bringing me back to you."

Lauren was exhausted, but she heard Bo's sentence loud and clear, "I love you, too, I told you I wasn't going to let you walk out of my life. And I always keep my word."

They both sat there for what seemed like hours, wasting the day away. Neither could bring themselves to care though. They found their connection again, and it seemed stronger than ever. So they sat on the floor of their two story apartment, basking in each other's love, knowing that they would do everything possible to keep this connection from now on. Lauren was right: They were stronger together.

A/N 2: Please tell me what you think, about Lauren's Mother and the last scene with Bo's succubus. I need to know if you want more of it or if I should take this story in a different direction! Thanks!