Chapter Six
Lauren walked back into the main area of the lab. A tray of sample bottles was balanced precariously on her arm, a stack of pathology slips clutched in her other hand. She was only a foot away from Bo when she became aware of her presence.
"Jesus," she said, dropping the sheaf of papers but not the sample bottles, which was fortunate given that they contained urine.
Bo had been sitting on one of the tables, kicking her legs back and forth like a kid. She'd since jumped up to pick up the papers. When Bo handed them back to Lauren she was smiling at her - that big open grin that made Lauren's heart kick in her chest. Lauren's eyes did a quick circuit and noted the tight black pants and low-cut tank top Bo was wearing.
"I'm sorry I scared you. I was just dropping by to say hello."
"Well, it's good to see you," Lauren said as she gathered herself, taking a few steps to put everything down on a nearby table.
"What are you working on?" Bo asked, gesturing towards the sample bottles.
"I'm not really supposed to tell you that,' Lauren said. She could feel that her face was flushed; she was surprised and embarrassingly pleased that Bo would just 'drop by'.
Bo shrugged and raised her eyebrows. "Never bothered you before."
Lauren relented without a fight, smiling. For a moment it was possible to forget at the animosity Bo had held for her. "I'm running drug tests for all of the Ash's staff. The Ash heard rumours about someone bringing substances onto the compound."
"Oh yeah?"
"I have to run tests for all sorts of mystical substances I never would have known existed, and even illicit drugs manufactured by and for humans show up differently in the fae. I've had to develop all sorts of different indicators," Lauren explained, her eyes lighting up as she talked about her work.
"Right," Bo smiled. Only Lauren could get excited about urine testing. It was both weird and endearing.
"We're not really going away anywhere you know," Lauren blurted out.
"You're not?" Bo said hopefully. She didn't need to ask what Lauren was talking about, not when it had been on her mind ever since she'd seen Lauren and Ava at The Dal.
"Not even close. I don't know why Ava would say that. She has an odd sense of humour."
"Obviously," Bo said. "I don't understand what you can see in her."
Lauren's hackles rose; she thought they'd come to an understanding. Lauren was met with the familiar sensation of being treated like a toy – this time it came from being wanted only because someone else was playing with her.
"I should get back to work," Lauren said, falling back on her default position.
"Hey. C'mon, let's hang out for a little while," Bo said, her voice flat with disappointment. She'd been looking forward to coming here all day, drawn by the potential of Lauren's happiness at seeing her. It had come true, only it had already been ruined.
Lauren shrugged, shoving her hands into her coat pockets. "Fine, but can't we talk about something else for a change?"
"What?" Bo said, offended. "I didn't come here to talk about Ava, you brought her up."
"Right," Lauren said, unconvinced even though it was accurate. Still, she wondered if Bo would have come to visit if she hadn't ran into her with Ava. What if Ava had just misinterpreted a misplaced sense of ownership from Bo? Bo just didn't want anyone else to have her even though she'd moved on. Maybe Bo just hated Ava for her own sake; Lauren could see how Ava might be threatening. She was beautiful, and she was Dyson's partner.
"I'm just trying to be your friend again," Bo said, her sincerity plain.
That was the thing about Bo – those expressive eyes that couldn't lie. Lauren instantly melted. She had been about to apologise for being so touchy when the lights went down. She spun around quickly in surprise, and she heard Bo jump off the table to do the same. There was a buzzing sound as the generators kicked in and the dim back-up lights lining the walls came on.
"The power's out. Stay where you are," Lauren said, going towards the small side room where the emergency intercom was kept.
Her call was answered quickly. The disembodied voice of a guard informed her that the compound was in lock-down. There had been an assassination threat and an intruder had cut the power. The guard instructed her to stay where she was until they'd neutralised the situation.
"I heard all of that," Bo said as Lauren re-entered the larger space. "Are we even safe in here? I don't feel so good about just waiting this out."
Lauren shook her head. "You'd be surprised how often this sort of thing happens. And anyway once this room is locked down there's no getting in or out."
"What if there's someone already in here? Where are your assistants anyway?"
"It's after five, I've sent them home. We can check around, but if there were any chance someone might be hiding in the lab guards would've stormed the place already. I'm sure they know you're here, they don't miss anything."
"Give me a scalpel," Bo said, business-like. Lauren smiled to herself, picking one up and unsheathing it from it's package before handing it to Bo handle first. If she were to feel unsafe she could just remember that she had one mightily protective succubus on her side.
She followed behind while Bo patrolled around the lab, checking under tables and behind doors until she was satisfied that they were alone.
"So what do we do now?" Bo said, dropping the scalpel onto a table.
"We wait. Are you hungry? I've got leftovers in the fridge."
"Sure," Bo agreed, burying the little thrill that she felt about Lauren being captive in her company for a while.
X X X
Bo dug the plastic chopsticks into her noodles. There had been several half-empty cartons and Lauren had dumped them all out onto the table.
"These actually taste pretty good cold. Not as good as cold pizza, but it'll do," she commented. "So what are we going to do after this, do you have a deck of cards? Scrabble?"
"We could always play truth or dare," Lauren dead panned. Bo was so impatient – it must be her worst nightmare to have to be confined to a room for so long with nothing to do.
"Okay, I'll go first. Dare," Bo said, looking as though she would take it very seriously.
"I'm kidding, Bo," Lauren replied.
It was quiet while Bo continued eating, looking earnestly down at her food. Lauren's eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting and she was content to just watch.
"If we'd really been playing truth or dare there would be something I'd want to ask you," Bo said.
"There would?" Lauren asked.
Bo spoke hesitatingly. "I'd want to know . . . how you came to be here."
For so long she'd avoided Lauren's offers of this big talk she'd wanted to have. She'd never wanted to take that risk; too fearful of being manipulated again. Or of being shut out like Lauren always managed to do to her in the end. There was so much Lauren had never wanted to tell her, including concealing that she was a slave in the first place.
The question threw Lauren, and she avoided Bo's gaze. "Why did you never ask before? I mean even before you were upset with me?"
"I didn't even know there was a question to ask. Trick explained it to me after we'd already known each other for months. I really thought you just worked for him," Bo said.
"I never meant to be dishonest. It just was nice for me that you didn't treat me any differently," Lauren said. A lump had risen in her throat. She could feel it all over again, that rush of shame when Bo had pitched her amulet at her. Sometimes she felt like she were frozen in that moment, when everything had crumbled.
"Just tell me. Why?" Bo said simply. She covered Lauren's hand with her own for the briefest of moments and then pulled it away, waiting.
It was easier to tell it in the almost-dark, even when she knew that Bo could see her.
Lauren took a deep breath and recited her history like it was somebody else's life. It felt so distant now that it might as well be. She spoke about the grant and the trip to The Congo, the way she had convinced Nadia to go with her. The wonder when she'd discovered the fae and had been brought into their world. The desolation she'd felt when Nadia had fallen ill.
"The Ash offered me all of the Light's resources in exchange for my servitude. It took months, but eventually she was cured."
"Where is she?" Bo said. She felt like she couldn't breathe, an unimagined world inside Lauren now revealed to her.
"It was never part of the bargain that I be freed when she got better. When she woke up I told her that I'd moved on. I did it to protect her, and so she left. That was four years ago now," Lauren said, relieved to have come to the end of the tale.
Bo was quiet at first, any words seeming inadequate. "How long did you commit for? I mean, what would we have to do to get you freed?"
We. The word made Lauren flinch because she wished it meant something different than how Bo intended it. But it was just the way she was; always looking to right wrongs and save the world. It was one of the things Lauren loved about her, but hearing it now made her sad.
Lauren shook her head. "My commitment is indefinite. It's better if I just focus on my work, take it one day at a time."
"But how can you live like that?"
"Because I have to," Lauren said. She felt Bo's eyes on her as she got up and cleaned up the cartons, signalling that the discussion was over for her. She wasn't sure what she wanted. She'd become so accustomed to hiding herself that talking about her past placed her on the edge of panic. "Do you want something to drink? No liquor I'm afraid."
"What if you ran away? I could help you," Bo persevered, refusing to change the subject.
"I couldn't do that, it'd be too dangerous for me and for Nadia," Lauren replied.
"They've threatened her, if you run I mean?"
"It's implicit. Listen, It's going to be a long night. I thought I might lie down for a while, see if I can get some sleep," Lauren said, unzipping her boots. "I've had to do it before, these exam tables are more comfortable than you'd think."
"Sure, I'm kind of tired too," Bo agreed. Lauren had laid down and she kept her eyes on the ceiling, averting her eyes. Bo was only taking off her shoes – it wasn't as though she was undressing. But there was something so intimate about them sleeping in the same room. Only because I want it to be, Lauren reminded herself.
Their tables were a couple of feet apart. Lauren closed her eyes, drained from her confession. She didn't want Bo to pity her; or think her a victim.
Bo lay quietly processing what she'd just heard, a million questions raising themselves up. So much energy had been expended in convincing herself that there was something false about Lauren. That she was the sycophant that Dyson had painted her as, or the cold liar Kenzi disliked. Now she found that she'd been right to see a specialness in Lauren, a loyalty that most people never even approached. Weaker people would have tried to run despite the consequences or at least wouldn't have borne this life with so much dignity.
And then the most petty thoughts were occurring to her, the kind that she would never dare speak aloud. She was envious of this woman that Lauren had given everything up for. They must have been in love for Lauren to sacrifice so much. She wondered about Nadia – she was even curious about what she looked like.
"It's freezing down here," Bo said to distract herself.
"Yeah. I don't really notice it any more."
"Can't you turn the air con off? I don't think I'm gonna be able to sleep," Bo complained.
"It is off. It'll warm up a little bit by morning but there's no heat down here." Lauren smiled to herself – she always thought of Bo as invincible but she didn't sound it at the moment. Rising, she pulled a couple of lab coats from their hooks and arranged them over Bo.
"There, see if that helps," she said. Bo thanked her. Something passed between them as Bo looked up at her, their eyes meeting. Lauren turned back to settle on her table again, but she could practically hear Bo's teeth chattering from her position.
"We can always use our bodies to get warm. I mean, I'm not - ," Lauren faltered, worried about how her words sounded. When there was no reply she wondered if she'd gone too far but then Bo was moving close, gingerly climbing up onto the exam table. The space was so narrow that she had to be careful to not push Lauren from its edge.
Lauren moved onto her side so that there would be more room while Bo positioned herself in front of her, mirroring her pose. Bo wriggled backwards just slightly, and Lauren edged forward, a wordless negotiation that soon resulted in them spooning. Lauren made a quiet exclamation about the cold - a statement meant to excuse the way she pressed closer.
"You can put your arm under my neck, you'll be more comfortable," Bo said. Lauren did as she was asked, her heart in her throat.
Bo's hunger had ignited but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling to her. There was something in the wanting so much that satisfied her, the slow burn inside. She could feel Lauren's soft breasts against her back and she deliberately moved just once against Lauren's hips. They hadn't even kissed and yet she felt like liquid heat inside.
Lauren forced herself to breathe in and out. She slid her hand down Bo's arm, rubbing it as though to keep her warm, but then it rested as if on its own accord on Bo's waist. It occurred to her that she should feel embarrassed by what her aura must be telling Bo, but she didn't care. Bo was in her arms, and it felt like she wanted to be there. Even if this didn't mean anything to her it was closer than Lauren had ever imagined being allowed again.
Bo closed her eyes. All she would have to do was turn her face back, tilt towards Lauren in the dark, and they would be kissing. It was all she could think about and she was sure that she would never go to sleep.
Miraculously she drifted off in Lauren's arms and awoke only when the lights flooded in, signalling the end of the lock down.