A/N: Next one for you. I know it's really emotional at the moment. But happier times are coming; promise. Until then;
Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Aching To Live
Lauren's Old Condo - Later
This was probably the longest that Bo had even held Lauren in a year. She was fast asleep, thank god. They were both exhausted but Lauren was having a harder time achieving REM sleep than Bo.
Only now it was the other way around. Bo was the one wide awake as Lauren slept soundly beside her. She couldn't stop worrying about her. If she didn't do something to bring Charlotte back soon; she feared she'd end up losing Lauren to a Dark Path.
She couldn't let that happen.
The main problem was the Elder that ordered the hit. They didn't know who they were, what they were, or if they were Light or Dark. Bo wondered why that was being kept under wraps, maybe it was to protect the person in question. So that Bo wouldn't know who to kill.
She had to find them, so she could bring Charlotte home and also save Lauren from herself.
Kenzi's Villa
Even though she was still freaking out about Charlie's magical healing thing, Kenzi still had to give her beautiful niece lunch. On today's menu, was puréed Chicken and Vegetables. Kenzi smelt every jar and they didn't actually smell that bad. In fact, Tamsin had taken it upon herself to taste a few before giving them to Charlie.
But it was really just an excuse for her to eat something, Kenzi had caught her stealing a few jars and taking them to her room to eat in the night. She was one weird Valkyrie.
Kenzi sat at the table, with Charlie strapped into her highchair by her Auntie's side. "A few more scoops and then you're all done" She fed the one-year-old. Luckily for her, Charlie wasn't a fussy eater. And she ate everything Kenzi gave her, unless it was something she really didn't like the taste of.
Tamsin walked into the kitchen, zipping up her leather jacket. "Ooh, what's for lunch?" She poked her head over Charlie's highchair. For some reason, Baby food tasted way better than normal food.
"Nothing that's appropriate for your age group. What's with the jacket? It's like a hundred degrees outside" Kenzi frowned at her friend. It was strange attire considering their climate.
"It's time for my check in with Dyson. Just for the Elders to see me so they won't come looking. The ushe. Hey, I've been thinking..." Tamsin took a seat next to Kenzi. "… Should I tell Bo and Lauren anything? About Charlie's new healing trick, I mean?" She added.
Kenzi sighed, she didn't know if they should. Telling them something like that would just make them worry. And they were probably doing enough of that already. "No. But, I think you should take a picture of her and give it to them" she'd been thinking about it and it was the right thing to do.
"We've never done that before. What's the difference now?" Every time that Tamsin had gone back home, she had told Bo and Lauren that Charlie was fine. But she'd never taken pictures. Just in case they fell into the wrong hands.
Kenzi wiped food from Charlie's mouth and then picked her up, bringing the girl to sit on her lap. "It's been a year Tamsin. They don't even know what their own daughter looks like, and when Bo called me the other day; I got the feeling things were bad. They need something other than misery for once" she said.
Tamsin nodded, she understood that completely. "Okay, so which picture are you thinking? One from her birthday?" She asked. There were so many to choose from.
As she unstrapped the bib from her niece's neck, Kenzi smoothed her short dark hair over neatly. "Actually, I was thinking why not take a new one? Get your phone out" she nodded to her jacket pocket.
Tamsin did as she was told, taking her phone out and brought up the camera app. Charlie loved taking pictures. She was like a little model. So when she saw Tamsin's phone in front of her. She immediate started giggling. "Say; Hi Mommies!" She took the picture.
Kenzi looked the picture over, it was adorable. Charlie was sat giggling on her lap, and she was also smiling. "Once you've shown it to them, they can decide whether to keep it or delete it" she knew it wouldn't be easy, but this was what they had to do to keep her safe.
"Alright, I better get flying then…" Tamsin got up, giving Charlie a little peck on her cheek and then gave Kenzi a nod. "… I'll be back as soon as I can" with that, she walked out of the house; extended her wings, and shot off into the sky.
Lauren's Old Condo
Lauren woke up, to see herself hugging a pillow. She could've sworn that Bo was here when she closed her eyes. Getting up, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. That was probably the best sleep she'd had in a long time. It made her wonder how tired she actually was.
Before she could even call out for Bo, the front door opened. She walked in with a smile, holding two coffee cups in her hands. "Hey, sorry. I thought I'd be back before you woke up" she smiled.
"It's okay. I hope one of those is for me, because I could sure use one right now" Lauren touched her head. It was like a buzzsaw was slicing through her brain.
Bo stepped forward, handing her Girlfriend one of the cups. "How'd you sleep?"
Lauren took a much needed sip while nodding. "Good, better than I have in a while actually. Bo, I'm really sorry for what I said. About not being able to look at you; I was just having one of my crazy moments. I love that Charlotte looks like you; she couldn't have a more beautiful person to take after" she chuckled.
"Thanks. And you don't have to be sorry babe; you're going through a lot right now" Bo didn't want her apology. She understood completely.
"So are you. We both lost her, and yet I'm the only one who's allowed to be cranky? No…" Lauren shook her head. She was done having a pity party. "… You were right; we need to work together now. To bring her home"
Bo was so happy to hear her say that. She'd waited so long for the rational side of Lauren to make an appearance. And she was starting to think it never would. "Well, if you're up to it; why don't we head down to the Dal, and see if Trick's come up with anything new" she offered.
"What're we waiting for? Let's go" Lauren grabbed her jacket, kissing Bo on the cheek as she passed her to get to the front door.
The Dal
When Tamsin entered the bar. She wasn't surprised to see Dyson, Mark and Trick standing at the bar having a beer. "Seriously? Don't you guys drink anything else?" She chuckled. She was really glad to be back.
Dyson was the first to hug her, it had been almost five months since he'd last seen his partner. And to be honest, he had missed having her around. "It's good to see you Partner" he wrapped his arms around her tight.
Mark also walked over, giving her a smile. "Welcome back" He'd been filling in for Tamsin while she was away. Helping his Father out on cases. Dyson had also pulled some strings within the Light Fae so that he could become a Detective. He didn't have much experience, but Dyson was teaching him something new everyday.
Trick was happy to see Tamsin, but then he was worrying about Charlotte. Had something happened? Was that why Tamsin was here? Before he could even open his mouth, she held her hand up.
"Everything's fine. I've just come to keep up appearances like we discussed" she explained.
Everyone breathed a little easier after hearing that.
She didn't have to worry about talking about Charlie in the Dal, just like the Clubhouse they'd had this place soundproofed and swept for bugs. They couldn't take any chances. "Where's Bo and Lauren?" She asked.
"They're on their way here actually. I'm sure they would love to talk to you" Trick knew that Lauren would want to squeeze Tamsin of all of the information she could about Charlotte. No one blamed her.
Tamsin nodded, she wondered if they wanted to see the picture Kenzi made her take. Trick was Charlie's Grandfather after all, and he hadn't seen her since they left a year ago. "Okay, cool. I might as well show you something while we wait" She hopped onto a barstool while taking her phone out.
"Show me what?" Trick asked. Dyson and Mark also huddled behind Tamsin, wanting to see what was so important.
She scrolled through her photo library, finding the newest picture and then turning her handset around to show him. "This!" She smiled. Trick took the phone from her hands, seeing his great Granddaughter giggling away in Kenzi's arms. She was gorgeous. The image brought tears to his eyes. He couldn't even speak. He just handed it back to her with a smile.
Dyson and Mark looked at the screen, wondering what had made Trick of all people cry like a baby. Then they saw her, Charlotte. She was really cute. And was looking more and more like Bo by the day. "That's one happy baby" Dyson laughed.
"What's so funny?"
Trick turned to see Bo and Lauren walking into the bar. Once Dyson and Mark stepped back, they saw Tamsin getting off of one of the stools. Lauren was instantly panicked, "Is she—" she rushed over to her.
"She's fine…" Tamsin said, then handed her the phone. "… See for yourself" she winked at them both.
Lauren took the phone, what she saw took her breath away. There she was; her little girl. In a fit of laughs as she was being held by Kenzi. This was the first time they'd ever seen what Charlotte looked like. "She's beautiful" she began to cry. But for once, it was because she was happy.
Bo took a quick glance; her Girlfriend was right. Charlotte did resemble her. She remembered her daughter being born with blonde hair. That seemed to have changed now. "So, everything's good?" She looked at Tamsin.
"Everything's good…" Tamsin nodded. "… Kenzi said it should be your choice whether to keep it or not. There's others on there. So, take your time…" She turned to Trick. "… What's a Valkyrie gotta do to get a Vodka around here?" She smirked.
Trick smiled, waving her over. After everything that she'd done for them, and for Charlotte. She was entitled to free drinks for life.
Bo and Lauren retreated to a booth in the back, taking Tamsin's phone with them. Lauren scrolled through the photo library. Seeing all the images of a very happy baby. There was even a video of her in a pool. It was hard to see their daughter doing things without them, they should've been teaching her this stuff.
She pressed play, turning the phone to the side. Bo moved closer so that she could watch too. Charlie was laughing hysterically, while splashing water in Tamsin's face. Who didn't seem to be loving it all that much. But Charlotte had the biggest smile on her face.
"She's a troublemaker…" Lauren let out a laugh, closing the video before turning to her Girlfriend. "… Hmm. I wonder where on earth she gets that from" she was being sarcastic.
"Hey, being a troublemaker isn't always a bad thing. It adds to your character. Besides, I'm sure Tamsin can take it" Bo took the phone, scrolling through a few more photos. They really needed this, to see her for themselves.
Tamsin brought her vodka over to the booth, taking a seat opposite her favourite couple. "That's one hell of a kid that you've got there…" She sipped her drink. "… She loves torturing me" That was an understatement.
"So we can see. I hope she's not giving you too much hassle" Lauren wanted to apologise for her daughter.
But Tamsin shook her head. "Na, it's cool. She's worth it. Seriously, she's a great kid. Well behaved, she's not fussy, all in all she's pretty mellow" she wanted them to know enough about Charlie before she left.
Bo was happy to hear all of this, but she knew Tamsin and Kenzi well enough to know that there'd probably been some mishaps while watching their daughter. "I love that she's happy. And you guys are clearly doing a great job. But I'm not stupid, so why don't you tell us some problems that you've had with her"
"Problems? What problems?" Tamsin buried her face into her glass. Was it that obvious?
Lauren was now scowling at her, "If you go any deeper into that vodka, you're gonna need a snorkel. Tell us Tamsin" she said.
Tamsin just smiled bashfully, lifting her head back up. "Well, there haven't been any major problems. Per se. Just a few; hiccups. Yeah, let's go with that" she nodded.
"Like?" Bo asked.
Tamsin sighed, where to start? Charlie had done so many things, she didn't want to tell them something that would make them angry. Then she had a brilliant idea, she needed to tell them something that would make them laugh. "Well, there was this one time; when she took her bottle and squirted milk inside Kenzi's favourite boots" she watched as Bo and Lauren started laughing.
They hadn't laughed like this in such a long time. They could picture their daughter doing something like that. But Bo still hadn't heard what she wanted to hear. "That was hilarious, but now tell us something that's not gonna make us laugh" she wasn't born yesterday.
"Okay. Just to be clear, she's really sneaky. I turn my back for like a second and she ends up walking off somewhere! Seriously, it gives me bad anxiety!" Tamsin drank more of her vodka. It wasn't easy watching a baby. Especially one that didn't sit still.
Lauren caught onto her words. "She's walking; already?"
Tamsin nodded. "Yup, started at eleven months. Guess she gets the overachieving from you Doc. She still wobbles here and there, but she's getting better every day. Kenzi practices with her" she explained.
If it wasn't clear already, they couldn't wait to have their little girl back with them. They'd missed some pretty important milestones. And they didn't want to miss another year more. Bo was happy with that information, but now she needed to know the other stuff. The stuff that she was dreading to know. "Have there been any attacks?" She and Lauren had both had there concerns, and nightmares sometimes.
Tamsin was happy to shake her head. "Nope, she's one hundred percent safe. I promise. The good thing about Kenzi's Crib, is that it's completely out of the way. When we go shopping, we don't take Charlie—"
"You call her Charlie?" Bo caught that.
She nodded. "Yeah, Kenzi started calling her that when she turned two months. Do you not like it?" She wondered.
Bo shook her head, she had no problem with that. "Not at all. It's cute, I like it" she smiled, there was nothing wrong with having a nickname.
"Anyway, as I was saying; one of us stays in the house with her, I know it's not exactly the best life but—" Tamsin stopped seeing Lauren hold up her hand.
"You're doing it to keep her safe. And she seems happy enough with the way you guys live. We can't thank you enough to for what you've done Tamsin; for what you're still doing. Thank you" she reached over to touch her hand.
"Like I said; she's worth it. Anyway, I did my walkabout around the city. A few old Dark Fae peeps spotted me. So, I'd say I've done my job. It's time for me to return to my post" Tamsin joked. It was more like a long vacation.
Bo turned to her Girlfriend, who was still looking at the pictures. "Babe? Do you wanna keep one of those?" She asked.
Lauren kept looking at her daughter's smile. She wanted nothing more than to make this picture her new screensaver. But then there was the risk that her phone could fall into the wrong hands. And then Charlie's smile would be no more. She didn't want that; she wanted her daughter safe. And that meant no taking risks.
"No…" She gave Tamsin back her phone. "… I've seen what I needed to see. Knowing she's happy and healthy is enough for now" she rested her head on Bo's shoulder.
Without them knowing, Tamsin took a quick snap shot of the two of them. Charlie had no idea what they looked like, and she wanted her to have something.
Bo wrapped her right arm around her, kissing her on the head before turning back to Tamsin. "Thanks again for coming, and for what you and Kenzi are doing. We really appreciate it. Give Charlie a kiss for us, and tell her we love her"
Tamsin held Bo's free hand, she hated seeing them so upset. All she wanted to do was bring Charlie back to them and see the looks on their faces when the baby smiled at them for the first time. But it wasn't an option yet. "You got it; catch you later" She smiled, then walked off to say goodbye to the others.
Bo brought her Girlfriend into a proper hug. "I'm so proud of you…" She ran her fingers through her hair gently. Lauren had shown amazing strength in this moment, and Bo was expecting her to keep all the pictures. But she didn't. "… Look at me" she lifted her head up.
Lauren took a deep breath; she wasn't crying anymore. Lifting her head, she gave her Girlfriend a weak but yet steady smile.
"We're not missing another year of her life, okay? We're gonna find the person responsible, and then were gonna bring our little girl home. I promise you, we will" she kissed her intimately. Seeing the way Charlie laughed, and smiled, just made her want her baby girl back all the much sooner.
Zee's Penthouse
Zee stood on her balcony, thinking over the epic failure that was her plan. She came here with one job; unlink Bo from her Father. So that he would be powerless when she killed him. But all that changed, when her stupid niece found it necessary to knock up a human. She wasn't even aware Succubi could do that.
In her original form, which was male. She had many children, and when one of them was hurting she did feel their pain. It was part of their bond. So when Bo lost her own child, Zee felt a sharp sting in her heart. Because Bo was her blood, and she was grieving.
She felt bad that the child had died, because in truth that little baby would've been the most powerful of them all. Human and Fae combined, not to mention she would have had ancient blood running through her veins. It would've made life a little more interesting.
Zee wanted to go over an express her deepest sympathies, but after the little fight she had with Bo over her Father. She didn't think it was the best idea to go over there. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was brewing in the air, and that something was being hidden. She just didn't know what it was.
"How much longer are you going to stand out here?" Hera asked from behind her, he'd found his Wife in the same position everyday. It was starting to annoy him.
She turned around, giving him a dark scowl. "As long as I please! What does it matter to you anyway? It's not like we have anything pressing to do" she let out angrily.
"Maybe not. By I do have some news on our charming niece…" He walked out onto the balcony. "… The Valkyrie came back today; a few people saw her walking around the city. And then she met Bo and her friends at the Dal. Seems suspicious, don't you think?" He asked.
Zee frowned. "Why would that be suspicious? She left over a year ago. It's not like she plays a vital role in Bo's life" she didn't see why Tamsin returning would be cause for concern.
"Don't you find it odd, that she left on the day the baby died. I've been telling you this for a whole year now and you've ignored me! I beg you to consider this! What if they're hiding something?" He knew that something was up, and he had been trying to get through to his Wife for months now.
"Like what?" She asked.
Hera hated her careless tone. "The child! What if she's alive; what if she is the thing they're hiding?"
Zee shook her head. "No, that's impossible. Besides, she would share our blood which means I'd be able to sense her if she was alive. Just like I found Clay; no one in our bloodline can hide from me. And they proved her death, remember? They showed the Elders her body" she hated to think of that gruesome image.
"Anything is possible" he wasn't letting this go.
She sighed in frustration. "Even if she was alive; she's not my problem. All I care about is Hades, and what he intends to do now that he's free from Bo. He should've made a move by now" she looked up at the sky. It was scaring her; she could feel him.
"Maybe he's waiting" he said.
Zee didn't like that. "For what?"
He shrugged unsurely. "Well, the whole point of being connected to Bo was for the power he was syphoning from her. Without her to feed from, he may be buying time to find a new power source. He can't face us if he's not up to full strength" it was just one theory.
"Perhaps, but it doesn't ease my worrying. I just wish he'd show up already!" She turned around and walked back into the apartment.
Hera followed her in, "You know, if there's one thing I've learned from returning to the land of living…" He passed her to get to their liquor tray, pouring himself a glass of scotch then turning to face her once more. "… It's, be careful what you wish for" he brought the drink to his lips.
Kenzi's Villa
Charlie was being a good little girl, watching her favourite cartoon. Which was in Spanish, but she didn't really understand what they said. She just liked the different colours bouncing around on the screen. SpongeBob was just about to tell Patrick something, when suddenly the screen went black.
All Kenzi heard from her bedroom, was the curdling screams of her niece. Thinking that she was in danger, Kenzi ran like the wind. Entering the living room to see her niece sitting on the floor where she had left her, squeezing her tiny hands as she cried.
"Hey, what's wrong CharlieBear?" Kenzi lifted her up, bringing her close to snuggle. She noticed that the TV was off. She could've sworn she'd left it on. "Is that what's got you all upset?" She used her free hand to point at the blank flat screen.
Charlie nodded, but she didn't stop crying. Normally a few soft hugs from her Aunty would calm her down. But for some reason she wasn't stopping.
Kenzi looked up to the ceiling when she heard a loud clap of thunder. There was no way they were getting a storm; it was summer time in Spain. That was impossible, wasn't it? She tried to get the TV back on. But it wasn't working, and she tried the buttons on the TV itself and the remote.
Nothing was happening.
Charlie got louder, then Kenzi noticed that it was starting to rain. Very heavily. "What the frack is going on?" Her Kenzi senses were tingling again. And it wasn't good.
"Kenz?!" Tamsin ran through the house, soaking wet from all of the rain. And her jacket was, smoking?
"Are you on fire?" Kenzi asked widening her eyes.
Tamsin frowned, not knowing what she meant. Then she smelt smoke, turning her head she saw a black greyish mist coming from her back. "Jesus!" She pushed her jacket off of her shoulders and threw it to the floor. Stomping on it to put the little flame out. "The lightening must've hit me"
"Yeah, about that? Why is there a storm happening, it's summer!" Kenzi kept bouncing her niece, who was still screaming as she pointed her tiny finger to the TV.
Tamsin followed the one-year old's gaze, the TV was off. And she obviously wanted it on, "What's with the banshee screams?" She had to cover her ears. They were probably close to bleeding.
Kenzi sighed, trying to get Charlie to stop crying. But the little girl just wasn't having it, she kept trying to climb over her Aunty's shoulder to try and point to the TV. "The TV decided to crash, and now she can't watch her show. So you know; it's tough times. Will you just fix it please!" She yelled.
"Alright, jeez. The outlet probably just came loose, it's been doing that a lot lately…" Tamsin moved to the back of the entertainment unit, seeing that her suspicions were right. The outlet had just fallen out of the socket, so she reached down and put it back in. "… Well?" She called out to Kenzi.
The TV came to life, revealing SpongeBob cooking some burgers in the crusty crab. Once Charlie laid eyes on her show, her tears stopped. And to Kenzi and Tamsin's confusion, so did the rain outside. "Uh; that's, disturbing" she didn't know what else to say. Kenzi placed Charlie on the floor. Sitting her down so she could continue to watch TV.
Tamsin picked up her leather jacket. Seeing the burnt hole in the middle of the back, "Aw, man! This was one of my favourites" she pouted.
"Forget that. Don't you find this strange?" Kenzi asked.
"What?" Tamsin frowned.
Kenzi pulled Tamsin away from where Charlie was sitting. If what she was thinking was true, then she didn't want to make her angry or upset. "Charlie; the storm? Isn't it weird that as soon as she started crying; the rain and lightening started too? And then she stops—"
"And so does the storm…" Tamsin finished for her. "… Okay, yeah. I've hopped onto your train of thought. We don't know it was her for sure though, and even if it was; what're we supposed to do about it?" She asked.
"Well, not pissing her off from now on would be Job number one…" Kenzi wasn't joking, she brought a storm this time. And that was just from missing a few seconds of a cartoon. What could she do next time? "… But I think we should talk to Bo and Lauren. Maybe get them out here so they can check her over?" She didn't know what to do.
Tamsin shook her head. "We've been through this Kenz, it's not safe. When I went back there today, everyone's eyes were on me. It was insane. Trying to get them over here would be too risky" it just wasn't the time.
"We have to do something Tamsin! People were freaking out because of the fact that Charlie wasn't meant to be born, when really they should've been freaking out about what she could do after she was…" Kenzi turned to her niece with a sigh, she looked so normal. Clapping her hands at the song on the TV. "… She's so much more than just Fae or Human. And we need to know what"
Tamsin sighed, looking to the one-year-old who was in a fit of giggles watching her favourite show. "So what'd we do?"
Kenzi just shrugged. She didn't know what their plan was exactly just that they needed one. "I don't know. But we need to come up with something"
A/N: Oooh, what's going on? Let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading. Much love xoxo
