Author's Notes: This is my first multi-chapter story and I'm definitely learning with each chapter. Some serious growing pains. Hopefully, there won't be any major screw up's along the way.
A HUGE thank you for all those who have reviewed and who have been following my story.
For Dr. Hernandez, I pictured the actress Nadia Bjorlin as that character. You can Google her or check out a picture of her on my Twitter account (listed on my profile page).
Chapter 6 - "The Day After"
Lauren's Condo
Bo was asleep on the couch; laying partially on her stomach and on her right side, her left hand clutching her cell phone near her head; Lauren's lab coat bunched up in front of her body; and the empty wine and champagne bottles strewn about the floor nearby.
Bo's phone rang and in the stillness of the apartment, the sound seemed to echo off the walls. The brunette bolted upright and instinctively brought her cell to her ear.
"Lauren?!" she exclaimed in a half-asleep voice.
"No, it's Kenzi."
"Oh." The disappointment was evident in her tone as she rubbed her forehead with her free hand.
"Don't sound so enthused or anything." Kenzi grumbled.
"What's up?" the brunette ignored her best friend's sarcasm.
"We have that meeting with our new client in 45 minutes – you know, the one with the lady… cheating husband… blah, blah, blah. This is your wake up call."
"Uhh, I really can't handle that right now Kenz. You mind solo'ing this?"
"Is that code for you're in the middle of handling something else?" Kenzi chuckled.
"No. I …. I just can't right now. Look, I'll owe you okay?" Bo breathed out. She really didn't want to be around anyone.
"Fine. Mega shopping spree it is!" the Goth agreed, sealing their verbal contract; Kenzi was going to hold her friend to it as there were a pair of black leather boots that she had been eying - they were calling out to her to take them home.
"K. See you later." Bo ended the call, not waiting for Kenzi's response. She really was in no mood to talk to anyone right now and she felt the start of a headache forming.
Bo closed her eyes and sighed before checking her cell for voice and text messages but there was nothing. She shuffled off of the couch, inadvertently causing Lauren's lab coat to fall to the floor. The brunette was in a daze as she quickly picked it up and brushed it off; bringing it to her body and hugging it. Bo didn't care how silly it looked. The lab coat represented Lauren – her craft, her dedication, who she was - it was something that she used and wore every day and Bo found it difficult to detach herself from something that was so personal to Lauren. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, breathing her in. Her girl friend's scent triggered memories of her observing the blonde being all science-y; peering through a microscope; her excitement while rattling off scientific terms; and followed by Bo's lustful thoughts of Lauren wearing nothing but her lab coat. After a few moments, the brunette opened her eyes and allowed herself to come back to reality; her smile quickly disappearing. She sighed and carefully folded the coat before placing it on the couch.
Bo combed her fingers through her hair, trying to get rid of her sofa-head hair. Her headache was growing more intense. She knew that she should leave Lauren's apartment but couldn't leave this mess – it would bother Lauren. The brunette picked up the bottles and took them to the kitchen where she rinsed them out thoroughly before placing them in the recycling bin under the sink. She then grabbed a wet cloth and went back to the living room, wiping up some sticky spots on the coffee table and floor.
Bo took one final look around to make sure that she didn't miss anything and that the apartment was as Lauren left it. Even though most of Lauren's belongings were still there, the apartment lacked energy - Lauren's energy. Bo thought back to a time when she had felt a similar feeling though it wasn't as intense - it was when she was a child and her grandparents would visit; there was always this vibe in the house when they were there and after they left, that vibe or essence left with them, leaving a hole; an emptiness in the house. However, after a couple of days things would revert back to normal. Though in this case, Bo couldn't see that happening; she knew that the emptiness would remain, not just in the apartment but inside her as well. Lauren's essence was missing and she didn't know how things would ever revert back to how they were before.
It was time to go. Bo looked down at the lab coat; even though the blonde had a few belongings at her place, she wanted to have something personal of Lauren's. Not hesitating, Bo gently picked up the coat. Without looking back, she walked to the door, turned off the lights and locked the door behind her, keeping the key.
Crack Shack (two hours later)
Bo had finished taking a shower and took some aspirin to try and get rid of her headache. Even though the shower made her body feel a bit more energized, she was still exhausted and her thoughts and emotions were a jumbled mess. Her body gravitated to her bed.
That's where Kenzi found her friend when she returned home from her meeting – Bo lying in bed on her side, spooning a pillow; her cell on the bedside table. "Yo Bo Bo! Whatcha doing in bed? You're supposed to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen while I bring home the bacon. Okay, well, not barefoot and pregnant but bacon would be awesome right now!" The thought of bacon made the Goth's stomach grumble.
"Leave me alone please Kenz." Bo groaned out. Kenzi recognised depressed Bo; she was like this after she and Dyson broke up. Not one to listen to her friend, she jumped on the bed behind the brunette, bouncing a bit on the mattress for good measure. "What's up Succupuss? Trouble in Lewis-ville? I thought you two would be joined at the hip… in bed. Oh God! I just went there! Out visual, out!" the petite woman rubbed her eyes vigorously.
"She's gone Kenz. Lauren's gone." the Succubus all but whispered. Kenzi's joviality halted. "Gone? What do you mean gone?" Bo sighed and sat up against the head board; discarding the pillow and wrapping her arms around herself as if doing so would keep her together. "Lauren left me. She wasn't happy with how things were going with our relationship so she left. She is on some assignment for the Light Fae, somewhere in South America for like 6 months." Bo choked out the words; a lump forming in her throat as she kept her emotions at bay.
"South America for 6 months?! How'd this happen – she told you all of this during your romantic evening together?" Kenzi enquired, still not quite understanding. Bo sobbed out, "I never saw her last night. She called me from the airport to say goodbye and she left me a letter explaining-" the brunette couldn't finish her sentence and started to cry.
The Goth quickly made her way over to her friend, hugging her as she sobbed; Bo clutched at Kenzi as her body shuddered. To say that Kenzi was shocked was putting it mildly. This was not something that she ever saw coming. She knew that they had some issues from her conversation with Bo yesterday but despite that, she thought that things were still good. She couldn't believe that Lauren would just leave; that she would hurt Bo again after everything they had gone through. Her anger grew as she started to process the information. "So she leaves you a 'Dear John' letter? That bitch!" Kenzi pulled away to rant, "When I get my hands on her…. I can't believe that she would hurt you again, after everything! I even believed her when she told me she loved you. We were even bonding. I was right when I initially said that she had a cold speculum for a heart!"
"Kenzi Stop! Just stop!" Bo didn't want to deal with any Lauren bashing. "She was right to leave-" The petite woman interrupted as she looked at Bo incredulously, "How can you defend her after she up and ditched you? You're a Succubus in a monogamous relationship! That's unheard of! That in itself shows that you're dedicated to make things work. For a brainiac, she can't see that?! And she doesn't even have the decency to tell you in person? That's just fucking cold! And don't get me started with the whole Ash spy-banging and Nadia!"
Bo's voice was surprisingly steady; interrupting her friend, "Kenzi, listen to me." The Goth stopped her tirade and looked at her. Bo took a deep breath before speaking. "When you ran away from home, you had your reasons; but you did it because you felt that you had no other choice; you left to survive and to protect yourself. You put yourself first and you did what you had to. What do you think Lauren is doing? She's trying to survive. She ran away from me in order to protect her heart; to protect herself."
Bo took a breath to collect her thoughts and her emotions. "After I told my parents what happened when Kyle… died, they didn't help or comfort me; in fact, they refused to listen; they didn't want to understand. Instead they put their religion and beliefs ahead of me, calling me a deviant, a whore and a sinner; that I was evil. They were cold and cruel and said that I wasn't their daughter, essentially disowning me. When I ran away from home I was scared because I didn't know what I was but more than that, I felt so alone because they didn't support or protect me; they made me feel unloved, worthless and unimportant. And I've hated them for so long for making me feel that way."
Bo wiped at the tears rolling down her cheek. "I never wanted to feel the way that my parents made me feel ever again. Instead, I made Lauren feel that way. She ran away from me because I made her feel unloved, worthless and unimportant. Do you know how that feels Kenzi? I became my parents and I treated the woman I loved, the way they treated me! Now she's out there somewhere and she believes that I don't love her and I know that she must be feeling incredibly sad, lost and alone because that's how I felt after I ran away from home. And she must hate me for it. I can't say that I blame her; I would hate me too. So, please… just stop bashing Lauren. If anything, I'm the one who deserves it."
Bo's words sunk in. Kenzi had her reasons for running away from home and now she could somewhat understand what Lauren must've gone through – how desperate she had to be to leave. The Goth moved closer to her friend, leaning her back against the head board; her hand resting on top of Bo's. "I'm so sorry Bo - for everything. I just wish I could make this better for you." The brunette moved to lie down and cuddled up to Kenzi, one arm draped around the Goth's legs. "Do you want me to just lay here with you till you fall asleep?" Bo nodded her answer; all her crying; the admission of how much she hurt Lauren; and dredging up old memories of running away from home, had taken its toll. Kenzi sat there, gently rubbing circles on Bo's back as she lay next to her. It wasn't long before she heard the change in her friend's breathing and she knew that Bo was sleeping.
Watching her friend sleep, Kenzi was not 100 percent Team Lauren. As far as she was concerned, the doctor broke Bo's heart and she wasn't as forgiving as her friend was. But she would bite back her criticism of Lauren for Bo's sake. With the Dawning behind her, Bo had a better handle on her powers but she still was very impulsive and emotional. Kenzi knew that she would have to keep a close eye on Bo to make sure she didn't do something reckless.
Meanwhile thousands of miles in the air
Serena knocked on the panelling outside the curtained room. "Dr. Lewis?" She could hear rustling.
"Yes?" Lauren replied groggily.
"We will be landing in an hour and a half. I thought you might want to freshen up and have something to eat before we arrive."
"Thank you. Umm, what time is it?"
"It's 6:30 a.m. I've left your duffle bag outside the curtain."
"Thanks again."
Lauren stretched and rubbed her eyes. It was good that she got some sleep as today was most likely going to be a long day. She was still emotionally tired but physically, she felt better now that she had some rest. Getting out of bed, the blonde quickly put on the clothes that she left on the chair and then grabbed the duffle that was outside the room.
She quickly rummaged through her bag for her toiletries and a clean change of clothes and made her way to the bathroom.
Feeling refreshed after her shower, Lauren returned to the room and packed up her belongings. She scooped up the photo from where it lay on the bed and forced herself to not look at it before she pocketed it away – she couldn't afford any sentimentality right now as she had to get her head in the game; they were almost in Brazil and she needed to concentrate on work. Making her way to the galley where Serena was seated, they traded good mornings before the flight attendant served them a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, mixed fruit and coffee. As they sat there eating, the Ignis briefed Lauren on what the pilot had told her – that they would be landing at 8 a.m.; there will have a driver waiting to take them to the compound; and it would be a 45 minute drive there. Once they arrive, they would be escorted to the lab where Dr. Hernandez will meet them.
As they sat there drinking their coffee, Lauren broke the silence and very sincerely said, "I just wanted to say thank you for your … thoughtfulness yesterday and again this morning. It's been a trying few days and… anyway, I just wanted to say thanks." She was going to say 'kindness' but thought her bodyguard would be opposed to that word being associated with her gruff image. She appreciated the privacy that the Ignis allowed her and that she didn't enquire about her phone call with Bo even though it was evident that she was upset last night. Fae have a tendency to not be sympathetic towards humans and normally, they would've made their belittling comments or observations known.
Serena wasn't expecting any thanks. In her line of work, she had become accustomed to being 'behind the scenes' where she would never be given a second thought or any consideration. Serena understood what the doctor had meant and it surprised her that Lauren had noticed; regardless, she didn't let her it show. "Not a problem, Dr. Lewis."
"You know we'll be working together for the next few months, you can call me Lauren."
Serena shook her head. "I cannot. You are my client and it would be unprofessional if I referred to you by your first name." To start calling the person one was assigned to protect, by their given name would create familiarity. Serena had to remain detached so that she could be objective and do her job effectively and efficiently. This was her first one-on-one security detail and it was at the Ash's request. It didn't matter that she was assigned to protect a human; her client could've been an orangutan and it wouldn't have mattered; she wasn't about to screw this up.
"I understand. I don't want you to compromise your professionalism." Lauren smiled at the Ignis; she wasn't surprised by her bodyguard's response.
Brazil
When they disembarked from the plane, Lauren was surprised by how hot and humid it was; it was like she walked straight into a wall of heat; she was already starting to sweat.
"God it's humid! Don't you find it incredibly hot?" Lauren exclaimed.
Serena chuckled, "I'm comfortable."
The blonde rolled her eyes and smiled, "Must be nice to be an Ignis in this climate."
Serena grinned and shrugged her shoulders.
Lauren knew that it was going to be hot here but knowing and experiencing were two different things; but she would adjust to her environment, just like she did in Afghanistan and in the Congo and with everything else since.
It didn't take them long to clear Customs and Immigration and once past the luggage carousels, they saw a man holding a sign with 'Dr. Lewis' on it. He took their belongings and ushered them to a black town car.
Lauren stared out the window, deep in thought. Nothing registered; not even the lush landscape, shanty towns, buildings and people that they drove blonde found it difficult to concentrate; her thoughts battling back and forth between Bo and how she must be feeling; to justifying her own actions to herself in order to reinforce her decision; and what she had to do here in Brazil. Everything was blurring together and Lauren physically shook her head to clear her mind. She knew that she needed to focus, so she started a mental checklist of things that she would have to do once she got into the lab. Before she knew it, they were pulling up to a large concrete building lined with black, tinted glass windows.
The driver escorted them into the building and directed them to some lockers where they could secure their luggage. He then took them through various security checkpoints before they arrived at an elevator which took them to a sub-level. Upon alighting from the elevator, they came across a set of double doors with a key card access pad next to it. Once their escort swiped his card, the doors opened into a very antiseptic looking waiting room - the walls, tiles and ceiling were all white; the only color in the entire room came from two large potted plants located in the far corners and the brown waiting room chairs along the wall. Directly across from them was a large glass window with a receptionist sitting behind it; and to the right of that window was another set of double doors with its own key card access pad. Their escort instructed them to ask for Dr. Hernandez before he turned and left the room.
Both Lauren and Serena watched as the doors shut behind him, making an audible clicking sound which indicated that they were now locked in the room. They both walked up to the receptionist and Lauren attempted to speak Portuguese through the holes in the plexi-glass window.
"Bom dia. Estamos aqui para ver o doutor Hernandez."
"Bom dia. Qual?"
"Excuse me?
"Which Hernandez? There are a few Dr. Hernandezes that work here."
"Oh, I see. We are here to see Dr. Mila Hernandez."
"Which one?"
Lauren turned to look at Serena; her expression saying "Are you kidding me?" The Ignis just shrugged in response.
"I'm guessing that there is more than one Dr. Mila Hernandez?"
The receptionist nodded yes.
Lauren sighed.
"Dr. Mila Hernandez, the Chief Medical Doctor."
"Ah! Please have a seat while I page her."
"Thank you."
They weren't seated very long, when the double doors next to the receptionist opened; and two persons entered the room – one male and one female.
The man was easily over 6 feet tall and well dressed; had dark brown hair which he kept close cropped; was ruggedly handsome; and his broad shoulders and muscular arms caused his white, long sleeve shirt to strain against his torso. If Lauren were to guess, she would assume he worked in the Security Section.
As for the woman that was walking next to him, she was absolutely stunning and elegantly dressed. Despite Lauren's heartache, she would have had to be blind to not appreciate this woman's exotic beauty. She was approximately 5 foot 6 inches; had flawlessly tanned skin; and long, wavy, black hair. The dark haired woman wore a lab coat over a cobalt blue, v-neck blouse and a black skirt which showed off her toned legs. But of all her features, it was her eyes that Lauren couldn't look away from – they were the palest blue that she had ever seen and were incredibly striking against her tanned skin.
As they approached, the woman flashed a dazzling smile, "Dr. Lewis?"
Lauren recognized the woman's voice from the few times they spoke on the phone and stood, "Hello, Dr. Hernandez." The blonde put out her hand to greet her but the woman ignored the gesture and instead put her hands on Lauren's arms and pulled her close; kissing her on her left cheek, then on her right and back again on her left, before pulling away. The blonde was mildly surprised but quickly realized that this must be a customary greeting in Brazil.
"Please Lauren, call me Mila. I apologize for keeping you waiting. My meeting went much later than expected."
"We haven't been waiting long, however there was some, umm, confusion. I guess there is more than one Dr. Mila Hernandez working here?" Lauren smiled awkwardly.
"Ah yes, right! I suppose that would cause some confusion. We are just accustomed to it here. Hernandez is a common surname around these parts and Mila is a popular female name." the dark haired beauty chuckled. "To avoid any confusion, I insist that you call me by my middle name, Nayara. Only my family and close friends call me Nayara, but I can tell that we will become good friends." Dr. Hernandez seemed sincere and showed Lauren her sparkling smile again.
"Well, it's nice to finally meet you Nayara." Lauren said.
"And it's an honour to finally meet you Lauren. I am looking forward to working with you."
Lauren smiled in response and turned to introduce Serena. "This is Serena Thorne. She is a representative of Ash Santiago and she is also here to ensure my safety on his behalf. No reflection on your security, of course."
"Of course not, I understand completely. It's in an Ash's best interest to ensure their personnel's well being. It's nice to meet you." Nayara turned to the Ignis and greeted her in the same manner as she did Lauren. The blonde stifled a chuckle seeing how stiff and awkward Serena seemed by the greeting.
Nayara turned to the man that had accompanied her, "This is Carlos Arantes. He is our Chief of Security here." The large man nodded and shook their hands before handing them their security access cards attached to lanyards, which they promptly placed around their necks.
Dr. Hernandez turned to the two women, "Serena - Carlos will take you for a tour of the Security Section, while I give Lauren a tour of the lab. Then afterwards, we will meet with Ash Vicente Medeiros before continuing with a tour of the rest of the facility." She turned to Carlos, "We will meet you both in the Ash's office in 45 minutes."
Serena gave Lauren a look to determine if she was okay with being left alone and Lauren gave her a subtle nod saying that she was fine. Both Security personnel then left the doctors in the waiting room.
"So, I have a confession - my knowledge of Portuguese is very basic." Lauren admitted.
The brunette smiled, "That's okay. I'm fluent in English. In fact, most of the Fae here speak English, so you should have no difficulty communicating with anyone."
"Maybe I'll be able to work on my Portuguese while I'm here." Lauren mused out loud.
Nayara smiled at the blonde and indicated to the doors, "Shall we?" Going through the double doors, the hallway diverged into three separate areas: one led to the lab; one to where patients were being treated and the other to a quarantine and decontamination area.
They went to the lab first which was impressive in terms of size and the level of technology. There were seven lab technicians present and every piece of laboratory equipment imaginable was available and located throughout. Behind the first section of the lab, were offices; testing stations complete with microscopes, Centrifuges and Coagulation Analyzers; fridges for storing samples; and filing cabinets.
They spent the majority of the tour in the lab and quickly walked through the patient and quarantine areas before making their way to the reception area of the Ash's office where Serena and Carlos were waiting.
They were escorted into the Ash's office, which was very formal yet inviting. There were a lot of wood carvings and furniture as well as plants everywhere; it was a stark difference from the décor in the labs. Ash Medeiros was a tall man, over 6 feet tall and dark skinned. He had long, tight braids that flowed neatly across his broad shoulders. He was also very handsome and well turned out in a crisp, purple long sleeved shirt with matching black tie, trousers and shoes. Lauren noted that it must be a Brazilian Fae trait to be good looking and well dressed.
Nayara introduced Lauren and Serena to the Ash. Ash Vicente Medeiros' movements were very fluid and the way he crossed the room, it almost looked like he was hovering above the ground; his eyes focused on Lauren. "Dr. Lewis! It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."
The Ash had a smooth, deep voice which reminded Lauren of her first Ash. Thinking of him and how he changed her and Nadia's lives irreparably, made her clench her jaw muscles. Forcing herself to focus on the present, Lauren allowed herself to relax and bowed out of respect, "The pleasure is all mine Ash Medeiros."
The Ash kept his attention on Lauren, completely ignoring everyone else in the room. "I won't keep you long as I know that you just arrived and there is a lot of work to be done. I just wanted to personally welcome you here. You have quite the impressive reputation and we need all the help that we can get to deal with this epidemic that is plaguing my people."
"Thank you Ash. I will do everything in my power to help." Lauren was aware that even though she was human, she represented Hale and his Clan. To say that there was a little bit of political pressure resting on her shoulders, would be putting it mildly. However, she quickly dismissed the thought as she had to focus on science and not politics.
"If there is anything you need; anything at all; please make sure to let Dr. Hernandez know. Finding a cure is our number one priority." Medeiros stated firmly.
"I understand." Lauren replied.
And with that, the meeting was over. They all bowed and departed the Ash's office. Once in the reception area, Nayara turned to the two women, "So, before we continue, I'm sure you'd both like to settle into your rooms first and perhaps have some lunch."
"I've already stowed my gear in my room. However, I can meet you in the cafeteria after you are done Dr. Lewis." Serena said.
"That won't be necessary. I'd really like to get started on the case files, lab results, et cetera." Lauren was going through her list.
Nayara smiled at the blonde, "I do appreciate your enthusiasm to begin but it would be remiss of me as your hostess to not ensure your comfort. I insist that we take your belongings to your room and you can get washed up before going to lunch. After we eat, we'll head straight to the lab and I'll answer all of your questions and provide you with all the information you need."
Lauren realized that she wasn't going to win this and reluctantly agreed; Serena used that as her cue to leave.
After the Ignis left, the brunette held Lauren's attention and very genuinely stated, "I would like to reiterate what the Ash said but at a more a personal level. To be honest, this epidemic has us all perplexed. I am very appreciative that you are here to assist us in finding a cure. I know that there are no guarantees but just having you here - with your previous experience and knowledge of the Congo virus - already puts us at an advantage. So, I thank you."
"I promise that I will do my very best to help in any way possible Nayara." The blonde gave the doctor her patented shy smile, "Please, lead the way."
Nayara took Lauren to collect her bags out of the locker and led her through a separate section of the facility. The building was like a giant 'Y' with multiple levels; the entrance and security were the stem; the labs and work areas were on the left and the dining hall/cafeteria and residential section on the right.
Lauren's 'room' was the size of a fully furnished one bedroom apartment complete with washer and dryer and a small study area. Even the kitchen cupboards and fridge were fully stocked with food. Nayara could tell that Lauren was surprised, "We wanted to make sure that you were comfortable. It's the least we could do for your coming here to help us. We realize that you wouldn't be here if your Ash did not agree to this assignment, but it is your vast knowledge and expertise that we need." Before Lauren could respond to the compliment, the brunette said, "How about I leave you to freshen up and I'll come back for you in 30 minutes?"
Lauren nodded, "Sounds good. I'll see you in a bit." And with that, Nayara left the blonde to her thoughts. She wasn't used to all this attention and appreciation of her skills and knowledge; it would take some getting used to. But more importantly, she started to feel the pressure to provide favourable results and she had only just arrived. The Ash and Nayara were obviously placing a lot of faith in her; granted she understood the enormity of the situation and that the Clan wanted as much assistance as possible to get this illness under control.
Lauren took a deep breath to calm herself; quickly reviewing her checklist. "First get to the Lab; review files; look over Patient Zero information; look at all subsequent test results; examine patients; go to sites; take samples; conduct tests..." Just creating a list of things that she needed to do, helped her focus on the goal and not on all the extraneous issues and emotions associated with it.
Lauren took her bags into the bedroom and then went to the bathroom to freshen up. She washed her hands and splashed water on her face. The blonde looked in the mirror; her mind reeling. All her planning was to get her to this point and now it was a reality. Now she had to deliver. There were no guarantees that she could find a cure but expectations from everyone, including herself, were high. She didn't doubt her abilities; she knew that she was skilled and she hoped that that would be enough; that and some luck.
She still had some time before Nayara returned and Lauren needed to occupy herself; she decided to check her cell on the off chance that she had any messages. To her surprise, she had six new voice messages; all from Bo. The blonde steadied herself as she wasn't sure what to expect.
* Lauren, I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.*
* Please give me another chance. I really want us to try.*
* Lauren, I love you. Please call me. *
* I love you. Don't doubt that please. *
* Lauren, please call me. *
* Hi, it's me again. I… I just wanted to hear your voice and see how you were doing. *
Lauren's heart broke hearing Bo; and from the sound of the Succubus' voice, she had been drunk and crying when she left these messages. The blonde didn't know whether she should call or not - part of her wanted to contact her so that she could hear her voice and the other part of her didn't know if she would be able to talk to ex-girlfriend – she was hurt and angry and she wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to speak to Bo.
Lauren had to be resolute in her decision but Bo's messages had shaken her resolve. She stared at her cell, contemplating what to do.
Meanwhile at the Crack Shack
Bo was sound asleep. In her subconscious, she could hear her phone ringing. It took a few seconds for the sound to actually register, forcing her out of hibernation. She groped around for her cell as her eyes remain closed.
"Hello?" she mumbled.
"Hi."
Bo's eyes popped open immediately, "Lauren?! Baby, are you okay?"
Lauren sounded hesitant, "Yes... I just wanted you to know that I arrived safely."
The Succubus was overjoyed that Lauren had finally contacted her, "I'm so glad that you did. How… how are things there?"
So far, so good." She replied matter of factly.
Bo was in 'concerned' mode; Lauren was a human amongst a Light Fae Clan that she didn't know; it couldn't be easy for her, "Can you trust them? I mean, do you feel safe?"
"Well, they really want my help, so there is no reason for them to hurt me." She said quietly.
The brunette was slightly relieved, "Okay… that's good then."
The blonde sighed, "Well, I should get going. I knew you'd worry and I just wanted you to know that I got here safely."
Bo pleaded, "Lauren, please talk to me."
Lauren was frustrated, "I don't know what else there is to say Bo. My letter said it all.
Bo choked back her tears, "I know I messed up. I messed up royally. But I want to try. I love you Lauren. You're all that I want."
Lauren's temper was starting to flare and it was reflected in her voice, "I don't think you know what you want Bo."
The brunette was taken aback by Lauren's tone, "What do you mean by that?
The doctor erupted, "What do I mean? I mean Tamsin! The two of you kissed! Can you deny that happened?"
Bo hesitated, "No, I… I can't deny that but it's not what you think-"
The blonde wasn't holding back anymore. "Really?! If that's the case, why didn't you say something before instead of my finding out from Tamsin?"
Bo didn't know how to respond and instead silence filled the air; the lump in her throat growing; this wasn't how she expected their first conversation to play out.
Lauren's anger intensified, "Just as I thought! You have no idea what I think and you know even less about how I feel! You say that you love me but if you did, you never would've done this to me."
The Succubus couldn't hold back her tears any more and sobbed, "I'm so sorry Lauren. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I know that you didn't mean to Bo, but you still hurt me. Repeatedly. I won't be your doormat! There's a long line of Fae ready to treat me as such. I won't let you treat me that way."
Bo was begging, "Lauren please… give me another chance! I want to make things right."
Lauren sounded defeated, "I don't have it in me to try anymore, Bo. Life is too short. MY life is too short. I'm only human after all."
She couldn't believe this was happening. Bo couldn't let things end like this, "What about us? Are you willing to walk away from us so easily?"
Lauren's voice sounded distant, "Bo, I didn't walk away. You threw our relationship away. There is no us. I… I can't do this. I have to go. Goodbye."
The call ended abruptly.
"Lauren? WAIT!" Bo cried out.
Bo suddenly bolted upright in bed screaming "WAIT!" Her hand clutching at her chest as tears streamed down her cheeks; her heart beating fast. It was just a dream. But it felt incredibly real. The Succubus was relieved; she knew that she wouldn't have been able to handle it if that conversation had actually happened. However, as relieved as she was, she couldn't stop replaying what 'dream' Lauren told her. Bo wondered if Lauren really felt that way. If she did, how could she convince her otherwise? How could she make things right between them? The brunette knew that she needed to figure out the answers to these questions if she wanted to win Lauren back.
Bo rubbed her eyes and exhaled; blinking the sleep out of her eyes. As she glanced over to her bedside table, she noticed that the light on her cell phone was blinking, which meant that she had a new message.
Bo checked her cell; there was a text message and it was from Lauren. She took a deep breath and exhaled before reading:
* I just wanted you to know that I arrived safely and that they are treating me well here. I didn't want you to be concerned. *
It wasn't a love note but it wasn't angry either; Lauren texted her out of consideration. Bo took that to be a positive sign. After the emotional, angry dream she just had; she would take a hopeful, considerate, lukewarm text any day. She realized that she was grasping at straws but she didn't care; this was a baby step and she was thankful for it.
TBC