Thank you for your interest and very insightful and touching comments :)
xoxo
Kenzi had slept late trying to cure her raging hangover. When she finally opened her bleary eyes, the first thing she realized.. Besides that she had a killer headache.. was that she had met Lauren yesterday. Lauren. Dr Hotpants. Had it all been a dream? Kenzi padded to fetch her bag from the side table. She fished out her phone and noticed that Bo had called at 10.30. It was now 11.45. Kenzi checked her calendar and saw the note for today – at 12.30 meet Tamsin and a new friend/ Haley's.
"Shit!" Kenzi exhaled. "It wasn't a dream!" She just stood there completely stunned. After a beat she checked her contacts and saw that Tamsin's number was listed there again. A new number. The valkyrie's previous number had been disconnected and Kenzi had finally, very regretfully, deleted it from her phone.
"Oh crap. Crap! I'm gonna be late!" Kenzi suddenly hissed, chucking her phone on the table and bolting to the shower. "Oh gods, I'm gonna have to take something for this pounding inside my head.." She grumbled on her way, massaging her temples with her fingers. She stopped by the bed and grabbed a water bottle from the night table, finishing it in a few large thirsty gulps.
Kenzi had a quick shower, took a pill for her head and then gathered her stuff. When she was ready, she hastily went to the reception to check out, all the while glancing at the time. With her purse, laptop-bag and carry-on in tow, she made her way on foot towards Haley's, which luckily was just around the corner from her hotel.
"Oh please.. Let it not be Bo.." Kenzi begged, when she heard her phone ringing in her pocket.
"Shit.." She shook her head slightly as she noted Bo's smiley face on the screen. Kenzi had taken the picture just few weeks ago, when they visited the amusement park. Kenzi groaned and took a deep breath. "Hey Bo."
"Kenzi. Hey. Got your text last night, that you were going out with some people. Sleeping late?"
"Yeah. I was.. I am a bit hungover." Kenzi admitted. "Didn't hurl though. Just have a headache.. So, um, I was gonna call you later."
"Wild night? Huh?" Bo teased.
"You have no idea.." Kenzi grumbled, her head still reeling from all the things Tamsin had told her. Maybe that was the cause of the headache, the goth idly pondered. Maybe it all was too much for her brain. "So, um, I'll talk to you later? I'm running a little late. I'm meeting, uh, someone.." She stammered a little.
"Oh, you have a date? Lunch date with a hot nerd?"
"Yes. I'm meeting a hot nerd in a few minutes." Kenzi said seriously. Not a lie, she congratulated herself. If Lauren was anything like before she'd be the queen of nerds still.
"Okay. Nice. I don't want to keep you, but you have to tell me all about it, when you get home." Bo said happily.
"I will." Kenzi breathed. That might have been.. a lie. I'm lying to my best friend now – my sister, she fretted.
"Bye."
"Bye Bo." Kenzi slid the phone back in her pocket.
"Oh fuck, I suck so bad.." She sighed hanging her head in shame. "I SUCK!" She screeched getting looks from people passing by.
.
"Where's Lauren?" Kenzi asked once she spotted the Valkyrie sitting alone in the diner.
"She's right there." Tamsin pointed to Lauren, who was standing next to large window with a phone in her hand. "Calling home. Again. Separation anxiety is a terrible thing." She scoffed.
"Why does she have separation anxiety? Is it her parents?" Kenzi asked. "Because, that's a bit strange.."
"No. Not for them. She has someone.. very, very important waiting at home. She'll tell you, if she so wishes. Okay?"
"Okay.." Kenzi agreed hesitantly. Very important? Lauren had somebody in her life? That would certainly put a hitch in Bo's plans, if she.. When she found out about Lauren being alive. Kenzi's thoughts circled once again back to Bo. A weight had settled in her stomach, when she had agreed to keep Lauren's existence from Bo. She wasn't sure she could do it.
This was big. Bo needed to know, but Kenzi didn't want Lauren to get hurt in the process. If I'd trust Bo not to go ballistic, there'd be no problem. But I just don't and.. What a mess, she groaned.
"Stop thinking too much. She's coming." Tamsin warned.
"Hey. Kenzi right? I'm Lauren." The blond shook kenzi's hand and sat down.
"Yeah. Um, nice to meet you. Again. Sorry I was a bit out of it yesterday. Had a.. long day and all that." Kenzi rambled nervously, but roamed her eyes eagerly on the blond. She looks good, healthy, Kenzi noted elatedly. Last time she's seen the blond alive was, when Lauren had came to the Shack looking for Bo. The doctor had looked haunted and haggard back then. But now.. Now she looked happy and radiant.
"We all have our off days." Lauren smirked, before eyeing the menu. "I think I'll have the Cobb salad."
"Oh, so that's the same as.." Kenzi blurted, before hastily stopping herself and glancing at Tamsin.
"What?" Lauren met Kenzi's wide eyes. "Same as what?" She asked curiously.
"Oh! Um.. Just that.. That's the same I would get, if I were a health nut.. But since I'm not, I'll have a greasy burger with a huge stack of salted fries and a large cola. You have to be a nut all by yourself.." Kenzi rattled and could feel Tamsin's scorching glare on her, but had no idea what Lauren was thinking. That was until she heard the doctor's tinkling laugh.
"You're cute." Lauren grinned her eyes twinkling.
"Oh? Thanks." Kenzi breathed a sigh of relief. "Wait. You mean cute like just, you know, cute? Or cute as in you wanna date me or something?" She rambled and tried to meet Tamsin's eyes for help, but the now grinning Valkyrie was purposely looking the other way. Oh my god, stop talking! She'll ask you out soon. Or I'll ask her! Just stop talking, Kenzi silenced herself, feeling totally flustered.
"Well, I'll just say cute for now. But let's see how this lunch date goes. You might get lucky yet." Lauren smiled mischievously, making Tamsin snort gleefully.
"So.. Um.. Let's.. order." Kenzi squealed and waved frantically for the waitress.
.
"A good burger?" Lauren asked, when she saw the satisfied expression spread on Kenzi's face after the first bite.
"Oh, sooo good." Kenzi moaned with her eyes closed, when she had swallowed the bite.
"Did you know, that scientists have grown a hamburger in the lab? Out of stem-cells of a cow. They had a tasting last year. I read the research. Very interesting." Lauren went on to ramble about the science behind the research, while both kenzi and Tamsin silently ate their food. Even though Kenzi wasn't really listening what Lauren was going on about, she found it hard not to smile.
"What?" Lauren stopped mid-ramble, noticing Kenzi's lips tug up.
"Oh, nothing. Sorry Doc, you're just so.." Kenzi grinned.
"Nerdy?"
"That too. But I was going to say devoted to your.. stuff. Dedicated. And it's kinda cute."
"Oh. Thanks." Lauren grinned a little. "Sorry, I sometimes get so excited.. about science and things." She shrugged.
"Yeah. I think you just proved that with your thorough presentation on growing cow meat in a lab." Kenzi noted, making Tamsin snort. "Gross by the way."
"Right." Lauren snickered. "Sorry I have to go to ladies room. And we have to go soon or we'll miss our flight." She said looking at Tamsin.
"She's still the same. Jeez, what a geek monster." Kenzi smiled at Tamsin, once Lauren was out of earshot.
"That she is. Just last week she ranted to me about the germs on my trusted travel coffee mug. For twenty minutes I had to listen to that! I wash it! Just not.. all the time." Tamsin shrugged.
"That's.. gross. Even more so than that lab meat." Kenzi grimaced.
"Shut up."
"But Lauren.. I admit she's different too, you know? She not so closed-off now. She seems so.. I don't know.. Open and trusting. Lively and chipper. It's.. great to see her like that." She said softly.
"Hey. Tamsin? We should get going." Lauren said as she came back to the table. "So Kenzi, Tamsin told me you live in Toronto?"
"Yeah. That's right."
"I've actually never been there. Shame really, but we're coming in a few weeks. We could meet again, if you'd like? Show me the sights?" Lauren asked.
"That would be.. I'd like that." Kenzi smiled happily, but glanced at Tamsin for approval.
"Me too. So Kenz, you going home by train?" Tamsin cut in.
"Yeah."
"We'll drop you off at the train station. I have a rental car. We're going to the airport straight from here."
"Thanks. That'll be great."
.
Kenzi had been thinking about her lunch date with Lauren and Tamsin. She had convinced herself, that Lauren found her cute enough to date. The doctor had practically asked her out hadn't she? We could meet and you could show me the sights? That's like a date right? Oh my god, I have a date with Hotpants! Bo's gonna kill me, when she finds out. Unless I'll be dead before that. Bo will kill me, if she finds out that I've kept Lauren being alive from her, Kenzi sighed.
For a week Kenzi had sat on the information she had about Lauren. For a week she had been lying to Bo.. or more precisely not telling her.. and it was weighing heavily on Kenzi. She just didn't know what to do. Kenzi knew Bo had the right to know. Bo needed to know about Lauren, but.. But at what cost? Kenzi didn't want to destroy the life Lauren had now. The doctor was happy and that made Kenzi happy for her. But Bo.. Bo was still missing Lauren and was fundamentally unhappy. That made Kenzi's heart hurt.
And if Bo found out Lauren was alive. What would she do? If Bo found out, that Lauren had someone special back home, where ever that was.. What would she do? Would she.. Could she walk away and leave Lauren be. Could she let Lauren keep her new life and not drag the doctor back to the fae world. Would it be enough for Bo to know that Lauren was alive and happy?
"Oh gods, I don't know what to do!" The goth grumbled aloud.
"Kenzi, what's wrong?" Bo's voice rang out.
"Holy shit!" Kenzi screeched startled. "Sorry.. I didn't know you'd come home so soon.. I'm fine. I'm just venting. Too much on my mind."
"I'm all ears." Bo offered.
"Yeah.. Maybe I should just.. No. I can't. Really. Can I? No." Kenzi rambled while Bo looked at her expectantly with a creased brow. "So.. Um. There's something I have to tell you. Something very important, but I don't think I can tell you yet."
"Oh? How important is this?"
"It's huge. It will change everything.. Bo, everything." Kenzi whispered, hoping that Bo would just somehow miraculously guess the truth. "But I can't tell you. I promised. And I.. I'm sorry."
"Kenzi. It's okay. You can tell me anything. You know that." Bo soothed.
"I know, but.. What if I promise to tell you next week? After the weekend. On Monday, I promise I'll tell you everything I know about.. this thing. Please don't hate me.. I'll tell you, but just not now? Is that okay?" Kenzi sobbed a little. "Just please, please don't hate me after.."
"Kenzi, don't look so worried.. I could never hate you. Everything will be okay." Bo said gently. "You'll tell me when you're ready." The succubus murmured, but was wondering what had gotten Kenzi so upset. She trusted Kenzi and knew she would do the right thing, what ever this was.
.
"Why did you come with me to the airport? And I still don't get why I have to go get some ancient case files from a PI in Québec!" Bo ranted unhappily as Kenzi dragged her around in the airport.
"Just.. because." Kenzi shrugged. She hated lying to Bo! Fucking Tamsin, making me make promises like this intoxicated, the goth fretted.
"Nice." Bo huffed and rolled her eyes.
"I told him you would get them and that.." Kenzi got cut off, when Bo whooped gleefully beside her. "What?"
"I'll go tomorrow." Bo exhaled joyously tapping Kenzi on her shoulder. "Or never! They can ship the files by Fedex or something."
"What? No, no, no, no. No. You have to go today! Today!" Kenzi ranted nervously. "You have to go. Today." She stressed.
"Can't. Sorry. My flight's been canceled." Bo smiled happily, pointing at the board.
"Fuck me.." Kenzi groaned as she trailed after Bo out of the airport. "Undercover mission my ass.. I knew this would happen! Craptastic disaster!" She muttered. She needed to shoot a text to Tamsin asap.
.
"Why are you stopping? What's happening? There's nothing around here.. Where are you going?" Kenzi fired off anxiously realizing where they were as Bo stopped the car at the side of the street.
"Kenzi, what's going on? You're all weird." Bo snorted. "I'm gonna get a mocha frappuccino from Starbucks. It's right there."
"No. No. Bo, no. Let's just go home. We'll stay home. Order something to eat and watch movie's. We'll stay home. Not go anywhere. Come on." Kenzi rattled her anxiety level rising higher higher every moment. Oh my gods, I need to get her away from here! We have to leave, Kenzi agonized.
"I'll be quick." Bo scoffed giving Kenzi a weird look and then quickly bolted out of the car towards the coffee shop.
"Oh holy shit.. Oh no! Crap. Crap. Crap. Shitcrap! I knew this would happen!" Kenzi croaked as she saw a familiar blond come out of the coffee shop. She scrambled out of the car and took off after Bo.
Bo gasped, her eyes wide in disbelief as she grabbed the door to keep it open for.. "Lauren?"
"Yes?" Lauren smiled. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"I.. Are you real?" Bo whispered, her eyes eagerly roaming on the blond. This is a nice dream, she decided smiling. Much better than the usual nightmares. This was nice - Lauren smiling at her.
"What?" Lauren looked baffled, but kept her smile on anyway. "Oh hey Kenzi! Lovely to see you. Ready for our date tomorrow?" The blond smirked winking at approaching Kenzi, making her flush beet red.
"What?!" Bo roared and both Lauren and kenzi jumped.
"As ready as I'll ever be.." Kenzi groaned. Oh fucking hell. This is a mess of epic proportions!
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Thanks for reading :)
A/N Shortish I know, but more to come :) And sorry - 'no cliffhanger' requests denied :D
A/N Might edit a bit later.