A/N: Next one!

Chapter 5: Pieces of The Puzzle

Ronan's Apartment

Bo didn't know how to respond to what just happened. It all went down so fast. But she managed to snap out of it, and realised her children were somewhere they weren't supposed to be. "I told you not to leave Bella's circle!" She turned to Ethan. "You may be an adult, but I'm still the Parent. And what I say, goes!"

Ethan was finding it hard to listen to her right now. He wasn't one for being disrespectful, or even rude. But, this time it was called for. "No it doesn't…" he shook his head at her. "… Not this time"

Shay immediately stepped away from them, she knew that kind of back talk was going to get Ethan in a lot of trouble. Oh well, it was nice having a big brother. But, for that Bo was going to destroy him. Funny, it was usually her who spoke back. How times change.

"Excuse me?" Bo couldn't believe his defiance.

"Do you realise, if I hadn't gotten here when I did; you'd be dead?!" He was really angry with how reckless she'd been. She was supposed to be the Parent, who made the right decisions. But this wasn't good for anyone. "How could you just go and do something like that? Did you even stop to think about us—your family?"

Bo was really getting sick of his back talk now. "You're pushing it Ethan…" she warned him. "… I advise you to calm down, and remember your place!" She wasn't going to be spoken down to by her own son, she was the Mother.

Ethan just laughed, "My place?" Was she serious? "I'm your son, not your soldier. If you wanna be mad at me for saving your life, then fine. Be mad! Ground me, for all I care. But I will never apologise, for keeping you alive…" he gave her such a serious expression. "… You may not think you're important enough, but I do. You're my Mother" he couldn't be here any longer, so he turned around and left.

Shay sighed, that was going to be fun when they got home. "Hey uh, I think we should head back before Mom and Charlie realise we're gone…" she came up beside her Mother. "… And maybe it's best we don't let them in on this. Mom will just flip out"

That was very true. Bo had been on the receiving end of Lauren's rage a few times. "Yeah, you're right. So, that's the dagger huh?" She looked at it in Shay's hand. "Well, at least we have it now. It can't be used to hurt anyone else. Maybe now Bella can use it to break the curse"

"And we can go back to normal?" Shay said.

"What's normal for us?" Bo didn't know anymore. "Come on, let's go" she and Shay walked out of the apartment, and found that Ethan had already taken off by the time they'd gotten down to the lobby. He was in a mood, it was better for him to cool off without them.

As they were crossing the street, they saw a crowd of people start to gather around Ronan's body. He'd landed on the hood of a car, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Soon the ambulances would be here and after them, the police.

Even if they did investigate Ronan's death, and the evidence led back to them; Bo and her kids would take care of it.

Just like they always did.

The Clinic – Later

Luckily, they managed to beat Lauren and Charlie back to the lab. Ethan's wasn't anywhere around. Bo knew he'd probably gone to the Dal to cool off. She would talk to him later. The ride back had made her think a lot, and she'd realised that maybe she was a little reckless going to Ronan's alone.

At the end of the day, she had a family that needed her. She just figured she was doing the right thing. Bo walked in with Shay, who immediately handed the dagger to Bella who had woken from her nap.

"It's gonna take me a while to study this writing…" Bella touched the markings on the blade. It was weird. "… But the good news is, without the dagger Ronan can't hurt you guys. So, good work" she gave a thumbs up.

Suddenly, they all heard applause coming from a few feet away. Lauren walked in, clapping her hands as she heard what Bella said about the dagger. She was a little pissed right now, because she knew something had happened while she'd been gone.

And by the way Bo was averting her eye line right now, made Lauren think it had everything to do with her.

"Someone wanna tell me what's going on?" She looked at Bo, who just stuttered. "I see you have Ronan's dagger…" she approached her youngest daughter, taking it from her. So, this was the weapon that had the power to kill her kids. "… How'd you get it from him?"

Shay stepped forward, "Actually uh—"

Lauren stopped her from talking, "Thank you sweetie, but I was actually talking to your Mother. Bo?" She stared at her Wife. "Care to fill me in?"

This was tricky.

Bo couldn't tell her how they got it without telling her what she planned to do. And once Lauren found out, she was going to be furious. "I was-"

"Covering for me…" Ethan chose that moment to walk in, he heard everything from the hallway. And even though he was having a spat with his Mother, he couldn't let his Parents end up fighting over something that'd ended now. "… She was covering for me" he made it clear.

"Explain" Lauren said.

He nodded, stepping closer to her. "While Mom was at the Dal, grabbing the research books like I told you; I made a decision to end this. I couldn't be stuck in that circle forever. So, I went to Ronan's place and caught him off guard"

This was a lot of information, and it seemed a little made up. "You just walked in, and took the dagger from him? Where's Ronan now? Surely he wasn't happy you took it"

Laughing, Ethan shook his head. "Ronan took a long trip, I doubt we'll be seeing him ever again. What we need to worry about now, is breaking this curse, and getting rid of these wounds" he pulled the collar of his shirt to the right, showing them his scar.

Lauren calmed down, even though she knew Ethan was lying to her. Which was peculiar for him, because he was as honest as they came. But she could deal with it later. "Alright, then let's do that…" she gave the dagger back to Bella. "… Are you okay?" She asked him.

Ethan looked down, seeing her hand on his shoulder. He took it, smiling. "Never better…" he flashed her his charming smile, which he liked to think he got from her. "… Kinda beat though. I'm gonna head home and get some rest" he turned around and left the lab.

"Ethan, wait-" Bo tried to call him back but he kept walking. She'd really screwed up. "I think going home is a great idea. Let's all go" she ushered her family out of the lab, still dodging Lauren's questions as they left.

Dennis Household - Later

When they got in, Ethan was just in front of them. But he went straight to his room, not wanting to talk to anyone. This was just the cherry on top of a perfect week. "Bella? Why don't you do your thing, and work on the dagger? The rest of you, I'm sure you've got other things you'd like to be doing" she watched her four children disperse, walking off in different directions. "What a day!" she exhaled.

"Indeed…" Lauren agreed, noticing the hostility between Bo and Ethan. "… What's up with him? Why's he so eager to be away from you?" She saw the way he ignored her when Bo called to him, Ethan was never like that with anyone.

He was the nice one.

Bo shrugged, "Beats me. He gets the stubbornness from you, so you might be waiting a while for an explanation. I wouldn't hold my breath" she kissed her Wife's cheek, then went to the kitchen to fix herself a big drink.

Not able to let it go, Lauren left Bo to her drink and walked upstairs. She checked in Bella's room, seeing her youngest sitting on her bed, making note of all the markings on the blade. She figured she'd start trying to decipher them, and go from there. Her tenacity to never give up made Lauren very proud.

Charlie was helping her, having spent a summer studying ancient languages with Trick.

All of her children were well read. And well educated. They loved taking in new information. No surprise there. Intelligence ran in their DNA. Except for Shay, she could take the information in but she always got bored in the process. But she was far from stupid. She took after Bo the most.

Shay was in her room, returning a call to Sasha. And by the sound of it, they weren't having a pleasant conversation. So, Lauren left her to it. Across the hall was Patrick's room, and he was too engrossed in his video games to even notice she was at the door. Better to leave him be.

Lastly, Lauren walked to Ethan's room and knocked on the door. He may've said he was tired, but Lauren knew him well.

Ethan wasn't one for taking naps. He always said that's what lazy people did. When she got the okay to enter, she opened the door with a small smile. "Hey, mind if we talk for second?" He nodded, waving her inside. She pulled his desk chair over to his bed, and took a seat. "So, do you wanna tell me what really happened today?"

"I already did" he replied.

"I'm your Mother, Ethan…" she reminded him. "… You think I don't know when you're lying? Come on, spill" she didn't believe his story downstairs, not for a second. She was a Mother, and it was her job to know these things.

He sighed, sitting up to face her. "I only went to Ronan's because Sasha called me to let me know that Mom was already heading over there. I guess she figured I wouldn't tell her where he lived, but knew that Shay wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut, and told Sasha. Mom planned on giving herself over, without any regard for us" he still didn't like it.

And now that Lauren was hearing the truth, she agreed with him. Bo was in so much trouble. "But you got there in time?" She was hoping.

Nodding, he answered yes. "The worst part is, she didn't care what would've happened to her if I hadn't…" he didn't get it. "… Whatever Ronan's reason was for attacking us; even if it was a consequence of Mom's past actions, that doesn't mean the only option is to go on a kamikaze mission"

"You're right…" she said. "… And I'm gonna talk to her about it. But sweetie, one thing you need to know about your Mom; is that when something bad happens and she feels like she's to blame, she takes the whole weight of it on herself. And unfortunately, that leads her to make the wrong decisions. But wrong or not, she only ever does those things for her family" she had to come to Bo's aid on this one.

Everyone was selfish in their own way.

Even Bo herself. But, more often than not Bo always made sacrifices for her family and friends. She loved them so much, and when someone was hurting them because of choices she'd made, it would kill her. So, she'd force herself to make things right. Even if it was a stupid idea.

"I just want her to realise, this family can't go on without her…" he may've been the oldest, but he still got scared sometimes. Especially when it came to his Parents and their wellbeing. "… She's too important-you both are"

Lauren almost welled up at that statement. "As are you, my beautiful boy…" she chuckled, knowing he'd hate hearing that. She got up, giving him a hug and a kiss on his cheek. "… Everything'll be okay now. Besides, no one can ever stay mad at your Mom. Trust me, there've been times when I've wanted to hate her, but even then you can't help but love her. It's part of her charm" she loved that about Bo.

"Isn't that what Shay says about herself?" He wondered.

She nodded, "Yeah, except when you hate Shay; you keep hating her until she apologises. Your sister may think she has that Dennis charm on lock, but your Mom's been perfecting it for decades. Shay still has a lot to learn" her daughter was a handful, but she loved her.

All of her children were a challenge, but Lauren wouldn't change it. If anyone offered her a do over, she'd turn them down within a millisecond. She had everything she wanted right now.

"Do me a favour?" He caught her as she got to the door. "Tell Mom I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier. And, that we're cool" he was over it. That talk really helped.

Lauren smiled, "I'll see that she gets the message" with that, she left him in silence.

Bo & Lauren's Room

After her drink, Bo decided to just call it a night. But that didn't stop her from bringing her drink with her to bed. She sat the glass of whiskey down on her nightstand, then went to change into something more comfortable. As she was leaving the bathroom, she noticed Lauren slipping into the room, and she didn't look happy.

"Not tonight Lauren…" she couldn't be asked for this right now. "… It's been a long day, and it'd be great if what's left of it didn't end in a fight" she took a seat on her side of the bed.

Lauren was going to sidestep the tone she was receiving from her Wife. It was just going to make her angrier. "Too late…" she replied. "… The fight started when Ethan told me the truth about your little outing today. That's why you were acting weird on the phone, because that was your goodbye" it made sense now.

Closing her eyes, Bo sighed. "What'd you want me to say?" She frowned at her. "All I was trying to do, was fix my mess! Isn't that what grown ups do? Own up to their mistakes?"

"Yeah Bo, they do. But they don't do it by going on a suicide mission!" Lauren was really appreciating the fact that they sound proofed their bedroom. Although, they initially did it for a different kind of screaming. "Were you really gonna let him kill you? Knowing you'd be leaving us behind?"

This wasn't what Bo wanted. "Why does it matter now?" She asked. "Ronan's dead, we got the dagger, our kids are safe; we don't need to talk about this anymore" she turned away, going for her drink.

But Lauren wasn't done, "Yes we do!" She took it from her and went to the bathroom to pour it down the sink. "Bo, I get it. Okay? I do. You feel guilty. You feel like what happened to the kids is your fault, but it's not" she knelt before her, holding her hands.

"You were there Lauren. You saw it happen…" Bo said. "… If I'd just left Zee and Hera alone, none of this would've happened. Trick wouldn't be in the hospital, and my kids wouldn't be cursed!"

"You're right Bo, I was there!" Lauren pointed out. "I remember the horrible things Zee and Hera did. What they had planned for the Humans and the Fae. You couldn't sit back and let them take the world for themselves. No, instead you took a stand, and you stopped them. You saved all of us. And you should never feel guilty for that"

Bo wanted to agree with her, but at a certain point she had to wonder if maybe the decisions she made in her past were just setting her up for future failure. Every noble choice she'd made, had come back to bite her in the ass. Only this time, it had hurt her kids instead.

"I just wanted to make things right" she started to get emotional.

Wanting to comfort her, Lauren stood up and brought Bo into a hug while she remained seated. She felt Bo's arms encircle her waist, and her head rest on her stomach. "I know…" she bent down, kissing the top of her head. "… It's gonna be okay"

"Ethan hates me" Bo was still kicking herself for that. She shouldn't have spoken down to him in the way she did. He wasn't a subject, he was her son.

Lauren shook her head, "Ethan could never hate you…" she wasn't worried about that. "… He loves you too much. He was just upset that you went there without telling anyone. He already told me to tell you he's fine, and that you guys are okay"

Bo pulled back, "He did?" she got a nod from her. That was a weight off her chest. She couldn't live with herself when her kids resented her. "Should I go talk to him?" she didn't know if it was a good idea.

"You can if you want, but maybe what we all need right now is some rest…" Lauren said. "… I'm sure you'll both feel a lot better in the morning. And you can talk things out with clear heads. Come on" she rounded the bed, and laid on her side. She didn't have to ask Bo to move closer, it was instinctual at this point.

Laying next to her, Bo couldn't help but smile at her loving Wife. "Why'd you put up wth me?" She saw her frown. "I mean, I'm not exactly the poster girl for marriage. And god knows, I piss you off on a weekly basis; so, why'd you stay with me?" She was genuinely asking.

"I stay with you because I love you Bo…" Lauren rolled over on top her, leaning down for a kiss. "… And as for the rest? No marriage is easy. If you can find someone who says their marriage is perfect, then I'd call bullshit!" She didn't believe it that.

If life was perfect then no one would have problems. It would be rather boring.

"What about me pissing you off?" Bo asked.

Lauren kissed her again, remaining close afterward. "It just makes me love you even more" she whispered.

"You locked the door, right?" She knew this wasn't exactly the best time to feel turned on, but Bo couldn't help it. Not when she was this close to her Wife.

"Is it my first day?" Lauren asked sarcastically, she wasn't new in this house. They'd gotten good at having private time away from the kids.

Bo chuckled, rolling over so that she was no on top. "I wish it was my first day…" she had a good reason. "… Then I'd be able to fall in love with you all over again" those particular words left Lauren speechless, which was what Bo was going for.

That just made Lauren blush, "Well, that does sound pretty amazing" she brought her down for another kiss, and as they did she felt Bo's hand travel down to her waist. Looked like things were speeding up.

They very rarely had a quiet moment to themselves. They had five kids for crying out loud! As far as couples go, they were doing pretty well considering the numbers against them. So, what was happening right now was needed for them to remain connected.

And it was fun.

Bella's Room - Later

As the hours passed, Charlie left to get some rest. But Bella already had a nap earlier, so she was still going. Her research had to give them some kind of answer. Her siblings were cursed and she couldn't just give up now. It was two in the morning, before she finally made a break in her case.

"The blood that creates, is the blood that endures…" she frowned as she read it. "… That makes no sense!" she groaned, dropping the notepad she was scribbling on. She dropped down onto her back, she was so exhausted.

But as she was repeating the words over in her head, she began to put it together. She stared at her ceiling, working through it. "No, it can't be-" she doubted it. "There's no way he's that clever!" she widened her eyes, then sat up and grabbed the dagger again. "The blood that creates, is the blood that endures…" she repeated it again. "… Holy shit!" she got it.

Bella grabbed the dagger, and jumped off her bed and over to her door.

Bo & Lauren's Room

Even though Lauren's words of wisdom and her gorgeous body, managed to keep Bo in control; she still couldn't sleep. How could she? She made a stupid decision, and almost cost herself her family. And although Lauren said Ethan was okay, she still had some making up to do.

But in order to do that, she had to sleep. So, she closed her eyes and tried to drop off.

"MOM!"

Bo's eyes shot open, jumping up from the bed as fast as she could with the dagger in hand that she kept under her pillow. Old habits die hard. Also, she and Lauren had gotten into the habit of putting clothes on right after they had their fun. "What?! Are you hurt? Is someone in the house?!" she thought the worst.

"No, nothing like that. But, we have a problem!" Bella didn't mean to barge in the way she did, but she just had to tell someone what she'd found. Her Mother told her to explain, "The dagger, it was made with Ronan's blood. I translated some of the markings"

Lauren rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up. "And?"

"Short version?" Bella didn't want to bother them with the entire saying. "His blood created the dagger, and because of what kind of blade it is; it protects him from harm…" they asked her what she meant. "… It's a sacrificial dagger, it's meant to absorb power from whoever it kills. Ronan killed Ethan, Shay, Patrick and Charlie. Four powerful Hybrids. The energy coming off this thing is insane!"

Every time she picked it up she could feel it.

Then Bo thought back to what Ronan said before Ethan killed him. "I remember him saying something. How he didn't need to use it on me, because killing four Hybrids had already juiced it up enough. He planned to do something with the energy"

"Like what?" Lauren wondered.

Then Bella realised, it all made sense now. "He didn't come after us for revenge. Maybe, a part of it was about that but, he needed their power for something else. And since it's a sacrificial blade, then that means he only had one goal at the end of all this. The only time you need to use a sacrificial blade, is when you intend on bring someone back from the dead. That's his plan; resurrection"

Bo couldn't believe this. "Who would he be resurrecting?"

"Someone he lost…" Lauren figured it out first. "… Someone so powerful, that only the energy of four dead Hybrids would be able to bring them back. Someone ancient" she made eyes at Bo, who finally clued on.

"Zee" Bo said.

"That makes sense, she was a God. One Hybrid sacrifice wouldn't be enough to resurrect her, that's why he wanted all of us. It doesn't matter that he didn't get me. Because he's got the power he needed. But, there's also a bright side to this situation" Bella thought it best to let them in on it.

Lauren folded her arms, "Go on"

Bella held the blade before them. "He used his blood to make the dagger. It's what's protecting him, but it's also the only weapon that can kill him. For good. Daggers like these always come with a safeguard. Even if the creator isn't aware of it. As long as we have this, he can't resurrect anyone"

"But if you said he can't die, then he'll be back soon…" Bo said. "… This dagger is the only thing that can bring his Mother back from the dead. He's gonna come for it" she couldn't believe this was all so he could bring Zee back. It couldn't be allowed to happen.

Zee wasn't meant for this world.

"I can reinforce the boundary around the house…" Bella told them. "… No one can get in or out without my say so" it was the only arrow in her quiver right now.

Lauren nodded, "Okay, do that. But, are you sure you have enough strength?" She didn't want her hurting herself. And judging by the unsure look on her daughter's face, Lauren got her answer. "Come on. You can channel me" she took her daughter's hand and led her downstairs.

Given the fact that she'd given birth to five Hybrids, Lauren's DNA had been altered. She wasn't a Succubus, or any kind of Fae really. But she could heal herself, and she was strong. But like her children, she remained half human.

After they left, Bo stood there holding the dagger. As she held it, she could almost feel the power flowing through it from the hilt. The markings along the black steel blade began to shine red. "Clever boy Ronan…" she whispered in the open. "… Try all you will. I dare you"

She'd stop him. She had to. Zee was too dangerous to be let back into this world.

"Mom?"

Bo lifted her head, seeing Ethan in the doorway. She felt a bit weird being alone with him after their fight. "Hey…" she smiled awkwardly. "… Did we wake you?"

Ethan stepped inside the room, "No, I've actually been up a while. Couldn't sleep…" he chuckled. "… Funny, it seems to be the hardest thing to do sometimes" he can't remember a time when he wasn't kept up by something.

"Tell me about it…" she could relate. "… So uh, turns out Ronan might've survived his twelve story fall" she had to tell him. After all, he was the one who killed him.

Well, that wasn't something he was expecting to hear tonight. She explained everything Bella told them, including the part about the dagger being the key to Ronan's destruction. "So, if we stab him with this he goes for good?" He took the blade from his Mother.

"Seems that way" she replied.

Ethan looked at it, feeling something. As he brought it closer to his scar, he noticed the markings were glowing. "You see that?" He got a yes from her. "It's like it knows me"

"Well, it did take your life once already..." She wondered something. "… Maybe there's a way Bella can put back the energy Ronan stole from you. Might be the key to reviving you guys properly" she almost forgot that her children were still half dead.

No Mother should have to utter those words.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't…" Ethan had a few concerns. "… Because I'd love to be able to taste food again. But, maybe we need to give Bella a break. Using all this magic can't be good for her" he worried about his baby sister all the time.

And Bo loved that about him. He took the role of being a big brother very seriously. "I think the only one who can answer that is Bella. Your Mom and I don't want her to overdue it. But if she wants to ease up, ultimately it's her choice"

"But she won't make that choice as long as she thinks there's a problem that needs fixing. Sometimes she needs to have the choice made for her. I just don't want her making herself ill" He sighed.

"Neither do I, which's why I'm gonna keep a close eye on her. Whenever she's taking on too much I'm gonna be there to pull her back a bit. She might be the baby of the family but she's tougher than she looks" Bo didn't worry about Bella.

He nodded, "Yes she is. I just worry, you know?"

Bo smiled, "Yeah, I know. Hey listen, I wanted to apologise for what I said to you last night. It wasn't fair to put you through it. I should've thought about you guys first, I just wanted to fix my mess. I wasn't worried about what would happen to me if I did"

Ethan waved a hand. "Apology accepted, but it's not needed. I told Mom we're cool, and we are…" he gave her a fist bump, then handed the blade back to her. "… I think I'm ready to get some sleep now" he felt like a weight had been lifted.

"One of us should" She muttered as he left the room.

Morgue

Today had been a busy work day.

But finally, Martin's prayers had been answered and he was on his last autopsy of the night. He picked up his clipboard and began reading over the information. "John Doe, early twenties, ruled as a suicide. Says here you fell twelve stories, jeez!" He wasn't prepared for what his face looked like.

The bodies were always covered when they were brought in so Martin hadn't seen his new friend's face yet. "Alright, let's see the damage…" he pulled the sheet back, and he was confused. "… What the hell?"

Laying before him wasn't the body of a man that dropped twelve stories. This John Doe, was completely intact. Nothing was out of place and he had no wounds. "Paperwork must be wrong. Well, it never matters why you ended up here. All that matters is what I find after I'm done" he picked up his scalpel.

Just as he brought it down onto Ronan's chest, his eyes shot open and he grabbed Martin's wrist. "I must say, your bedside manner is horrendous" he started laughing.

"You were dead…" Martin was about to pee himself out of terror. "… You had no pulse!"

"And in about two seconds, neither will you!" Ronan hit Martin with a jolt of powerful electricity. Enough to stop his heart. Once he was dead, Ronan let him go and watched him drop to the floor. "Nothing personal" he jumped off the metal gurney.

Immediately feeling the cold as he was naked. So, he stepped over the dead body and went to the nearest office. In there he found a closet with spare scrubs. It was enough to get him out of here. He grabbed the coroners ID badge, in case he'd need it.

Unfortunately, he had places to be.

Someone had stolen something from him, and he wanted it back.

A/N: You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you? Let me know what you thought!