Characters aren't mine. I've taken the liberties I wanted for the storyline, but the characters belong to Showcase and Lost Girl.

Back to the real world…introduction of a new character but no plot movement just yet.

Thanks for sticking around and I really appreciate you taking the time to read! Enjoy!

Chapter 20

"Oh my god two actually came up for air!"

Kenzi smirked as Lauren and Tamsin entered the restaurant where they were going to meet up with her and Bo for an evening of relaxation and fun. Things had been so crazy lately to the point of near chaos that Bo had decided they all needed a break. There was a distinct feeling of dread for Lauren who had the suspicion that there was more to Bo wanting a night of fun than just needing a break but she was still on her emotional high from last weekend's excursion with Tamsin to let it bother her too much.

After they'd returned from Montreal, Lauren hadn't seen Bo and she'd only spoken to her once on the phone which was a short conversation to say the least. The doctor could tell Bo was avoiding her but she wasn't sure exactly why.

Lauren smiled and gave Kenzi a hug as Tamsin did the same and they followed Kenzi to the bar where Jeff was waiting for them. He stood to greet them with a smile and a awkward hug and the two blondes sat down next to them at the bar top as they waited for their table. Kenzi informed the group that Bo was running a little late but she was on her way and would be there soon. The foursome shared a bit of small talk as they waited for Bo and within about ten minutes the Succubus strolled into restaurant with a stunning blonde woman by her side.

"Lauren?"

All eyes turned to the unknown woman and Bo looked at her date for the evening with curiosity. Bo had met Natalie when she was out for coffee one day and Bo was instantly attracted to her. Sure it may have something to do with the fact that she resembled Lauren slightly in her pedigree and unique mannerisms, but aside from being blonde and human, Natalie and Lauren were nothing alike.

"Nat? Oh my god it's been ages!"

Lauren got up from the barstool she was seated at and gave the stranger a big hug which was returned with a laugh and a smile. Bo cleared her throat a bit and gave them an awkward smile. "So…you two know each other?"

Lauren laughed. "Nat and I were at Yale together. Although I was a few years behind her we both ended up in residency together post-graduation also."

Natalie smiled. "And then we worked together for a number of years thereafter before Laur abandoned me."

Lauren rolled her eyes and gave the other blonde human a sad smile. "I did not abandon you, I had to come home and you know why…"

They shared a look that no one else in the group could really comprehend which led to an awkward silence. After a few seconds Lauren cleared her throat and gave Natalie a small smile. "So, how did you meet Bo?"

Natalie smiled over at Bo and the Succubus returned the gesture with a gentle smile of her own. "I was in a rush one day, as usual, and I almost literally knocked her over as I was rushing out of Timmie's. Which led to her spilling her coffee and me buying her another and here we are."

Tamsin looked at Lauren who seemed to be trying to digest the information with little outward response. She looked at her quizzically as she saw the slight tension in Lauren's face and she wasn't sure if it was anger, jealousy or both. She also couldn't tell if it was over Bo meeting someone or this Natalie person meeting and gaining the attention of the baby Fae but Tamsin felt something she'd never felt before and it was kind of annoying her.

Luckily, Kenzi stepped in and introduced Tamsin, Jeff and herself before gently suggesting they all head over to their table which was now ready and they could learn more about the newcomer over wine and dinner. The group approached the large circular table and Jeff held out Kenzi's chair before taking a seat next to her as Bo sat next to him with Natalie on her left. Lauren gave Tamsin a brief glance before sitting next to Kenzi and Tamsin just gave her a slight look of confusion as she sat between the blonde human's and looked around with a bored expression on her face.

"So, this is fun huh?"

All eyes went to Bo who kind of shrugged as she sat back and picked up her menu as she rolled her eyes slightly. She felt the tension as well from Lauren and she didn't know if she should be angry or happy about the fact that Lauren obviously wasn't too keen on the fact that her date for the evening happened to be someone she used to know. Or maybe used to date.

The waiter stopped by the table to introduce himself and he took their drink orders which pretty much consisted of strictly alcoholic choices and he departed quietly leaving the table quiet again. Everyone was looking around awkwardly and suddenly the night out didn't seem like such a good idea. Kenzi and Jeff tried to make small talk with the group but it appeared the other four were seemingly at a loss for what to discuss that would be 'neutral territory' for all parties involved. At one point in the meal Lauren excused herself to the restroom and was followed by Natalie which earned a raised eyebrow from both Kenzi and Tamsin but neither said anything as the blonde stood to leave the table.

"Okay spill. What have you two been up to? And where were you all last weekend?"

Tamsin glanced over at Kenzi who was leaning forward on her elbows giving the Valkyrie a smug smile. Tamsin raised and eyebrow as she smiled and took a sip of her whiskey. "We just went away for the weekend that's all."

Kenzi laughed. "Just went away huh? On the most romantic weekend of the year? Oh my god…did you tell her you lurved her?"

Tamsin coughed slightly as she briefly glanced at Bo before turning back to Kenzi. "Why don't you just shut up before I shut you up?"

Kenzi smirked at Tamsin's faux sweet response. She noted the fact that the Dark Fae didn't confirm or deny if she'd in fact told the doctor she was in love with her and Bo rolled her eyes slightly at Tamsin's non-committal response to Kenzi's question. She too had been very curious as to what the pair had been up to that weekend but she just didn't know a tactful way to say it.

In the restroom

"Are you having a good time?"

Natalie smiled at Lauren's reflection in the mirror as she washed her hands and nodded her response. "Yes, although I will admit it was a bit jarring to see you tonight. I didn't think I ever would again after England."

Lauren frowned slightly. "You know that was a mistake Natalie. We used to be the best of friends…one night shouldn't have ruined that."

Natalie turned to reach for a paper towel and she dried her hands as she gave Lauren a gentle smile. "But it did Laur. At least for me. It shouldn't have happened, and I'm sorry that it did but I didn't know what to do afterwards."

Lauren sighed. "I know. How about a fresh start? That was so long ago. We've both become much different people now right?"

Natalie smirked. "I don't know…still looks like you have a thing for blonde's there Lewis."

Lauren laughed as she thought about Tamsin and she knew there was a distinctly happy look on her face at the very mention of her girlfriend.

Natalie snickered a bit. "Why Laur are you blushing?"

Lauren cleared her throat. "Seems some things clearly have changed though…as I recall you never liked brunette's much."

Natalie shrugged with a smile. "Bo is sweet. And kind. But I get the feeling she's treading lightly, like she's been hurt before and I get the impression this is more about fun for her than anything serious."

Lauren swallowed slowly. "Well, you were never one to settle so the fact that you're here tonight with her tells me you aren't in it just for fun?"

Natalie smiled a bit at Lauren through the reflection in the mirror in front of her as she checked her makeup slightly. "Like I said, she's sweet. And I feel comfortable with her. So we'll see if anything progresses but for now let's just say I wouldn't mind if it developed into more."

Lauren gave her friend a smile but inside she was concerned a bit for both of their sakes. She wasn't sure how Natalie would handle the news that Bo wasn't actually human but in fact a superior species known as Fae and she wasn't sure how Bo would handle Natalie who was a good person that loved wholeheartedly and unconditionally. She suspected it was that trait that Bo was attracted to as it was obvious after spending about five minutes with Natalie that the blonde was a genuine person and she could see some of herself in the other doctor.

The bathroom door opened and Kenzi entered giving the two blonde's a neutral look. "Oh good. No bloodshed. Come on, the check came and we're getting ready to head to the Dahl for drinks."

Natalie smiled and nodded at Lauren before heading out of the bathroom back to the table. Lauren started to follow but was stopped by Kenzi. "This going to be a problem for you doc?"

Lauren shook her head. "No, it's not like that Kenzi. Natalie and I are and were just friends."

Kenzi nodded and gave her a critical stare. "Good. Because things are just starting to settle down and we don't need anything to flare up again unnecessarily."

Lauren nodded as she knew Kenzi was talking more about the triangle she had found herself in with Bo and Tamsin more than she was talking about all the craziness of late. In a surprise move Lauren put her arm around Kenzi's shoulder and gave her a small smile. "I'm happy that Bo has you to look out for her."

Kenzi nodded and rolled her eyes as she gave Lauren a goofy smile. "I look out for both of you guys. Now come on, I need a drink."

Lauren laughed as she followed the Goth out of the bathroom. Kenzi had consumed more than her share of a bottle of wine over dinner and Lauren shook her head knowing if Kenzi was ramped up to drink it was really going to be a long night.

The ride to the Dahl was quiet for the most part and Lauren noticed Tamsin giving her brief glances out of the side of her eye as she drove. Lauren reached over and took Tamsin's hand in her own. "Something wrong?"

Tamsin shrugged. "Seems you know a lot of random people doc."

Lauren studied Tamsin carefully trying to figure out if she were jealous or what the issue was. "Well, Natalie was a blast from the past for sure."

Tamsin nodded but kept her features neutral. "So you two ever…"

Lauren sighed as she sat back. They had pulled up to a red light and she looked over at Tamsin who was now looking back at her fully. Lauren could see something different in Tamsin's eyes and she concluded it was either jealously, which was really unlikely given the Valkyrie's personality, or something resembling insecurity? Lauren was confused.

"Once…but it was a mistake and ruined our friendship."

Tamsin nodded and resumed driving as she didn't say anything further. When they got to the Dahl Tamsin shut off her truck and moved to get out but Lauren's hand on her arm stopped her. "Tamsin?"

Tamsin sighed and turned back to the blonde with a neutral face. "Yeah?"

Lauren gave her a concerned look as she rubbed the back of the Valkyrie's hand with her thumb. "Are you upset?"

Tamsin shook her head. "No. If you say she's your friend then I believe you."

With that Tamsin got out of her truck and Lauren bit her lip a bit in nervousness as she followed suit. They rejoined the group in the bar and Tamsin acted as if nothing was wrong much to Lauren's confusion. She wanted to assure Tamsin there was nothing to worry about but she wasn't sure if Tamisn understood that.

The group claimed a few couches in the back corner and for the most part they seemed to be getting on well together. Bo and Tamsin were playing nice and it made Lauren happy to see that Natalie was happy with Bo. Jeff and Natalie also hit if off well and Kenzi and Bo just watched them engage in conversation with smiles on their faces. Natalie shared a few embarrassing stories about Lauren which Tamsin found oddly charming and Lauren retaliated with a few juicy tales of her own which made Natalie blush and Bo double over in laughter. It was perfectly clear what good friends Lauren and Natalie used to be and Tamsin was glad Lauren had someone back in her life that made her so happy.

A few drinks later Kenzi started making jokes about how intertwined their whole group of friends were and she accidently on purpose pointed out that Lauren seemed to be the common factor in the entire group, except for herself of course because as she put it she preferred the wang. Jeff smiled awkwardly as Natalie gave her old friend a surprised look which earned a slight groan from the other doctor. Tamsin looked at Bo who remained silent although she could tell the Succubus wanted to strange her best friend.

"So you two…and now you're with Tamsin?"

Natalie raised an eyebrow at Lauren in a slightly impressed manner. Lauren just nodded as she took a sip of her drink and gave Kenzi an annoyed look. "Yes, thank you Kenzi for getting her caught up."

Kenzi just laughed. "Look, she was gonna find out eventually right?"

Bo sighed and looked at Natalie apologetically. "I'm sorry about all of this. I honestly didn't know…"

Natalie just laughed and shook her head. "Bo, its fine. And there was no way you could have known. Really."

She gave the Succubus a warm smile which Bo returned and Lauren watched them with a curious eye. She was kind of surprised Bo was being so mature about all of this and she just hoped it would remain that way as she really was happy for both her and Natalie and thought they maybe had a shot at the real thing.

A little while later Kenzi and the two blonde humans got up to get more alcohol from the bar while Jeff headed to the restroom leaving Bo and Tamsin alone on the couches where they were all sitting. Tamsin was sipping what was left of her drink and she could feel Bo's eyes on her as she sat there quietly. Finally she huffed and looked over at the brunette. "Is there a problem here?"

Bo shook her head. "No. Does this feel weird to you?"

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "What do you mean weird?"

Bo shrugged. "I don't know. I mean you and me here with Lauren and her friend…kinda ironic don't you think?"

Tamsin shrugged as she finished her drink. "Not really. But if you being with this girl means you don't want to kill me anymore then I'm all for it."

Bo rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Tamsin I never wanted to kill you."

Tamsin laughed. "Okay baby Fae. Keep telling yourself that."

Bo looked over at her in amusement. "Okay maybe I did just a little bit. But, like I told you before. Take care of her and we won't have a problem."

Tamsin leaned forward and gave Bo a serious stare. "What do you think I've been doing? In case you haven't figured it out I really care about her. Maybe if you got your head out of your ass for five minutes you'd see that and stop trying to be her white knight."

Bo mirrored Tamsin's position and gave her a hard look. "Well maybe if you opened up a little more we'd know what the hell was going on. And besides, just because you were sleeping with her didn't mean you cared about her."

Tamsin smirked. "No? Gee Succubus I thought that's how you measured feelings?"

Bo growled and stood up which the Valkyrie happily mirrored. It seemed as though things would never quite be 'okay' between them two and Lauren had a concerned look on her face as the humans rejoined them with refills of alcohol.

"Everything okay here?"

Tamsin and Bo remained silent as they stared at each other for a few more seconds before Tamsin gave her a fake smile. "Everything's peachy."

She sat back down and Lauren followed as Bo reclaimed her seat next to Natalie as well. The two Fae continued to subtly stare at each other for the rest of the night and Lauren just sighed knowing she'd get an explanation from Tamsin later. The night ended soon enough and Bo left with Natalie as Lauren and Tamsin headed to the Valkyrie's truck. Kenzi and Jeff stayed at the bar to have a few more drinks and Bo made Kenzi promise to call her when she finally left.

The short drive back to Lauren's loft was quiet but this time there was no uncomfortableness like before. When they walked into the loft Lauren looked over at Tamsin with a lazy smile as she was certainly feeling the effects of all the alcohol they'd consumed that night.

"Have I told you before how amazing you are?"

Tamsin smiled as she put her arms around Lauren's waist and pulled her closer. "Yes, but you can always tell me again."

Lauren laughed as she wrapped her arms around Tamsin's neck. "Did you have fun tonight?"

Tamsin pretended to mull it over before leaning down and giving Lauren a gentle kiss. "Yeah it was alright. Did you?"

Lauren smiled up at her and Tamsin had to chuckle at her semi-glazed stare she was receiving. "Yes. Thank you, you never cease to amaze me Valkyrie."

Tamsin smirked as Lauren hardly ever called her that. "Why thank you human."

Lauren rolled her eyes as she looked up at Tamisn for a second before kissing her again. "I love you."

Tamsin tensed at the words for just a second before pulling back to look at Lauren carefully. "Do you now?"

Lauren nodded and smiled as she leaned up for another kiss. Tamsin smiled as she met Lauren's lips and gave her a soft kiss before nibbling on Lauren's lower lip slightly. "Well that's good…because I kinda love you too doc."

Lauren looked up at Tamsin in amazement. She had kind of let it slip when she said she loved her, blame the alcohol most likely, but she certainly hadn't expected Tamsin to say it back. She knew the Valkyrie wasn't nearly close to drunk and Lauren stood there with her mouth open slightly in shock making Tamsin laugh slightly. "Finally…she's rendered speechless."

Lauren's mouth kind of opened and closed like a fish as she was still trying to process the fact that Tamsin said she loved her. The taller blonde's snarky comment was lost on her as she smiled and pulled Tamsin towards the stairs. "Uh where are we going?"

Lauren just smiled over her shoulder as she pulled Tamsin towards her bed. "I think I want to show you just how much I love you."

Tamsin grinned as she followed the petite woman up the stairs. She had been surprised she'd said she loved her but now that it was out there it was no turning back. For better or worse, Tamsin had just done something she'd never done in her many lifetimes and now she was going to reap the rewards of fully embracing the emotions she had been wired to always ignore.

Well look at that…new character introduced and no drama as a result LOL. Let me know what you thought and thanks for reading!