Present-Lauren
Dying. She was dying. She knew it.
Infection had set in. She had a fever. Her pulse was weak, too weak.
Dying. Alone, in a Fae prison cell, without her love.
No one ever came to change and clean the bandage that covered the gaping hole in her side. Maybe the Fae didn't know about human biology, or more likely they just didn't care.
She was too weak to call out when they slipped her food, she wondered if they'd care if she could. Maybe they thought she was on a hunger strike, and that's why the food remained untouched. They,in all likelihood, didn't think about it at all.
She knew her bloodstream was poisoned by now. And she wanted to rest if only for a little while.
Dying. She couldn't die. She had to hold on for Bo. Bo saved her countless times. Hopefully, she could do it again. There was always hope.
Sleep did sound nice. To rest.
Her weak finger lightly traced over the ring she wore. Bo had given to her. So part of her and her love could always there with her, even when she couldn't, she'd said. How nervous she was when she pulled out the small box, the smile on her face. Sometimes, Bo didn't know how charming she was.
Bo.
She could hold on for Bo.
But maybe if she just closed her eyes, for a moment, she could finally rest.
XXXX-Flashback
When the phone calls started, Bo ignored it. She thought it was some confused old person, who didn't know how to use a phone.
But when the creepy notes starting showing up she knew it was something else. The notes didn't make sense to her, mostly gibberish as far as she could tell. It was probably someone she served at the Dal that didn't like the way she made drinks or something. She knew how seriously some people took their alcohol. So when the notes came, she threw them away.
Kenzi, Dyson, and Bo sat at the Dal, eating dinner. Bo hated hanging out at the Dal. It was bad enough she had to work there. She didn't want to socialize there as well. But Kenzi loved the food and drinks, so there they were.
"Bo you're always in such a bad mood lately, what's up?" Dyson asked, confused about her attitude.
Aife kept her word, she sent Lauren away. Not forever, on a weeklong trip to visit colleges. The message to Bo was clear, however. Lauren could easily be whisked away before she could say goodbye, and there was nothing she could do about it. It was a warning of things to come.
Lauren was able to get Bruce to send her a message, but it was short. It had been days since and Bo had been extremely short-tempered most of the time.
"Nothing." She answered getting annoyed.
"Are you feeling tired? Do you need to feed? Cause I could help you with that."
Kenzi and Bo both turned and glared at him.
"What? A healthy succubus needs to feed. I'm helpful."
Kenzi kicked Dyson's foot under the table. "Her powers haven't even come in yet, Faehole."
"She doesn't have to wait until then you know."
Kenzi kicked him again.
Bo didn't really want to get involved in their banter, so she ignored them. Her phone started vibrating. She didn't recognize the number. It's probably that creep, she thought.
She answered it angrily, "Why don't you leave me alone! Stop calling my phone, sicko!" She shouted into the phone.
"Bo?"
It was Lauren.
She shot up and quickly walked away from the table, "Hey, no sorry. Hey." She fumbled out.
"Are you ok?" Lauren asked.
"No. I mean, yes…of course. How are you? Are you safe?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Bruce is actually pretty nice. It's very inspiring, you know, being here looking around. It's more than I could have dreamed."
She couldn't believe that the sound of Lauren's voice calmed her so much. She knew she could close her eyes and listen to Lauren talk for hours and never get bored.
"I'm glad you're having a great time."
"I know. I'm surprised all this happened. It's kind of confusing. But I'm happy I'm here."
"I-" Bo started.
"Oh, sorry, Bo. I have to go. Bruce is coming, and I'm not supposed to be calling you. I wanted you to know that I was safe and ok."
"Yea…ok. Have a great time."
For the first time in days, Bo felt a weight lifted off her. Lauren was ok and surprisingly having a great time. And that's all that mattered.
XXXX
Lauren was exhausted from her trip when she got home. She wanted to take a long bath and relax but seeing Bo was the most important thing right now. So she decided to change quickly then go over and see Bo.
"Lauren?"
Nick walked up behind her. They rarely spoke these days. Lauren avoided him as much as possible. "You're back."
"Yes."
"Where are you going?"
"To see Bo."
"You can't."
She rolled her eyes.
"Lauren. I have no idea what's going on with you two…"
"Nothing. We're friends."
"Look, Lauren, you think I'm the bad guy here but I'm not."
She said nothing trying to ignore him.
"Be friendly with Bo, acquaintances but nothing else. Understand? You can't take it further than that. They will not accept you with their precious Bo." He ran his fingers through his short blond hair, nervously. "What do you think a succubus' intentions are with you? Huh?"
She rubbed her fingers on her eyes but said nothing.
"Do you think she wants to take you on dates, to hold your hand? No. They think of lust and sex and nothing else. She'll hunt you like prey then move on."
"You don't even know her."
He laughed franticly. "I don't need to know her! They're all the same."
She started to leave. He grabbed her, "You listen to me, stay away from Bo and the Fae."
"You're hurting me, let me go." She said staring him down.
He tightened his grip. She didn't move. They stared at each other.
"Fine." He grunted, pushing her arm away.
XXXX
Today, Lauren was coming home, and Bo was beyond a ball of nerves. She kept looking in the mirror, pacing around her room. She couldn't sit still.
She heard a knock on the door and walked briskly, almost running to answer it.
They stood there for a half-second, staring at each other speechless. Despite the fact Bo knew she was coming over today the sight of her stunned her, her breath surged hard out of her chest, as though someone had stepped on her chest.
Bo had spent so long thinking about seeing her. She feared it might be weird, they never discussed what happened that night at the park or the morning after and it was driving Bo crazy thinking about it.
Bo gave Lauren a dimpled smile and pulled her into a hug. Bo squeezed her hard, savoring her scent and warmth for a long instant.
They pulled apart too soon, "I missed you," Lauren whispered.
"Me too," Bo said, she felt tears pooling in her eyes.
XXXX
Bo and Lauren sat in a diner, drinking coffee. Bo was asking Lauren about her trip. Bo could see the excitement on Lauren's face talking about the colleges she visited.
"So, what do you do with your time while I was away?" Lauren asked grinning over her coffee mug.
Bo shrugged, "Nothing special. I worked a lot at the Dal."
"Sounds exciting," Lauren teased.
"It's good life experience or so I'm told." Bo was trying to get a feel for Lauren's mindset, "Have you heard from your mother?" She blurted out. She wanted to take it back, but there it was. She might as well try to get her to talk about it.
Lauren stiffened a little, "No."
Bo decided to push a little further, "Do you think she is coming back?"
"I couldn't even guess," Lauren answered stiffly.
Clearly, Lauren didn't want to talk about this. Bo wasn't surprised. She never did.
Lauren was staring at her coffee mug as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world, "Maybe we should talk about what happened that night? Between us."
Bo was shocked that she was bringing this up, "Sure, I mean, it was…"
"A mistake," Lauren interjected, meeting Bo's eyes, her expression unreadable.
Did Aife get to her? Bo wondered. Threaten her?
Bo felt as if she was falling from the sky, her stomach dropped. "Not exactly what I was going to say," Bo wanted to run out of the diner and away from Lauren, she did not want to be having this conversation, at least not this way. She sat there stunned in a shunned, unsure of what she should say or what she should do.
"What I mean is, I was drunk, a mess. I shouldn't have kissed you like that. We're friends, Bo," she began playing with her drink, her eyes downcast, "You mean more to me than anyone else in the world and I can't risk wrecking our friendship."
Bo let out a short breath, "So sure you would."
"I can't take that chance."
Bo didn't say a word for a long moment. She just stared at her plate, without looking at Lauren, tears starting to burn her eyes, "Ok. Can we talk about something else please?"
"Bo, please look at me. I need to know we're ok. And that you don't hate me."
"I could never hate you."
Which was true, she never could or would hate Lauren, but at that moment she decided she needed to start protecting her heart from the blonde. She knew that things were complicated. That Aife, and her family were a problem, but she hoped that Lauren wanted to fight for them as much as she did.
When Lauren didn't say any else, Bo waited, hoping she'd say something, something more. She didn't.
Bo got up and walked out of the diner. Lauren watched her go her heart was heavy. She put her head down on the table and closed her eyes tightly, it's for the best, she thought. They would never let them be together, it's better this way. If only she really believed that.
Hurt. That's all she'd ever give Bo. Lauren was like a black hole, and she'd end up just sucking Bo in with her.
It was for the best.
She ran from the table toward the restroom, to be sick.
XXXX
Lauren was in her brother's study, alone, ever since her mother left Nick had been spending hours and hours locked in there.
She scanned the room, nothing of note. She sat at the desk opening the drawers, nothing.
She sighed, what was he doing in here? Work is what he would say. She didn't buy it not with the worn down expression he'd have upon leaving the room.
She ran her fingers across the thick oak wood of the desk, lost in thought when she heard a knock on the front door.
XXXX
Bo stood nervously at the front door.
"Bo," Lauren smiled, "What are you doing here?"
They hadn't spoken much since their talk at the diner. Avoiding each other, whenever they could.
"Hey, are you busy? We need to talk." Bo shifted her weight, "Can I come in?"
"I'm not busy, absolutely come in."
They sat in the living room, on the large white couch, both waiting for the other to speak first.
Bo eyes danced around the room, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for being so distant, lately," she paused, "You can't help how you feel and I respect that. I needed some time to think things through."
"Bo, I…" Lauren started.
Bo interrupted, "I don't want to talk about this anymore, I want to forget that night ever happened, it's easier that way."
Bo had spent these past few days, thinking about everything. She knew she wanted to be with Lauren, more than anything, but things were complicated. Despite everything Bo didn't want to lose Lauren, so she would try to bury her feelings. It was better to have Lauren's friendship than nothing at all. Aife's threats kept replaying in Bo's mind, as well.
Lauren was silent for a long moment, "Ok. Bo."
XXXX
Lauren and Dyson were having an argument. They did not get along but put up with each other for Bo's sake. Bo had been spending more time with Dyson, trying to move on from her feelings for Lauren. Dyson wanted more between, she knew that, but Bo resisted. She knew she needed to get over these feelings for Lauren before starting a relationship with someone else.
It was hard being around Lauren, keeping her distance, trying to be a friend while ignoring the crashing desire to be with her. She'd be lying if she said things weren't different between them now.
Bo sat and watched as Lauren and Dyson bickered back and forth.
Lauren cocked her head and then shook it. "You're wrong, Dyson. And you don't even realize how wrong you are."
"Whatever. You don't know everything." He spat back. Lauren really got on his nerves, sure she was smart but that didn't mean she was an expert on everything, whether or not she believed it.
She laughed and rubbed her forehead. "Keep telling yourself that, if it makes you feel better."
"Can you guys shut up and just enjoy the movie?" Bo couldn't believe they had been arguing for so long over a movie. She was used to the two of them arguing, but it was starting drive her crazy. It was just a movie, who argued for 30 minutes over a movie anyways.
"She started it." Dyson pouted, pulling Bo close.
Lauren sat across from the couple and frowned at the display. "Sorry. I won't say another word about it." She popped some popcorn into her month. "He is wrong, though." She didn't know why but she had to get the last word in, she just did.
Dyson just glared at her.
After the movie finished Bo left to go the restroom, leaving Dyson and Lauren alone.
Dyson stared at Lauren, "So, who's your date for prom? Bo and I are going together, of course."
Lauren said nothing just rolled her eyes.
"You need to get over whatever your deal is."
"Uh huh," Lauren said, turning to the door, hoping Bo would come back quickly so she didn't have to talk to Dyson, "I'll be sure to do that."
"What is your problem anyways?" he eyed her, "Are you in love with Bo or something."
She said nothing.
He snorted. "Free advice, get over that real quick. Believe me when I say I know Bo better than you ever will," he leaned forward, "She trusts me and I trust her, can you say the same?"
Lauren was about to speak when Bo reentered the room.
She felt the tense energy of the room, "I'm tired, I'm calling it a night," she said as a not so subtle hint to get them to leave.
XXXX
Bo spent the next few days' irritable and feeling worse about everything. She was done dealing with all this. How pathetic was she that she longed for Lauren so much while Lauren didn't want to be with her, she wondered.
She suddenly had a lot of bottled up energy; she was resentful about everything, why was Lauren acting jealous over Dyson? She never seemed to care before. It was Lauren who called their kiss a mistake. Bo was just trying to respect that, to move on and get over her feelings. The back and forth was starting to drain her.
She stepped into the pool. She took a deep breath, dipping her feet into the water, and dove in. She had started swimming, everyday, recently. It was a way to feel in control of her and her body.
She started slowly letting the warm water cover her face. She shut the world out and concentrated on her movements, her breathing.
She needed to clear her head, and swimming was the only thing that worked lately.
Bo loved the feeling of self-control she had when she swam. This was when she was in command of her body. The only time she had complete authority over her body. She felt strong. Powerful. So many things were out of her control, with her succubus stirring, Lauren, her family, but at least here in the pool she could dictate something.
She made her way down the length of the pool, pausing briefly at the end, to take in some of the warmth from the sun. She smiled when she thought about the times she and Lauren had spent in the pool. She dove deep into the water trying to move away from those thoughts.
Thirty minutes later, she felt relaxed, her muscles limber, her mind cleared.
Bo swam toward the ladder, and when she rose, from the water, she saw Lauren. Suddenly, those loose muscles tensed again.
"What are you doing here?" Bo asked, all her hard work trying to calm herself gone in an instant because of seeing Lauren. She was exasperated.
Lauren crossed her arms, taking a sit on one of the pool chairs, "I felt weird about how we left things, so I needed to see you."
"I'm just sick of you and Dyson bickering like children, lately." She got out of the pool, aggravated.
Lauren started tapping her foot on the pavement. "You know, he just drives me crazy, he thinks he knows everything."
Bo arched her eyebrow, "You do realize how funny that sounds coming from you, right?"
Lauren shook her head. "I only act like a know-it-all about things I know a lot about not things I don't like…" she trailed off.
Bo eyed her up and down, "Like interpersonal communication? Feelings?"
Lauren pushed some hair off her face, "We both know that's something I know nothing about."
"Nobody's perfect." She pursed her lips to keep from grinning.
Pathetic, Bo knew she was pathetic. Here she was starting to feel happy that Lauren was here, that she could be near her. She had a magnetic pull to be close to Lauren, and she was at a loss of how to break free of it. Maybe she liked torturing herself.
Bo got up and walked to the front door, she turned and looked at Lauren over her shoulder, "Are you coming?" she asked.
XXXX
Lauren was pacing around Bo's room looking at her books. "I think we've read all of these together," she said, running her finger over the spine of the books.
"Some more than once." Bo sat on her bed drying her wet skin.
Lauren gave Bo an apologetic look. "Bo, I am really sorry about arguing with Dyson. I will try a lot harder to get along with him."
Bo had to fight the urge to forget all her plans about keeping Lauren at a distance, seeing her standing there made it so difficult.
Again, Bo thought about how she would give almost anything to be able to read Lauren's mind.
"Ok" was all she said, still waiting for Lauren to offer more.
Lauren leaned against Bo's desk.
They sat in silence for a prolonged, drawn out moment. A silence laced with so many things.
"So, you and Dyson are going to prom together?"
"Yep." Bo paused, wanting to ask why she cared but didn't, "He asked and I didn't have a date so, here we are."
Bo contemplated, more than once, about asking Lauren to go with prom with her. She imagined how beautiful Lauren would look in her gown. How they'd dance, laugh, and enjoy being together. But things were different now, and they couldn't do that even as friends. So when Dyson asked her, she said yes.
Lauren pulled her arms into her body and appeared as if she was choosing the right thing to say, and Bo wondered what those unspoken things were. "That's great. Hope you have a great time." She let out a long breath.
Again silence filled the room. That loaded silence.
So Lauren was again acting jealous over Dyson? She opened her mouth and started to say something, to ask Lauren why she cared now? Lauren kissed her, ran and called it a mistake but before she could speak up, Lauren continued. "I guess I always knew you'd go with him, you two have been spending a lot of time together, lately. And I know it's not my place to care."
Now Bo's frustration grew, Lauren kept talking. "I do realize that…what I mean is that I know I'm in no position to get mad about it. I just…" She couldn't get the words out, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't want this or anything to come between us."
Lauren started and stopped, obviously changing her mind instantly about what she was about to say.
Bo was not about to try and hide her anger, not at this moment, "Well I thought you were going with Nadia, or whatever."
Lauren shook her head. "No. Nadia and I aren't really talking anymore. I told her I didn't want to go to prom because it's not really my thing. So she asked someone else. I haven't talked to her since."
"Oh." Bo paused, "What are your plans then?"
"Not sure. Maybe do some experiments or something."
Lauren's eyes fell onto the long white box on Bo's desk, the gift she'd left.
"You never opened my gift." She said, gesturing to the box.
Bo looked at it, she'd forgotten about it somehow. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. I forgot."
Lauren grimaced, "It's ok. Well, I should get going."
XXXX
Bo was getting ready for prom. She should feel some excitement, some happiness but she didn't. She was only going through the motions of what she thought she should be doing, not really feeling anything.
Aife walked into her bedroom. "Ysabeau, I'm so happy you decided to go with Dyson, he is going to be a great Fae one day."
"Uh, huh." Oh joy this again, she thought.
"I'm glad you've gotten over that little crush you had on the Lewis girl. It's better this way, you'll see."
Bo looked at Aife suspiciously, "Sure, whatever you say."
It didn't really matter what Aife said at this point. Lauren made it clear that their kiss was a mistake, and Bo was going to respect that.
She was aware that Aife was still watching her, and she didn't want her to see how unhappy she was, so she buried her emotions. She took a deep breath, "I need to finish getting ready. I don't want to keep Dyson waiting."
She forced a smile.
"Ok, dear. Have a great time."
XXXX
Bo found that she was actually having a good time at the prom. The energy in the room seemed to fuel her, pulling her from her bad mood. It was contagious being around so many people enjoying themselves.
And she didn't even think about Lauren at all. Except that she really did think about Lauren a lot.
Dyson was a great date, a perfect date she'd guess. He made her feel special, paid attention to only her. They danced, laughed.
"Bo! Boooo!" she heard a girl's voice screaming from the other side of the room.
Bo looked toward the sound of shouting to see who it was. It was Nadia, she was coming through the crowd toward Bo and Dyson, not gracefully but stumbling.
"Oh God," Bo muttered under her breath, "I think she's a bit tipsy."
Nadia finally made it over to Bo. "Where's Lauren? I've been lookin' everywhere for her." Her words were a slurred mess.
Dyson looked at Bo as if he was also curious about the blonde's whereabouts.
Bo shrugged, "Home I guess."
"Oh well, I just figured she'd be here with ya." Nadia pointed a finger at Bo's chest, "I mean…she turned me down." She stumbled, "Y'know I worked on that girl for months and months and nothin'. Zip."
Bo's palms began to sweat, her face reddened, slightly.
"It's such a waste…that great body…mmm…wasted on such a cold fish."
Dyson laughed.
Bo slapped Dyson on the arm, "Nadia, you're drunk. Maybe you should go home."
"Ok, mom." She saluted Bo and almost spilled her drink, "Really Bo don't waste your time on that one. She's nothing more than a tease."
"Nadia, you better watch how you speak about Lauren in front of me." Bo took a threatening step towards her.
"Oooohhh, defending her honor I see." She stepped back. "Those panties still ain't never gonna drop."
Bo reached out and grabbed her wrist, "Seriously go home. Sleep it off."
XXXXX
After Bo's confrontation with Nadia her mood soured. She wanted to punch Nadia. She glared at her the rest of the night.
"Bo let's get out of here. Things are starting to get boring." Dyson knew when Bo's mood turned, that he needed to get her away before it ruined the whole night.
Bo sat staring out the car window, not speaking, as Dyson drove.
"So where should we go?"
"I'm tired, I want to go home."
"Oh. Really? It's early. I got us a hotel room…I thought…"
"Why?" She wasn't stupid, she knew why. She wanted to hear him say it.
"It's prom. It seemed like that's what you do."
"I don't want to go anywhere, only home." She turned back toward the window.
He was quiet for a long moment.
"Dyson look I'm sorry. It's just…" she swallowed, "I…um…think you're great and all but…"
He sighed. "It's about her, isn't it?"
"Her?"
"Don't play dumb, Bo. Lauren fucking Lewis." He grabbed the steering wheel tightly. "It's always about her."
Bo turned to look at Dyson, not liking his tone. "What?"
"A human? Really? You're a succubus for gods sake." The anger in his voice was growing, "You could have any Fae, anyone, you want. And you want a human, really? You have needs that no human can ever-"
Bo cuts him off, "Pull over! I want out."
"No way." He shook his head, "You're just running from the truth."
"Pull over now!"
He stopped the car. "Listen, Bo…" He tried to say gently.
"No. You don't get to tell me about my relationship with Lauren." She opens the door to leave, "The Fae could learn a lot from humans. Having hundreds of years of life doesn't make us better than them. And for the record, I would be lucky to be loved by someone like Lauren."
She slammed the door and ran off, carrying her shoes.
XXXX
Bo walked up the lawn, to Lauren's house, the blades of grass soft and wet under her bare feet. She was tired, she was sad, but she wanted to see Lauren, needed to see her.
"Bo?" Lauren whispered, opening the door. "What's wrong?" She looked surprised to her.
"Can I come in?" She looked past Lauren into the house. "Is your brother home?"
Lauren opened the door and gestured for Bo to enter. "He'll be at the lab, all night or so he says. What happened?"
Bo didn't answer. She took Lauren's hand and gradually led her up the stairs to her bedroom.
Bo sat on Lauren's bed, and Lauren stood across the room frowning. Lauren would not ask Bo what happened again, she knew better than most about not wanting to talk about certain things.
After a while Bo spoke, "Do you remember when I had that giant book report to do, and you stayed with me for entire Saturday helping me."
Lauren smiled and nodded. "I do. You got an excellent grade as I recall."
"Do you also remember how you kept making me food? You made those little pizzas?"
"Bo, are you asking me to make you something to eat?"
Bo nodded, biting her bottom lip. "But first do you something I could change into." She motioned down toward her prom dress that she was still wearing.
XXXX
Bo sat on the kitchen counter while Lauren got out all the supplies for pizza.
"Do you want me to help?" Bo asked.
Lauren shook her head, "I've never seen you make anything but PB&J sandwiches." Lauren teased. "Maybe you could do the dishes after."
"Deal." Bo grinned and watched Lauren start cutting up vegetables.
"I'm surprised that-" Lauren started, "Ouch. Shoot." She said and brought her finger up to her mouth.
"What happened?" Bo jumped down from the counter.
"I cut my finger, no big deal." Lauren said as she put her finger under the running water. "Could you go get a bandage from the closet down the hall?"
Bo went quickly to get it and returned.
"Let me see." Bo walked over to Lauren and carefully took her hand and inspected the cut. "It's not bad." She whispered tenderly drying off Lauren's hand. After she put the bandage on she lightly kissed Lauren's finger.
"Bo." Lauren sighed softly, quickly licking her bottom lip.
Bo moved closer. They were standing so close and Bo's lips barely brushed against Lauren's mouth. They both swallowed hard. Bo's smirk grew slowly against Lauren's lips.
"Lauren I won't kiss you unless you ask me to." She pulled away, staring into Lauren's eyes, "So ask me…"
A/N
Greetings!
I wanted to thank everyone for reading my little fic and leaving comments and reviews. It helps a lot to keep me motivate but also lets me gauge if all the different elements are working as I hoped. So thank you again for taking the time to read, leave a comment or review.
Couple questions have been asked, and all I'll say is that a lot of things are left mysterious for a reason and will be addressed. Trick's POV is coming up soon so that might answer some questions about Lauren's father and Bo/Trick's relationship.
Next update will probably not be until early next week, an important Bo scene is coming up, and I'd like to take some time and try and get it right or at least close to it.
Thanks again!