XXXX

The Morrigan let herself into Trick's office followed closely by several henchmen.

She took a seat. She exaggeratedly crossed her legs with a smirk on her face.

"Trick, I'd love to say it's a pleasure to see you but we both know that would be a lie. So, I'll get to the chase."

"Would you like something to drink, Evony?" He asked ignoring her rude behavior.

"No. I would like to talk about what we're going to do about your granddaughter and her human lover."

"Perhaps your gentleman friends would like something?"

She put her hand up, dismissively. "How kind. But ignore them, they're nothing but wallpaper, irrelevant to our conversation."

They stared each other down.

"Very well." He leaned forward. "What are you playing at here? You know Ysabeau had nothing to do with those murders." He looked at her, his eyes dangerously dark. "There is no credible evidence tying her to any of those murders."

She laughed amusingly, "Oh, Trick we both know that matters not when people are out for blood. They'll gladly accept any scapegoat as long as someone pays."

He pulled back, still giving her a pointed stare.

"But-" She started, bringing her fingers up moving them together. "I'm not interested in your granddaughter. All I want is the human."

He got up and walked to the window.

She glared at his back. "Give me the human and all charges against your granddaughter will disappear." She snapped her fingers. "Just like that."

XXXX

Bo lay peacefully with her girlfriend. She knew that everything and nothing would change, now that they had sex. Bo was in awe by what they'd done, amazed that they'd shared this wonderful and beautiful moment. They seemed to sync together, that it was so easy, so effortless.

Bo was so afraid of losing control, but once they started all that fear washed away. It was nothing like what she expected it to be-it was more.

They cuddled together under the blankets, both exhausted and spent as warmth pooled between them.

Bo rested her chin on the top of Lauren's head, stroking her hair. She breathed deeply, inhaling Lauren's invigorating scent; she closed her eyes, relaxing as she sank further into her. They fell asleep wrapped in each other's warmth and arms.

Bo rolled onto her back and stared at the cracks in the ceiling above her. Bright daylight strained through the white curtains.

She was in Lauren's bed, and even though she was gone, Bo could still smell her in the blankets and pillows around her. Bo stretched out across the bed, and reluctantly threw off the blankets. Bo still felt Lauren all over her skin, clinching her body. She closed her eyes relishing in the warmth rushing through her by thinking about Lauren and what they'd done.

A cool chill moved across her naked body as she searched for her disregarded clothes.

Lauren was in the kitchen, cooking, when Bo came down the stairs. It smelled delicious and Lauren, herself, looked delicious only wearing a tiny tight white t-shirt and small underwear.

Bo tried to push down the desire to immediately repeat last night's activities, right there, she really didn't want to pounce on Lauren and yet…

"Hey," Lauren said, glancing up from the stove. Steam hitting her face, giving her face a glossy coat that Bo thought looked really sexy.

Bo smiled lazily at her girlfriend, "Thanks for letting me sleep in."

"I figured you were pretty exhausted after last night."

Bo gave Lauren an adorable smile as she walked up behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist. "What about you?" she asked as she kissed Lauren's shoulder and neck.

Lauren grinned, and returned Bo's adorable smile. "Yeah, well someone has to make sure we're fed." Lauren leaned back into Bo's body. "And I had to make sure Nick wasn't home before you got up."

Bo cringed as she glanced around the house, how had they been so reckless-they could have been caught. "Oh, shit! Lauren, I better get going." She pulled away from her.

"Don't worry. He never came home last night, I texted him. He's already at the lab, all day."

Bo stepped back further from Lauren, her face serious, "We were careless, last night." Bo bit the inside of her cheek. She had gotten so swept up in the emotions and the desires, she didn't think about anything else. And the morning after it was clear just how careless they had been.

From the look on Lauren's face, that was the last thing she'd expected her to say. "You think last night was a mistake?"

Bo stepped back, leaning against the kitchen table. "Of course not. How could I think that was a mistake-it was perfect but we have to be careful."

Lauren scowled at Bo. "I know my brother's schedule, we were in no danger of getting caught."

Bo rubbed her temple and covered her eyes. This wasn't how she wanted the morning after their first time together to go.

She decided to change the subject, "Do you need any help?"

"No, I wanted to do this for you…to thank you." The tenderness of her words made Bo's heart twist.

Bo smiled a satisfied smile. "Yeah." She moved closer to Lauren. "For what?"

"It's just…you know…last night was perfect, you were perfect. It was everything I'd dreamed it to be."

Bo pulled Lauren into a hug and held her tight. She ran her fingertips over her back, getting lost in the feel of her back beneath her thin t-shirt. "I love you, Lauren Lewis. Now and forever." She kissed her eyes, gently. "Now finish breakfast so that we can repeat last night."

Lauren tilted back and looked at Bo with her eyes half closed, she reached and turned off the stove. "Why wait?"

She grabbed Bo's hand and pulled her upstairs.

As Bo followed Lauren up the stairs, a pressure was building in her stomach, her mouth filled with wetness. She swallowed hard several times and let her girlfriend lead her to the bedroom.

XXXX

Lauren finally got up from the bed to get dress. Bo leaned on her elbow and watched as she pulled on her shirt. She wanted to stay in bed longer, all day; she missed the feel of Lauren next to her, her warmth, and her scent. The way Lauren looked, only in a shirt, her hair tousled made Bo's stomach flip.

Bo could do this forever, she thought, making love to Lauren all night and morning, eating breakfast together. She could think of nothing that would make her happier.

Lauren noticed Bo staring at her, "What?" she asked, looking down at herself self-consciously.

"Nothing. You look beautiful."

Lauren leaned onto the bed and gently kissed her. "You're not so bad yourself."

"I'm just happy. So very happy." Bo whispered unto Lauren's lips.

XXXX

That same morning, Bo got a text from Trick that another body was found. This time it was a Dark Fae. The murders were happening more often now. Trick was grim, and Bo was stressed. There was almost nothing to go on. Now that they were bodies on both sides, a war between the Light and Dark was inching closer.

As summer was upon them, Bo was excited at the thought of all the activities she wanted to do with her girlfriend. Her thoughts focused on Lauren in a bikini, Lauren wet, Lauren…but Bo couldn't avoid investigating the murders and working as much as possible at the Dal. Sometimes she wished for a simpler life, where she could just happily enjoy her girlfriend.

She sat across from Lauren as they ate breakfast. She pushed down those thoughts and grinned widely, eyes sparkling.

"What?" Lauren asked.

"Nothing. You just look absolutely beautiful. Like a goddess."

Lauren snorted, "Bo, you're so cheesy, sometimes." She lightheartedly threw a piece of toast at Bo.

Bo picked up the thrown piece and ate it, "No. I'm honest." She said then she winked at her.

Lauren smiled back, cheesy or not Bo was always adorable. "Ok."

They continued to eat their breakfast. "Bo, you haven't been followed or anything since that one night, right?"

Bo felt guilty about not telling Lauren about the notes, but she really didn't want to worry her. Lauren had enough to deal with without worrying about her stalker.

Bo shook her head.

"That's good to hear." She paused. "How's the investigation going?"

"I…I mean the Light Fae have nothing to go on. It's pretty frustrating." She rubbed her face slowly. "Now, a Dark Fae has been killed, so things are escalating quickly." She looked at Lauren with a serious expression. "There's always been an uneasy peace between the Light and Dark and some are just looking for any excuse to get into another war."

Lauren was quiet, for a long minute. "You should go see Nick."

This surprised Bo, "Why?" She asked, not really wanting to deal with Lauren's brother.

"He's a jerk, sometimes but very smart. He might be able to see something others have missed. Maybe he could help."

Bo didn't want to go see Nick, he gave her the creeps, after lurking outside her house that night but Lauren might be right, she had nothing to lose.

"I'll think about it."

XXXX

Only one day later, Bo was walking through the Light Fae compound toward Nick's lab. She couldn't help but notice the anxiety she had by being there. She couldn't help it, her palms sweated, her stomach churned.

Apparently, Nick had been working on the Fae case, with no results, but Bo decided to seek his help regardless.

She hated that Nick and the compound made her so uneasy. She wasn't sure exactly why all this bothered her so much, it just did. Also, she didn't know Nick, she never did. He was a mystery. He never said two words at their dinners. He would just sit there almost invisible, or maybe Bo was always too distracted by Lauren to even notice him much.

She paused briefly at his office door before gaining the confidence to knock. She finally did.

As she entered his office, her uncomfortable feelings grew. His office was cold, clean, and impersonal. Bo stiffened.

"Umm…Hey, Nick. I wanted to know if I could ask you a few questions about those Fae murders?"

He looked at her cold, hard for a long time then gave her his fake smile. "Sure go ahead. I have maybe 7 or 9 minutes free." As he said this, he continued his work, almost as if he was ignoring her.

It kind of pissed her off, a little, a lot really.

"Ok." She said as civil as she could, despite her annoyance. "I know you worked on this case for awhile, did you have any leads."

"No." He continued his disinterested responses while continuing his work. She could have punched him. He was so frustrating. "But I did get the feeling that it was Fae related, like a territory dispute or something." He added absentmindedly.

"Interesting." Although it wasn't really new information, that's what everyone's theory was at the moment. "Well…" She wanted to go, so she tried to end the conversation quickly.

But he stopped her when he said. "So you've been seeing a lot of my sister lately, huh?"

She froze. "Oh, I mean I guess. We're great friends." Trying to sound friendly and casual.

"Oh, of course." He paused, for a long moment tense moment. "Friends."

They studied each other, neither saying anything.

"You know the thing about Lauren is she's very naïve. Very trusting. She's smart but not people smart." He narrowed his eyes as he stared her down.

Bo stared back not wanting to give anything away, to give him the reaction his was obviously searching for.

He continued, "She doesn't know what's best for her-but I do, I know what's best."

Her temper flared, "I think-"

He cut her off, "I know my sister better than anyone else, you see. And she needs protection from herself, sometimes."

Bo knew what game they were playing here. Games. Everyone was always playing games.

"Lauren, I suspect can choose her own friends."

"Perhaps."

"Look-" Her tone sharp.

"Oh, I'm sorry your nine minutes are up, I must insist you let me return to work." He turned his back on her. "These samples won't categorize themselves, you know."

She opened her mouth to tell him what he could do with those samples but changed her mind and left the lab, quickly.

XXXX

Kenzi, Dyson, and Bo were at the Dal playing pool. Bo was unfocused after her weird encounter with Lauren's brother.

"What's wrong, Bo?" Kenzi asked holding her pool stick preparing her shot.

Bo shrugged. "Stressed out."

"About what?" Dyson asked, his chin resting on the side of the pool table.

Bo didn't want to talk about this but thought maybe she'd feel better about it if she did. "Trick gave me some files on the Fae murders."

They both looked at her, slightly stunned. "Really?" They asked together.

"Why so shocked?" She tone slightly annoyed that they'd be so shocked she was doing this. "Anyway, I went to Lauren's brother for help, and I don't know, he was acting very odd. It gave me a bad feeling."

"Oh, that guy's creepy." Dyson responded now holding his pool stick behind his head. "I've heard so many stories about people having strange experiences with him at the lab, especially woman."

Bo looked at him concerned, starting to feel nauseous.

"Here." He pulled out his phone, "Call this lady, she can tell you all about it."

Bo copied the number, her mind racing.

XXXX

Lauren sighed deeply and paced around her room. She took another look at her laptop, still unsure about what she was looking at.

She quickly made a list of books to get from the library.

After she continued to stare at the screen, she finally decided she'd get nowhere today and put the flash drive away.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. "Miss you." A text from Bo, she smiled at her phone and sent out a quick, "Ditto."

She lightly traced over her shoulder with her fingers. It was a habit she'd recently picked up. When she became aware of what she was doing. She pulled her hand down, swiftly.

Bo: "Meet me somewhere," another text from Bo.

Lauren: "Where?"

Bo; "I don't know. I need to see you."

Lauren: "How about the spot where we first met? In the woods."

Bo: "Perfect."

XXXX

Bo rested on her elbow, on a blanket on the ground, while Lauren lay in front of her.

Bo was dancing her fingers on Lauren's thigh.

Bo kissed her neck sweetly.

They were both enjoying being close. They didn't even need to talk.

Lauren brought her fingers up to Bo's, playing with them leisurely.

After a while of just laying there, Bo started teasing Lauren, tickling her all over. Lauren giggled, struggling to get away and ended up on her back, with Bo covering her body.

Bo's heart was thundering hard in her chest, no matter what Lauren always made her body react that way.

Bo leaned down and kissed her. She barely lifted her mouth from hers, their warm breath mixing. "I'm so happy being here with you."

Lauren smiled, bit her lip and arched her eyebrow.

Bo let out a groan at that look, moving her lips to Lauren's neck.

Lauren brought her fingers up to Bo's hair, pulling tight. The hard tug sent tremors through Bo's body.

Bo leaned up and ran her teeth playfully over Lauren's lips. They suddenly pressed their mouths together, tongues caressing gently against each other.

"Mmm." Lauren breathed when they finally broke apart. Her eyes closed tightly. "Bo." She swallowed hard. "This ground is really hard."

Bo got up quickly, "Sorry." She pulled Lauren onto her lap, Lauren straddling her. She pushed into another kiss, slipping her hand underneath Lauren's shirt, lightly stroking her back.

Lauren had a tight grip on her shoulders. Their mouths met again slowly and deeply massaging each other tongues.

Bo angled forward, pushing harder into Lauren and started removing her shirt, but had to stop when she felt her phone vibrating.

Bo pulled back quickly, "Shit." She reached down to get her phone and read the message. She looked at Lauren with a mixed of regret and concern. "It's from Trick. The Morrigan's in town, he needs to see me, ASAP."

Lauren glanced down to Bo's phone, also with a worried look. "What does that mean?"

Bo sat up straight while Lauren left her lap. "I think it means this war is really heating up."

XXXX

The Morrigan never came into their territory, so the fact that she was there, meant that things were bad.

"I'll be meeting with her tomorrow." Trick told Aife and Bo, who sat across from him.

"She just can't come into our territory uninvited," Aife hissed out.

"These aren't exactly normal circumstances, though." Trick looked grave. "Everything is getting chaotic with both sides blaming each other."

"Sounds like war is what someone wants," Bo offered. "Seems calculated and deliberate."

"As it may be, but we have no evidence of that. And the Morrigan is not going to accept anything less than the person getting caught in the act or confessing."

"So, what are we to do?" Aife asked.

"Diplomacy appears to be our only option. Let's hope she doesn't war, either."

Aife huffed, "Good luck with that, that woman's wanted war for years."

XXXX

After the long, frustrating meeting Bo sat in her room. Her gaze fell over her destroyed bedroom. She kicked the broken pieces of her things out of her way. Finally, she slipped into her bed wrapping her blankets tightly around her body.

She ran her hands over her eyes. She couldn't get this gnawing feeling out of her mind, that Lauren's brother was linked to all this.

His behavior was so odd.

She felt sick as she thought about Lauren and that he was her only family left. She feared what this news would do to her, if it turned out to be true.

She needed to be sure before she said anything to Lauren. She needed to get answers, somehow. If she was going to break Lauren's heart, she had to sure beyond any doubt.

She hoped, silently to herself, that she was wrong that this feeling was nothing. For Lauren's sake, she hoped that Nick was stressed or something, that he had nothing to do with any of this.

She closed her eyes, tightly, her mind drifting back to Lauren's branding, her scream and tears starting running down her face.

XXXX

Nick was almost dancing as he entered the house. Everything was so perfect. The Morrigan was in town, right on schedule.

Soon he could just sit back and watch as they devoured each other, and he could finally put all his attention on that succubus.

How dare she come to his lab? With her filthy body, which no doubt had been all over his sister. His sweet, innocence sister was under her spell, nothing but a thrall now, a mindless slave following the succubus' every move.

Friends. Yes, succubus keep up that lie. For what good it will do you.

He pushed back his thoughts about Bo, and focused on the war, his glorious war. The time for the succubus will come but now was the time to celebrate.

He ascended the stairs, whistling merrily.