Disclaimer: Lost Girl belongs to Showcase or SYFY and I am only playing in their universe.
A/N: Once again thanks to all the reviewers and readers. The story moves on and I had to throw in a planning session before the party, so here it is. Poke a bit of fun at Tamsin, don't be mad, I do like the character and she will be helping out in later chapters. Thanks again, appreciate your comments.
Lauren was running out of darkness as she approached the shack. The things she had seen and heard had Lauren so upset she stayed out and remained moving until she could calm down and think things through. At first she was frantic to get home and share what she had learned. As she considered the situation Lauren knew there was nothing she could do for Bo right now so she focused on planning her next move. More than anything she wanted to rescue Bo the minute she saw her but it would have been futile. Lauren would have to wait one more day to hold Bo in her arms. Checking the surroundings, she sensed there were more people around and she could no longer chance her shifter form. Once in human form, Lauren pulled the collar of her jacket up to hide her features.
Approaching the wide open lot of the shack she looked for anything out of the ordinary. There was nothing strange. She was having a twinge of guilt at having left Kenzi alone last night and hoped everything was alright. Stepping onto the lot she saw the scene shift just slightly and she felt as if she stepped through the void charm again, but this time there was a faint odor that accompanied it. "Pizza?" Lauren thought but didn't take the time to truly identify it. Running flat out Lauren charged into the run down house. This was her enemy's signature and her friends were in trouble.
Shifting the minute she opened the door. Lauren let out her cat's scream and sprang into the house. With an answering scream, Kenzi rolled and fell off the couch where she had been sleeping. She landed on Dyson who was sleeping on the floor. He jumped and tossed Kenzi into the air and scrambled to his feet ready for a fight. Lauren had to move fast as she dove and caught Kenzi before she crashed into the wall. Blocking and holding the girl tight she rolled and had them both upright in seconds.
"Holy Crap Lauren!" said a shaking Kenzi through gasps for breath. "I think I peed myself. What the hell is wrong with you? "
Dyson was equally agitated. He was breathing deep trying to pull himself together. Lauren could tell he was fighting the shift.
Lauren shifted to human and could not keep the relief off her face. "I am so sorry," said the doctor, "I felt the void charm activate and I thought you had been attacked."
The anger left Kenzi's face to be replaced with one of pure joy. "YESSSSS!" she cried and then did a provocative dance of joy around the living room. With a little more control she said, "I'm going to shower, then I will explain everything." She ran down the hall then stopped turning and yelled, "For that little stunt, you owe us waffles Hotpants."
Turning to look at Dyson, the wolf shifter growled and then fell back onto the couch and pulled a blanket over his head, "And sausage too, cat." Lauren laughed as she turned to the kitchen. She then hung her head low at the mess that Kenzi had left behind. She made a mental note to get Kenzi a new work space.
A good hour later, Lauren was finally able to begin cooking the waffles and sausage. The aroma from the food brought Kenzi running and stirred Dyson on the couch. They all filled their plates and dug in. Lauren was hungry and ate almost as much as Dyson and Kenzi combined. With full bellies, everyone was in a much happier mood even through it was way too early for any normal person to be up. Good thing no one at the table could be considered normal anymore.
Lauren cleared her throat to talk about what she had seen but Kenzi interrupted, "Me first," downing the last of her coffee and then holding the cup out to Dyson for a refill. "So I did my druid thing with my hands and all." Kenzi held her hands above and table palms down and gave a quick example, "and was coming up with exactly zero. So I thought back to how Hilde kept talking about my gypsy roots. That got me thinking how gypsies don't waste anything. There had been a perfectly good charm on this house so why not work with it I say to myself. Learn by taking it apart and putting my own spin on it." Lauren and Dyson both shifted uncomfortably and shared a look.
"I saw that," said Kenzi with a stern look, "I used the same spell I used before to find the edges of the charm in the first place." She looked a Lauren and made a throwing motion. "I was able to locate the lingering parts of the spell that were still around. There was one pretty good size chunk floating near the front door so I reached out and grabbed the sucker."
"Kenzi!" both Dyson and Lauren said at the same time. Each was envisioning the horrible things that could have gone wrong.
"Easy now, happy ending on the way people, remember intent is everything, nothing bad about the magic itself." said Kenzi with a sniff sounding every bit the confident druid.
Lauren could almost hear Hilde saying the same thing. "Go master Yoda," she thought and smiled to herself, "Credit yourself another successful student."
"The second my hand hit the charm, I knew how to make it." grinned Kenzi, "Just popped into my mind, it might have even been something Massimo made up himself. I pulled my hand away and ran to the house to make up a batch but what good would it do for us. So I thought what if we reverse this puppy, put the illusion on all the time instead of only when someone enters the place. Allow us to hide in plain sight. I used that to go on and 'Bam!' if I didn't have the thing figured out in a matter of minutes. Just two extra ingredients, foxtail and oregano, who would think that oregano would be so powerful." The girl sounded so much like Lauren in geek speak mode that her tablemates had to hide their chuckles.
"Today I'm going to add everyone's hair and stuff to see if we can tighten up the spell and get some type of alert." She finished and looked to the two shifters, "Add your applause here." said Kenzi eye's flashing with excitement as the girl finally took a breath. She bowed as Lauren and Dyson sounded their appreciation for Kenzi's efforts. "There is a problem. I don't know how long it will last. The thing sucks energy and I am not so good with that part yet but," said the determined druid, "I'll figure it out. Hilde showed me a trick or two."
Lauren opened her mouth to tell her tale but Dyson broke in, "Talked to Trick and Hale and learned next to nothing. Trick is following the letter of the law as the Ash and will not interfere with this Wanderer guy. Thought the night was going to be a bust but then Vex came in."
"How's my little goth buddy?" asked Kenzi.
"Well if you mean the Morrigan of the Dark Fae, he's still a jerk." said Dyson with a growl. "But he did do something interesting. He invited the light fae to join the dark fae at his club to celebrate La Shoshain, and Tamsin verified that Bo is going to be there with her father.
"What was Tamsin doing there?" said Lauren. She was looking down but she knew her eyes flashed gold for just a moment at the valkyrie's name.
Dyson broke into a huge grin, "Oh yeah you don't know. Vex and Tamsin have hooked up. They are the dark fae 'it' couple. The Morrigan and the Valkyrie have been on for about a year."
Lauren's head snapped up and she stared at Kenzi. The women were speechless and then they both spoke at the same time. "Poor Vex!" The women looked at each other then laughed until they cried. Dyson didn't really see what was so amusing and sat quietly shaking his head until the two settled down.
When Lauren and Kenzi were both quiet, gasping for air and clutching their sides in pain, Dyson continued, "It's a costume event and we are all going to be there. It could be are only chance to get close to Bo. We have one day to prepare." He was quiet for a moment and then added, "Oh yeah, Hale is on his way over sometime today. It would be good to get his input and help."
"Okay Lauren," said Kenzi taking a deep breath still in a state of recovery, "You've tried twice to tell us about your night. Out with it, did your kitty-self rummage through some trash cans for fish bones and yowl on some fences?" said the girl with a smile and a little tease to her voice. Lauren took no offence to the comments.
"I saw Bo." said Lauren quietly. The room went silent then exploded in, "Why didn't you say something? Where was she? Is she okay? Did she see you?" taking a sip of coffee she waited for the two tablemates to calm down. Lauren then continued when the other two quieted and were listening intently. "I would have told you immediately if there was anything we could do now, but as Dyson said our in is tomorrow night at the celebration."
Lauren settled in and told of what she seen at Dyson's apartment. How the mist creature had appeared and carried the voice of Bo's father, the trip to the estate where Bo was staying and how strangely the succubus was acting. Lauren then shared how Bo's was being treated by her father.
When she mentioned the cruel messages and then the curtsey that Bo made to her father, Kenzi exploded in Russian and had to be stopped from running out of the house to find her friend. "For two years I was forced to bow down to the bastard Massimo and I just can't sit back and …" Dyson pulled the little druid into a careful embrace.
"It gets worse." said the doctor, "As I watched the man walk Bo into the house and he was pulling chi from Bo's back. I think that is why she is so weak. He is draining her energy. To calm myself down I ran for hours trying to figure out just what I was seeing." Lauren got quiet.
The room went silent for a short time, "What type of fae is Bo's father?" asked Dyson. The history the doctor had working with the fae made her the best person to ask after Trick.
Lauren cleared her throat, "Well at first I thought he was like me, a hybrid of fae.
"But I thought you were ahh…..unique." said Kenzi. "I mean Taft injected you with all that junk and everything. You don't think he made this guy do you?"
"For a moment I have to say it crossed my mind. I freaked out thinking that I might be the cause of Bo's imprisonment. But the timeline doesn't fit and I know I destroyed the research to replicate my techniques and there isn't any of my original formula left to begin to form another being like me." said Lauren.
"Then what is this guy?" ask Dyson with a growl, "and how can we kill him?"
"The hit teams we have encountered and the man's various powers gave it away." said Lauren with a smile letting her inner geek out to play, "With that voice, I would assume he is using the powers of a mesmer, something like Vex. I was not the target of his speech and I still could feel the effects. Then there's the enfield creature. A smoke demon can use a surrogate or proxy of smoke to attack." Lauren smiled and said, "then there's his succubus traits." She looked at her friends in triumph. "A succubus." she said again as if it would clear up the blank looks around the table. Rolling her eyes she continued, "Succubi are all women. An Incubus is the male version of the species. But what I detected was specifically succubus."
"Well we know that you have done your research on a certain succubus, Doc." Laughed Kenzi, "So are you telling us that Bo's dad is undergoing a sex change? Which I am okay with, no judgment here." said Kenzi holding her hands up.
"No what she is saying is that Bo's father is a magical fae, like a witch or a warlock" said Dyson with a growl. "Some magical fae can store the powers of other creatures in their blood. The powers can be from males or females it doesn't matter. Like a safety deposit box for valuables or an ammo box to be tapped as needed. You just have to hope they won't sell you out to the highest bidder. At times the more powerful magical fae can mimic the power they store. Like a harmless snake mimics the coloring of a more dangerous relative. The hit teams we have come across have all had some type of magical fae involved. Good detective work Doc."
"But magical fae are generally weak, almost human-like aren't they?" said Kenzi. "You listed three different fae. Someone would have to be pretty strong to hold on to three different powers."
Lauren said seriously, "I believe Bo's father is a dark mage." Dyson sat back placing his coffee mug down with a thump and whistled.
"What is it? What's a dark mage?" said Kenzi.
"A mage is an ancient type of magician. For magic fae with age comes power. To be considered a mage you have to be at least two thousand years old." said Dyson. This time it was Kenzi's turn to sit back.
"Somehow this mage has found a way to more than mimic the powers he has stored, he has found a way to utilize them. It would also explain the want for Trick to use his blood. If the mage could get a drop of Trick's power flowing through his veins and actually use it. Well that's just too scary of a thought. He killed Rondo and the Trolls because if the plan gets out it will be all out war before the Wanderer is ready." said Lauren.
"Okay then we tell Vex and Trick. They can do a beat down on this guy's ass and it's over." said Kenzi.
Dyson growled, "But Bo would never survive it. The man would drain her chi to energize his other powers. She is too weak at this point to fight him off. He would just drink her energy dry."
"Okay how do we stop the bastard and get Bo back?" said Kenzi. The blank looks around the table were not reassuring. The room was silent as everyone considering what could be done.
Kenzi finally spoke up making the others' jump, "Okay I'm focusing on something else so I don't freak out. Dyson you said we're going to a costume party, what's the theme?"
Dyson snorted, "Leather, what else would a party at Vex's club require?"
"No worries," said an altogether too happy Kenzi, "I have this one handled," her grin was one of pure joy.
Lauren had not really been listening, she was thinking of Kenzi's first question. "We need to attack each of his powers individually. That's how we beat him." she said more to herself than anyone else. Her tablemates turned to face her. "I have an idea for a plan," Lauren said and then asked Dyson, "You said Hale was coming over right?" Dyson nodded that the bar keep would be stopping by. "That's good we are going to need him." Lauren had a set to her jaw. "Kenzi after you finish your work altering the void charm. I have some ideas for your next project." Lauren yawned, "I need to get some sleep. Can we pick this up in a few hours?"
"Sounds like a plan, I have some shopping to do." said Kenzi starting to dial her phone. Dyson grabbed the last waffle and hit the couch for a nap too. All of them had the feeling that things were just about to get very interesting.
Lauren woke to the sounds of yelling, laughing and the smell of burning hair. Walking to the stairs Lauren saw Dyson rolling on the floor in hysterics. Kenzi was standing with a bucket in her hand next to Hale who was soaking wet with burnt spots on his clothing and holding the brim of his hat. The rest of the stylish topper had been burned away.
"Hale?" said Lauren and he looked up and then shook his head.
"Oh hell no! I have been set on fire, nearly drowned and now am face to face with fae enemy number one. I need to just back up out of here right now and pretend none of this happened." The man said in exasperation.
"Hale, I am so sorry," said Kenzi looking apologetic and pleased as the same time. "You were supposed to call first and not just come walking in the door. You have got to knock first, dude. You do not want to mess with my mad skills." Hale looked totally confused.
Lauren couldn't hide the smile that touched her lips, "Got the alarm installed Kenzi?"
"Yep, from the looks of it I nailed the sucker too." said the druid with pride. She worked most of the morning and into the afternoon until her spell had the right feel. She had applied her work to the frame of the house. If you entered the shack in anyway without being invited it was going to be a painful experience. One Hale had learned the hard way. She had also add sunflower powder and found a way to sustain the energy of the spell. Like a solar alarm system with badass consequences.
"Is the illusion still set on the place?" ask Lauren.
Kenzi nodded, "Sort of, the alarm is a separate spell and only on the house. The illusion spell is starting to fade. Do you want me try to redo it?" With a look to Dyson who had returned from getting his friend a towel, they agreed that it would be okay to lose that spell with this new one in place.
Hale looked at them all, "What the hell is going on here?" he asked catching the towel that Dyson tossed him.
"Changes, my man, lots and lots of changes." Said Dyson and motioned for the entire group to take a seat. They had one day to plan Bo's rescue and how to take down of her father.
After many hours and four pizzas the majority of the plan was set. Each of the participants adding what they could to help out. Hale had been able to informed the group of some of the rules they would have to play by on a legal level. The toughest piece of information was the fact that no obvious action could be taken in the club itself. The former Ash explained, "The location of the official La Shoshain celebration is considered sacred ground. All types of fae are supposed to be able to gather without fear, goes with the whole peace treaty thing. You create a big ruckus and the elders with end you on the spot."
Lauren cleared her throat, she had forced herself to think objectively early on in this process. She gave her doctor's perspective of the situation, "To defeat the Wanderer we have to get Bo away from him. I think that is how he is gathering enough power to force his mimic abilities beyond their normal limits. Bo is one of the most powerful fae in existence. Although it is not well known, Bo has…had a vast amount of chi stored in her body. She still needs to feed regularly but her body has developed defenses so that she will not lose control between feeds or if the feeds are not full scale. It keeps her from losing control if her fresh chi levels drop. Only the most powerful of the species have this ability, survival of the fittest and what not."
Rushing on, Lauren continued, "With the mental aspect of the Wanderer's control of Bo," the whole table saw how hard Lauren was fighting to keep her emotions under control. "He has somehow blocked Bo's ability to call her succubus nature fully or she has been weakened to a level where her full succubus powers have gone dormant in an effort to keep her alive." Lauren said with the tone of a scientist needing to block some of the other feelings so she would not be overwhelmed. "We need to stir the succubus and get Bo to feed and have some energy to fight back. Seeing how weak she is, he has pulled an enormous amount of power from her." said Lauren sadly.
"So Lauren, your part in stirring up the succubus will be…." said Kenzi with smile, trying desperately to break the tension in Lauren's eyes. The girl was cut off by a more serious Hale.
"How do you figure that Doc? Do you have any evidence that Bo is the key to his guy's strength?" asked Hale. "What if we get her away and the man still possesses all his powers?"
"Well the voice that he is using to convey his mesmer power is pure sex appeal for one thing." Lauren gave a laugh and blushed a bit. "Bo's power is tainted by her personality and well Bo's is….." Lauren just kinda smiled at the rest.
"Sex on wheels," said Kenzi with a laugh. "We know."
Thankful for not having to explain more Lauren moved on, "Then there is the fact that I saw him use succubus traits mixed with the use of his framiliar. That has to be a side benefit of her chi, a smoke demon could never do that. I think we get Bo away from him and force him to use his abilities. It will drain him and his true nature will be revealed."
"How do we get Bo away from him?" ask Kenzi
Lauren put her arm around the girl and gave her a smile. "Do you still have Vex's number?" she asked then shifted to look at Hale. The man was uneasy under her gaze. "How's that wonderful whistle of yours?" the doctor asked. Looking to Dyson, she said, "Think we need to talk to Trick too."
The plan was set and it was later in the evening. Kenzi was forcing Dyson and Hale to take her back to the health food store to replenish her druid supplies. Lauren walked to her room and found a pink box with a black lace ribbon tied around it. Not touching it Lauren yelled down the stairs, "What's this box?"
Kenzi yelled back, "It's your costume for the party." Kenzi grabbed Dyson and Hale's arms and started pushing them out the door.
Lauren opened the box and as she held up the dark brown leather she yelled, "KENZI!" The three figures outside the house were laughing as they ran.