It had been a month since Ciara's funeral. Dyson had taken off again, claiming he needed to escape to the woods for a while and reconvene to find his purpose with the Great Wolf Spirit. Bo was relieved when he genuinely promised he would return. If Lauren could forgive him for all those years of torture, Bo could forgive him for pushing her pregnant wife out of grief. That, and she did punch the forgiveness out of him. When it looked like he wasn't going to show for his girlfriend's funeral, Bo was glad when he called the night before; she hadn't expected to punch him or beat him up, but he had called looking for a fight. Bo was more than happy to push him back for pushing her wife. She really didn't mean to punch so hard that she almost dislocated his jaw.

Lauren was not one to complain about anything, but she had commented a few times that she felt bloated and uncomfortable. When Bo voiced her concern, the doctor relayed her fears that something was wrong, stating that it was normal. Bo also asked why Lauren wasn't showing yet, which concerned her since Kenzi had started showing about her second trimester. If Lauren was three months pregnant like she suspected, why wasn't she showing? Did that mean something was wrong?

In order to alleviate her fears, Lauren took Bo with her for the first ultrasound, which the doctor had Janelle do a dating one. Bo was only slightly concerned that the nurse was going to see her wife completely naked despite the gown. Lauren's wince when the gel was placed on her stomach caused Bo's brain to go into protective mode.

That's when she saw the picture on the computer screen.

It looked like a large peanut with tiny arms and legs, but Lauren and Janelle both said that was a good thing. The sound of a heartbeat was the thing that made Bo flush with excitement. She no longer cared that Janelle was standing right there and that her wife was exposed to the room, Bo leaned down and placed a quick and strong kiss on Lauren's lips before running into the hallway where Kenzi was waiting. She pulled her best friend inside, and pointed at the screen, no longer fighting her tears of happiness.

Lauren chuckled from the bed and rolled her eyes, holding out her hand for Bo to take. She had moved on instinct; Kenzi came to stand beside them but far enough away to give them this moment. Bo remembered being in here for Kenzi when Lauren had done her first ultrasound. While she loved that moment, the moment she heard her own baby's heartbeat was a thousand times more intense. Janelle printed them off some pictures and saved the files on the computer for Lauren, who finally was allowed to stand and get dressed.

Bo didn't care that Kenzi was getting to see Lauren naked now, too, despite Lauren's attempts to keep herself covered from the young girl.

When they got home, Bo placed the picture on the refrigerator. Mary Dennis used to put her pictures and awards on the refrigerator to show how proud she was of her adopted daughter. Bo believed this was her proudest achievement yet.

Lauren explained that she was somewhat accurate in her assessment of how far along she was, but she had already done the math before talking to Bo and said they must have conceived that night in the lab after dinner with her parents or any of the next few days after that. That meant Lauren was possibly pregnant when she rode that mechanical bull. Either that, or the mechanical bull and Bo's virility at seeing her wife on that bull was the reason Lauren got pregnant. Mostly, Lauren seemed surprised that she had gotten pregnant so fast after stopping her birth control. In Bo's mind, that meant they truly were ready.

Seeing that picture every time she went into the kitchen made the reality sink in that they were having a baby. Lauren said they had two more months before they would find out the gender. They still had all of Alexie's old clothes, so that worked in their favor if it was a boy, but what if it was a girl? They would have to start over again.

It also made Bo realize that she wasn't as mad at her grandfather as she was. In a way, Trick had done them a favor by ensuring they wouldn't have kids until they were ready. Bo was still mad at him for taking away that free will on their bodies, but she couldn't fault him anymore. They had already showed Gram that night at dinner after the ultrasound, and the older woman also put a copy of the ultrasound on her own fridge. This meant that Bo could see the picture in the kitchen when they stayed overnight at the farmhouse, too.

So, Bo had pulled Lauren out of bed this morning on her day off so that they could go talk to Trick and show him the baby. It was odd that Lauren was even taking a day off, but Bo had noticed a little less stress in her wife since the ultrasound, as well, though it had been replaced with some sort of inner turmoil. Lauren would tell her about it when she was ready.

Before they left, Lauren made sure to leave some pancakes for Kenzi and a bowl of barley cereal with baby food bananas prepped for Alexie on the counter. She had even placed the baby spoon next to the bowl and fork next to the warm cup of syrup. Before Bo had a chance to ask, Kenzi came out of her bedroom with Alexie in her arms, claiming the smell of pancakes were calling to her. Lauren smiled knowingly; Bo just chuckled. She should know better than to question her wife by now.

When they got to the Dal, the breakfast crowd was starting to dwindle down. Bo had once questioned Trick why he only did breakfast. He just smiled at her; Lauren was the one to explain why it was a smart business move, since it encouraged patrons to stay all the way to breakfast and even allowed them to sober up some more before they left the establishment.

Trick was standing behind the bar, doing his seemingly never-ending task of wiping glasses. At least some things stayed the same, and Bo found she wanted her own children to know this man since she never had the chance to growing up. She had even asked Lauren if they could find out where her mother was now. Her wife only smiled before kissing her and nodding silently.

When Trick noticed them, he seemed to tense and relax at the same time. It was odd, but he did stop wiping the glasses, walking to meet them where they stood on the other side of the bar.

"Bo. Lauren." Trick placed his hands on the bar, more to show he wasn't a threat than anything. Bo smiled at him, which caused him to finally relax.

"Trick, I'd like you to meet your great grandchild." Bo placed a copy of the ultrasound picture on the bar top between his hands. He looked down at it before looking back up at the proud expression Bo knew she had.

"Congratulations." Trick genuinely smiled, while also looking relieved. This bothered Bo more than she wanted to admit aloud. "I'm happy for you both."

"Damn right you're happy." Bo didn't mean to curse, but she was still dealing with her primal pride of knocking up her mate coupled with meeting the person who placed a major obstacle in the way and caused them to lose the first baby.

"Bo." Lauren chuckled through her admonishment, as she placed a hand on Bo's bicep to calm her. The simple gesture worked too well, Bo thought, since she did calm down and relax quite a bit. "Trick, what your granddaughter really wants to say is that we forgive you. We know that you were trying to help Bo at the time, and you had no way of knowing this would happen."

"For what it's worth, I am sorry that it happened at all. If I could take it back, I would, but if I wrote again, I was afraid I would just make things worse." If Trick weren't standing behind the bar, Bo would have moved to hug him. He just looked like he needed a hug all the time, and Bo actually found that she wanted to extend that intimacy to her grandfather, even if she knew they both would be awkward about it. Affection wasn't exactly in her biological family's handbook like it was in abundance in Gram's handbook. Their children were definitely going to deal with insane grandparents from both sides, though, so they at least had that in common. "How are you feeling? You're not showing yet. If my wife during pregnancy is any reference, you are happy about that."

"I feel as well as can be expected." Lauren smiled at him, which made Bo smile in return. She really was not one to complain, even though Bo noticed her wife's discomfort, especially when she was getting dressed in the morning. "I'm only 11 weeks, so I'll probably start showing within the next few months. This is…"

"What?" Bo wanted to know, too. She didn't have all that nifty doctor knowledge about babies and gestation periods. She wasn't lying to Lauren when she told her that the reproductive unit lessons were the reason she almost failed health in high school. This meant that Bo was scared and uncertain about everything, even if they had done this once with Kenzi. If anything was bothering Kenzi, the young girl was not afraid to voice it and Lauren would alleviate them both. Now, Lauren was the one who was pregnant, and she was too quiet. By 11 weeks, Kenzi was already complaining about everything and giving them a rundown of her morning sickness. Lauren hadn't shown any signs of sickness at all.

"Well, it's my first pregnancy." Lauren had obviously stopped since the reason the actual first pregnancy was interrupted was because of Trick. She was trying to be polite, but Bo always did push. It had been the cause of many of their fights over the last year. Still, this was one instance where they needed the push. If they were going to truly forgive Trick, then they needed to talk about what he did. "My abdominal muscles and uterus are not going to be relaxed like they would be if I had a baby before, and as you can see, the baby isn't that big yet. Being slender, it will probably take a little longer, as well, but once I do start to show, you'll definitely notice."

"Good to know." Bo bit her bottom lip, as she scanned her eyes down Lauren's body. Now was not the time to think about her wife's body. Trick must have noticed her stare, too, as he cleared his throat lightly.

"If you're 11 weeks, we can expect a summer baby, then, eh?" Trick seemed happy about that news for some reason. Bo just narrowed her eyes in amused questioning. "Sorry. Proud great grandfather, who happens to be a summer baby himself."

"Sorry we haven't really been around for the past two months." Bo actually felt the need to apologize. Her guilt had some time to accumulate back. Number Two was right that her guilt drove her, so it wasn't surprising that she started getting new guilt not long after the past guilt was removed. She also noticed Lauren start to calm her own guilt.

"Given the circumstances, I actually expected longer." Trick was usually stoic, but he was easy to read in these moments. Sometimes, Bo had a hard time getting his jokes, because his delivery was so dry and honest sounding. "Can you stay for breakfast?"

"Lauren made pancakes." Bo sent an apologetic grin to her grandfather. She didn't want to admit to him that her wife's pancakes were better than his. "Raincheck? How about dinner this week?"

"I would like that, kiddo." Trick's returned endearment was said so easily, as though nothing had changed. Then again, he had centuries to get used to his powers and the negative consequences they brought. He once mentioned it was why he went into hiding as the Blood King so long ago. "Thank you for letting me see the baby. I'm still amazed at how much technology has changed since your mother was born. I'm assuming Maggie has already offered to be your midwife?"

"She offered, yes." Bo smiled, as she remembered Lauren's initial reaction to her grandmother's proposal. The doctor part of her really never did shut off, and Bo had to reel in her reaction at seeing Lauren's panicked clinical explanations on the pros and cons of midwifery versus doctor deliveries. Bo was actually surprised to find her wife had delivered several babies over the years, which made sense why she was so great with Kenzi during labor. What surprised her even more was that Lauren was considering the midwife option, despite her listed con that her grandmother would see her most intimate places. Gram just smiled and stated that she had seen Lauren naked before, and exposing her naked body to her grandmother would be the last thing on her granddaughter's mind while in labor. They still had time to decide, but Gram did leave books on midwifery around the farmhouse for them to find. "We're still deciding."

"Maggie is a wonderful midwife. She has seen and experienced everything that fae births have to offer." Trick narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin, which indicated he was trying to tell them something without telling them.

"Why can't you guys ever just tell us what you mean? Why the cryptic all the time?" Bo hated cryptic, but she knew she couldn't expect more. It was how the fae world worked...for now.

"Fae secrets, babe. We've talked about this. They can't tell us; it puts us in danger. Do you really want more danger on us right now?" Lauren looked amused, but Bo did not find the funny. She knew she was pouting, brow furrowed, but she did relax again when Lauren moved to hold her hand. "Gram's hinted before, too."

"Maggie was a midwife for centuries. Any fae birth imaginable, I promise she has seen it, even if it is not documented." Trick looked at Lauren, since he obviously felt she would get what he was saying before Bo did. She couldn't really be offended, since it was usually the case.

"I assumed as much, which is why I'm seriously considering letting her deliver the baby." Lauren seemed tense again. Bo looked back and forth between her wife and her grandfather, only slightly confused. Lauren must have sensed it, as she squeezed their hands together and looked at her. "Fae/hybrid baby, Bo. It's never been documented; that doesn't mean it's never happened before. If anyone knows what to expect, it's Gram. I trust her."

"I do, too. I've been pro-Gram from the start. So, what's the problem?" Bo felt like she was missing something important.

"It also means that she was one of those who didn't document them. Either that, or she falsified records." As soon as Lauren said that, Bo noticed her grandfather nod his head in agreement. He was also in the business of recordkeeping. The entire fae world was a ginormous conspiracy, which reminded Bo why she hated this world sometimes. "I won't let her do that to our baby, and I don't want her to get in trouble for being the one who delivered the first fae/hybrid child documented. We'll need to worry about protecting our baby, so I don't want to have to worry about protecting Gram, too."

"That only voices my concerns about telling your family. Even though it's probably too late, maybe we should ask Gram to take down the picture from the fridge." Bo didn't want Lauren's family asking too many questions, potentially putting Lauren and the baby at risk. There was a reason they came back to the clubhouse without question at least twice a month: They wanted to avoid the family dinners that Gram always had. Considering Bo was on the Lewis family shit list right now, she had managed to avoid all the family dinners. Lauren had gone to one dinner not long after the barn lab was established as hers, but Bo did notice she never went back. "Should we be on alert with Roger and Hadley?"

"I doubt they would do anything if they knew I was pregnant. They may not be fae, but they'll still have that same Hestian biology embedded in their DNA, as well as the years of training. They won't bother a family. If anything, this actually gives us a reason to never need to worry about them again." Lauren's voice had never sounded so beautiful to Bo than it did in that moment. She couldn't hide her excitement at this knowledge. Even though she had lost her guilt about de-faeing Lauren's siblings, she hadn't suddenly gained stupidity. She knew to be wary of an attack from them. This only proved even more how awesome having a baby with Lauren was. "Unfortunately, we have to get going. We still have a few errands to run before I need to head back to the lab tonight."

"Tonight? I thought you weren't leaving until Monday morning?" This was the first Bo heard about this, and she was not happy at the news. Was that why Lauren was being extra accommodating this morning? Was she trying to butter up Bo because she was trying to lessen the blow of her leaving earlier than intended?

"I came up with a breakthrough on the cure, and I need to run some final tests." Lauren was uber focused from their lovemaking lately, and Bo was not surprised at the sudden movement towards a cure, but this meant that it cut into that lovemaking time, too.

"Can't it wait until Monday?" Bo knew she sounded like she was begging. She hated when Lauren left her for any amount of time, especially now with the baby. She wasn't really being clingy, and she knew that Lauren knew it, but she was also highly aware that anybody that didn't know her would interpret her reaction that way. Since she had taken a case from Vex the other day, she couldn't just up and go to the farmhouse with her like she usually would. Since she was working this weekend, was that why Lauren decided to work, too? "What's so pressing?"

"I'm there, Bo. I'm just not sure that I like the answer." Now Lauren was being cryptic. Bo knew she was letting her frustration show. She did not inherit her grandfather's stoicism nor did she have her wife's collected professionalism. Bo was an emotional creature, who was not afraid to show it. "It's also an answer that we need sooner than later."

"Is this because of Ciara? I thought we talked about this. It wasn't your fault." Bo turned to wrap her hands around Lauren's shoulders, forcing her not to look away.

"Well, girls. It was good to see you. I have some work in the back. Thank you again for letting me see the baby. I'll call about dinner this week." Trick obviously was uncomfortable, and Bo couldn't blame him. She was uncomfortable, too. She hated fighting with Lauren; even little squabbles like this bothered her. Trick walked away before they registered he was gone.

"Lauren, it wasn't your fault. It just happened." Bo was actually glad that Trick didn't witness this conversation, because they had just granted him forgiveness. Since it was his writing that brought the blood fever into fruition, part of Bo still believed it was his fault for the writing and her fault for the sexing. Nowhere in the fault of Ciara's death was it Lauren's burden to bear. Still, her guilt seemed to exponentially increase about the epidemic just as Bo lost hers, which could not be a coincidence. Lauren said as much over the past month, and Bo did notice this herself. Bo only chuckled when she realized she felt guilty for possibly gifting her wife with all the guilt while she worked at accumulating more. Lauren did seem better now; more focused. Bo still felt that carefree and guilt-free attitude most days, though, so Lauren's admission wasn't surprising. "I thought we were good with this."

"I could have done more to help her." Lauren was not really one to take her professional losses personally. Many fae had died while under her care, but Bo also knew that Ciara was one of the only fae who ever treated Lauren with any real respect or show of friendship. Ever since the fairy queen had saved Bo's life after her fight with Roger, Lauren had actually attempted, in her own Lauren-y way, to make a friend. While it wasn't the most successful friendship, mostly because of the Dyson factor, Bo knew that her wife still liked Ciara. It was never easy to lose a friend. "That's not why I'm going, though. I actually may have found the cure. I just…I'm not…if I wait any longer…"

"What is it?" Bo sobered her frustration when she saw how torn Lauren was; this must be what had her so inside her head lately. "Is everything okay? What could possibly be that bad that it worries you this much?"

"It's in our blood, Bo. Moreover, a mixture of our blood." Lauren sat down on one of the stools, obviously knowing she needed to explain herself. Bo followed, though she did so more out of uncertainty of the answer. "It came to me when I was running a screen on the baby from the ultrasound. It's strong, Bo; I feel it inside me. This strength? That's your blood. More specifically, your blood mixed with mine. It makes perfect sense."

"Our baby is the cure?" Bo felt like she was going to pass out. Did that mean they had to sacrifice their child to cure this thing? Bo wasn't sure she could do that. Not when there was uncertainty they would ever be ready again for children after experiencing that heartbreak. Bo realized she didn't care if people died; it wasn't her fault. She wasn't going to sacrifice yet another child for this thing. Suddenly, she felt her anger at Trick resurface, so it was a good thing that he excused himself to the back earlier.

"That's why I need to do these tests now. If I can synthetically reproduce our blood together, then I have the cure to the blood fever." Lauren was hiding her emotions in her face, but Bo could sense the crack in the professionalism. She was just as scared at what this meant. "I won't let anything happen to our baby."

"Why does this have to be the cure, though?" Bo placed her hand gently across Lauren's stomach, sending as much love from a gentle touch as she could. She felt defeated again; just when they were finally happy and starting to come to terms with what this meant for them.

"It's not the baby directly, I hope. It's more…it's us…together. Like I said, it makes perfect sense." Lauren was not making any sense, but that was more because Bo was too focused on her own thoughts of what would happen at losing another baby. Her inner demons were howling. "It was the two of us bonding that started this mess; it makes sense that it would be us that ended it. Part of your powers are in your blood; it's why my blood changes briefly after we've had sex and why you were able to pass on this thing when you…had sex with other fae. I need to test to see what direct exposure to your blood does. I'm honestly surprised I didn't think to do this before."

"What does this have to do with the baby, though?" Bo knew that if she weren't so concerned right now, she would be mildly turned on since Lauren was in geek out mode.

"I'm hoping we just have to thank the peanut for the inspiration." Lauren smiled and relaxed slightly, which was more for Bo than any actual relaxation. "I'm confident I can figure this out and have the cure ready by Monday."

"How many fae have this thing?" Bo hadn't actually asked the official count since it hit over 50. She was almost afraid to know the answer, so she closed her eyes, thinking it would lessen the blow if she didn't see her wife's face when she told her.

"Over 500 in this county. It's why we've been so swamped at work." Lauren sounded exhausted just saying it. "Apparently, you were one busy succubus once upon a time."

"I've not slept with…500." Bo had to stop and actually think about this. She honestly had no idea how many people she had slept with, especially considering her free-for-all attitude once she learned about the fae. That was definitely before she met Lauren. "I don't think it's even been 200."

"Bo, you weren't the only one who spread the fever. You were just the initial contact. You know that." Lauren chuckled lightly, though Bo knew she would not be as cool about talking about Lauren's sexual partners if she had that many. She had since learned that, including herself, Lauren had eight partners: once when she lost her virginity freshman year of college; her college girlfriend Nadia; three one night stands during med school; Evony; Emily; and herself. Bo's jealousy could live with eight; that was a likeable number to her when thinking about her wife's sexual history, even if she had to deal with one of those sexual partners frequently. Luckily, she had never met Emily, who still apparently worked at the compound. Bo wasn't sure she wouldn't immediately punch the woman for breaking Lauren's heart and using her. "I know you have a large sexual history, Bo. I'm even aware that some of it happened since we've been together. I will admit that it's become an interesting insight into your succubus psyche trying to figure out which of my patients you actually slept with directly."

"I'm not even sure I would remember." Bo could never have had this open a discussion about her sex life with anybody she dated before. It made her glad she put a ring on Lauren's finger. She definitely appreciated what she had. "I love you."

"I'm going to have this figured out this weekend. Then, I'll have a lot of overtime for the next few weeks. After that, who knows?" Lauren seemed to relax with this knowledge. Only she would be happy about the potentiality of overtime. "I love you, too."

"After that, you'll be taking it easy. Patient number one becomes you and the baby." Bo placed a hand on Lauren's thigh, feeling the coldness of the denim against her palm. "You're brilliant, but even you are entitled to a vacation. Should I make an official request with Lachlan?"

"Only if you let me choose the place." Lauren knew her too well. Bo was definitely thinking of places where she could do one of two things: Spend all day naked inside a room where they didn't get to see anything or spend all day around half naked people so that she could be super charged and ready to devour the one body she wanted to see naked. "I promise we'll be naked at some point."

"All I ask." Bo smiled, finally picking up the picture from the bar top. "Let's get these errands done. The sooner we do, the sooner I can convince you to sneak back home for a quickie before you leave."

"You're so one track minded." Lauren rolled her eyes in amusement, but Bo sensed the spike in energy at the idea. There would be no protest from her wife.

"I can't help it. You did a double geek out just now. You know how turned on I get when you do that." Bo smiled at her wife, not embarrassed that she was ogling her wife in public or being handsy when they walked to the door.