The Ash summoned Bo to the compound, and she realized she hadn't seen Lachlan in a while; not since she dropped Sadie off in his care three months ago. Since the afreet was Dark Fae turned over to the Light Fae's leader, Bo was surprised her curiosity didn't have her stick around to find out more of what her brother was up to lately. They had talked on the phone some, but she had not really visited. If it wasn't a big case that kept her focus and undivided attention, it was Lauren and the baby.
It seemed the Ash and the Morrigan both had some crazy agenda this past year. At least Bo knew Evony was after immortality because she wanted to be the Morrigan forever. Lachlan was a different story, though. He was harder to read. Bo knew better than to trust any fae leader, even if the Ash was her brother, was the person who really helped get Lauren her residual freedom, and was an advocate for peace among all fae.
Ignoring her persistent hunger, Bo walked into the compound despite the blinding energies she was getting from the fae and humans she passed on her way to Lachlan's office. Ever since they had seen their little girl on the ultrasound two weeks ago, the reality that a life was growing inside Lauren became intensely embedded in her mind. She knew it was silly, and her wife had told her as much several times, but Bo was worried that feeding from Lauren would hurt the baby. At first, she had been worried about sex, too, but Lauren had hung up a large dry erase board in the bedroom and bought an old wooden school desk at an antiques store downtown. When she came home that night from meeting with a new client to find that scene ready for her, Bo couldn't resist giving into the intense energy from Lauren. Bo could say she definitely understood the school teacher fantasy now.
That was over a week ago.
Still, she hadn't fed, and she was feeling her control diminishing every day she held off. Lauren kept insisting, but Bo kept refusing. She just couldn't shake that she would somehow hurt the baby. Lauren was five months pregnant now; her third trimester would start soon, and she was starting to show. The baby was growing more and more every day. Lauren had even lightened her work and patient load, and if the workaholic doctor was cutting back, then Bo was especially concerned and wanted to cut back, too.
Bo had done such a good job with the monogamy thing with Lauren. So much so that she even surprised herself; she wouldn't lie adn say it was easy, but she did feel a sense of pride that she was even capable of it. She didn't want to give into her primal instincts again. She only wanted Lauren.
Lachlan was sitting at his elevated desk, but he immediately stood when Bo entered the room. He went to button his coat, reacting to the intrusion, but he stopped when he realized it was her.
"When I said I needed to see you, I didn't expect you to come so soon." Lachlan stepped down from his desk. If they were a hugging family, Bo suspected he would have hugged her then. She was never happier that they weren't, though he looked like he could use a hug. His entire demeanor looked tired and somehow older. She didn't miss how his face lit up briefly when he came to stand next to her. "I have some news on Lauren's family."
"You do?" Bo followed him to the couch he had against the stained glass window. "Which part of her family?"
"Her siblings. It seems they have somehow been…well…de-faed, for lack of a better term." Lachlan nodded at his servant, who placed a tray with a tea set down on the coffee table in front of them. Bo just felt her panic at the revelation and hoped it didn't show in her expression; she knew he would find out eventually, but she had been so focused on other things that she hadn't had time to build a defense for herself. "This actually means Lauren's contract will be up once the last of her siblings die."
"Why tell me? Why not tell Lauren?" Bo cleared her throat, feeling how dry it suddenly became. She surprised herself by accepting the tea he offered. The cup gave her something to grip and hide behind. It helped steady her hands.
"I think we both know the answer to that, Bo." Lachlan smirked at her in that knowing manner. He was telling her he knew without verbally acknowledging this fact. She knew that if he said he had knowledge of this, Bo would be in big trouble. He was protecting her in that fae political manner that always pissed her off. "What intrigues me more is that Lauren's father, the Prime Minister, is in office now. While my predecessors may have found this internal strategy into the human political world effective, I question its potency for keeping with the One Rule, particularly since he is married to a fae. He will be printed in history, and so will his family."
"So, de-faeing the Lewis clan who were fae is productive." Bo narrowed her eyes, trying to follow his logic. "So, really, somebody did you a giant favor and should definitely get a pony for her birthday, and by pony, I mean Lauren's freedom."
"You really are a broken record sometimes." Lachlan chuckled lowly at her before pouring her another cup of tea. This time, Bo just gripped the warm cup in her hands. "Lauren will have her freedom if she so desires it. For now, she is going to be the problem with the One Rule. As a hybrid, she will live longer."
"You want me to de-hybrid Lauren? I'm not sure that's even possible." Bo felt her anger overcloud her hunger. Mixed together, she was even crankier and reactive than usual.
"I wasn't even aware it was possible to de-fae someone, but it seems I have been proven wrong on that front." Lachlan sent her another knowing smirk. This time, Bo didn't feel as confident. "I'm not saying de-hybrid Lauren. I'm saying that she needs to stay hidden. I understand her family is not particularly fond of her, but her picture is out there for the world to see. With the Internet, I fear that could cause more problems than good."
"Well, pictures and drawings aren't exactly a new invention. Fae aren't immune to having their pictures taken, so how do you…stop it? I mean, Sadie is a movie star. Her picture will forever be in history. What happens if someone recognizes her twenty years from now and realizes she hasn't aged? Plastic surgeons or makeup artists aren't that good." Bo was still trying to understand how the fae world aged. Dyson was about 900 years old and looked like he was 30. Trick was who knows how old, but he didn't look like he was old enough to have a 30 year old granddaughter. Gram looked like she was middle aged, as well, and so did Aoife. This was technically Bo's first life time, which was why Trick explained things still seemed so immediate to her, especially since she was raised in the human world with traditional ideals of aging.
"Was Lauren's mother de-faed, as well?" Lachlan chose to ignore her questioning.
"No, and I'm not going there again. I told you how disastrous that dinner was. I'm not entirely convinced she wasn't the one who put the hit out on me." Bo had almost completely forgotten about killing that young fae girl in the alley a few weeks ago. It wasn't every day she killed someone, but it surprised her at how little guilt she felt at killing such a young girl all because she promised to hurt her family. Bo had noticed her instincts and reactions were so much different now that she didn't have the burdens of her past guilt on her.
"Yes, about that…" Lachlan stiffened, which was not a good thing. "There are feelers out for you right now."
"What do you mean?" Bo remembered that kid who had that camera phone out when she was trying to leave. Her insides panicked more than she was ready to allow. She knew she should have gone back to succubus that kid.
"If you turn yourself in, we can fix the problem. The camera didn't get a good picture of your face, so the students and staff at the school you were at recently didn't recognize you. Unfortunately, the human world won't let this go. We didn't get there in time to cover anything up, so all they see is that a young girl was murdered in an alley, and there was a woman in a 1969 yellow SS Camaro fleeing the scene." Lachlan placed his teacup down on the tray and turned his attention completely to her. "This is serious, Bo. You will be in trouble with the human legal world; there is not much pull there right now."
"What about the Prime Minister? Not that I think he would do anything, since his wife pulls the puppet strings and she's not my biggest fan, but…why have the in with the human political world and not use it?"
"For something this small town? Bo, there's nothing that can be done. We just have to trust that our lawyers can get you out of this."
"She came after me, though. It was self defense." Bo felt her panic change to anger again. She knew she should have fed before coming to see Lachlan. There was a reason she kept her visits with her brother to a minimum. He never just wanted to hang out; he always had some big, all important information to give her. He always had bad news or news that would trigger some new apocalyptic battle. "That girl threatened my family. She threatened Lauren and the baby."
"Yes, congratulations officially." Lachlan looked uncomfortable, but he was genuine. Bo was actually surprised that, with all of the horror stories she heard about fae/hybrid babies, most fae left them alone. There was only ever really one incident, but Hale had stepped in to stop the attacker before Bo even realized they were being attacked. She had been on alert since then. "Let's hope for the sake of your family that the murder charge does not stick."
"Murder?" Bo stood from the couch, letting her body react with her emotions. "No. No. Not at all."
"Bo, Dyson and Hale know about the situation and are prepared to salvage the investigation the best they can. You will be apprehended eventually."
"What if I got rid of my car? You say they don't have a clear view of my face, and it's not like I actually have a title for the car in a traceable name." Bo had dealt in cash for years before she moved here, even when she bought the car. The car salesman hadn't asked many questions, and she had used her succubus powers so he wouldn't run a credit report or ask her questions about her obviously fake ID. "I can't run. My family is here. I want to start a family here. I can't ask Lauren to just leave like that because of something I did."
"Which is why it is best if you turn yourself over now and let us sort this out before the case becomes news worthy. Dyson and Hale have managed to get them not to air the video, but they can only hold off for so long." Lachlan took a deep breath and stood to face her again. "If you turn yourself in, we can avoid the media attention."
"Always about the One Rule with the fucking fae." Bo was balling her fists at her sides, trying to calm herself. She wanted to punch Lachlan, but she knew it wasn't his fault. She had been the one to kill that girl; she was the one who ran away instead of getting that kid's camera phone. "Screw this. I am so tired of my life being dictated by something I didn't choose. I am done being fae."
"You should take a day; calm yourself." Lachlan unbuttoned his suit jacket as he began to walk back towards the open area in his office. "When was the last time you fed? You seem more irritable than usual."
"I'm fine." Bo glared at him, and she had to keep reminding herself that she wasn't really mad at him. If anything, she was mad at herself for being so careless. She had been so happy lately, so caught up in her happy, Lauren-centric world, that she stopped questioning things. For the first time, Bo understood just how much she sacrificed when she gave her past guilt away. She hadn't thought twice about snapping that kid's neck. She didn't think about the consequences.
"Go home, Bo. Be with Lauren. Turn yourself in tomorrow. I'll make sure Dyson and Hale can hold off on the media alerts another day." Lachlan sent a sympathetic look her way. "I wish I could tell you good news, for once."
"If I get out of this, tell me you'll free Lauren from her servitude, and we'll call it even." Bo wanted to punch the wall now. At least her anger had transferred away from her brother. It was hard to be mad when he showed genuine concern like he was.
"She will be free one day, Bo. Have patience." Lachlan pulled his hand away, and in a move that surprised Bo, he placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. Bo just looked down at the hand, feeling an odd calm despite the awkward movement. "I'll do what I can. That includes the best lawyers."
"Thank you." Bo closed her eyes and tried to rein in her senses. She could tell Lauren was concerned about her, and she didn't want to alarm her wife yet.
Bo left the compound, her hunger and anger getting the better of her again now. Before she went home, she really needed to punch something. She had never been happier that one of her current cases required some tougher persuasion.
Lauren was worried about her wife, who she could tell was out doing something stupid. She tried calling, but Bo was not answering her calls. She did send a brief text stating she would be home for dinner. Kenzi was off doing something for one of the cases, and Lauren was watching Alexie today. She had cut down her hours and found herself with more time off. Normally, she would be worried about this, but she did take her work home with her.
One of her projects last year was to turn one of the basement rooms into a makeshift lab. The hardest part was making it sterile. Despite the work and money put into making the lab, Lauren rarely used it. For a while, it was because Bo kept going away, so Lauren and Kenzi would go to stay at the farm. Then, it just became another room because she was so preoccupied with Bo or Alexie when they were home.
Her work on Nadia's blood had said the same thing every time: Nadia was healthy. Her fever was real the day she ran the tests, though, or Lauren would have suspected the woman was lying to her and using her work as an excuse to see her. The doctor in her could pick up bullshit usually, because the body didn't lie, but this time, something was strange in her friend's very human body. There was nothing she could do now, though; she needed more blood samples so she could run more tests. Nadia was supposed to meet her at the lab on Monday for another appointment. She could worry about it then; now, Lauren was focusing on herself.
She had a good book on the pros and cons of midwifery that she had taken from the pile Gram had left in her room at the farm. She also had good company in the form of a hyperactive baby boy.
Alexie was nine months old now, and he was standing up and pushing himself around in his walker. He was pulling himself up, and they were teaching him to walk. Bo made a particular comment that Alexie already walked better than his mother after a few drinks. Kenzi didn't find the joke funny, despite Lauren's low chuckle of approval.
Despite feeling that Bo was having a hard time now, Lauren was even more concerned that her wife wasn't feeding. She hadn't fed from her in two weeks, and the common signs of Bo's hunger taking over her control were starting to surface. Bo needed to understand how much more dangerous she was in this state; she had apparently forgotten. Lauren decided that they would have that talk tonight about the succubus's feeding patterns for the next few months until the baby was born. Bo couldn't go on like this; it wasn't healthy for her. Lauren hated seeing her wife suffer.
Alexie ran into another wall with his rocker, but he didn't seem to mind, as he kept squealing and speaking unintelligibly to the wall. It was as though he were cursing at it for being in the way. Lauren smiled at the sight; he was definitely Kenzi's kid. He even looked like her now, too, though his brow was more predominant and his blonde hair did not match his mother's. Lauren looked at this baby and saw the cuteness; she couldn't imagine abandoning a child. Her hand went to her own growing baby bump, sending love the best she could.
"Silly, you drive like your mommy, too." Lauren finally put her book down on the coffee table and went to rescue Alexie, who had decided to start crying a bit instead of talking to the wall more. She picked him up from the walker and carried him into the kitchen. She sat him down in the high chair next to the kitchen island and went about grabbing him some teething biscuits while she went to decide what to make for dinner. "What do you think your mommy and Aunt Bo will want to eat tonight?"
Alexie was not much help, as he was too occupied with his own snack. Lauren smiled at the baby. Not many people could make a mess like that and cause her to smile.
She was in the middle of cutting veggies and tofu for a stir fry when the door opened. Kenzi walked into the kitchen when she saw them in there.
"Hey, good lookin', whatcha got cookin'?" Kenzi walked over to lean against the counter, stealing the carrot wedges as Lauren would cut them. When there were only a few carrots left in the bag, Lauren finally slapped beside Kenzi's hand to stop her from eating them. "Where's BoBo?"
"She's on her way now." Lauren could tell that Bo was not happy and was in pain somehow. To stop herself from dwelling in her worry, Lauren had decided to occupy her hands by dicing whatever she found in the fridge. "I think something's wrong."
"Need me to bounce, so you can get with the sexual healing?" Kenzi went to kiss Alexie on the head before wiping his now cookie-messed face. She picked him up from the high chair and came to sit him on her lap at the kitchen island, watching Lauren finish cutting the veggies before starting the oil in the wok. "I'm sure what you're making is delicious, but we both know Bo's hunger is a little different today."
"I can't convince her to feed. She keeps thinking she'll hurt the baby if she does." Lauren sighed, as she sprinkled her own homemade seasonings over the veggies and tofu in the bowl. It wouldn't take long to cook this and should be ready just as Bo walked in the door. Then, they could worry about any and all of Bo's hungers.
"Will it? Hurt the baby, I mean." Kenzi bounced her knees slightly to help keep Alexie interested in just sitting there. "I'm concerned here, too, Lauren. You keep saying she shouldn't feed during your third trimester; well, that's not too far away, darling. There's a reason you're wearing sweatpants today instead of your tight ass jeans. Been there; done that."
"I'm not sure it will hurt the baby if she feeds during the third trimester. I just want to be safe, since we have nothing to go on. Gram's not much help there, either, since she says she has never actually dealt with a succubus who claimed monogamy before. She's dealt with pregnant succubi, but she's never had to deliver a baby from a hybrid or human who was still in a relationship with a succubus towards the end of the pregnancy." Lauren sighed, feeling the stereotypical insecurity that she knew would surface from her changing body image and increased hormone reactive levels. When Gram had told her that, Lauren panicked, thinking that during that third trimester was when Bo would finally break down and leave her. Bo was better at convincing her that wouldn't happen than her grandmother was. Then again, Lauren didn't want to think about her grandmother using the same persuasive techniques on her.
"Bo's not going anywhere, Lauren." Kenzi smirked at her, which caused Lauren to relax in her silliness. She shook her head at herself as she poured the bowl's contents into the wok, the instant sizzling filling the unusually quiet room with sound. "When was the last time you two even got down and dirty?"
"Down and dirty?" Lauren chuckled, as she stirred the food to coat everything properly and cook it evenly. "Well…since I bought that school desk."
"That was forever ago!" Kenzi seemed genuinely shocked. Lauren turned around to visually see the reaction. "Okay, so that's been over a week, but that's like a century in succubus time."
"We've gone longer without sex." Lauren closed her eyes, feeling the intense longing she had for her wife, before opening them and returning to making dinner. "It's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal? Lauren, honey, please. I see how much you two are holding back. She's holding back because of the baby; you're holding back because you're worried about being rejected by her." Kenzi motioned animatedly with her hands. It took Lauren a few seconds to understand what she was doing; when she did, the doctor blushed. There was nothing clinical about that hand gesture. "Get with it already, while you still can, because let me tell you, doc, your vajayjay doesn't just magically bounce back after popping out a kid."
"I'm aware of that, Kenzi." Lauren rolled her eyes in amusement. She continued stirring and was happy with the dinner, as she turned off the wok. "Dinner's ready."
"Yum." Kenzi went to place Alexie in his high chair again. "You sit still, little man. Mama's gotta feed her belly in case your Aunt BoBo comes rushing in needing some one-on-one time with your Aunt L."
"You don't have to leave, Kenzi. There's no guarantees we'll even…get down and dirty." Lauren chuckled again, as she dished out some food in a bowl before handing it to Kenzi. She dished out two more bowls, placing them on the counter. "She's home, by the way."
"I still will never get used to that." Kenzi grabbed forks from the cabinet before practically inhaling her food. Lauren would still never get used to the young girl's lack of table manners.
The door opened, and Lauren could hear Bo shuffle into the house. When she came into view, Lauren immediately abandoned the kitchen and came to assess her wife's injuries.
"Who did this to you?" Lauren went into doctor mode, as she helped her wife to the couch. Bo was limping slightly and was clutching her stomach. There were cuts and bruises all over her face and knuckles. "Why haven't you healed yet?"
"Because I'm not in the mood." Bo was snappy, but Lauren relaxed herself, knowing her wife's anger was not targeted at her. Kenzi brought over ice wrapped in a wet kitchen towel and handed it to Lauren, who placed it against Bo's face. The succubus took the towel and held it against her face, as Lauren placed a comforting hand on her wife's knee for comfort to help her calm down. "I'm sorry."
"Come here." Lauren scooted closer on the couch, grabbing supplies from the medical bag Kenzi came back to hand her. She went about wiping at the exposed cuts with the alcohol swabs. She took the time to assess the wounds more, now knowing why she felt the intensity from her wife earlier. She brushed her fingertips lightly against a cut above Bo's eye after she swabbed it. "I don't think that's gonna need stitches."
"Lucky me." Bo's breathing was calming down now, which meant she was finally relaxing now that Lauren was around and she was safe at home.
"So, what's going on? What happened?" Lauren sighed, as she glanced over to see Kenzi cleaning up in the kitchen. Alexie was cooing in his chair, obviously wanting to be let free.
"I have to go to the police tomorrow and turn myself in for murder." Tears were forming behind Bo's eyes, and Lauren felt her own panic rise when she sensed the panic in her wife return to the level it had been earlier today. "For a long time, I've forgotten what I am: a monster."
"Bo, you're not a monster." Lauren shook her head, forcing herself to become collected. It was obvious Bo was about to break, so she needed to be strong for her right now. "I know that, and whatever happened in the past wasn't your fault."
"I killed a girl, and then what? What? I ran away. I ran away." Bo was openly crying now. Lauren could feel the complete anguish and guilt in her wife, and she had to admit it was refreshing to see guilt returning to her. Ever since she returned from the Middle East, Bo had been too indifferent and relaxed. She didn't seem to care anymore; all because she lost her guilt. It really was her driving force; it was part of what made Bo so…human. "I didn't take responsibility for what I did, and her poor family. I need to give them closure."
"You're a different person than you were then, and the person you are now, I absolutely love." Lauren felt herself want to shake sense into Bo. She hardly ever raised her voice unless they were fighting, and it was obvious Bo had done enough fighting for the night. "Sorry."
"Don't be." Bo did seem to relax again, her tears subsiding and heavy breaths calming. "I know you're all mixed up with the pregnancy hormones."
"I don't even know what I'm feeling these days." Lauren leaned back slightly, feeling the need to fix her wife.
"How's that going?" Bo's anger dissipated and was replaced with worry for Lauren. Neither of them even noticed that Kenzi had finished cleaning the kitchen and was taking Alexie to their bedroom. Lauren really did need to think about setting up a separate room for the kids soon. Kenzi came out of the room with the diaper bag and grabbed Lauren's car keys from the bowl in the entryway. "Hey, where ya going?"
"Look, I know you and the good doctor have some stuff to figure out minus this gorgeous but unnecessary third wheel." Kenzi put on her sunglasses before leaving out the door, even though it was starting to get dark outside. Lauren smiled after the departing girl, glad for the alone time with her wife, even if it wasn't necessary for her to leave. It wasn't like they didn't have sex all the timewhen Kenzi was in the house. What made this any different, if that's where this was headed? Lauren needed to get Bo to heal; it had been a while since there was such a strong need for it.
"You need to heal, Bo." Lauren moved closer to Bo on the couch, pulling her hands together. "You won't hurt the baby; I promise. You need to feed."
"We need to talk about what this means." Bo was about to start crying again. Lauren couldn't tell if it was because she was thinking about the murder she was talking about or the eventual need for her to feed elsewhere for a few months. "I have to turn myself in tomorrow. That means jail; human jail."
"One thing at a time, okay?" Lauren was in doctor mode. She could help fix the tangible pain. They could worry about the possible jail time later. "Let's get you fed and healed first, okay?"
"Okay." Bo went to move from the couch, but she winced in pain. "Couch sex?"
"That's fine." Lauren chuckled lightly at Bo's questioning glance. It was pained and needy. She stood to pull off her tshirt but stopped midway through, aware that her belly had a bit of a bump now. Bo pulled at her sweatpants string to get her attention. Lauren looked down, letting her tshirt fall back onto her body.
"You're beautiful, Lauren. I will never see you as anything but beautiful." Bo pulled at the sweatpants string to loosen the bow that was tied before tucking her hands inside the pants and underneath underwear to touch the bare skin of Lauren's back and posterior area. "I love you, and I'm scared I won't be able to come back from this one. Legal trouble in the human world? They killed her kids and let Louann be executed for loving a human. What if that happens to us? I couldn't…Lauren…if…"
"Shh…we'll figure this out, okay?" Lauren sat down on the couch beside Bo again. "We always do."
"This is different, though. I have to turn myself in for killing a girl before they release a video with me fleeing the crime scene. I killed that girl."
"That girl who was sent after you?" Lauren remembered Bo telling her about the hit, but she didn't mention a video. Still, one thing at a time. She needed to heal Bo first; then, they could talk about what this meant. Lauren lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it behind the couch before leaning close to kiss her wife, careful of her battered face. "Feed, Bo. Take what you need. You won't hurt me or the baby."
"You don't know that." Bo was fighting another set of tears.
"I do know that." Lauren pulled Bo's hand to touch her bra-clad breast, which was hypersensitive and forced her to close her eyes at the sensation. Kenzi was right; a week felt like forever. "I love you; we love you." Lauren pulled her hand down to her stomach, letting Bo feel the baby fluttering inside her. "We want you healthy."
"Something smells nice." Bo bit her lip, staring at Lauren's exposed upper body but obviously trying to fight her needs. Her eyes flashed blue and her hips were moving on their own, trying to push her forward despite Bo's own verbal protest.
"Stop deflecting and take me already." Lauren rolled her eyes and pulled Bo's hand down inside her pants and underwear, loving the reaction in Bo's facial expression. She was no longer biting her lip or fighting her hunger. Bo finally gave into her needs; Lauren finally felt herself relax. She could worry about the newfound tension in the aftermath. For now, she only wanted to focus on the things she could fix immediately.
