The last time Bo had exited out of these elevators, she had walked into a surprising death match with Lauren's brother. The office suite actually looked like an office now instead of the empty arena where Roger had shot her and thrown her into the beams. Bo felt a phantom pain in her abdomen, where the bullet had gone through her, so she placed a hand on her white, pressed button down where there should be a scar underneath but wasn't. She had been impaled, stabbed, beaten, shot, sliced, diced, and any number of verbage for injuries; healing perfectly was definitely a succubus power perk. The healing process itself was even better.
Even though Lauren had said it wasn't necessary, Bo still felt a strong desire to thank the man in person. She had been free from prison for two months, Lauren was due next month, and Bo was feeling sentimental this morning. That was why she left Kenzi to watch after her bedridden wife while she dressed in a business suit this morning. Bo wanted to make as many amends as she could. The less potential enemies they had from her past mistakes, the less she would have to worry about when their daughter was born.
Lauren's hormone changes were starting to become more obvious, as the normally collected and uncomplaining doctor cursed quite a bit more about her bladder issues and discomfort. It was by no means very often, but it was still quite a bit for the woman. Gram had put her on bed rest for her last handful of weeks with a plan to move them to the farm while they waited for Lauren to go into labor. Lauren, not one that liked to sit around, had taken to helping Kenzi teach Alexie to talk. The young girl was mad that Alexie's first word seemed to be "BoBo," so she had enlisted Lauren's help to change that. Bo found herself coming home from her missions more often or ignoring missions altogether just so she could watch her wife in action.
Alexie's first birthday party a few weeks ago was probably the cutest and most awkward party the group had so far. It was even stranger than Bo's welcome home from prison party. When Hale had to siren whistle the baby to calm down for his nap time, Lauren had cringed in response and left the room. Bo had gone up to ask what was wrong, only to become amused when Lauren was using the bathroom yet again because the siren's song had caused their own daughter to push down onto her bladder.
Lauren was seriously showing now, and Bo's nervousness coupled with Lauren's obvious discomfort in positioning during sex had caused Bo to finally convince her wife to halt with the sexy times. It was a shame, too, because Lauren's boobs had grown full and large, and Bo had to sleep next to them all the time. It was hard sleeping next to them and do nothing about it. When she had tried, Lauren would hiss at the hypersensitivity she felt there. Bo had to slap her own hand several times to keep from pawing her wife.
She was taking her injections regularly to curb her hunger, but Bo was surprised at just how gorgeous and sexy her wife was while pregnant. When they were out shopping for the baby, Bo would feed on the fathers walking around the stores while Lauren was right beside her; Bo couldn't bring herself to feed on the pregnant women in the stores, since that was the exact reason she wasn't feeding from her own wife. It felt somehow less like cheating when Lauren was with her when she did it. She stopped that particular method of finding sustenance when one of the fathers had tried to follow them out and left his pregnant girlfriend in the store. Since then, Bo had been taking non-violent-promised cases and foregone full blown sex.
In order to feed herself, she went back to a method she used before she decided to start feeding only on Lauren: She would go out to hang out with Vex at his strip club and feed from the patrons. It gave her a chance to have a beer, suck some chi, and catch up with Vex. Bo actually found herself hanging with him a lot again, but she had a feeling that hanging in strip clubs would be a thing of her past very soon. Maybe that's why, of all of her past methods of food, she had picked this particular one. Plus, she would never tell Vex, but it was refreshing to be around him. She always knew where she stood with him, and he wasn't afraid to point out her bullshit. He actually reminded her of Kenzi in that sense, and Bo missed her best friend.
Two weeks and another month to go without that full blown sex was different when you knew you couldn't have it. When they had skipped weeks of sex before, it had been because of being apart, but they were still capable of doing it, even when they were fighting or imprisoned. Now, Bo had to feed, take her injections, and take to those little hurried moments of fooling around whenever Lauren's mood hit. Her wife tried and did what she could to please Bo when needed, but real sex to Bo was a mutual give and take. She was only taking here and there, and it was just making her hungrier. She wanted to give just as much, but she was scared of hurting or causing Lauren and the baby discomfort at this point.
At least Lauren had stopped denying she was getting bigger and finally bought maternity clothes. Bo couldn't help but think about how motherly her wife looked in those outfits. Then again, she hadn't seen any maternity clothes that didn't look like something in a soccer mom's closet.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" The young man behind the receptionist counter caused Bo to remember where she was and why she was here. "Do you need help?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Bo didn't know the dress clothes she bought for that undercover teaching job would come in handy so much. Normally, she would wear what she wanted and wouldn't care what others thought. For some reason, she didn't want the other people in the high rise, bigwig lawyer offices to think she was there as a criminal when she walked in decked out in leather with pen knives tucked into her thighs. Plus, she didn't want to appear threatening, since she really was here to thank Roger formally. She gripped the gift bag in her hand, forgetting she even had it. "I'm here to see Roger Lewis."
"Do you have an appointment?" The receptionist's haircut almost looked like somebody was trying for the 80s Flock of Seagulls look but had missed the point. He was human and had no sexual attraction towards her. Bo's gaydar never failed, even if his haircut gave him away without reading his energy.
"Not exactly, but I promise he wants to see me." Bo moved forward to stand in front of the receptionist's counter, placing her hand on one of his and pulsing him. "Could you tell him his sister-in-law is here to see him?"
"Oh, sure." The receptionist's energy didn't really change much beyond the usual "I just got succubused" reading. His real desires, or lack of them, towards her were still there. "He's meeting with someone right now, but I'll call his assistant to let him know you're here."
Bo just nodded, smiling at the young man as she released his hand so he could call. She wasn't surprised at the "call me" she heard from the young man as she walked back to Roger's office.
When she was sitting outside his office, leaning against the desk and habitually flirting and feeding from his leggy, blonde assistant, Bo felt the sexual energy inside the room where Roger was. She had forgotten that he was having several affairs. After having met his wife Katherine, Bo actually was surprised he got to keep his man parts, but the purple-eyed woman was intense and loyal to her husband. Bo was actually afraid to ask Lauren what she was, almost afraid to learn about some untold history there between them, though her wife still told her the woman was an Osprey shifter who was extremely dangerous and trained as an assassin. Bo had definitely sensed the danger, so it was strange that Roger would even risk one affair, let alone three at the same time.
An attractive redhead left the office, adjusting her skirt. Bo didn't recognize this woman from her recon two years ago, so Roger had obviously been busy changing partners. This woman was human, too, so it was interesting to see his attitude on humans change so much since losing his faeness.
Roger walked to the door, watching the woman walk away and adjusting his tie. His cheeks were naturally rosy, but Bo noticed the added twinge of red in them when he turned to greet her. Bo found it strange that a succubus could successfully be monogamous, but a man part Hestian, who thrived on family, could not. It only proved her point that biology didn't dictate everything.
"Bo? What are you doing here?" He did not seem alarmed to see her. The last time they had come face to face in this building, he had been menacing and cruel. Bo didn't believe he could change that much; then again, Katherine had mentioned she convinced him to forgive and forget. He was definitely taking the advice to live a full life, mistresses included. "Are you my 12 o'clock?"
"No, and I'll make this brief, if you have a few minutes to spare." Bo smirked, not able to resist imagining that his next appointment wasn't lawyer related, either. If it was, he didn't seem to mind if she was that appointment. Without a full sex life of her own at home right now, Bo realized her succubus perviness was returning at full force. Everything was sexual right now; even the phallic plant in the corner outside of Roger's office.
"Of course." He nodded, expression changed to the traditional Lewis professionalism she was all too familiar with. He ushered her into his office and shut the door. The sexual energy that lingered, coupled with the smell that Bo's acute senses picked up, caused her eyes to flash. She had to calm herself through deep breaths, which did not really help as much as she wanted. "How is life outside prison walls?"
"Great." Bo cleared her throat and laid the gift bag on his desk. "It's actually why I'm here. I wanted to officially thank you for helping me. I know we saw each other at Gram's dinner last month, but I wanted to make it more formal."
"My sister put you up to this?" He took his own deep breath, smirking that cocky smirk at her as he went to sit back in his desk chair. He swiveled slightly, arms stretched behind his head in a victorious manner. He still hadn't lost a case since becoming human; she didn't really have a case against her, so hers was easy for him. It wasn't that surprising that he was good at his job, though; he was related to Lauren.
"Actually, no." Bo finally went to sit in the seat across from him, relaxing when he went to open the gift bag and pulled out the glass display case with Bo's old dagger. It was the one she used to de-fae him. He looked at her through narrowed eyes, obviously trying to understand the gift. "You were the only person who has come that close to killing me, and I didn't have the bullet you used. I'm not stupid, either; it's formula free." Bo felt herself tense as he slowly moved the glass case in his hands, observing the dagger inside. It was almost like a miniature version of Samael's sword display in Lachlan's hidden chambers. "You didn't have to help me, but you did; for reasons I'm sure I'll never completely understand. It may come across as a mocking gift, but I'm actually hoping it's a peace offering."
"This dagger? A peace offering?" Roger leaned back in his seat, rocking himself in the executive chair. Even though he was human now, he still radiated a dangerous quality. "Of the three of us, I'm probably the most swayed by Lauren. Maureen grew up loving her and idolizing her as the big sister, but I was the one that was just a year younger. I was the one who really grew up with her. We competed…for everything, and it always pissed me off how easily things happened for Lauren. I may have had the fae powers and family approval, but I had to work for everything else. She never had to work for anything; not really."
"You obviously did something right, or you wouldn't be here now." Bo leaned forward, though she tried not to show her defense.
"If any of us could learn to love Lauren now that we're human? It's me." Roger visibly sighed as he stood to place the gift on his large, fancy bookshelf case. It reminded Bo of Gram's wall-to-wall bookcases at the farm, though these were obviously filled with lawyer books. "The fae knew about her long before she knew about them. Women fae read her energy, fed from her; a lot of them she even dated. Lauren didn't even realize why she wasn't into them, why they weirded her out. She probably still doesn't."
"She is magnetic." Bo knew her wife was emitting even stronger magnetic pulls now that she was pregnant. It was one reason she opted not to go to the Dal or Red Door with her wife anymore; not after the hyper jealous incident when Maureen was in last month that resulted in an ogre with a broken jaw. She wasn't surprised that Lauren's string of first dates in school and before her servitude had been fae; Dyson had hinted as much before, though she didn't believe him since he would really have no way of knowing. She had always chalked it up to his insane jealousy.
"Look, Bo. Being human sucks." Roger went to sit back in his chair, but he moved it so that he could lean his elbows on the desk. "As much as I like to complain, as much of an ass as I've been to her over the years, Lauren was a great big sister. I've seen a lot of fae families fall apart because of selfishness. When she gave herself to the Light, she did something so…ridiculously stupid and selfless. Since I've always looked out for number one, I was so mad for years that she could achieve this without needing to weigh the consequences to herself. There was no way I could compete with that. It's one thing Lauren will always be better at than anyone."
"Sibling rivalry gone wild?" Bo actually had sympathy for this man. He was still a jerk, she could tell, but his genuine openness about Lauren made her truly understand what she had done. Lauren's original intention for the formula was to spark humanity in its victim; the doctor didn't have any idea just how well she succeeded in that goal.
"Something like that." Roger's jaw visibly tightened as he narrowed his eyes. He was obviously trying to make a decision. When he relaxed, Bo tensed, afraid of what he decided without even knowing the choices. She could be honest and admit that the dagger was just as much a test as it was a peace offering. "When Lauren made that deal, the three of us were no longer forced to stay aligned to a clan. Hadley stayed with the Light because she wanted to impress our mother, but Maureen and I? We've been unaligned since Lauren signed her name to that contract almost eight years ago."
"Wait, you're unaligned?" How had Bo not known this about them? It made sense, since Roger freely moved back and forth from Light to Dark cases, but it still seemed impossible. It seemed like something she would have definitely learned when she was scouting for intel on the Lewis children. Maybe they needed to look into those family files a little more closely; it seemed that even reading those files didn't reveal everything.
"She saved us from fealty in exchange for her own servitude." He looked almost proud of his sister, which made sense why every single Lewis family member, despite treating Lauren with so much avoidance and malice, still held a spark of respect for her ability and usefulness. It was extremely visible around Maureen, and even with Kat the other day, but to hear Roger admit this almost floored Bo. "Hadley sent that little girl after you, and she kept scaring away your lawyers. When Lauren came to ask me for help? I'm aware how hard that must have been for her. I naturally still enjoy injustice, but it doesn't have the same appeal as it used to." Roger did not look as sad about that fact as Bo would have thought, given that his Adikian half explained his personality and actions for the past 30 years. "I'm extremely aware now of how hard her entire life as a human has been. To live with these human sufferings? Blatant mortality, disease, short life."
"Humans fight, though. They fight to survive, because it's the only thing they know how to do."
"I'm slowly learning that." Roger cleared his throat before standing again to usher her to the door. "I have my own practice now. What do you think?"
"I think the last time you asked me that, you shot me, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm not as forthcoming with the answer." Bo stood to follow him, as he opened the door for her. "Again, seriously? Thank you."
"Just don't make it a habit. Next time, I can't promise I won't bask in your misfortune." Roger nodded to his assistant, though Bo wasn't sure why. She watched the exchange and realized the energy there, too. He was like a horny frat boy.
"Fair enough." Bo needed away from the sexual energy and awkwardly waved at the attractive assistant as she made her way back out of the building. When the elevator doors closed, Bo leaned against the wall, letting her head fall back. At least she got to leave this time with no fatal wounds. Two years really was a long time.
Lauren was tired and had to pee more than usual. These were her concerns right now. The baby moved around all the time, but she had gotten used to the movements. She would expect nothing less of Bo's child. Bo kicked in her sleep sometimes, too.
The other major thing Lauren noticed was that she had no control over her hormones or rationality. While she was still doing a better job than Kenzi did at keeping her emotions in check, Lauren was still needing to excuse herself from a room several times a week because she needed to cry or yell. Some things never changed during pregnancy; that included her need to escape when her emotions got the better of her.
However, her biggest concern was how ridiculously horny she was all the time. In a biological way, it made sense given that the baby was part succubus. The problem was that Lauren didn't feel very desirable lately. She had only five weeks to go before she was due, and she felt every bit of it. She knew that Bo was suffering because she wasn't allowed to touch her, which was why Lauren had taken to pleasing her wife and taking care of Bo's needs. Her irrationality showed more in those moments, thinking that it was the only way she could keep a succubus from really straying. She never felt that Bo was unhappy or didn't want her, but Lauren still lost some of her confidence now that her body had become so large.
Bo had gone to see her brother last week, which Lauren admitted made her nervous. Roger may be human now, but he was still raised with those fae ideals. Despite what Kat said, he didn't act like he was happy at the family dinner. One thing that Lauren did learn at that family dinner was that she didn't want to go through that but maybe once a year, if she could help it. She would go for Gram, but it was extremely uncomfortable being fed from like that. It was one of the biggest reasons she decided to stop Bo feeding from her for hunger purposes, though she did allow the occasional pulse and light snack at Gram's recommendation.
Right now, Lauren was trying to come up with a good name. She had read and researched every baby girl and unisex name possible. Kenzi suggested a few Russian names, but Lauren really wanted to name their daughter something meaningful; something that represented who they were and what she was. Kenzi suggested they name their daughter Kenzi, Junior, since she had been such a big part of their lives. Lauren could only chuckle at the thought.
Alexie was asleep in Kenzi's room, the monitor on the coffee table emitting the quiet baby snores. It was hard to believe he was already one and walking and talking. She remembered delivering him and falling in love with her adopted nephew right then, even if she was staring at a part of Kenzi she hoped never to see again. Lauren knew their daughter would be loved just as much, and she loved that Bo was upstairs right now with Kenzi putting together the new crib in their bedroom. The cursing and heavy thuds only made her chuckle again at the image of Bo and Kenzi trying to put together that bed, since she was the one who had to put together Alexie's crib. Maureen would give them the most ridiculous one as a gift before she left; she was such a brat sometimes.
The soft knock at the door caused her to finally look up from her computer screen. The baby name game was not going any better, especially since she couldn't stay focused. She really needed to get up and start making them lunch soon. Instead, she huffed as she stood from the couch, holding her belly and making sure it was covered in her maternity blouse before going to answer the door.
She didn't expect Dyson to be the one standing there, but she did smile at him anyways. He was holding two things: a gift for the baby and a gift for her.
"Medical files?" Lauren chose to address her gift first.
"Yeah." Dyson looked up when he heard the thuds and cursing from upstairs. His wolf senses were obviously trying to assess the situation. It hadn't occurred to Lauren that the sounds could be construed as Bo in her sexual habitat. The fact that it was obviously Kenzi's voice squealing made Lauren chuckle at Dyson's expression. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Bo and Kenzi are just putting together the baby crib upstairs." Lauren closed the door, as he finally decided to walk into the clubhouse living room. He seemed to look around before sniffing the air again. "Something wrong?"
"You're just very close to due." His eyes shifted back from their wolfy yellow, and Lauren was surprised that this action didn't alarm her anymore. For some, Dyson no longer had any intimidation power over her anymore. "I need some help. I know you're technically on maternity leave, but I was hoping that perusing medical files wouldn't go against your grandmother's instructions."
"Of course not. I'd be happy to help." Lauren accepted the file when he handed it to her, immediately opening it in anticipation of a new problem. "I don't see anything unusual, although my initial observation is probably what you already know: This is definitely a fae kill. I would need to do more research and dissect the autopsy report to give you anything conclusive."
"We just need to know what fae we're dealing with. You're the expert." Dyson cleared his throat, stiffening his posture where he stood by the couch. Lauren took a deep breath through her nose, smelling his woodsy cologne. He smiled before handing over the stuffed wolf, which rattled when he moved it. Lauren couldn't help but smile at him as she took the soft toy in her other hand. "I wanted to get your daughter something, but I didn't think the traditional wolf token of sticks and sheep's hide would be appropriate. It has been awhile since I've had to give a baby gift."
"You got one for Kenzi." Lauren laid both the file and the animal on the coffee table next to her laptop, which was still open to the baby names section. Dyson noticed and smiled at her.
"Well, Kenzi was forthcoming about needing diapers. She even texted me to tell me what brand, size, and type." Dyson gave what Lauren had come to know as his version of a giggle. It was a deep-throated manly giggle, but it was a giggle nonetheless. "Still having trouble picking out a name?"
"It's the same argument over and over." Lauren sat down on the couch, nodding when Dyson asked permission to sit in the chair across from her. "Bo wants something practical; I want something meaningful. We can't seem to find common ground on the subject."
"You do only get one shot at naming your firstborn. They used to have rituals in the pack, and the alpha would choose the cub's name and birthright." Dyson leaned back in the chair, relaxing in this space finally.
"Don't tell Kenzi that; she thinks she's the alpha here, and she's already been trying to name the baby." Lauren chuckled, leaning forward. "You do not want to know some of the names she has come up with."
"Well, knowing what not to name the baby does narrow it down. I'm sure she's at least helping you there." He giggled again, and Lauren couldn't help but feel comfortable in his presence. She felt safe and protected in his company now, and she didn't know why. Three years ago, she never would have believed she would be sitting here with him as a friendly colleague. It was odd, but she was one that was always quick to adjust. She knew she could just easily go back on alert around him. "You're both from Celtic families. Your daughter will be strong. There are many strong Celtic names. If you want your daughter's name to mean something, try looking there."
"Thanks, Dyson." Lauren rolled her eyes, knowing she had been there already. "It's convincing Bo that's the problem."
"She'll come around." Dyson smiled warmly, knowing exactly how stubborn Bo could be. Lauren took a deep breath, ready to have a conversation she had been putting off for a long time.
"Dyson, I know it's been a while, but…I want to thank you: for helping Bo when she was in prison." Lauren grimaced, no longer confident she wanted to have this conversation. "I know it must have been hard for you, and I never should have asked you to be the one, but…thank you."
"I don't say this to many people, especially humans, but…I respect you for it. The fact that you were willing to do anything to help Bo? Even if it meant hurting yourself or losing her in the process? As a warrior, I respect that." Dyson steeled his jaw, but Lauren could read the honesty in his eyes. "Human, hybrid, or fae, I'm glad she has you."
"Thanks." Lauren took a deep breath and held it before relaxing again. Gram told her to stay away from stress, but living with Bo and her circle of friends and enemies made that practically impossible. "How are you lately? I hear you have a new partner on the force, and that she's quite attractive."
"She's capable of doing the job." Dyson and Hale had been a team for years, so when Hale was given the fae promotion as head of security at Gram's farm, Dyson was left alone at the police station. Lauren still wasn't convinced that Kenzi didn't have something to do with getting Hale moved to the farm; she seemed to adopt Hale as the surrogate father figure for Alexie. Dyson and Vex seemed to hang around quite a lot more often, too. Kenzi seemed to have a handful of fae men surrounding her lately. The strangest thing Lauren had witnessed in her time of knowing the young girl was when she had Vex take her and Alexie to an aquarium and dragged her along for the adventure.
"Fuck, Kenzi! Move your damn wood!" Bo's voice carried down the stairs, but Kenzi's was muffled slightly. "Lauren! Tell Kenzi to watch where she sticks her wood!"
"Lauren! Tell your wife not to jump ahead ten steps!" Kenzi joined the ceiling-barriered conversation. Dyson chuckled again.
"I'll let you tend to the children." He stood and helped her stand before walking towards the door. "Let me know when you find out something from those files. The sooner we know what killed that kid, the sooner we can start tracking it."
"Of course." Lauren cleared her throat, feeling how thirsty and hungry she was. "Thank you again, Dyson, for everything."
He just nodded and smiled lightly before exiting, shutting the door behind him so she wouldn't have to move. She heard the fighting still going on upstairs and chuckled at the banter before grabbing the baby monitor and heading upstairs to do some damage control.
