Bo cradled Briann to her shoulder, rocking her daughter to sleep the way she used to rock Alexie to sleep when he was this little. She was perfect; even that little birthmark on the inside of her right ankle. It was similar to Bo's own on her left foot above her heel. She was tiny and wrinkly and snuggly. She was perfect.

Gram told Lauren to stay in bed to recover this past week, and Janelle came in from the barn lab to help. Bo was the one who did most of the heavy lifting and helped with the bathing and clothing aspects. Janelle mostly checked vitals and made sure to help Lauren with feeding and schedules. She rarely had to take Briann away from them except for some vitals and tests of her own. Lauren was getting restless, Bo could tell, but her exhaustion and her body didn't let her protest too much.

Lauren was still on bed rest after a week, which alarmed Bo. She tried not to physically show her concern, but Lauren had never looked so frail and weak. Weak was never a word that Bo associated with Lauren; even now, looking physically weak, Bo still believed her wife was the strongest person she had ever met. Gram and Kenzi both said the labor was intense; Kenzi said she thought Lauren was dying instead of giving birth. All of those fears that Bo had about Lauren dying only magnified when she heard this. Why wasn't she here when her wife went into labor? Sure, Briann came a week early, but Bo felt like she never should have left the farm at all. She should have been here. She should never have left Lauren for a minute.

Her need to get rid of the child killer was just as strong as her need to be by Lauren's side. Actually, it was Lauren who convinced her to take off and follow the lead, which turned out to be a great lead. Bo was actually in process of talking to Evony when she felt this humming and heard this loud popping sound. Evony just looked at her like she was crazy when she mentioned the sound before stating she would send Vex after the killer since it was obvious Bo needed to get back to the farm quickly. It wasn't long after that, when Bo was running to her car, when Kenzi called to confirm. She had never driven so fast in her life and didn't care when people honked their horns at her. She didn't even care that she probably tore up the gravel driveway; they really needed to pave it anyways.

As soon as Bo walked into that birthing chamber, Lauren's pain hit her just like Lachlan had warned her would happen. While she sensed it before, when she actually was in her presence, the pain caused Bo to pass out. Kenzi was making fun of her for being a wuss, but Bo still needed to talk to Gram about why she actually reacted that way. Had she known how painful this was going to be, she wasn't sure she would have asked Lauren to even do this. How could she ask her to do this again now that she did know?

Even though Briann was beautiful and all theirs, Bo never wanted Lauren to have to endure any pain or suffering. She hated seeing her wife in any type of pain. Why didn't Gram or those stupid books warn them about this? Why did Gram wait until after Lauren didn't die during childbirth to even mention that it was a strong possibility?

The book Lachlan had given her was just a bunch tales that told about fae women giving birth to Samael's offspring. Some of them died, but Bo had thought the reason they died was because of the lack of modern medicine; Lauren had even suggested as much. Her favorite story had been the one where Maggie White was the midwife to a succubus. Bo liked seeing Gram's inclusion in her own crazy family's history; it somehow made her feel closer to Lauren. Like they really were meant to be together.

When Lauren was awake, she was feeding Briann or holding her. She seemed so focused on the baby that she was doing her normal Lauren thing and not worrying about herself like she should. Gram had to give Lauren a few stitches where the birth had torn her. There was some special bath that Bo had to help Lauren with so that she could heal down there quicker. Lauren never said anything about discomfort, even though Bo sensed she was still hurting.

It really was Bo's turn to take care of her family.

When Lauren was resting, Bo would take care of Briann. Gram had a lot of things for them to go over when Lauren was feeling 100%, but she did make it a point to show Bo where she did officially document their daughter in fae and human birth certificates.

Whens Lauren needed help, Bo only ever trusted Kenzi to watch Briann while she helped take care of her wife. The doctor was being stubborn and trying to do everything on her own. When she fell in the bathtub and almost busted her stitches, Lauren finally turned the doctor off and let Bo and Janelle help her. Gram would come in to check on them, but she seemed preoccupied, which was strange considering she just helped her own granddaughter birth a baby. Bo had figured a new baby would be a buffet for a Hestian. Still, she rarely came to visit unless it was for official business. Bo wanted to be more concerned, but she was just too focused on her wife and baby. Plus, it was Gram; she was always with the cryptic.

Somehow, during labor, Lauren had burned Kenzi's hand. One of the nurses had patched the young girl, but the burns were going to leave some bad scarring. It seemed like the woman was going to have a souvenir from helping bring the first documented fae/hybrid baby into the world. Kenzi was trying to find the positive, so Bo tried to ignore being sad that their child's birth caused her best friend pain.

Bo was happy that Kenzi was able to be there for Lauren when she couldn't be. If there was anybody she trusted with her family, it was Kenzi. During a moment of wakefulness and lucidity, Lauren was alarmed when she noticed Kenzi's hand, but her best friend lied about the injury. It was obvious she was worried about Lauren, too, and didn't want to upset her. Lauren said she knew she hurt her, but Bo knew her wife wasn't aware of just how severe the injuries were.

They had many visitors come by to meet Briann, but Lauren didn't want anybody to see her yet, so Bo had taken their daughter downstairs to the kitchen and grand living room to visit with their company. Dyson was one of the first ones to visit. He met Briann for a few moments, and Bo watched his eyes shift. Her protectiveness caused her to send Kenzi back upstairs with Briann, since Lauren was awake and wanted to feed her anyways.

Bo made sure to keep herself on alert during her conversation with him after that, but she felt something shift between them. Normally, he was high on the scale when around her, but after his eyes shifted, Dyson seemed to lose interest in Bo. The succubus in her was mildly offended that children were such a turn off for him, but Bo was actually glad if that were the case. If she didn't have to worry about Dyson's feelings for her, then maybe they all really could move forward. This baby was definitely already changing their lives.

The one thing that Bo was most surprised about was that she didn't feel like sex was absolutely necessary to breathe. It was the first time since first discovering her powers that sex was not on her surface needs. She was so preoccupied with taking care of her family that she didn't even realize she hadn't fed. Normally, her hunger would let her know, but somehow, she seemed to be full. When she asked Gram, Bo was only told to add that to their list of things to talk about once Lauren was 100%.

Hale came by every day to help, too. He was the only person that Lauren would let in the room; she said he had already seen everything, so there was no sense in being modest around him now. Even when Nadia came by to visit, Lauren refused her friend an audience. Bo was proud of herself for being civil for the short time Nadia was there, though she wasn't too proud to admit she had Kenzi standing there for backup, just in case she got mad or overprotectively primal on Nadia's ass.

Nobody ever asked to hold Briann, so Bo knew she must appear primal and protective. She was actually glad for that because she didn't want to have to tell them no.

Lachlan and Evony both showed up, and Bo was glad that the visits were on different days. Lachlan didn't stay long. He had come by to have visual confirmation of the birth and to meet the baby that was "going to change faedom forever." His cryptic didn't escape Bo's notice. She had long since learned to expect it from him. He would give her answers when it was time for the answers.

Evony was a different story.

Evony had achieved her goal of immortality and locked herself in as the Morrigan forever, but she almost acted like she was indebted to Bo for her new station. Granted, Bo had been the one to gather all the materials and texts to make it possible, but it was still unnerving when the other woman was straightforward with her. Gone was the hypersexualized cryptic of their old school banter; now, their exchanges were full of answers and easy requests. Bo still didn't trust it.

Vex was her most entertaining guest, though. She wouldn't admit it, especially to him, but Vex had become an integral part of her inner circle. He had somehow snuck into her life and become a good friend without her permission. So, when he showed up at the farm and hugged Gram like they were old friends, Bo didn't know why she was so shocked. It was sometimes hard to remember that Gram was Dark Fae. It was not hard to remember that Vex was. When he gave Bo a onesie that had Darth Vader on it that said, "Join the Dark Side," it was Kenzi who had laughed the hardest. He promised (much like Evony had) that the child killer was no longer a threat, which in Dark Fae terms either meant lifetime dungeon sentence or death. Bo actually found she didn't care which one. It was her first judgment as a new mother; at least, that's what Kenzi had called her reaction.

While Vex was her most entertaining, Bo's favorite visit was when Trick made a rare appearance outside of the Dal. He came by, and even though Bo was still leery about letting others hold their daughter, she did let him. Granted, it was only for a few minutes, but she did let him hold Briann. He surprised Bo by giving her a key to the Dal. Even though he always seemed to be there, Trick had wanted her to have it; just in case. He also gave her a map and a small chest, stating that she would have to take her family on a journey when Briann turned one. Bo was willing to forego her line of questioning when her grandfather moved to embrace her. It was that hug that let Bo know that he really was happy for her.

Now, Bo felt the need to take a break from visitors. Her week had been busy, when all she wanted to do was crawl into bed with Lauren and love their daughter together. Since Lauren was feeling better today, Bo had every intention of finally doing just that. It was hard sleeping in a separate bed from her wife this past week, but at least they got to sleep in the same room. Bo hadn't let Gram win that argument, at least. There was no way she was going to leave them.

The sun was shining in the windows, and the central air conditioning was biting the summer heat away in the house. Yet, it was warmer in this room. Bo felt strange that first night sleeping in a room that wasn't theirs, but this room almost felt ornamental more than practical. It was almost like she imagined those royal bedchambers looked like in those stories that Mary and Sam Dennis used to read her at bedtime. Well, minus the cot off to the side where Bo had been sleeping. Still, Gram had insisted they use this room, since it was on the first floor and not far from the birthing chambers so Lauren didn't have to travel far. Bo had been more than happy to carry her wife to this room, and Lauren had surprisingly let her.

Since Lauren had requested a grilled cheese and fries for lunch, which was rare for the health nut, Bo had taken the opportunity to put her hard-earned skills to use and sent Kenzi to deliver her wife's lunch while she tended to Briann. It was almost noon and Briann had fallen asleep in her arms, so she came to place their daughter in the bassinet at the foot of the large, ornate four-poster bed. This bed was fancier than the one she found for her room at the clubhouse, and the bassinet was definitely not the inexpensive one they found at the department store when Alexie was born.

Lauren was sitting up in bed reading a book and wearing a faded pink tanktop. Her lower half was covered by the dark purple bedsheets, but Bo had watched her wife dress after her shower earlier so she was reassured there were clothes on underneath. Lauren told her she was fine, but Bo liked to be there in the bathroom just in case. She was glad to see her wife sitting up now, face no longer pale, and smiling at her as she watched her tuck in Briann. Bo couldn't resist leaning over to place one more kiss on their daughter's brow before moving to carefully sit next to Lauren on the bed.

"Hey, babe. How was lunch? Did you eat?" Bo noticed a distinct lack of lunch tray in the oversized room. Lauren barely had an appetite this week, which had prompted Bo to jump into lunch lady action even more at the special request.

"All of it. Thanks; it was delicious." Lauren smiled at her. Bo felt like she hadn't seen her wife smile like that in years. "What about you? Did you get anything to eat today?"

"Of course. Gram and Kenzi both made sure of it." Bo decided it was okay to be more forward since she sensed how much better Lauren felt, so she kicked off her boots and scrunched her face in apology when they made a loud booming sound once they hit the floor. "Sorry."

"She sleeps like you; nothing short of an apocalypse will wake her when she's that exhausted." Lauren took a deep breath, and her face flushed pink. Bo finally felt herself relax and stood to remove her jeans before crawling under the covers. It was the first time she had been this close and intimate with Lauren in a week. "Oh, hon, I can't."

"Relax, Lauren. I'm not here for that." Bo remembered Kenzi's violent and irrational reactions after Alexie was born whenever her body or sex was mentioned. "Not that I wouldn't want to…I always want to with you. You know that, right?"

"I think I just went through hours of labor that proved just how much you can't keep your hands off me, Bo." Lauren smiled again, and Bo melted into the bed. She was careful not to touch her, but she could feel the heat that surrounded her wife. "The proof is sleeping down there now."

"She's so perfect, Lauren. I love her so much that it scares me." Bo felt her familiar emotions start to surface, but she refused to cry again. She had to be strong, and she had used up her breakdown with Kenzi when Lauren passed out and didn't wake up for several hours after the birth. "I don't want anything to happen to her."

"I know, Bo. I know that just as I know you'll die before you let anything happen to her." Lauren finally placed her book on the bedside table.

"Or you." Bo waited until her wife was turned around again so they could make eye contact. "I had no idea that you might die in childbirth. If I had known…"

"Hey, none of this, okay? I was just as much a part of that babymaking as you were. I'm okay; we're okay. Okay?" Lauren leaned forward to entwine their hands, the bedsheets pooling at her waist more and revealing the pinstriped sleeping shorts. Her stomach was still protruded a bit, but it had diminished quite a bit this week. When Lauren was awake, one of Bo's jobs had been to help apply a cream to her stretch marks and stomach muscles. It was very clinical and the smell was the opposite of sexy, but Bo wouldn't let anybody else touch Lauren in this manner. "I know. It may take a while before I'm able to get my body back. Even with that salve, I'll probably still have a few stretch marks, too."

"I don't care about that. I love you. It's not like we all don't have battle scars." Bo rolled her eyes in amusement when Lauren raised a questioning eyebrow. "Alright, so I'm a bad example, but I love you, Lauren. I love your body no matter what because I love the person who comes in it. I can hold off on sex until you're ready."

"I usually advise my patients to wait for up to six months." Lauren had already explained what they could and couldn't do when they got to that point. Even after having a baby, Lauren had wanted to make sure that Bo was taken care of in the sexual needs department. It only made her love her wife more that she would even consider the succubus aspects of their relationship. "Don't worry, Bo. That's a worst case scenario. If I feel up to it, I won't make you wait that long."

"Oh, thank God." Bo didn't even mean to breathe out or show her relief. She couldn't help it; six months without getting to touch Lauren was too damn long.

"I can still…help you...even if I'm not ready yet." Lauren's face flushed again, and Bo let her body relax before squeezing their hands together.

"You're so adorable." Bo leaned her head against the thick headboard, turning around to curse the cherub carvings when she hit her head on them.

"Gram was just in before you. She said I could get off bed rest tomorrow if I wanted." Lauren was the one to show her relief this time. Bo couldn't blame her. She would probably be even antsier if in the same situation. Actually, she probably would be more stubborn than Lauren. "Maureen called, too. She says hello and that she'll be in for the holidays this year."

"Good. Is her husband coming this time?" Bo had heard stories about Maureen's husband, but they had never met. Since Maureen and Lauren were close, and Bo had been with Lauren for over three years, it seemed odd not to hear more stories about them. Even after all this time, Lauren still didn't talk about her past much. Then again, neither did Bo, so she really didn't mind. It just meant they had a lot more things to discover about each other over their long lives together. Now, they had a great addition to share those discoveries with. Bo could only hope they weren't all bad; however, it was them, so Bo knew not to get her hopes up too much.

"Yeah. I've actually not seen him in years. When I first met him, I didn't like him at all. Maureen was bordering on rivaling a succubus's sexual partner list, so I didn't think it would last long." Lauren didn't let go of Bo's hand, even though she stretched her arms out. "The only time I met him after that was when he came to help with some cases at the lab. He's a plastic surgeon down in the southern California county, but he obviously specializes in fae alterations. He came up to help with some underfae that wanted to pass in the human world."

"So, he's kind of a big deal?" Bo was more surprised at her wife saying more in that short story than she had the entire week than she was at the random storytelling moment. Still, Bo didn't complain. Any little tidbit into Lauren's family and past was always welcome knowledge. "I think you're a bigger deal."

"You're also a little bias." Lauren was the one who took the initiative, which did surprise Bo, when she leaned over to kiss her. Bo melted into that sweet, short kiss. Lauren's lips were still slightly chapped and she tasted like grilled cheese, but Bo didn't care. It was the first time she had felt those lips pressed against hers in awhile, and she couldn't keep the canary grin from her face afterwards. Bo couldn't stop her eyes from flashing, either. She quickly shut them so Lauren wouldn't notice, but when she opened her eyes again, Bo could tell that Lauren noticed anyways. "I was beginning to worry."

"Never worry. Anytime you want to do that, feel free. I will not be opposed." Bo leaned forward and pressed her lips gently against Lauren's again, lingering just a little longer this time and cupping her wife's cheek with her free hand. "This could possibly be the longest six months of my life."

"Please make sure you feed regularly, Bo. I'll need you healthy for when I am ready, okay?" Lauren moved her body and released their hands so that she could pull Bo into a loose embrace.

"I'm not going to have sex with anyone unless I need to heal, but I will feed. I promise." Bo had already made arrangements with Lauren about the feeding schedule, too. It was obvious Lauren thought she would renege on the agreement now, though. Bo wouldn't lie and say she didn't want to, but she had been fine during the last few months of Lauren's pregnancy, so she could wait a while longer. It just meant their reunion sex would be that much more awesome.

"I love you, Bo. I don't think I actually say that to you enough." Lauren was having another hormonal moment, which Bo learned happened post-pregnancy, too. She was thankful for the test run with Kenzi; it helped her avoid saying the wrong thing most days.

"I love you, too, and you say it as much as you need to. I know you're not an Olympic gold medalist in expressing your emotions." Bo leaned forward to kiss her wife again, not able to keep her smile away. "You just gave birth to our daughter; your love for me isn't in question."

"Can I sleep with you? In your arms?" Lauren said her request so quietly that if Bo weren't so close to her, she might not have heard it.

"Of course." Bo flipped the sheets back, the air falling away around them as she moved them both into a snuggling pattern on the bed. She missed this close intimacy, feeling Lauren's back molded into her body. "I'm not going anywhere."

Lauren didn't reply verbally. She just physically relaxed and pulled Bo's arm tighter around her, marrying their fingers together. Bo could feel their rings clinking against one another. Being together like this, with their daughter asleep only a few feet from them, made Bo finally feel like her life was complete. She finally felt completely whole.