A/N~ Due to a family crisis I am going to have to put all of my writing on hiatus until after the new year. It is a major crisis and I will let everyone now after the New Year when I will be able to continue. To those like HippyChica23 who I made commitments to. I do honor my commitments, this emergency doesn't change that. In the meantime here is what I have written. Well wishes for the Holiday Season. ~A
Found Girl 8
The celebration of Kenzi's return to the land of the living was finally beginning to wind down. It was nearly four in the morning, even Kenzi was starting to get a little heavy eyed. Trick seemed more than willing to let the party continue but Kenzi affectionately let the way station owner know, "I've got to leave you with something for your clients to drink tomorrow."
The bartender actually laughed which was oddly enough the first time he had done that since they had come in. Dyson had noticed the smiles that hadn't quite reached the older fae's eyes. The suspicious way he watched Kenzi when he thought no one was looking.
Dyson who seemed to have had a hard time keeping his hands to himself. He explained he was a little touch starved for his mate, since he had just gotten her and that it should fade in a few months, Vex over hearing this had mock coughed up the word, "Years."
It was as they were saying good night to everyone that the trouble started.
Kenzi had just said her farewells to Vex with a promise to see the dark fae in a few days, by coming by the Carpe Noct. When Bo came up and said rather belligerently to the little human, "Let's get out of here."
"Uhm no?" Kenzi says a little strangely. As if she wasn't really expecting the other woman to ask her to come home with her.
"Why not?" Bo asks still a little angrily and the other girl is thrown off by the anger. Then she thinks back and realizes her bestie had been acting a little testy all evening. Not like she wasn't glad to see her, Kenzi's very affectionate greeting for Bo had been easily returned. Not to mention that the succubus had been making toasts over her.
Generally, just being very enthusiastic if a little dazed by Kenzi's unexpected return from the dead. However, anytime the human had been around her werewolf, the succubus looked as though she's been sucking down lemons instead of whiskey and beers.
"Well for one thing, this is the part where you would normally head off with Lauren to her lovely apartment neat the light fae compound," Kenzi looked over to Dyson to get confirmation that things hadn't changed in that arena while she was gone. The werewolf merely shook his head in equal confusion.
Before Bo can really say anything about that though Kenzi continues, "And I'm heading out with Dyson."
"Why?" Bo asks and there is definitely suspicions in that tone of voice.
"I think that's rather obvious," Lauren replies for the other girl. "Congratulations by the way." Giving the pair a hug as she speaks. Everyone else does as well, including Tamsin and a surprised Trick. Everyone with the glaring exception of Bo. Who suddenly takes Kenzi's arm and asks, "Can I talk to you for a minute," even as she drags the other girl away a few yards.
When she thinks she's out of ear shot of the others, she asks, "What is this? The last I heard, you were pining over Hale. Now you come back and you and my werewolf are what attached at the groin? What's up with that?"
Kenzi felt herself go from fine to furious in nothing flat and did her best to rein in her temper before she spoke. "Yes I mourned Hale, and yes I'm still mourning him. Second, Dyson is not your werewolf anymore. Lauren is yours now or did you forget that? Third, don't act all surprised. I'm pretty sure you knew at some point before I ever figured it out that Dyson and I are soul mates. Or are you going to stand there and pretend you didn't know about the soul mark we share on our inner thighs?"
By the gob smacked expression on her besties face, Kenzi was pretty sure that she had failed to reign the fury in as much as she thought she had. Bo's eyes had glazed over somewhat and Kenzi said in a calmer voice. "The fact is I felt something for Dyson even when he kidnapped you for your trial by fae, and then stopped me from interfering in it. I chalked it up to a sex thing and then an anger thing. His family explained that was what happens sometimes when we meet our soul mate."
"You mean those squiggly little matching tribal tattoos are a soul mark?" she asked in a breathless squeak, and then added, "I thought they just happened to be matching tattoos, that you guys happened to both pick, not on purpose or anything. Just similar minds, you know?"
Kenzi managed to keep from laughing as she replied, "Yeah you get them when your young and they have a tendency to get darker when your mate is nearby. Then you had your thing between the two of you and then you broke up. I thought I was being the loyal friend by staying away from him. It nearly tore me in two when you…" Kenzi shook her head trying to get out of that frame of mind.
"So I started with Hale and stayed loyal and in love with him…then he died. Then you needed me to be your heart, which you always said I was. I still am but I'm his mate. So yeah for now I'm going with him until our bond settles. But I…we will be back." She gave her still dazed partner in crime another deeper hug before turning and heading to Dyson's bike.
~O~
Dyson is still asking questions the next day as they arrive at the Club House. Well actually a couple of blocks away, cause let's face it, there was no way he was leaving his baby in that neighborhood unattended, even if it is just for half an hour or so.
"So why are we back here again?" the werewolf said actually being a bit hard pressed to keep up with the humans quick pace even with his longer legs.
"Told you there are things I need to get, including my address book." Kenzi said as she moved around the general debris and detritus this kind of neighborhood inherently seems to acquire over time.
"Yeah and I told you she threw out or sold a lot of the stuff when you… died." he said her return still to raw for either of them too talk too much about.
"Yeah well I'm back now and the stuff I'm looking for I keep safe, Bo wouldn't have found it and even if she did she wouldn't be able to get it open." They had reached the front stoop of the should be condemned building, Kenzi looked around to find the two of them were the only people out on the street before moving the brick to find the hidden key.
Kenzi moved down the still plastic covered hall. Nothing really seems to have changed since she had left that day well not till she got to her room anyway. Most of her clothes were missing, her white fluffy terry cloth bathrobe they had stolen from the country club/spa was still there, on the back of the bathroom door. Probably the reason it was still there, it had gone unnoticed.
She was still dusting it off though when she got to her room. The first major thing she noticed…her bed was gone. The antique dresser she had found was gone as well as most of her clothes. All of her shoes except for one lonely stiletto were also missing. Some of her precious photos remained, and she collects as many of them as can be salvaged.
A small painted jewelry box devoid of jewelry sits half open on its side on the floor. She finds an overnight bag, on the floor of the closet, it has a couple of oversized shirts inside it, that she leaves as well as the few items she's been able to find. Then she removes what basically looks like an oval shaped stone from her pocket.
Moving the overnight bag out of the closet, she runs her hand with the rock over one of the floorboards. There is a rolling sound followed by a click, and a concealed lid pops up. Kenzi flips it open and begins removing wads of cash, various ID's, with many of Kenzi's pseudonyms on them. There were several other items, including what seems to be a stuffed address book. She explains, "Here we go, Just what I was looking for."
"And what's in there that's so important," the werewolf asked curiously.
"The Norn's new address," she says as she drops the book into the bag. Just as she does and before he can say anything about the Norn, they here someone come in the front door.
Kenzi as quietly as she can closes the odd little floor safe.
~O~
The wolf suspiciously takes a sniff before mouthing "Bo" at the young human. Kenzi grabs the werewolves arm and shoves him into a part of the wall that is hollow on the door side wall of her room and the one for the wall to the hall on the other side.
The pair hear the succubus hesitate at the entrance to Kenzi's room. In the little cubby space the pair can't be seen from the hall. They both hear her heave a watery sigh before she continues on down the hall to her own room. As soon as she closes the door to her room, Dyson pulls Kenzi from the empty wall section and has them heading for the exit.
Kenzi doesn't speak as its obvious that for some reason Dyson doesn't want Bo to know the pair of them are there. Ok Bo had shown her temper but she could be reasonable about the situation, right?
As they reach the door they are both startled to hear the sound of something fragile shattering. It startles Kenzi so badly that she actually makes a small noise. It's quickly followed by more sounds of things shattering. The smaller woman stares at Dyson questioningly until the sobbing begins, followed by raging screams. Kenzi's grey eyes are filled with tears as Dyson is finally abe to get them out of the Clubhouse without Bo somehow noticing the pairs exit.
They make it to the detectives motorcycle before he says anything. Then he demands, "And why do we need the Norn's new address? Nope that's not even my first question. How do you have the Norn's new address?"