Tamsin had been watching Lauren for hours, concentrating on her breathing, assuring herself that she was still alive. She had seen war, she had seen bravery but she had never seen a human confront evil like she had witnessed the Doctor just do. If she was honest with herself she never thought the Doc had it in her.
The Valkyrie had studied the human's form when they were outside of this place. It was difficult not to. Apart from the clear beauty of the Doctor, Tamsin had never really understood what the Succubus had seen in her. Urghhh the succubus is got it right again.
In front of her now was a broken woman. Swollen, crippled with pain, this was not the Lauren Tamsin thought she knew on the outside, this was someone else all together. Tamsin didn't know why she cared but she did. She cared about how this would end for the Doctor, how much more would she need to endure? When would this over?
Tamsin was overwhelmed with a sense of guilt. She'd agreed with Dyson, with Kenzi, with Trick when they told Bo to let her go. She'd fled to a new place, for a new start...
"What if she's waiting for me to find her?" Bo asked her friends, desperation in her eyes. "She would have got word, she's resourceful like that" said Trick, with compassion, "it's not safe for her here Bo, she'd know that, she'll come back in her own time, in her own way" Dyson reasoned. "Look succubus, she's gone, lets cry some tears and move on, it's all getting a bit boring. The Doc does not want to be found, trust me, I know something about that" Tamsin chipped in.
Bo had known when others didn't. Not for a moment did she doubt that Lauren was both alive and in need of her. They'd convinced Bo to let the Doc go four weeks into the search. Tamsin wondered how long Lauren had been in this hell hole. Something shook inside of her, goose pimples spread across her arms as a thought entered her head, surely she's not been here that whole time...nobody could survive it, fuuuuck...the succubus was right again...
Tamsin's internal dialogue was broken by the sound of the door to the basement dungeon opening up again. Fucking bring it you ugly motherfucker. But as the footsteps rounded her she looked up to see not the beast but the Morrigan standing in front of her.
"Tamsin, darling, you look like shit" the Morrigan could not contain her smile as she looked at the Valkyrie. "Damp air, shit, piss and blood clearly don't agree with you"
"I guess it depends whose piss, shit and blood I'm swimming in" the Valkyrie retorted.
"Awwww, the poor human, she really has had a lifetime of mistreatment at the hands of the Fae hasn't she" the faux concern made Tamsin spit in the direction of the Morrigan.
Evony turned to Tamsin with a look of disgust. "Now now little girl, learn your place, you don't want me to turn my attention from the Doctor to you do you?" Tamsin glared at the Morrigan for just a moment "it seems like it might be a fairer fight, which we both know isn't your style". Evony began to laugh, wiping laughter tears from her eyes she kneeled in front of the tall blonde "the concept of a fair fight coming from the mouth of a Valkyrie...well I never".
Tamsin dropped her head. She thought for a moment about her next words to Evony. Every instinct in her body urged her to lash out, to strike with words or fists. But instead she felt compelled to ask a burning question, to seek an answer to a question that sat in the pit of her belly.
"When will you execute her?"
"Oh sweetie, you sound like you care, how divine. She'll die when she's no longer useful, which is soon"
"I thought the Light found evidence she was played by Taft"
"They did and they've now tried her in absentia and found her not guilty of treason, which means she's a liability to me when I'd so hoped she might be a pawn. But lucky for me you're new friends in the Light are negotiating for your release, you've obviously made quite an impression on that happy sunshine gang...how revolting"
"So I can go?"
"Not quite darling, they've still got some terms to meet, but I'm hopeful they'll overplay their hand. I love winning, particularly at the expense of the succubus which is why I've so enjoyed seeing her doctor ...well.. So compromised".
Tamsin knew she needed to play it cool, she needed to get out of this place before Lauren was executed and tell Bo she was right all along. While Bo stopped searching for Lauren after four weeks, it was now nearly eight since she went missing. Lauren wouldn't survive another week, either through beatings or via a more likely formal execution.
"I've got to admit, I've enjoyed seeing the human get some just desserts", Tamsin pushed the words out other mouth and forced herself to smile.
Evony hesitated for a moment but felt confident the Valkyrie was telling the truth. Word had spread about the kiss between she and the succubus, the following slap from the Doctor and ultimately Lauren's defection to Taft. People had, under their breaths, blamed Tamsin but Tamsin had never really given a shit as she'd always thought the Fae world was not one for a human.
Evony signaled over to a red cap minion standing behind her "unlock the Valkyrie when I leave, but she does not leave this cell" turning to Tamsin and placing a a kiss on each of her cheeks she whispered "Enjoy the remainder of your stay Tamsin, your release will come with some lovely conditions". And with that Evony turned and walked away, leaving the Red Cap to shuffle with keys.
Twisting her wrists in agonising release as the shackles fell away Tamsin resisted her urge to run to the human's side. Too many hits to the head, you're getting soft she thought to herself. As soon as the door closed behind the Red Cap Tamsin she slowly walked across the room to the Doctor. Kneeling by her side she got her first close look at the damage inflicted upon the human. Her breath left her as bile forced its way up her throat forcing her keel over and vomit. Trying to recapture her breathing she turn back towards the Doctor and reached across to the water jug resting behind her head. Tamsin poured a little into her hands and began to wipe some of the stale blood from the Doctor's face. She could feel the fluid and swelling and could sense, as only a Valkyrie could, just how close to death this human was.
Looking towards her contorted shoulder, Tamsin turned the Doctor to her side, held her arm and jarred the dislocation back into place. Lauren heaved and her eyes flung open in pain. "Sshhhh, it's just me, you're safe Doc, you're safe" Tamsin attempted to reassure her. "What...where am I?". "We're still underground Doc, but I'm going to get us both out of here". Lauren looked up at the Valkyrie who had her head resting in her lap and saw sincerity in her eyes but she was already to broken to care. "Just kill me Tamsin, please, help me now". The words once uttered shocked Tamsin, she'd had many a warrior beg her for death and for mercy before but this time it moved her. She responded the only way she knew how.
"Look Doc, pull yourself together would you. They're letting me out of this dump and when they do I'll raise the alarm and you'll be back sipping Malbec in no time, hell, might even join you in a glass of that pretentious shit. I need you to just keep doing what you've been doing for a couple more days".
Lauren shut her eyes, she couldn't respond to Tamsin, she didn't have the stomach to tell her a couple more days was a couple more too long. Instead she enjoyed the warmth of the Valkyrie's legs against her one good cheek, the warmth of another body. For the first time in nearly two months the Doctor fell into a satisfied albeit painful sleep.