Alright folks, getting towards the end of where I'm going with this fic. I think 2 short chapters to go. Thanks for all the feedback and support. Obviously I've stayed the course with copdoc, not everyone's cup of tea but heck, if we can't have crack ship here where can we? Reviews have been appreciated and taken on board, they really help when you're starting out. Thanks all for reading.
Word spread quickly. The Succubus was joining the Dark. Hale immediately appealed to the Morrigan, surely she had to know that Bo was not of sound mind, she was possessed or poisoned or worse and Lauren had the blood work to prove it. To appease the Light elders a council of the Dark agreed to meet in three days time to assess the suitability of the Succubus and to put pay to rumours of her being of an incapacitated mental state. Should the Dark elders rule that she was of sound mind then she would sign her allegiance to them immediately.
Trick was beside himself. Was he to lose another blood relative to the Dark? For their part the rest of the gang had spent the past week since Bo's attack searching for the Succubus. When the leads went cold they suspected the involvement of the Dark, it had felt much the same as when Lauren had gone missing all those months ago. Tamsin had attempted to use her networks but had come up empty handed. Lauren panicked that they had Bo tied up in the eternity room as they had she and Tamsin but through a network of Under Fae muscle providers the Valkyrie was able to establish that she was not being held there.
As Dyson, Tamsin and Kenzi worked to find Bo, hitting the streets and calling in every favour they had for information, Trick and Lauren took to researching an antidote, spell or antivenin to cure the Succucbus once she was found. There was a rich literature on the Drakkon Clans and the role of the Drakkon protectors in overseeing the wellbeing of all reptile Fae but nothing on a venom that allowed for other Fae to be controlled once bitten.
Lauren had been working tirelessly over the week trying to perfect the synthetic antivenin she had been developing and the one that had allowed Bo briefly to reemerge when stabbed with the syringe during the attack at her apartment. The Doctor could sense that she was getting closer to the cure but now with only three days until Bo was indoctrinated into the Dark she felt that time was against her.
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Tamsin and Dyson returned from a reconnaissance mission they had undetaken in an attempt to track down the Albtraum Fae, Lynne Munch, who had helped to kidnap Lauren and whom they suspected could lead them to the Drakkon that had bit Bo. While they had not found the girl they had stumbled across a group of rough sleeping Dark Fae teenagers who thought they knew who she was. They had provided the detectives with some potential leads in return for some booze and cigarettes.
When the two detectives arrived back at the Dal they saw Trick and Hale in deep conversation. Both men looked up from the bar as the two partners walked in and both the wolf and the Valkyrie knew that something was afoot.
As they approached the bar Hale stood up to face them and before either could say a word in question the Ash put his hand up to stop them, "Tamsin I need you to answer this question honestly, it's important that you do".
The two detectives looked at each other bewildered by the seriousness of the Ash's demeanour, "not liking the sense of drama here Hale" quipped the Valkyrie.
Trick moved in front of the Ash, looking as tired as a man who had not slept in days, "Do you have the Gram sword in your possession?"
Tamsin sensed immediately that this conversation might go somewhere she didn't like, "define possession"
Trick was immediately frustrated by the delicate obstructiveness, "do you hold it, do you keep it as yours?"
Seating herself on a stool at the bar the Valkyrie maintained a nonplussed demeanour, "what's the punishment for an answer in the affirmative?"
Without hesitation the Ash gave the ruling, "death, I agreed as such with the Morrigan to secure your release"
Tamsin huffed, she knew Evony wanted her dead she just didn't realise she had the mind for planning in such a way,"and if I was not be in possession of said sword?"
This time Trick, with a solemn face, knowing what was playing out would lead to no good one way or the other, "death, but for Bo".
Tamsin turned herself in the stool in which she was sat and faced the bar, "I think I need a drink before I give my answer and I think I need to better understand how this sword can save Bo"
Trick nodded warmly and went behind the bar and fixed all four a nip of whiskey. Over the next hour both the Ash and Trick explained to the two detectives how the annals of Drakkon Clan history had led them to the the mythology of the Gram Sword in more detail. Tamsin herself was able to fill some of the blanks regarding how the sword was forged in the great battle of the dragons, how a Valkyrie was responsible for reforging the sword when it was thought lost and how the sword was made to provide the person who held it with equal the strength of the beast in which they fought.
Trick explained that the Drakkon protectors were a group of elders who existed to find the sword and hold it for all reptile clans so that no one person could ever hold a weapon that would allow them to be destroyed. When the Drakkon in the woods gave it to the Valkyrie to kill Lauren it was more out of ceremony than anything else. Lauren was the first human in a thousand years to threaten the Drakkon with destruction through her work with Taft, she needed to die with a strike from the Gram and the fact that it would be a Valkyrie killing her made it all the more sweet.
Trick finished the explanation of all he'd learnt, "what the annals suggest is that if we kill the Drakkon protector that bit Bo then his power over her will be lost, but it must be death via the Gram Sword and it must at the hand of the one who 'owns' it, and that would be you"
The reality of the situation became evident to Tamsin, she knew she'd been played, the Ash had been played and ultimately Bo was the victim, "so let me get this straight, the Morrigan made a deal with you that my release would be dependent on the execution of whoever was in possession on the Gram, she knew the Drakkon would give it to me and that you would honour bound to have me executed. The only part of the plan that didn't work was her thinking I would kill the Doc with the sword first...which I would have had the Succubus not shown up..."
Tamsin knew in that instant that the only reason Lauren was alive, indeed the only reason she was alive, was because of Bo. "The only way for me to keep Lauren safe is to kill this Drakkon, if I need to do it it with the Gram Sword then so be it, that means Bo lives too".
The room was silent, the air thick with the misery of it all. Trick continued to pour whiskey after whiskey in silence, a wake for a dead Valkyrie walking.
Hale was the first to break the silence, "Tamsin, agreement with the Morrigan aside, if you do this, the murder of the a Drakkon elder will be punishable by death"
Tamsin took a last sip from her whiskey and looked at the three men, "once they take the sword from me then I'm dead anyway, it's giving me my extended life cycle, there's no way out fellas, I'm going to take my medicine and enjoy doing it too by killing that reptile son of a bitch".
The Valkyrie stumbled off her chair, no one sure whether out of shock or drink. As she walked to the door she paused and turned back to the three men at the bar, "tomorrow Dyson we will find Lynne Munch, find our Drakkon and I'll cut the bastard down, but nobody can tell Lauren what's going to happen she'll just put herself in more danger trying to stop this and I need to know that she'll be ok. Promise me." All three men knew it was the wrong thing to do, that Lauren deserved to know what was about occur but nodded their agreement anyway. The Valkyrie deserved this much. Satisfied, Tamsin walked out of the Dal for what she knew would be the last time.
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Tamsin arrived at Lauren's apartment and found the Doctor exactly where she expected, at her microscope working away at the antivenin. She took the woman in for a moment, her waving blonde hair, her delicate fingers and her long toned legs. Seeing the woman desperately trying to find a cure for her former lover's situation reminded Tamsin that even when she was gone there would be Bo and though it killed her a little to think it she knew while the Succubus was alive there would be a chance of happiness for the Doctor. Fucking Succubus. She didn't have to like it.
When Lauren looked up from her microscope and smiled it melted the Valkyrie's resolve a little, "hey you, I was wondering when you'd be home, how'd the search go for my driving buddy?" The Doctor made her way over to Tamsin and wrapped her arms around her waist before placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
Tamsin tried to force a smile but was sure it must have looked more like a crippled smirk to the Doctor, "I think we're getting close actually, I bet we'll have our man by tomorrow night".
Lauren leaned in once more kissing Tamsin and encouraging greater response from her companion with a gentle use of her her tongue before pulling back, "I know you'll find him Tamsin and when you do, I hopefully will have this antivenin ready to go for Bo".
"Lauren..."
The Doctor smiled as Tamsin tried to find her next words. The Valkyrie so rarely called her by name that a look of intrigue crossed her face and expectation filled her eyes.
Tamsin had so much she wanted to say, she wanted to thank the Doctor for saving her life, for showing her a glimpse of the happiness that can exist when you're open to it and for believing there was some substance to who she was. More than anything she had wanted to tell the human standing in front of her that she was in love with her. The two woman stared at each other for a moment and when the Valkyrie felt her eyes begin to well up she grabbed Lauren's face and brought her in for a hard kiss. This was a kiss to defy what tomorrow was to bring for the Valkyrie. Tamsin felt the return passion of Lauren's tongue within her mouth, as she felt the reverberations of her warm groans she tired desperately to push away the thought that this would be their last night together and that this would be the last time she held the Doctor closely.
It was a kiss filled with emotion, the reason for which the Doctor herself could not quite apprehend. When they pulled away from the kiss it was Lauren who took the Valkyrie by the hand and led her upstairs to the bedroom, she wanted to capture her lover's emotion completely and physically.
Turning to face each other again the Valkyrie immediately went to the Doctor's shirt, quickly unbuttoning it and pulling her body in close. The human laid kisses down the Valkyrie's neck that tickled in the most sensual of ways leaving Tamsin with a throbbing sensation that reverberated across her entire body. Fighting back control, Tamsin continue to remove clothing from the Doctor whose own hand was pushed away every time she attempted to do the same. When finally Lauren was completely naked in front of her Tamsin picked the woman up, legs wrapped around her waist, and brought her down on the bed. The Valkyrie stood for a moment looking down at the perfectly toned body below her, the mere sight of which flooded her desire, "so fucking beautiful". Tamsin began to undress herself, first removing her tightly fitted tank, then her jeans and underwear until she was completely naked herself.
Lauren sat up on her elbows and smiled at her lover. She watched the Valkyrie's eyes carefully, they were intensely focused on her before turning predatory as Tamsin stalked towards her crawling across the bed. Pulling herself further up Lauren allowed the Valkyrie the room to devour her from her toes upwards. Tamsin kissed her way up the human's body, savouring and exploring every bit of her. As she reached the apex of her thighs she felt the Doctor open her legs slightly in invitation but she was not yet done with her exploration. Lauren initially bucked her hips in frustration but when the Valkyrie's lips reached her lower stomach she entangled her fingers in her hair and endured the wonderful sensation urging the kisses to her mouth. When Tamsin finally lay complete on top of her, face to face and eye to eye Lauren wrapped her legs around her waist and forced their centres together. Neither broke eye contact as they released soft moans on each other lips.
Tamsin slid her hands gently down the human's body until she could slowly slip herself inside her lover. Lauren bit down hard on her lip, trying desperately to hold the gaze in front of her but the intensity of pulsations running through her made it difficult. Tamsin did not look away, she could not this time. She watched every expression that crossed her lover's face and tasted every vibration from every moan upon her lips, stopping only to push together their mouths in a wanton kiss.
Just watching Lauren like this, desperate for more, eagerly bucking up her hips to the rhythm that she set pushed the Valkyrie to the very edge. She could feel herself ready to explode as she worked her fingers inside her lover feeling immersed in Lauren's wetness and want.
As the Doctor felt her breathing become rushed, she involuntarily attempted to force a faster rhythm, wanting to feel everything of the Valkyrie above her. As she came she lifted her mouth to the Valskyrie's ear "oh god Tamsin, fuck, I love you...god I'm in I love with you". As soon as the words were expelled in that velvet moan she felt her lover become undone and as she did Lauren reached into her dripping center and pushed herself inside drawing a deep groan of pleasure from the Valkyrie.
The two woman brought their faces back together and as they did Lauren brought her hands to Tamsin's face bringing her mouth to her's for a deeply drawn kiss. The Valkyrie sucked on Doctor's bottom lip, biting it softly as they brought their eyes back together. Tamsin continued to place soft kisses on Lauren's lips, finding it impossible to stop wanting more of her.
"Lauren..."
Once again there was a long silence as Tamsin tried to find the words. Lauren felt compelled to break the moment, "Tamsin, I'm in love with you, I meant what I said and I don't need you to say anything."
The Valkyrie brought her forehead down onto the Doctor's, "Lauren, fuck...please, I...", Tamsin wanted to tell her that tonight was the last of this, that this was both the beginning and the end of everything for them, but instead all she could say was "I love you too, I really do, I love you".
That night may have been the end of everything else but it was the beginning of Tamsin's only night of making love. When the sun came up on the new day the Valkyrie began the trial of willing herself from Lauren's arms. She needed to find a way to say goodbye without saying a word. She wanted so much to protect the Doctor but knew that now all she had done was add to the hurt that was soon to come.