Ok folks, this is the end of the road. I'm still tossing up whether this needs an epilogue, we'll see. I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who read any part of this fic, it means a lot. A special thanks to those who reviewed, it really does help to keep the energy up for seeing it through and for that i'm really grateful. Thanks also for coping with the Aussie spelling of some words. Somethings I just couldn't change :)
I hope you enjoy how this all ends. I obviously had an alternate to the one i've gone but thought this was the right way to go. I hope you do too!
The stinging sat on Dyson's cheek lingering long after the warmth of Lauren's hand had passed. He looked at her blazing eyes and more than anything he wanted her to strike him again. He deserved it all. Her anger, her pain, all of the hurt.
Lauren brought her hand to her mouth in a vein attempt to mute her scream. This was betrayal. If they had just waited and given her a chance to complete the synthetic antivenin she could have cured Bo. Instead Tamsin would be executed, lost to her and this life. As she backed away from the wolf her mind turned over with a single thought. They hadn't believed in her. Tamsin had not believed in her to get it done. This epitomised her experience with the Fae, she was never the master of any destiny. Forever the slave.
There was an eerie quiet in the Dal. Trick had removed the patrons when Dyson had returned. Knowing the conversation that was to come, the explanation they needed to give to Lauren. Her girlfriend had killed the Drakkon protector, a senior clan elder, without permission from the Light or Dark. She would be sentenced to death, there was no doubt about it. The fact that Tamsin had done the deed with the Gram sword made it all the more irrevocable.
Lauren leaned her body against a bar stool and stared blankly into space. She was enmeshed in shock, Dyson's words still settling in her mind. Bo was the first to make a tentative approach to the blonde, standing in front of her and gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Lauren moved her eyes to meet the dark brown globes of the Succubus and could see the deep emotion they held. Bo, who already carried the burden of guilt for the death of so many lives, now had another to shoulder and Lauren could sense the weight of it.
Trick walked a path to face the Doctor, unsure of himself and what to say. He had been desperate to get his granddaughter back and now watching the devastation unfold in front of him he felt a seed of doubt plant itself in his psyche.
"Lauren, I know this must be so very hard for you. Tamsin has shown incredibly courage to risk so much. We will forever be in her debt"
Lauren did not look at the Blood King and instead shook her head, her voice fragile with emotion, "how do you repay a debt to a dead woman Trick?"
"She will be reborn Lauren, we will see her again." It was not intended to be hurtful, it was meant to reassure Lauren that Tamsin's sacrifice would not be forgotten, but as soon as the words left his mouth Trick wished them back. So little was known of the Valkyrie life-cycle, even less of the how's of the rebirth. In all likelihood Lauren would dead before Tamsin would remerge to this world.
It was then that the tears fell. Lauren could not hold them back any longer. This day was corrupted completely, a day where she had hoped for a future. Had Tamsin thrown away this life so easily because she knew she would return to next soon enough? The only real loss being time and the relationship she had with her? Did it all matter that little? They had been through so much together. Suffered together so long and now Tamsin was free and had left her behind with more misery piled on.
Dyson could see the thoughts pass over the Doctor's broken face. He remembered his promise to Tamsin, she had asked that he try to help the Doctor understand why. Tamsin had been terrified by the thought that Lauren would hate her, that all the love she had for the Valkyrie would be lost.
"She loves you Lauren, she did this to protect you. She knew that while the Drakkon protector was alive that you were in danger. She knew that to live she needed the Gram sword and as long as she held it the Drakkon would keep coming for her too. She wanted a life with you just not this one, not one that put you at risk."
Dyson now approached Lauren but still dared not touch her. He could provide her with no comfort physically but would live his promise to Tamsin. "You gave her a look at happiness Lauren, she'd never had that before. You were the only reason she wanted to live and I guess in some weird way that was the reason she could actually do this."
Dyson's words mellowed the Doctor's features slightly. She had needed to hear everything he had said. If Tamsin did do this because she loved her, then this could not be the end. Something had to be done. "We need to get her out, we can't just sit here and do nothing", Lauren looked to Bo, still stood next to her and the Succubus nodded, "yes, yes absolutely, I'm in".
xxxx
Hale sat patiently outside the Elder Chambers of the Dark Fae offices, waiting for a chance to plead Tamsin's case. The Ash of the Light pleading for the life of a near dead Valkyrie aligned to the Dark. This was perhaps the most evidence yet of his commitment to bring both sides together.
The door to the chambers opened and Hale could hear the activity of voices and movement in the room beyond. A procession of bodies began to file out and the Ash could not help but admire the beauty of the regalia adorned by the Dark elders. As they walked passed him they eyed him suspiciously but were respectful nonetheless. Last among them was an attractive dark haired woman. Her milk like skin accentuating fierce blue eyes. She had a presence about her that demanded respect and before even knowing who she was the Ash felt compelled to stand to his feet.
The woman offered her hand, "I'm Margarite, the Elder's have appointed me to stand in the place of the Morrigan until her trial for conspiracy is heard". Hale was floored, he had heard nothing of the Morrigan's charges for conspiracy.
"That news comes as a shock to me, what's the basis for her charges?"
Smiling, the woman began to walk and the Ash followed behind her, "we have great respect for you, as we did every Ash that came before you and it is with that respect that I say this to you now…it's of absolutely no concern to you what the basis of her charges are"
Hale nodded, conceding there was little use in pressing the issue although a change in Dark leadership would ultimately impact on him and his role.
"I'll accept that with the respect in which it was intended, but there is a matter I do wish to pursue with relation to the charges to laid against the Valkyrie"
"Ah yes, Tamsin, your pet project of mixing Light and Dark. It appears the impact on the Valkyrie has been quite significant. Killing a Drakkon elder to save an unaligned Succubus from pledging her allegiance to the Dark. If we Dark elders were sensitive we might actually take offence. All of that while being in possession of one of the most sacred, and stolen, heritage artefacts in the Fae world, the Gram sword. The Morrigan has indicated that you struck an agreement with her regarding the punishment for any Fae found to be in possession of the sword?"
"I did. But clearly the Morrigan was aware that Tamsin had been given the sword by the Drakkon protector himself. She was playing me the same way she was playing Tamsin"
The woman stopped walking and turned to face the Ash, her face studying his intently, "hmmm, it certainly appears that way and yet neither you nor the Valkyrie came forward to the Dark Council with that accusation, instead she took matters into her own hands. I am concerned that you might have known what her intentions were and you failed to intercede. Leadership as you're a no doubt aware is doing what needs to be done regardless of how you benefit from it."
Hale knew she was right. His friendship with Trick, with Dyson and with Bo had clouded it capacity to think this situation through. As a result the worst kind of justice was carried out and may yet be carried out further.
"I'm here to ask for the life of the Valkyrie, not as Ash but as a friend begging for her life. If I played a part in this then I need to make it right."
"Neither friends nor Ashes have any capacity to influence the outcome of the Council's decision on this. The fact that you would come here and do this exposes your frailties."
"You call them frailties, but my friends have always been my strengths. Is there any chance I can speak to the Council on Tamsin's behalf?"
"The Valkyrie will speak on her own behalf, this is always how it has been done. The only concession I'll grant you is to be present during the trial."
"When do you expect that to be?"
"Now. The Elders are all together as tomorrow was meant to be the assessment of the Succubus. Quite fortuitous really."
xxxxx
The irony of the situation was not lost on the Valkyrie. Chained again to the walls of the eternity room where this ending had all been set in motion. Tamsin looked across at the space that Lauren once occupied, the walls behind still hosting a smattering of blood, the Doctor's blood, in a wicked reminder of the pain of this place. Being here brought back a flood on hellish memories but also those that led her to Lauren. Everything changed for her from the second she was dragged in to this place. The months that followed on from here brought the Valkyrie to places new. Emotions that were new to her. To a human. She had heard stories of the Valkyries that fell in love with the mortals and had never understood how. Humans had so much weakness, were so easily broken and so slow to repair. She had admired some for their courage and skill with a weapon but never so much as to develop anything more.
Then there was Lauren. The Valkyrie closed her eyes and let her mind slip away, back to the human. A small smile crept to the edge of her lips as she thought about her human lying in her arms. The warmth of her skin and the softness of her hair as it tickled the Valkyrie's chest. In those first weeks of their relationship Tamsin would hold the Doctor through the night not allowing her to slip away. She had never been like that before with a lover, craving that closeness. Some night's they lay in warm silence as Lauren trailed gentle circles with her fingers across Tamsin's stomach until eventually the Valkyrie would turn the human over onto her back, pinning her wrists above her head before devouring her again. Then there were the nights that the Valkyrie told the Doctor about her past, about the wars she'd seen and the heroes she'd accompanied to the great hall. Lauren would lay next to her, fascinated by the history and her enthusiasm encouraged the Valkyrie to share more and more. Sharing that once had been so hard felt easy with the Doctor. The trust the two had developed while prisoned together made it easy for both to open up.
Tamsin did not allow the sound of the door to that dungeon hell to distract her from her thoughts. As the guards began to remove her from the chains and clasps the Valkyrie was lost in the thought of morning showers with the Doctor wrapped around her. She barely registered being pulled to her feet and up the stairs of the dungeon. Tamsin knew this was the end and her mind was exactly where she wanted it to be. Death be damned, her last thought was going to be of Lauren.
xxxxx
When Hale entered the Dal it was after midnight. The energy required to push open the door almost floored him, he was emotionally and physically drained. All heads from his friends in the bar turned to him as he walked towards them. They had been waiting anxiously for him and they too looked exhausted by the day. As he approached them his eyes were drawn to Lauren, she was looking at him expectantly, her voice rapid as she spoke.
"Hale, I'm so glad you're here, look I know you're probably not going to like this but we've been talking and have agreed, we need to break Tamsin out of the Dark comound…"
"Lauren…" Hale attempted to interject but Lauren was talking too quickly.
"..I've been inside that facility and I don't think they'll have her well guarded…"
"Lauren…"
"..Bo has agreed to lead us in, Dyson can stay in the carpark below to help us away afterwards, once we're out Tamsin and I can go somewhere…"
"Lauren.."
"..I just need you to agree to let me leave Hale, I think you owe me that…."
"Lauren, stop please"
The sternness of his voice brought down a silence on the room. Hale removed his hat and walked over to Lauren his heart beating fast and sweat beading upon his brow. Lauren noticed the nervous look in his eye.
"Please Hale, please, help me do this"
The Ash took her hand and willed himself to continue.
"It's over Lauren, I'm so so very sorry"
Confusion fell across the Doctor's face as she tried to make sense of what was being said, her eyes slipping from Hale's face to Bo and then Dyson who both were equally unsure, "I don't understand, what do you mean over, we need to get to her Hale, you have no idea what they do to people there".
Hale cursed himself for the ambiguity of the language he used. He had hoped lighter words would lessen the blow.
"Tonight the Dark Council of Elders met to discuss Tamsin's sentence. I tried to intervene on her behalf but wasn't allowed. They found she had no case to answer for the theft of the Gram sword but that she was guilty of the unsanctioned murder of a Fae Elder. They sentenced her to death."
Dyson brought his hands to his face and Lauren watched him as he began to break, her voice now frantic as the urgency of it all dawned on her, "we need to go now then before they execute her, when will they do it Hale, did they say?"
The Ash shook his head, wincing briefly before the words left his mouth, "they did it straight away Lauren, I'm sorry, it's their way. I was with her, she was…she was brave, they never broke her. She's gone."
"No..no, no, no she can't be" Lauren stumbled backwards her legs giving under her as a rush of adrenaline carried through her body. Bo caught her as she began to fade, bringing her slowly to the floor and wrapping herself around the blonde's body as she began to cry uncontrollably. The Succubus held on to her tightly as her body shook and contracted. There were moments when the Doctor felt unable to breath, suffocated by the pain and loss begging words into the chest of the Succubus as she held her grimly "it's not true, it can't be true, please, please we can still save her Bo, please". The Succubus just whispered sssshh's into the Doctor's ear, trying as best she could to sooth the pain of it all, rocking her gently in her arms.
Lauren stayed like that in Bo's arms, crippled on the floor of the Dal, for the next hour, her cheeks stinging and red raw from salted tears. She was broken, everyone in the room was broken. When the tears stopped she began to pick herself up, with Bo reluctantly releasing her but keeping a worried watch over the blonde as she struggled to her feet.
Lauren needed to go home and wrap herself back in the bed that just that morning the Valkyrie shared with her. For a moment she fantasised of falling asleep and waking up from this nightmare. She looked to Dyson and saw the devastation she was feeling in his eyes, "take me home Dyson, I need today to be over".
Lauren walked out of the Dal that night and it would be years before she stepped foot back in the bar again. The next occasion that brought her to the way station was wedding, an event that she could not say no to. It would be that night of all nights that the Doctor would set eyes again for the first time on a reborn Valkyrie.
xxxxx
Six Months Later
It was late, too late to still be working. Even the Doctor would admit the quality of her work was probably not up to standard at this point. A severe case of Fae flu was sweeping through the city and Lauren was desperate to find both an inoculation and a more effective treatment for those already suffering the debilitating effects.
Rubbing her eyes, Lauren decided it was time to call it a night. She knew she was avoiding going home, it had become a habit once more. The last time she had been like this it was Tamsin that pulled her out of the dark. Now it was the thought of the Valkyrie and how she died that kept her awake at night.
As she packed up her bench space Lauren heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Looking to the door expectedly, the Doctor chastised herself mentally for hoping it was not a patient emergency. When she saw the Dyson, carrying a large navy duffel bag, she felt equal measures of relief and anxiety. Whenever the two were in the room together it was impossible for them not to discuss the Valkyrie and their grief at her loss always sat heavy in air.
"Working late Doc, you're going to burn yourself out"
"I could say the same about you Dyson, a difficult case got you burning the midnight oil?"
"Actually, I have had a side research project on the go, not exactly work related. That's what I'm here about. I went to your apartment but you weren't home so I figured your sleeping habits hadn't improved much and that you'd be here"
"Research project? Ok, you've got my attention, do you need my help?"
Dyson sat down the duffel bag on the bench in front of Lauren and unzipped it, revealing the Gram sword wrapped inside. The sight of the sword caught Lauren's breath, her eyes shooting up to Dyson's filled with questions. The wolf removed the sword from the bag and held it in his hand.
"When Tamsin killed the Drakkon she asked me to drive her to Dark compound so she could hand herself in but she didn't want anyone to get their hands on the sword. She said it was a Valkyrie's sword and didn't belong to the Drakkon. She gave it to me and said I was now it's owner and immediately when she handed it to me I felt a power surge through me"
Lauren watched the wolf handle the sword, his eyes glowing yellow, she gathered the surge he was now discussing was flowing through him in that moment. Lauren's mind was quickly surmising the situation, "I gather whoever holds the sword holds its power?"
Dyson held the sword out in front of the Doctor, "yes, that's why I'm giving the sword to you".
Lauren looked at the wolf, unsure of whether to accept the weapon in front of her. "Take it Lauren, this is what Tamsin wanted, at least I think it is".
"I don't understand Dyson, what do you mean this is what Tamsin wanted?"
The wolf set the sword down on the bench and took a deep breath. He had never told Lauren about his last moments with the Valkyrie, he had never been sure of what Tamsin had wanted him to do with the information.
Flashback
Tamsin and Dyson sat in the truck outside the Dark compound for nearly 30 minutes in silence. The Valkyrie was willing herself to leave and to end this situation now for good. She knew when she did her life would be over but that there would be no retribution from the Dark or from the any reptile Fae that would blow back on the Doctor. Her girlfriend's safety would be assured.
"Dyson, there's one more thing I need to ask you to do. Kind of dying wish if you will, I'll buy you beer to say thanks when I'm next in town"
"Anything, just ask", the sincerity in the wolf's voice almost made the Valkyrie cringe, she wanted to be back to snide remarks and sarcasm. That's what she loved about their friendship, the fact it looked nothing like friendship at all.
"Alright wolf breath, don't put the panties on just yet, let's try hold it together a little longer", reaching down to her feet Tamsin pulled out the Gram sword which was still covered in the blood of the Drakkon, "…I'm gifting this sword to you Dyson, handing my ownership of it to you. It cannot go back to the Drakkon clans, it's not theirs to hold. I want you to have it and as you learn more about the source of its power I want you to decide what to do with it next. Don't rush your decision on it, take your time, do your research and then decide".
"This all sounds awfully cryptic TamTam, why don't you just tell me what you think I should do with it?"
"I can't Dyson, some things you'll learn about the sword in the fullness of time and some things you'll learn about the people that should possess it. I trust you to make the right decision".
Back in the lab, Lauren was still confused. "I don't understand, Tamsin wanted you to research the power of the Gram sword with a view to handing it over to someone else and you've decided that someone should be me?"
"Exactly. I've been working with Trick to learn more about the heritage of the sword. It gives the owner the strength and skill to fight whatever enemy they face with the sword in hand."
"And you think I might need that for the very many fracas I find myself involved in?"
Dyson smiled, "not quite, although I know that Tamsin wanted to be sure you were well protected so perhaps. What we learned was that this sword doesn't just give a perpetual lifecycle to a Valkyrie, it gives it to whoever owns it, hence why the Drakkon protector was so old. If you own this sword Lauren, you can live essentially forever"
An eternal lifespan? "What makes you think I'd want to live forever Dyson?"
"I want you to have the choice as to whether you see Tamsin again"
"Dyson, no. I can't spend my life waiting for her to maybe or maybe not come back. That would be a horrible way to live."
"I know Lauren, but imagine everything else you could do and achieve. Bo will live for hundreds of years yet, I've probably got a couple of hundred left in me yet too. You'd have the choice to stay the course with us, continue your work with the Fae. I spoken to Hale, he'd ensure your ownership of the sword was endorsed."
Lauren picked up the sword and in her hand now she felt a warm energy flow through her. Immediately she felt ownership of the weapon, it was hers to possess and have. Suddenly and for the first time in such a long time she felt the master of her own destiny. This weapon gave her the power of the Fae but allowed her to remain human. Should she change her mind at any point she could just gift the sword to someone else. While she would not admit it to Dyson on that day, in her own mind there was an attraction to the idea of seeing Tamsin once again, even if only to punch her in the nose for leaving her the way she did. Yes, there was much to like about that indeed.
Lauren gripped the sword tightly. In her mind it was settled, "Ok Dyson, ok. I'll accept the sword. I guess you're going to have to get used to having me around."
"I've got a funny feeling I will need to get used to you too. I think we're going to see a lot of each other over the next hundred years of so."
Lauren smiled, imagine all you can achieve in life with a perpetual time horizon. Maybe the broken heart she was mending might even have sufficient time to heal. All the good Doctor did know was that she was willing to give it a shot. At least her's was one death she could defeat.
Fin.