Disclaimer: Still don't own anything (How sad)

A/N: Well since I've started with giving a note I might as well continue though I doubt many people bother to read this. But for those of you who do I'd like to give a thank you to the people who reviewed. I'm already going to warn all of you not to expect me to keep this pace going. I happen to be out of town for work and have a bit more free time than usual. This story is also plaguing my brain and I've spent a rather impressive amount of time sitting at my laptop because of it.

I warn some that I am a bit tedious when it comes to science. I like being as accurate as possible so that can lead to a couple of boring parts. That just comes from watching so many shows and feeling a desire to write them a slew of corrections. It also happens in books when authors don't bother to research a topic they are writing about. I love people who describe death and what a body feels like when it is obvious they have never been near one or touched one. Any ways random rant to explain my scientific lingo in this chapter.

I know I am moving slowly with this story but as anyone who has read my work before I tend to get hung up on the details. Any thoughts and opinions I always enjoy hearing. I will admit (shamefully) that reviews do help. Feel free to feed my ego.

Starring at the ceiling of her darkened room Lauren wished for a distraction. Her mind was left going over the events of the day wondering what was happening in a world she no longer belonged to. If she was honest with herself she couldn't help but think she had never belonged there. The Fae were different. They had a superiority complex that blew her mind. They were an evolutionary branch but it did not make them superior to humanity or inferior. They needed humanity but instead of appreciating humans they treated them more often than not as chattel.

She knew humans were no better. One race would always think they were superior. One class would always claim supremacy. There was an innate need in any humanoid genus to declare superiority to another genus. Humans to Fae reminded her on occasion of Lions and Gazelles. The lions might have a level of superiority in strength and size but they lacked speed. Gazelles had herds that ranged in the thousands allowing them to limit the members of the herd that were lost to the old and the sick. They used the lions in essence to weed out the burdens to the herd. The Fae also had many of the disadvantages that lions have. They are limited in their breeding capabilities due to centuries of inbreeding. More Fae children died than survived to maturity. In the six years she had been a slave to the Light she had only delivered twenty children, of which two died not long after delivery. The Dawning did not help either. Overall as a genus she was surprised the Fae were still alive. She would be even more surprised if they survived as a genus through the next millennia.

Her work with the Fae however had opened her eyes to two worlds that lived side by side with humanity. One she found worked within humanity and more often than not: with humanity. The other considered humanity as a tool and a food source. She was surprised by the differences in the two sub cultures. They didn't follow with the preconceived notions perpetrated about them.

Shaking her head she marveled at how much her view of the world had expanded in a relatively short period of time. Scientist all over the world would give up their right kidney, left lung, and first born children for what she had learned in a mere six years. The fact that her knowledge base was only expanding would make anyone in the scientific world jealous. The sad part was that she had, had to give up six years of her life for the knowledge she had attained. The worst part was that it was knowledge she would never be able to share with the world at large. She knew after looking at Taft that it would be better for all three genus that her knowledge not be shared with humanity. Humans weren't ready to learn about the Fae or anyone else for that matter. It was a sad fact but ignorance in this case was bliss.

Wishing her mind would settle down and sleep would over take her Lauren couldn't help but think of Bo. Her heart ached thinking of the woman she loved so dearly but could never be with. She hated the fact that she couldn't be enough for Bo. What she had most though was how their relationship had devolved so disastrously. Thinking back she wished she had listened to Faith. She wished she had cut her loses before she had invested so much. If she had left that night with Faith would everything have gone the way it had? Would she still be here with Faith? Would she be free of the Fae? Would Dyson have gotten back with Bo? Would her heart be broken?

Part of her wished she had met Faith years ago. Wished that she had never met Bo had never gotten involved sexually let alone emotionally. Instead she had made a series of choices she wasn't sure of. If she had stayed home and lived the quiet life her family wished for her would she have ended up in the same place? She didn't know and that lack of knowing plagued her in the dark hours of the night when sleep eluded her.

She was an accident but a welcome one or so her parents always said. Her parents had assumed that after having only one daughter and failing to conceive another that they were meant to have only one child. So they took no measures of protection when they went off to England to celebrate their twentieth anniversary. Nine months later they were surprised with a little girl nearly seventeen years younger than their first. She barely remembered her sister since Dana died when she was only three years old giving birth to her first child; Caleb. She grew up with Caleb and treated him more as a younger brother than the nephew he actually was.

In their understandable grief her parents had kept her sheltered. Hoping against all odds to protect the two children they now had. A grandson raised as a son and a daughter who reminded them all too keenly of a daughter they had lost. She never had a bad word to say against her parents and if it wasn't for them she never would have become Karen Beattie or Lauren Lewis. Her father's job and connections gave her the ability to follow her dreams, her career without ever endangering her family. Because the most important lesson she ever learned from her father was; names have meaning, even made up names. There is an infinite power in the use of a name. Unlike her father she never kept the same first name. Instead she had walked through lives using made up names in order to keep herself and others safe; all in the name of science.

When Taft had brought her a file of Karen Beattie she had known the man was trouble. The file still existed in Interpol's data base but Karen Beattie was dead. Dental records had been used to identify the body after a tragic air strike in southern Afghanistan. The man clearly didn't have the full details but what he did have made him dangerous. That was when she had decided to look deeper into his background. What she found was surprisingly little which made her even more suspicious. His constant interest in her was what finally made her turn to Hale for help. She knew that he was digging to deeply into the Lauren Lewis profile and he would only be doing that if he wanted something to do with the Fae. She was glad he was dead considering the many innocent Fae he had experimented on, tortured, and farmed. Unfortunately Taft was her greatest fear when it came to the Fae and he was like many humans in their probable view of the Fae.

Getting up she decided there was no point in trying to sleep when her mind was so active. Picking up her robe she wrapped it around her body and stepped out of the room. She had a vague grasp of the layout of the building. She wasn't exactly sure what to call it, for it was hardly a typical home. It reminded her vaguely of the compound without the sterility and coldness. It was clear someone had decorated with the intent of giving a homey look while attempting to maintain an aristocratic view. It was clear the house was a product of money, old money that earned more in interest than most people made in a lifetime.

Walking down one of the halls she wandered down to her new lab. It was the only path she really tried to remember. Stepping into the lab she turned on the lights and looked around. She hadn't wanted to oh and aw in front of Faith but now she had the privacy to marvel at everything Faith had done.

She had a fully functioning lab with a medical lab as a bonus. Looking over the machines she spotted an ultrasound machine, a section of the lab was walled off with a MRI and a CT machine installed. The lab proper had all the necessary equipment ranging from beakers to petri dishes and electron microscopes. Sighing in joy she looked back at the ultrasound machine. She had avoided using one at the compound or even doing anything beyond the basic tests. She didn't want to leave a trace for the Fae to find. She didn't want anyone to know the truth about why she had left.

Releasing a sigh she decided it was time to find out the truth. She had been avoiding it since she didn't know what she wanted to do. She didn't want to know how it happened being happy in the bubble of knowing it had happened. Now she had the means to find out the truth and like a band aid she knew it was better just to get it over with. Moving to a cabinet she removed a syringe and three small blood vials. Grabbing a tourniquet she tied off her arm and prepped the area.

"Do you want a hand?"

Releasing a slight scream Lauren turned around to see Faith smiling at her.

"Do you know what you are doing?" She asked unsure what medical knowledge Faith actually had.

"Trust me in the world of blood our kind has a very firm grasp on what we are doing." Faith said showing off the dimples.

"That is hardly comforting." She said shaking her head.

Without a word Faith walked to the sink, washed her hands and grabbed a set of gloves. Taking a seat next to Lauren she tapped lightly to get the vein to rise to the surface. Grabbing the syringe she inserted it gently into the vein and filled the three vials. "Are you finally going to learn the truth?" Faith asked nonchalantly.

"Now that I can I think I would like to. I suppose I could go my entire life without looking but I know I would always wonder. I would always be curious about how it happened. The few books I have read are rather vague on the topic but it's understandable considering most Fae are rather secretive. None of the species wish to divulge their abilities, strengths, or weaknesses. Everything that is written comes from observation and that isn't always accurate." She said removing the tourniquet and rolling down the sleeve of the robe.

"Will you tell me when you find out?" Faith asked.

"Do you really want to know? Will it change things?" She asked suddenly feeling unsure.

"No matter the results I've already accepted it. You will become a member of our clan and your child will have all the protection of my people. I have made this known to you time and again. I would hope that by now after everything that you would not doubt my word." Faith said seriously.

"I'm sorry if I still feel doubt over this entire situation. I was tricked into slavery and I can't help but worry that I am falling for it again." Lauren said unable to stop the sudden rush of emotion that choked her.

"We don't own you, no one owns you." Faith said vehemently. "If you ever decide to walk away I will not stop you." She finished unsure of what else to say, what else to do to prove her word was her bond.

"I'm sorry I know that. I know you wouldn't." Lauren said moving towards Faith and wrapping her arms around her in a fierce hug. "Can you blame this all on a really stressful couple of days?" She said feeling the tension slowly seep out of Faith's shoulders.

"Yes I can." Faith said softly. "Beatrice I...I think you should get some sleep. You've been up for more than sixteen hours and I know today was a hard day. Come on lets store the samples and I'll walk you to your room."

"I've tried and there is no point in it. I can't shut my mind off. I keep bouncing from one thought to another and sleep just keeps eluding me. I left so much behind Faith and I am still unsure how I feel about any of it."

"Are you regretting leaving?" Faith asked sitting back down.

"No." Lauren said sternly. "No I know it was the right thing to do. The Fae are too restrictive when it comes to humans. We are slaves and chattel. I will not raise this child to be a slave to the Fae." She said placing a hand on her abdomen.

"You could have easily aborted it." Faith said casually her voice devoid of emotion.

"You know I couldn't. I've always wanted children. I've always wanted the house, the fence, the kids and the wife. I've wanted a taste of normality ever since I walked away from it." She said with a self deprecating chuckle.

"Yet you keep choosing people who aren't normal, who will never fit the mold." Faith said with a sad smile.

"Normal doesn't really exist, average does, but who really wants to be average?" She said giving Faith a real smile.

"You never could be." Faith said letting the silence engulf them.

Lauren picked up the blood samples deciding she wouldn't be able to delay finding out the truth. She wanted to know how she became pregnant and the paternity of her child. Now that the thought was in her head she knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep until she had done the test. Stopping she turned to Faith. "Do you think you could go to my room and get my laptop? I have all my files from the compound there and I will need it to do a D.N.A comparison."

"I'm guessing you will be working instead of sleeping." Releasing a sigh Faith shook her head and got up heading wordlessly to Lauren's chambers.

Taking off the robe she found a closet and hung it up, taking out a lab coat. It felt comforting to put on a lab coat and Lauren nearly signed in pleasure of something so familiar. Walking towards the storage area she took out the materials she would need; a test tube rack, test tubes, an ice bath, de- ionized distilled water, pipettes, micro pipettes, a bleach solution for sanitation, and a couple of beakers.

Putting on a set of gloves she took out the chemicals necessary to make the two necessary buffers. Buffer A required: 0.32 Sucrose, 10mM Tris HCL, 5mM MgCl2, and 0.72% Triton-X-100. Buffer B required: 20M Tris-HCl, 4M Na EDTA, and 100M NaCl. Making each separate buffer she labeled them and set them aside. Labeling three test tubes A,B, and C she placed 1 ml of buffer A into each tube, 1ml of each vial of blood, and 2ml of the distilled water. Gently agitating each test tube she placed them into her ice bath for two minutes.

Removing the test tubes and placing them into the centrifuge she failed to see Faith sitting there quietly watching. Fifteen minutes later she removed the test tubes and removed the supernatant discarding it into the bleach solution. Re-suspending the solution in 6ml of distilled water and 2ml of buffer A placing it again in the centrifuge for 15 minutes. Taking out the three vials she added 5ml of buffer B and 500 µl of 10% SDS, agitating the solution for a minute. Placing them into the ice bath she set her watch timer for two hours.

"Are you close to done?" Faith asked startling Lauren.

Turning around with her hand clasped to her chest Lauren stared at Faith amazed at how quiet the woman had been. "About half way done with the extraction. This needs to sit in a bath for a couple of hours."

"I see, well do you need to be in here while it sits?" Faith asked curiously.

"No not really. I was thinking of setting up my laptop." Lauren started but stopped when she noticed Faith pointing to the computers. There was her laptop, plugged in, turned on and waiting. Smiling at Faith she shook her head. "My laptop can wait. Were you thinking of doing something?" She asked uncertain of where the line of questioning was leading.

"Yes I figured since you are awake and clearly have no intention of going to bed anytime soon we might take a walk through the gardens." Faith said extending her arm in clear invitation.

Hesitating for a moment Lauren nodded. She liked the outdoors well enough she just didn't' consider walking through a dark garden a good way to do anything except break a bone. Accepting Faith's extended arm she let Faith walk her out of the lab and straight into the night. Faith slid her arm around Lauren's waist using slight pressure to guide her to the garden. Letting her eyes adjust Lauren had to admit the darkness wasn't as dense as she had expected. The moon was shining brightly giving an eerie glow to the land.

Silently they walked to the center of the garden to a ring of benches. Lauren was grateful the night wasn't cold considering her attire of pajama pants and shirt. The material was rather thin and she felt the cold of the stone as she sat down. Looking up at the sky she could see the stars further away from the moon peaking out.

"It's beautiful." She said feeling the need to break the silence.

"I will show you it to you in the day. The flowers are still in high bloom. We have a greenhouse on the property if you would like to see some of the more exotic varieties." Faith answered looking at Lauren.

"I think I would like that." Lauren responded even though she only had a minimal interest in agriculture and horticulture. "Who tends the gardens?"

"Anyone with interest really, though Michael considers it his child. He has landscaped the entire property. Every once in a while he gets bored with the look of the estate and tears everything apart and starts over. He also takes care of the green house. He's something of a botanist, a passion that has kept him rather grounded over the years all things considered. He took it up in the 1800's as a way of coping with the death of his wife Elena. She was beautiful, sweet, and human. He went a little mad and I was forced to take his children away from him. He had always had a passing interest in botany so we used it as a form of therapy." Faith said looking out to the green house.

"Why didn't he change her?" Lauren asked hoping to expand her knowledge of her knew family.

"He couldn't and even if he could she would never have wanted it. Elena was very religious and her love allowed her to accept Michael but the thought of living beyond her time was a foreign devilish concept. She accepted death as a natural part of life. A lot of people don't understand the necessity of death or they fear it since they don't know what comes after death. It's easier to cling to life than accept the unknown." Faith said wistfully.

"Did Michael ever marry again? What happened to his daughters?" Lauren asked curiously.

"Yes and he is still married to her today. They live here together, her name is Ariel and I will introduce you to her tomorrow. As for Michael's daughters I raised them, well as much as they needed raising considering they were all teen and preteen. I did my best by them and made sure they had every choice in life. I didn't want them to marry as early as they all did but I wasn't willing to restrict them in their choices of spouses. I kept a close eye on them and on their children, and their children's children. We keep a very thorough family tree for every member of our family."

"I suppose that is a good idea so you don't accidently sleep with a niece or nephew." Lauren said with a slight laugh.

"It serves it's purposes. We like to keep track of our family. We may not always like them but we help them, we protect them, and when possible we guide them along. Though I will point out that all the members of my clan are not direct members of my family. Michael isn't a blood relative, neither is Allen, Keegan, or Olivia. Most members of our clan are not blood relatives. Some came with me when I emigrated while others I have welcomed over the years for a variety of reasons." Faith said standing up and reaching down for Lauren's hand. "Let walk a little before returning to your lab."

Without thought Lauren accepted the proffered hand and let Faith drape her arm around her waist. She liked talking to Faith. She didn't know if it was just Faith or part of Faith's powers; the ability to put people at ease. She always felt at ease with Faith, as if they could talk about anything and everything. For the insatiably curious Faith was a treasure trove of information when she felt like talking. Strolling through the garden Lauren allowed her mind to wander as her head leaned against Faith's shoulder.

She wasn't in love with Faith per say but she knew she could fall in love with Faith. There was so much about the woman that reminded her of Bo, they shared many of the same attributes that attracted her to Bo. However, there was a marked difference, Faith was content with who she was and what she was. It was clear in her every action and speech that the woman had years to understand and love herself. It was also clear from her behavior not only towards Lauren but in her interactions with her 'family' that she was a natural caregiver. She worried and loved those around her with a clear goal of providing a safe environment. She could see Bo becoming a lot like Faith if she lived long enough. The thought was a little heart wrenching but she swallowed her tears and shifted her thoughts to something a little happier.

"You don't have to hold them back for my sake you know?" Faith said into the darkness as if she was addressing the night.

"I know but I don't think I will be able to stop them once they start." Lauren said wiping away a stray tear.

"It is part of grieving. Eventually you will need to let yourself mourn the loss of Lauren and all she represented. I will not think less of you if you cry Beatrice." Faith continued looking out into the night.

"Thank you Faith." Lauren said softly letting the tears stream down her face.

Silently Faith guided them to another set of benches near the rose garden and sat down. Lauren wrapped her arms around Faith and let the tears flow. She grieved for losing Bo. She grieved for losing the place she had called home for so many years. She grieved for the life she had lost even though it wasn't one she fully wanted.

Once the tears had stopped and the sobs had ceased Lauren uncoiled herself from Faith's body and wiped her eyes. Standing up she sniffled a bit before offering her hand to Faith. She needed to return to the lab and at the moment she felt a little emotionally raw. Unwilling to speak she let Faith guide her back through the garden and into the lab. Nodding her thanks to Faith she moved back to her test tubes and the cold comfort of science.