Disclaimer; don't own, dontownathing
AN: Well I don't particularly like this chapter. I think I could have done a better job but this chapter was written over three days so clearly I was having a hard time. I don't know if I am going to bother keeping it up but since I bothered writing it I will post it for now at least. Please feel free to give your opinion on it. Should I rewrite this? Should I put this up rewritten further down the line?
Thanks though to everyone who has decided to follow and review. The bits of encouragement has helped a lot.
Hale stared down at his ex-partner and wondered how everything had gotten so out of hand so quickly. In a matter of days he had been able to save the Fae from going to war but at the cost of his dearest friends. Bo was gone, Dyson was in critical care, Tamsin was dead, and Lauren was missing. They had found six bodies in the wreckage of the human research lab, two of those bodies had been identified as Fae while the other four were human. Now he was just waiting for find out who the four humans were. He didn't particularly care about the humans since he presumed them to be body guards but one was identified as female from the bone structure.
He couldn't help but worry that the female body was Lauren. He knew she would have returned to the compound if she was able to. They had made a deal and she was free. She was the model for his new implementation on human equality within the Fae world. She was to be given a voice, a job, and rights. She had more than exceeded his expectations, she had saved the Fae, something he knew was difficult considering her status as slave for the last six years.
"Stop having such deep thoughts, they will give you wrinkles." Kenzi said dragging him from his thoughts.
"It's impossible not to have deep thoughts while sitting here." He responded looking up at the woman he secretly loved.
"So thoughts?" She asked handing him a cup of coffee and taking a seat next to him.
"A lot has changed, some of it for the better, but so much is still uncertain. I've saved the Fae from going to war again and I've saved us from stupidly going against humans, but the person who helped me most is nowhere to be found." He said sad that he had kept so much from Kenzi over the last couple of months.
"I feel like I'm missing something." Kenzi said knowing she was missing most of it.
"I'm waiting for confirmation that the body we found at the Observatory is Lauren." He said finally voicing his worst fear.
"You're what?" Kenzi asked shocked.
"Lauren found out that a certain human was delving a little too deeply into her life and her research. She contacted me and said she thought he was dangerous and that we should investigate into his life and research. I thought she was being a little overly paranoid until the bodies started showing up." Hale started glad for someone to talk to.
"What bodies?" Kenzi asked feeling as if she was out of the loop.
"Really? What do you and Bo talk about?" Hale asked a little incredulously. "One of Bo's lovers showed up not too far away from your house. Lauren wasn't willing to divulge her suspicions to Dyson but she came to me with them. She told me the truth about Bo picking the girl up but that the kill was inconclusive. She didn't suspect Bo for the murder and I believed her." He paused gathering his thoughts. "When Dyson found the other bodies Lauren restated her belief's that Isaac Taft was a dangerous man and that he was somehow responsible for the recent Fae murders. So we struck a bargain; she would infiltrate Taft's organization in exchange for her freedom. I mean she would still have to work for the Light so we could protect her but she would have rights." He said thinking how insignificant his offer actually sounded.
"So why do you think she's dead?" Kenzi asked feeling her heart sink a little at the idea.
"Because I stressed to her that once she completed her side of the mission that she had to return to the Light compound as soon as possible. I had a clue about what the Morrigan planned and I didn't want Lauren to be caught in the crossfire. If the Dark find her she is as good as dead." He said honestly knowing that without the Light's protection the Elders would order Lauren's execution.
"How can you protect her if you aren't the Ash?" Kenzi asked logically.
"I made the right arrangement." He said cryptically not willing to go into detail over everything he had negotiated to ensure Lauren's safety. "I just keep hoping it's not her but who else could it be Kenzi?"
"It could be one someone who worked there." Kenzi said weakly hoping to offer some comfort.
"I wish I hadn't sent her in there." He said shaking his head and looking at his phone waiting for the text message that would tell him if it was Lauren or not.
"Where's Trick? Shouldn't he be here?" Kenzi asked looking at Dyson.
"I made sure he got out of the country, considering the wreckage at the Dal, it was the right move. Have you heard from Bo?" He asked not shifting his eyes from his phone.
"No and I'm worried." Kenzi said succinctly.
The phone pinged and a message appeared. Looking over Hales shoulder Kenzi read the message and felt her stomach bottom out: Lauren Lewis was dead.
"Oh god no." Kenzi said thinking of her best friends reaction.
"Yeah I was thinking something along those lines." Hale said thinking of the shit storm he would have to face when he told a certain succubus that her girlfriend was dead. "Can you stay with him? I have to go make arrangements for the body." He said looking first at Dyson and then at Kenzi. "Lauren deserves a proper burial." He said refusing to mention the state the body was found in. There was little left of Lauren Lewis to bury. She would get no fan fare or pomp to commemorate her life. The most he would be able to give was a simple ceremony at a local human cemetery.
Walking out the door Hale shook his head at how little he actually knew about the Doctor who had saved the Fae not once but three times. It was amazing how easily Lauren Lewis fell into the background. It was heartbreaking at how little recognition she was given throughout her life. It was despicable that so few would attend her funeral. The majority of the Fae still considered her an enemy of the state. The word had not gotten around yet of how much she had actually sacrificed for all of their sake. It was moments like this that he wished his people had a little more humanity running through their veins.
Four Days Later
Hale stood at the small podium he had order for the funeral service. Looking out at the crowd he had to admit if only to himself that he was impressed at how many people had decided to attend. Clearing his throat he looked at his best friend and then at the woman he loved. Receiving a nod of encouragement from both he began.
"I never expected this day to come. We don't ever really think of death regardless of the fact that it is a reality of every person's life. We don't think our loved ones will die even though we know in the depths of our hearts that they will. I always expected Lauren Lewis to come home. That may be a little conceited of me; to think that the Light Compound would be considered a home to Lauren when in reality it was her prison. Lauren was a slave to the Ash. She was given the nicer title of Ward but she was still a slave, a piece of property. The thought of her enslavement brings me shame each and every day. A woman who fought so valiantly for the Light was considered by the majority as a piece of property." He paused looking down in sincere shame.
"Lauren saved the lives of hundreds of thousands and never asked for a thing in return. She served the Light valiantly and I wish that she was here today. My last act as interim Ash was to give Lauren Lewis her freedom. She may have lost her life but she lost her life as a free woman. She was no longer a slave and now no one will ever make her a slave again.
"Lauren Lewis was a true hero. Her loss will be felt by hundreds for generations to come. She was human but in her heart she was one of us." He finished stepping down from the podium. Walking to the casket he picked up a white rose and laid it on the coffin lid. Stepping to the side he watched as each member of the crowd walked up and laid down a flower before turning and leaving the cemetery. He was proud of the Fae who had turned out to see Lauren laid to rest.
"I can't believe she's gone." Dyson said walking up to Hale and resting his hand on the other mans shoulder.
"Neither can I." Kenzi said joining the two men.
"She was free, she was finally free." Hale said feeling the hot sting of tears at the back of his eyes. His mind flashing back to the body in the casket. He couldn't get the medical examiners words out of his head 'Female, approximately 118 pounds, five foot seven, twelve weeks pregnant, identified as Lauren Lewis through dental records. Unable to obtain DNA due to lack of viable tissue.' Those words had been so cold but they had resonated deeply into his mind. 'Cause of death; blunt force trauma to the occipital lobe causing a subdural hematoma.'
"Have any of you seen Bo yet?" Haled finally asked trying to shake the image of the burned corpse from his mind's eye.
"No, I've looked everywhere and I'm worried." Kenzi said with obvious concern. "I wish she was here."
"I'm sure she's fine Kenzi." Dyson said hoping he was able to infuse his words with the sense of confidence he didn't feel.
"How are you holding up Hale?" Kenzi asked looking at Hale with concern.
"I let her go in there Kenzi. I let her go on a dangerous mission and she's dead. How should I feel?" He asked blinking hard to stop the guilty tears from flowing free. His mind flashed back to the morgue: 'How do you know she was pregnant?' 'Her pelvic bones have already begun to shift; here at the Ilium, the superior and inferior Ramus, and the pubic symphysis.' "I let her die."
"Hale you know that's not true." Dyson said comfortingly.
"Do I? She told me she suspected Taft. She told me something was wrong with him and that I should investigate him. So what did I do? I sent her in alone to gather information and take him down from the inside. I dangled freedom in front of her and she took it. I got her killed." Hale said feeling the guilt overwhelm him. He had wanted to make her into a hero for the Fae in order to move his plans forward. "I've killed two innocent people." He said unthinkingly.
"Who else did you kill?" Dyson asked catching the slip.
Looking at his best friend Hale just shook his head. He had no right to tell Lauren's secrets. He had no right to reveal something that could turn everyone's opinion against Lauren. She was a hero and that was how she was going to be remembered. No one would ever know about the pregnancy. "Nothing, no one. I have to go." He said moving away from the casket. He had to return to the Light compound and destroy Lauren's autopsy file.
