A/N: This chapter happens just after episode 308, however the kiss between Bo and Tamsin didn't happen as she instead went to Brazenwood alone and let Bo attend Lauren's award banquet. The next two chapters will be the last ones that actually follow the story line of this season, after that, dear friends, we completely depart somewhere else, a.k.a my raw imagination. Bring lots of food and water :)
Both Detective's sat in Tamsin's unmarked cruiser, now parked in front of where the scenery drastically shifted from a seemingly endless flat field to a thick, wooded area. Their perp – whom had been on foot while the pair displayed great pleasure in chasing him sitting in their car, and blaring Bob Marley's famous 'Bad Boys' song with the windows down - had now trespassed where no four-wheeled vehicle could ever venture.
Dyson turned towards the blonde. Their eyes locked and instantly, they both knew exactly what the other was thinking. Yet, for the sake of reinforcing every Detective stereotype out there, they both pretended like it was completely necessary to have this conversation (or it was to pretend giving their perp a head start wasn't to fuel their ego.): "What do you think, Partner, plan of action?"
"The good cop, bad cop routine is getting pretty damn old,"
"We can always switch it up…"
"Wolf cop, wolf cop?"
"Took the words right out of my mouth."
The pair shared a very elaborate version of the classic 'Bro Fist', which featured more twists and turns than any M. Night Shyamalan movie, with a healthy side of knuckle bump. Stepping out of the vehicle, they exchanged a few loving words:
Standing side by side, Tamsin arched a perfect eyebrow, glancing at Dyson with a crooked smirk. "Don't pee on the suspect this time."
Perfectly mimicking her facial expression, he swiftly retorted: "Only if you refrain from humping his leg."
Chuckling, she patted the man's chest. "I'll keep that in mind. In the meantime, try to keep up." Faster than you could ever say: 'Holy shit on a golden stick of what the fuck?!', Tamsin was now a four-legged predator; Fur white as snow, eyes gleaming emerald as always.
Myth has it that Valkyries can take many forms, namely animals such as: ravens, swans and wolves. Myths should usually be taken with a grain of salt, except this one in particular, as it portrays reality. Unlike Dyson, the animalistic properties grained from this shape-shift dissolve completely when she turns back into her human form.
With Dyson's heightened sense of smell, the pair quickly found the sweating perp, huffing and puffing and cracking every branch in his path. Not very subtle, this man – granted, that's probably why he got identified holding up a jewelry store.
The thief's ankles were caught between two powerful jaws, sharp teeth piercing the denim material of his jeans. As the wolves skidded to a halt, claws deeply embedded into the dirt, the man had one option: face plant into the ground, hard.
Both Detectives shifted back; while Dyson strongly gripped the man's ankles, Tamsin pressed her knee into the perp's lower back, bringing both of his hands behind him as she cuffed them together with a satisfying crunch and click sound.
Closing their hands around his biceps, the pair hoisted him back up on his feet. "Motherfuckers never learn. Don't run from cops." Tamsin lifted her hand up, palm towards Dyson as they shared a high five, howling like teenagers who had just scored a cheap case of beer.
Their success was short-lived as the thief slammed the back of his head against Tamsin's mouth, and roughly pushed his shoulder into Dyson's chest, granting him enough time to untangle himself from their grip and let his legs lead him around the trees.
"You alright?" Concern was etched on his face, as he place a hand on her shoulder, turning the tall blonde towards him.
Bringing her hand up to her mouth, her index and middle finger grazed the inside of her lip. Her stare was directed at the blood coating the tips of her fingers. "I'm going to kill the son of a bitch."
Smiling, Dyson motioned his arms towards the running thief, giving Tamsin the only go ahead she needed. He watched her dash through the bush, swiftly jumping and avoiding logs. Not at all worried, the Wolf silently made his way back to their cruiser.
A few moments later Tamsin emerged from the thick brush, perp in hand as she approached their vehicle. Her hair was a disheveled mess, clothes stained with blood; which could be hers or his, or both. Grabbing the handle of the back door, she opened it in a sharp motion, intently smashing it into the man's stomach. "Oops, my bad."
Hands on his shoulder and bicep, she pushed him into the edge of the door pillar. The man doubled over, pain and dizziness settling in his skull. The gash just above his eye poured crimson liquid. "Watch your head." The sarcastic taunt was accompanied with a literal kick in the ass, roughly forcing him forward onto the back seat.
Lifting her leg up again, she kicked the door shut. Jaw clenched, fire burned in her eyes she turned towards a laughing Dyson. "What?" Was asked harshly, through gritted teeth.
"Nothing." He knew better than to question the Valkyrie, yet his words betrayed his actions as he made no effort to erase the wolfish grin off of his face.
"Fucker touched my hair." Tamsin hopped into the driver's seat. Titling her head, wearing a tight smile on her lips, she pressed her foot on the gas pedal, taking off with Dyson still on the hood; whom was currently cursing his partner while he held on for dear life.
He managed to roll to his right, slipping into the passenger seat from the window. His intense stare was fixated on Tamsin's profile, clenching and unclenching his jaw.
Tamsin quickly glanced at him, chuckling. "Come on, you have to admit that was pretty damn funny."
"Not as funny as this." Without warning Dyson pulled the handbrake, causing Tamsin to lose control of the cruiser for a moment before they came to an abrupt stop. The look of sheer panic on her face as she twisted the wheel from left to right was well worth the seat belt print they'll both share for the next few days.
Lifting their heads up, they looked at one another and exploded into rowdy laughter.
"What kind of cops are you? I want my lawyer!" The battered and bruised thief complained, face almost pressed against the steel mesh cage separating the front from the back of the cruiser.
Tamsin and Dyson smashed their fists against the cage and yelled the exact same words with perfect synchronization: "Shut up!"
The Detective sat on her couch, legs crossed underneath her. A bottle of beer was wedged between her legs, pen between her teeth as she help up a case file. Her face was a cross between irritation and concentration. I know there's something I'm not seeing, so what the fuck is it?
Dyson and she had brought back their suspect to the station to process his arrest and dealt with the excruciatingly long and tedious paper work. The Wolf had suggested they go out for a beer or two, which really was another way of saying 'let's drink until we can't feel our faces'.
Tamsin had turned down this offer, regretfully so, and went back home to work on this mind boggling case for The Morrigan. Her loyalties with the Dark had become like a ball and chain attached to her ankle, slowing her down again and again. Even though she's not on Team Bo, she had to admit the girl made a smart choice when she refused to join a side.
A knock at her door caused the blonde to growl in frustration. She had no intention of getting up with all the papers and crime scene photos scattered around her lap. "If the door's not locked, I won't charge ya with breaking and entering." Tamsin called out to whom she thought was her partner.
The door creaked open, and Tamsin wondered when Dyson had ever knocked on her door instead of bursting into her apartment like he had unwavering rights to it. Footsteps followed the click of the door as it closed shut behind them. She didn't bother lifting her head up as she took the pen out of her mouth, sliding it between her ear and the side of her head. "What up, brotha?"
"Hello…homie." Lauren chuckled slightly, uncertainty in her tone.
Surprised by the female voice, she snapped her head towards the blonde. Although she worse a smile on her face, her body language and tone of voice told another story, and Tamsin wondered if it was possible that the human was far more experienced at hiding her emotions than she was.
"Lauren, hey." The soft greeting was tied in with a genuine smile.
"Deep into your work, I see." Slowly approaching the couch, hands nervously stuffed into the pockets of her jacket, Lauren eyed the papers unceremoniously stern about.
"'Tis what I do." She shot back with a wink.
"What is it?" The woman asked curiously, her voice feeing innocence she wished she possessed. She needed to fill her head with something, anything. If she doesn't, she'll probably burst into tears, again.
"Dead bodies, same old shit. Don't worry about it. Besides, every fucking word looks the same; I think I need to take five…beers." The last word was appropriately added as she plucked the now empty bottle from between her legs and stood up, strutting towards the kitchen.
Lauren's gaze followed Tamsin's backside and she swallowed back, hard. The last time she had experienced this kind of emotional pain, she had used the blonde to soothe it. Or well, technically her body. Though, this time it was different and the only thing she wished for was to feel the Valkryrie's comforting embrace.
"How about a cold one, Doc?" Tamsin turned around, keeping the fridge door open with her foot as she dangled the beer bottle between her thumb and index finger.
The question took a moment to register, breaking her from the harsh reality of her thoughts. "What? Um, no, I'm alright. Thank you."
Tamsin popped her beer open on the edge of her counter, letting the bottle cap fall somewhere on the floor. Tilting her head back, she let the cold liquid soothe her thirst as she made her way towards the Doctor.
"So," Sitting down on the arm of the couch, she stared up at Lauren with a grin. "Was there something you needed or did you want to keep this lonely girl company?"
Casting her eyes down, Lauren fiddled with her fingers for a moment. As she tilted her head to meet Tamsin's inquisitive yet relaxed stare, the façade she had put up completely crumbled as unnerving sobs violently shook her shoulders.
"Fuck, don't cry. Shit." Alarmed, Tamsin stood up quickly, beer in hand, cringe on her face. What the hell am I suppose to do? She was panicking, that much was obvious. When Dyson was burdened with emotional troubles, she knew what to do; everything was solved with a few words of encouragement, a heartfelt hug a punch on the shoulder to counter act the sappiness, and a lot of alcohol. Though, she figured this method wouldn't go over to well with the Doctor.
During this internalized moment of terror, the Detective hadn't realized how close Lauren was until she felt a pair of arms snake their way around her waist, warm tears coating her skin as the smaller blonde buried her face into the crook of her neck.
Taken aback by the unexpected embrace, she frantically tried to remember how Dyson usually comforts her. She came to the conclusion that she should probably start by actually returning the hug. Both of her arms, and her beer, enveloped the shaking blonde tightly.
Squeezing the smaller body against hers, Tamsin moved her hand in slow circles around Lauren's back. Fighting back her own tears, she laid a kiss on her temple. Tamsin swayed them in a languid motion, like calm waves gently rocking an idle boat.
Fingers desperately clutched the back of her shirt, a feeling she was familiar with, though the circumstances were completely different this time. This was the first physical contact they've hand which wasn't about sexually fulfilling need and want, it was solely about comfort.
After a while – Tamsin couldn't be fucked to look at the time – the sobbing subsided and the tears all but dried. The only evidence remaining of Lauren's emotional breakdown was the redness of her eyes. Coaxing the Doctor onto the couch, she fetched the woman a glass of water; her thoughts running wild on what could possibly be causing Lauren all this pain.
Taking a seat next to her, she handed the darker blonde the glass, her puzzled yet worried stare fixed on Lauren's face. She wasn't oblivious to the inner battle she seemed to have, and Tamsin could only guess the Doctor was debating whether to tell her or not.
Resting the glass onto her lap, Lauren flipped her hair back. A small, sad smile appeared on her face as she willed herself to hold the Detective's gaze. The gentle, caring expression Tamsin directed at her never failed to make her heart flutter in the most delectable way.
"She, um," Lauren fooled herself into thinking she was ready to verbalize it, and the instability of her voice miserably reminded her of this. "With Dyson, s-she-" The tears she held back burned her throat as she briefly closed her eyes.
The Doctor didn't need to say much more for Tamsin to catch on. "Fucking asshole…" Was venomously muttered underneath her breath. She mentally marked the date in her calendar when she would break his stupid bearded face, and perhaps even make an impromptu appointment with the Succubus. I'll force so much doubt in her empty head that she'll re-evaluate her whole fucking life.
Tamsin laid her hand on Lauren's thigh as she spoke: "I'm sorry." She gave the leg a gentle squeeze when the Doctor smiled at her. Tamsin watched as Lauren set down the glass of water on the table and reached for the case file.
Leaning forward, she grabbed the blonde's wrist. "You don't need to do this."
The Doctor shook her head, placing her free hand over the one Tamsin had wrapped around her wrist. "I need to distract myself. Please, Tamsin, let me help." The woman with the soft, brown eyes pleaded.
Nodding her head once, her gaze fell on their joined hands, and for a moment she experienced a fleeting though which, even for Tamsin, burst every sappiness meter out there. Lifting her gaze, she offered her a smile. "Alright Doc, here's the down-low…" She quickly filled Lauren in on the case and after an hour or so, the genius Doctor had fell upon a small detail which had been overlooked by everyone.
Both women spend the next hour searching anything that could help them drastically reduce the list of suspects, going through the police database on Tamsin's laptop. As the pair managed to round up the list to five possible suspects, Lauren had shifted her position on the couch: she laid down, arm bent underneath her head. One of her legs was stretched across the blonde's lap, while the other rested against her thigh.
She knew Lauren had been asleep for a while, and she debated whether she should bring her home or let the somnolent woman crash at her place. With her expressive eyes closed she almost looked happy; peaceful even. Smiling to herself, the Detective returned to work and concluded she couldn't bring herself to actually disturb her sleep, for now.
Although, Tamsin decided she would be far more comfortable in her bed, imagining the neck ache Lauren was sure to have in the morning if she remained in this position all night. It's not over-stepping my boundaries if we've already slept together, right?
Carefully removing the leg from her lap, she stood up then leaned down over a sleeping Lauren. Sliding her arms underneath her legs and behind her back, Tamsin smoothly scooped her up in her arms.
The sudden change of spatial positioning caused her to move around, though still fast asleep, Lauren unconsciously readjusted herself in the Valkyrie's arms. Hiding her face in the crook of her neck, she mumbled: "Fae Radicals and Free Radicals are two completely different concepts…"
Tamsin frowned and shook her head. Even asleep the Doctor mode is still turned on, she thought,bringing the Doctor into her room and carefully depositing her on her bed. After closing the door, she returned to her work, and her beer, which was getting warmer by the minute.
She opened her eyes, only to close them again as the harsh light of day filtered through the windows. Rubbing her face with both of her hands, she shifted her head, taking in her surroundings. Tamsin couldn't remember when she fell asleep, in fact, there were a lot of questions she was asking herself right now: Why the fuck aren't I in my bed? Who put this blanket over me? Why does it smell like bacon? Wait…bacon? Where!?
The Valkyrie sat up faster than Dracula popping out of his coffin as she heard plates and utensils rustling in the kitchen. The memory came back to her like a punch in the kidney as her still blurry eyes caught sight of the small blonde plating breakfast.
As if on cue, her stomach grumbled and she practically vaulted over the back of the couch, taking a seat down at the table just before Lauren set a plate down in front of her. If this was a cartoon, her eyes would have literally popped out of her head and drool would have been dripping from her mouth at the sight of the delicious food. "A girl could get used to this, Doc…"
Taking a seat in front of Tamsin, a small frown occupied the creased between her eyebrows. She had woken up in the middle of the night, feeling disoriented she headed to the fridge to fetch herself a glass of water. That's when she saw the Valkyrie fast asleep on the couch. Searching through the woman's drawers she found a blanket and snuggled it around Tamsin's body before going back to sleep.
"I felt awful when I saw you sleeping on that couch; I didn't mean to throw you out of your room."
Tamsin slapped down an egg on one of the buttered toasts and topped it off with bacon before folding it in half. Dipping it in ketchup, she opened her mouth to take a bite, but stopped herself, briefly looking up at the Doctor. "I was gonna bunk with ya,"
Leaning down, she opened her mouth as wide as she could, sinking her teeth into the makeshift Texan Sandwich. The food in her mouth didn't stop her from speaking, as she continued to explain: "Buff I fell asleep…sometime." Frowning at her own words, she shrugged.
It was hard to remain serious when the hungry Detective had table side manners which highly resembled those of a caveman. With chuckle, Lauren began picking food around her plate. "Mm, well, I still want to thank you for your hospitality."
Picking up a piece of bacon from her plate and forcing it in her mouth, she smiled at Lauren the best she could, while most of the food was now stuffed into the left side of her cheek. "My door's always open for ya." Perhaps it would have been romantic in nature if there wasn't ketchup and egg yolk staining both corners of her mouth.
The pair ate in relatively comfortable silence until their plates were empty. Tamsin let out a satisfied groan as she leaned back on her chair, patting her belly. "That was some good stuff Doc, haven't had breakfast that wasn't yesterday's diner in a long time." Winking at the woman, she cleared the table of the dishes, setting them by the sink.
After washing and drying her mouth under the tap, she turned around to see the blonde awkwardly standing in the middle of the kitchen. Say something, anything. "So, the Dawning tonight. Are you gonna be…alright?" Tamsin cringed at her own words. Never mind, you should just have kept your mouth shut, retard. I'm sure that's what she wants to be reminded of right now.
Taking a step closer to her, Lauren's eyes were hopeful as she asked: "Would you attend the ceremony with me?"
Crossing her arms over her chest, her eyes were glued to the Doctors'. Something about the way they shimmered with unshed tears made her seem far too vulnerable for her liking. Wanting to light up the mood, she threw a joke her way: "A date, so soon? Color me flattered, hotpants." When you fuck up, you don't just half-ass it do ya?
"That's not quite what I meant, Tamsin." Although appreciating the taller woman's effort, Lauren could see that Tamsin was way out of her comfort zone. So far in the left field in fact, she would be lucky to catch a stray ball. That didn't stop her from inching closer towards her, however. They were like magnets; when together in a room they would always find a way to gravitate towards each other, whether it be a conscious choice or not.
With a small smile, the Detective replied: "I know, I was just a rebound and I'm cool with that." She wasn't though, so why did she lie? Before Lauren could add in anything to her statement, she replied to the offer: "I'll come with ya, so the Succucunt can't assault you in a corner and beg for forgiveness."
"I don't think it would make much of a difference if she did."
"What are you saying?" Every bone in her body screamed at her to back away, to run and hide. Running's all she knew, all she ever did, yet the counter pressed against her back made it impossible for her to do so.
"I see now, that forcing her to go against her very nature was foolish, and perhaps even a little bit delusional."
"And?"
"I realize now that you weren't the 'rebound', as you put it."
"Doc…" For the first time her tone was pleading. This is what she wanted, yet she was still scared. Truthfully, what could a dying Valkyrie offer her?
"She was." Lauren finished, as she rested her palm against Tamsin's face. Titling her head upwards, she kissed the woman's cheek gently. This wasn't a declaration of love; she had already uttered the three little words about a month ago at the Dal. Perhaps she was hoping for a new beginning, yet her scars were still open, some still bleeding; there was a lot of healing to be done, though there was no place she'd rather do it than in Tamsin's arms.
Green eyes shimmered with tears, just on the edge of spilling over as she gripped the arm around her neck. The side of the Doctor's head brushed against hers and she dropped her hand, swiftly scooping Lauren up in her arms. As she bent her head down, lips pressed against Lauren's shoulder, two warm tears slowly trailed down her face, soaked up by the material of the smaller woman's shirt.
She wasn't crying out of happiness, she wasn't crying because she would soon be history and start over again in a new body. She was crying because she let herself fall in love with a woman whose heart was strong enough to forgive her. A woman whom, even though spend the last seven years portrayed as nothing but a slave, continued to take emotional punches left and right and still managed to stand.