A/N: I decided to do the conclusion from Tamsin's POV to mix it up. Thanks for reading and reviewing and long live Valkubus!

Later that day, I'm sitting in a Dark bar on the edge of town with Kenzi, hearing all about Hale's proposal and their upcoming plans. After several hours and about 2 bottles of vodka, Kenzi raises the subject I've managed to avoid discussing until now.

"So, Blondie, I couldn't help but notice that you spent the night cuddling with Bo and then bolted this morning..."

I frown.

"When are we finally going to talk about what went on when she performed that ritual?" she asks.

"You've been liquoring me up all evening with this little chat in mind, haven't you?"

"Who, moi?"

"Yes, toi."

"Fine, you got me, but I've been patient up until now and you know you can't hold out forever, Tamsin. What memory did Bo see that drove you so crazy?"

"Even if she didn't tell you, Kenz, I'm pretty sure you've deduced it by now."

"As brilliant as my deductive skills may be, I want to hear your version and it wouldn't kill you to share a little with the woman who taught you how to brush your hair and put it up in that perfect bun."

I smile and roll my eyes. She has a point. If there is anyone in the world I can trust, it's the human sitting next to me.

"It goes without saying," I mumble, "that you will never breathe a word of this to anyone."

"Cross my heart, hope to wear beige."

"I was in Norway, in a forest retreat for newly reborn Valkyries. I was having a great time with my kind and I'd been there about a week when one night I was woken up by a strange, splitting headache. One by one, all of my memories started coming back to me in an overwhelming wave. It wasn't gradual the way it's supposed to be, and I could sense her there the whole time. She was watching everything, feeling everything I'd felt. I raced to the fae travel agency but by the time I made it back here she'd already been through almost all of my past."

She poses her next question very cautiously: "What did she see that left you so shaken?"

I let out a heavy sigh and look down at the table, speaking in a low voice. "She felt me fall in love with her."

"Oh, honey," Kenzi grips my shoulders sympathetically. She's not surprised. Of course she had an idea; in my Valkyrie adolescence I did a piss poor job of concealing my admiration for the succubus.

"Remembering that I had loved her in my past life was enough of a shock in itself; knowing that she was sifting through my mind at the very moment I remembered– I just couldn't handle that."

"Of course not. I can see why you flipped out."

"Mmmhmm. You know, when I left the house that day, I hoped that maybe that sense of betrayal would snuff out my feelings toward her."

"And?"

"And I've hated Bo, but only in that way you can hate someone you actually desperately desire. Seeing her again last night confirmed that I haven't gotten her out of my system and I'm starting to think I never will. Christ, I'm pathetic."

"No, you're not. You're a superhero who saved my boyfriend's life and you have flawless hair."

It's hard not to feel cheered up by Kenzi's special brand of pep talk.

"She really does feel terrible-" the human starts.

"I know she feels terrible about what she did –yesterday, every time I glanced over and saw that guilty look on her face I was reminded that she's that rare type of person who really suffers when she knows she hurt someone."

"That's my bestie. No one does remorse quite like her."

"When she finally broke down over what happened to Hale it was so easy to give in and console her, to fall asleep on that lopsided couch with her arms wrapped around me. And then of course, I woke up to the sound of her saying she missed me and I panicked."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know what else to do but leave town. Since my rebirth I have watched Bo carrying on with Dyson. She knows he loves her but she doesn't love him back, and yet she won't admit to herself that they can't sustain this thing they have going. The poor wolf returns over and over again, never satisfied, almost like an addict chasing a drug that doesn't even make him feel good anymore. And let's face it, she'd be just as willing to slot me in the same role, cuddling me when it suited her and taking my chi, choosing not to notice how that kind of arrangement would break my heart in slow motion…"

Kenzi mulls something over in her head. "You're right, whatever she has going on with Dyson isn't healthy and I don't want you to go through that. I'm obviously biased against the idea of you leaving town but I respect that you gotta do what you gotta do. Still, I think you owe it to yourself to express your thoughts to her, Tamsin, just once, before you leave."

"I'll think about it," I tell her. Really I have no intention of approaching Bo. At this point it's just a matter of deciding where to go. I have quite a few calls to make.

The next night after work, I decline Dyson's invitation to join him and Hale at the Dal, settling again for the same dreary bar I've been visiting almost every night for months. I'm nearly done my third bottle of vodka when lo and behold, the succubus sidles up to my table, clutching a pint of Dark Belch. An army of butterflies seizes my stomach as my eyes move up and down her body. She looks nervous, yet determined.

"Jesus succulet, stalk much?" The irritation in my voice is half-hearted; I can't fully muster the bitchy attitude I want to project.

"Kenzi gave up the goods on your new favourite hangout. I have to say, I think the Dal is a better fit for you, this place doesn't even have a pool table."

"Is Kenzi okay?"

"She's fantastic."

"So what are you doing here?"

"I thought I could have a drink with you before you skip town." Of course Kenzi told her.

"Oh did you?" I force a laugh. "Shouldn't you be having drinks with Lauren?" Ah yes –nothing wins over a woman's heart like bitter jealousy.

"Lauren and I broke up," she says emphatically. It doesn't even seem to bother her.

"Oh…" I'm a little stunned to hear this. Maybe she picked the wolf after all?

"Come on Tamsin, I thought we were getting somewhere the other night." She sits down across from me, careful to give me enough space.

"It was a little… intense." Well no shit, great job stating the obvious.

"Yeah, it definitely was. Care to tell me why you raced out of my house yesterday morning?"

"I'm sorry, Bo," I sigh, "I just… it kind of hurts to be around you." Looking her in the eye, I shake my head, "I can't do this." I reach for my keys and start to rise from my seat but her hand clamps down on my shoulder.

"Please, Tamsin," she pleads, "I… there are things I have to say to you, things we need to talk about before you leave, and I promise, I won't bother you anymore if you just give me this one chance."

"Bo, I don't think there's anything you can say to-"

"I was wrong to go through with that ritual," she interrupts, jumping in before I have the chance to stop her. "You were right, I had no reason to suspect you of anything, and the worst part is that I already knew that, but I went through with it anyway just to prove Trick and Lauren wrong. And I know that if I were in your position I'd feel just as violated."

"But's that's just it, Bo, you wouldn't. You're an open book, you share everything with the people close to you. Me, though? You've seen enough to know that's not how I work. In all of my existence I have never been exposed on that level."

She has a pained expression on her face as she registers my point. "You're right. I am so sorry, Tamsin, it kills me to have hurt you so badly. You have no idea how much I wish I could take it back."

I study her for a moment, and then drain the remaining vodka from the bottle in one fell swoop. "If wishes were horses, you and I could open a stable between us."

"I know I can't change what I did, but for what it's worth, I didn't see anything in your head that made me think any less of you."

"Really?" I snicker. "Not even the fact that I made a deal with the Wanderer in the first place? Or the way I nearly let him pressure me into delivering you to him?"

"I don't see the point in resenting you for a mistake you made a thousand years ago, and what really matters to me is that even after everything he did to you, you still didn't go through with it."

"I couldn't go through with it, in case you've forgotten. You were winning that fight."

"Only because your heart wasn't in it. You dreaded the idea of hurting me. When I fed off you I could taste your reluctance in your chi, in case you've forgotten."

It annoys me so damn much when she's right.

"And… I'm sorry about your friend Acacia. I wish you wouldn't have had to deal with that alone." She puts her hand over mine. I shut my eyes, fighting back the tears that always form whenever I think of my oldest friend and the awful fate that befell her.

"I'm sorry I took the deal. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth sooner."

"I don't care, Tamsin. I forgive you." There is that voice again, the one that totally disarms me.

I stare down at the table, struggling not to smile and give in.

"I should go," I finally say, trying to avoid eye contact.

"I'll drive you home, you're looking a little tipsy."

I mutter under my breath as we make our way to my truck and she snatches away my keys.

After several minutes of slightly uncomfortable silence, she realizes she doesn't know where she's going. "Where are you staying these days? Dyson's?"

I gesture to the back seat; she turns to see a pillow, a flimsy blanket and my old duffel bag.

"Don't tell me you're living in your truck again. It'll be winter soon…"

"And I have giant wings to keep me warm. I usually park a few blocks away from the station; that way I can roll out of bed and shower before my shift." I can tell she's unimpressed.

Twenty minutes later we're sitting outside her house.

"I'm not going in there," I cross my arms defiantly. She is staring at me, working up the nerve to say something. She must be hungry: her eyes flash blue for a second, but she closes them while taking a deep breath and they go back to normal. I am about to launch into a lecture about how I'm not going to let myself be used as a snack when she finally asks the question she's been working up to.

"After we fought in the lab at Taft's, you knew I was going to kiss you. Why did you run away?"

Because I'm a coward, obviously. "I'm not having this conversation." See? Exactly what a coward would say.

"Please, Tamsin, tell me why you ran away."

I reach for the door but she hits the power locks and grabs hold of my arm. "I know that what I did was beyond fucked up, but now that I know how you felt we may as well talk about it. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"You said you were in love with me. I...felt it, inside you. I can see it in your aura even now."

I already knew of her aura-reading capabilities but it's dizzying to be reminded that she's been able to see past my frosty exterior this whole damn time. "Everyone falls in love with you, you're a fucking succubus."

"I'm more than just a succubus to you."

I stop cold, remembering the day I said that to Acacia. It is pointless to argue with her, to deny what she saw for herself firsthand. "What do you want from me, Bo?" I eventually sigh, defeated once again.

"I want you to say it out loud."

This ignites a fresh spark of indignation inside me. "Why? Haven't I been humiliated enough? Why can't you leave me be? Why are you hell bent on hearing me admit I'm in love with you?"

"So I can say it back."

I freeze, my mind racing and my heart pumping on all cylinders. Her tone was undeniably earnest yet I can't help but feel suspicious, like she's only saying it to assuage her guilt. "That's your solution? Just will yourself to love me back and everything is okay?"

"It's not a solution, Tamsin," she says defensively, "if anything I have tried to will myself not to feel anything for you because it only complicates things. I wanted to think that Lauren was right for me, that we were meant for each other. It would have been easier that way but nothing was ever easy with her. Ever. Then you came strolling out of god knows where, a total fucking bitch who wanted to put me in jail, and still we clicked, against all odds. You didn't want to fall for me and I didn't want to fall for you and neither of us got what we wanted."

I can feel my eyes widen at her last sentence.

"And you were so hot and cold it confused me, I knew we had a connection, yet I doubted your feelings until I felt them myself. But now I know they're as real as mine, so why keep pretending they're not?"

When she's done venting she looks at me like she wants a response, but I'm dumbstruck.

She moves closer until we aren't quite touching but I can sense her body heat. "Please say something," she urges. I look into her eyes and can tell she's on edge, waiting to see whether or not I'll reject her.

"How do I know that you're for real?" I manage to stammer.

She pauses. "You know the feeling you got when you kissed me in Brazenwood?"

I nod, a deep blush creeping over my cheeks. How could I forget?

"That's the way I feel about you. I felt it in Brazenwood, and after we fought at Taft's. I felt it the other night when we fell asleep together." She moves even closer to me, takes my hand and places it to her chest so I can feel just how fast her heart is beating. "I feel it right now, sitting here with you." I know she's not using her persuasive charm but it damn well feels like it. That's just how Bo is –she'd make people melt this way even if she wasn't a succubus.

"You can tell me to go away," she says, "and I'll leave you alone. But I'm in love with you, Tamsin and I'm really hoping that I didn't fuck everything up for good."

She doesn't have to wait long for my inevitable surrender.

"You didn't," I reassure her, my voice cracking a little. Her whole body seems to relax when she hears these words.

"I… I'm sorry I wasn't more forthcoming in my last life, but these emotions were very new to me; I'd been set in my ways for thousands of years and the whole thing came as a shock. I couldn't tell what terrified me more, the Wanderer or the fact that I'd fallen in love with you." She closes her eyes and her grin widens when she hears the word 'love'. She must be relieved to hear me finally confess what she's known for months now.

"Whoa, am I that scary?" she jokes.

"For a Valkyrie, yes. My feelings for you challenged everything I thought I knew about myself."

She nods without saying anything; her eyes tell me that I'm understood.

Then she leans towards me, close enough that I can feel her breath on my cheek. "Does this scare you?" she whispers. Truthfully, it does, but I'm not going to run away this time. I swallow my fear and press my lips against hers, my body trembling. She sighs softly as she wraps her arms around me, pulling me toward her. My hands find their way beneath her jacket and she moans when they reach her skin.

She moves to lay a trail of kisses down my neck and shoulders. "Does this mean you'll come in the house?" she teases.

My lips find hers again. "Mmmhmm," I murmur as we both smile into the kiss.