A/N: This one's a doozy.

You've been warned.

Enjoy!

Chapter 8: The Deepest Blues Are Black

Lauren's Old Apartment - Master Bedroom

Bo was having trouble processing what her Wife just said. That, and Cami felt like a dead weight in her arms as her little girl slept soundly on her shoulder. So, she got up and placed Cami down in her crib, letting her sleep. Then sat back on the bed next to Lauren who was looking rather befuddled. "Babe?" she snapped her fingers.

Snapping out of her fog, Lauren turned her head to Bo. "Hmm? Oh, sorry what were you saying?" she didn't know how to think or feel in this moment. Her daughter just did something none of them knew she was capable of. What did it mean?

"I wasn't saying anything. I was trying to bring you back from wherever you went inside your head…" Bo tried to calm her down, she seemed tense. "… Start from the beginning, okay? What happened?"

"Tamsin called and said you and Kenzi were hurt, so Sarah brought you both over here and you were both unconscious. Kenzi, from her injuries. And you, from feeding her too much chi. Which by the way, was very reckless of you!" Lauren scolded her for it, "But it's Kenzi, so I guess I can let it go"

Bo smiled half-heartedly. "How generous of you. Okay, so let's get to the part where our toddler brought me back to perfect health. Cause, that's still a little lost on me" she couldn't help but think it was far-fetched.

Shrugging, Lauren shook her head. "I dunno what else to tell you Bo. She was crying, so I let her rest on you like you do back home. She stopped crying, but when she touched you; her hand glowed. I know, it's crazy. But I'm not! I know what I saw. Seconds later, you got the pink back in your cheeks and opened your eyes" that was all of it.

And it made no sense even though Bo asked for it. "I'm not saying you're crazy babe, but; what if you were just seeing things? You must've been going out of your mind waiting for me to wake up. And then with Kenzi, and the kids; you got overwhelmed and saw something weird. It happens to the best of us" that could've been plausible.

But Lauren didn't think so. "No, I know what I saw…" she was certain. "… Cami healed you. She did it with a single touch. And if she's capable of a power that strong, then I'm terrified of what else she might be able to do. JJ's special, why not her too?"

It wasn't that she had a problem with her kids having powers, at the end of the day this was the world they lived in. But what Lauren was afraid of, was how much power her children actually had. And more importantly, who would try and take it from them? Having power, meant being in constant danger.

She didn't want that for her kids, especially not when they were growing up. They shouldn't be burdened with that kind of hardship.

"Alright, let's just breathe…" Bo breathed with her, slowly. It didn't help. "… Whatever she did, or didn't do; doesn't matter right now. It's something we can deal with later, when this's all over. Right now, Travis needs to be dealt with. Going after Kenzi means war, and that's what he's gonna get" she was done sitting around.

All this planning was getting her nowhere. The more time she took to think of a plan, meant more time for Travis to find someone else she cared about. How many more people had to get hurt for her to end this? It shouldn't be this hard.

"And how'd you plan to win a war against a Hybrid as powerful as him?" Lauren asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or is this the part where you bring up the topic of JJ's venom again?" she was waiting for it.

Bo just looked at her, not knowing how else to say it. "What if it's the only way?"

"What if your plan gets you killed?" Lauren countered with a question of her own. "You wanna inject yourself, right? So, what if his venom is harmful to all Fae? What if it kills you?! You'll have a hard time winning a war when you're six feet under the ground!" she got up and walked to the window.

She needed a minute.

Exhaling tiredly, Bo stood from the bed and approached her angry Wife. "We can play the 'What if' game forever Lauren…" she spoke softly. "… But the fact of the matter is, if we don't stop him now; then we'll never be able to stop him. He's willing to kill anyone he has to, to get to you. I can't let him"

"And I can't let you risk your life for mine" Lauren replied without turning around.

"That's what I'm supposed to do…" Bo turned her around, treading lightly. "… Till death do us part, remember?" she moved some hair away from her face with a smile. "Hey. No one said marriage was a cake walk" she chuckled. Hoping to make her laugh but it just made her angrier.

Lauren so wasn't in the mood for this. "How can you make jokes about this?" She frowned at her. "This's your life we're talking about! Why're you so willing to throw it away?"

Okay, it was time for Bo to go full Martyr. "Lauren, I would jump in front of a speeding train a thousand times over; if it meant you and the kids live long happy lives" that was her God's honest answer.

"It won't be a long happy life if you're gone Bo…" Lauren said. "… It'll be a long miserable one. You may have a death wish, but I don't. Which's why I'm gonna test JJ's venom before we do anything with it. Deal?"

The fact that Lauren was saying this, meant she was coming on board with the plan. But she wanted to do things her way. Which Bo was fine with, as long as it didn't take up more of their already precious time. "Deal"

"Can't afford to waste anymore time, so I'm gonna take him to my old Hospital. My friend Ben still works there so he can help me with the extraction. I'll have to put JJ under to get his venom. I wanna make it as painless as possible" The last thing Lauren wanted to do was hurt her little boy.

"He's a McCorrigan; he can take it…" Bo knew how brave her little man was. "… Take Dyson with you. I got Cami" she glanced to her daughter who was still sleeping.

Lauren threw some new clothes on, "She might sleep for a while, so just take a monitor. Could you go get JJ ready? He's probably dying to see you" she ran to the closet.

Bo had missed him so much. So, she took a baby monitor and placed it in her front pocket. Then crossed the hallway outside the Master bedroom to get to the guest room. Opening the door, she saw her son drawing with some crayons. "Having fun?"

JJ turned and smiled at her. "Mama!" He dropped his things are ran right into her waist. Wrapping both arms around her as far as they could go. "Are you gonna stay the night?"

Kneeling down, Bo smiled at him. "Umm, I'm not sure yet. I've still got a lot of work to do back home. We'll see okay?" She winked at him. "Mommy wants to take you to meet her friend Ben at the hospital, so can you put some shoes on for me?" She watched him run off to find them.

Making sure she prepared him for what was going to happen, Bo helped him with his shoes before sitting him down for a second. "I want you to promise me, that no matter what happens; you'll be brave. Can you promise me that?"

JJ nodded. "Promise" he held out his little finger, waiting for a pinky swear.

Bo smiled, obliging him. "I missed you buddy!" She lifted him up and kissed him all over, he was getting older but that didn't mean she couldn't do this anymore. "Now come on, you're going for a ride with Mommy and Uncle Dyson" she held him while leaving the room.

Hospital - Later

On the way over, Lauren called Ben and gave him a brief explanation of why she was coming by. And he was more than happy to help with whatever she needed. The only thing she was worrying about now, was how she was going to get JJ to do the procedure. He was a brave little man, but he was still a child. And any procedure at his age would be painful.

They walked the halls, going right for Ben's new office. Lauren sent Dyson earlier, so she hadn't seen her old friend in years. They still kept in touch, but with everything she had going on in her life it was hard to do even that. When she laid eyes on him, it was like she never left. "Ben?" she couldn't believe how much he'd changed.

"Lauren!" he gathered her into a hug. "It's been so long. Feels like centuries. I just wish you were visiting under better circumstances. How's everything going?" he knew all about her problems, and it didn't sound fun.

She sighed tiredly. "Hard to say right now. You've already met Dyson, and this's my son; JJ. Say hello buddy…" she brought him to stand in front of her, watching him act polite and shake Ben's hand with a smile. "… Is it okay if we have a word in private?" she looked at her old friend.

Ben nodded, "Of course…" he grabbed a key card from his pocket and handed it to Dyson. "… For the vending machine down the hall. Anything you want, on me!" he smiled, watching them leave. Once they did, he closed the door to his office. "So, what'd you need?" he sat down, telling Lauren to do the same.

"I know I gave you the gist of my dilemma on the phone but, there's something else I have to discuss with you. It's about my son. He's not like most kids. He's special. A few years ago, we found out that he's actually the chosen one of an ancient prophecy" It still sounded stupid saying it out loud.

He raised his eyebrows, not knowing how to respond. "Oh. Okay, umm; what's that have to do with me?"

"According to the prophecy, his venom has the power to kill any Werewolf on Earth. Since we're up against a guy that's half Werewolf and half Incubus; we're hoping we could use the venom to defeat him. Or at the very least, wound him enough to finish him ourselves. I need your help extracting his venom" Lauren said.

After hearing that, he knew what kind of procedure he'd have to perform. "Lauren, I wanna help you; I do. But I have to ask, do you really wanna put your little boy through that kind of trauma?" he asked her, hoping she was going to think about it.

And Lauren had, all the way here. And she'd come to realise that Bo was right. Even though she didn't want to hurt her son, they had no other choice. Travis was unbeatable in his current state; JJ's venom was the only thing guaranteed to hurt him. "No, I don't. But it might be our only way outta this"

Leaning forward on his chair, Ben took a breath. "I've extracted venom from another Fae before. It'll be the same procedure. Any kind of venom is located in the gum pockets of each person. To extract a good amount, I'd have to insert a thin needle above his fangs. I can extract the venom from there"

"And the pain?" Lauren asked.

"Well, Werewolves have the ability of accelerated regeneration; so, any form of anaesthetic will be rendered useless. His body will burn through it faster than I can give it. I could put him to sleep with a sedative but it'd have to be a powerful one. I've never had to use a high dosage on a child" He said.

Lauren closed her eyes, hating herself for even considering this. But she had every faith that her little man could pull through this. "He's not just any child…" she told him. "… He's special. He can handle this. We just have to make it as comfortable as possible for him. I know it's your procedure but I'd like to assist" she couldn't leave her son.

"I wouldn't expect anything less. Have you told him?" Ben wondered.

"Not yet, but there's no time like the present" Lauren could smell JJ and Dyson returning. So, it was time for her to bring her son in on this. This was going to be a weird conversation.

Lauren's Old Apartment

Not long after Lauren left with JJ and Dyson; Cami woke up and cried out for something to eat. So, Bo made a bottle and then brought her in the living room with Tamsin and a still unconscious Kenzi. Cami sat on her lap, and drank her milk silently. "Not so fast baby, or you'll get a tummy ache" she brought the bottle away from her.

Tamsin had been sitting with Kenzi for the last hour, and nothing! No movement, no sounds, not even a snore. Kenzi always snored. Tamsin used to hate the noise but now she'd give anything to hear it. "I don't get it! You're awake, why isn't she?" She pointed at her friend.

"Her body might need more time to recover…" Bo said, giving the bottle of milk back to Cami who was now drinking a lot slower. "… Lauren said she's outta the woods Tamsin, so you can ease up on the worrying"

"I'll always worry…" Tamsin sighed, then thought a few things over. "… It should've been me"

Bo frowned, "What should've been you?"

"The car…" Tamsin said. "… Travis was coming after me. I was the one he planned on running over, not Kenzi. But, she pushed me outta the way at the last second"

That made Bo smile, "That's Kenzi for you, always doing the heroic thing" she remembered when Lauren told her about Kenzi trading her Succubus powers with the Norn so that she'd be brought back from the afterlife. It's what Kenzi did, she sacrificed herself for the people she loved.

As much as Bo would love her to only focus on herself sometimes; Kenzi just wasn't wired that way.

"You should've seen him Bo. Travis? He rolled up after it happened and he had no remorse for hitting her. I never knew someone could be that evil. Swear to me, that we'll get him" Tamsin wanted him dead for what he did to Kenzi. This was her Family too.

That was something Bo was going to die, trying to do. "I swear to you Tamsin; and I'll write it in blood just to make it official, we're gonna get him. No one messes with our people and gets away with it" she held Cami closer, feeling better that she was here.

Hospital

Once Lauren explained to JJ what was going to happen, she didn't feel any better about it. He understood, to an extent. But he was still so young and all this was lost on him. All he knew, was that his Mother needed his super special venom to defeat an evil monster. And he was more than happy to play his part.

But one thing JJ didn't like, were needles. So, when it came time to sedate him with a concoction of Lauren's own devising; he was terrified. "It's gonna hurt!" He hid behind his Uncle's legs.

"Only for a second sweetie, I promise!" Lauren hated to put him through this. "Would it make you feel better to see someone else have it done first?" She asked him. When he nodded, she turned to her brother. "Roll up your sleeve!"

Dyson was taken aback. "Me? Why me?!" He was just the muscle on this. Not a pin cushion.

Lauren stood close to him, "Dyson, you're his hero. The only male influence he has. He looks up to you. If he sees you take this like a champ then he won't be scared. Please, brother" she begged him.

"Fine! But I am not happy about this!" He picked his nephew up and sat him down on the hospital bed a few feet away. "I know you're scared buddy, but I promise you; you won't feel a thing. You want me to show you?" His nephew nodded. So, he turned to his sister and held out his right arm.

Using a clean needle, Lauren pricked Dyson's forearm gently. He didn't flinch or make any kind of noise. And by the look of it, JJ was feeling a lot better about the whole thing. "See? It hurts for a second, and then nothing. I know you're brave enough to handle this. Just like Uncle Dyson"

"Can I be brave like you Uncle Dyson?" JJ asked him.

"I dunno. Can you?" He replied, holding his arm in Lauren's direction. JJ nodded again, this time with a fierce look on his face, he was ready. "You can squeeze my hand as tight as you want, okay? We're all here with you" he winked at him.

Getting the all clear, Lauren took the small sedative and gently injected her son's arm. "You're doing so well baby!" She was impressed, he didn't make a sound. "When you wake up, it'll all be over. And we'll get some ice cream" she withdrew the needle, placing the empty syringe on the tray next to her.

JJ smiled, his eyes dropping. "Ice cream" he was in a daze, as he was laid down by his Mother. In seconds, he was sleeping softly.

"Okay, let's get his venom and then never speak of this again!" Lauren didn't want to have a repeat of this day. She was only doing this because it was the only way to beat Travis.

Ben followed her over to the tool station, they gathered the supplies they'd need and began the procedure. Dyson stood at the foot of the bed, watching his nephew lay still as they did their work.

All in all, the procedure took fifteen minutes. And Lauren got a good amount of her son's venom. But when she and Dyson were bottling it while JJ slept; they noticed something strange. "I'm not the only one who's wondering why it looks like that, am I?" He looked at her.

Lauren followed his gaze, it was peculiar. Unlike hers and Dyson's venom, JJ's wasn't yellow in colour. It was almost like a midnight blue. It had to have been because of the prophecy. There was no other explanation. "Well, he's the chosen one. Makes sense his venom would be different to ours" she continued bottling the samples.

She decided to take more than what Bo initially asked for. Just in case. And she wasn't going to do another extraction ever again so they could keep these on ice.

"So, how's this gonna work? Bo's gonna take a bottle of this stuff and spike Travis' drink?" Dyson shook the small vile in his hand. He'd never actually seen venom extracted before. All he knew was that he had venom in his fangs, and that if he were to bite another Fae, they'd become sick. It would act as a bad flu, but it couldn't kill people.

Lauren decided against telling Dyson the rest of Bo's plan. Mostly because she knew he wouldn't like it. Hell, she didn't like it. But Bo wasn't someone who changed her mind easily. Once it was made up that was it. "I don't know, it's her plan. She doesn't tell me everything you know"

Dyson didn't believe her, "Liar…" he knew it. "… Don't worry, I won't press the issue further. But, if you guys need my help; I'm there" he helped her bottle the rest. All in all, they had about two cases worth. More than enough to experiment with.

"Thanks Dyson…" Lauren had one more thing to do before they left, so she told Dyson to go grab some coffees for them. While Ben was away treating his patients, he gave Lauren full access to his private lab. She'd brought a vile of Bo's blood with her, just to test it against JJ's venom. And thankfully, the venom didn't attack any of Bo's cells. Which meant they were right in thinking that his venom only killed Werewolf genes.

"Any progress?" Ben spoke as he entered the room.

Lauren pulled away from the microscope, wondering something. "Maybe"

"I'm guessing that smile on your face means something good, yes?" Ben could see she was happy about something. He wasn't sure what that something was though.

Lauren nodded, getting up. "Yes. We finally have a chance against the evil we're facing right now. Ben, I can't thank you enough for your help. Without you, this wouldn't be possible" She brought him into a gently hug.

"You sure I can't persuade you to come back here?" he smiled, hugging her. "Because I know a guy who could get you an interview" he meant himself.

Laughing, Lauren pulled away. "I appreciate the offer, but I've got a Clinic of my own to run back home. Who knows, maybe in a few centuries when the kids are all moved out; Bo and I will come back to the city. Hope the job's still available then"

"As long as I'm here it will be" he winked at her.

She went to go and tell Dyson that she was done, when she opened the room to JJ's room and found none other than Travis standing over her son's bed while he slept. "Travis?" she wasn't normally so shaken around enemies, but right now he had the upper hand given the fact he was inches away from something precious to her. "Please, don't hurt him"

Travis smiled at the boy, who was technically his nephew. As a Wolf, he felt the need to protect his own blood. But, this boy was a different case. "Or what?" he asked, turning to her. "You'll kill me?" he chuckled, "I would've thought you'd know by now; you can't. Is he sick or something?"

"That's none of your business" Lauren said.

Suddenly, Ben came into the room holding a rack filled with the bottled venom. "Hey Lauren, I think the venom needs time to cool a little-" he stopped when he saw his friend acting shifty, and a strange man standing beside JJ's bed.

"Venom, hmm?" Travis got it now. "So, that's why you're here. To extract the venom from your son's fangs, in the hopes of what? Killing me? You forget, I've read the prophecy too. I know what his venom can do. But, what makes you think it'll work on me?"

"Why don't you come over here and find out?" Lauren told him.

Travis laughed, "God, I love that fire in you. Shame though, your plan's gonna be for nothing. You? Doctor?" He looked at her skinny man beside Lauren. "Dispose of that venom, now"

"Don't you dare Ben! He won't come near you as long as you have it in your hands, wouldn't want you to accidentally stick you with a needle full of it. Would we?" She smirked at him.

She was good, he gave her that. But Travis had the upper hand this time. He stood next to JJ's bed, extending his claws. "What's more important Lauren, your son…" he kept his sharp claws close to the little boy. "… Or my demise?" She didn't answer him, so he inched closer. "Times ticking!"

Lauren held out her hand, "No wait!" She couldn't gamble with her son's life, he was more important than any weapon. "Ben, throw them down the drain. Now!" She made sure her friend did what she said, watching him as he spilled every vile they had down the metal drain. "There, happy? The venom's gone"

Travis retracted his claws, smiling. "Ecstatic"

Lauren left her ears open to hear Dyson's footsteps returning, but she heard nothing. "Where's my brother?" she knew he had something to do with it.

Frowning, Travis thought to himself. "Tall guy, blonde hair, scruffy beard?" he demonstrated Dyson's height with his hand. "Oh, him! Yeah, I impaled him with an I.V stand down the hall…" he heard her gasp. "… I've never killed anyone with one of those before. They hold up really well. He looked like a little Wolf Kebab!" he laughed to himself.

Getting angry, Lauren pulled out a pen from her pocket and shot over to him in a blur. Ready to stab him in the eye if necessary. But, he was too fast. And caught her with one hand on her throat, and the other holding her wrist. "How'd you find me?" she struggled in his grip.

"It was a complete coincidence actually, you'll laugh when you hear it…" he chuckled. "… I have a friend who used to run with a group of Harpies. Turns out, she was part of a clan that tried to kill you a few years ago. Lucky for me she had the sense to leave her leader before the rest of her sisters were killed. By none other than Bo, I believe" she told him all about it.

Lauren groaned, dropping her weapon and grabbing his wrist. His grip was strong. "You won't kill me Travis…" she could feel her throat being crushed. "… You need me"

"I do…" He held her up with one hand, it didn't faze him one bit. "… But I don't need him; in fact, I would benefit greatly from his death. No JJ; no venom" he turned his gaze to JJ who slept soundly in bed.

"No, please!" she begged him. "Take me, okay? I'm surrendering myself. Just leave my son alone, he's no threat to you!" he thought otherwise. "The prophecy never stated he'd be the only Black Wolf in existence. It's only for his generation. I can give you another, and I will; just promise me, you'll let him live" she'd do anything to keep her baby boy alive.

She didn't know if she was right in what she said about the prophecy, but if it got his focus off her son then she was all for it.

Travis was surprised Lauren was giving herself up so easily. "Only if you promise me that you'll stop resisting. Will you?" she nodded. "I hope one day you can love our son, as much as you love him. Say your goodbyes, we're leaving" he let her go, watching her closely.

Lauren collected herself, sitting beside her little boy and whispering to him. She wanted him to know how much she loved him. And that she'd watch over him if things didn't go to plan. Which, thanks to this turn of events, they wouldn't.

He rolled his eyes, "That's enough, let's go!"

"I love you so much buddy. Whatever happens, please remember that…" she whispered, then kissed his cheek. As she went to leave, Ben stood in there way. She didn't want anyone else to get hurt. "… Ben, it's okay. Just take care of him, please" she referred to her son.

Ben nodded, and stood aside. Letting them pass.

"Well, look at that; he's smart! If only everyone else thought like you, then I wouldn't have to keep killing people. Time to go darling!" Travis yanked her arm towards the elevator. "Mind the horror show on your left" he laughed, referring to Dyson's dead body.

She just closed her eyes, but it didn't help. Because she could still smell the blood. She thought she and Dyson would make it till the end. But she was wrong. They entered the elevator, waiting for the doors to close.

And just like that, Lauren was gone.

A/N: Oooh, things are not looking good for the McCorrigans! Will Bo find a way to beat her enemy once and for all? Find out next time, only four more chapters to go. Anything can happen!