A/N: The reason why I'm posting two chapters, is because I already posted these two on AO3, so I might as well post both now :) I hope you enjoy!
7. Half-dressed
Twice she broke her promise, coming undone beneath her own hand. Damp cotton pushed down her legs, her thoughts – not to the woman she loved desperately, lying in the Fae Compound – but to a woman she met only once.
The situations were far separated, though the guilt spitting acid in her belly was no less different. The first, coming to her in the shower, a moment of desperation to feel something when loneliness was fiercely apparently; she came shaking, choking on her own sobs, with her hand pressed to the tiles. The second was weakness, loneliness too maybe, but lust filling her nonetheless. Innocently, it'd started out as nothing more than something to scratch an itch, but her thoughts had moved away from dreams and into fantasy.
But it was a dream, an idea of a person she wants. Evony wasn't a reminder of failure, of a person she can't save, but a stranger who pulled her skirts up her thighs. Of warm skin and promised desire. It's not real, not tangible. A dream no more different than her desire for Samantha Carter.
Lauren thought about it often, of Evony, not Samantha Carter. She daydreamed before snapping her mind away on task, wondering in segments what the Morrigan, what Evony, tasted like; what it would feel like to be beneath the fae's touch. Both out of curiosity and desire for another person.
Her bed was cold, most nights she spends there were restless, and if she's not sleeping there, she's beside Nadia, the off-hours research spilled around her, still desperately searching for answers she can't find.
(Infection? It had to be an infection? Something that shut down the immune system. Something that hides. Maybe there's an underfae parasite or…)
But weeks past, and it's winter when she sees Evony again; seven months almost to do the day since Lauren last felt a person hold her.
"Absolutely not," Doctor Everett spoke, her voice clipping at the absurdity. The Ash straightened, turning away from his garden to look at them both. Lauren averted her eyes to the flowers, head bowing when she felt him glance over her. The pendant around her neck felt heavy, tight even, as it hung low over the neckline of her shirt. "I will not allow-"
"It is done, Elena," he said firmly. His voice didn't raise, but Lauren felt adrenaline shoot through her. The hands clasped behind her back squeezed, terrified that the oxygen would leave Everett's lungs and she'd flail hopelessly, unable to take a breath. She didn't want to witness that again.
"She's only been here for eight months, I…I haven't trained her for such a case. Please, I implore that you take myself, or one of my previous prodigies. This is too big-"
"Doctor Lewis," he said carefully, "needs to be able to work without you. If she hasn't learnt the skills now, either yours or her own abilities are in question."
Everett went quiet, her tongue catching. Slowly, she bowed her head respectfully. "As you say," she answered. "Forgive me, I am…protective of her. Lauren is exceptional but I'd rather have her at her absolute best."
The Ash's eyes moved to Lauren's. "Indeed. I have high expectations for you," he told her. "Do not disappoint me." Then, without word, they were dismissed as the Ash returned to caring for his garden. A small alcove blooming with strelitzia.
Lauren dropped her hands by her sides, following Doctor Everett inside the compound, her eyes focusing on the distant walls, rather than the woman's furious words. The Ash has interest in her, Lauren realizes. It's not a nervous tug in her gut, but a blossoming sensation of finally. She was recognized not as the shadow beside Everett, but as someone. "Lauren!"
"Yes?" she blinked, coming to a standstill to look to her superior.
The woman sighed, frowning. "This is a lot of information. You don't have time to panic." Lauren didn't tell her she wasn't panicking. She'd been looking for a chance to show her skills, something challenging. Coddling wasn't helping her. She was far more capable than Doctor Everett seemed to believe.
Over the last two months, Lauren felt trapped. She wanted this opportunity to prove that humans were just as, if not more-so capable than the fae. She could do that, stand for her kind. Or at least, start in the right direction.
"It's simple," Everett told her, "You'll be working with a team, the man in question is suffering from a genetic disorder, which his father is also suffering. His father is with the Dark, he's with the Light. Different views when the war broke out or something, I don't know, don't care. Our duty is to the patients. Tensions between the Dark and Light are bad enough and opportunists will be looking for an excuse to break out a territory war."
"So, I should-?"
"Keep to where you're directed. It's local," she said, "territories aren't laid out like they are in human societies, there's many grey areas that are lazily slapped on as 'neutral' territory. However, that doesn't matter. You'll be with the Ash, working in the perimeters of a building in one of the neutral territories. Don't leave unless the Ash gives you a direct order, understand?"
"Of course," Lauren nodded, aware of the consequences of falling into Dark territory. The last person to make the mistake, they'd found the remains of them torn over separate Dark territory locations. Animal attack had been the official statement.
"What you need to know, however, is that these people are very important, they hold a lot of influence because they're from one of the four Founding Families." Lauren shivered, starting to feel nervous. Life or death didn't just weigh in on the patients for the Founding Families. Taking a breath, she stilled her expression. It would be fine, she could do this.
"I understand."
"Good. You'll be working with Light and the Dark, however the Dark shouldn't touch you. Most likely they'll be keeping to their patient and you, to yours. Your work will be crossed over between the two groups by a superior, but that shouldn't concern you."
"What will I need to bring?"
"Firstly, I have notes you'll need to read." Everett lead her into her office, pulling out a large, thick file, "This needs to be read and memorized by the weekend. I have bags packed, I'll give them to you."
"Shouldn't-"
"Next time I'll have you pack your own bags," Everett nodded. "Look, I've been intentionally keeping you back so this wouldn't happen. I didn't intend for your first time solo to be something so threatening. I was going to start you off slowly in the on coming weeks. Fairies, move you up onto trolls until eventually you're placed in a critical situation where I won't be there to help you. However, the Ash has other plans and my opinion apparently means nothing."
Oh. Lauren swallowed, realizing that the coddling had been out of care, not hesitation on Everett's part. A warmth filled her chest, before snapping shut. "I can handle this," she said firmly.
Everett laughed. "I have no doubt, the events in the Congo certainly back up that statement. However, don't get cocky."
"I won't."
Everett snorted, disbelieving her. "Well, I guess that's that then."
Lauren went home and read. Between the next two days of work, she read every page in the file, shifting through Everett's notes and copying them into her own language – Everett had a habit of using old words and punctuation that made more sense in the fourteen-hundreds than it did now – but on the day she left, Lauren didn't take Everett's notes.
The papers were odd, telling nothing about the genetic disorder either of them carried, but everything about their known biology.
The notes she took with her carried a shortened version of Doctor Everett's notes. In the back of the car with another scientist, one of Everett's more-trusted colleagues, Lauren wrote furiously, coming up with a hypothesis, which soon was ruled out.
The drive to neutral territory was long and cold. Lauren, unknowing where they were headed to, had wrapped herself up in thick, warm clothes. But even in the heated car, gloves became necessary rather than optional as they drove. The landscape shifted from cold to snow and eventually they arrived. Lauren climbed out, doing up her jacket as she stared in awe.
Where it was, she had no idea. Except that it was up high, and the place was practically a castle. A château, perhaps.
"This is magnificent," Lauren whispered, staring up at the building.
"It's a building," the scientist dismissed beside her. Lauren looked to him, frowning to herself. There was no pendant around his neck, no claim. He wasn't human. Taking a breath, she held her tongue. From the five other cars, people spilled out. Quickly, she, along with six others, were shuffled inside by the Ash's security.
There were moved into a lounge where three others sat already, one of whom, Lauren recognized as a Light Fae Elder. The Ash took a seat across from the woman, and Lauren moved awkwardly to stand with the other scientists. Greetings were held, and Lauren, knowing her place, kept quiet. She was introduced, allowing only a courteous nod before returning to a still expression as the conversation moved from her to the situation.
There she learnt the problem. It wasn't a genetic disorder, but a disease. A very, very dangerous disease.
The reason why there were at this house was that this was built with quarantine, including a separate sewage system for the quarantined rooms.
Lauren felt the weight of the situation on her shoulders. So far, the disease seemed to only show signs within particular species, but known cases were limited to regions where the fae species were small in diversity. The conversation moved onto the necessary precautions to ensure that 'others' didn't find out about this. Whether humans or fae, Lauren wasn't sure. The conversation didn't apply to her.
Lauren was shuffled with the other scientists, given a de-briefing by those she be working with. At a table, she flicked through her notes, listening to the symptoms and known attributes, offering her own suggestion.
Twice she heard sniffed comments about humanity. The first time striking her like a slap to the face, and the second expected. It was there, without Doctor Everett, that Lauren realized how little worth she truly had, even amongst the Light.
She was chattel. Nothing more. Not even a person.
Keeping her head down, she spoke only when necessary. Even then, her opinions were brushed off as irrelevant.
Clearly, she realized, if she was going to make a point, she had to prove it.
In the evening she was dismissed and lead by a six-foot-two woman to her room. A modest room. Fitted with a queen sized bed, a large widow that over looked the alps and the front of the house, and a single desk and chair. Lauren took a breath, the odd feeling in her chest that leaving her room would be unadvised. Instead, she went to where her bags were, flicking through her old and new notes as she tried to better understand what was happening.
It was late when she heard the sound of cars pull up. Rising from the desk, Lauren moved over to the window to see who had pulled up. Four cars, all black with their headlights on had parked at the front of the house. From each car, four people stepped out. Except the first, only two stepped out from the black Mercedes. The driver, and a woman dressed in a charcoal dress, with a fur coat against the cold.
Lauren watched the woman shift the coat on her shoulder, her brown hair tied up and flicked as she turned her head when someone spoke to her. Lauren could only just see her face, but she was too far away. Still, somehow she knew who it was.
A low, warmth pooled through her body as she unconsciously moved closer to the window.
The woman looked to her right, saying something to the driver who replied in turn, nodding up at the building. The woman turned, looking up at Lauren, and smiled a wide, sharp smile.
As Lauren had known, but still found herself surprised by, Evony stood on the snow ground in black heels with a cheeky expression.
Lauren felt the breath exhale from her lungs as she stumbled backwards, out of sight.
The Morrigan was here. Lauren chastised herself, of course the Morrigan was here. The Ash was here on an event that affected both the Light and the Dark, so clearly, so would the Morrigan.
Closing the curtains, Lauren crawled into bed, turning off the light with a heavy thought to Evony. She hadn't seen her in weeks, but somehow, the woman followed her. The Light Compound's walls constantly echoing with the name Morrigan, spoken in gossip before someone came along and hushed the topic.
Evony, a constant star in her dreams, whispering against her ear, how wasted her talents were with the Light. How great she'd be with the Dark.
Lauren fell asleep, her heart pounding like a war drum.
A cornered off desk, with half the space of everyone else's, became Lauren's working environment. Every word she had to say was ignored, or outright shredded apart with doublespeak. By midday, Lauren felt crescent indents in her palm and a painful ball in her chest. Still, she worked, she kept her mouth shut and she refused to let her own frustration jeopardize the patients' wellbeing.
Even as it became too much.
It was like being in college again, a child prodigy whose peers looked down upon her because she was a baby in their eyes.
"Look," one of the scientists said. Light Fae. A woman she'd never met before. "We understand that you admittedly did some good in the Congo with help from the fae," Lauren's teeth gritted at the comment, "but this isn't some small-time germ. This is highly infectious. Maybe you should just keep to double-checking over the notes. Cleaning beakers. That sort of thing." The words crawled over her skin, casting humiliation on her like a wet blanket.
"Is my work not up to standard?" she asked.
"No, It's just…" the woman clicked her tongue, mock-sympathy as she stared down at Lauren. "if you got hurt, the Ash wouldn't be very pleased, what with you being his pet and all. We're just worried, that's all. Maybe you should finish early, let someone else take over the rest of your shift."
"As you wish," Lauren replied. Turning her away, she felt the gloves on her hands snapped off, placed into a disposal bin. Her coat was removed and placed onto the back a chair as she stalked out of the room.
It wasn't the worst they'd said. God, it was nothing compared to what she'd heard before. But frustration from the day pressed against her and if she had to stay in that room for another fight minutes, she was going to burst.
Holding her chin up high, she swallowed back the lump in her throat and headed towards her room, intending to grab her notes. However, the château was spacious and Lauren got turned around, entering the wrong room and finding herself in a library by accident. "Shit." She paused, biting the inside of her cheek as she tried to figure out how she'd ended up here instead of her room.
There were two staircases to the three upper floors, it was possible that she climbed the wrong staircase, or got off the wrong floor.
"Lost?" came a too-familiar voice, breaking her out of thought.
Lauren took a breath, turning to see Evony lying on a chaise lounge with a glass of wine and a book. The cover of the book being something similar to those Lauren had seen in sex shops for $4.99.
"Sorry," Lauren said. "I-"
"Quite," Evony said, snapping the book shut. "Well, don't you look positively frightened."
Lauren wondered where the Ash was, wondered how much she'd get punished for being out of bounds, and hated herself for being too weak to stand against the Light Fae scientists. "Just lost," Lauren smiled. "I was looking for the bathroom and got-"
"I'm sure." Rising from her chair, Evony stepped over in six inch heels, towering over Lauren. Her hair was out, the fur coat missing and Lauren wondered if she did her own make-up or if she had a team of people for that specifically. "How about we stop with the bullshit, hmm? It's just that I get enough from the Elders as it is."
It was spoken unkindly, but Lauren felt her back straighten, the words holt in her mouth. Evony peered at her curiously.
"What happened?"
"Nothing," Lauren lied.
"Nothing?" Evony hummed. "If nothing is doing this to you, I'd hate to see you under pressure."
Lauren flushed, looking away. "It's just finding a cure. A lot is riding on this."
"Mm, I don't believe you."
Lauren swallowed, shutting her mouth as she adverted her eyes down to the hardwood floor. She refused to admit that bullying was what crawled under her skin. "It's nothing," she said again.
"The Light Fae," Evony said, taking a sip from her glass, "are traditionalists. They view things very orderly, in clean pretty boxes with shiny red ribbons." Her voice had turned playful as she looked to Lauren. "You are an exceptional figure of your kind, but they'll never see that."
"The Ash-"
"Sees you as an asset, nothing more. Your worth is only as valuable as your ability to produce results. You're not a peer, nor an employee. To him, you are only a tool. A pretty tool," Evony said reaching up to lift Lauren's chin to meet her eyes. "But a tool no-less."
"And you?" Lauren felt her throat squeeze, regretting the word immediately. Evony passed over them, waving a hand loosely in the air as she stepped back to lean against a table.
"I'd view you as an asset too. In fairness, I don't see anyone as anything else but."
"How is that better?"
"Because I find fear a poor motivator," Evony shrugged. "The Light sees humans as…well, like venison really. They're careful to not upset the balance, making sure not to over hunt and to keep the environment just right to sustain you, but they rarely grow personal attachment. After all, you're just food in the end."
"The Dark wouldn't view me any better."
"Not necessarily. The Dark views humans like…rescue pets. Some they take home and feed them well, treating them with gifts and what have you, others….well, the less said the better." Evony smirked, teasing her. Nervously, Lauren swallowed.
"Is that meant to persuade me to join the Dark?"
"You'll never be equal, Lauren. Not with the Light or the Dark. I'm not being cruel, it's just a fact." Lauren knew that, she'd felt it in her chest, heavily as she was torn apart, over and over, reminded of her humanity. Doctor Everett had hidden that from her. "The Light may dangle false hope in front of you, but the Dark won't."
"That's your selling point?" Lauren asked. "The Dark won't lie to me?"
"Oh, no, people will lie, it's in our nature. But I won't." Evony smirked.
"That's what liars say," Lauren pointed out.
"You're absolutely true. How about this, I give my oath to you, that I'll always tell you the truth. There, now I'm bound."
Lauren frowned. She didn't know what game Evony was playing at, but it made her nervous. Slowly, she watched Evony step forward, the wine glass placed down on the table as she corned Lauren against a parallel bookshelf. Lifting her chin up, Lauren tried to meet Evony head-on, hiding away her fear, but as a hand slipped up, curling over her jaw, she knew Evony could heard the distinct, heavy sound of her heart beating fearfully.
"What has you so scared, Doctor Lewis?"
The door sounded, from the opposite side of the library, Evony looked away, peering around the shelves. There, in the moment of distraction, Lauren made her escape, slipping out into the hallway before Evony could follow.
She returned back to work, her mood in a state of confusing, body warm from Evony's touch. Ghosting the fingertips against her jaw.
This time, she didn't hear the other scientists' comments. It annoyed them that their comments no longer struck through her armor. Annoyed them enough that they lost interest. However, what annoyed them more was that when the Elders, with the Ash and Morrigan in tow, came to check on their progress, it was Lauren who had shown the most.
"And you didn't share this findings with the others?" an Elder asked her. Lauren drew her shoulders back, feeling her military training straighten her spine and calm her features.
"I did."
"Their work doesn't support this theory." He turned, looking to the lead scientist. "Did she come to you, Alaric?"
"I-" he stuttered, conflicted under the Elder's stare. Lauren had come to him with many theories, she had no doubt that he couldn't remember what they were. "It may have been mentioned."
"I would think that the life of two Elders would be reason enough to push past the simple ideal that humans can not achieve. Whatever she may be, Doctor Lewis has exceeded her own species and your findings. Perhaps I should place her in charge of the lab?"
"I apologize. There must have been a miscommunication." Alaric bowed, eyeing Laure sharply when the Elder no longer paid attention.
"See that it doesn't happen again."
Throughout the entire ordeal, Evony's eyes has studied the room carefully. Lauren saw her read over the notes, carefully looking over Lauren's hypothesis and findings, before looking to the others. She seemed to pay no attention to the scientists, or anyone else in the room.
When the Elders and the Ash all filed out of the room, one by one, Evony paused, holding Lauren's notes.
"I want a copy of these," she said to her. "My team has come to a breakthrough elsewhere, this may help them finish the results they need. I expect it on my desk this evening," her eyes flicked over the notes, smirking as she looked up at Lauren.
"How?"
"Photocopy it, re-write it-"
"No, I mean, how do I get it to you?" Lauren asked.
Evony's lip parted. Reaching over, she picked up Lauren's pen, flicking open the notebook to write on the back page. Bent over, she wrote fluidly on the page before closing it, moving to hand it back to Lauren. "I'll see you then," she said, dropping the pen and notebook in her hands. "Ta, darling."
Lauren flicked open the notebook. Written in sharp, elegant handwriting were three lines worth of information. Instructions to her room and a time. Lauren felt her stomach drop. She couldn't do that, going to the Morrigan's room would be a type of treason.
Snapping it shut, she looked over to the other scientists. Even if they weren't actively staring at her, Lauren knew they were listening. They knew what situation she was in, they knew it was treason, and there was a good chance that they'd tell the Ash.
She couldn't go to Evony's room.
But, it turned out she didn't need to. After a long day's work, her mind heavy and her shift over, she returned to her room, only to find Evony poised on her desk, reading through her notebook.
Lauren shut the door behind her, gaping at the woman, looking from the door to her. "How?" she managed.
"Tumble lock. Easy, and going by your history, you should have known that too." Lauren felt her throat swell. She was aware that the Ash knew of her history, he'd mentioned it in passing and never brought up again, but Evony? "You're awfully quiet."
"Stunned," she managed.
Evony peered from the notes, looking at her, "I knew you were a genius, Lauren, but these notes are absolutely fascinating."
Lauren paused, blinking. "You can understand them?"
"Are you questioning my intelligence?"
"More my legibility."
Evony smiled, turning back to the book. "Good answer. And yes, I have experience with bad handwriting, thought it's a cliché with doctors," she smiled to herself, seeming to find herself hilarious.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, Lauren stepped away from the door, looking to the notes she'd made for Evony. "Are you here for my notes?"
"No, I have a good idea of them already," she snapped the notebook shut, placing it on the table beside her. "Your room's bugged by the way."
"It is?"
"Well, I should hope so, I bugged it. "
Lauren sighed, moving over to place the re-written notes on the desk, beside one of Evony's legs. The woman shifted her legs, intentionally hiking the dark blue dress she wore, up her thighs. There was a sliver of lace from her stockings on show, enough that Lauren averted her eyes.
"Why did you bug my room?" she asked, looking up at the Morrigan. The woman grinned, enjoying herself, knowing where Lauren's thought laid.
There was no use pretending. As Evony had told her, she was a sex fae. Seduction and sexuality were her areas of expertise.
"Well, I think that's obvious, I wanted to see what the Ash's favorite is up to."
"Wouldn't knowing that I'm bugged defeat the purpose of bugging the room?"
"Perhaps I wanted to hear what you say when you think about me between your legs." Lauren felt her heart stop, her mouth falling slack is an unspoken how? Evony laughed, moving to stand from the table onto her heels. "Oh, you do, don't you?" she pressed forward, eyes running over Lauren's face. "Do tell."
"That…" Lauren felt her cheeks flush, "That was trick."
"You're absolutely correct," Evony said. Lauren didn't know how, but she found herself pressed against the wall, Evony's hands on either side of her. "So tell me, Lauren, how do I sound?"
"I-" Lauren's throat stopped, the words in her mouth unable to be spoken. Suddenly, she remembered her back against a mattress, Nadia knelt over her, lips against her ears, asking her to tell her exactly what she wanted. The situations differed now, but paralleled enough that Lauren felt electricity strike through her core. "Ah…"
"Am I loud?" she prompted. "Do I scream your name? Or maybe I just plead to you for that little bit more? Or," she paused, eyes flicking between Lauren's. "do you just imagine me fucking you until you beg to come?" the last sentence was spoken low, and Lauren felt it pool warmly in her belly.
Letting out a breathless sigh, her back slid down the wall when her knees slackened. Turning her head away, she stared at the bedroom door. No, dammit, no. She refused to let Evony take control of the situation. Taking a breath, she moved away from Evony, ducking underneath her arm to move across the room, where the curtains were closed against the window.
Evony pouted, mocking before she moved to lean against the wall, staring across at her. "Was I too much?" she asked.
"No," Lauren replied. Then recoiled, snapping a short. "Yes. Maybe. I don't know!" She took a breath, breathing in deeply before exhaling. "I have a girlfriend. As enjoyable as sex would be, my loyalties stand with her."
Evony nodded, her expression softening. "You humans and monogamy are so tiring," she said, tilting her head. "However, if that is what you want, then I shall leave." She pushed off the wall, grabbing the notes from Lauren's desk before stopping and looking up at Lauren.
Lauren moved forward on instinct, allowing herself within proximity of the Morrigan. Before nerves could cast alight inside of her, Evony leant forward, pressing a kiss to Lauren's cheek. A soft sight slipped from Lauren at the kiss, a twisted disappointment rising inside of her from the kiss being to her cheek.
"Good evening, Doctor Lewis. I do so hope you sleep well."
"I will. Thank you."
Evony smirked, pulling away and leaving the room with the soft click from the door shutting.
The next two weeks, Lauren worked. The Ash came and left infrequently, returning to Toronto to deal with business, as, Lauren presumed, did the Morrigan.
Samples were taken from the patients, Lauren primarily in charge of the Light Fae Elder when her natural immunity was found. With that in mind, a breakthrough was made as Lauren's experience in the Congo gave her insight to why the fae were begin affected.
Then, disaster struck.
The Dark Fae elder was found dead one morning, and though at first it was suspected to be due to the end cycle of the disease, it was soon discovered that foul play was the cause. Evony was furious, grabbing one of her own people by the neck and hoisting them off their feet as she demanded to know how such a fuck-up had happened under their watch.
Lauren heard of the incident in whispers. "She didn't kill him," one of the scientist said.
"Of course she didn't," Alaric replied. "Evony needs her team. She'll figure out who was at fault, let them finish their work, and then, just as they think they've redeemed them self, she'll kill them."
"Probably outside," the scientist replied. "Her kills tend to be-"
"Her," a voice broke in the lab. The Ash's. Lauren turned, confused before two men pressed on either side of her.
"Place your work down, remove your gloves."
"Wh-?"
They grabbed her, placing her work away from her, the gloves snapped off and disposed, lab jacket ripped from her arms and tossed away. Lauren yelped, feeling herself grabbed and torn away from her cornered work desk, out into the hall. She was pulled past the Ash.
He reached out, and her necklace, his mark of protection, was snapped from her neck. She stared, hurt and confused at his indifferent. "Downstairs." Then it dawned on her. She was being blamed for the Dark Fae Elder.
"No," she said, fighting against the fae holding her. "I didn't- I- let me go!"
"Use any force necessary," the Ash said.
"No!" Lauren felt a hand grab her hair, twisting to look into the face of a very tall, broad man. "I didn't do it," she told him. "Please, let me go and I'll explain-"
Her hair was tugged violently, her arm jerked and twisted by the other guard. Lauren felt herself relax, giving in to the inevitable. She watched the carpet beneath her feet, teardrops slipping down onto the ground, before she was brought down stairs and cast into a cell, her head slamming against the wall.
The cell was tiny.
"Please," she said, crawling onto her feet, dizzy as she watched the cell door shut. "Please, let me explain. I can prove I didn't do it- please!"
"Under orders of the Ash, you will be executed at sunrise for murdering a Dark Fae Elder, and attempting to break the truce between Light and Dark."
Lauren's heart dropped. Her stomach convulsing painfully as the men left. A short whimper turned into a loud, "Please, no, no!" before nothing but an incoherent scream could be heard, echoing the walls of the cell. Lauren's thoughts crying out not for her own life, forfeit to the fae, but for Nadia's, lying still and unaware of the consequences of Lauren's actions.
Her hands squeezed at the metal bars, throat hoarse. Finally, she fell back, staring at darkness, crying to herself as the cold took over, her body shaking violently until exhausted. She dreamt of nothing.
"Up," a voice demanded, lulling her out of the darkness.
Lauren blinked, aware of an open door and a person standing above her. She refused to move, intent on making it as difficult for them as possible.
"I didn't do it," she mumbled.
"We're aware. Up." She was dragged onto her feet, confused as large hands held her in place. "You're lucky you know?"
Lauren laughed bitterly, confused to what was happening. "How?" she asked, blinking at the person. She turned away from the bright light, catching enough of a glimpse to know it was the same fae who grabbed her hair, tugging at her.
"The Morrigan had your room bugged. Turns out, you were asleep the entire time it happened. Though why she even bother to shared that information is beyond me. She could have saved it until after your death."
"I'm grateful for you sincerity," she snapped. He dropped her, letting her fall to the ground before hoisting her up again.
"Now what do you say?"
"I'm sorry. That was…out of line."
"Good girl."
She was lead upstairs, to her room, and given a meal, told to sleep before she'd begin working tomorrow. There was no apology, no sorry for making you think you were going to die. Just, 'eat, sleep, go to work'.
Lauren awoke to the sound of pages turning. Blinking, she looked up to see Evony sitting on her desk again, reading the same book she'd been reading in the library. "You," Lauren whispered, sitting up as she pushed the covers off. Her voice mumbled, the words there, unarticulated.
"Me," Evony replied, turning the page.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." Another page, before the book was lowered, Evony's eyes on hers. "The Ash knows you're special, but he doesn't quite know to what extent," she said. "I do."
Of course, Lauren thought. Evony proved her innocence, only because she was still of worth. Climbing out of the bed, Lauren drank a glass of water on her bedside. Then went to the bathroom, cleaning her teeth. When she came out, Evony was poised on the end of the bed looking up at her expectantly.
"They put me in a cell, they were prepared to kill me without question," Lauren said. Not necessarily to Evony, but to someone who would listen.
"We always will be," she told her. "The Light are a little more rigid. Doesn't matter how much worth you are, rules are rules to their tight asses."
"And the Dark?"
"If you're more use alive than dead, we'll make an exception," Evony smirked. "It was one of the Light Fae scientists by the way. Jealousy maybe, or need to start a war for the fun of it and you were easy to blame, who knows." She shrugged, not caring for the motivations. "But you're alive, and they're dead."
Lauren felt numb. Opening her hand, Evony head out the Ash's mark.
"Symbol of the sun, it's so…self-centered and tacky," Evony sighed.
"What's your mark?" Lauren didn't know why she asked. Curiosity was dull inside of her, perhaps it was out of need to hear Evony keep talking, pretend that everything was okay.
"Triskelion," Evony replied happily. Standing up, she moved to stand behind Lauren. Without shoes, Lauren found herself significantly shorter than Evony in heels.
Lauren scooped her hair, pulling it over one shoulder to allow the Morrigan to clasp the chain around her neck. When it was done, Lauren turned around to face her. "Thank you," she said again.
Taking Lauren's chin, Evony tilted her face up to see her. It was an opening, she realized.
Lauren felt her breath pull in, a moment of hesitation before she pressed up on her toes and crushed her lips to the Morrigan. There was no guilt that spat inside of her. No fear. Only desperation that shivered down her spine, coiling tightly in her chest.
But it was excitement that kept her going as she slid her hand over the back Evony's throat, kissing her not out of thanks, or even out of desire to feel the woman's lips against hers – though desire heated through her when Evony's teeth slid over her bottom lip, sucking until Lauren moaned.
Lauren kissed her because she wanted to feel alive.
And as her hand curled around the Morrigan's neck and waist, wrenching her closer as she tugged on the woman's bottom lip, the feeling of mint still hissing on her tongue when she tasted Evony's against hers. Lauren could feel her heart beating in chest.
Evony's hand was curled in her hair, before it let go, slipping down, over breasts and cotton. Lauren felt it squeeze over her heart, nails dragging against her as she arched into the grasp, her own hands clutching at Evony spine. Gasping, she felt Evony's lips hover, a short lick darting across her mouth, before kissing her again.
Nails scrapped down Lauren's side, hooking at the hem of the shirt before it began lifting it up and over Lauren's head, breaking away from the kiss only briefly before pressing their lips together again once she'd removed the shirt. Then her hands slid over Lauren's back, pulling her flush against her as she walked them both to the bed.
Lauren's hands had accidentally found Evony's zipped and moved to tug it down when a knock sounded. There, her knees hit the edge of the bed, collapsing to sit on it as she stared in shock. Terror filled her, scenarios running in her head of being caught topless before the Morrigan, when the voice said, "You're due for your shift in fifteen minutes."
"Understood," Lauren said, after hesitation. Her hands dropped, at her sides, painfully aware of her own half-dressed state as she closed her eyes. Her lips were swollen, chest heaving and a near painful throb pulled between her thighs.
"Shame," Evony said, smoothing over her dress and moving to face a mirror. She fixed her make up, combing fingers through her hair before she looked over her shoulder, smirking at Lauren. "Go shower, doctor. You smell like you've been in a cell."
Lauren blinked, an absurd laughter rising in her throat. She's showered the night before, scouring her skin. "I think it'll linger."
"Perhaps," she hummed. "Well, as enjoyable as it could have been, I'm sure you're about to come to a breakthrough," she smirked, moving to the door before pausing. "Oh, and a word of advice. If I were you, I'd be very careful to pretend that nothing happened here."
Lauren blinked, her brow pulling together. "Being falsely accursed of murder and treason against-"
"Well the last is hardly false accusation," Evony said. "But if my subordinate came to me and questioned both my authority and orders, I may throw them in a cell again for no reason, just to show that I could." Lauren swallowed, nodding. "Good, it'd be a shame to see you incased in iron again."
As Evony left the room, Lauren felt her mood shift bitterly. But there, with her thoughts beginning to cool, Lauren had an epiphany for the cure.