After a good night's sleep, Lauren woke up in Bo's arms. She buried her head into Bo's neck and inhaled before giving her a light peck.

"Hmm." Bo awoke feeling Lauren's touch and kiss. "Please, don't tell me it's morning already."

"Sadly, yes," Lauren said and placed a kiss on Bo's bare shoulder.

"And we have to go to work?" Bo grumbled.

"You love your job," Lauren said with a quick laugh.

Bo rubbed her face against Lauren's hair and squeezed her tightly. "Normally, but you feel too good to leave." She buried her head in Lauren's hair as she said it. "I don't want to leave this little nook of ours and face the real world."

"Come join me for a shower," Lauren whispered in Bo's ear and licked her earlobe slowly. She sauntered off to the bathroom, glancing over her shoulder. Bo jumped up quickly and removed her clothes while she hurried after Lauren.

After a time, they held each other in a snug embrace under the warm water. "Thank you," Lauren murmured against Bo's shoulder, running her lips over her wet skin.

Bo chuckled, "Did you just thank me for giving you an orgasm?"

Lauren lightly took Bo's skin in between her teeth and bit down softly, "Yes, I appreciate it. It felt really good."

Bo chuckled, again. "Fair enough, you're welcome." Bo squeezed her and started washing her back. Placing a kiss behind her ear and Lauren sighed contently.

"That tickles a little," Lauren with a giggle, after a few seconds.

Bo pressed her back against the wall and pulled Lauren into her body, but at the same time, her phone rang outside the shower. "Back to the real world." She sighed and stepped out of the shower.

Lauren took a quick glance at Bo as she exited the shower and finished washing her body and hair.

XXXX

Tamsin read the text and put the phone down. A second later, she picked up the phone and read it again. Was Dyson asking her on a date? Her? She wondered reading it again, and again.

Drinks, dinner, and a movie? The text read. That sounded like a date to her. She put the phone down as if it was on fire and scooted away from it.

She hated formal dates she was terrible at them. The few she'd been on ended in disaster, with her either offending her date, accidentally or her just leaving through a back door from boredom. She never knew what to say or how to act. It was torture, and she didn't understand why people put themselves through it.

She decided to ignore the text, for now, and get ready for work.

It buzzed again on her bed, and she jumped back away from it, thinking it was from Dyson. She cautiously read it and was relieved that it was Bo telling her to hurry up because they had to leave soon.

Bo was in the next room, and she wondered why she texted her and didn't just knock on the door. Maybe she was occupied with Lauren and couldn't get away.

She sighed at her clothes and picked an outfit, she really needed to go shopping for more clothes soon, but her truck had to be fixed first. The following day, she would pay it off, but that would take all her money.

Sometimes, she wished she still lived in her truck because money wouldn't be a problem. But she did enjoy the comfortable bed, easily available hot showers, and a roommate who occasionally cooked delicious food. Perhaps, it was worth the money after all.

She pulled on her jacket and scrutinized her appearance in the mirror, longer than normal. She rolled her eyes and told herself it had nothing to do with Dyson and his text. Because it didn't, nope, she reassured herself before exiting the room.

XXXX

Lauren, walking to the hospital, tilted her head back and inhaled the morning air. She was feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks, and she wanted to enjoy the walk.

Her phone vibrated, and she answered it quickly.

Tara's voice came through. "Lauren you have a problem."

"A problem, just one? I thought I had many problems." She joked back.

"Haha. Jules is crushing on you big time."

"Oh good lord, would you stop with this, not everyone wants to sleep with me."

"Not everyone just half the ladies at the hospital."

Lauren rolled her eyes and stayed silent.

"I'm serious about Jules. I don't think she ever got over your one night together." She paused. "She's been talking about you a lot recently."

"What are you talking about? When did we have sex?" Lauren asked, confused.

Tara paused. "Right before you met Bo, in medical school."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. It was only once." And not very memorable she thought but didn't say. "I'm sure it's nothing."

She stopped when she saw the tattooed chef walking down the street. She ended her call and cautiously approached him. She hated seeing patients outside of the hospital it was like the fourth wall coming down or something. The hospital was like its own little world, in itself, and bringing that world to the outside always felt odd.

"Hi," She offered a greeting with a smile. "I don't know if you remember me," She gestured to her scrubs. "I took your blood at the hospital once."

He squinted at her. "Oh, yes. The doctor who loves to cook." He paused and leaned in. "But has no time." He pulled back with a wink.

Lauren grinned at the ground. "That's me. Do you work around here, I'd love to try your food, sometime."

He shook his head. "It's a few blocks away." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "Since I don't think you'll be coming in for any cooking lessons. Here's an easy recipe for you to try on your own."

She took it and read it. "Thanks."

"Let me know how it turns out." He smiled and walked off.

She watched him go and slipped the card into her scrub pocket.

XXXX

"Progress, Dennis? What in the world are the three of you doing all day?" Ryan snapped at Bo.

"I told you we need a list of known cults to start investigating."

He scoffed. "Your theory on that is really a stretch. No way you'll get warrants."

Bo clenched her jaw and glared at him. "I was thinking something less formal, like just a casual visit or surveillance."

He shook his head. "No way. Get more evident then we'll revisit the discussion."

She pushed herself off the wall and started to go.

He stopped her. "About that promotion."

She sighed deeply and turned to face him.

"Hale has put his hat into the ring. He's tough competition. He has seniority over you." He leaned closer to her and she stepped back. "But, of course, your daddy will probably help you."

"Are we done?" She shot back, angrily. "I get my own promotions." She added heatedly.

He chuckled. "Sure. That's why a 26-year-old is a detective. Daddy had nothing to do with that?"

She placed her hand on the doorknob to go, and he added. "I could put your name at the top of the list if you topped me again." He raised his eyebrows as he said it.

She left quickly and slammed the door behind her.

Bo kicked her chair when she got back to her desk and plopped down.

Dyson leaned close to her. "What's up?"

"Captain Asshole is the vilest person on the planet. Why the fuck did I have sex with him? Him? Of all people." She tapped her head on her desk repeatedly.

He chuckled. "I've often wondered that myself."

"I risked my relationship with my perfect girlfriend for that shit." She mumbled out, hitting her head harder. "I can't stand him, I never liked him. He's gross."

"Lauren's not perfect. Faaar from it."

"Whatever." She glared at him. "That's not really the point."

Tamsin was needing to talk to Bo about the case, saw Dyson at her desk and veered off in the other direction. She'd talk to her later, she looked busy, maybe in a few minutes, she silently told herself.

XXXX

Lauren groaned looking down at her tablet, seemingly endless blood drawings for the day. She desperately wanted to get into a surgery, even just observing. She knew this was part of her residency, but she wanted to do more important work. A fourteen-hour shift of grunt work was draining.

"Who killed your puppy, Dr. Lewis?" Evony asked close to Lauren's ear, startling her and pulling her from her thoughts.

She took a quick glimpse at her then back to her tablet. "I was just lost in my thoughts."

"That happens to you a lot. You're always staring off into space." Evony waved her hand in the air as she said it.

"How do you know what I'm always doing?" Lauren retorted back, with a suspicious glare.

Evony mocked her with a laugh. "Oh, please honey, I mean every time I see you scurrying around the hospital. You look dazed and in the clouds."

"That's not true." She snapped. She really wasn't in the mood to be made fun of her day was stressful enough already.

"Ok, Dr. Lewis." Evony responded and quickly placed her hand on the small of Lauren's back and strolled off.

Lauren watched her go and absently dropped her eyes to Evony's legs then back up the length of her body before she caught herself and looked away swiftly.

She cleared her throat and rushed off to start the day.

XXXX

"I thought you had to get to sleep early?" Dyson asked Lauren at the bar.

"I need to unwind. Do you know how many people's blood I took today? Like a hundred. I need a surgery." She complained, slightly annoyed hearing herself say it. It wasn't like her to act this way, but she couldn't help it. Stress was starting to boil over for her.

Tamsin walked slowly up to the table and smiled quickly at Dyson before sitting next to Lauren.

Dyson pounded his fist on the table, "We need another round."

Lauren's phone buzzed, and she read her text from Bo but she ignored it.

"You need a vacation Doc," Dyson said pouring more beer into his glass.

"I think I'm like four years away from one of those," She sighed ignoring another text from Bo.

"What do you do to release stress, Lewis?" Tamsin asked. "Personally, I go to the shooting range." She added.

Lauren frowned. "It's just a bad week. With my parent's visit looming, doing boring stuff at work. I'll feel better soon."

The three chatted a bit. Lauren stroked her phone suddenly feeling guilty and ashamed for ignoring Bo. She couldn't get a handle on why she was feeling so off.

She rubbed in-between her eyes and glanced up to see Bo entering the bar. She quickly put her phone away.

Bo joined them, taking a seat next to Dyson. "I thought you were sleeping?" Bo asked Lauren.

Dyson and Tamsin went rigid and looked away.

Lauren hesitated, she was still wound up from her day and feeling more stressed or aggravated than normal. "I'm only having one drink then going home." She said with a slightly harsh tone.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Bo asked sharply. "I was texting you."

Dyson and Tamsin exchanged awkward glances, then he said. "You know what, Tamsin let's go play some pool." He got up from his chair.

"Good idea." They rushed off together.

After they left, Bo continued. "I thought we were doing better."

Lauren leaned back and stared at Bo. "We are, but we don't have to be together every night."

Bo started tapping her foot. "All I want is to know what you're up to. Is that so bad?"

Lauren stared back Bo bleakly. "No, not if your goal is to smother me." She shot back, unable to stop herself from saying it, the words just spilled out of her.

Bo got up abruptly. "Well excuse me for giving a damn."

Lauren sighed deeply and closed her eyes, for a moment. She shuddered at her behavior, feeling more ashamed. She followed Bo quickly.

When she reached her, she grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry." She said with an apologetic expression and pleading eyes.

Bo bit her cheek and avoided looking at her.

"Hey," Lauren held her face. "Really, I'm sorry. Let's go." She grabbed Bo's hand and led her out of the bar.

XXXX

Tamsin looked up and noticed Bo and Lauren leaving the bar together. She set up her next shot. "Have they always been like this? Fighting and making up?"

He shrugged, "Not really. They've always been intense, but it's escalating lately. But I'm tired of talking about those two."

He tilted his head and cracked a smile. "You never answered my text about Saturday."

Tamsin shifted her stance, nervously and looked at Dyson, his goofy smile was making it hard for her to keep a straight face, so she smirked back. "I'm not good at…"

He interrupted her, "It's just a movie. We should get to know each other better." He nudged her shoulder playfully.

She let out a breath of relief. "Ok. Sounds good."

"Good." He picked up his glass and they tapped them together and both drank.

XXXX

Bo spread out on Lauren's bed, staring at the ceiling, and Lauren crawled on top of her. "I said I was sorry." She said keeping her voice soft and low. She lightly kissed her lips after.

Bo tightened her jaw. "You can't just treat me any way you want then say you're sorry like that makes it go away."

Lauren snorted and slid off her. "Kind of like having sex with someone else…saying sorry then expecting…" As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted it, but the filler between her head and mouth seemed to be off.

"Lauren, really?" Bo jumped off the bed and moved across the room and leaned against the dresser and fixed a sharp glare on Lauren.

Both stayed silence averting their eyes from each other.

Lauren slowly inched closer to Bo but remained on the bed. "I'm…" She stopped herself from saying sorry, knowing it would make Bo explode. "I don't feel like myself lately. I feel like I'm coming apart at the seams, and I don't know how to snap out of it."

Bo crossed her arms, "I can't be your personal punching bag, Lauren. It's not fair."

Lauren buried her face in her hands and started to cry. Shame, guilt, stress, exhaustion, confusion all hit her at the same time, and she didn't know what to do with it all and the tears just came out.

Bo sighed sadly, and her face lined in a frown as she moved closer to Lauren. She lifted Lauren's chin, and they gazed into each other's eyes. Bo wiped a few tears away.

Lauren pulled on Bo's waist drawing her closer and Bo pushed her back hard onto the bed. Their lips met, instantly, and in a blind rush they stripped the clothes off their bodies. Thoughts slipped away from both their minds with the contact of their bodies.

When they were done, Bo got to her feet and dressed quickly. Lauren rose from the bed. She wrapped her arm around her body, covering her breasts, as she watched Bo dress. "You can stay here." She said, after a long pause.

Bo shook her head and pulled on her boots. "I'm going to stay at Kenzi's tonight, and probably the rest of the week."

Lauren dropped her hand and pulled a sheet up and wrapped it around her body.

Bo slipped on her jacket and went to the door. She slowly looked back, "Call me when you figure out what you want."

Lauren froze on the bed and watched as the door closed, and Bo disappeared. She wrapped her head in the sheet and cried.

XXXX

Lauren woke alone, the next morning. She gently brushed her fingers over Bo's pillow and willed herself out of bed.

Tamsin watched Lauren walk into the kitchen, her arms full and her face in a scowl.

She went quickly to the refrigerator and dug through looking for breakfast.

"Lewis, is Bo here? I need a ride to work."

Lauren glared at her. "Bo doesn't live here, remember?"

"Ok, sorry. I saw you two leave the bar together, so I thought…"

Lauren tossed some food into her bag and sighed. "Look, I didn't mean anything…"

Tamsin gave her a questioning glance and changed the subject. "I think I'll walk it's not very far and the weather's great."

Lauren forced a smile. "I walk almost everyday; it's a nice way to start the morning."

Tamsin gathered up her things. "Your parents are coming today. Any big plans?"

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Dinner, tonight I guess. They're staying a week."

Tamsin offered her a half smile.

Lauren clutched her phone, thinking about Bo. "I'll walk out with you, hold on." She called out before Tamsin left.

XXXX

Bo sat at Kenzi's kitchen table flipping through her emails, sighing at the lack of progress with her case. She refused to think about her girlfriend. Lauren had to make the first move. She couldn't keep doing it.

"Morning," Kenzi said cheerfully. She searched through the cabinets for breakfast food. "Any progress on your case?"

Bo put her phone away. "Zip, nudda. Nothing." She watched Kenzi make her food. "Bodies keep piling up and we have nothing."

Sitting down next to Bo, Kenzi started eating her food. "Ask dad for help."

Bo grimaced. "No way. I can't run to him for everything, people already think I got my job because of him."

Kenzi turned her attention away from Bo as Hale walked into the kitchen with a wide smile. "Good morning, you beautiful ladies."

Hale lightly kissed Kenzi's lips.

"Hey, you have a new partner, her name's Tamsin." She rose and took her empty plate to the sink. "She's new but eager. She'll be a great partner for you."

Kenzi still peering up at him, smiled and they kissed again.

Bo looked away, seeing a happy couple was depressing, her phone suddenly felt like a lead brick in her pocket. She pushed those thoughts down. "I didn't know you were going after that promotion." She said to Hale.

He turned to Bo with a charming grin. "Now that I'm a husband. I need the bigger salary."

Bo nodded. "You know I applied for that job."

"Let the best detective win." He extended his hand, and she took it with a smirk.

XXXX

Lauren ordered another glass of wine, listening to her father talk about his new practice.

She drank it fast when it arrived and ordered another.

"Oh lord, Lauren slow down," Her mother gasped out, her hand over her chest.

Lauren played with the rim of her glass, not really focused on it or her parents. Her thoughts were on Bo and the distance that seemed to be growing between them.

"So, where's your friend?" Her father finally asked, his tone flat and dismissive.

For the first time during dinner, Lauren perked up, and her expression sharpened. "You can't even say, girlfriend, can you?" She asked bitterly. "She's my GIRLFRIEND. Lover. Partner."

He glared at her and sprang up from the table, "No more wine for you young lady. You can't handle your alcohol that's clear." He left the table and headed to the restroom.

Lauren clenched her jaw and tapped her fork on her plate.

Her mother patted her hand. "Oh sweetie, don't mind your father he's old school. He doesn't understand the girls kissing girls thing that's so popular these days."

Lauren laughed and rubbed her hand down her face. "Is that what you think Bo and I do is kiss? Because it's a lot more-"

Her mother smiled and cut in, "Oh, I'm fine with it, dear. But your father wants to see you married with kids one day."

Lauren's anger was threatening to simmer over. "And I can't marry Bo? Have children with her?" Her voice was getting louder and louder as she spoke.

"Lauren, shh. Keep your voice down." Her mother's eyes darted around the restaurant.

Lauren's father returned to the table. "What's Dyson up to these days?" He asked with a smug expression taking his seat.

Lauren glared at him and took a large bite of her food. When the server walked by, she ordered another glass of wine.

XXXX

Lauren laid on the living couch watching a surgery video when she heard a soft knock on the door. She glanced at the time and walked to the door.

Bo stood looking down, she slowly raised her head to look at Lauren, and they searched each other's eyes, for an almost endless minute.

Neither said a word and Lauren reached for Bo's hand and together they went to the bedroom.

Bo leaned back against the wall and drew Lauren against her. She unbuttoned Lauren's shirt with their lips pressed together in a feverish kiss. Lauren moaned into her mouth, and Bo shoved her shirt off her shoulders.

Lauren's hands traveled up and down Bo's body, and she started slipping off her clothes.

With their clothes halfway removed they collapsed on the bed, bodies and mouths twisted together.

Bo climbed on top of Lauren and straddled her hips. Both their breathing grew heavier by the second. Bo finished removing Lauren's clothes, and Lauren released a soft moan when Bo's fingers caressed her bare skin. Bo leaned down and thrust her fingers inside Lauren quick and hard. At the same time, Lauren ran her fingernails down Bo's back and arched her back.

A few hours later, sleep remained elusive for Bo, as countless thoughts about Lauren and their relationship rushed through her mind. She watched Lauren sleep peacefully for a few minutes, resisting the urge to stroke her skin. She knew looking at Lauren that she was slipping away, and Bo reluctantly thought that maybe she was already gone.

Quietly, she slid out of the bed and pulled on her clothes. She glanced back at Lauren and watched her steady breathing and with a deep sigh she left the room and apartment.