Authors' Notes:

Well, this chapter took some time to get through. Three revisions and I'm still hoping it's good enough. It is one of my longer updates and to be quite honest it was longer, but I decided to use the last four pages (handwritten mind you) to start chapter 35.

Thanks to Kravn for working with me; you should read her story; (shameless plug) "Time," (/ shameless plug) it is very, very good. So thanks for looking at my story while you work on yours.

Special thanks to: Lailaclark1, SailboatsandDiamonds, LynDraven, mcfayee221, OneWanderingMind, KaseyStone92 and lb7707 for stopping by and leaving a review for the first and hopefully not the last time.

Of course it goes without saying; but I will anyway, thanks to: doccubus lurver, Shepeb, LOCISVU, Aussie SciFi Tragic, VMD, Adaobi, BucketOverThere, sergeik, Pam-NH. For consistently, if not faithfully leaving by your thoughtful words.

Please see chapter one for all disclaimers. Except for Jacob and any other new characters that might show up who are mine, no one else is.

Oh, please read secondary notes at the end of the chapter for an important question or two. Thanks.

Chapter 34

"Hey beautiful... how are you?"

Lauren smiled. "I'm good, how are you doing?" she replied.

"Great. I didn't get sick this morning so already, it's a fantastic day."

"I'm sorry about that." Lauren told her; she had witnessed several bouts of morning sickness.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine really." Bo said her voice chipper over the phone.

Lauren couldn't help but smile. "Did you make it in okay? You never did tell me where you were headed to last night. You should have woken me before you left."

"Let's see... yes we did. We're in Ontario... and I wasn't the one who could not keep her hands to herself..." Bo laughed. "Besides, you needed your sleep, you were up late."

Lauren grinned. "Guilty as charged, but I didn't hear you complain. In fact if I'm not mistaken you wanted more..." she said her voice dropping.

"Behave missy. I wasn't expecting that kind of phone call... but I may take you up on that later."

Lauren could feel herself blush. "So... Ontario." she said trying to steer the conversation to a safer subject. "Bo, could you hold on for a moment?"

"Sure."

Lauren signed off on the lab results she had been expecting. "Could you file this away for me?"

"Of course Dr. Lewis..."

"Hey Lauren..."

"I'm back. Sorry about that."

"No, I should have called earlier..."

"Bo its fine..."

"I know how busy you get. I just wanted to hear your voice." Bo said softly.

"I... that was so sweet..."

"It's the truth Lauren..." Bo told her. "Look I've got to get going, Kenzi's giving me the stink eye."

"Bo, I love hearing your voice too. Just take care, okay?" she said, suddenly reminded of the last time she had told Bo the same thing.

Not only had Bo been sprayed with mace, they also found out that she was pregnant... it had been a very busy day.

"We understand and I promise. Love you."

Lauren quickly looked around, "I love you too." she said softly.

"Talk to you later, bye."

"Bye."

Lauren closed her eyes and basked in the warmth she felt; it constantly amazed her how having a simple conversation with Bo could evoke such joy in her.

She could not believe it had been three weeks already. Her... their lives had been turned upside down in that short space of time. And despite the happiness they felt, there was an underlying tension as well.

Dyson had disappeared.

They could not find him anywhere and that had become worrisome.

Not only that, but Bo had no choice but to temper her anger towards Trick.

Lauren knew that it was not good for Bo in her condition, but she had explained that Trick could not find out that she had overheard his conversation with Dyson. They did not want the Blood King to tip the wolf off of their impending plans nor did they want either of them digging around trying to find out whatever they could.

So, they decided to leave Trick in the dark, however it meant that Bo could not avoid him as it would have drawn suspicion and scrutiny. This meant that both Bo and Kenzi visited the Dal as much as they could stand.

Lauren tried her best to be there for Bo whenever she returned from paying Trick a visit but it felt like it was never enough. She could not stand the tears Bo would shed; it broke her heart every time.

"How could he have said that?" Bo would always ask.

Lauren could not answer that question.

The only thing she could do was offer Bo a shoulder to cry on; and arms to embrace and hold her tight; along with all the love she had to give.

Despite all the turmoil they had gone through, there was a bright light, a beacon which everyone could focus on: Bo had begun showing.

And according to the tests they had performed, after hours; Bo was now approximately five months along.

Which was astonishing.

Lauren and Jacob could hardly contain themselves.

They gathered as much information about Bo's progression for future reference. They both doubted that there would be another Succubus in a similar situation but medical science demanded that they keep copious notes, if only for themselves.

Bo graciously allowed this after much pouting and murmuring of: "All you want me for is the baby." However, Lauren was able to dispel these thoughts with kisses that always left Bo with a smile on her face.

Lauren was continually amazed by the changes occurring in Bo's body. She knew Bo was tired of all the poking and prodding but Lauren wanted to make sure that neither Bo nor the baby was in danger.

It was imperative that nothing go wrong.

Nothing could go wrong.

Bo and the baby were her future and there was nothing that Lauren would not do; would not give up to make sure they both had a fighting chance.

And after all was said and done, when they were finally "home," at the shack, when they were finally by themselves, they enjoyed their time together.

Those quiet moments were heaven sent.

When they were in bed, with Bo lying in her arms, Lauren would whisper to Bo how much she loved her.

How much she thanked her for her precious gift.

How much she loved the baby or how she could not wait for the baby's arrival.

How much Bo still enticed her; how her body was more desirable than she ever thought possible.

Lauren sighed.

She thought about the first few weeks of their relationship – Lauren shivered in delight as she recalled the passion they shared.

Now, that Bo had been hit with pregnancy hormones, Lauren did not think there were enough energy or sports drinks on the planet to replenish her electrolytes.

She smirked...

It wasn't to say she wasn't willing to give her girlfriend one hundred percent each and every time. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

"Good afternoon Dr. Lewis."

Lauren shook her head to clear her thoughts of her Bo-induced haze she was lost in.

She smiled and bowed her head. "Good afternoon Ash."

Hale clapped his hands in front of him and looked around. "Everything is running smoothly I see."

"I'd like to think so Sir." Lauren replied smiling. She did enjoy that the medical facility was in tip top shape.

"Good... good. I wanted to let you know I've approved your request." Hale said.

Lauren looked confused. "Request?"

"Yes." Hale replied taking another look around the lab and noticed his presence had stirred things up. He smirked when he saw a few of the lab technicians looked his way before returning to what they were doing. "I know it took me a while to get back to you, but your request for time off is approved." he told Lauren.

"Time off?"

Hale laughed. "You even forgot about it. Anyway, your vacation starts tomorrow. Enjoy it Dr. Lewis. You've earned it."

"Thank you Ash?" Lauren said.

"I better get back. Good afternoon Dr. Lewis."

Again Lauren bowed her head briefly. "Good bye Ash." she said as she watched Hale leave the lab.

Lauren quickly went to her office and checked her e-mail.

There were three messages.

The first was the approval for her vacation time, which she knew she had not requested.

The second one was encrypted.

The last one had the key she had to use in order to open the other message.

She glanced at her door which she knew was closed but she walked over to the door and locked it. She was being paranoid but she felt she had no choice in the matter.

When she returned to her desk she typed the encryption key and waited for the email to open.

"Hello Lauren,

I know this is unexpected, but I thought you might need some time off to take care of some personal matters which have come up fairly recently.

Consider this my way of thanking you for all the work you've done and continue to do for us.

I took the liberty of forwarding your request myself; I thought it might slip your mind. You do have other things to think about right now.

So, enjoy your vacation, but would you do me a favor?

Don't send me a postcard.

Hale.

P.S.

Ask Kenzi, if you see her, why does she need seven pairs of Louboutin shoes?"

Lauren could not help but laugh as she deleted the emails that dealt with the message Hale had sent her along with the encryption key.

Relieved, she sat down and let out a sigh.

This was just what they had been waiting for; an opportunity, where she could join Bo and Kenzi.

The phone call earlier had been a ruse.

Bo and Kenzi were nowhere near Ontario.

They had already left the country.

With the way the pregnancy was progressing, Bo could have the baby before the end of the following month and Jacob had insisted that Bo and Kenzi leave as soon as possible.

By now, it was common knowledge that Bo was pregnant with Dyson's child. Bo had decided she was going to wait a week after her run with him at the Dal before implementing her plan, with or without his help.

When the week had passed and they had not heard from him, Bo contacted Dyson's new partner, Tamsin.

"Look, I don't know where he is. He took off last week, some kind of family thing." she'd said before hanging up.

As soon as she heard that, Bo knew it was time.

The plan was fairly simple and had taken place a week ago.

Lauren had gone to the Dal ahead of time; Jacob had accompanied her. They both wanted to be there as a show of support.

"Hello Trick." she said with a forced smile on her lips as she walked up to the bar.

"Lauren... Jacob. It's nice to see you it's been days since you last dropped by." Trick replied wiping down the counter.

"I'm sorry. It's been very busy lately."

"Of course with the baby and all." he nodded. "So, what can I get you to drink?"

Lauren had bit her cheek to keep herself from responding to his comment.

"I'll have a Scotch please." Jacob answered.

"A white wine." she replied smiling.

"Okay, I'll be right back." he said.

"Why don't you grab a table? I want to speak with Trick for a moment." Jacob said.

Lauren scanned the room she spotted a table which would give her an unobstructed view of the bar.

She sat down and waited for Jacob to arrive. She fiddled with her watch; she knew Bo would be coming in any minute now.

She was nervous about the whole thing.

She wished Bo did not have to do this, but for the baby's sake, it had to be done.

"Here you are." Jacob said interrupting Lauren's thoughts.

"Thank you." she said taking the glass from Jacob. "What did you want to ask Trick?" she asked.

"I asked him if he's seen Dyson." Jacob said as he pulled out a chair.

Lauren swallowed the sip she had taken. "And?"

"He said he hasn't seen him since that night."

"You don't believe him?" Lauren asked.

"I'm not sure what to believe anymore. I want to believe him, but..." Jacob sighed. "Are you sure there are enough people?" Jacob asked as he sat down and took a small sip of his drink.

Lauren took another quick glance. "Yes, there's more than enough. We just have to wait."

Lauren could recall the exact moment Bo entered the Dal. There was a change in the atmosphere, it became charged.

"They're here." she said.

Jacob would tell her later on with a smile on his face that she had a predatory gleam in her eyes.

Lauren could not help it.

When it came to Bo, there wasn't anything she would not do for her, simply stating... Bo was everything to her.

Not just an excellent lover...

But, Bo was her best friend.

The only one she'd had in the last five years and she treasured it fiercely. Her friendship made Lauren realize just how alone she had been. Bo entered her life and everything changed, including Lauren's outlook on life.

With Bo in her life, she was no longer simply satisfied to wake-up; go to work; go to the Dal for the odd drink; finish any projects she had at home; and go to bed only to repeat the same process all over again the next day.

She could not wait to see and speak with the Succubus each day, even when it put her standing with the Ash in jeopardy. Bo practically dragged her to see the world and be apart of it, instead of being a non-interested bystander.

The more time she spent with Bo, the more she learned: Bo was kind, generous, caring and she carried the guilt of the inadvertent deaths she had caused on her shoulders every day without fail.

Bo was repentant and wanted forgiveness. Something Lauren knew the Fae did not feel for the most part.

That is what set Bo apart from everyone else.

It made Lauren love her even more.

And to be the focus of Bo's love and attention was awe inspiring. Then place all of that into those leather pants Bo seemed to love so much, it was often difficult for Lauren to restrain herself.

"Hey Trickster!" Kenzi called out.

"Kenzi... Bo." Trick replied.

Lauren watched as Bo looked around the Dal. She felt their eyes lock momentarily before Bo returned her attention back to Trick.

"Have you seen Dyson?" she asked loudly.

"Umm... No. No I haven't." Trick answered shaking his head.

"Figures." Bo leaned forward, her hands on the counter. "Tell him I don't appreciate him getting me PREGNANT!" she yelled. "And running off with his tail between his legs!"

"BoBo..." Kenzi said placing her hand on Bo's arm. She looked around the Dal. "Not so loud. I don't think Dyson would want EVERYONE to know..." she said.

"I don't care! I'm having his kid and he can't wolf-up for it. Then SCREW HIM..."

"You already did BoBo." Kenzi quipped.

"Not helping there Kenzi."

"I'm sure he'll do the right thing." Trick told her.

"I doubt it." Bo replied. "Otherwise he would have returned my calls by now."

Lauren noticed that Trick had reached out and placed his hand on Bo's. She could not hear what he told her over the conversation of the other patrons, but Bo had told her later when she asked.

"He said that he was here for me. He wanted me to know how concerned he was for my welfare. As if I can ever believe another word coming from his mouth. It was all I could do not to pull my hand away from his. Thank God Kenzi asked for a beer, otherwise..." Bo had shivered repulsed.

Bo and Kenzi did not join them at the table, instead they remained at the bar for some time, waiting for Dyson to make an appearance; Kenzi even showed remarkable restraint nursing the beer Trick had placed in front of her.

"Let's go Kenzi... he's not going to show up."

"Okay BoBo... see ya Trick!" Kenzi called out as she followed Bo out of the Dal.

As soon as they had, the Dal was buzzing with the announcement Bo had made.

Dyson had deserted Bo who was pregnant with his child.

It was exactly what they had wanted.

Lauren rushed back to her place as quickly as she could to find Bo already there.

"I waited for him – it can't be said I didn't try." Bo had told her gruffly.

Lauren kissed her. "You gave him enough time. You don't have to feel guilty about it. In fact, he should be grateful."

"No, I'm grateful to you. And..." Bo pouted.

"And what?"

Bo sighed. "And I really want some ice cream right now."

Lauren threw her head back and laughed. "Oh sweetheart you can have some." she stressed.

Bo smiled at her and it made Lauren's heart race.

Now Lauren had to get word to Bo about her vacation time, but first she had to speak with Jacob.

"Hello..."

"It's me Samantha."

"What did you find out?"

Samantha walked into one of the exam rooms and closed the door behind her. "Dr. Lewis was speaking with the Succubus earlier, I overheard her mention Ontario. I didn't hear too much as Dr. Lewis asked me to file some labs away, but the Ash came in not long after she finished her phone call."

"And?"

"He told Dr. Lewis that her vacation request had been approved."

"When does it start?"

"Tomorrow I think," Samantha paused. "Detective Thornwood... Dyson, you'll help my brother... you said you would."

"I said I would."

"Thank you, thank you." Samantha declared profusely.

Dyson hung up. He had no intention of helping Samantha's brother. She had been a means to an end which was being his eyes and ears in the lab.

As far as Dyson was concerned, Samantha had served her purpose.

He looked out the window; reaching to his right he grabbed the binoculars and brought them up.

He focused on the front entrance of the medical facility.

Had he looked at himself in the mirror he would have seen his unkempt hair, the weight loss and blood shot eyes.

Empty coffee cups and some take out bags were strewn around the room he had called home for the past few weeks.

He had turned off his cell phone, taking the battery out so he could not be traced. He had bought a burner phone and only used it out of necessity.

His ears twitched as he heard the sound of rats scurrying in the darkened corners. He reached into his vest pocket, pulled out the knife he had, slowly flicked it open and in one smooth motion turned and threw it.

He smiled as he heard the agonizing squeak before there was silence once again. He turned around and returned to what he was doing.

As he kept his eyes glued on the doors, he thought back to the conversation he had with Trick three weeks ago, after Bo had told him of the pregnancy.

"Have a seat Dyson." Trick had told him when he returned to the now empty Dal. "I know you're upset and you have every right to be..."

"That thing cannot be allowed to live."

"I know..."

"I don't understand how this happened – I don't get it?" he said interrupting Trick.

Trick handed him a drink. "I'm not sure either, but the important thing is my granddaughter is carrying your and Lauren's child."

"It is NOT my child."

Trick held his hands up. "You need to keep a steady head on your shoulders. You have to stop letting your emotions get the better of you. Now, what are your plans?" Trick asked.

Dyson looked down into the glass of Scotch Trick had given him. "I thought about telling the Elders..."

"You can't!" Trick had told him.

"I know that now. Despite everything I don't want to hurt Bo. This... this mess is all Lauren's fault."

"Yes, Lauren should have handled the situation better." Trick grumbled.

Dyson stood up and started pacing. "I can't stomach her being the mother." he growled. "Bo is my mate!" Dyson roared.

"Calm down!"

Dyson took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Trick waved the apology off. "How difficult would it be for you to take a leave of absence?" Trick asked him suddenly.

"I'm not leaving!"

"No Dyson. I don't want you to leave; you just need to make yourself scarce, unless you plan on helping them?"

"Of course not." he'd grimaced.

"I didn't think so. You need to keep an eye on Lauren, she's the key. Depending on what Bo does, Lauren will play an important part in what's to come and you must be ready to act."

"Then what?"

"That I leave in your hands. But you cannot harm Bo. Is that understood?"

Dyson nodded. "Lauren is without the Ash's protection." he said more to himself.

"Whatever you do, don't do anything rash. Let them think you've run off and in the meantime I'll see what I can find out."

"I hope you know I never intended this to happen."

Trick walked over to him and grabbed his arm. "I know you didn't and I would have been proud to have been the child's great grandfather, had it turned out to be yours and Bo's. I'll keep in touch, now you better leave before someone sees you."

Dyson growled as he spotted Lauren, she was speaking with Jacob.

His anger grew – he had been embarrassed and humiliated by the entire situation and he had to do something about it. He put on the headset, picked up the parabolic microphone and listened in on their conversation.

"I'll look after things, don't worry about it Dr. Lewis."

"Thank you Jacob. You know you can always call me in case anything comes up and you need my help."

Dyson scoffed. Lauren thought very highly of herself.

"I doubt it will come to that..."

"But, just in case."

Jacob nodded. "Of course."

"Well, I'll see you in three weeks. This place better be standing when I get back."

"It will be. Enjoy your time off."

Dyson clenched the binoculars tightly as he watched Lauren walk away. As her home was located on the compound it made it easier for her to be reached in case of an emergency. He knew Lauren hardly used her car unless she had to leave the compound and he also knew for a fact, she had not brought it with her today.

He wasn't worried about being caught, he knew the compound like the back of his hand; he knew its strengths and weaknesses. He could have gotten to Lauren whenever he wanted to, had he been so inclined.

He knew what measures had to be taken in order to throw off the forensic team. It would be a piece of cake.

He ran his hand through his hair.

He was confused and frustrated.

Laruen had taken everything from him.

First Bo...

Now his child.

Why did it have to be her?

Perhaps if Lauren had been Fae, he would not have taken it so badly?

No.

He shook his head violently.

It would not have made any difference.

Fae or not, he wanted nothing to do with Lauren Lewis.

He followed Lauren's movements a moment longer before putting the binoculars, headset and microphone down.

Dyson grabbed his jacket and walked towards the door, he stopped. He walked back to the corner where he had thrown his knife; squatted down and picked it up. The rat was dangling from it.

He looked at it; and then scraped the rat off with his boot. Wiping the blade on his pants; he closed it and slipped the knife back into his vest.

Standing up he walked back to the door and slammed it behind him as he took the stairs to the first floor.

He thought of what Trick had basically told him: As long as Bo was not harmed, he did not want to know what he was going to do. Essentially, plausible deniability.

There would be no denying what would happen to Lauren Lewis.

Dyson snorted as he left the warehouse.

Secondary Author's notes: 05/09/13

Hey, so how was it?

Was it okay to follow or were the different pov's/past vs. present tense confusing? It's really important as the next chapter which has been completed and is waiting to be sent to Kravn; work on your story woman! has the same thing.

Different pov's: Lauren/Bo/Kenzi/Jacob, etc. I've also asked Kravn to see if I need to break the chapter up in one specific spot. Whether or not those last three or four pages should be it's own chapter, no matter how short it may seem. (shrugging)

You will know when I do.