Hey folks! The chapter title says it all. Anything more would be spoilers. Enjoy!
Chapter 18 – Boom!
Théa was pacing through the living room in Bo's apartment. The succubus had told her all about yesterday's events, and she was busy processing. She was so agitated that she'd even made herself visible. She was only human after all – in a manner of speaking – plus, she found that this situation required a proper talk, face to face.
Unmoving, Bo's eyes tracked her approaching and retreating form. She was sitting sideways on the sofa, half-leaned against the backrest, one arm casually resting on the top to support her chin. About an hour ago, she'd summoned her here to discuss their future approach to the whole "following the rules of time travel" problem, which, in light of recent events, was way overdue.
Right after Lauren's first confession, Bo had told the older blonde about her daughter's secret excursion into precarious territory. Théa had been both worried and heartbroken, when she'd heard of the false hope and ideas her repeated "ghostly" appearances at Lauren's side all through her childhood had caused. Her poor child had drawn conclusions that Théa wouldn't even have dreamed of. All fae learned from early on that half-human babies could never develop functioning powers. It was a given. But of course, Lauren wasn't fae… raised by humans to boot – how should she have known?
"Oh, my poor baby", Théa had lamented. "You were always too smart for your own good."
Naturally, Lauren's little rogue adventure had scared the hell out of both her mother and Bo, but after lengthy debates, they'd decided to trust in her initial promise, hope for the best and continue as though nothing had happened.
Big mistake.
"We've been kidding ourselves, Théa", Bo said quietly, interrupting the other woman's race through her living room. "She's the smartest person I've ever met… Hell, you've been around for far longer than I have, and I can imagine she's the smartest person you've ever met, too."
Théa nodded absent-mindedly. "Aside from her father", she added, staring into space. Her eyes filled with tears. "He was just like her."
The brunette reached out a hand in a comforting gesture and Théa accepted it with a watery smile.
"Lauren gave me a promise… which I know, she did before, but this time, she didn't do it lightly", Bo said softly. "I saw it in her eyes. She meant what she said. But…"
"But she'll never stop", Théa finished her sentence with a thoughtful nod. "It's in her nature."
She walked around the sofa and sat down next to the succubus. For the first time in… well, ever, she didn't know, what to do. All her life, she'd been so used to being on her own, that even in the most horrible situations, decisions had come naturally. Memories flashed through her mind… finding out she was pregnant, being forced to leave Ethan, giving up Lauren, losing the love of her life in that car accident… and then losing her child. Every time, she'd functioned, instead of living. Reacted, instead of mourning. And now, all that was left was exhaustion.
"I've lived hundreds of years", she said. "I've fought in actual war battles, went to trial, saw my parents perish, lost some good friends… yet I never faltered. But now, I… I just don't know, what to do, Bo", she admitted with slumped shoulders.
The brunette wasn't all that surprised at seeing Lauren's seemingly ever-sure, ever-almighty mother like this – vulnerable, unguarded, human. She'd gone through so much over the last decades, and Bo was sure they'd barely scratched the surface of her life story at this point. It was only a question of time until people reached their tilting point, no matter whether human or fae. But as far as the succubus was concerned, all it needed sometimes was a shoulder to lean on. And she was happy to be Théa's.
"It's okay", she told her, reassuringly squeezing her hand. "I do."
Théa looked up, the ghost of a hopeful smile forming on her lips.
Bo turned to properly face her and took both of her hands to underline the importance of what she was about to say. "Lauren should learn the truth", she stated. "The whole truth."
Théa swallowed. Her instinct told her to protest, but she ignored it. "You're right", she said with an almost indiscernible nod. The brunette raised her eyebrows, probably surprised that it had been this easy to convince her. And why wouldn't she be? After all, it was Théa, who had been so adamant about following the damn rules. But at this point, she doubted that the elders of this timeline were after her. She and Bo had been here for months now, and she'd shown herself to the succubus several times. It seemed that her little loophole of Bo technically no longer being alive in the future was working out as hoped.
"Screw the rules", she said. "This is my daughter we're talking about. And she deserves to know."
Bo breathed a sigh of relief. "Couldn't have said it any better", she affirmed with a wide grin.
"One condition though", Théa cut in and took a deep, calming breath. What she was about to add was risky, to say the least. But she'd lost so much. Too much to care that she might die to that godforsaken blood oath after all. Her short time with Bo had reminded her that spending a whole life in loneliness was no life at all. No more holding back. Never again.
"I want to be there, when you tell her", she stated determinedly. "I want her to see me and… I want to hold her just one more time, even if it turns out to be the last."
Bo knew instantly, what she was referring to and it tore at her heartstrings. Suddenly, she felt a lump in her throat, when her own angry words from many weeks ago came back to her. If you loved her even remotely as much as I do, you would've died for her!, she'd spat in her face back at the graveyard. Well, now she knew for sure. Théa had done literally everything in her power to bring her child back to life. The daring adventure of going back in time together with Bo had freed her, in a way: Of the burdens that up until this point had coaxed her into holding back the by now sheer overwhelming love for her daughter, only so that Lauren and anyone she held deer could continue to exist in the dangerous environment of their old shared future. But now, there was nothing more to be done. No more motherly obligations.
Théainu, the centuries-old mighty time shifter, was finally ready to die.
Overwhelmed with emotions, Bo felt her eyes flare up. She surged forward, throwing herself into the blonde's arms.
"It won't be", she firmly stated in the distorted voice of her Queen. "Not if I can help it."
XXX
"So… you ready?", Bo asked, her hand already halfway to the doorbell. She and Théa were standing outside Lauren's building, where they were scheduled to meet the younger blonde in five minutes. Or, Bo was. They'd talked about the best approach on how to handle this important conversation and concluded that it would be wise to not overwhelm the doctor with everything at once.
"No", Théa replied. "But also, yes." She was invisible, of course, but the succubus could almost hear the thoughtful frown.
Bo nodded and sighed as she pressed the bell button. "Yeah, I know what you mean." They went upstairs in silence, and the brunette's heartbeat quickened. She was excited to finally tell Lauren the whole truth, even if said truth was… harsh, to say the least. She could only hope that the doctor would take it well.
"Hey, you", Lauren greeted her at the open door and stepped aside to let her pass. Her smile was as wide and genuine as ever, but Bo could tell that she was a little nervous. Now wonder, given the fact that the succubus had been rather vague announcing that she needed to talk to her and that it would be best if Emily wasn't home. Théa had suggested this extra detail to protect the young woman, in case the fae cavalry showed up more quickly than anticipated.
In order to calm her nerves, Bo leaned in to give her girlfriend a lingering, but comparably chaste hello kiss, followed by a reassuring smile. "Hi", she replied. "Shall we sit?" She didn't wait for an answer and took Lauren's hand to guide her to the large sofa in the middle of the living room.
The blonde sat down next to her, looking at Bo expectantly. She wasn't worried that this was going to be a break-up talk or something similar – that much Bo had made clear earlier, when they'd spoken over the phone. But judging by Bo's tone and demeanour, they weren't going to be chatting about what film to watch this evening.
"So… what's up?", Lauren asked, the butterflies in her stomach rising and her grip on the brunette's hand unwittingly tightening. Suddenly, she was in dire need to know, what was so important to her girlfriend that she'd summoned her directly from the lab.
Bo took a deep, calming breath to prepare herself and gently squeezed Lauren's ice-cold hand. On the way here, she'd come up with several introductory speeches and dismissed them all, deciding that a direct approach would be best. "I'm going to cut to the chase right away, okay?", she probed, to which Lauren reacted by eagerly nodding and straightening her back to brace herself for what was coming. "I came here to finally tell you the truth… and I mean the whole truth."
The blonde swallowed, blinking incredulously. Her initial reaction was wanting to jump around and give herself high-fives, but something in Bo's serious expression told her not to celebrate too early. "Is that not a good thing?", she inquired hesitantly.
The other woman swayed her head from side to side. "I think it is… mostly; that's why I… that's why the decision was made. You deserve to know everything. But what I'm about to tell you isn't all happy. Plus, it's unbelievable. Literally unbelievable. It may take a lot of processing on your end. I need you to really let that sink in, before I continue."
Lauren tilted her head. "Do you really think there's anything that could shock me after everything you've told me at this point?", she asked with an ironic smile.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. All I can say is, I swear I'm telling the truth. Do you trust me, Lauren?"
"I do."
Bo breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." She inhaled once more and turned to properly face Lauren. "The truth is… I'm from the future – a future where you have died – which I came here to prevent from happening."
Despite her previous confident announcement, Lauren was shocked into speechlessness. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. It wasn't even the truly unbelievable part of Bo's revelation that dumbfounded her – the one any scientist would immediately dismiss as nonsense: The mere thought of a person travelling back in time.
No, what really struck her was the second part of the brunette's claim. The part where she, Lauren, was dead. And judging by the look on the succubus' face, Lauren hadn't exactly died of old age. Out of nowhere, their recent talk following the doctor's DNA findings trickled back into her mind. Bo had mentioned a secret so dangerous that it could kill her. That did kill her.
"So, that's what you meant the other day…", she whispered after long seconds of stunned silence.
Bo nodded, tears, both happy and sad, stinging in her eyes. Happy because against all odds, her rational scientist girlfriend clearly believed her without even hesitating for a second. But along with her unveiling of the truth, the memory of Lauren's lifeless face had returned as well, and the image still made her chest clench in pain. "Yes", she confirmed in an equally quiet voice. "I lost you. And without you, I… I couldn't exist. I found you in your own blood, slaughtered by some raging underfae, and nothing was the same after. You were gone, my love… you were gone." The tears were flowing freely now, and Lauren lifted a hand to cup Bo's face.
The brunette closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. "God, I'm sorry", she said with a half-sob that ended up sounding more like a hiccup. "I drop this bomb on you, and now, I'm the one crying. Are… are you okay?"
Slowly, Lauren shook her head. "No", she stated in a calm voice that didn't quite match her answer. However, both emotions were true. She really was not okay. How could she be, after receiving the news of her own impending death? Inwardly, she cursed her annoying, ever-curious self for pushing Bo into finally revealing the whole ugly truth. But her calm exterior wasn't mere façade either. Because knowing, just how far the brunette would go… had gone to keep her safe, made her feel such a deep level of inner peace that it drowned out most of the negative emotions threatening to break free after receiving the news. "But I will be", she added.
"Do you… do you want me to give you any details?", Bo prodded carefully. "About how you died?"
"No", Lauren repeated firmly and without hesitation. She didn't need to hear any of the gruesome particulars. Neither she nor Bo possessed the mental strength to deal with the emotional implications right now, so she decided against it. "But I'd like to know, what led up to it", she added. "And what underfae are. And how you managed to travel through time."
So, Bo told her. Patiently, she answered the doctor's questions, carefully skipping any mention of the one detail she was yet to reveal – Théa. Introducing Lauren to her mother was going to be shocking in its own way and Bo needed some time to mentally prepare. On their way here, Théa had relinquished all responsibility to the succubus and assured her that she would go with whatever she was planning, which made things a little easier… but easier didn't equal easy, not by a long shot.
About an hour after Bo's arrival, however, when the doctor's curiosity was somewhat satisfied, Bo felt like she couldn't wait any longer. It wasn't fair on Théa, who more than deserved her great moment with her daughter – even though it likely equalled the older woman's downfall. But Théa had made her decision and Bo respected it – admired it, even.
"So, there's one more thing", she said after straightening her back in order to prepare for what was coming. "Something I've been putting off until now."
The blonde nodded, butterflies rising in her stomach. Bo had indeed been rather vague on how she'd managed to travel through time in the first place, repeatedly assuring her that she'd get to that part later. And now that it was time for the big reveal, Lauren could barely contain her excitement. Naturally… She couldn't think of any scientist she knew, who would be able to keep their cool while faced with something of this magnitude.
She bit her lip. "I didn't want to prod and mess up again with my never-ending curiosity", she said with a bashful expression.
"Hey", Bo said gently. "There's no need to worry now. I promised you the whole truth and I will give it to you. But this next part I can't do alone." She made a little pause and let her eyes scan the room to check back with Théa one last time, whether she was absolutely sure. But there was no protest. This was it. No turning back now. She inhaled and continued: "You already know I travelled through time. What I haven't mentioned yet is that I had help. There was another person, without who none of this would've been possible. And that person is right here with us now."
Lauren frowned and hesitantly looked around.
"You can't see her. Yet."
"Her? Yet?", the doctor echoed, confused.
I'm standing next to her, Théa informed Bo in her mind's voice, and the succubus nodded, addressing both currently present blondes.
"Yes", Bo answered Lauren. "Now, I know, how this sounds, but bear with me. The person you're about to meet is currently invisible, so don't startle, okay? She's standing next to you and will reveal herself in ten, nine, eight…" Bo paused the countdown to check in with her girlfriend. "Are you okay or do you need more time to prepare?"
"Uh…" Once more, Lauren instinctively knew that this wasn't some stupid prank, and yet… time travel and invisibility in one day? Well, it was a lot. "Just a little longer? If that's okay?"
"Of course."
They waited. Lauren turned to properly sit on the sofa and hesitantly looked to her right. For all she knew, they were alone, but now that she was paying closer attention to her surroundings, she did sense something… familiar in the air. Something from her past. Something good. "Has she been here the entire time since you arrived?", she whispered, to which Bo gave a nod and an encouraging smile.
Suddenly, Lauren couldn't remember why she'd asked for more time. She sat up straight and gave her girlfriend a firm look. "I'm ready."
Bo looked in the general direction of where she believed Théa was waiting and restarted her countdown.
"… three, two, one…"
The words echoed in Lauren's head, quickly fading like the bells of a distant church, when the outlines of a blond woman slowly emerged from nothingness. Initially, Lauren just stared, her rational mind needing some time to adjust to today's impossible fact number… who-knew-what. Without saying a word, the stranger came closer and cautiously sat down next to the doctor. Lauren squinted. It felt like she was looking into a mirror, but she couldn't quite place the woman's strangely familiar presence. Then, she remembered her earlier impression of connectedness in the air, and something clicked into place.
"I know you, don't I?", she asked.
"Yes", Théa said, her heart almost bursting with the joy of finally experiencing a real, conscious moment with her daughter. Every fibre of her being yearned to reach out and embrace Lauren, but she pulled herself together. She didn't want to smother her with motherly love and scare her away barely a minute after revealing herself.
For a long while, Lauren didn't speak, her brain and heart working overtime to process the insane number of recent news. She had a hunch of who this person was, but didn't want to offend and didn't dare venture a guess aloud. But she was almost one hundred percent sure that this being sitting right next to her… was her ghost.
"Is it okay if I say something?", Théa asked quietly, sensing her inner conflict. Lauren looked like she'd just been snapped from a trance, but she nodded.
"I've been with you all through your life", Théa continued. "You just couldn't see me." Lauren visibly swallowed. From the corner of her eye, the older blonde saw her daughter's hand twitch, as if she was unsure about whether to reach out or not.
"There's no easy way to phrase this and we don't have much time, so I'm just going to rip off the band-aid." This time, she was the one, who had to swallow to get rid of the nervous lump in her throat. "My name is Théainu – or Théa, for short – and the truth is… I'm your mother."
Lauren's jaw dropped. "My… what?" This was not, what she'd expected. She turned her head to look at Bo, searching for some kind of reassurance, and the succubus quietly smiled and nodded. Lauren turned back to face Théa. Once again, her mouth opened and closed a few times, but just like before, no words came out. She wasn't even remotely done processing everything she'd heard in the last hour – starting with Bo travelling here from the future, to learning about something as incredible and unsettling as the existence of underfae, to finding out about her own impending death… And now, as if all that wasn't enough, her birth mother showed up out of literal nowhere?
The hailstorm of impressions, news and insights was too much, so her brain did the only thing that made sense – it shut down, completely blocking off her rational, scientist part and switching over to pure instinct. Which told her to go with her gut.
Without warning, she threw herself into Théa's arms.
Surprised, but overjoyed by the sudden outbreak of her usually reserved daughter, Théa held her close and blissfully smiled at Bo. The succubus grinned and leaned back, enjoying the beautiful moment.
Lauren clung to her mother, clutching the fabric of her dress, burying her face in the crook of her neck and deeply inhaling the comforting scent. She was too confused and overwhelmed with emotions to bother with her usual search for scientific explanations. For now, science mode had to wait. All she wanted right now was to enjoy the inexplicable familiarity she felt with this stranger. Her mother. She smiled to herself. Her mother, who had always been there, albeit out of reach, and who she could finally see and touch. Up until this moment, Lauren had had no idea, how much she'd wished for just a few precious moments with her.
And now that they were finally together, she didn't want to let go. She had so many questions, so much to tell her and so little time… at least that was what Théa had said before. But why?
Lauren looked up, frowning. "Why did you say we don't have much time?", she inquired, suppressing the bad feeling that came with the question.
The older blonde regarded her with a look so full of love and sadness that it made Lauren's heart clench. Clearly, her gut had been correct. Suddenly, she no longer wanted to hear the answer, but felt incapable of finding her voice to protest.
"By revealing myself to you, I broke one of the oldest and most fundamental fae laws in existence", Théa explained, gently caressing her daughter's cheek. "One I swore a blood oath to never break."
"Fae…", Lauren repeated, her voice cracking.
"Yes. I'm fae, just like Bo, and just like the people who are likely on their way to get me as we speak."
She wasn't even sure, who exactly she was talking about… possibly the elders, maybe even the Una Mens and their minions? But it didn't matter, because someone was on their way here.
Before Théa and Bo had come to see Lauren, the succubus had asked about how exactly blood oath magic worked, so that she could explain it to the doctor if things went sideways. To her immense relief, Théa had told her that breaking the powerful vow would not result in dropping dead on the spot. It was more of a trigger, which would alert one of the elders or Una Mens, who would then use their powers of detection to find and detain her. The process might take longer or shorter, depending on where the next available fae prison guard was stationed. But as soon as they'd show up on Lauren's doorstep, the family reunion would be over.
"Get you? You mean…?" The unfinished question hung in the air like the sword of Damocles. Théa might not have said it out loud, but Lauren already knew the answer… Whoever these fae were, they would steal her mother away and then execute her. The word blood oath kind of said it all. Cautiously, Lauren looked at Bo and felt her worst fear confirmed by the pained expression on the brunette's face.
When she turned back to Théa, she was met with a warm smile, that felt final, in a way. "Yes", the older woman stated softly. "Sooner or later, some powerful fae will come and take me away."
"But I only just got you back", Lauren lamented, tears stinging in her eyes. She leaned forward, back into her mother's embrace. She needed more time. There were so many things to talk about… so many missed opportunities to process… so many emotions to work through. Lauren's mind raced, desperately seeking for a way out. "Can't you just jump through time somewhere and escape?", she asked, her voice full of hope. The solution would have been temporary, of course, and would steal her away from Lauren all the same, but at least she'd know Théa was safe.
But the time shifter shook her head. "I'm afraid not. The blood oath binds me eternally and through all times", she explained, ceaselessly caressing Lauren's hair. "But don't fret, love. Everything is going to be okay. It'll be worth it in the end, I promise…" She halted the movements of her hand to take a good look at her daughter's face. "This is only the second time I've held you since the day of your birth, and now that I'm here, I don't know how I could ever wait this long."
Lauren's grip tightened, as memories of her childhood flooded her mind – old memories, yet somehow connected to this very moment. She turned her head to breathe in her mother's scent and relish in her gentle touch. Both felt new, yet familiar. Finally, the puzzle pieces clicked into place. Her hunch from before had been correct – it just hadn't been the whole truth.
"So, all this time… all these years… you were my ghost, weren't you? There never were several; it was only ever you." Théa nodded and out of the blue, the rising feeling of panicked haste in Lauren's chest subsided, making way for a strange sense of calm.
"I never did have any powers", she concluded, taken aback by her own serene reaction to this rather ground-breaking piece of news. "Which means, I'm really not fae." She turned her head to face her girlfriend. "And you knew all along. It wasn't that you didn't believe or trust me or lacked faith; you just knew something I didn't. And you couldn't tell me." Bo nodded, her eyes swimming with tears and her expression a mix between pained and loving.
For a moment, the new insight floored Lauren, distracting her thoughts from even her mother's impending trial. Clarity hit her like a freight train, when she realised that her obsession with the alleged ghosts from her past had never been about wanting powers at all, but about wanting the truth. She felt like a giant rock had been lifted off her shoulders, and a small smile formed on her lips. Still clutching her mother's hand, she reached back for Bo's – an affirming gesture meant to show the brunette that she understood. She was about to open her mouth to add some reassuring words, when their hands touched.
And the air around them shifted.
The first person to notice the change was Bo, or rather, her Queen, who came roaring forth, overwhelming her like in the old days before she'd learned full control. Immediately, her skin started glowing and she felt her eyes turn blue. But even though she'd experienced it a thousand times before, this felt different. She felt different. She tried to voice her concern to the other women, but her vocal cords wouldn't obey her. So instead, she pleadingly looked at Théa.
By now, the older blonde had noticed the shift as well, and Bo's slightly panicked expression spoke volumes. Something was happening… something massive, that she couldn't quite put her finger on. At least not yet. Théa looked down at their joined hands. The succubus was sending steady pulses into her daughter, who seemed to be frozen in place, unable to move. Focussing back on her own connection to Lauren, Théa entered a state of interdimensional limbo to investigate, what was happening and immediately sensed something familiar… a memory taking her back hundreds of years, all the way to her Dawning. Her eyes snapped open as she slowly realised, what was going on.
"Impossible…", she breathed, too bewildered to form any coherent thoughts.
Lauren felt like she was caught in a whirlwind of impressions. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was shaking, feeling both euphoric and sick at the same time, as she tried to process her raging emotions. On top of that, her brain snapped into overdrive, desperately trying to make sense of the situation, but the explosion of everything all at once turned out to be too overwhelming. Just like earlier, she instinctively shut down, closing her eyes and emptying her head to focus on instinct alone. Bo's pulses – calming, reassuring, blissful. Théa's touch – grounding, comforting, warm. She smiled as she felt a strange lightness take possession of her.
At the same time, a movement ripped Théa from her stunned state. With a gasp, she watched the two other women rise from the sofa as if guided by a foreign power. She tried to speak, but her mouth was sealed shut. All she could do was watch as the unbelievable scene unravelled in front of her – Lauren and Bo, hovering in the air, facing each other, their palms touching as the air surrounding them started crackling with electricity. Suddenly, the brunette's eyes snapped open, their blazing blue stare piercing the blonde's, who fearlessly returned her gaze.
"We can be more powerful than all other fae", Bo announced in the booming voice of her Queen. "Everyone will kneel at our feet. There will be no more Dark and no more Light. There will be only us." She paused, a fierce smile forming on her face, before adding in a most determined tone: "History shall not repeat itself. Together, we will make it right."
The time-shifter's eyes widened, as she finally fully grasped, what was happening. Something so vast that the consequences could be devastating… But there was nothing she could do, no stopping it now. Helplessly, she watched as Bo leaned in to seal the ancient ritual with a kiss. Their lips had barely touched, when the impossible happened and a rift formed, originating at their adjoined hands, expanding at lightning speed, before unfolding to envelop both women. A soundless light flashed, immersing the room in blinding brightness.
A split-second later, gravity returned and sent three lifeless bodies plummeting to the apartment floor.