Bo and Lauren.
"Uh, Lauren? Could you pick a hairstyle already?." Bo shook her head.
"There's so much hair to work with. I can't decide on just one." Lauren smiled.
"I am fine with letting it hang down." Bo replied.
"Okay. Okay. Down it goes." Lauren released Bo's hair and her shampoo scent hung in the air as it fell. "It's awesome, Bo."
"What is?." Bo asked.
"Every time we have sex, your hair grows." Lauren moved away from the succubus.
"We never have sex, Lauren. You know that." Bo laughed.
"I know. I know. Slip of the tongue." Lauren smiled and took a seat across from Bo. The brunette was on her tablet scouring places to pick for her office.
"I am sorry, I wasn't trying to be mean or sound harsh about my hair." Bo frowned as she set the thing down on the table.
"Bo, your impatience is one of many things that have grown on me. You don't have to apologize in this instant." Lauren leaned back in her seat and played with her own hair.
"Don't." Bo laughed.
"Okay. Okay." Lauren chewed her gum and released her head.
Bo rolled her tongue in her mouth and shook her head. Lauren pulling her hair reminded her of last night. They had gone at it for hours and only slept a few before they jumped up, dressed, ate breakfast and set about trying to find an office building.
"I can look too." Lauren popped the laptop open and brought up some local spots.
"Lauren, go work in the garden. Do something that will keep your mind as busy as a clinic or hospital does." Bo sighed gently.
"Bo, we are building a life. Your work is just as important to me as mine is. You are important to me. I am not bored doing this because I'm with you and it is helping you. My time will come, just as yours will." Lauren looked the woman dead in her eyes.
Bo looked to the side and back to the woman. "I just don't want to feel like I'm holding you back or down."
"You are not doing that, Bo. Honestly, you are not." Lauren held her hand out to the woman and Bo took it as she rounded the table. She blushed when Lauren pulled her on her lap. "We don't seem to be getting anywhere doing it this way. Let's get out and actually look. Now, while it's still early so we can get some numbers to call while it's still daylight."
Bo nodded as Lauren kissed her and pulled back. The blonde pulled the woman out of the house and jumped in the driver's seat and sped off.
Kenzi and Hale.
"Yo, rich dude. How good are you at finding a good lawyer?." Kenzi angrily approached Hale.
"I won't override Lauren's contract on you even with my worst lawyer." Hale never looked up.
"How do you even know about this already?." Kenzi stopped in her tracks.
"It was filed with the Light and Dark Elders. Trick isn't allowed. Dyson isn't allowed. The Morrigan isn't allowed. When Lauren said the Fae, besides Bo and Aife, she meant it. Yours truly is on the outs too." Hale explained.
"Lauren has never looked at you like you were shit on a stick, how did she block you from coming?." Kenzi asked.
"I requested it and she granted it." Hale replied.
"Why?." Kenzi asked.
"So you won't be doing what you are doing now, groveling. Trying to guilt trip me into pissing them off. I won't do it, Kenzi. Lauren deserves everything she's asking for." Hale stood and put his hat on.
"Where are you going? We are not done talking!." Kenzi groaned.
"I am not your shoulder or your babysitter. I have a date." Hale smiled as he adjusted his collar.
"What?!." Kenzi screamed.
Hale kept walking. He didn't say another word. Like Dyson, Kenzi has a one track mind, trying to find or con their way back into Bo's good graces. Hale doesn't have that loyalty. He doesn't need to. Bo's unaligned and doing her own thing. Just like Lauren.
"So, what are we going to do about this? Hale is useless. Trick is useless. That only leaves you and me." Kenzi climbed inside the car.
"I don't have my mate anymore, Kenzi. There is nothing I can do about Bo." Dyson sighed.
"You Fae always have loopholes. There has to be a way to get your mate back since Lauren is mated to Bo's Succubus, yours should still be able to be recovered." Kenzi slapped Dyson's arm. The wolf growled and she pulled away.
"Go against a Norn's power combined with the blood of the Blood King? Impossible. It's gone, Kenzi. Besides, if Bo wanted to, she could get it back for me but she doesn't since she chose that human over me." Dyson replied.
"You didn't have to drag all humans down because of Lauren." Kenzi rolled her eyes and climbed back out of Dyson's car. She stood with her hands on her hips as he drove away. This is it, she's all alone. Alone and waiting for Bo to call her when she's ready to work. She looked around and started walking.
Aife
The old Succubus walked around the building, touching everything with white gloves on. She looked at her fingertips and didn't find an ounce of dirt. She smiled as she walked to room after room giving each one a thorough inspection. She took a seat in one room and finally spoke. "Sound the alarms." She laughed. "Shut them off. Now, I am done here." She walked over and pulsed a few people. "Now you can't be convinced to reveal the codes to anyone." She smiled as she pulled back and ordered them out of the building. She climbed into her limo and gave further orders.
Bo and Lauren
The women had found a few spots and written down a few numbers. The one spot Bo wanted the night before had been sold already. While her heart broke at the thought of missing out on it, Lauren was keeping her spirits up with her enthusiasm that they will find something better.
After a few more turns, Bo's eyes went wide. "That's it! That's the place!." She smiled and clapped her hands.
"Hurry up and call them. I don't want you to miss out on another building because of me." Lauren pulled to a stop.
"Hold that thought, babe." Bo put her hand up as she tapped her foot as the phone rang. She rambled off her name and interest in the spot. When the gentlemen gave her his asking price, she immediately accepted it. She smiled when she finally hung up the phone. "That's done."
"Congratulations, Bo!." Lauren slapped her leg.
"Thank you. Now, Doctor, about your thoughts. You didn't make me miss out on anything. I told you to hang up the phone so that we could have our time and get home for dinner. That's all that matters to me, making sure you're happy, fed and full of everything else that you hunger for." Bo half turned in her seat as she took the woman's hands into hers.
"You are everything to me that you just mentioned. Seriously, you are." Lauren put her head on top of Bo's as the succubus leaned across and put her head on Lauren's shoulder.
"Now, I need to shop for office equipment. Yikes." Bo cringed.
"A few phones. A few desks. Filing cabinets. Computers. Security for those computers. All easily done." Lauren smiled as she started the vehicle up again.
"Once I've gone inside, I can pick what size desk that I want. Which office will be mine. The bigger the better. A phone line. All of it." Bo tapped her fingers on her lap.
"Did he say when he's available?." Lauren asked.
"In a few hours." Bo replied.
"Bo, you don't have to be nervous. I will be with you step for step. Every step. Every corner. I will be right there." Lauren frowned at Bo's stance even as she sat next to her.
"I'm just worried about Kenzi. She is going to be so demanding about this. About that. I'm starting to wonder if I even want to go into business with her again. It's not like it was before. This will be a legitimate business with real clients and not clients we can take our grievances to Dyson with." Bo shook her head.
"Only you can decide that sweetie. If I could do that for you, I would. But it's your gut that matters." Lauren sped up. She could tell Bo needed to be on her feet. Pacing or doing something to get her head right. They finally arrived at a secluded spot and she parked. "Let's get some air." As suspected, Bo paced back and forth. "Sweetie, if you are this stressed about it, perhaps your mind has already been made up." Bo stopped and looked at Lauren. "I see. Well, there's no better time than to tell her than right now."
"Let me sleep on it for one more night. If I still feel this way tomorrow, then I will tell her." Bo walked over to Lauren and pulled the woman into her arms. She didn't speak. She just allowed herself to feel the woman's body against hers. "When I was out there alone. Sleeping with man after man. Woman after woman and killing them. I longed for this. I longed for someone that could take the good and bad me. Love me like you do. Heal me like you do. Correct me like you do. Calm and soothe me like you do. I love you, Lauren. I love you for all of that and all that you are."
"I love you too, Bo." The blonde rubbed Bo's back as the rest of them stood still. "You do all of that and so much more for me, too."
"You do so much more than I mentioned." Bo pulled back and smiled.
"I know." Lauren nodded. "Let's go have lunch and then we can get ready to meet him." The blonde turned and Bo followed her back to her car.
"We're going home for lunch, right?." Bo smiled.
"Yes. I know you want me to avoid eating at restaurants when possible." Lauren tapped Bo's knee and smiled.
"I just don't want you to do that when you don't have to. I know our schedules are about to get hectic but we should commit to having at least one meal at home together." Bo licked her lip and stopped.
"Breakfast, possibly. But, we agreed on 8 hours and not an hour more. I think I can train my brain to pass an immediate patient on to my second." Lauren turned down their street.
"Does your staff know about your security protocols? Who's allowed? Who is not?." Bo asked.
"The few I've hired have been given my list." Lauren answered as she pulled into their driveway. "Aife's here."
"That she is." Bo smiled and climbed out of the car and walked to the limo. "Hello?."
The driver opened the door for the succubus and she climbed out. "I was waiting for you. I didn't want to disturb whatever you were doing." Aife smiled as she pulled her sunglasses over her head.
"Is there something wrong?." Lauren stepped to the woman. She frowned when Aife stuck her hand out to her.
"Your security codes." Aife smiled.
"It's ready?!." Lauren looked up.
"Furnished to your specifications, cleaned and ready!." Aife smiled and stood back as Lauren and Bo shouted with glee.
"I am so happy for you, Lauren!." Bo picked the woman up and spun her around in the air.
Lauren cried against Bo's shoulder and the succubus squeezed her as hard as she could. "I have a clinic. That's mine! Mine to run. Mine to control. Mine to..."
"I know. I know." Bo kissed the side of Lauren's head.
Aife stood watching them. There is a glow to Bo she had never seen in her or any Fae before. Even Fae that she knows are mates. It is touching, even to her. She's touched to be here during this part of Bo's life too. She gets to see her succubus daughter happy. Something Isabeau never got to see with Aife. Something Trick never deserved to see. He doesn't even deserve to see Bo like this.
"Let's get you fed, to my meeting and we can go and christen your clinic!." Bo smiled.
"Yeah. On that note, I will say good day." Aife laughed.
"Mom! No. Not like that! In fact you can join us for lunch!". Bo laughed.
"Okay." Aife nodded towards her driver and he climbed back into the limo to wait for her.
In her glee, Lauren whipped up something simple but deliciously good. The women sat and talked about their day. Aife is happy Bo found a place for her office. She agreed to help Bo get set up as well.
"That's the last of it." Lauren wiped her mouth and threw her napkin over her plate.
"If you want to go, I can do the dishes." Aife stood with her wine glass.
"Are you sure? That sounds beneath you." Bo stood.
"Beneath me to help my daughter? Isabeau, we really need to hang out more." Aife laughed.
"We should but I'm busy at the moment." Bo was pushed out by the old Succubus.
Aife turned around and smiled as she walked to the table, cleared it, rinsed the dishes, and started the machine. After locking the house up, she walked out to her limo. "Get a guy on my daughter's detail. Make sure he's absolutely discreet with following them. Find out who they meet with, and then get that guy's name." She ordered through her phone. Beneath her? She laughed at Bo's words again. She's being a mother and she will be great at it. Her limo pulled off and she turned to look out the window as it drove away. Beneath her. She laughed again.
The Dal
Trick turned when he heard a noise. "Kenzi, that was stupid. So, so stupid." Dyson growled as he pushed her down on a barstool.
"What's going on?." Trick asked.
"She picked an off duty's pocket. She's lucky I was able to talk him into not pressing charges." Dyson shook his head.
"Kenzi!." Trick rolled his eyes.
"I'm hungry. I need money!." Kenzi screamed.
"That was still stupid, Kenzi. That guy's a human cop." Dyson shook his head and took a beer from Trick.
"If Bo finds out you have been stealing, Kenzi. You won't have a job." Trick leaned forward.
"Oh? Does Isabeau need a new partner? Hmm. Who's available? I wonder?." Aife laughed as she walked in taping the scene on her phone.
"You can't show Bo that!." Kenzi stood to grab at it.
"I don't lie to my daughter." Aife eyed Trick as she spoke. "Besides I don't need to, there are cameras all over the city. The news will likely be on the streets before I walk out of here." Aife smiled and walked to the end of the bar.
"She can't do that! Bo will fire me! It will be all over the news. People I know will see it!." Kenzi was shaking as she spoke.
"I can't control the human media. You can't tell them about us either. You're screwed, Kenzi. Not even Aife could stop this onslaught." Dyson looked at Trick and the old barkeep shrugged.
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!." Kenzi walked in circles.
"You should have done as I said and kept your nose down. Now, either stop screaming in my bar or get out of here." Trick screamed to stop her screaming. Kenzi threw her arms into the air and took a seat.
Bo's meeting.
Bo stood. "We almost thought you weren't coming."
"My apologies, ladies. I had a little trouble." The man shook his head and set his briefcase on the table.
"What kind of trouble? Is this something that will affect Bo, later on?." Lauren asked.
"Some kid tried to pick my pockets but an old cop talked me down." The man explained.
"What kid? What cop?." Bo asked.
"It won't affect our sale, here." The man replied.
"Cole, you said you were almost robbed. This could be someone aiming for you. Pardon my language but they could be starting shit for me and my partner in your building.
"The cop would know, Bo." Lauren tapped Bo's shoulder.
"Right? What's the cop's name?." Bo asked.
"I agreed to let it go. He's not important." Cole replied.
"This sale depends on it. I want a clean slate business. This sounds like shit coming." Bo replied.
"His name is Dyson Thornwood." Cole replied as he opened his briefcase.
Bo and Lauren rolled their eyes. "What did this kid look like?." They asked in unison.
"I think she was wearing a wig. When he was pulling her away, it almost fell off." Cole replied as he pushed a pen and the contracts over to Bo.
Bo shook her head and quickly signed the contracts. "The money will be in your account by this evening."
"We're done here." Cole replied as he signed the papers too.
"Thank you." Bo's voice softened.
"Let's go, Bo." Lauren gently pulled Bo away with the papers back in her hand.
"You know where we are going." Bo seethed as they walked towards the car.
"I will drive. You are too upset to." Lauren spoke softly.
"So are you, babe." Bo climbed into the car but still let Lauren drive.
"I am but I am also a doctor. I can control my emotions from time to time." Lauren watched Cole wave off and then pulled off behind him.
The Dal
Aife sat at the back of the bar, people watching. Kenzi looked like she'd pissed her pants more than ten times. Trick looked worried because the Succubus sat without speaking. Dyson was being his hound dog self. Flirting with every woman that walked by him.
She came out of her vision when a loud thump came from the doors. "Kenzi!?." Bo screamed.
"I see you watched the news." Trick pushed Bo back.
"We met Cole, actually." Lauren replied.
"Don't touch me." A deep voice came from Bo's lips.
"Ooo, a succubus!." Aife stood. Blue eyes met Aife's and she kept her spot.
"You are fired! Fired. In fact you have nothing here to do either. Right, Trick?." Bo looked angrily down at her grandfather.
"Right." Trick swallowed. "Dyson, see Kenzi out of here."
"Let me, let me!." Aife laughed.
"No. My blood won't touch her." Bo's voice held Aife back.
"Bo." Lauren called softly. The succubus neck snapped in the blonde's direction.
"It's alright, Bo. She's gone. Let go." Lauren's voice turned blue eyes brown. Bo reached out for Lauren and the group gasped when blonde hair grew longer.
"Shit." Aife laughed.
"Lauren!." Bo screamed as the woman passed out in her arms.
"I'm okay. I just..I don't know what that was." Lauren looked to Aife.
"Bo's blood is different. Her succubus obviously did something to you. But only a doctor can determine what. Do you know any doctors?." Aife winked.
"Right! We are going to christen my clinic. No better time than now!. Lauren and Bo ran out of the bar.
Aife smiled as she walked by Trick and slapped the back of his head. "What was that for!?." He screamed.
"Because I felt like it. Besides you probably deserve it for whatever shit your cursed blood is plotting." And just like that, Trick stood alone. Dyson and Kenzi stood in the back alley arguing back and forth.
TBC