"Lauren." Bo sighed softly as she walked. "You should be in bed."
The blonde held her hair in her hands as she rubbed the back of her head. "Bo. I didn't want to wake you. I'm sorry." She dropped her hair down her back.
"Don't be sorry. I expect you to get up in the middle of the night to relieve yourself. But it has been hours since you came back to bed, so I thought I would check on you." Bo spoke softly as she tied her robe strings and took a seat. Lauren frowned and looked at Bo before rubbing her eyes. "What is it babe?."
"How do you think I got your grandmother's notebooks and study materials?." Lauren asked as she stopped rubbing her face.
"I am not sure but this screams, Aife." Bo rubbed the blonde's back.
"That would make sense. I guess." Lauren shook her head and reached for a glass of water.
"Lauren? What's wrong? You are far too quiet to be in your lab this late." Bo looked around the room. The place looked spotless but the quiet was too quiet.
"When I did get up to go, I couldn't help but take another peek at her notes. As extensive as they are, they are also very direct. Very distinct. Very plain to understand. Which makes them dangerous." Lauren stood to walk the room for a little bit.
Bo took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Tell me."
"She knew something very dangerous, Bo. So dangerous it makes the doctor in me want to exhume her body and find out how she really died." Lauren stopped walking and looked down.
"Lauren. If you know something, you can tell me. It will go no further than our house. Even if it has to do with Aife or Trick. It stops here, sweetie." Bo stood and leaned on the table.
"She knew how to turn a human Fae, Bo." Lauren shocked the succubus to the point she froze in her staring stance.
"Are you sure?." Bo whispered.
"I'm sure. I'm guessing since this was dropped off, somebody didn't or doesn't want us to know who sent it here. To me." Lauren replied.
"I need to get dressed and pay Aife a visit. A succubus can't lie to another succubus. Her aura will tell me all that I need to know." Bo turned to leave.
"Bo, wait. Think about it. If the Fae knows that I know this, I can never leave this house. I can never go to work again." Lauren sighed into her hands.
Bo walked over and took the woman into her arms. "Hey. I will always protect you. Nobody has to know anything. If you think you want to use it, I will support you. If you want to shred it, I will support you too. If it was Aife, I think I know her plan. She probably thinks you will turn yourself Fae for me. So that we can spend forever together. Human or not, that will happen anyway, Lauren." The doctor grabbed the succubus and squeezed her hard. She rested her head on Bo's shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you too." Bo smiled and squeezed the woman back.
Lauren pulled back first. "I don't know Bo. The process would take months if I decide to do it safely. Other than that, it would be a simple procedure that another doctor would have to perform on me."
"Hey, we can table this for the rest of the night and talk about it in the morning. Nobody is forcing you to change your life right now. I will never ask you to do that. I'm sure her intentions are good. She knows what would immediately happen if they weren't." Bo rubbed Lauren's back and pulled her towards the door leading to the stairs that leads to their bedroom. Lauren nodded and slowly they walked hand in hand. Silly to do that in the house but she knows this is Bo's way of supporting her. They were finally back in bed and the succubus held the woman in her arms "Sleep, babe."
Dyson and Trick.
"How do you want to do this?." Dyson smiled as he drank a beer.
"Bo doesn't get up that early but Lauren will. She will be getting ready to go to work. Once she's gone, you will show up at their door and tell Bo she's needed for an emergency. Get her so flustered that she won't have time to lock up. I'll sneak in, get what I want, and leave. Leaving everything else untouched." Trick explained.
"That seems pretty simple. Are you sure you want to do this? Bo is going to be really upset." Dyson looked around.
"She's my granddaughter. Still new to the Fae world. She will need me and not want to make an enemy of me." Trick looked Dyson square in his eyes. He saw what he needed to. Dyson is really interested in Bo. He can distract very easily if he stays in his feelings.
"Aife's out there too, Trick. Like a shark just waiting for a human to get in the water." Dyson set his drink down and looked at the time. It was only an hour or two before the blonde would be up and getting ready for her day.
"She's also family. I can handle her." Trick leaned back against the wall.
"Whatever they have that you want, why don't you just ask Bo. I'm sure if you tell her it was stolen, she would return it. Lauren is a doctor. She likely would return it too." The wolf leaned forward.
"By now, they likely know what it is. That's why I need to get it back before others find out what they have. Now, stop asking what if's and get your mind ready to go. Bo won't be too happy to be interrupted for a wild goose chase. Make her think it's a case or something. Just get her out of the house and miles away." Trick stood up straight and grabbed a hat.
Dyson smiled. It sounds like Trick is begging him to take Bo on a date. To sleep with her. To make her his. To make them all a family. Lauren can't do that for the Succubus. She can't even keep her fed properly. He's not being a dick. He's just stating facts of nature. The men walked outside and jumped into Dyson's squad car. "Just get me within a block and I'll jump out and walk the rest of the way. Don't screw this up Dyson and they won't be none the wiser." Trick spoke with his deepest voice. He rarely gets out and does anything but Lauren having Isabeau's work is dangerous. She would know how to use it and that can't happen.
"They are cute. Didn't take them more than one day to piss their pants and plot some bullshit." Aife spoke from inside an unmarked van. "Get the bugs out of the Dal. I'll wait here. Don't be long, we need to get there too."
Kenzi
Kenzi had been at it day and night. Trying to get a gig with another PI service. All of them were overstaffed or simply weren't interested. She knew Bo didn't blackball her. She can't. Not with human investigators. She will find something. She will make amends with Bo. Their friendship can withstand this.
Bo and Lauren.
The doctor was restless in the succubus arms. Bo didn't mind. She was sleeping. That's all that mattered. But Bo wasn't sleeping. She can tell the doctor to sleep all that she wants but she can't do that herself for worrying about the doctor. Aife. Her succubus was tense at the woman's motives. Is she in fact trying to help them or is she simply trying to piss Trick off by handing over such personal belongings of Isabeau's? She closed her eyes and allowed Lauren's warm body to ease her mind. She almost laughed at thinking that she needed to calm Lauren down when she's worrying, too.
Hours later, Bo had peeled herself out of the blonde's arms. When she returned with breakfast Lauren was already in the shower. Sitting the tray down, she sat on the side of the bed and waited for the blonde to come out. "What's wrong?." Lauren asked as she blotted her hair.
"Stay home today." Bo said quietly.
"Bo, I'm fine. Really." Lauren lightly kissed the succubus.
"No, Lauren. You need to stay home. For your sake. For your patients health and wellbeing, stay home today. You were up most of the night and only got a few hours sleep. You are going to have breakfast and go back to bed." Bo pulled the woman to sit on her lap. "Your clinic rules will still be followed. No Fae will be treated. Nothing bad will happen. Trust me to handle that for you and trust me to make sure that you rest. I know you will read Grandmother's journals again, but for now, eat and sleep."
"I just can't believe a Fae was a doctor. Especially a Fae as powerful as Isabeau was." Lauren smiled when Bo played with her fingers.
"Well, you have proof. You have her doctorate degree. You have her notes. You have her lab coat. Crisp and clean. Probably the last one she was set to wear. Now about what she knew..." Bo released the doctor's hand.
"Of all my years with the Fae, I never considered doing that. Never thought of it, actually. I did always wonder how the Fae ever came to be among humans but I guess all life is life. This is big. We know that. It needs to be locked up until I decide if I am ever going to use it. Until we decide what we want to do with it." The blonde walked across the room.
"Lauren, I love you. Those are not just words. I love you. No matter what you are. I love you for who you are. You are a good, kind woman. You're brilliant beyond words too. I will love you through every decision and indecision. I know you are my mate. If you want to be more. Be more. But all of you will be mine. She may not have intended for you to use it or anyone to use it. She might have just stumbled onto the idea and made notes of it. You can destroy it. You can keep it. You can probably go further than she had the chance to. But only you know what you read in there. I'm going to shut up about it thinking I'm a scientist." Bo laughed.
"Hey. You are mine too. You can always talk about anything. It's ok. Some of that I needed to hear. It could be fun to play around with it. To see how far I can get with it. I promise I won't decide on anything until we've both talked about it." Lauren smiled as she walked towards Bo. "I'm ready to eat, now."
"I forgot about that." Bo's eyes went wide as she stared at the plates. She pulled the tops off and was surprised to see steam still coming off of the plates. "Please hurry and eat. Cold eggs? Yuck."
Lauren took a seat and a plate. She looked around their bedroom. She's going to enjoy this time with Bo. Eating. Getting caught up on sleep. You'd think a doctor knows the tricks of half sleep and going to work. But Bo's right. She shouldn't go in today. Her mind is too much into the succubus books and not what's on her own books.
Ten minutes later, the only sound in the house was the dishwasher and some random tv show. Lauren was comfortably back in bed and Bo had been quietly moving about. The house was never dirty but there is always something that she can find to do. Besides crawling back in bed and waking the doctor like her succubus longs to do. But her alter knows the doctor needs rest. Lauren rarely thinks to take care of herself before she cares for anyone else. The brunette froze when there was a knock at their door. "Shit." She whispered. She walked over and eased the door open before looking to see or asking who it was.
"Hi, Bo." Dyson smiled.
"Dyson? What are you doing here?." Bo asked quietly.
"I need your help with a case. Are you game?." Dyson smiled again.
"In my kimono? That's a no." Bo rolled her eyes. He was so clueless at the moment.
"Bo, I'm stuck. I need your help. I can't be in two places at once. Hale's busy with something else. I really need you." Dyson dropped his smile.
"I said no. It's still early. I highly doubt Hale is that busy." Bo folded her arms and her eyes went wide after noticing something behind Dyson. "No!." She moved her arms in a negative way in case her words couldn't be heard.
A massive speaker played: "Bo doesn't get up that early but Lauren will. She will be getting ready to go to work. Once she's gone, you will show up at their door and tell Bo she's needed for an emergency. Get her so flustered that she won't have time to lock up. I'll sneak in, get what I want, and leave. Leaving everything else untouched." Trick explained.
"That seems pretty simple. Are you sure you want to do this? Bo is going to be really upset."
"She's my granddaughter. Still new to the Fae world. She will need me and not want to make an enemy of me. She's also family. I can handle her. By now, they likely know what it is. That's why I need to get it back before others find out what they have. Now, stop asking what if's and get your mind ready to go. Bo won't be too happy to be interrupted for a wild goose chase. Make her think it's a case or something. Just get her out of the house and miles away. Just get me within a block and I'll jump out and walk the rest of the way. Don't screw this up Dyson and they won't be none the wiser."
Dyson froze on the small porch. He stared into deep blue eyes. "Dumb wolf." The succubus growled and punched him. Down the stairs he went. "Get your ass here, Trick!." The brunette stood waiting. She didn't care that she was half naked in the morning light.
Trick was literally pulled onto the porch before he even reached the house. "You were going to penetrate my home and steal from us? Steal from Lauren? You know the penalty for your betrayal should be death. But we'll see what the Elders think when I tell them who you really are. That your wolf has known all these years and said nothing." Bo seethed as she held the man's eyes with her blue ones. "You can show your face too, Aife." The brunette looked up. The old succubus laughed as she climbed out of her car. "Don't be so ungrateful. I was trying to help. I recorded the shit that you just heard. I saved you and the good doctor a lot of embarrassment. He would have tried to fuck you and the Blood King would have kicked you in the ass.
"Bo?." A soft voice called.
The succubus scream shook the entire block. "You woke her up!."
"Bo let me explain." Dyson tried to walk over but was stopped before her first step.
"I don't know who every Elder is, but I will start with the Morrigan. I will see what she thinks of you two. Aife you can leave anytime now. I have to check on my mate. She was set to go to work. I convinced her to stay. To think if she had gone to work, if I had been dressed and believed Dyson needed my young fae ass help. That would bring a much harsher reaction. But Lauren comes first. You two are frozen where you stand. I don't care if you have to piss or take a shit. One move out of place and I will drain you from anywhere."
Lauren had walked up and wrapped a thick blanket around the succubus. "Thank you." Bo smiled as soon as the doctor touched her. She'd know that feeling as if she was completely naked at the time.
Once the women were inside and the house had been locked up. Bo spoke first. "Lauren, I am so, so sorry. I get it now. We were both played. The Ash sent you to me and Trick sent Dyson to me just now. They used my weak tendencies against me. They didn't care that I would be upset. They only cared to get Grandmother's things from you. I am sure that's what they were suddenly coming here for. I am certain Aife sent those things to you. I am certain she is helping us. That's why I didn't attack her out there. We only have one ally and that is my mother as crazy as it sounds." Bo sighed and dropped on the couch. "Read Grandmother's notes. We are getting stronger before anyone else tries this shit when I'm not home or around you." The succubus held the doctor close and squeezed her before letting her go.
Bo pulled her phone out. "Hale. Can you reach the Morrigan or know of any Light Fae Elders?."
"Bo..that's a big step. A big move. Or course I can reach the Morrigan and get some Elders..soon." Hale sighed into the phone.
"Your bartender and wolf are outside my...our house. They will stay there until an Elder shows. I know the Morrigan doesn't give a shit about the Light Fae, but everyone knows how I feel about Lauren. They almost ambushed us. They can't leave until I'm satisfied with their punishment. Now, you can get an Elder here or we can wait for another shifter to come along and eat them alive." Bo hung up the phone. She had heard music in the background. Hale didn't sound as busy as Dyson had led her to believe.
"Read. Study. Do whatever you want to do. Our plans for the day have changed. We will stay inside and you are going to be so much smarter before the clock strikes midnight." Bo smiled as she sat rubbing the blonde's back.
TBC.