Happy whatever day it is! I apologize, I am running between so many courtrooms today that I've started to lose track of what I'm doing. So here's this. Enjoy lol
Bo and Lauren left the Dal shortly after Bo's panic attack subsided. Lauren confirmed with Kenzi that Bo's mother had been arrested – she had, in fact, had several warrants – and when they arrived at the apartment both were exhausted, emotionally spent.
Lauren walked Bo towards the bathroom, wordlessly giving her instructions with which Bo silently complied. She turned on the shower taps for Bo and handed her a towel, before returning to the bedroom to gather Bo's clean clothes.
While Bo showered, Lauren cleaned her face and hands and changed her own clothes, pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail.
After Bo had showered, Lauren placed a hand on the small of Bo's back and led her to the sink, handing her the toothbrush on which she had already applied toothpaste. When she was finished, Lauren straightened up the counter and ran her hands through Bo's hair, dispelling some of the water droplets.
These tasks completed, they wordlessly walked to the living room and dropped onto the couch. Lauren leaned her head back, letting her eyes fall closed.
They sat in silence for a few long minutes. For a moment, Bo wondered if Lauren was asleep. She thought about rousing her, about them both going to bed, but somehow the events of the night made her believe that sleep would be elusive, and not restful if it came at all.
Lauren shifted after a few moments and looked at Bo, silently inviting her to talk
Bo didn't say anything at first, her mind turning. After a time, Lauren lifted her hand to ran a finger over Bo's forehead, down the bridge of her nose, under one eye and then the other. Bo's eyes fell closed at the relaxing touch. When Lauren gently pulled her hand back, Bo's eyes drifted back open to regard Lauren, who was looking at her.
"So, your mother?" Lauren prompted.
Bo shuddered. "Yeah. My mother."
"What happened?" Lauren asked, gently.
"She's been calling again," Bo said. "I guess that much is obvious."
Lauren nodded and the lapsed back into quiet. After some time had passed, Lauren spoke in a low voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"
A bubble of pain inflated in Bo's chest, and after the events of the night, hell, of the last week, Bo felt like she couldn't handle it. She felt herself shutting down, even as she knew she had no right to close Lauren out.
A hand on her face, dragging her eyes back open. "Bo," Lauren said, her voice soft.
"I can't let her destroy you too," Bo finally croaked out.
Lauren looked taken aback. "Too?"
"I just…I need…I can't let her get to you."
Wordlessly, Lauren gathered Bo into her arms, reclining Bo against her chest. She felt Bo turn into her, felt her ragged inhale, felt her tense muscles refusing to release.
Time continued to slip by. Bo listened to the ticking of the clock, a mechanical heartbeat, grounding her and reminding her of reality, reassuring her that this, that Lauren, was still real. She breathed in Lauren's clean cotton scent, allowing herself the peace that came from the breath.
"Are you going to be able to sleep tonight?"
A slight shiver went through Bo. "I don't think so," Bo admitted.
Lauren nodded, standing up from the couch. Wordlessly, she walked to the bedroom and retrieved a blanket from the foot of the bed. Then, she came back to the living room and spread it over Bo before getting the remote and settling back beside her.
"Netflix?" Lauren suggested, nestling Bo beside her, pulled her to lean on Lauren's chest as she began scrolling towards comedy shows.
Lauren felt Bo relax into her, felt Bo's head lean heavily on her. Lauren reached out and pulled the blanket up higher, gathering it around them in soft waves, securing them in a warm and placid sea.
"You're exhausted," Bo said in light protest. "You need to sleep."
"I need you," Lauren replied, automatically. "I'm happy right here."
She felt a tremor go through Bo but made no comment on it. After a moment, she heard Bo quietly say, "God, I love you so much."
Lauren smiled. "Then prove it by not waking me up for a run at 3a, yeah?"
She felt more then heard Bo's light laugh as she pulled herself tighter to Lauren.
The alarm on Bo's phone sounded loudly on the coffee table the next morning, jolting Lauren and Bo awake. Groggily, Bo reached out and hit snooze on the alarm before settling back against the warmth of Lauren. On the television screen, Netflix was asking if Bo and Lauren were still watching.
"You slept?" Lauren asked, her voice low and husky with sleep.
She felt Bo nod. "Yeah, I think I did."
"Good," she said, her brain slowly waking up as the fog cleared. She curled her arm around Bo, rubbing her shoulder and neck. After a moment, Bo leaned up and kissed her.
It was a languid kiss, unhurried, and Lauren felt herself melt. It felt like coming home. With a sigh, she sunk into Bo, her heart stuttering. She felt Bo's hand skim along her jaw, her fingers lightly brushing Lauren's ear, and for a blissful moment, everything was perfect. Everything was right.
When Bo broke the kiss, Lauren's eyes stayed closed, savoring the moment. Absently, she licked her lips, cementing the moment in her mind. When her eyes drifted open she found Bo staring at her, her eyes still dark with sleep. Her features were softened with rest, her skin slightly flushed with warmth from the cocoon they had made for themselves. In that moment, Lauren was struck by her and by the realization that she had never seen anyone look more beautiful.
Before she could say anything, Bo leaned back into her, her hands on either side of Lauren's face, and Lauren felt her mouth fall open under Bo's. She felt Bo's tongue stroke slowly against hers, felt Bo's lips, relaxed and soft, as they moved over her mouth. She felt herself responding instinctively, felt herself pulling Bo into her as she laid back, until Bo was laying on top of her on the couch, her hands skimming the soft, warm skin under Bo's shirt.
At the feeling of Bo on top of her, the smell of her skin surrounding her, Lauren felt the shattered pieces of them coming back together, being fitted together and sealed. She felt the pain and fear of the last week smooth itself away. She felt Bo's softness, her caring, her gentleness, her love drift back into place. She felt her heart come home.
Goosebumps rose on Lauren's skin when Bo shifted to run her tongue against Lauren's neck. She felt her hand snake into Bo's waistband, felt Bo shiver against her and angle her hips in to Lauren's. Lauren let out a groan at the movement, breathing deep the scent of Bo's hair, reveling in the feel of Bo's touch. Just as she was about to shift her fingers to press into Bo's center, the phone alarm loudly sounded again.
Bo and Lauren sprung apart, startled by the noise, hearts pounding.
Bo reached over and turned the alarm off. "Sorry," she said as she dropped the phone back down. "I meant to say good morning."
"Good morning," Lauren said with a grin.
Bo stood up and stretched, and Lauren found herself entranced by the view. Bo finished stretching and looked at Lauren. At seeing the look on Lauren's face, she reached her hand down and helped Lauren up. "Come on, we need to get ready for work," she said, her voice low.
Lauren quirked an eyebrow at Bo as she allowed Bo to help her up. Once she was standing, Bo pulled her back into a kiss that made Lauren whimper.
"To save time, maybe we should shower together…"
Lauren wasted no time now, reaching back into the waistband of Bo's pants, and the teasing was gone from Bo as she urgently moved them towards the bathroom.
Bo arrived at work ten minutes late. The office was abuzz with work, as was typical. People were coming and going to court, phones ringing, sounds of typing and the copier whirring. Bo deposited her bag in her office, logging quickly into her computer and checking a few e-mails. After a few minutes, she grabbed her coffee cup of her desk and walked towards the break room, filling it before heading to Helen's office where she could also hear Mae's voice.
Bo took a sip of her coffee as she sat down in her usual chair across from Helen. Mae was standing near the copier on the far side, sipping coffee of her own. Helen picked up her mug – filled with tea, likely, as Helen disliked coffee – and regarded Bo for a moment.
"Sorry I'm late," Bo replied, taking a sip before offering a smile.
Helen and Mae looked at Bo and then glanced at one another. They shared a slight, knowing smile.
"So, how's Laaaauuuuren?" Mae asked, her voice teasing and light.
Bo rolled her eyes. "Really?"
Helen shrugged. "Ten minutes late. Smiling. Hanging out with us."
"Bow-chicka-bow-wow," Mae sing-songed.
Bo sagged back in the chair, slouching slightly. "You guys are the worst."
"You love us," Mae replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Just be happy you got some."
"Speaking of getting some…" Helen interjected.
Mae shot Helen a warning look. Bo clocked the glance and seized the opportunity to change the topic away from herself. "Ooohhh, what's this now?"
Mae rolled her eyes. "Nothing. Don't we have work to do? Bad guys to prosecute or something?"
"No, we got all the bad guys last week," Helen answered with a mocking grin. "We have plenty of time to talk about your date."
"It's not a date!"
Bo smiled widely. "When is the date?!"
Mae sighed dramatically. "It isn't a date. I'm not even going to go."
"Counterpoint, you are going," Helen replied.
"Additionally…what was the phrase?" Bo took a sip of coffee, pretending to think. "Oh, yeah. Bow-chicka-bow-wow."
"He's too young," Mae deflected. "I'm not going."
"He's 29, Mae, he isn't a toddler," Helen replied.
"29?" Bo thought for a moment. "Is it the hot barista?!"
"I have work to do," Mae said, straightening up and preparing to leave the room.
Bo laughed, lightly. "Hey, do I have any bond reviews this morning?" she asked, standing up.
Helen and Mae shared a look. After a beat, Helen replied. "No, I don't think so. Leah is covering today."
Bo paused and took a moment to survey them both. When they didn't meet her eyeline directly, she sighed. "Well, that news traveled fast," she commented.
Helen wrapped the chain of her necklace around her finger in the way she always did when she was nervous. "We heard this morning," she said by way of reply.
Bo nodded. "Does everyone know?"
Mae shook her head. "Leah was one of the first ones in this morning. She saw it and got it before just about anyone else was here."
Bo took a breath. "Okay."
"She won't talk about it. You know Leah. She's not a gossip."
Bo nodded. "I know." Bo took another drink of her coffee as the coffee settled over them. "Alright, I should do some work. But, hey, before I go," she glanced at Mae, who looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Just remember, when you go out with someone that caffeinated, they'll probably keep you up all night."
A burst of laughter shot from Helen as Mae threw up her hands and walked out of the room.
After finishing her coffee and her morning chat with Mae and Helen, Bo returned to her desk to begin her day in earnest. She began to lose herself in the normal rhythms of the work day as she sifted through some more e-mails and answered phone messages. Around 10:30 there was a knock on her office door.
Bo glanced up to see Leah, her suit coat draped over her arm, standing in her doorway. "Hey, do you have a minute?" she asked, stepping into the room.
Bo steeled herself and tried to keep her tone light. "Yeah, of course. What's up?"
Leah gently pulled the door shut behind her before walking over to sit in the chair near Bo's desk. She didn't say anything at first.
"Did she waive extradition?" Bo asked, breaking the ice.
Leah nodded. "Judge gave them ten days to pick her up."
"Did you get a look at what the charges were?"
Leah nodded. "Yeah. She had an FTA warrant for fleeing and eluding, and a warrant for a PWID."
"Jesus," Bo said with a heavy sigh. "Heroin?"
"Cocaine, actually," Leah answered.
Just a bump. Of course. "Thanks for handling it."
Leah nodded. "Of course. No one's business, anyway, I just wanted to let you know in case you were wondering." Leah stood up, preparing to leave.
Bo smiled at Leah. She was slightly older than Bo, and fiercely private, but a good attorney who was well respected at the office. Bo knew Leah wouldn't be sharing this story as watercooler gossip. The two bid their goodbyes and Leah left.
With a heavy sigh, Bo picked up her phone and typed out a message to Lauren, relaying the information she had just gotten from Leah.
A moment after sending the message, Bo's phone rang. Lauren's name and contact photo displayed on the screen. "Hey, Lo," Bo said, answering the call.
"Can you translate any of that for me?" Lauren said with a light laugh.
Bo gave an answering chuckle. "Yeah, sorry. So basically it means my mom ran from the police at some point and got traffic citations. She failed to appear for court – or, FTA'd – so a bench warrant was put out for her. Somewhere along the way she was also charged with possession with intent to distribute a narcotic, and a second warrant was put out for her arrest for that. If a state has a warrant for you, and another state arrests you, you have to be extradited to the state with the warrant to get a court date, and things like that. By waiving extradition she is saying she won't fight her state coming to get her and transfer her to one of their facilities, so she can move forward with her charges there. The judge gave them ten days to come pick her up."
"Okay," Lauren replied, absorbing this information.
"Leah said the possession with intent charge was for cocaine," Bo added.
"Is that important?" Lauren asked.
"Mom is a heroin user," Bo explained. "I'm not saying she would never do cocaine, but she's not going to have enough of it on hand for officers to think she's distributing it, unless she actually was distributing it. When she was calling me, asking for money, she kept asking for a 'bump' to get her going. She's stayed with my dad for so long because he supplied the drugs; I'm guessing she was planning to sell cocaine to fund her habit after she left him."
"Why would she sell cocaine instead of heroin?"
"She knows she'll use less of it. Heroin is what she wants. Cocaine is a means to an end. The less she uses, the more she can sell."
"How…pragmatic."
"Yeah. I don't know, that's just a guess."
A beat of quiet passed. "Are you doing okay?"
Bo took a breath. "Yeah, I think. I mean…I don't know. At least I know it's over for a little bit, you know?"
"Yeah," Lauren replied. "Can I…is there anything I can do to help?" Bo could hear the hesitation in her voice, her nervousness to push too hard when thing still felt so fresh and fragile.
"Actually…yeah," Bo replied.
"Really?" Lauren asked, her tone betraying her surprise. "What?" Bo could hear the eagerness in her voice.
"Could you…I mean, do you have…do you think you could get me a name of someone? A therapist or counselor, something like that?"
"Of course," Lauren answered, her voice coming back lightning quick. "I can get a referral for you today, if you want."
Bo took a deep breath. "I think…yeah. I think it might be time."
Reviews are appreciated
