Hey, everyone. This chapter is a Lauren POV, longer than the last. Thanks for all of your amazing reviews - the response to this story so far has been great. To the reviewer who asked me why there is no Trick or Hale in this story - the site wasn't giving me an option of replying to you, so I'll tell you (and everyone) - I am relatively new to Lost Girl, I just found it on Netflix a few months ago. I've watched it, but I wasn't always paying a ton of attention, and I just didn't feel like I had much of a handle on Trick or Hale's voices (or some others, evidenced by how little they have done in this story lol). I may end up writing more for Lost Girl, who knows, and maybe by then I'll feel more comfortable adding those characters.

Also, to the question of whether I have Twitter - no, sorry, I'm a Luddite and the last person in the world to have no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or really any other social media account. Except for my husband, who also has no social media. I guess that explains why we work so well together, lol.

Enjoy

Lauren woke up with a crick in her neck and a sore back. Her brain felt foggy. Why was she in this weird position? She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, feeling the night before coming back to her. She was at Bo's. The Chinese food containers had been cleaned up, the movie was off, and sunlight was filtering through the windows. She sat up, stretching out her locked muscles. As she moved the blanket that was over her fell off of her arms, and she vaguely realized she didn't know when she had been put under it. Bo was nowhere to be seen.

She took a deep breath and caught the unmistakable scent of coffee. Standing, she turned her head to the kitchen and saw the coffeepot sitting full with an empty mug beside it, and note lying on the counter. She walked over and saw Lauren written on the folded piece of paper. She lifted the note and read it.

Lo,

Sorry to leave before you're up, I got a call from work. Help yourself to the coffee, milk in the fridge, sorry we only have 2% and not whole.

I had fun last night. Hopefully I'll be home before you read this, but if not, I'll call you later.

Bo

Lauren re-read the note and smiled, trying to remember when Bo had started calling her by Vex's nickname for her. There was really nothing special about what Bo had said, but it made her happy. It was the tiny details of it – the fact that Bo knew she put whole milk in her coffee instead of 2%. The fact she hadn't said anything about sugar because she knew Lauren didn't use it.

She was still holding the note when she heard someone walk into the kitchen behind her. She turned and saw it was Kenzi.

"Morning," Kenzi mumbled, pulling a mug out of the cabinet.

"Hi," Lauren said, feeling awkward.

Kenzi poured her coffee and took a sip of it black. "Ugh, needs sugar." She turned to Lauren. "So, how was your night?"

"Great. Good. It was good to just relax." Lauren felt awkward, not knowing how to respond.

Kenzi grabbed the sugar and put a generous amount in her cup. She stirred it in and turned back to Lauren. "Relax, Doctor, I won't bite."

Lauren smiled. "Okay. Sorry."

"So what are your intentions with Bo?"

Lauren froze lifting her mug to her lips.

Kenzi held her stare for a moment and laughed. "Sorry, that was mean. I'm just messing with you. But, seriously, sorry you and Bo didn't come out last night, it was fun."

"Yeah, that was my fault, I just had kind of a bad day. I don't think I would have been good company."

Kenzi nodded. "Fair enough. Bo said she'd had a long week, too."

Lauren nodded, drinking her coffee.

"You two seem to be getting close."

"Yeah, I guess so. Bo's a great person."

"Yeah," Kenzi agreed. "She is." They were quiet for a moment, drinking their coffee, and then Kenzi continued. "I grew up with Bo. I know her really well."

"Yeah, she mentioned that, that you two are like sisters."

"We are. We're just like sisters. And just like sister's, I see the good parts of Bo and the bad parts."

Lauren hesitated. "What?"

Kenzi sighed. "Look, I'm going to level with you, because I like you, but if you tell Bo I said any of this, I'll tell her you're lying. Bo has a thing for you. I think we can agree that we're aware of that. And I've known Bo since, well, since forever, and I've seen her in every relationship she's ever been in, and let me tell you, girl is bad at them. In fact, I can't really think of anyone she's ever dated that I thought was good for her, or good enough for her. But you…I don't know, I have a good feeling about you."

"Um…okay?"

"Look, I know this is way out of line or whatever, and she told me you guys are just friends, and whatever, I actually think that might be smart for now. But I know Bo. And I see how she is with you. I guess I'm just saying…be patient with her, okay? Because…I think you might be good for her."

Lauren was quiet, unsure of how to respond. She was touched by what Kenzi said, and more than slightly surprised that it was Kenzi who was saying it – she liked Kenzi, but Kenzi didn't seem like the type of person to have this kind of a real conversation. After the pause stretched for a few beats, Lauren answered. "I care about Bo, too. I don't think either one of us needs to jump into something serious, at least not right now. But if at some point that changes…I promise I'll never intentionally hurt her."

Kenzi nodded. "I believe you."

"And…thank you. For saying you think I might be good for her. I know that she's your sister, and I know what you saying something like that means."

Kenzi nodded again and smiled. "Hey, you got her to get rid of Rainer. I probably owe you a steak dinner or something."

Lauren laughed, lightly. "I don't know that I get all the credit for that."

"Well, two years of her closest friends in the world telling her to dump him had no effect. You got it done in a matter of months. Take the credit." Kenzi lifted her mug in a 'cheers' gesture.

Nate walked down the stairs. "Morning, everybody," he said, walking to the refrigerator and grabbing the orange juice.

"Hey, Nate," Lauren said.

"What are we talking about?" he asked.

"Bo and Lauren," Kenzi answered, taking a sip of coffee.

"Nice, are you two dating now?"

Lauren almost choked on her coffee. "What? No…"

"Oh, cool," Nate said, drinking his juice. "Well, regardless, we should probably be thanking you for getting her away from Kevin."

"Amen," Kenzi echoed.

"Babe, do have eggs?" Nate asked, looking back in the fridge. "Oh, wait, here they are. Lauren, do you want scrambled eggs?"

Before Lauren could answer, the door opened and Bo walked in. "Morning, everyone," Bo said, dropping a box of donuts onto the counter.

"If you didn't get chocolate glazed we aren't friends," Kenzi said, making a beeline for the box. "Ah…I love you," Kenzi said when she looked inside.

Bo turned to Lauren. "I didn't know what kind you liked, so I got a little bit of everything."

Lauren smiled. "You really didn't have to do that."

"I had to feed the children anyway," she said, giving a vague wave at Nate and Kenzi who were both happily eating donuts. "I'm glad I caught you before you left. Sorry I had to run out."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just a search warrant thing, I couldn't get the information to pull up on my phone so I had to go by the office for a little bit." Bo snagged the box of donuts, ignoring the protests of Kenzi, and handed it to Lauren. "Help yourself, please, I got way too many."

Lauren took a donut and bit in.

"So, what did I miss?" Bo asked, looking around the room.

"I was asking Lauren if she had botulism from the Golden Garden food you made her eat last night," Kenzi said.

"They're getting better!" Bo protested.

"Dude, Golden Garden? That place sucks. China Chef is way better," Nate said.

As Nate and Bo continued their back and forth over Chinese food, Lauren looked at Kenzi, who gave her a knowing smirk. Lauren got it – their earlier conversation was going to just stay between them. Lauren returned her attention to Bo, listening to her playfully argue with Nate, and she smiled.

Kenzi thought Lauren was good for Bo. Kenzi, who knew Bo better than just about anyone in the world, thought Lauren would be good with her. It was a small thing, not really a thing at all, but it still made Lauren quietly happy.

Lauren picked up her donut and took another bite.

The weeks passed without event. Lauren continued to lose herself in her work, spending time with the gang whenever time allowed. She found herself beginning to really enjoy her new environment. Despite the way things had started when she moved here, she found herself settled into a comfortable routine. It also helped that, thanks largely to Vex, she had a nice established group of friends. She had slowly gotten to know everyone better, and although she generally called Vex and Bo first when she wanted something to do, she had found herself at various times with Ciara, and Dyson, and Tamsin, and she was happy to note that she got along well with all of them. Even Tamsin and Kenzi seemed more like friends to her now, despite the differences in their personalities. All in all, Lauren was happy.

Nadia called Lauren around Thanksgiving, to catch up and to talk. It had been awkward at first, but a part of Lauren truly did miss Nadia. They had been through a lot together. A few minutes into their call they had fallen back into their old easy rhythm. By the time the call had ended, they were talking like old friends.

Things were good.

On a rainy Monday in mid-December, Lauren headed to the Dal to have a quick dinner and to catch up with her friends. Vex had agreed to meet her, as she hadn't seen most of the gang in about a week or more, and he had told her that Dyson and Kenzi would be working, meaning Ciara and Nate were likely to be there as well.

Lauren arrived at the Dal around 6:30 and found Vex waiting for her in a booth. She walked up to say her hellos to Dyson and Kenzi and ordered a drink before joining him in the back.

"My darling, you're radiant, as always," he said, kissing her cheeks.

Lauren glanced around the bar and noted that it was about half full. "Bigger crowd than usual for a Monday," she commented.

Vex took a drink and waved his hand toward a television. "Some football nonsense. Though even I must admit that watching them run in those spandex pants is entertaining."

Lauren snagged a pretzel from the bowl in front of Vex. "I don't think that's why most people are here."

"Why else would anyone watch this drivel?"

Lauren shrugged and smiled. They made small talk, catching each other up on what had been going on in their lives. A few minutes later Kenzi walked over and took their order, and they sat back, waiting for their food.

"So, love, time to get down to the real reason I asked you out tonight," Vex said, taking a sip of his drink.

"The real reason? I thought you just wanted to get dinner."

"How long has it been since you broke up with Nadia?"

Lauren hesitated. "A few months. Why?"

"Because a few months of celibacy for someone as gorgeous as you is a crime."

Lauren laughed. "Weren't you the one who advised against me getting into another relationship?"

"Who said anything about a relationship?" Vex asked, with a wink.

Lauren's thoughts pulled to Bo. "I don't know, Vex, I've never been the one night stand type of girl."

"One of your few failings," Vex said with a nod. "But, darling, it's been three months. You need to rebound. And, lucky for you, I've found just the girl."

"I don't think so, Vex," Lauren answered, taking another sip of her drink.

Vex put his glass down and reached out, covering Lauren's hands with his own. "What are you always telling me about relationships, Lo?"

"That you need to stop playing around, be a grown up, and settle down with a nice boy?"

"Exactly. And the opposite is true for you." Vex picked up his drink and took another sip with a grin.

Lauren sighed. Before she could answer, the door of the bar swung open and she saw Bo walk in. Bo didn't see her however, making a beeline for the bar. She seemed tense, angry. Lauren was curious as to why for a moment, and then she saw who was trailing behind her.

Rainer.

Bo grabbed a bottle and poured it into a shot glass. She then threw it back and firmly put the glass on the counter.

"Go home, Rainer," she spat.

"I want to talk to you."

Kenzi walked over to Lauren and Vex, carrying their food.

"Good Lord, why is he here?" Kenzi said as she sat their plates down.

"This could be entertaining," Vex said, settling back in his seat to watch the show.

"I told you I'm not doing this," Bo said, washing out the shot glass. "Go home."

"Five minutes. You at least owe me five minutes!"

"I don't owe you anything," Bo answered. Lauren noticed the tension in Bo's shoulders, and could see that Bo was trying very hard not to snap.

Kevin put his hand on Bo's arm lightly, and she jerked back at the contact. He put his hands in the air. "Five minutes. Five minutes, and I'm gone." It was clear that Bo wasn't the only one who was angry.

Bo glanced around the bar, noting how many people were there, clearly weighing whether it would be better to just talk to him and avoid making a further scene. Her eyes didn't make it to Lauren before she answered, "fine. Five minutes."

They walked to the back office.

Kenzi sighed deeply. "I swear to God, if she gets back together with him, I'm moving out." She turned and walked back toward the kitchen.

Lauren felt tense, rigid. From the back office she could hear voices, but other than knowing they were speaking at a high volume, she couldn't make out what they were saying. She turned her attention back to Vex, who was looking at her.

He sighed. "Alright, love, I understand your predicament. I'm just saying you need to rebound. You need some no strings attached fun. Unless you want to be attached to strings, in which case, you do what you need to do, but all I'm saying is a couple of fun and easy dates may take your mind off of –" he waved his hand toward the office door "—that."

Lauren sighed. He was right, and wasn't that annoying? The truth was she didn't even know if Bo was going to be single when she walked out of the back office. And as much as she wanted to date Bo, she knew that getting involved in an intense relationship with her now was a mistake for both of them.

She drew in another breath. "Okay. Fine. I give. One date, one meaningless date. Okay?"

"Ta," Vex said, with a grin.

They began eating their food, and after a few minutes the voices in the back died down. Lauren and Vex waited and a soon they saw Kevin stalk out of the back, ignore everyone, and leave. A few minutes passed before Bo also walked out, looking exhausted. She walked over to Kenzi and said something before turning and walking upstairs to their apartment, never seeing Lauren.

When Vex and Lauren were done eating, Kenzi walked back over to clear their plates.

"So, what happened?" Vex asked. "Is Rainer back?"

"Actually, no," Kenzi said. "I guess something helped her realize that she needed to move on." Kenzi grabbed Lauren's plate as she said it, sneaking Lauren a small smile.

When Kenzi had walked away, Vex looked at Lauren. "You look conflicted," he said, quietly.

"I want to make sure she's alright. But I don't feel like I should go up there."

Vex sighed. "Alright, listen. You two decided to be friends, so if you want to go, go. But please promise me you'll still go on this date. You need this. Alright?"

Lauren sighed and nodded. She grabbed some cash out of her wallet and left it on the table, bidding her goodbyes to Vex, and headed upstairs.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she realized she didn't know exactly what to say. She just knew she wanted to talk to Bo. She hesitated a moment longer, then knocked.

Bo came to the door, and when she saw Lauren, she started to smile slightly, though she still looked tired. "Hey, what's up? Come in," she said, stepping to the side.

"Hey, I won't stay long," Lauren said, stepping in but staying the entryway. "I just wanted to see if you were…you know, alright?"

Bo looked puzzled for a moment and then understanding dawned on her face. "I didn't see you downstairs."

"You were preoccupied," Lauren said with a shrug. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, he just needed to…yell a little, I guess."

Lauren nodded. "I still say he's a dick."

Bo laughed, and the sound made Lauren feel lighter. "Yeah, maybe, but he isn't entirely wrong," she commented.

"Hey, there is something else that I need to talk to you about," Lauren said, cautiously.

Bo looked at her without saying anything.

"Vex…he kind of wants to set me up with someone."

"Oh."

"And I mean…I don't know, I guess I just wanted to check in with you…" Lauren started immediately regretting bringing this up. What was she doing, asking permission? And right after Bo had dealt with Rainer? "Sorry, never mind…I don't know why I'm bringing this up."

"Are you ready to start dating again?"

Lauren shrugged. "I don't know. No. Probably not. But Vex seems to think I need to have, I don't know, a rebound, or whatever."

Bo nodded. "A rebound."

"Yeah. So I don't screw things up when –" Lauren caught herself before she could say when we start dating and corrected, "—the next time I want a relationship."

"I get that." Bo's voice was soft. She wasn't looking Lauren in the eye.

Lauren let a beat of quiet pass, and in her mind she saw herself reaching for Bo, drawing her in slowly, and kissing her. She imagined how Bo would feel against her, how the kiss would be slow, languid, intoxicating.

Lauren snapped herself back to the moment. Ask me not to, she thought to herself. Ask me not to date anyone else. Ask me to wait. Bo said nothing, and now it was Lauren's turn to sigh. "I don't have to do this. I can tell Vex no." Ask me to tell him no.

"I think you should do it."

Lauren felt herself deflate. "You do?"

Bo nodded. "Yeah, I mean, Vex is right. This could be good for you."

"Sure, I mean, I guess."

"Do it. Seriously. I'm really happy you're getting back out there. You should be with someone great. Who knows? Maybe this girl Vex knows will be perfect for you."

Lauren's head was spinning. "Yeah, I don't know, maybe." They stood awkwardly in entryway a moment longer. "Well, uh, I guess I better go. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Bo nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks."

Lauren gave her a tight lipped smile and turned to leave, but before she could, Bo reached out and wrapped her in hug. Bo's arms were tight around her, and Lauren found herself instinctively hugging her back, closing her eyes, and leaning into Bo.

After a few moments, Bo stepped back. They bid their goodbyes, and Lauren walked out, closing the door softly behind her.

Yeah, kind of a bummer ending. Stick with me. As always, your feedback is welcome