I do not own the rights to the TV show, the characters, or the music. This is just me writing as a fan.
No copyright infringement intended. Pls don't sue me. :)
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# Chapter 3: Trial of Distance
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"So what exactly happens during this distance trial?" Bo asked, pacing Lauren's lab. There were only a few hours until dawn, and neither of them had slept much.
Lauren looked up from her research notes. She'd been documenting everything about the first trial, trying to understand the mechanics of Fae magic through science. "According to Trick's books, we'll be connected somehow. Feel what the other feels."
"Everything?" Bo stopped pacing.
"Everything." Lauren's cheeks coloured slightly. "Which means you'll experience what it's like to be human, and I'll..."
"Feel what it's like to be a succubus." Bo sat heavily on a lab stool. "Lauren, my hunger..."
"Hey." Lauren stood and moved to cup Bo's face in her hands. "I'm not afraid of your hunger. I meant what I said during the truth trial."
"But-"
"No buts. We've got this." Lauren kissed her softly. "Besides, I've always wanted to understand your biology better. This is like the ultimate research opportunity."
Bo laughed despite her worry. "Only you would see magical trials as a chance for science."
"Speaking of science..." Lauren returned to her notes. "We should prepare. If I'm going to experience your hunger, you need to be well-fed before the trial starts."
"Doctor's orders?" Bo's eyes flickered blue.
"Strictly medical," Lauren replied with a small smirk.
Dawn arrived too quickly. The Dal was empty except for Trick behind the bar and Kenzi perched on a stool. The Russian Goth had panda eyes, not being able to sleep a wink last night just worried about her best friend and her lady love.
"You two crazy kids ready?" Kenzi asked as Bo and Lauren entered.
Before either could answer, the air shimmered and Artemis appeared. Her silver hair was bound in a tight braid today, her pendant gleaming against her dark robes.
"The Trial of Distance," she announced without preamble, "will teach you the weight of your differences." She produced two identical crystals, deep blue and pulsing with energy. "Twenty-four hours apart, connected by these stones. Every sensation, every emotion, every need - shared."
"Twenty-four hours?" Kenzi protested. "That's just mean."
Artemis's eyes flashed. "Love is not always kind, child."
Something in her tone made them all fall silent.
"Bo goes north," she continued. "Lauren south. The stones will guide you to your designated locations." She held out the crystals. "Once you accept them, the trial begins."
Bo and Lauren looked at each other.
"Remember," Lauren whispered, "no matter what we feel..."
"We're in this together," Bo finished. They reached for the crystals simultaneously.
The moment their fingers touched the stones, the world shifted. Bo gasped as her succubus energy seemed to split in two. Lauren stumbled, overwhelmed by new sensations.
"Holy shit," Lauren breathed, her eyes flickering blue momentarily.
"Language, doc!" Kenzi called, but her voice was fading as the magic pulled them in opposite directions.
The last thing they saw was each other's faces before reality bent, and they vanished.
Bo found herself in a sparse cabin in what seemed to be dense woods. The crystal pulsed against her chest where it hung from a chain.
She felt... different. Muted somehow. Was this how Lauren experienced the world? No constant awareness of sexual energy, no predatory instincts humming under her skin. But there was something else - a sharp, analytical awareness of everything around her. Details she normally wouldn't notice jumped out: the specific species of plants visible through the window, the approximate age of the cabin based on its construction...
"Well, this is weird," she muttered, knowing Lauren could feel her confusion.
Miles away, Lauren sat in what appeared to be a luxury hotel suite. Every sensation was heightened - sounds, smells, the feeling of silk sheets under her fingers. And the hunger... God, the hunger. Not painful, thanks to their preparation, but present. Constant. She could sense people in nearby rooms, their energy calling to her.
"So this is what you feel all the time," she whispered, knowing Bo would understand.
The crystal warmed against her skin, carrying emotions that weren't hers: concern, love, a touch of fear.
Lauren sent back reassurance, marveling at how natural it felt.
Hours passed. They each learned to navigate their new sensations. Bo found herself analyzing everything with scientific precision, while Lauren struggled with constant awareness of every living being around her.
In her cabin, Bo suddenly felt a spike of desire that wasn't hers. It was Lauren's.
"Having fun there, doctor?" she murmured, amused.
The answering wave of embarrassment made her laugh.
Lauren's first real test came barely three hours into the trial. She had been pacing her hotel suite, trying to adjust to the constant awareness of energy around her, when hunger struck. Not the mild appetite she was used to, but something primal and demanding.
She made her way to the lobby, thinking fresh air might help. That's when she saw him - a Light Fae delegate she recognized from the compound. He'd always been attractive, but now...
His aura blazed like a supernova, calling to her new succubus senses. Each movement he made sent waves of energy through the air. Lauren felt her control slipping, her eyes shifting to electric blue without her permission.
"Dr. Lewis?" he asked, approaching with a friendly smile, completely unaware of the effect he was having.
Lauren gripped the crystal at her neck, feeling Bo's presence surge through it. Run, her scientific mind commanded. But the hunger... God, was this what Bo felt all the time?
"I... excuse me," she managed, but her feet wouldn't move. The delegate's energy was intoxicating, promising relief from the constant hunger that clawed at her insides.
Through the crystal, she felt Bo's understanding and support flood their connection. A memory surfaced - Bo's voice during training: "Focus on something else. Anything else. Make it your anchor."
Lauren forced her scientist's mind to analyze the situation clinically: elevated heart rate, dilated pupils, increased respiration. She cataloged each symptom methodically, using the familiar process to fight the hunger.
The delegate stepped closer. "Are you alright? You look flushed."
The surge of hunger nearly overwhelmed her. Lauren felt her control slipping again, the succubus inside demanding to be fed.
Suddenly, through the crystal, she felt Bo sending her something else - not just support, but the memory of their first time together. The trust, the love, the control Bo had maintained even in the depths of passion.
Lauren grabbed onto that memory with everything she had. "I'm fine," she managed. "Just remembered an urgent matter."
She practically ran back to her suite, hands shaking as she locked the door. The crystal pulsed warmly against her skin, carrying Bo's pride and understanding.
"How do you do this?" she whispered, knowing Bo would feel her question. "How do you maintain control every single day?"
The answer came through their connection - not in words, but in feelings: love, determination, and years of practice. Lauren felt Bo's daily struggle, the constant battle between hunger and control.
…
In her cabin, Bo felt Lauren's battle as if it were her own. She sent every ounce of support she could through their connection, even as she marveled at experiencing the world through Lauren's analytical lens.
…
At the Dal, Kenzi watched Artemis, who hadn't left.
"So what's the point of this trial?" she asked. "Besides being unnecessarily cruel?"
"Understanding," Artemis replied, touching her pendant briefly. "True love requires more than just accepting differences. It requires knowing them. Feeling them."
"Sounds like you know from experience," Kenzi prodded.
The Elder's eyes grew distant. "Perhaps."
Night fell. The hardest part wasn't the physical separation - it was feeling everything without being able to physically help each other. When Lauren had a moment of panic dealing with succubus hunger, all Bo could do was send waves of comfort through their connection. When Bo got overwhelmed by the analytical nature of Lauren's mind, Lauren could only project calming thoughts.
But somehow, that made it more intimate. They weren't just experiencing each other's physical sensations - they were truly walking in each other's shoes, understanding each other on a fundamental level.
Near dawn, Lauren sat on her hotel bed, eyes closed, feeling Bo's presence through the crystal.
"I never knew," she whispered. "The strength it takes to control this power..."
In her cabin, Bo smiled. "And I never realized how brilliant your mind is. It's like... seeing everything at once, understanding how it all connects."
They felt their mutual love and admiration flow through the connection.
The magic released them at dawn, returning them to the Dal. They crashed together in a desperate embrace.
"Well?" Artemis asked, though something in her voice suggested she already knew the answer.
"I understand now," Bo said, holding Lauren close. "Everything she deals with, everything she sacrifices..."
"And I understand why you are the way you are," Lauren finished. "The control you maintain, the burden you carry..."
Artemis nodded once. The crystals crumbled to dust in their hands.
"Trial complete. Rest. Tomorrow will test more than just your understanding."
As she vanished, Bo and Lauren held each other, both still adjusting to being back in their own bodies.
"I need a drink," Kenzi announced. "Or ten. And you two need to spill all the details."
"Later," Bo said, not letting go of Lauren. "Right now, I just need..."
"To be close," Lauren finished, understanding completely.
They had passed the trial, but more importantly, they had gained something precious: true understanding of each other's nature. As they left the Dal together, the ghost of Artemis's pendant glimmered briefly in the air before fading away, a silent witness to another step in their journey.