Title: Thicker Than Blood

Authors: hbomba & lonejaguar

Rating: M

Summary: Bo deals with being human while Lauren works tirelessly to return her to Fae. With Trick pulling out all the stops to get Lauren to cease and desist her Fae experiments, the heat is on Bo, Lauren, and Kenzi once again. Rising stakes and mortal danger complicate the already crazy situation as they challenge the oppressive demands of the Blood King.

A/N: The third in a trilogy containing To The Bottom & Little Talks.

"Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we're related for better or for worse...and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum." \\ Rick Riordan, The Sea of Monsters

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature. […] Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." \\ Helen Keller

The rain pattered on the aluminum roof of the clubhouse. Bo felt ever drop reverberating in her head. Lauren's arm snaked around her waist as Bo prayed for sun, anything to stop the incessant dripping as the rain filtered in from the outside and dropped into a bucket in the bathroom. God, this place is such a shithole.

Bo lifted Lauren's arm and rolled away, slipping from the bed and pulling on a kimono before retreating down the stairs. She filled the kettle and clicked on the television, such was her nightly ritual. A little Magnum P.I. and Murder, She Wrote before the sun came up and Lauren would find her nodding off during Who's The Boss end credits. This mish-mash of eighties mysteries and sitcoms made for strange bedfellows but ever since Bo's Fae was taken, sex grew less important, though completely apparent that it was missing.

It was a painful reminder of her Fae. She felt impotent, for lack of a better word, for even as she lay with Lauren she was keenly aware of what she could not do anymore. What she would not let herself do, once upon a time. But now, even her hunger was gone. She still desired Lauren, it was nothing so drastic as that, but her hunger, her chi sucking and absorption were non-existent. All those years she wished and struggled against her powers seemed to come to the forefront in the early hours of the morning. When regrets came so easily and hope was down the rabbit hole.

Lauren's hand was in her hair, smoothing it back from her face. "Come back to bed, babe." It was a ritual. From the back of the couch, Lauren looked down at Bo, who awoke slowly, tipping her head back to look up at Lauren. She would wait there until Bo clambered to her feet and followed her to their bed, curling around her, once again.

Morning would come a few hours later with Kenzi making a racket in the kitchen, banging on the malfunctioning toaster and coffee maker. Bo and Lauren stood at the base of the stairs, both wearing pained expressions until Kenzi reared her arm back to hurl the toaster at the door. She jumped at the sight of them, nearly dropping it.

"Shiz, dudes! You scared the Smirnoff outta me!"

"Excuse us for interrupting, Furious George, but weren't you going to make us waffles to apologize for waking us up?" Bo crossed her arms across her chest as Lauren looked on.

"Bo-Bo," she squeezed Bo's shoulder and turned to Lauren. "Lola," she play-punched Lauren in the arm. "Don't you think you were getting up anyways?" She nodded and smiled at the pair who stared back at her. "Okay, waffles it is!" Kenzi returned to the kitchen.

Lauren looked at Bo. "Lola?"

The day passed with little incident. A quiet, and some might say boring day. Bo drove Lauren to her lab-a space she had arranged after she'd come back to the Dark-and there, she performed a myriad tests on Bo's DNA before incubating a new concoction. She ran in circles over test results, theories, and formulas and they all led her to failure. As a scientist, Lauren was familiar with failure, trials and errors, but this was Bo. This mattered. And failing to bring Bo's Fae back was failing Bo.

Lauren swabbed Bo's arm and lifted the prepared needle tip pressing into her vein. Depressing the plunger, Lauren expelled the contents of the syringe into Bo's arm. She held a cotton ball against the injection point and withdrew the needle. Bo inhaled, hoping that it would be different this time.

They waited. "Anything?" Bo shrugged. "I don't understand, it worked for Evony." Lauren began to pace. "I think I've underestimated just how special you are, Bo."

It was getting late. Lauren had wiled away hours with her experiments while Bo played unwitting guinea pig as she worked her way through a stack of magazines. When she called it a day, Lauren sagged a bit, not satisfied with her efforts. It was all Bo could do to pull her away from her microscope and take her hand, leading her to the car.

The Camaro roared to life. The blinker ticked as they waited to pull into traffic. Bo appraised Lauren's quiet contemplation before she spoke. "You'll get it."

Lauren sighed. "I just don't know how much time I have to work with," she admitted. "I'm scared there's a clock ticking away and I can't see it." Bo swallowed. She had never considered that Lauren might fail. Her eye caught a large SUV fishtailing as it pulled in behind them. "Bo…" Lauren warned.

"I see them." Foot to floor, Bo accelerated along the freeway, putting some distance between them and the SUV. She weaved in and out of traffic and, if there was any doubt, the SUV followed. She had to get Lauren home. They were unarmed, a decision Bo regretted immensely now that she was human. Even the dagger strapped to her thigh was little comfort against an SUV full of ogres.

Still in pursuit, she had gained some distance between them. Looking in the rearview mirror, Bo spoke. "When we stop I need you to run inside, get Kenzi and meet me back at the Camaro as fast as you can. I'll keep them busy."

When she skidded to a stop in the driveway, Lauren threw open the door and took off running. The SUV stopped behind the Camaro, blocking them in. She tried to lead the ogre crew away from the clubhouse but they went straight for it and she had no choice but to follow.

She slinked around the side of the house to the alternate stairs but when she pulled on the door, it was padlocked. Lauren had been paranoid about another attack and though she was right again, Bo really wished that door had been unlocked. She heard her pursuers in the brush behind the clubhouse, but it was too late, she was already surrounded.

Overcome in the yard by Fae, they dragged her into the clubhouse kicking and howling, but before she could alert her roommates, a hand clapped over her mouth. It was then that Bo knew what it was to be surprised by Fae as her captor called out in Bo's voice.

"Lauren!"

Bo's mouth was covered, but her voice was being parroted by the Fae that held her back. They were so strong and Bo was so weak. When Lauren appeared at the bottom of the stairs the band of Fae paused. It was her they were after.

Bo struggled against her captor. There was a time when she would have made short work of the Fae that now tormented them but, as Bo was beginning to figure out, being a human came with a certain number of challenges and she hadn't quite worked out how to overcome them yet.

Lauren stood in indecision, Kenzi beside her. There was nowhere to go but up. Another Fae charged toward them, scooping Kenzi up under his arm. He dropped her as she thrashed onto the floor in front of Lauren before pulling her along by her hair. When they dropped her in the middle of the living room and kicked her in the stomach, Bo fought harder and Lauren made her choice, running into the fray. She knocked down the Ogre that had floored Kenzi and then ran headlong into the Pombero that held Bo back.

It was only a momentary victory before they recovered and felled her with a punch to the stomach. As Lauren dropped to her knees, they collected Bo and Kenzi.

"Look at the human cry!" Taunted an ogre as he kicked Kenzi in the stomach again.

"Get bent," Kenzi said through gritted teeth, spitting blood onto his shoes.

The Fae holding Bo invited the others to slap her across the face. Lauren flinched at the sound. "Leave them alone. It's me you want."

"Maybe the hero doctor would like a taste of her own medicine." The ogre kicked her while she was down.

"Those ogres you killed, they were my friends. We've come to settle up."

"Calm down." Lauren put her hands up. "I'm sure we can make an arrangement that would make both of us happy."

"Do I look like I care about your happiness, bitch?" He grabbed her hair and yanked her to her feet. "Where is it?"

Lauren winced. "You're going to have to be more specific," she replied, calm and collected.

"Your potions, give them to us and we'll leave you in peace."

"I'm sorry, I can't do that," she said cool and even.

"I'm not fooling around, lady."

"Neither am I." Lauren stomped on her assailer's foot and spun around, punching him in the throat.

Taking their cue from Lauren, Bo and Kenzi followed in suit. Kenzi leapt up and took her captor down at the knees, a loud crack as he hit his head on the coffee table on the way down. Bo elbowed the pombero holding her back. Turning around, she head butted him. With the Fae incapacitated, Lauren climbed the stairs two at a time and returned with a syringe gun.

As the ogres came to their feet again, she crept down the stairs. "Now go on," she commanded. "Go back to whoever sent you and tell them we will not be intimidated."

"There's still only one syringe in that gun, Doctor," the ogre growled.

"Yes, but which one of you will be bold enough to try to take it." Lauren took her place next to Bo and Kenzi. "Leave now and keep your Fae or stay, and find out just how fast I can reload this."

It was the middle of the night and the three women met in a congress on the couch. Each held up their beer bottle and clinked the necks together before trying to drink a solution to their very real problem. They had won this bout but long term, in the battle of Human vs. Fae, it wasn't looking good for the humans. They got lucky and Lauren knew that to the very ache in her bones. Lauren's hands dipped into her medical bag and pulled out some gauze. Bo held an icepack against her cheek as Lauren swabbed her cuts with antiseptic.

As always, Kenzi was the first to speak. She grimaced. "Are you sure I'm not bleeding internally or something?" Kenzi held her side.

"You're fine," Lauren dismissed.

"You need to work on that bedside manner of yours, Doc."

"I meant, I examined you myself. You're going to live. Promise," she said sarcastically.

"I hate to interrupt the Lauren and Kenzi show because, I gotta say, I really wanted to see how this one turned out, but we need to make some decisions."

"We need to leave the city, Bo," Lauren implored. "Go on the lam for awhile, let things cool down."

"Nuh uh, no way." Kenzi declared. "I don't want to feel like I'm on summer vacay with my two moms. I'll stay with Dyson."

"I'm afraid I'm with Kenzi on this one," Bo said.

Lauren sighed. "You don't want to see how bad this could get before they get their way."

"We defended ourselves once, we can do it again."

"Bo, we got lucky and you know it."

"What I know is that we are all fighters and we are nothing without the fight we were born into."

Lauren nodded her head slowly. "If that's how you feel." She shrugged and set her beer on the coffee table before standing, hands in back pockets and turning to climb the stairs.

"Did we just win an argument with her?" Kenzi whispered behind her hand as Lauren walked away.

"I'm sure that's not the last we've heard of this," Bo said regretfully.

Thunder shook the clubhouse. When will this rain ever end? Lauren sat nestled in the corner of the sofa with an ice pack she pressed against a vicious bruise. She knew Bo wouldn't want to leave. Over the years, Lauren watched Bo stop running and face her past, even helped guide her along, and Lauren did so believing she was there, too. But the reality was that she hadn't even gotten close.

Bo sat next to her with a glass of wine in hand. She smoothed a hand across Lauren's thigh and Lauren felt the shiver in her body before she felt the warmth in her face.

"Just another day," Bo smirked and then sipped her wine.

Lauren suddenly wished she hadn't turned down Bo's offer for a glass of her own. She couldn't stomach alcohol right then anyway and with everything going to hell, she wanted her wits about her. "So, another Ogre gang…"

"I'm sensing a trend," Bo replied sarcastically. "And as soon as I sleep this off," she held up her wine glass and admired its color. "I'm gonna pay that harpy a visit and get to the bottom of this."

"But Evony gave you her blood oath," Lauren insisted.

"Looks like Evony's blood oath isn't worth what it used to be."

Lauren sighed and she nodded. It was Bo's call after all and when she was determined to make her point, she was difficult to slow down. "Just… remember what she said in the hospital."

Bo drained her glass. "Oh, I'll be paying him a visit, too, don't worry."

"You're just going to break down their doors and accuse them of attacking us?"

Bo thought about it and nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Bo," Lauren started cautiously.

"Lauren," Bo stopped her, squeezing her thigh. "You and Kenzi are the two most important people in my life. I can't let them get away with this."

Lauren leaned over, the ice pack falling to her lap as she pressed her lips against Bo's. Her hand found its way to Bo's neck and fingers pushed into her hair. Lauren didn't find herself at a loss for words much, in fact her unending dialogue in awkward moments tended to get her into trouble. But Bo always brought about a tongue-tied silence that Lauren could solve only one way. Kissing Bo became as much a way of communicating as it did a mode of expression and Lauren quickly found it a necessity above all. When her words failed her, her lips did not.

Bo pulled back, her nose touching Lauren's as she savored their kiss on her bottom lip. She hummed. "You're welcome," she quipped, her mouth curving into a teasing smile.

"I am just constantly in awe of you," Lauren said, her eyes lost in Bo's.

"Shucks, Doctor," Bo said. She took Lauren's hand from her jaw and brought it in front of her, pressing her lips to her wrist.

Lauren's free hand covered Bo's. "Say hi to the Morrigan for me."

Bo banged on the Morrigan's office door, waiting all of three seconds before kicking it in. The knocking was more a courtesy to say 'I'm here, you better hide.' Wood splintered as her foot made contact with the door and Bo walked through the debris into Evony's office. As the dust settled, Bo found her standing behind her desk.

"What the hell?!"

"Met your friends last night," Bo said sliding her sword out of its sheath and walking towards Evony.

"I don't know what you are talking about darling, but quite frankly, I'm offended. When you make a deal with me, I honor it."

Bo snorted. "I'm sorry, I can't see you past this giant pile of bullshit."

Evony trailed a hand along her desk and walked out from behind it. "Say, have you talked to Papa Smurf recently?"

"He knows how I feel."

She cocked her head to the side and nodded sympathetically. "Well, if he knows how you feel then…"

"I don't like what you're implying."

"I don't like your makeup so we're kinda even." Evony's lips curled.

"I'll decide when we're even." Bo said, lifting her sword and slashing the chairs in front of her.

The Morrigan took an unsteady step backwards, raising her hands in defense. "Where's your lady love?"

Bo's eyes flashed. "Leave Lauren out of this."

Evony laughed. "Oh, I couldn't forget about Lauren if I tried."

Bo rushed forward, lifting the cool blade to press against Evony's cheek. Her voice was low, possessive. "It meant nothing." After a tense moment, Bo lowered her weapon and backed away from her.

"You're a menace," she spat.

Bo spun around, walking backwards as she passed through the office. "Sorry 'bout your door."

As she zigzagged the city in the Camaro, Bo tried to come to terms the past six weeks. Almost losing Lauren, losing her Fae, Kenzi's emotional upheaval and last but not least, Trick's betrayal. She should have known it would come to this. Aife warned her all those years ago. She had told her what her father had done and Bo continued to pretend he was harmless, serving an endless stream of liquor to her and her friends. But at what cost? She was afraid that she had just scratched the surface.

She set the emergency brake and sighed, checking her makeup in the rearview mirror before throwing open the creaking Camaro door. The bar was empty, as far as Bo could tell. She inhaled that familiar stale bouquet of barley and hops, rye and other assorted grains. Damn, if she didn't miss this place as much as she missed her Fae.

"You're human." Trick's voice shattered the silence.

"That is the hot topic of the moment." Bo knocked on the bar top.

"Did you do this to be with Lauren?"

"If I did would it change your mind about anything?"

"No," he said solemnly.

Bo's frustration was peaking. "Why am I even here?" She sighed.

He crossed his arms. "Because we're family."

"You can't just go around threatening the lives of people you disagree with." She pointed at him. "That's archaic." She leaned back against the bar and basked in her ever-expanding vocabulary thanks to Lauren.

"And you can't betray your bloodlines and abandon your family," Trick replied quickly, desperately.

"I traded up," Bo said with a quirk of her mouth. "My friends are my family. Light, Dark or Human, I love them and no matter what you say or what threats you make that's not going to change."

"She's put all Fae in jeopardy. Look at yourself!" His voice boomed.

"Lauren will reverse this," Bo said confidently.

"And then what? What is she doing with that research?"

"What does it matter?"

Trick sighed. "Don't be so naïve, Ysabeau. In the wrong hands that research could bring about the extinction of all Fae."

"Lauren would never-" Bo started.

"And what about another Taft?" he interrupted. "What would he do to our kind? A life for a life, Bo, that is our way."

"Your way has never been my way," she declared. "It's not your place to decide who lives or dies."

"But it's yours and Lauren's?"

Bo sat up straight on a stool, her hands clasped on the bar in front of her. She sighed. "So what will make this go away?"

Trick picked up a glass. "You know what I want. I want Lauren's research."

"It's not my research to give you."

"I have faith you can convince her." Trick put the glass down and looked at Bo. "And if not," he started. "I trust you haven't forgotten your heritage."

Bo was shocked by his suggestion and found herself getting off the stool. "I can't believe you," she spat, turning to storm out the door.