Chapter 10

"Thank you for agreeing to see me at such a late hour, Mister Mercer." Bo smiled at the nondescript man standing in the doorway.

"Of course. How could I say no?" Bill Mercer actually blushed at Bo's attention.

"Yeah, impossible, wasn't it?" Kenzi piped up from her leaning stance against the wall of the house. Dyson and Hale were behind her; Dyson shooting dark looks at the rich man, his hands clenching.

"Ah, you're…you're all here." Bill looked somewhat disappointed.

"Yup…hail, hail the gang's all here." Kenzi muttered, pushing past Bill. "Pulse him already, Bo. It's late and I'm hungry."

-\- Lost Girl -/-

The group stared at the statue of Arthur Dawkins, uncertain how to proceed. With a little bit of succubus encouragement from Bo, the rich Bill Mercer had been convinced to go to bed and to not awaken until well into morning.

"So now what?" Hale asked.

"I don't know." Dyson admitted.

"You thought you'd be struck by inspiration if we came here?" Kenzi asked, rather surprised, looking around at the statues that were once people. Dyson normally had a plan. Bo was the type who was prone to winging it. The were-fae simply shrugged his shoulders.

Even Hale whistled his surprise. The nearby trees shuddered at the sound.

Bo looked up suddenly, an idea forming in her brain.

"How powerful is your song, Hale?' She asked.

"What do you mean?" The siren was confused.

"I mean…can you blast through stone…a statue head perhaps?"

"Bo, this is no ordinary statue." Dyson pointed out.

"Look, I'm not a science genius, but if the sound waves are just right, I was thinking that Hale's song could shatter the Medusa. I mean banshees can wail, but Hale can direct his song…right?"

The siren nodded, pondering what it would require of him.

"It's worth a shot." Hale finally said, hoping it would work. "But you folks may want to go back into the house. This might get painful for you."

A bit disgruntled at being sent away, Bo and Dyson slowly nodded their consent. Only Kenzi remained behind.

"You especially, Kenzi." Hale warned.

"I know. I just wanted to…umm…wish you luck." She clenched her hand and held it out. "Fist pump for luck?"

Smiling, Hale formed a fist and connected his clenched fingers with Kenzi's.

"For luck." He repeated, watching the young human woman skip after the two fae. Leaning down, he carefully unwrapped Dyson's coat and looked at the Medusa. "I hear you…I hear your song. It's time for you to hear mine."

Starting quietly, Hale whistled his song. Incrementally, he increased his pitch, his tone, his volume. The trees nearby started to shake and quiver at the vibrations of sound surrounding them. If the siren didn't know better, he would have thought the plants were trying to aide him. Reaching out, he touched a birch tree, its silvery skin glowing softly in the moon's light. The branches trembled slightly before Hale's own song was amplified by the power of nature.

Hale clutched at the tree, starting to feel dizzy at the lack of oxygen beginning to burn in his lungs. Or so he thought. The statue head began to blur. A soft cracking sound reached his ears and Hale's song grew louder. The Medusa would not win. There was large splintering noise and multiple fissures appeared on the face of the Medusa. She shook, with either rage or determination. One last blast from Hale and the Medusa head fractured into bits of useless, powerless stone. A wisp of green escaped upwards, shrieking in dismay before dissolving into nothingness.

"Was it something I sang?" He called out.

Slumping against the birch, Hale patted it lightly.

"Thank you, my friend." He whispered to the tree. Gently, he whistled in the direction of the house, knowing that Dyson would hear his call. He never chose to remark to his partner that it was akin to whistling for a dog. In a few moments, he was rewarded by his friend's return, the two women alongside him.

The group looked at the small pile of rubble lying on the ground.

"She's gone?" Bo asked.

"She should be." Dyson said.

"But what about Arthur?" Kenzi pointed at the statue. "Stoner boy is still…stoned." The woman knocked on the statue's head.

A quiet moan reached their ears. Bo, Dyson and Kenzi looked at Hale.

"Wasn't me." The siren protested. "I'm too manly to voice my complaints so publically."

The group looked over at the statue of Arthur Dawkins and gaped as it began to soften in hue and bend. It wasn't long before his stone skin was replaced by flesh. He looked at the group wildly before collapsing to the ground

"What happened to me?" He asked faintly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"What do you remember?" Bo asked, kneeling beside him.

"I was walking through the park. Then I was here. And I saw you…heard you…but couldn't say anything."

Dyson's lips thinned. It was time to call in The Ashe's team of helpers to clean up the mess.

"Come with us." He ordered, his voice brooking no discussion. "We'll help you through this."

"Like I have a choice." Arthur replied, standing up on shaky legs. "I don't even know where I am."

-\- Lost Girl -/-

Celtic music kept a lively tune in the Dell. Fae of all sorts laughed, sang and danced about the bar…except in a semi-private booth off towards the back. There a group of four sat in seclusion. Hale and Kenzi each sat on wing chairs at the end. Hale had his feet firmly on the ground, his brown eyes taking in Kenzi's posture, draped over the arms of the chair across from him. Between them, on the over stuffed sofa, sat Bo and Dyson. Dyson's feet were propped up on the coffee table while Bo tucked her legs neatly beneath her.

"The Ashe is taking care of Arthur and Bill. Arthur will be returned to his parents tomorrow and remember nothing but cutting through the park. We'll say he had a fall, bumped his head…"

"And couldn't be put together again?" Kenzi piped up.

Dyson grinned at the woman.

"Something like that."

Bo's brown eyes narrowed. If SHE had said that, Dyson would have sighed or glared at her. It wasn't fair that Kenzi got away with things like that. Bo knew she wasn't threatened by Kenzi when it came to Dyson…but she was jealous that he allowed her human roommate more tolerances than her.

Dyson's gaze flicked over to Bo and he knew immediately what she was thinking. Kenzi was like a kid sister to him and a human to boot…his expectations of her were less than those he had of Bo. Not to mention his desires…he desired much of Bo…more than he could afford to feel. It was unfortunate that he didn't see that his tight control over himself resulted in a tight leash over Bo.

"What about Bill Mercer?" Bo asked.

"The statues have been removed from his garden and are now in a secure area with the Light fae. We've dubbed them stolen property and told him that they've been returned to their rightful owners."

"Medusa's gone, right?" Kenzi's innocent question had Dyson raising a pale eyebrow.

"That one Medusa is gone." Trick said, carrying over a tray of assorted beverages for the group. "There are as many Medusa statues as she had heads. The good part is that the surviving Medusa's felt the demise of their sister and are probably more cautious now about their…victims…fae and human." Having imparted that glorious news, the gnome returned to his position behind the bar.

Kenzi lifted her drink and toasted Hale.

"Here's to our hero with the magnificent song." She called out.

Bo and Dyson hoisted their own drinks up to him. The siren looked both pleased and embarrassed.

"How about here's to teamwork?" He asked, smiling at the group. "We probably couldn't have solved this if we hadn't all worked together."

"Yeah, we do make a pretty good team." Bo elbowed Dyson. "Wouldn't you agree?"

The were-fae softly smiled his acknowledgement. With the case over and things looking quiet for the time being, he was hoping it would allow him the time to regain his control over his own senses when it came to the succubus.

The group looked up at a soft shuffling sound.

"Doriana!" Bo said happily, looking at the older woman. Gaius was clinging on to her arm. "What brings you up top?"

"I came to visit my friend but it appears he wants to return to The Shadows."

Gaius nodded. "Too much has happened up here…too much has yet to occur."

Grey eyes looked directly at Bo, their watery appearance momentarily gone.

"The Medusa was not lying about what was said to your father. She knew them to be true. I don't now how. I don't know why they were said."

Across the bar, Trick's eyes held Dyson's. The were-fae was convinced the gnome could hear what was being said.

Bo inhaled sharply.

"Come my friend, let's go home." Doriana tugged on Gaius's arm. He held firm.

"Sometimes Light and Dark do get along, Bo…and not just by playing in The Shadows." The old fae said. "It would serve you well to remember that."

Doriana's head of grey hair bobbed in agreement.

"Feel free to come visit me any time, Bo." The woman offered pleasantly. "I think we have much to talk about."

Bo could feel a growl starting up within Dyson and she looked at him, puzzled at the reason behind his reaction. Was he upset that she would learn more about him? Was he concerned that she would venture into The Shadows to discover information about her past? Was there something else troubling him?

On impulse, she grabbed Dyson's hand and looked at the female were-fae, "We would be pleased to visit you, Doriana."

A satisfied grin appeared on Doriana's weathered face.

"You are what I thought you were." She said and turned to leave, Gaius holding on to her arm.

"What was that about?" Kenzi asked, wiggling her fingers in the air. "I was picking up on a lot of vibes."

"Nothing important." Dyson snapped lightly, trying to tug his hand out of Bo's. The succubus arched a dark eyebrow, allowing Dyson to struggle for a few moments before she released him. It was a subtle reminder that he wasn't the only dominating alpha presence in the room.

"Uhh…let's go play some pool." Hale stood up and looked pointedly at Kenzi. She took one look at the two on the couch and scrambled off her chair to follow the siren.

"We need to talk." Dyson muttered.

"Your place or mine?" Bo's question was poised coyly, hiding her inner thoughts.

~ Please…please don't reject me. ~

~ One more night…one more night can't hurt...she's ours. Control can wait until tomorrow. ~ The inner wolf howled at Dyson.

"Mine." His blue eyes glinted as he stood up from the couch, holding out his hand. His nostrils flared at the meaning behind the use of the word 'mine'…his place and Bo was his. That was how it should be. Regally, Bo placed her own hand in his hoping he didn't detect the tremor. She should have known better.

"You okay?" He asked cautiously.

~ I can't tell him I'm scared he'll shut me out. I can't tell him I'm afraid he'll walk away from me. ~

Bo smiled brightly at her…lover. He was not her mate. He was her bedfellow for the time being.

"Of course…just hungry."

A knowing look appeared on Dyson's face as they quietly left the Dell, ignoring the stares from the pool table and not seeing the intense gaze from behind the bar.

[Author's Note – That wraps up 'Playing With Shadows'. I hope you enjoyed it. Real life is usually quite draining this time of year for me with lots of travelling for work. These last two chapters were written in such exotic places like Fort Smith, Arkansas…Winnipeg, Manitoba….Whitby, Ontario…Tampa, Florida…and all the airports in between, but I tweaked them once I returned home and had the time to focus on making sure the 'flow' was just right. I've also started up a second story that will probably include The Shadows and Doriana (I just totally adore her for some reason). Keep your eyes out for it!

~ R ~]

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