It All Starts With...

Part IX: Strategic Planning

Kenzi woke up slowly, letting herself luxuriate in how good she felt. It wasn't every night she got to go out to a club so goth it made her feel like little miss sunshine. At least the music had been good. And the company.

Boy oh boy had that ever been unexpected. So had the rest of her night.

As she woke further, she became aware of aches in places she hadn't had them in far too long. The rest of her felt relaxed and languid and perfect. The bed she was in was softer than down and the blanket atop her was warm without being too heavy. And the smell that surrounded her spoke very plainly of how the night had ended and the early, early morning had been welcomed.

It wasn't like Kenzi made a habit of going home with men she barely knew, but they had hit it off so well and after going to that little hole in the wall that reminded her of home, she had suddenly wanted this trip to hold memories of the carnal kind. She would make sure to tell her bestie all the details.

A door opened and Kenzi opened her eyes to find two piercing green ones meeting her gaze. She smiled and sat up, not bothering to hold the blanket up as she did. Those bright green orbs followed the material as it slid down before coming back up to lock on her face, pupils dilated and a wide grin replacing the serious one he had started with.

"That is entirely unfair, you know," he said, voice coming out low and husky.

"And I told you last night," she began, grin turning into a smirk as he came fully into the room and made his way to the bed, "that I never play fair. It's no fun."

"And girls just want to have fun," he finished for her. He leaned in and gave her a long slow kiss, pressing his bare chest against hers.

"Mmm, good morning," she said when they finally parted. He just grinned at her, eyes sparkling.

"I haven't had this good of a morning in years." She admitted and that made him smirk. "Oh don't look so smug." She gave his arm a playful slap.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "I haven't woken up with a beautiful woman in my bed for a long time. Where are my manners?" He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers again and brought one hand up to lightly stroke her cheek before he ran his fingers over her hair and cupped the back of her head. Kenzi gave a little moan at the touch and pressed closer to him one arm snaking around his waist on pure reflex.

This time, when they parted they were both breathing a little harder than normal. My god he is a phenomenal kisser, Kenzi thought, her lips practically tingling. Well, that isn't the only phenomenal thing about him, she thought of the night before and fought back another moan. She thought maybe she could see Bo's point about doctors now.

"Did you sleep okay?" He finally asked.

"Very okay." She replied, "This bed is super comfy."

He laughed and the warmth of it slithered down Kenzi's spine and pooled in her stomach. His laugh, when she had heard it the night before, had been part of what she found so attractive about him. The other parts were good too. So good, she thought, looking up into his bright eyes. They were starting to darken and smoulder and more heat began to build up.

He leaned in and kissed her again, this time cupping her face in his hand and seeking gentle entrance with his tongue. Kenzi opened to him and brought her own arms up to twine about his neck. He made a sound low in his throat, laying her back on the bed and covering her petite form with his own.

His mouth moved on hers and one hand began to wander. Kenzi arched into his touch willingly - he had shown her just how talented his hands could really be last night - and things were just starting to get good when his cell phone on his nightstand began blaring Celine Dion of all things.

Cursing fluently in English, German, and surprisingly Russian - Kenzi had only taught him a few things last night - he gave her a very apologetic look, rolled off of her, and reached for the phone.

"Hello," he said and his voice made it clear that whoever was at the other end of the call was now on his list. "Oh, Cendtra what can I do for you? No, you didn't wake me." He sat up partially to mouth to Kenzi the word work with a roll of his eyes. She understood.

"Oh, she does? When? Yes. Understood. Uh...um, yes I'll pass it on. How did you kn- Oh, right. Um, you won't say anything, will you? Oh. Right. Uh," he cleared his throat, "Okay, 10:30 it is. Thank you."

He ended the call, set his phone down gently, then flopped down onto his back in the bed. After a few seconds, he rolled over onto his side, facing Kenzi.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice.

He eyed her for a moment then he just grinned. "My sister has called for a meeting at eleven. Apparently she thinks if she forces The Trio into a room with everyone, including your Bo, that maybe we can put our heads together and figure out what that thing was."

Kenzi shuddered at the mental image of the huge monster crouched over Bo then flying off like it was nothing.

Seeing the movement, he reached his hand out, seeking hers and squeezed it reassuringly. "Ciara seems sure that we can figure it out if we all work together."

Kenzi let out a breath. "She's pretty optimistic isn't she?"

"Yes. But she was also a queen for several centuries and she knows how to get things done."

"I've seen her in action," Kenzi agreed, remembering how Ciara had fought when they went up against the Garuda. How she had nearly been killed to defend both Bo and herself. Of course, Bo had saved them all in the end and Ciara considered them more than even in the life-saving department.

Neither person in the bed said anything for a few moments, both lost in thought. Finally, Kenzi asked, "Are you okay? You know, with this," she motioned between the two of them with her hand. He blinked at her and frowned. She hurried on, a sinking feeling in her stomach replacing the warmth that had been there only moments ago, "I mean, if you don't want me to say anything to anybody, I won't."

He sighed loudly. "It isn't like that, Kenzi."

"Then what is it, Colin? Cuz it sure as hell sounded like you wanted it to be secret."

"I do, but not for the reason you think," he told her, putting one hand up and trying to be calm. Kenzi folded her arms across her chest and levelled her best, I'm pissed but listening, this had better be good, look at him. He didn't flinch. In fact his eyes seemed to soften and he touched her shoulder briefly.

"Kenzi. Look, I think that you can understand that in our line of work, with the kinds of people we work with, the um, dating pool is pretty limited."

Kenzi gave him a grudging nod.

"Okay well... Even though it isn't against Fae law to date or love a human, to most of them, it is still pretty distasteful. At a place like the Facility, there are a lot of humans. But dating someone there is like High School. Once it is known...Ugh, I can't describe how impersonal your personal life gets."

Kenzi raised an eyebrow, "Know from experience do you?"

"No, actually. I know just from observing. I've only been there for a couple of years, just after Ciara brought Lauren on, actually. I got to see what it was like when a break up happens...It was like sharks or...or vultures...circling. I really like you, Kenzi. You're smart and beautiful and you make me laugh. I respect you. I just didn't want your life to be fodder for gossip in that place."

Kenzi wanted to retort, wanted to ask if it wasn't his reputation he was worried about and not hers. But as she looked into his eyes, she saw a truth there that kind of made her melt a little. They had known each other for all of maybe 48 hours, but he was being honest with her. He liked her. Like, liked her liked her. She liked him, too. He was nice and friendly and funny and sexy. This would probably end badly, all things considered, but he had made a very good point. Back home, dating wasn't really something she did. The normals would never be told about the Fae, and those in the know were pretty much seen as property or saw her as Bo's property.

"Please don't be mad at me." Colin suddenly broke into her thoughts.

Kenzi gave him a soft smile. "I'm not. Thank you for trying to keep me out of the rumour mill." She took one of his hands in both of hers, playing with his long, strong fingers. They were surprisingly soft for a man. "I think the whole Tavern saw us making out, though."

He looked sheepish. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"Are you sorry about anything else?" Kenzi wanted to know, that little bit of feminine insecurity raising its ugly head.

"No," he told her firmly, his own smile coming back. He paused and said, "Well, maybe one thing."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," he moved closer to her, taking his hand away from her so that he could reach up and brush a strand of her raven hair away from her cheek. "I am sorry that we have to go to a meeting. I was really hoping there would be time to get to know you. Again."

Kenzi glanced at the readout on his alarm clock. She moved fast, rolling him over and straddling his hips. Leaning down until she was a mere breath from his lips, she said, "There's time. But first, Celine Dion? Seriously?"

*#*#*#*

"Do you surrender?" Lauren asked breathing hard, but managing to keep the succubus' arms pinned. Bo bared her teeth in a silent snarl, her dark eyes dancing with barely contained mirth.

"Never! It'll take more than this to stop me."

Lauren raised an eyebrow inquiringly. Bo continued to struggle, but she didn't let go. This was fun! Even though neither woman could say how exactly a random touch had ignited a tickle fight that had morphed into a full out wrestling match in the early morning, they were both enjoying themselves immensely. Now, Lauren found herself with the upper hand as she straddled Bo and held her wrists.

"What if I made a bet with you?" Lauren asked coyly.

Bo scoffed, "What kind of bet?" She smirked and tried to pull her arms away again, but the blonde held on.

"I bet I can get you to surrender in 60 seconds, but if I let go of your arms, you can't touch me for the entire 60 seconds." Lauren replied, her voice dropping to a sexy purr.

Bo's pupils dilated and she abruptly stopped trying to get away. Her tongue flicked along her lower lip and her breathing became shallow. It took her a several long moments before she could form the words to respond. When she did, her voice sounded like honey and whiskey.

"You're pretty, ahem, confident. What do I get if you lose?"

Lauren's smirk turned predatory and she let go of Bo's wrists. The other woman lowered her hands to her sides. "I don't think there will be any losers in this bet. Now, no touching."

With that, Lauren leaned down and captured Bo's lips in her own. She threaded her fingers into silky sable locks, tugging it until Bo lifted her chin, giving the doctor access to the long smooth column of her neck. Lips pressed along sensitive skin making both women shiver. Teeth pinched the tender skin behind Bo's ear, quickly replaced by a warm soothing tongue and finished off with a tender reverent kiss. Bo let out a soft moan, but her hands stayed at her sides.

Lauren travelled down again, along Bo's neck, finding the pulse point there. Her teeth bit once before being replaced by an insistent sucking and tongue that flicked in counter point to her rising heartbeat. From there, Lauren slid farther south; once she reached her destination she went to work with her tongue alone, making stiff peaks of Bo's nipples. Finally, she moved back to her original position, placing the lightest kiss on the succubus' lips.

"Well?" Lauren inquired, her voice smoky-sweet.

Bo gazed up at the gorgeous blonde woman straddling her. Her dark eyes were liquid and half-lidded, her mouth turned up in a ghost of her customary smirk. Bo's legs crossed and uncrossed unconsciously as liquid heat flowed between her thighs. She tried to speak but her mouth was dry and it took her a few tries.

Finally she managed to breathe, "I surrender."

Lauren flashed a satisfied smile before leaning forward once more and commanding, "Touch me, Bo," in that same tone.

That was all the succubus needed to hear; her hands moved like lightening - one to cup the back of Lauren's head to pull her down for a scorching kiss, and the other to glide down her spine with blunted finger nails to squeeze her tight rear-end and coax her to stretch out. One of Bo's thighs insinuated itself between Lauren's and both women groaned at the friction it caused.

Bo moved her hand from Lauren's head, between their bodies, to cup her breast, pinching an already hard nipple and causing the blonde to whimper. Their mouths warred and tongues tangled in wanton abandon. Lauren broke away first, needing oxygen, but fixated on Bo's neck once more and dipped her head, sucking intently at a sensitive spot.

"Oh shit," Bo hissed. It turned into a gasp a second later as the doctor added teeth. "Lauren." The name was said with such reverence that Lauren felt her breathing hitch and a warm shiver flowed down her spine. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to see Bo writhe in the kind of pleasure she knew only she could give because she knew Bo and knew what she liked, wanted, needed.

Lauren made her way lower, using only her lips, tongue, and teeth to tease and ease and arouse the succubus until a steady stream of random mono-syllables fell from Bo's lips, alternately commanding the doctor to stop and begging her for more. She would leave marks, she knew it, but she didn't care and she knew Bo wouldn't either. When Lauren reached her final destination and tasted what her touches and teasing had done, Bo's hips came off of the bed to meet her. The succubus practically shouted her name as Lauren buried her face between her lover's thighs.

"My god," Bo panted some time later as the blonde made her way back up and rested her head on the brunette's shoulder. Bo's arms came around her holding her hard and she kissed Lauren's hair.

"That was...Lauren, that was...god," Bo couldn't seem to form a full sentence. Lauren chuckled, giving her shoulder a gentle kiss.

Lauren closed her eyes and relaxed into Bo's embrace, licking her lips and smiling as she still tasted Bo upon them.

When Bo at last seemed to catch her breath, her hand began to move, but Lauren caught it at her hip and stilled it. Understanding her meaning, Bo pressed another kiss to Lauren's hair, shifting until they were both more comfortable. Then, just as the sun was coming up both women drifted off into a contented sleep.

When Lauren's phone began to blare just a seemingly short time later, the blonde roused herself and reluctantly detangled from Bo. Reaching for the source of the noise, she did her best to clear away the cobwebs of sleep. Looking at the caller ID, she frowned and answered the phone.

"Doctor Lewis." She tried to make her voice sound less tired than she was. It wasn't even 8:00am for crying out loud.

"Lauren, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Came Ciara's chipper British accent. Not for the first time since she had worked for the Faery queen, Lauren utterly despised how she could be so awake so early.

"Mmm, yes. It's okay. Is something wrong?" Lauren also knew that since Ciara had promised her a couple of days off, the woman wouldn't be calling her unless it was important.

"No, not wrong. I'm sorry, Lauren, I've been trying to get a meeting arranged between all parties in this business. I'm bloody tired of this lack of cooperation. We all need to work together or there could be another attack and we are woefully unprepared."

"Oh. Oh, well, yes. What do you have in mind?"

"I've arranged a meeting of the minds, today, at eleven o'clock this morning. I need you, Colin, Kenzi, and Bo to be at the Facility by 10:30." Ciara ordered. "I've already had Cendtra phone Colin and I will speak with Bo as soon as we are through."

Lauren cleared her throat, "Oh, alright. You... you don't need to call Bo. I'll tell her. We'll be there." There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Ciara?"

"Lauren, is Bo there with you now?"

Lauren swallowed audibly but answered, "Yes, she is." Ciara began to chuckle. "What?" Lauren asked and Ciara's chuckle turned into a giggle. Lauren rolled her eyes. "Just say it, Ciara."

The Faery woman's giggle morphed into a full blown chortle. The human woman rolled her eyes, sighed, and waited.

Beside her in bed, Bo stirred, yawning and blinked up at Lauren. She frowned sleepily in question. The doctor gave her a sweet smile and mouthed Ciara. That made Bo frown more, dark brows drawing together. In response, Lauren leaned down, brushing her lips against the succubus' cheek.

In the meantime, Ciara seemed to pull herself together, though her voice remained jovial.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, Lauren. Really, I am. It's just... That didn't take long, did it?"

"Ciara I -"

"- I didn't even know you two had that kind of a connection. You never said." Ciara said.

"I... Can we talk about this later, please?" Lauren begged of her boss. She knew now that the cat was out of the bag, if she didn't put a stop to it, Ciara was going to give her the third degree. She liked the woman, she really did, but Ciara could often take her mothering a little too far for Lauren's comfort. If, however, she promised to talk later, she could at least have time to prepare her answers.

"Oh, later, absolutely. You have some explaining to do." Ciara was laughing at her again. Lauren forced herself not to growl something unkind.

"Thank you. We'll be there by 10:30."

At that, Ciara was immediately back to business. "Excellent. Thank you, Lauren. Shall I phone Kenzi or do you think Bo would rather?"

"I'll have Bo do it. Kenzi is... I'll have Bo call her." Lauren replied. She really didn't want Ciara to get the brunt of not-quite-awake Kenzi. Bo knew best how to handle that. Especially if the younger woman had been drinking the night before.

"Very well. I will see you all at the Facility." Ciara replied. Though her voice was steady, Lauren could still hear an edge of humour to it.

"Give Stefan a hug for me." She said before pressing the 'end' button on her phone. Then, before Bo could say anything, Lauren rolled over and buried her face in silken brunette locks with a groan.

Confused, Bo began to rub small soothing circles on the blonde's bare back. It felt so nice that Lauren stayed like that for a few minutes and just breathing in Bo's comforting scent. Finally she pulled back, sat up, and broke the bad news to her.

Bo frowned and let out a grumbling sigh. They hadn't had any plans for the day, but staying in and discovering new ways to make each other breathless had been on the top of her list. It amused the succubus to no end how easy it had been between them since the night before. The awkwardness was gone, replaced with genuine pleasure at being in each other's company after so many years apart.

Something in Lauren had changed in her three years away from the Ash. She was happier, more carefree, and smiled a lot more than Bo was used to seeing. She was also a lot freer with the things she said, too. She took more chances with herself. Bo thought of the conversation they had while sharing gelato the day before.

They each chose a flavour of cold smooth tastiness and found a seat side-by-side under a tree. Bo dipped in the spoon and held it up for Lauren to taste. The blonde smiled and offered her some of hers.

"Oh wow, that is good." Bo said when she swallowed the sweet and creamy coffee-flavoured treat. "I should have gotten that one."

Lauren laughed. "You haven't even tried yours yet, how do you know?"

Bo grinned and took a bite. Decadent chocolate perfection melted on her tongue and she closed her eyes, making a soft mmm of pleasure. "Okay, you might be right." She admitted.

That made Lauren laugh again and scoop more gelato on to her spoon. "Does that mean you aren't going to share?"

Bo grinned. "Maybe." She ate another spoonful, slowly, licking her lips when she was done.

"You missed a spot," Lauren told her.

"Where?" Bo asked; she licked her lips again. "Did I get it?"

"Mmm-mmm." Lauren shook her head. She quirked her eye-brow. "May I?" Without waiting for an answer she leaned forward and pressed her lips to the corner of Bo's mouth, flicking the tip of her tongue out just so. Bo couldn't help herself; she turned completely into the other woman to capture her lips. She expected Lauren to pull away - the old Lauren was never big on a public display of affection bigger than holding hands or the seemingly casual touch. Much to Bo's surprise, it took very little time before she felt Lauren's tongue probe her lower lip, seeking entrance. It shocked Bo but she also relished it. The gelato was forgotten for a long moment.

"Well, I think we can safely assume you got it," Bo finally said when they parted.

Lauren licked her lips with a smirk, but didn't say anything at first. She ate some of her treat in the silence and Bo did the same. Finally, the silence was broken, "Today has been amazing, Bo. Thank you for spending it with me."

Taken aback once more, Bo could only smile. Taking this as a good sign, Lauren continued, "I would really like it if you would come out with me tonight."

"O-on like a d-date?" Bo blinked rapidly in her shock.

"Yes. Bo Dennis, would you go on a date with me?" Lauren's voice was hesitant and full of hope. Bo didn't stop to think. She looked up into soulful chestnut eyes, eyes that she had missed being able to see for three long years.

She knew that neither she nor Lauren were the same people that they had once been. Time and circumstance had changed them both. They hadn't talked about that, yet, skirting around the hard, uncomfortable subjects. It would happen soon Bo knew, and it was scary to think about, but in the meantime, a date sounded like fun. It sounded like a lot of fun.

"Yes. I'd like that." The succubus replied with a bright smile.

"Hey where'd you go?" Lauren asked, breaking into Bo's reverie.

The succubus blinked several times to clear her head. "Sorry, guess I'm not quite awake yet." She replied, faking a yawn and rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. "What's up?"

Lauren's smile was only a little bit smirk-y. "I asked if you wanted to shower first."

Bo put on a pout, "By myself?"

Lauren tilted head, eyes briefly flashing with contained desire. "I don't want to be late and if I were to join you, I can't guarantee that we wouldn't be."

Bo let out a huff and muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Lauren asked sweetly.

"Some of us can be fast." The succubus repeated her comment.

"Is that another challenge?" The blonde cocked a golden eyebrow at her. "I would think you would know better by now."

"Maybe I'm a slow learner," Bo responded with her trademark smirk.

"Far from it. You know so much more than people give you credit for. You're not just a pretty face." Lauren leaned down to brush her lips against Bo's forehead. "Now come on, Succubus, if you think you're up to the challenge, let's take a quick shower."

Bo made a happy sound in the back of her throat and sat up, the sheets and blankets slipping from her body. Lauren surveyed the marks that she had made earlier, wincing a little at a particularly dark purple spot between her breasts. Bo looked down at herself and then back at the other woman with a wide grin for a moment. Then she sighed, brows furrowing slightly.

"Uh I have a slight wardrobe problem," she said. "All of my clothes, except what I wore last night are at the hotel."

"I know. But it's okay." Lauren stood up and held out her hand, "Now come on. Unless you don't think you're up for it."

Forgetting her clothing dilemma, the succubus took her hand and followed her into the bathroom.

*#*#*#*

Ciara was seated on the couch in her office when the group of four arrived. Kenzi was laughing at something Lauren had said and despite the situation at hand, the faery woman couldn't help but feel better at the sound. She had been right to call Bo in on this. She did not care if the others involved didn't like it; having worked with Bo before, even in a limited capacity, she knew the succubus was surprisingly good at what she did. If she weren't the Ash would not continue to retain her freelance services. Now if only they could make the Trio understand that.

As the group entered her office, Ciara gave them her best smile. "Hello. Thank you all for coming today." She shot them all - Bo and Lauren especially - an apologetic look. Both women simply nodded in acceptance. "Please, sit down." She gestured at the couch beside her and the three chairs that sat on the opposite side of the small coffee table. Lauren took her customary seat next to Ciara on the sofa, Bo in the chair closest to Lauren, Kenzi next to her, and Colin seating himself beside the raven-haired young woman with his customary ease. Ciara nodded once and reached for the electronic tablet on the table in front of her.

"First of all, I am sorry to have cut your recuperation short, however, I'm afraid that with the attack on this facility matters have escalated."

Everyone nodded solemnly at this. Ciara continued, "I wanted you all here so that I could go over the meeting we are about to attend, in an effort to gang up on the Trio and make them see reason enough to cooperate instead of blocking Bo and Kenzi from information and resources that they may need. Bo, I hope that you don't mind, but I put in a call to the Toronto police in an attempt to get some kind of favourable declamation of all you have done there. I was assured that something would be put together and faxed to the Trio. Hopefully it can show them that your relative youth by Fae standards has no bearing on your investigative skills."

"A lot of what I do for them isn't exactly on the books," Bo interjected with a slight frown.

"Yes I am aware of that but Captain Hale said he would type up the recommendation himself." Ciara told her with a grin. Bo blinked in surprise, but Kenzi barked out a triumphant laugh and raised a fist in the air.

"Oh yeah! Hale to the rescue!"

"Hale is Captain now?" Lauren smiled too.

"Yeah, when he was interim Ash, he decided that as much as he liked being a detective, he was a pretty good bureaucrat. When the office came up, he went for it and got the job." Bo explained.

"That was just last year," Kenzi added. "He is so good at the job we hardly get to see him anymore."

"Kenz..." Bo said, her tone made it clear that they had talked about this before.

Kenzi sighed and rolled her eyes, "I know, I know. He is better positioned now to help the Fae, blah, blah, blah. Doesn't mean I don't miss him once in a while."

Bo gave her friend a commiserating look.

Ciara could help but smile just a little at their banter. "Well, all I can say is that I hope whatever it is that Hale says helps our cause."

Kenzi snorted and rolled her eyes again, "I got the feeling nothing short of brainwashing would make those two ass-hats believe that the Bo-ster and I can help. Getting attacked here probably won't make them more inclined."

"Kenzi may have a point," Lauren put in, "If the creature followed you here, Bo, and attacked, they may see you as weaker and therefore even less experienced than before."

That made Bo frown at the blonde, but Lauren reached over and gave her knee reassuring squeeze; obviously she didn't feel that way.

Ciara nodded in agreement. "Yes, I had thought the same, but since the encounter was not a fatal one and because we have a description of the creature, that gives us some leverage that we did not have before." Ciara paused and looked between Bo and Lauren. "One thing I can't figure out is how it got into the lobby in the first place."

Bo and Lauren exchanged another glance, this one was just a little uncertain.

"What?" Ciara asked and the two women let out simultaneous sighs. "What is it?"

"It walked through the front doors." Bo said.

"It did what?" Kenzi blurted. The others looked equally confused. "That thing was huuuge," the petite brunette continued in her astonishment, "How in the hell did it even get in the doors?" Strangely, Kenzi turned her piercing eyes on the blonde doctor for an explanation.

Lauren nodded her agreement, though her face still held evidence of her uncertainty. It was Bo's turn to reassure the other woman laying her hand over the one still on her knee. Lauren gave her a searching look and the succubus nodded her head once.

She cleared her throat and said, "I know it doesn't make much sense, but that's what happened. Except the creature wasn't that thing everyone else saw, it was a man."

"That thing is a shifter?" Kenzi blurted again. She slumped back against her chair. "Did you at least get a good look at the person?"

Bo and Lauren exchanged another look. "We saw him," Bo said with a distinct edge in her voice.

"Why do you sound so unsure of that?" Ciara asked gently. She was fairly certain she was not going to like the answer.

"Yeah Bo-Bo, what gives? Doc?" Kenzi asked, "If you saw him, you can describe him and give those two doubters something sour to swallow."

"We did see him," Bo said again. "We did. But..." she looked to Lauren for help.

"We talked about this, Bo and I, and we each saw something -someone - different." Lauren finished.

All three of the others turned confused gazes on the two women.

Colin, who had been quiet up to this time, asked slowly, "You each saw a different person? How is that possible?"

Bo and Lauren exchanged another uneasy glance before Lauren cleared her throat and described, "I saw a middle-aged man with no hair and greenish eyes. Apart from that, there isn't anything else that I can recall. And the more I try to remember, the muddier it gets. Bo?"

"Right. I saw a guy who didn't look all that old, with brown hair and green eyes. And just like Lauren, the harder I try to remember anything else, the foggier my memory becomes. It's almost like he didn't have definite form or like he was trying to hypnotize me." She paused and shrugged helplessly, "I think that snake-tale tried something, but he didn't count on old 'Blue' taking offense to that. Sorry we can't be of more help." Lauren nodded solemnly.

Ciara pursed her lips in thought. "Actually, I think you've been more help than you know."

"How so?" Lauren asked, both she and Bo perking up at that. They both wished they could be of more help in stopping whatever this thing was.

"Well, the phenomenon you just described is called 'glamour' and it is an ability that I thought lost to the Fae for many, many years. Knowing this, it will help us to narrow down possible 'suspects'." Ciara explained. "If this Fae is just old, perhaps it can be reasoned with."

"How is that possible? I mean, if this thing is so old, where has it been? Why has it come out now?"

Lauren answered, "I've read about Fae that hibernate for years, sometimes for a century or so." She glanced at Ciara who nodded at her to go on. "Well, it's possible that whatever this thing is, it has been hibernating and woke up to a much changed world that it doesn't understand. It may be lashing out because it is afraid."

Kenzi snorted and rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. Nobody else said anything for a moment. Ciara finally broke the silence.

"Well, I think we have what we need. I've invited a couple of other people to this meeting who may be able to help in identifying the creature." She sat up straighter and looked them each in the eyes, her expression a little mischievous. "Here's what we're going to do..."