Thirteen/Epilogue

Bo tip-toed across the room, pulling off her boots and laying them softly on the ground beside the bed so that they wouldn't make a noise. Next she unzipped her pants and struggled out of the tight leather, smiling to herself as she cursed that particular fashion choice. Without taking her eyes off Lauren as she slumbered, she pulled her tank top over her head and unhooked her bra.

Bo frowned, conflicted between wanting to let Lauren sleep and needing to wake her up. Morning seemed like such a very long time to wait until she could talk to her, or touch her. But then Lauren again was the sort of person who relaxed so rarely that it would be criminal to interrupt a deep sleep. Bo decided to let Lauren continue resting and congratulated herself on her selflessness as she crawled into bed. It took a saint to make such a decision - especially when the sheets were half off - exposing the very appealing view of Lauren in only a T-shirt and her underwear.

Bo was still reflecting on how she was turning out to be a really Good Girlfriend when the lifeless form suddenly became very active, flipping her over onto her back and pinning her arms gently above her head before letting them go. Bo released a noise somewhere between a gasp of surprise and a moan as Lauren kissed her, her lips warm and velvet, making her own lips feel sensitive and raw through the magic of their contact.

"You're awake," Bo said, gleefully stating the obvious.

"I was waiting for you," Lauren said, her hand sliding over hip and waist as she leaned back in for another taste of Bo's lips.

Bo could feel the smile on her own face, big enough to split it in two.

The first time they'd gone out on a date had been an abject failure. They'd awkwardly worked their way through a dinner at a fancy restaurant; unsure how to behave around one another after all the complex history and in such a different setting. Bo, out of her depth among more sophisticated guests, had felt herself withdrawing. She worried that she might not be able to live up to Lauren's expectations. She'd never much thought about the fact that they came from such different worlds. Everything she said sounded silly so she thought it might be better to not speak at all and concentrated on trying not to make a fool of herself.

By the time they'd left the restaurant she'd felt dispirited, and hoped that Kenzi would be home to join her in commiserations and a drink. She was conscious of the way she'd dressed down to the lacy black underwear she'd worn, full of delicious anticipation for being with Lauren again. Now she was beginning to assume that they were going to part ways at the end of the night because it was hard to imagine anyone making the first move. She didn't have the heart to try - not when she was starting to feel sure of rejection. Lauren's aura, usually burning bright, tonight was clouded and unreadable.

She'd offered Lauren a ride home and when she pulled over to the side of the road she cut the engine hopefully; maybe they could at least share a goodnight kiss and salvage something. Finally she'd seen Lauren's energy leap towards her as she'd moved in and she felt a sense of her own power over Lauren, for which she did not need to rely on tricks.

They hadn't made it upstairs the first time; there hadn't been time to stop. Bo had climbed over to straddle Lauren in her seat and they'd made love like desperate teenagers, Bo's shirt and bra pushed up and her pants unbuttoned roughly, Lauren's fingers stroking her towards ecstasy. Afterwards they'd laughed in bed over their disastrous evening, Bo discovering that Lauren had felt just as out of place dining there. They agreed they'd never try for formality again.

She pushed her hands up Lauren's shirt, feeling the warm skin against her palms, opening her mouth to invite Lauren in. In some ways this was her favourite part – right when she knew the tenderness was going to turn into something different. Something as sweet as it was fierce and vital.

Bo arched her back, pushing herself harder into Lauren, and was rewarded when Lauren moved down to graze her softly with her teeth, tongue flicking over her breast. She put a hand out to stroke Lauren's arm, her legs moving against the bed, her heel digging into the sheet as she strained against it.

They'd been out together walking through the park, their arms linked in one another's happily, their bodies singing with the aftershocks of another night of exploration and the kind of sweet nothings that would make Kenzi gag. Lauren had noticed a passing jogger slowing down besides them and assumed that it was another person drawn by the allure of Bo. She'd had to learn to laugh at it – it would drive her crazy otherwise.

"Well look at you two love birds," the voice was warm, deep and sarcastic.

Lauren's head snapped around and she saw Ava standing there, panting as she tried to catch her breath. She looked between her and Bo, who was glowering at her.

"How are you both?" Ava asked, with a hand on her hip,as cocky as ever.

"Busy. And you're interrupting actually," Bo said abruptly, a hand possessively around Lauren's waist. Lauren had told her everything and Bo had been less than impressed; understanding how much Ava had been pulling her strings especially at the ball.

"It's okay," Lauren said quietly to Bo, and stepped aside with Ava to talk. She looked over her shoulder to see Bo watching with a pissed expression. She drew comfort from knowing that it wasn't at all directed at her, because every time Bo's eyes passed back towards her from Ava the expression melted.

"It's working out?" Ava said, clearly already knowing the answer. Her senses drifted outwards to taste the air and there was no need for longing now, the space between Lauren and Bo filled with nothing but pure love. Lauren nodded. She felt a surge of warmth towards Ava. She was way too arrogant and she'd played games especially with Bo, but she had helped things along in her own way.

"You helped me through a rough time. I'm sorry I haven't called. We should catch up for a drink sometime."

"Sure," Ava said, knowing that Lauren would probably never reach out to her again, not really. And that was fine, because there were always more lonely people in the world. She hugged Lauren spontaneously. Her feelings towards love were forever mixed – it robbed her of what she needed, but she'd seen so much sadness that it left her with a type of satisfaction whenever people finally got their shit together. Even more so when it was an unlikely love; when people would say that they were stupid for trying.

"Be happy," Ava said. She looked back over at Bo who was glaring furiously at her, and indulged herself one last time by throwing her a wink.

Bo tugged at the bottom of Lauren's shirt and pulled it over her head, taking in the vision of Lauren's exposed breasts and shoulders and upper arms.

Lauren was looking down at her with a similar shade of wonder. Her fingers drank in the soft planes of Bo's stomach and felt the way her waist tapered inwards. "How do you do that? You get more beautiful every time I look at you."

"It's one of my powers," Bo joked, pulling Lauren back down towards her, her hand bunched gently in Lauren's hair. She sighed when met with the sensation of Lauren's naked skin against her own. Lauren's palm came down between them and pressed against her before being swiftly removed, teasing her with the promise of what would come.

Bo took control, turning Lauren over onto her back. She ground against Lauren as she kissed her and then licked her way down Lauren's body, thrilling at starting to see Lauren come undone.

It hadn't been easy, negotiating how this was actually going to work. At first Bo hadn't want to talk about it – she just wanted to have a normal relationship without having to worry about the things other people took for granted. Like not having to sleep with other people just to stay healthy.

"I feel like we need to talk about this, otherwise it's going to become an issue," Lauren pushed.

"Can't we just enjoy this for a while first?" Bo replied.

Lauren sighed. "Bo, I'm always telling you that you have to feed for a reason. That hasn't changed just because we're together. If anything it's more important than it's ever been."

"Why?"

"You know why, because you could end up hurting me or getting sick yourself if you don't do it," Lauren brushed some of Bo's hair from her face. She knew Bo was just being contrary because she didn't want to discuss it. "We can handle this, we just need to establish some ground rules."

"Ground rules, like what?"

"Well, there are a few things that would be important to me. I guess I just want you to be open about it, no secrets . . . only no details either, I guess, I wouldn't want that. And obviously it goes without saying that you wouldn't feed from anyone else on an ongoing basis."

"That's not even a question, Lauren. It's an insult that you would even say that," Bo snapped.

"I'm just trying to be honest, and communicate," Lauren defended herself. "It would be good if you'd tell me what I can do to help. What you need from me."

"No thanks. I can't just make a list for you about something this. I don't know how you can be so cool about it either. If it were the other way around I don't think I would be able to deal with it," Bo stated. She said a hasty goodbye, gave a distracted kiss, and left a frustrated Lauren behind.

They faced one another sitting up, Bo's legs wrapped around Lauren's waist, Lauren holding her in place with her free arm, strong and sure. Lauren was fixing her with a familiar penetrating expression that made her feel like she was all Lauren could see or think about. Bo never wanted to close her eyes against it but found that she couldn't help but do so, needing to feel everything without distraction.

She moved with Lauren's thrusts, losing herself in the feeling of Lauren around her fingers. She tried desperately to keep her attention on Lauren's pleasure though it was near impossible when she was so close, her movements becoming unfocused, but it didn't matter. Lauren was sucking then biting at her neck, and she felt herself shudder though she had left it for a moment, concentrated down to a surge of white light. She allowed herself seconds for a recovery, slack and sated, kissing Lauren's mouth tenderly. Soon she was pushing Lauren back impatiently, wanting to taste her.

It had become almost easy to resist the urge to feed. It was reflexive, and she no longer worried about whether or not she were going to be able to control herself. Her confidence had grown with every time until she knew that she could do anything; she knew that Lauren's faith in her was justified.

They hadn't spoken for almost a day after that. Lauren had waited patiently for Bo to come back, once she'd been alone with her fear and her demons. Now Lauren kissed her, pouring everything into it. She knew what place Bo's anger was coming from – hatred for herself and what she was. No matter how long it took, she wanted to help Bo accept herself. She wanted Bo to love what she was as much as she did.

"Do you think it doesn't kill me to think about you with other people? It rips my heart out too. But I love you, and I want us to work together on this. We can find a way to make this okay," Lauren insisted.

"Okay," Bo said, her throat a little thick with tears. "Thank you." She paused for a moment. "Did you mean to say that?"

"Depends on your response," Lauren said wryly, smiling with what looked like it might be false bravado.

She'd imagined hearing those words but hadn't banked on their power. Now she knew that she could say them any time she wanted. She didn't have to whisper, she didn't have to mouth them to herself to see how they sounded. She could say them out loud.

"I love you too," Bo blurted out, elated.

She lay safe inside Lauren's arms, and smiled.