Bo is waiting for her when she gets home. It's a surprise but not completely unwelcomed. Lauren curses herself for feeling a slight giddiness at the prospect of seeing her girlfriend. Bo had always had the ability to make her completely succumb to her emotions. She used to think of it as a good thing. Now she can barely remember when she considered herself to be worth more than compromises and second chances.
Bo is sitting nervously on the sofa, bright eyed and so beautifully enduring. Her expression is thick with regret and she's fiddling with the fabric on her pants. She spots Lauren lingering by the doorway and quickly stands. "Lauren," she says softly.
Lauren doesn't reply, she merely removes her jacket and walks to the kitchen to get a much-needed glass of wine. Bo follows her, reminding Lauren of a puppy returning home with its tail between its legs.
"Listen Lauren, I know I've been the worst girlfriend in history lately. But now this whole dawning thing is over—"
"This isn't about the dawning, Bo," she interrupts. "This is about the fact that we're kidding ourselves." At Bo's confused expression she elaborates, "This isn't working."
"What are you saying?" Bo asks cautiously.
Lauren takes a deep breath. She looks at Bo and for a moment she wants to backpedal and tell her she's beautiful and kiss her until they both forget how wrong everything is. She doesn't, because she knows one day this relationship is going to break their hearts. Lauren figures it's best to save them both the trouble, and break her own heart now.
"We've been fooling ourselves into thinking that we work, Bo. Relationships shouldn't be this hard—"
"It's been a tough few months, but things will be better now—"
"We're doomed, Bo! We have been from the beginning. And it's time to stop pretending that we don't know how this is going to end," Lauren says, trying desperately to keep herself from crying.
"Oh, and how is this going to end exactly?" Bo asks with a hint of anger.
"I think you know the answer to that."
Bo lets out a cruel laugh. "You know I'm getting tired of people deciding for themselves what values I put on my relationships."
Lauren shakes her head; she can feel herself losing control of the situation. "Well maybe if you made a concrete decision for once in your life we wouldn't have to make assumptions," Lauren spat.
"Is this about Dyson?" she asks rolling her eyes. "When are you going to accept that I chose you? I want to be with you Lauren."
"I'm human!" Lauren cries. "And you're a succubus. We tried to pretend it doesn't matter but it does."
"I don't care that you're human. I love you and I know it's been a challenge but I thought we were working."
"When I saw you today—with Dyson," Lauren begins; trying to explain rationally while Bo was looking at her with that damn intense stare that sends her stomach in knots. "I could see the way he looked at you and I felt like I was standing in the way of two predestined lovers. And now he has his love back—"
"I don't care if Dyson has his love back. It's his problem—not mine. I chose you Lauren and I don't care what anyone else thinks."
Lauren lets herself smile at Bo's naivety. Sometimes she was like a child walking into the world with bright eyes and good intentions. In many ways she still saw the world in black and white; good trumpets evil and love is always enough. It was the very reason Lauren had fallen in love with her.
"One day you're going to realise that I'm not enough for you! You'll look and me and I won't be the person you fell in love with. I'll be older and weaker and you'll be the same. And I don't want to be around for that day," Lauren cries her voice breaking with tears.
"Oh Lauren," Bo says, her eyes softening. "I don't care about that. We have right now and I want to spend it with you."
Lauren shakes her head. "And when my time is up? You'll go running back to Dyson."
"That's not true—"
"Tell me you're not in love with him?" Lauren asks shaking off the tears and finding a stronger voice.
"What?"
"Look me in the eyes and tell me you're not still in love with Dyson."
Bo looks startled, glancing nervously at Lauren. "Baby, you know I'm in love you with," she says desperately moving to grasp Lauren's hands. "I love you."
"That didn't answer my question," Lauren says coldly.
Bo sighs. "I don't know what I feel for Dyson anymore. It's confusing—it's always been confusing. All I know is that I want to be with you. Isn't that enough?"
"I'm starting to think I deserve more than that."
"Don't you think I know that?" Bo cries, looking frustrated. "If I could give up being Fae - if I could spend the rest of my life behind a picket fence with you I would do it in a heartbeat. But I can't."
"Exactly—you can't." Lauren let herself look Bo in the eyes for the first time. She can't quite bear the desperation on her girlfriend's face. "We can't keep pretending I'm enough for you."
Glancing up, Lauren caught sigh of a fire in Bo's eye. "You are enough," she snaps. "You are more than enough."
Before Lauren can respond Bo pushes her back at against the counter and kisses her, Bo's arm slide around Lauren's neck and she can't help but sigh at the contact. The kiss is deep and hungry, like Bo is trying desperately to say everything with her lips.
She breaks the contact. Lauren is breathing deeply, her mouth half- open feeling a strange mixture of confusion and desire. Bo kisses her again, her hands grasping at Lauren's jeans. Bo's mouth is on her neck, almost biting at the sensitive skin. It's all consuming: as usual.
Bo's lips are everywhere. Kissing her jaw down to her shoulders and to her stomach. Her face carries an undisguised expression of desperation and sorrow. Lauren knows that Bo is trying desperately to fight the inevitable truth of their separation.
Bo pushes her against the kitchen counter and Lauren ignores the hard edge as a leather- clad thigh nudges her thighs apart. She moans into her mouth as Bo's fingers scramble against the waistband of her jeans to find Lauren's centre. It's different than any other time they make love. There is no foreplay or lingering. All Lauren can feel in Bo and all she can't think is how much she needs more contact.
"Don't ever think you aren't enough," Bo whispers against Lauren's ear, her fingertips moving gently down Lauren's belly and over the heat that is building between her legs. Lauren groans and moves her hips, desperate to feel more. "You are beautiful," she adds, thrusting her fingers into Lauren and closing her eyes as her hand is covered in the sticky wetness that had built there.
Lauren begins trembling as Bo moves inside her. "You are smart and you are brilliant. You save lives everyday." Bo's voice is desperate and Lauren can barely concentrate as Bo thrusts her fingers deeper. "You are brave and loyal and I can't believe someone like you loves me. You are brilliant, Lauren."
The sound of Bo's voice pulls Lauren closer and closer to the edge. Her head lolls back, supported only by Bo's hand buried deep into her hair. She can feel Bo's breath against her neck as she pushes her fingers as far as they will go. She curses Bo for how easily she can make her so utterly undone.
Lauren comes to the sound of Bo whispering 'I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you' into her ear.
When she comes to her senses Bo is crying against her neck, pressing soft and desperate kisses along her jawline and holding her tightly. Lauren closes her eyes and relishes in the contract.
"This doesn't change anything," she says softly, meeting Bo's eyes.
Bo meets her stare and Lauren catches sight of something that looks like defeat in her eyes. "I know," she whispers.
Then Bo kisses her and it feel more like goodbye than anything else. But Lauren closes her eyes and dreams of white fences and kids with dark hair and pretends that for a moment the end isn't inevitable.
Xx