AN: This is it-phew! Thank you for all your reviews, thoughts, follows, and comments. Especially, especially thank you to Kravn for motivating me to finish, and for your editorial insight and support.

All good things must come to an end-not that this was good, but it does have an ending! Though the journey was long and perilous, I hope it was nonetheless enjoyable.

Lost Girl and its characters belong to Showcase and its creators. I'm just pouring stardust into their sandbox. Cheers and thanks again for reading!

Being a succubus carried no immunity from the dread of night, the fatigue of loneliness—in Bo's case, it held the absolute opposite: the penultimate guarantee of a miserable heart. Her reunion with Lauren went nothing how she imagined—actually, until this moment, she wasn't sure what she expected to happen; certainly not this, watching Lauren retreat from her as if she carried the plague. If not for the pain, Bo would have chased after her. The doctor must have spiked her IV, for Bo fell into a hard and dreamless sleep within moments of her leaving. It could have been only minutes or even hours when Bo awoke to Tamsin poking her good shoulder.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. You think you could rally for about five minutes?"

Her eyes fluttered as she tried to get her bearings. Bo's stomach roared. "Where's Lauren?"

Tamsin wrapped her arms around Bo's shoulders to help her sit up. "Worry about that later. You need to get up."

"What for?" Bo flexed her left hand with a little more freedom and a lot less pain.

"They got us a little bungalow. We're roomies."

"And Dyson and Bruce?"

"They're on the other side of the wall. Boys with boys, girls with girls."

Bo offered a lopsided grin. "Just like camp."

"Wait 'til you see this place. You'll wish you were in camp."

After changing into a cotton tunic and matching loose-fitting pajama pants, Bo, with the help of Tamsin, hobbled from their bunkhouse to the main building. That's where she found Kenzi dominating the kitchen. She wielded the world's largest cleaver in her hand and had been making quick work of a pile of raw vegetables on a thick, circular woodblock the diameter of a large wheel of Parmigiano. Kenzi barely lifted her head to acknowledge Bo entering her space. She owned the chopping block with the precision of a surgeon and the speed of a locomotive. Pointing at a nearby chair with the cleaver, Kenzi motioned for Bo to sit. "If you're going to skulk around here, then at least do it where I can see you."

Tamsin eased Bo onto a folding chair, said a few words, and left.

Bo watched Kenzi spin through the kitchen like a tornado, clanging utensils and banging pots, flipping the contents of a sizzling frying pan with preternatural ease. It delighted her to see Kenzi healthy, glowing, and in charge of her surroundings. Then it struck her: Kenzi didn't have a stitch of black clothing on her body. Bo couldn't help but laugh.

Kenzi glared. "You want to tell me what's so funny?"

Bo waved her hand in a circular motion. "This is not the Kenzi I remember."

"A lot can happen in a year." It came out a little harsh.

Any joy Bo felt at seeing Kenzi quickly leaked out of her. She needed to turn this around and offered a compliment. "You look good. Happy."

"We are," Kenzi answered.

We. Back when they lived together in the clubhouse, the extent of their culinary skills went as far as the telephone and the neighborhood takeout menus. The hours spent in their underused kitchen—or on the threadbare couch or in each other's bedrooms giddy as puppies—the ease with which Kenzi and Bo mined each other's secrets year after year until every gem was out in the open: we used to mean us. But today, Kenzi issued the word like a challenge, a playground shove daring her to say something. Bo searched Kenzi's eyes, blue and cold, for anything reminiscent of nostalgia, a hint that she may have missed their friendship even a little, that she had left a space open for forgiveness.

"Pass me the six inch would 'ya?"

Bo's eyes looked around for a dagger or a blade lying about.

"It's right behind you, Bo. It's the small omelette pan hanging on the wall."

"Oh." Bo reached above her head, unhooked the pan, and passed it to Kenzi.

"Don't look so surprised," Kenzi chided her and continued to chop an array of produce that seemed exotic in Bo's eyes. "Lauren's still the baker in the family. I pretty much take care of everything else."

"So, you and Lauren are…close?" The tremor in her voice may have given away a slight twinge of jealousy Bo was trying to hide.

Kenzi glanced at Bo. "You want to know something? Just ask it. Right now. The next two minutes you get a free pass." Kenzi stabbed the cleaver into the wooden chopping block and wiped her hands against the apron wrapped around her waist.

"Did you two…ever…are you together?"

"That would be what you're thinking." Kenzi swiped the hair out of her eyes with the back of her hand. "She's my sister, Bo. Next question?"

Sister. Another word that punched her soul. Bo stared down at her hands and the fingers entwined on her lap. "What can I do to be your sister again?"

"You kicked us to the curb. You might as well be walking behind the circus elephants because dumping us for your boy toy? That's a hard act to follow." Kenzi dislodged the cleaver from the butcher block and resumed chopping.

"I know." Bo nodded, her head still lowered. "I'm here to make amends."

"What's your scheme, Bo?"

"This past year was the worst of my life."

"I wouldn't call what we just lived through entirely a pleasure cruise, Bo." Kenzi ran through visions of Lauren's night terrors, the parade of rented rooms overlooking the corner of heartbreak and grief, and the thoroughly antiseptic life regularly swept clean of any attachments. Memories were for suckers.

"I need my best friend back."

"Until destiny comes calling again. Then, what? You're gonna drop us and your succu-pants for the next Super Hot Fae that shows up?"

"It wasn't like that…" Bo bowed her head. "Okay, maybe it was."

One by one, Kenzi swept the ingredients into a large black pan, moving the food around as it sizzled. "Did you ever wonder why we left?"

"I've had a lot of time to think about it."

Kenzi lowered the heat to a simmer and stepped away from the stovetop, crossing her arms upon her chest. "And what did you come up with?"

"That I could have made better choices. Ones that didn't alienate you or make you doubt my loyalty." Bo's shoulders slumped forward as she searched for a north star to lead her out of the clichéd apology she was on the brink of stepping onto. She searched Kenzi's expression for a glimmer of understanding, finding very little of it.

"I searched the world for you, Kenzi." Bo stood slowly, wincing from the pain in her body. "I can't take back all the stupid things I did and saying sorry for everything feels cheap. I'm sorry about Hale. I'm sorry about Massimo, who is dead by the way."

"Good, he had it coming."

That was one thing both Bo and Kenzi agreed on.

"There's no scheme here, grand or otherwise." Bo inched forward toward Kenzi, reaching out to touch her arm. "Whatever it takes to prove myself to you, just tell me."

Kenzi recoiled. "You broke my heart, Bo. You. The last person I'd ever expect to. Lauren's my sister now."

Bo rubbed her forehead and kept her head low. Pity didn't solve anything and she detested it. Besides, she collected enough witnesses to her nearly yearlong pity party and what good would it do to add Kenzi to the list? Leaning on her crutch, she hopped in a tight semi-circle and rushed to leave before she broke down completely. The least she could do was save the waterworks for the privacy of her own room.

Bo had almost made it out of the kitchen when Kenzi's soft voice broke the impasse. "Sucks, doesn't it…"

Bo stopped in the doorway.

"…to have your heart cut out of you. I want to forgive you, I really want to Bo."

Bo turned back toward the kitchen, her nose red and her eyes glazed over with tears she fought to hold back.

Kenzi shook her head and reached for a small stack of plates, placing them on the counter. "Start there," she pointed, "set the table."

Bo nodded, the corners of her mouth pulling into a smile. She shuffled toward Kenzi choosing not to say another word. She would do any task, small or great, if it meant one open door yielding onto another onto another, until Bo won Kenzi's trust back. In an instant, she felt something akin to luck rush through her veins.

"Oh, and Bo. Up until a few hours ago, Lauren was the happiest I've ever seen her. Ever. She's had enough harm done to her to last a lifetime."

"I get it Kenzi."

"Do you? Really? She's special and not in that ooey-gooey way from an 80's RomCom. Lauren's the real deal. I can see why you fell in love with her, but I'll never understand how you let her go." She collected her thoughts and gripped the cleaver anew. "So help me, if you hurt her again even I won't be able to forgive that," she said while driving the cleaver into the chopping block, separating the head from the rest of the fish.

Bo took a step back and swallowed hard. So much for feeling lucky.

"Go." Kenzi waved her off. "We eat at six o'clock. And Lauren hates tardiness."

Not even five minutes into their first dinner together and the extreme politeness was deafening.

Tamsin and Dyson sat in the middle, keeping their eyes low and focused on each other or on the table. Bo settled on the end farthest from Kenzi and Lauren, who secretly wished for a longer table; and Bruce waved the flag of neutrality, placating his left and right with comments about the weather, complimenting the cook, and observations on how nice they'd made the place. He'd exhausted every trigger for small talk and eventually gave up, leaving the table empty of food and conversation by hour's end. Kenzi fingered long strands of her black hair. Lauren twirled and tugged on the watch on her slender wrist. Bo sighed, restraining every compulsion to blurt out everything she was feeling. At last, Tamsin blew on the dying embers that Bruce had so valiantly tried to keep burning.

"I'm stuffed. Time to drink. Where's the nearest honky tonk in these parts?"

"You're in it, Tam-tam," Kenzi popped the gum she'd been chewing. "We gots some grade-A Cambodian hooch and an antique music box filled with the world's sappiest love songs. Tell me," she leaned in to Bruce, "were the seventies really that bad? Every other song is just miserable."

"Not every one," Lauren chided her. "Some of them are inspiring and poetic."

Kenzi slammed her palm on an invisible game show button. "Bzzzz! Wrong answer! Poetic is just another word for pitiful." Kenzi laughed and blurted out a song title, "If You Leave Me Now."

"I Will Survive," Lauren stabbed her own invisible button.

"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." Kenzi pounded her fist.

"I Can See Clearly Now."

"She's Gone."

"I'll Never Fall in Love Again."

"You're No Good."

"Okay!" Tamsin commanded, interrupting the escalating exchange. "Kumbaya, bitches. How about no music? Silence is good, too."

Kenzi brought her mouth to Lauren's ear. "That round was mine."

"You wish," she whispered back.

Bo's cheeks reddened and except for Lauren and Kenzi snickering between them, silence returned thicker than before. Their banter proved how much their friendship had deepened—they were both Team Human now, exclusively it seemed. Short of having a door slammed in her face, Bo didn't wonder where she stood.

"Hooch, Kenzi," Tamsin cocked her head and blinked rapidly, her blue eyes steely and focused. "Let's get tanked."

"Follow Mama," Kenzi rose from the table and stepped behind the bar top, with Tamsin and Dyson following right behind her. This left Bruce sandwiched between Bo and Lauren.

"Brushi!" Kenzi waved the giant over. Bruce excused himself with a nod, leaving Bo and Lauren alone at opposite ends of the table.

Lauren rubbed her eyes, stood, and started stacking the dirty plates. As she moved from dish to dish, Lauren felt herself being watched. "You can stare or you can help," she said without looking at Bo.

Bo leaned into the table and rested her chin in her hands, offering Lauren a smile. A warm feeling blossomed in her chest. "Can't I do both?" she flirted, and then remembered Kenzi decapitating their dinner. Bo turned serious. "Or I can just help."

Lauren focused on cleaning up. Bo, at the opposite end of the table, started stacking dishes, eventually meeting up with Lauren in the center. Their hands brushed against each other as they reached for the last remaining plate. Lauren pulled back a second after contact, her face reddening. "Sorry," she offered, then picked up her dishes and marched into the kitchen.

Bo followed and moved into Lauren's space. "I never thanked you for earlier."

"Not necessary." Lauren kept her eyes low.

"You saved me." Bo laughed nervously. "Again."

Lauren removed her watch and set it on the counter. She faced a sink filling with water, bubbles rising higher and higher, and swirled her hand into the soapy water to test the temperature. It was a useless attempt to focus on something else besides Bo. Healing Bo in that way was not something she imagined she would ever do again, especially not here in what she believed was the final stop in her quest to leave her past behind. She could say everything or nothing at all. Lauren sensed the succubus move in closer behind her; her body tensed and not in an all-together unpleasant way.

Their physical chemistry had always been amazing. Bo understood Lauren's reticence but her desire made her weak and overrode any rational thought. If she could hold her, even just for a second, maybe Lauren would feel the depth of her yearning, the abyss of her regret, and let her back in.

Fingertips grazed along her waist before settling onto her hips. Lauren exhaled quickly and, in a panic, she recoiled at Bo's touch.

Lauren shut off the faucet and shook her soapy hands, frantically searching for a towel. Unable to see one within reach, she ran her palms against her shorts, leaving dark, soggy blotches on the fabric.

"You know what? I'm pretty tired and I have to get up early." Lauren stuffed her hands into her pockets, and hurried out the door without saying so much as a good night.

Bo sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. Succubus kicked to the curb.

Bo heard steps quickening and advancing towards the kitchen and while she hoped it was Lauren, the martial rhythm to the footsteps told her otherwise.

Tamsin strode in to find Bo alone with her back to the counter, her head hanging low. "I see you're winning all the ladies." Bo met Tamsin's smirk with an angry frown. "So how'd you do with Kenzi earlier?"

"Struck out. I think she threatened to cut off my head if I messed up again. Can't blame her. I never thought I'd see the day when Kenzi would be so protective of Lauren—it's like she loves her more than booze and—"

"—you?"

Bo peered at her with animosity. Once upon a time she could read Kenzi like a book: every expression, every sigh or laugh, the ballet of her hands in the air— these all amounted to their secret code. Kenzi could telegraph an entire sitcom just by the way she put her hand on her hip. The same with Lauren, every gesture had been a command or an invitation just for Bo: the roll in her eyes, whether her lips formed a crooked half smile or beamed from cheek to cheek, strands of dark yellow hair tickling her brow and forming a perfect curtain to the most beautiful brown eyes she'd ever seen. Now, she understood nothing. The secret code belonged to Kenzi and Lauren and to make it worse, everything she said was met with outright hostility.

Bo furrowed her brow. Tamsin rested a hand on Bo's shoulder. "Dyson and I were just wondering what the game plan is here."

"I don't have one," Bo threw her hands up. "…outside of groveling and swallowing as many humiliations Kenzi and Lauren can dish out."

Lauren was just steps away from the palapa she shared with Kenzi when her breathing returned to almost normal. She ran her hand against her wrist and found it empty: my watch. She left it on the kitchen counter. Going back for it meant risking running into Bo. Then again, she needed that watch both for the alarm and for her work in the field. After pacing back and forth, she cursed herself and decided to go back with the hope that Bo would be gone by now.

As Lauren neared the main house, she heard voices and realized that Bo was still there and wasn't alone. She decided to wait them out, and parked herself under the kitchen window.

"As fun as all of this has been, you have to start thinking about the future, what's your next move? You're still the Queen, Bo." Tamsin bowed her head when she said the word Queen.

"Trick's handling it."

"That was only supposed to be temporary."

"Kenzi and Lauren are coming back with me. I'll make sure of that." Bo rattled with frustration, bouncing the heel of her palms against her forehead.

"If that's the case, I'd grovel a whole helluva lot faster."

Bo turned to face Tamsin. "With Kenzi, call me an optimist, she's at least talking to me—insulting and threatening me—but at this point, I'll take that as progress. Lauren is as warm as a Frigidaire. Do you think it would help if I tell Lauren I love her?"

"Has that ever worked for you before?" Tamsin snorted. "Sorry, Bo, but I am the wrong person to give relationship advice."

"Why? You and Dyson seem to be doing fine."

"Only because he likes girls who can give him a hard time." Tamsin thought for a moment. "You could thrall them, you know. Give 'em a burst of Bo flavor."

"That sounds a bit desperate."

"Well, aren't you?" Tamsin cocked her brow. "Look. Do whatever it takes, Bo. Figure it out. We gotta go home eventually with or without them. Preferably with."

Darkness blanketed the spot where Lauren stood beneath the window. Bo's words stunned her: Kenzi and Lauren are coming back with me. I'll make sure of that. When Bo arrived, Lauren's mind raced through the possible reasons she'd come here. Perhaps Bo had finally come to her senses and was ready to unpack more than a few apologies; but then overhearing she and Tamsin, Lauren realized the truth. Bo was Queen of the Fae now. That would make Kenzi and her chattel, slaves, most definitely property to be taken and moved at the will of the Fae and their queen. Team Human was as vulnerable as ever. Nothing had changed. Bo would say anything to get what she wanted.

Lauren leaned against the side of the bungalow and closed her eyes. "Stay or run," she said to herself, "stay or run?"

In the days following, Bo saw Lauren in the evenings and only then, briefly. It seemed to her that Lauren tolerated her much like a long lost relative who showed up uninvited for an extended stay, and to whom Lauren owed only the most basic courtesies such as Hello or Good Evening. Bo wanted to talk, to clear the air, but Lauren left every morning before sunrise, made a fleeting appearance over dinner, and then excused herself to bed. Even Kenzi found that Lauren's pre-dawn departures were ludicrous and stopped going. Without Lauren there, Bo spent her time sulking and watching Kenzi and Tamsin reconnect. They'd go on walkabouts, not inviting anyone else to go with them, and Bo tried not to take any of it personally since neither Bruce nor Dyson were included either. The feeling of jealousy persisted, especially after Tamsin and Kenzi stumbled upon a beer garden that may or may not have been Fae owned and operated. Bruce and Dyson got in on that action and the foursome never looked back. Somehow, this new quartet managed to achieve the happy reunion that Bo longed for—and failed miserably at getting—with Kenzi and Lauren. The longer it went on, the more that self-doubt crippled her.

One night after dinner, Tamsin pulled Bo aside. "I know things aren't going great, Bo. But I'm telling you, you've got to get your shit together."

"You think I'm not trying?"

Tamsin shook her head, her face stern yet clear-eyed. "I'm not one to tell anyone how much to stick their neck out, Bo. However, I've been talking to Kenzi and the next supply plane is coming in two days. It won't be back again for months.

"So if there's something unsaid that needs to be said, you better get to it," the Valkyrie squeezed Bo's elbow.

"You're leaving. You want to leave." Bo yanked herself from Tamsin's grasp.

"It's time, Bo. And you need to come with us."

"I leave when I want." Bo crossed her arms, scowling.

"Are you really that thick? You're a descendant of the Blood King. It's your des—"

"Don't say it." Bo held up her palms. "Destiny is why I lost my sister and the only real love I've ever had."

"Right, you're the unaligned succubus. You do whatever the hell you want, damn everyone else to hell." Tamsin strode back to the others, fuming. Turning, she said, "And that wasn't destiny that robbed you of your love, it was all you."

"Thanks for the sucker punch, Tamsin."

"Grow a pair and grow up!" Tamsin was more frustrated than angry. "Not everything's going to go your way and the sooner you realize that fact, the sooner the rest of us can get on with it…"

Tamsin turned her head to the side, catching her breath before looking back at composing herself, a rare softness creeping back into her eyes.

"You may not live by the rules but that doesn't mean that there aren't any. Dyson and I, Bruce — we've gotten you this far. The rest of the way is up to you. The plane comes in two days. Shit or get off the pot." Tamsin left it there without a backward glance. Bo paralyzed herself in pursuit of perfection: the right moment, the right words, the right anything to help her get through to Kenzi and Lauren. Tamsin was right. Bo needed to do something. That night, she packed a bag and hiked the quarter mile in darkness from the compound to the bus parked on the main highway. She forced the bus door open, crept inside, and slept.

The door creaked open and the bus shifted under the weight of someone climbing in. She heard Lauren sigh and before Bo had the chance to announce herself, Lauren jumped and let out a little scream at seeing a body where there shouldn't have been one. Bo sat up immediately holding out her hand. "Lauren! It's me, Bo."

"You scared the shit out of me!" She stepped back, sucking in big draughts of air. "What the hell are you doing?

"Looking for Starbucks?"

Lauren parted her hair with her hands, looking not even the littlest bit amused.

"Okay, I'm here because I want to see you work."

"My work? Since when are you interested in my work? It's just stupid human science." Lauren picked up the medical gear and dropped them onto the cot opposite Bo. She kept her back to the succubus as she arranged the bags evenly on the bed.

"Nothing about you is stupid and I love that you're human. If ever I made you think otherwise, then I'm the stupid one."

Lauren sighed. "I don't know…it's a long ride, and I'm going to be busy."

"You won't even know I'm there." Bo hoped her voice came across as sweet not desperate.

The silence that followed terrified Bo and now she doubted the wisdom of stowing away on Lauren's bus. She watched Lauren rub her face with her hands, and she steeled herself for rejection.

"Suit yourself," Lauren said finally, letting out a deep breath as she headed toward the front of the bus.

The terrain was rocky dirty, muddy, dusty, humid—all sorts of uncomfortable for fae or human, and Bo resisted the urge to ask Are we there yet, even after they'd been driving for several hours without speaking. Lauren hadn't told her where they were headed and Bo worried that anything she'd say might irritate the doctor. Bo sat quietly in the front passenger seat and admired the hues of the rain forest whizzing past, while sneaking long glances at Lauren's profile, elegant and lovely, hoping that the chill between them would somehow thaw; and when Lauren finally said Bo's name, her excitement boiled over. Perhaps this was the break she'd been waiting for. But Lauren was thirsty and only wanted Bo to fetch a bottle of water from the back of the bus. After saying thanks, Lauren's attention went right back to the endless road in front of them.

By the sun's position in the sky, Bo guessed the time at around noon when they finally stopped at the edge of a village. Lauren retrieved the two heavy bags and she sagged under their weight as she walked. Bo attempted to grab one but Lauren just tightened her grip around the shoulder straps.

"I can manage," she said to Bo.

"I know you can, Lauren. Let me help anyway."

If Lauren felt anything toward her – malice, love or anything in between – the doctor's button-down demeanor concealed it from Bo's searching eyes. Bo fumbled at every turn, charmless and awkward, succeeding only at creating more distance between herself and Lauren. At last, Lauren smiled, not at Bo (as she had been hoping) but at the slender young man approaching from one of the stilted huts.

"Dr. Jamie," he greeted her by placing his palms together, touching them to his forehead, and bowing slightly.

"Tek. Thanks for holding down the fort." Lauren returned his smile and handed him one of the bags.

"You have brought a friend," he offered Bo the same warm smile.

"She's a visitor." Lauren turned and looked over her shoulder at Bo, emphasizing the word visitor.

"Hi." Bo copied his gesture from before and bowed. "I'm Bo. It's nice to meet you."

Bo eyed Lauren sideways, and snickered at the doctor's obvious surprise that Bo had paid attention to the local customs.

"We've been waiting, Dr. Jamie."

"I'm sorry. The bus is acting up again."

"No, Dr. Jamie," Tek laughed, "you're not late. The villagers are excited. They've prepared a special lunch in your honor."

Tek ushered them into one of the stilted houses. Inside, they found a long, low wooden table adorned with fresh tropical flowers and tablemats of banana leaves. Lauren and Bo sat on the floor side by side, nearly touching. One by one, dishes were presented and Tek translated their ingredients for Lauren and showed them how to use their fingers to scoop the food into their mouths. Bo eyed Lauren's every movement and gesture: she was inquisitive and curious without condescension; she asked about the flowery dishes and broths they set before her, and with absolute delight she sampled each and everyone, laughing when it suited her taste, laughing when it didn't. The succubus feasted on her: when Lauren's slender fingers slid in and out of her mouth as she ate, or her tongue as it ran the length of her bottom lip after every bite, the tilt of her head and the loose strands of blonde hair she brushed from her cheeks with her index finger—every little thing ignited Bo's lust and stretched her self control to its limits. Bo wondered how she ever thought that anyone else could be the source of her happiness. Tek excused himself and for the first time since leaving the bus, they were alone. As the air emptied of Lauren's laughter, Bo noticed the physical pain of suppressing the desire to touch her.

Bo needed a distraction. "Why does he call you Dr. Jamie?"

Lauren cradled her chin in her hand. "It's the alias Kenzi and I choose when we got to Cambodia – it's short for JM Barrie, the author who wrote Peter Pan."

"Ah," Bo nodded. "Pirates, mermaids, fairies."

"You've read it?"

"Don't look so surprised. I know I'm not the smartest tool in the box but yes, doctor, I've read it."

"That's not what I meant, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply—"

"That I'm an idiot?" Bo shrugged nervously and looked down at her hands. "I know what I am."

Bo sensed Lauren shifting, relaxing, her hand moving from her chin to the table. Maybe she would shift her sun to shine on her at last and just look at her, but then Tek lumbered into the house and the moment of revelation was gone. "Dr. Jamie, it's time."

"Duty calls," Lauren's lips pulled into a half smile and for the first time, Bo felt that at least one tiny brick had been chiseled free from the wall Lauren built between them.

This was a village on the fringe of everything supernatural and human, which made Bo's perception of the village all the more sobering. Nearly every patient Lauren treated was missing at least one limb and was disfigured—flesh melted, a nose blown off, an eye sealed shut. Hour after hour Bo observed the tenderness Lauren extended to every man, woman and child that came to see her. They bathed in her attention, showering in the waterfall of her compassion so missed in a village that existed under a drought of despair. Something horrible had happened to them and yet they found their tribe here, on the outskirts of civilization—a civilization that probably caused this misery.

Lauren never rushed, ever attentive and thorough; and as each person prepared to be treated as something hideous and outside of nature, they were flustered instead when met by Lauren's goodness, effortless and complete. Bo's adoration for the doctor and everything she accomplished was absolute. In watching her, loving her more and more, Bo never felt more selfish in her life; and Lauren, never more beautiful. After years of living as a slave, Lauren Lewis found a way to reclaim her humanity. She could be anything, go anywhere, and yet she chose this place. Bo saw it plain as day: Lauren was finally free.

After her last patient, Lauren packed her gear and when Bo offered to help carry them, the doctor let her. They made their goodbyes and apologized for having to leave right away. She told Tek, "the roads can be a bit tricky at night. We need to get going before it gets too dark."

"You are more than welcome to stay." Tek had offered them his hut for the night.

"We'll be all right," she peered up at him and smiled pleasantly, before shooing him away. "I'll see you soon."

The silence between them returned, perhaps out of fatigue or a general unease of being alone again. When she thought she could get away with it, Bo let her eyes roam on Lauren, lingering on every part of her, squeezing her eyes tight whenever she felt the hunger of her succubus rise. Lauren stole glances into the mirror and a few times she caught the neon blue glow of her eyes and the internal fight Bo waged to shake it off.

"You're awfully quiet," Lauren said without taking her eyes of the dark road. "Anything wrong?"

"Everything's peachy." Bo's insides were churning; she knew her eyes were blue and she kept them low and out of sight.

"Peachy? That's a definite exaggeration," Lauren laughed to herself.

"It's okay, Lauren, you don't need to make small talk."

"A simple, 'No, I don't feel like conversation,' would have sufficed Bo," she gruffed.

"Lauren, you seem tired and I didn't want to add to that." She meant it sincerely and maybe talking would help curb the lustful thoughts running through her. "I'll start. Those villagers—what happened to them?"

"Landmines. People just don't know how to get along. That side of the line is mine; that side is yours. Stupid. It's usually some unsuspecting farmer or a child playing in a field. It's just an ordinary day and then, literally, one wrong step—"

"—and they end up like that."

"Yes," Lauren nodded. "Or dead. Sometimes I don't know which is worse," she said, showing sadness for the first time. "They have nowhere else to go."

Bo dripped off every word; it was the most Lauren had spoken to her in days. Her nervousness swelled with the urge to be closer. Bo realized she had a perfect view of Lauren's profile, long, elegant, and to her, ethereal. She gave permission for her mind to wander, to imagine inhaling the fragrance of Lauren's exposed skin browned by the sun, the feel of her lips running along the underside of the doctor's chin, the weight of their bodies…

The bus suddenly swerved and bounced Bo out of her thoughts and her seat. Lauren gripped the steering wheel and after a few seconds of swerving wildly, Lauren regained control and pulled over. The sun had just dipped under the horizon and the sky filled with streaks of salmon and grey.

"I think we blew a tire," Lauren said to Bo as she jumped off the bus. Bo followed her and sure enough, the rear left tire was shredded. "Damnit! These are new, too."

"Are we far?"

"An hour, maybe two." Lauren combed a finger through damp blonde hair.

Bo bit her lip watching Lauren put both her hands on her hips as she diagnosed their situation. The succubus growled and threatened to crush the few threads of control remaining to her; Bo took a few steps back to widen the narrow space between them. Everything about Lauren stole her breath and shred her resolve to stay calm, detached, as if that were even possible now. Bo focused on the thick grove of trees that stopped at the edge of the road.

Lauren moved back toward the door. "I better radio Kenzi that we're stuck. I hope you don't mind camping."

"Camping?" Bo felt her anxiety rise, and the sounds and the pulsing of the forest seemed to intensify along with her hunger. Alone. With Lauren. Oh, gods!

"It's unlikely anyone can help us tonight," she answered before alighting back on the bus.

Bo gripped her hands into a fist. "Hey, Lauren?"

"Yeah?" she called from the bus.

"I have to pee," she fibbed.

Lauren poked her head out the door and lifted her chin toward the trees. "Have at it."

She cursed herself. She cursed her succubus. She cursed the tree roots and branches that grabbed at her ankles as she sprinted in the dark. She cursed the moon that mocked her. She cursed the weakness of love. She cursed the time she wasted. She cursed her whole life and if there was anything else that Bo could pin her frustrations on, well, she cursed that, too; and when she thought she had created enough distance so as to not be heard, Bo cursed the heavens and dropped to the damp earth, sweat soaked and exhausted.

She felt it.

A presence watching, giggling, circling Bo from above or within the trees; she couldn't tell. All of Bo's senses stopped in high alert. Out of habit, she grabbed for the dagger usually strapped to her thigh, only to remember she hadn't worn it since their arrival in Siem Reap.

"Who's there?" she called into the darkness, her eyes searching in the shadows. "Lauren?"

"I breathe and the leaves flutter." Bo heard the murmurs of a seductress. A misty swirl of gold enveloped the space, a shimmering tornado that slowly took the soft outline and curves of a female, steaming with an air of desire irresistible, even to a succubus.

"You're Fae?" Bo managed to get onto her feet.

"To some, a Fae. To others, a goddess. I am the song in the wind, I am the eyes in the shadows. You and your companions sensed me the moment you entered the grove. Do you remember?"

Bo stepped closer, strangely, not feeling afraid so much as curious. "It was you who stopped the bus."

Bo narrowed her eyes at the spirit: liquid hair, round cheeks, lips as full as berries, eyes that shimmered like an endless sea. She moved close enough for Bo to weaken from the heat of her golden skin.

"I've been watching the healer," the spirit hovered, "and you, Ysabeau."

Bo stepped back, the spirit's sudden familiarity unnerving her.

"Succubus unaligned…" The spirit's voice entranced Bo. "You are known."

"What do you want from Lauren?"

"What do you want from her?"

"She is special to me," Bo swayed, light-headed and euphoric.

"She is indeed special, to many. She is the light of the light. We have known about her since she ran…from you."

Bo swallowed hard. "You brought her here?"

"She chose us. But, I will not lie. There were messengers sent along the way. For generations, these lands were plagued by genocide. My kind fled or stayed behind to die. We feed on what mortals call the milk of human kindness—which the doctor has brought back to us."

"You mean you're using her."

"No more than you," the spirit answered, her voice sweet and smooth.

"That isn't true."

"Yet, you want to take her back. And what kind of life do you expect her to have if she returns with you?" said the spirit, pulling away. "The healer is human. Someone will always try to own her…even you."

Bo shivered at the spirit's accusations. "I love her. I want to protect her. "

"She doesn't need your protection," she laughed. "The healer thrives without you…she has more than earned her place with us. Can you say the same?"

The apparition turned and faced Bo head on. As her movements slowed, her form sharpened, becoming more and more human: exquisite, ripe, and radiating pleasure and comfort.

"You want her to be free but not too free." Bo heard the earth snap as the woman edged closer, close enough to bump the tip of Bo's nose with her own.

"I know this story," the woman dipped her head, remembering something painful or pleasurable, Bo wasn't sure which. She stroked Bo's hair, humming softly and sweetly.

Bo reeled from the scent of summer rising from her skin, green and light.

"Feed from me," the spirit said gently, caressing Bo's cheek with her fingertips.

"After what you just said, why would you help me?"

She brushed her lips upon the length of her neck. "Your sadness is my elixir. It is born of your devotion, one I know very well. I lived with the happiness of being in love and the unhappiness when my love was not returned. Accept my empathy as a gift in honor of your doctor. In honor of the hope she brings to this place."

"Who are you?" Bo gazed at her.

The woman withdrew and revealed the fullness of her nature. Yes, she was exquisite, teasing and sensual—a magnificent physical specimen that could satisfy even the most discerning epicurean's tastes for pleasure. But there was also tenderness that softened the boldness of her features and it was this, this aura of benevolence that made her truly beautiful.

"I am Parvati," she pulsed with a brilliant light, "consort and second wife of the God of the Gods. My gift is transformation. I can be what my lover wants me to be. I can be whatever you want me to be."

Effortlessly, she morphed into the body of a Nordic blonde. "Shall I be the Valkyrie?"

She shifted again. "A wolf?" The giant? The survivor?"

Bo pressed her back against a tree, mesmerized, as she changed easily from Tamsin, Dyson, Bruce, and Kenzi.

"I can be the healer," Parvati pressed within inches of Bo, shifting into a perfect recreation of Lauren Lewis. Bo reached for the doctor, her eyes tearing up at the sight of the weight of love within Lauren's eyes, dark and smoky, every bit as beautiful and hopeful as the day they met. She felt herself falling forward, crashing, and taking Lauren into her arms. Just as suddenly, she pushed back and held Parvati at arm's length.

"No, anyone but Lauren. Be someone I don't know. Be a stranger," Bo eyes filled with tears.

"As you wish." Bo absorbed the outline of her body as Parvati shifted to her original form, a graceful, dancing apsara, shimmering as an invitation for the succubus to rest, release her desires, to be free. Bo poured all her longing into this woman—her tears, her lust, and the unbearable toll she carried at having broken Lauren's heart.

Lauren worried when Bo didn't return. She grabbed a torch and searched for her, moving deeper and deeper into the thick arms of the forest. Just as she was ready to turn around, she saw Bo pressed tightly against the body of a woman. Lauren was near enough to hear their ragged breaths. She stepped closer only to recoil in terror.

That is me. How can that be?

"No, anyone but Lauren. Be someone I don't know…" She heard her words, and saw Bo push back. Still reeling from the sight, her stomach lurched as her twin transformed into Lauren's complete physical opposite. She held her breath as their mouths collided, hands and limbs groping, their breath accelerating as Bo pulled a thin, electric ribbon of blue from the woman's lips.

Lauren's stomach boiled. She raced back stopping once to retch at the side of a tree, the taste of bile sour on her tongue. The earth shifted and spun. She stumbled in the darkness confused, confusion turning into a strange sense of self-mockery. That she was still in love with Bo surprised no one, not Kenzi, not herself. Trying to forget her was pointless no matter what corner of the globe Lauren traveled—and she loathed herself for it. It had been difficult these past few days pushing away from Bo but how else could Lauren test her hypothesis? That, in spite of her succubus biology or so-called destiny, if Bo and she were meant to be together in this lifetime, Bo would stop at nothing to win back her love. Bo would choose her.

As her equal and not a slave. That's why she rode along on the bus. That's why she came today.

What Lauren saw in the grove proved the opposite: Fae trumps human, always.

Anyone but Lauren? She had to laugh. Everyone but me.

Parvati vanished into the night as quickly as she appeared. She wasn't sure how long she'd been gone—but when Bo climbed onto the bus, Lauren was already curled on her cot in a deep sleep.

Bo fed from Parvati and with her hunger sated, she was able to think clearly. So much of what Parvati had said was true. Lauren found her second chance. Everything she needed was here: independence, gratitude, even a snappy sidekick to keep her in line, Bo laughed to herself. The Fae would never accept her or treat her as an equal. I have no right to ask Lauren to return to that life. Not when she's finally free. Lauren deserved to be happy. As Bo sat only inches away, the rhythm of her heart enlivened at the sight of her. Close enough to touch. Close enough to hold. She feared and fought against sleep; Bo gazed at the woman she loved for as long as she could—for in a day, she'd be gone.

Forever.

"Well, that was dumb." Kenzi knocked back a shot and immediately poured another.

"Which part? The part where we shook hands with Bo or the part where we paid extra for the pilot to fly a clearly intoxicated Valkyrie?" Lauren sat next to Kenzi, her chin resting on her arms on the counter.

"I can't help it if she can't hold her liquor and besides, we talked about this already. No long good-byes. If she didn't say anything first, neither would we. We," she said, circling her hand above their heads, "are the innocent. I rest my case."

"And you're not in the least bit sad?"

"Nope." Kenzi poured herself another shot. "I'm devastated."

"She said she'd do whatever it takes to get us on that plane."

"When? When did Bo say that?"

"Their first night here. I overhead Bo and Tamsin…the way Bo talked about us, as if we didn't have a choice because we're human. I thought about packing our bags again and taking off…but I wanted to be sure of Bo, of her intentions."

"If she really wanted us on that plane, we'd be on it."

"Then I guess she doesn't want us." Lauren rested her head in her palm.

"At least she apologized. Sort of. To me. Did she, to you?"

"It doesn't matter. She's gone now. So typical—Bo can't make her up mind one day from the next." Lauren shook her head, cast her glance downward and smiled, her face a tumbler of regret.

Kenzi poured her a shot. "Maybe there's another reason."

"I'll never get over her, Kenzi, how pathetic is that?"

Kenzi rubbed circles on Lauren's back. "Bo will never get over you, either."

"Yeah, right. That's why she took off like a bat out of hell."

"I'm totes serious." Kenzi leaned in closer. "I kinda made Bo think that I'd kill her if she ever hurt you again."

Lauren laughed. "Hell hath no fury as a Russian scorned, hmm?"

"What was that?"

"Never mind, Kenz."

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here, Doc. Maybe Bo left because she'd rather hurt herself first than ever hurt you again. Forcing you, us, to do anything would have been extremely hurtful. Bo's wishy-washy and yeah, she's done some shitty things, but she's never intentionally cruel. Bo does what she thinks is right. And we didn't exactly roll out the welcome mat for her."

"Bo's right and that makes me an idiot."

"No, you're not an idiot—"

"—a fool for love, then."

"Okay, that. You're that," Kenzi answered, circling her hand over Lauren's face.

"Just let me be sad about this for awhile, Mouse. I promise not to let it last as long as last time." She exhaled deeply and tilted her head until it rested atop Kenzi's shoulder. "I'm devastated, too."

Kenz wrapped an arm around the doctor and pulled her in closer.

A palpable coldness chilled the center of her heart and Lauren knew with absolute certainty that the light of her love was extinguished. Why keep the fire alive, lighting match after match, when in spite of her hopes, Bo left. She'd been burned again by her own foolishness. Lauren didn't need to run anymore; the memories of Bo would haunt her wherever she roamed and certainly, the rest of her days.

Bo sat boneless, sandwiched between a living meat locker and a towhead pixie.

Tamsin slept on Bo's shoulder, her snores echoing throughout the First Class lounge. On her other side, Bruce pressed as close as he could, which wasn't hard since the couch was barely big enough to contain two normal-sized humans, let alone a Valkyrie, a succubus, and a giant. Dyson stretched out on the floor beneath their feet, using his jacket as a pillow.

Once a wolf, always a wolf.

The rise and fall of Bruce's chest lulled her and for the first time since they left Kenzi and Lauren, Bo had actually stopped crying.

"Do you remember in Istanbul when I told you the story of Layla and Majnun?"

Bo nodded. She pulled Bruce closer feeling the tears returning. "The star crossed lovers? Not comforting."

"Majnun searched the world for his love, and when he found her at last, Layla's husband took pity on them. He allowed Layla and Majnun to see each other, but never alone. Neither could they touch or stand closer than a few feet."

Bo lifted her red-rimmed eyes to look at Bruce, pleading for him to stop.

"Majnun was my friend." He met Bo's surprised look with a gentle, soothing smile. "Yes, I was there."

Bo nestled closer, fearing how the story would end.

"The legends say one thing, but I know the truth. Majnun did not go mad because he couldn't be with Layla—although I'm sure that was frustrating. He went mad because he could not bring himself to say out loud, I love you. He feared it would cause Layla more pain. He kept it to himself and it ate at him. When Layla died, Majnun died, too. But I think he stopped living long before that." Bruce squeezed Bo's shoulder. "Is that what you want?"

Lauren's eyes burned and blinked repeatedly to keep the slide under the microscope in focus. Resting was not an option. The lab had always been her sanctuary and thank god she finally had enough water and soil samples to begin running tests. Kenzi cuddled up to the Cambodian hooch; Lauren drowned her sorrows in science. She suddenly felt the hairs on her arms stand on end and wasn't surprised to hear Kenzi's voice behind her, sounding more lucid than she expected.

"I got a package for ya, HotPants."

Lauren kept her eyes on the microscope. "I'm kinda in the middle of something, Mouse. Just leave it on the counter."

"It's not that kind of delivery."

Lauren rolled her eyes, not really in the mood for games. In truth, she came into the lab to be alone. She turned to give Kenzi a firm but polite—

"I got as far as Hong Kong before I realized I made a terrible mistake." There in the doorway stood Bo dressed in head to toe leather, her exposed skin glistening with sweat.

Kenzi tapped her fingertips on Bo's shoulder. "Still want me to leave this on the counter?" she grinned.

Bo and Lauren stared at each other, totally ignoring Kenzi. "Oookay," Kenzi took her hands off Bo's shoulder and backed away, pointing toward the hall. "I'm just going to help Bruce with the bags. I suppose you'll be wanting to stay for dinner?"

Silence.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

Neither Bo nor Lauren moved.

"Yep," Kenzi clicked her tongue and left.

Lauren stuffed her hands into the pocket of her lab coat, wanting to look towards the floor but afraid if she took her eyes off of Bo that she'd disappear, a hallucination or a figment of her unhappy imagination.

Bo rubbed her palms against the legs of her leather pants. "Just let me get this out before I lose my nerve, then you can throw me out," she smiled warily and exhaled deeply.

"The day I turned my back on you and Kenzi, I lost my family, my life, my lo…"

Lauren felt Bo was going to say love but she kept on going.

"…my every happiness, Lauren. And nothing has made sense to me since."

"So, you decided to come here."

Bo nodded.

"What about destiny? You're Queen of the Fae."

"Was. They'll manage without me." Bo shrugged and took a step closer into the lab toward Lauren. "Destiny's overrated…and what good is saving the world that doesn't have you and Kenzi in it?"

"Bo," Lauren held her palm up. "I'm human."

"And I'm an asshole!" Bo blurted, throwing her arms in the air. "That never stopped me from being in love with you!" Her sudden honesty was as stunning as an ice bath.

Lauren slipped her hands out of the lab coat pockets.

"Yes, Lauren, I love you. I will be whatever you want me to be: friend, helper, cook," she bit her lip, revealing the dimple Lauren had missed so much.

Lauren stood still, the silence between them a wedge.

"Bo," she addressed her slowly, hoping to steady her breath and calm the heart thundering wildly within her chest. "I won't be anyone's property ever again. If this is going to work—and I don't even know what this is yet—then you also need to know that I won't be a runner-up in your life. We have things to work out, no doubt. You being a succubus and me being, well…amazing," she said rolling her eyes, and prompting a laugh from both of them.

"Anything. I'll do anything." Bo lowered her chin and murmured, "Just let me be close."

Her heart won out. Lauren lunged for Bo pulling her into a kiss, not just any kiss, but a kiss as intense as the first swallow of air taken by someone on the verge of drowning, sweet air, an exhilarating inhalation of life. "Is this close enough?"

Lauren pressed her forehead to Bo before stealing another kiss.

"Does that mean you choose me?"

"I choose me, Bo," Lauren answered softly. "I am going to live the life I choose. Be it here or – I was going to say home but I don't even know where that is anymore…if you're willing to take that on—"

"I do. I mean, I will. For as long as you'll let me. My home is you."

Lauren held on tight. "Took you long enough."

"I'm a late bloomer."

Lauren pulled in for another kiss. "Bo?"

"Yes?"

"As good as this feels right now, do you think we could go slow? I don't think my human heart could stand..."

Bo pulls away, smiling. "I get it, Lauren."

"I'm not kicking Kenzi to the curb just because a beautiful succubus decides to finally make a move on me."

Bo leaned away with her arms still snaked around Lauren's waist. "Don't tell anyone, but Bruce is deathly afraid of the dark. Besides, the big baby might kill me if I dumped him so soon for a new roommate."

Their lips met again and again, each kiss dripping with sweet relief. A breeze rushed through the trees and, as if rejoicing at the lovers reunion, the leaves fluttered and applauded in the wake of the wind with such fervor that even a consort to the god of the gods would take notice and be pleased.

Epilogue

Since her arrival a month ago, Bo got up every day before sunrise and met Lauren on the bus to ride along in the countryside. In the evenings, Kenzi taught her how to navigate a stove, a knife, and boiling water. She devoted a lot of time to Kenzi, admiring her skills as a photojournalist—and discovering through Kenzi's lens the adventures she and Lauren shared: Cairo, the Great Wall, Machu Pichu, and too many wonders of the world to count. They ran—that was the truth—and they not only survived, Lauren and Kenzi thrived.

Some nights after dinner, Bo with Bruce and Kenzi drank and wailed into the wee hours terrible, drippy love songs from the jukebox. On other nights, Lauren and Bo walked or sat on the beach, talking, making out like horny teenagers. Their evenings always ended the same with Bo walking Lauren to the front door of the bungalow she shared with Kenzi. Maybe Lauren was still testing Bo—they had talked about Parvati—and while she felt stirrings of jealousy, Lauren could see the need for the succubus to feed. The trust would come; she just didn't know how or when.

Four weeks into her return, Bo finally succumbed to fatigue and asked if Lauren minded if she stayed behind. Lauren was disappointed, as she had gotten used to having Bo's company. Instead of asking why, which she wanted to do, Lauren left it there and just smiled back at her, warmly. "Of course. I'll see you tonight."

When Lauren returned she found Bo waiting for her at the end of the footpath. As she did every night, Lauren parked the bus on the main road and lumbered the remaining way into the compound by an unmarked and rutted foot path barely wide enough for two, full of dips and the roots of the banyans, and not navigable by any vehicle, sturdy or not. The air was thick with wet grass and the early evening hum of crickets. Lauren's hair hung limp and damp and she felt sweat trickling the expanse of her slender neck. She struggled under the weight of the gear and was relieved to see Bo jogging toward her to help.

"The roads are shit," she wheezed. "They're not even roads, really. A road would mean pavement, cement, tar."

"Just drop the gear. We'll clean up later," Bo, said, grabbing Lauren by the wrist.

Lauren flexed her neck. "It's been a long day, Bo. I just want to sit."

"Come!"

"Can I shower first?" Lauren shook the front of her khaki shirt, stained with sweat.

"No," Bo laughed. "Besides, we're all a bit ripe around here. Now, c'mon."

Lauren whined. "This is not how I wanted to end my day."

"This'll be worth it." Bo tugged at Lauren's wrist until she surrendered.

Bo steered Lauren down the dirt path that snaked from the front bungalows toward the smaller huts closer to the beach and behind the main part of the compound. The narrow walkway was slick with a thin layer of mud, and the air clung to their skin heavy with heat and the scent of something vaguely sweet that tickled Lauren's nose almost making her sneeze. Lauren sensed the presence of something or someone watching—she heard laughter as she shuffled by and inhaled the tang of perfume, strange she thought, since by this time she catalogued and memorized every detail available to her senses.

Bo held her hands over Lauren's eyes and navigated from a few steps behind. "Don't peek," she warned.

Lauren lightly gripped Bo's wrists for balance yet she still managed to trip on a few stray branches along the way. "If this ends in a broken ankle, I will kill you."

"Not to worry. If you were to break anything, I know a great doctor." Bo felt Lauren's eyes crinkle into a smile. "Okay, now you can stop." Gently, she released her and placed her palms onto Lauren's shoulders.

Lauren's eyes fluttered open. She stood in front of the hut she shared with Kenzi—which seemed to have undergone a renovation during the day. Odd-sized planks of leftover lumber from the compound's construction were cobbled together with chicken wire and optimism to form a picket fence around the perimeter of the bungalow. It seemed out of place in the tropics, the rain forest no less, and there were just as many gaps in the fence as there were slivers of wood, not unlike the snaggled teeth of an old hag—but to Lauren, it was perfection.

"What do you think?" Bo stood behind her, tentative, waiting for her reaction. "I made it myself."

"This is why you didn't ride along with me today." Lauren's voice skipped with delight. "Where did you get the white paint?"

Bo bit her bottom lip. "I'm not sure it's paint."

Lauren patted the hands still on her shoulders and leaning her head to one side, she whispered, "It's beautiful."

Lauren felt Bo back away. This is the closest Bo had ever been to her front door.

"Well, I'll see you at dinner. Kenzi hates it when I start cooking this late." Bo shifted her weight from side to side.

"Wait." Lauren grabbed Bo by the wrist. "The sunset is amazing. Watch it with me?"

Bo hesitated, then stepped up to the old bus seat on the bungalow's veranda but instead of joining her, Lauren pushed open the door leading inside the cabin.

"The view's even more amazing from here," Lauren glowed.

Lauren looked at Bo sitting with her hands gripping the edges of the seat, Bo's lips slightly parted, and her eyes wide and tense.

"And what about Kenzi?"

Lauren took Bo's hands into hers. "This is about us."

Bo leapt to her feet and swept Lauren into a bruising kiss.

Lauren shut her eyes and knit her brow so tightly one could almost strike a match against it. "I choose you."

"Lauren, please look at me."

As Lauren opened her eyes, she felt the wind in the leaves, the shadows in the trees move and rise together in exultation and approval, a stirring as palpable as the beating of her heart and the yearning in Bo's eyes as they met hers.

Bo clasped her arms around the small of Lauren's back, tightening her embrace. "Once you let me in, Lauren, I'm never letting you go. This I promise as long as I live."

It would not be going too far to say that peace wrapped itself around Lauren's heart like a vine and tugged, tugged as if the troubles of the world were nothing and the pull of happiness was everything, because it was, so much so that Lauren could no longer deny that the one great and epic love she yearned for—one for the ages, one deserving of Neruda and Shakespeare, one for all the Laylas and Majnuns who'd ever loved, one worth searching the world for—had at last arrived, opening before her, and waited for her to say the words.

"I love you," she said plainly.

Lauren stepped away from the comfort of Bo's embrace, waited at the open door, and extended her arm as an invitation. She shuddered as Bo's eyes glowed blue as the succubus flew to her and swept them both into the room. Lauren trembled and moaned at every touch. She stripped hurriedly as the pulse of yearning surged mercilessly within her. They'd waited long enough. The two lovers shred the last of their inhibitions and tumbled and entered and devoured each other with the ferocity of wildfire.

Kenzi had grown impatient waiting for Bo and Lauren to show up for dinner, and she jogged down to the bungalow to give them both a piece of her mind. She recognized immediately the chorus of pleasure that grew in volume and intensity as she neared the bungalow: the throaty grunts, the lust-driven exclamations, the rhythmic thump of a headboard ramming against the wall, and the creaking of wood as it scraped repeatedly against the floor—all of this adding up to the familiar ruckus that usually accompanied Bo and Lauren whenever they were upstairs at the clubhouse.

She grinned and thrust her arms in victory. "Yes!"

Moments later she returned to the main hall, glowing like a full moon.

Bruce smiled at the giddiness in her step. "Are they coming?"

"You might say that." Kenzi rolled her eyes and slid into the seat across from the giant. She placed a napkin on her lap, smiling, her cheeks flush and warm.

"Do you think we should wait?" he asked her.

"I think we should talk." Kenzi giggled. She leaned in to him, her blue eyes sparkling. "How would you feel about moving in together?"

The End.

This is officially the end of our time together. Gotta run!

Thanks for reading. Leave me a souvenir, would ya?