Title: All in the Family

Category: Lost Girl, Bo/Lauren

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or the premise of the show. They are directly owned by the respective parties, and some of the dialogue in this is directly credited to the writers of the Lost Girl series. I am not making any money for this, though I am using it to gather research on how fanfiction works within a television fandom.

Spoilers: Up through season 2, though mostly as references out of order. This story is AU.

Rating: M for Mature.

Story Summary: AU. Bo and Lauren meet under different circumstances a year after Bo discovers she is fae. Family secrets; fealty battles; crazy succubus hijinks. What could possibly go wrong?

A/N: This story is an epic novel-length fiction that has a lot of things happening at once, so the pacing reflects this. I also utilize the alternating POV method, so each section is perceived by either Bo or Lauren. Keep in mind that not everything is how we see it.

The single lane road leading to her grandmother's house was much narrower than Lauren remembered; the last time she was down this road was fifteen years ago, before her grandfather had died. When she was growing up, she used to love riding in the back driver's side, behind her father, while he drove them here to visit on the weekends. The small family gatherings at her grandmother's farm were always so magical, an escape from the reality of her father's politics and mother's schmoozing. Here, there were no politicians or housewives to mingle and "impress" for her parents; here, there was only her gram, cousins, aunts, and uncles. The seclusion and expanse of the farm always gave her a break from a world from which she always felt separated.

Driving this road now, as an adult, felt different. Maybe it was knowledge of the world; maybe it was knowing that she was not going to those slightly comfortable and warm family gatherings this time. No, this time her gram had called her for her medical expertise, though she was not sure what she could do since she rarely worked on animals. When she had asked the Ash about taking leave to help her gram, Lauren was surprised when he finally granted the permission. It had been four years since he had allowed her any live visits to see old family or friends; he rarely allowed her the contact via email or phone. Not that they called or wrote very often anyways. Lauren was used to the brush off from her parents and brother and sisters. She was the oldest, but she was the only one who did not follow the appropriate "role" her parents had set for them all. Her youngest sister married a doctor, which was great, but becoming a doctor herself was against some unwritten family gender laws. When she came out of the closet her freshman year of college, her parents did not even seem to care, since they had already written her off when she decided to declare her double major in biochemistry and microbiology. From there, it did not matter what she did. She could never do anything more shocking than not follow her family's legacy.

When she saw her grandmother's house up the road, she felt her body relax slightly for the first time in four years. Her tenure with the Light Fae had proven to be both exhausting and exhilarating. She would never admit it aloud, or even to herself most days, but being indentured to the Ash was more freedom than she ever had being indentured to her family. She felt a certain freedom, even in servitude.

Pulling into the gravel driveway, Lauren felt her body become rigid again. The large antebellum home was still as beautiful and intimidating as she remembered. Her hands gripped the steering wheel even tighter, her palms slick against the leather. Four years with no familial contact changes a person; she had learned that in her mistrust and new role as "chattel" in the fae world. She was not sure she was ready to feel that warmth and love again that she knew was always abundant and forthcoming from her gram. Would she still smell like freshly baked biscuits and honeysuckle? Would there be fresh dried fruit for her afternoon snack? Were there still crayons and a Huckleberry Hound coloring book in the cabinet below the TV in the living room? Would they finally talk about her family's fae heritage? Did her gram know that her cattle were actually underfae creatures?

There was too much to worry about, and Lauren did not have time to find out much beyond that last question. The Ash had given her two weeks, stating that if she finished her work before then, that she should return to the compound promptly. There was no question, no hint of an underlying motive in his voice. Lauren obeyed; she always had.

Stepping out of her car, Lauren noticed that the farm was still the only thing you could see for miles. The snow-peaked mountains in the distance and the vast woods that surrounded them held many memories for Lauren. Her grandfather had bought this land when her mother, aunt, and uncle were still in grade school; Lauren did not know why or how her mother had become so swayed by her husband's lifestyle. Money and privilege from two separate worlds (human and fae) does a lot to change a person, too, she supposed.

The crunch of the gravel alerted her that someone was behind her. Turning around, she expected to see her gram had come from the barn to greet her. Instead, she saw a woman, an extremely beautiful woman, standing there with her left eyebrow arched in question. Lauren must look lost to this woman, standing in her crisp white shirt and pristinely ironed dress slacks, clutching the door to the seemingly sterilized black Jaguar the Ash had granted her for the trip. She had wanted to argue that a truck or SUV would have been better to take to a farm, but she rarely got to leave the compound, let alone drive a fancy car. In fact, when she first sat down in the car to leave, Lauren worried that she had forgotten how to drive. Her initial panic diminished after that initial adrenaline surge mellowed when she first backed out and almost hit one of her nurses, Boston Harpy Greta. After that, Lauren just took a deep breath. She could not decide if she was more nervous about seeing her gram again or from driving again.

"Can I help you?" The young woman, in her late 20s Lauren suspected, brought her out of her trance.

"Oh, sorry." Lauren cleared her throat, trying not to notice the other woman's cleavage that was on display from her top-unbuttoned black and navy flannel shirt, which fit nicely to curves and muscles. Lauren stood straight again and chastised herself for openly ogling this woman. She had not been here for two minutes and her relaxed nature had already asserted itself. This farm always had that effect on her; she would have to remedy that soon, as well. To her credit, the woman did not look like she minded that Lauren had checked her out in the non-professional sense.

"Are you lost?" The woman sighed, as she loosened her stance slightly from the protective one she previously had.

"Oh, sorry." Lauren could not stop staring at the woman. She was gorgeous and obviously knew how to work her assets to her advantage. There was a pull, an attraction that was so instant and breathtaking that Lauren worried about why she had lost her professionalism so easily. She figured, again, that it was being in this place.

"You said that already." The woman seemed amused now, openly smiling one of the most endearing and beautiful smiles Lauren had ever seen.

"Sorry." Lauren felt her blush really reach her neck and cheeks this time. Even though it was only 54 degrees outside, she felt the temperature rise. Lauren took a minute to steel herself again before replying. "I am looking for Gram, um, Mrs. White."

"You're Lauren?" The other woman really loosened then, coming closer. Lauren noted that she smelled like fresh citrus and honey; an interesting combination, but it somehow worked really well on the brunette.

"Ye-yes. I'm Lauren." Lauren cursed her stutter briefly, wanting to keep her confident and professional appearance.

"Bo." The woman moved closer again, this time invading Lauren's personal space. Their bodies were only a few inches apart, and Lauren could not help but wonder if the woman knew what she was doing to her. From her arched facial expression, Lauren suspected the other woman knew the effect she was having on the blonde.

"Excuse me?" Lauren breathed in too fast, trying to catch her cool. On the outside, she knew she held her professional, detached demeanor; on the inside, she was boiling.

"I'm Bo. Nice to meet you." The woman just smiled knowingly, though Lauren was not sure what the woman knew. "Come. I will take you to your grandmother. She is just inside."

"Thank you." Lauren just followed behind her, not knowing what to expect but knowing her nervousness was suddenly gone about reuniting with her gram and replaced with something new.

Though Bo suspected Lauren knew the way to her own grandmother's kitchen, she felt a sort of pride about leading the woman inside. When she had first approached the blonde, Bo just stood and watched the other woman for a bit, noticing how her eyes lit up and her body language relaxed upon scanning the surrounding area. It really was a beautiful place. Eventually, she felt guilty for staring at the blonde, so she approached cautiously, making sure the gravel crunched beneath her work boots so the other woman would not be so alarmed.

"Yo, Bo-Bo! Gram tells the best stories. Wait until you hear about her time with the…" Kenzi stopped talking, thankfully, when they approached. The young girl usually did not stop talking, but seeing the stranger beside her must have meant the conversation was extremely classified. "Hey! How was cow tipping?"

"Kenzi, this is Lauren." Bo noticed Kenzi's feet propped up on the counter, leaning back in the stool. She and Gram both had warned her that she would fall over in the old stool. When Kenzi fell down, she just got back up and continued her previous sitting position. Falling off of a stool did not seem to faze the young woman, and she had seemed to adopt that sitting place since they arrived yesterday.

"Lauren? Gram's Lauren?" Kenzi let the stool fall back and moved her legs from the counter, at least looking somewhat apologetic at letting her boots defile the cooking surface. "About time you got here. I was beginning to wonder if the Ash-hole was going to let you."

"Ash-hole?" Lauren looked mildly offended, though Bo noticed an air of amusement behind her eyes.

"Silly, Kenzi." Bo moved further into the kitchen and laid the fence keys on the counter. "Would you go find Gram? I am sure that she wants to know Lauren made it." Kenzi gave her a look of "who do I look like" before conceding and leaving the room.

"Wow. I cannot believe how much different this looks." Lauren walked further into the kitchen, really dissecting every item and wall pattern. Bo found her look of amused concentration quite adorable. "I'm sorry. Bo?"

"You apologize a lot." Bo smiled, leaning forwards against the counter to watch Lauren, not feeling a bit guilty that the girls were pushed forward more, giving the blonde a nice view should she choose to observe them with that same amused concentration.

"Sor-." Lauren stopped herself and rolled her eyes playfully while grinning. Bo wondered if the woman knew how adorable she was. "I do not mean to sound rude, though I am aware that this probably does sounds this way, but who are you?"

"Well, who is anybody really?" Bo smiled, hoping the woman would pick up on the flirtation. "I'm a…contractor, here to help your grandmother. The Morrigan sent me."

"Oh! You're Dark Fae?" Lauren looked alarmed, grabbing her necklace between her thumb and forefinger. Bo knew that symbol; it meant Lauren was Light Fae. No wonder she seemed concerned.

"Fae, yes. Dark, no." Bo pushed herself from the counter to come around to Lauren, who was standing in the middle of the cooking area. The high ceilings made Bo feel like they were much smaller than they actually were. "I'm…unaligned, I guess you could say."

"Why did the Morrigan send you then, if you're unaligned?" Lauren was looking around, apparently listening for the approaching footsteps.

"How much did the Ash tell you?" Bo could not help but wonder what superpower Lauren had; she seemed so…Bo wasn't sure the word. Besides, she did not want to explain how she was paying off a favor that Kenzi had foolhardily promised to the Morrigan.

"Gram's cattle are underfae. There have been some problems with the meat and dairy being harvested from this farm; humans getting the food are exhibiting…strange symptoms. It reads like mad cow disease in the human hospitals, but tissue and blood samples are telling me otherwise. There seems to be a neurotoxin being transmitted to the human brain, causing major behavioral changes. It seems to be affecting fae, as well, except much more strongly. The Fae DNA I sampled seemed to shift when exposed to the food. I have a hypothesis, but I need to take more direct samples and see if we cannot reverse the underfae before eliminating them, since they provide a large source of sustenance and revenue for the clans." Lauren's facial expression and hand movements were so yummily distracting. Bo could not help but smile at seeing professional, confident Lauren. There was something extremely appealing about this woman. "Something wrong?"

"No, no. Not at all. I was just…thinking about what you said." Bo was not 100% certain she knew everything Lauren had told her; she was almost embarrassed to admit she was ogling instead of really paying attention to the explanation. Science was never her best subject in school. Kenzi would notice the longing glances, though, and scold her later if she did not find a way to curb her hunger around the blonde. She did not think her best friend would want to take her to the farmer's market again to feed, and she knew Dyson was out of the question now. Besides, why would he drive all the way out here just to feed her? He made it clear they were over, and she was fine with that. She had even made friends with his new girlfriend, Ciara.

Footsteps into the kitchen and Gram's squeal of delight snapped Bo back to attention. Kenzi looked at her, worried, probably because her eyes were clouding blue. She should not be this hungry.

"Lauren, my girl! Oh, Lauren." Gram had Lauren enveloped in the biggest hug Bo had ever seen. If Lauren were not taller and skinnier, Bo was not sure she could decipher where bodies separated. They looked like one being; then again, she knew what it felt like being away from family for so long. Even though Mary Dennis had not talked to her for ten years, Bo wondered if her own homecoming would be this pleasant. She romanticized that it would but let her reality tell her no. "Did you have trouble getting here? I know it has been fifteen years. I was worried you would get lost."

"No, Gram. I will always remember how to get here." Lauren's body language finally relaxed completely before she released the older woman.

"I have your room ready for you upstairs. Not much has changed, I promise." Gram hugged the blonde again. "Lauren, thank goodness the Ash let you come."

"I don't think he was going to let me. I convinced him it was in the Light Fae's best interest." Lauren smiled proudly.

"Bo, would you help Lauren with her bags and help her get settled before supper? Kenzi, can you help me prep, dear?" Gram seemingly could not resist grabbing Lauren in another hug before releasing the younger woman to Bo's care.

The two walked back outside to the Jaguar. Lauren really did not need help, as she only had her duffle bag of clothes and medical equipment bag. Still, Bo grabbed the large medical equipment bag and was not wrong when it turned out heavier than it looked. She smiled at Lauren's protectiveness when it looked like she was going to drop the bag twice, but brushed Lauren off when she tried to take it from her.

Upstairs, Bo took Lauren to the room across from hers and Kenzi's. It was sterile looking: plain white walls, plain white down comforter and sheets. There were very few decorations and only a few pictures on the shelves. The rest of the room was covered in books, binders, and notebooks. She placed the medical bag down by the bed and went to help Lauren with her duffle bag, though she knew the blonde did not need help. She just wanted an excuse to touch her.

"Thank you. That was not necessary." Lauren smiled again. This time, it was warm and…flirty? Bo was not sure.

"I know it's, like, some big etiquette thing no-no in the fae world to ask, but I have to know. What type of fae are you?" Bo watched Lauren unzip her medical equipment bag before neatly arranging medicine-y items on the table before removing a few books, notebooks, and a heavy duty clipboard. Lauren just smiled.

"The insatiably curious human doctor type." Lauren's smile could be heard in her voice.

"You're human?" Bo was honestly surprised, as Lauren turned around to face her, placing some paper securely into the clipboard. Bo could not help the doctor fantasy that went through her mind at that simple action. "I mean, your grandmother…"

"Is fae, yes. A Hestian, which is why this place always feels so warm and home-y. So was my grandfather, who was a Gaean. They have been the only fae from opposing clans that were allowed to marry because of this farm. The land is in a marginalized county, away from true fealty and jurisdiction. They still report to the Morrigan and the Ash when necessary, though, since the city is the closest neighboring fae county." Lauren removed her brown leather jacket and brushed it with her hand before hanging it in the closet. Bo found this oddly endearing.

"But you're not fae?" Bo sat down on the edge of the bed and watched Lauren unpack her clothes, hanging each shirt and pair of jeans in the closet. She did not look like she had packed to visit a farm until the blonde removed some tshirts from her bag. Everything looked like it had just been ironed before it was placed in the bag. Again, Bo found this oddly endearing. She usually just stuffed things that were unfolded from her closet and drawers into a bag.

"No. My mother is, but my father is human. I found out about the fae while on a research grant in the Congo. The clans, knowing my mother and grandparents, offered me a chance to serve and I was returned back here before finishing my work there. The Ash was the one who found me; he had respected my grandfather and wanted to extend a favor to him by not killing me once I knew. Plus, I helped them cure this fae epidemic that was killing off several clans, so the Ash saw my potential. When I got back, they offered me a…job…in exchange for my fealty." Lauren appeared nonchalant about recalling her life story, though Bo suspected there was something not being said. She did not know if it was something she assumed Lauren thought she knew. Bo felt so ignorant of fae politics sometimes.

"So…I love your Gram." Bo saw the blonde's brow raise in amusement, though she never faltered from her task of refolding her shirts before placing them into the drawers. "I mean, I haven't met many fae I like, especially Dark Fae, but I love your Gram."

"She is quite loveable." Lauren turned around, seemingly embarrassed as she looked into her bag. Bo assumed she had unpacked everything but her underwear and did not want to do that in front of the other woman. Again, Bo smiled at the blonde, knowing that she was probably sending erotic waves with her hooded eyes from the thought of Lauren and her underwear. The woman was quietly and awkwardly sexy.

Bo stood from the bed and made her way to stand directly in Lauren's personal space again, loving how the blonde jumped to a ten automatically when she moved this close. Looking down into the bag, she confirmed her suspicions and internally smiled at the simple white cotton underwear and bras that were neatly folded and arranged in the bag. She looked back to Lauren and found it hard to control her hunger as she found her upper body leaning forward, watching Lauren's eyes get wider and hood over as she got closer, anticipating the kiss as much as she was. All she needed to do was lean a…little…bit…

"Bo!" Kenzi's panicked voice brought her from Lauren's gravitational pull. She stepped back, stung and ignoring the deep released breath both she and Lauren exhaled. "Damn, girl. Keep it in your pants and let the poor doctor settle in. Grub's up, and you can definitely thank the sous chef. Gram is turning me all domesticated, yo."

"Thanks." Bo hoped her eyes extended how thankful she was for the cock block. Seeing Kenzi's nod, she knew that her best friend understood. They would be going out after supper to satiate Bo's other hunger. She wasn't sure how much control she could keep around the blonde. There was just…something…about her aura that called to the succubus.