Supplementary Story
Featuring: Bo, Kenzi

Bo keeps a tight leash on Kenzi following the events of “Friend, Not Foe.”

Holding her boots in her hands, Kenzi quietly made her way across the floor in her stockinged feet, coming within a foot of the clubhouse door before Bo, without even turning her head in Kenzi’s direction, said, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Kenzi paused, uncertain whether to answer, and then smiled weakly when Bo finally turned to look at her.  “I was just gonna go out for a while…”

Bo was shaking her head and moving towards her.  “I don’t think so,” she said, taking Kenzi by the wrist and leading her to the living room.

“Dude, seriously…”

“Trick told me to keep you out of trouble.  If you go out, you’re going to get into trouble.”

“Not necessarily.”

Bo gave her a knowing look.  “You need to lay low for a while.  So, get comfortable and find something on TV.”

“Why don’t you come out with me?” Kenzi said eagerly.

“Because then we’ll both get into trouble.  Kenzi, seriously, you came so close to getting yourself killed – can’t you just spend a few days chilling out at home and letting things settle?”

Kenzi sighed and collapsed onto the couch.  “In fairness, we come so close to being killed all the damn time.”

Bo smiled, taking a seat beside her.  “Then this should be a nice break for you.”

Kenzi rolled her eyes in response and reached for the clicker.  “Can we at least get super drunk?”

“Probably best to keep our inhibitions at a high for the time being.  Besides, Lauren will be here in a bit…”

“Ohmygod!  Please don’t make me hang out with you and Lauren!” Kenzi cried.

“Would it really be so bad?”

Kenzi sighed again.  “You’re happy and I’m happy for you,” she started, “but do you have any idea how much it sucks to hang out with a happy couple when you’re single?”

“We won’t be all… coupley…”

“Yeeees, you wiiiiiil,” Kenzi whined.  “We all know that you will.  You can’t help it.”

“What I’m getting from this is that we need to find you a boyfriend.  And then we can double date!”

“Jesus,” Kenzi muttered.

“Hey,” Bo said, her expression shifting from playful to somewhat fearful, “I know that you have had… issues with Lauren in the past, but you’re over that now, right?”

Kenzi shrugged, not looking at her.  Bo reached forward and nudged her, prompting her to say, “Look, if you want me to say that I totally trust her… I can’t.  She belongs to the Ash.  She has to follow his orders.”

“To a point,” Bo conceded.  “But he asked her to spy on me and report back to him and she’s not doing that.  Well, not really.”

“So she says.”

“And I believe her.”

“That’s fine but, as your friend, I’m staying on my guard.  It is my job to have your back.”

“Just like it’s my job to have yours,” Bo replied, patting Kenzi’s knee.  “Which is why you’re under unofficial house arrest.”

“So what are we going to do tonight then?”

“Well, the three of us could play a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit…”

Kenzi raised a hand, putting it to her temple as if it was a gun and feigning blowing her brains out.

“Then you think of something,” Bo replied, smiling faintly and then suddenly growing serious.  “It really did scare me, you know, when Trick filled me in on what happened.”

“It wasn’t much more fun to experience it, I promise you.”

“I was on my own for a long time,” Bo said slowly, “I didn’t let anyone get close, I didn’t hang on to anyone… I don’t know what I’d do now if I lost you,” she said, her voice catching in her throat.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Kenzi assured her.  “I’ll be here until the end,” she added, laying her head on Bo’s shoulder.

“Let’s hope that’s not for a long time,” Bo said quietly.

“Yeah.”

Supplementary Story
Featuring: Bo, Lauren

Bo tries to make up with Lauren following the conclusion of their last adventure.

Bo raised her hand to knock, hesitating for what was now the fifth time.  She had spent the day perfecting the script in her head but now, moments away from reciting it, she felt it all slipping away.  She had never been in a position like this before, where she had to find a way to preserve a relationship; on all other occasions her relationships had ended with the worst kind of finality, that of death.

She raised her hand again and quickly knocked, leaving herself with no time to talk herself out of it or second guess it.  In a moment Lauren opened the door, looking surprised but not unhappy as she moved aside to let Bo in.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Lauren said, leading her over to the couch.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“I just… I wasn’t sure, with the way that things left off.”

“Yeah,” Lauren said quietly.  “I wasn’t mad at you,” she insisted, looking deeply into Bo’s eyes, betraying a vulnerability and a strength that took Bo’s breath away.  “I understand what happened with Dyson.  I do, honestly…” she said, trailing off and taking a deep, solemn breath.

“I realize that it’s difficult – it is for me, too.  It always has been.  It’s like there are two sides of me with needs and desires that are completely at odds with each other…”

“The id and the superego,” Lauren said simply.

“What?”

“The id, driven by the pleasure principle, by instinct; and the superego, driven by the need for… perfection, the need to meet or even exceed societal standards.  All humans have both, most fae are ruled solely by the id.  You’re rather remarkable that way.”

Bo smiled.  “I love it when you say that I’m remarkable.”

“I bet,” Lauren replied, smiling back.

Bo reached forward, tucking a strand of hair behind Lauren’s ear.  Moments like this were what she had always dreamed of, moments of easy intimacy, of looking at someone and feeling a sense of belonging.  “I want to give everything to you,” she said finally.  “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“I’m not disappointed,” she insisted.  “I knew what I was getting into… well, I mostly knew.  I love who you are, Bo.  I don’t want you to change; I don’t want you to suppress who you are.”

“But it hurts, doesn’t it?” Bo ventured timidly.

“Sometimes,” Lauren admitted.  “But I wouldn’t change anything – at least, not between you and me.”

“Really?”

“Really,” she replied, taking hold of Bo’s hand and squeezing.  “Now, since you’re here…” she continued, a sly smile spreading across her face.

Bo bit her lip.  “Is this the part where we make up?”

Lauren moved forward on the couch, closer to Bo.  “Correct me if I’m wrong,” she said, sliding her hands underneath the edge of Bo’s shirt, “but I believe you have some wounds that might require a medical follow-up…”

“The famous Dr. Lewis bedside manner.”

They laughed and then kissed, a feeling of relief spreading through both of them as they discovered that it could go back to the way that it was.  There would always be this thing between them – this other Bo, the one ruled by impulses which were sometimes violent in their intensity – but it didn’t have to destroy them; it wasn’t an impassable obstacle.

Later, as she fell asleep in Lauren’s arms, she felt herself at peace in a way she had never felt before, in a way she never felt possible.  The life she had once dreamed of, the one with the white picket fence, the 2.5 kids, the dog, the one with a love that would last a lifetime, she could have that.  She wasn’t destined to be alone by her nature and this wasn’t the end.  It was just beginning.

Supplementary Story
Featuring: Kenzi, Hale, Trick

Kenzi and Hale make plans for a night out, but Trick’s disapproval puts a damper on things.

Trick glanced up from behind the bar, watching with amusement as Kenzi trudged in his direction and threw herself down on a stool.  “Problems?”

She sighed.  “I needed to escape from the love shack for a while,” she whined.  “I believe that a beverage about yay high,” she said, hovering her hand several inches above the surface of the bar, “would help.”

“I believe you already have a bar tab that needs to be settled.”

“You’re really bumming me out, Trick.”

“First round’s on me,” Hale said, sliding onto the seat beside Kenzi.

“My hero!”

“What’ll you have?” Trick asked.

“Surprise me,” she replied and then, turning to Hale, “You’ll keep me entertained for the next several hours, won’t you Hale?”

“That’s what I’m here for,” he said, adding, “You really think you’ll need several hours.”

“You’ve obviously never lived with a Succubus,” she replied dryly and then took a big swig of the drink Trick had set down in front of her.

“No, but a man can dream,” he replied teasingly.

She smirked and took another drink.  “So where’s your better half this evening?”

“Hot date.  You know he’s still getting traction from that whole being tortured by the Dark fae thing?  Apparently women are really into that whole wounded, brooding thing.”

She shook her head in wonder.  “Dude, what is this? We are clearly the most stylish and awesome people in our group…”

Trick cleared his throat, saying, “I’ll try not to take offense at that.”

“… And, yet, here we are.  Dateless and without prospects…”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Really?” Kenzi asked wryly.  “When was the last time you had a date?”

Hale looked at her blankly for a moment and then muttered, “That’s classified.”

Kenzi leaned in close, saying flirtatiously, “We’ve got to go out, do some damage, show this city a night it’ll never forget.”  She finished off her drink, slamming the glass back down on the bar.  “Think about it.  I’ll be right back.”

Hale smiled slightly and watched as Kenzi made her way through the pub and towards the back.  When he glanced back he found that Trick was giving him an intense, uncompromising look and his smile instantly dropped.  “What?”

“Do I really have to say it?” Trick asked.

Hale looked down at his hands, which were folded in front of him on the bar.  He knew what Trick was going to say – that being anything more than friends with Kenzi was too impossible to even contemplate, that just being friends with Kenzi was miracle enough, all things considered.  From past experience he knew that it was true and yet, when he was near her, he just couldn’t help himself from edging closer to that boundary.

“It isn’t fair to lead her on like that,” Trick continued.

Hale felt himself growing indignant.  All of his life, he felt, he’d been told what to do, how to feel, boxed in by rules that seemed increasingly arbitrary.  At that moment he looked at Trick and saw his father and his hard, dominating expression, heard his father’s disapproving voice.

“You know, things are changing,” Hale said defiantly.  “The old ways of thinking - about humans, about class, about everything – they’re changing.”

“Maybe,” Trick conceded, “but not everyone changes with changing times.  Are you prepared to take a stand, if it comes to that?”

Hale felt himself deflating, remembering the last time he had tried to stand up to his family’s expectations, remembering his failure and the way that it had ruined a good woman, a woman he had loved.  That woman, at least, had been fae; there was no telling what might happen if Hale were to expose Kenzi to his family’s wrath.

“Just tread carefully,” Trick said warningly.  “Remember who you are… and who she is.”

Hale felt his jaw clenching.  He knew that what Trick was saying was true, but it was hard to hear, harder still to admit.  Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kenzi drop down into the seat beside him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at her.  He didn’t want to admit the truth to her, didn’t want to see the look on her face if he had to tell her that even if the fae allowed it, his family never would.  He didn’t want her to hate him but, even more than that, he didn’t want her to think he was a coward.

“So, what are we gonna do?” she asked, completely oblivious to his distress.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.  “I think I’m gonna turn in, actually.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Sorry,” he said, looking at her finally.  “I’ll make it up to you some other time, okay?”

“Okay,” Kenzi said quietly.  “Your loss,” she added, trying to put on a brave face, though her disappointment remained obvious.

He nodded and stood, tossing a cold look at Trick as he went.

Trick had returned the look with a knowing look of his own and set a new drink down in front of Kenzi.  He watched as she quickly drank half of it, feeling sympathy and affection for her that he had never felt for any human before.

She looked up at him and smiled.  “So what’s your story, Trickster?”

“I don’t have a story,” he replied, laughing.

“Come on,” she teased.  “I hear that bartenders do very well with the ladies…”

He laughed again.  “I’d tell you, but I don’t think you could handle it.”

She pointed to her now empty glass.  “Maybe another drink would help.”

“You really do have a sizeable tab to be settled.”

“Dude, for real.  I’m having a bad night.”

He sighed and reached under the bar, pulling out a bottle and setting it down in front of her.  “If anyone asks, I made you pay for that.”

Kenzi clapped her hands and then took the bottle, cradling it for a moment before pouring herself a drink.  The night hadn’t turned out exactly as she’d expected but maybe it still had potential after all.

Supplementary Story
Featuring: Bo, Lauren

Bo worries about the consequences of her night with Lauren.

Her mind had been awake for some time, but Bo had kept her eyes tightly shut, afraid of what she might find if she opened them.  Though her sleep had been deep and peaceful, as she began to be tugged back into consciousness her thoughts had become darker, more fraught and focused entirely on all the bodies in her past.  If she opened her eyes now and found Lauren the way she’d found all the others, she would never be able to forgive herself.

She slowly raised her eyelids, prepared for the worst.  Lauren was there beside her, still with sleep, but obviously alive.  Bo edged closer but, as she reached out to touch Lauren, she hesitated, fearing that if she made contact, Lauren might disappear after all, crumbling away in ashes before her eyes.

As Bo looked on, her heart melting just a little, Lauren stirred and turned her head, her eyes opening.  She smiled, a bemused look on her face.  “Hello,” she murmured.

“Hi,” Bo replied, and though relief flooded through her body, she still felt some trepidation.  “Are you… okay?”

“I’m exhausted but… aside from that I appear to be in one piece.”

“Are you sure?”

Lauren smiled again and raised herself up, lightly kissing Bo.  “Yes,” she said.

Bo looked at her closely, searching for any sign that something could be wrong, thinking that Lauren might try to hide it from her if she’d been in any way negatively effected.  But she looked as she always did, even better, perhaps, and Bo quickly gained confidence, restoring her trust in herself and her ability to control her powers. “Exhausted, eh?”

“Little bit.”

“I feel like we should commemorate this somehow…”

“Didn’t we?”

They laughed and Bo lowered herself back down to the bed, still looking at Lauren, now lightly touching her, running her hand along Lauren’s arm.  She wanted to savour every second of this moment, which was more deeply intimate than any that had ever come before.  This was connection, a thing of permanence that, even if they were to part now, would continue to exist and be something just between them, to the exclusion of all others.

Bo’s vision began to blur as tears began to well up in them.  She tried to mask it, but Lauren saw and reached out a hand, catching a tear on the tip of her finger.  “What’s the matter?”

Bo took a second, composing herself as much as possible.  “It just… means so much.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

“It’s a big thing, to go from thinking that you’re alone in the world and always will be to finding out that it doesn’t have to be that way, that you can find someone who cares about you.”

“Yeah,” Bo agreed, her breath catching in her throat.  There was an elephant in the room that she wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge, but who cast a shadow that was now creeping over them and unavoidable.  “I know that your situation with the Ash makes things…”

“Complicated?”

“Yeah.  When you leave here… will that be it?”

“I hope not.”  Lauren’s face had grown very solemn, a mixture of fear and sadness at play in her eyes.  “We can find a way,” she declared finally.

“Yeah?”

Lauren nodded.  “It may not be easy… but we’ll be in it together.”

“Always,” Bo promised, raising her hand and letting it rest against Lauren’s cheek.  For a long time they just looked at each other, communicating without the necessity of words, assuring each other that it was alright - better than that, even.  It was pure bliss.

Bo leaned forward to kiss her and then paused.  “You don’t have to go anywhere anytime soon, do you?”

Lauren smiled.  “You couldn’t get me out of this bed right now if it was on fire.”

“That sounds distinctly like a challenge.”

They kissed, slowly, softly, and then harder.  As Bo moved her lips from Lauren’s, making her way down the line of Lauren’s neck and beyond, she felt that this was all she ever needed.  This was what it felt like to be complete, to be whole.  And she knew that from now on, she would do anything and everything to preserve it.

Supplementary Story
Featuring: Bo, Saskia

Bo quizzes Saskia about her experiences as a Succubus.

“Do you remember the first time?” Bo asked.

Saskia was sitting across from her, casually drapped across a chair, looking cool and relaxed.  “It was a long time ago,” she admitted, “but, I suppose you never forget your first.”

Bo leaned forward eagerly, silently urging Saskia to go on, not wanting to say it for fear that her tone would be too urgent and put Saskia on guard.

Saskia chuckled lowly to herself, remembering.  “He was the son of the blacksmith,” she recalled.  “He used to follow me around like a puppy – which did not go unnoticed by my father.  All things considered, he’s lucky I got to him first.”

“Was he human?”

Saskia nodded.

“Did you love him?”

“A human?  No.” She said this as if the suggestion was absurd, which put Bo on the defensive.  She leaned back in her chair, arms now crossed at her chest.

“Were you scared?”

“At first… but once I realized how completely in control I was, the fear transformed into something closer to… pride.  I enjoyed the power that I had; I felt strong, invincible.  I felt like I knew something that nobody else in the world knew, the deepest secrets of the universe.”

Bo nodded, understanding perfectly what she meant.  What had always scared her about feeding, about killing, was how much she found she enjoyed it.  It wasn’t just fear she felt over her ability to take life; it was the guilt that took root deep at her core, the pleasure and the shame of it.  “Did you kill him?”

“Oh, yeah,” Saskia said, the hint of laughter underneath her tone.  As Bo’s brow furrowed in discomfort, she added, “It was a different time.  Attitudes towards humans weren’t quite as enlightened as today.”

“Today’s attitude towards humans is enlightened?”

Saskia smirked.  “If you knew how it was back in the day, you’d agree.  We don’t indiscriminately slaughter them anymore, you know.”

“Hmm,” Bo said, letting the conversation lapse into silence for several minutes before finally changing the subject.  “How do you make things work in terms of relationships?  How do you be with one person when you… need so much?”

“You don’t,” Saskia replied simply.  “Why would you want to?  There’s so much to experience, why would you voluntarily limit yourself?  Besides,” she added as an aside, “You can only have enough of one person’s chi before it starts to leave a bitter taste.”

“So you’ve never been in love?”

Saskia paused, absentmindedly rubbing her index finger against her thumb. “I wouldn’t say that,” she replied, “but you can’t expect those things to last.”

“Yes, you can…”

Saskia smiled, cocking her head to the side.  “You’re so cute,” she said affectionately.  “What am I going to do with you?  It’s like you grew up in complete isolation and didn’t have any contact with society until you were grown.”

Bo shrugged.  “I grew up thinking I was human.  My aspirations are still… human.”

“You’ll learn.”

Bo shook her head.  “I don’t want that to change.  I don’t want to look at humans and see… prey.  Humans are my friends and…”

“And?” Saskia asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“And… I care about them.”

“Well, it’s not as if I don’t understand the appeal of things that are taboo, but… be careful.”

“Trust me,” Bo replied, “with humans I’m very careful.”

Saskia gave her an odd and scrutinizing look, which made Bo turn her face away.  She found it hard to gauge where she stood with Saskia at any given moment.  On the one hand, she felt as though there was an unspoken connection between them, one which transcended the mere fact that they were of the same species.  On the other hand, there was something volatile about their friendship and she couldn’t be sure what would finally light the fuse.

“All this talk is starting to make me hungry,” Saskia stated.  “Feel like going out?”

“Sure, but…”

“No killing,” Saskia promised.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Bo replied, following her out the door.

“I’m sure you will.”

Supplementary Story
Featuring: Bo, Trick

Bo questions Trick about how much he knows regarding her mother’s identity.

Bo always felt a slight twinge of trepidation when she descended the stairs into Trick’s lair.  She couldn’t help but feel as though she was trespassing on something sacred, invading a sanctuary.  Those fears were quickly allayed when Trick, having heard her footsteps on the stairs, turned, smiling brightly at the sight of her.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked, setting aside a bundle of papers he had been reading over.

“Well, at the risk of seeming like I only ever come by when I need your help, I need your help.”

Trick motioned for her to sit down, taking the seat opposite her, his expression open and curious.  “What do you need?”

“Well,” she started, hesitating, “As you know, I’ve been trying to get some information on my mother… well, both my parents… anything, really.”

“I know,” he said, his voice sympathetic but also, somehow, guarded.

“I was sort of hoping that with the information that I now have, that you might be able to help me put some pieces together.”  She paused, watching as Trick shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  “I mean, the story that Miki told me, about how my mother was part of a rebellion and handed over to the Dark for punishment,” she continued, watching his expression cloud over, “that can’t be the sort of thing that happened a lot, right?  It’s got to be fairly unique.”

“Assuming, of course, that it’s not just a tall tale the Dark are using to try to get you on their side,” he said slowly, not looking at her.

“I’ve thought of that, but why would the Dark make up a story about imprisoning and torturing my mother as part of a plan to get me on their side?  It doesn’t make sense.”

“No,” he admitted quietly.

“Have you ever heard this story, or one like it, before?”

He sighed and seemed to be weighing his options.  “Yes,” he said finally, “although there’s no way of knowing whether the woman the Dark imprisoned was your mother and, if she is… Bo, I know that you want to know where you came from…”

“I need to know, Trick.”

“Yes.  I know that you want to have connections, family, but…”

“But what?” Bo asked, growing impatient.  “Do you know what it’s like, Trick, to be all alone in the world?”

“I do,” he said, a sad smile on his face.

Bo was taken aback by the admission, not because it came as a surprise to her – she hadn’t failed to notice that he never mentioned any family – but because he’d never acknowledged the absence before.  “Do you really not have anyone?” she asked after a few minutes of silence.

“I lost everyone many years ago,” he said, standing.  “My wife during the great war… the rest afterwards as a result of bad decisions… decisions that had horrible consequences.”

“I’m sorry.”

He turned to look at her, his expression intense but not unkind.  “I understand how you feel,” he said, “but I think that maybe you need to step back a little bit and really consider how much you want to know.  If what you’ve already learned is true, then learning more will probably mean hearing a lot of things that you aren’t going to like.  It might be best to leave it for now, allow yourself to establish a more secure footing in the fae world.”

“Maybe,” she replied uncertainly.  Looking at him carefully, she ventured, “You’d tell me, if you knew anything, wouldn’t you?”

“I’m on your side, Bo,” he said cryptically.  “I’ll always have your best interests at heart and I’ll always be here when you need me.”

She continued to look at him, searching for the hidden meaning she was certain lay underneath his words, but the sincerity of his face made her second guess herself.  Maybe he really did know nothing, maybe she was on the wrong track.  But, then again…

She did her best to shake off her doubts, desperate to believe that Trick really was the ally that he said he was.  She did believe it; whenever she was around him she felt that there was an unspoken connection between them, a tie that she didn’t quite understand but that made her feel secure.  It was only past experience that held her back, gave her doubts; not Trick himself.

“Thank you,” she said finally.  “If you find anything out…”

He nodded slowly.

As she left she repeated to herself that Trick was on her side, that he was not part of that vast conspiracy of silence that had surrounded her during her entire life.  And yet, as the door of the pub shut behind her, that nagging feeling at the back of her mind started up again, wondering, imagining the worst.  She looked away finally, determined to choose trust over suspicion.  She was not alone, she felt.  The friends she had now were real and true and would help her as the pieces started to come together.  It was only a matter of collecting those pieces for assembly.

Supplementary Story
Featuring: Bo, Lauren

Bo stops by the lab and tries to talk Lauren into taking a break and going for a friendly drink.

Bo hesitated outside the door, quickly fixing her hair in the reflection of a window before going through.  Lauren was on the other side of the room, totally focused on an underfae specimen that she was in the process of dissecting.  Bo was able to walk all the way over to her before Lauren even realized that anyone had entered the lab, looking up and breaking into a smile and then almost immediately dropping it.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, dropping her scalpel and removing her gloves, ready to jump into action.

“Nothing,” Bo laughed. “I’m not here on business.”

“Oh,” Lauren replied, embarassed.  “Sorry, I just… ‘work Lauren’ can be kind of hard to turn off.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“So… what brings you down here?”

“I was kind of hoping I could talk you into cutting out a bit early – not that it’s particularly early.  Are you ever not working?”

“I don’t really know the definition of ‘after hours,’” Lauren admitted.

“Well, I was hoping that maybe you could make an exception and we could hang out.”

Lauren smiled, but there was something demurring about it.  “I’m not sure,” she said slowly, causing Bo’s heart to plummet.

A technician entered the lab carrying a cooler, placing it carefully on a table and then making a point of looking at Bo before briefly making eye contact with Lauren. Without a word he left, leaving Lauren and Bo enveloped in an awkward silence.

“It’s not really safe for you to be here,” Lauren said finally and quietly.

“Why?”

“Word has gotten around that you’ve been… spending time with a member of the Dark.”  There was an edge to Lauren’s voice, as if she was not merely concerned for Bo’s safety but also, perhaps, a little bit jealous.  Lauren seemed to hear that note in her tone as well and immediately tried to deflect, saying, “The Ash doesn’t like it.”

“The Ash,” Bo repeated, as if laying it down as a challenge.  Lauren wouldn’t meet her eye, opting instead to fix her gaze on a spot on the floor.  “It isn’t really serious,” Bo added finally.

“I didn’t ask.”

“No, I suppose you didn’t.”

Lauren looked at her finally and Bo felt a rush of exhilaration.  It was almost too much, the thought of touching her, considering how much of a charge she felt just being near her.  To be with her, she felt, would be like knowing what it was to be a firework exploding in the sky, and even if it ended with being reduced to ashes, it would be worth it.  The only thing that held her back was the thought of what Lauren might be reduced to, and so for now she could only enjoy being near her and hope that some day soon she could learn to subvert the dark impulses that had defined so much of her life so far.

“Come on,” she said teasingly.  “Let’s go have one drink.  No shop talk, just two… friends hanging out.”

Lauren started to protest, but Bo could tell that her resolve wasn’t deeply rooted.  Looking at Bo and biting her lower lip, she finally said, “One drink, but…”

“But?” Bo asked, bracing herself.

“But we should probably leave here separately.”

“Whatever keeps you out of trouble,” Bo replied, smiling so wide it made her face hurt.

“I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”

Bo tapped her watch, saying, “I’ll be counting.”

She turned to leave, telling herself to play it cool and not look back, but she couldn’t help herself.  She paused at the threshold of the door, sneaking a glance over her shoulder, catching Lauren watching her.  They shared a quick smile and then Bo continued through the door, so giddy with anticipation that it felt like she was floating six inches above the ground.

Supplementary Story
Featuring: Kenzi, Dyson, Hale

Dyson and Hale bring Kenzi in for questioning after she takes it upon herself to do some extracurricular work as a ghost buster.

Kenzi casually drummed her fingers on the table and finally glanced up at Hale and Dyson, innocently batting her eyes. Hale, sitting directly across from her, and Dyson, leaning up against the wall behind him, had similarly impassive expressions on their faces.

“So did you guys fight over who was going to be good cop and who was going to be bad cop?”

In response Hale flipped open the file that was in front of him on the table. “So… Madame Ivanna. You’ve got quite the record,” he said.

“If every incident is attributed to a different persona, should it really count as one record?” Kenzi asked.

“You’ve done some weird stuff,” Hale said.

Kenzi shrugged and Dyson stepped forward, leaning on the table. “This is serious, Kenzi,” he said. “You’ve been defrauding people of money by pretending to rid their homes of ghosts…”

“May I say something?”

Dyson rolled his eyes.  “Go ahead.”

“While it’s true that once upon a time, when I came up with this idea, I was defrauding people, that was only because I didn’t realize that ghost busting was a real thing that someone could do. So, in actuality, I was accidentally doing something legitimate and rendering an actual service.”

Dyson and Hale exchanged a look.

“But you don’t know how to ghost bust,” Hale pointed out.

“I will have you know that I put to use some of the finest slavic superstitions known to man. Did you see any ghosts in that lady’s house?”

“No,” Hale replied.

“So.”

Dyson sighed and shared another look with Hale. ”If we let this go, will you promise to stay out of trouble?”

She gave them a coy look. “I can promise to try.”

Hale started to chuckle, the stony face he had put so much effort into putting on crumbling in an instant.

“This isn’t funny,” Dyson muttered to him.

“I know,” Hale said, getting control of his laughter but still smiling. “Let me put it to you this way,” he said, looking directly at Kenzi. “As you now know, there are some pretty dangerous things out there… things you probably don’t want to be messing with.” He paused, giving Kenzi a moment to nod in recognition of the truth of the statement. “We just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I appreciate that,” Kenzi said, “however…”

“No ‘however,’” Dyson said firmly. “No more Madame Ivanna,” he continued, picking up the file. “No more Roxanne Deveraux, or Jane Wilby, or…” he looked at her quizzically, “Marcia Brady?”

Kenzi chuckled. “That was a crazy one.”

“We’re not always going to be available to bail you out,” Dyson said.

She sighed. “Fine. I will behave. Can I go now?”

“I dunno,” Hale said, shrugging. “Dyson hasn’t even gotten to go full out bad cop yet.”

“I’ll buy you both a beer.”

“Good enough for me,” Hale said, pushing his chair back from the table and standing while looking expectantly at Dyson.

“How ’bout it wolfman?”

Dyson rolled his eyes again and closed the file. “Okay,” he said, but before she could celebrate, added, “But stay out of trouble.”

“Totally.”

As the three walked out of the police station, Hale turned to Kenzi, asking, “So what, exactly, were you doing to scare away ghosts?”

“It’s a little complicated,” she replied, “First you’ve got to cleanse the house’s aura…”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Dyson muttered under his breath, though not without affection. He didn’t have much use for humans, but thought that this one might be worth keeping around. She was like the kid sister he’d never had, someone he wanted to protect and throttle in equal measure. It was a good feeling, caring about someone… even if it was a human.

Supplementary Story
Featuring: Lauren, Dyson

Dyson tries to figure out if Lauren has ulterior motives where Bo is concerned.

Dyson had only been in the lab for two minutes, but he’d already exhausted Lauren’s patience with that insufferable smirk of his and that attitude that seemed to push all the air out of the room.

“Should I bother mentioning how unnecessary I think this is?” he asked, disdain dripping from his ever word.

“You have every other year,” Lauren remarked and then, glancing up at him from her chart, “And yet, here we are, once again.”

He rolled his eyes and let her start running through the battery of questions and tests that he had to endure every year. Nevermind that he had spent hundreds of years taking care of himself without incident. Well, almost entirely without incident.

“Anything to report?” she asked, breaking out the stethoscope and pressing the disc against his chest.

“Nope. Despite your best efforts, I’m still in one piece.”

Lauren looked at him coldly. “I don’t follow.”

“Oh, no? So I suppose you didn’t encourage Bo to go out on what could have been a suicide mission? She could have been killed,” he said, staring her down, “and for what?”

Lauren met his gaze with her own,  which was steady and intense. “I didn’t have to encourage Bo to do anything. She has a very solid sense of right and wrong… I guess you wouldn’t know what that’s like.”

He scoffed.  “What happens now? You send her in to fight your battle for you?”

“It’s not like that. Not that I have to explain it to you…”

“Careful; sooner of later you might have to explain it to someone,” he said, looking at her warningly. ”But maybe that doesn’t worry you.”

Lauren looked at him blankly, steadfastly refusing to engage him on the topic. Finally her silence became too much for him and he felt that he had to go on and draw her out into a verbal battle, the result of which would justify the dark feelings he had inside.

“You belong to the Ash.” As he said this, she flinched slightly. “I wouldn’t be much of a friend to Bo if I didn’t question why someone so closely tied to the Ash would have so much interest in her.”

Now it was Lauren’s turn to smirk. “Well, you certainly are a good friend to Bo,” she said. “She’s always singing your praises lately. The word ‘jerk’ comes up frequently.”

“What’s your angle?” Dyson demanded, his irritation getting the better of him. He took a breath and tried to regain his composure. “What does the Ash want with Bo?”

“You’d have to ask the Ash,” Lauren said, making a few notes on her chart. “But, I suppose you can’t, can you? You’re not allowed to question someone you’ve sworn fealty to.” As she said this she plunged a needle into his arm, withdrawing blood.

He watched her as she wrote his name on label and stuck it to the vial. His resolve was starting to evaporate, not because he decided that he could trust Lauren, but because he realized that he had perhaps underestimated her.

“So what’s your angle, Dyson? Who is Bo to you? Because this intense interest that you have in her doesn’t exactly gel with your reputation.”

“You’re familiar with my reputation?” he asked smugly.

“Well, we do treat STIs.” He made a face, but had no verbal reply. “If you’re on Bo’s side, I’m glad. She needs allies, people she can count on and turn to when she gets into trouble. Whether you believe it or not – and, really, it doesn’t matter whether you believe it – I’m one of those people,” she said defiantly and then, switching back to doctor mode, “Are you ready for the treadmill?”

He sighed. ”Yeah.”

She motioned for him to step into a room that was just off the lab and made a few more notations on her chart. Alone for a moment, he savoured this small triumph, reveling in how different things were from just a week ago when it had seemed, if not hopeless, at least hopelessly complicated. There were still obstacles – a few of which she feared they could never overcome – but suddenly Dyson seemed like less of one. So much less that she felt she could laugh at how jealous she’d been only recently.

As she joined Dyson in the other room, she felt that he looked somewhat deflated. It wasn’t defeat, exactly, it was simply a sudden lack of arrogance. In all the years that she had known him, she’d never seen him look at her like an equal. But there was no time to relish it; she had a job to do.

Supplementary Story
Featuring: Bo, Kenzi

Over drinks with Kenzi, Bo laments her relationship status.

As Kenzi set the shot glass down in front of her, Bo started to have second thoughts. Surely there were better ways to handle stress and disappointment.  “Do you think we drink too much?” she asked, picking up the shot and considering it.

“Dude, we spend our days hunting down, and trying not to get killed by, supernatural creatures of all variety. All things considered, I don’t think we drink nearly enough.”

“Fair point.”

Kenzi reached forward, clinking her shot against Bo’s, and then they threw them back, both making a slightly sour face as the burning liquid made its way down their throats.

“One down,” Kenzi said, grabbing the bottle to pour another round.

Bo reached out to stop her.  “Seriously, though,” she said.

Kenzi made a face – it was not without sympathy, but it was mostly one of irritation at Bo’s obliviousness.  “So Dyson doesn’t want to hold hands and give you a promise ring. Is it really that big a deal? It’s not like he’s the first D-Bag who ever hit it and quit it.” Bo furrowed her brow and in her brief moment of vulnerability, Kenzi had an epiphany. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed, “Is Dyson the first guy to ever reject you?”

“I don’t know – does dying count as rejection?”

Kenzi smiled sympathetically. ”Yeah, that sucks. But – bright side: he’s not dead, he’s just an ass.”

“I guess.”

Kenzi poured the two shots and this time Bo did not hesitate to take it.

“I just…” Bo started, pausing and then sighing, “I didn’t think this was how it would be.”

“With Dyson?”

“Just in general. When I was growing up I always thought that I’d find someone and we’d get married and then be together for the rest of our lives. And then I hit puberty and… you know…”

“Found out you have an acid vagina?”

“Something like that. So then I thought that I would never be with anyone because of…”

“The death.”

“Right. And then I found out that it didn’t have to be that way, that I could potentially find someone I liked and not kill them and maybe… have that life I grew up thinking I’d have – with a few moderations, monster-killingwise.”

“And you thought that person was Dyson?”

Bo shrugged. ”I thought it could be Dyson. And here I am alone.”

“Ahem,” Kenzi said, pouring more shots. As Bo downed hers, Kenzi paused, letting her own shot hover at the tip of her lips. ”Let me ask you something, though,” she said, quickly taking the shot before continuing. ”Do you actually really like Dyson or do you just think you like Dyson because he was the first person you slept with who didn’t die?”

Bo fidgeted with her shot glass. “I like Dyson,” she said and then repeated it as if trying to convince herself. “He’s nice… most of the time. And he’s always there when we need him…”

“And not so bad to look at?”

“That, too,” Bo admitted, biting her lip. “The sex was pretty good.”

“So I’ve heard,” Kenzi replied, taking another shot.  She held out the bottle to Bo, but Bo shook her head.

“Okay, so… maybe I don’t know him well enough to be hit so hard by this. It’s just disappointing, you know?” Kenzi nodded sympathetically. “I’ve never had a real relationship – it might be nice.”

“Yeah, but it might be nice to be single, too, now that you’re not a one-woman sex killing machine. You can play the field a little bit, not have to settle for the first guy to give you the wolf whistle…”

Bo poured herself another shot.  “I guess,” she said unenthusiastically. It was all easier said than done, changing the course she had set her mind to. Maybe she had settled a little too quickly on Dyson – and maybe she had even done so for the wrong reasons – but the idea had been comfortable. It had, in fact, been comforting. She had been running for so long, alone for so long, that the thought of finding someone and stopping was not just appealing, it seemed miraculous.

“Give me your phone,” Kenzi said.

“Why?”

“I don’t want you drunk dialing.”

Bo started to protest and then, thinking of having a new humiliation heaped atop that which she already felt, she handed over her phone.

“Are you ready for phase two?”

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what’s phase two?”

“We take our drinking on the road and you find someone to take Dyson’s place – if not in your heart, then in other tender places.”

Bo shook her head fiercely. “No, thanks. I think I’m just going to go to bed.”

Kenzi started to protest, but it was obvious that Bo would not be swayed. Kenzi settled instead for finishing off the bottle while using Bo’s phone to send taunting text messages to her own exes.

Bo, meanwhile, did go to bed but passed a sleepless night. Loneliness was nothing new to her – she had had enough time to become accustomed to being alone – but somehow this was worse, cut deeper. There had been a natural barrier to her relationships before – though she had not understood it – but now, when there should be none, there it was again. All alone in her room, she felt it was hopeless… but, then again, she thought, maybe not. Maybe this was merely the bottom and she could now start to climb out.

Supplementary Story
Featuring: Bo, Lauren

Bo and Lauren have a training session.

Bo looked away just as the needle was about to pierce her skin and focused her attention on a point on the wall – or, rather, what was once a wall but was now just a few naked beams.

“You don’t like needles, do you?” Lauren asked, amused but gentle as she pulled the needle back out.

“Not particularly,” Bo admitted, looking back at her and struck, as always, by her beauty and the way it announced itself in even the most ordinary of circumstances.  “I have to admit that I’m feeling a bit like a lab experiment,” she continued.

Lauren’s brow furrowed.  “We can suspend this if you’re uncomfortable or if…”

“No,” Bo jumped in quickly.  “I didn’t mean that.  I just…” she trailed off, struggling to articulate what she meant.

“It’s weird?” Lauren offered.

“Yes,” Bo sighed.

“Other than that, though,” Lauren said, sitting down next to her on the couch, “how are you feeling?”

Bo shrugged slightly, “Okay, I guess.  I mean, I feel like it’s working.  I don’t feel as… insatiable all the time…”

Lauren nodded.  “That’s good.  Have there been any adverse effects? Headaches or anything like that?”

“I feel fine,” Bo assured her, gazing at her and trying to figure out a way to slip past the defensive shell that seemed to surround her.  She sensed that Lauren was holding herself back and she longed to find a way to bring the real Lauren out.  “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” Lauren replied after a moment of hesitation.

“How did a human doctor end up working for the fae?  I mean, I’ve been given to understand that the fae are pretty big on protecting the secret of their existence.”

“They are,” Lauren agreed, clearing her throat and clearly uncomfortable.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Bo said quickly.  She wanted to know more about Lauren, but hated to see her unhappy and this was obviously not a happy subject for her.  There would be time, she felt – a right time for everything.  “It’s just that I’m starting to feel like all we ever talk about is me.”

“Well, you are quite fascinating.  From a scientific point of view.”

“Of course.”

Bo leaned her head on her hand, sharing a long look with Lauren.

“What happens when you do that… touch thing?” Lauren asked, shifting slightly.  “What does it feel like for you when you do that?”

“It feels like… a rush of adrenaline.  In the moment, your entire body becomes intensely focused on… pleasure and it’s like this flood of feeling rising through you.”

Lauren swallowed hard, watching her intently.  “How do you know when someone will be receptive to it?  Or is it something that you can do to anyone?”

“It can be done to anyone, but it’s easier with some than with others.  When someone is… naturally attracted to me, or if they just really want to have sex, then it works really quickly and completely.  When someone is resistant in some way, it slows things down but… not by much.”

“And you can tell?  Whether someone is open to it or not, I mean?”

Bo nodded.  “I can read people sexually.  I can tell when they’re attracted to someone and how much, when they’re horny, when they’re sexually frustrated…”  Lauren’s eyes darted down suddenly, snapping away from the look she had been sharing with Bo.  “I… didn’t mean anything by that.”

Lauren laughed nervously, apologetically.  “It’s fine,” she said.

“I guess your work doesn’t leave with you a lot of down time… or time to get down.”

“My work is pretty much my life at this point,” she admitted.  “But I love it – I mean, I’ve been granted access to things that I never would have imagined existed.  It’s been an amazing opportunity, in a lot of ways.”

“But,” Bo continued, reading her as best she could, “you had to give a lot of things up for it.”

“Yes.”

“Well,” Bo said, subtly shifting herself closer, “I’m glad to know, at least, that I’m not taking you away from anything by monopolizing your after hours time like this.”

“On the contrary.  There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Bo smiled, though a tiny voice in the back of her head advised her to pull back.  It was still too easy for her to get swept up in her body’s needs, even with the serum, and she could feel the two battling it out inside of her, each determined to dominate.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to redirect her energy.  Her efforts began to fail her as soon as she opened her eyes and looked at Lauren again.

“Okay?” Lauren asked, her voice quiet and kind.

“Yeah,” Bo replied breathlessly.

There was a knock at the door and both turned towards it.  Turning back to Bo, Lauren said, “Tonight’s test subject.”

“Where are you finding them?” Bo asked as Lauren stood and went to the door.

“I’ve been calling in a few favours.  Believe it or not, no one has hesitated to help a beautiful succubus test the limits of her powers.”  Bo cocked her head to the side, looking at her keenly, earnestly.  “If you don’t feel up to it, though…”

“No,” Bo replied, standing.  “I’m ready.”

Lauren nodded and continued towards the door, letting a Light fae man into the clubhouse.  At any other time Bo might have felt a thrill of anticipation in his presence; but for the moment she could only see Lauren.

Supplementary Story
Featuring: Kenzi, Hale

Kenzi and Hale play a drinking game.

Kenzi kicked the steel door, immediately jumping back and holding holding her foot, muttering, “Ouch, ouch, ouch.”  Hale rolled his eyes and chuckled, which only made her more angry.

“Why do you think this is funny?” she asked, irritated. “This always happens.  The sidekicks end up stuck somewhere, away from all the action, and Bo and Dyson are off somewhere, probably doing something amazing… ugh!” she finished, stamping her foot and immediately regretting it.

Hale stepped forward, taking a closer look at the tightly shut door.  “I’ve had my share of amazing adventures.”

“I bet,” Kenzi replied sarcastically.

“We’re locked up pretty tight,” he said and then, turning to her with a smile, “It’s not so bad.”  He slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the door, scanning the room, searching for some other way out.

“Haven’t you been listening?” Kenzi moaned.  She dropped to the ground dramatically, craddling her head in her hands.

Hale laughed and shook his head and, in doing so, noticed something out of the corner of his eye.  He walked over to the other side of the room, where a brick appeared to be loose in the wall.  Taking hold of it, he pulled it away, revealing a small cubby hole with a bottle of wine inside.  “Ha, ha,” he said, turning to Kenzi and triumphantly holding up the bottle.  “Things are looking up!”

“Hardly,” she pouted, though the sight did lift her spirits somewhat.

“C’mon,” he said, removing the cap.  “Let’s make the best of it.”  He sat down beside her, a huge grin on his face.

“Drinking game?”

“Lady’s choice.”

Kenzi took the bottle from him and thought it over.  “Never have I ever?”

“Oh, you’re on.  You go first.”

Kenzi chuckled to herself.  “Never have I ever… had sex with a vampire.”

“Really?” Hale asked incredulously.  “Directly to the sex statements?”

Kenzi held the bottle up in front of his face.  “Are you drinking or not?”  Hale grabbed the bottle from her and took a swig as she squealed with delight.  “Seriously?  You have got to tell me all about that sometime.”

“Never have I ever,” Hale began, laughing, “been handcuffed to a bed.”

“You haven’t lived,” Kenzi declared, taking a drink.  “Never have I ever… had sex with someone on the first date.”

Hale took a drink and then, looking pointedly at Kenzi, handed her the bottle.  She took it with a laugh and had a drink.

“Never have I ever… had my heart broken.”

Kenzi took a drink and then, hesitating only momentarily, held the bottle out to Hale, who also took a drink.

“Never have I ever… cross-dressed.”

Hale shook his head, one eyebrow cocked.  “Damn,” Kenzi muttered, “I thought I was gonna get ya.”

“Why would you think that would get me?” he asked, laughing.  “Okay, never have I ever… experienced love at first sight.”

Kenzi shook her head, not taking the bottle.  “Never have I ever…” she said, looking at him closely.  A question was nagging at the corner of her mind, but she was uncertain, knowing that once she voiced it, she would never be able to take it back.  She took a deep breath, eyes still on him, “had a relationship with a human woman.”

Hale shook his head, the smile having dropped from his face.  It suddenly felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

“Never?” Kenzi asked quietly, her eyes now on the bottle rather than him.

“No,” he replied, equally quiet.  “My family is pretty conservative and that’s… frowned upon,” he explained, clearing his throat.

“Because humans are gross?”

“It’s not like that…”

“So?”

“So… the fae have a lot of rules, a lot of dos and don’ts and my family… believes in those rules very strongly,” he said, choosing his words carefully.

“So no one in your family ever does anything they shouldn’t?”

He hesitated, smiling slightly.  “I wouldn’t go that far.”  There was a long pause and then he shrugged, uncomfortable again.  “The human thing is a sensitive issue for a lot of fae.”

Kenzi pursed her lips and rolled the bottle between her hands.  “Too sensitive for you to ever…”

“I don’t know,” Hale replied, trying to sound casual and noncommittal.

They were silent for some time, each intensely aware of the other’s presence and silence.  Kenzi took another drink and then turned to Hale as if to say something.  He looked back at her, his expression expectant but also fearful.  She bit her lip and turned away, pushing herself to her feet and going towards the door.

“We need to find a way out of here,” she said.

Hale looked up at her, watching her as she went out of her way not to look back at him and wishing that he was braver, that he cared less about what his family or any other fae thought.  But he had always lived within the strict dictates of this world and it was almost impossible to imagine living any other way.

He smiled sadly to himself, saying, “Yeah, can’t let Dyson and Bo have all the fun,” as he stood.