Series 1/Chapter 9
Time Lapsed since “24 Hours”: 1 week
Featuring: Bo, Kenzi, Lauren, Dyson, Hale, Trick, The Ash

Bo ran her hand gently up Lauren’s back, across her shoulders, lingering on the tattoo that adorned the left.  It was a circle which contained the Ash’s symbol, which looked sort of like a leaf with a spiral in the centre.  Lauren shifted away, moving so that the tattoo was out of view, looking at Bo but not quite meeting her eyes.

“He doesn’t own you, Lauren,” Bo said quietly.  “No one does.”

Lauren smiled sadly.  “Isn’t it nice to think so?”  She raised her hand, gently tracing the line of Bo’s jaw.

“If it’s the last thing I ever do, I’m going to fix things so that you can leave the Ash.”

“And that’s why I won’t tell you more than you already know – because I’m afraid it would be the last thing you ever did.”

There was a thump on the wall of the room and Bo sat up just as Kenzi walked in, a hand covering her eyes.  “I don’t want to interrupt your house call, but we’ve got a meeting to get to.”

“I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

“I don’t need to know what you two are going to do next,” Kenzi said, shaking her head.  “Just put some clothes on and let’s get going,” she continued, turning and walking directly into the wall.  “I’m fine!” she called as she went down the hall.

Bo turned and looked back at Lauren.  “She’s what’s known as an acquired taste.”

“Yeah,” Lauren replied, raising her eyebrows.

“So I know that you and Dr. Hotpants are, like, in the ‘let’s be naked every minute of the day’ stage, but how many sleepovers are you guys planning to have per week?  Because I’m not getting any sleep.”

“Sorry,” Bo replied insincerely.  “Maybe if you found yourself a boyfriend…”

“Shut up.”

They were trekking through a hiking trail that looped around a park to meet their new client, a Woodwife named Rebecca.  They found her in a small clearing, tucked just off the trail.

“Thank you for meeting me here,” she said, smiling beatifically.  “Being near the trees makes me feel better, calmer.”

“No problem,” Bo replied.  “What can we do for you?”

Rebecca looked down, considering her words.  She turned towards one of the trees, reaching out and touching it briefly, thinking of how to begin.  “My husband is having an affair.  At least, I think so.  I’d like to know for sure.”

“You’re sure about that?” Bo asked gently.  “Once you know… you can’t unknow.”

Rebecca nodded, her face grim but determined.  “I need to know the truth, whatever that may be.  Can you do it?”

“Absolutely.”

“Great,” Rebecca replied, handing over a large envelope.  “His name is Robin.  There’s a picture of him in there as well as some general information about places he’s known to frequent, things like that.”

“Perfect… and, just so we know how to prepare ourselves, what is he, exactly?”

“A Puck.  Not particularly dangerous but he’s been known to play some nasty tricks.”

“Apparently,” Kenzi remarked under her breath.

“We’ll let you know as soon as we find something,” Bo said, taking the envelope.  “Or as soon as we don’t find something.”

“Thank you,” Rebecca said and then turned her attention once again to the trees.

* * *

“I know it’s not exactly sporting for a fae to pull a gun on another fae,” Hale stated, looking at the door he and Dyson were about to break down, “but I think we should make an exception in this case.”

Dyson nodded, unholstering his gun.  “Let’s not take chances.”

They each took a deep breath and then shared a look, each silently assuring the other that he was ready.  Hale moved into a covering position and Dyson kicked in the door, bursting inside with his gun at the ready, moving swiftly to the left and to the right.  Aiofe wasn’t there, but he latest victim was, lying on the couch, groaning, half-dead and definitely human.  Dyson went to him and took his pulse; it was shallow but he was fighting.

“We’re too late,” Dyson said angrily.

“It was always a long shot,” Hale remarked, examining the room.

“Not that long,” Dyson replied, pointing at the man on the couch.

“Think she has anyone helping her?”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.  She’s always been very… persuasive and there’s no shortage of unrest on both sides these days.”

“‘These days?’  There’s always someone unhappy.”  Hale paused, looking at Dyson.  “You sure you’re ready for what could go down if we do find her?”

Dyson clenched his jaw and recalled the look of pure hate that Aiofe had thrown over her shoulder at him when he had handed her over to the Dark.  There had been plenty of fae with bounties on their heads in those days, but none with so high a price as Aiofe.  He had been paid well but, deep down, he had always known that one day he would pay a high price for it.  “We’ll see,” he said finally.

* * *

Bo and Kenzi sat crouched down in their seats, parked across the street from the used car lot where Robin worked.  He appeared to be an expert salesman, gladhanding and talking circles around customers.  At lunchtime they followed him out of the city, towards a neat row of auspicious waterfront properties with neatly manicured lawns and tidy architecture.  As he pulled into a driveway, a gorgeous woman came out to greet him.

“Well, I guess that answers that,” Kenzi said, taking out her camera and capturing a picture of the embrace.

“He’s not making much of an effort to hide it, is he?” Bo asked, watching as Robin and the woman disappeared inside.

Kenzi shrugged.  “That’s the thing with charming guys – they like the challenge of talking their way out of the trouble that they make.”

“Let’s see what else we can find out,” Bo suggested.

With a bit of legwork, they discovered that the other woman’s name was Caroline, a Glaistig and the widow of a former Light Fae Elder whose influence was still felt even though he’d been dead for well over three years.  She was well known within the Light fae community, if not particularly well liked due to her rumored propensity for sleeping with other women’s husbands.  Rebecca took this information in stride, obviously upset but managing to remain fairly calm.

“Are you okay?” Bo asked, her heart breaking for Rebecca, who looked stoic as she turned her eyes away from the pictures.

“I’ll be fine.  We’ve been married for 300 years… I suppose something like this was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“I’m sorry,” Bo offered.

“Thank you,” Rebecca replied, pulling an envelope out of her purse and handing it to Bo.  “Your payment; I don’t think I’ll be requiring anything further.”

“You know how to reach us if you need us.”

They shook hands and Bo and Kenzi left her.  As soon as they closed the front door, they could hear her starting to weep and Kenzi made a face that said, “Get me the hell out of here.”

“So, what now m’lady?” Kenzi asked once they got back to the car.

“There’s something that’s been on my mind that I’d like to run by Lauren…”

“Ugh!”

“Seriously!  I have some questions that I need to ask…”

“Like what?  ‘Can you unhook my bra using nothing but your teeth?’”

“No, but that’s a good question.”

Kenzi picked up the envelope full of cash.  “Buy me a drink first?”

“Sure thing,” Bo replied, smiling.

* * *

Lauren felt his presence in the room before she actually laid eyes on him.  He had that effect; that long, enveloping shadow that seemed to descend over every room that he entered.  She took a deep breath and turned from her microscope.  The Ash was standing on the other side of the room, hands behind his back, looking at her with that Sphinx-like expression that his face so often favoured.

Lauren bowed her head.  “I’m sorry – did we have a meeting?”

“No.”

Lauren set her jaw and waited as he strolled through the lab, casually looking over the room, giving nothing away.  It was that unshakable calm that made him so terrifying – his judgment was always clear, never overtaken by emotion; he was always in control.

“I was wondering if there’s anything you’d like to tell me,” he said finally.

Lauren hesitated, knowing she had to choose her words carefully.  “I’m making great strides with this new research project…”

He started to laugh, sonorous and vaguely unsettling.  “I’m pleased to hear that, but that’s not what I meant and I think you know that.”  Lauren looked down and tried to will her heart to beat slower.  “The Succubus,” he said finally.

“Bo?  What about her?”

“You’ve been helping her, training her in how to use her powers.”

Lauren swallowed hard.  “Yes.”

“And you’ve grown quite… close,” he continued.

“Yes.”

He nodded, letting her admission float in the space between them for several excruciating minutes before stating, “I’m glad.”

“You are?”

“Of course.  I do appreciate your initiative – you are, of course, working in service to the interests of the Light?”

“Of course,” Lauren replied, after a pause.

“I think we ought to make it official.”

“Official?”

“Yes,” he said slowly.  “Prepare a report for me – everything you’ve learned so far and keep me updated regularly.  I’m particularly interested in knowing about what passed between her and the fugitive Succubus – Saskia, was it?”  Lauren nodded.  “Yes, I’m very interested in that indeed.”  He started to turn away and then turned back.  “Can you have your first report ready by the end of the day?”

“…Yes.”

“Good,” he said, taking his leave.

Lauren leaned against a table, exhaling the breath she’d been holding.  It had been wishful thinking to believe that the Ash wouldn’t find out about her and Bo; he had agents everywhere and his wards were never far from his sight.  Still, that hope had been one of her most precious possessions of late and it was a blow to have to give that up, though it did make her more determined than ever to protect what was left.  And she would protect it, whatever the personal cost.

As soon as they walked into the Dál, Bo could tell that there was trouble.  Dyson looked at her the way that he so often looked at her, like she was seriously disturbing his shit, and Hale didn’t look much happier.

“Whatever I’ve done now, can it be fixed by buying you guys a drink?” Bo asked, motioning to Trick.

“It couldn’t hurt,” Dyson replied, taking the seat next to her at the bar, “but we need to talk.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ziplock bag.  Inside was one of her business cards and it was covered in blood.  “Know what this is?”

“A biohazard?”  Bo offered.

“Something we found at our latest crime scene,” Hale corrected, taking the drink Trick handed him.

Kenzi watched him take a long sip and then leaned forward, gaping at him.  “Care to elaborate?”

“A Puck by the name of Robin,” Dyson replied, “split open from here,” he said, pointing to his stomach, “to here,” he finished, pointing to his neck.  “He was found in the backseat of his car, which was abandoned along one of the back roads.  We found your card stuck in the backseat.”

Bo and Kenzi shared a look of panic.  This was supposed to be an easy, no frills job, not the kind of job where people turned up dead.

“Looks to me like you’re surprised but not too surprised,” Hale remarked.

“I think I’m going to have to invoke private eye-client privilege,” Bo said.

“I think I’m going to have to invoke tell-me-what-I-need-to-know-or-you’ll-be-spending-the-night-in-lock-up-for-impeding-a-police-investigation… privilege,” Dyson replied.

“When he puts it that way…” Kenzi said.

Bo thought about it for a moment and then gave in.  “His wife hired us to find out whether he was cheating on her.  He was.”

“That old chestnut,” Dyson said, almost laughing.  “I don’t suppose you know where we might find his wife?”

“At home, would be my guess,” Bo said sarcastically, taking a drink.  She lowered her glass suddenly, a thought popping into her head.  “We have to go,” she said to Kenzi.

“Go where?” Dyson asked.

“To make sure the mistress isn’t dead, too,” Bo replied, taking Kenzi by the elbow and leading her out of the pub, Dyson and Hale hot on their heels.

There was blood on the handle of the front door when they arrived at Caroline’s house.  Seeing it, Dyson and Hale stopped Bo and Kenzi from charging into the house.

“This could be a crime scene,” Dyson said, annoyed.  “Stay here.”

Reluctantly, Bo and Kenzi waited outside while Dyson and Hale went around back to find another way in so that they might not contaminate the evidence.  When they got inside they found Caroline lying on her kitchen floor, bleeding but still alive.  While Bo and Kenzi rushed her to the Ash’s compound to be treated for her wounds, Dyson and Hale went to collect Rebecca for questioning.  They questioned her for hours, but she continued to protest her innocence, never once wavering.  She hadn’t seen Robin since he left for work that morning and she had never seen Caroline in person.  She was hurt, but she wasn’t a violent person, she said.

After a night spent in holding, Rebecca’s story remained the same.  Caroline’s wounds had turned out to be non-life threatening, but for the time being they let Rebecca think that both Caroline and Robin were dead.  When Bo and Kenzi came by the station, a box of donuts in hand, Dyson steeled himself for a fight.

“This is now a police matter,” he said.

“But we brought donuts!” Kenzi protested.

Hale reached out and took the box.  “And we thank you.”

“Come on,” Bo said impatiently.  “Bring us up to speed; this is our case, too.”

Dyson shook his head.  “Not anymore.”

“I don’t want to get into a big thing with you about this,” Bo said, “but remember how we totally saved your ass just recently?”

“Remember all those times when I totally saved yours?”

Bo rolled her eyes.  “Just because you won’t tell me anything doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep digging, you know that, right?”

“I am aware,” he said, sighing.  “I’ll tell you this much – you should take this situation as a lesson.”

“How’s that?”

He shrugged.  “Be more like me.”  She started to laugh, as did Kenzi and Hale.  “I’m serious.  Remain uncommitted; that way you won’t end up split up the middle by a jealous lover.  Succubi aren’t exactly known for monogamy, you know.”

“First of all, I seem to recall that remaining uncommitted hasn’t exactly prevented you from feeling a woman’s wrath.  Secondly, I’m not like anyone else… even other Succubi,” she said defensively.

Dyson leaned forward, looking at her carefully, quickly putting the pieces together.  “Who?” he asked.

“Lauren,” Bo replied after a pause.

Dyson’s expression shifted and his displeasure was all too obvious.  “That’s a bad idea,” he said lowly.  “For a variety of reasons, that is a bad idea.”

“I’m not looking for input, thanks.  And since you seem bound and determined to shut us out, I think we’ll be going,” she said, nodding to Kenzi to follow her.

Kenzi grabbed the box of donuts from Hale’s grasp and followed Bo out the door as Dyson continued to glower at them.

“Let me do the talking,” Bo said over her shoulder as she and Kenzi made their way into the lab.

“Yeah,” Kenzi replied, rolling her eyes and girding herself for the seemingly endless series of sex eyes, overwhelming tension, and cutesy faces she was about to endure.

Lauren smiled when she saw them, though it seemed to Bo that there was something hesitant and secretive about the smile.  “I’ve been told that I’m not supposed to tell you anything about a certain dead Puck and his injured mistress,” Lauren said dryly.

“No kidding,” Bo sighed.

“Fortunately I was told by someone who doesn’t actually have any real authority over me,” Lauren continued.

“So what can you tell us?”

“Well,” Lauren said, picking up a file and opening it up, “Robin was gutted with a long-bladed knife – judging from the width and depth of the wound I’m guessing an Anelace – and there were no defensive wounds so in all likelihood the attack happened very fast and took him completely by surprise.”

“What about Caroline?” Bo asked, stepping closer to Lauren, ostensibly to look over her shoulder at the file contents.

“Several wounds, none life threatening, all entirely superficial.”

“So… like someone didn’t actually want to kill her or really do her any harm?” Kenzi suggested.

“Exactly,” Lauren stated.  “And the angle of several of the wounds suggests that they were self-inflicted.”

Bo mulled it over, stepping a few paces across the room.  “So what we’ve got,” she said, “is a dead husband, a wounded mistress and a jealous wife as the prime suspect… when what we maybe should have is a dead husband, a suspiciously wounded mistress and a framed wife.”

“But why would Caroline kill Robin?” Kenzi asked.

Bo shrugged.  “Maybe she wanted him to leave Rebecca?”

“A little if-I-can’t-have-you-no-one-can sort of thing?” Kenzi continued, finishing the thought, “Yeah, okay, I can see that.”

“Worth checking out, at any rate,” Bo said and then, turning back to Lauren, “Thank you for your help… I’ll be sure not to tell anyone.”

Lauren nodded and, as Bo turned to leave, reached out and touched her shoulder.  “There’s something I need to talk to you about Bo – not now, but later and definitely not here.”

“Everything okay?” Bo asked, furrowing her brow.

“Yeah,” Lauren replied, though she didn’t sound very certain of it.  “There’s just… something we need to talk about.”

“Okay,” Bo replied slowly.  As she left with Kenzi, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that the other shoe was precariously close to dropping.

They watched the house closely, waiting for Caroline to leave.  Judging from the ease with which she moved when she made her way from the house to her car, she was already well on the road to recovery from whatever wounds she had suffered.  After a few minutes grace to allow Caroline to put some distance between herself and the house, Bo and Kenzi approached, walking around back and quietly breaking in.

“Not your first time?” Bo asked once Kenzi had picked the lock.

“Please.”

“You take upstairs, I’ll take downstairs?”

Kenzi nodded and headed upstairs.  The house was tastefully and precisely decorated – the kind of home where every single object was positioned “just so.”  The rooms downstairs offered no surprises and the only suspicious thing about it was how impersonal it all was.  The rooms were like showrooms, rather than rooms that were actually lived in.

Kenzi had slightly more luck upstairs, starting in Caroline’s bedroom.  While rifling through her dresser drawers, and becoming transfixed by Caroline’s exquisitely beautiful lingerie collection, Kenzi found a series of pictures hidden at the bottom of a drawer.  “Bo?” she called, “Come up here.”

Bo joined her within seconds and Kenzi showed her the pictures, all of which were of Robin and other women, and none of which left any room for doubt as to the nature of his relationships with them.

“Robin was a busy, busy boy,” Kenzi remarked.

“Too busy for his own good, maybe.”  Bo handed the pictures to Kenzi and, as she turned away from the dresser, saw something glinting out of the corner of her eye.  When she turned back towards the door she saw Caroline standing there, a long-bladed knife in hand.

“Motive,” Kenzi said, holding up the pictures, “Aaaaand the weapon.”

“My late husband was a collector,” Caroline remarked coldly, running the tip of her finger along the edge of the blade.

“Put it down,” Bo said, her voice steady as she moved into a defensive posture.

Caroline laughed.  “Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re not going to like what happens if I have to knock it out of your hand.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Caroline said, raising the knife and moving towards them.

Bo pushed Kenzi back and in the next second had to dodge the sweep of Caroline’s knife.  She continued to dodge and weave as Caroline relentlessly pursued her.  Things progressed so quickly that Caroline didn’t realize, at first, so that she’d manoeuvred herself in between Bo and Kenzi, attacking one while her back was to the other.  Kenzi attempted to take advantage of her lack of attention by attacking her from behind, but Caroline turned swiftly on her heel, nearly catching Kenzi in the stomach with the knife.  Bo lunged forward, grabbing Caroline’s arm, discovering in the process that she had a surprising amount of upper body strength.  The two fell to the ground, Caroline on top, struggling against Bo to plunge her knife into Bo’s chest.  Just as Bo was on the verge of defeat, Kenzi found another knife in the bedside table and, springing towards them, put her knife to Caroline’s neck.

“Drop it,” Kenzi said.

Caroline thought about it for a moment, considering whether she could shake Kenzi off without getting her throat slit and without immediately losing the upper hand to Bo, but ultimately dropped her knife.  Bo pushed her off and stood.

“Let’s see what Dyson and Hale have to say about this, shall we?” she asked Kenzi.

* * *

Back at the Dál, Dyson bought the first round of drinks but couldn’t quite bring himself to say that he had been wrong.  Rebecca had been released from custody and Caroline charged in her place.  Eventually, with a little help from Kenzi and her inexorable je ne sais quois, Dyson was even cajoled into cracking a smile and admitting that Bo and Kenzi had “done good.”

“So I haven’t even asked you,” Bo said to Dyson, “any luck tracking down Saskia?”

Dyson shared a quick look with Trick and silently shook his head.

“Well maybe Kenzi and I should give it a try…”

“No!” Trick exclaimed and then, quickly regaining his composure, “I know that you don’t like to be told what to do,” he said as Bo nodded in agreement, “but she’s dangerous and you may not quite be ready to face her in a fight yet.”

“Maybe,” Bo admitted.  “But… I don’t know; I have this weird feeling that she wouldn’t hurt me.  I mean, she could have, easily, the last time we met but she didn’t…”

“She would, though,” Trick insisted, “if she felt that she had to.”

“I thought you’d never heard of her before,” Kenzi remarked.

“Word gets around fast.”

Bo couldn’t help but feel that Trick was holding something back, something vital.  Before she could question him further, however, he had excused himself to the storeroom.  When Kenzi and Hale similarly excused themselves to play a round of pool, Bo found herself alone with Dyson and overcome with a sense of anticipation.  She gave him a look that verily dared him to say what she knew he wanted to say.

Finally he smiled, shaking his head, “About what I said earlier… about you and Lauren.”

“Mmmhmm?”

“I’m just trying to look out for you.”

“I’m a big girl; don’t need anyone looking out for me.”

“Nevertheless.”  He looked at her closely.  His expression was kind enough that she wanted to forgive him, but dominating enough that she found herself growing angry all over again.  “It’s dangerous to involve yourself with a human like that – particularly one who is a ward of the Ash.”

“Everything’s dangerous,” Bo remarked.  “That’s all I seem to hear from people these days; that something’s too dangerous for me to do.”

“Let me put it another way,” he said, draining what was left of his drink.  “You like Lauren, right?  You care about her?”

“I do.”

“Then shouldn’t you be a little more worried about her getting hurt?”

“You mean by the Ash or some other fae because of our relationship?”

“I mean by you.”  He gave her a moment to let it sink in and then continued, “Bo, you have… needs.  Sex isn’t just a part of your life; it’s the source of your entire life force.  You can’t sustain yourself with just one person – particularly not a human…”

Bo stood.  “I don’t need you to explain myself to me,” she said fiercely, hoping as she stormed out that she had said it with as much conviction as she tried to convince herself that she felt.

* * *

Lauren had beaten her to the clubhouse, looking lovely, as always, but also distraught.  At her request Bo opened a bottle of wine and they sat at the kitchen counter, not saying anything for a long time.  Bo reached forward, placing her hand over Lauren’s, silently trying to assure her that there wasn’t anything she couldn’t say.

Lauren swiftly finished her glass of wine.  “The Ash knows about us,” she said.

“Are you in trouble?”

“Not exactly.”  She took a deep breath and continued, “He wants me to spy on you.”

Bo raised an eyebrow and looked away.  “Are you going to?” she asked, looking back at her, suddenly feeling very guarded.

“I don’t really think I have much choice,” Lauren said quietly, looking down at her hands.  When she looked up again her eyes were pleading, terrified.  “I won’t report any sensitive information to him, obviously, nothing that could compromise you or give anyone any leverage against you; it would just be general information – things anyone could know about you by now…”

“That makes me feel a lot better,” Bo replied sarcastically, pouring herself another glass of wine.

Lauren bit her lip.  “… If you want to end this, I understand.  It’s a lot to ask.”

Bo gently placed the wine bottle down on the counter, a flutter in her heart at the thought.  She felt as if they were being attacked on every side, as if they were a scandal that everyone was determined to stamp out and sweep under the rug.  “No,” she said.  “We’ll figure this out – this and the hundreds of other things we’ll have to figure out.”

Something tugged at the corners of Lauren’s lips, the shadow of a smile.  Bo leaned forward and kissed her.

“There’s just one thing…” Lauren said, pulling away.

Bo sighed, suddenly very tired.  “What?”

Lauren looked into her eyes, a look of determination in her own.  “I need for you to promise me something,” she said.  “I need for you to promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll never let them use me against you.”

“What to do you mean?”

“I mean, never let them use me to punish you or try to force you to take a side.  Whatever happens, I need to know that you’re prepared to walk away rather than sacrifice yourself.”

“Lauren, if you’re in trouble, I can’t just…”

“I need this, Bo.  It can’t be any other way.”

Bo took a deep breath, wondering if she was strong enough to ever be able to do what Lauren was asking.  “Okay,” she said finally.  She would do anything for Lauren, but this would be a difficult promise to keep.  As she kissed her again, however, she allowed herself to think that it would never come to that, that they could carry on, safely cocooned here away from all those malevolent forces swirling around outside.

Series 1/Chapter 4
Time Lapsed since “A Story of More Woe”: 1 week
Featuring: Bo, Kenzi, Dyson, Lauren, Trick, Hale, The Ash

Bo sat stock still and refused to get out of the car.  She was still stinging from her last, humiliating conversation with Dyson and the last thing she wanted to do was be anywhere he might be.

“The best way to get over one person is to get under another,” Kenzi advised sagely.

“I don’t need to get over Dyson.  I just don’t want to be around him.  Ever, if possible.”

“Well, we can’t exactly go to a human bar because of, you know, the troubles.”

Bo sighed.  “I just want to go home.  Can we do that?”

“No,” Kenzi said, hopping out of the car and dragging Bo along with her, displaying a shocking amount of upper body strength.

A quick scan of the Dál showed that Dyson wasn’t there, but somehow that didn’t make Bo feel any better.  She had no excuse now to go home and continue feeling sorry for herself and instead sat down at the bar and gamely acquiesced when Kenzi announced that it was time for shots.  Three shots later, she had to admit, things were starting to seem a little less dire, though she wasn’t sure she’d built herself up enough to do anything about it when Kenzi pointed out the woman at the end of the bar who was checking her out.

Trick set a drink down in front of Kenzi.  “Compliments of the young man at table five.”

Kenzi turned and the man immediately looked away and then ventured a quick look back before looking away again.  He was cute in a bashful, nondescript sort of way and elicited an “Aw” from Kenzi.  “I’m gonna go say ‘hi,’” she announced, hopping off her bar stool.

Bo reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her and then turned to Trick.  “He okay?”

“Harmless,” Trick confirmed.  “He’s a Ghillie Dhu.”

“Which is?”

“A Scottish tree guardian.  Shy but friendly to humans.”

“May I?” Kenzi asked in an overly dramatic way.

Bo gestured for her to go and as she went, she turned back, gesturing to the end of the bar and saying, “Go take care of your own business.”

Bo returned to her drink instead, but only momentarily.  She could feel the eyes of the woman at the end of the bar on her and felt her own gaze pulled in that direction.  The woman smiled and Bo smiled back – before she knew it she was standing with her at the end of the bar.

“Bo, the unaligned succubus,” the woman said admiringly.

“My reputation precedes me,” Bo replied, somewhat embarrassed.

“I’m Miki,” the woman said, tilting her head to one side.  She was shimmering with such intense sexual energy that Bo felt momentarily blinded.

“Can I ask you something?”

Miki nodded.

“What are you?”

“That’s very personal,” Miki said seriously, her entire demeanor changing.

Bo felt herself flush, afraid that she has committed a terrible error in etiquette.  As she started to stammer an apology, Miki laughed.  “I’m a Kitsune,” she said.  “A fox,” she continued, responding to Bo’s blank look.

“I should have known.”

Miki leaned forward, causing Bo to instinctively do the same.  “You’ve heard all about Kitsunes, haven’t you?”  Bo shook her head.  “Well, you’ll have a story or two to tell in the morning.”  Bo smiled slyly.  It was going to be a good night, after all.

The streets were empty and quiet as Bo made her way back to the clubhouse in the morning – quiet, that is, until from down the street Kenzi yelled, “Walk of shame sisters unite!”  Bo turned and waited for Kenzi to catch up.

“Did you really sleep with a tree guardian?”

“Nah.  We just hung out in his treehouse and read comic books. It was like middle school all over again.  But yoooou,” she said teasingly, “you definitely got laid.”

“A lady never tells.”

“I don’t see any ladies here.  Spill.”

As usual, Kenzi’s enthusiasm was contagious.  “Okay, well she was a Kitsune…”

“So does fox trump wolf?”

Bo laughed but before she could answer they came to the door, where they found a half-dressed and, it appeared, dead woman curled up on their doorstep.  She was cold to the touch and looked like she’d died of exposure – odd, given the warm temperatures of late.  Bo called Lauren, who arrived within minutes and quickly confirmed the death and its cause.

“Is it a fae kill?” Bo asked.

“I would say so.  A frost giant, I think,” Lauren said as she continued to examine the body.

“Any thoughts on why a frost giant would dump her outside our humble abode?” Kenzi asked.  “Is this, like, a mob thing?  Someone sending us a message?”

Lauren glanced up at her briefly and then back at the body.  “I think it may be more likely that she was coming here and was caught and killed here, rather than that she was killed somewhere else and dumped here.”  She met Bo’s quizzical eyes.  “Just a hypothesis.”

“You think she was looking for us?”  Bo asked, to which Lauren shrugged.  “Is she fae?”

“Human.  Can you help me?”  Bo reached forward and helped Lauren shift the body and watched as Lauren lowered the girl’s shirt, exposing her left shoulder, which had four tattoos lined up along it.  Each tattoo was a different symbol and three of them had lines through them.

“What’s it mean?”  Bo asked, flicking her eyes back and forth between the tattoos and Lauren’s face, which had become ashen and intense.

“Each one denotes ownership,” Lauren said slowly.  She pointed to the first tattoo.  “This is the symbol of her first owner, the line through it means that she was sold,” she continued, moving her finger to the second tattoo, “to her second owner and so on until this one,” she said, drawing her finger across to the final tattoo.  “This is who owned her at her death.”

“Yikes,” Kenzi said lowly.

“So this last owner was probably a frost giant…”

“Maybe,” Lauren muttered, more to herself than to Bo and Kenzi.  She was looking closely at the girl’s arms and then her legs, which were exposed beyond the borders of her tiny skirt.  “Lots of bruising.”

“She put up a fight,” Kenzi remarked.

Lauren shook her head.  “The bruises are older.”

“What are you thinking?” Bo asked.

“Prostitute and pimp.  Possibly.  I’ll know more when I get the body back to the lab and examine it.”

Bo nodded, distracted by Lauren’s air of agitation.  It was unsettling to see someone who was normally so calm, collected and methodical on the verge of letting her emotions lead the way.  Bo reached out, touching Lauren’s wrist.  “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Lauren insisted.  “I’m going to make a call, arrange for someone to come and collect the body.”

Bo and Kenzi shared a look and then made a quick sweep of the clubhouse to ensure that the frost giant hadn’t stuck around for round two.  By the time they finished, agents of the Ash were loading the body into a truck and Lauren was nowhere to be seen.  As she and Kenzi stepped out of the clubhouse one of the agents walked over to them.

“The Ash has asked me to deliver you to the compound.”

“I’m not a package,” Bo said tersely.

The agent looked at her blankly.  “I think you’ll find this a more pleasant experience if you come willingly, rather than forcing the Ash to send someone… not so nice to collect you.”

“That a threat?”

“An observation.”

Bo looked at Kenzi, whose expression suggested that a meeting with the Ash might be interesting.  “We’ll need a minute to get ready.”

“The human stays,” the agent said quickly.

“It’s true what they say,” Kenzi said to Bo.  “Succubi have all the fun.”

Bo was ushered into the throne room and told to wait.  In a moment the Ash entered, striding into the room with a regal gait.  Rather than sitting on his throne, he stood in front of her, towering over her.

“On behalf of the fae community, I apologize for the inconveniences you’ve experienced this morning.  It’s always… unfortunate when someone is so inconsiderate as to disrupt the lives of others with their kills.”

“Yeaaaah,” Bo said slowly, coldly.  “I’m more concerned about finding out who the girl was and who killed her.”

“It’s not your concern.  The matter is being taken care of.”  He turned away from her and casually sat down on his throne

“What does that mean?”

“It means that you are encroaching into matters that do not concern you, matters you do not fully understand.  We have methods of dealing with such matters – and with those who would interfere with fae business.”

“Should I consider that a warning?”

“Consider it… information.  Information you will not be given twice.”

Bo nodded her understanding and the Ash made a gesture which resulted in the doors being opened, the interview now over.  Before leaving the compound she made a detour to the lab, where she found Lauren making notes on a clipboard.

“Find out anything else?”

Lauren turned, a surprised and worried look on her face.  She took a quick glance around the lab to ensure that they were alone and said lowly, “We don’t have much time.  If the Ash finds out that I’m talking to you about this…”

“Yeah, I just got a warning about that myself.  Tell me.”

“There was definitely sexual activity shortly before she died and there are scars on her body that would suggest that she’d been the recipient of persistent, long-term abuse.”  Lauren took a deep breath.  “This isn’t an isolated case.”

“There’s another body?”

“Several, over the course of a few months.  I checked the archives.  All of them had at least one tattoo in common; the last one.  And all of them died at the hands of a frost giant.”

“I don’t suppose you were able to connect the tattoo to anyone in particular?”

Lauren hesitated and in that moment another doctor entered the lab.  He looked at Bo suspiciously and shot a warning look to Lauren.  “I’m sorry, Bo,” she said, loudly enough for the other doctor to hear, “I can’t help you.”

“Yeah.  Well, it seems like a lost cause anyway,” Bo replied.

Lauren smiled faintly and moved by her, passing closely.  When she was out of the compound, Bo reached into the inner pocket of her jacket, pulling out the picture of the tattoos that Lauren had slipped to her.  Armed with it, and having swallowed a considerable amount of pride, she went to the precinct to see Dyson.

“And the Ash specifically warned you to stay out of this?”

Bo hesitated and then nodded.

“Then don’t you think you should?”

“Why?  So that he can cover up for one of his cronies?”

“Fae kill humans.  You know that.  And if the Ash has gotten personally involved, then there must be a pretty high profile Light Elder somewhere behind it – nothing good can come from you poking around in this.”

“Are you scared?”

Dyson scoffed.  “I just know my business.”

“Look,” Bo said, becoming annoyed, “I get that you’re fae first and humans aren’t real high on your list of priorities, but given that you’re also a cop, shouldn’t you at least pretend to be concerned about a serial killer?”

“Serial killer?  I thought there was just the one body on your doorstep.”

“There was, but I have it on good authority that there’ve been a number of similar kills over the past few months.  Similar right down to this tattoo,” she said, pointing it out on the picture.

“A ‘good authority,’” Dyson mused.  “Lauren, by chance?”

“Maybe.”

“She should know better, although I can’t say I’m surprised that she would encourage you to go against the will of the Ash.”

“Yeah, go figure that she wouldn’t want to see someone get away with murder just because she works for the Ash.”

Dyson looked stunned, as if he couldn’t quite fathom the extent of her naiveté and then, shaking his head, muttered, “Ask Lauren to show you her left shoulder sometime.”

This time it was Bo’s turn to look stunned and it was apparent from Dyson’s expression that he regretted the revelation.  Bo didn’t take the time to allow the information to sink in, both because the thought was unbearable and because she didn’t want to be vulnerable in Dyson’s presence again, not after the last time.  “Do you know the name of the fae whose symbol this is,” she said finally, pointing to the tattoo in the picture.

Dyson was silent, looking at her in a firm and uncompromising matter.  If he knew, he wasn’t going to tell her either because of his duty to the Ash or, as he would probably put it, for her own good.  She looked at him coldly, making sure that he knew she understood and thought he was in the wrong, and then stormed out.

“So what’s the plan?” Kenzi asked.  It was late and they were wandering through the dark streets of a downtown neighborhood in Light territory.  It was an area of town notorious for sex trade and Bo and Kenzi had to negotiate their path around working girls as they made their way down the sidewalk.

“I’m not sure.  The Light have closed ranks – even Dyson – and I can’t go to Lauren for more information.  Keep any eye out for anyone that looks…”

“Sketchy?  We’ll be here all night.” Kenzi gasped. ”That girl has the same wig as me!”

“You wear it better,” Bo said, her pace slowing as she locked eyes with a woman across the street, waiting outside a liquor store.  The woman looked nervous and like she was trying to communicate something to Bo with her eyes.  She turned, taking a quick look inside the liquor store window and then lowered her jacket so that Bo could see her shoulder.  Bo and Kenzi started to cross the street and then pulled back as a man exited the liquor store and took the woman by the elbow, marching her down the street.  Bo and Kenzi followed them to an old, run-down house that appeared to be full of activity, which they viewed from the shadows across the street.

“Wait here,” Bo said.  “Be ready to call Dyson, if necessary.”

Bo crossed the street and started up the stairs to the house.  There was a man standing guard outside the front door and he motioned to her to stop.  “What’s your business here?”

Bo reached up, touching his cheek and sending him into a deep thrall.  “Just let me in.”

“Sure,” he gasped, opening the door.

She found herself in a waiting room of sorts, a shabby couch and some chairs on one side and a reception desk on another.  There had been no one behind it when she entered, but in a moment a man popped out of one of the rooms off the waiting area.  He looked at her dubiously.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

She leaned forward, touching him.  “I’m looking for a girl.”

“A girl?”

“That’s right…”

Someone started clapping behind her.  She swung around to find a tall, well-dressed man, smiling sinisterly.  “I’ve always wanted to see a succubus in action.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“I figured it was only a matter of time before our paths crossed.”

“Did you?”

“I did.  I’m Simon,” he said, extending his hand.  She took it reluctantly and shook, trying to discern his thoughts through his impenetrable expression.  He walked to the reception desk, reaching behind it and pressing a button.  “I think that we can have a very… fulfilling and mutually satisfying working relationship.  Surely the chase must be part of the fun, but… fast food restaurants exist for a reason, do they not?”

Bo felt sick but tried to smile as if she was in agreement just as five women, including the one she had followed, filed into the room.  “Consider the first visit compliments of the house.”

Bo put on a show of choosing between the women before selecting the one she’d seen on the street.  The woman led her down a long hallway and up a flight of stairs in silence, only speaking to say, “In here,” in a thick, Eastern European accent as they arrived at a door.

The room was sparsely decorated, just a bed and a nightstand.  The woman, who introduced herself as Yelena, was obviously afraid but began to talk with some gentle coaxing on Bo’s part.  “Tania saw your flyer for supernatural detective and we’ve all heard them talking about you…”

“Them?”

“Clients,” she said quietly.

“Did Simon kill her… and the others?”

Yelena shook her head.  “He doesn’t get his hands dirty.  It’s Victor who kills.”

Bo nodded.  “How many are there here and how did they get here?”

“Eight.  We were brought here from home.  We were told that we would be nannies or that we would be married and become citizens.”

“How much muscle does Simon have?”

She shrugged.  “Victor and four others… and whatever clients are here.”  She looked searchingly, desperately, at Bo.  “Will you help us?”

“Yes,” Bo said, her voice definite and edged with anger.  “Whatever I have to do, I’ll get all of you out of here.”

***

The Dál was empty when Bo and Kenzi arrived to see Trick.  Bo stopped short when she saw that Dyson was waiting as well.  “This is a private meeting,” she said, approaching their table.

“Trick asked me to be here,” Dyson stated simply.

There was a long pause, which Kenzi finally broke.  “Aaaanywaaay,” she sing-songed, nudging Bo.

“I know who the killer is and who he’s working for.  I’m going after them.”

Dyson and Trick shared a look.  “Tread carefully,” Trick warned.

“What does that mean?” Bo asked.  “That I should ignore the fact that there’s a fae-run human trafficking operation?  That I should ignore that the women involved are being killed?”

“What I mean,” Trick replied, “is that if the Ash has sanctioned the operation, you can’t just storm in there to shut it down.”

“It’s wrong, Trick.”

“I know,” he conceded.  “But if you go on the attack, you’ll be declaring war on the Ash, you’ll be making powerful enemies…”

“I don’t care about making enemies,” Bo replied, looking carefully at Trick and then Dyson, “I care about doing the right thing.  I care… about humans.  Now, are you going to tell me how to dismantle this thing or are we on our own?”  Neither Trick nor Dyson answered her.  Neither would even look at her.  “Fine,” she said, standing and heading for the door.

“On behalf on human women everywhere,” Kenzi added, “thank you.”

As the door slammed behind them, Dyson finally looked at Trick.  “She’s going to get herself killed.”

Trick had a far-away look in his eye, remembering women from his past of whom Bo reminded him.  “I won’t let that happen,” he said finally.  “I’m going to make some phone calls – the Ash and other Elders can’t publicly endorse this enterprise, regardless of their actions in private.  If we can rally a moral majority, even if it’s full of hypocrites, then we can cut the head off this thing and lessen the fallout if Bo does decide to storm the gates.”

“‘If’?” Dyson chuckled.  “Her guns are already blazing.”

“Let’s just try to minimize the damage.”

“Agreed,” Dyson sighed.  “I’ll go get Hale,” he said, standing.

***

Bo’s anger had only increased by the time they returned to the clubhouse.  Her plan, at the moment, was to gather all the weapons she could and hope for the best.  She knew that she ought to stop and think about things for a minute, but she was so worked up that thinking about anything was impossible.  It wasn’t until she and Kenzi walked through the front door and found Lauren waiting in their living room that the urgent anger flowing through her began to dissipate.

“How’d you get in?”

Kenzi laughed.  “Seriously?”

Lauren glanced at Kenzi then looked at Bo.  “I know who it is.”

“So do we,” Bo said, coming towards her.

Lauren looked relieved.  “I have an idea,” she said, reaching into her medical bag.

“An idea,” Kenzi remarked.  “That’s exactly what we’ve been missing.”

Lauren pulled out a vial that was full of clear liquid.  Bo took it from her and examined it.  “What is it?” she asked.

“It’s something that will simulate death in humans.  I thought that if you could give it to the ones who are left, they could get away cleanly.  The fae will think they’re dead so they won’t go looking for them, either to reclaim them or…”

“Kill them,” Bo completed.  Lauren nodded.  “How much do they take?”

“Three drops each.  And then,” she continued, reaching into her bag again and pulling out another vial, this one full of a darker liquid, “three drops of this to bring them back.  The second set of drops has to be administered within an hour.”

“That’s great, Lauren,” Bo said, smiling warmly in an attempt to hide that she knew about Lauren’s situation.  She had so many questions but was so afraid of the answers.

Lauren looked at her, a direct, unblinking look.  “You’ll get those women out, right, Bo?”

“If it’s the last thing I do,” Bo pledged.

Bo had a bad feeling as she walked into Simon’s place, a feeling that it had all been too easy and that she had been lulled into a false sense of security.  She tried not to let her discomfort show as Simon waltzed into the waiting area, the broad smile of a car salesman spread across his face.

“Back so soon?”

Bo shrugged.  “You know how it is.”

“I can imagine.  What are you in the mood for tonight?”

“I’d like to see Yelena again, if she’s free.”

“Of course.  I’ll show you the way.”

“I can find my way…”

“I insist,” he said, motioning for her to follow him.  He led her down the same route she had taken before, stopping with his hand on the knob of Yelena’s door.  He looked at her appraisingly, ominously.  “You really are something, you know that?”

“Thank you.”

He smiled and opened the door for her, shutting it behind her.  Yelena was nowhere to be seen; a tall, broad man was there in her place.

“You’re not what I ordered,” Bo said.

The man laughed, a thick frost escaping from between his lips as he did so.  He came at her and Bo landed a punch squarely on his jaw, knocking his head back but doing little else.  “Shit,” she pronounced as he overpowered her, putting his hands around her neck.  She could feel ice sliding down through her body, under her skin, and she struggled to keep from giving in to shock.

Meanwhile, Kenzi watched the building from across the street, waiting.  A light flashed on and then off in one of the lower level windows.

“That’s it,” Dyson said, stepping out from behind her.  “I don’t suppose there’s any point in telling you to stay here.”

She held up her knife.  “I’ve already unsheathed.”

They ran across the street and Dyson dispatched the doorman with ease, tossing him away from the door with a deep, guttural roar before breaking through the door.  Inside it quickly devolved into chaos as Simon’s crew rushed to defend their territory, three of them setting upon Dyson as he crossed the threshold, with one ending up on the receiving end of Kenzi’s knife.

“Find Bo!” Dyson yelled to her just before he shifted into wolf form and began tearing through one of Simon’s bodyguards.

Kenzi wove her way through the mêlée and made it to the stairs, where she was immediately confronted by Simon, who was slowly making his way down.  Her knife at the ready, Kenzi made to charge at him only to find herself knocked back down the stairs, her knife flying out of her hands.  Before she could make a move, Simon was on her, two huge, leathery-looking wings having sprung out behind him, ripping through his jacket, his face a grotesque mask of hatred as he opened his mouth wide, showing her two long, jagged fangs.

As he made to bite her he suddenly threw his head back as if in pain and then fell to his knees, holding his head and passing out.  Kenzi glanced back and saw Hale, focusing on Simon and directing a song to him that was so high-pitched Kenzi could not hear it.  As Simon writhed on the ground in pain, Kenzi picked up her knife and continued up the stairs and started opening doors, searching for Bo.  When she found her, Victor had his hands around her neck and her skin had started to take on an alarming pallor.  Kenzi rushed forward with her knife but Victor fought her off easily, knocking her back. In that split second, however, Bo was able to take advantage of his lapse in attention to grab her own knife, plunging it into Victor’s gut as he turned back to her.

“Are you okay?” Kenzi asked, rushing forward and grabbing Bo, who was on the verge of collapse.

“Cold,” Bo stammered through trembling lips.

Kenzi half dragged, half carried Bo out of the room and Dyson and Hale ran to them, Dyson taking Bo in his arms.  “Let’s get her out of here,” he said.

Bo pushed away from him, struggling to speak.  She looked searchingly at Hale, who held up the two vials, one empty, the other full of the darker liquid.  She nodded, grateful that he had been able to accomplish what she had not.

“Let’s go,” Dyson said lowly.  “You need to heal.”

Bo shook her head.  “I don’t need you for that,” she said forcefully and then, looking at Kenzi, “Let’s go.”

“Bo…” Dyson said, irritated by her unwillingness to accept his help.

“Let her go,” Hale said quietly.  “We’ve got our hands full already.”

Dyson glared at Hale for a moment and then stalked off downstairs to start cleaning up the mess.  Bo nodded her thanks to Hale, who helped Kenzi get her downstairs.  As she passed through the house she caught a glimpse into one of the rooms off the reception area and saw the women, all of them lying on the floor, motionless and seemingly dead.

Kenzi drove Bo across town, helping her into a building and up a short flight of stairs.  “Are you sure?” she asked as they reached a door.  Bo nodded and motioned for her to leave, which she did, albeit reluctantly.  Bo stood herself up against the wall, her legs weak and trembling, and knocked.

Miki opened the door, scantily clad with a sly, playful smile of her face.  “What’s such a hot girl doing looking so cold?”  She reached forward, pulling Bo inside and holding her close.  “Ooh,” she said, shocked by the chill, “I guess we better get right to it.”  She leaned forward, kissing her and bringing her numb lips back to life.  The kiss became deeper, more insistent and then Bo pulled away slightly, drawing out some of Miki’s chi.

A pulsating wave of warmth went through her body, bringing her back to herself.  Miki was breathing heavily, a ravenous look in her eyes.  “Is that all you’ve got?” Bo asked.

“Not nearly.”

She caught up with Kenzi at the Dál, where she was waiting with Dyson, Hale and Trick.  As she entered the room, Dyson glowered and evaded her gaze.  “So?” she asked, directing the question to Hale.

“Took the bodies on a little detour on the way to the morgue – craziest thing; all of them up and walked away.”

“They’ve gone underground,” Trick continued.  “They’ll resurface somewhere far away and get a new start.”

“You’re sure about that?” Bo asked.

“Yes.”

“What about Simon?”

Trick and Dyson shared a look.  “The official story on what happened tonight is that the Ash sanctioned a raid to stamp out unsavoury activity.  It will play well with the Elders and it will mean that you won’t be hunted down for… taking matters into your own hands.”

“But what will happen to Simon?”

Trick shrugged, not quite wanting to have to tell her.  “He’ll be reprimanded…”

“Reprimanded?  That’s it?”

“He didn’t commit a crime,” Dyson said impatiently.  “At least, not in the eyes of the fae community.  Few fae are as sentimental about humans as you are.”  He paused and then turned to Kenzi, “No offense.”

“Oh, none taken.”

“You can’t undo thousands of years of history in a day,” Trick said carefully.  “And I should warn you that you’ve made a powerful enemy in Simon… not to mention the Ash.”

“All in a day’s work,” Bo said dryly.  As she looked at Trick, and the genuine concern and remorse written on his face, her anger began to ebb – at least, her anger at those in the room.  “Thank you for all your help,” she said, looking at Trick, Hale and finally at Dyson in turn and then, to Kenzi, “Let’s go.”

“Night suckas,” Kenzi said, jumping up.  “You gonna give meet the deets on your fox?” she asked as they made their way out.

“Think you can handle it?” Bo laughed.

Dyson watched them leave, all the irritation he had felt earlier draining away into the vast pool of regret at his core.  Part of him pitied Bo for all she didn’t know and seemed destined to learn the hard way, but he admired her, too, for her capacity to feel for others.  He quickly flicked his eyes away, hoping that no one had noticed.

So here we are at pretty much the halfway mark of the second season, which is a joyous thought in itself, cause this time last season the series was finishing up, being a truncated season. This year we get the full 20 (or 22) eps!
Awesome!
And this means the show runners can take their time easing us to the the big season finale, though they’re continuing to wet our appetites with the bits and pieces they are giving us.
We know something big and bad is coming, as that creepy little girl (“damned effective birth control”) who always shows up for badness has been lurking around, and who also gave Bo that very troubling vision of her standing over a dying Trick while she was in limbo after having her soul ousted from her body (what a fantastic ep that was!).
We know that something is killing the smaller Fae, which our fave lady doc Lauren discovered after conducting a number of autopsies.
We know the new Ash, Loughlin, is keeping secrets, including another head!! (Maybe he just swaps them out!)
And of course, Lauren is now one of the secrets The Ash is keeping!!
Bo is gonna be pissed on that count!
And speaking of Lauren, what about Nadia? Where is this cursed nail, and the wood it’s been hammered into? With the previous Ash’s journal hold a clue or even the key to that?
Something tells me that there was more going on with that outbreak in Africa that was killing Fae than we’ve learned so far.
And here’s a thought, whoever put Nadia under the curse did it for a reason… could that reason be to control Lauren? And who’s controlling Lauren right now? The Ash.
Well, it would’ve been the previous Ash, so what did he want her for?
And now with Loughlin looking into the previous Ash’s journals to investigate is he doing it for himself, or for Lauren?
We already know that he’s done some questionable things, and has a mouth full of very sharp teeth!!
And who keeps a head locked in a case, honestly?
There’s definitely more going on with him than we’ve learned, and he’s quickly becoming one of the characters that I love to hate.
Then of course there will be trouble coming for Dyson and Ciara. She asked if he could love her, and though he said some very nice things, he didn`t say yes. Kenzi, during the episode Original Skin (“I’ll get the name tags”) noted that Dyson feels like there’s something missing inside… maybe he can’t love anyone anymore after the sacrifice he made at the end of Season 1.
Honestly, I`m ok with Bo not being with Dyson, she`s awesome hanging with her bestie and kicking butt! Yes, she deserves to be happy, and she’ll definitely need the distraction should Nadia and Lauren resume their romance, assuming they can wake her, (which leads to a thought – who’s gonna play Nadia, cause she must be something!) but I also don’t think it needs to be Dyson.

I also have really enjoyed Hale and Kenzi having more time together this season, the two of them, much like Kenzi and Trick, really pop together, and their scenes are always enjoyable. We still need to learn more about Hale, he may or may not be royalty, and what would it be like if he became the new Ash.

Kenzi. Oh Kenzi, you have the best lines, and probably a drinking problem, but you would be so awesome to hang with.
And Trick.
How I love this character. He’s hinted at some more of his past this year, and all its done is made me want to know more. Rick Howland suggested that Trick’s story would be awesome feature material, though, he admitted even he doesn’t know lots of it.
I would love to see a giant tie-in novel about Trick… Hmm, I wonder if I know a couple of authors who would jump at the chance to do that??? PICK ME AND SUE! PICK ME AND SUE!!

From a viewer`s point of view, when Season 3 rolls around, I would love to see both Rick, and KC in the opening credits. They are as much members of Team Bo as anyone else. I would also like to see more expansive end credits, cause there are some fantastic people who work on this show week in and week out, and don’t even get an onscreen credit!
I like very much what the writers are doing with their story and character development, and hope we get even more of that in Season 3!
And just from a geek’s point of view, I love wandering around my city, and seeing locations that have shown up on Lost Girl. It makes me happy, like I could turn a corner and bump into Bo and Kenzi or Anna and Ksenia… either way… Awesome!!

You’ve got me hooked.

I’m involved in the story and the characters, I’ll watch you every week.

How about something back in return?

I love all the characters of the show (even when they seem to be acting like douches… no names Wolfy McWolfson), but now that you’ve established yourself (and we know something dark is coming), maybe we can find out a little more about some of the, and I hate to use this word, secondary characters…

I had a brief opportunity to chat with all of the cast as they signed memorabilia for me at Toronto’s FanExpo this year (four of them even wished a happy birthday to someone very dear to me – thank you again for that Anna, Ksenia, Rick and Zoie it went over like gangbusters!), meeting them in person finding out what funny, entertaining and gracious people they are with their public just made me want to know even more about their characters on the screen.

For instance I see Lauren in a completely different way now because Zoie is just so warm and witty in person… Which makes me want to know what the Light Fae have over her that she seems to be in servitude to them? What happened there?!

And yes we’ve seen some of Kenzi’s family but what about a story arc for her? True she has some of the best dialogue but what helped shape her? What events in her past led her to where she is? Does she have any friends outside of the fae circle she now wanders in? How have those relationships changed since she’s learned about this other side of reality? What would happen if a love interest for Kenzi got thrown into the mix? Let’s see her kick some ass, I’m sure Bo has given her some training by now, and she’s kinda street to start off with, I bet she could handle herself pretty well.

Hale… We all want to know more about the Siren! We know he’s royalty, but how about a Hale-centric tale? With those abilities isn’t he a little cooler than just being Dyson’s ‘wing-man’? The answer’s yes, just so you know. Hale for Ash! And he wears the best hats! In terms of cool factor, he has the highest on the show, he just emanates it. Maybe we could follow him around on a case, a very film noir deal with hard drinking femme fae fatales and fisticuffs.

And let’s not forget Trick, my favorite character in the series, he’s enigmatic and always seems to know more than he lets on. We know he’s the Blood King, and that he can change the future and even destiny by using blood for ink in his book, but it’s never enough for me.

Although, admittedly, in Trick’s case I do believe less is more, I would love to learn more, and see a number of Trick-centric plots, but I never want to know everything about him, cause I think the mystery really works for his character, and with that gleam in his eye you know there’s always something else up his sleeve.

So please Lost Girl… How about some time with all those characters who very much are NOT SIDEKICKS!

Spoilers Ahead – Don’t Read If You Haven’t Seen The Chapter!

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Since my blog just opened up this week, I have not had a chance to review the whole battle between Ichigo and Ulquiorra; luckily for me, I get a chance to review the most important piece — the finale.

Now a lot of people seemed to be discontent about what transpired toward the end of the fight.  Leaving off from last week, we saw that Hollow Ichigo launched an enormous cero blast onto an attacking Ulquiorra.  Though a lot of people thought that that would have been the end of the quiet villain, it wouldn’t quite have been the right way to close the fight.  I mean, who likes it when a bad guy you’ve been following for a while is unexpectedly defeated?  The fight has gone back and forth over the last few weeks, with each combatant getting more powerful every time the other raised it up a notch.  This makes for a classic shounen showdown and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  If you can honestly say that you haven’t enjoyed the battle that has taken place here over the last two months, then I must question your anime fandom.  Dragonball Z left quite an impression on the world of anime fighting, and though it is at times cleverly covered by unexpected plots or character development, nothing will ever change the classic protagonist vs. antagonist climax.

Now what truly got a lot of fans frustrated was the fact that Ichigo was unaware what transpired after he came to.  A lot of people thought that he was “somewhat” in control of that bizarre transformation, which I think is kind of strange.  If he was in control, he wouldn’t of stabbed Ishida in the stomach and later said, “whoops did I do that?”  It seemed like Ichigo’s subconcious was truly the only thing active while his primitive form was rampaging across the top of Los Noches.  Ichigo will most likely retain some memory eventually, but for now the shock of it all has him a bit confused.  Also, he goes on to complain that he wasn’t the one who got to truly finish the fight between them.  Well Ichigo, I would sympathize with you if not for the fact that you lost when it was just “you” and Ulquiorra fighting it out.  Last time I checked, a hole in one’s chest usually signals the loss of a fight; that’s some endurance eh?

Nevertheless, we eventually come to the end where poor Ulq realizes that he can no longer hold back the after-effect of the blast and begins to fade away.  Though a lot of people were wondering why he faded away rather than just fall to the ground, it really doesn’t come as much of a surprise.  Both Kariya from the Bounto arc and Zomari both faded away after being given death blows.  Why do they disappear?  Who knows.  Maybe it was just a clever way to get rid of Ulquiorra so Orihime wouldn’t have any chance of bringing him back; you know how good guys are right?

Only complaint I had this chapter was the “forced” closure between Ulquiorra and Orihime.  I mean, the poor girl has just spent the last couple of weeks being terrified of the guy, only to reach out to him at the end.  I guess when there’s no longer a threat one can show some compassion.  Is it truly the end of Ulquiorra though?  We’ll have to see, but one quote really stands out to me:

“If you don’ t kill me now, it will never be over”  – Ulquiorra

Perhaps he was saying that to Ichigo to get him to get over his fear of killing or “playing fair.”  Or perhaps there is a hidden meaning to that phrase.  That’s the great thing about Bleach, you can never quite pinpoint what’s going on in the author’s head.  It is for that reason that his fans both love and hate him.  I personally just love seeing the quarrels that go on about this stuff.

So, all’s well that ends well I suppose.  It will be interesting to see what Ichigo does now that he has unlocked yet another form, but for now, he has done all that he needs to in Hueco Muendo.  I am looking forward to seeing how the Karakura Town fights are playing out, especially the battle between Captain Shunsui and Stark.  I want to see some Bankai’s and releases!

Chapter Rating – 8/10