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“A Christmas party?” Bo is skeptical. Parties around here never go as smooth a promised but Kenzi is insistent.
“Yeah Bo-Bo, a Christmas party, Trick’s bringing booze and everyone’s coming…”
“You already invited people?" Bo interrupts. "Before I even agreed to have the party at all?”
“Don’t be mad, Christmas is a time of love and charity and… and forgiveness!” Kenzi looks hopeful and a bit pathetic so Bo relents.
“Fine. But I’m inviting Lauren. Cause I know you didn’t.”
“Oooops, knew I forgot somebody…” Bo rolls her eyes. Could Kenzi be any more Kenzi?
-
Bo goes to the lab. Besides stolen moments at The Dal, it’s the only place Lauren ever is, these days.
Not her fault, Bo reminds herself, not for the first time. Indentured servitude and the Ash and whatever it is that makes Lauren’s eyes go sad when she tries to explain how her “relationship with the ash is complicated”.
But not her fault.
The lab is quiet as always, except for the hum of machines and overhead lights and somewhere, Bo knows, Lauren’s breathing and her heart beating and the muted swish of her lab coat when she shifts from sample to microscope and back again.
It doesn’t take long to find her. Lauren is typing away at a console. Autopsy notes, Bo guesses by the pictures and documents at Lauren’s elbow.
“Hey.”
If Lauren’s surprised she doesn’t show it, whirls in her chair to face her guest.
“Bo, hi.” She smiles and Bo’s heart leaps, unbidden. “What can I do for you?”
And maybe it’s Bo’s imagination but she thought she heard a hint of a different kind of “What can I do for you”
Focus, stay focused. But it’s Lauren’s voice in Bo’s head from their early experiments in control and so it doesn’t really help her focus at all.
“I, uh, I came to, well.” Bo hesitates. Always hesitating around Lauren now. What happened to the Bo that confidently asked Lauren “Do you want me to stop?” Long gone.
Lauren is looking up at her, faintly amused. Lips crinkling deliciously. God.
“Christmas party,” Bo blurts. “I’m having a Christmas party, at the house, tomorrow night. Or well, it’s not my party really, you know how Kenzi loves decorating and booze and…”
Lauren quirks her eyebrow. Clearly she finds flustered Bo incredibly entertaining.
“Anyway, I wanted to know if you’d come?” Bo finishes, all in a rush. “It could be fun. Or a disaster. But better with you there.”
Lauren makes a wrinkly brow face before she even answers and Bo’s heart sinks.
“I’d love to. But you know how the Ash has been lately. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get away.”
To Bo, it sounds a lot like no.
Not her fault.
Not her fault.
Not her fault.
“I’ll do what I can’t but I can’t make any promises.”
-
Because she’s on the outs with the Ash lately, Bo asks Dyson if he’ll pick Lauren up from the lab the night of the party. That is, if she’s able to make it at all.
So when Dyson arrives with a Tupperware container instead of a hot human doctor, Bo is more than a little disappointed.
Kenzi, on the other hand, couldn’t be happier. Though she’s not a fan of Lauren, the person, she’s mighty fond of Lauren, the baker.
Kenzi snatches the cookies from Dyson and tears off the lid on the way to the kitchen. Upon arrival, she dumps them onto a stray serving tray and begins passing them around the assembled guests.
The party’s already in full swing by then. Kenzi managed to invite just about every random Fae who hadn’t tried to kill them at one time or another, and even some who had. The alcohol’s flowing, courtesy of Trick, and some rambunctious music is pounding through probably-stolen speakers.
Bo sidles up to Dyson who’s taking off one of his many leather coats near the door.
“What’d she say?” Bo wants to know.
“Uh, just that the Ash needs her and to bring the cookies instead.” Dyson answers but is clearly distracted by trying to spot someone over Bo’s shoulder.
“That’s all?”
“Yeah, well, you know Lauren, there was some boring doctor stuff but I wasn’t really paying attention.” He seems to settle on what he was looking for, “There’s Ciara, gotta go.”
He disappears off into the throng of people in Bo’s living room.
-
Kenzi finds her in the kitchen later.
“Here, I saved one for you.” She offers up the serving plate, now bare except for a single painstakingly decorated Christmas cookie. So Lauren.
“Thanks,” Bo mutters, not at all happy with the consolation of a cookie when she wants the real thing.
But fuck if it isn’t the best consolation she’s ever had. Lauren must’ve applied more of that science-baking fusion business because a sugar cookie has never tasted so good. She keeps it on her tongue, between her teeth, savoring the flavor. Remembering church when she was little. The Body of Lauren, Bo thinks.
-
As the night goes on and she starts to drink in earnest, Bo starts to miss Lauren even more and every time Kenzi catches her frowning she makes them both do a shot. Bo frowns a lot so there’s a lot of shots.
-
Eventually Trick claims it’s past his bedtime and Dyson and Ciara cuddle out the door and the rest of the partiers take their leave or pass out unceremoniously on the floor. Kenzi and Hale end up tangled together and snoring on the couch.
Bo’s collapsed in her own bed in a drunken stupor when she hears a noise. Can’t quite make it out.
Could be dangerous underfae breaking in to feed off their drunkenness. Should get up. Investigate. But her bed is warm and she’s tired and still drunk.
“Bo.”
The voice sounds vaguely like Lauren so it’s certainly a dream. ‘Cause Bo knows Lauren’s off doing secret Fae science in a secret Fae compound for her secret Fae boss (who Bo is beginning to suspect is probably also the Grinch).
“Bo.”
She cracks an eyelid. Lauren isn’t across town in a secret Fae compound. She’s leaning over Bo’s bed, still in her doctor clothes. No lab coat, shame.
Bo opens her eyes fully and sits up a little.
“Lauren?”
“Merry Christmas, Bo.”
And then Lauren’s kissing her. And maybe it’s cause she’s still drunk and bleary from sleep and a little lovesick but it feels a bit like a Christmas miracle, this kiss.
It’s over much too soon.
“Sorry I’m late,” Lauren says. Then she’s undressing, taking off those doctor clothes. When she’s down to her underwear and Bo’s beginning to think she might get lucky, Lauren stops and instead pushes at Bo’s shoulder lightly.
“Scoot, I’m exhausted.”
Bo scoots.
Soon Lauren’s asleep on her shoulder.
And maybe she didn’t get lucky but Bo feels pretty damn lucky anyway.
--
Bo wakes up early for someone who was pretty fully smashed off her face the night before.
Your Fae tax dollars at work, Kenzi’s voice chirps in her head.
Lauren’s warm and beautiful and still asleep next to her.
This woman. Bo thinks. I might just be in love with this crazy, nerdy, unbelievably sexy, science-doing, cookie-baking, human woman. God help me.
Her next thought is coffee. So Bo sets off for the kitchen. The crack shack is a mess and so while the coffee percolates Bo sets to tidying the counter. Partway through she unearths Lauren’s Tupperware. Flipping the lid to put it back on Bo notices a note taped to the top she’d somehow missed the night before.
Bo,
These cookies will have to tide you over ‘til I get there. Don’t party too hard without me and don’t let Kenzi drink all the liquor. Be there just as soon as I can.
Lauren
Yes, Bo thinks, God help me.