And so here is where our jungle adventure comes to a close. You all have made me one very happy fanfiction writer, so thank you for joining me on this one. I hope this portion wraps up most of the loose ends and leaves you with all the right feels. I'd love to know what you think of the story lines, and thank you all for comments, reviews and tweets you've already given me. You are the best #faemily ever :)

xxxxx

Fate Island jungle

Lauren had taken hold of Bo's hand and refused to let go. It was a welcome grasp; one that Bo herself would have initiated had Lauren not done it first. The walk from the beach to the Fae village was peaceful. The sun had set but the darkness didn't bother either woman. Both sets of blue eyes illuminated the path with ease. While the distance from the beach to the hidden mountain village was lengthy, it afforded the happy couple time to share their mutual apologies, heartfelt confessions of adoration for one another, and the long list of separate events each woman experienced since last being in each other's presence.

Lauren had a moment of physical illness when Bo told her the doctor's absence from the island would have destroyed her, and not just in the emotional sense. The thought that a simple flight off the island would have had such devastating effects on Bo's life was enough to make Lauren never want to leave the island ever again. Her emotions were buoyed with the recognition that Kenzi's return would always solidify a second protective tie between Bo and a long, Fae life, but that didn't stop her initial nausea from thinking Bo's death could have occurred at her very hand.

Bo found Lauren's experience at the military base fearful yet fascinating. The brunette always wondered what the inside of that small building looked like, and she was surprised that Lauren's descriptions explained it as cold and empty. She sympathized with Lauren being stuck in a small, boring room for so long waiting and wondering if she was about to be arrested for stealing the body from the medical complex. She felt a mix of pride and frustration when Lauren advised she was going to take all the blame to keep her friends out of trouble. Fortunately it never came to that. It wasn't until Lauren explained the details surrounding Frank's scheming and planning tied to the urging of one woman named Kenzi that Bo breathed even easier. That definitely sounded like her best friend, and knowing Kenzi was acting just like she always had, gave Bo great hope that her best friend's health had returned to fully functional.

The entire journey home to the Fae village was nothing short of perfect: two women sharing adjoining airspace without a drop of desire to be anywhere else. Nothing else mattered but the other at her side; it was a realization that true love would always anchor them as one entity. Yes, there was a shared spirit between them and neither discredited such a notion at all. But being in love, truly in love with one another gave rise to a passion that pushed both their auras to near blinding beauty. They didn't have to stare at the colors surrounding them to know the depth of those feelings, but they both did stare quite a bit.

They only took their eyes off one another periodically, including the moment they entered the tunnel to the Fae village. Their own chatter echoed off the rock walls as the entered in the darker space.

"It's so quiet here tonight. Definitely a change from the night we celebrated," Lauren replied.

Bo listened intently to the lack of sound nearby. It was definitely quieter than the night the clan celebrated, and in a rather eerie realization, it was actually much quieter than it should have been on any other night. That notion brought the clan leader to slow her steps, adding caution to their approach to the end of the tunnel.

"It's a bit too quiet actually," Bo replied.

The motion slowed Lauren as well, who glanced at the brunette with a sudden swell of concern as Bo's aura shifted colors quickly. Lauren's own aura quickly dimmed. Neither spoke a word further but both understood that something was not quite right. Lauren squeezed Bo's hand and returned her eyes forward. The dual glow of blue really did provide such a brilliance inside the tunnel, and it certainly aided their sight as they stepped out of the tunnel into a very dark, Fae village.

Not a lantern was lit. In all of Bo's life she had never seen the village cast in darkness. Both women's eyes grew brighter as if the very village was starving for light that only they could provide. With an intense wave of uncertainty, Bo and Lauren hastened their steps toward the center of the village. The stone around Lauren's neck began to pulsate blue and the added bit of light was just enough to grant both women a fearful sight.

The tree, lifeblood to their clan and very existence, sat rotting at the center of the village. The leaves had all fallen and the trunk had blackened. Gorged lines ran vertically over what little bark remained, and a black liquid seemed to seep from its very center and trickle downward to the earth below.

The very sight of this most respected space now appearing in shambles pulled a loud gasp from Bo. She halted all movement but never dared let go of Lauren's hand. That connection remained the very reason Bo had not crumbled to the ground in sorrow, and she desperately needed to maintain her footing as she attempted to digest the situation. While she had trouble prying her gaze away from the tree, movement behind it finally caught Bo's attention; enough that she shifted her line of sight slightly off center to absorb the surroundings.

It wasn't just Bo that saw the lay of the Fae village. Lauren absorbed the images at just the same speed as Bo. Their burning blue eyes had attracted the attention of the clan and one by one, individual members stirred from the darkness or trickled out from their mountainside dwellings. They approached the very space in which the women and the tree stood. The swell of the clan members joining the center of the village carried a somber overtone. Even with a shield of darkness, the weight of an entire clan's sadness bogged down the airspace. Auras plunged to a near deathly, painful absence of color. The faces of various clan members nearby lacked any sign of joy, and the dominating expression was a torturous sorrow mixed with an uncertain surprise.

Bo looked to the nearest clan member. He was visibly quivering in her presence.

"What has happened?" Bo asked aloud.

The clan member opened his mouth to speak but the emotions overtook him. He broke into a heap of sobs, never uttering one coherent word. Bo scanned the dark village further, raising her voice so that all would hear.

"Can anyone tell me what has happened?!"

Shoving his way through the crowd, Trick appeared before Bo, lugging an oversized book in both hands. It was but a handful of breaths later that Tamsin, Dyson and Hale had also plowed through the crowd. They all gazed upon Bo and Lauren with that same dumbfounded expression, as if they were staring at ghosts or figments of their own imagination. Strangely, nobody said a word.

Bo spouted off random questions seeking any explanation as to what was happening, but Lauren's mind drown it out; the sudden tingle returning to her hand had taken center stage and gained all her focus. It wasn't a slow crawling tingle as she had felt in the past but a surge of sensation from her hand to her arm, across her chest, down through her torso and to the very bottoms of her feet. The jolt rocketed up through her neck, through her head and eyes. It spread the blue light from her eyes wider and the blue stone at her neck burned brighter. Waves of heat followed: scorching, soul warming heat that would easily burn down the entire village should it manifest physically.

Her gaze fell upon the tree, and Lauren's heart wept for it. The destruction covering its beauty was a curse that needed lifted.

Bo had told her the story that Dyson had shared with her: had Lauren left the island, Bo would have died.

Gazing upon the tree in such a horrible condition, it was evident that the sadness she and Bo experienced over the last twenty four hours was not limited to just the two of them. Lauren saw that her attempt to leave had initiated a destructive process that had already taken quite a toll on the village tree and the Fae clan. While she had no idea if the destruction had ceased at this point or if it would proceed further, Lauren did not want to just sit back and wonder or cast wishes in hopes of another resolution.

Lauren had to do something tangible, and the one thing echoing inside her head was the same thing that had echoed on prior occasions.

Lauren had to touch that tree.

She tightened her grip on Bo's hand, silencing Bo's never-ending quest for answers from villagers who still remained speechless. Lauren took one step toward the tree, and Bo remained at her side.

Two steps toward the tree, and the doctor's chest pounded with an adrenaline flow to match the roar of tingling down her spine.

Three steps toward the tree, and the blue necklace began humming. Not just a sound that Lauren imagined in her mind but a physically recognized hum as it vibrated against Lauren's chest.

Four steps toward the tree and the doctor released Bo's hand, only to find Bo's grip unrelenting. She was within arm's reach now.

Lauren felt Bo's death grip on her hand. She looked to Bo, who stood firmly at her side shaking her head as if knowing the thought Lauren had yet to voice.

"Bo, let me do this."

Bo shook her head adamantly again.

"Do what? What are you going to do?" Bo whispered with concern.

Lauren glanced at the tree before returning her gaze to Bo.

"Your tree is still calling me. Trust me."

Bo trusted Lauren, but her emotions were still raw from the loss she experienced over the past day. The clan leader took a deep breath, struggling to release her grasp despite her trust in Lauren's request.

"It's okay Bo. It's okay."

Bo conceded, slowly unwrapping her fingers from Lauren's hand and releasing the blonde from her hold. The clan leader nodded once and despite the uncertainty of what Lauren was going to do, Bo still offered a smile. Her heart felt suspended in her throat. Lauren returned the smile, one full of love and promises. The simple act of Lauren's up curled lip suppressed all of Bo's fear from surfacing.

Without any hesitation, Lauren turned and quickly stretched out her arm, the act connecting her palm to the rotting black tree trunk.

Bo held her breath as she, and the rest of the Fae clan, witnessed the unimaginable.

Lauren's hand graced the edge of the tree trunk gently but the tree took hold of her like the strongest of magnets. Her palm flattened to the trunk and the bark had weakened to the point that it had softened. The rugged durable protective outer layer of the tree was gone, and it was actually soft enough that Lauren's hand depressed the bark slightly into itself.

The earlier tingles and waves of sensations coursing through Lauren exploded from the depths of her body and roared like a freight train down her left arm to her left hand. The heat burned in her palm but uniquely lacked pain. The glow of blue radiating from her hand burst forth, blinding everyone surrounding her. Despite the brilliance of the glow, Lauren stared onward with a driven focus. She was connected to this tree in more ways than one, and nothing was keeping her from experiencing every minute of it.

Her hand began to shake and the tree began to tremble right before her very eyes. The power Lauren felt in her hand gave her a wealth of strength. She imagined she could have picked up the entire tree, or several, had she wanted to. She remained focused on the warmth and vibrations projected from her hand and propelled it directly into the tree trunk. The radiating blue light spread across her entire hand and emanated from her fingertips. Quickly the brightness of the light faded enough to allow everyone to see what was happening.

The tree absorbed the blue light from Lauren's hand like it was gulping and chugging it without regret. Colored light poured out of her fingertips, only to be pulled right into the tree itself. Excessive amounts of pure energy traveled from Lauren and into the tree. Minutes passed and Lauren's connection to the tree remained in place. She poured her spirit, both human and Fae, into the tree. While the doctor thought this one way shift of chi could potentially cause her pain, hunger and without doubt exhaustion, the act did nothing of the sort.

Lauren's strength never failed her. She stood tall and proud. Even as the tree slowed the speed at which it absorbed that blue light, Lauren never relented. She pushed energy like a raging fire into the heart of the tree. Her breaths remained slow and calm, and no fear stood a chance of distracting her from this moment. Lauren Lewis held the power of two species in her left hand, and by damn if it wasn't the most powerful emotion ever to course through her.

Dyson had previously dubbed her the Healer; in this moment she felt fit to wear such a title.

The blackness along the tree receded from sight and the deep crevices smoothed over and disappeared as if they had never existed. Healthy, brown bark returned to the trunk, and beautiful green tiny shoots grew to full sized leaves in the matter of minutes. What once was rotten and dying now stood healthy and full of life. It even looked better than it had days ago.

At the sight of their tree restored, the silence of the clan dissipated and was replaced with distant gasps and realizations sounded from shock and surprise. The gloom and misery that had covered the clan simply lifted like a fog. It took the darkness of the village with it as the tree emitted the brilliant glow of blue light bright enough to light the entire Fae village. Each and every clan member, including Lauren, appreciated the beauty of this experience.

Lauren's heart no longer wept as it shifted to song. Her sadness gave way to joy as she felt the pride of the clan fill the airspace around her, and her yearning no longer lie in a want to touch that tree but in a need to give that tree life.

And that is exactly what she had just done.

With a sense of accomplishment and a smile to match, Lauren felt the tree's tight grip on her hand give way. With ease, she pulled her hand away from the trunk and lowered her arm to her side. The tingle was still present in her hand but Lauren never took her eyes from the tree. Her understanding of its meaning and function was no closer to realization than it was the day she first saw the tree, but Lauren stared at it happily with a new found appreciation of respect for that which had no scientific explanation.

Bo's arms wrapped around Lauren from behind. The movement pulled Lauren's attention away from the tree as she accepted the excited embrace from the clan leader. Whispered words of love, adoration and thanks flooded through Lauren's ears as Bo praised her for what she had just done. Her words mixed with the clan's cheers and joy exploding all around her in celebration of Lauren's success.

With Bo pressed against her back, Lauren slid her hands over Bo's arms still fixed around her torso. Her fingers found their way to Bo's and entwined as naturally as they did any other time their hands connected. Bo placed kisses all over Lauren's cheek until she rested her chin on Lauren's shoulder.

"Lauren never in my years have I seen anything like what you just did."

Lauren smiled. She didn't want the praise, she didn't want recognition for being able to do something no one else could do. She just wanted to do the right thing, and a sensation deep inside Lauren told her that saving the tree was the only thing to do.

She turned her head slightly, capturing a quick, excited kiss from the clan leader before looking to the tree again. The sight of its restored health made her happy, but it also pulled an audible laugh from her lips.

"Unbelievable. Look Bo. Look at the trunk."

Both women stared upon the trunk; stared upon the perfectly healthy smooth tree bark except for the slight indentation of Lauren's hand print fitted just where she had placed it. The bark had healed over and around that space, but there was no mistaking the image of a Lauren's hand now fossilized into the tree.

"Wow, that's incredible," Bo whispered.

Lauren tightened her grasp to Bo's loving arms.

"I guess I left my mark," Lauren replied.

Bo kissed her cheek before resting her chin on Lauren's shoulder again.

"You left your mark on my heart long before you left your mark on that tree."

Lauren relaxed into Bo's arms and leaned her head into the brunette's.

"I love you Bo."

"I love you too."

xxxx

Three days later, Chicago

The cool chill of a Chicago fall evening greeted Erin as she walked quickly down the sidewalk. With phone pressed against her ear, she filled her walk time by chatting with Amelia as she made her way to her favorite dive pizza shop. Picking up a deep dish favorite and a six pack was just the perfect way to spend her Saturday night. It would have been better had Amelia been with her, but the phone conversation had still been quite welcome.

The reason for the call was even more welcome. Amelia had all but begged Erin to return with her, and the rest of the group in Seattle, to Fate Island. Frank had a seat on the military plane ready for her if she wanted to claim it. All she needed was to get to Seattle in four days' time. Hearing Amelia's request come across as pleading did give Erin quite a smile, especially when the doctor told her she should just leave early for Seattle. The extra time could give Erin a peak into Amelia's life, and they could enjoy some much missed quiet time together before jetting off for the South Pacific once again.

In reality, leaving so soon for another out of town trip wasn't that easy. Work arrangements would need to be made, and the jet lag alone would set Erin back another week once she returned to Chicago for good. It was a hard decision, one she wasn't going to make without having all her t's crossed and i's dotted.

Erin pulled open the door to the pizza shop and the brisk breeze shuffled her inside quickly.

"I'll tell you what: I'll call my Sergeant tomorrow and see if I can make it happen, okay?"

"I have faith you'll make it happen, detective. Put a little magical spin on whatever you have to tell him."

Erin blushed, and even the happy couple standing in the pizza shop saw it.

"He's not the man to fall for just anything, so I'll probably need a more powerful magic, like the moonlight daisy maybe."

Amelia's laughter floated through the phone. Even Erin chuckled at the thought.

"Whatever you need to make it happen, hon."

"Okay. I'll call you tomorrow. Miss you."

"Good luck with the boss, and I miss you too."

The call ended and Erin slipped her phone into her pocket. Talking to Amelia always brought a smile to her face, and so did the smell of pizza filling the air around her.

"Yo detective! Good to see you're back in town. Sorry I'm a bit behind, two of my guys called off tonight so I'm a one man show right now. Your pie will be up in about ten minutes, okay?"

Erin looked to the middle aged man who had popped his head out from the kitchen. She waved him off.

"No problem Paulie. It's worth the wait."

Paulie dipped back into the kitchen, leaving Erin standing with the couple apparently waiting on their pizza as well. Erin nodded and smile politely to them, but their expressions lacked that same politeness. In fact, the woman's face looked completely shocked. They had both been smiling when she had walked in the door, but something had changed their moods quickly. Being a detective, Erin assessed the two discretely.

She leaned against a wall and casually stood like she was just waiting for her pizza. She glanced over a few dusty framed photos on the walls while constantly shifting her glances to the man and the woman in the room.

Neither appeared to be much of a physical threat. The man stood a bit taller than she. He looked well-built but not overly muscular. The woman's hand gripped the man's elbow rather fiercely, almost as if she feared Erin's very presence. They were dressed like a typical suburban couple, and nothing stood out as gang related clothing nor were there any bulging pockets that could be assumed as concealing any weapons. The man had a salt and pepper short haircut with a neatly trimmed beard and mustache. His entire expression appeared analytical, and he reminded Erin of the investment banker types that she would typically see downtown during business hours. The woman's facial features were rather stunning and her long hair haired framed her face well. Erin was sure that if the woman actually smiled, it would pair well with her strikingly beautiful eyes. Unfortunately there was no smile and the woman's facial expression appeared forced, like she was trying to refrain from showing some type of surprise or confusion; possibly both.

The tension in the room grew. It reminded Erin of times when her gut feeling told her something bad was about to happen, so in an attempt to cut the tension quickly, Erin struck up a relaxed conversation with them.

Erin folded her arms across her chest and tugged her jacket tighter.

"Chilly out there tonight, isn't it?"

The woman nodded quickly. "Yes, it is."

The woman's voice was but a whisper over the racket coming from the pizza kitchen. Erin took a deep breath and allowed the pizza aroma to become her next conversation point.

"Paulie makes the best pizza," Erin offered.

"Best in the city," the man replied.

Erin found comfort that his tone was more polite than his expression. She was about to ask about favorite toppings when the lingering tension faded as Paulie returned to the counter. In his hands was one oversized pizza packed in a box and ready for takeout.

"Here you go, sir. Sorry about the wait."

Paulie handed the pizza to the man over the counter who accepted the pizza box with ease.

As the man lifted his arms to accept the box, his coat sleeves slid up his arms just enough that Erin noticed a sparkle on his wrist. It was an oversized metal watch, one that looked like it could easily cost a small fortune. Yet it wasn't just the watch that grabbed her attention but what she saw affixed to the watch. Mounted and recessed into the face of the watch itself was an object that didn't usually appear on a watch. But it was an object Erin had seen before. It was an object similar to one she had seen quite recently.

"Detective give me another three minutes for your pie!"

Paulie was back in the kitchen before Erin even replied. She withheld any response, instead finding more focus and building curiosity with the two individuals still standing before her.

"Excuse me, I just happened to notice your watch and I wanted to compliment you on it. It's not every day you see a stone like that. My best friend has one very similar." Erin announced.

Her statement was nothing short of bold and speculative, but Erin was a detective and she didn't get that title by being wrong all the time. She knew she was right when neither the man nor the woman said anything. The man glanced to his arm and quickly shifted the pizza box lower so his coat sleeves once again concealed the watch.

While the man didn't move much beyond lowering his arms, the woman pulled her jacket around her tighter and stepped toward Erin.

They looked each other over carefully, assessing the other with a keen interest in the unknown.

"Who is your best friend?" the woman asked.

Her question brought her fear out in the open. Erin heard it in the woman's voice, but the detective quickly realized that the fear was not directed at Erin herself but at hearing Erin's answer to her question.

"You want to know the name of my best friend?" Erin questioned.

The woman glanced around the room. No one else had stepped foot inside the room but the woman still seemed concerned with anyone else hearing this conversation. Recognizing their privacy, the woman returned her attention to Erin.

"First you step into this shop and utter two words I haven't heard in a lifetime, and then you say your best friend has a stone similar to my husband's. Can you please tell me, your best friend, what is her name?"

The minute the woman asked the question, Erin knew her assumptions were right. All the signs were obvious. She was a detective and trained to put together puzzle pieces even at the most odd occasion.

"Her name is Lauren."

The spirit in the woman's eyes drained from her face. It was not the answer she had hoped to hear.

"Oh."

She began to turn away when Erin stopped her.

"You were expecting me to say Bo, weren't you?"

The man's hands tightened around the pizza box and the woman's eyes widened as she stared upon Erin in disbelief. The woman raised her right hand and covered her heart.

"How did you..."

For whatever reason, Erin mimicked the act and covered her own heart. She smiled to the man and the woman, hoping her softened appearance explained she was a friend and not a foe.

"She looks just like you. She looks just like both of you."

xxxx

Fae Village

Stretched out on the grass in the Fae village, Lauren absorbed the sun's rays on a picturesque afternoon. She didn't officially start her new job for another few weeks, so every minute of free time afforded her the opportunity to do whatever she wanted. Some days were spent at the rental home, which she was in the process of purchasing outright from the current owner. Other days were spent getting acquainted with villagers through introductions from Isaac, but most days were spent with her clan in the jungle.

Today was an example of the latter, where she and Dyson had been building their friendship amidst mass piles of books from Trick's collection. Bo had taken to the jungle with Tamsin to redesign patrol stations around Cathedrals Den, leaving the doctor and her reinstated protector to further research the mysteries of Lauren's newly discovered powers. Dyson seemed rather excited about the prospect of Lauren's healing powers, and his theories continued to evolve over how Lauren may be able to harness those same healing powers on clan members.

He had formulated several possible theories and referenced so many books that Lauren's head was spinning.

Lauren looked over an oversized book resting in her lap.

"I still don't really understand this all Dyson."

Dyson closed the book in his hands and scooted closer to Lauren. He flipped the page on the book Lauren held and pointed at the roughly drawn picture of the clan tree centered on the page.

"Okay let me try to explain it another way. This picture represents our tree."

"I got that part," Lauren replied as she looked upon the page.

"Okay so then these two circles represent two species: Fae and humans."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, and the lines are supposedly the heart, the spirit and the body or something like that. I follow that much, but I'm confused about the hand though," Lauren replied.

Dyson slid his finger across the page, gripped the corner of the old paper and carefully turned to the next page. There, two facing pages displayed a left and a right hand print. There were no further images or colors; just outlines of two hands and an odd language below them. Dyson explained.

"This message says A true union shall appear as changes of worlds near. I asked Trick what he thought it meant, but the man has zero ideas. Based on everything I have read, I interpret this as both hands will appear when something in the human and Fae worlds are going to change."

Lauren stared at the pages carefully. For some unknown reason, she placed her left hand on the outline of the same and then repeated it with the right. Nothing happened, as she had suspected.

"Well nothing happens when I touch the hand prints in the book, and I only made the left hand image appear on the trunk. I've tried putting my right hand on the tree at least a dozen times since you asked me to try it this morning. Nothing happens there either."

Dyson nodded. "I think the right hand is Kenzi's hand."

Lauren closed the book and shifted it from her lap before turning toward Dyson.

"Kenzi's hand?"

Dyson nodded. "Yes, Kenzi's hand. She's the only other human linked to all this."

Lauren flipped the page back one.

"What is this other circle? In the tree?"

Dyson looked upon the tree, noticing another circle at the base of the tree. He shrugged.

"I don't know. I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm going to start with my theory about Kenzi and go from there."

"Well anything is certainly possible," Lauren replied.

"True, and only a few days until Kenzi returns to the island. I guess we'll find out then."

Lauren nodded.

"So does that mean we can put the books away for a few days?"

Dyson laughed. "Okay doc. Books away for now. Wanna go grab a drink at The Dal until Bo and Tamsin get back?"

"That sounds like a great idea."

xxxxxx

Seattle, Washington, USA

Amelia had been expecting the detective's arrival as they had been on the phone chatting since Erin's plane landed in Seattle. They even talked during Erin's cab ride from the airport and had only disconnected the call when the cab dropped Erin outside of Amelia's building.

The doctor yanked her front door open before Erin finished knocking. While both women missed each other's presence in the short time they had been apart, their reunion lacked their typical flirtatious banter as more important topics had taken priority to be addressed first. Only after those topics were hashed out would they make time for a proper reunion before returning to Fate Island in a few days' time.

Amelia pulled Erin into a warm embrace. It was heartfelt but brief. Erin tossed her single travel bag to the floor and pulled off her jacket, stretching her muscles from a cramped flight and equally as cramped cab ride. Amelia led Erin inside her loft and immediately took hold of the detective's bag and placed it on the dining room table.

"Make yourself at home Erin."

"Thanks. Amelia, this is a really cute place."

Amelia smiled. "It's nothing much. I spend more time at the hospital than I spend here."

Erin made herself comfortable on the sofa. The soft cushions felt perfect against her weary muscles. As much as she wanted to talk about the hospital, or Kenzi, or anything else, the only topic on her mind still took her back to the interaction she had at the pizza shop just days earlier.

"I'm still in shock, Amelia."

Amelia joined her on the sofa and tucked her feet under her legs.

"I am too, and I'm not the one that met Bo's parents in a seedy pizza shop."

Erin laughed. "It wasn't seedy, it's just very inner city. And I did more than just meet them. We ended up eating our pizzas in the shop and chatted for hours about Fate Island."

"That blows my mind. I mean, of all places..."

Erin nodded.

"I still can't believe the fact that I said the words moonlight daisy to you on the phone at the right place and at the right time. Talk about fate."

"Seriously, that is crazy irony. As we discussed, I haven't said anything to Lauren. We chatted briefly about bringing Kenzi back to the island but otherwise I think this family reunion is something we should stay out of. I can't imagine the clan leader all too happy to find out her mommy and daddy dearest are living large in Chicago."

Erin shook her head.

"I thought that at first, but not anymore. Knowing their life history actually makes me feel sorry for them."

"Well you and I may see it that way, but we also didn't have our mother give birth to us and then disappear for one hundred years."

"True," Erin replied.

Amelia continued. "Remember how angry Bo got with Dyson when he hurt Lauren? I honestly doubt she'll ever give her parents a chance to explain."

Erin shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

xxxxxx

One week later, Fae village

Bo had been pacing inside her bedroom before she left the confines of the inner mountain to pace in the open center of the village. She was anxious to see Kenzi and finally get visual confirmation that her best friend was no longer sick. It was a day she had been waiting for, along with the rest of her clan, ever since Amelia had whisked the dying human off the island in hopes of saving her life. It was also a day that Bo never thought would actually happen, but true to Amelia's confident word, Kenzi's life was saved at the hands of the expert brain surgeon.

"She'll be here any minute Bo."

Bo stopped her pacing. The tall grasses had been worn down quite a bit where she now stood. The clan leader offered a smile to Lauren before bashfully covering her face with her hands.

"I know. I'm just really excited. I get my best friend back today. Clearly I'm anxious."

Lauren laughed and nodded. She certainly agreed that Bo was anxious. The doctor took Bo's hands into her own and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss to the clan leader's lips.

"It's going to be a great reunion," Lauren reassured.

Bo took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Her breath took away enough tension that her shoulders relaxed.

"I can't wait. I have the love of my life with me, my best friend is about to come home, and there are no threats against our clan. I'd say I'm the luckiest clan leader in the history of the Fae."

Lauren winked at the brunette and smiled.

"I don't know if I'd call it luck. This is Fate Island, after all."

Bo slipped her arms around Lauren's waist. The partly cloudy sky still afforded a bit of sunshine to warm the two as they stood in a very comfortable, close embrace. The brunette lowered her voice as she whispered in between placing kisses along Lauren's cheek.

"Well if this is what Fate Island is going to deliver to me, then I'm more than willing to accept."

Lauren tightened her arms around Bo and sighed happily from the affection Bo cast upon her. Had their free time lasted any longer, Lauren and Bo would have easily made their way back into the bedroom. But the much awaited arrival of their friends happened within minutes of standing in that loving embrace. Lauren had just initiated another kiss when the unmistakable voice of Kenzi echoed off the mountainside.

"Bobo! I'm back!"

Bo stepped out of Lauren's hold and turned around. She watched her best friend, full of life and energy, run full speed directly at her. It was not a moment later that Kenzi tackled Bo to the ground. Their reunion was nothing short of emotional. Bo rolled to the ground as Kenzi fell on top of her. The clan leader cried with Kenzi in her arms as they laid on the grass. Their tears and laughter filled the air, pulling tears of happiness from everyone else who had entered the village at a much slower pace.

Dyson led Amelia, Erin, Cosima, and Captain Frank Marsh from the edges of the Fae village to the center. Lauren felt joy at watching Bo reunite with Kenzi, and she felt even more joy when she saw her best friends strolling in. Her attention was immediately swallowed by Amelia, Erin and Cosima smothering her with hugs. The warmth of friendship swelled around Lauren, covering her in a relaxing calm that gave her all the familiarities of home. While she had just started to make this island her new home, her friends added a touch of welcome comfort.

Their hold lasted several long minutes, only broken when she finally pulled away to look at each of them. Her first glance was to Erin and then to Amelia.

"You two: please do something about Tamsin. Since you both left, she mopes constantly. Please give her plenty of attention while you are here."

Erin raised a brow and smirked while Amelia voiced her thoughts clearly.

"No worries Lauren. Erin and I have a plan for the Valkyrie."

Lauren's smile grew even bigger.

"Good, because here she comes."

Erin and Amelia spun around to see the blonde strutting toward them. She kept her expression just this side of cocky and her even paced walk gave off more confidence than usual. While her appearance may have fooled Erin and Amelia that she lacked interest in their presence, it didn't fool Lauren at all. She could see Tamsin's aura burning bright for them both.

Lauren leaned toward her American friends and whispered.

"I can see arousal and hers is blinding. Go."

The women didn't need to hear it more than once. Erin and Amelia took steps toward Tamsin to properly greet her, giving Lauren and Cosima a few minutes to catch up with one another.

Lauren pulled Cosima into another hug.

"I can't believe you're here. It's so great to have your scientific brain present, I mean, also your friendship of course but I need to geek out on some science things."

Cosima stepped out of the hug and nodded.

"Good to be here too, Doctor Lewis. I'm rather drawn to the whole clan concept, both from the genetics standpoint and the cultural perspective. Plus Shay, err Kenzi, and I have clicked in a way I can't quite put my finger on."

Lauren glanced to Kenzi still pinning Bo the ground before she returned her attention to Cosima. Her curiosity was exposed in her quickly changed facial expression.

"Kenzi, huh? Romantically?" Lauren asked quietly.

Cosima shrugged.

"I just don't know what it is. But that's okay. We have amazing conversation and have connected in a really positive way. I know she has Hale and I have Delphine, but we just have something unique. I can't really explain it further."

Lauren reached for Cosima's hand and squeezed it.

"Well whatever it is, I'm happy you two have connected."

"Me too," Cosima replied with a smile.

Kenzi's cheerful voice squeaked out a yelp as Hale scooped her from the ground and pulled her into his arms. It was an adorable reunion between them, and Kenzi's focus on smothering attention to her boyfriend gave Bo the opportunity to pick herself up off the ground. The clan leader stepped next to Lauren and Cosima, interested in meeting another science nerd that Lauren had talked about extensively. The doctor was about to introduce them when Frank lifted Lauren off the ground in his typical strong bear hug and pulled her away from the others.

Bo laughed at the scene before making her own introduction to Cosima. Dyson had taken to chatting with Hale and Kenzi about something, and Trick had joined the group to welcome Kenzi home. No one hid their joy or excitement from this much awaited moment. Between hugs and kisses, handshakes and fist bumps, the next several moments were filled with excited chatter and happy emotions exploding from every individual present.

"Kenz, can you please touch the tree?"

Dyson had all but pulled Hale from Kenzi's arms as he begged and pleaded for the tiny human to test his hand print theory. Kenzi looked at him strangely.

"You want me to do what?" she asked.

He pointed to the tree.

"Touch the tree."

"Um, why?"

Their conversation was one the entire group had begun listening to. Tamsin had one arm around Amelia and one arm around Erin when she quickly interjected to answer Kenzi's question.

"Kenz, I know it sounds crazy, because it is. But wolf man here thinks if you touch the tree, then some magical thing is going to happen between humans and Fae, although we have no clue what the hell that is. He's on a mission to solve the great mysteries of our clan's fate, and he won't stop talking about it ever since hot pants here touched the tree and saved the clan from death. So, in the best interest of potentially saving the clan from impending doom, would you just touch the tree please? And when it doesn't work, I'll get to laugh at him."

Tamsin smirked before sticking her tongue out at Dyson. He shook his head and flipped her off, giving the others a round of laughter at their sibling-like mannerisms.

Kenzi looked to Bo and then to Lauren. Her expression silently asked their opinion and both nodded their agreement that she should just touch the tree.

Kenzi looked at that special tree once, shrugged rather carelessly and immediately put both hands on the trunk.

Just as almost everyone suspected, nothing happened.

She shifted her hands several times over, putting her left and then her right on it separately before returning both palms to the trunk. She even squeezed her eyes really tight as if waiting for some surprise to jump out and startle her.

Still nothing happened.

She glanced over her shoulder to the group all watching her.

"Okay am I supposed to read some magic spell or something?" Kenzi asked.

Lauren shook her head. "Nope. Just means Dyson's theory is wrong."

"And I can laugh," Tamsin added.

Lauren glanced to Dyson who looked utterly deflated.

"Sorry Dyson, but if it makes you feel any better, we can hit the books again this week."

Ignoring Tamsin's antics, Dyson smiled and nodded to Lauren.

"Thanks Lauren. It does."

Kenzi pulled her hands away from the tree and held her palms up to the sky.

"Well what do you expect? It flowered once for me. Let's not get greedy. I am certainly not asking for any favors for, like, ever. This chica saved my life. I think I cashed in on all my favors for quite some time."

Kenzi had pointed to Amelia, acknowledging the brilliant work of the brain surgeon and her incredible success.

"Ahh, it was nothing Kenzi. I'm just glad it all worked out," Amelia replied.

Amelia was humble and it showed. The clan leader appreciated Amelia's talents far beyond what she could ever express and far beyond what she could ever repay, but that didn't stop Bo from following through on her promise made to the doctor.

Bo took a few steps across the grass until she stood in front of Amelia.

"Speaking of favors, I believe I own you something Doctor Shepherd."

Amelia smiled. She leaned forward slightly and looked to her right, catching Erin's encouraging glance. She had discussed this owed favor with Erin at length, and now was the time to ask for it. Amelia looked to Bo again.

"Well, since you were so gracious to provide me with this opportunity, I do have something I'd like to ask of you."

Bo folded her arms across her chest and smiled.

"Kenzi means the world to me, so go ahead and ask. Anything within my power is yours."

While Amelia had thought of hundreds of things she could ask of Bo, there was only one that stood out as her biggest wish.

"Good. I want you to give Tamsin permission to come visit me and Erin in the States anytime she wants."

Tamsin sucked in a shallow breath, announcing her own surprise of the request to everyone present. Bo shifted her eyes from Amelia to Tamsin to assess the Valkyrie's thoughts on the matter. Lauren wasn't the only one who could see auras, and the succubus instantly recognized her second-in-command's interest in that request.

Like a good clan leader, Bo asked a question of Tamsin before she replied to Amelia.

"Tamsin, if this request is granted, are you comfortable with Dyson resuming your duties only when you are away from the island?"

Dyson had redeemed himself greatly since he had lost his rank in the clan, and while Bo was in no way going to elevate his status above Tamsin's again, she did feel he was the best man for the job when Tamsin was not around.

Tamsin nodded quickly, hopeful Bo would grant this request without any further delay.

The clan leader returned her line of sight to Amelia.

"Consider it done. And thank you for saving Kenzi. You will always have a place here with us as well. Always."

Immediately, Kenzi began jumping around the village with joy.

"Whoohoo! TamTam can get frisky with the ladies on either side of the globe, I am home and have access to the best mangos anywhere, and all my old and new friends are here! Now we just need to figure out all this tree magic to save the clan and we can live happily ever after!"

Dyson shook his head.

"I thought for sure it was you, Kenz. Like Lauren, you're the only other human truly tied to the clan."

Cosima pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through her encrypted notes. She walked to the center of the group and spoke.

"Well you must remember, genetically Kenzi and Lauren share similar traits, but Lauren has powers that Kenzi does not."

Bo nodded.

"That's true. Lauren is both Fae and human in a way that Kenzi is not."

Kenzi shook her head.

"I always get the short end of the stick."

She followed that statement with a smile, and her joking pulled laughs from everyone as Dyson continued.

"Well then maybe the right hand imprint needs to come from someone else. Maybe the tree is waiting on the next individual that is both human and Fae."

No one knew the answer to Dyson's assumption and their thoughts on the matter brought forth the first moment of silence to hit the group of friends since they gathered in the center of the village. That silence was short lived as the sound of a cleared throat echoed from behind the group. It was loud enough to recognize it was a forced sound, one only delivered to announce a presence that was otherwise undetected.

"Perhaps it is."

All eyes shifted toward the unknown voice, and the recognition of the two new visitors standing nearby pulled an array of reactions from everyone in the group.

Most of those present simply stood there and stared curiously at this unexpected arrival of two strangers. Having spent a lifetime protecting the clan, Dyson, Hale and Tamsin moved quickly toward the two individuals. Their protective stance upon their land was always ready to serve up whatever means necessary to shield the clan leader from harm, and this moment was no different. Unidentified individuals finding their way to the Fae village set off red flags in each of their minds. Hale began to whistle a potentially deadly tune, Tamsin's wings had spread wide and Dyson's claws and fangs were in the process of appearing when Trick halted their progress.

"Do not cause them harm!"

His voice was firm and his words were spoken quickly, fast enough that not one of the Fae touched either of the couple as they stood there and simply stared at Bo. The three protectors did not attack the strangers, but they didn't move away either. Shoulder to shoulder, Dyson, Hale and Tamsin stood strategically positioned between the unknowns and the rest of their clan and friends. They kept their eyes trained on both the man and the woman, poised to attack upon a single command.

The man leaned to his left slightly, glancing around the blockade of Fae until his eyes found Bo. Despite having never seen her before, the man recognized her at once. Her long dark hair, eyes as blue as he knew they could get, and her physical solid build told him with great certainty that the woman standing near the center of the group was Bo.

He inhaled a sharp breath and bit his lower lip, shaking his head in disbelief.

"My gods, you are every bit as stunning as I imagined you to be."

The man's voice did not quiver but held strong. The woman at his side attempted to speak but no words escaped. Her tears said more than any words ever could. The unidentified woman was crying and the majority of the lot had no idea why.

Except Erin, who had heard the woman's story first hand over pizza in Chicago.

Except Amelia, who had heard the story second hand from Erin.

The woman forced her eyes shut and desperately grasped the crook of the man's elbow for support. He tried to soothe her with whispered words but failed, only calming her cries slightly when he pulled his arm from her grasp and securely wrapped his strong arms around her.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

Bo asked the question firmly but barely recognized her own voice. She had been too focused on watching their auras swirl with colors from excessive emotion. The most present emotions were a meld of joy and agony; such a strange combination to see at once. Bo shifted her attention from the auras to their physical appearances. She stared upon them intently, analyzing every image she absorbed: the woman's long black hair partially covering her face as she cried, the man's strong build as he cradled the woman with comfort, and even the man's dimple when he offered Bo a fragile smile while holding back his own tears.

The images she absorbed stirred an uncomfortable familiarity in Bo. Her heart beat a little quicker and her breaths came a little shallower.

The man nor the woman had answered Bo but the clan leader remained silent as did everyone else. Trick, however, had taken to marching toward the two he saved from certain death at the hands of three very protective Fae. He pushed Tamsin, Dyson and Hale aside as he now stood the lone individual between the two uninvited guests and Bo. He looked upon the woman and shook his head.

"In all my years I never thought I'd live to see this day."

Trick's tone was a mix of surprise and disgust. The woman unburied her face, wiping her eyes as she looked upon Trick. She bit her lower lip humbly before she finally spoke.

"Hello father."

Gasps followed, the absolute shock of her statement evident in the way jaws hung open or hands covered mouths to silence more gasps. Quick realization connected all the dots of lineage. The humans and the Fae present all glanced from this woman to Trick and then to Bo. There was no mistaking what she had just said, and while each and every person present had their own view of the situation, all eyes fell upon Bo as if waiting to hear her reaction to that declaration.

The clan leader stood motionless, granting nothing but a stare toward the two strangers.

Hello father.

Those two words told Bo an answer to a question that she stopped asking decades ago.

Hello father.

Bo's heart raced faster as she digested the magnitude of this moment. The evidence was overwhelming. The first few physical traits Bo recognized in them were traits she also carried. She literally lost her breath as her mind grasped the moment: Bo was standing at the center of the Fae village, staring at her parents for the first time ever in over one hundred years.

Shock mixed with sadness, a betrayal that lived so deep within Bo that she struggled to regain her breath. Mass floods of anger and hurt surrounded Bo's entire being. She knew any who could see her aura would see the boiling rage overcoming her buried heartache. Memories of childhood moments spent wondering about her parents filled her mind. Countless tearful moments asking Trick questions he never had answers to surfaced from long forgotten memories. One hundred years had come and gone, a time frame so lengthy that Bo could have easily moved past these types of emotions. And for the most part, she had.

But seeing her mother, and her father, for the first time ever nearly brought Bo to collapse. If it wasn't for the sudden touch of Lauren's hand to her arm, Bo may have literally caved to the ground.

The clan leader closed her eyes, focusing on the warm of Lauren's hand instead of the cold anger raging in her own fists. Millions of questions seemed ridiculous to think of all at once but Bo did; in the matter of seconds her mind retrieved one hundred years of questions she ever wanted to ask of her mother.

Even with her eyes closed, she felt their presence grow closer. Lauren's hand tightened on her arm as Bo's eyes shot open, staring at the two approaching her with great caution.

Bo raised a hand to them.

"Stop."

Her words escaped gritted teeth and on Bo's spoken command, they ceased further movements toward her.

The woman's entire demeanor appeared crushed; both her aura and her visible emotions plummeted.

"Bo, I know this is unexpected, but please hear us out."

Bo raised her arm, palm forward again to silence further speaking. Her hand was shaking, and all the calm in the world could not relax Bo's tightened jaw and tear filled eyes.

Her emotions rose so quickly, and to such a dangerous place that Lauren saw her aura bleeding colors into black; the sorrow and feelings of devastation swallowing Bo whole.

"Bo, I'm right here."

Lauren didn't know if her words would calm the clan leader but they did. Fortunately just the sound of Lauren's voice kept Bo from moving beyond the precipice of her greatest nightmare. She didn't move beyond that point of sadness and anger, but she also had no idea how to move away from it either.

Trick's anger flared vocally as Bo's flared silently. Unlike his granddaughter, Trick was full of words waiting to be said, and he didn't hide it one bit.

"What in the great name of Fae are you doing here, Aife?"

Through sadness she answered Trick.

"I need to talk to Bo. WE need to talk to Bo," she replied as she motioned to the man at her side.

Trick tightened his fists.

"Need? Need?! Let me tell you about need: you needed to raise your daughter and you LEFT her when she was a day old. You needed to be with your clan and you disappeared, and for what? What could have been more important than your daughter?!"

Aife's tears flowed freely now. Her sobs held back many of her words until her desire to speak with Bo forced her statements forward.

"I left FOR her, father! I left so she could become the clan leader as intended without judgment cast upon her for my actions! It was the only way!"

Trick's arms flailed in the air.

"The only way for what? We would have never judged her for your decisions! What could you have possibly done that would have reflected upon your daughter?!"

His voice escalated as did Aife's. Bo listened to their argument back and forth until she couldn't handle it any more.

She couldn't take the noise in her head and she couldn't take the pain in her heart. Bo needed an escape, and a silent one at that.

"Enough!"

Her command silenced them further. She glared at her mother, an anger so true that Bo wondered why she had not yet had her best clan warriors rid their village of her by now. She looked upon the man but for a second before returning her gaze to Aife. Bo didn't really acknowledge her father's presence much at all. All her years thinking her father didn't even know she existed had made him innocent in her mind. Seeing his presence now clearly made that assumption false, but one hundred years of assuming anything clearly dominated Bo's emotions enough to direct her rage solely toward her mother.

"I don't want to hear that you left FOR me. I don't want to hear why you left me. I was YOUR DAUGHTER. It has been over a hundred years, and what? You choose now to show your face? Nothing you say will ever justify your actions. Both of you: get out of my village. Now."

Aife ignored her request. The woman's sobs and explanations turned to pleas and apologies all muffled from her cries. Bo couldn't take the sound of her emotion. It conflicted so painfully with Bo's anger.

The clan leader turned away, her rage so great that she felt her building emotions could easily explode through her fists. She didn't want to show anger that way; she did not want to exhibit violence, but the clan leader attempted to shield her sadness with hate in hopes that the pain would hurt a little less.

The pain still hurt like hell. Her chest tightened and her eyes stung from the pressure building behind them. A wonderful reunion with her best friend suddenly morphed into a horrible agony. It was enough to make Bo weary; physically weary. She took four steps away from the group and was overcome with sadness. Physically she could hardly stand upright. In an effort to regain her strength, Bo extended her right hand toward the tree for support.

What happened next changed everything.

The tree clung to Bo's right hand just as it had done to Lauren's left. It created a vacuum that held her palm against its bark, giving rise to a flood of sensations instantly coursing through the clan leader. The tingle in her toes matched the tingle in her spine, across her chest and down her arms. Fiery heat contrasted with a wicked chill providing a strange mix of body responses. Beads of sweat trickled over her neck while she simultaneously shivered. All the sensations were foreign, much like Lauren had explained she experienced.

Bo felt no fear, only a surge of power rising within. The rage she had moments before she touched that tree suspended in her as if waiting for Bo to decide how to leverage it. Her eyes blasted forth a brilliant blue. The flow of chi traveled inside her, down her arm and out of her hand. It pushed into the tree forcefully but provided Bo a blanket of peace the held her rage an arm's length away. It was a comfortable feeling that Bo could have stayed in for a long length of time but the tree had other plans. Instead of giving Bo time to think about her mother, or her father, or the emotions they brought out of her, the tree gave Bo something else to think about.

Bo closed her eyes as thousands of years of Fae history flashed in her mind. Images of Fae she never met but only recognized names of from Cathedrals Den, various Fae she had only read about in books who existed far before her time, and even images of the island as it appeared far before her birth all surfaced. She saw antiquated processes in place within her clan too; images of ancient Fae using their powers against clan policy and prior clan leaders casting unjust punishments upon members now long gone. Each and every image was a story the tree told her with purpose. It was as if the tree itself was feeding Bo knowledge: the history of the Fae, the history of her clan, and finally the history of her parents.

For several minutes, Bo learned the story of Aife, her mother. She witnessed images of her mother's childhood on the island, her growth and her dreams of leaving the island to explore the world. She saw her mother defy antiquated leadership decisions on more than one occasion, and she saw her mother's drive to simply be happy and not cause harm to others. She discovered her mother's intentional and defiant departure from Fate Island, quickly followed by images of her mother meeting Fae across the globe when she located the other clans. And then Bo saw the scene like a feature film in her mind: the first time Aife laid eyes upon the man who would become Bo's father. It was a whirlwind love at first sight, and months of courtship and dating brought a happiness upon her mother that even Bo could understand and appreciate.

It was only a matter of time before Aife became pregnant with Bo, and months of pregnancy and fear finally gave way to Aife returning to the island where she gave birth before leaving again. More images flashed forward, ones of Aife heartbroken and devastated at leaving her daughter. Images of sadness surrounding her mother and her father followed, and it appeared that the black cloud of regret hung over their heads from that day forward. But in all the images and in all the explanations fed to her by that tree, Bo finally saw the reason as to why they left her to be raised by the clan.

Bo was destined to be the clan leader: to rule and unite the Fae and the human species despite no one yet knowing how that would happen. Not just on the island, but on a global scale that would begin the moment she became the clan leader. She had to be raised on the island, become an integral part of the clan and fulfill her lineage to replace Trick once he saw fit. Aife and Bo's father, the man who still remained nameless to her, could not have kept her from growing up on the island. Had they done so, Bo would have never taken the first steps toward a yet-to-occur integrated world. And when the questions crossed Bo's mind of why they didn't just stay on the island with her, the answer was served up as blatant and obvious as her very own love for Lauren.

Bo's eyes shot open and in that moment the tree released its grip on her. Waves of energy filled her body, her heart and her spirit. Power was limitless, and the huge amount of life energy inside Bo pushed against her skin as if it sought further escape.

Bo spun around and caught the feared and surprised expressions of all those around. She immediately connected her eyes with her mother and then her father. It was so obvious now, but it took the forced history lesson taught by a tree to bring it to light.

With steady steps, Bo walked toward her parents. Without pulling her eyes away, she took Lauren's hand as she passed her, pulling the blonde with her toward the two strangers.

Lauren took the hold and walked at Bo's side. The energy in Bo flowed into Lauren's hand willingly and Lauren accepted it. The energy felt far beyond what she felt when her hand connected with that tree, and the doctor knew that whatever had just happened to Bo, it was far more powerful than what had happened to her.

Their path ceased as they stood directly before Bo's parents. The brunette looked at her mother and offered her the first softened expression Bo could muster. She was nowhere near offering forgiveness or accepting apologies, but Bo needed confirmation of what the tree had shown her. She needed to see it with her own eyes to even attempt to understand that her parents made a decision on what they thought was best for Bo and for the future of the clan.

Bo glanced to her father, seeking the one object she needed to see with her own eyes. When it was not immediately visible, Bo spoke.

"Where do you keep it?"

Her question was sensitive but audible. He nodded, slowly lifting his arm to show Bo the watch affixed to his wrist. And there set at the top of the watch face was the smallest stone that immediately began to glow blue.

Blue. As blue as the oceans and the sky. As blue as the glow from the eyes of a succubus. As blue as the stone Bo had given Lauren.

The rise of blue from the watch triggered Lauren's necklace to flare to life. Two streams of blue light floated in the air around them. And without much delay at all, the brilliant blue appeared in Aife's eyes.

Aife's eyes were just like her daughter's.

Bo knew her mother was a succubus as well. It was one of the few things Trick had told her, and seeing her eyes made it that much more real.

Lauren remained fascinated with the man's watch, so much that she reached for Bo's father and took his hand into hers. He did not put up a fight, instead letting Lauren examine it closely.

The doctor pulled his wrist toward her face and looked over the otherwise standard piece of jewelry carefully.

"You have a spirit stone?" Lauren asked.

The man nodded and replied.

"Yes I do. It's very similar to yours, except mine houses Aife's spirit, while yours houses Bo's."

Lauren glanced up to the man with a curious expression.

"But why would you have a spirit stone? Why would you need Aife's spirit when you have your own?" Lauren asked.

He smiled but did not answer. Bo squeezed Lauren's hand and took a deep breath. She looked at her father who appeared as if he was waiting for Bo to acknowledge what she had just figured out.

"He needs Aife's because he doesn't have his own Fae spirit. He's human, Lauren. My father is human."

xxxxx

It was not an easy task for Bo to swallow her emotions and allow rationalization to consider all the trials and ordeals her parents went through. The knowledge that old Fae traditions frowned upon humans back then was the focal point Bo kept in mind as she battled through stories and feelings. Aife's decision to disappear from Bo's life was based on old Fae tradition that clan leaders were the strongest of the clan. How could a woman half Fae and half human be considered the strongest? Back then, no one would have considered it. It is why Bo's parents chose to have Trick raise her. The entire notion was still not justified, but Bo clung to it with hopes it would help her survive this entire ordeal. And it was quite an ordeal. Daily she struggled with sorting through her emotions. Bo had moments where she wanted her parents to disappear again so that she could go back to never knowing them; other times she wished they would have been with her all along.

Learning her father was human was not a painful or sad acknowledgment. She wished the clan would have been more accepting hundreds of years ago, but she knew there was no way to change the past and she could only think about the present and the future. For weeks, the entire situation took a toll on the clan leader before it strengthened her, and the constant presence of her one true love buoyed Bo above water through the hardest parts of the ordeal.

Bo found laughter for the first time nearly three weeks to the day after her parents had shown up. It happened when Lauren casually retold a story to Bo that she had heard from Aife herslef.

It began the day before Bo was born, when a very pregnant and moody Aife had returned to the island and visited Cathedrals Den. She was angry and devastated about giving up her daughter, and she chose to take out her frustrations in private. She had cried and cursed alone while sitting in Cathedrals Den, and she had even taken to releasing a little rage by throwing rocks across the sacred space. She threw one rock too hard and it cracked one of the stones placed on the ground. Upon closer inspection, she had picked up one piece of the stone and it immediately turned blue in her hand. Amazed at the sight, she quickly palmed that stone and kept it hidden in her possessions after she had given birth and left the island for good. It wasn't until several years later that she figured out it was extending the life of Bo's father, a human. No one really grasped why the stone behaved in that manner off the island when Kenzi didn't need one while in Seattle, but it was certainly one of those items Dyson added to his list of questions of which he hoped to someday find answers.

Bo's laughter was from the irony that her mother had broken a stone in Cathedrals Den, mostly because it was something that Bo had almost done several times when she was younger. Trick never knew it was Aife who had broken the stone until now, and it was simply fate that he had given one of the pieces to Bo for her tenth birthday.

After a month had passed since she first met her parents, Bo began to feel more relaxed in her own skin. Her parents remained in the Fae village, and Bo's initial distance from them gradually began to shift toward more interest in holding brief conversations with them. Lauren had initiated it truly, for she spent hours getting to know the two new faces with a goal of understanding all the mysteries of the clan tree, this apparent prophecy of Bo and Lauren uniting Fae and human worlds to save the clan, and also learning about the two individuals' lives back in Chicago for the greater part of one hundred years. It was slow at first and Bo knew it was going to take her a long time to move past it, if she ever could. Only time would tell.

Kenzi had resumed her best friend duties while simultaneously begging Trick for one of the spirit stones. He adamantly refused, knowing she'd run directly to Cathedrals Den in hopes of becoming a siren like Hale. It was just something Trick wasn't ready to deal with.

Tamsin took her first trip to North America within weeks of Erin and Amelia leaving the island. Those three had a great time together, and it was just simply something that worked for them. Dyson was thrilled; resuming his duties as second-in-command felt good to the shape shifter.

Perhaps what was least astonishing the months that followed was that Dyson was still on a mission to solve the mysteries of Lauren and Bo and how they would save the clan and unite the species together. It was on a rainy, windy day when the man put the final puzzle pieces into place. It took dozens of books, codes, images and riddles combined to formulate the ultimate answer to the ultimate question. He was surprised at the answer but quickly sought out Lauren to share the news. His natural inclination was to tell Lauren first, as he had truly become her protector. As such, he felt compelled to protect her from whatever may come of this newfound information. That included hiding the news if she chose to keep it a secret, even from the clan leader.

The doctor's reaction was surprise laced with excitement more than anything else. It didn't take long for Lauren to calm Dyson's fears that she was fine, and it didn't take long after that for Lauren to seek out the clan leader and share the information with her in private.

Soaked from the down pour of rain, Lauren led Bo to a dry space inside their mountainside bedroom. She ignored all the brunette's questions until she shut the door closed behind them. The doctor turned to face the clan leader, standing in the middle of the bedroom with an expression of confusion worn across her face. That familiar flutter hit Lauren's stomach quickly, pulling a blush and a smile from the doctor as her blue eyes connected with Bo's.

"Lauren you are looking at me in a way that Kenzi looks at me when she's hiding a stash of candy bars."

Lauren laughed, her light giggle present until she took Bo's hands into her own.

"Well I don't have candy bars, but I do have a secret to share with you."

Bo's lip curled upward as her brow raised.

"Oh, and what might that secret be?"

Bo brushed Lauren's blonde hair from her face and gently tucked it behind her ear. The touch pulled an even bigger smile from Lauren.

"Well, Dyson solved the mystery. Of the riddles, of the hands, of the tree, of the worlds uniting."

Bo's lust filled expression shifted quickly, one more in tune with that of a leader waiting for potentially damning news.

"Oh? Well you're smiling so I take it I don't need to be concerned?"

Lauren smiled so wide her eyes closed. She quickly opened them again and nodded.

"There is still reason for concern, but as I've come to learn, you and I can overcome anything."

Bo nodded.

"I have learned that as well. So tell me doctor, what is going to save our clan from impending doom and unite the Fae and human worlds in harmony?"

Lauren smiled. "Not what, but who."

Bo wrinkled her brow.

"Oh? Well then let me rephrase: who is going to save our clan from impending doom and unite the Fae and human worlds in harmony?"

Lauren smiled again.

"That would be our daughter."

xxxxx

the end

xxxxx

AN: Fate Island started out as something to let my brain escape the cold winter. This is what came about. Thanks for joining me on this adventure: fanfiction means more to me when I can share it, so thank you kindly for reading. I'm going to write another long BoLo fic this summer that I hope will be written in time to share with you this fall, and as promised to a few who have been patiently waiting for a year, I hope you can be patient a few more months: it will be a sequel to Beyond The Flame. Yes peeps, Chief Bo will be back. Until then, hit me up on twitter!

*And as usual, I don't own anything related to Lost Girl or the other shows I borrowed characters from!*