Author's notes:

Hi guys! Here is Chapter 12, hope you'll enjoy reading!

I did not get many feedbacks on the previous chapter, so I do not know if you guys liked it or not? Are some people still reading and/or interested in this story? If you can, just let me know please. Thanks.

"What about the bond, A? What do you know about it?"

For a long time, neither of them moved. Tamsin never thought she would see the day her mentor's demeanor would change like this, showing obvious embarrassment about answering what seemed such a simple question. She could read Acacia's mind effortlessly and knew that the other Valkyrie was trying to protect her by not answering her query. At any other time, Tamsin would have changed the subject, to make it easier on her mentor and friend, but not now. Not about the bond. And Acacia was well aware of that.

The blonde could not stand the heavy silence hanging between them any longer, feeling her curiosity growing by the second, and her insecurities slowly creeping back to the surface.

"Speak to me, Acacia. Just please… Don't you think for a minute that I'm not aware of what is going on. I am not dumb. I just… I don't know what to do," she reiterated dejectedly, her voice laced with concern.

The brunette felt her heart tightening at the way her protégée sounded, but did her best not to show how much it had overwhelmed her.

"You really are something, aren't you?" she exhaled loudly before sitting down in the back of Tamsin's truck and patting the place next to her as an invitation for the blonde to join her. After another, this time, shorter stretch of uncomfortable silence, Acacia continued.

"Only the most powerful and open-minded Valkyries are able to bond to a warrior…"

"So it's true then? The bond, I mean?"

"Just stop interrupting me for a second, you idiot, and let me explain."

Tamsin's mouth clamped shut immediately. She gave a small nod to indicate she was listening and that Acacia could continue.

"The bond, as we call it, is a symbol of pure love, respect and complete devotion that a Valkyrie offers a chosen warrior. Once you declare your love towards this person, you will both automatically start to connect. Your abilities will be enhanced but will never reach their highest strength if the warrior does not accept the Valkyries' declaration."

Tamsin instinctively lowered her head at the last sentence as it hit too close to home. She was starting to feel light-headed when all of a sudden, flashes from the night when Bo rejected her appeared in her mind. She snapped out of it the moment Acacia started talking again.

"The bond unites the two Fae through a very powerful connection. Starting from this moment, the Valkyrie and the warrior will never feel complete when apart from each other. They will share more than their life together; they will share their most intimate moments and emotions. If the warrior is in a dangerous situation or gets hurt, the Valkyrie feels it."

The older Fae stopped suddenly and gulped loudly as if she was trying to prepare herself for what she was about to say. Tamsin turned her head in her direction and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Tamsin, you must realize that more than anything, the bond means a complete devotion from the Valkyrie to the warrior. It means that you suffer when she suffers, but it is a one-way road. Even if you are bonded to Bo, she will not feel your pain. You will share some emotions with her but not everything. The essence of the bond lays in the fact that the Valkyrie will sacrifice herself so that her warrior can live and prosper."

The brunette stopped again and turned her head towards the youngest Valkyrie.

"Kind of like between me and you," she smiled.

"We are bonded?!" Tamsin exclaimed, completely caught off guard.

"Not in the same way, dumbass. But we share some emotions because I am your mentor. I have sworn to protect you a long, long time ago. Like I knew where you were the other night because I could feel your pain. And I can feel your distress right now so cut it off!"

"But I have never felt any of your emotions," Tamsin frowned.

"That's because I have learned how to block them. Or maybe you just suck at it," she smirked. "Anyway, the bond between you and Bo will definitely make the both of you stronger. Hear me out, Bo is a powerful succubus already, and you will need to help her control her enhanced abilities after the bond. And the same goes for you," she said sternly, giving Tamsin that 'mother' look that made the younger Valkyrie roll her eyes.

"Please, I'm not a baby Fae anymore," she huffed.

"Experienced or not, this is not a joke. If you are not prepared, you will be taken by surprise, and not in a good way. Remember who you are and where your heart lies, like I have always told you," she replied seriously.

Tamsin gave her an equally serious nod in response, signaling that she understood the importance of what she was being told.

"If she says she loves you back in the following weeks, there is no turning back. The bond will seal itself. For eternity. You will not be able to love anyone else and you will do anything in your power to protect her and the ones she loves."

Tamsin sat in silence and took a moment to process the information. "But… She rejected me, she denied my love. Yet, we have started to bond. How is it even possible?"

"You said it yourself. From the moment you admitted and confessed your affection to her, the bond was triggered. Even if she did not accept your declaration of love, the bond is showing you what it is capable of doing."

"What happens if she never says she loves me back?" Tamsin blurted looking straight into Acacia's eyes.

But the older Valkyrie lowered her head. She took a minute to block out her emotions as best she could before meeting Tamsin's eyes again.

"Like I said earlier. It is a one-way road. This is you showing your devotion to your warrior, Tamsin," she said softly. "For the moment you feel great, maybe even stronger than usual, but if she doesn't accept the bond…" she sighed, reluctant to proceed.

"Then what? Tell me, whatever it is, I can take it," Tamsin half-joked, trying to steel herself and be strong enough to face whatever Acacia was going to dump on her.

"Eventually… You'll just wither away until you… are gone."

Neither of them spoke for a long time after that.

"This is why love is weakness," Tamsin whispered eventually, a solitary tear sliding down her right cheek. Acacia remained silent.

The blonde wiped the tear that was running down her face and cleared her throat awkwardly, trying to regain some composure.

"How long do I have?" she uttered firmly.

"It depends. When the effects of the bond will start to disappear, I guess. I'd say a month, maybe less."

Tamsin took a few deep breaths to keep her emotions under control. Then she nodded slowly. "I won't force her. I will not tell her what will happen if she does not accept the bond, and neither will you." She faced Acacia again. "She's a succubus by nature, and she wouldn't… she cannot bond with only one person for the rest of her life. She doesn't even have feelings for me. I can't… I can't force her, I'd rather die."

She could tell Acacia was feeling down too. Even though she was the most skilled Valkyrie Tamsin had ever known when it came to hiding her emotions, she wasn't capable of fooling her this time.

"I'm sorry, Tamsin. I should have been there for you. I would have been able to prevent this from happening to you. You wouldn't have been in this position now," Acacia said, with nothing but complete honesty.

"Don't be." The blonde smiled sadly at her. "This is my life, I am where I am because of all the things I did during my previous lives. Let me take responsibility for this one."

The mentor acquiesced. She was wise enough to know it was pointless to do anything for the blonde. Despite them often arguing, she still held great pride in her protégée and would always support her, no matter what. Tamsin was special.

The younger Valkyrie silently shifted closer to Acacia and softly rested her head on her shoulder.

"Thanks, mother," she said, genuinely.

The brunette let out a huff and pushed her back playfully. "Don't ever call me that again."

They both laughed.

They remained like that, sitting next to each other, and talking about anything and everything, sometimes agreeing, sometimes bickering and arguing, for a long time. It was a rare moment when the two of them had enough peace and quiet to hang out and catch up, like a real family.

After a while, as the first rays of sun appeared on the horizon, they stopped talking and watched the beautiful sunrise in silence and a kind of easy comfort, despite the terrible sense of dread hanging over their heads. They eventually decided to part, with a brief hug and a pat on the shoulder. Tamsin kept her eyes on Acacia as she was heading back to her own truck.

"Oh and Tamsin?" the older Valkyrie stopped and turned mid-way. "Don't worry about Stacey, I'll pay her a visit," she winked.

"Not if I see her before you. I swear I'll kick her sorry ass if I do," Tamsin replied with a smirk.

Acacia gave her a proud, shit-eating grin. "I hope you will, kiddo."

The blonde let out a laugh in response and got back in her truck.

Bo had been lost in her thoughts since Tamsin had left the house. She understood that the Valkyrie was furious about what had happened to Kenzi, and knew her well enough to assume the blonde was feeling guilty over it. Yet, she couldn't help but think that there was something else going on. Something she couldn't quite figure out. Something she had seen in the other woman's beautiful green eyes right before she took off.

If she were asked to describe it, Bo would say it was a mixture of fear, apprehension, anxiety and astonishment. Almost like she had been hit with a stun grenade. Metaphorically. The blonde Fae had grown on her, and Bo was afraid her anger would make her take unnecessary risks in her pursuit to get revenge. Indeed, the last time the Valkyrie left in a state of emotional disarray, she got injured so badly that she almost succumbed to her wounds.

Vivid images of that night came to Bo's mind, triggering an immediate and overwhelming sense of panic. She could remember so clearly every detail, the sight of blood and how it felt, warm and slick, on her skin, the tears running down her face, but above all, the agony she felt in her heart, the tears running down her face. Every detail, every second of that calvary.

She was caressing Kenzi's hair while the dark-haired human still lay unconscious. She appeared tormented, which was no surprise, as the attack must have been still fresh in her mind. Bo decided to sit down next to her, occasionally pulsing short waves of soothing energy through her hand to help her relax. And it worked.

Although Tamsin reassured Bo her best friend would be fine, she was still concerned to see if there would be any residue of Stacy's power once Kenzi was up. She had every right to be frightened. After all, Valkyries were very powerful Fae and she had witnessed the devastating effects Tamsin's power had had on Dyson one time. Even though she was at the end of her life-cycle at that time, the wolf was still affected even days after the event.

The Succubus was jolted out of her thoughts by her phone rigging. She quickly grabbed it from the nightstand, jumped out of bed and headed downstairs to make sure she wasn't going to disrupt Kenzi's well needed rest.

"Hi, Dyson," she greeted.

"Bo, is Tamsin with you?" the other asked without responding to the greeting.

"Uh, no, she left early this morning after we kind had to… face a situation during the night. Um… I'll fill you in. Why do you ask?" Bo replied frowning.

"She told me she'd meet me at the station this morning to work on the Wendigo case we're on but she hasn't showed up yet. It's probably nothing, I'm sure she's just late as usual. If you get any news from her just let me know, alright?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll try to call her, too. Thanks, Dyson." She hung up and immediately dialed Tamsin's number. She was already imagining the worst things that could have happened to the Valkyrie, and a cold sweat was promptly forming on her forehead.

All of a sudden, she heard someone trying to enter the crackshack through the main entrance. She swiftly grabbed a knife, readying herself to face whoever wanted to enter without an invitation. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest.

"Bo?"

Stress instantly left the Succubus body as she recognized the voice on the other side of the door.

"Good god, Tamsin" she exhaled and went to open the door before the Valkyrie kicked it down herself.

"Since when do you lock the door? I didn't even know you had a key," the blonde asked as she entered the building.

Bo didn't respond and took a moment to observe the blonde in front of her. Even though she was obviously tired, she remained flawless, with her bright green eyes piercing right through her.

"Where were you? Are you okay?" she demanded cautiously, paying close attention to Tamsin's attitude and facial expressions to determine whether the Valkyrie was still or not in the same frame of mind as when she had left earlier.

"How's Kenzi?" Tamsin almost barked, ignoring Bo's questions.

The brunette was taken aback by the harsh retort.

"Um… still asleep, but you…"

"Good. I have to go to the station," Tamsin cut her off once again and, before Bo could add anything else, she ran upstairs.

Bo couldn't believe what she had just witnessed as she stood there, mouth agape and cheeks flushed. The blonde had sidestepped her twice in the blink of an eye and seemed to have closed her walls again, making it difficult for the Succubus to have a conversation with her. The brunette felt like she was thrown back two years earlier when Tamsin appeared in her life. The bitchy, closed-up and arrogant Valkyrie she once was. All the efforts put in their relationship now seemed somehow fruitless.

She had no clue how long she remained in this posture until she picked up the blonde's footsteps coming down the stairs. But this wasn't all. Indeed, the blonde was carrying much more than just the stuff she usually got to go to the station.

"Why are you carrying a suitcase and a sports bag?"

"I am moving out," Tamsin answered back, carefully avoiding the other woman's stare.

"What? Why?" Confusion was written all over Bo's face. A few hours earlier, they were sleeping in her room as if nothing had happened and now, Tamsin wanted to leave the place she had been living in since her rebirth. Her home.

"I have to, Bo" she replied harshly.

"What does that mean 'you have to' leave? This doesn't make any sense, Tamsin! Please just calm down, whatever this is, we can talk about it".

"There's nothing to talk about Bo! I have to get out of here."

"Is it because of Stacy? You're feeling guilty over what happened to Kenzi? This is not your fault!" she tried to reason her.

"It has nothing to do with her!" Tamsin yelled, feeling exasperated.

"Then enlighten me!" she begged, feeling already very frustrated with the behavior of the other Fae.

The blonde stopped in her tracks but did not say anything else, nor dared to look the warrior in the eye. A rush of sadness overwhelmed her heart, and by how it felt, it was clear to her that it was Bo's. Bo's sadness. She was hurting her, and she knew it very well, she felt it in her heart.

'C'mon you can do it,' she thought to herself.

After taking a deep breath she composed herself, her features hardened once more. However, before she could open her mouth, Bo's desperate caught her off guard and broker her concentration.

"Is it because of me?"

She turned around to meet Bo's distressed, watering eyes. Her heart clenched at the sound of the other Fae's frail voice.

"Bo…"

"No, I hurt you," she interrupted. "I know that I did, Tamsin. You can put on your brave face but I can see right through you. Trust me, I feel horrible for what I did. I handled our situation poorly." She paused. "I am sorry for that, believe me. I should have been clear and honest with you… I guess I… I just freaked out."

"Well, I heard your 'heartfelt' genuine declaration the other night loud and clear, don't worry," she responded coldly.

"Please don't push me away, Tamsin. You wanna hurt me, fine. Do it. For fuck's sake, you can even punch me if that makes you feel better! But you don't have to leave, this is your home."

The Valkyrie took a deep breath.

"My decision is made." She ignored the tears that were running down her warrior's cheeks and turned away, heading for the front door of the crackshack.

"We were doing so much better!" the brunette shouted.

A single tear escaped the blonde's eye involuntarily. Her emotions were trying to take over and dictate her behavior. She resisted, nonetheless, no matter how much it pained her. She remained there, her back facing the other woman.

Seeing Tamsin stop gave Bo the courage to go on.

"That night, you… you caught me off guard. Literally. I wasn't ready to hear what you had to say to me. It pained me to not be able to offer you a logical explanation…"

"There's no need for a logical explanation when you just don't love someone," Tamsin cut her off while turning around to face her again.

"I know. But I do have feelings for you. I just haven't… figured them out yet."

Much to her surprise, Tamsin's anger seemed to fade away, and the Valkyrie looked at her as if she really believed her. She looked like she was patiently waiting for her to continue.

The Succubus was a big emotional mess and really appreciated that Tamsin was giving her a moment to regain her composure as best as she could, wiping the tears from her cheeks and taking a few deep breaths. She had the opportunity to open her heart, to lay her feelings bare to the person in front of her like she had never done with anyone else before. So, she seized the opportunity without hesitation.

"When you arrived in my life you were a real bitch to me, there's no denying it," Bo smiled, recalling her first meeting with the Valkyrie. "Look, I'm not gonna hide this from you, but you really weren't my favorite person. However, no matter how many reasons you gave me to despise you, I never did. There was always that something in you that I was eager to discover. I wanted to get to know you, to learn from you. Deep down inside me, I knew you were special. I appreciated every single conversation with you, how you made me laugh and smile, and above, the fact that you were the only honest person I had in my life. You never treated me like that fragile baby-fae that everybody wanted to protect for some reason."

She stopped briefly to try to get a handle on the waves of emotions and overwhelming memories flooding her mind.

"You trusted and supported me when no one else would. I loved every facet of you, every wall that you let me break down so that I could to get to know you. You brought me closer to an unbelievable and genuine human being. You've grown on me."

She took a step closer to the blonde who was frowning and had started shaking slightly.

"I have never shared any intimate moment with anyone like I did with you, Tamsin. With you, it is always spontaneous, and authentic… And unique. I remember every second of every kiss, every caress, every hug, every laugh, every smile. You've risked everything for me. You've never imposed yourself on me to do things I did not want to, even if you did not agree with me all the time. Damn, you've let me live my life the way I wanted to! No drama, no bullshit, just honesty. I will forever be thankful to you for that."

Bo's speech touched Tamsin deeply. She had never seen the Succubus being so honest with her or anyone else. Tears made their way out of her green glittering eyes and started running down her pale cheeks, and she didn't even seem to notice she was crying.

"I do have feelings for you, Tamsin. I told you, I must face them. The other night I… I wasn't ready," Bo confessed, raising her arms with exhaustion. "All my life I thought I was a monster. I have unwillingly killed everyone I loved because I couldn't control my powers. I didn't have a clue of who I was and who I wanted to be. Then, I discovered a completely different world with infinite possibilities. I was 'guided' by the same people along my way for years - Trick, Hale, Dyson, Lauren… I could not see anything beyond that. My entire world gravitated around them and I did not open myself to anyone else." She sighed. "Until I met you."

Bo took another step forward.

"I know this is gonna sound stupid but I think I closed myself up to the possibility of having more than a friendship with you because I had Dyson and Lauren and… And I also didn't want to screw the special connection I have with you, like I did with them multiple times."

The Valkyrie looked down, unable to hold Bo's gaze anymore as the Succubus continued her emotional confession.

"You don't have to leave, Tamsin. Please don't go. We can go through this, we can go back and start from scratch," she practically implored the other Fae, feeling increasingly concerned with Tamsin's lack of responsiveness.

After a few long moments, Tamsin gently placed her suitcase and bag on the ground besides her and stood straight before the brunette, finally making eye contact with her. She then closed the gap between them, delicately taking her warrior's hands in hers.

"Bo… I know you care about me, okay? And thank you for opening to me like this," she said sincerely. "But I have to get away for a while."

"No… Stay, Tamsin. Give me a second chance, please," the brunette began sobbing once again, not able to hide her desperate need for the Valkyrie to not leave her side. The anguish was consuming her.

"This is me giving us a second chance, Bo," the blonde responded firmly.

The smaller woman looked straight into her piercing eyes, confusion taking over her features.

"If I stay here, it won't make things better between us, it will just be… awkward and weird. I need some time for myself, to think… And you need that time too. We don't have to rush, okay? We… Well, I rushed things and look at us now!" she tried to lighten the mood. Bo let out a small chuckle, making Tamsin smile, as well.

The blonde opened her arms so that the brunette could slip into them and rest her head on her shoulder. She hugged Bo tightly, closing her eyes as all her senses became overwhelmed by this precious moment. She wanted to remember it forever - the feeling of their skin touching, the brunette's scent, and the emotions rushing through her.

Bo was attempting to do the same, her arms tightening around the other woman's upper body.

"I will never give up on you… On us."

Even though Bo's voice was almost completely muffled by Tamsin's hair, the blonde heard every word of it.

The Valkyrie broke the embrace and grabbed the Succubus' face between her hands. She felt utterly exhausted, unable to speak even one more word. As hard as she tried to hide it, she was a complete emotional wreck.

She leaned forward slowly and placed a gentle, but passionate kiss on the Succubus' forehead. As she moved back, they looked at each other for a few long moments, their eyes tired and puffy from all the crying. Bo offered a small, genuine smile and Tamsin found herself smiling back immediately.

Bo wearily watched Tamsin releasing her hold on her, then pick up her bags in silence and going out the door to her truck parked outside.

When the front door closed behind the Valkyrie, Bo sat down on the couch and burst into tears. She did not really know why she was breaking down so hard but she couldn't contain herself anymore. The raw, intense emotion she had experienced the last few minutes was still so strong that she found it very difficult to collect herself. But as weird as it seemed, it put her mind at peace in a way. For once, she could just let go.

Even though it broke her heart to see Tamsin leaving, she understood why the Valkyrie did so. It was a blessing in disguise, really.

Bo knew she needed some time to process her feelings. She wanted to be with Tamsin, but was she ready? Their relationship was so complicated, but genuine and true and she cherished it more than anything else. One thing was for sure, she was going to fight to keep Tamsin in her life. She just had to figure out what she wanted once and for all.

That meant she had to brace herself for troubled times, Bo knew. And she had to start by having a very serious conversation with a certain blonde who played a prominent role in her life. A certain someone of the non-fae variety.

'Shit,' she muttered to herself.

Author's notes:

Don't forget to drop me a review to let me know if you appreciated the chapter or if you are just still interested by this story in general!

Thanks to manticore-gurl071134 and Alice for the nice reviews, it means a lot.

To hotkillerz: I am sorry you feel that way about my story. I know it takes me ages to update but I have a life apart from this and I won't apologize for it. I am working my ass off to get good marks and I also work whenever I have a free moment because my university is freaking expensive. Also, English is not my first language so I cannot post a chapter like that, I have to send it to a friend to edit it, so it takes a few days as well. Oh and bad news, I just got back to university so it is going to be hell for the next 8 months. In any case, if you are still reading I hope you have enjoyed the chapter I spent hours working on.