Beyond The Flame Epilogue

Two Years Later

Lauren stared in the full length mirror. Despite her ever growing belly and her sometimes swollen feet, she felt rather energetic for a thirty four week pregnant woman. The healthy eating habits she adopted from day one had kept her energy levels high. Having Bo voluntarily adopt the same eating habits made the adjustment that much easier for the doctor. If anything, Bo had already stuck to a very similar dietary intake, except in greater quantities to keep up with her rigorous workout schedule and excellent physique. Over time, Lauren's food intake began to rival Bo's, and they shared many fabulous mornings whipping up gourmet breakfasts after a long night of work.

In the mirror's reflection, Lauren noticed Bo smiling and waiting patiently for Lauren to finish admiring her large baby bump and turn around. And so Lauren turned and stared with the loving adoration she had felt for Bo since the day she realized the depth of her feelings for the woman. Yes, her love had grown every day in those two years, more so than Lauren ever thought possible. Through their initial months of dating, the romance that blossomed, the adventure that never dulled, their shared experiences with the healing of Kenzi's soul and the healing of Tamsin's burns, their various approaches of adapting to Evony and her snarky ways; even through their first fight over Lauren's excessive overtime, and their second fight over Bo loaning Lauren's brand new BMW to Tamsin for a date, Lauren's love for Bo grew with a heightened intensity that she only dreamed would happen. And Bo's love grew just as much for the doctor, so much that she asked Lauren to move in with her one year to the day that they first met. Lauren accepted before Bo even finished her sentence and soon thereafter, the move was complete and they began to make plans for their lives together. Contrary to the typical order of other relationships, their plans included the growth of their family with the somewhat immediate addition of a baby. It's what mattered to them both most, and with enormous hearts and excessive love to share, the decision was made with ease.

Bo looked upon Lauren with an equally adoring smile. She took her girlfriend's hands in her own and smiled.

"Ready?"

Lauren heard Bo's nervousness in her voice. This moment carried such a large significance for them both, and Lauren was careful to plan it with that in mind. Even though it started out as request from Bo, Lauren really wanted to make Bo as comfortable as possible with the experience. Lauren felt comfortable and confident with the moment they were about to share that day, but deep down inside, she was also quite nervous too. She squeezed the fire chief's hands and smiled.

"I'm ready." Lauren followed that statement with a gentle brush of fingertips over Bo's cheek and a passionate kiss, calming the brunette and relaxing her nervousness.

"Mmmm, thank you for that doctor," Bo replied as she licked her lips to savor the flavor of that kiss.

Lauren nodded toward the bedroom door. "Come on, let's go before the gang starts ripping us a new one for pushing them behind schedule."

Just as Lauren spoke those words, "the gang" yelled in unison from down the hall.

"We heard that!"

With a giggle, Bo and Lauren exited their master bedroom and walked down the hallway, stopping in front of the second bedroom. It was the space that Kenzi had occupied for ten months after her hospital discharge, and she had truly made use of every inch space. Over time, her bond with Hale had strengthened deeply, and the firefighter's incredible patience and support allowed Kenzi to fall in love with the man. In fact, it was Kenzi who blurted out her love for him first, bringing forth his own declaration of love and desire to have her move in with him. She happily accepted, taking the contents of that room with her and leaving it empty and vacant. It still remained empty of furniture, but currently filling that space were Kenzi, Hale, Tamsin and even Evony, donning their old clothes with ripped knees and stained shirts.

"Get going already! We can't do this while you're standing there!"

Lauren looked around the room. There was paint tape, drop clothes, paint brushes, and buckets of the perfect shades of colors Bo and Lauren had picked out weeks ago when they found out they were having a girl. It was the last time the room would look as it did now. Upon their return, that room would be painted perfectly for their newborn when she was ready to arrive in the world.

"Thank you for doing this. All of you." Lauren replied, with tears welled in her eyes. Her appreciation for her friends' generosity to paint the baby's room overwhelmed her emotions, something that seemed to happen regularly with the otherwise uneventful pregnancy.

Tamsin leaned against the wall and folded her arms across her chest. She gripped the still clean paintbrush tightly in her left hand and put her injury recovery on display. She had regained full motion with her fingers even if the skin grafting had changed the appearance of the surface with scarring. It was enough to put her back on active duty, and that's all she really wanted anyway.

"We're glad we can help, doc. Just don't come back for a few days. These fumes need to clear out as the paint dries. And chief, we're counting on you to keep her out of here as promised. You hold up your end of the bargain, and we will hold up ours."

Curiously, Lauren looked to Bo, who smirked and blushed.

"What end of the bargain would that be, Bo?" Lauren asked her girlfriend.

Bo smiled wider, knowing Lauren would be extremely surprised once they returned from their short three day getaway. The two women had combed through countless websites until they found the perfect baby furniture, and while they had planned on going to buy it the following week, Bo had taken the liberty to order it all and have it delivered to the Fire Station. Hale was charged with retrieving it from the fire station so the others could assemble and set it up just as Bo had instructed, all based on Lauren's idea of the room layout she scribbled on a napkin one morning over breakfast.

Bo was taking Lauren away for a few days to give them some alone time before the baby was born, and their friends were set to complete the final preparation of the baby's room while they were on their trip. Bo beamed with excitement over the surprise Lauren would find upon their return.

"I promise Lauren. You'll love it."

As Lauren had learned over the years, Bo always had good intentions, so whatever she had planned for the room, she simply accepted it. The doctor knew that if the surprise was that awful, she could always paint over it, right?

Evony stepped up, her perfectly manicured hands resting on her hips. "Look doc, do you think I would let anyone do anything remotely tacky to this baby's room? I mean, look at me? I'm about to paint a bedroom and I'm still wearing Gucci. It may be snagged on the shoulder, which is a shame really, but it is still Gucci. I promise you: nothing in bad taste will happen to this room. Detective's honor."

Knowing Evony had a severe case of brand identity, Lauren actually felt rather confident the woman would keep that room looking as good as, if not better than, if Coco Chanel stood there herself.

"Thank you for that reassurance, Evony."

"Hey! What do you think I'm gonna do? Spray paint graffiti tags along this wall that says Your Aunt Kenzi rocks this world? Because honestly doc, well, actually, I think that's a great idea!"

Kenzi's smart ass comment pulled laughter from the group, including Lauren who had adapted well to her sarcastic humor. Truth be told, as Kenzi healed through the emotional scars of her lengthy ordeal with Massimo, her spirit roared back to life and her humor grew ten-fold. And as her relationship with Bo healed and they worked to get back to solid footing with one another, Kenzi was an intricate part of Lauren's family. Upon Kenzi moving in with Hale, Lauren made a point to create a weekly family dinner that always included invitations to everyone in the room. It kept their connections strong and their love for one another always top of mind.

Growing impatient, Hale popped the lid from a paint can. "Doc, it's going to be great, really. Now go! Or we will never get this started!"

Bo took Lauren's hand before issuing goodbye's to their roomful of friends and tugging her gently down the hall. The fire chief had already packed the car with their belongings while Lauren had finished getting ready for their trip. All that awaited were their few steps to the vehicle to start their getaway. A few days away enjoying over indulgence and pure pampering with her ever pregnant girlfriend was just what they both needed and wanted. Bo had arranged for the ultimate pregnancy spa experience, complete with massages, facials, multiple foot rubs, and all of Lauren's favorite foods. Bo had even ordered copies of two of Lauren's favorite books and had them shipped directly to the resort for Lauren to read, or for Bo to read to her, during their quiet nights enjoying their private time in their own private villa. And so with an offered hand, Bo walked Lauren to the car and helped her into the passenger seat before shutting the door. She ran around the other side and climbed into the driver's seat of the Lauren's new car. Even though Lauren was comfortable with taking one of the classic cars, Bo didn't want to risk having no air conditioning and a very pregnant woman exposed to too much heat, so they opted for Lauren's new BMW for this trip.

The drive had one detour on the way, and until they reached that first destination, Lauren and Bo both remained rather silent in the car. For the past two years, they had moved forward with their lives together, but Bo had made a request of Lauren a long time ago that Lauren had forgotten about until recently. So when Lauren had mentioned taking a detour on their way to the spa, Bo was happily surprised with the opportunity. Yes, she was nervous as this was a very big deal for them both, but Bo knew the sincerity of sharing this experience with Lauren would be intensely emotional and positive for the couple.

Not but twenty minutes later, Bo shifted the car into park and shut off the ignition. Lauren's heart was beating a little faster than she anticipated, but she took calm and collected breaths to keep relaxed and also keep Bo relaxed. She pushed open the door before Bo made it around the car, not wanting Bo to always feel like she had to wait on the ever pregnant doctor twenty four hours a day. Bo handed Lauren the bouquet of flowers, which Lauren accepted and instinctively smelled, taking in their beautiful fragrance. Bo looked around the surrounding space, enjoying the mild warmth this summer had brought upon them. The sun was shining and a few trees spotted among the area provided a little shade along a well-worn path.

"Where to Lauren?" Bo asked as she glanced in every direction.

"This way," Lauren pointed.

She took Bo's hand and they walked carefully down the small path, looking through the grassy space and being respectful of the quiet outdoors. The birds chirped as they walked but three minutes before turning off the sidewalk and crossing through the grass. Bo kept her eyes fixed on the ground, careful to look for any obstacles that could bring them tumbling down with a poorly placed step. Lauren tightened her grip in Bo's hand when she stopped walking and tugged Bo to a stop. There, Lauren's sunglasses-covered eyes looked to the ground and Bo's eyes fell in the same location. They stood quietly for a moment, reading over the tombstone marked with Stephanie's name, date of birth and date of death. Bo's exhaled breath was audible as she became overwhelmed with the moment. Standing here, as she had requested all those moons ago, to meet the woman who owned Lauren's heart before her, and most likely would still own it had the universe chosen another plan for how their lives played out.

Out of some sign of respect, Bo slid her sunglasses off and tucked the arm in the v of her shirt. Lauren left hers in place, staring carefully at the marker shining in the sun. After a few moments of listening to the leaves rustling on the trees and birds chirping nearby, Lauren cleared her throat and finally began to speak.

"Hi, Steph. I know it's, uh, been awhile. Well, a really, really long time actually. Sorry about that. I kind of avoided this, but you know that already, don't you? So, um, I, uhhh, I wanted you to meet someone." Lauren turned to Bo and smiled as she gestured toward her girlfriend. "This is Bo Dennis. She's, um, well, I…I love her Steph."

Lauren's voice cracked when she said it. She didn't realize it would feel like this, standing here, talking and being so honest, but she wanted to be. Not just for herself, but for Bo and the family they were about to build together.

"She um, she takes care of me, Steph, and I take care of her. I know you'd be happy about that. I know you'd be happy that I found someone who loves me and protects me. So I wanted you to meet her. So Steph, this is Bo."

The tears streamed down Bo's face as she felt hopelessly in love with Lauren Lewis and incredibly emotional over this woman she never even had the chance to meet. Bo cleared her throat and began to speak. Lauren was surprised as she didn't expect Bo to say anything, but what followed brought tears to Lauren's eyes.

"Hi, um, Stephanie. So, um, I just wanted to let you know that I'll spend the rest of my life loving and protecting Lauren and our baby…or babies…"

Lauren smiled and raised an eyebrow at Bo, not quite ready to talk about a possible baby number two when number one was still kicking Lauren's insides like a soccer ball. Bo returned the smile.

"And you probably already noticed that Lauren is pregnant. And well, our baby girl will be born in a few weeks, and we wanted you to introduce you to her now, before everyone else learns her identity."

Lauren pulled her arm around Bo.

"Steph, please meet our soon to be daughter, Charlotte Stephanie Dennis. I, uh, I picked her first name, well because as you know, I always wanted a girl named Charlotte and a boy named Ethan, and Bo picked her middle name. I hope you are okay with that choice, because, well, like I said, it was Bo's idea, and um, well, it just fit so well and I thought it was perfect."

Lauren took a deep breath and continued.

"So once she's born, we're going to watch her from down here, but we count on you to watch her from up there, okay? So…love and miss you."

Lauren carefully bent her knees so she could place the flowers on the ground. She kissed her fingertips and placed them against the stone.

"You are never forgotten, Steph."

Bo carefully held Lauren's hand, assisting her back to a full upright position. The moment carried such an intensity of love, of sadness, of closure and of new beginnings. They wiped away each other's tears and Bo slid her sunglasses back into place. They smiled at one another and with fingers locked, Bo and Lauren carefully maneuvered up the grassy slope. They returned to the sidewalk and hand in hand, they strolled to the car and to their future.

The End…

***Well, this has been the most fun writing experience ever. Thanks for reading along with me as I let off a bit of creative steam this summer. Your PMs and tweets were truly encouraging and much appreciated for this new fanfiction writer. Before you scream foul, yes, I left the "sixth man aka Dyson" portion open ended intentionally. No promises on what that means down the road, but until next time…happy fanfiction reading. And remember…characters were never mine…just the trauma and fun I put them through.