“We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.”
–Winston Churchill
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She was different now. Lauren watched her from across the table as they shared lunch over. Bo’s eyes flicked up from her salad.

“What?” she took a forkful into her mouth.

Lauren shook her head and met her eyes with a concerned squint. “Nothing.”

“I can see your wheels turning all the way over here.”

“I’m just–” Lauren started.

“–concerned,” Bo interrupted.

“I know you’ve been lonely since Kenzi…”

“Tired of keeping me company?”

She furrowed her brow. “No, of course not.” She shook her head for emphasis. “I want to be here for you, Bo but you’re somewhere else. You walk around in a haze and, Bo, I get it. I miss her, too. But–” Lauren stopped herself as Bo pushed away from her lunch and got up from the table. She walked toward the stairs.

“I’m taking a nap,” she called over her shoulder before ascending the stairs to the second floor.

Lauren sighed. She threw out what was left of their salads and washed the plates and cutlery before settling onto the couch. Since Bo’s latest near miss with the end of the world, Lauren had a lot of time to reflect. About life and death, friends and foe, but more than anything about Bo. They had reached an unspoken understanding and Lauren felt confident things were going to work out before Kenzi had died. Now, things were in flux once again and Lauren was doing the best she could managing Bo’s ever-changing emotions.

Lauren stood and climbed the stairs quietly. Her footsteps alerted Bo to her presence and when she entered her bedroom Bo lay with her back to the doorway. Rocking back on her heels, she crossed her arms. She just wanted to make it right. To stop Bo’s agonizing. Three steps and Lauren was crawling onto the bed behind Bo. Her body shook with a silent sob. “I failed. I failed her.”

Her arm slipped around Bo’s waist. “Kenzi saved us all, Bo.” A hand smoothed over her hair.

“It was my destiny, my burden. I didn’t ask her for this. I could never have asked that of her.”

“I know,” she shushed her with a kiss on the neck.