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"Bo!" Kenzi called. "Bo, you've got a package!" She sniggered when the only response wwas muted thumping. Dyson and Bo had gone to her room "to talk" but apparently the package from the post wasn't the only one Bo had.
"Thump twice if I can open it," she shouted, then tilted her head and waited.
Thump.
Thump.
Good enough for her. It was a strange package-- no postmark that she could see, just Bo's name in this wacked out calligraphy. No return address either.
Kenzi shrugged and took her key to the twine holding the box closed. She hesitated for a moment when she had it open. For some reason it was giving her a wiggy feeling.
"Bo?" she called. "You sure this's okay?"
Thump. Thump. She had her answer.
She tore through the paper. The box seemed to be mostly full tissue. It wasn't until she reached the bottom that she found something solid, wrapped in even more tissue, which she proceeded to tear off with gleeful abandon until she was left holding- "A lamp?"
Why would anyone send Bo a lamp? It was dirty too, so she rubbed it with the corner of her sleeve before she considered that she was bringing laundry day that much closer.
Then the lamp started smoking and laundry day was the last thing on her mind. It was a genie. A genie. What was next, the wicked witch of the west?
Kenzi's first rule of dealing with the fae was never letting them catch her off guard, so instead of shouting for Bo or panicking, she said, "Genie?" and when the creature nodded, she said, "Aren't you supposed to be more blue?"
The genie frowned at her and she laughed. The fae were all the same. So serious. It was fun to ruffle them.
"As you have freed me from the lamp--"
"I know, I know, three wishes, no wishing for more wishes, yada yada."
"Very well, then you do not wish to hear the rules?" the genie said, sounding like a living terms of service agreement.
"I'm good. When do we make this happen?" Kenzi had a list of things to wish for a mile long; the only trouble was going to be deciding what three she'd go with.
"Now," the genie said with a laugh, then crossed his arms, and everything disappeared.
Kenzi shot straight up on the couch. She could feel her heart beating in her ears. That had been some dream. She was sure it had been, though the more she tried to think about it, the more she felt it slipping away.
"I wish I could take a break from this magic stuff," she said aloud. It was still freaking cool, she'd just like it if some things were safe. Like her dreams.
No one answered and Kenzi wasn't exactly sure why she felt as if someone should have. Since she was up, she flipped on the t.v.
--
At first, Kenzi thought it was nothing. After all, Bo was a full grown succubus and she didn't always make her way back to their flat at night. But then she didn't make it back for breakfast, or lunch or dinner, or the next night and she didn't answer any of Kenzi's calls. Dyson didn't either.
Kenzi wasn't the sort to mother hen, but Bo did have pretty much the entirety of the fae out for her. So she figured she'd swing by the bar, see if anyone had the 411. Besides, she was bored; there hadn't been any calls about mystical activity since-- well, pretty much since Bo'd pulled her disappearing act. Besides, Trick always seemed to know what was going on and how to fix it. Kenzi wondered about that sometimes-- it seemed like there was something he wasn't saying-- but Bo never wanted to push it, so Kenzi let it be.
It was open. Open and empty. Kenzi'd never seen it so lifeless before, even after hours, when it was just Trick. Besides, he was fucking careful and magic or not, he wouldn't have left the door open if he was heading out.
That wasn't all that was wrong; the tables were littered with glasses, full and half full, and Kenzi knew well enough from bussing tables when Trick needed someone to cover a shift for a little under the table dough that he wouldn't have stood for that.
There was no one there at all, of that Kenzi was sure. Unless-- there could be someone in the back. She vaulted over the bar, something she'd been tempted to do since her first visit, and headed to check for any sign of Trick.
No Bo, no Dyson, now no Trick, and everything looked like it was just stopped. The only person she could think of who could have everyone jumping to his tune was the Ash. Which left her with one option.
Well, two options. The second was to let it go, head back to the flat and wait for Bo to walk in, probably with Dyson on her arm, sure to laugh at Kenzi's paranoia. She wanted to pick option two. It was the easier option.
If only her stupid spidey sense would stop tingling. It wouldn't though. Something just wasn't right. And she owed Bo.
Kenzi sighed. To the Ash's it was.
--
Kenzi expected to be challenged at the Ash's. He always had someone around, whether it was Dyson or someone else. This time she wasn't though; she was free to wander the halls at will, and if she wasn't getting progressively more creeped out, she would have taken advantage of the situation.
Instead, she went through the halls, calling out, until someone finally responded. Kenzi was about to whoop when she turned the corner and realized it was Lauren.
Kenzi couldn't help it; she just didn't trust Lauren. She was sure to sell them out to the Ash as soon as it was convenient. Then again, she didn't really have much of a choice. She didn't know anyone else who knew of the Fae and could help her.
It didn't hurt that the first thing she said was, "Where's Bo?"
"She's gone," Kenzi said.
"Everyone's gone." Which Keni had realized, but hearing someone else say the words made her feel as though her heart had dropped into her stomach.
"Well, I guess it's up to us to save them, again," Kenzi said with a mock sigh. She hated the way Lauren's mouth quirked, as if she were laughing at Kenzi instead of with her, but she put it aside because she didn't have a choice but to work with her.
--
"Ugh, this isn't working," Kenzi said, several hours of discussion and dead ends later. She didn't want to sit around talking, she wanted to do something. This wasn't going to solve anything. Especially not if they kept talking in circles, because if it didn't stop soon, she was going to kill Lauren.
"Kenzi, I need you to calm down. Can you think of anything unusual that happened?" Lauren's voice was really the most annoying thing in the world right then. If they couldn't do something, Kenzi wished- "I wish you'd shut up," she said, frustrated.
"I didn't do that," Kenzi said, backing away. Kenzi was used to people blaming her for things and Lauren didn't exactly like her. But she didn't. She didn't have magic like Bo and things she said didn't just come true.
Lauren grabbed her by the wrist-- for someone so skinny, she had a strong grasp-- and just looked at her. It was as if she was trying to say something but she couldn't because she has no mouth. She realized quickly enough, grabbing her pad of paper and a pen, and Kenzi watched as she wrote Where's the lamp?
"Lamp?"
You have a jinn.
"How did you know about my dream?" she asked, surprise pulling the words from her. The dream. Only it hadn't been a dream and then she'd wished. This was all her fault. So it was up to her to fix it.
"I wish," she said and before she could say anything more, starting with a litany of discreptions of the genie's origins, there was a hand clapped over her mouth. "Mmmph mmmmmmm mppph," she managed.
Lauren was shaking her head frantically, more animated than Kenzi had ever seen her before.
When Kenzi finally pried Lauren's fingers off she said, "What was that about?"
You can't just unwish your wishes. Jinn don't work that way.
Kenzi rolled her eyes. Of course they didn't. "So?"
Do you know where the lamp is?
"Yeah," she said, "I know where it is."
Then I know how to fix this. Watching Lauren write the words filled Kenzi with relief.
--
The problem was, when Kenzi said she knew where it was, she meant she knew vaguely where it was. She remembered it had been in the living room in the dream that wasn't a dream, but she hadn't seen it when she'd woken up. it wasn't there, and if she'd put it to the side it could be virtually anywhere in the apartment.
Lauren picked up some of the dirty laundry Kenzi'd left lying around, holding it from the tip of her finger as if it were, well, dirty laundry. Kenzi was pretty sure she'd be getting an earful if the good doctor could talk.
"Yeah, yeah, I was tired, okay?" she said, and then she noticed something peeking out from a pile of stuff to Lauren's right.
"Ha! Found it!" she said as she snagged it, holding it from the handle, much like Lauren had been holding the shirt from her finger moments ago. "Okay, now what? Just wish?"
Lauren shook her head and flipped open the book she'd brought from her lab to show a diagram.
We'll draw this and put the lamp in the middle. It will bind him long enough for me to take possession of the lamp when your wishes have been undone.
Lauren ended up drawing most of it. Her lines were straighter-- though that was the only thing about her that was-- and when she was done, Kenzi placed the lamp in the center then jumped back.
Summon it Lauren wrote.
"Oh great Djinn, tormentor of fae and mortal, "Kenzi proclaimed in her best fortune teller voice; after all, she might as well practice while she had the chance. "Show yourself."
Even after all this time with Bo and the things she'd seen, she jumped back when the genie appeared. She'd been so sure it was a dream.
"Now what?" she hissed.
WISH. Undo your wishes! read Lauren's notepad. Well, duh. She knew that. She could do that.
Except the genie must have read it too for he said "She means you to waste your last wish. Why don't you wish for something more and let her wish whatever she wants undone when it is her turn? Think of all the things you could wish for."
Kenzi found herself imagining wealth and fame and never having to worry about where her next meal was going to come from. She and Bo could-- Bo. Bo was gone. She had to undo her wishes.
"Nice try," she said. "I wish the two wishes you granted me undone," she said, careful to use the wording she and Lauren had worked out to keep the genie from wiggling out of it; Lauren seemed sure that was (partly) why Kenzi's earlier wishes had gone so wrong.
Then, before the genie could take revenge on Kenzi, Lauren dashed into the circle, grabbed the lamp and rubbed it, binding the genie to her. "I wish for you to only grant me this first wish," she said. It had been Kenzi's idea. After all, the fine print of the genie seemed to be that he had to grant three wishes and after that he was free to do as he wished until his next master. So what better way to keep one out of trouble then to leave him unable to grant the three wishes?
The genie bowed his head, but Kenzi could see the anger in his eyes as he retreated to the lamp. He was retreating not surrendering.
"Do you want?" Lauren asked awkwardly, offering the lamp out to Kenzi. Kenzi pushed it back towards the doctor. "Nah, it's all yours. I don't think Bo'll mind." It would be in good hands with Lauren, Kenzi thought. There'd probably be lots of boring research involved in making sure that the genie stayed bound, which was the last thing Kenzi wanted to get stuck with. Besides, she kind of almost trusted Lauren with it.
Just then there was a noise at the door and Kenzi looked over to see Bo.
"Kenzi, what's going on?" Bo asked, sounding confused as she walked in on the two of them. Kenzi was too glad to see her to do anything but run and hug her, as if to assure herself the succubus was really there. "Lauren?" Bo asked, the name pushing out of her as Kenzi squeezed her tightly. "What are you doing here?" she finished, in a strangeled voice.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Lauren said.
"Try me," Bo said.
"I think this is a story that needs a drink," Kenzi said, heading for the door and not looking back to see if the others followed. They did, of course, except when they reached the sidewalk, Lauren turned right instead of left.
"Where are you going?" Kenzi called after her.
"I thought--"
Kenzi grabbed her wrist and pulled her along to wear Bo stood waiting. "I can't tell the story without you," she said. There were some things you couldn't do together without becoming friends of a sort; apparently vanquishing genies was one of them.
Lauren smiled. "Well then," she said before they headed off into the night, the three of them walking arm in arm, as Kenzi began telling Bo the events of the past few days.