A/N: I dub this pairing "Evil Scientist." This is all my friend's fault, who planted the idea in my head.


"Ms. Niehaus, when in the lab, please actually do lab work."

Cosima places a hand over the speaker, gulping inwardly as she bounces slightly on her heels and gives her Professor her most winning thousand-watt smile. Foolproof on most professors, and well, people, in general. Except this one, apparently. Damn.

"Won't happen again, Professor. Promise."

Professor Regina "Scary-Intelligent-Also-Really-Hot" Mills shoots her a look of the upmost disdain and purses her lips in ten seconds of terrifying pause before turning on her heels and walking to another lab station, well strutting would be the better turn for it. She has no idea how Regina could rock a lab coat in a pantsuit and heels but she can't deny how her eyes appreciated the sight for a few moments before she insconspicously raised her phone to her ear, dashed out to the hallway, and continued her actually important conversation. (Like life or death important, because clones and someone trying to kill them all.)

She eyes Regina again through the window, and prays to whatever science deity there was that Regina didn't hear any of her conversation. Ever since Cosima had brought in samples from her fellow clones, Regina had been getting more and more hard on her. And was continually drifting towards Cosima's neck of the lab, even though she'd been mostly ignored all semester long.

Cosima is a fairly observant person if she did say so herself, so yep. It looks like her scary professor that she happens to be harboring a slight crush on (and with that can be intensely attracted to) is most likely her monitor. Or if not, she was someone who knew about the whole clone thing and needs to keep an eye on her. So, just fantastic. A+ year in the life of Cosima Niehaus.

"Sorry." She breaths. "My professor caught me on the phone and she's a huge hardass about people on the phone during lab time."

"s'alright, Cos. You were saying?"

She narrows her eyes as Regina berates another student. She'd run a full background check on her later, see if anything matches up.

"The sooner we figure out our monitors, the better we can get to the full bottom of this. And then-"

"Ms. Niehaus?" Shit.

She turns around to see a wholly non-amused Regina staring at her in a way that made Cosima run to her bunk, so to Firefly speak, and also put her in full panic mode.

"Not very focused today, I take it?" Regina raises a brow.

She shakes her head, putting on her best distressed face and apologetic smile.

"No Ma'am. Emergency in the family. I'll be on my best behavior tomorrow, I swear."

Regina smiles, in that disarming way of hers. "I'll hold you to it, dear. Best of luck to your….family. I'll be seeing your test results tomorrow?"

Cosima nods and turns on the charm. This is is a bad idea.

"Totally, Professor. I've noticed your particular interest in my samples, however. Want to tell me what that's about?"

Regina's brow is still carefully arched, but she shifts her footing and crosses her arms. Her defensive stance, Cosima picks out. Fairly subtle all defense stances standing, but Cosima's pretty good at working out subtle. She crosses her arms too, for the effect.

Regina uncrosses her arms and smiles again, as if knowing her brief moment of being unsettled was caught. She steps forward, invading Cosima's personal space, (not like Cosima is really against the notion, to be honest.)

"Perhaps I will. Over dinner tonight. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

She steps even closer, and Cosima nearly faints.

"You have a lot of potential, Ms. Niehaus. I'd really hate for that to go to waste if you continue to be unfocussed." She cocks her head, looking at Cosima like she was a bird staring down it's prey. Cosima curses her ability to be metaphorical.

She sputters. "Right..yes….yes, thank you! I'll really try! ….Wait what, dinner?"

Regina turns around again, but replies over the shoulder. "7:30, and dress appropriately."

As the door to the lab is pulled shut, Cosima lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She curses herself for being caught so off guard, and after a few moments of just, really, breathing, she gets back on the phone and shit she forgot to cover the speaker.

"Holy shite Cosima, did you just get asked out by your professor?"

She eyes Regina once more through the window. "Nope. I think I just got asked out by my monitor."