Time, Patience, Honesty and Hope...a lot of Hope

Rating: K+

Topic: Orphan Black

Pairing: Cosima and Delphine

Summary: Delphine POV, kicking off after the Season 1 finale.

Chapter 2

I awake to a loud grating sound but before I can register what the noise is, I am being dragged unceremoniously off the sofa and away from the warm body beside me. Somehow I manage to find my feet rather than hit the floor but I am still not in complete control of my body as I am dragged a few feet more into the more open space of the kitchen by a Cosima look-a -like. There is a lot of shouting going on around me and it disorientates me even more. The clone who I presume must be Sarah Manniger has now released me but is waving a gun in my face and yelling, the guy who let me in yesterday is stood next to me yelling at her and Cosima is screaming from behind me.

"Where is she?" I finally manage to pick out Sarah's words through the cacophony of noise but I have no idea what or who she is talking about. More than anything I am aware that I am staring down the barrel of her gun and that cannot be a good thing.

She presses the muzzle of the gun into my face threateningly and the shouting continues and suddenly I feel myself being hauled backwards and Cosima is between us shouting angrily over everyone else. I vaguely pick out the words 'get your gun out of my girlfriends face' which on any other day would make me smile.

When Sarah doesn't comply Cosima angrily slaps the weapon out of her hand and then follows through with a swift punch to the face. Her actions seem to silence everyone and the room stills except for her. Cosima lurches forward at Sarah again but I reach out and wrap my arms around her and pull back, pinning her to me.

"No Cosima" I try to say soothingly, "enough now."

I didn't appreciate the wakeup call but something is clearly wrong and fighting will not resolve it. The man that had been shouting at Sarah obviously agrees with me because he moves towards her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"What the hell is going on?" Cosima shouts angrily at the other clone as she tried to struggle out of my grip. I release my hold slightly but keep my hands on her hips, encouraging but not forcing her to stay with me and not brawl.

"They've taken Kira!" Sarah shouts back, "they have taken Kira and Mrs S!"

Cosima instantly stills and I drop my hands from her waist and bring them to my head. It was no wonder the other woman had come flying in like that but I have no answers for her. The stunned silence is ended when the other man, the one whose apartment it is, pulls the door shut firmly.

"Merde" I mutter before realising I have slipped back to my native French. "When did this happen?"

I look to Sarah for answers but she just stares at me, like she is trying to weigh up whether she can trust me. When she remains silent the man with the British accent answers me.

"Two hours ago" he replies, "It seems that when Sarah didn't sign that contract they went to plan B."

It seemed likely to me that they would have snatched Kira regardless but I can no longer pretend to know what Leekie's motives are. I had always believed he wanted to protect the clones but now it's clear he only ever wanted to protect the experiment. Even though the clones where the main part of the experiment it meant two very different things.

"She will still be local" I try use my prior experience with DYAD to extrapolate what they might do. "Leekie can have a passport within the day and move her on a private plane. We probably only have another 20 hours to find her before she ends up in any number of major cities in any one of twenty eight countries. Maybe more."

It seems my logical conclusions have done little to impress Sarah and she steps towards me again. She may look identical, apart from the dreadlocks, to Cosima but she is far more menacing. She stills her aggressive movement when Cosima steps between us again and resorts to glaring rather than whatever physical violence she had briefly planned upon.

"Tell me where she'll be" the brunette growls at me. She obviously doesn't believe that I am not involved and I cannot really blame her. However in this instance I really do have nothing to hide.

"I don't know" I reply honestly "I have never been here before Sarah. I know there is a research lab located somewhere in the city...but Kira...he wouldn't take her anywhere so obvious. There will be bolt holes. Secret places."

"Like that Neolution Club" the man pipes up, taking the focus of me briefly. It is a welcome distraction as I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable under her glare. Cosima reaches back and grasps my hand in hers and I allow the warmth of her palm to wash over me and comfort me.

"She won't be there; Leekie knows I've been there" Sarah answers after some thought.

I rest my forehead against the back of Cosima's shoulder and try to think. My mind if still foggy from the couple of hours sleep we'd managed before the sudden interruption. I'm not a morning person at the best of time but when it is the early hours of the morning after a plane flight and minimal sleep I am barely functioning. I want to be able to offer up something more concrete to help but apart from trying to locate the DYAD lab I have nothing. In all honesty locating the lab will serve more towards helping Cosima than it will in finding Sarah's daughter. On that front I really do have nothing.

"Why should I believe a word you say?" Sarah suddenly speaks up again. "How can I believe that you know nothing about this after you gave my name to Leekie?"

I have been dreading meeting Sarah for this very reason. I had no idea that I was giving Leekie the name of someone who had slipped through his net. I didn't even know there had been clones that had somehow disappeared under the radar. Unfortunately it made little difference whether I had known or not because the result had been destructive. Sarah Manniger may not have been able to stay under the radar forever but I had brought her and therefore her anomalous daughter to the forefront of Leekie's attention maybe weeks or months in advance.

"I don't know" I finally admit, unable to think of anything more practical to say. I have a feeling that if I attempted to apologise right now she would attack me.

"Leave her alone Sarah" Cosima cuts into whatever Sarah's reply was going to be, irking the other clone.

"Oh for god's sake Cos" she exclaims, "I get she's attractive and all..."

Cosima steps forward again and I reach out to stop her but she stills before I even reach her because she bursts into a fit of coughs. To my horror, and apparently everyone else present, the cough is so violent it causes a splatter of blood to splash onto her hand. All I can do is reach out to her and rub her back, trying to comfort her and trying to find some contact to comfort myself.

When she stops I glance up to see the look of surprise on Sarah's face. Cosima hadn't told them. I was the only person who she had confided in.

"What the..." Sarah starts but then stops just as abruptly. The man who we are staying with magic's a handkerchief from somewhere for Cosima to clean the blood off with.

"Thanks Felix" she mumbles in response. Felix. It's the first time I have caught his name and I store it away for future reference. He and his surrounding are a little quirky and odd to me but I get the impression that he is a good person. Cosima seems to like him too.

"Cosima what is going on?" Sarah finally asks. The straight haired clone's demeanour has changed somewhat after Cosima's coughing fit. Her anger has subsided and she just looks deflated and lost. I can't help but feel terrible for her.

"I'm sick" Cosima replies, "like the German."

I had wondered how Cosima seemed so aware of the repertory illness that was now plaguing her but it hadn't crossed my mind that she had been in contact with another sick clone. I remember one of the names on her list sounding German, one of the deceased clones. Some clinking of glasses drags me back to now and I notice that Felix seems to be pouring us all a glass of wine. Alcohol certainly won't wash all our problems away but I'm not about to refuse a drink right now. Not now I know that Cosima's condition is advanced enough for her to be coughing up blood.

"I think I can help her but I need to run tests" I speak up as Felix hands out the glasses of wine. "I need access to the DYAD Institute."

Cosima sits down on the sofa with her glass but Sarah remains standing and downs the contents of her glass in one. Felix is quick to top it up.

"Do you know where the laboratory is?" Sarah asks and I take a large mouthful of my own wine. It's not the best red wine I have ever tasted but it's not bad. I finish the wine in one more mouthful and look at Cosima. The dreadlocked clone hasn't touched her drink yet and seems to be reflecting on the situation. All I want to do is hold her but with Sarah and Felix here I am not sure if it would be welcomed.

"No idea" I admit, "but if I can find it then I may also be able to locate your daughter."

I'm sure I can narrow it down using a phone book. The DYAD Institute owns and has shares in many smaller companies and laboratories, some of whom I know the names of. With a bit of luck the lab in this city may be owned by a name I recognise.

"Can't you just ring up and ask?" Felix cuts into my thoughts.

I turn to look at him and he shrugs, giving up on his now empty glass and taking a swig from the bottle. It was so….simple. Could it really just be that simple?

"Oui…I…I suppose I could try."