...
"Oh, it's like a really big movie theater…" Cosima murmured as they walked down the carpeted aisle, small lamps adorning glows over playbill posters of Tiny Dancer with its leading lady smiling in mid-pirouette.
She grinned and whispered, "You've never been inside a Great Starway theatre, have you?"
The dreadlocks shook and continued their little bounces as they descended closer towards the front where the red curtains draped across the main stage. "Hah, sorry for being uncultured. I was too busy analyzing molecular theorems to help save the world—"
"You're so cheeky," she nudged on the girl's lower back as she scanned the darkened rows. "We're here."
They settled into their center seats, Cosima scanning the view as Delphine took their coats and folded them.
"You want me to put this in coat check?"
Cosima turned towards her. "Oh, no, it's cool. I'll just, uh— put it here," she replied, stuffing it in the crook of her seat.
"You're so strange."
"Whatever, Lieutenant."
"Hmm."
She leaned in to meet the girl's lips and smiled. "I've missed you."
Cosima kissed her back. "Missed you too."
The light jazz instrumentals came to a fade, the aisle lamps dimmed. The quieting crowd turned their focus to where the spotlights converged on the stage curtains. Delphine could see a few familiar heads in the front rows.
"Mayor Coulson is here.." she murmured.
"Really?" Cosima craned her head forward.
"Oui, front row, next to that blonde girl."
"Hm," her companion nodded, acknowledging the official's profile, as well as the striking blonde beside him. "Didn't know he was such a patron of the arts."
Delphine chuckled. "You've been too lost in your science, ma chérie."
"Then I take it the pretty blonde next to him isn't his wife?"
"No, his wife's the older woman on his right. With the pearls?" She chuckled as the girl in the glasses mouthed an oops, then lifted a brow. "So, you think the blonde's pretty, eh?"
Cosima shrugged and smiled. "A little, yeah."
Delphine nudged her teasingly with an elbow. "You just have a thing for blondes."
A faint flute began a melody that crescendoed into an orchestral overture. The curtains began to unfurl and they settled back into their seats, Cosima with a small grin as she answered, "Possibly."
"Cheeky."
...
Rachel Berry's strength was always the magic held in the music of her vocal cords, but tonight, she was the most beautiful and graceful of ballerinas. All the training and dedication had paid off, including her morning sessions on the elliptical.
Quinn knew all the curves of the girl's legs by heart, but there was just something so stunning about their tone as they danced around under the Starway lights. Even when she transitioned into blue jeans to belt out the main number, Only you and you can hear me, Quinn could still feel her heart surging with an overflow of pride and love for her beautiful, talented, tiny dancer. Singer extraordinaire. Lovely pain in the ass. But always a star.
Little star.
And because she knew she was the one Rachel was really singing to and for.
She couldn't wait to celebrate with her tonight. It would be perfect. She just hoped Ramon wouldn't botch up the bouquet delivery for Rachel's dressing room. She preferred to wait until all of the crew and co-stars had said their farewells to greet her girl outside where she always waited with some form of gardenia. Rachel loved big displays of roses in her dressing room, but her favorite would always be the gardenia. She'd also take her flying.
The brunette had been tentative - frightened - even. But after begrudgingly opting for pants and realizing Quinn would never ever let her fall, it had turned into one of the most exhilarating activities she'd look forward to on special nights.
For one, it made her feel special - no one else has dates like this! Suspended, weightless, timeless. Defying gravity. Just the two of them and the universe.
Two, it made the nickname little star ring true in the utmost sense because Quinn would surround her with her atomic brethren in the night sky.
And three, it was special, because if Fireside was free to take her girl to the stars, it meant Starling was safe for tonight, and how wonderful and beautiful the whole world seemed to be.
Unfortunately, one could never be sure in the world of showbiz - or perhaps just the city of Starling.
The final entrance of the Music Man was supposed to set off a fanfare of headlights and smoke machines. But it was Quinn who picked up on the tiniest twitch in those brown eyes that told her something was awry. Always striving for perfection in all her endeavors, one could trust Rachel Berry to notice the emanating of smoke from unscripted locations. And being a part of fire itself, one could trust Quinn Fabray to note the beginnings of the tiniest flicker.
Their eyes had met just in the nick of time.
EVERYBODY GET DOWN! was the warning cry before the explosion, Rachel diving behind the curtains, Quinn hurtling the Mayor under the chairs. Between them, an eruption of stagewood, smoke, flashes, and the tumultuous blaring of horned instruments.
...
Delphine knew that cough anywhere. She'd spent a month making sure the stubborn scientist remained compliant with her new inhaler before it went away. She pushed off the floor and sifted through the smoke, panicked shouts mixed with clamor ringing through the air.
"Delphine!" Cosima cried under a few seats down, her nose stinging as she tried to snort out the fumes and cover her face, her other hand grabbing at the seats. An arm pulled her up and wrapped her close.
"I'm here! Are you okay?"
She nodded. "You?"
"Oui."
Delphine looked around, but could only make out silhouettes scrambling through the haze, dim lights noting the direction of the remaining stage lights teetering from the beams.
"We have to get out of here, chiot," she said breathlessly, ushering them towards the aisle.
"Who are you calling puppy, puppy?" replied a snort.
Even in the face of danger, Cosima was impertinently upbeat. It was probably what one would expect from a native of a city in a constant state of disaster. Still, the optimism seemed to rub off on the lieutenant that even her squad had noticed her to be more open, more cheerful… more insane.
She chuckled and sniffed a kiss behind the brunette's ear as she held her close, rushing them to the main lobby.
She then concluded that love was a constant state of insanity and that Cosima abounded in it, causing her to branch out and take part in this beautiful existence from having too much 'chemistry' with her surroundings. Now if only she could figure out how to keep the curious mind of her girlfriend from getting itself into trouble when she had to fulfill her duties and go back in to help.
...
"Cosima, help these people leave the lobby, bien? Then stay with the ambulances or by that little coffee shop around the corner, I'll meet you there."
"Wait, where are you going?" she looked up wide-eyed.
Delphine held her shoulders. "I have to go back in and help get people out."
"You don't have to—"
"I'm an officer, ma chérie. It's my duty." The blonde pulled her in and met her lips. "Please don't do anything silly."
"You don't do anything silly!" she called out as the lieutenant turned back to descend the stairs. She always said it whenever Delphine had to leave on another mission. There were many things she'd always wanted to say, but never could.
Stay.
Don't leave me…
"Delphine!" she cried, but her favorite curls had already lost themselves in another surge of fleeing theatre-goers.
Dammit. Her arms helped up an elderly woman who had tripped in the escape, legs bounding around them.
She hated feeling useless. She wasn't just a brain. She prided herself in creating actions out of mental designs. And besides, they'd need more than brawn to figure out just what the hell happened tonight, right?
She ran outside and saw a crowd of people decked in their evening black suits and dresses, mixed with citizens looking on at the commotion. The sounds in the air announced the recent arrival of sirens.
Lights, music, costumes. She hadn't seen any of the performers yet on the street.
She rushed back to the lobby that led to the mezzanine seats, the grand staircase leading down to the orchestra. People were still scurrying out. Her lieutenant would still be busy - not to mention upset if she went back down there.
Cosima skirted to the side balconies and into the corridors of the mezzanine, looking for a way backstage.
Sorry, puppy. I'm not gonna sit around and wait anymore.
...