Delphine stared at the papers, her temper boiling. She felt the heat running through her body. Shay wasn't who she said she was. Her background checks had nothing but red flags. Delphine was angry with no one to direct it to, so she directed it to everyone. She was angry at Shay, for betraying Cosima twice. First the bar and now this, it was unacceptable. She was angry at Cosima. Angry that the brunette was so eager to find another lover that she ignored every red flag. She knew she needed to keep certain things safe and she'd overlooked all of that for some stupid, perky blonde. Was she that shallow? Had she done the same when she met Delphine?

She grabbed her phone, needing to call Cosima. She needed to hear her voice. She needed to tell her to be careful, to be alert. She needed to keep her safe, to keep the promise she had once made to protect her. As Cosima's name popped up on the screen, tears rimmed Delphine's eyes.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't be the one to give Cosima the information. She was so stubborn and would never hear Delphine out. Ever since the breakup, Cosima stared at her like she was nothing. Delphine could never fathom making Cosima feel that insignificant.

Instead, she knew what Cosima's weakness was. Delphine cocked her head, cracking her neck without lifting a hand. She knew what she was doing was predatory, but with Cosima there was always a fine line between predator and protector.

"She didn't say she was sick..." Scott mumbled. He had always been a little uncomfortable around Delphine, but the breakup had made it even more awkward. She was his boss and he had to be polite and professional. But still, Delphine had broken Cosima's spirit when they broke up and he couldn't easily forget that.

"But she's missing work and her numbers are worrying," Delphine pushed again. She slid the papers against the counter until they were in front of him.

"Cosima-" Scott began to make excuses.

"Cosima would rather take a turn for the worst than turn to me. I get that. I'm not going to let her die because she's stubborn. Do you remember when she had a seizure?"

"Of course."

"When her body convulsed and I had her blood all over my hands and my clothes. Is that what you want for her, Scott?"

He glanced down, looking like a puppy who'd gotten in trouble. She almost felt guilty about it. Almost.

"She's with Shay."

"Fantastic. I'll go get the sample." She smiled falsely as she strutted out of the room.

In her car, she tapped the steering wheel nervously. She was risking it all by going to Shay's house. Not only was it unprofessional, it crossed so many boundaries as an ex-lover. Still, a part of her was grateful. She hadn't been honest with Shay about who she was. Now, Shay would see that Delphine was not someone to fuck with.

When Shay answered the door, Delphine couldn't control her curiousity as she gazed past the blonde.

"Hi. I'm looking for Cosima," she whispered, slightly raising an eyebrow.

"Delphine." Shay offered a coy smile, suddenly realizing what had happened.

"Hello, Shay," she smiled, loving the wave of discomfort that hit Shay. She knew this rebound girl was expecting Delphine to exploit what happened in the bar. She was tempted to. How easy it would be to tell Cosima that Shay wasn't loyal and wasn't worth her time.

"Cosima, could you come out here for a minute?" Shay called.

Delphine arched her head, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cosima. Were they having sex? Was Cosima hiding in the bathroom the way she did when she was sick?

"You know, whatever this is, it's really not cool." Shay called. One final plea to keep quiet about their kiss.

"You know what, I don't really care," Delphine whispered, pushing past Shay the minute she saw Cosima. It was magnetic, the way her body pushed forward, eager to be close to Cosima.

By the time Delphine made it back to her car, the sobs were slipping out uncontrollably. She knew Cosima would be cold, but she hadn't been prepared for the way it cut her to her core.

Delphine faked the urgency of a sample, but Cosima saw right through the ploy. She knew that the brunette would understand immediately. Still, Delphine kept her mouth shut. She couldn't bring herself to utter the words. She couldn't break her heart twice.

She let her forehead fall against the steering wheel, the horn blaring in the parking garage as the tears came freely. She had been so close to Cosima and unable to touch her or even have Cosima really see her. For the first time, Cosima felt unattainable.