A/N: Once more thanks to Kwills341 for doing a great job.

I carefully watch Cosima's reaction to my words, and after a couple of seconds, which I imagine she's using to process what I've said, she opens one of her sly smiles. She picks up her drink, which she immediately brings to her lips, covering her grin. It doesn't matter to me; I saw enough to prove me right, especially since her eyes don't leave mine while she takes a big swallow. When she puts her drink back down, she's no longer smiling, but her deep brown eyes are still on me.

"I understand your difficulty in believing something like this, but my relationship with Cosima has absolutely no resemblance to the one she had with your current girlfriend." Kate refuses to lose her serenity with my words, in truth, she's out of her depth and still hasn't realized it.

"I wouldn't call what I had with Cosima a relationship." Olivia calmly answers, except in her case it's totally justified. "I think that it was just a great deal of fucking. Wouldn't you agree, Cos?"

Cosima's eyes leave me and go to Olivia. "Yes, I'm very inclined to call it that." She says, nodding.

"There!" Olivia's gestures dramatically at the little brunette. "So, you see? In comparing both relationships you're doing yourself a great disfavor."

"You're right." Kate's words are still smooth, but Olivia is quickly trying her patience. "Actually, I wouldn't call anything of what Cosima had while I was away a relationship."

"And how would you know that?" I say, maintaining the calm tone of the conversation. "It's not like you were here to..."

"Cosima doesn't keep things from me." Kate cuts me off, pretty sure of it and takes Cosima's hand to her lips, giving it a gentle peck. "We're that close."

I keep my eyes from rolling, but can do nothing about the smirk that graces my lips. "That's... Uhmm... Really great." I say.

"Yes, very... Uhm... What's the word?" Olivia chimes in. "Open?"

I look at my roommate. "Honest?"

"Yes! Honest! Thanks, honey." And she gives me a small kiss on the cheek. "I hope we can be like that some day."

I really shouldn't be enjoying this so much, but at this moment I have to focus on not bursting into laughter. "One can only hope."

"Well, I have faith in you two." Cosima says, looking between us, clearly confused. "You seem just the kind of couple who would share everything." She tries to bite.

I look at her and become suddenly serious. "Actually, I really hope that doesn't happen."

"Why not?" Kate leans forward, thank God finally releasing Cosima's hand.

"Honesty is great, I won't deny it." I explain. "But there are some things you need to keep to yourself. Complete honesty can be as bad as constantly lying."

"That's why you kept your relationship with your roommate hidden from your boyfriend for so long?" Kate says like it's the ace up her sleeve. "Because you don't believe in honesty?"

"If I need to give an explanation to anyone, it's certainly not you." I glance at Cosima, who seems as surprised as I am with her girlfriend's words, and bite my tongue to keep my thoughts at bay. I push my chair back as I quickly stand. "I need a real drink."

I walk away in a manner I hope will discourage anyone from following me, eager to take the time to put some order to my thoughts. I don't want to lash out at Kate. It would accomplish nothing, and it's not in my best interest to make an enemy of her. Besides, I'm more upset with Cosima, who sat there, saying nothing. I don't want her to defend me, but the fact that she's so passive, allowing Kate to speak for both of them annoys and confuses me. She was always so argumentative, so passionate about everything. Now, she seems weak. Being molded into Kate's ideal. She seems almost indifferent to what's happening around her. Cosima's just too freaking calm, like she's numbed somehow, the fire that characterizes her almost out. In a way, she appears tamed, broken.

When I met her months ago, I would never have admitted that it was her boldness that captivated me. Her audacity when searching for something she wanted, and even her fucking, adorable cockiness. Nothing could come between Cosima and what she desired and even if something dared try, she would not be discouraged. The petite girl would move heaven and earth if needed, until she get her way.

Grabbing my drink and turning around on the counter and look at Cosima. Her back is turned to me, Kate's arm now around her shoulders, like a possessive shadow that won't let go. Even this far away I can sense it. Cosima seems smaller, less of the woman she was when I met her. Smothered, suffocated by Kate's presence.

"Disgusting, isn't it?"

I look to my right and see Olivia placing a bill on the counter. "What exactly is their story?" I ask, because I have the nagging feeling my friend didn't tell me everything.

"What do you mean?" My friend says, taking the beer to her lips.

I turn back around when Cosima and Kate start to kiss and take a big swallow of my own drink. "I mean... I don't fucking know! Why is Cosima acting like that?"

"You know I didn't know Cosima when she was dating Kate for the first time." Olivia says, avoiding my stare.

"But...?" I encourage.

"But people talk." She looks at me sideways and I give her an ugly look. "Fine!" My roommate puffs out, throwing her arms in the air. "I might have made some calls, this afternoon after you left."

I wait for her to continue, but she doesn't seem inclined to share more. "Fuck, Olivia! And...?"

"Let's just say that people are not happy to know that Kate's back with Cosima." She grabs the bottle she had sat on the balcony and gives another generous gulp.

"Did they tell you why?"

"Kate's not a bad person, necessarily." Olivia explains. "But they say Cosima was not Cosima, until she left."

"Well, I cannot say I'm surprised by that." I wiggle my brow. "If they were dating, then it was not like Cosima could... You know."

Even before I finished my friend is already shaking her head. "Not that! Cosima was just more... reserved before."

"That doesn't mean this change is Kate's fault." I turn around again and look at the couple still at the table, fortunately no longer kissing, but still exchanging gentle touches. "A long time has passed, maybe Cosima just changed."

"Right... And changed again now and it's just a coincidence that is when she's back with her." Olivia leans on the counter, also looking in their direction. "Listen Del... There are some people who are just like that and they don't even know. They suck the light out of others, it's not on purpose and most of the time they don't even realize it." She continues after another swing at the beer.

I observe the way Cosima and Kate are acting, the latter saying something in Cosima's ear, who nods, looking at her with a small smile and kisses her cheek. Every gesture of endearment they share is another arrow piercing my gut, but I force my eyes not to look away. Their closeness is evident, however it seems clear who leads the way and who follows and it infuriates me to see Cosima in that position; it's not who she is. Cosima was not born to be under someone else's thumb.

"Okay..." I decide to agree with my friend. "What I don't understand is how can Cosima not see that? How can she not see the... not so positive effect Kate has on her?"

Olivia looks at me for a long time, smirking. "You should understand that better than me. Not so long ago you were dating someone who did the same to you."

I wave my arm their way. "Was I really like that?"

"Del... Forget about it." She puts her hand around my elbow and makes me turn away from them. "It's all behind you now, you've moved on."

"I have." I confirm, nodding. "But Cosima hasn't. And that puts me in a very precarious position. If she's stuck with Kate, there's not much I can do."

Olivia laughs softly and taps the back of my head playfully. "Think, Delphine! What was it that made you break things off with Albert? And don't give me that bullshit about having your own time, cause we both know how that turned out." She continues before I have time to answer. "It's all nice and cool, but what was the trigger? Who made you even consider it in the first place?"

We both turn at the same time to the table we were occupying moments before and see Kate standing up and pulling Cosima by the hand, guiding the little brunette to the dance floor.

"That's right." Olivia whispers in my ear at the same time my eyes lock with Cosima's across the room. "You know what you have to do. You just need the courage to do it." My friend says, her words brushing my ear, she's like the little devil on my left shoulder, telling me to do things I would never consider in any other circumstance.

Next thing I know Olivia is dragging me to the dance floor, her hands go to my hips the moment we're among the constant moving flow of bodies. At least she has the good judgment of not getting us too close to the other couple. I place my hands over her shoulders and start to sway just barely, our bodies still distant, until Olivia pulls my hips and we crash awkwardly against one another.

"That's not how lovers dance, sweetie." My friend presses her lips next to my ear.

"Lovers?" I ask in a joking way, but nonetheless wrap my arms a little tighter around Olivia's neck.

The music is a soft base, the scratchy vocals of the female singer loosens my body from the stiffness it has been in the entire night and I find myself relaxing a little. We give a spin gently and I can see them again, Kate holding Cosima close to her body and the smaller woman's arm surrounding her waist, limply pressing the lower back. It would sting again, if not for the small detail of Cosima's eyes peeking over the slightly taller woman's shoulder. And I see it again, even this far away, just before another couple dancing crosses our line of sight, the small sparkles in Cosima's eyes, the frowning of her brows, the discontent wiggle of her lips.

"She's watching us." I inform my dancing partner.

Olivia snickers. "Of course she is." And we give another spin. "Quickly, put your hand on my ass!"

"What?!" My voice raises a little and I try to get some distance from Olivia.

"Don't be a wuss." She presses our bodies close again. "I'm willing to take one for the team."

"This is such a bad idea..." I say, but I still make my right hand going down her back and make contact with the roundness of my friends ass and let it stay there.

"Don't be afraid to like... take a deep grab." I can hear the smile on Olivia's voice.

I look my friend in the eye and laugh with her. "I think I've created a monster." I say close to her ear, so she can hear me properly.

"Don't think too highly of yourself, the monster has been here long before you came." She says in the same fashion.

I laugh harder and shake my head. When I open my eyes I see Cosima very close to us, Kate a little behind. Instinctively my hand moves from my friend's bottom and I give one step back.

"Getting shy on me now, lover?" Olivia asks before she notices my shocked expression, when she does she spins around. "Wow, shit!... Hi, Cos... Uhmm... Is there something you need?"

"Yeah, there is!" Cosima answers, but her glare is fully on me. "I need you to explain what the fuck is going on here?"

I narrow my eyes and I'm not sure exactly what takes over me, but I am not going to make things easier on her, not with Kate approaching us. "We're fucking dancing. What did it look like to you?" And I give one small step in her direction.

"It looked like you were fucking dry humping..."

"We were getting there, if you had not interrupted us." Olivia decides to add more fuel to the fire.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kate asks loudly, completely oblivious to what's going on around her.

"It means that maybe... just maybe, your girlfriend does not share everything with you, bitch!" Olivia says, a finger poking Kate's chest.

People around us are starting to form a circle, awaiting the impending fight. I exchange a look with Cosima, who's still too focused on expressing her anger towards me to notice it. This was not my intention, I didn't want to create a show for everyone to see, but I obviously underestimated my friend's propensity to confusion.

I hold her wrist and force it down. "Calm down, Olivia."

"Yes... You better keep your girl under control." Kate is careless enough to offer.

"I don't need to control my girlfriend, Kate." I say, gently shoving Olivia behind me and taking a step forward in her direction. "She's a big girl and can take care of herself. I just don't want her to start a bar brawl on your petty account."

"Petty?! Please..." Kate scoffs. "It's so obvious your girlfriend is still hung up on Cosima."

I look at Cosima again and her stare changes from anger to fear. And I fucking hate it; I hate it because it makes her look weak when I know she's anything but and I hate it because the idea that she fears the prospect of me revealing our past makes my heart ache, shrinking next to nothing.

"Don't you have anything to add to what you were saying before?" I ask Cosima, looking pointedly at her, offering her a way out that I desperately want her to take.

She looks away and pushes her girlfriend by the elbow. "We should leave. This night was obviously not a good idea."

Without another word, they walk away and people around us lose interest and melt into the previous sea of anonymous faces. I watch them go to the table where we were, grab their coats and walk to the door. Noticing that it didn't take long for Kate to take the lead and for Cosima to follow behind her.

I look at Olivia and exhale a defeated sigh. "Do you still think there's hope?"

My friend gives me a comforting smile. "You took your time. Cosima will take hers."