First song is 'That's my Girl' by Fifth Harmony, second is 'Love Me Now' by John Legend, third is 'Shut up and Dance with Me' by Walk the Moon. As always, thanks to belowthesky!
Cosima batted Delphine's hand away as she pulled the covers up over her head for them to be pulled down again.
"Cosima don't be such a child." Delphine laughed.
"I'm not a child," she protested. "Children resist sleep. I'm embracing it. You know, I used to be the only one who could get Kira to sleep. Sarah used to Skype me and I'd have to leave class and make up a story or sing to her." She laughed at the memory. "Sarah used to get so pissed."
Delphine sat down on the edge of the bed beside Cosima and gently brushed dark curls from her love's face, letting her hand linger. "I hope you get to have a child of your own some day."
Cosima took Delphine's hands in her own and held them to her chest. "Yeah." She smiled sleepily, her eyes locking on the blonde's. "You know, I never thought about having kids really. I'm not maternal, like, at all, but since I had that dream of you and me and this little girl, that's all I can think about. It keeps me going, you know?"
Delphine's face broke out in a big grin and she nodded vigorously in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. A child with Cosima. Honestly she never thought about children much either, but when Cosima told her about that dream it felt right. It didn't fill her with the sense of panic she felt whenever her mother would pester her for grandchildren. If she and Cosima could get through her disease, parenthood would be a cake walk. "Are you really still tired?" She asked gently, changing the subject. Cosima asked Delphine to wake her up at seven so she had ample time to get ready for dinner with Bobby and her girlfriend at eight before they all went on to the club. "We can cancel-"
"No, no I'm up. I just hate getting up."
"Cosima..." Delphine warned.
Cosima sighed. She promised to tell Delphine when it was getting to be too much for her. "Okay, I'm pretty tired. Guess today took a lot outta me."
After getting back late last night from the beach, of which was a very relaxing and romantic evening with leisurely strolls through the surf and watching the sunset and selfie taking and talking and laughing and holding one another and kissing, lots of kissing, and overall just enjoying themselves and being together, they were up early to have breakfast with Cosima's mother before she went to her workshop. Then, as they were already up, their day began at the California Academy of the Sciences. Cosima could have spent the entire day there, but they had a schedule to keep so she quickly showed Delphine her favorite exhibits. There was also a fascinating exhibit they hit on the way out that made Delphine blush and Cosima die of laughter. It was all about the most outrageous mating strategies in the animal kingdom. Cosima seemed to take some as a challenge which Delphine wasn't sure mortified or excited her.
From there they went for a quick lunch at the Japanese Tea Garden nerby and being the complete nerd that she was, next Cosima brought them to the Exploratorium where they collectively geeked out and inadvertently found themselves leading a discussion on, strangely enough, spiny mice with some of the employees. On how they could completely regenerate up to sixty percent of their own tissue.
Cosima was greatly against animal testing, but as a scientist that was sort of hard to get around so she put herself in charge of their care and well-being and allowed Delphine to get a small handful of the mice to study. When facing one's own mortality there are a lot of values you'd find you're willing to overlook. Spiny mice were able to re-grow complete sections of skin, hair follicles, glands, fur and even cartilage. The implications for mammalian regeneration were absolutely astounding. There was a paper published by a collaboration of scientists around the world that made the case that the mice had a once dormant gene that had been somehow switched on. One in which they shared with humans, but that was still dormant in people. So it was not a matter of if it was possible to activate this gene in humans, but when.
Delphine's theory was that if the spiny mice could shed skin and fur in order to escape an attack and she could find the genes responsible then, theoretically, those same genes in Cosima could be tweaked to view the masses in her body as an attack and shed them. Theoretically. It was still too early in the research to have found anything.
The next stop was at Delphine's insistence – the San Francisco Zoo. She was a sucker for koalas and otters. "You're so the puppy."
Delphine could tell Cosima was struggling. "Cosima we don't have to do everything in one day. I really think we should go back."
A particularly nasty coughing fit followed not long after that and Cosima made good on her promise and told Delphine she needed to go back to the house and rest where Delphine gave her some medicine and they cuddled up and were soon asleep.
"I haven't seen Bobby in months, I really want to go. I'll be okay."
They met for dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant. Bobby's girlfriend, Candace, was very sweet and looked at Bobby like she hung the moon. After having a dark cloud over her love life since Cosima had known her, Cosima was happy to see her friend finally find happiness. Wasn't that what life was all about? Being happy? Everything else seemed so inconsequential lately. Although Cosima couldn't help but tease that they were yet another blonde/brunette girl couple. "Is that, like, a thing now? Are we trending or something?"
"Apparently." Bobby laughed. "So listen, Candace is a nurse and her grandfather isn't doing too well so we're going to be moving up there soon."
"I am sorry to hear that." Delphine said solemnly, placing a hand over Candace's. Her own grandfather had been very important to her. His death hit her hard.
"Up where?" Cosima asked.
Bobby and Candace shared a smile. "Toronto." Cosima literally jumped up and down in her seat with excitement. "You know any bars that are hiring?"
Cosima nodded vigorously. "My sister owns a club. She will totes hook you up!"
The drag show was, as promised, "killer." Their friend Jamie did a ridiculously sexy impersonation of Christina Aguilera's Candyman.
"That's just not fair." Delphine commented. "I cannot walk in heels that well."
"Me neither sister." Bobby agreed, holding her glass up to Delphine to clink them together.
As Cosima usually did when she went to a drag show, which admittedly hadn't been in a long while, she used the show hour to drink so when the time came for it to end she had a healthy amount of alcohol coursing through her veins and could really let loose and dance. It heightened every good feeling she had, especially the feelings for her beautiful girlfriend.
They started out the show sitting side by side, their hands entwined while their fingers laced and unlaced between one another's. Slowly, as the drinks kept coming, they got closer. Their touches traveled up arms and necks, cheeks, hips, stomachs, thighs. By the time the show ended Cosima was on top of Delphine and they hadn't even seen the last act.
Who's been working so damn hard?
You got that head on overload?
Cosima brook their kiss, a big, bright smile across her face. "I love this song!" Downing the rest of her drink and helping Delphine do the same, Cosima grabbed Delphine's hand and ran to the dance floor.
Got yourself this flawless body
Aching now from head to toe
Ain't nothing, ain't nothing
All my ladies 'round the world
Ain't nothing, ain't nothing
Good girls better get bad
Cosima took the lead, her arms resting on Delphine's shoulders while her hands clasped behind the blonde's neck. Their hips came together of their own accord as the beat flowed through their bodies.
You've been down before
You've been hurt before
You got up before
You'll be good to go, good to go
Destiny said it, you got to get up and get it
Get mad independent and don't you ever forget it
Got some dirt on your shoulder, then let me brush it off for ya
If you're feeling me, put your five high
That's my girl
Cosima looked up at Delphine and sung along with the music. "That's my girl. That's my girl. That's my girl." With a cheeky smile she brought Delphine in for a quick kiss then kept singing to her girlfriend as they, quite literally, danced the night away.
Cosima felt so free. It could have been the alcohol, being back home, Delphine and Bobby and a club that held so many good memories. Could have been the past two days spent not thinking or focusing on her disease. Delphine looked free too. As if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It hadn't, the same it hadn't been lifted from Cosima's, but for a few days they could pretend it didn't exist. They could choose happiness, if only for a few days.
Delphine smiled down at her and a rush of memories flooded Cosima's mind. Looks and touches and feelings of their first night meeting at Clone Club all those month ago and finding her there again when she got back from England. It started a familiar heat low in her body. All those feelings she felt the first time her and Delphine's eyes met across the crowded dance floor never went away. She still felt it every time the blonde looked at her. Every touch still sent shockwaves through her body, every kiss still filled her with desire, every look still had her mind reeling.
It was her favorite kind of high.
Delphine made her forget every bad thing in her life. Like her own personal prescription for happiness. Cosima chuckled to herself. That was pretty cheesy even for her, but still true. The music changed and Delphine stepped closer, closing the distance between them to dance with the slower tempo of the song.
Pulling me further
Further than I've been before
Making me stronger
Shaking me right to the core, oh
I don't know what's in the stars
Never heard it from above, the world isn't ours
But I know what's in my heart
If you ain't mine I'll be torn apart
Delphine's eyes filled with tears as the song went on and Cosima gently brushed the tears away with the pads of her thumbs before bringing Delphine's lips down to meet hers. The kiss was slow and deep, each of them pouring in things they couldn't put into words. Feelings, hopes, dreams, promises...This trip was exactly what their relationship needed. They felt more connected, more in tune with one another from just two short days.
Cosima could see Delphine's point of view. Where it was because of her love that she was becoming more and more physically and emotionally absent. Trying to find a cure left little time for much else, but Cosima could see that was a sign of Delphine's devotion to her, not a sign of their love fading. It was a necessary evil if she wanted to live and her girlfriend deserved the benefit of the doubt and to be cut much more slack than she was giving her.
Delphine also was able to see things from Cosima's view. Regardless of whatever cure or treatment they found, right now her girlfriend was dying. And she was scared even though she wouldn't admit it. She needed Delphine there to hold her at night or sit around watching crappy reality television because that reassured her that she was still alive. It reassured her that their love was strong, that she wasn't alone and that she would be okay. Even if it was all lies, Cosima needed it and Delphine realized she did too.
I don't know who's gonna kiss you when I'm gone
So I'm gonna love you now, like it's all I have
I know it'll kill me when it's over
I don't wanna think about it, I want you to love me now
"This is a horrible song." Delphine said when they finally pulled apart, chuckling sadly as she buried her face in Cosima's neck, placing gentle kisses on the warm skin there.
"It really is." Cosima nodded, sniffing back her own tears. "I need to have a word with the DJ. Not cool dude."
"Je t'aime."
Cosima looked deep into Delphine's eyes, conveying everything three little words never could. This went so far beyond love. She needed Delphine. Her body, her mind, her soul needed her. She wrapped her arms around Delphine's neck and pulled her as close as humanly possible. "I love you too."
I don't know who's gonna kiss you when I'm gone
So I'm gonna love you now, like it's all I have
I know it'll kill me when it's over
I don't wanna think about it, I want you to love me now
"Move in with me."
"What?"
"Seriously." Cosima said, wiping her face and holding Delphine's hands in her own between them. "You don't have to get rid of your apartment if you don't want to. I just want you to stay with me. We barely see each other outside of work anymore and I don't want to waste anymore time. Think of all the time it would save if all your stuff was there. No more getting up early to run home to change before work or stopping on your way over to grab stuff."
"So this would be purely for convenience then?" Delphine teased.
Cosima chuckled, that familiar glint in her eyes shining through. "Purely."
Delphine tried to contain her smile, but failed miserably. "Working and living together...you don't think we would get on each other's nerves?"
"Impossible." Cosima beamed. "Actually, I'm bound to get on yours, so you should probably give it some real thought." she teased.
Delphine shook her head. "I don't need to think about it. I would love to move in with you."
Looking deep into each other's eyes they lost themselves in each other and the music.
Until the next song came on. Thankfully containing a happier message this time. "Oh yeah." Cosima laughed, smiling as Bobby and her girlfriend joined them and the four of them danced together.
We were victims of the night
The chemical, physical, kryptonite
Helpless to the bass and the fading light
Oh we were bound to get together
Bound to get together
She took me arm
I don't know how it happened
We took the floor and she said
Oh don't you dare look back
Just keep your eyes on me
I said you're holding back
She said shut up and dance with me
"This woman, she is my destiny" Cosima sang, holding one hand in front of her face as if holding a microphone and the other pointing at Delphine.
"She said oooohhh" Bobby joined and the friends finished the lyrics. "Shut up and dance with me."
The four women danced together, lost in just having fun as song after song came through the speakers. Bobby and Cosima took turns singing with Cosima's air microphone and had a couple of duets in there. Even Delphine and Candace joined in occasionally. Cosima was so lost in the pure happiness of the night that it took Bobby a few tries to get her attention. "Cos you're bleeding!"
Cosima brought the back of her hand to her nose and sure enough it pulled away crimson. With wide eyes she looked up to see Delphine take her lower lip between her teeth as she thought of the best course of action. Reaching out she quickly took Cosima's hand and pulled her toward the exit. It would be easier to think outside away from the lights and music and people.
"Cosima..."
Cosima took the tissue from her girlfriend's hand, coming to a stop a few paces outside the club. She couldn't look at her. Couldn't see the concern etched across her beautiful features. All she wanted was to have a little fun and not be reminded that she was dying, but apparently just that was too much to ask. The club was probably too much in her current state, but she just wanted to feel normal. To have fun and dance and let herself become one with the music like she used to. Okay, and she wanted to show off her girlfriend to her old crowd, but all she wanted was one night. Why was that too much to ask?
Delphine stepped in front of Cosima, turning her head with a gentle hand to look at her. "What do you want to do?"
Cosima looked deep into her girlfriend's eyes and leaned into her touch. Without the commotion inside the club, Cosima was able to be still and take stock of herself. Her body was tingling with a generous dose of alcohol coursing through its system and her muscles twitched from all the dancing, but, aside from that, something didn't feel right. Something else felt . . . not okay. A different not okay then what she had become used to. "Take me home."
Delphine nodded in understanding and pressed a soft kiss to Cosima's cheek before going to the street to hail down a cab.
"I'm really sorry guys."
Bobby waved her off. "You're not okay, are you?"
Cosima shrugged and shook her head. It was hard to say what she was, exactly.
"Does this happen often?" Bobby asked.
"No, uh..." With great difficulty, Cosima blinked a few times as her vision narrowed and she swayed slightly. "This is the first time since I left here. Probably just uh...over...uh...did...things..."
Candace stepped forward, taking hold of Cosima's arm and turning to her girlfriend. "Go get Delphine now! Cosima? Cosima are you okay?"
Things started going fuzzy around the edges and Cosima swayed in a way that had nothing to do with the alcohol. She could hear Bobby yelling and maybe Delphine too, but one blonde head looked like another as her vision faded. Trying to reach out to her girlfriend, whichever one she was, Cosima fell to her knees as everything went black.