Cosima didn't know why she suddenly wanted to cry, it was silly, just some research crap for a paper she had done nearly one year ago. It was not like she needed it, she certainly hadn't thought about it until that moment, not since she unceremoniously put it in a folder to never open again. If this hadn't happened the paper, most likely, would never come up again, destined to spend several decades unattended in her family's attic, collecting dust. Or maybe she would eventually look for it, when at some point in her life she needed it for work or, perhaps, when nostalgia hit harder and she thought it was a good idea to spend a day revisiting her college memories, remembering how full of expectations she had been.

She didn't know if that would happened and now she had no way to find out. Maybe that was the reason she suddenly wanted to cry. Another memory taken away from her. Like they've done when they virtually kicked her out of her apartment.

"Cosima." Delphine said softly, after a long time looking at the student.

"I know, it's stupid." Cosima returned her attention to the blonde, angrily cleaning the tears under her glasses.

The professor reached for her hand and pulled her closer. "You're allowed to feel like that."

Cosima walked closer to Delphine and sat next to her. "Yeah, but it's still stupid."

"Yes, maybe a little." Delphine laughed, tugging her closer by the shoulder until Cosima rested her head on the professor's.

"I'm just so tired, Delphine." She confessed, closing her eyes, all the heaviness of the world seemed to be concentrated in her small stature. "All this crap, the constant worrying, the fear of what might happen next... Afraid something bad is going to happen to you." Cosima added, very low, as if she was also afraid that speaking her fears out loud would somehow make them come true.

"Nothing's going to happen to me, Cosima." Delphine tried to assure her, gently stroking the other woman's dreadlocked hair.

"I can't be with you all the time." The student said, finding a way to wrap her arms around the slender woman's waist. "What about when I'm not?"

"Listen to me, Cosima." Delphine moved, pushing the brunette's face up so they had to look in each other's eyes. "You are not going to be with me all the time. I don't want it. I don't need it.

"But you can't think something bad's going to happen every time I'm alone." The blonde smiled. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"I know, but..."

Cosima's words were cut when Delphine caught her lips in a tender kiss. "You need to stop." Her voice was soft, but determined. "You need to stop thinking like that, like something bad is about to happen when you leave."

"I'm not leaving, I'm not going anywhere." Cosima said with a cocked brow. "Not unless you want me to."

"And why would I want that?"

The student shrugged. "I don't know. I give you a lot of work."

Delphine laughed and pushed her again for a deep kiss. "Oui, c'est vrai..."

That night Cosima stayed, but, despite her protests, Delphine didn't allow her to spend another night during that week. The student's knew what that was about, or at least, she thought she did. The blonde was trying to prove a point. She would be okay on her own, Cosima didn't have to spend every waken (and sleeping) moment next to Delphine. So even when they had dinner together Wednesday, when it was nearly midnight, the professor kicked the student out of her bed and out of her house. It was not meant to be hurtful, Cosima knew and she went along with it. She also didn't want to seem unreasonably clingy.

It was actually kind of fun. Delphine was claiming back her territory, asserting her independence. Cosima wouldn't think to deny her that. More to the point, during the weekend, in San Francisco, she planned to take back the part of Delphine that she felt it was rightfully hers.

She could wait.

And she did. Resisting the constant need to visit the professor's office during the day and, apart from that night, staying away from Delphine except for a few minutes on the phone after dark. It felt almost normal, some sort of welcomed routine: day in school, with Scott always by her side; night with her friends; call Delphine before bed. Cosima never thought she could feel so happy to see no dramatic change in her life.

However, except for the few minutes she could hear the blonde's voice, the best part of her day was when she went to see Dr. Palmer at the hospital, at the end of every day. They didn't exactly talk about the project or what happened to the old professor - he pretended not to know what she was talking about the only time she pushed the subject. They talked about the future, about what Cosima would do once she graduated, what her options were.

When she confessed she still had no idea what to do, the man was a little shocked.

"Cosima, you need to make up your mind." He scolded from his hospital bed. "Sooner rather than later."

"I know." She admitted. "But..." Then she lowered her head and started to pick an imaginary hair from her skirt.

"I see..." He said thoughtfully. "I doubt she wants you to be this... disoriented on her behalf." Cosima only nodded. "Have you two talked about it?"

"Not really."

"You should!" Dr. Palmer said. "Do it fast, before it becomes a problem."

Cosima knew the old professor was right, but her tendency to procrastinate was even stronger in this matter. It was not like she didn't have some ideas about what to do - she obviously did - but make a decision totally independent from Delphine felt wrong. The blonde was part of her life, Cosima didn't want to leave her out of it. Although, part of her knew that bring that discussion with Delphine would be hard and, besides, she had a feeling the Frenchwoman wouldn't be pleased to hear that Cosima had been delaying her decision on that account.

That would probably end up consuming Cosima when she was going to the airport (late, of course) to meet Delphine to catch the plane to her hometown. It really would, if she wasn't so eager to put her arms around the blonde again. One night (well, two really, but Cosima didn't count Monday) in a week was not nearly enough.

So, when she reached the gate with a small bag over her shoulder and got a glance at Delphine, who was raising her arm to see the time on her watch, Cosima's breath picked up and her legs moved as quickly as possible without running.

"You're late!" Delphine said, giving a few strides to get closer to the smaller woman.

"I know. What did you expect?" Cosima responded, like there was really nothing she could do to avoid the misfortune.

Delphine chuckled and shook her head, proceeding to move them along the airport, taking command of what was going on, no doubt to make sure they would not lose their flight.

Once inside the plane, Cosima noticed Delphine's fingers drumming non-stop against the armrest between the two of them, her eyes looking uneasily outside the small window, her lips a straight line and brows frowned.

Suppressing a laugh, Cosima asked. "Are you afraid of fly?"

"No, I like it a lot, actually." The blonde answered, looking back at the student, a small smile showing on her lips.

"Then why do you look so nervous?" Cosima's question was answered with a sharp look. "Right! Meet the parents." She deduced, with a giggle.

"This is not funny!" Then Delphine opened a wide smile. "Don't worry, you'll get your turn!"

Cosima swallowed dry, but didn't give in. "Are you kidding me? I'm gonna charm the pants off your family... Not literally, course..."

"Yeah, we'll see about that..." Delphine smirked for moments, before she gave a gentle peck on Cosima's cheek and return her attention to the blue sky as the plane started to roll them along the airstrip.

A little over three hours later they were landing in San Francisco International Airport after a quiet flight. Delphine obviously nervous about what the weekend reserved and Cosima contemplating how she would break a conversation with the professor about their future, which took residence in her mind after Delphine's promise (threat?) about meeting her family.

Fortunately they only had small bags, it was just a weekend after all, and started to walk to one of the cafeterias in the airport, where Cosima's father was waiting for them. It would be easier to find each other, instead of the gates where too many people were waiting the arrival of loved ones.

Ironically and contrary to everyone else around them, the two women were walking in a slow pace, Cosima thought that it was due to Delphine's hesitation about meeting her father, this time in a different situation, one that was, at least, a lot more awkward. The brunette didn't mind it, she was willing to walk slowly as well, but she was just fascinated that, for the first time, they were allowed to walk in a public place, hand-in-hand and not give a damn about who would be watching.

But as soon as they approached the open cafeteria and could see her father, Cosima felt the hand that she was holding tightening, squeezing her fingers.

"Don't worry, my mother's a lot scarier than my father." She said with a wink, trying to relax the blonde, whose face was becoming increasingly redder.

Delphine gave a nervous laugh, but said nothing, just looked at the young woman who was giving her a wide smile. It was not until Cosima's father was pulling her to one of his tight hugs that she felt Delphine letting go of her hand.

"Dr. Cormier, it's very nice to see you again." He extended his hand, shaking the professor's vigorously.

"It's Delphine, dad." Cosima said with a groan and put her arm around Delphine's waist, felling the body tense.

The Frenchwoman nodded, in her lips a forced smile. Cosima had to control herself not to laugh at how worked up the other woman was.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Niehaus." She eventually blurted out.

The man cleared his voice. "It's Lou... As in Louis." He said smiling, then looked away to focus on his daughter. "Shall we? You're mother will never forgive me if I don't make sure we're in time."

"In time for what?" Cosima asked suspiciously, one hand holding the strap of her bag and the other finding Delphine's again.

"Dinner..." He looked back at the two women following him close behind. "She's cooking." He added.

"Oh God..." She would facepalm if she had a free hand. "Mom's not an exceptional cook... I'm just letting you know, so you won't be unpleasantly surprised." Cosima said to Delphine.

They reached the car and slide inside, the brunette taking the passenger seat in the front after internally debate if she should leave Delphine behind alone.

Lou laughed. "She is... Awful. Of course, I never said that." He said looking at the blonde on the rearview mirror.

Cosima turned on her seat to see the older woman's reaction, satisfied when she noticed Delphine had a small smile on her face, obviously picking up the joke. "Very bad!" She affirmed, her hands moving in a fast move in front of her. "We have no idea why she keeps insisting to cook when we have visits."

"I think it's because no one said anything about it." Her father thought out loud.

"Yeah... Everyone's afraid of her reaction." Cosima chuckled.

"I'm sure it's not that bad." This was actually the second thing Delphine said since they left the plane.

"Good, keep it like that and you're off the hook." The student said with a wink and flashing a huge grin before turning back around.

The drive took about twenty minutes and after that little exchange, the mood in the car became lighter. Cosima's father asking questions to which Delphine managed to answer without much trepidation. If she survived my mother's interrogation, my dad's a freaking breeze. Yes, the blonde was much looser.

Until they parked in front of the house, then she felt Delphine tense again, even the posture of the professor's shoulders changed, gaining a more defensive position.

Despite Delphine's tension as soon as they entered the house and her mother showed up from the kitchen, Cosima, who was holding Delphine's hand, felt her stifling a laugh at the vision of the all business Mrs. Niehaus in an apron covered in what looked like a reddish gravy... or was it sauce?... Honestly, Cosima was too afraid to know the answer and since she was not worried about controlling her emotions, as Delphine was, the brunette laughed out loud.

Lara ignored her, rolling her eyes and went straight to the Frenchwoman. "Delphine, how are you?"

"Well, Lara. Thank you." She was definitely feeling awkward, Cosima noticed, but not really afraid.

Looking at the bag still in Delphine's shoulder, she said. "I have the guest room ready," looking pointy at her daughter, "you can put your things there, use the bathroom... Whatever..." She finished, waving her hands. "Cosima can show you the way."

"Nice to see you too, mother!" The student said flatly, but with a big grin. "C'mon!" She pushed Delphine, after giving a soft peck on her mother's cheek, stopping along the way to grab her bag from the floor, where she casually had dropped it as soon as they arrived.

They were claiming the stairs, Cosima's parents in the kitchen, safely distant when she turned around to say. "I would give you the tour, but there's only one place you need to know."

Delphine smiled. "Yes, the guest room."

"Not exactly." Cosima presenting her sly smirk, reaching the last stair.

"Cosima..." A warning tone in Delphine's voice.

"What? Mom said to leave your things in the guest room." She said, getting close to the door and opening it. "She said nothing about spending the night."

"I think she figured it wasn't necessary." Delphine commented, entering the guest room after Cosima made an exaggerated bow.

Cosima just continued to smile as Delphine moved around the room to get a few things out of her bag. Getting herself comfortable in the bed, she only left when the professor said she needed a shower. But when Delphine was getting out of the bathroom, with a big towel around her body, secured in knot just over the cleavage, still towelling her massive curls, Cosima was already there, TV on low, her hands behind her head, plopped in the pillows. She had only left for five minutes to put her things in her own bedroom and to go downstairs briefly to ask how long they had to wait for dinner.

Without saying a word Cosima called the blonde over, flicking her index finger. Delphine's only acknowledgement to the gesture was to throw the towel she used to dry her hair at the student's face, who giggled but let the cloth stay dropped over her face, hiding her smile. When she peeked over the towel Cosima noticed the Frenchwoman in front of the vanaty's mirror, trying to get some order to her unruly locks. The corner of Delphine's lips twitching up when she noticed Cosima's mirrored image getting closer to her.

Wrapping her arms around the taller woman's waist from behind, she pressed her lips over the shoulder's pale skin before her. "God, I've missed you." Cosima groaned, her lips sliding left and right on the soft flesh.

Delphine's eyes not leaving her reflection, her hands still on her own hair. "You saw me every day. We talked every night..."

"You know that's not what I mean." Cosima nipped the crook of her neck. "I've missed your smell," the tip of her nose gliding Delphine's shoulder blade, "I've missed your taste." She felt a shiver making its way down the other woman's spine when her tongue darted out and licked the length of her neck, reaching the ear. "Did you miss me too?" She asked in a whisper, pressing her hips forward.

"Cosima..." Delphine tried to sound reproving, but the tremble of her voice betrayed her, the hands keeping her hair up, stopped long ago.

Cosima hummed against the back of her neck, her right hand moving between the gap of the towel surrounding the slender waist, until it became in contact with the stomach's skin, still warm from the shower and pressed up. The tip of her fingers grazed the delicate curve of Delphine's left breast and Cosima gave a self-satisfied chuckle when she felt hips pushing against hers. Staring at the mirror, seeing the body pressed against hers slowing melt with her touch, Delphine's eyes closed, her head thrown back, the moisture of the blonde curls wetting the top of her shirt.

Delphine's hands came to life, leaving her golden locks to grasp brunette dreads, pulling Cosima's mouth deeper into her skin. The smaller woman's left hand craved equal rights and moved inside, fast reaching the swell of Delphine's breast, to cup it demandingly. The knot that was keeping the towel in place gave in, causing it to pool around their ankles when Cosima spun the other woman around and pressed roughly their lips together. Her hands leaving the breasts only to find peace on Delphine's ass, tugging them closer. The professor's moans were silenced by the younger woman's hungry tongue. Delphine's own hands were traveling down Cosima's back to find the hem of her shirt, starting to tug it.

The shirt had not completely passed Cosima's head, stuck on her glasses, when a knock on the door froze them. And that was it, no one made an attempt to enter or said anything. The only thing the two frozen women heard, apart from their shallow breaths was the sound of steps getting further from the bedroom's door.

Cosima started to giggle, the shirt still covering her face and Delphine was moving fast to get the towel around her body.

"Merde..." She breathed out, blushing hard and quickly rummaging her bag in search of underwear. "How am I supposed to face your parents now?"

Cosima pushed her shirt back on and adjusted her glasses. "Relax... They won't say anything." She said, getting back to the bed and extended herself, feeling slightly buzzed, like she just finished a joint. It will have to do... For now.

"But I'll know that they know." Delphine sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her pants up her legs.

"You can imagine them naked." Cosima laughed and moved in the bed to get close to Delphine.

The Frenchwoman stood up as soon as she felt Cosima's hand make contact with the skin of her still discovered back. "Non!" Not lucky, this time. "And that will do more bad than good."

Cosima couldn't stop grinning at Delphine's words, whining a little once the blonde was fully dressed.

"I'm going downstairs to make sure they don't think we're still..." Delphine said, her words suspended in the air. Cosima getting up from the bed quickly to follow the older woman, who turned around just as fast, her face inches from Cosima's. "You need a cold shower!"

The student opened a wide smile. "No shit, Sherlock."

Delphine refused Cosima's invitation to see her bedroom, claiming it was just another ruse to get Delphine alone in a room with a bed.

Which it was.

She took a shower (not literally cold, but the water wasn't nearly as warm as usual) and moved downstairs, finding everyone in the kitchen, in a join effort to make dinner.

"Good shower?" Her mother asked without turning to see her.

Cosima noticed Delphine stop briefly what she was doing. "Perfect!" She answered. "What can I do to help?"

"You can help me set the table." Her father answered.

They worked in silence for some time, setting the table with their nicest china (of course), until her father broke the silence.

"So... Delphine?"

Cosima snapped her head up, neither of her parents never prowled much in her dating selection, but they liked to know what was what. "Yeah..." She said. "Aren't you proud I got the hottest girl in school?" She asked with a grin.

"She's your teacher!" He stated.

"Was..." Cosima corrected. "I'm done with immunology."

"Fine!" Her father conceded momentarily. "But when you two started..."

"Technicalities..." Cosima interrupted him. "I really like her, dad... I kinda... I love her." She added in a low voice.

"Good!" The man said, seemly satisfied with his daughter's confection.

The dinner was... Well, at least no one will end up poisoned... Hopefully... However the conversation that sided the meal was comfortable, with each passing minute Cosima could see Delphine getting more and more relaxed.

They never touched the subject of why they were in San Francisco, though. Cosima suspected her mother had kept her father in the dark about many things. It was probably for the best, he didn't need to know, not for now. Besides, at least one of the reasons was not theirs to disclose. The brunette seriously doubted Delphine would want to share something like what had happened. Cosima obviously didn't want to talk about it with her father and Lara was much too aware of the ways of the world to have ever talked to her husband about it.

At the end of the meal, the three women left the only man to deal with the dishes and locked themselves in the library. They were quiet for a while, as Lara read the translations the couple brought.

"Okay..." Lara said after finishing it. "What exactly did I just read?"

"That's it!" Cosima explained. "The project Leekie had us working on. He's working with universities around the world to win the cloning race."

Her mother said nothing for a few minutes, concern frowning her soft features. "Do you have the originals?"

"No. I have pictures of them in my phone?" Delphine answered.

"How did you get them?" The older woman asked suspiciously. When none of the other two answered, she only said a low "right" and took a sip at the scotch on her hand. "Well, genetics it's obviously not my area of expertise, so I won't say anything decisive until I'm sure. But I think we might have a big problem here.

"However, I know someone." She continued. "I'll call him. I'm sure he can meet us tomorrow if I give him over the phone just enough juicy details."

Professor and student exchanged looks as Cosima's mother picked up the phone and started to talk with someone she called "John" and carefully told him just vague details of what she read. The conversation ended with Lara looking at both women and saying with a smile to whoever she was talking to: "I knew you couldn't resist!"

Lara informed the two women that the man would be arriving at ten in the next morning, which earned a frustrated groan from Cosima, who was not seeing with good eyes the idea of getting up so early on a Saturday morning.

"At least I know you'll behave tonight." Her mother commented under her breath, getting up and going to the living room where they stayed until it was bed time. Talking about trivial things, the next day promised to be one full of serious conversation and it seemed like an unspoken convention that the night would be light.

Once in bed, Cosima had to fight hard to keep her mother's wishes. The cleansing effect of the shower with tepid water was long gone and the heat had returned to the pit of the young woman's stomach, pressing hard against her groin. The knowledge that Delphine was sleeping just down the hall doing nothing to help her condition. Truth was that the only think that was keeping her from paying a late night visit to the professor was knowing that the guest room was just next to her parents'. So she turned again under the covers and tried to get some sleep.

She was almost there when she felt more than heard the creak of her door opening. Getting immediately alerted, Cosima sat on her bed, the dim light of the night along with her glasses on the nightstand not helping her to see a damn thing.

A thud and she felt her bed move just a little.

"Putain..." The unmistakable voice in a whisper reached her and she smiled.

"You okay?" Cosima said as low as she could, stifling her laugh.

"Hit the knee on your bed." Delphine explained what Cosima could already guess. "Where are you?"

Blindly, Cosima was able to find Delphine's waving hand, much more familiarized with the space around her. "Dr. Cormeir, what are you doing in my room at such inappropriate hours?" A flirting tone in her whispering voice, pulling the Frenchwoman to her.

Delphine's hands found her face and pressed their lips together softly. "I guess I've missed you too..."

"Mmmm... Really?" The brunette found the back of Delphine's neck and deepened the kiss, her tongue gently tracing the gracious shape of the other woman's lips.

"Can you be quiet?" The professor asked, already reaching for Cosima's loose shirt and pulling.

"Pretentious much?" The younger woman chuckled lowly, suddenly realizing they really never had to worry about that.

It didn't take long for her chuckles to subsidise and be replaced with little moans, in fact it only took as long as the short time necessary for Delphine to remove her shirt and place her hands in Cosima's breasts, gently pushing her back to the bed. The blonde's mouth pressing lower along her torso, her fingers kneading at the tattooed woman's nipples, until they reluctantly had to part ways, so that Delphine could slid Cosima's sleeping boxers down her toned legs.

At the first flick of Delphine's tongue, Cosima realized that no, she couldn't be quiet. Her breathing picked up roughly, a prolonged moan escaping her lips. The Frenchwoman stopped and looked up, a little concerned.

"Oh, babe, keep going... please..." It was as close as Cosima could get to a whispering voice, but still a much too loud plead.

When Delphine upped the tempo a little bit, holding the sides of her ass, Cosima reached for the pillow under her head and moved it to cover her groans. Her hips grinding up, every lick of the older woman rewarded with a muffled moan from the younger.

"Fuck, Delphine..." She shrieked when the builded up tension boiled over and she climaxed. Her hips rocking forward with an erratic rhythm, her entire body shaking, until she was drained of all her strengths and collapsed on the mattress.

Cosima felt Delphine move up her body then pulling at the pillow still over the student's face and kiss her gently. "Je t'aime!" Delphine whispered into her open mouth, still fighting to get air into her lungs. "I'm staying in Minneapolis... If Leekie leaves, I'll stay."