Cosima doesn't go home right away. Perhaps she should, she thinks as her steps guide her further away from her apartment. Maybe it's better to sleep it off and leave drastic decisions for another day. But the contempt in Delphine's face haunts her, burned into her mind, and she's obviously not thinking clearly. It's the wrong motive that steers her intentions, and perhaps she's just doing this to keep from considering all the possibilities behind the doctor's disdain.
The beast gnaws inside her, desperately trying to claw its way out. The scent of blood lingers, only an olfactory memory, but powerful enough to cloud her judgment. The vampire doesn't remember the last time her hunger was so strong - if ever. In the old days, she would've wasted no time satiating it and, once she started the treatment, there was the same determination within her helped her to keep it under control, her own will much more powerful than that of the animal's residing in her depths.
Nightcrawler has a completely different atmosphere at night. The quietness Cosima witnessed in the morning has been replaced by boisterous laughter, loud voices, and a stifling warmth that one would have found unexpected, given the usual patrons. But the vampire knows the ambiance; has experienced it, and even contributed for it for many years before her somewhat self-imposed seclusion.
She surveys the room and smiles to herself when she notices her assumptions were correct. Still, she leaves the target of her attention in the corner booth, surrounded by two other male vampires and a human who will probably get more than what he bargained for. Felix's night is just starting, by the looks of it and Cosima prefers to deal with him once he's feed.
On her way to the bar, she spots Sarah, making a round through the tables and gives her a subtle head nod.
"I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Siobhan approaches her the moment Cosima takes a stool at the bar. "Especially at such late hours."
"Thought to see who's around," Cosima answers, smiling. "It's never good to stay out of the loop for so long."
The werewolf narrows her bright eyes. "Don't go starting any problems around here, Cosima," she warns. "I'd hate to have to kick you out."
"Nah…" Cosima waves one of her hands. "No worries there."
Siobhan's suspicions don't disappear completely, but she relaxes a little and rests both her arms on the countertop. "What will it be?"
The glint the in other woman's eyes doesn't escape Cosima. The question, while simple, does carry big implications, especially in light of the vampire's visit earlier in the day. The club holds a vast selection of blood supplies that can be served to the customers upon request. Cosima was never a fan, despite the quality of said supplies and trusting the barkeeper; she always preferred to take directly from the source.
"Just a gin and tonic," Cosima says, placing a few bills on the counter, believing she could use the alcohol to loosen up the tension that returned to her body after the encounter with her sire.
The werewolf smiles and nods, turning around to start preparing the drink.
"Fucking bloodsuckers!" Sarah whispers angrily, sitting the tray violently against the dark wooden bar, next to Cosima.
"That's racist, you know," the vampire comments, containing her amusement.
"See if I care!" Sarah shoots, annoyed. "And you're not allowed to get all politically correct on me when you called my kind dogs only a few hours ago."
"It was a compliment," Cosima points out, grinning. "I love dogs!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Sarah pushes herself up the stool next to Cosima. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
Cosima looks behind herself, noting Felix taking his human to the restroom. "Just seeing old friends."
Sarah looks in the same direction. "I'm glad we have a cleaning crew coming over every night after we close," she says. "I wouldn't want to clean the mess your old friend leaves in the bathroom stall every night."
Cosima raises a brow. " Any… incidents?"
"Not really," the other woman answers. "I mean… not the dead body variety. A few unconscious ones though."
"That's very sloppy."
The vampire is surprised to hear this. Shay was never exactly discreet, but she didn't tolerate actions that could lead back to her and everyone knows with whom Felix is associated.
"It has gotten worse since you left, that's for sure," Sarah tells her, stepping down from the seat once Siobhan has refilled her tray. "One of these days a disaster will happen."
"Well, if that day ever comes, they better take care of it themselves," Siobhan says, with her elbows back on the counter, having been listening to the conversation. "I certainly won't lie to the authorities on their behalf."
"It seems weird she would let him run free like that," the vampire thinks aloud.
"I don't even think she knows. Shay hardly comes here and I doubt anyone wants to tell her." The werewolf says.
Cosima hums, sipping her drink. "She doesn't take bad news very well."
Siobhan smiles and nods, leaving to take another order from a nearby customer.
No one approaches Cosima and she enjoys her drink in peace, while keeping an eye on the bathroom door for Felix to emerge. Not a single creature here is participating in the treatment, and she gets more than a few ugly glances in her direction, but they know better than to antagonize her. Her centuries have granted her respect, if not fear. Cosima knows how to defend herself, despite Shay's early assessment, she just doesn't like to have to do it. Even so, given the right circumstances, and even having her strengths diminished with the treatment, Cosima could very well overpower anyone in the bar.
It takes nearly twenty minutes before Felix finally returns to his table, practically carrying the human, uneasy in his steps. Her old friend seems satisfied enough, at least for now, smiling widely and talking loudly with his companions, the human almost unconscious, leaning his head on Felix's shoulder, but his hand slips to the prominent bulge between the vampire's legs.
Cosima rolls her eyes and doesn't hesitate to walk to the corner couch where they are. Felix's too out of sorts to notice her and she just stands there, looking down at him, quietly, waiting for him to turn his attention to her.
Eventually is one of the other vampires who looks at her with a frown. "Can I help you?"
"No, you can not." Cosima barely looks at the man who asked, her eyes steady on Felix, who, recognizing her voice, immediately sits up straighter. "Let's go." She says and instantly turns on the balls of her feet.
"Fuck her!" Someone from the table scorns. "You don't have to go anywhere!"
But Cosima knows her former friend, he doesn't have the backbone to challenge her and it's with no surprise that she hears him follow her out the back door and onto a side street.
"Why now?" She asks the moment they step outside, without turning to face him.
Felix doesn't answer her and when Cosima finally looks at him, she finds his head turned to the sky, eyes closed, apparently enjoying the breeze across his sweaty skin. He's still buzzed from the feed, clearly she underestimated the vigor of the scrawny human. She's on him in a fraction of a second, a hand on his neck, not to hurt him, but to intimidate him into sobriety.
"Why now, Felix?" She growls, short on patience.
"What are…fuck, Cosima?!" He screeches and recoils slightly. "What are you talking about?"
"She went after her, threatened her!" Cosima continues on an angry voice, shaking some sense into him.
"Who?" His eyes open wider, still glistering a deep blue.
"Shay!" She snarls. "She went after Delphine."
"The doctor?" He has the audacity of smiling. "Can't say I didn't warn you." He rubs his neck when Cosima drops him. "Did she kill her?"
"No," Cosima replies in a calmer tone. "That's not exactly what she had in mind."
"What then?"
"She wanted to get my attention." Cosima rolls her eyes and steps back.
"I'd venture she succeeded," he comments, some of his usual arrogance back. "What did she want?"
"She wants me to get back, what else?"
"Can't exactly say that surprises me." He leans back, one knee raises to support his foot against the wall, relaxed, searching his pockets until he pulls out a joint and lights it up. "Things have been rather chaotic since you left."
"That explains why you're being so careless in your… activities," she comments while accepting the smoke Felix extends to her. The younger vampire only shrugs and smiles, clearly not particularly concerned with her observation. "What doesn't makes sense is why now. It's been three years. Why has she decided take such active means to get me back?"
Felix remains quiet and doesn't meet her eyes. Something's not right. Cosima knows from the way he's avoiding her stare, he was always a terrible liar. What the older vampire also knows is that it won't take too much for him to crack under her pressure.
"Don't make me force you to speak, Felix!"
The threat is casual enough not to sound too demanding, but it's there and he looks at her sideways, perhaps to see if she'll follow through with it. Cosima hardens her stare, but has no intention to physically impose her superiority; not unless it's absolutely necessary. She feels spent, emotionally if not physically. The day has been too long, too weary for her to be able to ignore the tiredness clinging to her bones. She moves to lean on the wall next to Felix, taking a deep breath. Perhaps she was right all along, it would've been better to delay her investigation of sorts.
Felix has a contemplative look, smoking his joint and staring at the night sky.
"Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn't," he says just when Cosima was starting to believe she wouldn't get anything from him, not without forcing his hand. "I don't know enough. Everything has been pretty secretive. And you know she doesn't trust anyone these days."
Cosima looks at him and Felix continues without looking back, the same thoughtful expression in his flawless features.
"What do you know?"
He shrugs again. "There have been meetings," he says quietly. "Heads of the East coast families have been getting together."
"That's not necessarily anything new," Cosima says, remembering that back in her day, she would join Shay for such meetings. It was usual for the several covens to meet to socialize and trade information.
"Not this regularly," Felix explains. "Two, sometimes three times in a month.
"And Shay's always tense, especially right before the meetings," he continues. "She goes alone, you know… takes an escort for protection - new arrivals, mostly - but they stay at the door. And when she returns, she's even worse, snapping at everyone."
"When you say new arrivals, do you mean newborns?" Cosima asks, starting to feel restless about the information.
Ever since humans had imposed their laws, the number of fledglings had fallen dramatically. Even if it hadn't ceased completely, few would risk the life sentence it carries if caught. Vampires are tolerated, but expanding the species is strictly prohibited and severely punished.
"Something is going on, Cosima. Something big." Felix sounds incredibly sober, his eyes showing an ill-disguised fear. "And I don't think it's a good thing."
"Yes, probably not."
For the next few days, Delphine is obsessed with the scarf around her neck, constantly adjusting it to make sure it's properly covering the ugly, purple bruise left by Shay's grip. The cut on her hand is blamed on a self-inflicted cooking accident when Krystal asked her about it.
The doctor mentioned nothing of the attack, nor did she miss a single day of work, despite knowing that she needed it badly. But her staggering determination to carry on with the routine and appearance of professionalism takes precedence over her personal needs. It's irrelevant that she's barely sleeping at night, or that her brain is constantly screaming for rest.
She keeps herself busy, her mind occupied with work, as boring as it is and when she's at home, she reviews her personal notes, over and over again, until they become just words, devoid of any sense. Anything to keep herself from going back to the events that triggered contradicting feelings. One one hand, there is the knowledge she has gathered over the years has kept her out of harm's way, and now, this new and confusing thought that maybe she could find a willing ally in the other side of the camp. This is, of course, assuming Cosima's intentions are driven from something other than a meal, but that seems like such a long stretch that Delphine barely considers it.
On the other hand, the alluring vampire seems to have kept her word. The doctor no longer feels her presence, but there is someone there. Not Cosima, she doesn't believe, but Delphine still feels her movements tracked. Although she was never again accosted, whoever is following her has kept a distance. She doesn't even know which side is keeping tabs on her, vampires, DYAD or The Company. Maybe it's someone she doesn't even know.
On a night when she'd had too much to drink and not nearly enough to eat, Delphine wonders if she's going crazy, or just paranoid. Perhaps, so many years living on the run have finally caught up with her.
Two weeks after the attack, she's surprised to be summoned, without notice, to the top floor of the building, where the highest positions of DYAD have their offices. She's left waiting for a half an hour, sitting on an uncomfortable chair, staring at her own hands in her lap. The pretty, red headed secretary had glanced up only to mutter "please, have a seat" and then left her to wonder if she'd been discovered, and if so, what gave her away and what will they do to her.
Her concerns are not in the loss of a job - that's hardly on her mind -, but rather how will they silence her. She has no family and the only person who knows where she is is Ferdinand, and she knows better than to expect the man to look after her. Probably after a few days of silence from Delphine, his only problem will be to find someone else to take her place. Preferably someone more efficient.
When the redhead grants her permission to enter the corner office, Delphine is expecting the worst.
"Please, close the door and take a seat, Dr. Cormier."
The woman behind the desk is probably no more than ten years older than Delphine herself. Impeccably dressed in a navy blue blouse, a long ribbon over her chest subtly brings attention to her generous bosom. Long, dark brown hair, almost black, is perfectly groomed, the makeup is light and exudes a professional but approachable look. The top of the desk is an extension of the woman, everything in its place, none of the expected clutter.
"We still haven't met, I'm afraid," the woman says in a calm voice, "but I've been following your work with great interest."
"Thank you." Delphine nods, her sigh of relief saved for later. "Although I don't know how much interest it's worth. My work is rather routine."
"Quite right." The woman has a soft smile. "And I'm sorry about putting you through such a monotonous experience, especially considering the recommendations you came with," she continues in an easy tone. "But we had to take some precautionary measures, you see. We need to be sure that a person is trustworthy before we move them to more… sensitive fields."
"I understand completely." Delphine pastes a smile across her face, knowing when she needs to be charming and is certainly capable to rise to the occasion.
"Good! Unfortunately your predecessor proved to be unworthy of such trust, and I'm afraid you got the short end of the stick." The older woman waves her hands dismissively, shaking her concerns away. "But never mind that. I'm Marion Bowles and I lead one of our research projects here in DYAD."
"What sort of research?" Delphine asks, but she keeps her voice leveled, her anxiety under control.
"Well… in order to tell you that, it requires you to sign quite a few confidentiality agreements," Marion says, while she reaches for a few sheets of paper, neatly placed on the desk, next to the computer screen. "And that's why I called you here.
"I want you to join my team," she goes on, sliding the sheets in front of Delphine. "But you must know that this project is extremely sensitive and not for just anyone."
Marion stops, her expression, while calm, is unmistakably grave and Delphine has the feeling she's under severe scrutiny, being both analyzed and judged by the other woman, perhaps from the moment she'd walked into the office. She vaguely flips over the document, ignoring the fine print, Delphine doesn't hesitate to take the cap of the fountain pen that is conveniently within her reach. Only the arm extending and the perfectly manicured hand placed on top of the document makes her pause.
"There's no turning back from this, Dr. Cormier," Marion Bowles warns, but there's a glint of satisfaction in her gaze. "Are you sure you don't want some time to consider it?"
Quickly, Delphine signs the document and rests the pen on top of it. "No."
A/N: next chapter will most likely take a little longer, since I've already caught up with the chapters I had worked beforehand. However, I'm already working on it, so it should come next week, just a little later.
I'd also like to take the opportunity to give a shout out to my beta, Cophine, who has been lending me her awesome talent. And CJ, for the help that always comes from our brainstorms :D