It's involuntary, the step Delphine takes to get closer to Sarah. That she feels safer being closer to the werewolf, is an incredible concept that blooms in the back of her mind. The two vampires who've arrived with Shay are constantly watching her, their eyes a glittering, bright blue, their smirks exposing their fangs, as they taunt. She knows this, just as she knows that it's very unlikely that they'll attack her, but no amount of rationalization removes the uncomfortable twist in her gut.
From Cosima's bedroom, she hears the occasional raised voice, but for the most part, everything is quiet. Delphine continues to rely on her reasoning, thinking Shay wouldn't hurt Cosima, that she's more interested in bringing the younger vampire back into the fold. Even so, the doctor can't keep the nervousness at bay. The thought that Cosima's fate is in the hands of someone like Shay makes her feel sick, and the notion that she can do nothing under the guards' watchful gaze, makes it almost unbearable.
Delphine doesn't trust Cosima's sire. How could she? Not only was her first run in with Shay unpleasant, but the fact that she's willing to gamble with Cosima's life is enough for the doctor to make assumptions on Shay's character. There's no saying exactly how much power Shay may have over Cosima, especially when she's so debilitated. The bound between sire and creation is a mystery to Delphine. Humans have never considered studying it, considering it far removed from the priorities of the likes of DYAD. They don't care to understand the relationships that develop within the vampires' hierarchy, only about how to reduce their propagation and control the ones who exist. So, what Shay can use to manipulate Cosima is unknown to Delphine.
When Shay returns to the living room, she wears an unnerving smile, and her eyes immediately find Delphine, holding her stare for moments that stretch out for far too long.
"Scott, instruct Dr. Cormier on how to administer the cure," she says, tearing her eyes from the tall blonde, to look at the young man.
Scott eyes widen, his eyes darting between the two women. "I don't think…"
"No, no…" Shay interrupts him. "Cosima wants Dr. Cormier to do it. Let's respect her wishes."
There's something in the mocking deference of Shay's words that Delphine doesn't like, a tinge of irony, the sparkle in the blue eyes. And, although the doctor feels something is not quite right, she won't pass on the opportunity to see Cosima one last time before she's taken out of her reach, and that's a much more powerful motivation than Shay's cryptic smile.
Scott's instructions are easy to follow: it's a simple injection, not unlike what she's done in the past, although under much different circumstances.
To Delphine's surprise, Shay offers no objection to allowing her to be alone with Cosima. The human finds this odd, but doesn't waste time, and retreats to Cosima's bedroom, carrying the handbag Scott gave her, closing the door behind her.
Cosima is sitting up on the bed, resting against the headboard, and her eyes open when she hears the door, blinking a few times when Delphine enters.
"Hi…" the vampire says hoarsely, and attempts to smile.
Delphine tries to smile as well, but feels that she's as unsuccessful as Cosima. "How are you feeling?" She asks, approaching the bed and gingerly sitting on the edge, placing the bag beside her.
"Great!" Cosima answers sarcastically, a small chuckle catching in her throat.
"Yes, I can see that," Delphine says nodding, and her smile widens a little. "I am to assume she can hear everything."
Cosima nods, and even the small smile she had disappears. Delphine hums and pushes it aside, knowing that true privacy would be too much to ask for. She places her hand on Cosima's forehead, more for the need of some kind of physical contact than for a legitimate medical necessity. The vampire does look slightly better, probably more from the bit of rest than a true sign of improvement. She still looks terribly frail. There's no color in the cheek that Delphine's hand brushes lightly, and Cosima's hand trembles when she raises it to wrap bony fingers around the doctor's wrist. The brunette's eyes are too pale, the glossy blue a mark of a life extinguishing, but not lifeless. There's understanding in her eyes, the knowledge of how dire her situation is.
"She has explained what I'm about to do?" Delphine asks, lowering her voice pointlessly, her eyes briefly tracking to the closed door, intentionally not mentioning Shay by name.
When Cosima nods her head slowly, Delphine drops her hand, and opens the handbag. Whatever this vaccine is made of, it doesn't seem to require refrigeration, and the vial has no information of its origin or content. The doctor switches on the bedside lamp, and Cosima groans a little, turning her head away, but there's barely any light in the room, and Delphine needs to see what she's doing. The blonde murmurs a désolé, but her attention is on the vial that she lifts to the light. The liquid is absolutely clear, and when she opens the capsule, it's odorless.
"You're into some weird shit," Cosima observes, staring at the doctor, her sight slowly adjusting to the light.
"I was trying to see if I could identify any of the components," Delphine explains, placing the small vial on the bedside table next to Cosima's glasses. Reaching back in the bag, she grabs the syringe still in its package, "I smell nothing though."
"Well… I could've told you that," Cosima says.
Delphine chuckles and snaps the gloves in her hands. "I suppose you could."
They're quiet while Delphine sterilizes the bend of Cosima's arm, and readies the syringe. She has no tourniquet, but the vampire is so pale, the doctor easily finds a vein.
"You should feel the effect almost instantly," Delphine says, repeating what Scott told her, "It will allow you to feed." She subtly she raises her eyes, and notices the vampire watching her, nodding. "Felix has brought some blood, we'll give you that."
"Okay…" Cosima murmurs, nodding again.
"Should we… heat it for you?" Delphine feels herself hesitate as she asks the question, the syringe between her fingers with the needle close to the vampire's skin but not yet piercing.
Cosima looks at the doctor, slightly surprised at the question, an eyebrow arched. "Given the circumstances, I really don't think it will make much difference."
"Alright," Delphine mutters, pushing the needle into her skin. "Try to relax."
"Just… be gentle, okay?" Cosima mutters, wincing a little as the needle finally pierces her flesh, but there's a hint of humor in her small smirk.
Delphine chuckles lowly. "I promise."
The doctor eases the content of the syringe into the vampire's blood stream, monitoring her rapidly increasing pulse with the hand she's using to hold Cosima's arm straight. Delphine searches Cosima's face for any change, any discomfort, and becomes worried when the vampire shows signs of distress. She's clenching her jaw, under the doctor's touch, the muscles of her arm flex, and Cosima hisses quietly.
"Remember to stay relaxed, Cosima," Delphine reminds her, in a low but clear voice, unable to hide the hint of panic she's starting to feel.
Cosima nods quickly, acknowledging the instructions, but in the back of her throat rises a low growl.
Something's not right, Delphine notices it almost immediately. Cosima's pulse is escalating, and her body temperature is skyrocketing. Still, the doctor injects the remaining of the solution, well aware this is the only option, and it's probably too late to back down. Delphine pushes through the fear growing in her mind, and completes the treatment. It's done, she thinks to herself with a deep sigh.
The instant Delphine removes the needle, she knows she's in serious danger. Cosima opens her eyes, they shine an arctic blue, staring almost blindly at Delphine. There's no recognition in the vampire's gaze, no indication she even sees Delphine, no shred of humanity in the gaze as it falls to the doctor's neck, the blood pumping furiously through her veins as panic sets in.
The chill ripples down Delphine's spine, as in an instant, she finds herself pinned down, Cosima suddenly on top of her, fingers gripping the flesh of the human's wrists. The beast that Cosima has become snarls next to Delphine's face, like a wounded animal harassing its prey.
"Cosima, no!" Delphine has time to scream.
In the living room, Sarah's eyes move from one vampire to another, staring at them with contempt. For a moment, her gaze goes to the human young man, uncomfortably fidgeting with his hands. He notices the stare, and self-consciously shoves them in his pockets, averting his eyes from the intense werewolf. Felix, on the other hand, is the complete opposite, fully relaxed, leaning against a bookshelf with boredom in his eyes.
No one, however, has Sarah's attention like Shay. Before tonight, the werewolf has laid eyes on her only once, albeit only briefly, when the old vampire had stepped into the bar as if she owned the place and dragged Felix out with a impatient look upon her smooth features. In fact, all that Sarah knows about Shay was conveyed to her by Cosima, during the few times she was inclined to talk about her past - usually after a generous amount of weed had been consumed. No, Sarah doesn't know much about her friend's sire, but she knows enough to have reason to severely dislike her.
From the moment the human doctor had gone inside Cosima's bedroom, a strange half smirk has been plastered on Shay's lips. An amused little thing, and a sparkle in her blue eyes, that has the werewolf wondering what Shay knows the rest of them don't. Sarah thought it strange that Shay would allow a vampire and a human to be alone, unsupervised. Why would she do that, when according to Cosima, she's always been a manipulative, obsessed bitch? And stranger still, the longer the two women are alone, the wider her smirk stretches.
"Cosima, no!"
The strangled scream fills the room, and immediately Sarah darts to the bedroom. She sees Shay's huge grin as she races for the door, and the werewolf knows that she was expecting this outcome.
Sarah swings open the door, finding Cosima pinning a horrified Delphine to the bed, fangs exposed, and snarling in full attack mode.
The werewolf lunges at the bed, using her momentum to shoulder the vampire to the floor, both of them huffing with the impact. But the blind hunger has Cosima's supernatural instincts roaring, and she's much faster to recover, getting to her hands and knees and growling menacingly, while Sarah is still trying to find her footing.
The werewolf feels the shift rippling under her skin, and uses a good portion of her concentration to keep it under control. It's just a brief hesitation, but enough to provide the vampire the opportunity to jump on her, slamming her midsection. Sarah feels the wind knocked out of her as she crashes violently against the wall, and her nostrils flare, hissing angrily with eyes blazing in blue, as if reflected by the settings sun. A grip as hard as steel goes to Sarah's throat, choking her with a vice-like grip.
"The blood, Felix!" Sarah manages to rasp out, her eyes leaving her attacker momentarily to watch a quickly blurring door.
She sees Shay, an entertained expression on her face, as if she's enjoying a good show. What she doesn't see is Felix, hopefully bringing the blood he brought, but never imagining this eventuality.
The groan from the bed draws Sarah's gaze, her sight blackening at the edges. The sound attracts Cosima's attention as well, as if remembering her priorities, and the vampire drops the werewolf. Turning her back on Sarah, like a shark at the smell of blood, her instinct is to go to a valid feeding source.
The distraction gives Sarah the opening to catch the vampire off guard, and quickly locks her arms around Cosima's. It requires every bit of Sarah's strength to keep her grip on the shoulders as the vampire trashes, growling loudly, and hissing, her feet leaving the ground as she tries to break free.
"Today, Felix!" Sarah screams, her throat still burning.
Finally, she sees Felix running towards her, shoving his way pass Shay, who hasn't moved an inch, looking terribly amused.
The young vampire has the bottle in hand, and hesitates only briefly when he stops in front of his de facto mentor.
"Sorry about this," he whispers, a desolate look in his eyes.
With his left hand on Cosima's forehead, he steadies the angry vampire and approaches the bottle to her nose.
Still in shock, Delphine watches the scene unfolding before her. Cosima begins to calm, drinking the blood being poured down her throat in audible gulps, still wrapped in Sarah's hold, who isn't ready to trust the recovering vampire just yet.
"I knew I was forgetting something…" Shay's voice captures the human's attention, and she sees Cosima's sire smile, making no effort to disguise her ploy.
In that moment Delphine knows that this was all planned. That Shay, hoping Cosima, after losing all that makes her who she is, would kill Delphine just to sate her blind thirst for blood.
"You truly are a fucking bitch!" Sarah spits, having the gall to say what Delphine is thinking.
"I did what I promised," Shay says, feigning offense. "It's on you for not asking about the side effects. Either way…" she waves her hands dismissively, "Cosima should be back to her old, tamed self, after she's properly fed. Scott, why don't you get everything ready to remove the chip, so we could get the hell out of here," she says, turning her head to the living room.
"No…" Delphine intervenes, her voice somehow breaking in the single syllable, and she clears her throat, standing up, still on shaky legs. "I'll do it."
Shay raises a brow towards her, not expecting the human's demands. Delphine takes advantage of the small hesitation from the elder vampire, and approaches her. In truth, the doctor still feels the fear coursing through her veins, and the only explanation for such daring reaction is the spike of adrenaline. The height advantage she has on Shay is a dangerous illusion of superiority, and rationally, Delphine knows it won't take much for the vampire to subdue her. But she's feeling particularly reckless, so she draws near to Shay, and narrows her eyes, holding the cold blue stare longer than it's advisable.
"Get out!" Delphine says firmly between a clenched jaw, looking down at the vampire.
Shay smirks, not feeling the least bit threatened by the human's proximity. However, either because she deems Delphine unworthy of her time, or because she wants to end this as quickly as possible, the vampire decides to turn and leave. Delphine knows better than to see this as a victory; Shay may be withdrawing for now, but this in no way represents a permanent result. This is not Shay capitulating, it's merely a temporary reprieve from her handling of the situation. Delphine knows that it's assumed in the vampire's mind, that she'll soon have Cosima back under her roof, back in the family, and by her side.
With Shay out of the way, at least for the moment, Delphine returns her attention to Cosima, still surrounded by Felix and Sarah. She seems better, and Sarah has allow the vampire sit on the edge of the bed, Felix on his knees, talking to her in an hushed voice. The empty bottle sits on the nightstand.
"How is she?" Delphine asks with concern in her voice, not entirely sure if she should get closer.
"Better now," Felix answers, rising to his feet and approaching the doctor. "It's probably best if you leave, though," he adds in a low voice.
"No!" Delphine shakes her head, determined. She refuses to accept that, if for no other reason than to not allow Shay the pleasure of watching her leave. "I can do this!" With that same determination, she approaches Cosima.
The vampire doesn't seem entirely herself. Her eyes, blue and bright, don't seem to belong to her, dazed and unfocused. They dart about, blankly staring everywhere, not truly landing on a specific point. Even so, the doctor can clearly see the difference from just minutes ago, and despite the sluggish movements, Cosima looks better. Color has returned to her cheeks, making her look healthier, no longer skeletal, almost human. If it weren't for the tip of her fangs not entirely retracted and the unnatural blue of her eyes.
Sensing the doctor coming closer, Sarah steps a little to the side, giving Delphine some room, but remaining close by, not ready to fully trust the vampire. Cosima lifts her eyes to Delphine, shining and lost, but there's guilt in the vampire's gaze. The woman Delphine knows is returning, and along with her, comes the remorse her actions has caused.
Delphine doesn't really know what to say. The remnants of fear still linger within her, despite the bravado she'd showed only minutes ago. She knows that Cosima, when in complete control of her actions, would never attack her. She also knows that both she and Cosima were pawns in Shay's twisted game. But her mind refuses to let go of the image she saw earlier, and the ache and bruises left on her wrists a proof of how dangerous Cosima can be under the right circumstances.
Delphine reaches for the medical bag still on the bed, half its contents spread on the mattress. She feels all eyes in the room on her, the silence heavy as she puts on a fresh pair of gloves.
Cosima stretches her left arm out, palm up on top of her own thigh, and meets Delphine's eyes.
"I'm sorry…" Cosima whispers.
The doctor only nods and says nothing. Perhaps if they were alone, if she wasn't so aware that her words would so easily reach Shay's ears, Delphine would say something. She just doesn't know what, and will not worry herself with that this moment. Maybe it's even preferable that they find themselves in this situation. The opportunity to think things through might be welcome, let her raving mind settle down, give her time to think and not be forced to react in the heat of the moment, when the episode is still so fresh. It needs to become a memory so she can judge it with a much clearer head.
Delphine barely notices what she's doing, careful as she works, but the removal of the chip is a simple enough task that she doesn't have to fully concentrate on it. All she truly notices is Cosima's concerned gaze upon her as she works. The two other occupants of the room look at them occasionally, making sure nothing goes wrong.
In her frenetic mind, Delphine pays little attention as the others return when she's done. She scarcely takes note of Cosima's eyes darting to her in a fleeting glance, before she's taken away, still supported by Felix.
Delphine's mind only comes back into focus when she stops at the doorstep of her building, Sarah telling her that is probably not safe for her to spend the night by herself, and that she should steer clear of DYAD, and everyone connected with it.
"Don't worry about it," Delphine hears herself say, pushing through the front door and leaving the werewolf outside.
Her house is in complete silence, only her raging, irregular breathing fills the room. She doesn't bother to turn on a light, doesn't bother to close her blinds either. If anyone was coming for her, they would've caught her already, bagged her, and forced her into a black van. Or at least that's how she imagines DYAD would work.
The fact that they haven't yet come for her gives her some elbow room, but she doesn't believe she'll have much time to make a decision. Caught between two insurmountable forces, Delphine is trapped, incapable of taking a side that can assure her safety.
The only certainty is her downfall.
Delphine desperately needs a way out.
Delphine desperately needs a plan.