"Spa time." Cosima announces, pulling their rental car into the parking lot. Chelsea, Québec was tiny, but the Spa-Nature Nordik was enough of a draw to have Delphine insisting they stop this time, staying in a tiny boutique hotel somewhere in Gatineau. Cosima assumed they'd get dinner locally and then spend the night in Ottawa where there were more hotels before heading home.

"Yes." Delphine is giddy, and she is too. Maybe they both need some serious pampering. At least a full day of it, before they find a hotel for the night and make their way back to Toronto.

"La spa…" Cosima imitates Delphine, throwing a cheeky look at her beloved. They walk the winding almost wooded paths up to the spa. When Delphine had suggested it, she'd agreed readily. Even let Delphine do the booking online ahead of time.

"Spa nordik." Delphine corrects her.

"Spa nordik." Cosima imitates Delphine but is grinning as she strips to a bathing suit and tosses the white robe on. "This is the perfect finish. Before we head home and have to announce our marriage."

"First we will get massages. Then, we will sauna and do the thermal cycles." Delphine informs her. "We will have lunch at the most luxurious of their restaurants, and then we will do the källa treatment, maybe a body treatment or two and then back into the pools."

Cosima drops her voice. "When do we break the rules and fuck in the sauna?" A full day here probably had that benefit. At least Cosima thought it should.

"We don't, ma chérie." Delphine seems insistent. But Cosima suspects there might be some room for negotiation there.

"I think they'll look the other way for us."

Delphine raises an eyebrow. "Because we're both women?"

"Because we're hot," Cosima teases. Privately, she does think the staff would be more likely to turn a blind eye to two women but now is not the time to point that out.

Delphine rolls her eyes, and they continue up the stairs and inside. They check in and get their bracelets and directions to the changeroom. They're each handed two large fluffy towels and a thick white bathrobe.

Both strip to their bathing suits, Cosima's a deep red two piece. Delphine's bikini black and simple.

"You look good." Delphine looks over her wife's body, and Cosima can tell Delphine might be getting excited.

"Robes on." Cosima tempts her. They grab water bottles and wander outside.

"Parfait." Delphine decides, she takes in the stone paths, the various saunas and pools. Each pool labelled with its temperature and stage in the cycle. Some of the pools are large, and warmed. Suddenly the fall temperatures do not feel like a disadvantage.

"Ooh." Cosima looks around. "Wow."

"Massages first. I have us booked for a couples massage, for relaxation." Delphine pulls her by the hand and Cosima thinks she could get used to this. Used to this level of pampering. They go to change for massage, both removing their bathing suit tops and sliding between high thread count sheets on massage tables.

Their RMTs are both women, both fit and built, Cosima observes and enjoys the massage. It's easy to relax. Neither RMT is too chatty, but they do notice the rings and the affection between them and ask.

"How long have you two been married?" One RMT asks.

"Less than a week." Cosima quips with a big grin. "We're newlyweds."

"We eloped." Delphine clarifies. "It...it was the right choice for us."

"Félicitations."

"Merci." Delphine smiles dopily, totally content.

"I'm the lucky one." Cosima finds herself saying as the RMT locates the worst of her knots, on either side of her spine. "Ohhh." She lets out a long breath. Maybe this one last day of spoiling was exactly what she needed.


"Come on." Delphine pulls Cosima into the sauna. It is not, Cosima notes, the two person sauna she was intent on getting Delphine into before the end of the day.

They sit in their bathing suits, the air is humid, warm. A few other people sit around. Some quiet, others having quiet conversations. One of the men is looking at them, unsurprisingly. Cosima scooches closer to Delphine. Trying to nonverbally communicate that they are a couple.

"This feels good." Cosima groans.

"It should."

"So why are we jumping into a cold pool after this one?"

"Because it is a nordik spa." Delphing laughs.

"Have you done this before?"

"Once. A long time ago." Delphine informs her. "It will feel good. I promise."

Cosima isn't convinced, the air outside the sauna feels cool enough when Delphine has dragged her out.

"Viens." Delphine instructs her, pulling her next to what looks like the coldest pool around. At least it has a waterfall. Delphine gets in quickly, dunking her whole body in the cold water.

"Coming…" Cosima winces. But slides in quickly on the edge copying Delphine.

"And?"

"Cold. But I do feel good." Cosima reaches for Delphine pulling her into her arms, she kisses her for a few minutes, but they attract attention. They climb out and enter a temperate pool this time. "Refreshed. I guess."

"We are supposed to rest outside the water after… but this feels good too." Delphine smiles.

"Only if we can find a chair big enough to cuddle in." Cosima insists.

"I will try, ma chérie." Delphine smiles at her. They repeat the cycle, in near silence as they are supposed to. When they climb out of a tiny glass walled and freezing cold pool, they settle comfortably into a single muskoka chair in their robes, their towels hanging nearby.

"Now we're the lesbians at the fancy spa." Cosima grumbles at the attention they do attract. No one says anything but people do seem to look. Especially when she and Delphine have been kissing.

"They are probably just worried we'll start touching each other." Delphine sighs. "I told you, they have rules against intimacy in their pools and saunas."

"Technically, we're on the deck right now." Cosima points out, she lays a kiss on Delphine's neck and feels the blonde relax into her amorous onslaught.

"Come on. The two person sauna is empty." Delphine points, and leads Cosima over to it.

"You know people probably fuck in it." Cosima tries to sound flippant about it as they make their way over to the small barrel shaped two person sauna. They hang up their robes and stow their water bottles and towels.

Delphine opens the door and guides Cosima on to the tiny bench before latching the door. It is warm, and perfect.

"Are you serious?" Delphine asks her openly. "Do you… do you really want me to take you here?"

"Kinda." Cosima responds honestly.

"There isn't enough room for me to go down on you." Delphine spells it out. "It would be a ...limited experience. We will get very dehydrated. And it will have to be fast."

"I don't care." Cosima giggles. They can make love for hours tonight if Delphine wants, back at whatever hotel they end up at. They don't need a long drawn out session now.

"Fine." Delphine sits beside her, twisting her body, she lets one hand slide down Cosima's wet body to her bathing suit bottoms. Delphine leans in to kiss her slowly on the mouth and it's hot. Almost too hot for this.

"Please." Cosima begs, breaking the kiss.

Delphine obliges her, slipping her fingers inside the flexible fabric, stroking at her. "Je t'aime."

"I know…" Cosima groans.

"You must be quiet, mon amour, you will get us thrown out." Delphine warns her, but she keeps touching her, finally entering her and stimulating her with the palm of her hand as her fingers push inside in a quick gentle rhythm.

"But you feel so good." Cosima whines.

"Shh!" Delphine shushes her and immediately begins kisses her deeply again.

No doubt it is to partially muffle her noise, but it feels so good that Cosima hums into Delphine's mouth and spreads her legs wider. She comes quickly and holds Delphine close, not wanting to let go.

"I am too hot." Delphine complains within minutes. As soon as she's come down.

They jump into a cold pool again, enjoying the adrenaline rush that follows, before settling themself back into a chair, wrapped in their white robes. She leans back and kisses Delphine again and in that moment, Cosima realizes just how aroused Delphine is. She is needy beneath her lips.

"So… to the warm infinity pool?" Cosima suggests, gesturing towards it. And an outdoor restaurant that she thinks will do, but suspects Delphine will want the nicest one.

"Oui. In a minute. I really want to hold you." Delphine tells her simply.

"So are we Dr. and Mrs Cormier? Is that how you want to do this?" Cosima teases, leaning forward into Delphine.

"You want to change your name?" Delphine furrows her brow in surprise.

"Not really… I like being Cosima Niehaus. And Cormier-Niehaus would be a mouthful." Cosima shakes her head.

"Niehaus-Cormier sounds better." Delphine tilts her head. "But we are academics, I don't think anyone would expect us to hyphenate or change our names. "

"True."

"We'll save that for…" Delphine shakes her head. "Nevermind."

"No...what?"

"For… the kids." Delphine says mildly embarrassed, cheeks reddening. "I… I don't expect you to… stick to things you said in the middle of lovemaking. I was upset and I know… I know you were trying to please me."

"Delphine." Cosima tilts her head. "I… I meant it when I said it. But … I want to enjoy each other. Kick that discussion a few years down the road. Like… it's too soon." That is a good compromise, Cosima thinks. To wait to discuss anything like that seriously.

"So… do you want our unexpected social media announcement to refer to us as Dr. and Mrs. Cormier?" Delphine grins, enjoying the thought.

"God, yes." Cosima laughs. "We need a good picture of us to do it. Preferably in nice clothes."

Delphine bites her lip. "Do you want to call your parents first?"

"Not really." Cosima laughs. "Let's shock them all."

"Done." Delphine giggles. "As soon as we get our phones back from the lockeroom."

"Oooh. Dr. Cormier." Cosima laughs. "Come on. Let's get warm."

"I'll keep you warm." Delphine gives her a little squeeze and a soft kiss.

"When we get back to the hotel tonight, after immense spoiling." Cosima raises her brows suggestively.

"Je le sais, mon amour." Delphine purrs at her. And they rise, moving towards the warmth the other pool promises. And the rest of a perfect day.