Another month had gone by. Delphine couldn't believe how the time was flying. She had picked up a nice routine now, going to work, coming home, making dinner and sitting on the couch, reading, or watching tv. It was comfortable.

She hadn't gone out at all since the night at the bar. She knew she could make it through on her own. Sometimes she would find herself feeling lonely late at night, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it, so she pushed the feelings aside.

It was a Friday and Delphine was looking forward to the weekend ahead, a chance for her to relax and get her mind off the work for a couple of days.

Scott had gone home already and she was left in the lab with Cosima at the end of the day. Rachel had just stormed through, giving them an assignment at 4pm on a Friday, like she liked to do, and they were frantically working to get it done so they could go home.

"She's a real trip, that one," Cosima mentioned.

"Hmm?" Delphine asked.

"Rachel. You know, I told you we had a nice nickname for her when you first started. You want to know?" Cosima inquired.

"Ok."

Cosima leaned in toward Delphine and whispered, "We call her uber bitch."

Delphine chuckled. "That is mean!"

"Aww, come on, you know it's true," Cosima joked.

"Yes, I suppose," Delphine admitted.

"I knew it!" Cosima teased, hitting Delphine's shoulder playfully with her hand as Delphine blushed.

They worked quietly for another half an hour until their work was done.

"Hey, Delphine," Cosima started, "Would you maybe want to grab a drink after this? I could use some unwinding after this week."

Delphine looked at the woman in front of her, seeing such kindness in those eyes. She knew she would only go home and sit on her couch if she didn't go out. "Ok," she answered.

Cosima's eyes lit up in a way Delphine could only imagine was the way she felt about life. She was so full of energy and excitement. It was a nice change of pace from Delphine's usual glum outlook on life.

They headed to the same bar they had gone to before and settled in with a couple of drinks.

"Tell me about yourself, Cosima," Delphine stated, wanting to keep the subject away from herself.

"Oh, I'm just a geek girl from Berkeley. I've been in the bay area my whole life. I grew up here, studied here...I love it here. It's my home," Cosima said.

"That's wonderful," Delphine responded. "It seems like a wonderful city. Though I have to admit, I haven't had time to do much exploring."

"No? Oh man, I'd love to take you around," Cosima declared. "I could show you some cool places."

Delphine smiled. "That might be nice to do sometime."

"What about this weekend?" Cosima blurted out.

Delphine hadn't expected to have to make a decision so soon. She didn't have any plans for the weekend, of course, but she was hesitant. Although, Cosima was so easy to hang out with, so easy to talk to.

"Mmm, ok," Delphine answered. "I'm free. Where are you taking me?"

Cosima squealed with delight. "Oh man, this is exciting. Well, I should take you to some touristy places first since you've never been. We definitely have to go to the Exploratorium, and of course, the Golden Gate Bridge, and you definitely have to see Alcatraz at some point, if you're interested."

Delphine chuckled. It was oddly amusing to watch the brunette get so carried away.

Cosima saw the surprised look on Delphine's face and brought her excitement back a little. "Sorry, I just like showing people around. Why don't we start with the Golden Gate Bridge. It's really beautiful. Tomorrow?"

"Sounds good."

They made a plan and Delphine started for home. As she walked up to her apartment, she felt the deep sadness creep back into her chest. She had felt too happy tonight. She didn't know if she should allow herself to feel that happy.

She looked forward to tomorrow but couldn't help but feel the guilt seeping back in.

Cosima picked Delphine up the next day and drove them to the bridge. It was a gorgeous sunny day, the perfect weather to be outside. Cosima had a giant grin on her face when she saw Delphine. Delphine noticed for the first time how beautiful her smile was.

They arrived at the bridge, as Delphine stared in wonder.

"Come on, you think it looks cool from here, let's see what you think when we're actually on it," Cosima exclaimed, grabbing Delphine's hand and leading her quickly toward the entrance of the bridge.

Delphine couldn't help but notice the warm skin contact in her hand. She let herself enjoy it for a moment but quickly pulled her hand away, unsure of the friendly touch.

They began walking out onto the bridge, the giant red beams shooting up high above them. They walked about halfway out and stopped, looking over the edge to the water below.

Delphine gasped. They were so high up. She put her hand over her mouth and stepped backwards, suddenly scared of the height. Cosima was behind her and she walked right back into her arms. Cosima wrapped her arms around Delphine innocently, saying, "Easy there, I've got you. You scared of heights?"

Delphine felt the warm embrace of safety surround her. "No, not usually. This is just...just so high up." She allowed herself to stand still in Cosima's arms for a minute before breaking away.

Cosima giggled. "Come on, we can head back. Don't want you to be scared," she replied, with a caring look on her face. She grabbed Delphine's hand again and this time, Delphine let her hold it for longer than she thought she should have.

They sat on a bench, looking out onto the bridge, taking in the view.

"Is this better?" Cosima asked, inching closer to Delphine so their legs were almost touching.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I just got overwhelmed for a second," Delphine answered.

"No need to apologize. I'm glad I could swoop in and save you," Cosima teased.

Delphine smiled. She knew Cosima was staring at her, but she continued to look out at the bridge. In that moment, she felt something she hadn't felt in so many years. She felt hope. And it terrified her, way more than being on the bridge had scared her.

"Thank you for this, Cosima. I think perhaps I should go home now though," Delphine stated after a moment.

"Oh," Cosima replied with a hint of sadness in her voice, "Ok, I can take you home. Is everything ok?"

Delphine smiled weakly and nodded.

"You know, I hate to say it, but you're not a very good liar," Cosima teased, "But just know, I'm here for you if you want to talk. I'm an excellent listener."

"Thanks," Delphine answered, getting up to head out.

They rode home in silence until Cosima pulled up in front of Delphine's apartment.

"Hey," Cosima started, "I'm sorry if I'm being a little bit nosy, but like, did I do something to offend you? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, of course not," Delphine replied.

"Because I thought we were having a great time, joking around, and then all of a sudden you said you needed to go home," Cosima continued.

Delphine sighed. "No, you did nothing wrong. This was a wonderful morning, Cosima. I just...I have a lot that I'm dealing with right now."

Cosima put her hand over Delphine's. "Ok, seriously, if you want to talk, I am here. I'm no stranger to dealing with a lot, trust me."

She couldn't know how it is to deal with this, Delphine thought. Still, her kind words were making Delphine feel the slightest bit better.

"Thank you, Cosima," Delphine stated, "I will keep that in mind."

She got out of the car, getting into her apartment and laid back onto her bed. Cosima was sweet, but she didn't want to lay all her issues on her. She knew she wouldn't look at her in the same way. And she liked the way she looked at her.

Delphine shook her head, trying to rid herself of the crazy thought that she could somehow feel again, feel something for someone else. It wouldn't be fair for her to move on. None of it was fair.

"Oh hello, Delphine," Ainsley said.

Delphine was grocery shopping at 9pm on a Thursday, hoping she wouldn't run into anyone she knew. Unfortunately, her plan didn't work.

"Hi, Ainsley," Delphine replied.

She could see the look in Ainsley's eyes. She didn't know what to say. She looked terrified. Everyone always did. They treated her like she was this fragile thing that would shatter and break if they said anything wrong. She hadn't been treated like a real human being in months.

"H...How are you?" Ainsley asked, tentatively.

Delphine took a deep breath and gave a weak smile. "I'm doing just fine, Ainsley." This was not the time or the place to say anything else. People didn't want that anyway. They wanted to think that you were fine, so they could feel bad for you, pity you, but not have to deal with you. No one wanted to deal with her.

"Oh, good," Ainsley stated.

"Look, I have to go," Delphine said, seeing the look of relief in the other woman's eyes. This is what it had come to now. Her making other people feel better, making sure they weren't uncomfortable.