a/n: i'm horribly inconsistant with updates please forgive me. my beta and i have been really busy these past two weeks, so this update is pretty late. but, i'll try and have chapter four posted on time (or, rather, close to on time). my beta says she ships delphine and imani and it makes me laugh (does anyone else feel that way)? anywho, that you for your reviews, so here's chapter three! (right? chapter three?)

The water around her is tainted a light red, bubbles losing their jovial feeling being tinted the color of blood.

She sinks lower, chin disappearing into the murky liquid as she hugs her legs closer to her chest. Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes, willing away the images that play through her mind like a symphony, the melody of a gunshot reverberating through her mind.

She's too exhausted to cry; two days of crying is enough to toss a person into a state of lassitude. Her limbs feel heavy in the warm bath, the emotional distress finally taking its toll on her body.

A soft rap on the door has her opening her eyes slowly, glancing as Imani slips into the bathroom with a clean towel and ashtray in hand. She sits down on the toilet and Delphine maneuvers into a more suitable position, putting a cigarette between her lips and graciously accepting the small flame Imani ignites for her.

"Merci," she whispers, taking a slow drag.

"Smoking isn't allowed in the building, you know," Imani murmurs, eyes flickering down to the ashtray in her hands. "Those things are terrible for you. I don't know what people find so pleasing about them."

"It takes some of the edge off."

Sighing, Imani shrugs before plucking another cigarette from the pack and lighting one for herself. Delphine raises an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that," Imani teases as she breathes in the sickly sweet smoke, coughing when she exhales. "I don't have any liquor in my house, so this will have to suffice." She takes another drag, wheezing less this time around when she lets it back out.

Hazel eyes twinkle with vague amusement as Delphine turns back to look at the water, pale skin clashing with the harsh red.

"I pulled a body off you…" Imani says, not really speaking to Delphine. While brushing the bangs back from her forehead, she repeats: "A body…"

"I know." Not really sure how to console the girl beside her in obvious distress, she watches the cigarette shake between Imani's trembling fingers.

They sit silently, smoking and flicking away the ashes.

"It's still in my trunk," Imani chuckles darkly. "There's a body in the trunk of my car."

Delphine frowns. "I don't know why you did that. We could have just left it there."

Imani whips around to face her. "Um, no, no we could not have. You're… whatever the fuck is supposed to have jumped off a roof." Delphine cringes, but Imani ignores her and continues. "How are they going to react when they find her laying face-down with a bullet hole in her skull in the middle of an abandoned playground, when she's supposed to be ice cold, sitting in a morgue? And, not to mention, living and breathing, lounging in a tub right now, slowly aiding the deterioration of her lungs?"

"Vous êtes aussi de fumer."

"That's not the point I'm trying to make, Delphine."

"I know."

"Do you really?"

She pauses a few moments.

"No."

Imani finishes off her cigarette and crushes it in the ashtray, standing up and massaging her temples. She taps her foot against the floor and paces back and forth in the small space.

"Arrêter cela," Delphine glowers. "You're making me feel even worse."

"I can't sit still," the darker woman admits. "If I stop moving, it's going to just crash down on me."

"Please sit," Delphine begs, her tone flat. Imani hesitates but does as she's asked, sitting down and leaning back against the frame of the tub. Delphine tilts her head back until it's resting on the wall of the shower behind her. "What am I going to do?"

"We're going to get rid of it," she responds almost instantly; Delphine's head snaps up to look at her incredulously.

"We?" She shakes her head the other girl. "Non, I'm going to get rid of it. I can't drag you any further into this-this… whatever it is."

"I'm already in the deep end, Delphine. I'm just treading water, waiting for the next thing to happen," she turns her head to give the French woman a lopsided smile. "You can't force me out of this, even if you tried harder than that."

"It's not right to bring you into this mess."

"Je ne m'inquiète pas vraiment ce que vous pensez."

"Hey," Delphine chuckles, "you can't use French to weasel your way out of this! Or, into it, rather."

Imani joins in on the laughter, but its cut short when her expression turns apprehensive.

"What is it, Imani?"

"I'm probably going to break so, so many laws for you."

"May I ask you something?" Delphine prompts, twisting to better face Imani. The other girl nods in response. "Why are you helping me? I mean, you could have just left me to fend for myself, non?"

Imani seems to mull it over for some time before shrugging halfheartedly.

"You're the most interesting thing to happen to me in a long time," she answers calmly. "Plus, I have a natural curiosity for the weird."

"You're strange."

"I don't think you have any room to talk."

The shovels in the backseat clank together loudly as Imani drives across an old dirt road, her car isolated from the rest of the world by a forest of trees. They've been driving for almost an hour, the entire ride silent except for Imani asking Delphine if she was still sure about this. She was.

They pull off to the side some twenty minutes later, stepping out onto the uneven terrain and snatching a shovel from the backseat. They place them on the ground beside Imani's back tires and head to the trunk, exchanging a glance before popping it open.

The stench is horrible; neither woman know how to properly react to the smell of decaying flesh. Delphine gags and turns away as Imani covers her nose with her free hand.

"C'mon," she struggles to say, yanking on Delphine's sleeve. "Let's… just get this over with."

Heaving the body from the trunk, they drag it off into the woods where they start to dig a hole. Delphine searches the woman's pocket as Imani digs, finding the woman's passport and hotel room card, of which she notifies Imani. Imani couldn't care less, and orders Delphine to come over and help her "dig this damn hole so they can cover her ass." They're not sure how long it takes them, but eventually the ditch is big enough for them to roll the body into, it landing face up and staring up at them with unmoving, hollow eyes.

"This is so creepy," Imani adds; Delphine makes a sound of acknowledgement.

"We're going to have to clean out your trunk…" Delphine shakes her head. "Jésus-Christ. I can't wrap my head around this."

"You're telling me."

"I'm going to get deported."

"Try arrested."

After filling the hole and covering it with leaves and other debris, the pair makes their way back to Imani's car. They go to place the shovels in the trunk, but Delphine stops Imani with a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait, shouldn't we just put these in backseat again?"

Imani scoffs. "We can ruin my trunk all we want, but I will not put a dirty ass shovel on my leather seats." She snatches Delphine's shovel and tosses into the trunk along with her own.

They pull up to a car wash after stopping by the store where they picked cleaning essentials, and scrub Imani's trunk down, getting rid of as much as the smell of rotted flesh as they can. Delphine takes out the carpeting and brushes with bleach and lime, Imani washing the inside out with a power hose and pine-scented cleaner. When they finish, they have buckets filled with soapy, bloody water, which they dump down the drain before putting her trunk back together. As they're walking back to the front doors, Imani calls for Delphine to stop.

"Hey, wait, there's something in your hair," she says, walking around the front of her car to face Delphine and reaching up to pick the object from her tresses. "What is-"

"Oh, it looks like… left over brain matter."

"WHAT?!" Imani screams, throwing it to the ground and squashing it into the pavement with her boot. "I thought you washed yourself off? You've been walking around with brain bits in your hair for hours and you didn't notice?!"

"Hush!" Delphine clamps a hand over Imani's mouth, the darker girl's eye widening in disgust. "My mind was preoccupied."

"Ew, gross, Delpine!" Imani gags, shoving Delphine's arm away. "Out of everything that happened today, that was by far the nastiest."

Waking up the next morning is harder for Delphine than she expected. After refusing Imani's insistent demands for her to stay over again, Delphine rouses in her own bed, even though the previous night all she did was toss and turn, fighting off the nightmares that threatened to take over.

She meets Imani at the elevator on her way to class, accepting the coffee the girl hands her. Imani loops her arm through Delphine's and squeezes it gently, putting Delphine somewhat at ease as they make their way to class together.

Studying once again seems futile to Delphine as she sits at a table in the library, open textbooks and lab notes scattered around her work space. Nothing seems to be sinking in, no matter how much she studies her materials. Her mind is too far off, wondering about the next time she'll run into another version of herself, wondering what this one will be like, wondering if they'll be from another country, wondering if there will be anymore or not, or if the last one was truly the last.

Frustrating herself, she slams her book shut, sending her papers scattering across the ground. She mumbles curses under her breath as she scoops them up, trying to gather them in a pile when her phone begins to chime.

Leaving her papers in a disorganized pile, she reaches for the device to open the text.

Don't look now, but there's some girl with dreads checking you out from the other side of the room.

Delphine looks up and makes eye contact with Imani, currently sitting at a computer across from her. Despite being told not to, Delphine cranes her neck to the side, where she sees an amused looking Cosima staring at her, twisting a pen cap between her teeth. She offers Delphine a small wave and Delphine blushes, giving her a smile in response.

That's Cosima, Delphine replies to Imani, glancing over at her, waiting for her reaction. She reads it, cocks an eyebrow, and smirks as she types out a comeback.

She is totally eye banging you. Go talk to her.

Delphine's blush increases as Imani mouths "go!" to her with a not-so-subtle tilt of her head. Delphine shakes her head, and Imani's stare hardens. Not wanting to be on the receiving end of the girl's glare any longer, Delphine hops up from her chair and makes her way over to Cosima, who pretends to be nonchalant about the exchange between the two women as Delphine takes a seat across from her.

"We meet again," Cosima says coyly, marking her place in her book and setting it down to give Delphine her full attention.

"Bonjour, Cosima."

"Hello."

"What are you up to?"

"Um," Cosima gestures to the array of papers in front of her, "studying?"

"Oh, right."

Cosima chuckles. "What are you up to?"

"Studying, as well."

"Really? It seemed like you were taking out some anger on your poor text book over there."

"Ah," Delphine nods slowly, looking away. "I… couldn't focus."

"Again?"

"A lot has been on mind recently."

Cosima's gaze softens. "Is the whole suicide thing still eating at you?"

Delphine shrugs her shoulders with a sigh.

"You need to relax, Delphine." Cosima reaches over to pat her hand. "Worrying about it won't do you any good."

"I know, but the… the image of her is still si vives. So vivid."

Cosima seems to ponder this before perking up. "How do you feel about getting out of here? I think I know how to take your mind off this."

"Oh? Vriament?"

"Yeah! Grab your things, and tell your friend," Cosima points to Imani who ducks behind her monitor, acting like she hadn't just been watching their exchange, "that you're leaving with me."

"You're quite bossy," Delphine smirks but complies, walking over to gather her things. She sends out a quick text to Imani, letting her know she's going somewhere with Cosima, and Imani responds almost immediately.

Get some.

Delphine laughs out loud, earning an authoritarian "shh!" from the librarian, who only glares at her when Delphine offers a feeble apology.

Cosima is waiting for her by the end of a bookshelf, grasping Delphine's elbow to lead her out of the building and outside

"Où allons-nous?" Delphine asks as she's lead down the sidewalk.

"I don't speak French, you know," Cosima responds idly, looking both ways before tugging Delphine across the street. "No matter how cool it sounds, I don't understand you."

"Right…" Delphine snickers at herself. "Where are we going?"

"First, I'm taking you to get these crazy good milkshakes to go, then we're headed back to my place."

"Nous allons revenir à votre maison?"

Cosima chuckles. "What did I just say?"

"Right, right, Je suis désolée. I'm sorry!"

"Are you nervous or something?" Cosima ponders, craning her neck up to look Delphine in the eye. "Afraid to step into my lair?"

"Non! Not at all. I am not scared."

"I can feel you shaking."

Cosima leads them to a bus stop, where the two women wait patiently for it to arrive, making idle chit-chat to pass the time. Once it comes, Cosima grabs Delphine's hand and pulls her on board, standing up next to her when they find no open seats. They balance themselves with a grip on the same pole; each time the driver goes over a bump, their hands brush against one another's, and both apologize with sheepish smiles at every innocent touch. About ten minutes later, Cosima nods towards the entrance, where they exit the bus once it lurches to a stop. Delphine watches Cosima eyes light up as she spots a quaint diner across the street, one she's never seen before.

"C'mon!" Cosima urges, tugging on the sleeve of Delphine's jacket. "It's just across the street. I swear these milkshakes are, like, killer."

Once inside, Cosima orders them two strawberry milkshakes to go, refusing Delphine's advances when she tries to pay. "My treat," she says with a cheeky grin, accepting their order from the young waitress with a smile on her face. They head outside and Cosima hails down a cab, giving the driver orders back to her apartment complex

They stop outside Cosima's door, the shorter women fiddling with her lock, unable to get it open. Delphine finds it endearing to watch her struggle with something so simple. She manages to unlock the door, doing a little dance of accomplishment and making Delphine giggle. A blush rises to Cosima's cheeks at the sound, and she pulls Delphine inside with her.

Even though she doesn't know Cosima well at all, her apartment seems very her, with trinkets and textbooks littered around the space, used mugs and ashtrays crowding around the computer desk placed in the center of the room. She takes Delphine's milkshake from her hand and puts both of them in the freezer.

"Can I take your jacket?" Cosima asks, shrugging off her own and gesturing to Delphine's.

"Sure," Delphine grins softly, Cosima's fingertips brushing against the skin of her shoulders as she peels the wool coat from her arms. Delphine has to suppress a shiver.

"So, this is my pad. Sorry it's such a mess, I really wasn't expecting any company."

"It's okay, really. At least you have furniture."

"I thought you and your friend went furniture shopping the other day?"

"Oh, yes, well," Delphine trails off. "We did, but we never finished."

"I see," Cosima smirks and disappears around the corner, returning a few seconds later with an intricate looking box in her hands and taking a seat on her couch. She beckons Delphine over with a wave of her hand; Delphine crosses the room with hesitance, unfamiliar with her surroundings. "You don't have to look so freaked, I won't bite."

The rosy blush from earlier reappears on Delphine's cheeks as she takes a seat beside Cosima, who opens the box and pulls out a small ashtray, setting it on the cushion between them.

"Cigarettes?" Delphine cocks an eyebrow. "If you wanted a cigarette, you should have just asked. I have plenty in my ba-"

"No, no, not cigarettes," Cosima cuts her off, retrieving a baggie from inside the wooden box. "Pot."

"Pot?" Delphine's eyes widen. "As in…"

"Marijuana, yeah," Cosima grins cheekily, but her expression turns worrisome as she notices Delphine's apprehensive body language. "Oh, wow, dude I totally forgot to ask if you were okay with this kind of thing. I'm so sorry, Delphine."

"Non, non, don't be sorry, it's just that I've never…" she lets her sentence fall out as Cosima nods in understanding.

"Well, do you want to?"

"What does it feel like?"

Cosima grins. "Why don't you figure it out for yourself?"

Delphine rolls her head from side to side, taking in Cosima's décor from her odd position on the couch. "Your furniture looks strange this way."

"That's because you're upside-down."

"Oh, oui, c'est vrai." Delphine erupts into a fit of giggles as she takes in Cosima's furrowed brow. "Sorry." She goes to sit up right, but stops halfway as she's hit with a sudden wave of sluggishness. "Whoa."

"Yeah, abrupt movements like that are not recommended," Cosima laughs, taking a seat on the floor in front of Delphine, who slowly maneuvered herself into a seated position on the couch.

"Your cushions… they are so soft."

"Dude, you're so baked."

"Non! That is not true!" Delphine responds, licking her lips and swallowing. "I am very thirsty."

Cosima smacks herself on the forehead. "Oh, crap! I forgot about our milkshakes!" She stands and runs over to the freezer, pulling the two drinks out and bringing them back over to the space on the couch, setting them off to the table on the side. "We should probably let these thaw a bit, so, in the meantime…" she reaches into the box to pull out another cigarillo, leaning over to the trashcan to gut out the tobacco. "Let's get stoned some more."

"I like this," Delphine smiles lazily, "this baking think."

Cosima laughs. "Do you?"

"Oui. I feel very light. And hungry. And thirsty."

"If you want, I think I may have some Doritos in my cabinet somewhere. You can go and look for them, if you want. They should be above the stove."

"Those sound so good, but," Delphine turns to bat her eyelashes at Cosima, "I am too comfortable to move."

Chuckling in disbelief, Cosima finishes rolling the blunt and puts her mouth on the end, sealing it closed before she stands up and walks over to her kitchen. "Fine, but only because you're cute."

"Merveilleux!" Delphine exclaims, flopping back down on the couch, stretching her arms over her head. "Cosima, I must thank you."

"For?" She calls out from the kitchen.

"For helping me have such a nice time today. I really feel a lot better."

"Don't thank me," Cosima comes back into view, a bag of chips in one hand and a jar of peanut butter in the other, unlit blunt hanging from her mouth. "It was thanks to the pot."

"Oui, that too, but mainly you, so… merci, chérie." Delphine smiles broadly at the blush forming on Cosima's cheeks. The brunette shakes her head and Delphine takes note of what is in her hands. "Cool Ranch Doritos and… peanut butter?"

"It's amazing."

"It sounds rancid."

"Don't knock it 'till you try it. It's awesome."

"I do not believe you. Two things like that should not go together."

Cosima laughs, nudging Delphine's legs out of the way so she has a place to sit. She puts the items on the floor next to her feet and moves to grab her lighter, hand brushing against Delphine's knee as she reaches across her. Delphine feels her breathe hitch and her skin tingle beneath her jeans where Cosima had touched her.

"That feels funny," she says out loud without realizing.

"What?" Cosima asks, flicking a flame up to light the blunt between her lips. Delphine's cheeks redden.

"N-nothing," Delphine forces a smile as she watches Cosima's lips part, the smoke flowing entrancingly from between them. The smoke twists and curls around the frame of her glasses, turning her into a piece of art in front of Delphine's eyes. Cosima passes her the blunt after she takes another puff, Delphine making sure not to brush her fingers against Cosima's as she takes it from her fingers and lifts it to her own mouth, taking a long drag. She holds it in for a few moments, releasing it casually as she loses herself in the feeling of being relaxed.

Delphine groggily makes her way through the hallway towards her apartment, careful not to make any noise. She left Cosima's pretty late after they had watched a movie, where Delphine had paid more attention to Cosima's face as it crinkled in laughter than whatever was actually making her laugh.

She opens her front door and trudges up the stairs to her room, all but throwing herself onto her bed, completely exhausted. She decided on sending a quick text to Imani, letting her know she was finally home, just managing to wiggle out of her jeans before crawling underneath her sheets.

A ringing interrupts her impending sleep and she fumbles around for it, growing annoyed as it continued to chime. Couldn't this wait until tomorrow, Imani?

"Hello?" She answers angrily, not suppressing the scowl that takes over face.

"H-Hello?" an unfamiliar voice greets her on the other end, and Delphine feels her blood run cold. She holds to the phone out to examine it, only to see it covered in a green case. Oh, Merde!

"Hello?" the voice repeats impatiently. "Juliette? Is that you?"

Delphine panics, putting the phone back to her ear. "Ou- yes, it's me," she answers in the best accent she can muster.

"Juliette?"

"Yeah? What? Do you know what time it is?" Delphine cringes at her own horrible accent, hoping whoever was on the other end didn't pick up on it.

"You sound awful, are you feeling ill?" The woman's voice, whom Delphine recognizes from the other day asks her.

"Yeah… I think I may have come down with something," Delphine whispers.

"Ah, so that's why you weren't taking my calls. I was beginning to think you were ignoring me." The woman chuckles heartily, but Delphine remains quiet, the laughter dying out and turning into an awkward cough. "Well, I guess I should get right to the point, then."

"Couldn't this have waited?" Delphine's heart races in her chest as she continues on the conversation, even though every fiber of her being is screaming "Hang up! Hang up, you idiot! Raccrocher le telephone!"

"Well, no, not really, since you haven't answered any of our calls in the last few days."

Our?

"I'm sick."

"I can hear."

"Can you just get to the point, please? I want to go back to sleep."

She hears the woman huff in annoyance. "I suppose. Has the German contacted you yet?"

The… the German.

Delphine swallows. "Um, yes, she… she has."

"That didn't sound good."

"Well, she did talk to me, but," Delphine sits up, clutching the bed sheet to her chest. "She… she was shot."

"W-…What?"

"She was shot. Killed, right in front of me. Or, on me, actually."

The line is silent. "Juliette, if this is some kind of joke…"

"Why would I joke about something like that?"

"Oh, oh my God. This… this isn't good. Did she at least give you the briefcase?"

"Briefcase?"

"Yes, her briefcase she brought with her. I need it, desperately. Do you have it?"

Delphine thinks back to the park, trying to remember if the German woman had carried anything with her besides that bloody tissue.

"No, she didn't have a briefcase with her when we… spoke, briefly." Delphine rubbed her temples, feeling a headache start to form.

"She…" the woman swallows, "she was staying at a hotel nearby you. Do you possibly have her room key?"

Delphine pauses. "I think I might."

"Okay, well, tomorrow I need you to go and see if she had brought the briefcase with her. It's crucial. I'll be visiting in a few days, and I desperately need what's inside it."

"What is in it?" Delphine implores. Hearing the woman sigh, she feels her heart sink.

"You know I can't tell you, Juliette, not yet." There's a long pause where Delphine hears the woman breathing harshly before clearing her throat. "I should let you get some rest. I'm sorry for calling this late."

"It's okay. Goodnight."

"Juliette, I-" Delphine hangs up before the woman can finish her sentence, her body dropping down to the mattress as her once heavy eyelids now refuse to shut.