A/N: I realize my update schedule has gotten all cattywomped, again. My apologies.
Not for much longer, though. I've actually finally finished writing this fic! So, a long chapter for you here, which should cover some of your questions, and after that, two more chapters left - for those of you who like to know that sort of thing.
I am writing other Cophine stuff, though. So, there's that.

Thank you for coming with me on what has personally been a very uneven and trying journey. I hope the last few installments of this fic bring you somewhere close to where you wanted to go with it.

I just kept breathing.

I just kept reminding myself to be thankful that we were all alive, intact, uninjured. My sisters, my coparents, my lover, my son.

Through the confusion and questioning I told myself to remember that this was not the past, when all was in danger, that things had changed. I reached down with my qi and felt the ground supporting me, my muscles loosening and sinking downward with gravity. When I had a moment I turned my wrists in circles, releasing the clenching of my hands, and pulled my shoulders up tight, high around my ears, then let them drop again.

That's the thing about PTSD. You can have it under control for a long time. You can even think it's gone. But sometimes triggers spark those little switches inside you, making connections long bypassed, and tendrils of panic shoot through you, trying to innervate every part of your body, throwing you into fight or flight mode, or trembling, stuck, in-between.

But I had trained my mind, my body, my spirit, for years. I could acknowledge the fear and not drown in it. I could do this. I could do this.

When the government agents arrived with the medics they secured the scene and examined the fallen. They separated and briefly interviewed us: Sarah with one questioner, covering her nerves with a look of mildly hostile boredom, Helena in a car with another, my boys in a group, and me with Delphine, whom they tried to separate, but let stay when I refused to let go of her hand. Agent Meacham, who seemed important and seemed to be familiar with Delphine, somehow, gave a nod to approve it.

The story unfolded: how I had called Delphine and told her to contact Helena and Sarah (through Mika, though we tried to leave that out,) who were already on their way to protect Sevvy, Teo, Michael and me; how they had then hatched their hasty, new plan; how Delphine had rung up her contacts with the authorities while she was enroute separately from my sisters; how they had parked away from the coordinates and made their way by foot to surround Charlotte and her hired gunmen; how Helena had shot tranquiliser darts and Delphine had shot Charlotte in the shoulder when the younger clone appeared about to squeeze her trigger, Michael slamming into her at almost the exact same time.

My heros.

The helicopter, which had moved higher and been circling for a while, descended again, and the fallen, via bullet and sedative, began to be raised with a cable and a gurney. Agent Meacham leaned closer to us so she could be heard.

"Alright, we're going to take you in for some more questioning now, Ms. Niehaus. Dr. Cormier—"

"Please don't separate us," I blurted, covering our joined hands with my other, free one. "I, I promise we don't even have to say anything to each other on the ride over. It's just…" I swallowed and looked at my love, taking in her kind, concerned gaze as her sweet hazel eyes looked down at me. "I know I've been off-grid for a while, but it was just to stay safe, and now I know my sisters and Delphine have been known to you all this time… I'm okay with this. I just nearly lost my son, though… I need some support."

Agent Meacham took us both in for a moment, and I saw a look pass between her and Delphine. The agent nodded.

"Okay, Ms. Niehaus. Agent Cobb will be in the car with you. Once we get to the facility we'll need to ask you some questions alone, though." Delphine squeezed my hand.

"Okay," I said.

It took several hours.

After the quiet ride in the car to a nondescript office building, Delphine followed Agent Meacham down a hallway, while I was asked basic questions and I agreed to let them take my fingerprints. Then the wait began.

Michael, Teo and I were together in a small waiting room guarded by an alert agent for part of it, Sevvy mostly dozing on Michael's lap, until they were called in to talk to the agents, and Sevvy was passed to me. The tea I'd been given by a guy from the front desk was going cold, but I sipped it anyway. I had been sitting there for who knows how long, at least a forty-five minutes, alternately sorting the phylogenetic tree and trying to envision happy, safe scenes, when Sevvy mumbled into my shoulder.

"Mommy?"

"What, buddy?" I asked.

"I'll see you at home," he answered.

"Huh?"

Teo and Michael entered the room.

"They're letting us go," Teo told me, reaching down to take Sevvy from my arms. "We can take him home, now." I blinked. This knowing thing Sevvy had was still going to take some getting used to.

"How are you holding up?" Michael asked me, his expression weary, and I was so grateful again that he hadn't shut me out.

"Holding," I shrugged. "I don't suppose you can tell me anything about what they asked you?"

"Uh-uh," he answered, as Teo murmured Spanish endearments to Sevvy, who had rested his head on his Papa's shoulder. "But… it wasn't too bad." Both of us let our eyes travel to the agent at the door, who continued to watch us impassively.

"Okay," Teo said, nodding at us. "Cos," I met his gaze, "it will be alright."

"Right," I said, releasing a held breath, and they shuffled out, Michael patting my shoulder as he passed.

I looked at the agent. He looked at me. I think I made a face.

"Cosima?"

I started as Delphine swung around the doorframe, eyebrows raised at me, reaching out a hand. I was on my feet and grasping her fingers with mine before I knew it.

"Agent Meacham wants to talk with you. I'll be with you for the beginning, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded, relieved.

We entered a small office, where agent Meacham was seated at a desk, and took the chairs facing her.

"Ms. Niehaus," she acknowledged, and looked me directly in the eyes. I fought the urge to squirm a little. After a moment, she settled back slightly in her chair.

"You and I both find ourselves in an interesting situation," she began. "Your life, of course, has been unusual to begin with, due to your origins and your dealings with DYAD. You also have managed to be one of two of all of your… sisters who have remained almost completely outside of our recent records." She paused, and I realised I appreciated her avoidance of the term "clones," at least.

"Let me be clear," she continued, "when I say our government has records on your unusual family, that's not the same thing as monitoring you as DYAD and other factions have done in the past. A number of government and international agencies have been involved with this case over the years, and I can't speak for the rest, but this agency, under the current administration, takes the view that you are full human beings and citizens, not just assets or study subjects, and as such deserve to be treated with respect. Of course, we must protect the interests of our country, our international allies and the general populace, but we do our best to operate within your and your sisters' interests, allowing you, as much as possible, informed consent."

My eyebrows were probably halfway up my forehead by the end of her statement. I noticed I had joined hands with Delphine at some point, and she squeezed mine.

"'As much as possible? What does that mean?" I asked, and my skepticism came through in my tone. Agent Meacham linked her fingers together on her desk and seemed to measure her response for a moment.

"It's a balance," she finally said. "We—most of us—recognize the difficulty of your situation, having been bred and born by design as experiments. Personally, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, and I make sure the agents in my team are trained to understand what that might mean for a person. However, along with our goals to protect you, we do have duties to ensure that the science that made you possible, as well as the other studies DYAD conducted and continuing science that results, are used only in the best interests of our people and, of course, the greater good."

"Okaaay," I acknowledged, cocking my head, "but any chance you can, maybe, be a little less vague, here?" Delphine squeezed my hand again. When I glanced at her, she was giving me one of her wide-eyed, can-you-tone-down-the-attitude looks, but I couldn't help it. To my surprise, Meacham let out a little chuckle.

"I wish that I could, but let's just say this: You're a smart woman, Ms. Niehaus. You know already how DYAD could have taken advantage of genetic engineering advances, from patenting disease treatments and anti-aging therapies to 'designer babies,' to providing governments and other factions with means to alter reproduction for thousands of people or produce biological weapons. We'd like to look out for you, but those issues are our concern, too."

I had to admit to myself that she'd laid that all out abut as clearly as I could expect… for something probably top-secret, anyway.

"That's… fair," I said, and swallowed. "But what does it mean for me and my family?"

"Well, that depends on you," she answered, spreading her hands. "I've been assigned to this case for a long time, so I can tell you that there are some people who aren't happy that you and your other sister, Veera Suominen, have continued to refuse contact. In her case, her hacker skills make her a wild card and a potential liability. She certainly does things that are illegal, and while previous administrations may have wanted to prosecute her for that or control her, we'd prefer to work toward getting her cooperation." She cocked her head back at me, and I was impressed by her direct but seemingly unhostile demeanor.

"Now, I know you can't control her decisions on that, but I hope you can be an influence, as your other sisters might be. As you know, Sarah, Alison, Krystal, even Helena and others have formed agreements with us. I think they can tell you that we don't interfere too much, and that things have evolved for the better. But let's get back you, specifically."

Almost as if on cue, the door opened, startling me a little, and the guy from the front desk came in with a tray of mugs, a box and an insulated pitcher.

"Ah," Meacham said, as the tray was placed on her desk. "You like tea, right? Want any? We've got black, green, chamomile or rooibos. Or Jared can get you coffee."

I sat there for a moment, thinking. Obviously, this was a gesture to win me over, right? This wasn't just being nice. But… ultimately, how much did that matter?

"Chamomile," I finally said, hoping it would calm me. "Have you got any honey?"

"Yeah," she answered, and the guy flipped open the box, showing rows of tea bags, sugar and sweetener packets, stirrers and honey in plastic packets. He slipped back out of the room and Delphine leaned forward to make a mug of my requested brew for me. I watched her do it, recognising it as yet another one of the ways she both took care of me and acted as a quiet, protective mediator. The lines below her eyes showed how tired she was, yet she still acted with such determined grace for my benefit.

Meacheam put together a cup of plain green tea for herself and settled back again, waiting until I was settled and blowing on mine.

"Here's our offer," she started, and I quickly focused back on her. "We want your assistance. You managed to formulate a cure, track down your sisters and administer it to them, all the while staying enough steps ahead of my predecessors that they never found you. It's very impressive, Ms. Niehaus, and few people have insights like you do. We could use someone like you to help us make sure the science is developed in a way that's beneficial to the world. We'd like you to work with us. Of course, we'd also like information on how you managed to stay under the radar for so long, but that's secondary, and I imagine you'll want some time for us to earn your trust."

The old me would have scoffed, but I settled for staring right back at her, breathing evenly.

"And what do you mean by 'work with?' Or do you mean 'work for?'" I probed.

"Well, you will be compensated for your work, although the amount of hours and the schedule will have to be determined. We'll also probably ask for your help in working with others who were a part of DYAD and related studies, like researchers and more of your genetic identicals. Trust me when I say we want you to be comfortable, so you won't lack for funding. There will most likely be times we need your immediate and concentrated assistance, but you will be allowed to live where you want, with your family, as long as you maintain contact." She reached to the side of her desk and picked up a folder, placing it in front of me. "We would support you resuming your studies and completing your degree. We'd actually prefer it if you do, but that's up to you. We would at least like you to catch up somewhat on the latest studies. Whether or not you participate in lab research yourself is negotiable, but we want you on our team, at least as an advisor. After all, you have a vested interest."

I blinked for a couple seconds. My jaw must have been hanging open.

"That's it?" I asked. "What's the catch?"

Meacham put down her mug, her shoulders moving in an almost imperceptible sigh.

"That's it. The catch is you sign a contract to work for us, to remain in contact, to not disclose sensitive information to other parties. The other catch is that you're in again. You have information other people may want, though not all of it. You have to think about the implications of genetic engineering and face how different parties want to use it, which isn't always pretty. You get a quiet life, mostly, but what you do in this project will have larger ramifications." She leaned forward, more emphatic.

"You have a chance to make a difference, Ms. Niehaus, not just to your sisters, but to the world. Your sisters started it by exposing DYAD. Now you have a chance to carry this beyond that, to helping ensure something unethical like DYAD's projects doesn't keep happening again and again."

It was a lot to take in. I faltered. Meacham glanced at Delphine, who tugged on my hand. I turned to her.

"Cosima, you know how it was for me before. I was forced to work for the military. But Sarah and I, and the others, we've been talking with the agency, and… it seems different, now. What they're offering us, on paper… we can have our lives as we've wanted to live them. You can have your life, whether you want to study full time or stick with teaching yoga, or… whatever you want to do, you can be close to your family." Her look was sincere, if strained. The old part of me wanted to ask what they had promised her, but I knew how that would come out. I looked back at Meacham.

"And if I refuse?" I felt Delphine sag a little next to me. Meacham blinked. "I'm not saying I'm going to," I added quickly. "I just want to know my options. And I don't want to be pushed around."

Meacham leaned back in her seat once more. She sucked on her teeth, then nodded.

"Of course," she said. "I'm going to be honest with you. Personally, I would recommend in my report to let you go and live your life, and that probably would happen. But you'll still have the knowledge that you have, and there are still people who will want it, both within our government and outside of it. There are also people who aren't happy that you disappeared and did things like cross borders illegally and evaded taxes. They could try to prosecute or punish you, one way or another. And, let's not forget, it wouldn't reflect well on your sisters' agreements with us that they aided you, not to mention Dr. Cormier's neglecting to inform us you two were in contact. The bottom line is, it could be alright, or it could lead to trouble for you and your family, and I certainly can't guarantee that you wouldn't receive harsher treatment from future administrations. All I can do is tell you that if you work with us now, my team will do our best to help you set up the life you want to live and protect you." She looked me directly in the eye, again. She reminded me a little of Art, with her straightforward manner. "I promise you that in good faith," she intoned.

I wasn't sure what to say. How do you trust someone completely in that situation? But I liked something about her. She didn't seem evasive, even if she clearly could only say so much, and she didn't sugar coat it. I also knew I could ask Sarah and the others about her. Things seemed to have been fine for them for a while, until this nightmare with Charlotte. There was more to learn, but… maybe this could be a good thing.

I looked at Delphine. She said things were different, now, that it had been better. She was able to have her professorship and lead a normal life…

I know I must have looked tired and overwhelmed, because she read my expression and said to Agent Meacham:

"It's a lot. Maybe Cosima could see her family and sleep on it?"

Meacham looked back and forth between us and nodded.

"Take the paperwork, look at it, talk to your family, get some rest," she told me. "We'll contact you tomorrow." She picked up the handset from the phone on her desk and pressed a button. "Jordan, please come and show Ms. Niehaus and Dr. Cormier out." She rose.

I stood up slowly, a little baffled, Delphine's hand still in mine.

"I can go home now? Is someone going to tell me what happened with Charlotte? Is someone going to be watching me?"

A small smile, or perhaps smirk, tugged at the corners of the agent's mouth.

"Yes, you can go home, now. I'm sure Dr. Cormier can fill you in on more. And yes, there will be someone keeping tabs, outside your house, partly for your own protection. I hope it reassures you to see I'm telling the truth."

All I could do was give a small nod at that. Before I knew it, Delphine had taken my arm and walked with me behind Jordan to find her car pulled up for us outside the nondescript door. We both took a breath.

"Would you—would you like me to drive you to Teo and Michael's?" she asked, a bit tentative. I turned to her and saw the worry in her eyes, so I slipped my arms around her, and pulled her to me in a hug.

"Yes," I answered. "Take me home, and please tell me what the hell you know about all this on the way." She gave me a squeeze, which I returned and let myself revel in for a brief moment, then murmured in her ear, "and after that, don't let go of me tonight, okay?"