I have the pleasure (and relief) to announce that from now on this fic will be focusing completely on Cophine (cause god! I don't think I could handle more OB craziness anymore) I want to thank all those who take the time to leave a comment or a review; it's a very important encouragement for me to continue writing, keep them coming!
*If you need a visual for the new character I recommend Troian Bellisario as Lauren, google it!
It was three weeks later before Cosima returned to the base. With the team already protecting the clone club in case Neolution attacked; Delphine thought Cosima would feel more at ease leaving her sisters. Using the excuse of working on the cure in a 'proper lab' and doing other relevant research, she felt she could bring Cosima back without much of a problem. Luckily Sarah was too busy with her own stuff to put up much of a fight; otherwise, the story would have been different.
When Cosima finally arrived, as Delphine had anticipated, things weren't going as easily as the first day they reunited.
Both had the time to process the situation and think about the implications of it; questions, clarifications, and discussions were still necessary. Also it had been almost a year; they knew things were different now, and it would be difficult in trying to fix them. This time they were both cautious and a little shier, like testing the waters.
"Welcome back" Delphine greets Cosima at the entrance of the facility with a bashful smile.
"Hey, hi!" Cosima replies nervously.
Delphine then looks behind Cosima and states "that will be all for now, you are dismissed."
The soldiers that escorted Cosima departed immediately.
"Can I …?" Delphine takes Cosima's small suitcase as she guides her inside the facility.
"Oh sure, tha-thank you."
As they begin their walk Delphine informs Cosima "uh since it's already late I was thinking that I could show you around today and first thing tomorrow we could start with the research."
"Yeah, that sounds like totally cool."
The awkwardness continued throughout the tour; both stealing glances at each other without saying anything remotely personal. After a while, they arrive at their final destination.
"This is your room" Delphine opens the door, leaving Cosima's suitcase next to it. "Mine is the last one to the left" she points at the end of the hallway. "In case you need anything."
"Ok" Cosima nods and enters the room, still facing Delphine.
They stand there in silence; Cosima expectantly, Delphine composed.
"Well…" Delphine says when Cosima doesn't seem to require anything more from her "I'll see you in the morning at seven in the cafeteria. Have a good night." And just like that she retreats to her own room.
A bewildered Cosima opens her mouth but no words come out, she watches powerlessly as Delphine walks away. Frustrated she closes the door.
And what were you expecting? A kiss goodnight?
Cosima chuckles at her own naivety.
Patience young padawan; you have to win her over again. She still pretty much acts like a freaking soldier but I bet I can peel those layers off and find the real Delphine. Just let things happen, let her come back to you, you have time.
With that decided, Cosima goes to bed, planning her next moves for the rest of her stay at the base.
The following day things went surprisingly well, probably because they were in a familiar area for the both of them; a lab. There they felt comfortable enough to start with small talk.
"And what's your routine now? Like as a soldier and all" Cosima begins the discussion.
"Let me see…" Delphine's head moves to the side while considering the question "I wake up at five and do some training for about two hours…"
"Two hours!"
Delphine chuckles at Cosima's astonishment "yeah, I know. It was hard at the beginning but now I'm used to it; I find it really relaxes me, keeps my mind focused you know?"
"Right obvs"
"Then at seven, as you can see for yourself, I have breakfast."
"Breakfast? That was more like break-fat. Dude now you eat like a freaking baby dinosaur or something."
"What!" Delphine laughs blushing "shut up! I exercise now, I need more carbs and protein it's only natural."
As Cosima joins in the laughter she can't help realize they've never had an interaction like this before; being casual and talking about nothing of importance. She also notices that she misses the French accent that always accompanied her former lover's speech. She wonders if she will ever hear it again.
"…and the rest of the day I just stay here at the lab or help Marion with some planning. How about you?"
They continued to interact in a similar fashion for the rest of the day. Feeling more at ease with each other but still not quite in the same place they were in the past.
That night, Delphine walked Cosima to her room again but this time her demeanor wasn't as light as earlier in the day. Cosima noticed but didn't mention it in case Delphine felt pressured.
"Cosima," Delphine says, once they reach the door.
"Yeah?"
"We need to talk."
Even though they were talking all day, Cosima knew what Delphine was referring to. "OK" she nods with a solemn expression.
Delphine looks to the side, suddenly nervous. Then she seems to come to a decision "tomorrow after breakfast?"
"Sure" Cosima stares at Delphine's face; a mixture of emotions reflected in the blonde's features.
She is biting her lips, like holding on; wanting something.
But then Cosima can see all of that disappear with a shake of her head.
"Alright, good night Cosima" with a final glance Delphine leaves her alone.
Once she's behind the door Cosima lets her emotions get the better of her.
Oh my God, she totally wanted to kiss me this time! And tomorrow she may want to talk about us? About getting back together?
She smiles with excitement. OK, OK maybe I'm getting ahead myself, but I better be ready. Cosima goes to the closet and chooses the best outfit for her encounter with Delphine. This is going good, really really good!
…
The next morning arrives and Cosima has barely gotten any sleep. She has spent all night trying to come up with possible scenarios and the appropriate words to say. She started to get dressed really early in the morning so by 6:45am she was ready and very anxious.
She says she starts exercising at five, so I bet she's already in her room getting changed. Should I go and pick her up for breakfast? Would she think I'm too presumptuous? cheeky? Ugh -she debates mentally - oh fuck it! And with that she moves down the hall to Delphine's room.
Cosima's hesitation lasts only a second in front of the door; she quickly knocks before she has a chance to lose her courage.
When the door opens, she looks up expectantly to greet her blonde love but in her place is a tall brunette, dressed in only a pair of panties and a worn out military t-shirt, that stands in front of her.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
A year ago
As Marion had told her the night before, she was currently filling Delphine in with all the pertinent information related to Elise.
"The problem starts with the barren process; you may want to take a look at it when you find it suitable." Marion states after Delphine asked for Elise's synthetic sequences.
"I will" Delphine replies scanning the data.
"And this is Jennifer Adams" Marion hands Delphine a folder.
Delphine opens the folder, and takes in the picture of a soldier attached to the first file. "And who's this?"
"That's…" Marion leans on the table "Elise's lover."
Delphine jerks her head up with eyes wide open.
Marion had to physically conceal her smile "like I said lots in common." She shrugs and continues with her explanation "Jennifer belongs to one of our confederate bases. She comes once a month to keep me updated with recent discoveries and progress, I give her instructions and the rest of her time she spends with Elise. She usually stays for two or three days. Her last visit was a few days ago, that means she's not expected for another three weeks but either way I'm gonna postpone her next visit so that will give you enough time to prepare yourself."
Overwhelmed Delphine only swallows and nods.
"I actually think that would give us the chance to see if you are able to be a credible Elise. Let's take it as a test so to speak; in that way you can improve whatever you need to."
"OK uh OK" Delphine answers absentmindedly; visions of what could happen already bombarding her thoughts.
2 months after
Delphine was exhausted. It wasn't enough with the military training, the dialect coach, all the data regarding Neolution, and the operation she had to deal with, but she also had to watch Elise's footage every single day; reminding her constantly of her clone's sacrifice and making her feel like shit. The worst part is she didn't have time to dwell on it; she just had to move on and work hard on the mission. Her only consolation at the moment was seeing Cosima again and that was motivation enough for her to continue. So she quietly analyzes the videos, paying special attention to each of Elise's words and mannerisms.
Marion enters the video room a few hours later. "How is it going?" she asks standing by her side.
"OK I suppose" Delphine replies, not taking her eyes away from the screen.
"Good." Marion takes a brief moment before adding "Just so you know Jennifer is coming on Friday."
Delphine pauses the video, and remains silent.
At the lack of response Marion offers "but if you think you can't handle it yet I can postpone her visit to …"
"No, it's fine" Delphine interrupts her "I… I think I can give it a try and see how it goes" her expression is full of insecurity and not at all convincing.
Marion accepts the answer anyway, having in mind they really needed to test her abilities "OK then I'll be the one talking to her first and informing her of your accident, the rest will be up to you."
…
By Friday Delphine was a nervous wreck. She is sitting in Marion's office waiting for Jennifer, who is currently talking with Marion. Delphine has been going over all the details very carefully in her head, and is hoping with all her being that everything goes without incident.
…
"A coma! She was in a coma!" shouts Jennifer in shock.
"Yes, she remained in that state for about two weeks as a result of the concussion. But her recovery has been surprisingly fast and positive, she's still under medical supervision but there's no indication of a relapse. She actually began working with me again last week and so far she's been doing just fine."
Incredulity is written all over Jennifer's face "and it didn't occur to you to let me know about her condition the moment it happen?" she reproaches the older woman.
"Actually Jennifer no it didn't" Marion adopts her best 'Top side' stance "you are not a direct relative of Elise's nor her spouse; therefore I have no obligation to communicate anything to you related to her state of health. I am simply letting you know out of courtesy; because of the nature of your personal relationship with her and also because I don't want you to be alarmed in case you notice any unusual behavior on her part."
"Wait, unusual? What do you mean unusual?"
"Even though she's been progressing rapidly the doctors couldn't assure me she will be one hundred percent the person she was before the concussion. At the moment she's still presenting indications of partial amnesia, some personality changes and confusion.
Jennifer clenches her jaw as she runs a hand through her hair, containing her anger "fuck" she mumbles to herself. She takes a moment to regain her composure before speaking again "can I see her now?"
"Of course, she's in my off…" Marion observes the retreating figure of Jennifer "…ice."
…
The door bursts open startling Delphine.
"Elise!"
The young brunette moves toward Delphine and grabs her by the face.
"Oh my God, are you OK?" Jennifer moves her head from one side to another inspecting the blonde and then runs her hand down Delphine's contours.
Basically being felt up by an unfamiliar–and attractive- woman has Delphine momentarily paralyzed. Until she makes eye contact with Marion, who is at the door, and indicating to her with her hands what she should be doing.
"OK, OK that's enough!" Delphine, getting into character, stands up forcing Jennifer to step back.
"But Elise, your head…!"
"I'm fine Jesus Christ! Can't you see me?"
Marion observes the interaction quietly.
"Yeah I see you but you are not fine, you should be resting" She turns to the older woman "Marion I'm sorry but I think she should be resting."
Delphine rolls her eyes "can you cut the drama already? What we need to do is get back to work, which was exactly what we were doing before you interrupted us, Marion?"
Jennifer was about to protest when Marion's voice is heard.
"Actually…" Marion steps inside her office "I think Jennifer is right. In your condition, I may have forced you back to work too soon; we should take it slowly from now on." She takes Delphine by the shoulder "we did enough for today. Why don't you go and take the rest of the day off? It may be good for you."
Delphine glares at Marion with a 'what the hell are you doing' look.
For her part Jennifer sighs relieved "thank you Marion. C'mon you heard your boss let's go" She holds Delphine by the hand and leads her out of the office.
As they walk away, Delphine turns back to give Marion a terrified glance, to which Marion respond with a smile of encouragement.
…
As soon as the door of Elise's room is closed, Jennifer throws her duffel bag down and grabs Delphine's face giving her a kiss. It catches the blonde off guard but she reciprocates it anyway.
"Oh Elise" Jennifer stares at Delphine's face "Are you sure you feel OK?"
Still rather dazed Delphine tries to remember how she's supposed to respond "yeah, yeah I'm OK I just… I'm a little stressed out that's all" she backs away to create some distance between them.
"OK" Jennifer stands in the middle of the room.
Delphine sits at the edge of the bed to gather her thoughts. With eyes on the floor she rehearses in her mind the common phrases Elise once used. When she thinks she has got it under control she looks up, only to see Jennifer undressing.
"What… what are you doing" she utters doing her best to hide her nervousness.
"What do you mean what am I doing? I'm gonna take care of you."
Before she can even come up with a reply, Jennifer is in her panties and removing her bra.
Delphine turns to the side gulping.
"I wish you would've told me sooner" Jennifer comments while going to Elise's closet. "I could've been here for you, you know?" She picks up a shirt and puts it on. She then faces Delphine with hands on her hips "look, I know where we stand alright? But I care for you Elise!" Jennifer slowly walks to Delphine and crouches in front of her "I want you to promise me you'll let me know or have someone tell me if something happens to you OK?"
The blonde only nods not having anything to say.
"Alright, now off with this" Jennifer pulls at Delphine's shirt. "I'll help you here" her hands already working on Delphine's boots.
'Oh my God!' Delphine panics inside. Of course she was expecting this to happen at some point, but she didn't imagine it was going to be so soon. Nonetheless she strips off her shirt and waits for Jennifer to remove her belt. 'What a perfect day to decide not to wear a bra huh?' she laments internally.
"Up"
At the command Delphine lifts her hips and watches helplessly while the other woman removes her pants. There's nothing she can do, except wait.
Jennifer stands up and gasps when she takes in Delphine's almost naked body.
"Where did your muscles go?!" Jennifer exclaims roaming her hands over Delphine's shoulder and arms.
The touch created a shiver that ran down Delphine's spine; making it even harder for her to come up with something coherent to say.
"This is so fucked up" Jennifer huffs with frustration. "C'mon lay down on the bed" she finally says.
Delphine obeys moving into the center of the bed.
"On your stomach"
'Shit…' Delphine does as she was told.
Jennifer crawls onto the bed, straddles Delphine's hips and sits on her ass.
Delphine couldn't help the blush that crept along her face at the feel of Jennifer's body on hers. She's thankful the brunette can't see her from her position.
'What is she gonna do; what is she gonna do…' Delphine wonders with eyes closed shut, bracing herself for what is coming. She feels Jennifer's weight shift and suddenly an involuntary moan escapes her lips.
"Oh baby you are so tense" Jennifer coos as she applies more pressure onto Delphine's back.
'A massage; a simple delicious and innocent massage!' Delphine sighs already enjoying the ministration she didn't know she needed so bad. The soft but firm hands on her back are slowly soothing her from all the tension she's been enduring all this time. So she happily lets it happen.
A few minutes into it and Delphine can feel her body starting to react with the physical contact. It may be the months without sex, the pretty girl performing the task or a mere physiological urge but she's undoubtedly getting wet from it now. 'This shouldn't be happening' she squirms willing her mind to take control over her body.
Taking it as a sign of discomfort Jennifer stops and lets her body fall next to Delphine.
"You OK? Did I hurt you?" her voice is laced with concern.
It is now that they are face to face that Delphine can really appreciate the beauty of this woman; the brown of her eyes, the contours of her lips and the dimple on her chin. Also to her delight she notices how dilated the woman's pupils are, the heavy breathing, the slightly parted lips. 'She's turned on too, Delphine concludes. And it's probably what invites her to lean forward and connect her lips with Jennifer's.
Jennifer accepts the kiss gladly; making it even deeper. They continue to make out until Jennifer feels one of Delphine's hands roam around her hip and then slides it under her t-shirt.
"Ugh, wait" She puts her hand over Delphine's to stop her from going any higher.
"Hmm?"
"I don't think this is a good idea Elise" Jennifer lets out with obvious reluctance.
"Why not?"
"Cause you're still not well" Jennifer tries to reason.
Delphine sighs exasperated "I told you already I'm fine!
"But Marion said …"
"Shhh" Delphine puts a finger on Jennifer's lips "do you want me to call Marion and ask her if we can fuck?"
Jennifer throws her head back laughing out loud "As tempting as it sounds to know her answer to that I'll have to say no."
While she's still laughing Delphine takes the opportunity to hold onto Jennifer's ass to get her close to her body.
Jennifer gasps while making an effort to continue speaking "Elise uh…"
"C'mon…" Delphine whispers in the brunette's ear knowing her will is already crumbling "I know you want to."
That seems to do the trick because in an unexpected move, Jennifer has her on her back on the mattress.
"OK,OK" Jennifer concedes straddling Delphine's lap "on one condition…" as she proceeds to remove her t-shirt "I'm the one doing the whole job."
"I can work with that…"
…
The morning greets Delphine with a pleasurable sensation in her body; it takes a couple of seconds for her to notice it's coming from her crotch. She looks down and the view that meets her is to die for: Jennifer's head bobbing rhythmically between her legs. The vision provides enough stimuli to have her coming barely after two minutes.
"Hmm" Jennifer climbs up her body with a satisfied smirk "don't mind me I was having the breakfast of champions" she leans down to devour Delphine's mouth.
Tasting herself on Jennifer's tongue makes Delphine forget all reservations about her lady-loving skills and flips them both, now positioning on top of the brunette.
…
Leaning her back against the headboard, Delphine enjoys the sight of Jennifer's naked form just four feet away, drinking from a bottle of water.
Sensing she's being observed Jennifer turns to Delphine with a flirty smile. She observes Delphine quietly and then shakes her head with a chuckle.
Having witnessed her contemplation Delphine gets curious. "What?"
"It's just…" Jennifer bites her lip "you've never let me top you before."
'Oh crap' Delphine wished that she had been privy to Elise's sex life information prior to their encounter. She's about to give a response when Jennifer continues.
"But I like this change" Jennifer shrugs "I for one don't mind one bit to be in control from time to time." She offers with a lustful glare.
"Sounds like a plan" Delphine clears her throat wanting to change the subject "what time is it?"
"Nine forty two."
"Shit" Delphine jumps out of bed and runs to the on-suite bathroom.
"Let me guess, meeting with Marion?"
…
Delphine opens the office door, finding Marion already submerged in her work.
The woman chances a glance at her "I'm deducing everything went well with Jennifer" she comments with a knowing grin.
"Uh yeah, yeah" Delphine takes a seat in front of Marion "I still have to wait for the next couple of visits to be absolutely sure, but until then there's been no inconvenience."
"Well, if you keep distracting her like that I don't think you'll have any problems" Marion resists the urge to keep teasing the flustered blonde and carries on with their daily activities.
…
By the third visit, Delphine has become a pro at handling Jennifer's presence. They had fallen into what she assumes was the regular routine between Elise and the brunette; which included sex, lots of it.
And now in bed, with a sleeping Jennifer in her arms she wonders if this is how Cosima felt while she was dating Shay; just a simple woman with whom she can forget about imminent death, heartbreaks and betrayal. A pretty face that offers light conversation, comfort and glorious sex with whom she can share mundane tasks like eating or exercising.
Now she understands why Cosima clung onto that affair with such stubbornness. It was because she wanted to forget, because she wanted to be normal, because with Shay in that tiny apartment nothing else mattered, nothing could hurt her… or at least that's what she thought.
Delphine sighs looking at Jennifer pondering also if in moments like this, in the arms of the other woman, Cosima ever thought about her.
XXXXXXXXXX