The end of Neolution. Sarah has a question. Cosima makes a decision. Delphine and Jennifer talk.

We are nearing the end! (want to ask something? rant? reach me at moreorlez tumblr)

The week that passed was the most eventful week in the history of all of their lives.

It turns out it was a trap; but not exactly the one everybody was expecting.

XXXXXXXXX

"Sarah Manning, my first big success, we meet again!" Susan Duncan smirks cynically as the young brunette is being dragged to the middle of the room by two guards. "It seems like yesterday I had you and your sister in my arms and look at you now, a big rebel who got away from me once; but I'll make sure that doesn't happen again."

At that very moment the door opens revealing a much recuperated Rachel.

"I see you came after all." She supports herself by walking with a cane. "I told you she would come." She gazes at her mother briefly before directing her attention back to her clone "you just couldn't help being the hero as usual." Rachel glares at the men who quickly retreat and stand by the door. "Oh Sarah, Sarah" she walks around the handcuffed brunette slowly "poor brave and courageous Sarah, I assure you we will take good care of you." Rachel slides a hand around the other girl's body and finally grabs her by the neck "come closer I want to tell you exactly what I'm going to do to you."

Mrs. Duncan is pleased with the interaction and moves near a large screen, leaving her daughter to take care of their prisoner.

Rachel watches as her mother steps away, then she pulls the brunette down close to her face whispering "Second floor, third door left" having said that she pushes her to the floor. "Get her ready for the procedure" Rachel commands.

The two guards lift the girl from the floor and take her out of the room. They walked past two hallways never noticing how she's inserting a piece of wire, that Rachel handed her discretely, into the handcuff keyhole. Before they even have a chance to react, one of them is shoved against the wall while the other receives a punch to the face.

…

Three gun shots echo throughout the facility, alerting Mrs. Duncan and Rachel. At the same instant the security alarm for the building is set off.

"What is going…" Susan turns to the security monitor "but…"

Soldiers enter the building from all directions.

"How did they get in here?!" Susan exclaims.

"They must have followed her" Rachel offers trying to look as surprised as her mother.

"I thought you would take care of that! You were supposed to be careful!" The woman grits her teeth. "Ugh, we have to go now." She grabs Rachel by the arm and demands she walks faster.

…

'Third door left, third door left' the girl repeats over and over in her head until she reaches her destination. With one swift kick, the door falls to the ground in a loud thud.

A small head peeks out from under a desk; calling out as soon as she takes in the person before her "you're here!"

"Come here little seestra." Helena opens her arms with a huge smile on her face, happy to finally meet her youngest sister.

Charlotte jumps into her arms readily and holds tightly onto her body. "I knew you would come for me Helena."

Helena caresses her hair softly "of course I came. We make a family" she kisses Charlotte on the head before speaking suddenly intrigued "seestra said you had bad leg."

"Yes, but Mrs. Duncan cured me" Charlotte says nuzzling her face into Helena's neck.

"OK" Helena replies getting back to what she came for "Now don't let go, we have to run fast."

…

Mrs. Duncan with Rachel in tow opens a door to a room that leads to a secret passage, but as soon as they enter the older woman notices to her surprise, someone is already there.

"Leaving so soon? The party just started." Sarah stands to one side holding a gun that is pointed directly at Mrs. Duncan.

"How did you know…?" Susan's eyes open wide as realization hits her "you…" she turns in time to see Rachel standing beside Sarah. "You betrayed me!" her voice is laced with fury.

The woman launches straight at Sarah who pulls the trigger.

The bullet strikes Mrs. Duncan in the chest forcing her back a step. But she never falls to the ground, never bleeds.

"What the…"

Sarah and Rachel are astonished.

"You are not the only one with enhancements my dear" Susan comments staring at Rachel. Then taking advantage of the girls' state of shock, she moves forward again, this time hitting Sarah in the face, knocking her out.

Rachel gasps still unable to move.

The older woman picks up the gun from the floor and aims it at her daughter. "How could you do this to me? To your own mother!"

"You were my mother!" Rachel snaps. "But I saw the change when it happened and I still see it now, you're just like Aldus. To you I'm an experiment, something you can test your theories on." She looks down at Sarah "but to her… I'm her sister; her spoiled evil sister and nothing more."

Her words make Mrs. Duncan go blind with rage "then die with your sister."

She was so focused on Rachel that she failed to see Sarah sprint toward her in an attempt to divert the direction of the shot. Both wrestle to gain control of the weapon.

Suddenly a shot is heard.

To Rachel's horror, Sarah is the one falling and bleeding. That image makes her pent-up anger explode "what did you do!" She holds the cane tightly in her hand until her fingers go white and without even thinking she shoves the object into her mother's face.

The woman almost falls but supports herself by leaning on a wall. She let go of the gun. When she regains her bearings Rachel is standing in front of her.

"I'm sorry… mother." With tears in her eyes Rachel shoots directly into Susan's head killing her instantly. She then drops down next to Sarah crying "don't you dare die after all I've done for you bitch."

"In your dreams pro clone" Sarah manages weakly.

Rachel chuckles placing a hand on Sarah's wound.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"… The last thing I remember is Ferdinand calling for Rachel. He looked like bloody Joxer! It was almost romantic I swear!" Sarah explains as she lies in bed after being taken care of.

Cosima , who is sitting next to the bed, laughs out loud imagining the scene "oh well" she takes her sister's hand, "you gave us quite the scare there huh?"

"Right…" Sarah attempts not to seem guilty "but it was just the shoulder yeah?"

Her sister shakes her head with a half-smile.

Sarah notices that Cosima's gloomy mood is not only related to her condition. She is determined to find out what else in bothering her.

"So…" Sarah starts playing with their joined hands "you OK?"

"Yeah I'm fine." Comes the unconvincing response. At the 'bullshit' look Sarah sends her way Cosima relents "it's just… some things I have to sort out, that's all."

"Is it blondie related by any chance?"

Cosima just shrugs.

"C'mon spill" Sarah encourages her nicely.

Tired of fighting it and also needing to tell someone how she's feeling, Cosima replies "well, there's something going on there but… she's got a girlfriend or a fuck buddy or whatever" she can't help the bitterness in her words.

"Oh!"

"And to make things worse the girlfriend was injured in combat and Elise is really worried about her and ugh I really don't know what to do about it."

"Shite."

"Yeah."

During the moment of silence that followed, Sarah traced Cosima's tattoo with a finger, considering her next words very carefully. "Cos?"

"Hmm?"

"That girl, Elise…" Sarah swallows "she's Delphine right?"

If she's surprised by the question, Cosima doesn't show it. She just lets out a big exhale but doesn't say anything.

Sarah gets anxious "hey, just tell me the truth."

Cosima looks down at the bedspread while her mind evokes all of the things that transpired at the base with Delphine. The first meeting, the conversations, the looks, Jennifer, the break down, the incident… and also everything they still need to clarify. But what really stands out though is how different she found Delphine to be. It is like she actually was someone else, some stranger whom she shares memories with; but who she is willing to get to know again. Having taken everything into consideration, and her mind made up, Cosima states "No" She locks eyes with her sister "that soldier who I've been spending time with these past months is not Delphine. She's definitely not Delphine" her voice is full of conviction.

Cosima may not have been surprised when Sarah asked the question but she definitely is now watching Sarah's reaction.

The other brunette seems like she was slapped in the face; her lips begin to tremble. She turns her face away to try to hide her tears.

It is then that Cosima understands that Sarah wasn't asking out of curiosity or in need to discover lies, but because she really wanted Delphine to be alive. She felt really bad having to do this to her sister but Delphine was clear, nobody could know about her real identity, not even her sisters. So instead she holds Sarah's hand soothingly to let her know she's not alone in her pain.

"Do you really like her? Elise?" Sarah asks after a while desperate to change the strained atmosphere.

"Yeah, uhm…" Cosima tries to explain in the most honest way possible "she's the closest I'll ever get to the original right?" She shrugs. "Besides she has a killer body" she comments with a smile to lighten the mood.

Sarah laughs rolling her eyes. Soon she turns serious "You know? You've started being yourself again since you met Elise."

Cosima listens intently considering her sister's words.

"At first I thought it was because she…" Sarah shakes her head and continues "but whatever reasons you have, just go for it, there's nothing wrong with that yeah? If she makes you happy then it's good."

"I don't know Sarah, right now is…"

"Rubbish! Don't let a twat get in the middle of you and tough blondie. If things are complicated right now, well then just be there; mark your territory or some shite like that! Get to know her, let her get to know you and go from there."

"You make it sound so easy" Cosima is doubtful.

"Because it is!" Sarah huffs.

"But you…"

"I'm fine! But I'm gonna be even better knowing that you are fighting for what you want. Marion is still here, you can tell her to take you with her. Seriously Cos go!"

"OK, OK fine you are right I should… and maybe" Cosima stops because she is rambling. With her mind made up she lets out a "thank you" and leans in to hug Sarah.

"Yeah, yeah" Sarah reciprocates avoiding getting too emotional "Now go and get your girl already!"

…

Cosima enters the room where Siobhan and Marion are having tea. Close by them on the floor is Helena playing with her baby, Kira and Charlotte.

"Uh sorry to interrupt" She directs her attention to Marion "but I was wondering if I could go back with you to the base? You know to work on finishing the cure and stuff" Cosima waves her hands nervously.

Marion is taken aback by the request "oh um… sure no problem with me but uh I think you should talk to Elise first." She takes out her cellphone and hands it to her. "Press number one."

"OK thanks" Cosima grabs the phone and walks away in search of a more private area. When she reaches her destination she immediately makes the call.

"Yes Marion?" Delphine answers in her usual professional tone.

"Oh hi, it's me."

"Co-Cosima!" Delphine stammers as she was not expecting the clone to be the one on the other end of the line.

"Yeah listen" Cosima paces back and forth. "Everything seems to be under control around here now, so I was thinking that I'm ready to come back to the base."

"Uh um…"

Cosima senses the hesitation from Delphine but she still waits for the blonde to speak.

"I-I'm not at the base… at the moment."

"What? Where are you then?"

Delphine doesn't respond.

It didn't take long for Cosima to get it "Ah! ... You're with Jennifer."

"Yes uh…" Delphine is getting nervous and begins to speak faster "well, with Neolution's main heads already down, Marion thought the rest of the members would be worried about escaping rather than looking for us, so she allowed me to pay Jennifer a visit to um- verify her state… and all."

"Oh that's- that's fine, I understand." Cosima clears her throat "How-how is she?" She rubs her neck with her free hand.

"She's been improving slowly. She just regained consciousness yesterday but the doctors are optimistic." Delphine cringes wondering why she's saying all this to Cosima.

"Wow, that's good news" Cosima tries to sound concerned. She holds the phone to her forehead controlling her sudden anger and worry. She's tempted to tell Delphine to call her back when she's done playing nurse with Jennifer but Sarah's words keep resonating inside of her head.

"… If things are complicated right now well then just be there."

"So," Cosima states a few seconds later "I'm returning to the base anyways to work on the cure and the other stuff. You just take your time, no worries."

"Wh- seriously?" Delphine is surprised and skeptical.

"Yeah I mean you're coming back at some point right?" The question comes off with a hint of concern.

"Of course!" Delphine hurries to clarify "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Or as soon as you want" Cosima thinks rolling her eyes but replying "OK then it's settled, see you soon bye." She hangs up before she says something inappropriate.

Delphine remains standing with the phone in her hand, confused. She turns her head to gaze at Jennifer who is sleeping due to the medication she was given. "What am I gonna do with you?" Delphine whispers willing herself to come up with a solution to her emotional predicament … and soon.

…

Cosima was immersed in the work when Delphine arrived four days later. She didn't over think it or make any preparations; Cosima was determined to just let it be and let nature take its course. She found that approach was really good for her sanity and her mood, so she kept working and waited for the blonde in complete serenity.

"Good morning" Delphine approaches tentatively as she enters the lab.

"Oh hey!" Cosima takes her eyes away from the microscope to greet the blonde "Welcome back!" She throws her usual cheeky grin before turning her attention back to the instrument.

To say Delphine wasn't expecting a nice welcome back from Cosima would be an understatement. She stops walking and continues to stare at the brunette.

"And how's Jennifer doing?" Cosima asks not taking her eyes away from the sample.

"Uh she-she's better" Delphine replies astonished.

"Good, good" Cosima nods into the microscope. When she notices Delphine is not moving she says, "I know you must be tired and like stressed out and shit but this cure is not gonna confirm itself, I need your brain here. C'mon!"

That makes Delphine react "right yeah, of course!" She starts checking data still bewildered.

….

To Delphine's surprise, the rest of the week was the same; they worked in a peaceful atmosphere and Cosima was being Cosima. For a minute there she thought maybe the brunette was being extra nice or trying too hard but she then realized it was Cosima's attempt to be normal, being them and nothing else. That was what encouraged Delphine to put her feelings into words while they were at dinner together one day.

"Cosima?"

"yup?"

"I want to be with you."

Cosima looks up from her meal, leaving her fork on the table and focusing her attention solely on the blonde.

Delphine takes a deep breath and continues. "I may be confused about certain things, I mean I'm a human being with emotions and flaws and needs; and I've been through hell and back with the knowledge that like you, I had a clone, and with this transformation it sometimes makes me lose my mind." She shakes her head at the thought of everything that had overwhelmed her "but if there's only one thing I'm sure about, it is that I want to be with you, I want you. Even if it is through another person's life or afterlife for that matter it's you, it's always you. I'm sorry things are difficult at the moment but this goes beyond our reach for now." Delphine takes Cosima's hand, "I need you to understand there is nothing more I want than to be able to start again with you, where we left off, but many things have changed; you and I have changed. Also we have to take into consideration my new identity and how we are gonna manage it, I mean there's a lot we have to discuss" she sighs tightening her grip "and unfortunately I feel this is not the right time, at least not yet." Delphine grimaces bracing for the impact that is Cosima's wrath.

"I know."

For the umpteenth time this week Delphine is stricken yet again by Cosima's response. "You know?" That's the only thing she can come up with.

"Yeah, I mean I understand it's not the right time; everything is in a mess now so… and I also understand there are many obstacles that we have to overcome." Cosima pauses "I'm sorry for wanting to rush you - us. It's just that I was kinda desperate, I thought you were going to leave or something and I didn't want to risk that happening; I'm really sorry."

Delphine wants to say she has nothing to be sorry for, but Cosima keeps talking.

"I've been thinking a lot these past days and I realized we never really did the whole 'normal relationship' thing you know? We never really dated or had the 'get to know each other' dance and stuff. I mean you already knew me but…" Cosima waves her free hand "everything happened so fast and it was so messy that we never really had the chance to create a solid loving structure for ourselves."

"You're right; you're so right" Delphine marvels. It really never occurred to her that it was exactly what was missing in their plans for a future together; a structure.

"So…" Cosima toys with Delphine's fingers "what do you say if this time we start from scratch? We can hangout, talk, be cool; take it slow you know? And see where it takes us?" She throws an eager glance in the blonde's direction.

That makes Delphine smile with genuine hope after so long, "yeah sounds amazing."

They remain holding hands for a little while before continuing with their day.

…

"We already have seventy percent of the list terminated. If we are lucky the troops will find another twenty percent" Marion informs.

"The remaining ten percent is what we have to keep track of and prevent them from joining up again to bring Neolution back." Delphine counterparts.

"Precisely! As for Rachel, Ferdinand took her to a secure location but he already knows we are keeping an eye on them. It's Rachel after all; we can never be sure."

Delphine nods but then suddenly asks "and where is Charlotte?"

Marion beams with pride at the mention of her daughter. "She's with Shay. She wanted to be here with me at the meeting but I convinced her to take a break from all of her hard work. It took me a while to convince her; sometimes I forget she's a LEDA girl."

Both Marion and Delphine laugh at the clones racy attitude and innate stubbornness.

"And how are things with Cosima?" Marion asks a few minutes later.

"They're very good actually. We are making great progress with the cure and we're communicating really well, better than at other times."

"I'm glad to hear that." Marion stands up and smiles at Delphine as she takes a hold of her shoulder. "Just a few more details we need to discuss and you will be free to start your new life with Cosima."

"I'm looking forward to that."

…

Two months later

Delphine steals a few side glances at Cosima who was too preoccupied in her task to notice she was being observed. She still can't quite believe how understanding and mature Cosima has been these past months. They've been talking openly about many subjects and trying to be as honest as possible about their feelings. Even when Delphine felt conflicted and went to Cosima for reassurance, she was always there with the right words that helped to keep her grounded. Cosima never made a fuss over her visits to Jennifer, which was remarkable. It felt really good, a nice change with a promising future and she liked it.

"Hey, check this out!" Cosima calls out with excitement.

"OK." Delphine examines the project Cosima was working on. An ample smile makes its appearance across her features as she looks up at Cosima.

"And?" Cosima inquires with a grin of her own.

"And… we're done!" Delphine confirms happily.

"Yes!" Cosima throws both arms up in the air "we did it!"

"We did it."

Like it was something they always do, they wrapped their arms around each other in a tight hug. At first it is tender; a way to congratulate themselves for their amazing scientific discovery. But soon it becomes a display of affection that brings back memories and familiarity they've been lacking. Cosima and Delphine are comforted by the warmth and smell of each other. When they part they do it slowly without disconnecting the contact completely. Their eyes meet in an intense gaze full of love.

Delphine senses it, the urgency to connect her lips to Cosima's and give into her emotions, but she knows if she does it now, there's no turning back. First there is something else she needs to do. So with a lot of effort she pulls away. She utters softly as to not to startle the brunette "You know, there's gonna be a final meeting with the leaders of all confederate bases next week. I was thinking since we are finished here, you could go and spend some time with your sisters and as soon as I'm done I'll join you in Toronto."

"Oh" Cosima attempts to break the spell from the embrace before replying "sounds fine, I really need to see those nuts" she chuckles nervously. "And… is Jennifer attending this meeting?" Cosima couldn't help asking.

Keeping the line of honesty open Delphine responds "yes, she has confirmed her arrival." She glances toward Cosima as she adds "actually I really think I should talk to her; to give closure to whatever we had; I mean it is the right thing to do before you and I consider becoming a couple."

Cosima's mind runs a mile a minute with unpleasant images "yeah obvs, it makes sense" she tries to ignore that nagging feeling and keeps a positive attitude.

"Hey" Delphine grabs her hand "we are going to be fine, OK?"

"OK."

At that moment both believe it.

….

During the meeting, Delphine was distracted; the whole time rehearsing in her mind what she wanted to say to Jennifer. She didn't want to come off rude or insensitive towards the other woman. She was very aware it could be the last time she would see the brunette and found that thought a bit sad so she didn't want to end it on a bad note. They could be civilized and mature about it; there was no need to worry.

When the meeting finished, Delphine leaned over to help Jennifer with her crutches but the woman stops her.

"Don't go all pity on me Cote; I'm quite capable of doing this on my own" Jennifer says half-jokingly. "See? Piece of cake!" she says once she succeeded at standing up by herself.

They quietly go to Delphine's office.

Delphine was sure they would have the privacy that she was seeking there. Once inside she attempted again to help Jennifer but her glare was enough to make her desist and sit down at her desk.

Jennifer sits opposite Delphine.

"So this is about you and your girlfriend?" Jennifer breaks the awkward silence "cause you don't have to say anything you know. I already had that conversation with her and everything was pretty clear."

Delphine could tell she was annoyed. "Um… she's not my girlfriend yet. We're taking it slow." She provides unnecessarily.

Jennifer's brows lift at the news "oh!" she tries to mask her surprise. "I didn't take you for the sappy one Elise" Jennifer mocks.

Delphine shrugs blushing in the process.

Seeing the shy reaction Jennifer presses on "Let me guess, you're also quitting the army to pursue a normal life with her?"

At this Delphine squirms in her seat, unable to meet the brunette's gaze.

"Oh wow!" Jennifer exclaims "you're really head over heels with this girl huh?

There's no need for Delphine to say anything, she knows Jennifer is hurting. It is not her fault and she knows it, but that doesn't stop her from feeling guilty. "Jennifer" she begins by getting the girl's attention "I really wanted to give this situation a proper closure, to end it on good terms with you? I don't know what it was that we had, but I need you to know it meant something to me. I care about you, a lot."

Jennifer's mood becomes serious again. She remains quiet for a few seconds before she continues. "When the bomb exploded and I fell to the ground several feet away, two things came to my mind: my eighth birthday, that's when my dad gave me my first military gear." She smiles at the memory "my whole family was there, it was perfect." She sighs then staring into Delphine eyes "the other one was your face… at the exact moment you came that first time we slept together after your accident" she holds her gaze lost in her reveries "I don't know what it was about that day but there was something so raw in you, like you lost yourself in me and… for a moment I felt you were mine." Jennifer then attempts to stand up.

Delphine rounds the desk in a rush to help Jennifer. She places both her hands on the brunette's hips.

The movement is so sudden that Jennifer almost loses her balance; she gets needed support by grabbing onto Delphine's shoulders to steady herself.

They are face to face now, able to feel the breath of the other.

Jennifer studies Delphine's face, her features and her expression until she ventures "Can I ask you something?"

Too engrossed in the moment, Delphine manages to only nod.

"If Cosima wasn't in the picture, would you consider being with me as my girlfriend? For real?"

That is a question Delphine doesn't have to think or analyze much, she just answers with the truth "yes" her voice is soft but clear "I would."

Jennifer's features light up with a grin that reaches her eyes. Her vision focuses on the blonde's lips now "let me have you one last time Elise" the request lingers with intent.

Delphine gaps gulping "I… I can't, I…"

"You just told me you're not with her yet, so you wouldn't be cheating on her if that's what you're concerned about." She wraps her arms around Delphine's neck. "I want to end this with a boom, better than the one in the explosion; lets leave good memories here on your desk and on your bed before you start your knew life as a civilian."

"Jennifer we shouldn't." Delphine bites her lip while staring at the lips of the brunette. The offer is so tempting and her denial doesn't sound convincing at all and Jennifer knows it.

"I really need you now" Jennifer runs a hand along Delphine's side in a teasing manner.

Truth be told, Delphine wants this, wants to indulge in this one last opportunity she has to taste the body that kept her satisfied and company for many months; even if her mind is telling her it is a bad idea, that it will complicate things with Cosima now that they were getting along so well. But she's running out of excuses. "But your leg…"

"It's just a leg baby; I can assure you the rest of my body works just fine."

At this point Delphine is barely keeping it together, her mind clouding with desire "please…" she utters pathetically.

"C'mon" Jennifer, already knowing she has won, whispers in her ear "I know you want to."

The familiar phrase doesn't escape Delphine and that's all the encouragement she needed. She grabs Jennifer by the ass and lifts her onto the desk.

With a grunt Jennifer pulls at Delphine's body positioning her between her legs "fuck me!" That's the last thing she says before her mouth is devoured in a hungry kiss.

Delphine allows her passion to take control over the situation. She will deal with the consequences later. For now she only cares about the woman in front of her, who from the very moment she met, couldn't deny her body to.