"I don't know... I mean it was so good, and then it just went to shit. I was being kind of a jerk but I thought I was defending her honor you know and then I let my fears consume me. I was a little Christian Grey...I mean, I was just so aggressive and possessive. I thought she was fine, I mean she hadn't said she was upset about it until we got to my room. That's when all hell broke loose and she told me she knew about Shay. It was literally the perfect storm of bullshit man. I totally blew it…After she did all of that for me…After we had amazing sex. I mean seriously I've never felt so connected to another person physically…Honestly, I just think my commitment issues and fear of rejection reared their heads and made me act like a supreme a –hole."

"We can hear you Cosima!" Samantha shouted as Cosima spoke rather loudly on the phone in the back of their bus.

"Sorry, it's my sister…" Cosima apologized, knowing they'd probably grown tired of hearing about her confrontation with Delphine as she recapped with her siblings.

"The cool one or the other one?" Theresa asked jokingly having met her siblings on a few occasions.

"Hey…"She started to defend her sister but she knew they were right. "Okay… it's the cool one. Sarah says hello by the way. And I'll try to keep it down." Sarah laughed on the other end of the phone before agreeing to have Kira call back before the match.

…..

On the way to Commonwealth Stadium for their second match in the tournament, the US team was in high spirits and preparing for a grudge match. Cosima was as focused as she could be considering that he hadn't heard from Delphine since she'd left on Tuesday. Aside from a one sentence text that said she'd landed in L.A., it was complete radio silence.

It was now Thursday morning and she was still reeling from their argument. While she was sitting back in a row by herself, Coach Kent approached her with a hesitant look.

"Hey Kid, for what it's worth I'm sorry. I honestly had no idea." The coach had found out about her hand in contributing to Cosima's somber mood from one of her players and hadn't had it in her to address it until now.

"Coach, its fine…you didn't know and I should've found a way to tell her myself. This is my own fault." In the days since the incident Cosima had done some self-reflecting and gathered that she needed to take responsibility for her mistakes. She still wanted to be with Delphine but she knew this was going to take more than a few days for the blonde to get over.

"Okay, if you need to talk about this I'm here…In the meantime can we make sure we destroy Brazil today?" The coach suggested with a gentle hand to Cosima's shoulder.

"Yeah, I have a lot of pent up aggression that I want to release and unfortunately I've gotta take it out on them." Cosima replied confidently in order to mask her devastation. Thus far, she'd managed to put on a brave face around her team.

"They've had a lot to say about us, you specifically. Correia had some choice words." The coach continued, hoping the information would further rile up her star player.

Cosima laughed to herself, knowing exactly why her opponent was so averse to her.

"Yeah Nathalia never has anything nice to say about me, she thinks I stole her girlfriend." Cosima chuckled as she reminisced about their history together.

"Yeah well whatever the reason you know you need to shut her up. We're all behind you, just shake this other stuff off for 90 minutes."

Although the thought of ignoring her feelings about Delphine was laughable, she was sure she could use the frustration to her advantage.

"Alright Coach, I've got this. I'm more than ready."

….

"Hi Auntie Cosima, it's me…"

"I know who it is; I'd recognize that voice anywhere. How are you Monkey? I miss you terribly." Cosima was thrilled to hear from her niece after the days she'd had.

"I'm okay I guess…I miss you too." Kira answered, sounding less cheerful than her usual self.

"Okay you guess? What's going on? Do I need to beat someone up? I'm way stronger than your Mom by the way." Cosima teased, despite her curiosity about what was bothering her niece. Kira was almost always in a joyful mood and managed to help pull her out of her own morose sulking after her break-up with Kathryn.

Kira giggled at the joke before offering a serious reply, "It's just well….it's just that Mom has been sad about Grandma and I don't know what to do, she was crying this morning and she told me she was fine and not to worry but I don't want her to be sad."

Cosima wasn't expecting to hear it but she wasn't surprised. Their mother's death anniversary was approaching and it was always a hard time for all four of them. She was shocked however, to find out that Sarah had allowed Kira to see her like that and that she hadn't mentioned it earlier when they were on the phone.

She paused to think about her response knowing she may have been out of her depth in the matter.

"Oh Monkey…it's complicated. There's nothing you can do and it's no one's fault. It's just that sometimes you miss someone more than usual and it makes you sad. I'm sure your mom is just fine. In the meantime can you do me one small favor?" Cosima hoped her words would calm Kira since it was the best she could do while being miles apart.

Kira seemingly accepted Cosima's explanation and she already knew where this was going so she beat her aunt to the punch.

"Good luck Auntie Cosima! I know you can win, you just have to do that trick I taught you." Kira suggested with a snicker before becoming silent to portray her seriousness regarding her suggestion.

Cosima had to hold back her laughter when remembering the ridiculously difficult move Kira had tried to teach her and replied.

"Okay Dear, I'll try okay? Thank you for wishing me good luck. And don't worry about your Mom, she's okay."

Kira agreed and they said their goodbye's before Cosima asked her to give the phone to her mother. She took a moment to tell Sarah that they needed to talk and hung up with her.

After the call, she took out her necklace for her pregame ritual and held it longer than usual. The mention of her mother's anniversary made her a bit contemplative. With the past two weeks being emotionally taxing, she just considered how much she wished her mom was there to help her through it. Sure Alison was motherly, but she was also uptight and naïve. Her mother had grown up in a different world than they had and had seen far more than they knew. Her wisdom and understanding was what helped her cope with her sexuality in her teens.

As Cosima sat there with a pensive look, Samantha and Margeaux came to retrieve her.

"Let's go Niehaus, we need our leader." Samantha said with a supportive pat on her back before Cosima rose from her seat to join them in the huddle.

After the U.S.A. chant and a pep talk the team roared onto the field to take on one of their most difficult opponents.

Almost immediately, Cosima spotted Nathalia Correia warming up with one of Brazil's trainers. Once the woman spotted her, she gave an eerie grin as if she knew something Cosima didn't before returning her attention to the trainer.

Cosima brushed off the odd look and began her warm-ups, with a renewed sense of purpose. She planned to not only win, but to crush her rival in the process.

…

"All the way home? Why?" Thomas whined as he watched Delphine gathering ingredients.

"I miss my Mother, she's getting older and now that she's separated from my father I need to visit her more. Besides, I can use a change of scenery."

"If this is about that woman I'm gonna flip Delphine. You can't leave right before my production starts. I need your support." He folded his arms petulantly, obviously allowing the wine change his demeanor to bratty.

"It's not! I have been thinking about this since things started going downhill with Olivier a few months ago. I need to reconnect with who I truly am because this town is draining me. That and my mother needs me. I'll be back in time to see your show, multiple times even. Don't worry." Delphine nearly shushed him, knowing that nothing he said would change her mind.

"Okay well are you going to tell Mama about everything? You know about your break-up…the illicit affair with a professional athlete…and so on?" He jested as he made silly romantic kissing gestures with his lips just to toy with her.

She rolled her eyes lightheartedly before turning to continue what she was doing.

"I just said she was old, do you want me to give her a heart attack? She may be friendly with the gays at her theatre but her own daughter is a different story...I'm just relieved none of my foolish public displays of affection have gotten back home. I guess being with a female Lothario makes it easier to be written off as just another hook-up." Delphine said in an exasperated tone as she moved around her kitchen.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I don't think dreads can help it. She's just like Juan Carlos, people like that just can't commit." He shrugged, giving Cosima an excuse that he wasn't sure she deserved in order to keep Delphine from blaming herself.

Delphine paused at the comparison and waved off the notion.

"Thomas, Juan Carlos was a cheating bastard just like his friend my ex-boyfriend and I will not allow you to lump Cosima into that group of philanderers. She was…. She's just not ready for a relationship as intense as the one we were developing and she acted foolishly." Delphine defended Cosima much to her surprise seeing as she had slandered her repeatedly during the two days they'd been apart. She was clearly acting on emotion and had finally calmed enough to consider the reality of their situation.

"Yeah okay I get it, she may be a scoundrel but she's your scoundrel. I'll leave it alone. Just know that I think she really does care for you. Based on everything you've told me it seems like you two have quite a connection... She just needs to get her head out of her ass and tell you how she really feels." Thomas stated knowing that despite Cosima's mistakes, nothing was irreparable and he honestly thought she was good for Delphine. Cosima certainly brought out the old Delphine he'd met when they were at grad school together.

"Oui, she's just stubborn and I really don't have time to worry about that right now. I just want to focus on my trip home and starting my next project. I'm going to be traveling." She grinned at the thought of being away from Los Angeles and all of the drama that had been surrounding her for the last few months.

"Okay sweet cheeks, sounds like a plan. In the meantime though, can we get a move on with the lunch, I'm starving here?" He teased with a pat on the stomach causing her to throw a nearby oven mitt at him in response.

…

After lunch and about an hour of intense binge drinking, Thomas retreated to the couch to sleep off his buzz. Delphine dragged herself up the stairs to her room and turned on her laptop to search for a live stream of Cosima's game. No matter how heartbroken she was over their fight, she couldn't miss the opportunity to watch Cosima play. It was a way of connecting with the woman and seeing who she was on a basic level. With no words there was no chance to upset one another, just an opportunity for Delphine to be a spectator of Cosima's skill in her craft.

Once she found the right link, she began to watch the opening ceremonies. Seeing Cosima in her uniform reminded her that she had the woman's sweatshirt in her luggage. She'd meant to return it while in Vancouver but she'd left so abruptly she never got the chance.

In a moment of sentimentality, she rose to retrieve the sweatshirt and held it up to her nose before inhaling. It still smelled like Cosima and the cologne she wore and it made her eyes well up. She knew she'd been harsh with Cosima when she'd told her not to contact her but at the time she felt like it was for the best. In the back of her mind she thought Cosima would simply ignore her request and contact her anyway, much like she'd done when she was asked for space. To her surprise however, Cosima never even responded to her text about arriving at the airport. She was sure she'd read it and assumed it was just the brunette's way of honoring her request.

As the game began, Delphine saw Cosima on the sideline looking rather intense. She knew this was an important game for her and hoped desperately that their situation wouldn't affect her focus.

Once the game began however, Delphine was enthralled with Cosima's ability and her fears dissipated. The way Cosima moved, the way she led her team and the way her legs looked in those shorts all caused a familiar reaction in her. She was excited, both for Cosima and by her. She felt so proud to see that someone she cared about was so talented.

In addition, as the match progressed Delphine noticed a few scuffles between Cosima and an opposing player but assumed it was just part of the game. This casualness ended after a particularly violent shove from Correia while going for a loose ball. After the hit, Cosima looked upset and Delphine shouted at the screen in frustration. The yell must've been louder than she realized because 2 minutes later Thomas appeared in her doorway looking confused and disheveled.

"What on earth is going on in here? And what are you wearing?" He asked while wiping sleep from his eyes.

Delphine turned bright red at the question and bit her lip in embarrassment before smiling.

"Um…not Cosima's sweater if that's what you're implying…" She joked as she buried her face into a pillow and laughed.

Thomas couldn't help but grin at his friend as he joined her on her bed and pulled her up so he could put an arm around her.

"I see…well how's our girl doing?" He asked, not wanting to chastise her when she was obviously pining. He was honestly rooting for Cosima and hoped they'd beat the rival team.

"She's doing well, but number 5 is being very unsportsmanlike." She replied with a grumpy tone.

"Oh well yeah she hates Cosima. They've been rivals since college. That chick thinks Cosima broke her and her girlfriend up. Haven't you been watching ESPN?" He asked seriously, as she looked at him in surprise.

"Non, do you watch ESPN Thomas?" She replied with a laugh.

He rolled his eyes and scoffed at her shock before answering.

"You know I'm an avid soccer fan D, Juan Carlos made me watch matches with him all the time." He reminisced about how good his Spanish ex-boyfriend looked in their teams' national jersey.

"Oh oui, desole. I forgot…but I admit it doesn't surprise me that this rivalry is over a woman…I am surprised that I never knew about this in school." She admitted, having no recollection of Cosima having this conflict.

"Oh well duh, Correia just went public about it during the last world cup. She can't stand Cosima, she thinks that she's a cocky American and grossly overrated. She recently vowed to bring her down a notch."

Delphine cringed at the threatening remark before she spoke.

"Well she is a cocky American…but that's one of the things I like about her…"Delphine cooed as she began to recall their first few interactions and how insufferably charming Cosima's confidence became.

"Okay okay, she's so cool and cute and charming, give me a break. You are literally nuts right now. One minute she's a jerk and the next you're swooning. Make up your mind Sybil." He joked but completely understood what she was going through having been there with his ex.

Before she could comeback at him, she saw Cosima advancing down the field with the ball and became entranced. It was two minutes away from halftime and the game was still scoreless. Brazil's defense rivaled America's almost identically. Statistically they were almost on par. Their main difference was in the center midfield position. While Cosima was a leader, she was still known to pass and put faith in her teammates to make crucial plays. Correia on the other hand, was a ball hog and wanted the praise for herself often stealing passes from her teammates to make plays.

As Cosima passed the halfway line, she stopped to set up a play. She looked for an open teammate before Correia came began to charge toward her. Seeing her opponent approaching, she passed to Samantha before moving around Correia to get open. Samantha passed it back and Cosima had the ball just outside the penalty line and dribbled free of another defender to get a better shot. After freeing herself of the defender she prepared to take a shot before she was tripped hard on her left side.

Delphine gasped in horror at the foul and hugged Thomas reflexively. She turned her head away in fear that she would see Cosima in pain. By the time she turned back to the screen, she saw that Cosima was still standing and exhaled in relief. She was still worried sick but was happy to see the woman was still on her feet.

After her initial shock, Cosima stumbled forward but remained standing until she attempted to walk. The first thing she realized was that her left ankle was weak. She knew she would be allowed a direct free kick and was considering whether her ankle was strong enough for her to take it. She looked over at the referee who was currently being verbally assaulted by the culprit. Correia was shouting expletives in Portuguese and waving her hands wildly.

After berating the ref, her yellow card quickly became a red card and she was escorted off of the field. The entire stadium booed her as she left, with some fans even throwing things at her as she entered the tunnel.

A few teammates rushed to Cosima's side to check on her but she waved them off. She assured the ref she would be able to take the kick before placing it and getting into position. She began to feel pain in her ankle before taking the shot but felt she had enough strength left to get off a good one.

As she got into position she began to sweat and had to fight to shake off her nerves. Once she centered herself, she focused on her task and attempted to ignore the pain that was now rising up her left calf to her hamstring. She winced as she backed away from the ball and subsequently launched it right over the wall into the upper right corner of the goal. The goalie had been tricked into thinking she'd shoot left and was nowhere near where it when it landed.

The entire arena erupted as she scored and she made the mistake of jumping in excitement only to land on her backside. Her coach took notice of her fall and sent the trainers to look after her.

Delphine was too busy cheering after the goal to notice Cosima on the ground being examined. Thomas managed to get her attention and direct it toward what was happening. Once she realized Cosima might actually be injured, she sobered and fought back her urge to become emotional.

"Niehaus! That was amazing. She's out and we're up. I'm sorry she took a cheap shot but I love you for scoring that goal. They're most likely lost without her. Great job Kid." Coach Kent's excitement was obviously distracting her from the reality that her starting midfielder was wincing on the turf.

"Thanks coach, now can we get me up off of the ground?" Cosima jested as she reached up for the trainers to help her off of the field. Her teammates came to receive her on the sideline, congratulating her on scoring. It was pretty obvious that she wouldn't be back on the field after the half so they promised to make sure they won for her.

As the time wound down in the half Cosima was carted into the locker room and attended to. The medic on-site gave a preliminary diagnosis of a sprain but she would have to follow up with a physician.

Cosima was still furious that Correia had blindsided her and taken her out of the game so after being examined she retreated to the locker room alone. The team had returned to the field and she sat with her wrapped ankle and cursed the woman who'd put her in this position.

After she calmed down a bit, she grabbed her phone and noticed several missed calls from her sister. Knowing Alison's tendency to worry she sent a text to update her and forward to the rest of her siblings. She knew she wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk.

After 20 minutes of solitude, she changed into her warm-ups and returned to the field on crutches. The American fans applauded her and she was relieved to see that her team was up 2-1. She joined her coach on the sideline and cheered on her teammates.