Chapter 4- The Perfect Dinner
The music rang out in Delphine's ears as she felt her heart rate pick up. She smiled and waved at neighbours enjoying their morning coffees on their porches as she ran passed. She'd run this route a few times before, just happy to be back to exercising. She ran through the City Park and looped back home, feeling her lungs just barely start to burn. She got to the front lawn and took the time to slowly stretch on the lush grass, newly green after the freeze.
Her attention turned to the empty flower beds and she started planning out a garden in her head. Thoughts of her mother flooded her memory. She'd been taught to be a housewife and she'd always fought that idea. But now, now it sounded quite nice. She remembered coming home from élémentaire to her mother elbows deep in the garden, picking fresh vegetables for dinner as she bounded up the steps and entered a home full of the scent of fresh bread and cookies. She scanned her new home and could imagine her child doing the same. They could have memories like that.
Delphine took a deep breath, enjoying the slightly damp smell of vegetation. She could still see her breath, but the air was nice and balmy. Spring was just starting.
After a nice stretch, she headed inside to a still sleeping house. Quietly climbing the stairs, she made it to her bedroom and saw Cosima asleep in bed. The brunette was tangled in the sheets, seeming more like a bundle of blankets than a person. Delphine smiled and chuckled slightly, shedding her workout gear and tossing it in the hamper in the bathroom. She walked over to Cosima's side of the bed and stooped down to leave a light kiss on her forehead before she continued to the shower.
The water felt so good on Delphine's slightly chilled skin. She couldn't help thinking about how great this life was. Her legs were comfortably sore from her run and she flexed them as she scrubbed the sweat from her body. She stayed in the warm stream of water a little longer than usual, enjoying this time to herself.
After her shower, Delphine blow dried her hair, deciding that she would keep it tucked back in a bandana until she was done cooking and cleaning. She exited the bathroom and opened her brand new wardrobe. She pulled a sports bra over her head and secured her chest in place, simply pulled on a pair of overalls, and finally tied the red bandana around her head - making sure that it kept the hair out of her face. She made the decision to forgo her makeup. She'd have to shower before people arrived anyways. After dropping another light kiss on Cosima's cheek and popping her head in to Charlotte's room to find the girl just as fast asleep as her sister, she headed downstairs to start cooking.
Charlotte was up first. Delphine heard the footsteps upstairs and pulled the breakfast plate she'd made for the girl from the oven, placing it in front of a barstool at the island she was working at. She then poured the girl a glass of water and a cup of orange juice, adding utensils to the plate and making sure that the ketchup was accessible. She'd noticed that the girl liked to slather her eggs in it. Delphine had made sure to make a nice, complete breakfast for them as she knew they would be working hard that day. Setting up a dinner party was a lot of work.
Once she was satisfied that Charlotte's breakfast was ready to be eaten, she turned back to the stove and stirred the pot of rice. She had bread rising and the turkey was cleaned out and ready to be stuffed with the rice and mixture she was working on. The asparagus was washed, chopped, and hanging out in some water. She took a step back and sighed, using the back of her wrist to wipe the sweat from her brow.
"Is this for me?" Charlotte asked
Delphine jumped and put a hand to her chest
"Ma belle, tu m'as surpris. You surprised me" Delphine explained, sucking in a deep breath.
Charlotte giggled "Perdu dans vos pensées? Lost in your thoughts?" Charlotte asked, taking a seat at the island.
Delphine nodded "And yes, that's your plate."
Charlotte smiled "Thank you. It looks great."
Delphine winked at her "We need to feed you up so we can put you to work. We've got that big party tonight."
Charlotte nodded "Oui, je vais rencontrer mes cousins. Yes, I'm going to meet my cousins." Charlotte saw the tea cloth covered bundle next to her and peeked under it. "Mmmm fresh bread. Quoi d'autre cuis-tu? What else are you cooking?"
"Umm, rice, cranberry, and asparagus stuffed turkey with fresh bread and a garden salad. Tu m'as rappelé que j'ai besoin de l'aneth pour la vinaigrette. Quand Cosima se lève pourriez-vous s'il te plait sortir avec elle pour l'acheter? Elle ne peut pas dire à l'aneth du persil. You reminded me that I need dill for the dressing. When Cosima gets up could you please go with her to buy some? She can't tell dill from parsley" Delphine asked.
Charlotte laughed around a bite of ketchup-slathered egg and nodded.
"Merci" Delphine thanked her.
She then put her efforts back on the meal. When Charlotte was done, she gave the girl the task of preparing the glaze for the asparagus, written on a recipe card. Charlotte eased in to the task.
"Musique?" Delphine asked
Charlotte nodded and smiled, carefully measuring the ¼ cup of maple syrup.
Delphine plugged her phone in to the speaker and turned on her favourite cooking playlist: a soft, French coffee house mix. They cooked side by side until a particularly upbeat song came on.
"Care to dance?" Delphine asked, extending her hand.
Charlotte nodded and took it. Delphine twirled her, giggling. The French woman then caught the young girl, dipping her down with an arm only to swoop her up again. Charlotte couldn't stop giggling.
This is the scene Cosima came down the stairs to see.
"Well I'm glad you waited for me to have all the fun" she noted, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
Delphine looked up and twirled Charlotte again.
"You snooze, you lose" Charlotte told her sister.
Delphine laughed and winked at the girl, putting her on her feet. "I think what you sister needs is a big, sloppy, good morning kiss, right Cosima?"
Cosima nodded and finished coming down the stairs "I think that's exactly what I need"
"I'll leave that to you Delphine" Charlotte told her, scrunching her nose and continuing to dance on her own.
Delphine gave a small chuckle as she approached her girlfriend, placing a hand on either cheek and leaning in for a nice, soft, deep kiss. "Did you sleep well?"
Cosima smiled and dropped her head, nodding "Smells good in here. And you, Dr. Cormier look amazing in those overalls"
Delphine blushed "Why merci, mon amour. Now that you are up, we can hang the pictures. First though, you need a good breakfast. Charlotte hop up, I've got a treat for you too" she instructed.
Charlotte and Cosima looked at each other eagerly and got in to the barstools. First, Delphine placed Cosima's breakfast plate in front of her, then took out the jam and a knife before pulling out a fresh loaf of bread from the oven.
Charlotte's eyes lit up "Alright!"
"My grandmother's recipe" she told them, slicing in to the loaf and handing a piece to Charlotte, then one to Cosima. Charlotte spread the jam on thick but Delphine took a nice big bite of the bread dry and let her taste buds bring her back to being 12 and her grandmother compensating a rainy day for a baking day. She smiled. "We can share the others, but I made this loaf especially for us."
Charlotte inhaled her piece, licking her fingers. Cosima took one bite and savoured it.
"Wow. Delphine…wow!" She praised.
Delphine smiled and put her bread in her mouth before she poured herself and Cosima coffees, handing the brunette a mug.
"This is the first piece of homemade food in our new home" Charlotte noted with a smile.
"And much more to come" Delphine reminded her, opening the oven to baste the turkey. "Speaking of, love I need you and Charlotte to run out and grab some dill for the dressing"
Cosima nodded, putting down her bacon to raise her hands "Anything you need, I'm your girl. Do you think we have enough wine?"
Delphine sighed, resting her hands on her hips "I think so. We've got four of the red and white. Do you think that will be enough?"
Cosima sighed "I think so. If not, I've got a bottle of Glenfiddich that we can crack in to."
"And plenty of rootbeer for us kids. The good kind too!" Charlotte exclaimed happily.
Delphine nodded, pulling out the ingredients for the dessert she was making next.
"Can I help?" Charlotte asked
Delphine nodded and pulled up the step-stool they'd bought yesterday. "Want to learn how to separate eggs?"
Charlotte nodded.
"Go wash your hands" Delphine instructed.
Cosima bit her bottom lip as she watched the two. Delphine turned around and saw the look on her face.
"What?"
"You're really sweet with her" Cosima admitted, piercing some egg with her fork and putting it in her mouth.
Delphine's eyes twinkled and Cosima didn't miss it. Charlotte stepped up, taking on a new height next to Delphine. Delphine turned and smiled at her, handing her an egg.
"Now you have to crack it like usual, but this time, pour the egg in to your hand, gently" she instructed.
Charlotte followed the directions, erupting in a fit of giggles when the egg hit her hand. "It's so slimy"
Delphine smiled "And cold, n'est-ce pas?" she asked.
Charlotte nodded "Now what do I do?"
"Gently open your fingers just ever so slightly, then transfer the egg to your other hand and do the same thing. Keep doing that until all of the albumin is in the bowl beneath you. That's it" she praised, watching Charlotte. "Now put the yolk in the clean bowl" she instructed.
Charlotte followed.
"Bien fait ma belle! Well done!" Delphine praised "Now do that 11 more times"
Charlotte nodded and reached for another egg. Cosima in the meantime had finished her breakfast and had brought her plate to the sink, starting to wash it.
"Do not worry about that, chiot. I will get it later. Just get ready to head out?" Delphine asked.
Cosima turned and sighed "Are you sure? I feel like you're doing everything"
"I want to. I want to make sure everything is perfect for tonight. It's Charlotte's first time meeting a lot of her sisters and I want it to be perfect." Delphine confessed.
"And it's your first time seeing most of them since Dyad" Cosima surmised.
Delphine gulped and nodded "I cannot reverse their first impressions, but maybe I can leave another. I know what they think about me being with you and I want to prove to them that I am devoted to this family; that I am devoted to our family. And that I can take care of you and Charlotte."
Cosima let half of her mouth smile as she placed a hand on Delphine's chest "They'll see that without some big fancy dinner party. They'll come around Delphine." Cosima paused for a minute "I've asked Allison to take Charlotte for the night so we can…be alone. Have that talk that we've been talking about having."
Delphine nodded and let out an anxious sigh "Maybe you should buy another bottle of wine for tonight…or two"
"Maybe I keep that Glenfiddich hidden for just the two of us?" She suggested.
Delphine simply nodded, putting her hands on her hips and dropping her head to her feet.
"Hey, nothing you say can change this, okay?"Cosima attempted to reassure.
Delphine just swallowed hard and nodded.
Cosima kissed her cheeks "So you need Basil?"
Delphine chuckled "Dill. This is why Charlotte is going with you"
"Oh, so she's my babysitter…I see" She teases.
Charlotte looks over and smiles, then holds her hands up "I'm done"
Cosima laughed and grabbed a tea towel, wrapping it around her dripping hands. She wiped the egg off as best she could.
"You know she's taller than you on that stool" Delphine teased.
"I am?" Charlotte asked, looking at Cosima "I am! Haha!"
Cosima shook her head "Hey, I like being short. Probably as much as I like having Delphine around to reach things on the top shelf for me"
Delphine laughed and shook her head at Cosima "Maybe I should start hiding things up there"
Cosima stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend then turned to her sister "Let's go get washed up and leave stretch to her cooking"
Charlotte nodded and they both headed upstairs.
The house was alive with noise; from the jazz playing softly in the background, to the knives clinking on plates, and the laughter around the table. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Delphine sat back in her chair, finished with her dinner. She had a glass of wine in hand and every muscle in her body was sore from a day of hard work. She leaned over to peek at the kids, sitting around the coffee table to eat their dinner at what they had dubbed "the Royal Court". Needless to say, they had gotten in to the costume chest and were breaking in the new threads. Delphine then turned her attention to Donnie and a very pregnant Helena laughing at the stupidest jokes that he'd been making all night. Allison had her head bent with Felix, and Sarah, Cosima, and Mrs. S seemed to be talking logistics. She sipped her wine and noticed that most plate were completely clean, save for Helena's. She snapped out of it when she noticed Helena and Donnie looking at her.
"You cook nice Del-pheene." Helena told her.
Delphine smiled "Thank you, I am glad that you are enjoying it"
"I enjoy a fourth plate, yes?" Helena asked.
Delphine nodded "As much as you'd like"
"Now don't tell her that, she'll eat you out of house and home" Allison chirped in.
"You two must be related then" Mrs. S. looked to Sarah "This one ate through three times a week market trips when she was a teenager"
Cosima chuckled "I was an eater too. Still am. Must be genetic or something. "
Delphine smiled "Well it's a good thing that Cosima and I are financially comfortable. No doubt Charlotte will have a keen appetite as well. It is too bad Scott could not attend."
"He's busy with Art, yeah? He's the main witness, the safest of us to testify" Sarah added in.
Delphine nodded "I know. I just wish he were here"
"So what's the plan now, luv? You're cured?" Mrs. S. asked Cosima.
Cosima nodded and smiled "Yup. And you're looking at the plan" she looked to Delphine who was seated next to her and took her hand "We umm, we plan on getting married. Nothing's official yet, but…we've been talking about it"
The table shifted uncomfortably. Everyone stopped talking and there was silence. Delphine felt her heart sink. Finally, Mrs. S. cracked a smile "Well congratulations to the two of ya! And thank you Delphine, for this lovely meal and inviting us in to your beautiful new home."
The table rang out with thank yous, but still were unable to make up for the uneasiness at the announcement, but still Delphine raised her glass along with the others.
"May you find lots of love, trust, and prosperity" Mrs. S toasted.
Everyone clinked glasses and sipped their drinks.
Dessert was served not long after and Delphine made small talk the rest of the night, aware of Cosima's ever present grip on her thigh. She got through a few glasses of wine before everyone had left. As Sarah and Felix bid their goodbye, Delphine was already cleaning up the kitchen.
Cosima closed and locked the door behind them and walked back in to see her girlfriend, on the verge of tears. She walked over, blinking fast and pulled Delphine in to a hug.
"I'm so sorry" she whispered "Leave the mess. I'll get it in the morning"
Delphine held her tightly nodded as she let the tears fall "I don't know why I thought it would be different. I just wanted…family"
"I know. They'll just…need time. Tonight was perfect Delphine. You made a beautiful meal and I know that Charlotte appreciated it. She had so much fun tonight with Kira and Gemma and Oscar. You made tonight really special for that little girl"
Delphine nodded and stepped back, wiping the tears from her face.
"And wow, that seven layer cake! Can I put in a request for my birthday?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Of course" Delphine told her.
Cosima pouted "I don't like seeing you sad" she said, rubbing Delphine's hip "How about I draw us a nice bath? We put on a little music, have a little more wine and just soak together."
Delphine swallowed hard "There is something that I need to tell you…that I've needed to tell you"
"Well tell me when we're neck deep in rice milk and mallow bubbles" Cosima suggested.
"No. Cosima, I think you should sit down" Delphine insisted.
Cosima gulped and nodded, pulling out a barstool and doing as instructed. Delphine shook her hands, trying to shake out the nerves as she paced back and forth.
"I really don't want this to all go away because of what I'm about to tell you. I was...trying to protect you" Delphine stopped and turned to Cosima, bending over and leaning her crossed arms against the island, standing opposite her girlfriend. She rested her chin in them and did her best to hold back the tears of fear "I don't want to lose you"
Cosima sighed and reached out, placing her hands on Delphine's forearms "You're not going to lose me. I told you, there's nothing you could say that would…"
"I psychologically tortured Shay" Delphine blurted out, cutting Cosima off.
She waited, searching Cosima's face for a sign of how she would react. Cosima gave her nothing. She just sat there, expressionless.
"Please, say something" Delphine begged.
Cosima closed her eyes and took a deep breath "Why?"
"You told me that she had tipped Castor off to the book. I thought that she had betrayed you." Delphine stood up and rubbed her face. "I was scared for you, who knew what she'd tell Castor…what she'd already told them about you and your sisters. I needed to find out what she had. So I went to her apartment and…threatened to kill her" Delphine swallowed, feeling the shame that had been weighing on her for months "make it look like a suicide. I would have done anything to protect you and Allison, and Sarah."
Cosima nodded, her nostrils flaring as she turned this truth over in her head; it made her own secret weigh heavier. She lowered her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Delphine, I'm sick…again" she admitted.
Delphine stopped in her tracks and looked at Cosima "What do you mean? We cured you"
Cosima shook her head, the tears now falling freely "Yesterday, I started coughing up blood again. It didn't work and now I'm scared because…there's nothing left to do" She wiped her running nose with her sleeve and hugged herself. "I hate that you were ever a person who could do that to someone but…I need you now. I need the person you are now." She admitted, shaking slightly as she cried.
Delphine walked over to her side and wrapped her up in her arms. She'd felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach the moment Cosima had made her confession. She held the girl to her, rubbing her back slightly as Cosima curled in to Delphine's warmth.
"We'll find another way" Delphine told her.
Cosima just nodded "I'm so scared Delphine."
"I know, mon petit chiot. I know. But I won't let you die, do you hear me?" she asked.
Cosima nodded.
"How about that bath?" Delphine suggested.
Cosima simply nodded against her again as she let herself be helped up and walked upstairs.
A/N: This plot is taking quite longer than expected to ramp up. I guess I'm very much invested in the fluffy parts of the story and building this up at least somewhat realistically. This is out a lot sooner than expected, but I'm really excited to get to the meat and potatoes so I'm writing quickly. Thanks again to everyone reviewing, following, and reading. I appreciate your time and energy. I hope that you enjoy.