This is just a temporary journey into the craziness of my brain in which I often toss our favorite ladies into situations that only happen in early 2000's movies or an episode of friends. This is going to be one of those "more than a one-shot, less than an 30,000 words kinda fic that has been nagging at me everytime I try to sit down and work on my other fic. So, not abandoning hope on other fics, just...brain won't shut up, and I might still be buzzing from last night which makes posting this seem like a good idea when really every time I start one of these it's like a commitment in which I must fulfil or suffer the consequences of etc etc etc. As a warning, I never write Tony, and I almost never write Beth, so sorry if I fail at that.

Las Vegas

Sin City

People came from all over the world to the city of lights, gambling, and all around debauchery. Whether it's for monetary gain or escaping life, visitors were known for tossing aside all inhibitions to partake in gluttonous exploration, much like was currently happening in the small nightclub that was packed with people. The music of the club played a loud thrumming techno compilation as streams of artificial smoke poured from the rafters. Bodies moved together in a wave of drunken dancing as the patrons of the establishment enjoyed the music and company of friends. At one booth, off to the side of the dance floor, a group of women and one man, five total in number and identical in facial features, laughed as they overturned another set of shot glasses. The only man of the group signalled the passing waitress, holding up a finger and making a rotating motion, the signal for another round of drinks to be brought.

"Tony, no more. I don't know if I can handle another...another one...shit." Glasses smudged by sweat and alcohol were pushed up with unsteady hands, dreads flipped back over a shoulder as the woman blinked eyes framed by heavy eyeliner. "I'm trashed." She ran a shaky hand through the twisted locks, the world slightly out of focus even with her glasses on.

"Keep drinking, Cos." A British accent poured from the lips of one of the other women, the result of half a life spent overseas in a boarding school, the intention of keeping the rebellious one of the group out of trouble that seemed to follow her everywhere. "At least until you forget all the shit you went through the last year so you can start the new one fresh." It was safe to say that it didn't work.

Glasses huffed. "Sarah, I can't just forget the last year, man." She wrinkled her nose as she sat back against the booth's padded seat. A year long relationship was gone in the blink of an eye thanks to her not so much anymore best friend. "I'll never forget that asshole...fucking cheating asshole...what a dick, man. Who fucking cheats on Christmas? And with my best friend! That fucking bitch." She exhaled loudly.

"No worries, little sis." Tony threw an arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer for a sloppy hug. "Don't you worry your pretty little nerd heart. We'll find you someone to replace him with." He pulled the newly delivered shots closer, handing one to the morose woman. "We drove all the way out here so you can get your drink on and maybe a one night stand or two. Ring in the new year right." He made an exaggerated glance around the room. "You feeling like sausage or fish tonight?"

"Tony!" The more uptight member of the group's shrill voice cut through the deep bass coming from the dance floor. Her hair was pulled up into a pony tail, her bangs crisp and orderly. "That is a highly inappropriate question. Cosima is dealing with a loss and we're supposed to be supporting her, not trying to get her into a pickle of immeasurable proportions!"

Cosima laughed. Only her suburban sister would use words like 'Pickle of immeasurable proportions.' They may have all shared the same womb at one time, but they were so different. "Don't worry, Alison...I'm used to it, you know that. I'm just..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes caught sight of a tall, slim form captured in a tight skirt, a white tanktop, and knee-high boots. Blonde hair bobbed with the music as she danced in a group of women. Surrounded by the group of older, almost nerdish looking women, the tall woman was like a diamond in the rough, laughing at something one of the other women shouted over the music.

"Fish it is." Tony commented with a side glance at Sarah who followed their gaze. "Looks like baby Sis is hopping back on the sapphic express."

"I'll drink to that." Sarah laughed as the next round was dropped off. "To lesbian love in Las Vegas!"

"You guys are assholes." Cosima tossed back the drink with a grimace. "And just because I was the last one out doesn't make me the baby. I was just the main headliner." She commented before slipping out of the booth, her shoulders set in determination.

The group watched her leave for a minute before the sister who had been the quietest the entire time snorted. "That dipshit is so wasted this is going to be hilarious."

"Dude...let's change our Facebook status."

"Oui." The French accent responded with a giggle.

The giggle seemed to reverberate within Cosima's skull as consciousness tugged at her. Her head was splitting and her eyelids seemed glued together as she tried to open them. "Shiiiiit." She groaned as the light pierced a hole through her retinas. She threw an arm over her eyes, the quick movement making three things very obvious. One was that she was naked and god her body ached. Two was that she wasn't in her hotel room, considering the fact that the sheets were a lot softer than the scratchy cheep sheets they had gotten in their crappy motel. Three was that she was not alone and an arm was drapped over her waist. "Oh fuck." The words slipped out of her mouth as she opened her eyes to look down at the arm.

'Ok. Female...at least I don't have to worry about getting pregnant.' Her mind tried to gather all the details. The arm led to an equally naked form topped with curly blonde hair. Her eyes traced a path down smooth skin to find perfectly manicured nails and...shit a wedding ring. Cosima hated hated hated cheaters, especially after what she just went through. After a year of love and devotion and what she thought was a blissful relationship, she learned that apparently he didn't feel the need to be quite as devout. The last thing she wanted to be in life was someone's other woman. The very thought made her stomach queezy.

Or maybe it was the vodka.

'Definitely the vodka.' Cosima thought as she managed to slip out of the bed and find the bathroom just in time to lose the contents of her stomach. God she hated being hung over...though she was pretty sure she was still drunk. Obviously she hadn't had anything to eat in a while because all that came up was the endless drinks she'd had the night before and those definitely didn't taste as good coming back up as they did going down. When her stomach was finally empty, she cursed as she leaned back against the closest wall, dropping her head into her hands.

The night before was such a complete blur. She remembered doing shots with her sibblings...way too many shots. God how many shots had she had? She vaguely remembered stumbling over to the blonde. Delphine. That name was so odd it had to be correct. French. She was pretty sure the blonde had a French accent and really soft lips that tasted like strawberry lip gloss. She remembered sharing a joint and then there was a huge gap in her memory.

She'd definitely had sex. Her body ached in very familiar ways and seen more than one bite mark on her body. Not to mention that ever so obvious taste on her tongue. God she'd totally gone down on a woman she'd just met in a club in Vegas. So much for all the safe sex lectures she'd had to endure from her mother as a teenager.

'What the hell have you done?' Her mind screamed at her. Not only had she let her siblings drag her hundreds of miles away to Las Vegas, but they had apparently let her wander off with some random blonde...a random MARRIED blonde..."Fuck." Cosima stood up unsteadily and grabbed the very convenient bathrobe that was hanging off the back of the door. She hesitated only a minute before snagging one of the toothbrushes offered in the little amenities basket, all marked with the monogram of the expensive hotel. "Well if you're going to cheat on your husband, you're just going to have to deal with paying for this shit." She mumbled as she began to brush her teeth. She wasn't normally a vindictive person, and really she didn't know the circumstances of the blonde's life. Maybe her husband was dead. Maybe he was abusive. The thoughts began to put an even further damper on Cosima's mood as she spit out the mint toothpaste, rinsing her mouth. "Way to be a judgemental asshole." She told her reflection, blurred around the edges from the lack of her glasses. Speaking of which she really needed to find those. 'At least the blonde was still sleeping.' She thought as she slipped out of the bathroom and began to root around the large room for her belongings. Maybe if she could just...

"Cosima."

Or not. Cosima put on a half smile, the most she could manage as she faced the woman who was sitting up in bed, the sheets hugged to her chest. "Hey."

"Your phone...it keeps buzzing." The blonde spoke in a quiet voice, her brow furrowed as she looked down.

"Oh..." Cosima moved over to the nightstand beside the bed where the collection of her jewelry, glasses and phone were. With a relieved sigh, she slipped her glasses on and ignored her phone, beginning to slip on her bracelets. "I um...I'll be going. This was totally a really bad drunken mistake."

"Oui." Delphine looked over at Cosima with her eyes that were larger than life, the green tinged hazel eyes shaking slightly with sadness. "But we can fix this, non?"

"You cheating on your husband?" With the bracelets all secured in place, she moved to the small pile of rings, starting with the biggest gemmed ones first. "I don't think I can help you fix that."

"Husband?" There was a pause before the blonde moved closer to Cosima. "You don't remember anything do you?" With a shake of the dreaded head, Delphine blew out a long stream of air. "Merde. Cosima I don't have a husband and I certainly do not do...um...infidelity?"

Cosima snorted. "I saw the ring Delphine. I'm not..." Her voice trailed off as she slipped on all but one ring. The remaining ring was one she wasn't familiar with. Or rather, she was familiar with but not because it was one she normally wore. No, it was a simple copper band, very similar to the one Delphine was wearing. She picked it up with shaking fingers, noting the size was perfect as it slipped onto her left ring finger.

"Let's change our Facebook status." Her own drunken voice from her dream rang through her head again and she looked at the blonde who had a sympathetic look on her face. "Holy Watershed!" She said just as her phone began to vibrate once more.

So just as a warning, the story will commence as this chapter and the previous one have, half a memory, half the present. Thank you guys for all the awesome comments so far. I've enjoyed writing this story a lot and I hope you guys continue to enjoy it.

"You are one hot little number." The voice was nearly a shout over the loud sounds of techno and the crowd.

In the time it took Cosima to maneuver around the crowded tables and the dancing bodies, the blonde had moved back to the bar and was currently being hit on by probably the sleeziest looking guy in the entire club. She could tell just by his slicked back black hair, cobalt blue blazer, and arrogant air that he was bad news. The blonde, apparently also coming to the same conclusion, leaned away slightly, not wanting to acknowledge his presence.

Sleezy McSleezerson completely ignored her body language, leaning forward so he could speak softer, but still loud enough for Cosima to hear from where she was squeezing between two tables, careful not to knock over any drinks. "The way you move on the dance floor, I bet you're great at a few other things too." He put his hand on the woman's arm with a leer, moving it up the skin slowly.

The blonde looked down at the hand before giving him a murderous glare. "Please do not touch me." She spoke as she jerked her arm away, a heavy accent in her voice that for some reason Cosima couldn't place.

What Cosima had seen that the woman didn't was the other hand that passed over her new drink while she was distracted. Even in her intoxicated state, she felt the blood in her veins run cold and she knew she had to intervene.

"Don't be that way, Baby." The man held both of his hands up in defense, a smile on his face. "Just trying to be friendly. How about you and I..."

The woman was about to take a drink and Cosima quickly rushed in. "Babe!" She knocked into the woman hard, "accidently" knocking the drink out of her hand. "Oh shit, sorry..."

"Non...désolée." She looked down at the intruder in confusion.

'French...hot.' Her brain decided to chip in for a moment before she remembered what she was doing. "Sorry I'm late, I got caught up at the bridal shower." Cosima pushed herself up onto the tips of her toes, placing a soft kiss on the flushed cheek. She smiled at the man who was watching them uncertainly. "Sorry was I interrupting? I'm Cosima, the clumsy girlfriend. You are?" She offered her hand to the man, not surprised when it wasn't taken.

"Girlfriend?" He asked in disbelief.

"That's a hillarious name." Cosima commented, slipping her arm around the tall woman's waist and hoping she didn't get punched in the face for it. She looked up, trying to put as much begging into her eyes and was rewarded with a hint of understanding. "Hey, Sarah got us a table over there. I think Tony is ordering up a round of drinks." She gestured in the direction of the table.

"Oh." The blonde looked over in the direction that was gestured, then back at the man who seemed to have a suspicious look on his face. "Sounds perfect, ma cherie." She made a gesture with a hand. "Lead the way."

"See you later, Girlfriend!" Cosima called out as she pulled the blonde away from the bar. When they were far enough away, she dropped her arm. "Look, Dude, sorry about that, but the guy totes dropped something into your drink."

"What?!" She turned around but couldn't see the man anywhere. "I did not..."

"No worries. I got ya covered. I'll get my bro to kick his ass." Cosima grinned, trying to lighten the moment, her hands coming up to illustrate the conversation. "I'm was serious earlier though. My sibs and I got a table if you wanna come hang, no pressure." She laughed. "I saw you dancing with a group of plus fourties so I wasn't sure if maybe you wanted to chill with a little younger crowd."

"Sibs?"

"Yeah yeah!" Cosima pointed at the booth not that far away. "My sibling...um...brother and sisters. I'm Cosima by the way."

"Delphine." The blonde smiled, offering her hand. "Enchantee."

Cosima couldn't stop the huge grin that overtook her face. "Enchantee." She knew she was completely destroying the language, but the way the woman's smile widened, she would gladly destroy a thousand lanaguages.

"Oh God, my mother is going to kill me." Cosima was pacing back and forth in the hotel room which only escalated both her nausea and her anxiety. "Allison is going to kill me." She held a hand up to her head, trying to calm the thoughts running through it. There were so many running rampant and she massaged her temples as she tried to wrangle them in. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to be here to forget about him, forget about that asshole that ruined her life, not get herself into a pickle of immeasurable proportions! "God I'm turning into Allison. Ugh, Sarah is going to have a ball. Oh God, I'm an Ashton Kutcher movie of the week."

"What?" Delphine finally spoke from her place on the bed. She had been quietly studying the ring on her finger, her own belief suspended by a hazy memory.

"Ashton Kutcher...dude..." At the blonde's confused look she shook her head. "Nevermind. Delphine, right?" She was trying to gather any sort of memory of the night before, anything that would explain exactly how she ended up married to a beautiful, yet virtually unknown stranger.

"You remember my name. That's a start." There was a teasing tone in the woman's voice before her face took on a serius look out a long stream of air, Delphine turned to slip from the bed.

With the long expanse of the skin of the woman's back suddenly revealed, Cosima turned away to be polite. She felt her cheeks burning with embarassment as she realized that just the one second long flash was enough for her mind to have memorized the smooth skin and well toned form. "I um..." Cosima cleared her throat. Her mind began flashing a series of memories where that skin was revealed even more, completely inappropriate for the current moment. "I remember a few things. Not enough, but a few." Her fingers twitched at the hazy memories of soft skin under their tips, her lips following the path her hands made. "I think we have a lot to talk about. Will you be in town much longer?"

Having slipped on her nightshirt, Delphine stretched. "Oui, until the end of the weekend. How about you?"

Cosima turned to where the voice had moved to the dresser, seeing the blonde searching for clean clothes. That confirmed the answer of who's hotel room they were in at least. "I actually don't know. We were kind of just winging it."

"Winging?" Delphine gave her a confused look.

"Uh yeah...it means to take things as they come. No plans." She couldn't help but admire the cute look on the blonde's face as realization dawned on her. 'God you must still be drunk.' She told herself as she felt the smile tugging at her own lips. "I'm sure I can convince them to hang around a few days."

"Good...good." Delphine smiled, lifting up a stack of clothes. "If you do not mind, I would prefer a shower before we discuss such heavy situations as marriage."

Cosima laughed. "No, that's totally cool." She grinned fully, showing off her pointed teeth. "Go ahead. I'll still be here when you're done, if you want me to be of course..."

"Oui...very much so. Please, my company is paying for the bill, so order us something to eat."

The thought of food caused Cosima's stomache to flutter, as if confused about being hungry and nauseous. "Did you want something in particular?"

"Surprise me." Delphine threw back before letting the door close behind her.

"I think there have been quite enough surprises today." Cosima muttered as she ignored her phone, reaching for the room service menu instead.

Ok so I'm totally addicted to this story. Thank you guys for the encouraging words and reviews. I appreciate it. The work week is coming up so there might not be an update until next weekend.

"No way! You do not live there!" Cosima held up a hand in disbelief. "That would just be totally weird."

"Absolutely. I arrived a month ago. This is a 'team building' activity for the faculty before we all have to get busy in 2 weeks." Delphine sipped from her straw, a pretty pink drink half gone. It was her third drink since joining the table and she was feeling very comfortable.

"And here we've stolen you away from your team." Cosima grinned, her tongue pressing against her teeth. Delphine, it turned out, had a lot more in common with her than anyone she'd ever been attracted to. There was a love of science, a love of really bad B movies, and while they both said they enjoyed picnics in the park, they both admitted to finding equal joy laying in bed reading a book. To top it all off, Delphine was a new resident to none other than the Bay area. "This is sureal. Don't you guys agree?"

"I'm sorry? Were we still sitting here while the two of you gabbed on totally absorbed in each other?" Sarah asked with mock-indignation.

Tony reached over and smacked her on the arm. "What ass here meant to say was it's way sureal, eh?"

"Whatever." Sarah picked up the glass of Scotch she'd been nursing. "I'm gonna step outside and call home, make sure Kira's alright. Should be just about her bedtime now." She slipped out of the booth less than gracefully, having tried to crawl over an unamused Beth instead of asking to pass.

"Sarah hold up. I could use a smoke." Cosima spoke up as she slid out, offering a hand to Delphine. "Want to step outside for a minute or you ok here?"

"Non, I will come. A cigarette would be good."

The warm hand slipping into her own was enough to cause a serious case of butterflies in Cosima's stomach. She followed her sister, pulling the blonde with her and out of the club where she regretfully released her hand, reaching into her bag. "Holy shit it's cold out here." She laughed, hugging her arms.

"It is not too bad. Toronto is much much colder." Delphine spoke out one side of her mouth, already lighting a cigarette. "Want one?" She offered the shorter woman.

Cosima shook her head with a grin, pulling out a hand-rolled cigarette. "Just pot for me." She commented as she began searching for a lighter.

"Really?" Delphine offered a flame to the searching woman with a small grin.

Leaning forward and watching her through the flame as she lit the joint, Cosima returned the grin, holding in the thick herbal smoke as she stood back up to her full height. It probably wasn't the brightest idea to be smoking a joint out in the open but the sun had gone down not that long ago and the streets weren't too packed. Everyone was either in a bar or in a casino or at some New Years Eve party. She blew out a long stream of smoke, coughing just a bit at the end. "I want to get you soooo baked." She chuckled at her own braisen offer before offering the joint to her sister who was on the phone and shook her head no.

"Ok." Delphine licked her lips as she exhaled the smoke from her cigarette.

Raising an eyebrow at the blonde, Cosima offered the joint to her, surprised just slightly when the woman took it. "So not to be like Creepy McCreeperpants in there, but watching you smoke is pretty damn hot."

As if on queue, Delphine coughed out the smoke she'd held in a little too long, looking as far from elegant as possible.

Cosima laughed despite the guilt she felt, reaching over to pat her on the back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." She bit her bottom lip. "I'm sure your boyfriend or husband or whatever would be really mad I said that."

"Non...non..." Delphine cleared her throat. "No boyfriend. No husband. And I am sure that was not very hot." A bright pink began to tinge the woman's pale cheeks at the compliment.

With a shiver, Cosima nodded furiously. "Totally was." She looked up, trying not to think about the cold since she'd forgotten her coat back at the hotel. "It's really pretty here at night." She remarked, taking another hit.

"Mmm oui. I agree." Killing her own cigarette, Delphine accepted the joint again, being a little more careful with it.

"Hey, check up is complete." Sarah joined them, accepting the joint from the blonde and taking a quick hit before handing it to Cosima. "It's colder than a witch's tit out here. Time to go back in, yeah?"

"I think I'm gonna stay out here for a little bit. You go in." Cosima smiled, looking up at Delphine with a raised eyebrow.

"Ooookaaaay." Sarah looked from the blonde to her sister, a smirk now tugging at her lips. "Don't do anything crazy, yeah?"

"Me? Never." Cosima said as she moved closer to the blonde, trying to absorb the warmth coming off of her.

"Set it on the table please." Cosima smiled politely as she signed the room service check, closing the door behind the attendant with a long sigh as she leaned against the wood. Another buzz from the phone sitting on the table and she rolled her eyes. She wasn't ready to deal with that yet. She wasn't ready to deal with anything. She wasn't even sure if she was ready to deal with the lunch she just ordered, considering the state of her stomach, but she knew she had to get something down. She looked at the bathroom door where the sound of the hair dryer originated. She definitely wasn't ready to deal with that.

With HER.

"You're such a jackass, Niehaus." She mumbled as she dropped into a chair, wincing at the pain in her head as she picked up her phone. 36 missed calls, 53 missed text messages, over a hundred new emails, and both her instagram and facebook icons were taunting her. Instagram seemed like the less threatening of the group and she pulled up her account, wincing at the string of pictures she'd apparently posted the night before. The one with the most likes was apparently one with her and Delphine and what looked like a Captain Picard impersonator taking a selfie on what looked like a replica of the bridge of the Enterprise. #MarriedByTheCaptain #StarTrek #LasVegas #Yolo #DelphineIsASexyBeast. Cosima covered her eyes, unable to read any further.

"Are you alright? Does your head still hurt?"

Cosima jumped slightly, not having heard the bathroom door open. She nodded, unable to talk. The blonde was in a nearly transparent patterned tanktop tucked into a pair of form-fitting black jeans. #DelphineIsASexyBeast seemed like a very applicable hashtag, even in the blonde's hungover state. "Yeah I'm fine just...I can't believe I used the hashtag YOLO on a picture. Apparently I'm kind of a douchebag when I'm drunk and high." Why was it that when the blonde was gone she could think clearly and really hate her situation, but as soon as they were in the same room together, she was struck dumb with the inability to think clearly.

"You have pictures?" Delphine checked her own phone and wrinkled her nose in distaste, quickly plugging it in. With a graceful swagger, she approached the table, looking over the tray before reaching for one of the bottled waters. "I did not plug my own phone in last night. It is dead." She spoke woefully.

"Yeah we were pretty tanked, man." Cosima looked back down at her phone, vaguely remembering one or two of the shots. "You know, weird drunken weddings aside, we make a pretty cute couple." She turned her phone so Delphine could see it. It was a picture of Delphine sitting in a replica of the commander's chair, Cosima sitting across her lap and an arm draped around her shoulders, their foreheads touching in what looked like a very intimate moment. "I've seen worse wedding photos."

Delphine's cheeks reddened almost instantly and she turned away to look at the lunch. "I...I do not remember too much and what I do remember is very...cloudy? Either way I'm glad I did not end up marrying a...how do you say...serial killer?"

"Oh...yeah...ditto...obvs." She laughed. "Then again, there's still time." Cosima gave the blonde a lopsided smile before she pulled up her text messages. "God, my family is going to kill me." She began to flip through the text messages and cringed. After the panic had subsided and Delphine had slipped into the shower, she had sent off a group message to her siblings to let them know she was alive and well but had not said anything since. Oddly enough, both she and Delphine seemed to be taking the whole thing really well. With a long exhale, she dropped the phone on the table, wincing at the sound. "Everyone's going to kill me." She shook her head. "God my mother sent me a novel of a text message. Sarah is going to use this to tease me pretty much for the rest of my life. I have my phd classmates on facebook, my advisors, oh my god even my second cousin I never talk to has sent me a text message."

Poking around the tray of food, Delphine retrieved some toast. "I can only imagine. My phone is dead but I'm sure Maman is going to be very difficult to deal with."

"Only her?" Cosima picked at a bowl of fruit, spearing a chunk of cantaloupe with her fork.

"Well." Delphine shrugged, nibbling on the corner of the toast. "I am afraid that with this trip to Las Vegas I may have to proven her side of a lifelong disagreement we've had."

"Reeaallly?" Cosima pulled her legs under her, uncovering the plate that contained a club sandwich. "What's the disagreement...if you don't mind me asking?"

"I suppose we are married now." Delphine said with a half-hearted joking smile. "Maman was married three times by the time I was 6 and was really beginning to understand what marriage was. By the time I was 14, she had gone through six husbands. Being the impertinent teenager that I was, I had begun to become very vocal about her life choices." She blew out a long sigh, a look of sadness in her eyes. "She said that our family was cursed in love and, just as her and her maman before, I would be no different."

"Wow, that sounds pretty pessimistic." Cosima gave her a sympathetic look. "Not to rag on your mom or anything, but you would think she would be a little more supportive."

"Well I may not have chosen my own words any wiser." Delphine laughed softly. "I may have told her that when I get married, that unlike her, it would be a one time thing."

"Eek." Cosima gave her a full-toothed grimace. "That's rough, dude." Her grimace turned into a laugh. "Well I'm kinda with you on the eating crow part. I never really wanted to get married." She gave the blonde a serious look. "My senior English paper was titled 'Till Next Week do we Part' which was a 20-page thesis on why all marriage should be stripped of any sort of legal obligations. Funny enough, being able to run away and get married in Vegas on the same day you met them was one of the arguments I used to defend my position." She shook her head at the irony of the situation. "Anyone who's known me longer than 5 years is going to find this extremely hillarious."

Delphine covered the smile that she couldn't hold back anymore. "It is maybe a trick of the fates, non?"

With a snort, Cosima nodded, swallowing the bite she had just took. "I don't even know how to get unmarried and I'm probably going to have to sit down with my parents' lawyer or something." She wrinkled her nose. "Where do you live anyway? Not to be weird or anything but, as killer and hot as the French accent is, I'm wondering if the whole international thing is going to be a problem."

"I don't think it will be. I am not applying for citizenship and I already have a work Visa." Delphine picked at the sandwich. "I was born and raised in a small town on the edge of Paris. I moved to Canada after I graduated. Until recently I was working for the DYAD institute in Toronto, but I just accepted a teaching position in the Immunology department at UC Berkley."

"You're lying!" Cosima perked up in excitement. "I go to UC Berkley. That's so crazy...like weird crazy because here you are a random stranger in a city full of strangers and we end up married and we're both going to be at the same university." Something about the conversation seemed familiar and she wondered if they'd discussed it the previous night, guessing they probably did. A thought occurred to her and she bit her bottom lip with a grin as her hands came up to assist in her contemplations. "Imagine if you end up being my professor. Totally awkward, right? I think I actually need to take a basic immunology class eventually too." Her brow furrowed. "Like how would that work though? Generally speaking of course. There are certain classes that a person has to take when majoring in a subject. What if there's only one professsor and that professor is your spouse?"

Delphine tilted her head with a small smile. "I imagine it is simple enough to deal with as long as the proper offices are notified. They cannot prevent you from your studies. What are you majoring in that you have to take a beginning course in immunology?"

"Evo Devo." Cosima said around a mouthfull, pausing to swallow before continuing. "Evolutionary Development."

"Oh, très bien." Delphine smiled. "I do not think you would have my class. It is a level three."

"Maybe I should switch fields. Nothing like a bit of nuptual-fueled nepotism." Cosima chuckled but saw the blonde's confused look. "Um, nepotism...favoritism...you know, high grades for your new lowly wife who might otherwise be struggling."

Delphine rolled her eyes. "You are very cheeky."

Cosima laughed just as her phone began ringing. With a roll of her eyes, she looked at the caller ID, freezing when she saw the name.

Scott.

Happy New Year guys. I intended on having this story a little further along to get it more in sync with the new years but ah well...Thanks for the awesome feedback.

"Do you see how easy that was?" Cosima waved the license around. "Marriage in this country is a complete joke." Dropping onto a bench, she looked at the paper for a minute, thinking about what it meant before she turned to face the blonde. "Anyone can just walk into the bureau here and pick up a marriage certificate." After another brief moment of studying it, she offered it to the blonde. "Here, keep it as a souvenir." She laughed, pulling out another joint. Despite the frigid night, Cosima had turned away from the nightclub and began to lead the way down the street, the curious blonde not thinking twice before following. They had been walking down the strip for about 15 minutes, the several wedding chapels they passed spurring on a discussion about each other's views on marriage. While Cosima was against marriage altogether, thinking it was an overpowered dark corruption of the heart of humanity, Delphine apparently was waiting for that special someone she would love forever. When they came close to the the marriage bureau, Cosima had a brilliant idea to prove how flawed the marriage system was.

Sparing an amused glance at the marriage license before tucking it away in her bag, Delphine offered the brunette her lighter again. "I am failing to see how attaining a marriage license with a stranger proves your side against marriage."

"How is this not proof?" Cosima waved her hands around. "Sin City, man. People come here all the time and get married. All you need is like a hundred bucks and about half an hour and you're married." She took a deep drag of her joint before handing it to the blonde. "The wait wasn't even half an hour for that thing. They didn't care when I told them we just met. They didn't care when I told them we were just doing this to prove the horrible nature of marriage. Their 'sound mind' policy is obviously a little laxed cause I'm pretty sure we're both close enough to that completely fucked up line." She stood up and began pacing back and forth. "I mean seriously the only thing left is to hit up one of these chapels and suddenly we're locked together in this legally binding agreement which gives me control over certain aspects in your life whether you want me to or not. I mean if you were to be unconscious in a hospital, I, your newly appointed wife that just met you like an hour ago, would have more say over what medical procedures happen than say your mother." She put her hands on the woman's shoulders, looking straight at her. "I would have legal claim to half of everything you have."

In a surprise move and without saying a word, Delphine leaned forward, drunkenly crushing their lips together in a searing kiss.

There was a moment of shock that lasted all of 0.2 seconds before Cosima responded. In an almost magnetic move, Cosima felt her body moving closer to press against the blonde's as she gave in to the kiss. She didn't expect to get to this point just yet, though she had been thinking about kissing those lips since she first saw her on the dance floor. She reached forward, tangling her fingers in blonde hair as she eagerly returned the kiss, laughing just slightly as she was pulled down onto Delphine's lap. The taller form was touched by a slight chill before it burned away and she could feel the woman's body heat mingling with her own. The kiss went on a few more moments before they both broke away, breathing heavily. "Ok...not against that, but if you wanted me to shut up you can just tell me to."

Delphine bit her bottom lip. "Désolée. That was very inappropriate." She bumped her nose against the brunette's. "You are very passionate. It is ... very sexy." She chuckled as she leaned forward for another kiss.

"Mmmm. I'm passionate about a lot of things." Cosima responded, nipping the blonde's bottom lip gently. "You are beautiful...and I need another drink." Reaching up, she caressed the soft skin of the woman's cheek, smiling as she leaned into the touch. "I feel like gambling." She slipped off the blonde's lap, licking her lips, combing her fingers through her dreads. "Yeah and I totally need another drink."

"Are you alright?" Delphine's voice broke through the uncomfortable silence.

Clearing her throat that had suddenly become very dry, Cosima nodded, hitting the ignore button on the phone. "Yeah just...ex boyfriend." All the bad things she'd felt a day ago came flooding back to her at once. The sadness, the anger, the betrayal, the worthlessness. She blew out a long stream of air. Of all the things she wasn't ready to deal with, that was the one on the top of the list.

"Must be recent." Delphine commented, trying to be casual.

"Christmas day." Cosima mumbled, stabbing at her sandwich with a butter knife, having lost her appetite. "Scott was supposed to meet me at my parents and was running late. I decided to run home to get a present I forgot and guess who was not on their way to my parents. He was decking the halls of my ho ho ho best friend." She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I haven't talked to him since and he hasn't really tried to call, until today." She looked down when her phone began to vibrate again but this time when she reached for it, it was snatched up by the blonde. "Ummm..."

Delphine held up a finger as she answered it. "Bonjour!" She looked at the brunette with a half smile. "Oui this is Cosima's phone, but she is in the shower right now." She rolled her eyes at the response. "Her wife...oui her wife."

Cosima's eyes bugged out as she took in the blonde's amused posture.

"I'm sorry but that is none of your business." Delphine looked down at her nails, taking the current state of her manicure. "Well not that it is any of your business but I do intend on interrupting her shower but not to give her a silly telephone call." Again she smiled. "Of course I know who you are. You are the piece of shit that cheated on her on the birthday of our lord, Jesus Christ and you are not even worth telling her about this call. If you will know what is best for you, you will never call my wife again and rot in hell." She hung the phone up and set it in front of Cosima again before casually returning to her lunch.

"Uh..." Cosima looked at the blonde and then back to her phone and then back to the blonde. "That was...pretty fucking epic." She gave the blonde an adoring look. "You are my new hero."

Delphine grinned, her cheeks tinting a slight pink. "No one cheats on my wife and gets away with it."

"You are so cute." Cosima smiled, feeling herself sink into the embarrassed look on the blonde's face. With a small shake of her head, she cleared her throat. "Thank you. I'm definitely not ready to speak to him." She wrinkled her nose in a grin. "Wanna call my sister now?"

Delphine laughed as she stabbed at a bit of pineapple. "Only if you call my Maman."

Picking up her phone, Cosima put on a challenging look. "Deal." She agreed, holding out the phone.

"No more!" Cosima laughed as she dropped the empty shot glass on the table. They had been drinking for a good hour now and it was definitely taking it's toll. The world was spinning just slightly, but not enough to make her sick. "I can't!" Five shots into a drinking contest against a Klingon and she knew she wasn't going to win.

"bItuHpa' bIHeghjaj!" The large man dressed in a red uniform and an incredible amount of makeup yelled as he slapped his hand down on the table.

With a startled jump, Delphine laughed, burrying her head in the brunette's shoulder. "What is he saying?"

"Death before shame!" Cosima responded loudly. They had somehow ended up in a Star Trek casino slash bar slash wedding chapel slash everything under the sun that could possibly turn a dime. The bar was crawling with different character impersonators, including the Klingon that had challenged her to the drinking competition she so miserably failed. Years spent obsessed with her favorite childhood tv shows came in handy all of a sudden as she pulled the foreign words out of her memory banks. "Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam!"

The man laughed a loud bellowing laugh, shaking his head before leaving the table, stomping off to find another group to terrorize.

"When I said I needed a drink, this is so not what I had in mind." Cosima laughed, clearing her throat which was froggy from pronouncing the guttural sylables. It had been so long since she'd spoken the nerdiest of all languages that she was surprised it came so easily to her still.

"Well I, for one, am extremely grateful we did end up here because I find your Klingon to be very, very, sexy." Delphine reached up and caressed Cosima's cheek. "So beautiful, even with the harsh words."

Cosima grinned, bumping her nose against the blonde's. At some point in the past hour, exactly when her brain was too foggy to grasp, she and Delphine had decided to ignore all personal boundries and she found herself in a strange intimate haze of familiarity. "You are the beautiful one." Pressing closer, she captured soft lips in a hungry kiss. Familiarity...sensuality...lust...It didn't matter what it was, her body was on fire from the alcohol and the intoxicating scent of perfume. A hand fell onto her thigh, nails lightly raking over the skin there."You are killing me here." She mumbled against the seeking lips.

"Yeah?"

When the hand slipped higher, Cosima growled softly, her own hands wanting to slip under the white tank top. "How about we take this somewhere more private?" She tipped her head back as lips and teeth grazed their way down her neck. "Because as cool as Klingons are, I think they draw the line at girl on girl sex on one of their tables."

Pulling back, Delphine bit her bottom lip, a look of contemplation coming over her face. "I think...I want to save you for midnight." She looked at her wristwatch and wrinkled her nose. "Now...we have two more hours." She leaned forward and brushed her lips against Cosima's again. "I think drinking more is a bad idea."

"I may need a cold shower before midnight." Cosima looked down at the hand that slipped out from between her legs.

Both women jumped at a popping sound. They turned to see a group cheering as a bottle of champagne was poured into several flutes, a man and woman kissing in the center of the group.

"Vegas weddings man..." Cosima shook her head. "Such a tourist trap."

"But look how happy they look." Delphine argued, pointing at the couple. "Tourist trap or not, they love each other." She leaned against the brunette.

"Or just drunken stumbling." Cosima commented doubtfully.

Delphine turned to look at Cosima, her face lighting up. "I have an idea!" She ran her fingertips through the brunette dreads, pulling her forward for another kiss. "Let's go watch some of the weddings."

"What?" Cosima pulled back suddenly. "We can't just crash someone's wedding."

"Like you said. They're just drunken stumbling. They won't even notice." She laughed, caressing Cosima's cheek again. "Come on. They even have an impersonator dressed as the Captain marrying people in the chapel here." Delphine moved closer, brushing her lips against the brunette's, smiling when the kiss was returned. "Let me prove to you that not all marriages are fake."

Nibbling a path down the blonde's neck, Cosima hummed softly. She didn't really want to spend the next 2 hours watching strangers jump into a binding legal agreement in the disguise of matrimony. However, when she pulled back, she was rewarded with the most adorable pleading look that she felt her heart squeeze in pain. "Shit...ok."

"Yessss!" Delphine wiggled in place, excitement taking over her. "You won't regret it. I'm going to prove just how great marriage can be before the night is over."

"Non. I change my mind." Delphine quickly grabbed her phone back, shaking her head. "Maman would kill me."

Cosima conceeded, instead focusing on the sandwich in front of her. They had already tried to prank Sarah, but now her sister wasn't answering the phone. "Your call...literally." Cosima chuckled, beginning to flip through the photos again. "God, Star Trek. It must have been my idea. I used to be so obsessed with that show."

"Oui, I know." Delphine smiled. "Your Klingon was...impressive."

"Oh my god...I didn't." Cosima covered her eyes in shame. "I am such a nerd."

"Non non non." Delphine laughed. "It was...cute." Her laughter died off as they sat in amused silence and ate for a few minutes. Delphine finally broke the silence. "I...I apparently remember a lot more about last night than I thought I did." She smiled an almost coy smile. "I...it's just a little...mixed up...out of order."

Cosima gave her a jealous look. "God I wish I remembered more. Seems like I missed quite a party." She laughed. "Maybe you can fill me in?" When she got a dark blush in response she gave the blonde a confused look before realization dawned on her. "Um...not...I meant about the wedding...and how we got to that point." She cleared her throat. "I kind of have little bits of..." She shrugged, feeling her own cheeks burning. It was an awkward situation and while she wanted to talk about it, she also didn't want to talk about it. "I'm not sure if...did you want to talk...about...it?"

"It?" Delphine shook her head. "Non. We don't need to talk about it." She cleared her throat.

"Okay good." Cosima released a relieved sigh. "I don't know if you've, you know...with a woman..."

"Um..." Delphine cleared her throat again. "I..."

"Sorry." Cosima waved her hands. "You don't have to answer that. It's none of my business. I'll stop asking questions. " She made the motion of zipping her mouth shut and then picked up a fork. With a mock-troubled expression, she attempted to shove the bit of fruit into her closed mouth. She glared at the fork before pretending to unzip her mouth and taking the bite.

Delphine couldn't stop the smile that spread from the antics. "It's ok." She took a sip of water. "I've never been with a woman before." She spoke quietly, not daring to look into the dark hazel eyes.

"Yeah it shows." Cosima chuckled until she looked up and saw a strange look on the blonde's face. "Oh...dude...I meant with the way you're acting...not...that."

"Oh." Delphine looked away.

Despite the blonde looking down at her food, Cosima could see the smile barely being held back. "I have like, little clips and bits of memories from last night. From what I do remember, I wish I recalled more." Light hazel eyes looked up at her through long lashes and she smiled. "The whole waking up married thing aside, I don't think I could have planned a better night." She chuckled softly when pale cheeks flushed again. "Hey, do you mind if I try something?" When the woman looked up she stood, wiping her mouth on her napkin before stretching slightly. "Stand up?"

Delphine gave her a confused look, taking a sip of water before standing. "What are you..." Her words trailed off when the brunette stepped up to her.

"I just need to..." Cosima reached up, her hand coming up to rest against the warm cheek. She bit her bottom lip, her hand moving around to the back of the blonde's neck. "Do you mind if I kiss you?" Even as the words were coming out, she was moving to the tips of her toes.

Instinctively leaning down, Delphine shook her head just slightly. "Non...I don't..."

Cosima cut her off with a kiss, tentative at first to make sure the woman wouldn't push her away. When she felt the kiss being returned, she pressed closer, welcoming the tongue that slipped past her lips and the arm that slipped around her waist, as she tangled her fingers in blonde curls. After a long moment she pulled away, a grin spreading across her face. "That...was way better than I remembered. You didn't mind did you?"

Delphine smiled, loosening her hold on the smaller frame. "Non. I definitely don't mind."

Stepping away, Cosima cleared her throat. "Um. Yeah I think I should take a shower." She tugged the robe she was wearing a little tighter. "I...um." She could feel her blood burning and she really needed to separate herself from the blonde before there was a repeat of the previous night. She picked up her clothes from where she'd dropped them and backed toward the bathroom. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Before the woman could respond she locked herself in the bright room, wincing at the light. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she blew out a long stream of air, feeling her heart trying to beat itself out of her chest. "Holy fishsticks." She whispered, shaking her head.

I am in awe of all the amazing comments I'm getting on this and I appreciate all of them. As I mentioned before this isn't going to be a really long story and there are going to be 2 more parts after this chapter. I know that people have been wanting to hear about everyone's reactions to the marriage and stuff, and it will be so very briefly touched upon in the next chapter, but this was always meant to be just about Cosima and Delphine. I love this story and I hope you guys aren't too mad that it's not going to be like 50k words.

"Drunk people are funny." Cosima commented, leaning against Delphine's shoulder. Three weddings down and she had more than enough comments saved up for a lifetime. The world, however, was a much blurrier place and Cosima was feeling a mix between wanting a nice long nap and wanting to strip off her clothes...and Delphine's. She looked up at the French woman, seeing her eyes brimming with tears. "Hey hey hey. What's with the waterworks?" She reached up, caressing the soft skin of her cheek. "What's a girl like you doing crying on a night when you're out with a girl like me?"

"Desolee." Delphine sniffled, reaching up to wipe away the tear that spilled out. "Just...weddings. You know." She sniffled again.

Cosima smiled, brushing her lips along the woman's jawbone. "You're not getting emotional over some strangers getting married, are you?" Pulling back, even with the blurring vision and tilting world, she could still see the sadness in Delphine's eyes. The look didn't seem to be related to the couple currently getting married. "For real though, what's up buttercup?"

With a shrug, Delphine rested her forehead against Cosima's. "Just...my home and job wasn't the only thing I left when I moved. It is a very typical story. Girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, boy and girl move in together in a very cute apartment." She waved her hand around. "Boy proposes to girl, girl says yes, and then boy sleeps with downstairs neighbor...upstairs neighbor...neighbor across the hall." She ticked off on her fingers, her voice trailing off on the last one.

"Dude..." Cosima blinked, pushing her glasses up. "That sucks, but I totally understand, well, not totally cause that's a lot of neighbors but..." She let her voice fade off as she thought about that. She looked into shaking eyes and blew out a long sigh. "I mean the whole reason I'm here in Vegas is because my family is trying to cheer me up after my boyfriend of a year cheated on me with my best friend." She wrinkled her nose in momentary distaste before smiling. "You know, I don't normally go on about fate and all but..." She pulled the sleeve of her top up, revealing a tattoo of a nautilus shell. She had gotten it years ago, when she broke away from the typical nerd stereotype and pierced her nose and dreaded her hair. "I'm sure you know this cause you're like totally into science but, this spiral, this is the golden ratio and it's a mathematical pattern that just repeats itself in nature, in flower petals and honeybees, and you know, the stars in the galaxy, and in every molecule of our DNA." She looked up to see the blonde watching her closely. "It's all connected, man, the flowers, bees, prostitutes and preachers and I have to think that just as there's a blueprint for creation in nature, I think there's a similar synchronicity in life. " She looked down as fingertips traced over the ink, dainty yet strong fingers that sent a chill through her body. "The very blueprint that shows itself in acorns and artichokes and flowers in fields, and the sunbursts in hazel eyes..." She reached up and wiped a tear away from Delphine's cheek. "Maybe there's some weird design and blueprint in which every step I took brought me closer to this moment...sitting in the nerdiest chapel on the planet, watching drunk people get married...with the hottest girl this side of the Atlantic." She smiled.

Delphine laughed at that. "You make huge leaps in your theories, Cosima." She leaned into the hand that cupped her cheek, taking a shuddered breath. "There have been no plausible connections between the golden ratio and human actions."

"Dude. Stop countering. Sometimes your only option is to take huge leaps." Cosima laughed, leaning up and kissing soft lips. There was something about Delphine's lips that were so addicting and she pressed closer. She felt hands caressing her neck and she whimpered.

"Ahem."

Cosima growled softly as she pulled away from the soft lips, feeling the teeth nip at her own lip as she backed away. Both women turned to look at the man who was standing there, dressed as none other than Captain Picard.

"Are you two ladies ready?"

"What?" Delphine asked in surprise.

"I assume you two are here to get married?" He shifted uncomfortably. "I..."

Cosima grinned. "Actually..." She was cut off suddenly by Delphine's hand covering her mouth.

The blonde gave her a look before smiling at the captain. "We'll be ready in 2 minutes."

As the man left, Cosima turned furrowed brows toward the blonde. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked when the hand dropped away.

"Maybe we should test your theory?" Delphine slipped her hand back around Cosima's neck, pulling her forward in a kiss that the woman seemed unable to resist. "If it is a grand design and we were meant to be here together, than anything we do is completely as planned, non?"

"Or the plan could just involve really hot casual sex." Cosima grinned at the prospect, tasting soft lips again. "Really, really hot casual sex."

With a soft hum, Delphine pulled away, standing up and offering the brunette a hand and a raised eyebrow. "A beautiful young scientist once told me, sometimes your only option is to take huge leaps."

Maybe it was the alcohol, or the herbal influence, but despite her completely normal aversion to marriage, she was intrigued by the proposed experiment, almost as much as she was intrigued by light hazel eyes and a beautiful smile. She chewed on her bottom lip in contemplation before deciding to just throw caution to the wind, accepting the strong hand and allowing herself to be pulled into a warm and welcoming embrace.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah yeah. Totally." Cosima nodded, pulling her dreads up into a bun as she exited the bathroom. She was back in her dress from the night before which regretably smelt a lot like weed and alcohol, but it was a lot better than walking back to her hotel in a robe. She felt chilled to the bone from her shower but definitely more awake. "I'm pretty sure I'm skill drunk. Sorry about...before."

Delphine shook her head. "Don't apologize."

"I think I really should." Cosima stepped up to the table that Delphine had re-taken her seat at, leaning against it instead of taking a seat across from her. "You don't seem like the wild and crazy type. I, on the other hand, tend to make a lot of bad decisions pretty much every day. I'm pretty sure I'm to blame for most of what happened last night and I'm sorry for dragging you into something you wouldn't normally do if you weren't completely smashed."

"Cosima..." Delphine took advantage of the proximity and grabbed the woman's hand, turning it palm up and pushing the sleeve up to reveal the tattoo there. "I said don't apologize because there isn't anything for you to apologize for." She reached out a fingertip and traced the lines there just as she did the night before. "I believe, last night, you mentioned something to the effect of a blueprint dictating the lives of humanity." She looked up to see curious eyes watching her. "You mentioned fate, and I was the one that convinced you...to test that."

There it was, that animal magnetism that drew her in. Those eyes that were golden starbursts in a field of moss green, they pulled her in and she stepped closer, leaning down to capture soft lips despite her brain telling her she should leave. She didn't need to get anymore invested in this marriage. She needed to get back home, meet up with her parents' lawyer and get this wedding disolved. She needed to...the hand that traced her tattoo moved up to caress her cheek before slipping behind her neck and pulling her down. She needed the soft lips that covered her own and the arm that slipped around her waist. "Delphine..." She groaned softly. The cold shower she had taken had done almost nothing to fight the desire she felt in her odd predicament and it was everything she could do to fight it.

"Tell me you don't feel this." Delphine whispered against Cosima's lips, standing to press their bodies flush against each other. Without the brunette's heeled boots, she had to bend down further than she remembered. All she had to do was wrap an arm around the woman's waist, and it was perfect. Despite the height difference, they were perfect together. "Please feel what I feel." She whispered into the brunette's ear, taking the warm flesh of her earlobe between her teeth.

Cosima leaned back slightly, capturing the blonde's face between her hands, searching for any sort of hesitation. When she saw none, she let all her reluctance wash away as their lips crushed together in hunger. Clothes returned to their spots on the floor from the previous night as hands tore them away. They were tumbling together onto the bed and Cosima groaned at the feeling of skin against skin. "Merde." She heard breathed against her neck as her hands began their exploration.

There will be just one more chapter after this one. Thank you all for your wondnerful comments and thank you for reading.

"After you Mrs. Niehause." Cosima laughed as she bowed dramatically, gesturing for the blonde to enter the room ahead of her. It was just minutes before midnight and while the alcohol and weed coursing through her blood was threatening to take over completely, she was very much going to keep up with the woman's plans for welcoming in the new year. She continued laughing as she was pulled into the hotel room, the door slamming shut by their weight pressed against it and a loud groan escaping her lips as she felt teeth nip at her neck.

"Non. Not Mrs. Niehause." Delphine protested, nibbling at the already bruised lips. "Dr. Cormier-Niehause."

That voice and accent was far more intoxicating than any drink could be. Cosima locked her hands in blonde hair, pulling her closer. "Doctor. I like it." The hands tugging at her clothes offered the freedom she craved as she soon found the chilled wood of the door pressed against her bare skin. She wanted to take the lead, to let her experience play, but the blonde was doing her damnedest to remain in control, and frankly Cosima wasn't in the mood to argue. "Shit." The word slipped as she felt nails raking over one shoulder, teeth sinking into her other as her own fingers began working on the French woman's clothes.

Delphine, it seemed, was busy running curious fingertips along every inch of skin she could find. "So beautiful." She whispered as she brushed feather light kisses against the soft skin.

Through the haze of her drunken high, somehow Cosima suddenly found herself pinned to the bed, strong thighs straddling her hips. Her newly-bound wife was completely naked, curious fingers continuing to trace lines on her body. Her resistance finally crumbled and she grabbed the blonde's body and rolled over, pausing momentarily as the world caught up to the motion. She looked down at the giggling blonde and grinned. There was no uncertainty in the French woman's eyes as she sat up to meet Cosima's lips in another bruising kiss. As their lips separated, she bumped their noses together, humming in contentment. "You ok with this?" Please say yes. Please say yes. Cosima felt her body almost trembling with need as her fingertips twitched against strong biceps.

Delphine nodded. "More than ok." She brought her hands up, just a slight hesitance in her actions as she began to trace the subtle curves of Cosima's ribs, her eyes sparkling as they slipped up over the brunette's breasts.

"Good good good...very good." Cosima purred, stripping off her jewelry and glasses, setting them on the nightstand and glancing at the clock before their lips met in another of a series of endless kisses. "Delphine...It's..." She was cut off by a loud boom. They both paused momentarily as the room was filled with colorful light pouring in from the crack in the drapes. "...midnight." She grinned as another set of booms and pops brought different shades of lights in.

Delphine bit her bottom lip, caressing the length of the brunette's neck with a warm hand. "Happy new year."

"Ditto." Cosima grinned, pushing the blonde back on the bed, their bodies sliding together in blissful ecstasy.

Much later, after the fireworks died off and their bodies began to give in to the inebriation and exhaustion, Cosima was on the edge of sleep, completely losing her battle against her eyelids. She felt fingers slipping through her dreads, lips brushing against her shoulder.

"Don't forget about me when you wake up." The voice whispered in her ear as an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her tight against the longer frame.

"Never." Cosima mumbled just as sleep claimed her.

Laying in bed, Cosima ran her fingers through blonde hair, sorting the locks with a soft smile. Her body was both sore and humming in content. "What are you doing to me?" She whispered softly, not daring to break the sanctity of the moment.

Delphine was watching her with heavy eyelids, her own lips touched with a coy smile. "Anything you want."

Cosima felt her heart beating a million beats per minute, and it didn't have anything to do with their recent activities. Their legs were tangled together and an arm wrapped around her waist, keeping their torsos in contact. The shared heat seemed to be a source of a fluttering anxiety in her stomach that felt oddly similar to butterflies. "I have to go." Just saying to words seemed to anger the butterflies that seemed to want to eat her alive from the inside. "I'm going to have to face the music of my siblings eventually."

Delphine nodded, a sudden look of sadness on her face. "You know. It's been a pleasure being married to you, Cosima." She bit her bottom lip, her mind obviously racing. "I know it was a mistake, but I can't say the same about meeting you. Maybe after we get the whole marriage issue settled, we can start anew?"

Leaning forward for a quick kiss, Cosima slipped out of the bed, looking for her clothes again. "Yeah, totally. We can talk about that later. We have time." She grinned at the blonde as she slipped the clothes on for the second time that day. She found the hazel eyes watching her intently and she gave into the desire to crawl back onto the bed for a kiss. "Have dinner with me tonight?"

"Ok." Delphine reached up to caress a soft cheek, pulling her down for a proper goodbye kiss. "I'll see you tonight."

"Totally." Cosima chuckled with one more quick peck on the blonde's lips.

The walk back to her much smaller hotel gave her the time she needed to think about everything that had happened. She hugged her arms to her chest, covered in Delphine's hoodie that she had borrowed on her way out. On one hand, here she was in her early 20s, married to a woman she had just met despite her complete aversion to marriage. Sure they'd talked about a few personal things, but they definitely didn't know enough about each other to be married. Granted, it was probably the best first date she'd ever had in the entire length of her existence, but what did that really mean? They couldn't stay married, there was no question about that.

Sliding her key into the hotel door, she was surprised when the door was yanked open. "Holy sheep tits!"

"Well well well. Look who's doing the walk of shame times a thousand."

"Good morning to you too, Beth." Cosima rolled her eyes, slipping into the room when her sister moved aside. "Aren't you sharing a room with Alison?" She retrieved some fresh clothes from her bags, a pair of red corduroys and a patterned top.

Beth leaned against the wall, watching the woman putter around. "It's apparently my shift on what we're calling Cosima-gate. I'm supposed to message the others when you show up so the trials can begin." She laughed like it was a joke, but it wasn't.

Cosima stopped, halfway through pulling her make-up bag out. "Are you serious? You guys are taking shifts waiting for me?"

"You're damn right." Beth gave her a serious look. "We were worried about you. I mean you completely disappeared and then suddenly the only clues we get are instagram photos of Klingons and captains and suddenly you're changing your facebook status to married." She shook her head. "Then we get some cryptic message from you this morning and nothing since then."

"If you haven't guessed, I've kinda got a lot on my plate today." Cosima blew out a frustrated breath.

Holding up her hands in concession, Beth sighed. "Tell you what. We've got another hour or so before Sarah shows up for her turn, which by the way she's not happy with you at all because Alison kinda ripped her a new one for leaving you alone to your own devices. Why don't you take a shower, I'll grab some coffee and we can have a calm and collected sisterly chat before the circus starts." She pushed Cosima toward the bathroom, patting her on the shoulder. "By the way. Your wife...totally fuckin' hot, man. Good job."

With a roll of her eyes, Cosima closed the door, leaning against it for a minute, staring at the reflection of herself in the mirror. "Yeah, she kinda is." She whispered before slipping into the shower. Her mind kept replaying the morning, having given up on trying to remember the night before. There was no way they could stay married. It would never work out. She didn't know anything about the blonde. She didn't know anything about being married.

Hazel eyes that sparkled with bursts of sunlight flashed through her mind, bringing a smile to her face.

She hated marriage and everything it stood for, so why did the thought of divorce suddenly leave a sinking feeling in her gut?

Ok so I lied. There's going to be an epilogue after this chapter so I guess that means there were 2 more parts. I'll probably post the very last bit tomorrow. It's already done, just needs another once over. Thanks again for the awesome comments and support for this piece. I loved writing it and it's probably my favorite incarnation I've written of cophine.

"What are you doing?"

It was a cool yet sunny day, a typical day in the suburban San Francisco neighborhood. A young girl with straight long brown hair pulled in a ponytail looked up from her dolls, her bangs half obscuring her eyes. "Barbie and Ken are getting married." Even at the early age of 7, the girl had an almost elevated sense of self, training in ballet giving her a posture better than her sisters. She looked up at the oddest of the bunch, the nerdy baby of the family who was currently bunked down in her favorite seat, 2 planks nailed into the lowest branch of the large tree in their yard. The girl had apparently been bothered long enough to look up from her book to call down to her sister who was sitting beneath her playing. "Would you like to join me, Cosima?" She was hesitant but polite, knowing the chances of it happening were very slim.

The girl in the tree wrinkled her nose, pushing her glasses further up her nose. "No thanks, Alison. Weddings are dumb."

Young Alison paused in her playing, looking up with a confused look. "No they're not."

Cosima huffed. "Yeah they are."

"No they're not."

"Why does Barbie even have to get married?" Cosima hung her legs over the branch, getting a better look at the mock wedding. "I'd rather just play with my friends all day than have a stupid husband."

Alison looked down at her Barbie that she had changed into a dress she'd stolen from Beth's Cinderella doll. "Well I'm going to marry someone who's hansom like Ken."

Cosima shook her head, turning back to her book. "I'm never getting married." She smiled as she wiggled to get back into a comfortable position, burrying her nose in the book.

Cosima rocked back and fourth on her heels as she stood in front of the hotel door. She checked her watch and blew out a long breath. Quite frankly her brain was still reeling after the family meeting she'd just had, which unfortunately included her mother dialed in through skype and her siblings ranging from very quiet Alison to Sarah screaming her head off. She had been chastised for over an hour now and things were beginning to die down until she mentioned that she was going to be meeting Delphine for dinner. The yelling had started anew until her brother broke through the yelling.

"What's she going to do? Run off and get married?" Tony had joked as he tipped back his beer. He laughed at Sarah and Alison's glare. "At least Dreads went and got herself someone fine as hell."

"This is not a laughing matter, Tony, and if you and your sisters had kept a better watch on her, knowing that she has a tendency to go off and be completely irrational, we wouldn't be dealing with this situation." Their mother remarked through the tablet propped up on the table.

"Hey! I make my own decisions, thank you very much." Cosima crossed her arms over her chest.

"How's that workin' out for ya, Dipshit?" Beth snorted.

"Don't call your sister a Dipshit, Elizabeth."

"I'm leaving." Cosima grabbed her coat, the soft red material slipping over her shoulders. She was fuming and it was everything she could do to not completely flip out on her family that was treating her like a child. They were all the same age. Ok, so maybe she was the only one of them born after midnight but she was tired of being considered the baby of the group.

"No no no." Sarah protested.

Cosima held up a hand. "Stop." She slipped on her ankle boots and grabbed her bag. "I know I fucked up, but I am working on it, ok. I need to do this alone and none of you are going to stop me."

And none of them had tried. Now, standing outside of Delphine's door, she felt the frustration only fueling her nervousness. When the hotel door opened, however, and she took in the tall form before her, all the anger and negativity she felt just melted away. She smiled at the sight of Delphine wearing a tight black and white dress that ended a few inches above her knees, making Cosima swallow audibly. "Hey, um...sorry I'm late. I mean, I'm kinda always late, so kinda always sorry, but I was getting lectured by my mother and siblings in some super tag team screaming match." She was babbling and she knew it.

Delphine smiled before leaning down to brush her lips against her cheek. "Do not worry, ma cherie." Her smile widened, reaching up to rub away the slight smudge of lip gloss.

Cosima felt her heart skip a beat before her pulse began racing. Now that she was sober, she was more aware of everything. Had she been viewing herself from a clinical standpoint, she would have taken note of the flood of oxytocin and vasopressin in her brain, responsible for the connection and overall attachment she was developing for the woman. She would notice the sudden onslaught of dopamine in her mesolimbic pathway, her body already seemingly addicted to the close proximity of the blonde, urging her to pull the taller frame to her own. She also would notice the sudden disappearance of any signs of hunger or weariness.

Unfortunately, her brain was too busy lingering on the simplest of contact to even try to be clinical at the moment. Right now, there was a different sort of awareness. She noted the suble sweetness of the blonde's perfume, lingering in the air around her. She noticed the perfectly tended gold curls, straight stature and absolute confidence in her posture. This was different from the uncertain bearing of the still-drunk and confused woman she had woken up to. While she found both completely sexy and irresistible, this was a whole new level of attraction.

"Are you alright, Cosima?"

Cosima shook her head quickly, trying to clear it. "Um, yeah. Totally fine. Can we talk for a minute?"

Delphine stepped aside, letting the brunette in. "I had hoped we would enjoy dinner first before the heavy discussions began..." Her voice trailed off as her personal space was invaded by the shorter form. A warm hand slipped up to carress her cheek and she leaned into the touch, her eyes fluttering closed.

Being this close to the blonde, it was like all her worries disappeared, replaced by an intoxicating desire that coursed through her body and settle deep in her bones, but she needed to get through this. "I find it completely insane how much you were on my mind today." She moved her hand down the long neck and then behind it, pulling the blonde down for a soft kiss. As if on it's own accord, her body moved forward, pressing against the long frame. Despite the onslaught of hormones rushing through her body, she was able to take note on how well they fit together despite their completely different heights. It took all her willpower to push Delphine away, break the kiss off, groaning loudly. "Ok, no." She laughed, taking a step back. "Seriously. Sorry that was my fault."

Delphine nodded. "I agree. Completely your fault."

Cosima laughed, quickly pecking her on the lips before stepping away. "Ok...whoo." She blew out a long breath, starting to pace, her hands coming up instinctively to assist in sorting her brain. "Look...this is totally a weird situation. We don't really know that much about each other so I want you to know where I'm coming from." She licked her lips, gathering her thoughts for a moment. "My mother is contacting her lawyer today and starting the process of the divorce." She paused at the look on the blonde's face as the woman sat down on the edge of the bed. She just barely resisted going to comfort her. "I don't want you to think that this is an attack on you or how I feel about you, because it's not. I really want to get to know you, I just really don't want to be married...in general. It has nothing to do with you."

Delphine was quiet, watching the brunette pace back and forth.

"I've known I didn't want to get married since I was a little kid. It was never a goal or an aspiration, quite the opposite actually." Cosima stopped in front of the blonde, sitting next to her when she noticed the sad look in her eyes. "You are a genius, Delphine. You're funny. You're fucking gorgeous." She reached up and caressed her cheek. "You don't think I'm a complete nerd, which is super rare." There was nothing she wanted to do more than to pull her in for a kiss. "I need you to understand this, Delphine, because if you have this dream of walking down the aisle in a white dress, I can't give that to you." She took a deep breath. "What I want is to get to know you better. I want to know what kind of ice cream to get you in the middle of the night. I want to know what your favorite movie is and spend a weekend trying to convince you of the underrated amazingness of Deep Space Nine." She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against the blonde's. "I want to go on a picnic with you and argue about whether a cloud looks more like a flower or a bear."

Delphine laughed, reaching up to cup the woman's face in her hands. "You are absurd." She pulled her forward for a kiss, one that lasted just a fleeting moment. "I will make a deal with you." She bumped her nose against Cosima's before pulling back. "I agree to getting this divorce as fast as possible because I do not want you in a place you do not want to be in." Her fingertips traced a path along her jawline. "I will also recognize your aversion to marriage as your personal standpoint, however, I reserve the right to revisit the discussion of the pros and cons of marriage in the future, from a purely conversive standpoint."

Cosima tilted her head. "Does that mean..."

"Of course I want to get to know you." Delphine rolled her eyes. "Just one day and I'm overcome with this god-forsaken infatuation for you." She laughed, pulling the woman's lips to her own.

Pressing closer, Cosima returned the kiss, her hand coming up to tangle in blonde curls. She felt like a teenager with her first crush, never wanting to give up the lips and tongue and the teeth that captured her bottom lip. She groaned, her fingers of her free hand itching at the edge of Delphine's dress when a hand covered her own.

"Non." Delphine shook her head, bumping her away. She chuckled, giving her another quick kiss. "You promised me dinner, and I am still hung over and very very hungry."

Cosima laughed, nodding quickly. "Ok." Standing up, she straightened her own dress with a wiggle. She offered her arm to the blonde and grinned as an arm looped through it. "Dinner...I can make it through dinner..."

As they exited the room and walked down the hall, Delphine smirked, seeing right through her. "I must say I've been looking forward to this all afternoon. Hopefully your idea of second dates are not so exciting and life-altering as the first. I may not survive."

With a laugh, Cosima nodded guiltily. "I'll try to tame it down a little bit. As my brother so helpfully pointed out earlier, it's not like we can do anything as foolish as going out and getting married...again." She commented as the elevator door closed. Almost instantly she found herself pinned to the back corner, light hazel eyes just inches from her own.

"Married? Non." Delphine pressed closer, smiling as hands settled on her hips. "But there's always room for a little foolishness." She commented just before their lips met.

Cosima groaned against the velvet lips, one arm looping around the taller woman's neck as she felt the arm wrap completely around her waist. Just then the elevator stopped on a floor and there was a soft ding but neither woman acknowledged the sound of the door opening, or the squeak of the hotel guest that had intended on catching a ride down to the lobby but thought better of it. It wasn't until the doors closed again that Cosima pulled away slightly, bumping her nose against Delphine's.

"Better watch out, Cosima. People might think you enjoy being married to me." Delphine commented before completely pulling away at the sound of the elevator stopping once more.

When the doors opened to the lobby, Cosima watched as the blonde sauntered out as if nothing happened. She cleared her throat and licked her lips, tasting the faint hint of lip gloss. "You are in so much trouble, Niehaus." She told herself as she exited the elevator at a quick pace, feeling an overwhelming excitement for the evening and everything after that.

So this is the final part. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who read and commented and messaged me about this story. I appreciate every single one of you and it's been a blast and I'm almost sad to see this story end. Ah well.

"Cosima! You're going to be late!"

Cosima came barrelling down the stairs, her school bag thrown over her shoulder. "I know I know!" She nearly collided right into her mother who was standing at the door. "Whoa."

The older woman held up an envelope and coffee. "Fedex dropped this off while you were in the shower."

"Thanks, Mom. See ya!" Cosima grabbed the envelope and travel mug, jamming the envelope into her bag before tossing it onto the passenger seat of her small car. The short ride to the Univeristy was always an adventure as Cosima wasn't the best driver in the world. Her hands were always doing a dozen other things: applying make up, jamming a danish in her mouth, searching her bag for the homework that was due in her first class. It also didn't help that she was trying to make up for her lateness by driving twice the speed limit.

The dash from the closest parking lot to her first class was always a pain. It was one of the many reasons she disliked her immunology class. It wasn't a field she had any intention on going into so she despised having to take the class. Her professor was the main reason. Dr. Leekie was an egotistical hard-ass that she was sure hated her. Of course it didn't help that she was late every day. Today, however, even as she slipped into the room, she noticed the front of the room was empty. With a confused look, she slipped into her normal seat, turning to her classmate. "Hey Shay. Where's the professor?" She dug into her bag, removing the fedex envelope and tearing into it.

"I dunno, totally late. You got lucky today." The student laughed before nodding at the papers. "What's that?"

Cosima blew out a long breath, flipping through the papers once before folding it up and slipping it back into her bag. "Notice from my mother's lawyer. My divorce is final."

"Whoa...intense. I feel like you guys were married forever."

"For real." Cosima laughed, pulling out her text book. "It's been a very weird..." Her voice trailed off when the side door opened and the professor walked in, only it wasn't one she expected.

"Settle down class." The French accent almost echoed in the large room as the tall blonde took a place in front of the class. "Due to an incident in the infectious lab this morning, Dr. Leekie will not be in for this week and I will be taking over. My name is Dr. Cormier."

"Dude...isn't that your..."

"My ex-wife...yeah." Cosima smirked, looking the blonde over. "This is about to get interesting. I don't..."

"Miss Niehaus, did you have something you wanted to share with the rest of the class?" The blonde was giving her a stern look.

Cosima shook her head. "Nope. Not at all, Dr. Cormier." She responded, unable to stop the smile from tugging at her lips.

"Then see me in my office after class and we can discuss it in private." Delphine cleared her throat, turning to the whiteboard. "Alright, I believe you all just began the introduction into host-parasite relationships. Please turn to page 148 of the text."

As it turns out, having someone you've slept with as your professor is not actually a good thing. It's probably the most distracting thing you could sit through and Cosima found it difficult to concentrate on anything except the form in the front of the room. When Delphine had removed her jacket and revealed a sleeveless button-down top, she was pretty sure she groaned out loud considering the look Shay gave her a second after. The hour long class seemed to drone on forever until everyone started pouring out.

"Dude. I'll see you...later." Shay grabbed her bags and disappeared.

Cosima shouldered her own bag, descending the stairs and heading to where the professor's door was. She only knocked once before she was pulled into the small room, the door closing hard behind her as she was assaulted by hungry lips. She laughed against the lips, reaching back to close the blinds as her own tongue tangled with the one invading her mouth. Finally she was able to pull away and she chuckled. "Mmm Dr. Cormier. Look at you making out with students in Leekie's office."

Delphine hummed in delight. "I missed you last night." Pushing aside dreads, she brushed her lips along the expanse of the student's neck. "You're father is home today, non?"

Nodding, Cosima dug through her bag, retrieving the envelope again. "Yeah, his plane is coming in this morning. I missed you too but my mother is terrified of sleeping in the house alone." She handed the envelope to the professor. "My mother's lawyer sent this to her house. Congratulations. You're a free woman again."

Pulling out the papers and skimming the words quickly, Delphine rolled her eyes, handing the small stack back over. "My girlfriend will be so pleased."

"Mmmm." Cosima nipped at the blonde's lips. "I'm sure she is already." She wrapped her arm around Delphine's waist, hugging her tightly. "We should celebrate tonight."

"I'll take care of dinner and you'll pick up the wine?"

A smile spread across Cosima's face as she nodded. "Nothing else will be on my mind the rest of the day."

And nothing else was. Even as she hugged the bottle of wine to her chest as she fumbled around for her keys, she could only think of what lay on the other side of the door. The past six months had been a learning experience for sure. It had been significantly different than any relationship she'd had before and it was a breath of fresh air...most of the time. They'd had a few head butting moments, but more times than not they were able to settle any arguments within hours. When she finally managed to open the door, the smell of garlic, basil and tomatoes filled the air and her stomach growled almost instantly.

"You're late."

Hooking her bag on it's designated hook, Cosima turned to find Delphine leaning in the kitchen entrance, a soft smile on her face. "You know me..." She grinned, offering her the bottle. "As you requested." She was rewarded with a quick kiss before following the blonde into the kitchen to see dinner still being cooked. "Smells fantastic in here."

Delphine opened the bottle of wine, setting it aside to aerate. "It's almost done." Reaching out, she pulled the brunette closer, breathing in the scent of dinner and perfume mixed together. "YOU smell fantastic." She whispered, brushing her lips along the soft skin of her jaw. "I missed

you."

With a sultry grin, Cosima pressed closer, pushing herself up to her toes to meet her lips in a kiss. "Mmm, me too." She smiled against the soft lips, humming softly. "So...I've been thinking."

"That can be dangerous." Delphine joked.

Leaning against the counter, Cosima watching as Delphine stirred the marinara sauce, smiling before turning to pour the wine. "You know I love you, right?"

There was a short pause in Delphine's stirring before she responded, not looking up from the pot. "You have mentioned this, yes, but it seems you are naked a majority of the times you say it so I don't know if those times count."

Smirking over the rim of the wine glass, Cosima took a quick sip. "Well, despite you having absorbed my smart-assness, I do love you." When Delphine turned to her, she offered her the wine glass. "I know it's been kinda touchy with this whole divorce thing, but I want you to know that I...I didn't want our life to be based off of one drunken night."

Reaching over to turn off the sauce, Delphine turned to face the brunette, a questioning look on her face. "Where are you going with this?"

Setting her wine glass down, Cosima reached for Delphine's hand, running her finger along the copper band there. "I want to spend my life with you and I feel that I need to re-establish that in our newly-divorced state." She brought the hand up to her lips to kiss the ring there. "And I know you're big on marriage and everything so I wanted to let you know that, even though we're now officially divorced, I don't mind if you want to keep wearing the ring, even if it could be weird."

"Weird?" Delphine's brows scrunched in confusion.

"Well yeah, I mean...it is a little weird." Cosima joked before catching Delphine's gaze. "Especially with the other one there."

Confusion seemed to take over her whole brain, Delphine trying to process the statement when she felt the cool metal slip over her finger. She looked down and her eyes caught the sparkle of the lights reflecting off the diamond set in a white gold band. Uncertainty clouding her thoughts, she looked up at Cosima with a questioning look, not daring to jump to conclusions.

Cosima smiled sheepishly. "So I was thinking that for as long as I didn't want to get married, you've probably spent just as long dreaming about a wedding and over the past 6 months I'd come to realize something really really sappy about myself." She blew out a long sigh. "It turns out that apparently I'm one of those super dopey people, I've discovered, that whenever I do something that makes you happy, for some reason it makes me really happy and I know that this whole divorce thing kinda made you sad as it got closer and closer to being finalized." She bit her bottom lip, trying to organize her thoughts, knowing she was babbling when she had a whole speech prepared. She swallowed audibly, looking up to see shaking hazel eyes watching her quietly. "Apparently when you're sad, I get really really sad, distraught almost, so this is a purely selfish move of me wanting to be happy and you being happy makes me happy. So I guess what I'm saying is I want to get married...again...or for real this time, because your happiness makes me happy and I kinda like being happy like I have been these past 6 months."

Shaking her head, Delphine laughed. She cupped the brunette's face in her hands, pulling her close for a solid yet still soft kiss. "That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard." She commented as their lips separated.

"I know!" Cosima covered her eyes. "I'm not gonna lie and say I'm not nervous, cause I still have all the same doubts about marriage as I always did, but I've not regretted a single moment of these past 6 months. I'm pretty sure I've been happier than I ever have been and that includes being married so like seriously how bad can marriage be?" She reached up, wiping away a tear that fell from the blonde's eye. "Ok, don't you dare start crying on me. You know I get all awkward and don't know what to do when you cry."

Delphine nodded, sniffling slightly. "This has to be the worst proposal ever and I can't help but think that it's so you." She bumped her forehead against Cosima's.

"Totally." Cosima smiled in response. She could feel the waves of excitement flowing off the blonde and she knew that despite her preconceived beliefs and ideas about marriage, this was the right decision. All of her arguments against marriage were outweighed by the simple fact that it made the person she now considered to be the love of her life completely and utterly happy. "So...you haven't said yes or no yet, which I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but come on I'm totally questioning my entire belief system here. You could at least help a girl out with a response."

With a roll of her eyes, Delphine pulled back slightly, looking at her finger. With a smile she removed both rings, swapping the order of them and slipping the engagement ring on first then the wedding band, seeing how they stacked. "You don't think 6 months is rushing it?"

With a shrug, Cosima slipped her fingers between Delphine's, brushing her lips across the back of her hand. "We don't have to get married right now. We can have a long engagement."

Delphine nodded, agreeing. After a moment she pulled back, a thoughtful look on her face. "How long of a long engagement?"

With the cheekiest grin possible, Cosima shrugged. "Oh, I don't know, one, maybe four years...ouch!" She jumped when strong fingers pinched her side. "Hey! You've already won this battle, Cormier. What else do you want from me?"

Pulling the shorter woman back to her, Delphine wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging her fiercely before answering. "Everything."

Returning the hug, Cosima closed her eyes. She tried to memorise the feel of the woman in her arms, the sound of the clock ticking on the wall and the scent of Delphine's perfume mixed with the Italian food she had cooked. She wanted to remember everything about this moment. They stayed that way for a long moment before Cosima finally broke the silence. "My mother is going to be so mad. She just forked out a bunch of cash for her lawyer and now I'm being the spoiled brat and getting married again."

Delphine laughed. "Inconsiderate asshole." She joked before capturing her lips in a kiss, not surprised when she felt fingertips tugging at her clothes and almost instantly losing herself in the sensation. Dinner would definitely have to wait.