Chapter 31: Follow Your Heart

"Yes, it's really me," Delphine says softly.

Cosima doesn't move, just stares at Delphine, confused.

"Uh, yeah, sorry, I didn't mean that like I was questioning you being real again, just, um, what are you doing here? Have you been in Minnesota all this time?

"No, I arrived in town last night. I've been waiting for you." Delphine stays by the door, unsure if closer proximity is desired on Cosima's part. "So, how have you been?"

"How have I been?" Cosima scoffs. "Well, I could barely go 45 minutes without seeing you, how do you think I did going 3 months without you?"

"I'm sorry," Delphine answers, sadness evident on her face.

"No, no, don't apologize, it's my fault you left, I know that. This summer has just been really hard. I mean, I was working at my mom's summer camp, doing science experiments with the kids, and that was fun, but you were never very far from my mind."

"You were always on my mind," Delphine admits.

"Yeah?" Cosima asks and Delphine nods. "Delphine, I'm sorry I lied to you, it was wrong, I know that, but, honestly, I'm also kinda not sorry. I mean, if I had told you the truth right from the start and you had run off then, none of our time together would have happened. I'd rather go the rest of my life never seeing you again than never having been with you at all. I have never been happier in my life than when I was with you and, yeah, I may have been depressed as hell when you left, but I'll never say it wasn't worth it. I'm sorry that I hurt you, that I couldn't be honest about who you were. And you may never forgive me, I get it. But you can't say that you didn't feel the same way about me that I felt about you. And you can't say that we didn't have a great time together or that we didn't love each other. And I know it was all built on one huge lie, but that lie doesn't negate everything else. You weren't the only one who started living that day, Delphine."

"Cosima, I've spent these last few months just thinking. Thinking about everything we shared, everything that transpired. And when I thought it through, the one thing that was abundantly clear was that I wouldn't have a life if it wasn't for you and what you did that night. I would still be in a box in the back of your closet. I thought of every moment we spent together and all the times you worried about me, looked out for me, every comforting word you said, every look you gave me, every touch, every kiss. It was all because you cared about me. And of course I felt the same way you did, but the whole thing, me being a doll, you lying about it, it was just too much to take. I know leaving wasn't fair to you, but I had to."

"I know, you had to go find yourself." Cosima pauses, "Hold on, you said you've been waiting for me. How'd you know when I'd get here, what room I'd been assigned?"

"I had some help gathering that information."

"Help? From who? Delphine, where have you been?"

"Miami."

"Miami? Why Mia-" A thought occurs to her, "No way, you haven't been -"

Delphine cuts her off, "I've been staying with your grandmother."

"Gram? No. How could she keep this from me?"

"She wanted to tell you, believe me, but I begged her to not to. I needed this time on my own. Don't blame her, she's actually helped me immensely."

"Okay, well I can't say I'm not relieved you weren't alone all this time. How did you end up with my grandmother in Miami?"

"After I left you at graduation, I went to the airport, but when I got there I didn't know where to go. I thought about going to Paris, but I didn't have a passport. Then I scanned all the domestic departures, hoping one of the destination cities would spark something in me, but they just made me more confused. So I sat there, oh god I must have looked insane, but I sat down and just cried. A couple hours or so later, someone tapped me on the shoulder, I thought I was going to be asked to stop loitering and leave the airport, but it was Gram. She spotted me when she was checking in for her flight. She was concerned seeing me like that and said that you had told her I was leaving town. I explained that I didn't know where to go and she tried to convince me to go back, back to you, but I said I couldn't, that I needed a fresh start. She asked where my parents where and I told her I didn't have any. That's when she suggested I go with her to Miami. She didn't think it was safe for me to be traveling on my own. The last minute ticket was quite pricey though, but, despite my protests, she insisted on paying. She said I could make it up to her by working at the clinic over the summer."

"Okay, let me get this straight, for the last three months you've been in Miami working at Gram's clinic?"

"Yes."

"So you've been her employee and her houseguest?"

Delphine nods and Cosima sits down on her bed and rubs her temples, trying to take in all this new information.

Delphine tentatively steps further into the room and sits down on the edge of the other bed, facing Cosima.

"She knows," Delphine says and Cosima looks up. "On the plane to Miami, I told her the truth about me. She was confused about me not having parents, since it wasn't something you or I had mentioned before. I said I was an orphan and I thought she would accept that. Then she asked about my life in France. I regurgitated information I learned from the internet, declared my love for the Seine, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. She said that those were all tourist traps and asked if there were any lesser known places I enjoyed. I couldn't think of any others and she remarked, in jest, that it didn't seem like I was really from France. I guess I don't have a very good poker face, because she looked into my eyes and said, 'You're not from France are you?' I couldn't lie to her, so I told her no. When she asked where I was really from, I said it was complicated. She said that I was just as evasive answering questions as you are. It just kind of came out after that, I mean one thing that I had been worried about was that I was abnormal, inside, that I'd suddenly go back to being a doll. Since she's a doctor, I thought she could assess my condition. So I said it, I said I was your doll. She looked at me like I was crazy."

"I bet."

"I told her that I know it sounds implausible, but that you and Scott were fooling around in your father's lab and somehow I went from being your Barbie doll to, well, me."

"And she believed that? Even I know it's true and it sounds far-fetched."

"I'm not entirely sure she believes it even now. I said the reason I left you was because you kept the truth from me, that for the longest time I had no recollection of my prior form. I guess she knew from talking with you that you had been lying to me about something, so she accepted my explanation and said she would examine me the next day."

"And how did that go?"

"Surprisingly well, actually. She ran a battery of tests and everything was fine. She did observe that, based on my blood work, x-rays, and organ function, it was as if I had been kept hermetically sealed all my life, that everything had developed as it should for a 17 year old, but was rather pristine."

"Well I could have told you that you're perfect," Cosima states.

"Cosima."

"Sorry, but it's true. And what about the risk of regressing back to a doll?"

"Nothing in her tests would indicate that is a possibility."

"Oh, thank god," Cosima exclaims. "So, um, is that why you're here, to tell me you'll be okay?"

Delphine shakes her head, "No."

"So why are you here?"

"I'm here because I missed you, I missed your face." Cosima mouth drops open at this confession as Delphine continues, "I missed waking up in the morning and watching you sleep. I missed watching your eyes open as your alarm sounds, followed by that look of disgust you get when you realize how early it is. I missed the way you'd lay in my lap when we watched movies. I missed sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night with you to eat Eskimo Pies. I missed kissing you until you fell asleep and the feeling of absolute contentment as I drifted off soon after." Delphine stops and looks into Cosima's eyes.

"Are you saying that you're here for me? To be with me again?" Cosima's voice is full of hope.

"Yes, that is, if you haven't moved on."

"Moved on?" Cosima laughs. "I've barely moved at all since you left. I've had no desire to be with anybody else. And, honestly, I don't think I ever will. What about you, you haven't met anyone else?"

"I didn't leave you with the intention of finding someone else, Cosima. I don't want anybody else, I was just angry and confused."

"And you're not angry and confused anymore?" Cosima asks.

"I was angry, very angry, for a while. But then I'd go for a walk and see a bird fly overhead and I'd wonder what kind of bird it was, so I'd look over to ask you, but you weren't there to tell me. Or I'd go the beach and watch the tide roll in and lament that I didn't have you to kiss me in the sand as it washed over us. And one weekend, a few of the girls at the clinic invited me along on a trip to Disney World. I didn't want to go, but they insisted, they said I couldn't spend all my free time alone. I tried to have a good time, I really did, but all I could think about was you, that you weren't there to hold my hand on the roller coasters, that you weren't there to make out with me on the Ferris Wheel. And then I'd look at all the children laughing and running from ride to ride while their parents smiled and snapped photos and I thought of what you said about taking your kids to Disneyland one day and I realized how much I wanted that, with you, with our kids. The anger that I felt at you for keeping the truth from me was nowhere near as strong as the ache in my heart caused by being away from you."

Cosima smiles, "Really?"

Delphine nods, "I also realized, and I don't know how this is even possible, but I realized that I've loved you for the last 10 years, Cosima. While I was in Miami, I'd lay in bed at night and think of you and I'd be flooded with memories. But not just recent memories, ones from the past, when you were a child. I remember watching Star Wars with you. I remember you listening to French tapes and how poorly you pronounced the words. I remember studying the periodic table of elements as you sang that song. I remember tea parties with just you, me, tea and croissants. And even though my participation was very minimal, and you did the really bad French speaking for me, I remember experiencing it all and feeling your love and loving you back. And I remember spending two years in the dark, until one day a bright beam of light woke me up and there you were and you were everything you had always been except this time I could actively participate in our interactions. I could actually hold your hand rather than just have mine held. I could kiss you back, rather than just be kissed. And I don't know why it took me so long to remember, maybe I wasn't supposed to, maybe it would have been too much to handle too soon. Maybe I was supposed to learn to love you as the new me before I could accept the old me. And in these months away from you, I did learn to accept what I was. I spent a lot of time wondering how this could even happen, how I could be a doll one day and a human the next, and, yeah, we can blame it on science and whatever happened in the lab that night with the lightning and your dad's machine, but the only explanation that truly makes sense is love. The love that you had for me and I had for you was stronger than logic or reason. Love made me whole and placed me on your doorstep. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I don't want to spend any more time away from you, because we were given a gift, a chance to be together and it would be wrong not to accept a gift like that and cherish and hold onto it forever. I understand why you didn't tell me the truth, if I was in your shoes, I probably would have done the same thing because I couldn't bear to lose you and I'm sorry that I left you like that. It wasn't fair to either of us."

Tears begin to fall from both of their eyes. "What about everything you said, needing to find yourself, that I was all you know?"

"I have found myself, Cosima. I've realized that I can be with you and also be my own person. That I can have friends, have interests, separate from you, but still have you. I mean if you still want me."

"Still want you?" Cosima asks as she gets up, moves the suitcase off the bed, and sits down next to Delphine. "I've never wanted anything more. I love you, Delphine."

Delphine reaches her hands up and grasps Cosima's cheeks, staring into her eyes, "Je t'aime." She gently pulls Cosima's face close to hers, their lips meeting tentatively at first, softly, before that familiar spark ignites. The kiss turns passionate as Cosima shifts on the bed, slowly pushing Delphine so her back hits the mattress, their lips never parting. Suddenly, Cosima breaks away and Delphine's eyes shoot open.

"We can't do this here, not now."

"Why not?" Delphine asks, concerned.

"My roommate, she'll probably be back soon. I don't think discovering me making out on her bed is the first impression I want to make when we meet."

"You mean Shay?"

"Yeah, how'd you know her name?"

"I met her this morning while I was waiting for you. Nice girl, pretty, too. We don't need to worry about her interrupting us."

"How do you know that? I'm sure she wants to get settled in."

"I know because I told her you're my girlfriend and I'd very much appreciate if she would switch rooms with me so you and I could be together. She was very understanding and agreed to the swap."

"You told her that I'm your girlfriend?"

"That's what you are, aren't you?"

"I don't know, am I? I haven't seen you in three months. You must have been awfully optimistic that I'd take you back, huh?" Cosima teases.

Delphine shrugs, "I was hopeful."

"So she just took your word that you were my girlfriend? How did she know you weren't some crazy French stalker?"

"I showed her this," Delphine flashes Cosima the picture of the two of them at Disneyland on her phone's lock screen. "She knew you had dreads, so I think this photo convinced her. I told her me being here was a surprise."

Cosima grabs her phone and shows Delphine the same picture on hers. "Guess we're both sentimental idiots. Wait a sec, you said you switched rooms, does that mean you're going here, that you're a student?"

"Yes," Delphine grins.

"How is that possible?"

"I had a lot of help. About six weeks ago, Gram found me perusing the University of Minnesota website and asked me what I wanted to do in the fall and I admitted that I really wanted to attend university and study science, with you. I told her that in order to get me into your high school, we did some not so ethical things, but that I could never attend college. Your grandmother has a lot of friends, retired doctors who donate their time at the clinic, donors whose money keeps the clinic open. First, she got herself declared my legal guardian, tuns out a judge in Miami owed her a favor. She also got me a social security number. Then I told her that you had said I had passed all my classes, despite skipping finals, so she requested my transcript along with recommendations from my teachers. Dr. Leekie actually wrote a very glowing letter."

"I'm sure he did."

"Once we had all of that, she spoke to her associate at the clinic who has a lot of connections at the university level. Turns out he is friendly with one of the chairs of the science department here. He phoned him, told him about me, then they had me fill out an application and they sent it in, along with all my transcripts and recommendations from school. About two weeks after that, I had a video conference with a biology professor, a couple department chairs, and a representative from admissions. A week or so later we got the call that I was in. They even found some scholarship money for me and I am going to be working on campus to make money to pay for some of my remaining tuition. It all came together very recently and Gram knew from speaking to you when you'd be arriving and what hall and room number you were in, so I decided to surprise you. I didn't know if your roommate would get here before you. I had kind of hoped that we would talk first and then, if everything went well, convince her to switch. But I was sitting outside the door when she arrived earlier, so I figured I'd give it my best shot to convince her on my own. I was returning from helping her bring her belongings to her new room at Frontier Hall when I saw you arrive. I gathered my nerve outside before coming back up here to speak with you. That's actually my suitcase. Thank goodness you didn't reject me or you and I as roommates this semester could have been awkward."

"I don't know, I think I've changed my mind about the getting back together part. I mean, it's not like you jumped though some ridiculous hoops to get here to be with me or anything."

Delphine looks at her incredulously.

"I'm kidding, Del. I mean this whole thing is freakin' unbelievable. You're unbelievable. Every single day that you were gone, I would pray that you were happy. As much as I wanted you to come back to me, I wanted whatever you were doing to be something that brought you happiness. And this, you here with me right now, this is incredible, surreal even. We are going to be studying together, how fucking awesome is that?"

"Very fucking awesome," Delphine mimics with a laugh.

"Wait, I wonder if it's too late to get you into my classes."

"About that, Gram found out for me which classes you were enrolled in. Of course I want to spend as much time with you as possible, but I also think we need some individual time. So, I am in your Biology, Chemistry, and Calculus classes, but I will also be taking a drama class and a political science class."

"Oh, okay, yeah, you're probably right, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? At least it's not a whole summer's absence, but just like an hour or two here and there. That's no biggie, especially since you'll be living with me and I'll get to spend every night with you." Cosima smiles so wide her face could get stuck like that. "My room has been so empty and lonely since you left."

"What about the puppy?" Delphine points to the stuffed dog on Cosima's bed.

"Ah, yes," Cosima gets up, goes to the other bed, and picks up the stuffed toy, "puppy and I had a lot of heart to heart talks about you. Puppy kept me company at night, but this puppy is no replacement for my favorite puppy."

"Good, cause that puppy technically belongs to me, so I'll be taking it back," Delphine reaches for the stuffed animal and Cosima pulls it away.

"Hey, you abandoned this puppy, I don't think you have any rights to it."

"But I'm here now and you won it for me."

"Exactly, I won it, so I get to to decide who keeps it." Delphine pouts. "Okay, fine, let's let the puppy decide." Cosima looks into the dog's eyes. "Hey, puppy, would you rather be with me or Delphine?"

Cosima puts the dog's mouth close to her ear and listens intently. She then hands the pup to Delphine.

"Puppy chose you, said you're the leader of the pack."

"Good doggy," Delphine says as she hugs and kisses it. "What's that? You want to be with us both? I think that can be arranged."

"This is nice," Cosima comments with a smile.

"What is?"

"This, you being here, us joking around like before. And I know this whole thing is crazy, all of it, how you're here, why you're here, but I'm so happy right now and I didn't think I'd ever feel this way again."

Delphine puts the puppy down and moves over to the other bed next to Cosima. "I feel the same way. Part of me is glad I left only because it made me realize just how much I love you and how happy you make me and that I don't want to be away from you that long ever again."

Cosima surges forward, kissing Delphine. When they break for air, Delphine rubs their noses together, then opens her eyes. "When did this happen?" she asks, pointing towards Cosima's nose.

Cosima is confused for a sec, then reaches up and touches her nose, "Oh, the nose ring. Yeah, I got it over the summer. Do you not like it? I still have the stud, if you prefer, it's in my bag."

"No, I like, it suits you," Delphine leans forward and kisses Cosima's nose.

"Can you pinch me?"

"What?"

"Just pinch me."

Delphine pinches Cosima's side.

"Ow. Okay, I'm not dreaming."

"No, you're definitely not dreaming," Delphine assures.

"Thank god. So, what should we do now? Do you want to tour the campus?"

Delphine shakes her head, "No."

"Okay, um, should we head into town?"

"No."

"What do you want to do?"

"Right now, I just want to make crazy science with you in our new dorm room."

Cosima's eyes go wide, "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"What do you think it means?"

"I think it means we should put these two beds together cause this one alone is not big enough for two and what we're about to do."

They both quickly jump up and move Delphine's bed next to Cosima's. They then hastily put sheets on the beds.

"Are you sure?" Cosima asks as they come together at the foot of the bed. "I mean last time we did this, it didn't end too well."

"Cosima, last time we did this it was incredible."

"Tell me about it, I've had that memory permanently etched into my brain for months, but the aftermath, that was not quite as satisfying."

Delphine grabs Cosima's hands. "Do you have anything else you're hiding from me?"

"No, I don't," Cosima insists.

"Good, I don't either, so we won't have a problem. Now we have 3 months of separation to make up for, so take off your clothes."

"Damn, Delphine, what's gotten into you?" Cosima teases.

"More like what hasn't," Delphine replies, bringing Cosima's right hand to her mouth and kissing her fingers, causing Cosima's heart to flutter.

When Delphine releases her hand, Cosima wastes little time pulling her clothes off and Delphine follows suit. Soon they're both standing there, naked, drinking in the sight of the other.

"Delphine?"

"Yeah," Delphine shifts her gaze from Cosima's breasts to her eyes.

"I've missed you," Cosima says sweetly and Delphine grasps Cosima's face, pulling her into a fervent kiss.

Delphine backs Cosima onto the bed, then proceeds to place kisses all over Cosima's body: her neck, her chest, her shoulder. As she trails kisses down the outside of Cosima's left arm, she rotates it so she can kiss the inside. She pauses as something catches her eye and she pulls back.

"What is it? Why'd you stop?" Cosima asks with alarm.

"You were hiding something else from me," Delphine says, her fingers tracing Cosima's forearm.

Cosima looks over at her arm, recognition washing over her, "Oh, yeah, that."

"When did you get it?"

"Same time I got this," Cosima points to her nose ring. "This design got in my head and I immediately went to see Cane."

Delphine rolls off of Cosima and lays to her left, taking Cosima's hand and raising her arm so she can get a good look at the new ink.

"It's a dandelion in its final seed stage, some of the seeds have already detached and are blowing away."

"Interesting," Delphine observes.

"You hate it?"

"Non, not at all, I like it, but what made you choose this design?"

"You."

"Me?" Delphine asks with surprise. "I don't follow."

"Well, I was laying in the park, thinking about you, when I noticed a dandelion. I plucked it from the ground and then blew on it and watched the seeds fly off. It reminded me of you, how you came into my life for a period of time and brought so much beauty and happiness with you and then, poof, you were gone, off to spread your joy somewhere else, to plant your seeds and bloom anew. At that moment, I realized I needed it tattooed on me, like a representation of you that I would carry with me forever."

"That's really lovely, Cosima, but," a tear falls from the corner of Delphine's eye and Cosima quickly kisses it away.

"But what?"

"But I should have been there with you. Who held your hand?"

"You did," Cosima responds and Delphine looks at her with confusion. "When I was at the tattoo shop and Cane brought the needle to my arm, all I thought of was you, next to me, holding my hand, and it didn't hurt."

"I'm glad you weren't in pain, I never want be the cause of your pain ever again." Delphine leans down and kisses the tattoo, then continues where she left off, shifting back on top of Cosima and working her way down, kissing her neck, her breasts, her tummy, before reaching her final destination. Cosima's heart speeds up with anticipation as Delphine glances up at her one last time before refocussing her attention elsewhere, lips and tongue exploring Cosima like they had on prom night, but this time with less anxiety and more determination. Determination to make up for all the lost time, the days, weeks, months, when she could have been doing this, wanted to be doing this, if she was honest with herself. Three months of built up tension hit Cosima hard as she can barely control the moans of delight escaping her own lips as Delphine expertly works her over with flicks and licks. Cosima is so loud, that Delphine is certain that if anyone is in the hall or in nearby rooms, they'll surely be getting an earful. Cosima comes fast and furious, then wastes little time taking over, wanting to give Delphine as good as she got.

Cosima nudges Delphine back up so they're face to face. As they kiss, Cosima flips them so she's on top. As their mouths continue in sync, Cosima's right hand works its way down Delphine's body, kneading at her breasts, then caressing down her side as it lands on her wet core, fingers entering with ease. Then Cosima's mouth blazes the same trail her hand did, kissing down Delphine's body, her tongue finding its way into her belly button, eliciting giggles from Delphine. Finally, her mouth joins her hand, working as a unit to devour Delphine, bringing her to the edge and then pushing her over.

"Wow!" Cosima exclaims, as she rolls off Delphine and snuggles against her side, head on her chest.

"Yeah," Delphine smiles. "Wow!"

Cosima listens to Delphine's heart beating, then lifts a hand to feel her own, "My heart it beats like a drum." She taps her chest.

"It feels like," Delphine continues.

"It feels like I'm in love," they finish in unison, capping it off with a sweet kiss.

"Oh my god!" Cosima suddenly exclaims.

"I don't think god had anything to do with it."

"No, I didn't mean it like that, not that it doesn't deserve it, but I meant, oh my god did I just have sex with my aunt?"

Delphine laughs, "No, Cosima, Gram is my legal guardian, she didn't adopt me."

"So you're not Delphine Niehaus now?"

"No. Well, not yet, at least."

"Not yet?" Cosima looks at her questioningly, before opening her mouth wide in surprise, "Delphine, do you want to marry me?"

"I thought you'd never ask. Yes!" Delphine exclaims.

"But, um, that's not, uh, I didn't mean-"

"Cosima, relax, I'm just kidding, I know you weren't proposing. But in the future, yes, of course I want to be married to you. Although I actually really do like the name Cormier, so maybe you can change yours to Cosima Cormier."

"Hmm, Cosima Cormier," Cosima repeats, "it has a nice ring to it. But I don't wanna lose my last name either. How about we hyphenate, we can be Drs. Cormier-Niehaus?"

"I like the sound of that," Delphine agrees, emphasizing her approval with a kiss.

Cosima reaches for her phone, "Smile!"

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a photo of us."

"In bed?"

"Yeah," Cosima responds as she starts typing on her phone.

"And what are you doing now?"

"Texting it to the gang." She sends the group text.

"Cosima?" Delphine asks, incredulously, "Did you seriously just send them a photo of us in bed?"

Cosima shrugs innocently, "It's a nice pic, your hair looks great." She shows Delphine the photo. "Besides, they've all been concerned about me and they're worried about you, too. I know you said that I was all you had, but you do have other friends, Delphine. I need them to know we're together again and that you're ok, that I'm ok."

"I was mad when I said that, about you being all I had, I know I have friends and I've missed them."

"We'll see them at Thanksgiving and then at Christmas, that is, if you want to go back to San Fran with me."

"Of course I do, it's home."

Cosima smiles broadly, then a thought occurs to her, "Oh shit, that reminds me." She sends another text.

"What did you send them now?"

"Oh, this one wasn't to our friends, I just texted the photo to my folks and Gram."

"You sent your parents the photo of us in bed?"

"Yup!"

Cosima's phone starts lighting up with texts.

Beth: It's about damn time! Woohoo.

Alison: Holy fishsticks, I'm crying.

Tony: You get it, Dreads. Lookin' fine, Curls ;)

"Look, my Dad sent the thumbs up emoji, I only showed him how to do that last week. And Mom said, 'Hallelujah! Send Delphine our love.' They've missed you, a lot."

The phone rings and Cosima answers on speaker, "Hey Sarah!"

"Are you bloody kidding, Cos, did you photoshop Delphine into that picture?"

"No, Sarah, I'm really here," Delphine responds.

"You finally came to your senses, huh, Blondie?"

Delphine chuckles, "Yes, I did."

"Good, now Cos doesn't need to use me as a cuddle buddy."

"Hey, you know you liked it," Cosima insists.

"You wish. Just promise me you won't take off on our Geek Monkey again, Delphine."

"Je promets. I promise."

"I'm gonna hold you to that."

"Thanks, Sarah. Hey, is Helena there?" Cosima asks.

"Yeah, hold on a sec."

"Hello."

"Helena, hi, it's Cosima and Delphine."

"Science Puppy has returned to you?"

"Yes, she has" Cosima laughs.

"I have, indeed, returned," Delphine adds.

"This makes me very happy to hear," Helena responds.

"Us, too. Helena, I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"A long time ago you gave me something that's brought me more happiness than I can even put into words and I don't think I've ever properly expressed my gratitude."

"Yes, merci, Helena."

"Did I give you something as well?"

Delphine looks at Cosima, "You gave me everything."

"You're both very welcome," she hands the phone back Sarah. "I think they're high," they hear Helena say as Sarah gets back on.

"Well, I don't want to keep the two of you from your reunion, from the looks of that photo, it seems to be going really well. I'll talk to you both later."

"Bye Sarah," they say in unison as they end the call.

Cosima's phone immediately starts ringing again. "Scott's calling on FaceTime," she says as she accepts the call and Scott's image appears on the screen. "Hey, Scotty!"

"Cosima, what the what? Is Delphine really there with you?"

"She is," Cosima adjusts her the phone so Delphine is in the shot with her.

"Hi Scott!" Delphine greets him with a wave.

"Whoa! I am sooo happy to see you, Delphine. And to see the two of you together. I, um, I need to apologize for my part in all this-"

"Scott," Delphine cuts him off, "it's okay, I know you just wanted Cosima to be happy." Scott nods. "We've worked it all out."

"I can see that," he grins.

"How's Wisconsin?" Cosima asks.

"It's nice here, way different from home, but nice. And my roommate is cool, he's a gamer, too, so we've been playing lots of video games."

"Nice! My roommate isn't half bad either," Cosima grins, looking at Delphine.

Scott laughs.

"Yeah, well, my roommate snores," Delphine complains.

"Hey, I do not," Cosima protests.

"Yes, you do, but it's actually pretty cute. I've missed it."

Cosima leans in, makes a little snoring sound, and kisses Delphine. After several seconds, Delphine glances at the screen, where Scott remains, watching them with a huge smile on his face.

"Bye, Scott," Delphine says as she reaches for the phone and ends the call, then resumes kissing a giggling Cosima.

They're soon interrupted by another call. "It's Gram," Cosima says as she accepts the call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Cosima, I see things are going well for you in Minnesota."

"Yes, Gram, things are going very well. And I understand you did a lot to make this happen. Thank you."

"I was glad to help, I just want you to be happy, both of you."

"We are," Cosima assures.

"Am I on speakerphone?"

"Yes."

"Delphine, honey, I'm thrilled things worked out for you."

"So am I, thank you."

"Now, I know you're in the reconnecting phase, but try not to spend all your time in bed and plenty of time kicking ass in school. I expect big things from the both of you."

"We will do plenty of ass kicking," Cosima insists.

"Good."

"Oh, and Gram?"

"Yes, Cosima?"

"I won't fuck it up this time."

"I know you won't, sweetie. You girls get back to what you were doing, you still have a few days before classes start, have fun."

"Oh, we will," Cosima says devilishly. "Talk to you soon."

"Bye Gram," Delphine adds as the call ends.

"Do you want to switch sides?" Delphine asks, "I just realized I'm on yours."

"Actually, I've sort of gotten used to sleeping on the right side of the bed, it was kind of comforting."

Delphine laughs.

"What?" Cosima asks.

"I started sleeping on the left side."

"Wow, we really are disgustingly sentimental, aren't we?"

"Oui," Delphine replies, as she hops out of bed and digs something out of her suitcase. "We are awful," Delphine says as she returns to the bed with the Mickey Mouse ears from Disneyland on her head.

"Oh my," Cosima wiggles her eyebrows, "now we're talking." Cosima kisses Delphine with a renewed burst of energy.

"Cosima?" Delphine asks between kisses.

"Hmm?"

"Do they have Taco Tuesday in college?"

Cosima laughs against her lips, "I think once you're in college, every day can be Taco Tuesday."

"Good," Delphine leans back into her pillow as Cosima braces her head on her hand and stares at Delphine with a goofy grin on her face.

Delphine glances over at her, "What are you smiling about?"

"I can't believe I actually brought my doll to college."

Delphine rolls her eyes and playfully pushes Cosima's arm out from under her head, then wraps her arm around Cosima's waist, pulling their bodies flush, their faces nose to nose. They stare into each other's eyes, 10 years of memories and love reflecting back at them both, as they tenderly resume kissing.

THE END

I want to thank you, wonderful readers, for the follows, favorites and lovely comments you've left, and, most of all, for sticking with this story through all 31 chapters.