There's no simple way to explain how it feels to fall in love.

Delphine, with delicate thoughts always rolling at the tip of her tongue, claims it to be as subtle as a thief in the night. She holds firm to the belief that it has the propensity to slowly collect parts of you over time until one day you wake up and your soul, in its entirety, has been claimed by another.

Cosima, who's nothing short of impulse and whimsical notions, fully believes that it happens within moments. She's true to the theory of humans being capable of finding the perfect mate in just seconds of meeting.

Regardless, the last year and a half in the confines of each other's hearts, the two women are wholesomely and completely in love.

Warm arms were wrapped around Cosima's waist, clasped wrists tucked just within her ribs, securing her flush against the equally bare body behind her. The warm covers of the duvet had fallen past their shoulders at some point in the night (or early hours of the morning), coaxing the women to seek warmth from the bodies of their counterpart's.

"Mmph." She grumbled, a small yawn peeking from behind her teeth and she smiled groggily.

Warm lips sought their way across the expanse of skin from one shoulder blade to the other, taking their time rousing her from sleep. Cosima smiled, basking in the simplicity of the summer sun pouring in through the window.

With both women on summer vacation, most mornings were spent as such, sometimes falling into an afternoon of twisted bed sheets and sweaty skin. She lived for the those mornings, having not slept alone for all this time now, her body needing to feel the warmth and comfort of the Frenchwoman.

Delphine's mouth continued its journey up her neck, tantalizingly slow and lingering enough to let Cosima drop her chin down, exposing more skin to the blonde woman's expense. "Morning."

"Bonjour." She rasped, loosening her grip around Cosima's body just enough to let her turn towards her.

In one swift move, both women were pressed at the juts of hips and foreheads, noses butterflying against each other in the same notion they shared since the very beginning.

Delphine smiled, nudging her lover's chin with her own to chastely press their lips together. "How are you?" she whispered, nipping her lip lightly before pulling away.

Cosima smirked, shrugging her tired shoulders and rubbing her thumbs along the jut of Delphine's bare hipbones. "Sore. A good sore."

"I'm sure." Delphine rolled her eyes, a thin smile playing on her lips. "I'm going to shower. Are you coming with me?"

Regretting it the moment she does so, Cosima shakes her head in a futile no. " I have a better idea." She teased, her voice dropping to a dangerous husk as her wandering fingers travelled dangerously close to the inner boundaries of the blonde woman's thighs. They still ached, freshly marked by Cosima's tongue and teeth just hours prior to waking. The tremble of muscle made them both gasp, Cosima smirkingand leaving Delphine to pout as she twisted from her grasp.

"I need to shower." She sighed with as much regret as Cosima had. The day had already been halfway spent sleeping. If she didn't leave now, they never would, and she needed some sort of productivity in her life.

"Oh no, don't do that." Cosima warned, pressing her lips strongly against equally tender ones. "You're going to make me feel all sorts of..."

"Hmph." Delphine chided, pulling away hastily and unfolding herself from the bed sheets.

Cosima watched her swing her legs over the end of the bed, leaving her to feast upon the French woman's back as she stretched and bowed her tender limbs. Cosima's eyes travelled about on the constellation of moles and beauty marks that she'd grown to memorize, restraining herself from reaching out and pulling the woman back down into her arms.

Without a second glance, Delphine sauntered off the bathroom, the swing of her hips a little more teasing than usual, riling Cosima up all over again. The eventual sound of the spray from the showerhead was enough to convince the small American to get up from bed. With less half of any concern, Cosima pulled on whatever comfort clothes she could find, wandering over to the living room where she collapsed lazily into the cushions of the sofa, allowing her gaze to wander around the room.

The apartment had taken quite the spin from Delphine's original structure. It's preceding façade of minimalist furniture and bare walls were now replaced with piles of Cosima's books on shelves, tea mugs on every available surface, and pictures of them in small, cozy frames.

It was a gradual change, the brunette honestly just forgetting stuff at the apartment the more she stayed, and eventually she had enough clothes lying about that Delphine offered her a drawer, then half the closet, and an eventual key so she could get in when she wasn't around. It wasn't a grand display of 'taking the next step', but a simple quiet moment, like much of everything they've experienced together.

Cosima smiled as her eyes continued to glance around, eyeing a photo of them that Delphine absolutely loathed but Cosima had convinced her to keep. It was pressed half-hazardly on the refrigerator with a DNA magnet, a perfectly candid shot of the two women tumbling over each other on the ice at Kira's birthday party, clinging to one another for dear life. She could still hear the slew of French profanities slipping from her girlfriend's mouth as they crashed to the ground that day, both sauntering around with bruised bottoms for the better half of a week.

"What are you laughing at?"

Cosima craned her neck up, shaken from her daydream as she saw her blonde beauty toweling off her curly locks in front of her. She was donned in simple linen pants that Cosima simply loved to caress over her thighs, nothing but a semi sheer tank top that flowed all too well atop her shoulders. She dropped the towel across the arm of a chair, sauntering over to her love.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes." She smirked, winking at her. Delphine rolled her eyes, a tired chuckle slipping past her. "I was just thinking."

"What about?" she asked curiously.

"You. Us." She shrugged, offering her lap. Delphine nearly obliged, instead suiting to take residence in the space next to her on the windowsill. "How happy you make me."

Cosima lips pursed into a thin smile, a desperate attempt not to break out into a full giggle of admiration. "Ditto. Obvs."

"A woman of many words." Delphine laughed, her hand clasping Cosima's thigh, pulling her legs to lay across her lap.

"We all know that you're the verbal one in this relationship, dude."

Delphine rolled her eyes, watching as Cosima turned herself to place her head in Delphine's lap, pulling her girlfriends hands to her head to play with her dreads.

"I have to disagree." Delphine pondered, meticulous fingers playing with the baby hairs across the American's hairline. "You were very verbal last night. Especially in the shower… and the kitchen… the bed…" Each notion accentuated with a gentle kiss on her face, the last one landing soundly on the lips, damp blonde hair cascading around the faces for the briefest of moments before she lifted her head.

"And I'm the cheeky one." Cosima smirked, a low wave of heat briefly coursing her body.

Delphine shrugged the thought from her shoulders, eyes heavy as they mentally traced the contours of her lovers face. "Je t'aime." She whispered.

The broadest of grins spread evenly across Cosima's lips, a small gasp sounded with a flutter of her heartbeat trailing behind. Even after all this time, the declaration still had her feeling like the first time she heard it.

6 months ago

"Cosima!" she yelled, feet carrying her as fast as they could managed. She watched her dreadlocked counterpart bound ahead of her, the golden sunlight haloing her nimble frame. "Cosima, wait!"

She finally paused turning around with the brightest of smiles on her face that had Delphine's knees buckling. The American laughed, throwing her head back and extending her hand forward, folding her fingers over Delphine's the minute she felt them in her grasp.

"Slowpoke." She teased, tugging the blonde woman closer to kiss her squarely on the lips before turning on her heel and guiding them the rest of the way through the grassy park area.

She wasn't sure why Cosima thought it'd be a good idea to go out to an open field for their one year anniversary. She wasn't even aware that they had an anniversary! But Cosima was cunning, keeping the dates of their important moments tucked away in the back of her mind, holding fast to them whenever they reappeared.

Today, for instance, makes a year since Delphine hunted her down in that club, pulling her away to tell her that she wanted to be with her. Dates be damned if Cosima were to never remember one again, but this day, oh, this day, how she will keep it in her heart forever.

They walked quietly for the remainder of the time, Cosima finally settling them on a rather a particularly large rock-bed, one of many that bordered the river, cold water crashing across its base.

"Come, sit." She gestured, plopping on the cold stone with as much grace as Delphine's students.

The blonde pursed her lips, knowing the surface would be quite cold in the January winds despite the bright sun. Throwing caution away, Delphine gingerly placed herself down beside Cosima, their legs outstretched in front of them as their arms and hips were practically on top of each other, neither waiting to lose contact.

"It's beautiful here, cherie." She sighed, almost wanting to whisper to keep the quiet ambiance in tact. She found their hands once more, but instead of pulling Cosima closer, the brunette shimmied and plopped her head in her lap, grabbing Delphine's hands to pay with the baby hairs around her hairline.

"Ain't it?" she smiled, eyes fluttering lovingly behind her glasses. "I used to come here a lot in undergrad and shit. Nobody really comes here."

"It is like your own secret place."

"Mhmm. My own secret place." She hummed. "But I wanted to bring you here today."

"Why's that?" Delphine asked quietly, leaning back on her free arm to look out onto the water below them. She felt Cosima tense for a moment in her lap, practically hearing the gears grinding her head. "Talk to me?"

She swallowed loudly, biting at her bottom lip in the same motion that her girlfriend always seemed to do. "Do you remember back in March when we went to that big park downtown to watch the nighttime movie on the grass?"

"Yeah." Delphine snorted, rolling her eyes at the memory. "We were so cold that night, all we had were our sweaters."

"And each other!" Cosima laughed.

"Oui. And each other." Her smile was bright, illuminating Cosima's heart in it's entirety. "What of that day, Cosima?"

Her hands fumbled in her laugh nervously, licking in her lips as if trying to coax the thoughts out. "I uhm, I realized something that day. When I was freezing my ass off sitting between your legs, and you were holding onto me for dear life trying to get warm, too."

Delphine was silent, cocking her head to the side. She studied Cosima's face, the worry in the shake of her eyes. The features that she had long since memorized every night and morning, had traced with her fingers like a map, had kissed with her lips repeatedly. She knew when Cosima was about to say something she'd regret, she knew the distinct look of pure fear that bound that her.

With a slant of a smile, Delphine grabbed the woman's hands next to her, pulling them into her own lab and rubbing them soothingly between her palms and fingers.

"Hey." She breathed, coaxing Cosima to lift her head. She was met with Delphine's long gaze, their foreheads meeting in the middle as she brushed their noses together, an act that has long since established itself in their relationship. "It's okay." She assured quietly, briefly kissing her.

"You already know don't you?" Cosima asked, her voice a shaky whisper. Delphine smiled, pulling their hands apart to cup her cheek, bringing their faces together again, their lips meeting slowly, lazily atop one another.

"I do." She laughed, feeling Cosima wrap her arms around her body, pulling her impossibly closer. "And I love you, too."

The words barely got out of her mouth before Cosima was pushing her back, laying her against the tide rocks, covering her body with her own in a mass of fervent kisses.

"I wanted this to be special." She mumbled against her mouth in frustration, unable to contain a giggle whilst her hands roamed the frenchwoman's body. "I even brought you to my secret place. I had this big speech in my head on how I was going to tell you."

Delphine sighed, rolling her eyes and laughing as she settled her head on the cold rock, letting Cosima's hands caress at her temples and hairline. "Luckily for me, I can read you like a book. You're always late." She teased. "And you still haven't said it back-"

"I love you!" she jumped, grabbing Delphine's face this time, bracing her cheeks and jaw in her grasp and holding their heads close. "I love you. I love you and I've known for way too long and I didn't know when I should tell you so yesterday I just said fuck it, because I love you and I wanted you to know-"

A square kiss silenced her, save for the whimper and sigh that slipped her lips as Delphine pulled herself up, sitting in her lap as they clung to each other.

"Je t'aime." She breathed against shaky lips, tears stinging her eyes. "I love you, too."

"Je t'aime." Cosima tried, swiping the tears from Delphine's rosy cheeks. "So much."

Present Time

"Ditto." She cooed, earning a click of the tongue from Delphine.

"Are we doing anything today? She asked quietly, adjusting herself quietly.

Cosima moved to ponder for a moment before shaking her head, loose dreads whipping in the movement. "Mm, nope. Why?"

"Curiosity. I thought maybe we could stay inside today." She licked her lips, eyes flicking across the room in contemplation. "Besides, there's something I want to show you."

She could hear the gasp in Cosima before she saw it, a child's smile plastered quickly across her face, reaching her ears with ease. "A surprise? A gift?" she asked quickly.

"Of sorts." Delphine laughed at the sight, hoisting herself up off the sill. She couldn't manage to get too far, Cosima hands were bracing her hips, pulling her forward between her legs once more for a kiss.

"I can't give it to you if you don't let me go." She mumbled against an eager mouth that was all honey and cannibas.

"I'll never let you go." Her words, though simple, were rooted far deeper than their surface appearance. The notion didn't go over Delphine's head, who grabbed the dreadlock woman by the cheeks, kissing her deeply, but quickly, before pulling back, padding down the hallway with the promise of return.

She heard Cosima groan in the distance, laughing as she touched her fingers to her lips. It simply amazed her how they still tingled and buzzed as if it was their first. She remembers quite fondly that night at her workplace beneath the mistletoe, the foreign feel of a woman's lips against her own, unsteady and quivering. How long ago it seemed now.

She silently made her way into her room- their room? Cosima had practically moved in now, even having her own key. Maybe it was their room now.

She didn't allow herself to dwell for too long, instead quickly moving to her vanity, sitting down and opening the drawer to where she knew the small brass key was tucked away in. Quickly and carefully she opened the jewelry box on the surface. It's aging lock fixture clicking carefully as she turned the key. The jewelry box was practically as old as she was, her grandparents gifting it to her when she was born, knowing it was to be of good use one day. As it was.

Delphine's hands found the envelope she was looking for, sitting right atop her jewelry carefully. She grabbed it, turning it over in her hands while her heart picked up speed. The ring inside it was blatant, tenting the paper of the envelope with its size.

"Oh." She gasped, her breath a shudder as overwhelming emotions flooded her heart.

She had bought it weeks ago of course, but it still gave her chills whenever she saw it, wanting to desperately to see it on Cosima's hand already, to kiss it every night, to watch her show it off to her family with that astounding glint in her eye. But the time wasn't right, the place wasn't right. Soon, though. Soon.

As carefully as she could, Delphine opened the envelope, seeing the ring in all its glory. She smiled, reaching down to graze the metal with a careful finger. Not wanting to dwell for too long, Delphine reached for the rest of the envelope's contents, the two airplane tickets neatly pressed together.

"Delphine?"

The charming voice floated from down the hall, rousing her from her thoughts. She nearly forgot that Cosima was still waiting for her to return. Reversing her actions as quickly as she could, Delphine tucked the envelope with the ring back into the jewelry box, still holding the tickets tucked away in her palm, locking the box and hiding the key. She gave herself a pathetic one-over in the mirror before retreating back out into the main room, an eager girlfriend sitting on the window sill, swinging her legs back and forth above the floor.

"There you are." She grinned, hands outstretched, grabbing for her love as she sauntered over. "Well?"

"Well?" she teased, a tight smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.

"Delphine! Come on!"

The Frenchwoman laughed, shaking her head as she took Cosima by the wrist, pulling her forward the slightest bit. Before she could get much further in her pursuit, a loud rapping on her door sounded.

"Putain…" she muttered, dropping her grip on her lover's hand.

"Ignore it!" Cosima laughed, pulling Delphine in by the hips, bumping their bones together. "What were you gonna show me?"

"Oy! Lovebirds! Quit your shagging and open the door!"

"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding-"

"I know you're in there!"

Delphine grumbled, bumping their foreheads and kissing Cosima briefly before prying her hands away. "Go sit, I'll take care of him."

"Mm. This is why I love you." Cosima mumbled, sauntering off to the couch. Delphine took the unabashed moment to ogle at the swing of the American's hips as she plopped herself down on the couch before the obnoxious banging on the door rekindled itself, pulling her from her daydream as she stomped over to the door.

"Well hello, darling." A smirk dressed in nothing less than amusement creased his face, eyebrows high as he watched Delphine cross her arms in the doorway.

"Hello, Felix." She sighed. "Anything you need?"

"A word with my sister would be phenomenal."

"Little busy!" a loud voice hollered from inside the apartment.

Felix gasped, clearly offended, looking to Delphine who only shrugged with a coy smirk in response.

"Oh god, don't smile like that. You look just like Cosima." He groaned, fanning his hand away. "Honestly though, am I interrupting?"

The grin only spread, a liveliness bubbling in her at the mere mention of the woman's name. With the tickets still gripped in her palm, she shifted her arms, holding them discreetly in front of her chest for Felix to see, her body a shield from her girlfriend's possible wandering eyes.

"Holy shit, you actually got them." He whispered excitedly, stepping forward to grab them and stare, Delphine's grin still plastered across her face. "And she doesn't know? You're sure."

"Quite."

It was then that Felix was still, soundless as he just smiled warmly up towards the woman in front of him. "My God." He mumbled. "You're actually doing this."

She nodded slowly, heart beating madly at the still gaze Felix held firm to. "I am."

He was silent for a moment, a hint of a smile on his lips as he simply gazed at the woman before him, reflecting on how far she's come from the first time he even heard of her.

"I just can't believe it." He mumbled. "God, do you remember how long it took us to find that bloody ring?" he laughed. "I thought we were going to be there for days."

She shoved his shoulder lightly, unable to stifle the laugh peeking through her own lips. "You would have never let me live it down if I didn't pick out the right ring, anyway."

"Mm. That is true. Cosima looked at us bloody lunatics when we told her that we were going out for lunch."

"I don't think she ever thought we'd spend time together." Delphine hummed in memory.

"It is quite stunning, that ring you picked.- and don't worry, love. Before you even ask, my lips have been sealed. Your little cliché secret is safe with me." He assured. "God, a proposal beneath the bloody Eiffel Tower. How disgustingly French."

"Yes, but Cosima will love it."

Felix laughed, eyes crinkling in agreement. "Oh that she will. Poor girl is a sucker for hopeless romantic gestures. You two… you two fit."

Delphine opened her mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted with a long groan of her name sounding from inside.

"I think you're being beckoned Miss Cormier. Though, not for long." He winks. "Go. Tell her I just came to ask where Sarah was or something."

Delphine wasn't sure what came over herself, but she quickly found herself pulling Felix into a deep hug, kissing her cheeks quickly. Though stunned, he wrapped his arms around her as well, sensing the nerves that were riding through her system. He left silently, leaving nothing but eyes of assurance as he dipped away and she popped back into the apartment.

"There you are." Cosima sighed, pushing herself off the couch to stand toe to toe with her love, shifting uneasily on the balls of her feet in anticipation. "Well?"

Delphine heart was racing, fully convinced that it was bound to beat right out of her chest in a few moments. With shaky hands, she reached for Cosima's wrists, turning the woman's ringed fingers palm-up. Silently, she pressed the tickets into them with such precarious ease that she was sure they were made of glass, too scared to actually let go.

Cosima's eyes looked between Delphine's face, her bottom lip worried between her teeth, and their hands. It was when she looked down for the final time did her eyes finally catch her surprise.

"Are you going to say something?" she asked quietly, biting her lip as Cosima looked at the tickets, reading them over and over again, swallowing loudly.

"Is this for real?" she stuttered, a smile spreading across her face as she looked up with wide eyes. Delphine nodded frantically, her nerves finally soothing.

"Yes, my love. If- if you want to go that is."

"Holy shit, dude. This is for next week."

"Well, France is beautiful in the summer." She smiled right before Cosima was lunging at her, wrapping herself along the slender body and smothering her with kisses. Delphine was quick, holding Cosima's thighs that were wrapped around her waist tightly.

"I cannot believe we're going to France. How did you even do this? When did you buy them?"

"I bought them when you said you've always wanted to visit-"

"That was like three months ago!"

Delphine laughed against Cosima's mouth, walking them to the couch and attempting to sit in the most ungraceful of ways. Cosima settled on her lap, grinding her hips down and eliciting a throaty groan from her girlfriend. "I wanted to surprise you. And I think it's due time I visit home."

"God." Cosima groaned as Delphine's lips licked up her neck, nibbling at the sensitive skin just behind her earlobe. . "I'm so in love with you."

Hands began to wander dangerously across freshly showered skin, still warm from the sting of the shower. Delphine whimpered, falling prey to Cosima's slow, gratuitous touches.

The vibration of Cosima's phone next to them cut their gratuitous celebrations short, Delphine turning her head and Cosima's lips grumpily gliding across her cheek.

"Your phone." She mumbled, earning an eye roll from Cosima.

"Yes, thank you." Cosima tried her best to pull Delphine back to her but instead watched the blonde woman reach for her phone and hand it over.

"It's your mother." She noted, glancing at the caller ID while Cosima answered it and put it on speaker.

"Yeah?" she asked with a croak, Delphine's hips settling across her lap, lips trailing across her neck. "Shit."

"Language!" scolded the voice booming through the other end of the line, causing both women to color a deep scarlet, Delphine still shamelessly claiming land across Cosima's throat. "I was just calling to see how things are, we haven't heard from you two in a few days."

Cosima rolled her eyes, biting at her lip before remembering the two tickets in her hand. "Mom. Guess what." She exclaimed, catching Delphine's eyes and offering her the most genuine of grins. "We're going to France!"

Well, hello again! It's been a while, hasn't it? This is apparently far overdue and I apologize for that. Unfortunately, this story won't be updated nearly as frequently as its first installation was. School and work will be occupying the vast majority of my time right now, but I promise that this story won't be abandoned or anything. So so so many of you asked for a sequel, and after giving it a lot of thought, I decided that a sequel was well deserved. Thanks so much for reading, you're all the best! See you back here soon!