Just a short 8 chapter bit of fun. Been a long time since I've written. Be gentle...

CHAPTER 1:

It had been five years.

Five years since she'd left. There was a short phone call when she landed in Frankfurt but it was clear that it was goodbye. Rachel would have ruined her career if she didn't go or worse continued to use her as a pawn against Cosima. Unfortunately, Cosima didn't see her leaving as a noble deed – more on the lines of leaving her to die in favor of a career, regardless of how much she protested.

But that was all in the past or so she told herself. Now she sat in her business class seat biting her perfectly manicured burgundy colored nails waiting for her plane to land in Toronto, the city she had left all those years ago. Staring out the window at the clouds below, she allowed her thoughts to pull her into the past.

Life had been slow in Frankfurt. Slow in the sense that it was just science she was working on. No longer was she racing against the clock trying to save the woman she loved. Her life had become routine. Sure, her career was on fire - leading an institute of world class scientists - but she knew something was missing. Although she tried not to explicitly think it, that something was in the form of a petite brunette scientist.

Rachel was true to her word when she said she would have no contact with the clones. She tried for weeks to get information on Cosima's health but it was useless. Cosima had made it abundantly clear that she didn't want to hear from her after several calls and messages went unanswered and by the time she landed in Frankfurt, Cosima was no longer an employee at the Dyad institute so she couldn't discreetly check up on Cosima through work. She was often left wondering if she was even alive, which would send her into fits of anxiety.

In order to take her mind off of Cosima, she dove into her work in Frankfurt quickly rising in the ranks as a respected scientist and leader. A few years into her tenure, she succeeded the retiring former Director of the Frankfurt Dyad Institute. With this position, she quickly grew the capabilities of the division and it was now one of the most respected in the Dyad Corporation.

But something was missing.

And on the nights when she would sit home alone with a glass of wine, she found herself thinking of her life back in Toronto. Only after the one glass turned to three or four, she found herself googling Cosima and the other members of the Clone Club, as they affectionately called themselves. She would find bits of information but nothing substantial to truly know if they were alright. Always left wondering if they were finally free to live normal lives.

It sounds horribly morbid but the first place she checked for weeks following her departure was the Toronto medical examiner's records to ensure that Cosima was still alive. It wasn't until one night around Christmas her first year in Frankfurt that Delphine allowed herself to truly feel relieved about Cosima's health. Felix had forgotten to make an album private on his Facebook and she saw them all. Alison and her family, Sarah, Felix, Mrs. S, Kira, and lastly a smiling healthy Cosima.

She remembered crying harder that night than she'd ever cried before. Her heart simultaneously breaking and sighing in relief at the sight of Cosima. Regardless of how she felt, she vowed that night was the last time she would look for them. It was time for her to move on.

And she did. She began to open herself up to colleagues and made friends. She started to date again - both men and women choosing not to limit her options to a specific anatomy. None of the dates turned into anything significant, always telling the suitors she was too busy to really get into anything. But deep down she knew nothing could touch her relationship with Cosima.

When the call came a few weeks ago that there would be a whole new senior management turnover within the Dyad Corporation, she knew something had dramatically changed. That perhaps the "Clone Club" had won or worse, maybe lost. Either way she was told she needed to fly to Toronto and meet with the new leadership to pitch funding ideas and give them an overview of her division's work. Her least favorite part of the job

"Miss, is there anything else I can get you? We are about to land." The flight attendant asked breaking her out of her trance.

Shaking her head no in response, she put away her presentation papers and buckled her seatbelt. Sighing and looking out at the Toronto skyline she thought there was no way she would see Cosima in such a big city. But as she sat, she wasn't quite sure that was what she wanted. Merde.

"Shit, I'm late!" Cosima woke with a start. It was the second week of the "new" Dyad or that was what they were calling it. There was a whole new propaganda campaign coming out soon to highlight the change in leadership something she was now going to be a part of.

It was part of a deal that she made with Marion Bowles; Cosima was to sit on the board to oversee and ensure that no more clone research was to occur. A deal she was able to make due to the vast amount of dirt on the institute and its board members she had collected over the years. When she had shown Marion a tiny piece of it, it was like honey to a bee. She immediately asked her what she wanted to ensure that the Corporation's future was safe.

It was unheard of to have someone with such little leadership experience in such a position, but Marion had kept her word and fought for her. She also, strategically replaced the board members who had ties to the clone program, vetting the new members through Cosima for transparency.

Cosima's favorite part about the deal? She was to lead a small team researching whatever she liked with assured funding and little involvement from the board. It was a scientists dream come true!

Staring at her closet she tried to find the right balance between smart scientist and respected board member. There was the tights and mini-skirt look that she favored but was unsure of how it would be received by the other board members. Then, there was her favorite little black dress but figured that was more for an evening wear look. Her nails began tapping rhythmically on the door frame as she fingered the different items in her closet.

She sighed and looked at the clock. "Oh shit!" Hurridely, she grabbed the little black dress and put it on. Finishing with a smart red blazer.

She'd Looking at the clock, cursed again, grabbed an apple, keys and was out the door.

She arrived only 15 minutes late, missing the pleasantries and the pastries. But not quite missing Marion's look of disappointment.

She took her seat next to Marion and quickly skimmed the agenda. Rolling her eyes, 'Oh God, this looks brutal.'

"Today we'll be seeing directors from all over the world and ensuring that their research matches our company's vision and direction going forward," Marion spoke. "First up, our Texas division. Sam, please begin..."

Five minutes into the first presentation, Cosima's suspicions were confirmed. This was definitely going to be a brutally long day. Each of the presentations was focused on funding and not research. Every time she would ask a technical question, the presenter would stutter and say something dismissive like, "Good question, I'll have to get with my team on that." It was clear the Directors were figure heads and not actual scientists.

'Useless', she thought.

After lunch, her energy was fading fast. She had begun to spin slightly in her chair. Not enough to be a nuisance but enough to help pass the time. She even begun making up games. The chair spinning game was her trying to calculate the angle at which the chair could lean back and spin without her feeling like it was going to fall over and cause a massive distraction. Although, her favorite game was the guessing game of 'toupee or comb over'? That game she could never tell if she was winning or not…

At one point she begun day dreaming about the bottle of scotch that was waiting for her in her office which allowed her to miss an entire presentation all together. The bottle was a gift from Felix for the new gig. Smiling, she thought, 'The British sure know how to gift.' Her smile, though, caught the presenter's eye and for the next 15 minutes she had to pretend to be interested in plant biology. Brutal.

"Last one folks. I know it's been a long day but let's give her our undivided attention." Marion said pointedly to one of the board members who was clearly playing 'Angry Bird's' on his phone. "Chris, please bring in our last director."

Cosima had become distracted by a snag in her pants… 'Maybe if I can just pull it real fast the force won't allow the spot to become a massive hole…'

As the door opened and the figure walked in, Marion said, "Everyone please welcome Dr. Cormier from our Frankfurt office."

Cosima's eyes shot to the door where Delphine was walking in confidently, the piece of lint long forgotten.

"Bonjour..." the words seemed to die on the blondes lips as her eyes found Cosima's.

"Shit." "Merde."