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Chapter Text

Delphine had only been to the United States once before. It had been two years ago, when she had been posing as an immunology student at the University of Minnesota. Now, however, she was in New York City, standing outside of the private investigation office of Jessica Jones. New York reminded her somewhat of Paris, with its crowded streets and constant noise, but something about the city was slightly different. She couldn’t quite understand what it was, but it didn’t make her want to stay here any longer than she had to.

She rose her knuckles to knock on the door, rapping a few gentle, but audible knocks. There was an aggravated groan from the other side of the door. There was a sound of a chair scratching the surface of a hardwood floor, and the sound of heavy footsteps making their way to the door.

The door was yanked open, causing Delphine to take a step back. Stood in the doorway was a dark haired woman who wore nothing less than an annoyed expression. She was slightly taller than Delphine was. She was leaning heavily on the doorframe, and when her dark eyes looked up into Delphine’s face, she let out a tired sigh.

“What do you want,” She asked, her words slurring slightly. “I’m closed today.”

Delphine shuddered at the smell from the wave of alcohol that came from the other woman’s breath. She blinked and clenched her fists knowing that she had an idea of where this conversation would go.

She cleared her throat and offered her hand to the other woman. “Hello Jessica, my name is Doctor Delphine Cormier, and I am in need of your help.”

She let her hand fall back to her side when Jessica didn’t take it. 

“What would someone like you want with someone like me?”

“What?”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “What would some French doctor want with a shitty pi from Hell’s Kitchen?”

Delphine forced a smile onto her face. “You’re quite the opposite, Miss Jones.”

She scoffed. “Why are you here?”

“I work for the Dyad Institute. I’m a scientist, and my… friends and I are looking into what they’re doing since they’re, let’s just say, suspicious to say the least.”

Delphine isn’t entirely sure why she told the truth, but Jessica looks unimpressed anyway.

As Jessica started to close her front door she said, “Sorry, I don’t have the time, or the amount of shits to give to help you on your little science experiment.”

Delphine readjusted her shoulders. “Please. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.”

Jessica seemed to reconsider. There was a flash of conflict that crossed her hardened features as she pulled the door open again. There was a flutter of hope in Delphine’s chest, and she had to suppress a relieved sigh.

“What’s in it for me?” Jessica asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Delphine crossed her arms across her chest. “You’ll get paid a full Dyad salary, which is thirty thousand Canadian dollars. Which in American currency, is roughly thirty-eight thousand dollars.”

Jessica was slack jawed. “Do you know how much booze I could buy with that kind of money?”

Delphine smirked. “Yes, I am aware.”

The dark haired woman considered her offer. “Will I get free alcohol?”

“I can arrange for that to happen.”

The private investigator shrugged. “Canada here I come, I guess.” She said before disappearing back into her office. 

She reappeared a moment later clad in a leather jacket and a bag hanging from her shoulder. She closed her door behind her, stepping past Delphine and leading the way down the hall. She paused for a moment to pound on the front door of some man named Malcolm, letting him know that she will be out of the country for the time being. There was no response, and Jessica shrugged and continued her slightly tipsy walk to the elevator.

When the pair stepped into the elevator together, Jessica turned to the slightly shorter blonde. “Why me?”

Delphine met her gaze. “What do you mean?”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Out of all of the investigators in the city, why me?”

She shrugged in response. “You’re one of the top detectives in the city. I figured you’d get the job done.”

Jessica didn’t seem satisfied with her answer. “Right.” Was all she said. 

Delphine gave her a small smile but said nothing in return. They stood in a slightly uncomfortable silence as the elevator went from Jessica’s floor to the ground floor, and as they stepped out into the lobby, the other woman grabbed Delphine’s elbow before she could continue out the building. 

“The ‘friends’ you mentioned before, they don’t know you’re here, do they?”

Delphine swallowed. “No.” She shook her arm free from Jessica’s grasp. “They don’t.”

Jessica clicked her tongue in response. “Secrets aren’t a good thing to have with your friends, Doctor Cormier.”

She took a sharp breath. “They are when it’s their lives at stake.”

Jessica didn’t question her any further as they made their way out into the busy street. They shouldered past people until they reached a black, ominous looking SUV. Delphine pulled open the door, allowing Jessica to get in. She gave a cautious glance over her shoulder before following. The two were sitting awkwardly close to each other, and Jessica tried her best to shift away from the other woman every time their shoulders brushed. 

The blonde reminded Jessica somewhat of Trish. She wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but they bore some resemblance to each other. They were both lanky, with pale blonde hair and rectangular faces with sharp angles. Delphine wore a stern expression on her face that made her features look hard and cold, where Trish always wore an expression of compassion. 

Jessica quickly looked away when Delphine caught her staring. “I remind you of someone, don’t I?”

Jessica shook her head. “No.”

She arched an eyebrow. “For a private investigator, you’re a pretty shitty liar.”

Jessica gave her a hardened look. “Did I ask for your opinion, Doctor?” Sarcasm seeped into her tone. 

Delphine bit her tongue to prevent the remark from leaving her mouth. She knew better than to start a fight with someone who could throw her halfway across the state if she wanted to.

“No.” Was all she said.

They sat in a tense silence. Delphine was wrestling with the idea to try and start another conversation, but decided against it since Jessica Jones was not the easiest person to get along with. She decided to look out the window and take in the sights of the city as they drove down the crowd packed streets. She thought that maybe, once this is all over, she and Cosima could take a trip there. Let them have the chance to play tourist for once.

Her attention was brought back to Jessica when the other woman cleared her throat. In her reflection, her hardened expression now looked pained. She kept her eyes locked on the street outside her window as she spoke. 

“You do remind me of someone.” She said in a strained voice. 

At Delphine’s silence, she continued.

Jessica inhaled sharply. “Her name was Trish. She was the most important person in my life.”

Delphine nodded gently. She knew who Jessica was talking about, since there had been a Trish Walker mentioned in the file she had managed to compile. She didn’t mention that she knew about the mislead hero. She resisted the urge to rest her hand on Jessica’s shoulder in a way to comfort the other woman.

“Who was she? A friend? A lover?”

Jessica turned to face her. “No,”  Her voice cracked. “She was my sister.”

“Ah,” Delphine said. “Did she pass?”

Jessica shook her head. “I sent her away.”

She gave Jessica a sympathetic look. “Je suis désolé, mon amie.”

Jessica gave her a confused look. “I don’t speak French.”

Delphine shook her head with a small smile. “Ah, sorry. Force of habit. What I said was, I’m sorry. It must be hard losing someone you love like that.”

Jessica was silent for a moment. Delphine was almost positive that she wasn’t going to get a response.

“Yeah, well that’s what happens when that person tries to kill you.”

Delphine coughed to try and cover the noise that escaped from her throat. She knew of the crimes that Trish Walker had committed, but hearing the words come out of Jessica’s mouth made them a little too real. 

She didn’t respond. She let her gaze fall back outside where she watched the city fall away into the waters of the Hudson as they crossed the George Washington Bridge into Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Jessica looked back over at Delphine. “What’re we doing in Jersey?”

Delphine met her gaze. “There’s something I have to do before we go to Canada.” She said. “It won't take long.”

Jessica looked like she didn’t completely trust her. She said nothing, and Delphine offered her a smile that said Trust me.

The driver pulled up to a clearing that had an abandoned helipad on the other side, and let Delphine know that they have arrived at their destination with a muffled voice. Delphine pushed open the car door, and stood. Jessica moved to follow her, but she rested her hand on the leather of the other woman’s jacket.

“No.” She said. “I go alone.”

“What kind of bullshit is thi-” Jessica was cut off by Delphine slamming the door shut. The raven haired woman shot her a venomous glare before she turned to walk to where a small helicopter was waiting for her.

A scraggly man stood with his back leaned against the metal exterior of the helicopter. He looked up at her from in between his long, ginger bangs and straightened at the sight of the blonde approaching him. He offered her his hand.

“I take it you’re Doctor Cormier?”

“You would be correct.”

The man nodded. “The name’s Charlie.”

“I don’t care,” Delphine said. “I just need you to take me to the Raft.”

Charlie looked offended at Delphine’s disregard for his name. She crossed her arms and gave the scraggly man an impatient look. He yanked open the door and watched as she climbed inside, offering her any assistance if needed. She swatted at his hands as they grabbed at her hips in an inappropriate way. She shot him a cold stare as he closed the door. He turned red in the neck as he pulled open the other door to the cockpit. He offered her grimy looking headphones. She almost declined them, but knew that she wouldn’t be any use if her eardrums were blown out and she needed to know when they were closing in on the prison. She slid them onto her head, and let out an impatient sigh. Charlie gave her a thumbs up as a way to ask if she was prepared for takeoff, and she nodded in response.

By time the helicopter took off into the sky, a storm had moved over the Hudson, and they flew directly into the darkening sky.

*

Trish Walker was sitting alone in what she thought was a conference room. Well, maybe not a conference room. It was a large room with a table and a few chairs scattered around it. She wasn’t completely alone either, there was a guard standing near the door with a large gun, prepared to fire at her if she ever went berserk.

Ever since she had been arrested, her violent streak ended. Every time there was a fight in the courtyard and she somehow ended up getting involved, she would simply lay on the ground and let the other prisoners beat her nearly to death. She was too afraid to fight back. The beatings were her own type of punishment.

She sat at the table in silence with her wrists cuffed to the table. The handcuffs were cold and they made her wrists ache. She was shivering in her uniform, unable to warm her body.

She kept her gaze locked on the table, too afraid to make eye contact with the guard that was watching her with a hard stare. She counted the seconds that passed in an attempt to keep herself sane.

After ten long, grueling minutes, she looked up as she heard the screech of the room’s door. There were footsteps and voices. Trish could not make out how many since they were all jumbled together in a heated argument. She could only catch parts of the argument outside the door.

There was an almost painful silence after the argument ended. Trish kept her eyes locked on the door with interest, straining her advanced hearing to try and catch the muffled remarks of the other people outside the room. She was brought back to her own thoughts when footsteps entered the room.

She turned to look at who entered the room. Standing a few feet in front of her was a tall, blonde woman who looked so frustrated that Trish sunk back into her chair. She looked at Trish with an unreadable expression. Various emotions flashed across her features, ranging from pity to hatred.

She approached the table and pulled out the chair that was across from Trish. She sat down with an exasperated sigh, and slid the chair over the hard concrete floor. Trish flinched at the sound of the screech, and the other woman tilted her head as she analyzed her. The worst thing about the woman that was sat across from her was her smell. She didn’t smell bad, and if Trish were to admit it, she smelled quite good. The smell of tobacco and cinnamon scented perfume was overwhelming to Trish’s heightened senses.

“Are you Trish Walker?” The other blonde asked. She had an accent that Trish recognized as French.

Trish tilted her head as she looked at her. “You’re French?”

The other woman’s icy exterior didn’t crack like Trish hoped it would. 

“Answer the question. Are you Trish Walker?”

“Oui, mais tu le savais déjà. N'est-ce pas?” Trish responded, and the other woman’s eyes widened.

“Tu parles français?” The other woman asked, astounded.

Trish grinned at her, amused by her shock. “Je le parle couramment. Je l'ai appris enfant.”

The other woman switched back to English. “Wow, an American who speaks French. And speaks it well. What a pleasant surprise.”

Trish smirked. “I wouldn’t hold me as your standard.”

The other woman chuckled. “Oh I don’t. Don’t worry.”

Trish was slightly hurt by the other woman’s comment, but said nothing. She stared at her, taking in her features. Her blonde hair was long and straight. The straightness to it looked unnatural on the woman, as if her natural hair was wavy or made up of tight curls. She had high cheekbones and pale skin. Trish thought that it was almost like looking in a mirror. Physically, this woman was a ghost of her old self.

The other woman didn’t seem startled at Trish’s intense stare. Her gaze was unwavering as she took in the sight of Trish. She pulled keys out of the pocket of her jacket, and stood. She moved over to Trish, unlocking the handcuffs around her wrists. Trish nearly gagged at the intense scent of her perfume as she bent over her, and was relieved when she returned to her side of the table.

She offered Trish her hand. “I am Delphine Cormier, and I am in need of your help.”

Trish almost laughed in her face. “You need what?”

Delphine sucked in a breath and muttered something to herself.

“Your help.”

“And why is that?”

Delphine’s expression hardened. “I need someone who can kill.”

Trish scoffed. “You know that’s what got me locked up in the first place, right?”

The other blonde set her jaw. “Look, I have no interest in asking for a felon’s help, and I wouldn’t be if this wasn’t important.”

Trish tried her best to suppress the laughter that was threatening to erupt from her mouth. “Who even are you, Delphine Cormier?”

“I am a scientist. I work for the Dyad Institute in Canada. I, along with others, am suspicious of the motives behind what they do there. We are doing a private investigation into this company.” Delphine said.

Trish was interested. “Well, you definitely got my attention.”

Delphine offered her a small smile. ”You are obviously highly trained. Your skills could be useful for getting information on the inside. We could really use your help.”

Trish considered what she said. “What’s in it for me?”

“Freedom. A chance to start over. A chance to be the hero that you always wanted to be.”

Delphine was watching Trish closely as she reacted to her response. “I can’t.”

Trish was shaking her head as Delphine reached across the table to rest her hand on her wrist. “We really need you.”

She looked into Delphine’s eyes in an attempt to understand her true motives. Delphine’s dark eyes shined with genuine hope and fear of rejection. Trish’s stomach knotted at the thought of being free.

“I was sent here for a reason, Doctor Cormier. You shouldn’t trust me. I don’t even trust myself.”

She looked disappointed. “Please, call me Delphine. And I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t desperate.”

“How did you even get the legal power to get me out? As far as I know, your Dyad isn’t a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. or S.W.O.R.D. and you’re a scientist, not a lawyer, so how did you do it?” Trish asked, trying to pull her wrist free from Delphine’s slender fingers.

She only tightened her grip. “I owe S.H.I.E.L.D. a favor now.”

They sat in silence as Trish debated the offer. Helping Delphine would give Trish everything she wanted, but at what cost? Why should she throw herself headfirst into danger for someone she barely even knows? But that’s what being a hero is. Being a hero is putting your life on the line for someone in need, whether you know them or not.

Trish sighed. “Fine. Fine. I’ll help you.”

Delphine smiled at her. “Good! I knew you would.” She looked back to the door, and gestured for the guards to come in. “Miss Walker will be coming with me. If you could bring her a change of clothes and a chance to clean herself up, we’ll be on our way.”

*

Delphine offered Trish a coffee when she rejoined her in the room where they had first met. She took it gratefully sipping on it as they made their way through the bare halls of the prison. Trish felt good to be in actual clothing for once instead of her jumpsuit. She never realized how much she missed the rub of denim against her skin and the feeling of walking in combat boots. 

Trish and Delphine were guided out of the prison by a group of guards, and Trish couldn’t help but look at her surroundings. The high electric fences that would electrocute her at a fatal voltage if she tried to escape, the barbed wire that topped the electric fence. Part of her couldn’t believe that she could ever end up in a place like that. The other part was still shocked that she was getting the opportunity to leave.

The guards followed them to the helipad where the helicopter was waiting for them. Delphine shooed the guards away as Trish boarded the helicopter. Trish offered the man - Charlie - a friendly smile as she settled into one of the seats behind the cockpit. Delphine joined them a moment later, relief spreading over her frustrated features.

She looked back at Trish with a smile - the first genuine smile - and nodded at Charlie’s signal that they were ready for takeoff. The ginger man nodded in response and launched them into the rainy sky.

The flight back to Fort Lee only took a half hour, and when they finally landed, Trish was glad that her feet were on solid ground again. It wasn’t that Charlie was a particularly bad pilot, the flight had just been shaky because of the storm. Delphine paid him four hundred dollars for helping them, and the man was shocked by her generosity.

Trish was waiting patiently for Delphine to join her before going to the car. The other woman walked with a quick pace as she headed toward the black SUV that was parked at the edge of the clearing. Trish hurried to keep up with her long strides. Her legs were still numb and sore from the helicopter flight.

The last person Trish expected to see when she approached the SUV was Jessica Jones. Her sister. Her attempted victim. The person she loved the most.

Jessica looked equally as shocked when Delphine pulled open the door and told Trish to get inside. Trish had stood in place, her mouth falling open at the sight of her dark haired sister.

“Jess?” She said stupidly. “Is that really you?”

Jessica’s attention wasn’t on her, however. Jessica’s dark eyes were staring at Delphine with daggers of hatred. She looked as though she was about to lunge out of the car and strangle the French blonde.

“You didn’t tell me that I was going to be working with her.”

Delphine shrugged. “I knew you would refuse if I mentioned it.”

“So you did what was convenient for you?”

Trish was dumbfounded at the sight in front of her. Delphine had somehow managed to get Jessica out of her apartment, and to agree to work with her, while being somewhat sober. Trish thought that she must be some sort of miracle worker.

Delphine rolled her eyes at the still complaining Jessica. She turned to Trish and gestured for her to get in the car. Trish did as she was told, but sat across from Jessica and Delphine. Jessica wouldn’t even look at her. She kept her hate filled gaze on Delphine, who gestured to the driver that they were ready to go.

After a heated argument between Jessica and Delphine, they sat in an uncomfortably tense silence until Trish couldn’t bear it anymore. She caught Delphine’s attention by clearing her throat.

“Yes?” She asked.

“You’re not gonna like… clone me, right?” Trish questioned.

“Oh Jesus Christ.” Jessica muttered.

Delphine gave her a tight, humorless smile. “No, of course not.”

Trish gave her an anxious smile in return. “Oh, okay. Good.”

*

When the trio finally arrived in Canada, Delphine silently thanked whatever god that was watching from above for keeping Jessica and Trish from killing each other. They had taken another helicopter, and Delphine was half certain that she was going to have to throw one of them out into a free fall if one of them started to pick a fight with the other. Delphine noticed that it never seemed to be Trish who started the scraps between her and Jessica. Jessica always had some snide remark to get under Trish’s skin, and it worked every single time.

Trish had been grateful to arrive in Canada via helicopter instead of by plane or car or even train because she did not have a passport, and she was a high tier criminal. Despite the overall uncomfortableness of the helicopter, it was the easiest way to sneak her and Jessica into the country.

Delphine was leading them down busy streets of downtown Toronto. She seemed to be in a hurry by her quick pace, and Trish was managing to keep up while Jessica was lagging behind because of the start of a small hangover. 

As they walked, Trish tried her best to take in her surroundings while keeping her head down. She wasn’t sure if Patsy Walker was as popular in Canada as she had been in the United States, and she didn’t want Canadians coming up to her asking for a photo with Patsy Walker the Felon. She was grateful for the hood on the sweatshirt that she was wearing under her leather jacket. She kept it pulled over her face as she followed Delphine, making sure the other blonde was still in front of her by watching her booted feet ahead of her.

When Delphine finally stopped, they were standing in an alleyway outside of a relatively beat up looking building. She turned to her two American companions expectantly.

“Are you ready?” She asked.

Trish was confused. “For what?”

“I asked all the people who you two will be working with to join us here.”

Trish looked to Jessica who looked like she was about to fall over. “I’m ready, but I’m not too sure that Jess is.”

Delphine helped Trish shift Jessica’s weight onto her shoulder. Jessica almost instantly melted into her sister’s shoulder, and Trish sighed at the fact that she would have to practically drag her up the stairs.

Delphine led the way through the back stairs, stopping occasionally for Trish to catch up with the practically dead weight that was Jessica at her side. The short trip to the floor that was their destination took longer than it should’ve, and it was more of a commute than Trish would have liked. She was relieved when Delphine stopped in front of a graffiti covered door. She knocked once before the door was yanked open by a dark haired young man.

The young man had somewhat of a resemblance to a vampire. He wore black jeans and boots. He had on a black tank top under a black cape jacket. His dark hair was swept back from his face. To complete his look, he had eyeliner around his eyes. Trish thought he looked quite fashionable.

“Bloody hell Delphine,” He said. “Took you fucking long enough.”

Delphine looked back at her two companions that were struggling to stand behind her. The young man looked past Delphine and at them. He stepped into the hall and helped Trish with the weight of Jessica. 

“I’m sorry.” Delphine said. “They’re here to help.”

The young man looked over at Trish. He offered her his hand. She shook it and offered him a smile. She noted his accent. It was English, and Trish guessed that he was from London.

“Felix Dawkins.”

“Trish Walker.”

“Nice to meet you Trish, now let’s get a move on my back is starting to hurt.” Felix said as he tried to shift Jessica into a more comfortable position at his side.

Delphine stepped into the apartment, letting whoever else was there know that she had brought people with her. Trish could hear other voices protesting as she and Felix slowly dragged Jessica inside. They left her leaning in the doorway of the loft when Felix shut the door behind them.

When Trish turned back to the group, the last thing she expected to see was three identical women staring back at her with just as much confusion on their faces as Trish felt.

Chapter Text

Trish was dumbfounded as she stared at the three identical faces in front of her. Everything about them was the same. The same dark eyes, the same thin, dark eyebrows, the same lips, everything. They all had to be roughly Trish and Jessica’s age. Trish had to admit, they sort of freaked her out. She looked back to Felix, who had an amused expression on his face. She looked to Delphine, who looked indifferent.

The three identical women all looked very different from each other despite being physically identical. The one that stood near the back wall of the loft wore torn black jeans and a faded Blue Öyster Cult t-shirt under her leather jacket. She wore combat boots and a dark navy and green flannel shirt tied around her waist. Her dark, curly hair was unkempt. It was frizzy, and she looked like she was in desperate need of a haircut. The one that was sitting politely on the couch dressed the polar opposite of the first. She wore denim jeans and a pink turtleneck. She had a pendant of a cross around her neck. Her dark hair was stiff and straight with blunt bangs resting delicately on her forehead. The final woman was the one sitting cross legged on the floor. She had black, thick framed glasses and wore lots of eyeliner. She wore a striped sweater and what looked like loose fitting sweatpants. Unlike the others, she was not wearing shoes. She had long socks on instead of combat boots or brightly colored running shoes. The thing that stood out the most about her was the fact that her hair was not curly and unkempt or straightened, but rather twisted into long dreadlocks.

The one with the glasses rose to her feet, and walked with a certain amount of swagger over to Trish. She greeted her with a friendly smile and a wave. Her heightened senses couldn’t help but detect the overwhelming smell of the woman. Like Delphine, she smelled quite good. It was again just a little too much for Trish to take in at once. She smelled of marijuana and Trish could tell she used a peach scented body wash.

Her smile widened as Trish felt more on edge as she approached. “Hi, I’m Cosima.”

She had a slight rasp to her voice as if she smoked. The scent of marijuana made sense to Trish now. Trish tried her best to return the friendly smile even though she felt like her throat was closing in on itself.

“I’m Trish,” She forced out awkwardly.

Cosima turned away from Trish and pointed to the punk looking woman. “That’s Sarah.”

Sarah threw up a peace sign in greeting and turned to the woman on the couch. “That’s Alison.”

Like Felix, Sarah had an accent. She was English like he was, and she guessed that like Felix, she was from London too.

The woman named Alison greeted her with a small smile. She looked past Trish to Jessica who was still slouched in the doorway. “Is she okay?” 

Trish turned back to her sister. “She’s hungover. Is there any place where she can sit?”

Felix gestured to the couch. “That's fine. If she vomits on my couch, you will be hearing from my lawyer.” He said as he made his way to the bar that was tucked in the far corner of the loft. “Martinis anyone?”

She was grateful for Cosima’s help with lugging Jessica over to the couch where they dropped her into the cushions. She groaned and swore at them, causing Trish to kick her sister’s booted foot gently. Alison gently tossed a blanket over Jessica, tucking her in. Within a few minutes, Jessica was snoring softly on the couch, amusing Cosima.

Trish sat in one of the beat up recliners as Felix handed out martinis to Sarah and Cosima, before sipping on his own. She had managed to glance over at Delphine, noticing how she had not moved from her spot against the wall. She looked uncomfortable, and when Cosima followed Trish’s gaze, she rose to her feet and started to quietly talk to the French scientist who seemed like she was in a hurry to leave, and had been looking for an excuse to since Jessica and Trish had gotten settled. Trish watched as Cosima stood on her toes to press a gentle kiss to Delphine’s cheek, before letting the blonde brush past her and out the door without even saying goodbye to the rest of the group.

Alison had been watching her with a look of wariness and fear. When Trish met her gaze, the smaller woman squeezed her hands tighter in her lap. She could also feel Sarah’s intense stare on the side of her face and tried not to squirm. When Cosima returned to the group, Trish felt herself relax a little. Cosima returned to where she had been sitting on the floor, and she turned her full attention to Trish before speaking.

“So Delphine said that you’re here to help us?” She said.

Trish nodded. “She said that my skills could be useful for getting information on Dyad.”

“But you were in prison?”

Trish swallowed past the growing lump in her throat. “Yes. I was. But, I’m reformed now. So there’s no need to worry.” Trish let her gaze meet Alison’s as she spoke.

“So why would some high tier criminal want to help out a bunch of clones?” Sarah jumped in.

Trish shrugged. “I just want to repent for my sins.”

“Well aren’t you a Good Samaritan.” Felix muttered to himself.

Trish didn’t comment on his remark, and tried her best to make herself relax. Cosima could notice that she was tense. She looked around at the group before going back to Trish.

“You’re probably exhausted,” She said. “Come stay at my apartment tonight and rest. You had a long trip.”

Trish shook her head. “Cosima, I can’t do that.”

Cosima rolled her eyes at her. “You look like death walking on two feet, dude. Let me give you a place to stay.”

She looked to Jessica. “What about her?”

Felix sighed. “Joan Jett can stay here for tonight.”

“Looks like we’re all settled then.” Cosima said before Trish could interrupt. She was already tugging on her boots before she could even open her mouth. She moved to the door, gesturing for Trish to follow. She rose to her feet, walking on wobbly legs to follow the smaller woman. She turned and nodded a silent thanks to Felix, who gave her an understanding smile before she closed the sliding door behind her and headed in the direction that Cosima was leading her in.

*

By the time Cosima and Trish arrived at her apartment, she felt like she was going to collapse onto the floor. Seeing this, Cosima threw her bag and jacket onto one of the nearest chairs and practically ran into her bedroom to retrieve a blanket and a pillow.

“I’m sorry that I don’t have a guest room.” She said apologetically as she tried her best to make the couch as comfortable as possible.

Trish shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been sleeping in a cell for the last two years. Your couch is more than enough.”

Cosima looked at her from over the rims of her glasses. “You sure?”

Trish nodded numbly. “You could have told me that I have to sleep on the sidewalk outside, and I would have been okay with it.”

A smile tugged at the edges of Cosima’s mouth. “Well, that’s not what you’re going to do. It’s starting to rain.”

As if it were on cue, rain started to beat against the windows.

“See?”

Trish snorted. “What are you? Some sort of weather wizard?”

Cosima grinned. “Totally.” She wiggled her fingers at Trish in a teasing way. “Thou shall call me thy Witch of Thy Weather.” She spoke with an exaggerated sixteenth century accent, causing Trish to burst into a fit of slap happy laughter.

She waited until Trish settled down onto the couch before saying goodnight and flicking off the lights. She settled down into the pillow Cosima had given her, glad that the scents were not overwhelming her. 

For the first time in a long time, Trish fell asleep with ease.

*

The way she woke up the next morning was not the most optimal way she would have liked to have been woken up, to say the least. Waking up to freezing water suddenly starting to spray on your face along with a startled scream was the way Trish started off her first full day in Canada.

“Jesus Christ, Trish! Why the hell are you sleeping shirtless in my shower?” Cosima yelped as she had pulled back the shower curtain.

Trish sat up in a soggy haze and looked down at herself, also very confused as to why she had been sleeping in only her athletic bra and the pair of slightly too short sweatpants Cosima had lent her.

“I… don’t know.”

Cosima shook her head and chuckled. “Dude! What if I had been naked or something!”

Trish chuckled. “Then we’d be real good friends, wouldn’t we?”

Cosima arched a teasingly annoyed eyebrow before hitting the faucet. Trish was once again sprayed by cold water.

“Hey! Hey! What the fuck, Cosima!”

“Get out of my shower!”

“I’m gonna!”

“You two having fun in there?” Felix was standing in the doorway of the bathroom watching the soaked Trish slosh her way out of Cosima’s bathtub. 

They both turned and stared at him. “Shut up Felix.” They said in unison.

*

Felix’s surprise visit had only lasted a few minutes since he was only there to inform Trish that she needed to meet him and Sarah at some woman who Felix only referred to as “S”’s house later in the afternoon.

Cosima and Trish were now sitting at her kitchen table sipping their way through two mugs of coffee. The two could barely make eye contact with each other without cracking into smiles over the ridiculous event that had occurred earlier that morning.

“So,” Cosima said after a long moment. “Why were you sleeping in my bathtub?”

Trish shrugged. “Force of habit, I guess.”

The other woman looked at her with confusion creasing her eyebrows. “In what situation would you be forced to sleep half naked in a bathtub?”

She rolled her eyes. “I meant it’s a force of habit for me to sleep in a cold area. My cell in the Raft was like an icebox. I guess my body is just used to sleeping in the cold.”

“Oh, that makes sense. In some weird, kind of pathetic sort of way.”

“Thanks, Cosima.”

“No- I didn’t mean you being in prison was pathetic. I meant-”

Trish shook off Cosima’s apology. “I know what you meant.”

They sat in silence with Trish reading the newspaper. Cosima’s eyes fell to Trish’s forearms, where she noticed that she had faint scars decorating her skin. She reached out, placing a hand on her arm. Trish looked up into Cosima’s face, and the other woman recoiled her hand.

“I’m sorry I just-”

“It’s all right. You can touch them if you want.”

Cosima reached forward again with more hesitance than she did the first time. Her fingers gently brushed the scarred skin of Trish’s forearms like a feather. 

“When did you…?”

“When I was a teenager.”

Cosima looked at her with a sympathetic expression. “And here I thought that Patsy Walker had it all.”

Trish stared at the faded scars. “Not everything is what it seems.”

Cosima pulled back her hand. She bit her lip to keep tears from spilling over. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize, Cosima. It was a long time ago.”

She took a shaky breath. “You deserve better.”

Trish shrugged. She didn’t respond as she stood from the table. She abandoned her coffee at the kitchen table to return to the couch so she could pull on her boots. She returned to the kitchen a few minutes later, and informed Cosima that she was going to meet Felix and Sarah. Cosima nodded wordlessly and watched her leave.

Chapter Text

When the taxi pulled up to the address that Felix had rattled off, Trish found herself outside of a large Victorian house. She paid the cabbie and watched as the taxi pulled away. She turned back to the big house, preparing herself for whatever was about to come. She pushed her way through the gate and headed up the sidewalk to the porch. She was greeted by Sarah, who pushed open the front door.

She followed her inside to the kitchen, surprised at how much artwork was hung on the walls of the long hallway. The drawings looked as if they had been made by a child, and Trish was able to identify Sarah, Cosima, Alison, and Felix in the scribbles.

The kitchen was in the back of the house. It wasn’t huge like the one in Trish’s apartment had been, and it wasn’t as tiny as the one in Jessica’s office apartment. There was a table to the left of the doorway, and three out of the four chairs were occupied by Felix, Jessica, and a woman who Trish did not know. She was middle aged with intense blue eyes and auburn hair. She was watching Trish carefully as she remained standing while Sarah took a seat to the left of Felix.

What surprised Trish the most was the fact that Jessica was there, and that she was sober. There was a mug of steaming coffee in front of her, but she seemed to have no interest in it. She wouldn’t look Trish in the eye, and kept her gaze settled on the cabinets behind her.

The older woman at the table let out an airy sigh as she looked from Jessica to Trish and back again. “Christ Almighty, you two can’t even say hello to each other?”

Jessica and Trish finally made eye contact with each other, and mumbled a greeting to each other like scolded schoolchildren. The woman shook her head at the pair before standing and moving to the counter. She poured a cup of coffee and offered it to Trish, who accepted it gratefully.

“So you’re the help then?” The woman’s Irish accent cut through the silence like a knife.

Trish nodded after taking another sip of coffee. “Yeah, yeah we’re here to help in your investigation of Dyad.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “Why should we trust you two?”

“Delphine-”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about Delphine, love.” The other woman interjected. “Why should we trust you?”

Trish inhaled. “Jessica and I both have experience as private investigators. That’s Jessica’s occupation, and I helped out every so often. We both have experience working in... unnatural situations, and I think that a mix of both of our skills will be able to help you take down Dyad.”

The other woman still didn’t look like she trusted them, but the passive aggressiveness she held seemed to evaporate. She moved from the counter, and extended her hand. 

“Siobhan Sadler.”

“Trish Walker, and that’s Jessica Jones.”

Siobhan looked to Jessica. “Don’t you have a working voice box? Or are you gonna have Blondie here do all the talking?”

Jessica narrowed her eyes at her. “I have nothing to say, Lucky Charms.”

Siobhan’s expression changed from passive aggressive to humorous. “This one’s got an attitude. She’s just like you, Sarah.”

Jessica and Sarah rolled their eyes. Trish was afraid that Jessica was going to say something that would anger the others, but was surprised when her sister said nothing in response.

Siobhan turned back to Trish. “Have you got any experience with clones then?”

Trish shook her head. “Surprisingly enough, there has not been a clone invasion in New York. There’s been everything else under the sun, though.”

 “Like?”

“Aliens, a cult of immortal ninjas, not just one, but two Asgardian Gods, you name it, it’s probably happened.” Trish replied.

Felix looked like he didn’t believe her. “I’m sorry, but did you just say ‘aliens?’”

Trish nodded. “You heard me.”

“Looks like you weren’t lying when you said ‘unnatural.’” Sarah grumbled to herself.

Trish shrugged. “It comes with the territory, I guess. The United States gets superhumans and aliens, and Canada gets clones.”

Siobhan and Sarah caught Trish and Jessica up on everything that had happened the last few months. They were informed about Aldous Leekie and Neolutionism, and who to watch out for. Trish made a mental note to be wary around Delphine as Sarah and Siobhan seemed distrustful of the scientist. She also would have to do some digging into whoever this Rachel Duncan was. They were also informed of Sarah’s currently missing, extremely dangerous, Ukranian assassin of a twin sister Helena.

By the time Trish left Siobhan’s house, she had a splitting headache and a need to get away from all the scientific parts of her trip to Canada. She surprised herself when she found herself heading in the direction of Alison’s urban utopia.

*

Jessica remained with Sarah and Felix for the rest of the day, trailing behind the pair of foster siblings as she tried her best to learn as much information as she could to see exactly what she was getting herself into. From what she learned so far, this Dyad Institute and all the people involved with it seemed extremely dangerous. She decided to not take her usual approach of diving headfirst into danger first and asking questions later. She knew that this new approach probably wouldn’t last long since she was working with Trish, who she knew will probably end up throwing herself into the middle of the danger without even considering the consequences.

It was only midday when she found herself sitting in a bar with Sarah, who was exasperatedly typing on her computer.

“Jesus, what did that computer do to you?” She asked as she took a swig of whiskey. It was some Canadian whiskey, and it had a different taste to the whiskey she had stashed in her liquor cabinet back home. She wasn’t complaining, though. It did taste significantly better than the bottom shelf stuff she was used to.

Sarah looked up from her computer screen. “This bloody piece of shit won’t load any fucking information.” She huffed out a frustrated breath. “Fuck this. I’m not getting a headache because of this shite. I’ll just ask Cos to do some digging.” She said as she slammed the laptop closed. She picked up her phone, and Jessica assumed she was sending a text to Cosima to pick up where she had left off in whatever research she had been doing.

Sarah fished a small blue cell phone out of the pocket of her leather jacket. “Here.” She said. “This is so you can keep in contact with us. It has mine, Felix, Cos, Alison, and S’s numbers in it. There’s also Arthur Bell and Helena’s numbers in there. You’ll meet Art soon enough, and as of right now I have no idea where Helena is.”

Jessica took the phone from Sarah’s hand. She crammed it in her pocket and nodded her thanks.

“I know that I haven’t really been… conversational with you and Trish, but I really appreciate you two coming all this way to help.” Sarah said after a moment.

Jessica looked at her in genuine surprise. “And here I thought you were like me.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Alison always says that I have to ‘start being friendlier to people’ and I’m trying to live up to the promise I made.”

Jessica snorted. “Well aren’t you a good little clone.”

The other woman ignored her comment. “Aren’t you and Trish sisters? You two have barely been able to look at each other in the eye.”

She took another drink of whiskey. “She was, but then she killed the only family I had left.”

Sarah looked at her in disbelief. “So you just left her high and dry?”

“Of course I fucking did. She killed my mother.”

Anger was starting to rise in the back of Jessica’s throat like bile. She didn’t need Sarah’s judgement about how she handled her relationship with Trish. Especially since she had just admitted that she had no idea where her own twin sister was not even five minutes beforehand.

Sarah took a sip of beer. “If I hit a nerve, I’m sorry. I didn’t mea-”

“Oh fuck off with your apology.” Jessica snapped.

She looked offended at Jessica’s sudden anger. “Listen-”

Jessica rose to her feet. “No. You listen here Queen Elizabeth. I don’t need your fucking judgement, okay? And you have no room to speak because you don’t even know where your own fucking sister is.”

Sarah also rose to her feet. Anger was pulsing through her veins and she was trying to restrain the urge to punch Jessica. “Do not drag Helena into this.” She hissed.

The two were in a standoff until the bartender interjected and told Jessica to leave before a fight between the two women broke out. Jessica glared at Sarah one final time before walking out of the bar without another word. The other people in the bar were watching Sarah in alarm as she pulled herself together. She placed the amount of money she owed for the price of both her and Jessica’s drinks. She left a little extra money as an apology to the bartender for their disruptive argument.

“Bloody hell.” She huffed as she made her way out into the warm afternoon air.

*

When Trish arrived at Alison’s house, she was greeted by the man that she assumed was Alison’s husband when she knocked on the door. He greeted her with a confused expression, but when she introduced herself, he pushed a smile onto his face and let her in.

“She’s in her craft room downstairs.” Donnie said as he closed the front door.

She smiled at him. “Thanks, Donnie. You have a very nice home.”

He thanked her and she made her way down into the basement where she found Alison glueing signs together. Her brow was knit in concentration, and Trish chuckled a little at the sight.

“Who would have guessed that arts and crafts would require so much concentration.” She said, causing Alison to jump at the sound of her voice.

“Holy doodle! Trish, you almost gave me a heart attack!” She yelped.

Trish chuckled. “Sorry, am I interrupting you?”

Alison set down her glue gun. “Yes, but it’s fine. I needed a break anyway.” She said as she stood up from the stool she had been sitting on. “Why are you here?”

Trish shrugged. “I met up with Sarah, Felix, and Siobhan today and was caught up on all the need to know information so I can start helping you.” She sighed. “I just needed to get away from the science for a little bit.”

Alison had her arms crossed. “So you came here… to see me?”

“Pretty much.”

“You are a very unusual woman, Miss Walker.”

Trish shrugged again. “Unusual is better than boring.”

She narrowed her eyes at Trish. “Are you calling me boring?”

With a shake of her head, Trish said, “No, of course not. From what Sarah told me, you’re far from it.”

That managed to get a small smile from Alison. “You seem to have had a busy morning. Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“Alison you don’t have to make me lunch.”

Alison waved a finger in Trish’s face. “Come upstairs and I’ll make you a sandwich and we can talk over lemonade.”

Trish knew that she had no other choice than to let Alison drag her up the stairs and into the kitchen. She sat at the table, looking around the brightly lit room. It had warm yellow walls and stainless steel appliances. She noticed that there were what looked like children’s report cards hung on the door of the fridge.

“Do you have children?” Trish asked as Alison pulled out a pound of cut turkey from the fridge. She offered it to Trish who nodded.

“I do. A son and a daughter.” Alison said as she joined Trish at the table. She placed the plate with the half made sandwich on it and various condiments on the table in front of her. Alison returned to the kitchen where she grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and poured them both a glass of lemonade.

As Trish was smearing mayonnaise onto her sandwich, she asked, “How old are they?”

Alison finally sat down after handing her one of the glasses of lemonade. “Oscar is ten and Gemma is eight.” She said with a small, but proud smile. “What about you? Do you have any children?”

Trish shook her head. “No, no I’m not really the maternal type.”

Alison inspected Trish for a moment. “You are definitely compassionate,” She said. “I mean, you came all this way to help a group of people you never met.”

“That’s different. Your lives are at stake. I don’t think I’m capable of caring for a child like I care for you.”

“You may come to surprise yourself.”

Trish smiled at Alison in between bites of her sandwich. The look of fear that the brunette woman had yesterday seemed to have disappeared as their friendly conversation continued. Trish was surprised by Alison. She had originally thought that she was stuck up and self centered, but her love for the others and her drive to keep them safe proved her to be quite the opposite. She somewhat reminded Trish of herself and the way she loved Jessica. She was willing to walk through fire for her, and she could see her feelings reflected in Alison.

By the time Trish finished her sandwich, Donnie had returned from picking up Oscar and Gemma from their friend’s house. Neither Trish nor Alison had noticed that he had left since they had been in deep conversation about life and their experiences, and how crazy things could get sometimes.

“Mom?” Oscar’s voice called out. “Are you home?”

“In here honey!” Alison called back.

The sound of two pairs of footsteps pounded into the kitchen. A young boy and girl skidded to a halt in the kitchen, grinning wildly. Alison was smiling at her children, and she turned back to Trish who waved at them.

“Who are you?” Gemma asked, curiosity shining in her dark eyes.

Trish smiled. “My name is Trish. I’m a friend of your mom.”

Oscar looked at her for a long moment. “Wait a minute... You’re Patsy Walker!”

Alison turned to Trish in surprise and she blushed in embarrassment.

“That was a very long time ago, but yes.” She chuckled anxiously.

“Mommy you never told us that you were friends with a celebrity!” Gemma gasped.

Alison was dumbfounded. “Honey, I didn’t know. Now, uh, how about you two go upstairs and let me talk to Trish, okay?”

The children nodded and headed out of the kitchen. Gemma turned back to the adults and waved at Trish. “Bye Patsy!”

Trish waved back as the pair disappeared upstairs. She hid her face in her hands as Alison looked for the words to express how shocked she was. The silence was painfully awkward, making Trish wish that she could just fade out of existence.

“What the flip flop Trish!” She finally said.

Trish finally pulled her face out of her hands. “Look, Alis-”

“You’re Patsy Walker?” She interrupted.

There was a beat of silence before Trish responded.

“Yes. Well, I was Patsy Walker.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Trish shrugged. “It’s embarrassing.”

Alison was astounded. “My kids love you! This is all they’re going to talk about now!”

She didn’t know how to respond. “How do they even know about me? I was never as popular in Canada as I was in the United States.”

“A few years ago there was a girl in Gemma’s class whose family moved here from the States. She said that she loved you and she introduced them to her.” Alison responded.

Trish was surprised. She hated Patsy Walker more than anything, but sometimes moments like seeing Oscar and Gemma’s faces light up at the sight of her made all of the suffering she went through growing up worth it.

*

Alison had received a phone call from Sarah asking her if she had seen Trish. She had said that she had something that Trish needed to pick up, and to meet up with her at Felix’s loft. When Alison hung up the phone, she informed Trish of Sarah’s message, and Trish thanked her for the sandwich and said her goodbyes.

The trip from Ontario to Toronto was a long eight hours, and by the time Trish arrived at Felix’s building, the sun had started to set. The sky was starting to turn a light purple that was fading into the dark black of night.

She climbed the stairs to Felix’s loft as quickly as possible as she didn’t want to keep Sarah waiting. When she got to the door, Sarah was waiting for her outside. She looked frazzled as she saw Trish approaching her.

“Hey.” She said. She sounded tired.

“Hi,” Trish said. “Are you okay? You look like you’re exhausted.”

Sarah shrugged. “I’m just… pissed off.”

Trish nodded in understanding. “You went with Jess today, right?”

Sarah nodded. “Yeah, what a piece of work she is.”

She started to connect the dots. “Wait. Is Jessica the reason you’re pissed off?”

“Nice work, Sherlock.”

Trish shook off Sarah’s comment. “What happened?”

“She just picked a bloody fight,” Sarah said, slightly annoyed. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Sarah, I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to put up with that.”

She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”

She fished a blue cell phone out of her pocket. “Here, take this. It has my number along with Alison, Cosima, and Felix’s. Don’t worry about the other two for right now. You’ll meet them eventually.”

Trish nodded. “Thanks.” A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “We really need to have clone phones?”

Sarah groaned. “Not you too with that stupid fucking name,” She sighed. “But yes, they’re important.”

She grinned. “Okay, I’ll take your word for it. Thanks again.” She said as she started walking down the hallway and down the stairs. 

“You’re a breath of fresh air after Jessica, you know that, yeah?” Sarah called after her.

Trish laughed all the way out of the building.

*

The purple of the sky had finally faded into black by the time she arrived back at Cosima’s apartment.  She knocked and was surprised to see Delphine standing in the doorway. She heard Cosima’s voice from somewhere inside the house. 

“Who is it?” Cosima called.

“It’s Trish.” Delphine called over her shoulder.

“Let her in!”

Delphine sidestepped, allowing Trish to brush by her. Delphine was only a step behind her as she made her way into the apartment. She found Cosima in the kitchen, stirring a pot of stew. 

“You do know it’s ten o’clock at night, right?” Trish asked as she shook off her jacket. She hung it off of the arms of one of the kitchen chairs. Cosima looked over her shoulder with a grin.

“I was busy all day at the lab,” She said. “I didn’t get the chance to eat. Do you want some?”

Trish’s stomach was twisting in knots. She had only eaten that afternoon at Alison’s. Her thoughts had been so preoccupied that her body seemed to have forgotten.

She nodded. “What kind is it?” She asked as she joined Cosima at the stove, peeking over her shoulder.

“It’s bouillabaisse.” Delphine’s voice cut in. “It’s a French dish.”

Trish could pick up the slight hint of annoyance in Delphine’s tone. She got the sudden feeling that she had interrupted something between the two. Trish moved away from the stove and back to the chair where she had left her jacket. As she was pulling it on, Cosima looked back at her. 

“Hey, where are you going? You just got here.”

Trish looked between her and Delphine. “I’m interrupting you, so I’ll leave you two be.”

“No, no, I’m sorry if my tone came off as rude.” Delphine said. “Stay, please.”

She shook her head. “It’s all right. I feel like I’ve overstayed my welcome here anyway. I’ll see if I can stay with Sarah and see if she or Siobhan can set me up with an apartment somewhere.”

Hurt glimmered in Cosima’s eyes. “Trish, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like.”

Trish smiled but shook her head. “It’s fine, Cosima. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

She nodded but said nothing. Trish said a quiet goodbye to Delphine before she left. She pulled out her new phone, calling Sarah. 

“Hey, I hate to be a pain, but can I stay with you for the night?”

Chapter Text

It was nearly midnight by the time Trish walked up the front sidewalk to the door of Siobhan’s house. She sighed as she softly knocked on the door, relieved to see that Sarah seemed calmer now than she had looked before. She silently sidestepped to allow Trish to step through, closing the door behind her.

Siobhan was sitting in the living room with a mug in her hand. She gave Trish a nod of greeting as she sat down on the couch across from the chair she was sitting in. Sarah joined her a moment later.

“Thank you for letting me stay,” Trish started.

Siobhan nodded. “Of course.” She took a sip from her mug. “Although, you do need to have a home.”

“I agree,” Trish said. “I don’t mean to be a pain in the ass, but you said you had people, and I figured that they would have a place for me to stay. I’ll pay them if need be.”

“You won’t need to pay, love. It’s no problem.” Siobhan offered her a smile.

Trish was surprised at her sudden friendliness since she had been very mistrustful that morning. Trish didn’t blame her, though. The Leda sisters have had a lot of trouble when it came to allies that they could trust.

The three women made quiet conversation late into the night, and when Trish was about to head to bed, Jessica stumbled through the front door. Trish immediately caught the scent of alcohol, and she nearly gagged.

“Jess, where have you been? You reek of alcohol.” Trish choked out.

Her sister turned to her. “Why the fuck do you care?” She snapped. “Why are you even here? Why the fuck can’t you leave me alone?” Her voice was on the verge of a shout.

Sarah glanced up the stairs before interjecting. “Lower your voice, will you? There’s a kid sleeping upstairs.” She hissed in a half whisper.

Jessica narrowed her eyes at Sarah. “Why should I listen to you?”

Sarah sighed. “Because there’s a bloody kid sleeping above your head!”

She rolled her eyes. “Fuck you.” She shouted. She looked up the ceiling. “Fuck you too!”

“You asshole.” Sarah also raised her voice. “You’re gonna wake my daughter.”

Trish forced her way in between her sister and Sarah. Her muscles were tense as she held out a hand as a barrier to hold back Jessica.

“Jess, you’re drunk.” She tried to keep the calmness in her voice steady. “Why don’t you just sit down and relax.”

Jessica’s eyes were unfocused when she looked at Trish. “You have no right to tell me what to do.”

She sucked in a breath. “I know but please, we’re on the same team.”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “We haven’t been on ‘the same team’ since you killed my mother.” There was a hint of mocking in her tone. 

Regret fluttered in Trish’s chest at Jessica’s response. She stood in silence, not sure how to respond. Sarah scoffed from behind her.

“Fuck this, I’m out.” She shoved her way past Trish and out the front door. 

Trish turned to Siobhan for help, and the other woman signed. 

“Go after her and I’ll stay here with this arrogant alcoholic.”

Trish nodded silently and ran through the front door. Sarah was halfway down the street by the time Trish shoved through the front gate. She sprinted after the brunette who was stalking away from the house, trying her best to not sneak up on her.

“Sarah!” She called out when she was only a few steps behind her. 

The brunette turned and rolled her eyes at the sight of Trish. “I’m not going back with you.”

She skidded to a stop. “Please. We need you.”

Sarah shook her head. “I’m not working with that bloody sister of yours.”

Trish sucked in a breath. “Okay, okay. You won’t. I’ll make sure of it.”

Sarah looked skeptical. “How are you two related? You’re so much more likeable.”

Trish chuckled. “Jess’ll grow on you. She’s like a leech.”

“That’s funny. People have said that about me.”

“See? You’ll be friends in no time.” Trish’s enthusiasm made Sarah smile a little.

“You’re a peppy little shit, you know that right?” Sarah said as she started to walk back in the direction of Siobhan’s house.

Trish grinned. “Oh yeah, I know.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “No wonder you get along with Alison.”

*

By the time Sarah and Trish returned to the house, Jessica was calmly sitting on the couch. She looked angry, but not on the edge of throwing someone out of the nearest window.

Although Trish was relieved, Sarah was slightly annoyed that the commotion had woken up Kira, her daughter, who was sitting on Siobhan’s lap. She had perked up at the sight of the pair, and sprinted toward them, throwing her arms around Sarah’s legs.

“Mum!” She said. “I thought you were gonna go away again.”

Sarah ran her hand through her daughter’s hair with a sad smile. “No, Monkey, I wasn’t going to run. Not this time.”

Kira looked over to Trish. “Are you the one who made Mummy come home?”

Trish’s cheeks burned a little. “She wasn’t going to leave you, little one. I can tell she loves you a lot.”

Kira looked unsatisfied with her answer. “Did you make her stay?”

The little girl’s tone took Trish by surprise. “Well, uh, I talked to her and calmed her down.”

Sarah looked at Trish with a small smile on her face. “Don’t worry, Monkey. Trish’ll keep an eye on me.” She looked up into Trish’s eyes. “Yeah?”

Trish nodded. “Of course.”

Kira looked satisfied with her mother’s response. Trish was relieved. She didn’t want to be interrogated by an eight year old. 

The group slowly shifted away from each other with Sarah heading to the front porch with Kira and Siobhan and Jessica still sitting in the living room. There was an awkwardly tense silence between Jessica and Siobhan, making Trish uncomfortable. She made her way out onto the front porch, watching Sarah and Kira.

Sarah had Kira sitting on her lap, and they were making quiet conversation with each other. It warmed Trish’s heart to see Sarah like this, with her mental walls down and no fear of showing warmth and affection. Trish could tell that Sarah was trying her hardest to be a good mother, and considering the circumstances, she was doing a damn good job at raising her daughter in a world filled with clones and superhumans.

It was Kira who noticed Trish watching them first. She nudged Sarah’s shoulder with hers, and Sarah followed her gaze to where she was standing.

“Join us,” Sarah said, scooting over on the top stair where she was sitting.

Trish nodded awkwardly before sitting down next to the pair. Kira was looking at her with curiosity. 

“Do you know the Avengers?”

“What?”

The question took Trish by surprise. No one ever really asked her if she knew the other heroes that ran around New York.

“I said, do you know the Avengers?” Kira asked, somewhat annoyed that she had to repeat the question.

“Monkey, watch your tone.” Sarah scolded before giving Trish an apologetic look.

Trish shook off Sarah’s I’m sorry look. ”Uh, no I don’t know them. I have seen them before, though. I saw Hawkeye and Black Widow run past my car on my way to work one time.”

Kira’s eyes glittered with amazement. “Mum! We have to go to New York City! I wanna see Captain America!”

Sarah chuckled. “Maybe one day. We have to fight the battles in front of us first.”

Kira pouted. “Will you take me to see Captain America?” She said, turning to Trish.

Trish shrugged with a smile. “If you and your mom ever come to visit the city, I’ll see if I can get my hands on some tickets to tour Avengers Tower. How does that sound?”

Kira squealed. “That’s amazing! I can’t wait to tell Auntie Cosima and Auntie Alison!” She said before jumping to her feet and running into the house.

Sarah watched her go, smiling more to herself than to Trish. When she looked back over to her, she was shaking her head.

“What?”

“That’s all she’s gonna be bloody talking about now, Patsy. Cheers.”

Trish would have been offended at the usage of her old stage name if it wasn’t for the wicked smile on Sarah’s face and the increasingly loud laughter escaping her lips. Trish narrowed her eyes as she stood up and started to make her way to the door.

“It’s getting late so I'm heading to bed,” She said. “Oh, and also, never call me Patsy again.”

As she walked into the house, she could hear Sarah say, “Yes ma’am!”

*

When she woke up the next morning, she had a missed text from Cosima. When she opened the unread message, it said:

Yo, meet me at Dyad at 10:30. I wanna do some looking into how you got your powers if that’s cool. 

Trish looked over at her alarm clock. It was only eight o’clock. She figured if she left soon she’d be at the Institute by ten.

She had been sleeping in Sarah’s old bedroom.  The walls were covered in posters of The Clash, Led Zeppelin, and various other classic rock bands. Thrown into the mixture of posters were photos from Sarah’s childhood. Hung above the headrest of the bed was a photo of a young Sarah, Felix, Siobhan, and Kira standing in front of a rough looking Christmas tree. It was poorly decorated, and by the looks on Sarah, Felix, and Siobhan’s faces, it was a moment of rare happiness in the family. Written on the bottom of the photo was Xmas ‘07. 

Trish crept out of the bedroom, trying her best not to disturb the sleeping Sarah and Kira who were in the next room over. She padded down the stairs, hoping to leave before anyone else was awake. Her gaze flicked around the living room so she could leave a note of thanks to Siobhan, but she was interrupted by her clearing her throat behind her.

She turned to see Siobhan in the doorway, steaming mug of coffee in her hand. She was watching Trish with her always watchful eyes, and Trish tried not to squirm under the intensity of her gaze.

“I wasn’t trying to rob you.” Trish said, stupidly. The look Siobhan gave her made her feel more embarrassed as the other woman’s hard facial lines softened as she gave Trish a humorous smile.

She stepped away from the doorway. “Didn’t think you were, love.” She said. “Raising those two taught me how to know when someone is trying to steal something from me.” She looked at a photo of Felix and Sarah on one of the tables beside the couch.

Trish smiled at Siobhan’s sentiment toward her foster children. She could tell that she genuinely loved them, and Trish wondered if she would have turned out differently if her own mother had been anything like Siobhan Sadler.

The older woman fished a pair of keys out of her pocket. “These are yours,” She said. “Your apartment is in downtown Toronto so you’ll be close to Sarah and Felix.”

Trish took the keys from her hand. “Thank you so much.”

“There’s a car parked outside too. It’s silver. You’ll see it when you leave.” She continued.

Trish nodded. “Thanks again.”

Siobhan nodded. “You’re one of us now.”

She smiled as she made her way toward the front door. “Glad I can help.”

*

The Dyad Institute was huge from the outside. Trish hadn’t known what the building would look like, but it certainly wasn’t this. It was tall, with plenty of windows and many floors. She had thought that she was going to have to drive down a dark, grungy hole in the ground that goes deep into the Earth to reach Dyad. She had not been expecting a huge, modern building in the middle of Toronto.

When she made her way inside, she was greeted by a nervous man who barely managed to get his name, Scott, out of his mouth before he started going into more anxious rambling about the work he did there. He was leading her down multiple winding hallways that all looked the same, and she knew that if she lost sight of the mousy looking man, she’d get lost trying to find her way out. She stopped in her tracks as he kept walking, pausing to give him a moment to contain himself. When he noticed that she wasn’t next to him, he turned around to see her standing behind him with her arms crossed with a small smile on her face.

“Scott,” She said, catching up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Relax. I don’t want you to have a stroke.”

He grinned at her nervously. “S-sorry!” He stuttered. “You just remind me of Delphine, and she scares me.”

Trish chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m nothing like her.”

That seemed to make Scott relax a little. She smiled at him gently as he continued to lead her down the twisting white hallways. From what she could understand out of Scott’s ramblings was that the Dyad Institute worked with some highly advanced science. The clones were finally starting to make sense to her now, since from what she could gather, Dyad liked to dabble in the impossible and the illegal. 

When they finally arrived at Cosima's lab, it was everything that Trish expected it to be. There was a large carpet in the center, and pushed against the back wall was a couch. For a lab, Cosima sure made it feel like home.

Cosima greeted them with a smile and a wave, excitedly walking up to Trish. She thought that if Cosima could be any more excited, she’d start bouncing off of the walls.

“Hey, Scott, I’m so sorry, but I need you to go,” Cosima said. “These tests are… private.”

Scott looked a little hurt but nodded. “Oh… all right. Call me if you need anything, I guess.” He said his goodbyes and made his way out of the lab.

Cosima turned to Trish with a grin. “So,” She said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s see what makes you tick, shall we?”

Trish chuckled. “Sure, but why did you make Scott leave?”

Cosima glanced over her shoulder while she set up her work station. “I figured that you wouldn’t want your powers exposed.” She arched an eyebrow. “You like him, don't you?”

Her cheeks burned. “What? No! Sure, he’s cute in that dorky nerd kind of way.”

Cosima was biting her lip to contain her laughter.

“What?”

“I can’t believe that you would have a crush on Scott.”

Trish rolled her eyes. “I don’t.”

“Sure you don’t.”

“Don’t act like I didn’t see you being all gaga over Delphine when I first showed up.”

Cosima blushed as she looked away from Trish. She had a small smile of triumph on her face as she joined Cosima in setting up her work station. The feel of it all was adolescent, like they were nothing more than two teenagers poking fun at each other.

“I don’t like Scott like that.”

“I know. I think he has a crush on Felix anyway.”

*

Cosima had Trish sit on a stool while she got a sample of Trish’s DNA. Her hands were gentle as she held Trish’s mouth open as she swapped the inside of her mouth for a cheek sample.

“So you said that this procedure changed your DNA?” Cosima asked, her brow creased in concentration as she looked into the microscope.

Trish nodded. “Apparently, I mean, it had to do something, y’know, intense since it almost killed me.”

She looked away from the microscope with concern shining in her eyes. “Trish, why would you put your body through something like that?”

Trish shrugged. “Jealousy? Envy? Selfishness? I don’t know.” She paused. “I just… wanted to feel powerful.”

The concern in Cosima’s eyes quickly dissolved into understanding. “Does it have to do with…” She trailed off but her eyes were on Trish’s forearms.

She nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah, yeah.” She mumbled. “Abusive mom, new sister with superpowers. It wears on a person.”

Cosima nodded. There was a look in her eyes that she couldn’t quite read. Trish couldn’t tell if it was pity, or understanding, or a mix of both.

They sat in silence while Cosima looked at her DNA, Trish watching her work. There was something calming about the way she worked and the quiet murmuring that came from her mouth while she worked out exactly how Trish’s DNA had changed.

The silence was becoming overbearing, and Trish couldn’t take it anymore.

“Hey, Cosima,” She started, swallowing past the anxious lump in her throat.

The other woman glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

“I just wanted to thank you for… giving me a chance.” Trish said. “I know we’ve only known each other for two days, but, you’re the first person who didn’t make me feel like shit because of what I had done in the past.”

Cosima turned away from the table fully, her eyes glittering underneath the lenses of her glasses. She moved to Trish, gently resting her gloved hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes over the rims of her glasses.

“Everyone makes mistakes. And yes, you did kill people, which most people wouldn’t consider a mistake. However, Donnie did kill Aldous Leekie, so, y’know, I’m lenient.”

“Donnie did what?”

Cosima chuckled. “Yeah, apparently he took one of Ali’s guns and accidentally blew his head off with it.”

Trish was slack jawed. “I have…no words.”

Cosima shrugged. “I’m kind of surprised that she hasn’t shot him yet.”

“I think we should suggest the idea of therapy to the Hendrixes.”

“Dude, do you think that I haven’t tried? When I brought it up to Ali, she was like, ‘Us Hendrixes don’t do therapy, Cosima!’”

Trish bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. “Yeah, I can tell.”

Cosima grinned at her and that was what sent them both spiraling into hysterical laughter as Cosima reenacted what she thought was Alison’s reaction to Donnie informing her that he accidentally killed the head of the Dyad Institute.

They were interrupted by knocking on the door and Delphine’s voice coming from the other side.

“Hello? Cosima, did you change the lock? I can’t get in.” There were sounds of Delphine swiping her keycard and her tugging at the door.

Cosima got up from her seat, and pulled open the door. Delphine towered over her with a confused expression.

“Yeah, I did change the locks.” She said.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t think we should work together right now.” Cosima said, venom seeping into her tone.

Trish sat in silence, hoping to stay out of whatever scrap was going on between Cosima and Delphine. When Delphine’s gaze finally fell onto her, it felt like ice. 

“Is it because of her?” Delphine asked, gesturing toward Trish.

Cosima glanced back at Trish from over her shoulder. “What? No! Delphine, what the fuck-”

“She wanted to see what the IGH procedure did to my DNA, Delphine.” Trish said. She looked to Cosima. “Am I still needed here?”

Cosima shook her head with her eyes still on Delphine. “No, you can go.”

Trish nodded and slipped past Delphine without another word, trying her best to not listen in on their heated argument as she wandered the halls. At least with what she overheard, she knows how she can comfort Cosima later.