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Chapter 7
Posted by
Crimegirl
,
09 September 2012
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Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all your comments and for reading!
“Hey Evie.” He spoke softly, his voice just as she remembered.
“How…” she glanced at Roarke, who shrugged.
“He was outside when I came back for a file.” His Irish brogue was more pronounced than usual, and as she looked at him, she realized he was angry. She filed it away for later, turning back to the man she hadn’t seen in over a dozen years.
“David… why are you here?” she quenched the burning in the back of her throat as their eyes met.
“For Keely. And you. You deserve an explanation.”
Eve felt the fury well up inside her and grabbed hold of it. Anger was much better than tears, after all.
“You disappear for twelve years without a word, then turn up on my doorstep alongside your dead girlfriend? No, why would that need an explanation!?” Her voice rose, and she jumped at the hand on her shoulder.
“Eve.” Mira said gently. “There’s no use jumping down his throat. Plus, you need to call Delia- she needs to speak with him too.”
Eve closed her eyes and sucked in a slow breathe, calming herself. She nodded, squeezing Mira’s hand gently in thanks.
“Roarke, could you call Peabody?” She asked softly. He nodded and she turned to David, gesturing for him to sit.
“Talk.” Her voice was cold and flat, her eyes the same. David swallowed, but didn’t lower his gaze.
“When Keely got pregnant, we both agreed straight away we wanted the baby. We had no right to kill that life because it was inconvenient.” Eve nodded at that.
“I remember.”
“Well… after we ran away we went to a small town in the middle of nowhere. I don’t even know it’s name anymore. We holed up there, in a little motel. The idea was when you graduated, we’d come back and head to somewhere you could join the academy and I could graduate, along with Keely when she had the baby.”
“I know. We all decided that together.” Eve said impatiently, but was silenced by Mira’s gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Anyway, Keely had complications with the pregnancy. I rushed her to a hospital, and we stayed there for days. It was such a blur of doctors and nurses- they saved her and the baby but by the time they were stable enough to leave hospital it was your graduation day. Then we were approached by a suit.”
Eve’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of suit?”
“The HCS kind. He told us to back off and leave you alone, or they’d arrange for our arrest. Our baby would have been adopted out and you would be killed. We didn’t know why, Evie, but we were just kids ourselves. We were scared, and from the reports in the newspaper you were doing ok by yourself. So we left. Went off planet by stowing away, and built a new life. We kept an eye out for news reports about you… I had to practically nail Keely to the floor whenever you were injured.”
“HCS.” Murmured Eve. She looked at Roarke, whose lips were pressed in a tight line.
“They knew. Bloody Bastards.” He let off a stream of Irish, making David blink. Eve turned back to him, grief welling up.
“What happened? Why was Keely here in New York?” she asked urgently.
“She wanted to see you. After the news reports and everyone knowing you, she was missing you more than ever. She wanted you to meet the kids too. They’re up in your games room, I think.”
“Kids? As in, more than one? Here?” Eve’s eyes went wide, and David laughed.
“Yes honey. More than one. And no, not twins.”
“Bloody hell.” Said Eve. David grabbed her hand, laughter on his face.
“Come on!” he said, pulling her along.
They reached the games room, hearing laughter from inside. Roarke pushed the door open, and David pulled Eve in behind him.
“Daddy!” a small missile came flying at them, easily caught by David. An elder girl pushed back her hair and smiled at them, coming to stand beside her father.
“Eve, these are my daughters, Evelyna and Joya. Eve, meet your namesake.”
“You did not!” Eve glared at her brother, a scowl on her face. David shrugged, and easy smile on his face.
“Blame Keely.” His smile faltered a bit, and teenage Eve slipped her hand in his.
“How about we go bug Summerset for dinner? I think he made chocolate cake.” Roarke took Joya from David, and slipped his spare arm around Evelyna’s shoulders, leading them away with Mira in tow.
David turned and leant against the wall, staring at Eve.
“I’m sorry.” He said finally, and Eve’s head snapped up to look at him.
“You left me. You promised you wouldn’t but you did.” Her voice was small and vulnerable, but when David opened his mouth to say something she raised her hand and cut him off.
“I can’t forget that. But I understand it. And I swear to god if you ever do it again I’ll hunt you down and kick your butt.”
A glimmer of a smile began to form on both their faces, and David enfolded Eve in a fierce hug, spinning her in the air.
The smile stayed as Mira called them both down for dinner.
“Hey Evie.” He spoke softly, his voice just as she remembered.
“How…” she glanced at Roarke, who shrugged.
“He was outside when I came back for a file.” His Irish brogue was more pronounced than usual, and as she looked at him, she realized he was angry. She filed it away for later, turning back to the man she hadn’t seen in over a dozen years.
“David… why are you here?” she quenched the burning in the back of her throat as their eyes met.
“For Keely. And you. You deserve an explanation.”
Eve felt the fury well up inside her and grabbed hold of it. Anger was much better than tears, after all.
“You disappear for twelve years without a word, then turn up on my doorstep alongside your dead girlfriend? No, why would that need an explanation!?” Her voice rose, and she jumped at the hand on her shoulder.
“Eve.” Mira said gently. “There’s no use jumping down his throat. Plus, you need to call Delia- she needs to speak with him too.”
Eve closed her eyes and sucked in a slow breathe, calming herself. She nodded, squeezing Mira’s hand gently in thanks.
“Roarke, could you call Peabody?” She asked softly. He nodded and she turned to David, gesturing for him to sit.
“Talk.” Her voice was cold and flat, her eyes the same. David swallowed, but didn’t lower his gaze.
“When Keely got pregnant, we both agreed straight away we wanted the baby. We had no right to kill that life because it was inconvenient.” Eve nodded at that.
“I remember.”
“Well… after we ran away we went to a small town in the middle of nowhere. I don’t even know it’s name anymore. We holed up there, in a little motel. The idea was when you graduated, we’d come back and head to somewhere you could join the academy and I could graduate, along with Keely when she had the baby.”
“I know. We all decided that together.” Eve said impatiently, but was silenced by Mira’s gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Anyway, Keely had complications with the pregnancy. I rushed her to a hospital, and we stayed there for days. It was such a blur of doctors and nurses- they saved her and the baby but by the time they were stable enough to leave hospital it was your graduation day. Then we were approached by a suit.”
Eve’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of suit?”
“The HCS kind. He told us to back off and leave you alone, or they’d arrange for our arrest. Our baby would have been adopted out and you would be killed. We didn’t know why, Evie, but we were just kids ourselves. We were scared, and from the reports in the newspaper you were doing ok by yourself. So we left. Went off planet by stowing away, and built a new life. We kept an eye out for news reports about you… I had to practically nail Keely to the floor whenever you were injured.”
“HCS.” Murmured Eve. She looked at Roarke, whose lips were pressed in a tight line.
“They knew. Bloody Bastards.” He let off a stream of Irish, making David blink. Eve turned back to him, grief welling up.
“What happened? Why was Keely here in New York?” she asked urgently.
“She wanted to see you. After the news reports and everyone knowing you, she was missing you more than ever. She wanted you to meet the kids too. They’re up in your games room, I think.”
“Kids? As in, more than one? Here?” Eve’s eyes went wide, and David laughed.
“Yes honey. More than one. And no, not twins.”
“Bloody hell.” Said Eve. David grabbed her hand, laughter on his face.
“Come on!” he said, pulling her along.
They reached the games room, hearing laughter from inside. Roarke pushed the door open, and David pulled Eve in behind him.
“Daddy!” a small missile came flying at them, easily caught by David. An elder girl pushed back her hair and smiled at them, coming to stand beside her father.
“Eve, these are my daughters, Evelyna and Joya. Eve, meet your namesake.”
“You did not!” Eve glared at her brother, a scowl on her face. David shrugged, and easy smile on his face.
“Blame Keely.” His smile faltered a bit, and teenage Eve slipped her hand in his.
“How about we go bug Summerset for dinner? I think he made chocolate cake.” Roarke took Joya from David, and slipped his spare arm around Evelyna’s shoulders, leading them away with Mira in tow.
David turned and leant against the wall, staring at Eve.
“I’m sorry.” He said finally, and Eve’s head snapped up to look at him.
“You left me. You promised you wouldn’t but you did.” Her voice was small and vulnerable, but when David opened his mouth to say something she raised her hand and cut him off.
“I can’t forget that. But I understand it. And I swear to god if you ever do it again I’ll hunt you down and kick your butt.”
A glimmer of a smile began to form on both their faces, and David enfolded Eve in a fierce hug, spinning her in the air.
The smile stayed as Mira called them both down for dinner.
