Ethen fell asleep not too much later. He was exhausted from what he had been through in the last day or so. It felt like it had to have been longer than that, but it had barely been a full day. He fell asleep on the couch, his hand still in Eve’s. She delicately pulled her hand out of his grasp, trying her best to not wake him. Jeremy had come in to say goodnight to the both of them before disappearing into his room. He did seem to be too concerned with what would happen to his father. Jeremy was confident that nothing too bad would happen to either of them. It was the confidence of a young man born to a lot of privilege. Eve hoped that nothing would happen to either of them and of course, Ethen did too. Despite this, both of them knew that there was a very real possibility that Ethen could end up spending the rest of his life behind bars, or he could lose his business. There were a million things that could go wrong.

Eve made her way from the living room into the kitchen. Charlie was sitting at the island, he turned to face her when she entered. Eve was hoping that he would still be there, but her hope that he wouldn’t be there was equally strong. Ethen was asleep in the other room, so she wanted to speak with her brother quietly. The last thing she wanted was to wake him.

“Hey Charlie,” She said with a strained smile.

“Hey kiddo,” He replied. Eve’s eyes brimmed with tears for a moment before she sniffled and pulled herself together. “I can’t believe I’m really seeing you. You’re all grown up,” Charlie said, his own eyes also beginning to water.

“So are you,” Eve replied. Her guard was up once more. She hadn’t forgotten that he left her. He had abandoned her and after he was gone, her parents had no one else to take their anger and frustration out on. When he was around he protected her and kept her from being at the end of the belt. She knew it was unfair of her because the only reason things got worse for her was that they didn’t have anyone else to direct their anger and hatred towards. He had been bearing the brunt of their abuse for years. Eve wasn’t sure that she would have been able to last as long as he had their roles been reversed. That didn’t make her feel any less betrayed. So much had happened in her life between him leaving and her walking into that kitchen and seeing him once again. They had this history together but she was standing in front of a stranger.

“Ethen doesn’t know?” Eve shook her head no. “Why not?” He asked. It almost sounded accusatory. She could hear how protective he was over his friend. It was the same tone he had used when protecting her all those years before.

“I go by Bridgewater,” She said. “There are a lot of people out there that aren’t too happy with me. It was safer to go by a pseudonym than by my own name.” She didn’t mention that she wanted to distance herself as far from the Bridgeport name as possible.

“I’m sure that’s true. I’ve read some of your articles,” He said. Eve was surprised by this and almost flattered. She never imagined that her articles might be on his radar.

“You have?” She asked. She felt almost flattered by it.

“Yeah, they’re good. They’re really good,” He said. “You put yourself in a lot of danger. Or I guess, I have.” Charlie sighed. Eve had moved to the side of the island opposite her brother. They were nearly the same height with him seated on the stool and her leaning across from him.

“What do you mean?” Eve asked confused.

“I told Ethen to go to you, well, I didn’t realize it was you at the time. Now I know and I couldn’t be prouder, but I told him about your articles. I thought you would do his story justice.”

“I had no idea,” Eve replied. She wasn’t sure that they would be able to get into the nitty gritty of their relationship. There was a strange passive tension between the two of them. It was one that felt like it would remain there forever. She hated the feeling but didn’t know how they would get over it. There was so much unspoken between them. “Thank you, I suppose.”

“Why are you thanking me? I put you in danger.” He sounded frustrated but still spoke in a whispered tone so not to wake Ethen. Even if neither of them found common ground again, they would find it in Ethen. “I always seem to put you in danger.” He rubbed his eyes.

“I was in danger regardless,” Eve replied. She felt how she imagined that Iris had felt with her earlier that day. It was frustrating to hear someone blame something on themselves that was completely out of their control. “I’m glad I get to tell Ethen’s story, and that I can clear his name. The Melcor story is probably the most important thing that I will ever have the honor of writing.”

“It’s still put you in danger. I can’t forgive that.” Eve knew that he was talking about more than just telling Ethen to use her as his storyteller. He seemed to be trying to apologize for everything, even things he didn’t need to. “How did you get hurt?” He asked. Eve had almost forgotten that she had been hurt at all.

“This was the result of another story I’m working on right now,” Eve replied motioning to her wounds. She shrugged as she did so, but being reminded of them also reminded her that she was in some degree of pain. She couldn’t keep herself from wincing slightly at the memory of the car coming at her. The wince did not go unnoticed by Charlie. Eve was not sure if she should mention that this story might be connected or not. Ethen had whispered to her about clearing his name. She was pretty sure that it was to keep Jeremy out of it, and not Charlie, but she didn’t want to say anything without knowing whether Ethen was okay with it or not.

“Do you think that he did it, killed her?” Eve shook her head no. She wasn’t expecting the question.

“I know he didn’t,” She said with confidence. “I’m going to help prove his innocence.”

“Good.” Charlie nodded. Eve wasn’t sure where to take the conversation. “I’m glad he met you. I’m sorry it put you in danger, but I’m glad that you two met. He hasn’t stopped talking about you since you first met.” Eve blushed at this. She wasn’t sure how she felt about her brother knowing anything about her love life. Eve didn’t date all through high school or before, so her love life was nonexistent while Charlie was home. She squirmed at the thought of her relationship with Ethen being a topic of conversation between him and her brother.

“I’m glad I met him too,” Eve said. She wished that their conversation would have gone in any other direction. The last thing she wanted to talk to Charlie about was her love life. “I think I’m glad he met you too,” she added. It was the truth. Eve loved that Ethen had a support system as strong as this. It was what she had dreamed of when she was young.

“He’s my best friend.” There was a long moment of silence. “I’m sorry I left.” It was barely more than a whisper. Eve wasn’t sure that he had even said it, for a moment she thought she had imagined it.

“I’m sorry you left too,” She replied in a whisper as quiet as Charlie’s had been. Charlie nodded rubbing his hands on his face. Eve thought that he was trying not to cry, she could see moisture around his eyes as he moved his hands away from his face. “I got out.” He nodded, still moisture in his eyes.

“No thanks to me,” He said. Eve began to protest, but he lifted his hand up to stop her. “I had to go, I would have died in that house if I stayed. Still, I should have tried to take you with me.”

“I wouldn’t be who I am today if you had. We wouldn’t be here right now.” Eve wasn’t sure why but her instinct was to comfort her brother. She was angry with him beyond belief for leaving her, but here she was comforting him from feeling bad about just that.

“And that would be such a bad thing?” He asked. Eve nodded.

“I think it would be,” She knew that it sounded strange but everything that they had to go through to get there felt worth it. If it meant that they both got to meet Ethen and be there for him during this, then it would all be worth it. “I wish that you hadn’t left, but I know why you had to. That doesn’t mean I forgive you,” she added. It was like something had clicked in her when she heard him regretful over his decision. She knew that she wasn’t ready for forgiveness, but she was ready for him to be a part of her life again and she was ready to understand.

“I don’t blame you.” There was another moment of silence. “Are you still friends with Iris?” He asked suddenly as if the thought just entered his mind. Eve couldn’t help but smile. There was something in his tone that made her think that maybe he had been waiting to ask about Iris the whole time. She always knew that there might be something between the two of them.

“Best of,” She said with a nod. “She’s helping me with Ethen’s story and with Melcor’s story.” Eve was careful to differentiate the two of them. The stories were incredibly separate and Ethen wanted them that way. He may have been the source, the whistleblower on the Melcor story, but that didn’t mean that it was his. He viewed it as a story for the people, a truth that belonged to them already.

“Is she a reporter too?” He asked curiously.

“She’s basically a professional hacker.” Charlie nodded. This profession probably suited the memories he had of her more than the idea of her as a reporter. Iris had always been building and programming things. If she had ended up in anything other than the tech world it would have come at a great shock. “What are you up to, career wise?” She asked. It felt strange to have to ask her own brother such a question. On the surface, when he was in an article or pictures with Ethen, he looked like a professional partier. She hoped that this wasn’t the truth.

“I own a small furniture making business, Ethen helped me start it.” Eve felt her heart glow with pride for her brother.

“So, you’re a carpenter then?” She asked. This made as much sense as Iris being in the tech world. Charlie had always been great at making things. One of Eve’s most prized possessions was a small giraffe that Charlie had carved for her when she was very little.

“Yeah, I make custom furniture and cabinets for some of Ethen’s construction.” Eve liked the idea that they were sort of partners. If not in actuality then as a sort of symbiotic relationship where they benefitted off of one another.

“That’s really cool,” Eve said. “I’m proud of you.”

“I’m proud of you too,” Charlie smiled at his sister. They were far from where they could be siblings once more. They were acquaintances at best right now and that was more than they could ask for after such a short conversation. A few days ago, there was no hope of them ever seeing each other again. Having a conversation at all was a miracle in its own right. Having a conversation that lent itself to a positive future relationship was exciting.

Eve was still unsure of how to tell Ethen that Charlie was her brother. It would be a leap of faith, but he had asked her to perform many leaps as well. The real problem was figuring out when she should. There couldn’t have been a worse time for her and Charlie to reconnect. Eve didn’t know if Ethen could handle another thing thrown at him. She had to trust that he could. There wasn’t any way around it with both her and Charlie staying in Ethen’s home for the foreseeable future. She wanted to get the chance to tell him herself before it came out another way.