It took more than a few months for the media frenzy to die down. When the story finally broke outing Melcor for their blackmail activity, the fallout reached nearly every aspect of society. Eve came forward accusing Melcor of dealings with the mob. She knew that she didn’t have the evidence she needed to prove it yet, but it was the right time. With all of the heat that Melcor was facing they couldn’t viably refute any accusations and have anyone believe them. They couldn’t do so much as move a pinky without it being reported on. She knew that Melcor had something to do with all the disappearances as well. It would just be a matter of time for her to prove it.

Eve didn’t lose her job, though she was still on rocky ground. Though the credit for the story didn’t go to her, Mr. Hartley knew that she had been integral to the investigation. It was the biggest break they’d ever had and the paper was thriving because of it. Mr. Hartley had allowed Eve to work on the mob story, having more trust in her than he ever had before. She was getting closer to the proof that she needed to break the story. She had to find a source that would be willing to go against the mob. It would be hard to find, but she just needed one.

Eve had laid low for a while, at least until she found out what happened to Danny from Iris. It didn’t take Iris very long to find out; she barely had to look for him. Eve didn’t know how to feel about it. Danny had been shot and killed not long after she went into hiding. They had gone so far away from the town that they never saw it on the news. In those first few months of hiding, they were scared to even turn on the television, and Eve had avoided any piece of information that could connect her to Danny since then. There had been a police standoff between them and the mob. Instead of turning himself in, Danny had committed suicide by cop, purposefully pulling his weapon on an officer to induce getting shot at and was killed in a shootout. Eve was conflicted by the information. She now knew that she had wasted a large part of her life hiding from someone who could never get to her. She had also wasted Iris’ life. The information would give her a new lease on life, though, as she no longer had to worry about him finding her. She could live without fear.

She and Charlie were working towards being siblings once more. They had begun to talk more deeply about him leaving her and what that meant for both of them. Charlie had been homeless for a while right after leaving and after picking himself out of addiction and alcoholism he was able to get his GED and eventually he graduated college. He looked like he could never forgive himself when Eve told him about Danny and everything that she had been through with him and what she had to deal with from their parents with him out of the house. Eve wanted Charlie to know that it wasn’t his fault, it all would have happened anyways. It would be a long time before he could forgive himself and Eve would say it out loud as many times as both of them needed to hear it. Charlie had reconnected with Iris since then. They were shy and tentative, but Eve was happy that there was something between them, even after all these years. She loved that they might have a future together, and wanted it desperately for both of them.

“You almost ready?” Ethen asked from his position lounging on her couch waiting for her to get ready to go.

“Give me a minute!” Eve shouted from the other room. She wasn’t typically the kind of person who took a while to get ready, but it was a special evening. Ethen had planned another date for the two of them. Eve liked that he planned their dates; she didn’t have very many good ideas. If it were up to her, the only thing she and Ethen would do would be watching television and films on the couch. She was a homebody, but it was nice that Ethen made her get out of her comfort zone. She came out of her room finally ready. Ethen let out a low whistle and smiled.

“Worth the wait,” he said, standing from the couch and giving her a quick kiss. Ethen had not told Eve what they were doing, only that she should dress up. She took the advice to heart and wore a deep red dress with sequined embellishments on it. Her lipstick matched her dress and she wore tall, strappy heels to finish it off.

“It’s not too much, right?” Eve said, panicking for a moment. Ethen shook his head no and Eve smiled at him, feeling more confident. He was dressed in another perfectly tailored dark blue suit that went with her dress very well. “Where are we going?” she asked for probably the hundredth time.

“It’s a surprise. You’ll find out soon enough,” Ethen told her yet again. “You’ll love it, I promise.” They hadn’t gotten a chance to go out much since the story broke. Reporters still followed Ethen around wherever he went. A few tabloid writers still claimed that he was guilty. The more farfetched theories were that he had hired someone who looked like Laura to pretend to be her and paid off her parents to get away with it. Because of this, they hadn’t done much outside of casual dates at Ethen’s place. Eve liked those a lot and felt that they were a great way to get to know both Ethen and Jeremy more. She was starting to feel like she was part of their little family.

“I know I will,” Eve said with her nerves still aflutter. “I just hate surprises.”

“You’ll learn to love them,” Ethen said, taking her hand. They left the apartment and began to head down the stairs. Eve couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of them in her dingy stairs. Ethen’s suit probably cost more than her entire apartment.

“I guess I’ll have to learn to like them,” Eve said, scrunching her nose up and smiling at Ethen. She was already getting more comfortable with surprises, knowing that any surprise Ethen had for her would be a good one. Eve was surprised to see Jeremy standing by the door to the limo that was waiting for them. He was also dressed in a sharp suit. He opened the door for them to get into the car. “Do you know where we are going?” Eve whispered to Jeremy as they slid into the back seat.

“He doesn’t know, and if he did he wouldn’t tell you,” Ethen said with a laugh, winking at Jeremy.

Jeremy grinned at his father. “I have no clue,” he said.

“Good,” Ethen replied.

Eve slid her hand into Ethen’s, intertwining their fingers. She smiled at both Ethen and Jeremy, happy to go anywhere as long as it was with them.