"Eva...?"

Eva almost missed the quiet call of her name amidst the footsteps and chatter echoing in the front hall of the Church of the Holy Trinity. The weekly Narcotics Anonymous meeting had just let out, and attendees filtered around her towards the doors, sipping coffee from paper cups, getting ready to light their cigarettes, heading out into the misty night.

"Eva... Can I...?"

She stopped in her tracks and looked over. Jack, one of the regulars, stood in an alcove, one hand lifting from his coffee cup to flag her down. Eva glanced to the door, then back, before weaving in his direction. "Hey."

"Hey, yeah, thanks." Jack smiled, relieved to capture her attention, his thick-fingered hands holding a tight grip on his cup. He backed further into the alcove as she neared, his blue eyes looking over her shoulder towards the thinning crowd.

"What's going on?" Eva followed him, her hands tucked into the pockets of her open coat.

"Yeah, look, sorry to bother, right?"

"It's no problem."

"I kinda need a favor, is the thing."

"A favor?" Eva watched the wrinkles around his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I know it's not, yeah, the easiest thing. Whatever you could do would be, would be great, but uh... I guess I should just explain...?"

She nodded for him to continue.

"See, my ma, she's getting pretty old, right? She's got this thing, this uh... condition. Kinda forgetful, and... and she gets confused sometimes." Jack looked down at his coffee cup, keeping his voice low. "It's getting so she can't stay on her own, can't - can't keep her place."

Eva frowned, lifting a hand free of her pocket to push through her hair. "I'm sorry, babe. I know... I mean... I know that sort of thing can be difficult."

"Yeah... yeah. Thing is... there's this uh... home. In Star's End. It's perfect, it's - it's the right place. They got doctors and people looking after the uh... the older folks." Jack lifted his eyes to meet Eva's. "I can make the monthly no problem. It's steep, right? But I can do it. For her I can do it. It's just... they need a down payment to get her in there. And I don't have it..."

Eva shifted her weight, eyes dropping to Jack's cup of coffee. "How much is it?"

"80 gold."

"80 gold?" Eva looked up, raising a brow.

Jack glanced at her, keeping quiet a moment before pushing on. "I could pay you back almost... almost next month. Spring's coming and work will pick up. Everyone's got plumbing problems come spring rains, right? I just don't have it right now."

"Jesus, Jack, that's almost five thousand creds." Eva looked away, her brow furrowing. She pulled her hands free of her pockets and rubbed her fists on her thighs. Five thousand creds was a lot of money. She wasn't even certain she and Mason had it in savings. Sure, he'd been earning a lot more since he'd started working at the caterers, but five thousand?

"I know, I know. I'll pay you back, Eva. I promise, I promise. I don't want to cause trouble, with your uh... your guy. If it weren't for my ma, I swear, I wouldn't be doing this, I wouldn't be bothering you." Jack kept his eyes on her, pleading and hopeful.

Eva shook her head. "I don't know... I mean, I think I can get it, it's just..." What would she tell Mason? Some of that money was hers of course, she'd worked for it. And how long had she been the one earning more than Mason? Practically supporting him? Almost a year. If she wanted to lend money to a friend now, that was her choice. It was her money too. She didn't need permission.

"If I can't, can't get her in there, I don't know what I'm gonna... I uh... she can't live with me, I can't... Eva, you've seen my place. Please..."

Eva rubbed her fists on her thighs, glancing up at him. Jack was a good guy. She'd known him longer than she'd known Mason. One of the old timers. Never missed a meeting. Mason didn't even have to know. She could just take the money out and replace it before he even found out. It was her money too. She didn't have to report it.

"I'll pay you back. Eva... I love my ma, I do... I screwed up, right? I screwed up with my wife and my kid. But my ma, she - she stood by me, she stood by me and never... she never... I don't want to let her down."

Eva took a deep breath. Jack wasn't the only one who had made mistakes. She'd made plenty. Didn't they all deserve a second chance? Eva nodded, looked down at her hands, then took another deep breath and looked up at Jack. "When do you need it by?"

Eva didn't believe in self pity. As far as she was concerned, it was a useless emotion. It didn't solve any problems, pay any bills, or offer any redemption. Useless.

She knew she was in a bad situation. Gus was furious. Eva could tell that she might have pushed him too far. Financially, she and Mason would be fine. They had enough for the essentials, of course. But she knew it wouldn't be long before he noticed just how much money she had withdrawn from their savings account. Jack, on the other hand, didn't seem to be in any hurry to start paying her back, and he hadn't even shown up for Wednesday's meeting.

But in the last few days, the problem hadn't actually seemed that bad. Jack would pay her back eventually. And then she'd pay Gus. And maybe Mason wouldn't notice the missing money for a while still. Maybe she had time to just play it out.

The weather had turned and spring had finally arrived. The warmer temperatures eased the winter's ache in her bones, and lightened the worries she carried. Cloud cover kept the breeze gentle, and as Eva wandered the streets after her day's work, she kept her leather jacket open to feel the fresh air against her skin. How could she worry on a day so warm and fresh?

And then there was the treat Mason had slipped into her lunch sack. Every time Eva thought about it she smiled. A green Easter egg decorated with her and Mason's names wrapped in a pink heart. He had shown it to her when he first made it on Saturday night during their egg dying marathon, but it still felt like a surprise when she discovered it in her lunch bag accompanied by a couple of foil-wrapped chocolate eggs. The chocolate she had eaten. But she hadn't the heart to crack the personalized egg. So she wrapped it back up in its napkin and stowed it away in an inside pocket of her shoulder bag, which bumped gently against her hip as she walked in the direction of home.

Maybe it was her turn to hide the egg. Eva smiled as she considered unexpected places where she could stash it for Mason to find. With his shaving supplies? Tucked in one of his sauce pans? In the fingers of an oven mitt? Her cheeks flushed at the thought of making him laugh.

Lost in thought, Eva was halfway down a narrow shaded lane before she realized that there was a commotion bottling its end. A ground car had collided with a produce cart, scattering onions, turnips and carrots across the cobblestones. Her steps slowed. It didn't seem like anyone was hurt, but a crowd had gathered around the shouting drivers of each vehicle.

Eva stepped off the sidewalk to getter a better view down the lane. There was no way through. She turned to go back the way she came. The last thing she heard was the sound of a stun gun charging. The world flashed with blinding pain. And then there was nothing. Lights out.

"Jack! Open up!" Eva pounded on the door, the powerful thump of her fist vibrating down her arm and rattling the door on its hinge. Three flights of stairs and a gut full of rage had her blood pumping wildly. On the doorstep she crushed a collection of cheap restaurant fliers beneath her boots and then kicked them aside, before banging on the door once more. "Jack!"

"What?" Jack's voice grumbled from somewhere inside. At the sound of the lock release, Eva shoved the door, taking Jack by surprise, and knocking his bulk backwards into his apartment.

Eva charged after him. "You goddamn liar!"

Jack stumbled as he retreated, his hands palms up for protection and surrender. "I'm sorry, oh God, I'm sorry, Eva please." He winced as her fists connected with his chest. He turned his head and lifted his arm, trying to protect the left side of his face already colored with an old, yellowing bruise.

"I should never have trusted you. I should never have... have... you goddamn liar!" Eva kept coming. Too angry to see the cut over his right eye, the crusty scratch on his neck. Too angry to see his apartment, torn apart around their feet.

He tripped backwards over a dismembered chair leg, his back slamming against the far wall. "I didn't lie! It wasn't a lie!"

She grabbed his shirt with both hands, ignoring the sound of tearing as she pulled him forward only to shove him back against the wall again. "You said the money was for your mother!"

"It was! It was! Oh god, I'm sorry..." Jack started to sob, his round face red, big sloppy tears sliding down his bristled cheeks. "I got the job for the money, for my mom just like I told you!" Released from Eva's grip, Jack slid down against the wall, sinking to his knees. "But there was so much, right? There was so much, and I knew it was so pure, if I cut it, if I cut it and sold it, my ma wouldn't have to worry, she wouldn't have to worry, she could just get better." A large sob broke from his throat, his body shaking, mucus bubbling at his nose. "She wouldn't have to think about money, or nothing, she could just, she could just remember me. All I wanted was for her to remember me."

Eva's chest heaved as she stared down at Jack. He turned away from her, trying to hide his face against the wall as he cried. She bent down. "You cut it? And you sold it?" He nodded. She yanked him by the shirt again, forcing him to meet her eyes. "You sold it. Did you use any?"

Jack didn't answer right away, his body shaking in silent sobs, his blue eyes cracked and red, and trying to look anywhere but at her. She shook him by the shirt again, raising her voice once more. "Did you? Did you?"

He was crying so hard, he couldn't get out the sound, but he nodded, his lips forming the word, 'yes,' over and over, his body rocking back against the wall.

"Jesus, Jack." Eva's voice dropped and she sank backwards. He looked like he was trying to say something else, but he still couldn't make a sound, his lips forming new words as he shook with tears. Eva read his lips. 'I'm sorry.' Repeated over and over, endless. Eva sucked in a breath and dropped her head for moment. Then she reached for him, her voice quiet as she drew him near. "Okay, Jack. Okay."

No matter how Eva thought about the problem, there just wasn't any way around it. She was going to have to ask Ewan Corinsson for help. Yes, Eva had friends she could ask. She could ask Lucien. She could ask Jolyon. She could ask Hudson, Johnny, or Locke. She could ask Serena, or Mac, or any number of other friends who she knew would stand by her, would help see her through, and would, above-all, keep her secrets. But of that list, there weren't many that already knew the truth about her, that knew her history. That list was short. Eless. Tucker. And Ewan.

He was the obvious choice. He was, after all, in charge of security at the Yransea warehouse. A fact she knew only too well after their last run-in. He'd nearly fired her then. But the more she considered the situation, the more seeking his help seemed like an inevitability. No matter what she did, Ewan would know. Better to be in front of the storm than behind it.

Which is how she found herself in a crusty old bar in the late afternoon, sitting across from Ewan at a rickety table, in a chair that complained every time she moved. She tried to find the words, the place to start, her nerves a tight ball somewhere up in her chest. Every instinct told her to flee, that she could handle this by herself, that she didn't need him. But instead she breathed deep, and lifted her eyes to his. "I'm in trouble."

Ewan met her gaze and nodded. Yellow waning light cut through broken blinds, illuminating dust motes that circled the air between them. "Tell me."

She rubbed her thighs with her fists, a glass of whiskey untouched before her. He was going to be so angry. She'd be lucky to keep her job. But there was no avoiding it now. She took a deep breath and kept her voice low. "I made a mistake... I... I did something stupid... and now... now someone from my past... someone I used to know.... is threatening me... so that I'll do something for her." Eva looked away, towards the windows.

"Mistakes can be rectified." Ewan lifted his own glass of whiskey and drank, holding the liquid in his mouth before swallowing. "I take it this something is impossible, impractical, or both."

Eva's eyes shifted back to Ewan, her body tense against an impact that hadn't yet arrived. She rubbed her thighs and watched him. Here came the hard part. "She's a drug dealer... narcotics. She wants me to use my position at the warehouse to help her shipments pass inspection." Eva lifted a hand above the table and touched her glass of whiskey, giving herself something to look at other than him. "She wants me to use the Yransea seal."

Ewan's jaw clenched and his hand tightened about his glass. "Well," there was a growl to his voice, and he paused to take a slow breath, "we know we cannot have that." A finger lifted from the glass and tapped the top like a knock at a door. "What would you like us to do?"

She could tell by the sound of his voice that the mention of Yransea had sharpened him. She'd known it would. Her head spun. "I don't know. I don't know. I know her. I know her and... and every way I go... it's just... it's no good, it's no good." Her hand fell back beneath the table, fists rubbing at her thighs. "She's well protected, and she's smart. She'll already have someone on the Watch... and... and she knows about me... and Mason... and... and my life. She knows about my life."

Ewan sat back in his chair. "Eva, I will need your guidance in this. In Yransea, I know the way the wind blows in the shadow lives. But this world, the contingencies too vast and players too varied. I will not let someone threaten without being taught the lesson that they do not want to make that mistake again. But I also do not want to make things worse. So, let us start at the beginning. What did you do that drew her eye?"

"I..." Eva stopped herself before she could even say anything. She was so stupid. She had been so stupid. She shook her head, let her eyes drop to the table. "I lent money... a lot of money... to someone who said he needed it... a friend who needed it... but the truth was he needed it to pay her back. He'd stolen from her."

Ewan leaned forward, his voice softening. "Eva, do you need money to hold you over while we take care of this? I do not want it burdening your thoughts or decisions on our actions. I need you level and secure, past that moment. And it sounds more like your friend made the mistake and you were trying to help. You were perhaps taken into a ploy, since she knows your life so well and knows the connections you have, but we will see she does not find you an appealing target again."

Eva lifted her gaze to meet Ewan's. Every second of his reaction was unexpected. She thought she'd have to defend herself, defend her actions. But instead he was doing it for her. She struggled to keep the emotion from her eyes. She swallowed and nodded. "I'm alright... I mean... the money is gone, I know that now... but if... if I keep working... and Mason keeps working... I mean... we'll be fine."

"As you wish. Then, how far do we go? You say she is well protected and has a contact, or perhaps more, with the Watch. That can work to our advantage." His keen eyes watched her as he seemed to consider the possibilities. "Is she the head of this particular organization or does she answer higher up?"

"It's her organization. She controls everything." Eva shook her head and looked down. Her whiskey remained untouched on the table. She couldn't bring herself to drink. Her brow furrowed deeply and she shook her head. "I know her too. I know the things she's done... I..." She looked up at him, her jaw tightened. There was one thing she knew for sure. "Ewan, I don't want her in this city."

He looked to his glass, his words low, spoken like he was asking if it was his turn to take out the garbage. "You want her business demolished or just her? And how much collateral damage are you willing to take? This can be an incision or this can be amputation."

"I don't care what she does in Star's End. I just don't want her doing it here. I don't..." She looked away, then looked back. She had so many people she wanted to protect, and not just from her secrets. "I don't want Mason to know about this. I don't want... I don't want Hudson to know about this, I don't want.... all of the workers..." She shook her head and looked at him. The extent of his support was finally starting to sink in. He was behind her more than she could have ever hoped. What was she willing to do to protect the people she loved? Her voice was strong and steady when she spoke. "Whatever it takes."

The crate was clearly marked. Inspected by RCE. Rhy'Din Customs Enforcement. The bill of lading - the one Eva had forged - was pasted haphazardly to one wooden side, peeling as if it had been through a long journey, the dark wax of the Yransea seal starting to crumble. Eva tried not to look at it, her arms crossed, standing as far from it as the room would allow.

"Stop glowering, Eva. You'll get wrinkles." Rachel's voice echoed across the high ceilinged loft while she circled the crate with a smug smile. "Though it's likely too late for that." Her follow-up comment masqueraded as a thoughtful murmur, but Rachel said it loud enough for the entire room to hear.

Standing beside Eva, Danny Mack snorted. Eva looked his way and watched for a moment. Unlike Rachel, he had changed over the years. He still had that lean, lanky look about him, but there were streaks of gray in his long black hair secured in a ponytail at the base of his neck, and crow's feet left their deep impressions at the corners of his eyes. Eva knew from experience that his wiry frame was deceptive. He was all muscle. Eva watched as he juggled her gun from hand to hand, which he had taken from her for safety precautions.

The sound of crowbars setting into the crate drew Eva's look back across the room. Rachel held her hands palms together and looked on with childlike excitement as her workers popped open the lid. Eva shook her head, shifted her weight, and glanced at Danny, keeping her voice low. "I can't believe you still work for her."

Danny looked back, shrugged. "She treats me good. Better than most. And she keeps me out of the clink. The hell else should I work for?"

Eva rubbed her fists on her thighs, pressing her lips together. Straw packing material fell to the floor beside the crate. Rachel lifted out a turquoise ceramic vase. "Pretty isn't it? Could be a good trade in this." Rachel gestured to the workers. "Come on. Lift it."

The workers lifted out a tray, removing the false top layer of the cheap ceramic vases. Beneath it, the crate was filled with tightly packed bags of cocaine, nested in the straw. Rachel sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, as if she had just seen something too beautiful to be believed. Then she opened her eyes and looked across the room at Eva. "Darling, don't you want to see your handiwork?"

Eva rolled her eyes and shifted her weight. "We're done here, aren't we?"

The enthusiasm drained from Rachel's expression, leaving her clear blue eyes flat and hard. "I said, don't you want to see your handiwork?" When Eva didn't move, Rachel shifted her gaze to Danny. Danny tucked Eva's gun in his belt and then grabbed Eva's arm, dragging and then shoving her towards Rachel and the crate. Eva cringed at his tight grip, trying to jerk her arm away and then caught herself from stumbling with both hands on the crate's wooden edge.

"And? What do we think?" Rachel's smile returned, and she traded the turquoise vase in her hand for a pocket knife given to her buy one of the workers. "Thank you, dear." She watched Eva as she unfolded the knife. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Eva wiped her hands on her pants, splinters dusting to the floor, and looked up at Rachel. "Yeah. It's great."

"It's pure." Rachel sliced into one of the top bags, cut a small heap of the white powder on the flat of the blade. "You ever had pure, Eva? Lance ever give you the good stuff? Or did he treat you cheap?" She lifted the blade to her mouth and bent her head. Blond hair fell like a curtain, a thin veil as she touched her tongue to the powder on the blade. A thin layer of the drug clung to her tongue and she licked, and then slid her tongue across her lips. Danny made a sound in his throat, and tipped his head to watch her better.

"I don't do that crap any more." Eva rubber her fists on her thighs, squeezed her hands tight. It was hard for her to watch. To be this close. It felt like her heart beat was loud enough for the whole room to hear.

The knife balanced before Rachel's lips, her eyes level on Eva. "Pity." With a quick breath, Rachel blew on the blade. The remaining heap of powder flew into the air straight at Eva, a plume of the white drug puffing like dust from an exploded vacuum bag.

Eva's arm jerked up to block her face, and she twisted, trying to duck. There had been enough to cover her. Cocaine settled in her hair, on her arm and neck. But was it in her mouth? On her lips? In her nose? In her eyes? Eva slapped at her hair, at her face, huffing breaths out of her nose, trying to shake off the drug. Panic fought with temper in the pit of her stomach. She turned and lunged across the crate at Rachel. "Are you freaking crazy? You goddamn bitch!"

Danny grabbed Eva around the waist, and pulled her back while Rachel laughed. Eva pushed on his body, scratching at his arms, kicking at his shins. He didn't let go. She reached for Rachel, her hand inches from clawing her perfect skin, inches from slapping her grinning face, but Danny grabbed her back, no matter how hard she fought. Rachel waved the knife back and forth as she laughed. "You can't touch me, Eva. You'll never touch me."

Eva slumped against Danny, panting for breath. "Let me go."

Danny's hold on Eva loosened, but he pulled her back still, urging her towards the door. Eva kept her feet, backing with him, her eyes fixed on Rachel. Rachel called out after her. "I expect the same paperwork next week, Eva darling. Don't forget."

On the street, Danny returned Eva's gun and tossed a bottle of water at her. Eva sat on the curb, and with shaking hands she splashed her face, rinsed her mouth, and poured the water over her head, letting the cocaine wash away.

"That was a hefty parcel of information you shared." Ewan Corinsson stood in a back corner of the Hope Creative art gallery, his eyes fixed on the painting of a landscape as if in admiration of the artist?s skill. Eva stood beside him, her eyes on the painting as well, as if their meeting in the quiet gallery was happenstance instead of the planned rendezvous it was.

"They don't seem to think I'm much of a threat. They don't even try to hide anything." Eva tucked her hair back, her voice quiet.

Ewan nodded, and gestured with one hand to the painting, a pantomime. "She may find she reached too far and too fast from her base. I gather she desires you to see that the supplies for each of these go safely through under the Yransea seal? The deal continues?"

"Weekly." Eva nodded, leaning forward as if admiring a detail of the art. "She's moving a lot of product."

The arm set across Ewan?s chest in what looked like a casual stance had a fist hidden beneath its opposite arm. "What would you like done?"

Eva leaned back. "Well... I have an idea..."

Their voices remained hushed as the discussion unfolded, the two continuing the illusion that they were simply there to appreciate the art. Eva turned to shift her attention to a painting on the opposite wall of the narrow back corridor, bending to look at the name card beneath it. "You happen to know a forger?"

At Ewan?s answer in the positive, Eva continued her quiet explanation of her idea. The subdued volley of their voices continued for a short while as Ewan thoughtfully challenged her, but he eventually nodded. "Very well. I will need a sample of the writing. When did you want this to be ready?"

Eva sighed. "As soon as possible. I can't keep hiding this from Mason, from Hudson." Her eyes glanced at him.

He looked down at the floor, then to the counter and turned to face her. "Are you going to tell them?"

"No." Eva?s answer came firm and fast. She met his eyes. "Never." Her hands balled into fists and rubbed at her thighs.

"Very well. Once you have the sample, deliver it to Capstone."

Eva nodded. "I'll see what I can do." She took a breath, thinking, and turned to look at him once more. "Thank you."

Ewan smiled, then with a gesture to the artwork, "Would you care for a piece of art?"

Eva turned once more to look at him directly, then realizing his jest, she laughed and shook her head. "That would not be wise."

"Hmm, well, I think I will at least make note of this one and stroll a little longer. I look forward to receiving the next communication." He bowed his head to her, but did not walk away just yet in case she had anything she required of him. Arriving within moments of each other could be coincidence. Leaving at the same time would obliterate that coincidence.

"Enjoy your shopping." She offered a last smile, and slipped past him to wander her way back through the gallery and towards the door.

The evening was warm and humid. Rachel Carson cupped her hand around her lighter and bent her head to touch its flame to another cigarette. Smoke streamed from her lips as she leaned back in her chair, watching the New Haven street traffic from her sidewalk table. "Signore." She gestured to the waiter. "Un altro, per favore." He nodded, collecting the empty bottle of mineral water from her table before slipping inside the open doorway of the cafe. Rachel followed his progress, her eyes shaded against the last intense rays of the sun by her designer sunglasses, and then returned to watching the street.

She had been waiting for some time, but she was in no hurry. It had been easy enough to find the place. The gossip columns littering her small table and the empty chair beside her provided all the information she had needed. She tipped her head back, breathing smoke into the air above her, and watched the headquarters of Delectable Cravings Catering. Mason Harrigan would have to leave eventually.

Rachel slid her fingers across an issue of the Rhy'din Post and then shook the flimsy page, bringing it closer once more. Lord only knows how Eva had managed to land herself in the society pages so often. But there she was appearing time and again in some form or another either in the Post or the Gossip GangSTAR. Never alone. Always linked to a man.

No surprise there. As long as she'd known her, Eva had never stood on her own two feet. Never took hold of her own power.

Rachel tapped the end of her cigarette into the ashtray and flipped to another page. It was pathetic. The way Eva always had to have a man at her back. Lance. Ghost. Some aging bartender named Perceval Tucker. And apparently now some sad little line cook named Mason Harrigan. What in the world those last two had to offer Eva, she couldn't imagine.

"Grazie." The waiter set a new bottle of mineral water on her table, and replaced her empty glass with a fresh one full of ice and a wedge of lime. Rachel watched as the waiter's eyes moved from her cleavage down the long line of her bare legs as he emptied his tray and then refilled it with the clearings from her table. A quiet laugh escaped her lips as he moved off again, and she lifted her cigarette for another drag. It wasn't Eva that had brought her to Rhy'din. Business was business. And expanding into Rhy'din was just good business. Messing with Eva was an unexpected, but welcome, bonus.

Rachel liked her business too much to put it at risk. But expansion was necessary for survival. The bigger she was, the easier it would be to control her territory and heavy out the competition. And she was good at cocaine. The best. In Star's End they called her Snow White. It made her laugh.

Coke. C. Blow. Bliss. Snow. Fishscale. Yeyo. White Mosquito. Fairy Dust. Elven Dandruff. Candy Caine. White Lady. Bump. Sugar Lumps. Gutter Glitter. Pearl. Zip.

Rachel didn't care what anyone called it. She just liked selling it. It was a good living. And a good high. It was a shame that Eva didn't get high anymore. She was fun when she was flying. Even if cocaine wasn't her drug of choice. She could remember the way Eva danced. The slow roll of her hips, her eyes closed, arms over her head, her body stretched out and reaching. She wouldn't let anyone touch her when she danced, at the center of the floor like the sun of her own solar system, letting go, music thumping inside her chest. But it was just the drugs.

Rachel leaned forward, spilling the mineral water into her new glass, watching the bubbles catch the last of the sunlight. Her lips closed around the straw, sipping before she leaned back again. Once Eva had gone clean she got boring. And superior. She started taking patients, but she always acted like she was doing everyone a huge favor, like she was so much better than them, and they should just be grateful she was willing to help them for a wad of filthy money, rather than it being her job. It was a ridiculous position to take. Eva could hardly claim the moral high ground over those she treated. But she did. Rachel had seen it on her face more than once. That cold distant look. The judgment.

Whatever. Eva wasn't so high and mighty now. Working on the docks as an accountant. Getting boned by some hotheaded straight-and-narrow. And she looked awful. She hadn't even tried to maintain her good looks. She'd put on weight, let her hair go. And she still hadn't fixed that hideous scar. It was no wonder Eva's life was so pathetic.

Rachel looked again at the pages in front of her. She dragged an issue of the GangSTAR towards her. Manly Mason. That's who she was looking for. She glanced at her watch, and then took a last draw from her cigarette. Should be any moment now. How late could he work? She leaned forward to crush out her smoke. Of course it wasn't necessary for her to make any special effort to attract the attention of a man, but she made sure that she would be on display for this little meeting. Low-cut top, silk short-shorts, her long legs stretched out and crossed, impossibly high heels bouncing lightly. All afternoon she had watched the eyes of men lingering on her breasts, her legs, her lips.

The first out the door of Delectable Cravings Catering was a young boy. He looked at her. Nearly got hit by a bicyclist as he crossed the street, staring. The next was a skinny man, not one she'd call manly, who immediately paused to light a cigarette. As soon as he looked up he spotted her. Winked at her as he passed. But Rachel knew it wasn't him.

No, she knew Eva's man as soon as he stepped out the door. Tall and broad shouldered. Weary. His white chef's jacket dirty from a day of kitchen work. Oh, and was that some sort of weapon hidden at his back? This was Mason Harrigan. And manly, he most certainly was. He looked both ways before stepping onto the sidewalk. She could tell he noted her there at the cafe. But his eyes passed over her quickly, and he didn't look again. His look didn't linger. He passed right by and never looked back, and before Rachel realized what was happening, he was around the corner and gone.

Rachel sat up in her chair, raising a brow, and looked at the empty street. What had just happened? All she'd wanted to do was see if he'd look. But still. He hadn't even shown the least bit of interest in her. She'd waited all afternoon for that? And yet, she found herself smiling. This was going to be a challenge. And this was going to be fun.

At the first glimpse of Rachel, Eva was coming. From across the street, slicing through the dark September rain, her momentum faster than the sound of her strides. Eva had her arm on Rachel?s neck, her back up against the brick wall before the entourage knew what was happening. Rachel?s cigarette dropped from her fingers, the hiss lost amidst the scuffle of boots on wet pavement as the body-men snapped into action, trying to pull Eva back.

?Stay away from him.? Eva bit off her words, her dark eyes pinned on Rachel. Strong hands tore at her, trying to get Eva off, but her leather jacket was slippery from hours waiting in the rain. ?Don?t even - don?t even think about him. Don?t speak his freaking name. Do you hear me??

Surprise drained from Rachel?s ice blue eyes and she tipped her head back against the wall and laughed before leveling her look back at Eva. ?I see you got my little gift. You?re welcome, doll.?

?Screw you.? Eva tried to shake off the two big guys pulling her back but she wasn?t strong enough to break free.

?Aw, did I make trouble for you? Trouble in suburbia?? Rachel laughed again, straightening her clothes. Then she stepped forward, lowering her voice to a seductive purr. ?What did you do? Did you tell him the truth? No...??

Eva narrowed her eyes, jerking forward. She could feel the blood pumping through her veins, hear it rushing in her head.

?Oh, I see. You lied to him, did you?? Rachel laughed again. ?I bet he believed you, too. Just a misunderstanding? A mistake? Oh, I?m sure he believed you. Junkies lie best to the ones they love, right Eva?? She laughed again and stepped back. ?Let her go. She won?t touch me.?

At Rachel?s nod, the arms holding Eva eased off. Eva shook free, shoving one of the men standing too close. ?Don?t come near him again, do you understand??

?But you?re ruining my fun, doll. He?s so cute. Just your type. A dumb, loyal dog.? Rachel smirked, tipping her head to meet Eva?s eyes. The mirth in her expression disappeared as she stepped close again, a glimpse of sincerity in her expression. ?He?ll find out, Eva. He?ll find out who you really are. Then where will you be??

Eva clenched her jaw, meeting Rachel?s eyes. ?You should worry about your own house before you worry about mine.?

Rachel?s head came up, eyes narrowing. ?What do you mean??

Satisfaction grew warm in Eva?s belly. ?Maybe you should ask Danny, doll.? Eva sneered and turned, moving for the corner. She could feel Rachel?s eyes glued to her back as she walked away. ?Worry about your own house, Rachel.?

It was a small, battered journal of sorts. The spine was broken in a hundred fine lines, its corners curled, its soft cover curved as if it had spent time shoved into someone's back pocket. Eva let the pages rifle through her fingers. Two thirds of the book was filled. Lines of notations. Dates. Weights. Creds. Penciled arithmetic had been scratched into the margins, and then poorly erased. Eva's eyes skimmed across the rows of Danny's handwriting. It was perfect.

A perfect forgery.

It was a second book. The kind used to keep track of something you didn't want anyone else to know about. Like cash business you didn't intend to report for taxes. Or extra hours in flight you didn't want to report to the Intergalactic Freighters Union.

Or drug money you skimmed off the top of your boss' business. Money you kept for yourself.

Eva set the book on her kitchen counter and stared at it. The heavy lifting was done. The forgery was the hard part. Ewan's connections had provided her a forger with the best skill she'd ever seen. But now the rest was up to her. The rest was on her.

On her. Eva bent over, forearms braced on the counter, and let her head fall. All she had to do now was sell it. Put the book in the right place. Wait for Rachel to find it. Wait for the chips to fall.

In the end, someone was getting dead. She just hoped it wasn't her.

It felt like all of the air was sucked out of the room. Eva turned and looked behind her. Danny and Rachel were frozen in an embrace so tight, if she hadn?t seen them fighting moments before, Eva would have thought they were lovers.

Then suddenly Danny shoved Rachel away. She stumbled back on her heels, staring at him with cold blue eyes. Her hand came away from her stomach, her white silk blouse beginning to stain with blood.

?Boss!? The injured goon limped towards Rachel, but immediately, the second goon fired at him, cutting him down. Eva had started towards Rachel as well, every instinct telling her to treat the wounded, but at the gunshot she held up her hands and stopped. She could see the loyalties now. The fight wasn?t three on two like she?d expected. No, one of the goons was working for Danny.

Danny stepped to the fallen body of Rachel?s goon, pointed Eva?s gun at his head, and executed him. ?Jesus.? Eva couldn?t stop the curse from escaping. Her eyes shifted to Rachel, still bleeding on the floor. Danny made no move to finish her off. Eva looked at him and he gave her a nod.

Rachel writhed on the floor, both hands holding her stomach, gritting her straight, white teeth. Her white shirt was soaked in blood. ?Call an ambulance!? Eva shouted it as she dropped to her knees beside Rachel. Then she softened her voice. ?Let me see, Rachel. Let go.? As soon as Rachel moved her hands, Eva could see how serious it was. She looked up at Danny and the goon. They stood watching impassively. Neither had moved to call anyone.

?How bad is it?? Rachel?s face was growing paler and paler. She was losing too much blood.

Eva pushed both of her hands against the wound, trying to stop the flow. But with no one coming and no supplies, there was nothing she could do. ?It?s fine. It?s going to be fine.?

Rachel nodded, her eyes on Eva. ?I always knew I?d die young.? She lifted a shaky hand to her hair as if to smooth it back into place. Rachel?s bloody fingers streaked the platinum blond with red. ?How do I look??

?You look perfect.? Eva tried to sound reassuring. ?You always look perfect.?

?Beautiful??

?Beautiful.? Eva nodded.

?It wasn?t Danny, was it??

Eva shook her head. ?No.?

?He told me--? Rachel coughed, blood in her mouth. ?He told me to be careful with you.? She swallowed again. ?--should have listened.? Rachel?s eyes dilated, her focus shifting.

?Rachel?? Eva let go of the wound and grabbed for Rachel?s hand. She could feel Rachel squeeze back for a moment. Then her fingers loosened. And she was gone.

It took Eva a week and a half to find Jack. After work every day, she searched the West End, until she found a hooker who, for a few silvers, pointed her to a flophouse on Sullivan Street.

?What?? The man who opened the door was a ghost of the Jack she?d last seen so many months ago. His pot belly gone. Eyes sunk. White mucus around the corners of his mouth.

?Jack?? Eva peered through the narrow gap of the opened door, the door held in place by a chain lock.

It took a moment for recognition to enter his eyes. ?Eva?? He stared a moment, then closed the door enough to remove the chain. ?What are you--? How did you...??

?You haven?t been to a meeting... in months, babe.? Eva entered the apartment, careful where she stepped as she looked around the room.

It wasn?t much more than a single room and a bathroom. A hot plate was all that counted as a kitchen. A bare mattress was on the floor by the window facing a broken couch with one of the cushions missing. The place smelled like sweat. And crack.

?I?ve been busy.? Jack shrugged, pulling the sleeves of his shirt down to his wrists, then shoving his hands in his pockets.

?Jack.? Eva turned to look at him.

The two of them squared off on opposite sides of the room, like gunfighters preparing for a shootout. Silence stretched on. As if they were each waiting for something.

?Rachel?s dead.? Her voice was flat, emotionless.

?You?re not--??

?No. I?m not working for her anymore.?

Jack nodded. His hands balled into fists in his pockets, twisting in there, as if trying to burrow deeper, beyond the weak cloth. ?You?re... you?re okay??

Eva nodded, watching him, her voice soft. ?I?m fine, Jack.?

And she was. Her bruises had healed. And the fear, anxiety, and tension had finally started to ebb.

The night Rachel was killed, Mason had cleaned Eva up and put her to bed, then gone to take care of the rest. He broke down her gun, wiped down the parts, and tossed them into the river. Then he burned her bloody clothes in the embers of a bum?s oil drum fire.

She was fine.

Jack nodded, his eyes flicking around the room, looking for a safe place to land. Eva just stood there, watching him, waiting. When his eyes met hers, they finally held. Then all at once, he broke.

?I need help.?

-----------

The hover cab idled at the curb on Trumble Street, just before the corner of Shaw. Jack had his duffle bag on his lap, his hands shaking as he struggled to get a cigarette from his pack. Eva leaned over in the backseat, gently taking over. She set a cigarette between her lips, then took the lighter from him. The first draw of smoke burned her lungs, but once it was lit for him, she leaned back towards him, and placed the cigarette between his fingers, helping him get it to his lips. He drew a breath gratefully, then leaned his head back on the seat, closing his eyes. Across the street was Safe Haven Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Center.

Rachel?s canary diamond ring had been larger than she thought. Nearly eight carats. Even after hock, Eva had gotten a lot of creds for it. But she?d already told Mason she didn?t intend to keep any of the money. Instead, she?d taken the shuttle to Star?s End to see the facility where Jack had placed his mother. He hadn?t been wrong. It was a good facility, with doctors who specialized in elder care and alzheimer?s disease in particular. So Eva had gone to the bank and set-up a trust. The next six months of her care would be paid in full.

Eva hadn?t been certain Jack would be ready for rehab. But she made the arrangements just in case. Thirty days, covered. The way it had been for her so many years ago. All Jack had to do was have the courage to get out of the cab, cross the street, and go inside.

?You?ll visit me??

?Sunday is visiting day.?

?And you?ll come??

?I will.?

Jack nodded, twisting the strap of his duffle bag. When Eva had told him what she?d done for his mother, he broke down. He cried so long and so hard, she finally had to push him towards the bathroom, and help him wash his face until he pulled himself together.

?I don?t know if I can do this.? His eyes looked panicked.

?You won?t know unless you try.? Eva watched him. There was a line between making someone go, and encouraging them to find the will within themselves. It had to come from him.

?You?ll take care of my tools?? The only thing the man had saved from hocking for drugs had been a large metal box of plumbing tools, the tools of his trade, currently wedged under Eva?s feet in the back of the hover cab.

?They?ll be waiting for you when you get out.?

?Okay...? He nodded, lifting his hand for another shaky puff from his cigarette. ?Okay.? Jack took one last look at Eva, then pushed open his cab door. On the curb, he tossed his cigarette into the gutter, then bent to look through the open window at Eva. ?Eva...?

?I?ll see you Sunday, babe.?

He swallowed, then nodded. ?Sunday.? He looked at her one last time, then straightened. Eva watched as Jack looked in each direction, then crossed the street, and stepped through the rehab center doors.

The hover cab?s meter kept running for another thirty minutes as Eva sat vigil. Her eyes held on the rehab center doors. Jack never came back out. Reassured, she nodded to the driver, and set a course for home.