"Will you marry me?"

"Of course I'll marry you!"

The entire Seascape restaurant broke into thunderous applause, with Sam and Grace leading up the celebration. Eve beamed as T.C. leaned in for a kiss. Could life get any better than this? Eve didn't think so. A pleasant evening with Sam, Grace, and her husband had been capped off with a proposal from T.C.: a renewal of their wedding vows, to be held three months from now.

"T.C., this is too much," Eve protested, looking down at the sparkling diamond ring on her finger. "How can you afford this?"

"That's not for you to worry about," T.C. said, stroking his wife's hair gently. "My wife deserves only the best!"

"I am so happy for you." Across the table, Grace grinned at her best friend. "Renewing your vows with a splashy ceremony sounds so romantic."

"You'll be my matron of honor, won't you?" Eve said.

"Of course."

While Sam and T.C. discussed what had just taken place, Eve gazed away from the table, caught up in her own fantasies about her wedding plans. This time, her children could be at the ceremony. Eve smiled just thinking about the prospect of the wedding.

Her smile changed to a scowl as Julian and Ivy walked through the entrance. Ivy's eyes went right to Sam, while Julian couldn't help but notice that Eve was looking at him. With Ivy's attention diverted, and T.C. caught up in conversation with Sam, Julian gave Eve a quick look of lust, his eyes moving up and down her dress.

Eve put her hands over her chest as she rose from the table. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go freshen up," she said, backing away.

"Would you like me to go with you?"

"No thanks, Grace. I'll only be a moment."

Eve hurried towards the ladies' room before Julian could approach her. Discomfort crossed her face as she stared into the bathroom mirror. How typical...just when everything seemed to be going well, Julian always seemed to show up.

"I am strong," Eve said, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She spoke as though she was trying to convince herself--and it wasn't working. "I can handle this."

"You can handle anything of mine you'd like, anyway," a voice spoke from behind her.

Whirling around, Eve came face to face with Julian. "What are you doing in here? If T.C. finds us, who knows what he'll do!"

"Don't worry about T.C.," Julian sneered. "He didn't notice me come in here. " Julian moved closer to Eve, his hand almost settling on her shoulder. "I saw you looking at me when I came in, and then you went to the bathroom, so I assumed..."

"What? You assumed I wanted to speak with you? Talk about arrogance!" Eve pulled away before Julian could touch her. "I go to a restaurant, you show up and flirt with me. I go to a party at your home, you try to flirt with me. What do I have to do to make you realize I'm just not interested?"

"We had such great times together--"

"That wasn't me." Eve backed away from Julian, her expression a mix of anger and sadness. "I was a different person then, Julian. I'm not the same anymore. I became someone else....and I can never become the woman who was stupid enough to sleep with the likes of you!"

Somewhat hurt by Eve's words, Julian just stood still as Eve brushed past him, exiting the bathroom.

******************************

"Explain this to Timmy again.
Tabitha sighed. She stopped in her tracks, then turned towards her doll. The two were standing on the side of the road, walking between Tabitha's house and Lighthouse Park. With only the moonlight illuminating their view, Timmy felt safe to walk around with Tabitha.

"How many times do I have to explain this to you, dim-Tim? This potion is going to make our lives a lot easier...we'll be able to get rid of Charity once and for all."

Timmy rolled his eyes. "How many times have you said that before?"

"This time, our plan is foolproof." Tabitha held up a small vial of a greenish liquid, which glowed in the dark. "This potion will split Charity into two people."

"Two Charitys seems like twice as much of a hassle," Timmy complained. His eyes got wider as he thought of something else. "Though I wouldn't mind being sandwiched between them...hubba hubba!"

"Stop doing that, you're grossing me out." Tabitha went on. "Only one of the two Charitys will have the power to destroy us. It will be much easier to destroy a Charity who doesn't have superpowers...and if we destroy one, the other automatically dies as well. Is that understood?"

Timmy nodded. "Sounds like a fool proof plan."

"It is."

"Then why do I get the feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong?" Timmy again stopped walking, and stared up at his Princess. "Oh, I know: it's because all of your plans go horribly wrong!"

"Why you ungrateful brat..."

Tabitha and Timmy continued their back and forth banter, both oblivious to the car speeding towards them.

***********************

Eve pushed her foot down on the gas pedal. She just wanted to get away from the Seascape. She didn't know where she was going, but the further away from Julian, the better. T.C. had bought her explanation about needing to take a drive to get some fresh air.

"And why wouldn't he believe me?" Eve thought to herself. "He has no way of knowing the truth about me..."

Images from her past which she had tried so hard to forget flashed through Eve's mind as she continued down the road. The image of her with Julian in bed seemed particularly vivid tonight, no matter how much she tried to push it away.

Eve switched on the car radio, but the song blasting out did little to make her feel better:

So I’m putting it all on the table
you don’t know me well enough to label
me sick or even disturbed...

Eve again put her foot on the pedal. Faster, faster, faster...she needed to move, and move fast.

when you it break it down
I’m just two girls

Her mind wrapped up in the lyrics, which seemed to apply to her all too well, Eve didn't even notice Tabitha and Timmy standing in the middle of the road.

trying to blend, trying to vibe
trying to live just one life....

Tears rolled down Eve's cheeks as the words sunk in.

everybody's got insanities.
I've got a split personality....

Blinking, Eve looked out at the road, seeing Tabitha there for the first time.

Too late.

Tabitha noticed the car for the first time as well. Timmy screamed out as the car barreled towards them. With no time to think, Tabitha tossed the vial in the air, then grabbed Timmy and pulled him to safety. In less than a second she and Timmy were out of danger. Just now coming out of her thoughts, Eve was unprepared when the small vial flew through her window, smacking her in the face. She put her foot on the brake as the glass vial shattered in her face.

The car swerved to the side of the road, ramming into a small tree. Eve was knocked unconscious, her car door flying open.

"My potion!" Tabitha screamed out. The green goo dripped down Eve's face, glowing brightly.

"What did I tell you?" Timmy threw up his hands. "Your plans are foolproof all right, Tabby...proof that we're fools!"

Before Tabitha could respond, the potion had a startling effect. Before Tabitha and Timmy's eyes, Eve's unconscious body began to shake. Steam poured out of Eve's mouth.

"What's happening to Dr. Russell? Is she dying?"

"Even better than that, Timmy. We may not be able to split Charity in two, but I think the potion may be good for something yet..."

Timmy opened his mouth to ask for an explanation, but he got his answer when he looked back to Eve's car. There was no longer one person in the car...there were two people, both of whom looked like Eve. Yet the second looked like a throwback to the 1970s, her hair and clothes horribly outdated.

"Am I seeing double?" Timmy said, wiping his eyes.

"That you are, Timmy," Tabitha said, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. "It looks like Dr. Russell's past has just caught up with her!"