After Grace excused herself to go to the bathroom, Eve grew slightly suspicious of her. She didn’t like the way Grace looked at her before she left out; she wanted to know what that look was all about. So she excused herself and left Sam and the kids in the living room singing.

Julian was at the office working on some important documents when his phone suddenly rang. He took off his glasses and sat them on the desk before picking it up.

“Hello, Julian Crane speaking.”

“Well, hey there Jules.”

“Grace is that you?” Julian asked. “Ok let me guess, you’ve had your little heart set on me since high school and now you want a piece of good ol’ sexy Jules… am I right?” he smirked wickedly.

“You’re still full of yourself. You’re probably still punching holes threw walls.” She scoffed.

“And you my dear can still turn a praise.” Julian joked.

“Guess what, Eve’s here with Sam and I having drinks. Do you know that she said she stopped singing? I mean she even use to sing in her sleep.”

“She stopped singing…” Julian whispered.

“Could be it because of what happened between you, TC and her back then? You know, the incident that broke you guys up.” Grace asked.

“How should I know? I guess it means we’re not kids anymore you know.”

“TC said he was stopping by?”

“Oh… so I’m not needed.” Julian sarcastically.

“I’m really worried for her Julian.”

“Then let TC worry about her.” Julian shouted threw the phone.

“So I guess you don’t care if TC gets her.”

“I’m not coming! I mean it Grace!” Julian shouted again and hung up the phone.

“Jerk.” Grace scoffed then turned to her right and saw Eve run off. “Eve wait!” She shouted as she ran after her. Grace finally caught up with her as she flagged down a taxi. “Eve I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to be a slave to the past anymore… I just want to be free.” Eve said then turned towards the driver. “235 Ambrose Street.”

No sooner had Eve pulled off, TC appeared in front of Grace driving his black Lincoln Navigator.

“Grace, is there something wrong? Where’s Eve?”

“She just left TC. I’m worried about her.” Grace whispered.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find her.”

Julian was sitting down in his living room watching TV and drinking a beer. Since the night that he kissed Eve and she ran out on him, all he had been able to do was drink away his sorrow. Taking another sip of his beer, he turned towards his door when he heard someone outside knocking on it.

“I’m coming!” He shouted. He took one more sip of his beer then placed it on the table before walking up to the door and opening it. “Ivy?”

“Hey.”

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“I was just in the neighborhood and thought that I’d drop by.”

“Oh, I’m sorry where’s my manners? Come in.” He said then stepped aside to her let her in, closing the door behind her.

Julian walked up next to Ivy and ushered her into his living room. He then cleared off some junk that was on the couch so that she could sit. It was quiet for a moment as the two of them just sat there and said nothing. Ivy just couldn’t stand the quietness anymore, so she broke the silence.

“Julian is something wrong?”

“Why do you say that?” He answered back as he got up from the couch and went to pick up his beer.

“It’s just that… you’ve been acting different around Daniel and I. We don’t talk like we use to anymore.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve just been thinking about some things is all, nothing else.”

“Like what?”

“I can’t say.” He said as he finished off what remained of his beer.

“I understand. Look, I should be going.”

“Why you just got here?”

“Like I said before, I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by. See you tomorrow at work.” Ivy smiled, then walked up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

As the taxi driver drove Eve to her apartment, she suddenly tapped on the window and told him to take her somewhere else. Fifteen minutes later, Eve as standing outside of Harmony General. She paid the fee, and then went inside to get some work done. Work… it was the only thing she could think of to get her mind off the events of tonight. After finishing up her paper work, she got up from behind her desk and walked over to the restroom that was in her office. Once inside, she walked up the mirror and rested her head against it.

“Do you know how much I hate myself? Hate every thing that is going on now.” She whispered against the mirror. “I just wish I could end it all, make all this pain just go away.” She said as tears started falling from her eyes.

And all the while Eve was in the restroom moping; someone came into her office, walked up to the restroom door and locked it from the outside. Then they walked over to her stack of books that were over on her couch and poured gasoline on them. Before walking out of the room, they looked back and forth down the hall then lit a match and threw it on the books and locked the door from the inside before walking away, unnoticed by anyone.

After Ivy left, Julian walked over to his desk and sat down. And then he just sat there, typing Eve’s name over and over again on his computer. A few moments later, his phone started ringing.

“Hello…” Julian answered, but nothing. “If this is you Grace, I meant what I said.” And still nothing. He was just about to hang up but stopped when he heard a voice on the phone.

“In thirty minutes, a fire will break out at Harmony General.” It repeated again. “In thirty minutes, a fire will break out at Harmony General.”

‘A fire at Harmony General?’ Julian thought to himself. “What the hell? Hmph… It’s probably someone just calling to pull my leg.” He scoffed, then thought about it again. “Maybe not.” And with that, he ran into his room and put on a t-shirt and his shoes before heading out and hopping on his motorcycle.

TC had stopped by Eve’s apartment to see if she was alright, but when he got there, the receptionist at the desk said that she hadn’t returned. He thanked her and then went back out to his truck. He was about to pull off when his cell phone rang.

“Hello…” He said.

“In thirty minutes, a fire will break out at Harmony General.”

“A fire at Harmony General huh?” He said out loud. And then he realized something. “Oh no, Eve!”

Eve was still in the restroom, this time sitting on the floor by the sink when she smelt some smoke. She stood up and tried to open the door, but burned her hand in the process. “What’s going on out there?!” She shouted through the door. She then turned towards the sink, backed up a little, then ran and knocked open the door before being engulfed by smoke. Instantly, she put her hand over her mouth to try and stop herself from inhaling the smoke, but it was no good. Black smoke was everywhere as she tried to find the door so that she could get out of here. As she walked around, she began to cough and she couldn’t see clearly. It wasn’t long before she passed out on the floor.

Julian was on his motorcycle speeding as fast as he could when he heard police sirens behind him. “Damn it, don’t they learn anything?!” He spat. “They don’t know who the hell they’re messin’ with. Nobody stops the original roughneck of Harmony High… nobody.” He said with determination in his voice as he cranked his bike up a little more.

TC was the first to arrive at Harmony General. He ran up to the front desk of the hospital and asked what office was Dr. Eve Johnson’s. After getting the information, he ran as fast as his legs would take him when he came across her office. He could see the smoke that was seeping through the door. He then called out to her as he banging on her door. “Eve! Eve are you in there?!” When he didn’t get an answer, he stepped back and ran shoulder first into the door. On impact, the glass and wood chips embedded into his shoulder and he grimaced in pain. Once the door was opened, he had to grab hold of the doorway because the smoke was too thick and he couldn’t see clearly. He then walked inside and noticed Eve on the ground passed out. He picked her up bridle style and hurried out of the burning office.

By the time Julian arrived, fire trucks and police officers were swarming the entire hospital area. Julian began to panic, so he started fighting his way through the big crowd to get to the first of the line.

“Sir I can’t let you pass.” An officer said.

“Let me through, I have to get in there!” Julian shouted.

“I’m sorry sir.”

“But I have to find her!”

“Find who son?” An older looking officer said to him as he walked towards Julian.

“I have to find Eve. What happened here?”

“At approximately, ten-thirty tonight, someone started a fire on the five floor in one Dr. Eve Johnson’s office. Luckily she wasn’t in there.”

It was a little pass midnight when Eve started to wake up. She coughed, then blinked a few times to see where she was. It was then that she realized that she was in her own apartment, half-dressed and in her bed. TC came walking out of the bathroom with a wet rag in his hand.

“How are you feeling Eve?” he asked as he sat down next to her on the bed.

“I’m fine. How did you know about the fire?” she asked with her head down.

“As weird as it may sound, I got a phone call telling me about it.”

“I see.” Eve said and when she looked up she gasped when she saw TC’s arm bleeding. “What happened to your arm?”

“Oh this…” He looked at his bleeding shoulder. “…it’s nothing.”

“Nonsense.” Eve scoffed as she got out of her bed and headed into the bathroom. “Take off your shirt.” She shouted.

TC did what she asked and waited for her to return. When she returned, she had a first aid-kit in her hand. She sat down behind him and started to dress the wound on his shoulder.

“So you think someone set this up?” she asked him curiously.

“If so, then why would they call me and let me know about it?”

“I’m sorry.” She whispered. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have gotten injured.”

“I’d do it again if I had too. Remember, I swore I would protect you Eve and I meant it.”

Eve then dropped her hands from his now bandaged shoulder and looked down at her hands.

“Well… I should be going now.” TC said then reached for his car keys on her nightstand but was stopped when she put her hand over his.

“I didn’t want to see him again. I didn’t want to relive the past and all of the bad memories... I just hate it.” She sobbed out. TC then turned around towards her and brought her towards his body.