Birds chirping outside of Eve’s room signaled that last night was over and that it was a new day. Slowly her eyes fluttered open then closed just as fast, when the rays of the sun came into contact with her barely awake orbs. Turning over to her right to see what time the clock read, 8:30 am, Eve slowly threw her legs over the edge of the bed, held her arms over her head and stretched to get the kinks out of her newly awakened body. After stretching, she headed over to her dresser and picked out an outfit to wear for today, before heading to the bathroom to take a nice hot shower.

A half hour later, dressed in a navy blue skirt that came down just above her knees and a white blouse with the button at the top unbuttoned, she finished fixing her hair and added on her jewelry, before heading downstairs and into the living room.

As she walked into the living room, Eve saw Julian sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in one hand, while reading a newspaper in the other. He had a bandage over his right eye from the cut he got from her as the events from last night appeared in her mind. Sensing he wasn’t the only one in the living room anymore, Julian pulled the paper down and looked at the person who had just come in.

For a moment, Julian couldn’t find a word to say as his eyes locked with Eve’s, then traveled from her face to the clothes she was wearing. Realizing that he was just staring at her, Julian put the cup of coffee and newspaper down on the table in front of him and motioned for Eve to come sit next to him.

“Good morning.” Julian said.

But Eve didn’t answer him right away, for she was now staring at him the same way he was staring at her when she walked into the living room a few moments ago.

“Eve?” Julian called out to her again as he waved a hand in front of her face to try to get her attention.

Startled out of her trance as a hand flew pass her face, Eve’s cheeks reddened as she blinked her eyes a few times and then placed her right hand on her chest before she answered him.

“I’m sorry what?” Eve said while shaking her head.

“I said good morning. Is something wrong Eve?” Concerned etched Julian’s face as he spoke to her.

“Um…No, I’m fine and good morning to you too.” She said as a smile spread across her lips.

What she didn’t want to tell Julian was that, the way he was staring at her earlier had caused her to start having impure thoughts. ‘Bad Eve, this is not the time to get flushed by Julian’s good looks, focus.’ Eve thought to herself as she took a deep breath to get her composure back under control before she spoke.

“Julian about last night, I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you, I-I thought that you were Pierce.”

“Your brother.” Julian said as Eve nodded to him. “Eve, how come you didn’t tell me you had a brother?”

“Because I don’t like talking about him much. It’s too painful.” Eve said as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

“If you don’t want to talk, then I won’t ask about him again.”

“No Julian, I told you I was going to tell you the whole truth last night when morning came, now it’s here and I don’t want to put this off anymore. Not while I have the strength to do this.” Eve said as she got up off the couch and walked over to the window.

“Where do I begin?” she said out loud.

“How about the beginning?” Julian said as he watched her by the window she stood next to.

“My father died when I was 2 years old. My mom told me that at the time, she didn’t think it was a good idea for me to be raised without a man in the home. Soon after, she met Willie Lee Sanbourne and his son Pierce. She said he was looking for a wife to help him raise his son who was only 8, and vice versa, so they got married. When I was 4, Liz was born and I always considered Pierce as my older brother because we grew up together as brother and sister. Years went on and the three of us became really close. We did everything together and we had many family outings too. I don’t know when it happened or how it happened exactly, but when was 11, I started to notice that Pierce was looking at me differently.” Eve paused as she took another deep breath before continuing. “Every time it was just the three of us, he would look at me with these glazed over eyes. At the time, I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew it made me uncomfortable around him. As we continued to grow up, the more he looked at me with those glazed over eyes. It wasn’t until I was 15 that I realized what those looks he gave me really meant and it just freaked me out even more. Then came that day, and I will never forget it for as long as I live.”

“Eve…” Julian said as he got up from his spot on the couch, walked over to her and pulled her against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her from the back.

“Julian please, let me finish.”

“Go on.” He said as he kissed the top of her head.

“Liz and I were in my room arguing about me being a jazz singer and listening to the radio like we always did when mom and dad weren’t home, then we heard Pierce banging on my door. The room was a mess because we did each other’s hair too, so we started to clean up. After we were finished, Liz let him in and he asked to speak to me alone, so she left. I had my back turned to him because I didn’t want to see his face, but I also didn’t want to be left alone with him, especially with my back turned to him either. So as I was turning to face him, he came up behind me so fast.” Eve said as her voice was starting to break. “Ju-Julian…he started…touching me…and grabbing on my body… Julian, I thought that he was going to rape me.” And with that said Eve’s voice broke completely as she cried her heart out.

Julian turned her around and held her as close as he could to his body. The thought of Eve almost getting raped at a young age terrified him deep down to the core of his soul. He never knew that something like this could ever happen to someone was as beautiful and as special as Eve was. Julian didn’t think he could hate anyone as much as he hated his father, but Pierce brought hate in Julian’s eyes to a whole other level. If he could leave right this moment and hunt Pierce down, not even the FBI nor the CIA could save Pierce from the pain and torture that Julian wanted to inflict upon him.

Julian continued to hold Eve until her crying stopped and her body stopped shaking as well. He raised his left hand and moved some of Eve’s hair out of her face as he leaned down close to her right ear and whispered “As god is my witness Eve, if I find out that he is anywhere near you or tries to talk to you…so help me I will kill him. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you again. Not Liz, T.C., father, Rebecca, no one. I promise…I promise.” Julian said as he kissed the side of her face as his own tears started streaming down his face. They continued to hold onto one another as if they were the only two people left on this earth.

Elsewhere, Pierce was in his kitchen getting an ice pack for the side of his head as the lump that Eve gave him the night before continued to hurt like hell.

“Damn it Eve! All you had to do was let me love you, but no, you wanted to be some white man’s wh*re. We could’ve had a beautiful life together, just you and me. No matter what, I will get you back just wait and see.” Pierce said as an evil smile appeared upon his face. Just as he was about to get some coffee, he looked to his left and saw Liz standing there looking at him as if he’d went mad.

“What are you doing here Liz?”

“I came to see if you were all right, I mean that b*tch hit you hard as hell upside your head.” She said as she walked over to the cupboard to get a cup for some coffee.

Pierce didn’t think she had heard what he said about himself and Eve, but he had to make sure she didn’t.

“So how long were you standing there when I turned around?” he asked cautiously.

“I had just came in as you turned around to face me, why?”

“No reason. So how about you make me some breakfast then?”

“You haven’t changed at all.” Liz said as a smile graced her lips as well.

Meanwhile across town, the young man who had spied on Julian bringing Eve home to the mansion was in his living room looking at a bunch of photos of his mother. There was no denying the fact that he had some of his mother’s features. From the way his nose looked, to the way that he smiled, he even had her skin color as well. His mother…just thinking about her made his blood boil as he got up from the chair that he was sitting in and scattered every last one of his mother’s pictures around the living. He didn’t understand how she could leave him and his father for Julian Crane of all people. He just didn’t get it. It was as he looked to where all of her pictures had landed, did he go to the one picture that stood out to him the most. Bending down, he picked it up, brought it up to his face and touched her face with his other hand as tears started running down his face.

“How could you do this to me mom? How could you hurt me that like this? Didn’t I mean anything to you?” He said in a somber voice as he put the picture of Dr. Eve Russell in his back pocket and started to clean up his living room.