evelyn hammond

When he heard a voice, Richie held a hand out towards her, telling her to stop. He was fine. He was fine. He hadn’t had too much to drink, he was just right. He was just right.

‘No, no,’ he said with a mumble. ‘I’m fine. It’s okay.’ Pushing himself up onto his feet, Richie turned to look at the stranger who had stopped to talk to him. In his opinion, it was somewhat brave that a woman decided to stop a man. He knew of the whole ‘Me Too’ campaign, and everything that women had to deal with on a day to day basis. And yet, she had chosen to stop and help him.

‘I’m okay. You… Y’can go. If you want.’

The hand prompted an immediate halt, though it didn’t scare her off. No, he didn’t seem frightening –– more SAD than anything. Eve took a deep breath and persisted. 

“I don’t think it is,” she argued. “You’re hardly able to hold yourself up. Let me help you. Do you want me to put you in a taxi home? I’m afraid if you stay alone out here, something bad might happen to you.”

“Just for me, huh?” Emory teased. “Careful, that might go to my head.” A grin accompanied her words. It was definitely a  surprise to see Evelyn here. Sure they had texted, but they hadn’t at all been set to meet. Then again, Emory had surprised her at work, so it was only fair for the other to return the favor.

“Please, your height advantage will come back,” Emory chuckled, considering it was now her turn to have a slight advantage in height. She was much closer this way though, and Emory found that she preferred it this way. The height at least wasn’t standing in the way much anymore. Especially with Emory preferring flat shoes over anything – you only very rarely actually found her in heels, even if she worked in an office. “I actually like it better this way,” she admitted, the grin still very much in place.

“You hope it’s alright with me?” Emory asked, eyebrows shooting up. “Are you kidding, this is the best thing you could have done!” Admittedly, she was extremely hungry just at the sound of the delicious food the other had brought. “I’m pretty sure mine just growled when you just mentioned it, so it’s no surprise.” She did have a habit of forgetting when to eat - much to her best friend’s displeasure. “Absolutely, come through!” she said, slowly walking into the office and towards her own office room. “It really isn’t as impressive as your gallery, but this is my space,” she said when they finally reached it. She glanced over at the couch at that was standing near wall. “Do you wanna stay here for lunch?”

“Guess you’re just that special,” Eve teased, though perhaps even without having to look all that deep into her own heart she knew that to be undoubtedly true. She had been hoping to see pleasant surprise on the other’s face while approaching her place of work, but her imagining could not have beat seeing Emory’s face light up in person. As long as Emory didn’t know just how deeply it affected her, it was okay to think so to herself, Eve figured. 

“Maybe I’ll just stand on the tips of my toes for now.” She grinned at her own joking, actually thinking it was probably only fair that now Emory got to be the tall one. “Hey, you’re just saying that because you get to be the tall one in the relationship now. You would not believe the false sense of ego it gives you, even if I only got a good inch or inch and a half above you before.” God, she couldn’t help but think how pretty Emory was every time she smiled –– Eve hoped she wasn’t making real life heart eyes. And then just the word ‘relationship’ had sent a jolt through her, and she wished she had instead used the word ‘friendship’. She had to do better, she kept forgetting that she was supposed to AVOID drawing Emory in further. 

Perhaps he’d had too much to drink at the party his company had held, but it was a Friday night and Di had told him she was busy working away so he didn’t see the point in being sensible and going home early. Perhaps that wasn’t the only reason why he’d decided to drink so much, but the cool summer air was on his face as he stumbled through the streets of London, trying to decide whether to get a cab, walk home, or continue on to another bar by himself. Was that pathetic? If he went drinking alone?

Feeling like he was about to throw up, Richie paused, leaning against a sticky lamppost with a groan. His trademark white shirt had its sleeves rolled up over his elbows, red tie loose around his neck with the top two buttons of his shirt undone. He was far from the smart Richard Crawford who had shown up to work that morning.

‘Fuck,’ he mumbled to himself, trying to chase that happy buzz he’d had in his mind all evening, and not think about anything else. ‘Fuck.’

Normally Eve stopped for no one on the streets of London –– she didn’t have time to chat most days and she generally didn’t want to. She minded her own business and hoped others would respect her in the same way. But something about the man leaning against a lamppost looking pale as death under it’s dim light made her slow down and feel as if she should say something. 

“Are you, uh ... okay?” she asked hesitantly, not getting too close. “Do you need to go to the hospital or something? You look very unwell.” He probably already knew that but she couldn’t help but verbally express the observation. “Should I call someone?”

ciararuvelle.

Ciara wasn’t even inside yet, and as usual, Mowgli was already excitedly scratching and whining at the door. Despite her current state of worry and confusion his exuberant greeting managed to put a grin on her face. “Mowgli,” she cooed, stooping down to accept licks all over her face. “I missed you too,” even if Ciara was here yesterday, Mowgli acted as if she hadn’t been by in weeks.

‘Come over. Now. There’s a woman here saying she’s our sister with a file with details on us. I’m about to lose my mind. She looks almost exactly like my mother.’ 

‘WHAT !! WHO?? WHAT??!? I’LL BE THERE SOON!’

Sasha’s cryptic text followed by several of her shocked and unanswered ones prompted Ciara’s hasty arrival to her sister’s home. Moving from the foyer with Mowgli at her heels, she walked in and immediately headed to where she heard the voices coming from the den. The moment she broke the corner and saw the other woman, Ciara froze. Her heartbeat raced as her eyes moved from Evelyn’s face, then back to Sasha’s and then back to where she started. The resemblance was uncanny.

“Okay…so who is this and why does she have your face?” Pleasantries had skipped her once she saw the unfamiliar face. Which turned out to be almost an exact match to Sasha’s. This is not happening. Why now? Who was she? Why didn’t they know that she existed? “Sorry…I mean hi. I’m Ciara.”

@sasharuvelle​

“Maybe that’s what it is,” Sasha sighed. Perhaps they had only wanted to protect them. She had surely been to young to understand at age twelve or thirteen. And after her mother’s passing she was sure that the last thing their father wanted was to make life even harder for her. Perhaps that’s why they had never found out. “Still, I mean, both Ciara and I are adults, I don’t understand how we had no idea you existed.”

The moment Ciara walked in, Sasha could see her shocked expression on her features. Honestly, the whole scene would have been comical if she hadn’t been in the situation. And who knew, maybe sometime down the line they would be able to laugh about this. But right now, it was a lot. It was too much. As ridiculous as her sister’s statement was, Sasha knew exactly what she meant. Looking at Evelyn was almost like looking in a mirror. But more so, she reminded her so much of their mother that it almost hurt.

“Ciara, this is… This is Evelyn. She’s… well, she’s our sister, apparently.” Sasha took a deep breath. It was strange saying it out loud. All this time Sasha had thought her and Ciara were the only ones. And yet here they were, with another woman among them that definitely looked like she was related to them. She then looked over at Evelyn, an almost apologetic small smile being sent her way. “I’m sorry, I hope you don’t mind that I called her here, I thought she should be here for this.”

@hvmmond

There was a lot to process in a SHORT amount of time –– Eve figured, however, that was exactly how the other two women were feeling and thus decided to forge onward with as much confidence as she could muster. Ciara vaguely reminded Eve of Sasha, though some of her distinct features definitely came from a different parent than the one Eve and Sasha shared. The gallerist knew they were only half-siblings, of course, but that mattered not to her. As far as she was concerned, Ciara was just as much her sister as Sasha. 

“Oh, no, it’s okay –– uh, HI,” she said with a fleeting smile, aware of the other’s wide eyes scanning her from top to bottom. “Yeah, that’s me. You can just call me Eve though, it’s fine.” She cleared her throat quietly, turning to look at the apologetic redhead. “Don’t be sorry, you’re right. I had kind of been hoping to introduce myself to the both of you at the same time anyway.”

She glanced back at the brunette standing near, gesturing at the folder on the coffee table. “In case you wanted to check out the proof as well, it’s all in there. I promise you I’m telling the truth about all this, I have the documents and everything in order. That is, if our identical faces aren’t proof enough.” She chuckled slightly, hoping to ease the thick tension at least a tad. “Like I told Sasha, I just ... wanted to reconnect with the family I never got to be a part of. I know this is sudden but it’s taken me years to finally get to this point so in my mind it didn’t happen quickly ENOUGH.” 

Emory: What kind of friend would I be if I did that?

Emory: Nope, just me!

Eve: A terrible one. But thankfully, you are not that in the slightest.

Eve: Do you ever miss home? Or do you visit often?

Emory: it's okay, you can still call me emory.

Emory: haha, i'll make sure you get to your bed safely.

Eve: What a relief

Eve: Thank you, I appreciate that. I would hope you wouldn't let me fall asleep on the floor and destroy my back.

Everything the other woman said was laced with such sincerity that reminded her both of herself and, again, of their mother. It was almost eery just how much the brunette resembled their mother. Everything except for the hair color was almost exactly like how Sasha remembered her to look like. She swallowed, nodding. “I, uh… We were in witness protection for a few years. You probably wouldn’t have been able to find us if I hadn’t decided to drop out of it,” she explained. Back when, everything had just gotten too much for Sasha. She hadn’t been able to live the rest of her life pretending to be someone she was not.

She continued listening to her, the whole situation being more than just overwhelming. She couldn’t do this by herself much longer, that much was for sure. Of course Sasha understood the other. It was no surprise that she would want to get to know her blood relatives. Sasha’s expression at this point was one of pure compassion and empathy. No, she wasn’t the sort of person to send the other on her merry way, not after everything she had just told her. “I’m not going to just send you away,” she finally said, her voice gentle. “This is just a lot to take in. I mean. Here you are with this file that just has all this information about us and if that wasn’t enough you also look like the spitting image of my… I mean of our mother.”

The redhead swallowed harshly, getting up on her feet a moment later. “Excuse me for a moment.” She walked over to the kitchen, filling her wine glass back up, even though she almost felt like she needed something stronger. It was then that she pulled out her phone and texted Ciara. ‘Come over. Now. There’s a woman here saying she’s our sister with a file with details on us. I’m about to lose my mind. She looks almost exactly like my mother.’  the text read, hoping her sister would see it rather sooner than later. Finally, she came back to the living room, putting her glass back down on the coffee table. “I don’t understand why they didn’t tell us,…” she finally said, shaking her head.

It was only ten minutes later that she heard a key in the lock of the front door, Mowgli immediately jumping up and darting towards it.

Witness protection? Well, that definitely explained it –– but now Eve was dying to understand why they’d been in the witness protection program in the first place. “Oh, I see. It’s good you did then, otherwise I might never have gotten track of you again. I’m sorry you were in it in the first place though ... that’s terrifying.” Having to assume another identity would scare the shit out of Eve, that was for sure. And the general reasons most people ended up in the program ... well, the kind of things you had to see for them to want to change your identity were no JOKE. 

Eve’s tears began to slowly seep away at the other’s gentle tone, and she felt comforted and understood. It was a little eery though, how much the other also looked like their mother ( from pictures Eve had been able to find anyway ) –– it was like their mother comforting her through Sasha as well, and the hammering of her heart began to slow. “Thank you. I –– I know it is. I don’t know how I’d react if I was in your position. Probably with hardly as much grace and kindness as you’ve shown.” Eve was already beginning to believe sister or not, Sasha was one of the nicest, most compassionate women she’d ever encountered. 

She nodded as soon as the other excused herself, lowering her head slightly to stare at the floor between her feet. She suddenly wished she had asked for a glass of wine, growing annoyed with the swarming thoughts attacking her brain and wishing she could SUBDUE them. Eventually, however, the redhead returned and Eve sat back up, pretending as if she hadn’t been battling a million thoughts and feelings at once. “They probably didn’t want you to try to go looking for me, become obsessed with the idea of finding me ... kinda the way I was for many years. I guess I can’t blame them for wanting to protect you from the kind of pain that brings you. What you don’t know can’t hurt you.” 

Soon, Eve was aware of a key turning in the door and she was certain the immediate confusion showed on her face. Sasha had told her she lived alone ... so who could that be?

Emory: ...

Emory: you're going to have to sit through a marathon with me. *including* end credits.

Emory: yes. that's exactly what this means.

Eve: Yes ma'am, Detective Marino.

There was a certain level of confusion living within Emory when it came to a certain Evelyn Hammond. She had been so sure that the other woman was straight and that pursuing anything with her would get her absolutely nowhere. And so, she had tried to stay as much on the friendship level as possible. Still, even with Ivy’s voice in her head specifically asking her whether Evelyn had ever muttered the words ‘I’m straight’, Emory had tried her hardest not to read into things. Even when she had visited her at the gallery, at first she had tried to keep it as neutral as possible. That was until a couple of flirtatious remarks had gotten her reactions that most likely wouldn’t have happened from friends. And so, confusion was now a constant companion for the Italian when it came to the subject of Evelyn.

Emory liked the gallerist. There was something about her energy that made her want to be around her more with every minute she actually spent with her. She knew there was a connection between them, and she was positive Evelyn was feeling it too. Otherwise, the detective knew she would be making a fool of herself in the long run. Still, the gallerist kept being on her mind, even when she wasn’t even around her. To the point where even the last thought before she went to sleep was revolving around her. It was frustrating, that much was for sure, especially since Emory didn’t know how to go about it. Usually, she didn’t shy away from asking someone out if she liked them. Only that this time she was walking on incredibly thin ice with the possibility of it crashing and ruining the friendship if she took only a single step too far.

“Someone’s here to see you, Marino,” her colleague informed her and Emory’s confused expression causing a chuckle to be sent her way. “You dating someone now? She’s here with lunch.” Emory’s heart skipped a beat. What? “Shut up, Stu, I’m not dating anyone,” she finally retorted with a small grin. “Well if you don’t bag her, I will,” the male grinned back, which only earned him an eye roll from the Italian.

The moment she spotted Eve, however, her lips turned into a bright smile. “Heeey, what a nice surprise!” She came to a halt right in front of her, taking in the woman’s outfit for a moment. She was both positively surprised and halfway speechless. “Look at you!” She looked back into her eyes. “Loving this look on you! How do you feel – do you feel as if something’s missing yet without your heels?”

Eve was glad to finally see Eve come up to the front, greeting her with a heartwarming smile. She found herself holding her breath a little, as if EXPECTANT, perhaps especially in an outfit so rarely seen on her and worn purposely for the other. It was clearly received positively by Emory, who brought a grin onto the woman’s face as well with her enthusiasm. “I know! I dug around in my closet and found this bad boy just for you.” 

She looked down at herself, taking in the flannel down to the sneakers on her feet. “It does feel a little strange ... I’m missing the height advantage.” She was still a good two inches ahead of the detective, but it felt like there was still significantly less height separating them now. And yet, with Emory, she kind of liked the new intimacy of less vertical space keeping them apart. She wasn’t looking down on her so much and was nearer to her level, and it was a nice change. But that was only with her –– she’d prefer to tower over everyone else, of course.

“Well, I hope it’s all right with you, but I got Chinese,” she informed the brunette brightly, grabbing the bags off the counter where she’d set them. “I made sure to order your favourite with a side of EXTRA eggrolls. I’m pretty sure the cashier could hear my stomach growling just ordering the food, it was a little embarrassing.” She chuckled, glancing back into the more restricted area of the station. “So, why don’t you take me on back, show me your space? Since you got to explore mine, and I figure this is only way I’ll ever get to see the inside of the station without being arrested.” 

Emory: not much? i try to contain myself with the content that *could* be judged then 😅

Emory: okay, but most of those wannabe fans don't actually understand that they have to watch the tv shows too to be caught up on the whole universe. most of them don't even stay until after the end credits.

Emory: if you're going to ask me what happens after the end credits, i'll have to re-evaluate this friendship.

Emory: *so* addicting! and you know what's even more satisfying? destroying them after you finished them.

Eve: I've never stayed until end credits...

Eve: I will obviously be readjusting that since I would hate for it to make or break this friendship 😅

A private investigator. Sasha swallowed. How much did the other actually know about her then? She had to admit, the thought of having someone look into her made a cold shiver run down her spine, no matter whether the someone was her sister or not. Then again, she supposed the file would give her all the answers she needed in terms of what the PI had found out about her. Sasha cleared her throat as she opened up the file, blue eyes immediately falling on a few pictures of her and Ciara. That would explain why the other immediately asked about her.

It was incredibly strange to know that here she was, her own sister sitting next to her who she knew nothing about yet who seemed to know a lot about her. “Uh… No, she lives on her own. She’s here a lot to watch Mowgli though,” she said, eyes continuing to stay cast downward on the file in her lap. There were things about her childhood, about the school she went to, and then there seemed to be a gap which matched the time she had spent in witness protection. And then it picked back up, including photos of her time at Guildhall, pictures of her and Ciara walking Mowgli, hell, even a picture of her and Royce. Had that PI been following her over the past few weeks?

“Sorry, I… Wow.” Sasha didn’t know what to say. There was so much in there, birth certificates and so much more Sasha wouldn’t have even believed was on public record. “That is a lot. I mean… I know nothing about you but you seem to know nearly everything about me.” Sure, this woman might be her sister, and in a way Sasha also felt that it was the truth. All she had to do was look up at the woman and into those brown eyes that resembled those of their mother. Even the way she moved seemed to resemble their mother perfectly, which erased any flicker of doubt there was still left.

“I’m sorry, I know it’s a little ... invasive,” Eve apologized sincerely. She wouldn’t know how to react either if someone had paid a PI to follow her, to dig up her past. Though she had specified to the one she’d hired not to be a total creep ... just get her what was necessary to find Sasha and explain once and for all the TRUTH. “But you were a little difficult to find. Your records seemed to just ... disappear after a certain point. I needed the help.” 

She breathed in deeply, toying with her fingers in her lap. “That’s just the thing ... I’d like you to get to know me better and I’d like to meet Ciara and our father. I know I have an adoptive family and they’re always going to be my family, blood or not, but I want to take back the relationship we could have had –– the one our grandparents took from us ... from me.” It was a LONG shot, but the redhead had been nice enough to let her get this far. Clearly there was something drawing her to Eve just as Eve was pulled towards her, and she didn’t want to let that go so easily. 

“You don’t have to decide anything today or do anything drastic –– I know sometimes you have to sleep on big matters like this,” Eve added hastily, hoping she hadn’t sounded too pushy. A lump formed in her throat, however, at the next words about to pour out of her. “But I spent so many years hoping to find the truth and find my family, and I’m just not sure how much longer my heart can hold on. I just need to know sooner rather than later if this childhood dream is one I should just give up on. Because if you want me to move on, I will, and I’ll never bother you again.”

Emory: hey, you're welcome! thank *you* for showing me everything.

Emory: oh dear, is this a trap? 😂

Emory: okay, well... i'm probably embarrassingly obsessed with movies. i can quote some marvel movies probably line by line. a real film nerd here. as you know i love the water and everything that has to do with it. i also collect comic books and i love doing puzzles!

Emory: do i get a "too nerdy" stamp yet?

Eve: Anytime, you can always get a private tour! And totally not a trap or trick question, I don't judge ... much.

Eve: Kidding. Marvel movies huh? I've seen one or two, though I know they're all the rage right now. Guess you'll have to show me some more of them haha

Evelyn Hammond had never had a friendship that consumed her waking thoughts so consistently as with Emory Marino –– of course, she and Nicola were incredibly special and the other woman was always on her mind. But there was something different about the energy between her and Emory ... something Eve couldn’t exactly place her finger on but knew was unlike anything she’d felt before ( romantically or platonically ). She found herself awake at night trying to decipher it, ESPECIALLY after Emory’s visit to her gallery. 

That day she had been able to accept, though perhaps somewhat dubiously, that Eve was attracted to her in some way. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions to make that romantic or sexual –– after all, she was straight and had never attempted to figure it if she was anything more than that. It wasn’t that she was homophobic –– at least, not concerning anyone else. But she had tried since a young age to fit in and be the type of child someone would want. Trying to explore unfamiliar territory that was frowned on by some, in Eve’s mind, could have cost her the DREAM of a happy family. So she simply remained as much within the ‘status quo’ as she could. 

It was perhaps silly to continue to remain this way into adulthood, to shy away from the possibility that her sexuality was not all she’d always assumed it to be. But even at her age she was TERRIFIED –– terrified of losing the family she’d waited so many years to finally gain, terrified of her reputation being picked apart by the public, et cetera. But here she was, walking on thin ice in hopes of keeping a newly cherished friendship all to avoid crossing new lines and giving the other person the wrong idea. ( Was it the wrong idea though? ) Eve thought if she kept these feelings of attraction on the down low and didn’t give them much energy, maybe the friendship could be saved and hopefully Emory would be all right with it remaining purely platonic ... 

Eve: Thanks for stopping by the gallery again. I know I've said it a million times already but it really did make my day.

Eve: Although, I wanted to ask since you've gotten to know so much about me and my likes... I think you should tell me some of yours.

eve & emory. gallery visit. discord thread. @hvmmond