Chapter Ten

The next few hours after Evelyn received the news went by in a blur. She had tried to get a hold of her brothers, but none of them answered, which for the first time, didn't bother her much. This time, she knew for sure she would be there to try them again in a day or two. She ended up just texting Allistor, who she knew was the eldest and least immature out of them all, telling him that she had some urgent news and to call her as soon as he got a chance to.

She was now in her bedroom, smiling widely and pacing back and forth, happier than she had been in a very long time. Her thoughts darted back and forth between all the possibilities she was blinded from before, and she couldn't decide what to do first with her newfound life. I can travel again. She thought. I can get married, I can have children. I can finally fall in love. Her eyes widened at the realization. I can fall in love... Adrien.

Evelyn dashed toward her phone and eagerly unlocked it, failing the first time or two before finally getting her password right. She immediately went to her contacts and tapped Adrien's name, chewing anxiously on the inside of her cheek as she heard the dial tone sound. She prayed he would pick up and that he hadn't left it somewhere he couldn't hear it, as he often did due to his slight dislike toward technology. Just when she feared it was going to go to the voicemail she had long since memorized, the melodic tone of his voice greeting her graced her ears.

"Bonjour, mon amour. How has your day been? I was just thinking about you. Tonight, do you perhaps want to-"

"Come over." Evelyn interrupted. "Please. I need to talk to you about something important."

Adrien was silent for a moment, likely surprised. "Now?"

"If you are able." She said, biting her lip to keep the slight nervousness out of her tone, which quite a bit lighter than usual.

"I would drop anything for you." He said sincerely. "I will be over the second I put my shoes on, all right?"

"See you soon." She replied, then hung up and slipped her phone into her pocket. The realization that Adrien was going to be on his way to her house any moment and that she would confess her love to him when he arrived made her feel simultaneously relaxed and panicked. She exhaled a breath of relief and her heart pounded madly, as if the feelings trapped inside of it were trying to break free. She refused to allow herself to doubt whether or not he liked her back, for once, letting how much of a hopeless romantic she was decide her actions. Perhaps it was time she started to do that more; let her heart decide more often rather than relying solely on her mind.

She hurried over to her mirror and made sure she looked all right, really wanting to look good, or at least semi-decent, for him. She straightened her wig and let it down from the updo she had it in, remembering that Adrien preferred it when women had their hair loose rather than tied up. She ran her hands through it and ruffled it a little to give it more shape, grateful that it was thicker than her real hair was, back when she had real hair.

Hair. She thought. I can grow my hair back. She covered her mouth as a laugh broke free, followed instantly by another. She was so happy in that moment, she felt like she could burst into song, as cliché as that seemed. She was finally healthy again; cancer free and able to start living life the way it should be lived. She could do whatever she wanted, and found that thought a little overwhelming, as exhilarating as it was.

She considered putting on a little makeup, but quickly decided, not really wanting to go through the trouble and knowing Adrien wouldn't think any differently of her with or without it. She didn't exactly have the time anyways, as Adrien was likely mere minutes from her house. She wondered what she was going to say to him and of she would even be able to form coherent thoughts when they were face to face. She panicked a little and dashed to her bedside drawer, where she grabbed her spiral notebook. It was folded over to the last thing she had written in it, and she paid it no heed as she turned it to the other side. She stared at the blank page for a long moment before remembering that she would need a pen or pencil. She was just about to start looking for one when the chime of her doorbell rang through her house.

Evelyn gasped and forgot her task, dashing immediately downstairs, absentmindedly tossing the notebook onto her living room couch on her way to the door. She stopped when she arrived and bit her lip nervously, reaching out with a shaking hand and opening the door after a moment of hesitation.

Adrien stood before her, looking as immaculate as ever, but bearing a gleam of concern in his eyes instead of the one of carefree mirth he often carried with him. The instant the door was open enough for him to, he hugged Evelyn close.

"Mon amour…" he began softly, "you sounded so distressed. Please tell me you are all right."

Evelyn felt her heart flutter warmly, which helped a little with her nervousness. "Adrien, it's all right. I'm okay." She said, internally delighted to actually be telling the truth in saying that.

Adrien's body relaxed against her before he pulled away a moment later. "Thank God...what is it?"

She stepped aside and gestured for him to come inside. "I'm not going to tell you as you stand in the doorway, come in."

He immediately complied, not so subtly desperate to know what she had to say to him. The reality of the situation began to set in, bringing along the rest of the nervousness that she had known would join her sooner or later. She took a deep, shaky breath and met Adrien's anxious gaze, trying to find the words to say.

God, this is a lot more stressful than I imagined. She thought.

"Adrien, I-" Evelyn was interrupted by the ringing of her phone, which made Adrien look a little irritated as he muttered something about hating 'those things'. She apologized and pulled it from her pocket to silence it when she saw that it was Allistor. She couldn't leave him to go to voicemail, not when she had something so important to tell him.

"I am so terribly sorry, but I must take this." She said apologetically. "It's my brother."

Adrien, despite sighing softly, nodded and made a gesture with his hand to signal she was okay to leave. She instantly dashed off to the bathroom and closed the door so she wouldn't be overheard and answered the call.

"Allistor, you called back." She said, a smile coming upon her face.

"What's wrong?" Allistor's worried voice answered. "What happened? Shit, Evie, don't tell me it's taken a turn for the worse…."

"Quite the contrary." She said quickly, not wanting him to worry over her for a second longer. She grinned widely as she continued. "Allistor, it's gone. It's bloody gone."

There was silence on the other end for a long moment. "If you're joking, so help me, I'm going to kick your tiny ar-"

"I'm not joking! It really is gone. I found out this morning. I can hardly believe it myself, but I'm cancer free."

There was silence and then a soft sniffle, which Evelyn pretended she didn't hear, as she knew he would only firmly deny that he was crying.

"It...it's gone for good?"

Evelyn didn't want to think about or admit that there was always a chance it would return, so she let out a soft laugh of joy and nodded. "It is, yes. I'm going to be healthy again, finally."

"Do Dylan and Seamus know?"

"No, just you. I tried calling them, but you know how they are." She said, chuckling a little, finding their tendency to go to the pub almost every night endearing in her haze of elation.

"I'll tell 'em. Unless you want to, then I won't." Allistor said, clearing his throat and taking a deep breath.

"You can. Just tell them to call me, if you would. I haven't spoken to either of the pricks in a while."

Allistor laughed weakly. "Aye, I will. Ah, shit, I'm sorry, Evie, but I've got to go. I'll call you as soon as I get a chance, okay?"

"Okay. I love you, Allistor."

There was a long moment of silence, and just when she was about to hang up, she heard him mutter the same phrase back to her. Her grin widened and she bade him farewell before hanging up. She took a deep breath and slipped her phone back into her pocket, then left the bathroom and made her way back to the living room. She felt considerably less nervous than she did before, always having felt a sense of relief after speaking with Allistor.

Evelyn took another deep breath and looked up as she walked into the living room. Her eyes widened in worry and confusion when she saw Adrien sitting on the couch, her notebook in his hands, and tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked up at her when she walked in, a look of grief and pain upon his face.

"I-is this...is this true?" He murmured, holding up the notebook with a shaking hand.

Her mind swirled with confusion and she walked over, taking the notebook from him to see what he was so upset about. Her blood went cold and her eyes widened when she saw what it was. It was the suicide note she had written the day they met one another. Horror gnawed at her heart and she desperately tried to think of an excuse, but none came to mind.

Adrien stood and hugged her tightly, as if she would disappear at any moment. Her heart broke as she felt his body begin to convulse steadily with sobs.

"Adrien...I-I can explain." She murmured, holding him.

"Ma chère, chère amoure pourquoi tu veuz quelque chose comme ça...? Dites-moi que c'est pas vrai…."

Evelyn couldn't understand more than a word or two of what he said, but could guess well enough from his tone; he was utterly devastated. She didn't try to explain herself now, giving him a moment to calm himself and process things. She couldn't imagine how shocked he must have been to find that...god, why hadn't she just ripped that page out? She hated that she hadn't. This day had been going so blissfully well, and it was supposed to continue that way. Why did she have to screw everything up again?

Adrien continued to weep into her shoulder for some time, and Evelyn merely guided him to sit on the couch and comforted him the best she could. She stayed silent, lest she worsen his state with any ill placed words. She got the feeling that if she uttered the phrase, 'it's okay', it would only send him into further hysterics. She tried her best to ignore the guilt, but having the man she loved in her arms, crying because of something she caused, made it difficult to forget.