Despite having an escort of Stewart-bots to clear the way, EVE and WALL•E were surrounded by people and robots as they made their way home from the Axiom on their hover transport. Everyone just seemed to follow them as they went. EVE at first continued to be grateful and overwhelmed by all the support and encouragement. However, amid the crowd she was almost shouting directions in Axiom to the escorting Stewart-bots to guide them towards the truck WALL•E and she shared. EVE was just thankful that M-O offered to drive the hover transport once she and WALL•E had boarded it. He at least knew the way.

Still, amid all the busyness, EVE wasn't going to lose touch with WALL•E. She held him from behind as they went along on the hover transport, and continued to try to point out things that might be of interest to him — although it wasn't always easy for her to get his attention with all that was going on! The most precious moments to EVE though were just holding WALL•E now. Actually, she had never spent much time at his back before, and at times began noticing new details about the back of his optics and elsewhere that had previously escaped her attention.

EVE just began to relax and smile though, as she held WALL•E even tighter and closer — enjoying the journey with him, regardless of whatever else was going on.

They finally arrived at their truck, but things didn't end there. As the celebration and attention around her and WALL•E kept on going for the rest of the day, EVE became just overwhelmed. Everyone else, robot and human alike, continued to be very excited. But EVE was ready for some quiet and rest, with WALL•E. She was wanting some 'emotional recharging' with him, and some more little rewarding moments for the battles she had recently fought for both of them. After all, part of her commitment to WALL•E was enjoying 'now' with him, not just maintaining hope for someday in the future.

This is good, EVE began to muse to herself with satisfaction, as she inwardly marveled at some of the increasingly wonderful, and enjoyable, pledges she had somehow managed to include in her commitment to WALL•E. She was also just glad that as a robot, she could enjoy some quiet thoughts to herself, while she continued to remain beside WALL•E on the ramp of their truck, and waive and politely acknowledge the crowd's continuing attention and enthusiastic support. EVE wondered if humans could multi-task and process like this.

Evening twilight finally began to diminish the crowd. That, and a brief sand storm, served to encourage the rest to return to the Axiom. EVE found herself strangely grateful for the storm, even though it demonstrated that the hole she had once blasted in the truck's roof would need to be repaired somehow. Upon closing the truck's door at the storm's onset, despite the wind and sand blowing in through the hole in the roof for a moment — EVE experienced a surprising surge of relief, fatigue, and yet love for WALL•E, and joy that she was home, with him . . . alone.

Once the storm passed and all became quiet, EVE turned some lights on, and went around the truck picking a few things up that had been blown over or out of place. She looked back at WALL•E, and could see him surveying the interior of the truck with interest.

With a mixture of knowing, yet sadness, EVE just beeped at WALL•E in Axiom, You can't remember being here, can you.

With a loving look in her eye forms, she hovered over beside WALL•E and put a fin around him, as she gestured around them with the other fin.

"WALL•E . . . home," she said. This is our home, she amplified in Axiom, hoping that he might start to become bilingual and come to recognize both languages. WALL•E looked at her, and around their home, in curiosity.

"You . . . here . . . long time . . ." You have lived here for centuries, she continued in both languages.

He motored over to the shelves on one side. EVE moved over to the shelf controls and began rotating them so that he could see all that was on them. But WALL•E shrieked and jumped back in alarm at the shelves moving, instinctively withdrawing into his cube, shaking. EVE immediately stopped the shelves and rushed over, putting her fins around WALL•E to reassure him.

"Shhhhh . . . okay . . . okay," she said to him soothingly, as his optics and arms slowly started to re-emerge.

WALL•E's nervous chattering and warbling began to subside. He looked up at her, silently.

As she held him and looked back at him, EVE expressed to him in Axiom, You don't know my identification, do you . . . "My name," she added in English. She realized that she hadn't introduced herself to this latest incarnation of him.

EVE paused as WALL•E continued to look at her. Those optics of his . . . they were starting to show signs of curiosity, even of personality starting to emerge, EVE began to appreciate inwardly. EVE let herself look deeply into them for the first time in a while. His gaze was no longer quite the empty stare it had been. Somehow, it no longer frightened or chilled her.

EVE could have introduced herself properly to him, but . . .

". . . Eee-vaah," she ended up saying to him, pointing at herself with warm, smiling eyes.

She wanted him to know her again using the name he himself had once called her by. It was one way to keep his memory alive, or revive or re-create it, she marveled to herself. EVE began to experience a wonderful mixture of pride and belonging again in starting to use the name that he had given her. By using, even embracing that name, she felt she was his, truly his, once more.

"Eee-vaah . . . Eee-vaah," she slowly repeated, still pointing to herself with one of her fins, while keeping the other around him.

"Eee-vaah," WALL•E finally repeated out loud, pointing towards her himself.

EVE giggled with delight and joy at hearing him say her name as only he could, for the first time since her odyssey to bring him back had begun. It was a tremendous, warming, yet simple gift to her.

"Thank you, WALL•E," she said with warmth and gratitude as she moved closer and embraced him.

"Eee-vaah," he repeated innocently.

EVE giggled again with joy in her eye forms as she moved back slightly in their embrace and looked at him.

"You . . ." EVE said, as she irresistibly moved closer, gently touching her visor against his optics, and giving him a spark-kiss.

WALL•E involuntarily warbled in response as his Solar Charge Display beeped. This caused EVE to giggle again as she lifted him off the truck's floor and slowly spun around with him in the air.

"You . . . thank you . . ." she warmly repeated as she held him even tighter.

"Whoa!" WALL•E noted with a degree of concern as he looked down and noticed he was off the floor. His optics swiveled, anxiously looking back and forth between the floor below and EVE.

"Shhhh . . . okay," EVE reassured him, as she gently floated both of them, still slowly spinning, back down to the floor.

Someday you will fly with me, and come to enjoy it, she said to him in Axiom. EVE found herself already looking forward to even the idea of such a day, with positive anticipation.

"Eee-vaah," WALL•E said more brightly, now that he was back on the floor.

"WALL•E," EVE responded once again, with incredible sensations of warmth and joy once again washing through her.

"Eee-vaah . . . Eee-vaah . . ." WALL•E began repeating, encouraged by her positive responses.

"Shhhh . . ." she gently said to him, holding up a finger in front of her. Don't overdo it, she warmly cautioned him in Axiom.

"Huh?" he asked quizzically.

EVE recognized that she had to be careful, and consistent in using English and Axiom together. She couldn't just speak English expressions and unrelated Axiom thoughts at the same time. That would only confuse WALL•E in learning Axiom, she realized.

She looked down and gently shook her head in frustration as she continued to face him. Then she looked at him again with a tinge of sadness in her eye forms. EVE found herself wanting to communicate, to share, so much with WALL•E. But she didn't know how.

Devise linguistic teaching and communication options and scenarios with WALL•E 1, she instructed her internal analytic systems. EVE began to see a variety of scenarios in text and images presented on her visor. But she dismissed one after another, seeing nothing that would satisfy her desire to share all that was in her consciousness with him this evening. One last option presented itself . . . Just show him, express yourself, it simply advised her.

EVE once again moved close to WALL•E, embracing him tightly as she looked with sadness past him towards the floor. She detected his arms extending and encircling her again.

"Eee-vaah," he calmly said.

Maybe you're learning after all, she thought warmly to herself for a moment.

Perceiving WALL•E's actions, EVE began to wonder to herself, Could love be just a series of programmed responses that are triggered in reaction to certain stimuli?

Could I just teach WALL•E to love me? she asked herself. How had he once taught me about love, and how to love him?

EVE re-accessed all her memories of WALL•E as she considered these questions. It had all just seemed to happen to her, to both of them. One minute she saw just this odd little robot; and only days later she was casting aside her long sought-after plant, and willingly, even joyfully, making him her directive. All he had done, she realized, was to consistently, unswervingly, appreciate and care for her.

When I finally was able to see all that he had done for me, she reflected to herself, . . . I just wanted to do the same for him, in gratitude. Hardly a word needed to be spoken, in any language!

That's it! Just show him . . . and maybe tell, a little! EVE marveled. She moved back slightly to look at WALL•E, and took one of his optics in her open hand.

"WALL•E . . ." she said warmly to him as she smiled with her eye forms, ". . . good."

WALL•E took one of his own hands, and laid it gently on EVE's head beside her visor.

"Eee-vaah . . . goooood," he replied in the same gentle way.

EVE was touched deeply, and began gently crying tears of loving gratitude.

"Thank you, WALL•E," she whispered, heartfelt amid her grateful tears.

"Thaaank yooou . . . Eee-vaah," he repeated.

EVE couldn't resist moving closer and giving him another spark-kiss on his optics, with the now predictable response from WALL•E!

EVE got a warm, slightly mischievous look in her eye forms. One more long one, she thought.

So she moved in and — *Zzzzzzaaaaaaaaaappp!* — she gave him a nice, long-lasting spark-kiss!

"Wow-wow-woah-woah-woah-ah-ah-ah!" WALL•E gently exclaimed in surprise and response.

EVE gently and joyfully laughed, as she shook her head at his wonderfully silly responses, while still touching WALL•E's optic with her visor. She nuzzled him, and it was wonderful. Maybe there was more of the consciousness she loved present, or emerging within him now, than she had feared initially.

EVE found herself very relaxed now with WALL•E. Her mind was still. She was totally at peace. She was even joyfully ready to fade off to dormancy with him after such an eventful day.

"Sleep?" she whispered, almost seductively — the speaker in her visor being largely muffled against his optic.

"Sleeeeep," WALL•E agreed, seeming to be almost as content, and lulled, as EVE felt she was.

WALL•E's optics and treads cubed up within him, but his arms remained extended around EVE. EVE likewise allowed her head to retract to her own body, but left herself leaning downwards towards WALL•E with her arms extended around him as well.

This can work, EVE joyously thought to herself as she faded towards dormancy — resting, even reveling, within his extended arms. I will still search for a way to bring you back fully, but it can all work!

This is good . . . she smiled to herself as her eye forms closed. WALL•E, you are good . . .