Chapter 5: Hansen, Forest Ranger

Evan ultimately did not tell a white lie to his mother when she asked him why he was suddenly moving out sooner than they had planned. It had been quite the awkward conversation, one that he had blushed and bluffed his way through, but Evan did tell her that he and Zoe Murphy had reconnected, and with their romantic affair reigniting, she had asked him to move in with her. Heidi gave Evan her blessing, and seemed to feel better about her son's relationship knowing that past hurts and wrongs had been forgiven.

Despite his girlfriend's assurances, Evan wasn't so sure that an admission to the Murphys that he was back in their daughter's life would go over nearly so well, even if they too had forgiven him for what had happened with Connor. As far as he knew, Zoe hadn't told Larry or Cynthia that she was seeing him again, and Evan's nerves over that eventuality made it easy for him to tell his lover to take as long as she wanted on that front. Bringing him home to reconnect with her folks could wait – forever, if need be.

Still, it was an adjustment financially living with his girlfriend as opposed to his mother. Like Heidi Hansen, however, Zoe didn't insist that Evan pay rent – there were…. other ways he could make payment, chief being sometimes waking up in the middle of the night to spend hours upon hours making love. Zoe owned her apartment outright, meaning no landlord, so there wasn't the hassle of changing a lease agreement. Nevertheless, Evan knew that if he and Zoe were really serious about possibly building a life together, he would have to work harder. So he gamely took on more and more hours as the Chief Arborist at Ellison Park, throwing himself into his work. It sometimes meant coming home late to Zoe, shortened weekends in which stolen moments alone together were all the more fleeting, but Evan knew he could handle it. His love of trees was equal to that of his love for Zoe, and as long as she was happy and not overworked, that was what mattered.

Happily stuck in his dream job and a relationship with a woman who loved him (all of him, the real him), the woman he had always wanted, Evan figured he had reached the pinnacle of his life. He had happiness in his hands, and didn't think that it was necessary to reach for better.

The leaders at Ellison Park thought otherwise.

Which brought Evan to where he was now, driving through dusk traffic on this Friday, autumn evening and periodically checking the Google Maps directions on his phone. Zoe had called him at lunch, announcing they had a dinner reservation at one of the finer restaurants in the city – a splurge from her closing the deal with a partnering client – and they were going out. It had only been after he had hung up with an "I love you" to her that Evan realized he would have his own exciting news to share with her.

His boss had called Evan into his office around mid-afternoon and told him that he had been promoted, to a Forest Ranger for the expansive Ellison Park. Evan had been happily stunned – he had never thought to apply for the position, as it was more law enforcement based, and therefore not at all conducive to his social anxiety. But his boss had simply smiled and said that the rangers were about more than just catching arsonists and litterers. There was an educational and safety component, both for park visitors and for the trees and land itself. Essentially, Evan could and would still get to do the arborist study he had done before – just this time with a gun and a badge. And, his boss had told him with an eye twinkle, increased pay, along with reasonable hours that included comp time, "which you've accrued quite a bit of, Hansen!"

Evan felt so proud that he had been recommended for greater responsibility at the park that he hadn't expected to be granted. Parallel parking at the curb outside of the restaurant, he leapt out and hustled into the eatery. When the maitré'd escorted him to the table, his jaw dropped.

There was Zoe in an adorable red cocktail dress that perfectly matched the shade of her auburn hair, now tumbling down to her shoulders. She beamed at him radiantly, the candlelight only further illuminating her beauty, and Evan's answering grin was positively goofy as he strode forward and greeted her with a soft kiss on the lips.

"Hi," she crooned, as he slid into the booth across from her. "How was work?"

"Indescribable!" Evan bubbled. Zoe arched an eyebrow, her lips quirking up in curiosity.

"Not a word you hear often; I'm intrigued!"

Evan nodded. "That's because I have good news!"

Zoe's blue eyes sparkled as she leaned forward, arms on the table. "Tell me!"

"My boss called me in after lunch: I've… been promoted! To Forest Ranger over at the park!"

Zoe's orbs expanded in happy shock.

"I know!" Evan babbled. "I didn't even apply; Mr. Ige put my name forward on a recommendation. I'll still get to do what I do now, but with higher status. Excellent pay…" he reached across the table to take her hand. "And reasonable hours. Apparently, I have enough comp time as it is, which means more time with you."

Zoe was ecstatic, brimming with pride. "This is amazing! Oh, honey… you've moving up!" Rounding the table, she embraced him, kissing him tenderly. "I'm so proud of you…. I love you."

Evan grinned. "Back at you."

Zoe Muprhy tapped her foot excitedly while waiting at the bottom of the winding, iron spiral staircase in her and Evan's apartment. Her boyfriend was still in their bedroom, changing.

"I wanna see it! I wanna see how handsome you are! How do you look?"

"Like I just escaped from an episode of Yogi Bear," her lover's voice echoed down in a dry deadpan.

"Evan…." Zoe whined. "I'm sure you look like a million bucks, babe!"

A slight pause, then: "Promise you won't laugh?"

"Why on earth would I do that? I just want to see my sexy forest ranger!" Zoe's smile shone brightly.

"OK…." Zoe could hear the clopping of boots as Evan exited their bedroom and approached the landing. The boots appeared first, followed by the rest of him. The uniform was, naturally, a forest green, and Zoe unconsciously licked her lips at how tight and form-fitting it was on Evan's figure. His deep, dark eyes – shadowed by a gallon hat with a wide brim - finally lifted to hold her proud gaze. Her lover was biting his lip, sheepish and self-conscious.

"Well?"

Zoe shrugged, yet her blue eyes twinkled. "All I'll say, babe, is if we were the type that was into cosplay, I'd rip that uniform off you with my teeth." Her irises had darkened considerably, and her voice was low and husky in a way that made Evan quiver in delight. His look of pleasant surprise at her flirting made Zoe tinkle out a laugh that sounded like bells. "But I guess it's more important what you think."

Evan matched her shrug. "Nothing, I just didn't know the rodeo was in town," he cracked, taking off his ten-gallon ranger hat and inverting it, peering in. "I could probably go deep diving into this! Or have birds make a nest in it!"

Zoe giggled, sidling up to him and straightening his collar. "Nonsense. You look very handsome." She gently rested her hands on the strong planes of his chest. Her gaze swept over him, lingering slightly at the gun in its holster along his belt. She tried to hide her cringe at the thought of her lover being licensed to carry a weapon, but Evan noticed. He still knew her better than she sometimes knew herself. Her brother had taken his life with a gun like that. Probably of a similar make…

"Don't worry – it won't ever be loaded when I'm off the park premises." Evan opened the cartridge to show her the empty chambers. "And definitely never in the house. Deal?"

Looping her arms about his neck, Zoe reached up to softly brush her lips across his, amazed at his thoughtfulness. "Deal," she whispered.

Zoe smiled fondly and lovingly as she leaned against a firm, strong birch in Ellison Park, deep in the towering bluffs and nature trails, watching her boyfriend teach a class to elementary school kids.

She would always maintain that Evan looked sinfully attractive in his ranger uniform, but his handsomeness was now only enhanced by the passion and enthusiasm dancing in his face as he talked to the little ones about trees, his words almost carrying him away as he discussed the majesty of the nature around them.

Her lover had already been deep in his lecture before he had even noticed Zoe walk up, on this sunny Saturday morning; when he finally had, Evan had given her a shy smile and continued on with his lecture. Zoe also didn't fail to notice how the kids seemed enraptured by what Evan was teaching them, and Zoe's smile only broadened. Evan would make a great father….

It wasn't the easiest to admit where such a thought came from, though Zoe didn't shy away from it the way that she had used to, even as recently as a year ago, when he had come back into her life.

Applause from the kids rang in her ears as Evan finished his presentation, lingering with the teachers and chaperones to accept their appreciation. As the group turned to head back up the nature trail, Evan hung back, grinning bashfully as Zoe sauntered up to him.

"You really are great with kids, Evan Hansen."

The social anxiety that she knew her boyfriend still grappled with manifested now in an adorable blush. "Not sure what you're talking about," he mumbled, which only made Zoe laugh. Brushing a hand along his arm, she gazed at him with crippling adoration. The affection burned in her, the swelling of caring she felt for this man making her feel like she might burst if she didn't find some way to claim it – forever, she hoped. A memory came flooding back, from when they were teenagers first growing closer, in the wake of Evan's viral speech at her brother's memorial service.

You don't know how much you've done for my family…. and me….

And even with the truth muddying that legacy somewhat, Zoe found that this statement from long ago still bore out. Evan was still affecting her, and making her better – and now in an honest, authentic way.

"I love you," she murmured softly, nearly getting teary at the thought.

Evan grinned at her, never not thrilled to hear her say those words. "I love you too."

Gazing at him, Zoe took a deep breath and leapt:

"Will you marry me?"

The priceless, excited amazement on Evan's face at her proposal was something she would remember forever. Zoe knew it wasn't traditional, for the girl to propose marriage. It wasn't even something that she and Evan had discussed in their year of living together. Reconnecting and finding their way back to each other. Yet she now knew that she couldn't imagine being without him. She had been, for close to a decade, and despite all the circumstances telling her she should be angry with him, she hadn't been able to help missing him. Forgiving him over what had happened with Connor. She hadn't been able to stop loving him, in spite of it all.

She gasped in happy shock when Evan's lips were suddenly on hers, kissing her deeply. When they finally broke apart, the joy in his whole being was nearly indescribable.

"Yeah. I, I mean…. Yes."

Zoe grinned. "OK, then." And she embraced and kissed him back.