The tundra spread out forever beneath them as D. Vine turned around to face away from the rock. Her chest heaved with exhaustion as she tried to catch her breath. "Evie," she sighed, her voice slightly high-pitched. Evelyn Quinn turned to look at her, eyebrows arched. "Can we rest? I'm exhausted."
Evie turned back to face the mountain, taking it in. They had been hiking for close to two hours. It was a slow and tedious journey that Evie had never taken anyone on. Normally she tackled it alone, and had brought Nix once. But D. Vine Aquarius' skill in adventurers and the dress she wore left something to be desired.
For a moment, Evie stared at D. Vine, then shifted her weight and set her backpack down on the ledge they stood on. "Sure, lets take a break," Evie replied. D. Vine sighed and sank onto the rock without removing her own pack. Evie opened her bag and pulled out a couple of sandwiches, handing one to D. Vine.
While D. ate Evie laid back and watched the clouds. A few minutes later, D. Vine noticed that the other woman was humming a tune. For long moments they sat there, reveling in their own thoughts. "What are you humming?" D. Vine asked softly.
Evie frowned as she took a sip of water from her canteen and swished it around in her mouth. Finally, she swallowed and replied, "A song I used to sing at the bar I worked at when I met your father."
"It sounds familiar," D. Vine replied.
"Yeah, it would, wouldn't it? Samantha sings it in her Cabaret. I heard Emil telling you about it the other day."
"How does it go again?" D. asked softly.
For a moment, Evie just kept humming. D Vine sat quietly, waiting for the sweet soft voice to rise up. It took a moment, and when it finally did it was far away, as if Evie were lost in a dream of sorts.
"When I was in my 16th year and dreaming of romance a lot, I thought I was Gwenivere and every boy Sir Lancelot. But now that I am more mature and know my way about, I don't believe in vive la moiré cause Evie's found out… Most gentlemen don't like love, they just want to kick it around. Most gentle can't take love, cause most gentlemen can't be profound…"
She fell silent for a long moment, then whispered, "That was the moment when your father found out that I wasn't as old as he thought. I sang it for him at the bar, on my eighteenth birthday."
Neither of them spoke for a long time, sitting, staring out at the land below them. "What was the name of that bar?" D. Vine asked.
Evie put the cap back on her canteen, and rose to her feet. "Break's over, lets gets move on. Only a bit more left," she said, throwing her bag over her shoulder. Before D. Vine could argue Evie had her toes in a crevice and was hoisting herself off the ledge and back onto the hidden path.
It had only been about a half an hour when Evie slowed down, and waited for D. Vine to catch up. They stopped on the opposite side of a boulder, and Evie smiled at D. Vine. "This is it," Evie said softly, "This is where my heart is."
The two of them turned the corner together, and D. Vine's breath caught in her throat. The side of the mountain that loomed above them was filled with holes, and each hole resembled a door or a window. "They live in the mountain?" D. Vine asked. Evie nodded. "This is amazing."
There were five tiers of walkways, all connected in a twisting path. Each path went deeper into the mountain, creating a new ledge. There were dozens of houses on each tier, each one looked unique, whether it was caused by paint on the walls of rock, or an ornately carved mural.
"Miss Quinn!" A voice said from the first tier of houses. D. Vine turned to see a young black man hanging his legs over the ledge. "Miss Quinn! We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."
Evie waved, and as D. Vine watched she lost the age and maturity that she carried with her. She became a twenty three year old girl, a smile on her bright pink lips, her blue eyes sparkling with youth and laughter. "Hello, Kiros!" she called, laughing. "I came early!"
"I'll be right now. I have someone who will be excited to see you!"
Evie sighed and dropped her bag to the ground as she whispered, "Not as excited as I am to see him." D. Vine stared at her. Who was this woman beside her? Who was this young, exuberant young woman who looked as if she were the happiest woman in the world. She looked as if she knew the secret to the universe.
Within moments, Kiros appeared at the base of the path leading down from the tiers of the house. In his arms he carried a small boy with dark hair, freckles, cream colored skin and bright blue eyes. "Toby!" Evie cried, rushing forward.
The small boy's eyes widened in surprise, and a smile brightened his face, showing a line of small teeth. He outstretched his arms as he cried, "Mommy!" D. Vine's heart started to hammer against her chest and her hand fluttered to her heart. Evie had a child.
The boy launched himself into her arms and she fell backwards onto the ground with him. He collapsed into a fit of giggles as she tickled his sides. D. Vine watched as she giggled herself, and swept the small boy up to kiss the top of his head. He sighed and leaned across her chest, his head nestled in the white of her shirt.
She sat up, holding close and motioned for D. Vine to join them. She kneeled down and arranged her skirt beneath her. "Toby," Evie said softly, standing the small child up and holding his gaze. "This is Dee. Introduce yourself."
The small boy outstretched his left hand and announced, "Hello, I'm Tobias Aidan Quinn. It's a pleasure to meet you."
D. Vine smiled, then reached out and shook his hand, saying, "Hello, Mr. Quinn. I'm D. Vine Aquarius, but you may call me Dee."
"And you may call me Toby, Dee," Toby replied softly, his chubby fingers intertwined in her hand. She watched him as he smiled, and something hit her. "Is this why you wanted me to come here, Evie?" D. Vine asked.
Evie shook her head and held up and hand. "Not right now, D. Not right now," she said, wrapping her arms around Toby once more. The small boy buried his face in her hair and inhaled loudly. "What have you been up to, my darling?" Evie said, pulling him into her lap.
"If you no longer require my assistance, Miss Quinn, I'll take your things up to the house," Kiros said softly. Evie smiled up at him and nodded. He bowed out, taking their packs with him. D. Vine watched as Evie and Toby talked softly amongst themselves. She watched Evie smile and laugh at the little boy's curiosity and questioning. She saw her eyes dance and twinkle, she saw the stress of adventures disappear and youth and love replace them.
"Mommy, do you want to see what I've been working on?" Toby asked, standing up. Evie nodded and rose to her feet. "Coming, Dee?" Toby asked, offering his other hand. D. Vine grinned and took the hand, standing up as well.
Up the walkway he led them, tugging on their hands as they trekked up the incline. Finally, they reached the first level and stopped in front of the door. "Watch your head, D." Evie said as she ducked in the door.
"Over here, Mommy," Toby said, pulling them along. A young African woman stood over a cook fire in the front of the house. Evie smiled and nodded to her as Toby pulled them past, the young woman winked and nodded back.
He pulled them to a stop before a wall. On the wall was a painting of Evie, atop a rhino, with her hat atop her head. "Like it?" he asked.
It was a rough drawing of finger-paints done inside a charcoal outline. It was obvious that the outline had been done by Kiros or his wife, and that Toby was simply coloring it in. But to Evie it was a Monet. "I love it, darling!" she exclaimed, hugging him.
"Hello, Miss Quinn," the woman said, smiling over Toby's head.
"Hello, Akilah," Evie replied. The older woman reached over and handed Evie a glass of water. "Akilah, this is D. Vine Aquarius."
"Hello, Miss Aquarius. Would you like a drink?"
With a smile, D. Vine declined, turning back to Evie and Toby. They were huddled once more, talking softly. She leaned against the wall and watched.
Dark had approached by the time they reached the bottom of the mountain. Climbing down had been far easier than climbing up. Kiros had arranged for a guide down the path, complete with lantern. They reached the truck where the soldiers awaited, and the guide left them. Evie vaulted into the truck and reached down to help D. Vine.
The girl didn't wait for Evie, she kicked her leg up and pulled herself into the truck. Evie smiled as the girl settled in beside her. Her brown hair was down and pulled back from her face, Evie's hat pulled tight over her ears. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes heavy. The girl was obviously exhausted, but Evie had never seen a bigger smile.
"So, how old is Toby?" D. Vine asked.
Evie smiled, "He's four." The soldier at the wheel started the truck and moved away from the mountaintop. "I came here when I was pregnant and Kiros and Akilah took me in. I stayed here for months. After he was born, I knew I couldn't take him home with me, no one could know about him. So they offered to keep him, raise him well. I paid for tutors and Akilah is wonderful with manners and speech. She was schooled in Britain. The time is slowly approaching for me to come and take him home with me. But until then, I come here at least twice a month, and return for a few days."
"And Tobias was the name you gave him?" D. Vine replied, hinting slightly.
Evie nodded, her eyebrow arched. A smile played on her lips. "I know what you're thinking, D. Vine." D. Vine turned to look at her in the silver moonlight. "And you're wrong."
Startled, D. Vine blinked. "You mean he's not Tobias' son?"
"No, but I named him Tobias because Tobias was the one that came with me when I was pregnant. He's the one who covered for me at the Club. He's the one that loved the child as his own in the first months of his life."
"Then who's the father?" D. Vine asked.
Evie's eyes found hers. "There's a reason I had you come, D. Vine," she whispered.
For a long moment she stayed very quiet, then she whispered, barely loud enough for Evie to hear. "Is Toby my brother?"
Evie smiled softly. "Half-brother," she replied in a whisper to match the first. D. Vine fell silent for a long moment.
Finally she replied, softly, "Thank you, Evie. Thank you for this."
Evie threw her arm around D. Vine's shoulders and held her close. "Thank you, D. Vine, for giving me someone to share this with."