Hello everyone (the one's still reading he). I'm attempting to finish all my stories, and I have as you might know been sick and I'm not well yet, so it's going to take some time. I hope you all are patient with me, there's really nothing I can do about it other than try and find the energy and time to write. I really have no idea which order I'll write, I'll just have to take it as it comes and be happy when I can. Thanks for reading!

I don't own Crossing Lines or it's characters.

She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip of the red wine, while staring over at her red headed friend.

"You should call him"

"I can't"

"You want to, don't you?"

"I don't know what to say, it's all so…"

Arabella nodded, a sad smile on her lips. "He'll understand"

Eva scoffed.

"No really, if you tell him all about it he will. Trust me"

"How can you know that?"

"Because I've seen the way he looks at you"

Eva took a long drink from her wineglass. "God this is such a mess"

"Aint that the truth"

"How did you even know?" Eva bumped her shoulder with her own.

"Because I've seen the way you look at him"

Eva laughed then, a sound so unusual right now that her throat rasped. "Funny girl"

"We can't all be the tempting seductress" She teased and clinked their glasses together.

"Really though… I know I said it before but… I'm, I'm really glad you came" She ignored the tears in her eyes. "It was hard, being here alone after Dorn told me".

"Hey, we're a team" Arabella placed her hand on Eva's arm. "I knew you needed me, and even though I know I wasn't your first choice…" Eva sniffed "I'm glad to be here to help you. And Tommy's gonna understand. You'll work everything out and then we'll go after Dr Clarke, alright?"

Eva sniffed again, a watery smile on her lips. "Keep it up and you'll be my first choice from now on"

Arabella laughed and shook her head. "Please don't, Tommy would be mad with jealousy knowing you'd call someone before him. I don't want to have him scowling at me"

Eva laughed but then quickly sobered. "Do they know where you are?"

"Hickman knows. He should have told them by now. They should be here soon, would have been sooner but someone was losing his mind and drinking himself unconscious every night, while the others were trying to help Rebecka with everything".

"I still can't believe that he's gone"

"Me neither. But he is, and now all we can do is make him proud"

Eva nodded, resolution strong on both their faces. "Does that include another glass?"

Arabella nodded. "The major would insist"

The drive up to the house was tense. The knock on the door seemed to echo in the air around them, and then it opened. Revealing Arabella on the other side, gesturing at them to come in.

"Where's Eva?" The words were out before he could stop them.

"I'm right here"

He turned, and there she was. Their eyes met and he struggled to remember why he was angry at her. Then Arabella spoke, something about food in the kitchen and he remembered.

"I thought you were dead" The words came out more harshly than he intended, the underlying resentment slipping out before he could reign it back in.

She flinched, but then straightened up, that familiar defiant spark in her eyes. "I thought the same about you".

Of course Arabella had told her that he was alive and fine, although a bit bruised, for some reason she hadn't believed it until she saw him.

"And yet you didn't call"

"You didn't call me" She retorted.

"No sense in calling the dead, now is there?"

She diverted her gaze then, hearing the underlying pain behind his words. "I couldn't" She whispered.

Not good enough, he thought. "Why?"

"My father never died, Tommy"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"He was here, and he, I, he's the one I was meeting when I called you. I couldn't call you after because he kidnapped me. I escaped, and hid until sources told me he had left. Then Arabella came and we left together. I have no idea where he is right now".

"Why didn't you call me?"

There was so many answers to that question but she wasn't ready to tell him yet. "Can we talk about this later?"

He wanted to refuse but the tired look on her face made him hesitate. He had looked her over when he first saw her, but he'd been so struck by the thought that she was actually there that he hadn't noticed that she seemed to be favoring her right side. "Are you hurt?"

"It's nothing"

It was something, alright. But he let it go for now, his eyes promising her that they would talk about this later.

They all gathered at the table in the kitchen. It was silent for a few moments before someone started saying something and then they were talking as usual, although a bit carefully. They had lost someone, again, but the rest of them were here, and they couldn't deny that it felt good to be in the same room again. Like they were safe. Tommy watched Eva and Arabella smile at something and felt a sting of completely irrational jealousy. He was her partner, well, more her partner than anyone else was. Why hadn't she wanted him here instead? Eva stood from the table to get some more vegetables they had obviously prepared before the rest of the teams arrival, wincing as she did so, and Arabella reached out a hand, as if to steady her but Eva shook her head, and she dropped it again, a concerned look on her face. He watched her carefully as she reached for the salt and pepper jar at the top of the shelf, her shirt riding up to reveal a bruise on her hip, a bit of it showing above her jeans. His eyes narrowed and then he flinched. It was a handprint. On her hip. There was only one reason anyone would have a bruise that size there, and he couldn't even see the whole of it. His blood boiled and his eyes snapped to Arabella to find her watching him with a sympathetic look in her eyes. He understood now, why Eva had wanted her here, instead of him. It wasn't because of him, it was because he was male. He made a motion to stand up, but Arabellas hand on his arm stopped him.

"Don't"

His furious eyes found hers.

"It's not as bad as you think" She swallowed hard and then continued. "It's not my place to tell, but don't ask her about this now. He didn't manage to do what he intended, he tried but…"

"Who?" His voice came out a raspy, deathly whisper, a promise of retribution and pain to anyone involved in whatever horror scenarios was running through his head.

She shook her head. "She'll tell you when she's ready"

He took a deep breath as Eva returned to the table, silently promising that their talk was going to happen as soon as possible.