A/N: So, I lied. Alternating Now and Then chapters makes more sense right now. However, since I love you, I'm updating again today with a long chapter. Enjoy and review, if you please.

Now

Annalise heard her father shouting and she quickly followed the sound, finding him in the front yard, gun aimed at a large man who was lying face down on the ground.

"Nate?" Annalise squinted. "Oh hell... Daddy, it's okay. He's a friend. Let him up."

"He's armed."

"He's a cop, Daddy. Why don't you go take a break. We're okay for now."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

Her father nodded, heading inside, and she motioned Nate, now standing and brushing grass from his clothes, to the porch.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I came for the warm welcome, obviously."

Annalise folded her arms impassively, not amused. Nate sighed.

"Bonnie called me. Philip is heading south. Oliver has been trying to throw him off your trail but we aren't sure what he knows. I couldn't reach you or Eve. I was worried."

"Bonnie, of course, "she sighed and shook her head. "We were exhausted from the drive. You didn't have to come."

"You think I don't know that? How is Eve?"

Annalise gave him a long, hard look.

"She's fine. Why?"

"Anna Mae? You going to invite your friend in or keep on actin' like you ain't been raised with manners?"

Nate smiled as Ophelia's voice carried through the screen door.

"We're coming, Mama."

Annalise was just about to introduce Nate to her parents when Eve came down the stairs, humming happily to herself. She stopped short when she saw their new guest.

"Nate?" She froze.

"Hey, woman. How's my lawyer?" he said warmly.

Eve shot a quick look at Annalise's impassive face before returning her gaze to Nate's chocolate brown eyes. He shook his head almost imperceptibly and Eve's posture relaxed.

"I'm fine, thanks. You?"

"I'm good. Was just in the neighborhood," he winked.

Eve returned his easy smile, her face dropping instantly at the cold look that Annalise gave the two of them.

After proper introductions were made, they indulged Ophelia's desire to feed them a snack before dinner. Annalise's mother admired both Nate's appetite and his muscled arms, making Eve laugh and Annalise sigh, embarrassed.

"Why don't we go for a walk? After those delicious biscuits and honey, I could use the exercise," Nate suggested.

"Pshhht. You single, Nathaniel? I got another daughter, you know," Ophelia said pointedly.

Nate laughed and Annalise rolled her eyes.

"Married, actually. But thank you, ma'am."

"Enough, Mama."

Annalise turned to Nate. "Just give me a minute to freshen up."

"Eve, come with us?" Nate suggested.

Eve looked at Annalise and then shook her head, the word "us" ringing in her ears.

"I think I'm going to lie down for a few minutes. You two go."

Eve left the table abruptly and headed upstairs.

Ophelia gave her daughter a hard look but remained silent, nodding at Annalise as she finally headed upstairs.

Annalise went to the bathroom. She smoothed her hair and looked at herself in the mirror, taking deep breaths to try to calm herself. She didn't like this situation one bit. It made her feel claustrophobic having all these people, the ones who really knew her, and all these feelings swirling about at once.

She walked down the hall and opened the closed door to her bedroom.

"You could knock."

Eve was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a bottle of Annalise's favorite vodka and a water glass.

"It's my room. Where did you get that?"

Eve took a sip, relished the burn.

"Your bag. Courtesy of Frank. I hope you don't mind me drinking your vodka. In your room. While you go for a walk with your boyfriend."

"Stop it, Eve. I didn't ask him to come here. Did you? I see the looks. I'm not an idiot. What's going on with you and Nate?"

"I think I'm the one who gets to ask that question. And no. I haven't talked to him since the drive down. I'm assuming whatever he's here for, it's bad news for me."

"What do you mean?"

"He's either here for Philip...or, worse, for you," Eve said morosely.

"According to GPS, Philip is heading south and Nate panicked, thanks to Bonnie. I'm not... Shit. Just come with us and we'll find out what's going on."

Eve kept her eyes down and shook head stubbornly. There was that 'us' again. Annalise had no patience for this mood of hers, especially right now.

"Fine, Eve. Sit here and cry into your vodka then."

"Seems to work for you," Eve muttered to the closing door.

Annalise and Nate walked to a park a few blocks away and sat on a bench. She had played here as a child, swung and slid and laughed. That was before the bad things happened and she stopped playing childish games.

"Are the kids holding up okay?"

"Kind of stir crazy but fine. Frank is so steady it's a little scary, so nothing new there. He's banging Castillo."

"Yeah. I don't care about that."

"Bonnie, on the other hand, is kind of a mess."

"That girl is always a mess and right now I'm not there to clean her up so she had better get a grip," Annalise sighed.

"There's one thing..."

"What?"

"The kids are worried about Wes. They tried to convince Oliver to hack his phone and laptop but he wouldn't do it without your go ahead."

"The only one with a brain. I swear, I should fire the students and just keep him."

"Annalise. What is it with Wes? Why not just let them check up on him? He never has to know."

"No, Nate. It isn't necessary and I won't permit it. I'll handle him."

"You're handling an awful lot lately," Nate commented as neutrally as possible.

"What's going on with you and Eve?"

"What do you mean, Annalise?"

"Don't bullshit a bullshitter. You like her or something?"

"I like her. As a person. And as her client, I owe her my freedom."

"You're welcome," Annalise said dryly.

"Annalise. I appreciate what you did for me. But Eve is a person. She's not a possession that you lent to me. I'm a free man because of her. And yes, because of you. She's a good person. That's all."

Annalise nodded.

"You're both good people. That makes two out of three of us, at least."

"Don't start that."

"Why are you here?"

Nate began to get frustrated with her.

"I told you, Oliver said-"

"No," she reached up and put her hands on his chest. "Why. Are. You. Here."

Nate slowly removed her hands and held them in his own.

"To protect you. I care about you."

"I care about you, too.. I've been thinking...a lot. So much, Nate. But I-"

"You love her," his voice was more gentle than she felt she deserved. .

Annalise nodded tearfully.

"I do."

"Then do right by her."

The rest of his words were unspoken. Don't use her. Don't pick her up and put her down depending on your whims. Don't frame her for any murders.

Annalise heard his thoughts anyway.

"I'm trying."

"Try hard. Let's go back."

Eve heard a knock at the bedroom door.

"You don't have to knock, remember? It's your room."

Ophelia opened the door.

"Oh," Eve blushed. "I'm sorry."

Ophelia put her hands on her hips and surveyed the scene before her.

"You drinking because of that very handsome man, now are you, Evie?"

"It's not him..."

"Oh my," Ophelia clucked, "That girl is a fool sometimes, I swear."

Eve shook her head miserably.

"She's confused. So much has happened since Sam. I get it but it still hurts."

"Of course it does, sweetheart. Of course it does."

Ophelia sat on the bed and stroked Eve's hair, singing softly as Eve began to cry.

She cried because of Annalise, because of the vodka, because of this maternal attention she was so unaccustomed to, and largely because of the things she couldn't say yet.

"Worrying won't change things, child. And drink sure won't. But you do what you need to do. Tell you what? Why don't you bring that bottle downstairs and help me cook supper instead of sitting up here all by yourself. I could use an extra set of hands."

Eve laughed through her tears at that.

"We both know that's not true. Plus, I'm still a terrible cook," she admitted.

"Well then! Maybe you'll learn something. Now come on," Ophelia tugged on Eve's dark locks and Eve complied, snagging the bottle of vodka on the way out.

By early evening, Nate was sitting on the porch talking with Annalise's father, while Ophelia cooked and Eve "helped". Annalise had gone straight to her bedroom after her walk with Nate and Eve had resolved not to go to her.

Eve was clearly struggling during dinner, definitely a bit drunk, her eyes glittering and sad. Annalise had pointedly switched from vodka to water. She watched her lover fill her glass with alcohol again.

"You're going to be sick," Annalise muttered.

Eve scoffed but Nate watched her choke back tears as she took a long sip of the vodka, closing her eyes when she swallowed as if it was fortification in a glass.

"Eve."

"Yes, Nate?"

He stood and held his hand out to her, motioning to the cassette player in the living room that was currently playing Al Green.

"Dance with me, woman."

"Really?" Annalise asked, feeling herself grow incredibly irritated. The annoyance only grew when she saw Eve beaming up at Nate.

"I would love to dance," Eve said, accepting Nate's hand and following him into the adjacent living room.

Tension and awkward silence took the seats the two had vacated and hovered at the table while Eve's bubbly laugh filled the house, followed by Nate's deeper laughter.

"So...Anna M-"

"I'm sorry, Mama. Thank you for the supper. I'm going upstairs to do some work. Call me if you need help with those two fools," she gestured towards the pair, hating how happy and perfect they looked while she felt so ugly and mean.

Annalise went upstairs and kicked her heels off, shaking her head angrily. She picked up her cell and dialed her home office number.

"Law Offices of-"

"It's me, Bonnie."

"Oh! Annalise! How are you?"

"How do you think?" Her voice was low and dangerous.

"I assume Nate arrived then..."

"You assume correctly. I don't know why you did that, Bonnie, but rest assured I won't forget it."

"No, no! It wasn't like that, Annalise. I was just worried-"

"Well stop worrying and do your job. I really don't know why I have to keep telling you that. Now put Oliver on the phone."

Annalise got a technical rundown from Oliver, including an updated location on Philip and a plan Oliver was using to try to predict his route and hack red light cameras to get a shot of his vehicle and plate.

"Well, at least someone is working hard."

"Oh, it's nothing, really, I'm just happy I can help in a small-

"It's not nothing, Oliver. Stop selling yourself short or other people will, too. Got it?"

"Got it," he said nervously. "Oh. How is Eve feeling? Please tell her Conor and I are thinking of her."

"Eve? She's just fine. She's...having fun actually."

"Oh, well that's great! A positive mindset can really help. I'm not sure if she's nauseous but I know when my aunt went through it, some kind of ginger candy was the only thing that settled her stomach. I can ask her what brand if you want."

"Wait a minute," Annalise said sharply, "What exactly are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry..." Oliver trailed off hesitantly.

"Speak, Oliver," she ordered.

She could hear him gulp even through the phone.

"I was setting up some remote mirroring on Eve's phone, I have both of your GPS units showing that you are in Florida if anyone tries to access them. And I looked at her schedule to see if there was anything, if Phillip tried to make contact or an appointment. She's been seeing an oncologist and she picked up a prescription for a chemotherapy medication last week. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine. Thank you, Oliver," Annalise whispered distractedly as she hung up, all the air whooshing out of her body.

She thought she might drown right on the spot, sitting on her childhood bed, Eve's clean scent all around her, her lungs bursting with panic.

After a short while, when she had mostly stopped shaking, she heard giggling and thumping on the stairs and opened the bedroom door to find Nate helping a tipsy Eve climb the staircase. He was looking at Eve as if she was the most beautiful thing on earth. And she was. Annalise thought she was going to throw up.

"What is it, Annie?"

Eve noticed first, Annalise noted. Of course she did. Even impaired, she picked up every emotion in the room.

Annalise shook her head and gestured at the brunette.

"Come to bed, my party girl."

Eve glowed at the possessive pronoun, beaming again as she thanked Nate and crossed the room, collapsing onto the bed.

Nate was still standing in the hall and Annalise smiled sadly at him.

"Thank-"

"Don't," Nate said gently, "It wasn't for you. Hey. Talk to her, huh?"

"I will," she nodded, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. Nate reached out and wiped them away with his thumbs, placing a kiss on her cheek before he turned to go downstairs to catch a little sleep on the couch.

Annalise took a deep breath and turned around to find Eve stretched out on the bed, nearly asleep.

Annalise walked over to her, sliding a hand into her soft hair and kissing her on the lips softly, tasting vodka.

"Do you want to change? You don't want to sleep in your clothes."

Eve murmured a nonsense response and then opened her eyes and cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry about tonight."

"Not important," Annalise said, shushing her and unbuttoning the back of the chic white blouse Annalise had selected for her back in Philadelphia, placing kisses along her spine.

Eve sighed happily at the contact but her satisfied smile didn't last long.

"Annalise? Are you crying? Annie? Look at me, please. You're scaring me."

"I just don't understand. Why would you tell Nate that you are sick and not tell me?" Annalise asked. The softness of her voice took some of the sting out of the words, but still they hit Eve like a slap.

"Fuck. He told you? He promised me he wouldn't do that," she frowned.

"Eve."

"I only told Nate because I wanted to talk to Nia's doctor for a referral in case I needed an oncologist in Philly. I was going to tell you."

"Were you?"

"Yes!"

"When?"

"I planned to do it the next time I saw you. But you've been...busy. And now we are running from a psycho killer. So it didn't seem like a good time."

"Stop. You were scared. You still are."

"Cancer is scary," Eve shrugged.

"You didn't think I could handle it."

Eve sighed.

"It's not that, exactly. Things have just been so...good. I don't want to lose you because of this."

"You really think that little of me, huh? Well, I guess that's fair, with my track record."

"Annalise. Come on. That's not what I meant."

"Yes. It is. The worst part is, you're right."

"What does that mean?" Eve blinked.

"I mean, look at me! I'm trying to start a fight with my sick girlfriend about her cancer! I'm a monster."

Eve rolled her eyes.

"Would you stop making everything about you?! For god's sake, Annalise."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to do that. I'm just...feeling so much and it hurts. I forgot how much it hurts with you, sometimes."

Eve flinched at that and Annalise hurried to continue, placing both of her hands on Eve's face.

"No. Baby. It hurts because it's real. Because I love you. More than anyone. I need you, Eve. And that? That is fucking terrifying."

Eve smiled wistfully.

"I love you, too. And I'll be okay, Annie. It's not that bad. I'm not dying so let's not be so dramatic, even if it is your specialty," she teased.

Annalise didn't smile and Eve could feel her shaking again.

"Listen. You don't have to...we could take a break? My treatment should be over in about three months and then-"

"No," Annalise said firmly.

"No?"

Annalise stroked Eve's cheek and smiled, her lips still trembling.

"I've wasted a lot of time being stupid and scared of this. I'm not giving up a single day with you, Eve Rothlo."

Eve smiled and kissed her lover sweetly and slowly.

"Oh, Annie. Such a romantic."

Annalise made a sour face and Eve laughed.

"You promise me you won't die?"

"I promise," Eve nodded, seeing the genuine fear in Annalise's eyes.

"Good. That's settled. I want to know everything. Every detail. What your doctor says. What you need. What I can do. Where you want us to live. But for now, I want to take our clothes off and hold you. Is that okay?"

Eve raised an eyebrow.

"Where I want us to live?" she repeated.

Annalise shrugged.

"If that's what you want. I don't want to be apart anymore. Especially not now. We can-"

"Shhh," Eve's lips smiled against Annalise's.

"I love you," Eve whispered.

"I love you, too," Annalise said somberly. "What are you thinking? I see you biting that lip."

"You don't have to take care of me, you know. If that's why you're saying this then-"

"I want to take care of you. Hey, it won't be so bad. It will be kinda like the beginning of our first date. Remember?"

Eve brightened.

"That was a good weekend. Now, kiss me," she demanded.

Annalise was only too happy to comply, kissing Eve's lips, her neck...

"Uhnn. Don't stop," the brunette murmured.

"You'll have to be quiet, Eve," Annalise warned playfully, kissing across her collarbones, her fingers teasing Eve's nipples, already eliciting small moans.

"I can...be...quiet," she panted.

"If you say so," Annalise teased. "I know how you like to scream. I'm not going to make it easy."

Eve's body shook with laughter underneath her lover.

"Something funny?" Annalise nipped lower at Eve's skin.

"It's just...now this does sound like the end of our first date!"

Both women laughed before returning to desperate kisses and touches, all passion and heat in the present, surrounded by thoughts of their first time, of so many times, and most of all, of this time.