Now: Memphis

Eve woke up desperately thirsty and only mildly hungover. She looked over at Annalise sleeping and smiled fondly, resisting the urge to touch her, slipping out of bed slowly as not to wake her.

She felt strangely lost in time. She was in Annalise's childhood bedroom, in a place she hadn't visited since college, with the woman she had loved for two decades. Yet she was distinctly an adult, wiser and more cynical and just a little bit sadder than the last time she found herself in this room.

She shook her head at her own ruminations and pulled shorts and a tee shirt on and padded down to the kitchen where she found a sight that made her stop and laugh.

Nate was covered in flour, taking instructions from Ophelia as he helped her make her famous biscuits.

Both of them turned at the sound of her easy laughter and smiled.

"Mornin', Sunshine!"

"Good morning, Ophelia."

Nate raised a flour-covered hand in greeting and Eve started giggling again.

"Something funny?" he deadpanned.

"Oh, you just have a little something, right here..."

She swiped a tiny bit of flour off of his cheek and laughed again.

"Feeling better today, huh? That's good to see."

Eve nodded, mildly embarrassed about the night before.

"I'm sorry I was-"

"No need to apologize," Nate willed her to look at him instead of the floor.

"Hey. You're a great dancer. Didn't even step on my feet. It was my pleasure, Eve."

Eve nodded and gratefully accepted the orange juice Ophelia handed her.

"Drink that and rest a minute," she ordered.

Eve took her seat in the breakfast nook obediently.

"My lazy child still sleeping, huh?"

"We were up a bit late and she's been working so hard-"

"Oh child, we all know you were up late!"

Ophelia laughed loudly and Eve looked to Nate to confirm her meaning.

Upon receiving a barely concealed smirk and a shrug in return, Eve buried her face in her hands.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry. We didn't-I just-"

"I'm teasin' you, girl. Now go get dressed and get Anna Mae up, huh?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Annalise."

Eve shook her after receiving only a mumbled response.

"Annalise!"

"What, Eve, tired..."

"I'm going to die. Oh my god."

Annalise bolted upright.

"What?! Did your doctor call? Is something-"

"Jesus, no! I'm dying of embarrassment. Your mother just informed me the whole house heard us last night."

Eve looked at her pitifully, blushing furiously. Annalise laughed loudly and Eve shushed her, only making her laugh harder

"I told you that you wouldn't be able to be quiet!"

Eve buried her face in her pillow and mumbled unintelligibly.

"Oh, okay. Come here."

Annalise pulled Eve over on top of her so she could look up at Eve's face.

"Nobody cares. Even if they did, it was worth it. So damn hot. You look beautiful today, by the way." Annalise said. She had just enough time to see Eve beam for a moment before their cell phones rang simultaneously.

"That can't be good."

They each reached for their nightstands and picked up their devices.

"My office," Eve said.

"Frank," Annalise responded.

Eve nodded and kissed Annalise quickly before she got up to take her call in the bathroom.

"Yes, Frank?"

"Annalise? You sound diff...nevermind. Everything okay there?"

"We're fine. You have any updates for me?"

"Unfortunately. Guess you haven't checked your email yet."

Annalise went cold.

"Hang on."

She clicked over to her inbox and opened the new email from Phillip. She pressed play on the video and felt bile in her throat as she saw grainy footage of Eve and Nate dancing, shot from a distance through her parents' front window. The accompanying text instructed her to meet him at a local bar, alone, at 3pm.

"Annalise?"

"I'm here, Frank. How did this happen? What are you people doing up there?"

"We're working on it. He's some kind of freak, evading every trap Oliver sets. And Oliver is good. We're all on it, we-"

"Yeah."

Annalise's mind raced, trying to come up with a plan.

"You're not going."

"Of course not."

"Good. Hey what's up with Eve and Nate? That looked cozy."

"Not your business."

"Sorry. Just thought she was yours. Him, too, for that matter."

"I don't pay you to be nosy, Frank."

"You kinda do."

"Yeah, yeah. Anything else?"

"Come home soon."

Eve returned and they discussed their calls, dismissing both as routine. Annalise didn't see the need to disclose the news about Philip just yet.

They dressed quickly and then helped Ophelia clean and prepare for brunch with the family.

Ophelia watched as Eve attempted to sweep the floor as if she was working out a calculus problem, while Annalise rewashed a dish for the second time, lost in thought.

"If you two do get married, y'all gonna need a maid. You're both beautiful and smart as can be but you can't clean a kitchen for 'nothin."

"Mama."

Ophelia grinned.

"What? You know that Ellen? She's my favorite talk show. I bet she and Portia have a maid."

Eve cracked up at this.

"You ladies need some elbow grease?"

Nate wandered back into the kitchen, wearing a tank top and shorts, oblivious to the admiring looks he received from all three women.

Annalise narrowed her eyes at Eve.

"What? I'm gay, not dead."

Nate snorted and shook his head with a smile, taking the broom from Eve and smacking her lightly with it before taking over her task.

Eve walked over to Annalise and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're worried," she said quietly.

"I'm not."

"Liar," Eve whispered gently.

"You two fancy lawyers make yourselves useful and go pick some peaches for me out back. I'll be just fine here with Nathaniel. Be back in thirty minutes or I'll use that broom on both of you, and much harder than he did."

"Yes ma'am."

At brunch, Annalise toyed with her food, thinking about how to get out of the house without Eve or Nate. Ideally she would have had Nate with her for the meeting, but she didn't trust him not to tell Eve. That relationship was new and strange to her and she hadn't figured it out entirely. Plus, she had the gun Frank had sent her with.

She would start a fight with Eve if she had to, but she preferred not to take that route. Suddenly, looking at her Uncle Dale across the table, inspiration struck.

"Hey Uncle Dale?"

"Yeah Anna M-lise?"

She smiled at his effort. He had always been her favorite uncle, not that there was much competition.

"I was wondering if you might show Eve your farm this afternoon."

He held her gaze and nodded slightly after a moment.

"Happy to. Happy to."

Eve shifted uncomfortably.

"That's so kind of you."

She turned to whisper to Annalise.

"You're not coming?"

"I have to take care of something."

The family continued to chatter, generously giving them space to whisper-argue.

"What's wrong?"

"Tell you later."

"I hate that you do this. Try to distract me. Like I'm a child. Try to put me out of play when I could help."

"Everything is fine, Eve," Annalise placed a hand on Eve's thigh under the table to soothe her, "I just have to catch up with some things here and thought you might want to relax and ride Uncle Dale's horses, I know how you love-"

"Horses?!" Eve shouted. "Oh! Oh! I want to go. I need to change into pants. Be right back!"

They all smiled as they watched her drop her fork and run up the stairs.

"You're going with her, Nate."

"I don't know a thing about-oh. Got it. Don't worry. She's safe with me."

"I know she is. Thank you. And thanks, Uncle Dale."

"Glad to show some southern hospitality to your...friends," he smiled.

After the three of them left in Dale's pickup, Annalise helped her mother clear the table.

"Mama?"

"Yes, darlin'"

"Am I doing the right thing?"

"What a mighty, mighty question. Only God knows that. What about?"

"About Eve."

Ophelia put down the platter she was holding.

"Oh. Only you can make that decision. But I will say, the times in your life when I have seen you the happiest? They have all had one thing in common: that skinny little sweetheart of a girl. There aren't many Eves in the world. Just remember that."

Annalise nodded, starting to cry.

"What, baby?"

"Do you think it's because of...what happened to me? That I can't trust men?"

"You trusted Sam."

Annalise snorted.

"A lot of good it did me."

Ophelia sighed.

"You're the smartest person I know, Anna Mae. You know what men are and what they ain't. You know what you have with Eve. So stop thinking so hard! I can smell your hair burning."

Annalise didn't laugh.

"What if I can't do it?"

"Do what?"

"Love her. The right way."

"Now, that's nonsense. There's won't and there's can't. I know you can. She does, too. You're loving her right now! Protecting her. Taking care of her. Letting her love you back even when it ain't easy. I'm proud of you, Anna Mae."

"Thank you, Mama."

"That's what Mamas are for."

"They aren't all like you," Annalise thought of Eve's mother. "I'm sorry if I've been...ungrateful in the past."

"Hush now. Go do whatever it is you needed to do alone and get back before I have to explain it to those two."

"You're the smart one, Mama."

Ophelia just laughed and gave Annalise a tight hug.

Annalise walked into the bar, dark and dusty even with the late afternoon sun shining through the windows.

The bartender looked up as she cast her eyes around warily before ordering.

"Vodka neat, please."

"Yes ma'am. I think those fellows are waitin' for you. Holler if you need anything. I'll bring your drink in a minute."

Annalise frowned at his use of the plural and followed his gaze.

Fuck.

Phillip sat in a booth, tapping away at his laptop. Across from him was a very cranky-looking Frank. His irritation vanished when he saw her.

"Hey, boss."

Annalise took a deep breath and strode over to the table.

"Frank."

"Don't be mad. I knew you would come. Couldn't let you do it alone."

Annalise just nodded.

"Phillip?"

He finally looked up from his keyboard.

"You're here!"

"Yes. Now tell me why you are stalking me."

"Oh no," he smiled and the hair on her arms stood up.

"I'm not stalking you! Or Eve. Although you're both l-"

"Phillip. What's going on?" Annalise sighed impatiently.

"I need a lawyer," he said quietly, "And it has to be you."

A/N: You like? Working on new chapters and I have plenty of ideas in store for you. Up next: Now, Then, Memphis, Philly, Harvard, The Keating 5 (a bit), and much more. Let me know what you think!