"Eva, where are you going?" Elaine asked from her sister's bed.

"Going to grab a bite to eat with Joseph and finish his biology assessment off," Eva yelled from the bathroom. 

Eva and Elaine had slowly formed a strong relationship over the last six months. Elaine would have been just about full term by now, but she decided in the end to get the abortion. Much to Eva's disappointment, but she could understand why her sister had done it. Elaine was an irresponsible child, who was not ready to grow up. Not only that but she felt she didn't have the support she needed to raise a child, Eva tried convinced her she would raise the child herself. Elaine wouldn't allow it, she knew Eva had dreams and aspirations and she wasn't going to let her mistakes burden her older sister. 

This experience was life-changing for Elaine, she had grown more mature and more responsible. She wasn't out partying every weekend like she used to, and she was definitely not begging for her parent's attention anymore. Even though no one found out about Elaine's pregnancy and who the father was her parents were ashamed of her and continued to neglect her. Eva felt bad for her even though Elaine had spread rumours about her doing shady stuff for years that wasn't true. 

"Oh, can I come?" Elaine asked.

"No! Elaine go hang out with your own friends," Eva replied.

Now that Elaine wasn't getting special attention from her parents, she was bugging Eva more. She naturally is an attention seeker and wants to be doted on, Eva thought it was okay at first but now she was sick of her little sister following her around.  Eva was happy to finally be on good terms with at least one of her family members, but Elaine was pushing her luck. 

"Whatever," Elaine sighed, "I'll just stay home, with these cold hearted people we call parents and pretend they don't exist on my own." 

"Great, good practice for next year," Eva smiled at Elaine as she walked into her room.  

"You suck!" Elaine retorted, "don't forget to tell Joseph I love him." 

"Wouldn't dream of it." 

.............................................................

"Mmm!" Joseph moaned, his eyes rolling back, "this is soo good! try some Eva!"

Joseph was holding a fork full of poutine out to Eva's mouth. She rolled her eyes and ate off his fork. 

Joseph was grinning at Eva with his brows raised, "Good or what?!" he said excitedly.

Eva bobbed her head in approval while chewing. Joseph went crazy after learning she had never tried poutine before and demanded they go to the local steakhouse immediately so she could try it. When the dish came out she looked at it and told Joseph she could have made that at home. Joseph just told her to shut it and try it. 

"Mmm, I forgot to tell you that Elaine said she loves you," Eva said whilst cutting her steak. 

"Tell her, dido," Joseph said with his mouth full.

"Yuck, close your mouth when your eating." 

"You never said that to Ivar, and he did it at your family table," Joseph pointed out.

"Ugh, why did Elaine tell you that?" Eva sighed, she still felt hurt when talking about Ivar. She was scared that he had disappeared off the face of the earth just as he appeared. She had been waiting for months for him to return but he never did. She wasn't happy on the terms they had left things and wanted to make up for it. She hasn't had the chance because Ivar never came back and she hadn't seen him anywhere.

"Hey cheer up, I'm sure he'll come back" 

"Elaine never one to keep any details out," Eva said trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, I love the part where he called Elaine a whore in front of your parents," he laughed, "only Ivar would have the balls do something like that."

Elaine told Joseph the whole story about that night, leaving the part out where she was pregnant with Hails baby. 

"Why do you lead Elaine on?" Eva asked curiously.

"I mean, she's young but she's beautiful," Joseph shrugged, "plus you won't give me a chance."

"Disgusting," she fake gagged.

"Nah I mean, Elaine's pretty harmless," Joseph shrugs, "plus she knows I have a girlfriend."

"How is Casper?" Eva asked her expression innocent.

"Shut up, I didn't make her up," Joseph said as he threw a chip at Eva.

"What? I'm just saying," she laughed, "you don't have to pretend your single, no one will blame you."

"Oh ha! ha! when did you get so funny Eva?" Sarcasm dripping from his voice, "shut your gob and eat!" 

As Joseph said that he shoved a few chips into her mouth which caused Eva to choke. Joseph laughed out loud causing a few eyes to turn their way while Eva coughed to control her gagging. Once she had gained control of her coughing fit she gave Joseph the evils.

"Idiot!" 

..........................................................

Joseph and Eva were walking back to his place from the steakhouse only a few streets away. Eva was lost in her own thoughts while Joseph was texting his 'girlfriend Riley'. Eva always mocked Joseph because one, Joseph had never shown a picture or any evidence of Riley being a real person. Two, No one had even met Riley, not even his parents, and three they've been in a long distance relationship for three years and again no one has met her but him apparently.

Yes, Eva and Elaine did a Facebook stalk for Riley but there was absolutely no one she had found even close to his description on Facebook.

 "What a waste!" Elaine yelled when she concluded that Riley was a guy and that Joseph was secretly gay. Eva just laughed it off, not bothered if he was gay or not. Though Joseph denied it regularly when Elaine would attempt to make him straight again because there was nothing to straighten out. He was straight as can be he would claim. 

"Excuse me," A deep baritone voice asked.

Eva and Joseph turned around to find a large, tall man in a blue jumpsuit holding the handles of a bike. He looked like a typical mechanic with oil stains all over his clothes and hands, he didn't look much older then Eva and Joseph though. 'He's handsome,' Eva thought subtly checking him out. Eva was starting to realize she liked tall blued eyed, black haired men. Not at all interested in the boys, she would see at school.

"Hey, whats up?" Joseph asked causally, Eva sent a shy grin his way. 

"Is your name Eva by any chance?" He the man asked looking at Eva, that caused Eva and Joseph's brows to raise in surprise.

"No, but who's asking?" Joseph said. 

Eva slapped Joseph rolling her eyes.

"Oh, I'm Nick," He said his hand outstretched. 

After they shook hands and got the introductions over with Nick turned his attention to Eva again. 

"You're more beautiful then I Imagined," Nick smiled.

Eva blushed and Joseph was not impressed. 

"That wasn't creepy at all," Joseph remarked.

Nick nervously chuckled, "well this is going to sound more creepy but I need you two to follow me." 

Joseph turned to Eva, "Its true Eva, You really are beautiful," Eva's blush just deepened, "but this is some real stranger danger shite going on!"

"I'm not going to harm you, I promise," Nick said hands up in a surrender position.

"That's what the wolf said to little red riding hood."

"No, he didn't," Eva retorted.

"Irrelevant!" Joseph snapped.

"I'm just heading back to work from my lunch break, I just want to show you something it won't take long," Nick smiled.

"How do you know me?" Eva questioned. 

"If you don't come, you'll never find out how!" Nick replied. He was trying to bait her and it was working.

Curiosity got the better of her, Eva looked up at Joseph with her lower lip sticking out. 

"Why you little..." Joseph cussed. He was a sucker for pouting and she knew it.

Joseph leaned in close to her ear, "If I die a virgin, I'm coming to haunt your ass," he snapped. 

Eva's grin spread like wildfire, just as she was about to walk away Joseph grabbed her arm, "Be prepared for an audience in the toilet, in the shower, in the bedroom..." he whispered.

"You're bloody disgusting you know that," Eva laughed shoving Joseph away. 

.....................................................

Eva and Joseph had been following Nick for the past ten minutes,  getting to know each other briefly. Nick was a mechanic at the local mechanic shop, he was twenty-three and lived only a few streets down from Joseph in his own apartment. He seemed to be doing well for a young independent man, though his family was only a few streets over. Eva and Joseph went to school with his younger sister Stella. She was gorgeous like her brother, but she had blonde hair unlike him. Eva kept the part of Stella bullying her most of her high school years to herself. 

"So how did you recognize Eva?" Joseph asked accusingly, "you been Facebook stalking her or something?"

"Joseph!" Eva snapped, slapping him upside the head.

Nick just laughed, "No actually, I had heard about her before. She just fit the description I was given."

"Heard what about me?" Eva asked scared it was some crazy rumour again. 

They had arrived at the mechanic shop but Nick was leading them to the back of the store and into a back entry into the next store over. 

"You'll understand soon enough," Nick smiled.

Nick opened the door and gestured for them to follow him. It was noisy inside with metal scraping against metal. Looking around they noticed they were in a blacksmith store.

"Oi, dickhead I told you not to work when your drunk!" Nick yelled at a guy sharpening a large axe with his muscled bareback towards them "And get a freaking T-shirt on ya idiot!"

'Dang that's hot' Eva thought 'and dangerous!'

The guy stopped what he was doing, as he turned around he yelled: "Fuck up, Nick!"

Immediately Eva gasped hearing his voice, his ocean blue eyes caught Eva's and everything went dead silent. His expression was unreadable but Eva's one was full of shock.  They just stared at each other for a few seconds, as if it was only them two in the room. Then everything made sense, Nick had heard about Eva through Ivar. She was so relieved to finally see him after all these months but she was scared of how he would react, they hadn't left things on good terms but she had missed the crippled Viking more than she wanted to admit. He hadn't changed much since she had last seen him. His face was cleanly shaven and his hair was tied in a man bun, he looked younger and handsome as usual. His body was definitely still in shape, with the six pack starring at Eva.

Nick dropped something on the ground which caused Ivar to break eye contact, he looked to her left and noticed Joseph standing next to her. Ivar's left eye twitch and Eva noticed Ivars' hand gripping the axe more tightly.

"Get behind me," Eva shrieked.