*~*Chapter 20*~*

Eve stepped slowly around the fountain.  Chris was watching her closely, 
his eyes searching for something while his sexy smile invited her to let 
down her defenses.  She wasn't even sure what he was after, but she could 
tell by the glimmer of mischief within his eyes that he wanted something 
from her.  If only she could determine exactly what it was....

She crossed her arms and sighed as she made her way around the fountain, 
nearing him with every step.  She allowed herself a smile, hoping to disarm 
Chris before she spoke, "So what exactly are you hoping to accomplish 
now?  Do you want to dump me into the water again?  Or do you have another 
motive for standing near this fountain?"

Chris smiled as he watched the water cascade over the old carved figures 
within the fountain, "There's a legend about this fountain....one that you 
might find rather interesting."

"Wait, don't tell me.  A woman made a wish once at this very fountain and 
was gift with the arrival of her one true love," She rolled her eyes with a 
half hearted laugh, "Please tell me you have something that's a little more 
original."

He smiled, "You really should have a little more faith, Eve.  What happened 
to all that believe in magic and romance that you once had?"

"I've twice divorced, Chris.  You'll have to pardon me if I don't believe 
in romantic fantasies as much as I used to," She shrugged before taking a 
seat on the side of the fountain.

"I was cynical not so long ago.  In fact, I hated the idea of anyone having 
any sort of romantic perfection.  After I left Port Charles, I realized 
that romance is a very wonderful," He paused as he watched her, "A very 
essential part of life."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you," She chuckled to herself.

"You have never known what you were missing," Chris finished as he sat 
beside her.  He met her eyes, "I could have given you the magic that you 
wanted, but you were more interested in what you couldn't have."

"That's not true," She spoke defensively.

"That's not important either," He spoke as he took her hand.  He placed her 
hand in his and slowly eased his fingertips over her skin, "I wanted to 
tell you the tale of this fountain."

Eve watched him closely as she allowed her hand to relax in his.  She 
watched him as he looked back to her.

"This village is the site where an ancient Indian tribe once settled.  This 
fountain is a naturally occuring water feature.  Over the years, artisans 
have left their marks, but the water and its spring are not man made or 
altered.  There was a family, an Indian family," He elaborated, "The father 
came to this area and immediately fell in love with the beauty here.  He 
brought his family here and settled.  As his daughter grew into adulthood, 
he worried that there would never be a man who could provide her with a 
family of her own."

Eve studied Chris as he lost himself in the intricacies of his story.  He 
eased his fingers around Eve's, lacing their hands together.

"The father went hunting one day.  He needed food for his family.  He came 
to this spot and paused at the water's edge.  He looked into the water and 
prayed to his gods that a man might come to be a husband to his 
daughter.  He saw a flash in the water, his gods had answered him.  He knew 
the face of his daughter's future husband.   He raced home to his family, 
eager to share news of his experience.  When he returned home, he told his 
wife that he had been given a vision from the gods.  His wife rejoiced with 
him.  They were interrupted by their daughter who asked them to join her by 
the fire outside the hut.  When the parents joined their daughter, the 
father was astounded when he saw the very man whose vision had appeared in 
the fountain.  The man was a fellow hunter who had brought a good kill to 
the family.  He was a wanderer who was only looking for the place the gods 
had created for him.  He found his place with the family."

Eve watched Chris as he stood and urged Eve to do the same.  He stepped 
behind her and looked towards the water tumbling down into the shimmering 
pool below.  He slipped his arms around her waist and placed his chin upon 
Eve's shoulder before he spoke again.

"Look into the fountain, Eve.  See what your future holds for you," He 
whispered softly.

Eve glanced into the fountain, seeing a reflection of Chris holding her 
body against his.  She relaxed into his touch, feeling the perfection of 
the moment and understanding what he had been trying to tell her.  She 
slipped her hand over his at her waist and sank back against him, looking 
into the water a moment longer while Chris kissed her temple.

"Do you like what you see?" Chris whispered before he looked into the 
fountain with her.

Eve watched their reflection tremble in the water for a moment before she 
took a deep breath and tightened his arms around her, urging him to squeeze 
her closer, "I like it better than anything I've ever seen before," She 
admitted, wondering if the god had somehow spoken to her or if perhaps 
she'd simply been conned by a professional as she knew Chris to be.

"Come on," Chris urged as he led her along a path, "You're falling behind."

"What is your big hurry any way?" Eve groaned as she climbed the hill behind him, "You're acting a lot like a drill sargeant here."

Chris paused and smiled as he extended his hand towards her to help her climb the hill, "There's something I want you to see."

"And it can't wait for me?" She complained as she walked directly behind him.

"No, we have to hurry if we're going to get there in time," He urged, speeding up their pace, "Come on."

"What is it that's so urgent?" She asked as she followed along after him.

"Just trust me," He urged as he helped her over some rocks in the path, "Come on.  It's not much farther."

"You know, Ramsey, this had better be worth it," Eve complained once more before she joined him at the top of the hill.  She looked off into the distance and gasped.

Chris smiled as they looked out towards the sunset.  Vibrant shades of orange, red, and blue were painted across the clear blue sky ahead of them with only the fading sun going down over the mountain.  He looked towards Eve and smiled as he saw how captivated she was by the view.

He leaned over and whispered, "Was it worth it?"

She nodded as she stared in awe towards the sunset.  Her smile grew as she continued to stare at the view.  Chris smiled as he took a step around her, digging in his pocket. 

She glanced over to Chris with a puzzled expression, "What are you doing?"

Chris smiled, "I'm calling for our ride.  Do you want to sit out here in the middle of the night?" He questioned.

Eve shook her head and glanced back to the sunset before her.  The climb had undoubtedly been worth it as all she could do was stare out at the view before her.  Chris had given her a gift in bringing her here as no photograph and no painting would ever be able to capture the beauty of this sunset. 

Eve turned and looked to Chris as he hung up his phone, "Thank you for bringing me here."

He returned her smile, "I just want to see you smile."

"You keep finding amazing ways of doing that very thing."

"I hope I'll always be able to make you smile.  It makes me happy."

"What else makes you happy?" Eve questioned as she stepped towards him, "If you had to think of something else to make you happy, what would it be?"

"I don't know," Chris shrugged, "What do you mean?"

"I mean what does it take to make you smile."

"I'm a very simple man," He replied, "I like very simple things."

"Really?" Eve questioned as she took a glance at the fading sun, "This doesn't seem simple."

"It's the simplest thing of all.  Simply enjoying nature.  Isn't that simple?"

She paused then nodded, "When you put it that way, yeah, I suppose it is."

"Then you know what makes me happy," He smiled as the distant sounds of a helicopter's gentle thumping began to echo through the air.  He looked into the air, "That's our ride."

"A helicopter?" Eve questioned.

"Yeah," Chris smiled, "Before you ask, it's mine."

"Yours?  You own a helicopter?"

Chris nodded, "I pilot it occasionally too," He smiled, "It's kind of fun."

"Chris Ramsey, you continue to surprise me," Eve smiled as she leaned against him.

The helicopter came into view after a moment, the thumping sounds growing louder by the moment.  Chris and Eve watched as the helicopter neared their position.  A moment later, a shrill sound pierced the air.  Just as Chris and Eve reacted to the noise, the helicopter exploded in the dusky sky in a orange fireball.

Eve gasped in horror as she watched the helicopter's pieces shatter and begin to fall towards the Earth.  Chris looked back towards Eve and grasped her hand, "We've got to go.  Now!"

Eve ran through the dense forest undergrowth, closely behind Chris through the night, not knowing what she was running from or where exactly they were running to.

Chris emerged from the forest with Eve close behind.  He removed a flashlight from his knapsack and took Eve's hand, "Stay close."

"Where are we?" Eve questioned softly as she inched closer to him.

"I'm not sure really," He replied as he looked around the area, "This looks like it could be near the airstrip."

"The air strip?" She questioned, "Will there be anyone around?"

"I sincerely hope so," Chris replied as he made his way to the building.  He looked around the area and slipped inside the doorway.  He opened the door to Eve, "Come on in."

Eve stepped into the building and took her first look around, "Where are we?"

"It looks like one of the abandoned air strips that used to run during the drug trade."

"What are we going to do, Chris?  What happened back there?"

"I told you that there were people who want to kill me.  Apparently, they knew where I was today," He spoke as he made his way into an office area, "And they were able to take out my helicopter and pilot."

"Your pilot?" Eve sighed, "Oh Chris..."

"Javier Dominquez," Chris frowned, "He doesn't leave any family behind, but he never should have died.  This is so senseless."

"Why do people want to kill you, Chris?  What are you into that is so dangerous?" She asked as she sat on a stool.

"Believe it or not," He began as he took a seat near her, "I'm only into protecting this area from deforestation."

"Are you serious?"

"Universal Timber Corporation.  They're a conglomerate of very rich and ruthless business men who don't like to have their plans thwarted.  When I bought land in the area, it caused a lot of problems for them.  They own land on two sides of me.  The third belongs to the government, and the other borders the ocean.  They want my land so that they have a clear path to begin stripping the land.  They've offered me more money than this country has ever seen, but they can't buy me off."

"I never would have guessed," Eve spoke in awe, "You do have principles after all."

"Amazing, isn't it?" Chris stood as he looked around.

"So now what?" She asked as she watched him move around the office. 

He tossed some papers from the sofa before he looked back to her, "I'm not going to call back to the estate.  I don't want to alert anyone as to where we are.  We'll stay here tonight and then find a way back to my estate tomorrow."

"Do you think that's wise?  Staying in one place?" 

Chris shrugged, "It seems like a better idea to stay here and try to figure out how they found us than to go out and possibly provide them with a target."

Eve made her way over to Chris, "I'm sorry about everything, Chris."

"Having principles comes with a price," He replied softly, "Why don't you lie down and get some rest?  We'll leave at first light."

Eve leaned forward and kissed his cheek, "Despite everything, today was a really special day for me."  Eve moved by him and lay down upon the couch, keeping her eyes on his figure as he stood in the dark.

Chris leaned against the office door and sighed as he went over all the events of the day, "For me too, Eve.  For me too."

Eve awoke in the darkness, stretching out before her hand collided with the back of the sofa and reminded her of her location.  She turned slowly and flexed her sore muscles, looking for some sign of Chris.  She saw a flicker of light from outside the office before she made her way towards the door, "Chris, is that you?"

"You're awake," Chris replied as he flashed the light towards himself in order to relieve her anxiety, "It's early yet."

"I suppose that means we should start walking," She suggested as she yawned, "Did you sleep at all?"

"A little," He shrugged, "Come on.  Let's get started."

Eve followed Chris out of the hanger and into the first light of morning.  She slipped her hair into a pony tail as she followed along after him down the small dirt trail that served as a road.  A soft drizzle of rain fell over them as they continued along the path.

"It didn't look like there was a cloud in the sky last night," Eve noted as she followed Chris.

"Rain storms happen sometimes without warning here," He shrugged as he went along, "This appears to be one of those times."

"How long do they last?"

"Sometimes a cloudburst will happen and rain only a few minutes, and then sometimes it lasts for hours."

"So this could be over as quickly as it started, or it could set in for the duration."

"That's about the gist of it."

"Great," Eve complained as she took a deep breath and continued along.  She glanced to Chris and shook her head, "I never would have guessed that you could get yourself into something like this, Chris.  At least not for something so noble."

"Don't tell me that you doubted my nobility," He chuckled.

"Well, you have given me reason every now and then to wonder if you even have a noble bone in your body."

"After everything I've done for you, how can you suggest that I don't have anything noble in my make up?"

"Because I've seen how you treat other people, Chris.  I know that you sometimes forget that other people have feelings."

"In case you haven't noticed, that has changed."

"I know that," She pointed out, "And I'm glad to see it.  I just wonder what happened to you when you left Port Charles to make you have this change of heart."

"It wasn't a change of heart.  It was just a return to who I really am."

"Do you want to explain that?" 

Chris broke a small smile, "When I was younger, I rejected everything my father ever tried to teach me.  I didn't want to be like him, and yet when I became an adult I followed exactly in his footsteps.  Before Julie died, she told me to stop hiding my heart from the world.  It took a while for me to understand what she was talking about, but eventually I realized that she meant for me to go back to who I really am.  So I ignored everything Henry tried to drill into my head, and remembered what my mother always tried to teach me." 

"Your mother really must have been an extraordinary woman," Eve noted.

"She certainly was," He smiled as he continued along the path.

She smiled as she glanced to the roadside, noting a beautiful flower that stood all alone amongst the lush greenery surrounding it.  She paused and took a step closer to the flower, watching drops of rain sparkle upon its petals.  She took a deep breath and continued along the road, noticing that Chris was quite a length down the road from her location.

She secured her knapsack on her shoulder as she continued down the path.  Being with Chris over the last two days had brought Eve romance and a new sense of adventure, but also a very real sense of danger since last night.  She felt the real danger to herself, but she found herself wondering just how long Chris had been living with this threat to his life.  She had never imagined that Chris would put himself in the role of protector to anyone much less dozens of people living on nearby land.  She was discovering new and wonderful aspects of Chris' personality, and she found herself becoming more enamored by his charms with every new discovery.

Chris paused and glanced back to Eve, smiling as he watched her walk through the increasing intensity of the rain.  He slipped his hands into his damp pockets, taking the moment to observe her beauty.  He'd always thought her to be beautiful, but she seemed especially lovely since that first surprise glance of her in his living room with her righteous anger mounting.  She had faced him with flushed cheeks, a straight spine and her head held high.  She had never once let her vulnerabilities to show through, but he knew her better than anyone she'd ever encountered in her life.  He knew what made her laugh, what made her cry, and what made her defenses crumble.

He took a deep breath as he spoke, "You look a little soggy there."

"Yeah well, at least I'm still making it," She noted as she passed him and continued up the road.

Chris chuckled as he watched her make her way proudly down the road.  He followed after her and smiled, "So tell me about Daniel.  You've told me that you're very proud of him, but what's he like?"

She glanced back, "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I think I should know just how wonderful your son is.  After all, I'm in love with his mother.  I think it's only fair that I should know about her favorite man in the world."

Eve felt the sentiment in his words touch her before she smiled, "Daniel will love you, Chris.  He likes people who aren't oppresive and he loves adventure."

"Sounds a lot like his mother," He noted, "So what about school?"

"He complains constantly about having to go, but he does great in all his subjects," She laughed softly to himself, "And the little girls chase him constantly."

"I'm sure he's a knock out.  Just like his Mom."

"I'd like to think so," Eve smiled, "He's everything I could hope for."

"He makes you very happy.  I like the effect he's had on you.  It's certainly been a positive one."

Eve smiled happily before she felt Chris' hand around her waist.  Before she could react she was being dragged into the bushes nearby.  She looked up, her eyes full of questions as she watched him warn her to remain silent.  Moments later, a jeep drove by with several men, large automatic weapons displayed as they rode along.  Chris looked back to Eve and took her hand, leading her through the dense forest and hopefully towards some sort of safety.
 
 
 

Chapter 1-4	Chapter 5-9	Chapter 10-14	Chapter 15-19
Chapter 20-23