The Way Back

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Chris followed Eve to a house just outside the city limits. Parking across the street, he switched off the engine to his car and directed his attention towards Eve as she removed her things from her car. Curiosity had never been an impulse that was easily quelled with Chris, and now was proving to be no exception. He stepped out of his car and locked the doors behind him as he walked across the street towards her house.

Eve stood beside her car, sorting through her purse for a moment before she looked up and spotted her uninvited guest, "What are you doing here?"

"I want to see just what kind of guy would move you all the way out here to parts unknown, Eve," Chris spoke as he neared her, "Are you that ashamed to be with him?"

"On the contrary, I'm not leaving until I meet this mysterious Phillip," Chris spoke as he leaned against the car.

"Why? Is Phillip the jealous type?" He asked with a mildly irritating amusement.

"Chris, you're making an ass out of yourself. So you can just leave now before you make it any worse," Eve spoke firmly as she slammed the door of her car closed.

Chris looked towards the house where a small dark haired boy ran across the front porch and leapt off the steps. He ran towards Eve and jumped into her arms. Chris' eyes widened as he watched her closely, examining her tight embrace of the child.

"I've missed you too," Eve smiled as she stroked the child's hair, "Were you good today?"

"Mommy, I'm good every day," He said with a proud smile. He glanced towards Chris for the first time, examining their visitor closely, "Who are you?"

Chris couldn't repress the small smile that sprang to his lips, "My name is Chris. I'm an old friend of your mom's."

"Chris," Eve started with a small sigh, "This is my son." She met Chris' eyes with a hard stare, "Phillip."

Chris realized his error and gave a small nod of apology as Phillip crawled out of his mother's arms.

Eve looked towards Chris who was already making his way towards the porch. She stared at Chris who turned and allowed a grin to cross his handsome features.

Phillip smiled as he raced by Chris and ran into the house. Eve stood speechless as she watched Chris casually step into the house as if he belonged there. What on earth was she going to do with him now?

"Are you a doctor too, Chris?" Phillip asked as he crawled into a seat at the table beside Chris.

"Yes I am. Just like your mommy," Chris replied as he watched Phillip open a coloring book, "Do you want to be a doctor too?"

"Nope," Phillip shook his head, his dark hair shimmering in the light, "Not me. I'm gonna be a baseball player."

"I know," Phillip answered with a nod, "But I'm working hard, and I'm going to be great. I'm going to be just like Greg Maddox."

"Yeah and I'm the bestest," Phillip replied proudly as he pulled a crayon from his box and began coloring furiously.

"I'll just bet you are," Chris smiled as he patted Phillip gently on the shoulder. He looked up to watch Eve standing at the kitchen door saying her good byes to her baby sitter.

Chris had known she had a man in her life. His instincts were never wrong about Eve. Except this time, his instincts hadn't let him in on the secret that the man in her life was in fact her son. Her son, Chris repeated to himself, no doubt her son with Ian Thornhart. As Chris looked back to Phillip, he said a silent thanks to a higher power that Phillip had taken all his looks from his mother.

Chris watched Phillip closely for a moment and smiled. The boy was definitely Eve's son. His hair was a shimmering blend of black and auburn that cascaded over his head with an unruly defiance. His eyes were dark chasms of restrained mischief that burst into fireworks when he smiled. Chris couldn't imagine any child more perfect in the world.

Eve turned from saying good bye to her baby sitter and froze. Chris was watching Phillip intently, too intently. He couldn't see.....no, he couldn't possibly guess....

"Phillip, why don't you run upstairs and pick out a movie for us to watch tonight?" Eve suggested as she stepped closer to the table, "I need to speak with Chris for a minute."

"Sure thing, Mom," Phillip smiled as he crawled out of his chair. He stopped and looked to Chris, "You'll stay and watch a movie with us, won't you Chris?"

Chris looked to the boy and smiled, "Sure, Phillip. I'll stay and watch a movie with you."

Chris turned and looked to Eve who was currently burning a hole through his head with her eyes, "Okay, Eve, let me have it. I know you want to."

"No, what I'd like to do is kick you out of here and set you on your ear, but I will not disappoint my son."

"Does it matter?" Eve asked as she shook her head, "Why did you come here, Chris? Was it really so important for you to try to humiliate me?"

"Are you embarrassed that I know you better than you know yourself?" He asked as he stood from his chair. He stepped towards her and met her eyes, "Does it really bother you that I know you so well?"

"You don't know a d**n thing about me, Chris," She spoke as she held her ground, "And you just proved it by following me here."

"I'll admit that it was quite a surprise to see you with a child," He nodded then paused, "But then again, I knew that you were pregnant when I left Port Charles. It shouldn't have come as a surprise at all."

"What does surprise me is that Ian isn't here," He spoke, searching her eyes for some clue to the truth, "What happened?"

"Why don't you butt out?" She bit out, then paused. She smiled casually, "Won't Stacey miss you if you stay here to watch a movie with us?"

"Stacey isn't a problem," Chris spoke with a small smile as he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed a number quickly then spoke, "Stacey, I won't be home until late. Yeah, you too. Good night."

"Why did you do that?" Eve asked as she watched him with a maelstrom of emotions jumbled within her head.

"Because I'm not leaving here until we talk. I think there's a lot you haven't told me."

"And when would I have had the chance? You've been assaulting me with implications and accusations since I got here," She accused as she crossed her arms.

Chris nodded, "I'm sorry. I'll try to behave myself in the future. So are you going to talk to me or not?"

He smiled, "No, I'm not," He admitted before he looked towards the kitchen, "Are you any better in the kitchen than you used to be?"

"You don't honestly expect me to cook for you, do you?" She asked amidst a laugh.

Just as Eve was about to protest, Phillip stepped back into the room, "I found the perfect movie!"

Chris allowed his eyes to drift away from Eve's towards Phillip, "Great. Mommy was just about to order dinner."

Chris smiled as he looked back to Eve, "Half pepperoni, half mushroom please," He grinned before he looked back to Phillip, "So what movie did you find?"

Eve watched as Chris turned his attention to Phillip. Chris and Phillip began a conversation about baseball which led them into the living room away from Eve. She rubbed her temple gently as she tried to calm her nerves. How was she ever going to deal with Chris knowing about Phillip? More than that, how was she going to keep the truth from him now? And why the hell did she let him worm his way back into her life after all this time?

Eve cleaned off the dining room table after everyone had eaten their fill of the pizza. As she put the used glasses into the dishwasher, she heard Phillip burst into a flurry of giggles mingled with the soft sound of Chris' laughter.

After cleaning the dining room, Eve stood at the doorway to the kitchen and watched Chris with Phillip. Phillip had somehow found himself a friend in Chris, and that was exactly what Eve had not wanted. She had struggled for so long to protect her son from false hope and fleeting friends. She didn't want him to know the disappointment such things could cause.

Eve joined the guys after a while, sitting on the sofa beside Phillip while he sat beside Chris. The guys were deeply involved in the movie Phillip had chosen, Angels In The Outfield, but Eve found herself more interested in Phillip's instant comfort with Chris. She found it mildly comforting and somehow greatly disturbing at the same time.

Almost halfway through the movie, Eve glanced to Phillip as he lay against Chris, sleeping peacefully. Chris had his arm gently around Phillip's shoulder as the boy slept. Chris looked to Eve, their eyes freezing on one another for a moment.

If there had ever been a time in her life when fate seemed to make itself known, now seemed the time. As Chris looked to her and she looked to him with Phillip between them, Eve felt her breath catch somewhere near her heart. Was it just a dream that they were here together? She would have said she wasn't sure before Chris whispered to her.

Eve took a moment to blink her eyes, realizing that he'd asked her a question. She reached for Phillip but was put off by Chris holding up his hand.

Eve stood and motioned for him to join her. She walked up the stairs towards the end of the hall, sweeping back a door before Chris passed by her. He placed Phillip on the bed before Eve brought up a blanket over her son. She gently swept a wisp of hair from his forehead before she leaned forward and kissed him. She stood and turned to see Chris standing at the doorway, watching her closely.

She approached him slowly as he leaned against the door frame. What exactly was he expecting now? She stood before him as he glanced back towards the sleeping child in the bed. She watched his eyes twinkle slightly as he watched Phillip sleeping, innocent and peaceful in his bed.

Eve took a deep breath as she watched him lean towards her. His eyes burrowed into her soul, the way they had years before. Chris' eyes slowly caressed her face, his gaze igniting a flame within her that seemed so long destroyed. She felt her heart racing within her chest as he placed his hand on the door frame behind her, leaning towards her further before he stared into her eyes. Eve swallowed hard before she placed her hands on the door frame behind her, steadying her and allowing her to take a deep breath.

Chris allowed her a moment before he spoke in a soft voice, "Why didn't you tell me we have a son?"

Eve felt her heart sink as the secret she'd fought so hard to keep was no longer a secret.

Chris placed his hand on her arm and gently led her down the hall, "Why didn't you tell me you had a son?"

Eve took a deep breath and stood tall, "You didn't care about anything other than what man I might have in my life." She said quickly before she turned away from him and walked down the stairs.

Chris followed her down the stairs, capturing her arm. He pulled her to face him as he backed her against the wall, "Tell me about Phillip, Eve."

"Not until you tell me the truth, Eve," He spoke as he held her still, "Phillip doesn't belong to Ian, does he?"

She stared into his eyes as he beckoned for the truth. She felt tears stinging her eyes before she spoke, "No."

"Chris...." She stammered before she attempted to laugh it off, "Why would you possibly think that?"

"Eve, tell me the truth," He spoke with an urgency in his voice, "Does that little boy...." He paused, "Am I his father?"

Eve searched his eyes, trying to decide if he was ready to hear the truth. She asked herself if she was truly ready to reveal her secret of the last five years.

"Eve," Chris spoke softly as he swept her hair from her face, gently cupping her cheek in his hand, "Is Phillip my son?"

Eve felt a single tear escape the pool within her eyes. She swallowed a desperate sob before she nodded and spoke simply, "Yes, Chris, you are Phillip's father."

Chris watched her for a moment before he dropped his hands to his sides. He was struck silent by the enormity of what he'd just learned. He watched her closely as she bit her lip as tears gently fell from her eyes.

She withdrew her hand and stepped away from him. She stepped into the kitchen, wiping away tears as she moved towards the counter, "I wanted to. I tried even."

"What?" Chris asked as he followed her, placing the counter between them, "When?"

"The day you left Port Charles. You didn't tell me you were leaving. You just left, no warning, no explanation, nothing," She paused, "I had found out that morning that Ian couldn't possibly be the father of my child. And I knew then," She sniffled gently, "I knew that you were the father of my baby. I went to the apartment to tell you, but you were gone. I found out that you had left for the airport. I raced to the airport, Chris," She sobbed, "I ran to try to catch you, but it was too late. You were gone."

Chris stepped over to the table and sank into a chair. He leaned onto the table, sliding his fingers into his hair, "Were you going to tell me now?"

"Chris, I didn't know how you would take it. You were so angry with me. It felt like you hated me," She spoke as she tore a paper towel from a roll. She dried her cheeks gently, "I didn't think you would want to know that I gave birth to your son."

He looked towards her after a silent moment. He leaned onto his hand, placing his chin on the butt of his hand. He took a deep breath, "I had no idea."

"I know you didn't," She replied, moving to the cupboard. She removed two mugs and set a kettle upon the stove, "I didn't know how I was going to get through to you."

"My god, Eve," He sighed as he sat back in his chair, the massive weight of his newfound fatherhood settling in, "I wish...."

"Wishing doesn't do either of us any good," Eve spoke as she fixed them each a cup of coffee, "There are plenty of times I wished that you were still in Port Charles. Times when I wished that you had been able to see Phillip be born, his first steps, his first words," She gently wiped a tear from her cheek, "I wished so many times that you were a part of his life."

"You can be a part of his life now," She said as she spun to face him, "Be his father, Chris."

"You're already his father. Now I want you to have all that comes with it," Eve explained as she stepped towards him, "Chris, he needs you. He needs to know just how wonderful you are and how loving you can be. He needs to know his father is a great man."

He reached out to her and touched her shoulder, "I appreciate your confidence in me, Eve, but I'm not exactly father material."

"You are the perfect father material, Chris," She assured him as she touched his cheek, drawing his eyes to hers, "You have a tremendous amount of love in your heart. I know you are going to be great for Phillip."

Chris nodded before she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He hugged her in return before they gently parted to the whistle of the kettle. Eve slipped out of his arms and prepared their coffee. Chris looked back to her and spoke.

Eve stared into the space before her, wondering just how she could answer that very difficult question.