Devastating Secret™

Searching the Past

Eva practically walked on air for the first few weeks, she was so excited about the prospect of having relatives. Noah asked Alex to start the preliminary investigation as discreetly as possible, the last thing Noah wanted was for her to become excited over nothing.

That was the same thought coming to Eva when three months had passed and nothing. She was worried they weren't aware of her and then there were the potential links to her father she didn't want. She prayed her mother still had family and imagined what her life would've been like had her father just given her to them.

Another month passed, and Eva swept into the Oval office. Noah had just returned from overseas and Wayland was discussing him running for reelection.

"They still love you," Wayland stated. "We can do it again."

"This is a tough job and I don't know if I'm up for another four years," Noah responded. "I feel like I've aged 10 years here. Then it's the stupid policies they keep pushing at me. I can't pass these things, they don't represent the common man. They represent a bunch of bored crazy rich people that want to force the rest of us to accept whatever crap shoved at us."

"Well tell them that," Wayland stated. "You are being touted as the next Honest Abe. They'll take that from you."

"I hope so," Noah said dejectedly, "because I don't need a civil war when I may have to fight a world war."

"There's gonna be war?"

"According to our sources, he has long-range missiles ready for testing."

"Let's hope they blow up in his face."

"Noah?" Eva called tired of listening to them talk shop. "Excuse me, but did you get anything?"

Noah hated disappointing her yet again. "These things sometimes take years...."

"I know, you said that two months ago." She retorted angrily. "Can't you speed it up?"

"Eva, I know how you feel..."

"No, you don't! You had parents that loved you. No one made you feel like a tolerated guest everywhere you went. You always belonged to someone..." Eva ranted tears filling her eyes.

Noah crossed the distance between them and enfolded her in his embrace stroking her hair. "It's gonna take some time baby. But we have to be careful. Rumor the First Lady looking for her family brings all sorts out of the woodwork and we don't need that."

"Going to the press may speed the process up." Wayland pointed out.

Noah and Eva looked at each other. The press was out of the question. The risk of someone of Welker's association knowing Eva was too great a risk. Her mother's family was the better bet, which is why they concentrated their efforts there.

"Not if you want to do a re-election campaign," Noah stated, leading the older man away from the topic. "Plus, Eva's rich, who wouldn't want to be related to her?"

"Right." Wayland agreed.

"It's better this way," Noah stated. "Maybe I should check missing persons."

"Why?" Eva asked, lifting her head off his shoulder. "My mother wasn't missing."

"You know nothing of your family. Not even a picture of your family, that sorta thing happens with runaways." Noah pointed out. "And knowing your...." Noah paused as he acknowledged Wayland's presence. "any keepsakes may have been lost or destroyed."

"THAT BAST..." Eva began but stopped when she caught Wayland looking at her. "That makes sense. I should've known. Why didn't I think of this?"

"Maybe I should let you two figure this out," Wayland said, feeling like an outsider to a secret. "Noah, make a decision fast we have to start preparing for the re-election."