When Darkness Falls

Our Freedom

It was almost dark out when they stopped the SUV at a rundown motel. They had all stayed pretty quiet the rest of the ride, not discussing more when she had woken up from her nap. After clearing the area, all three men began unpacking the SUV.

"We'll take this room." Adam said, pointing to one of the motel room doors.

Ian and Michael nodded, not saying anything as they packed their things to their room a couple doors down. For some reason, Eve felt even more anxious than she did the other day when she had shared a room with Adam. While he went to put their stuff down, her mind suddenly went to their kiss that morning. Blushing, she decided to keep herself busy by getting her clothes out of the bag Michael had given her and announced she was going to change in the bathroom. When she got there, she undid her braid, letting her red locks fall loose around her shoulders. It was warm out so she had on a white tank top and a pair of exercise shorts. She had never worn anything like it in front of Adam except when she had woken up in his t-shirt the morning after they were attacked at the farmhouse.

Walking out of the bathroom, she began putting her stuff back in her bag when she noticed Adam had gone silent, not moving. She turned and found him watching her, though he had the same worried look on his face that he did in the SUV earlier. Sighing, she decided now was as good a time as any to bring up Chicago.

"You don't want me to help the resistance." She said, not really asking.

Adam looked at the floor, his expression unreadable.

"No, but I'm not going to tell you what to do." He replied, not looking at her.

Eve took a few steps towards him until she could grab his hand in hers. He looked up at her again and his face softened, seeming more relaxed.

"What are you afraid of?" She asked quietly.

Adam hesitated before answering. "I'm afraid that finding a cure involves harming you. I'm afraid they will take you away and lock you up against your will just like Cerus did. Desperate people do desperate things, Eve."

She reached her other hand up, placing it on his cheek lightly as she felt his jaw clench under her fingertips.

"I understand your concerns, but I also feel guilty not helping people when I'm the only one who can. I'm sure the resistance is not going to be like Cerus, that's why they're fighting against them." She said, also trying to convince herself.

Adam's expression didn't change. "I stand by what I said."

She sighed again, looking down as she placed her hands on his abdomen tentatively.

"You know, I didn't get the chance to tell you what my real name was." She said quietly.

She looked up at him again and he was watching her curiously, waiting for her to say more.

"My name is Rosaria Benson. My father stopped calling me that when he started working for Cerus. I'm not sure if I want that name though. I think I like Eve better. It represents who I am now, and I don't want the name my father gave me. He did things to try and protect me, yes, but he ended up being the cause of my pain and suffering. He was a coward who couldn't face what he had done to me. So I want to be Eve. You said you had a real name too, right?" She asked curiously.

Adam hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. My real name is Matthew Frederick. No one at Cerus called that though. Like you, they only called me by my new name, Adam. I kept it because it reminds me of what I overcame. I didn't want to let what I had been through dictate who I was going to be."

He reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers lacing through the strands as he seemed to admire them, before he placed his hand against her face softly.