"Eva?" Tristan says coming into the room and finding his, hopefully, girlfriend staring off into space.

"Tristan?" Eva says in disbelief. He wasn't due back until late that night at the earliest. Before she could do anything else Tristan is by her side and picking her up and swinging her around.

"I didn't expect you back for hours yet. How are you here already?" Eva asks even while looking him over anxiously to make sure that he's not hurt. "You aren't hurt are you?"

Tristan sets her down making sure to not hurt her wound. Smiling he answers her, "No, I'm not hurt. You can thank Lassiter for that, Eva. He pulled me down so the bullet went through the sleeve of my shirt instead of my heart. I didn't even get a graze out of it."

At Tristan's words Eva freezes, her eyes wide before she starts shaking. She could have lost Tristan before...

"Eva, hey, it's okay, I'm fine. Not even a scratch, honestly." Tristan gets a look of deviltry in his eyes, "I'll even let you strip me and look me over to prove to you that I'm fine."

Eva snorts, "You'd let me do that any way."

Tristan pulls her in for another kiss, "Mm, you are right. Just let me know when you want to, Eva and I'll let you even do the stripping."

"Eva, Boss, sorry for the interruption," Lassiter says uncomfortably from the doorway. His face burning red for interrupting the low voiced conversation and intimate kissing.

"I just thought you might want to know, I have the last known whereabouts of Eva's younger brother and proof of who the older brother is." Lassiter rapidly continues not liking Tristan's angry look. "I just found the information on the older brother and haven't had the chance to brief you, Boss."

"What do you mean the last known whereabouts? And I truly do have an older brother?"

"This might take some time, it would be better done in private. Let's go to my office." Tristan says looking at Lassiter. There is something making Lassiter nervous and that's a state he's never seen him in, ever. Not even when Lassiter was the underdog in a death match when the opponent was known to kill all his adversary instead of giving him mercy.

Once everyone is seated, Eva pulled onto Tristan's lap, Tristan motions for Lassiter to talk.

"Daniel, your younger brother was last seen with a foster family. For some reason he seems to have run away."

Eva is held onto Tristan's lap so she couldn't jump off. "A nine year old doesn't just runaway for no reason from a good foster home." There is anger and a bit of fear in her voice. She was four years older when she ran away and a lot more able to fend for herself. The chances of her little brother surviving on the streets on his own aren't very likely.

"As soon as I received the information I sent men out to look for him. Street smart, savvy men that know where and how to look for someone living on the streets that has reason to hide. If it's at all possible to find him, we will." Lassiter tells her emphatically trying to calm her down.

"How long ago did he run away?" Tristan asks the question for Eva.

"Not yet a month. There is a good chance that he could still be alive, Eva. If he's even a tenth of the intelligence you had he'll still be alive."

Eva's voice is strained and barely heard by those in the room. "Yeah, but at what price?" Even before Cain had found her, Eva had had to kill to protect herself.

No one had an answer for her. They are all aware of the dangers of the streets at night and for one so young.

Tristan is the first one to break the silence that had fallen. "What about the older brother? Do you have a name and location?"

Tristan is watching closely and so sees the flinch that Lassiter recovers from quickly.

Eva looks at Lassiter when the silence continues longer than expected. "Lassiter? You said you had information on him."

Lassiter goes to speak and finds that he can't so he nods and clears his throat. "He's a year older than Tristan. He was left at the hospital with just a name, Cain. No last name. Just a first name and birth date. He was adopted by a couple that later divorced and dumped him back into the foster system," Lassiter is watching Eva. She knows his story. 

Eva is shaking her head no and has turned white. "His last foster mother and sister were killed about six years ago, but he had already graduated and had a job. He loved underground fighting and had friends with the local gang..."

"You are saying you are Eva's older brother?" Tristan interrupts him.

"Yes, or at least, Cain was. Since all records show that Cain is legally dead," Lassiter shrugs. "But yeah, I am Eva's older brother."

Tristan shakes his head in disbelief. "How can you be sure?"

"Eva and I both did DNA samples to put in the national registry to help locate family  of those that are adopted. I had our samples matched to double check. We are full siblings." Lassiter looks over at Eva all but pleading with her. "All I want now, Eva, is a chance to be a good older brother. I promise I'll do my best."

"You are actually my brother," Eva says still more than a little stunned by his revelation. "When we first met, anyone would have been terrified out of their minds, but I felt safe with you. You were always like an older brother to me. I often thought or wished that I could have an older protective brother like you were for me. And up until you decided to leave me without saying anything you were the best big brother a girl could want."

By then Lassiter has tears in his eyes. "I regret that day more than any other in my life. If I could go back and change it, I would, in a heartbeat."

"Stop, Lassiter, the past is the past. Now it's time for you to prove yourself. I've already given  you the chance."

Eva gets off of Tristan's lap and goes over to her brother and gives him a hug. "I'll find our brother Eva, I promise. Even if it's too late for him, I'll find him for you."

"Bring him here, Lassiter. The rest of his family is here and Eva will make sure that he's loved."

"Yes, Boss," Lassiter says giving Eva one last hug before getting up and leaving.

Eva returns to Tristan. "Speaking of your siblings, how is Crystal?"

"She was scared, bruised and hurting. There were signs that the animal that was our sperm donor was molesting her already.

"When she saw me after her exam she looked at me in awe and asked if I was an angel. I just smiled and told her no. But I was her sister and if she wanted I would be her new mother. Then I got her food and had Tom carry her to her new room." Eva turns to Tristan and hugs him tight, "She loves it. Thank you for suggesting I do that for her."

Eva pulls back as she remembers. "What about Yenni?"

"Elenia is with her, calming her down and feeding her. Elenia will bring her here once she finishes."

Eva bites her bottom lip, "Tristan, I'm still recovering from this damn gunshot. I don't have the energy to take care of the girls like they should be." Eva looks at Tristan unsure about what he'll think of her next words. "I want to change Elenia's sentence."

Tristan, looks at her curious, "She's your prisoner to do what ever you wish with her. If you want to change her sentence, change it. What would you like to change it too?"

"I want to make her nanny to the girls and when my brother gets here, to him as well. That way I'll be able to continue my studies as well."

"Alright," Tristan says after thinking about it for a bit. He wants Eva to finish her studies and hadn't thought about how the children would impact that.

Just then a knock sounds on the door. RJ sticks his head in and tells them that Elenia and Yenni were wanting to see them.

"Send them in." Tristan says with a smile. He missed her meeting Crystal but he gets to see Yenni's reaction to Eva. Tristan already knows that Elenia doesn't wish for Yenni to know that she is her mother. She was brought up to think of her as her sister only and Elenia wants to keep it that way so she isn't shamed of her beginnings.