Evelyn's Tale

-Twenty Four-

Babe blushed. He knew Evelyn was right but being on the receiving end of one of Bill's glares wasn't exactly something that made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Then again, he didn't think it would exactly be great to get on Evelyn's bad side either. She had a temper to rival that of her brother's. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Before Bill could even try and stop her, Evelyn took a long drag on the cigarette and straight away began to splutter and cough.

"Ugh that's disgusting," she grimaced, handing it back to a smirking Babe as she coughed up what she was sure was her lungs and maybe the entire lining of her throat. Did people actually really enjoy this? And they actually paid for the pleasure of it? "I'm not even joking when I say that given the choice between ever having one of those horrific things again or one of your mom's culinary catastrophes I know what I'm choosing. And yes, even if it meant I had to eat that pizza."

"That's what you get for trying to prove a point against your big brother," Bill grinned, taking great delight in Evelyn's obvious disgust at her first, and hopefully only, taste of tobacco. "And also, what's this about a pizza? I don't get it."

"First of all, shut your pie hole," Evelyn stuck her tongue out at her brother. "And secondly, the pizza doesn't concern you. It's a private joke between Babe and I."

"Since when do you two share jokes without me?" Bill frowned.

"All the time," Evelyn commented flippantly, rifling around in her satchel. "You just never hear them 'cause they're always about you."

"Oh is that right?" Bill raised an eyebrow at Babe. "Is there something going on here you wanna tell me about Heffron?"

"Shut up Bill," Evelyn snorted at the look on Babe's face as she continued to rifle through her satchel until she found just the thing she needed. As if there wasn't enough blood in these woods already, Mother Nature decided that there needed to be more. It was a shame Mother Nature hadn't decided to send some Kotex too. At the moment, the use of half a bandage would have to suffice. "Right, I need to go pee. I'll be back in a minute."

Bill waited for her to climb out of the foxhole and disappear from sight before he looked at Babe. "So, you and my sister?"

"What about us?" Babe asked innocently. Well, he hoped it was innocently. From the way Bill was looking at him, he had a sneaking suspicion as to what it was Bill was hinting at but he decided to play dumb.

"Don't give me that," Bill raised an eyebrow at him. "I ain't stupid you know. You like her don't you?"

"Course I do," Babe said. "Same as I like everyone else in the company."

"It ain't the same and you know it," Bill eyed him. "I seen the little look you gave her when you were talking about your little private jokes. You're sweet on her."

"I aint," Babe shook his head, but even as he denied it a blush crept up his cheeks and neck.

"Relax," Bill patted him on the shoulder. "It's fine if you do like her. You're a good guy and I'd much rather her go with you than that other waste of space."

Babe didn't know what to say. Part of him still wanted to deny what Bill had quite clearly worked out, but the other part of him was elated to have his buddy's seal of approval. Not that it meant he was going to do anything about it. Not when it was ridiculously obvious just how upset Evelyn still was about the entire Liebgott situation. He could see it in her face every time he looked at her. That usual sparkle in her eyes was a little lacklustre. If Bill has noticed though, he never let on. But if Babe knew when he had only known Evelyn for a few months, then the person who had been around for the entirety of her life must have noticed.