"Ella? Do you know where Evan lives?" Artemis asked the day before the investigation they were about to do at the party that was to be held at FM Club also known as the Fiona Miles Club.
"I thought you knew his address?" Daniella questions her best friend with a raised eyebrow.
"I forgot, do enlighten me," Artemis replied.
Daniella frowned before immediately sending his address to her via text. "There. Go fetch him and force him to come for the meeting while your telling him what he has to do for tomorrow, will you?" Daniella says as soon as she sent the text to Artemis.
The latter merely gave her a two fingered salute before running off and driving to the address that Daniella had given her.
She arrived at an apartment complex that was much more expensive than her own. She quickly parked her car before rushing towards the elevator and going straight up to the penthouse.
As she pressed the doorbell, she heard the grunts and oofs that came from Evan from inside the house as he rushed to answer the door, most probably not expecting the redheaded woman but it was fine to her as no one really expects her to be anywhere near their homes anyways.
Athena was almost considered as the Grim Reaper as she was a homicide detective meaning that if she appeared at your doorstep to talk about something it was most probably about murder, blood, gore and death.
Evan Pierce opened the door. His black hair was a tousled mess, his fair skin was looking paler than usual, his body was begging for food and his usually bright hazel eyes were dull and begging for sleep behind his round black steel rimmed glasses.
"Artie? I presume your here for help on the case?" Evan assumed.
"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, you living corpse?" Artemis mocked the 25 year old man.
He really looked terrible, which was one of the reasons why Artemis had took it up to herself to bring him some food and drinks.
"As if you look any better! I could bury all the corpses you've found within your there's years a homicides detective in those bags you've got under your eyes!" Evan retorted.
Artemis laughed and Evan opened the door fully and let the older woman into his home which was a terrible mess.
"You, men are absolutely hopeless when there's no woman to clean up after your messes," Artemis scolded as she tried her best to clean the apartment unit.
"Sorry, but I wasn't expecting guests. Especially critics for homicide detectives," Evan teased.
"Artemis rolled her eyes before finally sitting down on his sofa and handing him the food she had brought him which consisted or vegetables, rice, meat, some fruits and lastly both orange and Apple juice.
Evan looked at the food before thanking the older woman and digging in. Artemis murmured a small "you're welcome" and said nothing more as she played in her phone letting the younger man eat his feel.
Once he was done, Artemis finally pocketed her phone and looked the younger man straight in the eyes.
Evan Pierce was no ordinary officer from the police force. Officer Evan Pierce was the computer genius, high-tech master and greatest hacker that the town has ever known and gotten.
Evan's job only required him to work from home. To overlook important files, send info to those from the police force who were allowed to ask for it and receive it, protect all of the Ocean Ville Police Force's important and secret data and keep others from hacking into the system was his job and he did it with much seriousness and pride that he always forgets to take care of himself too in the process.
As Artemis would always advise him "A dead corpse can't continue the job they did," it always irked him that whatever she said was always true but he often ended up listening to her advice anyways, because truth be told, the older woman was never ever wrong.
"What do you need me for this time, Artie?" Evan asked as he lighted a cigarette. A habit that he still had yet to give up on.
"I need your tech for the encounter investigation tomorrow and Ella requested for you to join the encounter investigation meeting tonight," Artemis replied eyeing the cigarette he held between his lips with hatred and disgust.
Evan noticed the look that she was giving the cigarette and immediately put it out.
"I'll attend the meeting tonight and bring the tech that you'll be needing. Thanks for coming all the way to come and tell me this face to face. And thank you for bringing me food as well. I'll see you tonight. I'll see you out, Detective Athens," Evan replied, his voice stiff.
"Evan? Are you indirectly throwing me out?!" the older woman exclaimed, knowing full well what the younger man was trying to do.
"Artemis... Get out," Evan demanded.
"Fine, then. You'll regret not having anyone with you during these tough times, Evan. I swear!" Artemis shouted at the younger man with rage before storming out on him.
All Artemis was trying to do was being supportive to Evan. She had known Evan ever since she was in high school and they had been good friends.
A year ago, Evan got married to his high school lover, Cecilia Danvers. Cecilia was also Artemis's best friend. Evan got to meet Cecilia through Artemis when she introduced the duo to each other. After three of months of being best friend, the duo finally decided to confess their feelings to each other and become a couple.
When Evan officially joined the police force as the tech genius, he had proposed to Cecilia. Three months later on her birthday, December 15th, they had gotten married.
A year later, Cecilia had gotten pregnant which was a total miracle as the doctors had said after she was involved in an accident when she was 5 years old, that she would be unable to hear children.
The married couple were so happy at the outcome of their life. Evan had treated all of both his and Cecilia's friends out to both dinner and drinking. Cecilia hadn't minded even in the slightest as it was celebratory.
A year later, she had given birth to twins. Evangeline and Charles. This lead to yet another celebratory dinner and drinking.
Unfortunately, their happiness was short lived. A few months later, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It was terrible and the doctors claimed that they couldn't do anything about it.
That was when Evan first took up his smiling habit. Even then, he had never showed any violence to his children out of stress.
Chief McConnors let him off of work for as long as he needed to get back in shape. He was directly involved in missions anymore. He only equipped those who needed the special police tech when Chief McConnors calls him and sends in a young recruit to pick up the tech. Only a select few were allowed to go and meet him face to face to get things.
That select few were Artemis Daniella, Daniel and Andrew. They were the closest people to Evan. Artemis was already most of the time at his house to look after the kids sometimes and visit Cecilia.
Cecilia had no regrets when she passed away three months ago. Evan disappeared into a vortex of depression and his mother had taken it upon herself to be a responsible grandmother and take care of her grandchildren.
Evan has never set foot into the police department ever since Cecialia was diagnosed with brain tumor and he was still at home, hacking and equipping when requested to.
Daniella had caught him once when he was trying to hang himself, Andre caught him trying to swallow bleach, Daniel caught him cutting himself and Artemis caught him almost jumping from his balcony.
He stopped trying after the incident where Artemis caught him. That was his last attempt. The older woman had beat him to a pulp and screamed at him to shut up and get his act together. She screamed at him that he had children who will always love him and that they were missing him. She screamed at him to go and see them, that they missed him and they were devastatrd ovet their mother's death as well.
"She was only 24 when she died! She didn't deserve to be stolen away by death!!!" he had shouted at her that day.
Indeed Cecilia was younger than both Artemis and Evan. Cecialia had been a. ayear younger than Evan and two year younger than Artemis. Artemis still had to agree with Evan on one thing. Cecilia really didn't deserve to be stolen away from all those who she loved by death but yet, she still had no regrets and died happy although she was in pain.
"Just because she's gone doesn't mean you have to do this to yourself, Evan!!! Think about your kids!!! Think about everyone who ever loved you, you idiotic man!!! This isn't what she would've wanted!!! She'd have wanted you to take care of the kids!!! She'd have wanted you to still smile and celebrate the life she lived instead of turning into this!!!" Artemis shouted.
Evan felt the tears fall from his eyes as soon as he heard what his best friend and superior said. Artemis was right, he had to admit. She was always right and there never was a time in which she was wrong.
So, he stopped the suicide attempts. His smoking addiction was being controlled by himself as well. He remembered well that Cecilia hated him smoking. But he still had trouble to be able to get back into a healthy diet and decided to live in a clean environment again.
Artemis was glad that Evan hadn't turned to drugs during his depression period. She was afraid for her best friend indeed.
Although, the meeting with her friend ended up into a somewhat argument, she was glad that she got to see him again. She was glad that his heart was still limping blood into his veins and that his lungs were still heaving for oxygen like any other human. She glad that his pulse was still beating and that he didn't look as sickly as he did back when Cecilia had passed.
Artemis Nemesis Athens would never admit it to anyone but she considered herself a sponge that felt the same hurt as the people she loved and she often sucked their negative emotions and replaced then with her own happy ones from time to time.
It was just in her to do that. She lived her friends and family too much to see them hurt. She'll never let anyone lay a single finger on the people she loves.
As she boarded her car, she gave Evan's apartment unit's balcony one last glance before whispering "I hope you recover soon, Evan," and driving off.
Unbeknownst to her, Evan had whispered "I will recover soon for everyone, especially my children and you, Artemis,"