Premise: This is a story about Frank and Eve. The two of them get thrown together at a time where there are still a lot of hard feelings between them. But as they get more and more involved with Dr. McNaughton and his experiment, they’re forced to rely on each other as they try and stay out of danger. 

"Hey Chris, are you here?" Eve called as she entered the apartment. It was a silly question considering none of the lights were on. 

She flipped the lights on and threw her coat and purse on the chair. Eve went to the answering machine to check the messages. 

"Dr. Lambert, this is Dr. McNaughton. I’m calling to remind you that the experiment program that you volunteered for starts tomorrow. Please be in my office by eight o’clock." 

Eve groaned. Volunteered nothing. She had gotten stuck in the program because she had drawn the short straw. No one knew exactly what Dr. McNaughton was planning on doing, and Eve wasn’t sure that she wanted to find out. But she was going to have to. 

"At eight o’clock on my day off," Eve muttered. She waited for the next message. 

"Hey roomie, it’s me. I got called in, so don’t wait up!" Chris said. 

Eve sighed. It looked like she was going to be having that martini by herself. It was just as well. Her head hurt, and she didn’t think she would be very good company. 

Eve changed into her bathrobe and mixed herself a martini. She was considering a bubble bath when there was a knock on the door. 

Go away, Eve thought. She opened the door and scowled when she saw Frank standing there. 

"Go away," she told him. Eve started to close the door, but Frank stopped her. 

"I came to see Ramsey. Where is he?" Frank demanded. 

"At the hospital. Good night," Eve said. 

Frank smirked at her. "Oh come on, Eve. Why don’t you invite me in?" he suggested. 

"Yeah right." Eve went to close the door again. 

"Is this still about me thinking that you were the General Homicide killer?" Frank asked. 

Eve glared at him, wondering how he could be so nonchalant about the whole thing. 

"You terrorized me, Frank. You locked me in a freezer, you kidnapped me and you threatened me. I’m not going to forget that," Eve said. 

"You forgot about the organs in your Chinese food," Frank pointed out. 

"No, I didn’t." Eve slammed the door and quickly locked it. She couldn’t believe that even Frank Scanlon would have such gall. 

Eve decided to forget the bath and just go straight to bed. She just wanted to forget about this whole day. 

 ******

Bright and early the next morning, Eve found herself at General Hospital. She had put the previous day out of her mind, and she just wanted to find out about this program that she had gotten suckered into. On her way to Dr. McNaughton’s office, she ran into Chris. 

"Hey Eve. I thought you were off today," Chris said. 

"You look exhausted. Have you been on call all night?" Eve asked. 

"Unfortunately." Chris stifled a yawn. "So what are you doing here? You’re not sick are you, because I don't want it." 

"I’m not sick. I have that thing with Dr. McNaughton today," Eve said. 

Chris grinned. "That’s right, you drew the short straw." 

"Don’t rub it in Ramsey, I’m not in the mood," Eve warned. "By the way, Frank came looking for you last night." 

"Why?" 

Eve shrugged. "He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask. You’re not supplying him with drugs again are you?" she asked. 

"I wouldn’t supply Frank Scanlon with a dime for a phone call," Chris replied. 

"I think you should stay clear of Frank, Chris. He’s not stable," Eve said. 

"Don’t I know it. Are you coming home after your meeting?" Chris asked. 

Eve nodded. "Why?" 

"I want the details. Martinis later? Chris asked. 

"Sure," Eve agreed. 

"I’m going home to get some sleep. See you later." 

"Bye Chris." Eve wondered if Chris and Frank were up to something. She didn’t think that Chris was acting any stranger than usual, but with Chris, you could never tell. 

*******

Eve headed for Dr. McNaughton’s office. The door was open, but she knocked anyway. 

Dr. McNaughton looked up. "Dr. Lambert, right on schedule. Please come in and close the door behind you." 

Eve did as he asked. She was growing more and more curious about Dr. McNaughton and his motives. He had only been working at GH for three months, and he was already famous for his off the wall experiments. She was anxious to see what he had in store for her. 

"Eve, may I call you Eve?" he asked. 

"Sure." 

"Eve, I’m sure you’ve probably heard a lot of rumors about me, and more than likely, they are all true. I have my own ways of doing things, and I assure you there is nothing unethical about any of them." 

"Okay," Eve said. She still didn’t know what she was getting herself into. 

"I have an idea for an experiment where the doctor -you- and a volunteer patient work together on a series of experimental assignments. Some are hypothetical medical situations, and others are just hypothetical situations that people can run across in every day life," Dr. McNaughton explained. 

Eve frowned. "I don’t mean to be rude, but what’s the point?" she asked. 

"Good question, and it’s not at all rude. The point, Eve, is to view the trust between the patient and the doctor. Does it exist in the real world or only in the hospital? Does it exist at all? I want to find out." 

Eve wasn’t sure that there was anything to find out. She didn’t see how a doctor could do that kind of research with a single patient. 

"I know what you’re thinking," Dr. McNaughton said. "You’re wondering why anyone would care about the relationship between one doctor and one patient." 

"Yes, actually," Eve admitted. 

"There’s a method to my madness, Eve, and you will understand eventually. My question for you now is, are you willing to participate in this experiment?" Dr. McNaughton asked. 

Eve considered it. The experiment didn’t make any sense to her, but Dr. McNaughton had a reputation for being strange. But she had to admit that she was intrigued by this. 

"Yes, Dr. McNaughton, I would like to participate." 

"Good." Dr. McNaughton smiled. "Now I just need to introduce you to your patient. He’s already been filled in on the experiment." As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. 

"That must be him now." Dr. McNaughton went to open the door. "Allow me to introduce your patient." 

Eve waited expectantly. Dr. McNaughton opened the door, and Frank Scanlon walked in. 

"Dr. Lambert, meet Frank Scanlon. Frank, Dr. Lambert." 

"Him?" Eve cried in disbelief. 

"Her?" Frank cried, equally stunned. 

"I see that you two know each other. That will make the experiment all the more interesting. Would you excuse me for a moment?" Without waiting for an answer, Dr. McNaughton left the room. 

Eve glared at Frank. "How can you be the patient?" 

"I needed the money. These kind of people pay big bucks for guinea pigs. Thanks to your pal, Chris, I’m out of a job," Frank reminded her. 

"Chris didn’t force the DL56 down your throat," Eve snapped. 

"Look, you can criticize me all you want, but I am not going anywhere. Either deal with the fact that I am part of this experiment, or you leave." 

Eve was ready to. There was no way that she could spend time with Frank. Especially, if there were sharp objects around. She would just tell Dr. McNaughton that the conflict of interest was too great. 

Then she caught Frank smirking at her. She could tell that he was glad that she was not going to be involved. Eve decided not to give him the satisfaction. 

Dr. McNaughton returned just then. "Well, do we have a deal?" he asked. 

"I’m game," Frank said. 

"So am I," Eve said firmly. She sent Frank a triumphant look. 

"Wonderful." Dr. McNaughton smiled slowly. "Come here tomorrow around noon, and I’ll have your first assignment ready." 

"Great," Eve said. "Thank you, Dr." She grabbed her purse and walked out of the office. 

Frank watched her walk away. This wasn’t going to be easy. But he wasn’t about to let Eve Lambert screw this up for him either. 

 *****

After running some errands, Eve returned to the apartment. She was still furious about being stuck with Frank. 

"Chris, I’m home!" Eve called. 

Chris came out of his room. "It took long enough. I was ready to have the martinis without you," he said. He went to fix the drinks. 

Eve rolled her eyes. "I’ve had the day from hell, Chris." She sat down on the couch and buried her head in her hands. 

"Oh tell Dr. Ramsey all about it," Chris said. He handed Eve her martini and sat down beside her. 

Eve slowly sipped her drink. "I walked into Dr. McNaughton’s office, and he told me about the experiment." She quickly explained it to Chris. 

Chris frowned. "What’s the point?" 

"I asked the same question, and I didn’t get much of an answer," Eve replied. 

"Is there money involved?" Chris asked. 

Eve rolled her eyes. "Typical, Ramsey." 

Chris shrugged innocently. "If there’s no money involved, what’s the purpose of the experiment?" 

Eve ignored his question. "It sounded interesting to me," she said. 

"So what’s the problem?" Chris asked. He figured there was more to this story. 

"The problem is the patient," Eve replied. She finished her martini in a single gulp. "Frank Scanlon." 

Chris had not been expecting that one. "Are you serious?" He started laughing. 

Eve scowled. "Thanks Chris. You sure no how to make a girl feel better," she said dryly. 

"Sorry." Chris stopped laughing. "Are you still going to do it?" he asked. 

"Yes," Eve said firmly. "You should have seen the look on Frank’s face. He obviously thought I was going to drop the experiment because of him. I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction." 

Chris frowned. "Are you sure this is a good idea? You said yourself that Frank is unstable," he said. 

"I can handle Frank," Eve said firmly. 

"I wouldn’t doubt it." Chris grinned. "What do you say I pour you another drink and we toast to your new job?" he suggested. 

"Sounds good," Eve agreed. Despite Frank Scanlon, she was looking forward to this assignment. 

Eve walked into Dr. McNaughton’s office and found Frank waiting. He smiled smugly at Eve.

"I was beginning to think you backed out," Frank commented.

"You wish." Eve sat down in the chair beside Frank. "Have you seen Dr. McNaughton yet?" she asked.

Frank shook his head. "He must be running late. I see you couldn’t be bothered to be on time. It looks like you didn’t get any of your beauty sleep, either," he sneered.

Eve bit back the nasty comment on the tip of her tongue. "Look Frank, you and I are going to be working very closely for the next month. Maybe we should try to get along," she suggested.

"I’m game if you are," Frank replied. He smiled at her suggestively.

Eve scowled. "You’re a pig, Frank," she said.

"See, you love me already," Frank said.

How did I get myself into this? Eve thought. She wished that she had just dropped the project when she had first found out that Frank was involved. But she hadn’t wanted to give him the satisfaction. She still didn’t.

Dr. McNaughton came into the office just then. "Good morning. How are you both doing this morning?" he asked as he took a seat behind his desk.

Wonderful, Eve thought sarcastically. She plastered a cheerful smile on her face. "I’m good, how are you?" she asked politely.

"Very good, thank you. Frank, how are you feeling?" Dr. McNaughton asked.

"Like a million bucks," Frank replied. "So, Doc, what’s on the agenda for today?" he asked.

"Well as you both know, I want to focus solely on the relationship between the doctor and the patient. I figured that we would start in the simplest way. Dr. Lambert, I want you to give Mr. Scanlon a complete physical. Please run all the standard tests. When you’re finished, I would like you to fill out these forms separately." Dr. McNaughton reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a manila file. He handed a sheet to Eve and one to Frank.

Eve examined the form. Most of the questions were about the patient’s physical condition, but the last few were about his mood, tone and actions. The last question was "Do you trust this patient?" Not for a second, Eve thought to herself.

"A basic physical? That’s it?" Frank asked.

"For mow." Dr. McNaughton smiled mysteriously. "Dr. Lambert, I have everything you need set up in exam room three. When you’re finished, please leave the results in my mailbox." He stood up. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have some patients to tend to."

Frank shook his head. "Is that guy weird, or is it just me?" he asked.

"It’s just you," Eve replied. She stood up quickly. "Let’s get this over with. I don’t want to be stuck here all day waiting for your test results," she said.

Frank followed her out of the office. "Trust me, Eve, I am as fit as a fiddle. If you’re in such a hurry, we can just skip the tests and go right to the forms," he said.

Eve turned to face him. "Why would you want to do that, Frank? Is there something in your system that you don’t want me to find?" he asked.

Frank glared at her. "I am not doing drugs anymore. You can do your damn physical and see for yourself," he said.

Eve ignored his sarcasm and led Frank into the exam room. She already wanted to ring his neck, and they hadn’t even been together for more than a few minutes. She didn’t know how she was going to get through this.

"Where do we start?" Frank asked.

Eve slipped on a lab coat and reached for a stethoscope. "Take off your clothes," she replied.

"Eve, we haven’t even kissed yet," Frank teased.

"Thank heaven for small favors." Eve tossed Frank a hospital gown. "Put this on," she ordered.

"Okay." Frank pulled off his shirt, revealing his tanned, muscular upper body. He looked at Eve expectantly.

Eve knew what he was thinking. Frank figured he would take off his clothes, and she would swoon. Not in this life time.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" she asked.

"Most women are," Frank replied.

"Most women? Frank, your last girlfriend was a serial killer who is now in the loony bin. I don’t think her opinion counts very much," Eve said.

Frank scowled. "Suit yourself," he said. He started to take off the rest of his clothes. "Do you mind turning around?" he asked.

Eve rolled her eyes. "Since when are you so modest, Frank?" She turned to face the wall. "Let me know when you’re finished," she said.

"Done," Frank said a few minutes later. "So, what do you want to examine first?" he asked.

"Well I would say your heart, but it might be too small for me to find," Eve muttered.

"Ooh, harsh," Frank said.

Eve placed the stethoscope over Frank’s heart. "Maybe we just shouldn’t speak to each other," she suggested. "Take a deep breath."

Frank took a deep breath. "Gee Eve, I can put that on my form. My doctor doesn’t want me to speak to her, but she wants me to trust her."

"Well maybe if you hadn’t terrorized her, she wouldn’t hate you so much," Eve said. She put the stethoscope down and checked Frank’s glands. "Everything seems to be in check." She made a quick note in her chart.

"Eve, you should let this whole hostility thing go. It doesn’t suit you," Frank commented.

"Shut up and open your mouth," Eve said as she reached for a tongue depressor.

"That doesn’t make sense," Frank said with a smug smile.

"You know what I mean." Eve resisted the urge to choke him with the tongue depressor. "This will only hurt for a minute, unfortunately," she said.

"Have you talked to someone about this anger that you have? I’ve heard Kevin Collins is a good therapist. Oh wait, he dumped you. How about Gail Baldwin? Oh wait, her son dumped you. Too bad, Eve," Frank said with a smirk.

Eve wanted to hit him. She wanted to knock the smug smirk right off his face. But she knew that would give him way too much pleasure. "Let’s just finish the exam," she suggested.

"Fine by me," Frank agreed.

****

Eve finished looking over Frank’s test results and reached for the form Dr. McNaughton had wanted her to fill out. All the tests were normal. She wasn’t really surprised, but she was annoyed by how long the physical had taken. Frank had tried to get little jabs in every chance he got. Eve had tried to stay calm, but Frank was incredible at pushing her buttons. She didn’t think she could take much more.

Eve completed all the questions except for the trust question. She didn’t trust Frank at all, and she was positive that he didn’t trust her either. She didn’t know how this experiment was supposed to work when there was no trust between them. Eve decided to go for the subtle approach. She wrote that the patient didn’t trust her yet, but it was still early in the relationship.

Not that it is going to make a difference, Eve thought. She went into the staff mailroom and put Frank’s test results and her form in Dr. McNaughton’s mailbox. She was considering adding her letter of resignation with them. Eve didn’t think she would be able to handle this.

"Hey, how’s my favorite roommate?" Chris asked. He came into the mailroom and slipped some charts in Dr. Quatermaine’s box.

"I’ve been better. Do you have a minute?" Eve asked.

"For you, always. Let’s have a seat." Chris led Eve to the small bench outside the room. "What’s going on?" he asked.

"I’m thinking about dropping out of the experimental program. I don’t think I can work with Frank without killing him," Eve said.

Chris frowned. "Eve, that isn’t a good idea," he said.

"Why not?" Eve shook her head. "I don't want to do this."

"Eve, if you quit now, it is going to be because you let Frank Scanlon get to you. Trust me, you don’t want to let Frank have that kind of power over you," Chris warned.

"I know how Frank is, and I don’t want to give him any kind of satisfaction. But he gets all kinds of pleasure from pushing my buttons, and I don’t want to deal with that every day," Eve said.

"Eve, it’s your call. But in my professional and personal opinion, I think you need to stick it out. That will push Frank’s buttons," Chris said.

"Right," Eve agreed. "Thanks Ramsey."

"Anytime. Now if you will excuse me, I have rounds to finish," Chris said.

"I’ll see you later," Eve said. She leaned back against the wall. She knew that Chris was right. She couldn’t let Frank get in her way. Besides, she was curious as to where this experiment was going. 

"Now all I need to do is decide which movie I want to watch," Eve said. She headed into the living room to check out their movie collection. She was debating between Casablanca and The Godfather, when the phone rang. 

"That had better be someone calling to tell me I won the lottery," Eve muttered. She reached for the phone. "Hello?" 

"Dr. Lambert, this is Dr. McNaughton. I hope that I am not disturbing you," Dr. McNaughton said. 

"Not at all," Eve lied. She hoped he didn’t want her to do something. Eve had a feeling her relaxing day was about to go down the drain. 

"Eve, I just wanted to tell you about the next part of the experiment. This is more of a field study than a medical one. I have a very important package that needs to be delivered to Pennsylvania by tomorrow morning. I would like you and Frank to deliver it," Dr. McNaughton said. 

"You want us to deliver a package to Pennsylvania?" Eve asked in disbelief. She wondered why he didn’t just hire a courier service. 

"Yes. I have already given the package to Frank, and he’s on his way to your apartment to pick you up. I have another form for you to fill out when you come back. Good day, Dr. Lambert," Dr. McNaughton said. 

Eve’s jaw dropped when she heard the dial tone. He couldn’t be serious. He wanted her to give up her day off to drive to Pennsylvania with Frank Scanlon to drop off a package. This didn’t make any kind of sense. She started to call him back when there was a knock on the door. 

"Coming." Eve put down the receiver and opened the door. Frank was there, grinning at her. 

"Hey, are you ready for the road trip?" Frank asked. His tone was dripping with sarcasm. 

"Dr. McNaughton is really serious about this? How can that be?" Eve asked. 

Frank shook his head. "I don’t know. He showed up at my door, dropped off the package and a road map and told me to pick you up at eleven thirty." He took note of her bathrobe and wet hair. "Did he tell you a different time?" he asked. 

"He called me less than a minute ago and filled me in on this whole thing. What’s in the package?" Eve asked. 

Frank shrugged. "I don’t know. One of the instructions is that we’re not to open it. It’s really small though. I’ve got it in the truck," he said. 

Eve walked back into the apartment. "Frank, doesn’t this whole thing seem a bit suspicious to you? The physical the other day was one thing. But what kind of doctor goes on a road trip with her patient to deliver a package for someone?" she asked. 

"I don’t know," Frank admitted. He came into the apartment and closed the door. "Maybe he’s just too lazy to do it himself and he figures it will be a good bonding moment for us. Look, you better get dressed. It’s a five hour drive into Pennsylvania," he said. 

"Frank, I don't want to go to Pennsylvania. I certainly don’t want to go today, and I definitely don’t want to go with you," Eve said firmly. "You can show yourself out." She sat down on the couch. 

"Eve." Frank sat down beside her. "We don't have a choice in this matter. We both signed on to this experiment where we have no idea what we’re getting ourselves into. Now get dressed so we can go and come back. I figure if we can drive five hours, drop this thing off and then be back here by midnight," he said. 

"Is this really necessary?" Eve asked. She already knew the answer. "I’ll go change," she said. 

"I’ll wait," Frank said. He stretched out on the couch. 

Eve made a face, but she didn’t comment. It was going to be a very long day. 
 
 
 
 

Five hours later, Eve and Frank found themselves in the Pennsylvania countryside. Eve stared out the window of Frank’s truck at the endless acres of farms and fields. They hadn’t seen another car in over an hour, and Eve didn’t think they would be seeing one anytime soon. She glanced at Frank out of the corner of her eye. 

He hadn’t said much to her since they had left Port Charles. He concentrated on the road and the radio stations. He was driving too fast, but Eve had found it useless to complain. It didn’t really matter. Eve didn’t think they would be running into any cops anytime soon, and she figured the faster Frank drove, the sooner they would get there. She was anxious to deliver the package so they could get out of there. 

The small package was on the seat between them. Eve couldn’t tell what it was. It was smaller than a video tape, and it was wrapped it heavy brown paper. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was something illegal. She doubted it, but the thought was plaguing her mind. 

"Are we there yet?" Eve asked. 

"According to Dr. McNaughton’s directions, we are almost there. There should be a small road coming up on the right. The place we’re going is half a mile down that road," Frank explained. He glanced at Eve. "Are you getting antsy?" he asked. 

"I don't like being in a car for this long," Eve replied. She shifted uncomfortably. "Aren’t you anxious to get out of the car?" she asked. 

Frank nodded. "Yeah," he admitted. "Do you think there is something illegal in this package?" he asked. 

"I don’t know. The thought did cross my mind," Eve said. "Do you?" 

"Probably not. Dr. McNaughton is a respected man. I don’t think he would be using us to do his dirty work," Frank said. 

"I hope not," Eve muttered. "Hey, there’s the road." 

Frank slowed down and turned onto the road, which wasn’t more than hard packed dirt. He slowed down to accommodate it. "We’re looking for a place called Jack’s," he said. 

"Jack’s?" Eve said in disbelief. "Is it a bar?" 

"Sounds like it. Dr. McNaughton didn’t give me any specifics," Frank said. "I can’t imagine someone operating a place of business in the middle of nowhere like this," he said. There was nothing but fields around them. There were no houses, no cars and no people. 

"Who are we supposed to deliver this package to?" Eve asked. 

Frank shrugged. "I asked Dr. McNaughton that, and he said that they would be expecting us," he said. 

"Frank, I have a bad feeling about this," Eve admitted. 

Frank looked at her. "Don’t get worked up yet. I’m sure there is a reason for all this," he said. 

"Right." Eve spotted something. "Hey, I see a building up ahead to the right," she said. 

Frank saw it too. "The place looks like a shack." He pulled his truck to a stop in front of the run down building. There was a sign above that read "Jack’s Tavern." The paint was peeling, and the wood was chipping away. "Well this is it," he said. 

Eve made a face. "Do we have to go in there?" she asked. 

"You can wait in the car if you want," Frank offered. He reached for the package. "I’m going in," he said. 

"Wait for me," Eve said. She followed Frank into the building. There were three tables set up and a small bar. There wasn’t a single person in the place. 

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Frank called loudly. 

Eve got a creepy feeling, like someone was watching her. She shivered, and took a step closer to Frank. She expected him to make fun of her, but he didn’t. They heard a noise, and they both jumped. 

A tall man stepped out of a back room. "Can I help you?" he asked. He had a thick accent, but Frank couldn’t quite place it. He didn’t think it sounded like a New England accent though. 

"Yeah, I’m Frank Scanlon and this is Dr. Lambert. We have a package to deliver," Frank explained. He didn’t like the way this guy was leering at Eve. He stepped forward a little so Eve was hidden behind him. 

"From Dr. McNaughton?" The man smiled. "He said you would be coming by, but I didn’t expect you so soon. This is wonderful," he said. 

Frank handed him the package. "Here you go," he said. 

"Thanks. Would you excuse me for a moment?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he went into the back room. 

"Is that guy creepy or what?" Frank muttered. 

Eve nodded. She had a feeling she knew exactly what was running through the man’s mind. She figured Frank did too otherwise he wouldn’t have moved between them. Eve had to admit that she was grateful. 

The man returned with a package similar to the one they had given him. "Would you give this to Dr. McNaughton for me and thank him?" he asked. 

"Sure," Frank replied. He took the package and passed it to Eve. "I guess we’ll be going," he said. 

"Would you like to stay for a drink?" he asked. 

"I wish we could, but we need to get back to New York. Thanks for the offer though," Frank said. He put his arm around Eve’s waist and pulled her towards the door. 

"Thank you," Eve called over her shoulder. As soon as they were outside, she shuddered. "I feel like I need to take a shower," she said. 

Frank nodded. "That was unpleasant," he agreed. He opened the passenger door for Eve. "What do you think is in this package?" he asked. 

"I don’t know," Eve admitted. She put the package down on the seat and waited for Frank to get in the truck. "Hopefully this will be the last one that we have to deal with," she said. 

"Right." Frank started the engine and did a quick three point turn. "I just want to get back to Port Charles and get some sleep," he said. 

"Sounds good," Eve agreed. She leaned back against the seat. "Frank?" 

"Yeah?" Frank turned back onto the main road. 

"Thanks for what you did back there," Eve said. 

"I’m surprised that you noticed," Frank commented. 

Eve rolled her eyes. "Same old Frank. I try and thank you for something, and you remind me what a jerk you are," she said. 

"I don't know why I bother trying to be nice to you," Frank said. "Obviously you don't know how to accept that." 

"Why don’t we just not talk until we get back?" Eve suggested. 

"Fine by me," Frank agreed. He stepped on the gas. He couldn’t wait to get back to Port Charles and away from Eve. 
 
 
 
 

"Frank, do you have any idea where we are?" Eve asked. She stared through the windshield at the sleeting rain. She couldn’t see two feet in front of her face. Frank was slumped over the steering wheel, trying unsuccessfully to see. 

"We’re in New York," Frank replied. He wished Eve would stop asking him questions so he could concentrate. 

"Maybe we should pull over," Eve suggested. 

Frank scowled. "We’re not pulling over. I want to get back to Port Charles before morning," he said. 

"Frank, it is two o’clock in the morning and we have been driving forever. You have no idea where we are, and you can’t see anything except the rain. You’re going to get us killed," Eve said. 

"Would you please shut up so I could concentrate?" Frank demanded. He switched the windshield wipers to a higher frequency, but it didn’t do much good. He wasn’t about to admit it to Eve, but he didn’t have a clue where they were. He didn’t have any intention of stopping for directions either. 

Eve sighed and made sure her seatbelt was in place. She wasn’t sure where things had gone wrong. They had been cruising along fine, and then all of a sudden the storm had rolled in. She was pretty sure Frank had taken a wrong turn somewhere, and they had been paying for it ever since. They should have been back in Port Charles two hours ago, but at this rate, they were never going to get there. 

"There’s a fork in the road up ahead," Frank said. "Any guesses which way we should turn?" he asked. 

"Left," Eve muttered. She massaged her aching temple. 

"Right it is," Frank said. He started to make the turn, but the truck hit some high standing water and hydroplaned into a ditch. Eve screamed. 

Frank swore. "Are you all right?" he asked breathlessly. 

"Yes, no thanks to you," Eve snapped. She breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought for sure that they were going to die. 

Frank scowled and shut off the engine. "It looks like we’re going to have to get out and walk," he said. 

"Excuse me?" Eve asked. 

"The truck is in a ditch. There is no way that we’re going to be able to push it out in the pouring rain. We’re going to have to walk," Frank said. 

"Walk to where?" Eve asked. 

"A gas station, a hotel. Whatever we can find. Are you coming or what?" Frank asked. 

"Do I have a choice?" Eve glanced at the package between them. "Should we take that with us?" she asked. 

Frank shook his head. "Nothing will happen to it," he said. 

Eve was skeptical, but she figured it didn’t really matter. She got out of the truck and followed Frank into the pouring rain. They could hardly see anything. This was not going to be a good experience, Eve thought. 
 
 
 
 

After walking for what seemed like forever, Frank and Eve came to a small motel. They were both drenched inside and out. 

"I hope they have some vacancies!" Frank shouted to Eve through the rain. 

"It reminds me of the motel in Psycho!" Eve shouted back. The place was creepy, but she figured that fit in with this trip. 

Frank ignored her, and dragged her into the motel. There was a guy sleeping behind the desk. Frank slammed his hand down on the bell, and the guy shot up. 

"Yes, can I help you?" he asked. 

"We need two rooms. Now," Frank said. 

Eve elbowed him. "You’ll have to excuse my rude friend. It’s just that we’re cold and wet, and he gets very crabby when he’s tired," she explained. 

"I only have one room. You can have it if you want." The man handed Eve a key and Frank the guest book. "Please sign in," he said. 

Frank scowled and scribbled his name on the paper. "Do you need a credit card?" 

"Check out time is ten a.m. Your room is straight down the hall to the left," he said. 

"Thanks," Frank snapped. He grabbed the key from Eve and headed for the room. He unlocked the door, and they found themselves in a tiny room with a bed, a dresser and the smallest bathroom Eve had ever seen. 

"Well I hope this place is cheap," Eve said. 

Frank slammed the door. "This place is a hole. I can’t believe we’re stuck here," he complained. 

"Look Frank, it’s only for a couple hours. We’ll get some rest and then we’ll call a tow truck in the morning," Eve said. 

"Fine. I would suggest that we get out of these wet clothes, but I don’t see anything we can put on," Frank said. 

Eve checked the bathroom. She wasn’t surprised when there were no robes. "It’s not that cold. We should be all right," she said. 

"Right." Frank peeled his wet T-shirt off and proceeded to ring it out on the carpet. 

"Where did your manners come from? Mary and Joe are such nice people," Eve commented. She found herself staring at Frank. He was completely soaked, and he was visibly angry. But he looked incredible. His muscles were tight and well defined and his wet hair was dripping in his face. 

"Why are you staring at me?" Frank demanded. 

"I’m not," Eve said. She quickly turned away in embarrassment. She knew that she had to be exhausted to be checking out Frank Scanlon. She slipped off her jacket and tossed it on the floor. 

Frank started to say something, but his mind shifted when he got a good look at Eve. Her blouse and pants were soaked and clinging to her curvy body. Her hair was plastered to her head. Anyone else would look like a drowned rat, but Eve looked sexy. 

Why am I checking out Eve? Frank asked himself. "Hey, you can have the bed. I’ll just make myself comfortable on the floor," he said. 

"Fine," Eve agreed. She just wanted to go to sleep and forget this night ever happened. In the morning, her head would be clearer, and she wouldn’t be having sexual thoughts about Frank. 

"Yup," Eve said. She began to apply her make-up.

Chris sat down on the edge of her bed. "Then you had to stay in some flea bag motel just because Frank got lost?"

"Uh-huh." Eve put the cap back on her mascara and reached for her lipstick.

"Why?" Chris asked. Eve had filled him in on her adventure. She had told him everything, but it didn’t make sense.

"That my friend, is what I intend to find out." Eve shoved her make-up back into the bag and reached for her purse.

"Where are you going?" Chris asked. He followed Eve into the living room.

She put her pumps on as she walked. "I’m going to see Dr. McNaughton. I want to know what possessed the man to send us on that trip. I also want to know what was in those packages," Eve said.

"Why didn’t you just open them? I would have," Chris said. He helped Eve put on her coat.

"I know you would have, but I have respect for people’s privacy," Eve said.

"Frank Scanlon doesn’t. Why didn’t he take a peek?" Chris asked.

Eve shrugged impatiently. "I don’t know." She dug her keys out of her purse. "Wish me luck," she said.

"Good look, dear. I want all the details," Chris said.

"Sure thing, honey," Eve agreed. "I’ll see you later."

"See ya." Chris waited until she was gone before picking up the phone. He pressed a button on the speed dial and waited.

"This is Chris Ramsey. I’ve got an assignment for you. I want you to find out everything you can about a Dr. Robert McNaughton," he said.
 
 
 
 

Eve knocked loudly on Dr. McNaughton’s door. She was a woman on a mission, and she planned on getting some answers.

"Come in."

Eve walked into the office and closed the door behind her. "Dr. McNaughton, I would like a word with you," she said.

"Eve, please sit down. I’m glad to see that you’ve recovered from your adventure."

"Adventure?" Eve repeated questioningly.

Dr. McNaughton nodded. "Frank filled me in this morning when he dropped off the package. I’m anxious to read your questionnaires," he said.

"I don’t have a questionnaire," Eve replied.

"It’s in your mailbox. I gave Frank his this morning," Dr. McNaughton explained.

Eve nodded and reminded herself why she had come in the first place.

"Dr. McNaughton, I wanted to talk to you about this latest assignment," Eve said for lack of a better word.

"What about it?" Dr. McNaughton asked.

"What’s the point?" Eve asked. "Excuse my bluntness, but I don’t understand it. Why would you send us to Pennsylvania like that?"

"Eve, I explained to you that there would be more to this study than just the medical aspects," Dr. McNaughton reminded her.

"I know, but this doesn’t make sense. What was in those packages? Why did we need to go to the middle of nowhere? Why didn’t you just send it Federal Express?" Eve realized that she had a lot of questions and no answers. She waited expectantly.

"Eve, I promise you everything will be explained eventually. Now you need to focus on the trust between the doctor and the patient," he said.

"Dr. McNaughton, I really think we would be able to judge this whole thing better if we had more details," Eve said. She was starting to get irritated. It didn’t make sense that he was keeping this from them.

"I understand your concerns, Eve, and I will take them under consideration. Would you excuse me for a moment, please?" Dr. McNaughton left the office before Eve could respond.

"Unbelievable," Eve muttered. She hated that he was always doing that. He just got up and left the office whenever he felt like it.

Dr. McNaughton had evaded every single question she had asked him. Eve realized that the man had never given her a straight answer about anything. She planned on getting some when he came back.

Ten minutes later, he returned.

"Sorry about the delay." Dr. McNaughton handed Eve a thin envelope.

"What’s this?" Eve asked.

"Tickets to a banquet being held in my honor at the Port Charles Hotel. I would like you and Frank to attend," Dr. McNaughton said.

Eve didn’t know what to say. She had come here to get some answers about this experiment. Instead, she had ended up with tickets to a banquet.

"Is this part of the experiment?" Eve asked.

Dr. McNaughton shook his head. "Not really. A lot of the people attending have participated in my experiments. Maybe some of them can help ease your mind," he said.

Eve nodded. "When is the banquet?"

"This evening at eight o’clock," Dr. McNaughton said. "It’s black tie only."

"I’ll have to check with Frank to see if he’s free," Eve said.

"He is," Dr. McNaughton said confidently. "I spoke to him this morning. He doesn’t know about the banquet though."

"I guess I’ll tell him." Eve stood up. "I’ll see you tonight."

"I look forward to it," Dr. McNaughton replied with a smile.

Eve left the office and tried to figure out what had happened. She had just agreed to a banquet that she had no desire to attend. And she still didn’t have any answers to her questions.
 
 
 
 

Frank was behind the bar when Eve came into the Recovery Room. They hadn’t seen each other since their awkward night in the hotel room.

"Eve, what do I owe this honor?" Frank asked.

Eve sat down on a bar stool. "I just came from Dr. McNaughton’s office. I went to get some answers about the expedition that he sent us on."

"What did you find out?" Frank asked, curiously.

"Absolutely nothing. He managed to evade every question that I asked him. Then he managed to excuse himself in the middle of the conversation," Eve said.

Frank shook his head. "You’ve got nothing, Eve. Why do you feel the need to share?" he asked.

Eve scowled. She hadn’t missed Frank’s attitude. "There’s more, Frank."

"I can hardly wait," Frank said sarcastically.

"Dr. McNaughton wants us to attend a banquet at the PC Hotel tonight," Eve said.

"Another assignment already?" Frank asked. He knew this experiment was only supposed to last a month, but he needed a break.

"Not exactly. The banquet is to honor Dr. McNaughton. He wants us to meet some of his other experiment participants," Eve explained.

"Why?"

Eve sighed. She knew Frank wasn’t that dense. "He thinks they might be able to answer our questions," she said.

"Do we have to go?" Frank asked.

"Yes. It’s black tie only, and it starts at eight. I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty," Eve said.

"You’re picking me up?" Frank muttered in disbelief.

"Yes. My car is nicer than your truck, and I don’t trust your driving. Be ready when I get there, Frank." With that, Eve slid off the stool and sauntered out of the bar.

Frank scowled after her. She had a lot of nerve. He was going to be glad when this whole thing was over.
 
 
 
 

Eve rang the doorbell at the Scanlon house and waited impatiently. Traffic had been a nightmare, and she was fifteen minutes late. She hoped Frank was ready on time.

Lark opened the door and smiled at Eve. "Wow, you look amazing. I love your dress." She stepped aside so Eve could come into the house.

"Thanks Lark. Too bad I have to waste in on Frank. Where is he?" Eve asked.

"He should be down in a second," Lark replied.

Eve glanced at her watch. "We’re going to be late," she said.

"I’ll try and hurry him along," Lark offered.

"Don’t bother, I’m coming." Frank made his way down the stairs.

"It’s about time. We’re going to be late, Frank." Eve’s annoyance started to fade when she got a good look at Frank. The tuxedo looked incredible on him.

"Maybe we wouldn’t be running late if you had gotten here on time." Frank stopped to stare at Eve. The black dress that she was wearing showed off her curvy body. Her hair was swept up, and she looked very sexy.

Lark was confused. She would have sworn that Frank and Eve were checking each other out. But she knew that wasn’t possible.

"Well have fun guys," Lark said.

Frank scowled. "Don’t count on it. Are you ready?" he asked.

Eve glared at him. "I’ve been ready. You had better not embarrass me, Frank," she warned.

"I’ll be sure to keep the punch bowl off my head," Frank said sarcastically as they made their way out the door. "Don’t wait up," he told Lark.

"I won’t," she promised. Lark closed the door and smiled to herself. Frank and Eve definitely didn’t have any romantic connections. They would be lucky if they made it through the night without killing each other.
 
 
 
 

Eve was very bored. The banquet was exactly what she had expected it would be. A lot of boring people standing around telling dull stories. She would have rather been at home playing video games with Chris.

She noticed that Dr. McNaughton was in his element. He was chatting with everyone and smiling happily for photographs. Everyone seemed to love him.

Eve was surprised by the turn out. There were at least a hundred people attending. Eve didn’t understand how he could know so many people. He had only been in town for a couple months.

"Hey, you should try these appetizers, they’re amazing," Frank commented. He returned to the table with a huge plate of food.

Eve made a face. Frank had done nothing but eat since they had arrived.

"Frank, don't you think it’s weird that there are so many people here?" she asked.

Frank looked around and noticed the people for the first time.

"Yeah. The guy has only been in town for a couple of months. If all these people are from out of town, shouldn’t they have held this in New York where there’s something to do?" he asked.

"Exactly." Eve stood up.

"Where are you going?" Frank asked.

"To make a new friend." Eve made her way to the buffet table. There were two women standing there, debating desserts.

"Too many choices?" Eve asked.

One of the women nodded. "I can only have one, and I just can’t decide."

"I hear you. I’m Dr. Eve Lambert, by the way."

"Melanie Campbell," the woman replied. "This is Annie McKay."

"It’s nice to meet you both. How do you know Dr. McNaughton?" Eve asked.

"We go way back. He’s a wonderful man," Annie said.

"Yes, he is," Melanie agreed. "Please excuse us."

Eve watched the women walk away and wondered if it had been something she had said. She was getting really sick of people avoiding her questions. She headed back to Frank.

"Did you find anything out?" Frank asked.

"Yes. Dr. McNaughton is not the only one who walks away to avoid questions," Eve replied.

Frank wasn’t surprised. "I think he likes this whole air of mystery thing that he’s got going on," he said.

Eve nodded. "I guess."

"Don’t look now, but here he comes," Frank said.

Dr. McNaughton approached their table with a smile. "Frank, Eve, I’m so glad you could come. Are you enjoying yourselves?" he asked.

"Yes. Actually, I was just talking to Annie McKay and Melanie Campbell. They had nothing but good things to say about you. Were they patients of yours?" Eve asked.

"Annie and Melanie are lovely people," Dr. McNaughton said. "I’ve noticed that you two haven’t hit the dance floor yet. Frank, I suggest you take this beautiful woman onto the floor. Excuse me."

"He did it again. Completely avoided the question," Eve said in disbelief.

Frank was a little surprised himself. "The guy is smooth," he agreed.

"I’m starting to get a bad feeling about him, Frank," Eve admitted.

"You’re making too much out of this." Frank stood up and extended his hand to Eve.

"What?" she asked.

"Let’s dance," Frank said.

"Fine," Eve agreed. She let Frank lead her over to the dance floor. He took her hand in his and put his other arm around her waist.

"Quite a party, huh?" Frank asked. He realized he enjoyed the way Eve felt in his arms. She seemed to fit just right.

Eve felt Frank tighten his grip around her waist. She was about to protest when she realized she didn’t want to. Her eyes met with Frank’s.

Without a word, Frank wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body firmly against his. Eve put her arms around his neck and continued to stare into his eyes. They were so green. Eve had never paid much attention to how good looking Frank was.

Frank wondered what Eve was thinking. She had such a serious look on her face, but he had a feeling her mind was far away. He found himself drawn to her mouth. He suddenly had the urge to kiss her.

Eve caught Frank looking at her. He wanted to kiss her. Eve realized that she wanted him to. She started to lean into him, but then she pulled back.

"I have to go," she said.

"What?" Frank was taken aback. One minute Eve was responding to him, and the next she was pulling back.

"I don’t feel well. Do you think you could take a cab home?" Eve asked. She had to get out of there. She tried to pull out of Frank’s arms.

Frank refused to loosen his grip. "You can’t walk away now, Eve," he said.

"I have to. Good night, Frank." Eve pulled away and hurried out of the room.

Damnit, Frank thought. He tried to figure out what had just happened. He had wanted to kiss Eve, and she had wanted him too. But why? They couldn’t stand each other.

Frank shook his head. There was probably a good explanation. It was just physical need. He hadn’t been with a woman in awhile since Julie was in the mental hospital and Courtney was blowing him off. He decided to go home and take a shower.

Frank was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to see that Dr. McNaughton had been watching their every move. Frank didn’t see the satisfied smile on the doctor’s face.

She hated to admit it, but Eve was nervous about seeing Frank. She had managed to avoid him ever since the benefit. But she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him, and that really worried her.

Eve refused to believe that she was attracted to Frank. That was completely unacceptable. He was a pig. He had terrorized her for months and he had done everything in his power to make her life miserable. She wasn’t about to forget any of that.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t seem to forget how good it had felt when Frank had his arms around her. Eve couldn’t close her eyes without remembering the feeling of Frank’s body pressed against hers. She thought about his sexy green eyes and his obvious desire to kiss her. She had practically felt the kiss, that was how badly she had wanted it. But she had chosen to run instead.

Eve had cursed herself the entire way home. She had considered turning the car around and going to back to throw herself into Frank’s arms.

Now she was glad that she hadn’t. Eve kept telling herself that it was just physical attraction and physical attraction would go away. If she threw herself at Frank, she would look foolish. Eve wasn’t about to expose herself to that.

Eve approached Dr. McNaughton’s office and forced herself to calm down. The door was open, so she walked right in. She was relieved to see that Frank wasn’t there yet. Neither was Dr. McNaughton.

Why does he always insist on keeping me waiting? Eve angrily sat down in the chair. Her time was valuable, and she didn’t like wasting it. She hoped Dr. McNaughton’s assignment wasn’t a big one. She wanted to spend as little time with Frank as possible. She glanced at her watch. Dr. McNaughton was officially late now.

Frank spotted Eve before she noticed him. He had wondered what he would feel like when he saw her again. He had been so angry when she had run out on him at the benefit. But he had convinced himself that she wasn’t worth his time.

But now that he was looking at her again, the feelings he had tried to suppress came back to the surface. Frank couldn’t deny the fact that he wanted her. He would do whatever it took to make her want him back. "Hey Eve. Long time no see."

Eve jumped. She had gotten lost in her thoughts and she hadn’t heard him come in.

"Sorry I scared you." Frank sat down in the chair beside her. "Miss me?"

"Hardly." Eve scowled. Frank was in a playful mood, and she did not like it.

Frank smiled. "What’s wrong, Eve? You seem kind of down."

"Shut up," Eve snapped.

Frank started to say something else, but Dr. McNaughton came in before he could.

"Good morning. How are you both today?" Dr. McNaughton asked.

"Great," Frank replied with a big smile. Eve didn’t speak.

"I have an assignment for you. An important part of the doctor patient relationship is other patients. Eve, as a doctor, I want you to observe Frank as he helps out other patients. Frank, as a patient, I want you to observe Eve as a doctor to these patients," Dr. McNaughton

explained.

"Are you suggesting that Frank go on rounds with me?" Eve asked. She had a serious problem with that.

Dr. McNaughton shook his head. "Of course not. That would be unethical. I want you both to spend the day volunteering in the children’s ward," he said.

"Sounds good," Frank said. He smiled at Eve.

She pointedly ignored him. "The whole day?"

"Yes. As always, I have questionnaires planned for when you’re finished," he said.

"Thanks Dr. McNaughton. Eve, are you ready?" Frank asked.

Eve resisted the urge to glare at him. She didn’t know why he was being so nice to her, but she didn’t like it. She also didn’t like the idea of subjecting the poor children to Frank. But Eve knew that she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

"Enjoy yourselves," Dr. McNaughton said.

Yeah right, Eve thought.

Two hours later, Frank and Eve were ready to kill each other. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t seem to stay out of each other’s way. The kids would want to interact with both of them or they would have to break up fights between two kids. All kinds of things were forcing them to work together.

But that was easier said than done. Eve was annoyed with Frank because he was letting the kids get away with whatever they wanted. Frank was getting fed up with Eve because she wasn’t being much fun. Frank felt sorry for the kids that had to deal with her. Frank was helping a little boy build a fort out of blocks when he noticed Eve was taking a break.

"Hey Jeff, I’ll be right back." Frank walked over to Eve. "Are the kids too much for you to handle?"

Eve glared at him. "You’re too much for me to handle. Go back to your blocks."

Frank feigned hurt. "My feelings are hurt."

"You don’t have any feelings. You’re selfish and inconsiderate and I cannot wait for this to be over so I don’t have to deal with you anymore," Eve said.

Frank got mad. "Hey, you’re no picnic either. You complain about everything and you make me do all the work."

"Work?" Eve was outraged. "What are you talking about, Frank? What have you done that I haven’t done?" she demanded.

"I drove us to Pennsylvania for one. You drove us to the PC Hotel and then you left me stranded there," Frank reminded her.

"You volunteered to drive us to Pennsylvania," Eve pointed out. "You also got us completely lost while we were there."

"We were in a blinding storm. What’s your excuse for leaving me at the hotel?" Frank asked.

Eve didn’t answer. She had a reason, but she wasn’t about to share it with Frank.

Neither one of them realized how loud their argument had gotten. All the children had stopped what they were doing to watch and listen to them.

"Come on, Eve. Tell the truth for once," Frank suggested.

"Hey." Joe Scanlon came in and walked over to Frank and Eve.

"What’s going on?" he demanded.

"We’re talking," Frank told his brother.

"You’re screaming at each other," Joe corrected him. "You’re also scaring some of the kids."

Eve and Frank turned to look at the children. They were all staring back at them in awe. Some of the younger kids were clearly frightened. "Oh no," Eve muttered. She couldn’t believe she had let herself get carried away like that in front of the kids. It was all Frank’s fault.

"Sorry Joe. It won’t happen again," Frank said.

"You’re right it won’t," Joe agreed. "I want you both to leave," he said.

"Come on, Joe. Isn’t that a little extreme?" Eve asked.

"Yeah little brother, we said we would do better," Frank said.

Joe shook his head. "You two have been arguing since you came in here. The kids pick up on the way you look at each other. Just go."

"Fine," Eve agreed. She didn’t want to push things anymore. "I’m

really sorry, Joe." She headed for the exit.

"Me too." Frank quickly hurried after Eve. He caught up with her down the corridor.

"Leave me alone, Frank," Eve warned.

Frank grabbed her by the elbow and turned her around to face him "Admit it Eve. We both know the real reason you keep avoiding me," Frank said.

"Because I detest you." Eve jerked her arm away and turned to leave.

"It’s because you’re attracted to me," Frank said.

Eve turned around quickly. "That’s a good one, Frank. I’ll still be laughing about that one tomorrow."

"I’m serious, Eve. You want me and it’s killing you. That’s where all these hostile feelings are coming from," Frank said.

"You wish," Eve replied. She started to walk away again, but Frank grabbed her and pulled her against him. Before Eve could react, Frank covered her mouth with his. The kiss was intense and it was hot. Eve couldn’t breathe as the tension and frustration between them was released in a passionate kiss. The kiss seemed endless. Eve felt her heartbeat speed up to uncontrollable levels. Finally, Frank pulled back. He stared at Eve, waiting for her reaction. Eve’s head was spinning as her emotions went haywire. She couldn’t deal with this now. "Well?" Frank asked smugly. He knew how she had felt about the kiss. It was written all over her face.

Eve slapped him as hard as she could across the face. "Go to hell."

She turned and ran down the corridor leaving Frank stunned.

Dr. McNaughton had witnessed the entire scene from the shadows on the other side of the corridor. He made a brief not in his chart. Everything was going according to the plan. It was time to move to the next phase.

It wasn’t a chick flick, it was a classic, Eve thought. Ramsey had no taste when it came to movies. She didn’t blame him though. He was a man, after all. 

Eve became engrossed in the movie again. As she watched Rhett and Scarlet fall in and out of love. She couldn’t help but think of Frank. She hadn’t seen or heard from him in three days. She was relieved, but at the same time it made her nervous. Sooner or later she was going to have to see Frank again and they were going to have to address the fact that they had kissed. 

No matter how hard she tried, Eve couldn’t get the kiss out of her mind. She hated to admit it, but the kiss had been spectacular. Eve closed her eyes, and her mind automatically went back to that day. She thought about the way that Frank’s lips had felt on hers. The sensations that had shot through her body had made her head spin. Eve longed to feel that way again. 

Then she would remember that Frank Scanlon had been the one to make her feel that way. She hated Frank. He was mean to her and he was arrogant and selfish and he had treated her like she was beneath him. But the way that his kiss had made her feel was hard to forget. She kept thinking about the dance they had shared at the PC Hotel. That was the first time she had realized what it was like to be in Frank’s arms and how good her body felt when she was close to him. 

Then there had been the night they had spent together in Pennsylvania. Eve remembered how sexy Frank had looked after getting caught in the rain. Certain thoughts crossed her mind that day too. 

Eve groaned and buried her face in her hands. How could she be having these thoughts about Frank? It wasn’t right, and she couldn’t deal with it. 

The phone rang and Eve breathed a sigh of relief. A distraction was exactly what she needed. Eve reached for the portable phone that she had tossed on the table. 

"Hello?" 

"Hello Eve, this is Dr. McNaughton." 

No! Eve’s mind screamed. She hadn’t even considered the possibility that it might be him. This call could only mean one thing. He had another assignment for them. 

"How are you, Dr. McNaughton?" Eve asked. 

"Good Yourself?" 

"All right," Eve replied. "What can I do for you?" 

"I have an assignment for you and Frank. There’s a medical convention in New York City tomorrow. I want you both to attend. There will be other representatives from General Hospital there as well," Dr. McNaughton explained. 

"When would we have to leave?" Eve asked. 

"Tonight. The convention runs from nine to five tomorrow. I’ve reserved two rooms at The Plaza Hotel for you. The hospital will be picking up the tab," Dr. McNaughton said. 

Great, Eve thought. This was exactly what she did not need. Not only was she going to have to see Frank, she was going to have to drive to the city with him. Then they would have to spend the whole day together and then drive back to Port Charles. It wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience. 

"That’s fine, Dr. McNaughton. Have you told Frank?" Eve asked. 

"Yes. He asked me to let you know that he is willing to drive and he will pick you up at seven o’clock. He said if you have any objections, he can be reached at the Recovery Room," Dr. McNaughton said. 

Eve had an objection, but she doubted it would do her any good to mention it. 

"Thanks for letting me know," she said. 

"You’re welcome. Have a good time in New York. I’ll see you on Monday." 

"Bye." Eve hung up the phone and realized she hadn’t asked what kind of medical convention it was. Dr. McNaughton probably wouldn’t have told her anyway. This was not how she wanted to spend the rest of her weekend. Frank would be coming to pick her up in a few hours, and she had no idea what she was going to say to him. 

"Hey roomie. I’m home," Chris called. 

"Hey Chris. I have to go to New York City with Frank tonight," Eve said. 

Chris frowned. "Is this another request by the good doctor?" he asked. 

"Who else?" Eve muttered dryly. 

Chris came over to join her on the couch. "Make some room. I’ve got some information for you," he said. 

Eve sat up. She didn’t like the serious look on Chris’s face. 

"What’s wrong?" 

"I had my private investigator look into Dr. McNaughton after he sent you guys to Pennsylvania," Chris said. 

"Did you find anything out?" Eve asked. 

"Yes and no," Chris replied. 

Eve frowned. "I don’t like the sound of this Chris. What’s going on?" she asked. 

"It took me PI a long time to dig up some history on this guy. It turns out that there is no Dr. Robert McNaughton." 

Eve’s jaw dropped in surprise. "What?" 

Chris nodded. "He doesn’t exist. My PI got a copy of his resume and checked it out. The resume is glowing, you would think this guy is a saint. But not one reference is true." 

"How can that be?" Eve asked. 

"I don’t know. This guy is slick. He chose some nice jobs to put on his resume." 

"Chris, how could he get away with this? Wouldn’t the hospital check him out?" Eve asked. 

"You would think so." Chris shrugged. "You know how under-staffed the hospital is. Monica Quartermaine probably got this resume on her desk and thought it was heaven sent." 

Eve shook her head. She was still in shock. This was a man that she had trusted. If he had lied about his name and lied about his credentials, who knew what else he had lied about? "Chris what should we do?" Eve asked. 

"My PI is working on finding out who he really is. For now, don’t let on that you know anything. This guy could be dangerous. I want you to be careful," Chris said. 

"I will be," Eve agreed. She wasn’t going to do anything to put herself in dangerous. 

"Don’t worry, Eve. We’re going to get to the bottom of this," Chris promised. 

She hoped he wouldn’t mention the kiss. She had no intention of bringing it up. Eve had wrestled with herself and decided it would be best to drop it. She was going to pretend like it never happened. Eve hoped Frank would do the same.

Besides, they had more important things to discuss. Eve had to tell Frank that Dr. McNaughton was a fraud.

She still couldn’t believe it. Eve had trusted this man. She had been suspicious of him because his tactics were strange, but she had never suspected that he was not who he claimed to be.

Chris had promised to keep private investigator on the case. Eve knew Chris was worried about her and she couldn’t really blame him. She had no idea what they had gotten themselves involved in.

There was a knock on the door and Eve’s heart began to pound. This was it. She was going to come face to face with Frank and they were going to have to discuss the kiss. Or avoid discussing it if Eve had any say in the matter.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. Eve was disappointed to find the doorman there.

"Albert, what are you doing here?" Eve asked.

"Good evening, Dr. Lambert. Mr. Scanlon asked me to inform you that he’s waiting in the parking lot," Albert said.

Eve frowned. The least Frank could do would be to come to the door and get her. The man had no manners.

"Thanks Albert. I’ll be right down," she said.

Albert left and Eve closed the door. She double checked to make sure she had everything she needed. She had her suitcase packed and she had tucked the PI’s file on Dr. McNaughton into her purse. She was ready to go.

"Here goes," Eve muttered. She picked up her suitcase and headed for the elevator. She made her way out of the building and spotted Frank’s truck in the lot. He was sitting there tapping the steering wheel impatiently.

Eve got into the truck. "Hi Frank," she said.

"My shift ran late because my replacement didn’t show up." He threw the truck into drive and peeled out of the parking lot.

Eve hurriedly pulled on her seatbelt, annoyed by his behavior. She could tell he was in a bad mood. The least he could do was apologize for being late instead of snapping his excuse at her.

"Did McNaughton fill you in?" Frank asked. He kept his eyes trained on the road. He didn’t want to look at Eve. If he looked at her, he would think about the kiss, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He had decided not to bring it up. After the stinging slap she had given him, Frank figured it was never going to happen for them.

"Yes. Frank, there is something I need to tell you," Eve said.

"What?" Frank asked. He heard the seriousness in her voice and wondered if she was finally going to admit there was something between them. He waited.

"Frank, Dr. McNaughton is not who he says he is," Eve started.

"What do you mean?" Frank demanded. He tried not to be disappointed that she wasn’t saying anything about their kiss. He hadn’t really expected her to say anything about it, but part of him hoped that it had meant something to her.

"Chris had his private investigator look into Dr. McNaughton," Eve said.

"Why?" Frank interrupted.

"I told Chris about the weird things he made us do, and it made Chris suspicious," Eve replied.

"Ramsey needs to mind his own business," Frank muttered.

Eve glared at Frank. "Look, Chris is my best friend. He’s just looking out for me. Now, do you want to her this information or not?" she demanded.

"Fine."

"There is no one named Robert McNaughton. He doesn’t exist. All his credentials on his résumé are fabricated," Eve said.

"What?"

Eve nodded. "Everything is a lie, including his name. Frank, we don’t even know for sure that this guy is a doctor," she said.

Frank could not believe what he was hearing. "Are you sure about this, Eve? This information did come from Ramsey," he pointed out.

Eve was sick of listening to Frank put down Chris. "Look Frank, I know you and Chris have your issues. But Chris and I trust each other. He had this guy investigated and the man’s entire life is a lie. We need to figure out who he really is," she said.

Frank was furious. "Who the hell does this guy think he is lying to us? What is he trying to prove?"

"I don’t know," Eve admitted. She was quiet for a minute. "Frank, why would he do this to us?" she asked.

Frank didn’t answer. He was thinking of ways that he could rearrange Dr. McNaughton’s face. No one messed with Frank Scanlon and got away with it. He was going to make this guy pay.

"Maybe we should go back to Port Charles and find him," Frank suggested.

Eve shook her head. "We can’t do that. At least not until we have more information. For now, all we really know is that he’s lied on his résumé. We need to figure out why," she said.

"I have ways of making him talk," Frank said darkly.

Eve rolled her eyes. "Beating him up is not going to solve anything, Frank."

"It will make me feel better," Frank said.

"Seriously, we need to keep going with this experiment. We have to pretend like we don’t know anything while Chris’s investigator keeps looking for clues."

Frank scowled. He had never been the kind of guy to sit back and do nothing.

"Maybe we could do our own investigating," he suggested.

"What do you mean?" Eve asked wearily.

"Dr. McNaughton has been keeping all sorts of records on us. Those stupid questionnaires he makes us fill out must have some purpose in his sick little game," Frank said.

Eve shook her head. "We have no idea what this guy is doing. For all we know he is just laughing at us," she said.

A dark light flashed in Frank’s eyes.

"No one laughs at me. We’ll do this thing tonight. But when we get back to Port Charles, we’re going straight to McNaughton’s office," he said.

"Frank, what makes you think he’ll give us any answers?" Eve asked.

"I don’t think he will give us answers. That is why we’re going to wait until he’s not there and then find our own answers," Frank replied.

"Are you saying that you want to break into his office? That’s illegal, Frank," Eve reminded him.

"So is changing your name and falsifying your résumé. This guy is messing with us, Eve. We need to find out why," Frank said.

Eve sighed. "Breaking and entering isn’t the way to do that," she said.

"Look Eve, unless you can come up with something better, I’m going to do it. You don’t have to come with me," Frank said.

Eve didn’t have any better ideas. She also didn’t want Frank doing this by himself. It was her life too.

"Fine, I’m with you," Eve agreed. She hoped they wouldn’t get into deeper trouble. She didn’t think that was possible.

Eve rolled her eyes. "Frank, it’s not like we’re breaking into the CIA. We’re just going to walk into his office like we do everyday," she reminded him. She was very annoyed with Frank. He had insisted on leaving the city at four o’clock in the morning so they would be back in Port Charles by six. Somehow Frank had found out that Dr. McNaughton was scheduled to be in a meeting all morning.

He was acting like they were carrying out some high risk espionage or something. He had gone over the plan and the signals a million times. Eve kept pointing out that they would not even have to break the locks. Frank didn’t seem to care.

The door to Dr. McNaughton’s office was wide open and the lights were off. Frank glanced around the corridor. Once he made sure no one was around, he ushered Eve inside and closed the door.

"We have to be quick," Frank said. He flipped on the light switch and made his way to the desk. The top drawer was locked. He pulled out a pocket knife.

Eve took her position by the window. The blinds were closed except for a tiny crack that allowed her to see into the corridor. It was still empty.

"Frank, do you even know what you’re looking for?" Eve asked.

Frank was concentrating on picking the lock. "I’ll know when I see it," he said.

Eve sighed. "Be careful, Frank. Don’t scratch the desk or anything," she warned.

"I’ve done this before," Frank said.

"Somehow, I’m not surprised," Eve muttered. She checked the corridor again. It was still empty.

"Got it!" Frank cried proudly. The drawer opened and he slipped the pocket knife into his jacket. "Let’s see what the good doctor is hiding," he said.

Eve watched as Frank went through Dr. McNaughton’s drawer. He quickly combed through the patient files until he found his. Frank pulled it out and found one for Eve directly behind it.

"Well the guy doesn’t know how to alphabetize because last time I checked L does not come after S," Frank muttered sarcastically.

"Maybe they’re our questionnaires," Eve suggested.

Frank opened the files and swore. "I wouldn’t say that."

"Well, what’s in there?" Eve asked. She left the window to join Frank at the desk. He handed Eve her folder.

"Look familiar?" he asked.

Eve felt the color drain from her face. She flipped through the folder. There was a picture of her followed by her résumé. After that there was a detailed report of her life including her family history and her escort days. There was even a copy of her report card from medical school. She flipped to the end of the folder and her blood ran cold.

It was filled with surveillance photos. There was a picture of her and Chris in the hospital cafeteria. There was another picture of her and Kevin in the lounge. There was a picture of her, Scotty and Serena in at the Port Charles Hotel. There were several pictures of her by herself or with her other friends. Finally, there was a picture of her and Frank at the nurses ball.

"He must have been watching me for months," Eve said. She felt sick at the thought of this man invading her privacy. This was her whole life poured into a file folder.

"Is your folder like this too?" Eve asked.

Frank nodded. "Unfortunately." His anger was about to reach the breaking point. There were all kinds of pictures in his folder of him and Joe and Karen and Neil and Chris and his mother. There was even a picture of him kissing Courtney. Frank didn’t want Eve to see that one. He didn’t want anyone to see that one.

But the invasion of his privacy wasn’t the real issue. This guy was using him in some kind of sick game. Frank Scanlon was not going to be anyone’s sucker.

"We’re going to make this guy sorry that he ever messed with us," Frank said. His eyes grew dark.

Eve felt faint. She sank into the chair. "Why us, Frank? What does he want from us?" she asked.

"I don't know," Frank admitted. He took the two files and slipped them back into place. He went back to searching for questionnaires.

Eve stood up and began pacing the room. Her mind was trying to piece it all together. Dr. McNaughton clearly knew everything there was to know about their lives. But how? She knew that Frank had volunteered to do the experiment. That would give Dr. McNaughton time to research his life.

But the only reason she had gotten involved was because she had drawn the short straw. Dr. McNaughton hadn’t known which one of them he was going to get until the day before the program had started. Eve wondered if he had researched all the doctors.

"Frank, are their files for any of the other residents in there?" Eve asked. "Chris or Joe or Karen?" she asked.

Frank shook his head. "Not unless they’re somewhere else. I can’t find anything that has our questionnaires in them either," he said.

Eve shook her head. "He probably keeps those with him." She went over to the window and gasped.

"Frank! Dr. McNaughton just got off the elevator!" Eve cried.

Frank swore again and quickly began putting things back.

"Quick sit down!" he called to Eve. Frank finished putting everything back and sat down beside Eve a split second before the door opened.

"Frank. Eve." Dr. McNaughton couldn’t hide the surprise from his voice. "Whatever are you doing here?" he asked.

Frank put on his nice guy persona. "Hey Dr. McNaughton. We just got back from New York and we were anxious to fill you in," he said.

Eve forced herself to smile like nothing was wrong. "It was a great conference."

"I’m glad." Dr. McNaughton sat behind his desk and returned their smiles. "I wish I had time to talk to you, but I have meetings all morning. Perhaps we can talk tomorrow," he said.

"That’s fine. We don’t want to keep you." Frank stood up and reached for Dr. McNaughton’s hand. "We’ll see tomorrow," he said.

"Bye!" Eve called. She followed Frank into the corridor. "How could you just shake his hand like you were old friends?" she asked.

Frank shrugged. "He needs to think nothing is wrong." He put his arm around Eve’s waist and steered her into an empty lounge. "We have to make him think nothing is different between us," he said.

Eve shook her head. "I can’t do it, Frank." She corrected herself. "I won’t do it. The man knows every detail of our lives. I want to be as far away from him as possible," she said.

"Is it him that you want to be away from or is it me?" Frank asked.

Their eyes locked, and Eve didn’t know what to say. She had been so wrapped up in what was happening with Dr. McNaughton that she didn’t have time to think about whatever it was that was happening between her and Frank. It was too strong to be called just an attraction. But Eve didn’t want to admit that it could be something more.

"Frank, this isn’t about us. This is about a man posing as a doctor and using us as guinea pigs in some off the wall experiment. I do not want to be a part of it," Eve said.

"Eve, we cannot walk away from this without finding out who this guy is and what he wants from us," Frank said.

"I don’t care," Eve replied. At this point, she honestly didn’t care. She wanted to just drop out of the experiment and forget all about it. She wanted to forget about Dr. McNaughton and his files. She wanted to forget about Frank as well.

"Eve, I don’t think that is what you really want," Frank said. He reached out and cupped her chin in his hand. Their eyes locked again.

"Frank," Eve stammered. She recognized the look in his eyes. He was going to kiss her. She tried to fight it, but there was no use.

Frank moved toward her and Eve braced herself for another hard, passionate kiss.

But Frank took her by surprise. He cupped her face in his hands and very gently brushed his lips against hers. The passion was still there, but the gentleness of his touch surprised her. Eve relaxed as her mouth responded to Frank’s. She found herself wrapping her arms around his neck.

Frank pulled her tightly against him as the kiss deepened. He loved the way her lips felt against his and her skin felt so smooth beneath his hands. Her heart pounded and he longed to touch more of her.

The kiss ended and slowly they parted. Frank and Eve stared at each other as they gasped for air.

"Well at least you didn’t slap me this time," Frank commented. He wanted to keep the mood as light as possible. He couldn’t risk her running off again.

Eve managed a small smile. "Give me a minute," she said.

Frank reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. "Eve, you can’t deny that something is happening between us," he said.

"I know Frank." Eve couldn’t resist the urge to smooth out his hair.

"What are we going to do about it?" he asked.

"I don’t know," Eve admitted. She dropped her hands to her sides and took a step back. She needed to think this through. The last thing she wanted to do was rush into another relationship and get her heart broken again.

"You can’t ignore this, Eve," Frank said.

"I’m not trying to. Frank, I need some time. I need to figure things out in my head. Can you give me time to do that?" Eve asked.

Frank nodded. "Just don’t take too long." He wasn’t sure he could be away from Eve much longer.

"I won’t," Eve promised. She ran her hand across Frank’s chest and rested it on his heart. "I have rounds to make. I’ll see you soon," she said.

"Okay." Frank watched Eve walk away. For once, he wasn’t disappointed. She had finally given him hope that there was a chance for them. Frank was going to do everything in his power to do everything in his power to make sure that chance happened.

"Great," Chris muttered. He knew that once he was distracted, he would never be able to finish. He went to answer the door. It was Frank.

"Frank," Chris said flatly. He was more annoyed than ever. First paperwork and then Frank Scanlon. He didn’t think his day could get any worse.

"Eve’s not here," Chris told Frank. He started to close the door hoping Frank would take the hint.

No such luck.

Frank pushed past Chris into the apartment. "I came to see you," he said.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Nothing like waiting to be invited in. At least you didn’t kick the door down this time," he said as he closed the door.

Frank ignored Chris’s sarcasm. "When is Eve supposed to be back?" he asked.

"I thought you came to see me. Make up your mind," Chris said.

"I just wanted to make sure Eve wasn’t coming back anytime soon. We’ve got a big problem to deal with, Ramsey," Frank said.

"McNaughton?" Chris guessed.

Frank nodded. "Exactly." He chewed on his lip as he contemplated hi next words. "Look Ramsey, you and I are never going to be pals. We both know that," he said.

Chris made a face. "Oh and I was looking forward to the two of us having Friday night keggers and going on camping trips," he said.

"I’m trying to be serious here," Frank said.

"Then get to the point," Frank suggested. He didn’t like Frank and he wanted him out of his apartment.

"You and I need to put our differences aside and think about Eve," Frank said.

That got Chris’s attention, as Frank knew it would. Chris hated Frank, but Eve was his best friend. He would do anything for her. Even put up with Frank.

"Go ahead," Chris said.

Frank nodded. "Did Eve tell you about the files we found in McNaughton’s office?" he asked.

"Yeah." Chris remembered how upset Eve had been when she had filled him in on the contents of the files. Chris didn’t like seeing Eve upset.

"Eve told me about your PI. Has he come up with anything new?" Frank asked.

"No." Chris sat down on the couch. "He’s still looking though. He should have something soon. He’s very good."

Frank nodded. "We might not have much time to wait. This whole thing has Eve freaked out and I’m not going to be able to resist hitting him much longer," he said.

"Well we all know how anger management isn’t your strong point," Chris muttered. He shook his head. "Sorry. We’re going to be civil," he said.

Frank bit back the sarcastic remark that had been on the tip of his tongue. The only way they were going to get through this was if they were civil to each other. For Eve, Frank reminded himself.

"So, what’s the game plan?" Chris asked. He got up to make himself a martini. "Martini?" he offered.

"No thanks," Frank replied. He had to work in a few hours.

Chris began mixing the drink. "So, do you have any suggestions?" he asked.

"Other than beating the guy’s brains in? No," Frank replied.

"That won’t tell us who he is or why he’s doing this," Chris replied. "What bothers me is how he got the information on Eve so quickly. He shouldn’t have known who the resident was going to be until the last minute," he commented.

"Eve said the same thing." Frank shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe he had a really good PI."

"Maybe." Chris sipped his martini slowly. "We need to figure out what he’s been up to and then beat him at it."

"Right," Frank agreed. He would prefer beating the guy to a bloody pulp, but that wouldn’t solve anything. He knew Eve wouldn’t approve either. Frank didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his chance with Eve.

"Maybe we should report him to Monica Quatermaine," Chris suggested. "We have the proof that his résumé and name are fake," he pointed out.

"That’s too easy," Frank replied. He wanted to make this guy suffer.

"I agree," Chris said. "What we need -" He was interrupted by the phone. "Excuse me."

Frank watched as Chris left to get the phone. After the DL-56 mess, Frank didn’t think he and Chris would ever be on the same side about anything. Then again, he never would fall for Eve. Strange things happen, he thought.

"Thanks. Make sure you keep on top of that." Chris hung up the phone. "That was my PI. He came up with some information."

Frank stood up quickly. "Well?" He didn’t like being in suspense.

"My PI finally found a hospital he worked at as Dr. Robert McNaughton. It was a small town in Delaware and he didn’t put it on his phony résumé," Chris said.

"And?" Frank couldn’t read the look on Chris’s face, but he got the feeling something was up. He wasn’t going to like whatever it was that Chris had to say.

"He was there a few months when he got a grant to perform some experiment. Both the doctor and the patient involved died in a fire," Chris said.

"Arson?" Frank asked.

Chris shrugged. "They couldn’t prove anything. But people suspected Dr. McNaughton had something to do with it. He resigned and left quietly," he said. "Where are you going?" Frank was pulling on his coat.

"To get some answers. I’ll be in touch," Frank replied.
 
 
 
 

Frank went from Chris’s penthouse straight to General Hospital. He made his way up to the sixth floor to Dr. McNaughton’s office. Frank angrily pounded on the door and went inside without waiting for an answer.

"Frank, what are you doing here?" Dr. McNaughton couldn’t keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"I want to talk to you about an experiment that you did in Delaware. The one where the doctor and the patient involved were killed in a fire," Frank said.

If Dr. McNaughton was surprised by Frank’s knowledge, he didn’t show it.

"Frank, I don’t feel the need to explain my past experiments to you. They have no bearing on the current one," he said.

"Two people died. I want to make sure that Eve and I don’t end up like that," Frank replied. There was no way he was going to let Dr. McNaughton give him the run around this time.

Dr. McNaughton sighed. "Frank, I am a very busy man. That fire was an accident. I felt terrible for the loss of my colleagues but there was nothing I could have done. You and Eve are perfectly safe," he said.

"Somehow, I am not reassured. You haven’t given us any straight answers. We do whatever you ask us to yet it doesn’t make sense. I want some answers and I am not leaving here until I get them," Frank said firmly.

Dr. McNaughton suppressed his irritation. "Fine. Frank, we’ll do it your way. But not now. I want you and Eve to meet me in room 380 at seven o’clock this evening. Can you be there?" he asked.

"Yes." Frank agreed. He figured he could get someone to cover his shift. "I’ll have to check with Eve though."

"Please do. I’ll see you then," Dr. McNaughton replied. He went back to his paperwork.

"Count on it." Frank turned around to leave slamming the door on his way out. He was going to find Eve and fill her in on the latest news. Then they were going to get some answers.

She glanced at Frank. He was standing with his arms folded and he seemed to be glaring at the wall. He had barely said two words to her since he had picked her up. She knew he was every bit as anxious as she was. He was also angry. Eve hoped Frank would be able to rein in his temper long enough to get some answers.

The elevator doors opened and Frank set a brisk stride. Eve quickly caught up with him.

"Calm down, Frank. Dr. McNaughton isn’t going anywhere," Eve pointed out.

"Not without answering my questions," Frank replied. He continued to stare straight ahead. He could feel his blood pumping through his veins.

This was it.

"Where are you going?" Eve asked when Frank started to turn down a corridor. "Dr. McNaughton’s office is this way," she reminded him.

"I know that," Frank snapped. "He wants to meet in room 387."

"387?" Eve was puzzled. "That’s an employee lounge. Why would he want to meet there?" she asked.

"I don’t know." Frank was irritated by her questions. He wished she would just be quiet.

Eve fell silent as they continued down the corridor. She knew Frank was angry and impatient. She didn’t want to start a fight with him. They were going to have to band together when it was time to face Dr. McNaughton.

Frank found room 387. The door was open, but there were no lights on.

"Wait here," he instructed Eve. He stepped into the dark room and groped along the wall for the light switch. He flipped them on. The room was smaller than he had expected. There was a couch, a small coffee table and a lounge chair.

"It looks safe," he told Eve.

"What did you expect, a monster to jump out?" Eve muttered sarcastically.

Frank glared at her. "I wouldn’t put anything past this guy," he replied.

Eve nodded and glanced at her watch. "He said seven, right?" she asked.

It was already five after.

"Yes," Frank replied. His eyes narrowed in anger. "The bastard hasn’t been on time yet. Why should he start now?"

"What if he doesn’t show up?" Eve asked.

"Then we will track him down. There is no way I’m letting this guy jerk us around anymore. Frank Scanlon is nobody’s puppet," he said.

Eve began pacing the room. She couldn’t help but be nervous. After all, they had no idea who this man was. He claimed to be one thing, but there was no record of him.

He knew everything there was to know about her. The intimate details of her life….Eve shuddered at the thought.

"Are you cold?" Frank asked. He came to stand beside her.

Eve shook her head. "I was just thinking about all the stuff McNaughton has done and it is making me ill," she replied.

Frank cautiously put his arm around her shoulders. "Don’t worry, Eve.

We’re going to make this guy pay," he said.

Eve was reassured by hid comfort. "I hope so Frank." She reached up and placed her hand over his.

Their moment was interrupted by the sound of the door slamming. Eve and Frank sprang apart. They turned, expecting to find Dr. McNaughton. But the room was empty.

"What the hell was that?" Eve asked.

"It definitely wasn’t the wind," Frank muttered. He went over to the door and turned the knob. It wouldn’t budge. He tried again.

"Frank?" Eve hadn’t moved, but the sick feeling in her stomach was growing.

"It’s locked," Frank replied. He forced the weight of his body against the door. Nothing. He started pounding on the door with his fists. "Open this door right now!" he shouted.

"Frank, it is no use. This part of the hospital is deserted. No one is going to hear you," Eve said. She sank down into the couch. Why was this happening to them? "The person who locked us in here is going to hear me," Frank replied.

He began pounding louder. "If he doesn’t, I’m just going to break the door down."

"Frank, there is no way you are going to be able to break through the door," Eve told him.

Frank turned to glare at her. "Well, what do you suggest I do, Eve? Who the hell do you expect to rescue us?" he demanded.

"Chris," Eve replied. "I left him a note and told him we were meeting Dr. McNaughton. He’ll know something is up if I don’t come home," she said.

"Ramsey," Frank muttered. He didn’t want to think about Chris being his only hope.

Eve dragged her fingers through her hair. "Honestly, Frank, why would Dr. McNaughton lock us in here? What is he trying to accomplish?" she asked.

"I don’t know." Frank began pacing. "He probably didn’t do it himself.

He’s not the kind of guy to do his own dirty work."

"This is crazy!" Eve angrily stood up. "I am sick of not being able to control my own life. How do I get into these situations?" she demanded.

"I don’t know." Frank walked to Eve and gripped her by the shoulders, forcing her eyes to meet his. "We’re going to get to the bottom of this, Eve. This guy is not going to have the last laugh."

"Are you sure about that, Frank? He’s probably laughing pretty hard right now," Eve said.

Frank stared at her. It wasn’t like Eve to give up so easily. He knew this had to really be getting to her and that fueled his anger all over again. He was going to make McNaughton pay if it was the last thing he did.

Eve saw the rage flash through Frank’s eyes. She reached up and gently stroked his cheek.

"Anger isn’t going to help right now," she said.

"You’re right," Frank agreed. He pulled Eve into his arms. "But this will." He crushed his mouth over hers.

Eve was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected the kiss. She certainly hadn’t expected the fire and passion behind it. But more than anything else, Eve hadn’t expected that she would crave more.

She put her arms around Frank’s neck, drawing him closer. Frank didn’t skip a beat. The kiss grew more and more intense. Eve’s lips parted and Frank’s tongue tangled with hers.

"I want you," Frank muttered. He unbuttoned her shirt to expose her skin and ran a trail of hot kisses from her neck down her collarbone.

Eve moaned with pleasure and fisted his hair in her hand. She knew this was wrong. It was Frank Scanlon touching her. He was the same man that had shoved her in a freezer and put organs in her Chinese food. Now all she wanted was for him to tear her clothes off and make passionate love to her.

She had a feeling she was going to get her wish.

Frank unbuttoned the rest of her shirt and quickly slid it down her shoulders. He pulled his own shirt over his head, revealing his taut muscles.

Eve took a moment to admire his definition before she began running her hands over his smooth chest. Their lips came together again in a frantic kiss.

Frank lifted Eve into his arms and carried her to the couch. Eve quickly pulled him on top of her. She loved the way his skin felt against hers.

Frank wanted to savor the moment….the way she looked, the way she felt under his hands…the way she made him feel when she touched him. He wanted to remember every detail.
 
 

Ohmigod, what have I done? Eve opened her eyes and glanced at Frank. He was sprawled on the couch with his eyes closed. She doubted he was sleeping.

I just made love to Frank Scanlon, Eve thought. She was instantly ashamed. She could hardly stand the guy and she had made love to him.

Eve quickly got up and began pulling on her clothes. The sooner she got out of there, the sooner she could forget it happened.

"There’s no need to hurry. The door is locked," Frank reminded her.

Eve’s face flushed. She refused to turn around until she was fully dressed again. When she was did, she was relieved to see that Frank was dressed as well.

"Frank, this never happened. You have to promise me you will never tell a soul about this," Eve said. She would die if anyone ever found out.

"Oh gee and I was planning on broadcasting it on the evening news,"

Frank said sarcastically.

"Just keep it to yourself." Eve wandered over to the door. Praying for a miracle, she turned the knob. It opened without a problem.

Frank jumped up. "How did you do that?"

Eve shrugged. "It just opened." She turned to Frank. "I’m holding you to that promise, Frank. I’m going to call a cab." She hurried out of the room before he could say another word.

Frank sighed. He should have seen this coming. Eve hadn’t been in the right frame of mind when things had gotten passionate. If she had, she never would have made love to him.

"Face it, Frank, she doesn’t feel the way you do," he muttered. He decided to just go home and wallow in his misery and disappointment.

Eve couldn’t stop thinking about Frank as the cab cruised the streets of Port Charles. Once she had gotten past the initial shock, she couldn’t stop thinking about how much she had enjoyed making love to him. The way his hands had felt on her body. The way his tongue had teased hers. She could still taste him.

This is very, very bad, Eve thought. She was starting to fall for Frank Scanlon. It was definitely something she was going to have to think about.