Significant Romantic Relationships: RJ Gannon, John McBain

Evangeline, a formidable and confident lawyer, came to town in 2003 as Mitch Laurence's counsel. Despite the reprehensible nature of her client, many in Llanview saw that she was a brilliant attorney and sought her legal advice on different matters. Evangeline met RJ Gannon, and after a long flirtation the two have begun a relationship. Their romance encountered a roadblock when Evangeline represented Antonio in a custody suit with RJ's daughter Keri. The two weathered the storm and only grew closer.

Evangeline took on the controversial role of Todd Manning's defense in his charge of raping Blair. Despite his past history, Evangeline believed in his innocence and proved a capable defense attorney. However, Todd disagreed with her tactics and fired her. By the time he re-hired her; the jury had already been swayed and found him guilty. When Blair was diagnosed with a type of brain tumor known to manipulate one's memory, Evangeline had the case reopened. Blair dropped all charges against Todd and he was released from jail. The ordeal brought Evangeline closer with prosecutor Nora Buchanan, and the two became confidantes.

Evangeline took a job representing an accountant for the Hook Up, a strip club known for trafficking Santi (a powerful mob family) business. She enlisted the help of Antonio Vega to go undercover as a stripper for information. Soon after, Evangeline found a dead body in her office. She called detective John McBain in a panic, and when he arrived at her office it was discovered that the deceased was John's associate, Kathryn Fitzgerald. Evangeline's client was murdered shortly after. It turned out both victims had ties to the Santi mob. John and Evangeline made a visit to the widow of her client one night, and ended up trapped in her wine cellar. After a couple bottles of wine and some deep conversation one thing lead to another, and John and Evangeline slept together. Both brushed it off as a one time thing, but their strong attraction developed into something more.

RJ began to grow jealous of the time Evangeline spent with John, and had them followed. Furious, Evangeline broke up with RJ. He reacted jealously by hiring some thugs to beat John up. This bonded John and Evangeline, but they kept their emotional distance with promise of a "no strings" relationship. Despite attempts to feel otherwise, the two grew closer and agreed to a committed relationship.

John began investigating the murder of Tico Santi, while Evangeline agreed to represent Antonio Vega, the prime suspect in the case. Despite this roadblock, John and Evangeline decided to try to not let their professional lives interfere with their personal ones. Despite the deep feelings between them, Evangeline often finds herself jealous of John's friendship with Natalie Buchanan, with whom he was shares an intense emotional connection.