Instead of killing Mary Eunice, the Monsignor manages to perform an exorcism. But what will be left of the poor nun?

(Inspired by an interview- which I conveniently cannot find, I'll keep looking -in which Lily Rabe said that Sister Mary Eunice would probably be really torn apart and not the same if she had survived and gone through an exorcism.)

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The Monsignor stared at Sister Mary Eunice. He could see only two ways to save her. The first way was to kill her. He could see in her eyes that that was what she wanted. The second was far more difficult. She was still looking up at him with pain written all over her face. If he threw her from this height, he would take that pain away for good. But could he really do that to this sweet young girl? No. He couldn't. His other option was dangerous and might kill her anyway, but it was a risk he needed to take.

"I want to let go," she sniffled. He kept his eyes on her.

"Then let go of me, Sister." For a moment, he thought she might let the demon take over before she had the chance to let go of him. And then her hands released his shirt and she stepped back. Her hands were raised in surrender.

Carefully executing his next move, Timothy grabbed her with one arm and held on. He caught her under her arms and swung her over the railing. With his free hand, the Monsignor freed his rosary and pressed it against her skin. He recited the verses he had been memorizing in preparation for this important moment. The devil took over her body and struggled, kicking and screaming. Or was it Mary Eunice?

"Let go! You can't do this!" The options were limited. If she tried to push him back with her mind, she would fall to her death. If she stopped fighting, the exorcism might be completed and the devil would be forced from her body. He kept reciting the verses despite her struggle. Her nails clawed at his arm and she tried to slam into his bandaged hand so he would let go. "Damn it, Timothy!" She growled. That was the devil talking, he was certain. He needed to press on.

Behind him, another voice shouted. Doctor Arden had run up the stairs after hearing Mary Eunice scream and seeing her held at such a great height.

"What on Earth is going on here?" Arden demanded. Sister Eunice tried to turn and meet his eyes. She stretched a hand in his direction while the other continued to claw at the Monsignor's arm.

"Please, Arthur! Help me!" She called. He did nothing but stare at her. The cross was still pressed to her forehead and he could see the unrestrained evil and evidence of manipulation in her eyes. If the Monsignor succeeded, that would be gone for good. The sweet girl he knew would return. The girl he loved would be restored. So he stood and waited.

The Monsignor was shouting now, fighting to be heard over Mary Eunice's increasingly vicious cries and curses. And then all at once, she stopped kicking and began to weep.

"Monsignor, let go. Please! I can't do this! I can't live with what I've done!" She tugged at his arm, but he held onto her as he began the final prayers. He was determined to save her soul without harming her. He tried not to believe that the harm was already done. "Please, just let me go!" She sobbed. Arden stepped forward. He couldn't handle watching her suffer.

"Timothy, hurry. I can't take much more of this." The Monsignor shouted the last lines of scripture into Mary Eunice's ear and her body tensed. The cross burned against her skin and she screamed in pain. They listened as the devil's voice bled out of her scream and she took in a shuddering breath. Her back arched at a horrifying angle, almost causing the Monsignor to lose his hold on her, and then her body went limp and all was silent.

"Help me get her over," Timothy said. His injured hand was having trouble holding her now that she was dead weight, but Dr. Arden rushed to help. Together they pulled her to the safe side of the railing and set her on the floor. Her veil had slipped off during her fight and now her hair surrounded her like a golden halo, standing out bright against the dark stone. Arthur checked her pulse and made sure she was breathing before taking her fragile body into his arms and carrying her down to the infirmary.

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Mary Eunice woke slowly, keeping her eyes closed. Her entire body was sore and it felt… larger? No. It felt free, like a crushing pressure had been lifted from her soul. Memories crept back into her mind. She remembered the Monsignor holding her over the edge of the staircase. He had done it. He had exorcised the devil from her body.

She opened her eyes and found herself in the infirmary. Dr. Arden was in the chair next to her, asleep. Before she had learned about his past, his presence would have comforted her. Now, she was terrified. She twisted away from him out of instinct, but her body didn't cooperate and she fell off the bed. The sound woke Dr. Arden and she scrambled backwards away from him on the floor.

"Sister Mary Eunice? What's the matter?" He was so much taller than her. At least the bed was between them.

"S-S-Stay away from me," she whispered. It hurt to speak. She had screamed herself hoarse during the exorcism. Tears welled up in her eyes. Everything felt wrong. She pulled her knees into her chest and sobbed, curling up as small as she could. After a few minutes of this, she felt a hand on her shoulder and was pulled into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry you had to learn the things you did," Arthur said softly. "I never meant for you to know. I didn't want to hurt you and I assure you that past is behind me."

"You k-killed people, innocent people."

"And so have you," he countered. He was right. Mary Eunice remembered taking the lives. It hadn't really been her, but her body had carried out that evil. And then her virtue had been stolen by the devil himself. She was tainted.

Forgetting her fear, she buried her face against Dr. Arden's chest and cried even harder.

Arthur sat quietly, stroking her hair as she broke down. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't you doing all of those things." She shook in his arms, gasping between loud sobs. Her hysterics were loud enough to wake half the floor and he knew the violent crying would only cause her more pain. She didn't need any more pain.

"Mary Eunice, you're alright now. You will be forgiven. Try to calm down and breathe." When she didn't, he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her body away from him. He held her face, forcing her tear-filled blue eyes to meet his. "Listen to me, Mary. You need to breathe. Concentrate on me and take a breath every time I do." He inhaled and she copied him. He exhaled slowly. Her breath shook and turned into another sob. "No, no. Breathe." He took another slow breath, making sure she followed him, and kept going until Mary Eunice's sobs faded into silent crying. "Good," he whispered, pulling her back into him. They sat there for a long time saying nothing, tears soaking into Arthur's shirt. He rubbed her back and let her cry.

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I'd really appreciate any feedback you may have! Like tell me if you think I should continue or how I'm doing and remember suggestions are welcome! Not any horrible criticism though please, please, please. (I'm so awful at taking criticism. I'll probably just curl into a ball and feel like a failure and never move again. It will be sad.) Thanks for reading! :D