Disclaimer: Ghostbusters II is owned by Columbia Pictures an written by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd. I am only borrowing the parts that I need for my story.
Chapter 21
Eden stood facing the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her roommates by her side. She had been upset with Egon when he had left her at her apartment but she knew that he had wanted her safe. Eden had stayed put until that night when Grace and Paul had returned from working with Charlie. Grace and Paul had told Eden what was going on in the city and what they had seen at Charlie's work. That was when Eden had made up her mind that she needed to help her beloved.
"You can't go Eden!" Grace said grabbing her arm to stop her as Eden tried to leave the apartment at eleven o'clock that night.
"Grace," Eden said turning towards her, "I have to. Egon's going out on a limb here to try and stop this from happening. He needs all the positive thoughts from us that he can get. Egon…" Eden paused and then continued. "Grace, Egon needs me. I can feel it. Please let me go."
Grace released Eden's arm when she saw the concerned look in her face. Grace knew that there was something else that Eden wasn't telling her and she pressed Eden for it.
Turning her face away from Grace so that she wouldn't see her tears, Eden told Grace what Egon had said to her before he had left with Winston for the firehouse that afternoon.
"Eden," Egon said to her holding her hands, "This is going to be dangerous. Vigo the Carpathian is a very powerful sorcerer. We are going to need all the positive thoughts and energy that we can muster from this city in order to defeat him."
"What can I do to help?" Eden asked him.
"Right now, nothing." Egon said as he pulled her towards him holding her tight against his cracked ribs.
Egon could feel Eden shaking under his arms as he tried to calm his nerves by stroking the back of her head with his hand. She was scared and so was he, but he couldn't let that emotion show right now. He had to be strong for her.
"Eden, if I don't succeed then Vigo is going to take over the world. If that happens I want you to do one thing for me."
"What's that?"
"Live! Please, just do what Vigo asks of you. I don't want you killed for going against him."
"Egon," Eden whispered, "what if he wants…" she trailed off, the sentence left unspoken in the air.
Egon released Eden and held her at arms length. She was a beautiful woman. Something that men desired. He knew what she was thinking. If Ben had been physically abusive to her, what was Vigo going to do to her?
Egon wished he hadn't told Eden about Vigo's reign, but she had a right to know what was going to befall her if he failed. The people Vigo had enslaved, the concubines he kept, the others he had mass murdered, this is what awaited Eden if Vigo was successful in gaining a body.
"Eden, I can't tell you what to do if that happens," Egon said to her. "It's your body. He has no right to you. You're not a whore to be bought and sold. Remember that."
Eden nodded her head, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She knew that Egon cared deeply for her, loved her, and she knew that he would give his life for her if he had too, to keep her safe; alive.
"Eden," Egon reverently spoke to her, "if I should…"
Eden cut him off as she leaned over and reached up, placing her lips on his, kissing him passionately, not wanting the words to escape from his mouth. She couldn't bear to lose him again.
Releasing him from her kiss Eden gently spoke to him.
"If things go wrong, just remember this…" she started to say.
"I love you." Egon and Eden said together.
As Eden finished her story, Grace reached out and pulled Eden towards her in a hug as Eden cried into her shoulder. She knew that Egon wanted to marry Eden right away and she also knew that Eden was scared for her fiancé. Egon had finally spoken the words aloud to Eden. Those three words that Paul and her always said to each other. I love you. Three little words that meant so much in a lot of different ways.
"Eden," Grace said releasing her, "you can't go alone. I'll go with you."
"As will I," said Paul coming up to Grace's side and placing his hands onto the two women's shoulders.
"I'm going too!" Helen said standing in Iris's bedroom doorway with Iris by her side.
"Well," Iris said untying her bathrobe and turning back into her bedroom, "I'd better get dressed. I don't want Winston to see me in my undergarments, just yet."
Now here she stood outside the very museum where Egon was inside fighting Vigo. Eden had seen the Statue of Liberty walking up 5th Avenue and her spirits rose. Egon and his friends had done it! They had gotten the statue to move. Eden had cheered, with the rest of the large crowd that had gathered outside the museum, as the statue broke through the top of the museum and her future husband had gone inside to try and save her, her roommates, and all of humanity.
It was late, a few minutes to midnight, Eden saw as she looked down at her watch, however nothing was happening. Egon had told her if they couldn't stop Vigo by midnight that they never would. Eden's heart went out to Egon, inside the museum, as a feeling of dread came flooding back to her.
"Four minutes to go Eden," Grace said standing next to Paul.
A tear fell from Eden's eye. She knew that her friend, her mate, her love was gone. With her heart broken, Eden tottered and fell against Paul on her right. Paul studied her and held Eden up on her feet as she wept openly. Eden looked up into Paul's face when she felt his touch. He had tried to save her child that day long ago. She had been told that by Grace. Paul tried everything that he knew how but her baby hadn't lived.
Eden turned her face to the museum. Egon had saved her from her depression. He had brought her out of the darkness and into the light. She would have to be strong now that he was gone but she couldn't, all she could think about was standing by another grave.
Iris had stood by her side that day when they had buried the tiny body of her baby girl. Grace, Paul, and Helen, the only witnesses as Eden sang a song to her lost daughter.
"Midnight," Grace said quietly not wanting to disturb Eden.
Eden wiped away her tears as she opened her mouth and sang out in her beautiful soprano voice the song that she had sung for her daughter.
"Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never thought upon;
The flames of love extinguished,
and fully past and gone.
Is thy sweet heart now grown so cold,
that loving breast of thine;
That thou canst never once reflect
on Old long Syne."
Paul, Grace, Helen, and Iris joined in singing with Eden now.
"On Old long syne my Jo,
in Old long syne,
That thou canst never once reflect,
on Old long syne."
Eden sang the second verse alone. Raising herself up to her full statue. Her heart reaching out to her lost love.
"My heart is ravish with delight,
when thee I think upon;
All grief and sorrow takes the flight,
and speedily is gone;
The bright resemblance of they face,
so fills this, heart of mine;
That force nor fate can me displease,
for Old long syne."
Eden's roommates, Paul and the rest of the crowd joined Eden in singing the chorus. Their positive thoughts, hopes, and dreams were conveyed through the song and rebounded off of the slime. Eden raised her face towards the museum, where Egon's body lay, and sang to him and him alone.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Egon's mind floated up through the haze. Was he dead? This wasn't like before. There were voices singing to him this time. Egon saw a young girl with long medium brown hair and light green eyes ahead of him in the distance. She was wearing a white dress. He knew this girl. She was the same one he had seen from his time with his father. Ray had said that he thought that the girl was his sister, but yet she had Eden's voice. Now only her voice could be heard singing. The other voices had stopped. Her voice alone was calling to him. Beaconing to him.
"Since thoughts of thee doth banish grief,
when from thee I am gone;
will not thy presence yield relief,
to this sad heart of mine."
Egon fought to get to this young girl. He had to know who she was. His father had left the sentence unfinished. Was she Eden's daughter or his sister? Egon felt as if he was trying to swim through a thick gel type of water to get to where she stood. The harder he fought to get to her the harder it became for him. Egon saw the girl fading from his view.
"No. Wait!" he cried out to her as she vanished from his sight. Only her voice remained.
"Why doth thy presence me defeat,
with excellence divine?
Especially when I reflect
on Old long syne."
Egon heard Ray's voice calling, speaking to him through the haze. Egon's mind was still muddy but starting to clear. What had Ray said to him? Something about singing. Now Egon heard Winston's voice. Something about people, Winston had said. Now he heard it too. The people outside were singing. That is what Egon had imagined. Egon reached out his arm towards Ray and Winston and found he could move it slightly. Opening his eyes, Egon saw Vigo wreathing in pain as his physical body was starting to break down. He couldn't hold onto this form for much longer.
"He's weakening!" Egon cried to his friends. "The singing is neutralizing the slime!"
"I can move!" Ray replied.
Egon found that the spell had been broken. He could move and painfully made his way to his feet. Vigo was losing his power that he had taken from the people of the city and with one last agonizing yell disappeared from view. Egon looked around the studio to find that Vigo was spitting and raging at him, but now he was inside the painting.
"He's back in the painting!" Egon yelled to his teammates as he grabbed his neutrona wand and pointed it towards Vigo.
"Alright, go find a shady spot," Egon heard Peter tell Dana as he came up to stand before the painting.
"Vigi, Vigi, Vigi. You have been a bad little monkey!" Peter told the painting as he watched Ray move towards it.
Winston came up to stand by Egon's right side, his slime blower ready. They all stood fast, secure in the knowledge that Vigo's power had been neutralized by the good will of the people of New York. Ray, however, was still staring, transfixed as Vigo slowly changed into his natural form.
"The whole city's together on this one," Winston remarked to Vigo. "We took a vote. Everybody's down on you, you know." Flipping the switch on his plasma discharge port Winston said, "Say goodnight now."
Egon put out a hand to stop Winston from firing. Ray was standing in their way.
"Uh, Ray?" Egon said to his friend, "We'd like to shoot the monster. Could you move, please?"
Ray didn't move, he just stood there. What was going on? Winston was worried. He had seen this behavior from Ray before.
"Ray?!" Winston called out to him, concern in his voice.
"No good," Winston thought as Ray slowly moved closer and closer to the painting of Vigo. Egon could see that nothing was getting through to his friend as he shouted louder along with Peter and Winston.
"RAY!"
Ray turned around to face his friends, but it wasn't Ray that stood before them now. Ray had taken on the true form of Vigo the Carpathian.
"No!" Vigo threatened the three men before him inside of Ray's body. "I, Ray, am Vigo and rule the earth! Be gone, you pitiful half-men!"
Egon turned his head towards Peter, devastated. Ray was now possessed by Vigo. They had lost. Peter looked towards Egon and said one word to him and Winston.
"NOW!"
Peter flipped the trigger on his neutrona wand and blasted away at the painting. Winston nodded his head and followed suit, spraying Ray with the positively charged slime from his slime blower.
"I'm sorry Ray," Egon said to himself as he followed Peter's and Winston's example. Egon turned on his neutrona wand and blasted away at the painting too.
As Egon continued to fire the proton's energy beam at the painting, he could see Ray falling to the ground as Vigo bellowed and left Ray's body. Leaving only Vigo's floating head outside of the painting Egon, Winston, and Peter continued to fire their weapons as Vigo fell back into the painting.
"NO!" Vigo's head exclaimed as a bright explosion erupted across the painting's surface.
Peter, Winston, and Egon turned their heads away and shut off their streams. As soon as Egon saw that he wasn't in danger of getting hit by the proton's beams or slime blowers streams, he was across the room and kneeling by Ray's side.
"Oh, Ray," Egon whispered to his friend. "What have I done?"
Ray was completely covered with slime and laid motionless on the floor. Egon reached out and tentatively placed his fingers onto Ray's neck to check for a pulse. A wave of relief washed over him as he hung his head. He felt Ray's pulse, strong and study under his touch.
"He's alive!" Egon called out to Peter and Winston.
Winston came up behind Egon and started to wipe the slime off of Ray's face as Ray opened his eyes.
"Let's get this off," Egon told Ray as he and Winston carefully took Ray's slime blower off of his back.
"Ray, how do you feel, man?" Winston asked as he helped Ray to his feet.
Ray stood up before the two men, a little wobbly, but clearly himself.
"Groovy," Ray said smiling at them both. "I've never felt better in my life."
Ray looked up at Egon. Now he could tell him how he felt. He had left the sentence unfinished in the Statue of Liberty when Egon had cut him off. Ray needed to tell Egon how he felt about him and now was the perfect time.
"I love you Egon," Ray said dripping with slime as he took his hand and placed it upon Egon's arm. "I love all you guys."
"Great, Ray," Egon said trying to change the subject.
Egon knew what Ray was going to say to him on the stairs inside the Statue of Liberty and had stopped him from saying the words out loud. He felt the same way. Ray was his brother he never had and as such they loved each other as two siblings would. Nothing needed to be said. But apparently the slime thought so and had Ray saying the words. Egon turned his friend around and started to walk Ray towards Peter.
"Let's go Ray," Egon said as Ray continued on his 'love' rampage.
"And I love Peter…" Ray said counting off on his fingers. "Wow. Real friendship. You're the best friends I've ever had."
"Oh no," Winston said as he helped Ray along, "We've got to live with this?" Winston questioned as they stopped in front of Janosz, who was still lying on the ground in a puddle of slime.
Janosz was sleepily singing to himself as Ray, Winston, and Egon helped the man to his feet. Janosz was dazed but unhurt just like Ray. Looking down at his slime covered body Janosz questioned Ray.
"Ah, why am I dripping with goo?"
Egon came to Janosz's rescue and replied. "You had a violent, prolonged, transformative psychic episode but it's over now."
"Eh?" Janosz turned his head towards Ray clearly not understanding what Egon had said to him.
"Look," Ray said placing a hand upon Janosz's shoulder, "sorry we had to hose you down there, but you were kind of out of control."
Egon pulled his negative calibration test meter out of his pocket while Ray was talking and scanned Janosz's body. Nothing showed up but positive readings. Vigo wasn't using him anymore.
"He's fine, Ray. Physically intact, psychomagnetherically neutral," Egon said as he passed the meter over Ray's body just to be sure.
Vigo wasn't there either. Egon released a breath. They had won.
"Is that good?" Janosz asked Winston.
"Hey man, it's where you want to be," Winston replied walking away from them.
Ray turned Janosz's attention back to him. Ray had something to say and he was going to say it. Squeezing Janosz's arm and pointing a finger at him, Ray continued his thought.
"Hey, let me tell you something," Ray said to Janosz, "I love you."
"Yeah?" Janosz replied smiling, "Well, I love you too."
Janosz and Ray bear hugged each other as Egon shook his head. Ray needed a shower and fast before he started confessing his love for everything and everyone. Winston called for Egon's attention.
"Hey fellas!" Winston said beckoning the others over. "You wanna take a look at this?"
Egon and Ray left Janosz as they walked over to where Winston was standing looking at the painting. "Was Vigo back?" Egon wondered as he stopped next to Ray and looked up in surprise. There before him was not the painting of Vigo that Egon had expected to see. It was a painting in the likeness of Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston, surrounding baby Oscar who was laying on a white cloud. The men were depicted as heavenly saints with colorful robes over one shoulder. Egon was holding a book, representing knowledge. Ray was holding an olive branch, representing peace. Winston was holding a harp, representing heaven or God and Peter was holding a sword, representing a protector for mankind.
"Early Renaissance, I think," Egon commented as Peter walked over to stand by his side, followed by Dana and Oscar. "Raphael or Piero Della Francesca."
"No, I believe it's one of the Fettuccini," Peter said teasing Egon.
"Peter," Winston commented, "why are you always thinking with your stomach?"
"Because I'm starved!" Peter replied as he took Dana into his arms and kissed her.
"Let's go boys," Ray said leading the way out of the restoration studio.
Setting their proton packs and slime blowers down by the front doors of the museum the group walked outside. Mayor Lenny Clotch met the "Ghostbusters" as they exited the museum.
"Lenny!" Peter said opening his arms wide and walking towards the man, "We need to talk," Peter finished as he placed his hand onto the Mayor's shoulder.
"Yes we do, Doctor Venkman," Mayor Clotch replied as he pointed a finger towards the Statue of Liberty.
Peter looked to where "Lady Liberty" lay sprawled inert on her back behind the museum. Looking back to the Mayor, Peter could see that he looked nearly suicidal.
"She's alright," Peter told the Mayor. "She's just sleeping it off."
"We just had her restored," Mayor Clotch replied, horror in his voice.
"This probably isn't a good time to bring this up, but the last time we did a job for the city you stiffed us," Peter told the Mayor.
"This is a bill for tonight's job," Ray stated handing the Mayor a slightly gel covered invoice that he had written up on their way out of the museum.
Carefully Mayor Clotch took the invoice and looked at it, a gasp escaping from his lips when he saw the amount.
"What?!" he roared, "This is way too much! We won't pay."
Mayor Clotch tried to hand the invoice back to Ray, but Ray refused to take it. Peter removed his hand from the Mayor's shoulder and crossed to stand next to Ray. Both men looked towards the statue and talked to each other.
"You know Ray," Peter said, "I think she looks pretty good here, don't you?"
"Yeah," Ray responded seeing what Peter was trying to do, "I'll just stand her up behind the museum. She'll be a lot easier to get to than that island."
"Alright, alright," Mayor Clotch said holding up his hands to stop the two men from going any further.
Realizing he had no alternative the Mayor sighed as he folded the invoice and placed it in his suit's breast pocket.
"If you can wait until Monday," Mayor Clotch told Peter, "I'll issue you a check."
"Sorry," Egon replied, "No checks. Company policy."
"Yeah. Cash, credit cards, or money orders only. If you need a payment plan you can talk to our account specialist Louis Tully on Monday," Winston recited the speech that Louis had made them memorize.
Egon patted Ray on the back as they headed down the stairs of the museum together. Ray smiled as he walked next to Egon. There was someone that Egon needed to go and see Ray knew, and that was Eden. Egon and him had talked briefly on the way out of the museum. Egon told Ray that he was going to marry Eden today and had asked him if he would be his best man. Ray was surprised and thrilled at the same time and immediately said yes to his adoptive brother, Egon.
Egon and him had been through a lot together this past month and they had made it. Now Egon was going to share his life with another. Ray wondered if he would get put on the back burner now that Egon was getting married. Ray didn't want to be alone again. He had failed in thinking positive thoughts inside the museum and that was when Vigo had possessed him. What positive things were in his life now? Peter had Dana, Egon had Eden, even Winston was seeing Iris, but he had no one. Ray stopped walking and watched as Egon continued on down the stairs, his heart breaking. He could see Winston hugging Iris at the front of the crowd. That was where Egon was headed. Egon had told Eden to stay at her apartment but it looked like she hadn't listened. Ray let out half a laugh. Even though Eden was a beauty to behold there was a mischievous spirit under her exterior.
"Raymond!"
Ray turned to his right. Who was calling him? To his surprise he saw his sister, Jean running as best as she could towards him. She was eight months pregnant with her second child. What was she doing here?
"Jean?" Ray questioned running down the last set of stairs so that she wouldn't have to climb up to him. "What's wrong? Where is Allison?"
"Oh, Raymond it's horrible," Jean said stopping at the bottom of the steps trying to catch her breath.
Ray looked her over. She had been crying and had dark circles under her eyes. The side of her face was red and it looked bruised to him. What had happened?
"Jean," Ray said as he took her arm and led her away from the shouts of the crowd, "what happened? Where is Allison and Jim?"
Jean sat down on the steps of the museum as Ray followed suit.
"It's a long story, Raymond," she said between breaths.
"Okay," Ray said to her as he rubbed her back, "then just give me the Reader's Digest Version."
Jean nodded her head and swallowed. "Jim left me Raymond," she quietly spoke to her brother. "He pushed me into a wall, grabbed Allison and threw her at me, and then he slapped my face when I didn't do what he wanted. I left Allison with Aunt Lois and came to find you."
Jean broke down crying, and Ray pulled her into a hug. Ray knew that Jim had a temper sometimes but he had gone to counseling for that. Was the slime responsible?
"Raymond," Jean choked out into Ray's shoulder, "what am I going to do? I am going to need help when the baby is born and no one is going to hire me the way I am right now. I'm going to lose the apartment we're in because I can't pay the rent. Where are Allison and I going to live?"
Ray thought about this for a moment and then an idea popped into his head. "Jean," he said pulling away from her, "how about staying at the house?"
"What?" Jean said wiping away her tears, "You'd do that for me? Mom and Dad left you that house. It's yours. Why aren't you living there now?"
"You know why Jean. I couldn't afford the upkeep on the place but now…" Ray trailed off with a wave of his hand out over the crowd, "…I can. This is perfect. We can live there together. You, me, Allison, and the baby. I'll be there to help you. Just like when we were kids. Deal?"
Jean nodded her head. This could work. She was glad she had such a wonderful brother. "Deal." she said.
"Okay," Ray said to her, "I just have to ask Egon one question, then I can help you move in."
Ray got up and walked over to where Egon and Eden were. This is what Ray had wanted. Now he had someone to care for. He wasn't going to be alone. Walking closer to where Egon and Eden were supposed to be, Ray saw that Egon was on top of Eden and the pair was on the ground kissing each other passionately.
"Hey Egon," Ray yelled out, "get a room!"
Egon raised his head up to look at Ray who was walking towards him. Egon's face flushed bright red when he realized what he was doing. He helped Eden to her feet as he turned to face his friend.
"Can't wait to get married I see," Ray teased him stopping before the pair.
"Ray I…" Egon started to say before Ray cut him off.
"Forget it Egon," Ray said waving his hand, "I just need to know when you need me for your wedding. I have to help my sister Jean move. It's a long story."
Egon turned towards Eden to ask her when she wanted to go to the justice of the peace but just then Peter came up to talk to them.
"Egon," Peter said stopping to Egon's left with Dana by his side, "don't make any plans just yet. The Mayor wants us at Liberty Island later today at nine in the morning for some ceremony he has planned."
"Well that shot down my idea," Eden said.
"Eden," Grace said behind her, "if you can give us a couple of hours we can have you married in Central Park later this afternoon. Complete with music and cake."
"What?!" Eden asked surprised.
"Well, we sort have been planning this for awhile you know," Grace replied, "Just leave everything to us."
Egon smiled at Eden's bewildered face. Eden's roommates knew her only too well. Just like his future wife knew him.
"Well that's settled," Ray said turning towards Winston. "Hey do you want to come with me and return "Lady Liberty" back to where she belongs before the city sues us again."
"Sure," Winston replied holding Iris by his side, "but Iris has to come along. I'm not letting this woman out of my sight."
"That's fine as long as you don't mind my sister tagging along too," Ray said turning and walking back to where Jean sat at the base of the museum's stairs.
"See you all later," Winston called out following after Ray.
Soon only Egon and Eden were left standing there. Egon knew what he wanted to do and took Eden into his arms burying his face into her hair.
"Are you ready to take the next step in our relationship?" Egon asked Eden.
Eden knew what Egon was talking about. She had wanted this since August. She was ready and quivered in his arms. But would their first time be like her last time with Ben?
Egon felt Eden's body trembling under his arms. Suddenly a thought came into his mind. Did he have a right to do this to her before they were married? Ben hadn't seemed to care about her rights, but had Eden? Was she just going along with what Ben had wanted or was she really the one who wanted it? Egon realized that he had no right to take advantage of her now. As much as he wanted her, needed her beside him in bed, he was going to have to let her invite him in. He would never force himself upon her, now or in the future.
"Eden," Egon whispered into her ear, "I don't want to take advantage of you. I can wait until we're married if you want. I will understand."
Egon released Eden and held her at arms length. "I want you to know that I will never force myself upon you. Please don't worry. I'm not Ben. I don't know if Ben forced himself upon you or not. I don't even know if you were both consenting when you got pregnant," he said.
Eden nodded her head holding back her tears. How could Egon have known what had happened to her? She needed to talk to Egon before the wedding but here was not the place. Eden had given Egon the truth about what had happened to her that night with Ben, but something was left unsaid and she didn't know if Egon would still want her when she told him.
"Is there somewhere we can go and talk about Ben in private?" Eden asked.
"Yes. My place, please come," Egon said as he took her hand and led her away from the museum and across Central Park.
Opening the door to his studio apartment Egon invited Eden in and offered her some tea. He didn't drink so he didn't have anything stronger to offer her. Something was up Egon knew as they had walked across Central Park back to his place. Something about Ben was deeply buried inside Eden.
Eden sat down on the couch as Egon sat by her side. Playing with her cup of tea that Egon had given her, she finally related her tale.
"I met Ben at college. He was nice at first. He loved me and I loved him and we both consented for awhile. When I moved to Nevada to sing with the Nevada Opera Theater Company Ben became, I don't know, possessive I guess is the word that I would use. I finally had to get away from him and tried out for the Metropolitan Opera and got the job here. What I didn't realize is that Ben had started taking drugs when I moved to Nevada. That is why his personality had changed. I didn't realize how bad it was until the night he tried to kill me. The night that I got pregnant Ben had taken heroin. Iris knew. She had seen him take the drug before he came into my bedroom."
Eden paused and set her cup down on the coffee table in front of her and folded her arms around her body.
"Iris knocked on my bedroom door right after Ben came in to me. She told me what she had seen and you know what I did. I called her a liar. My friend. I asked for her forgiveness eventually, but I felt bad afterwards. I thought that Ben loved me and would never do anything to harm me. But…"
Eden trailed off and wrapped her arms tighter around herself looking at the floor. Eden started rocking herself back and forth. Finally stopping, Eden heaved a deep breath and finished her story.
"Ben sexually assaulted me that night Egon. After I confronted him with Iris's story he told me that she was nuts and to mind her own business. I didn't feel like doing anything that night but Ben had other ideas. I was forced against my will. My father called it "Date Rape". That is one of the reasons that I didn't tell Ben right away when I found out I was pregnant. I had to get over the fact that this baby of mine was forced upon me. Iris helped me through that. Since I wanted children, she told me that it didn't matter how the child got here as long as I wanted it and would care for it deeply. Iris changed my mind about being pregnant. You see, Iris can't have any children. Please don't tell Winston. Iris wants to do that when she is ready."
"So I changed my attitude about the situation that I was placed in. And as I did so my life changed too. That was until Ben came back and I showed him the test results. I had thought that he would be happy but you know what happened…" Eden's voice trailed off. After a long pause she continued. "After a stay in the hospital I had to bury my baby girl. That was the hardest day of my life. Losing someone I loved."
Eden looked up from the floor and into Egon's eyes.
"Egon, I thought I had lost you last night. When I stood outside that museum and nothing was happening my heart went out to you and all I felt was dread. I knew that you were gone. Deep in my soul I knew that you no longer lived. How is it that you are sitting here beside me now? Am I dreaming?"
Egon smiled at her. "You're not dreaming Eden. I was in fact being killed by Vigo. I called out to you right before I thought I was going to die. I told you that I was sorry and that I loved you. The truth of the matter is that the people outside of the museum saved us. Whoever started that singing of 'Auld Lang Syne' saved us. It neutralized the slime allowing us to defeat Vigo. I wish I knew who that was."
"Egon that was me. I started singing the song!" Eden replied. "When I felt that you were gone I saw myself standing next to your grave, just like I stood by my daughter's. I sang the only song that came to mind. It was the song that I sang to my daughter when I buried her that day."
"Eden, 'Auld Lang Syne' is used to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight. Why did you sing it at your daughter's funeral?"
"Don't you know Egon? 'Auld Lang Syne' is sung at the end of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Memorial Ceremony to honor their "absent members", those who have died. I heard it all the time growing up. I also heard it at the international Boy Scout youth movement as they closed their jamborees with it when I went with my uncle. It was always sung at a relative's funeral. It's just what you did where I came from."
"Where I grew up it was always 'Amazing Grace'," Egon said as he carefully reached over and offered Eden his hand.
Eden unwrapped her arms from her body and took Egon's hand into hers, looking up into his eyes.
"You still want me?" Eden asked her voice no louder than a whisper.
"Why wouldn't I want you?"
"Because of my past. I have been sexually and physically abused Egon. No one wants a person like that." Eden said turning her face away from Egon.
"I do," Egon said taking Eden's face into his right hand turning it back towards him. "Eden it doesn't matter what happened in your past. Throughout the journey, along the pathway of life, there are casualties. Learn from them, live through them, and try not to make the same mistake twice. We can do this together. While Archimedes did not invent the lever he did leave us with a remarkable quote."
"What's that?"
"Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth," Egon said releasing her face. "Eden, we can move the Earth. You and I. We can make a difference in this world. We have already when we helped each other overcome our depression. You saved me and I in turn have saved you. In the private sanctuary of one's own conscience lies that spirit, that determination to cast off the old person and to measure up to the stature of true potential. You taught me this. The world can at times be a frightening place in which to live. I saw that first hand inside the museum. The moral fabric of society seemed to be unraveling at an alarming speed. None, whether young or old or in-between was exempt. Vigo had the potential to drag us down and destroy us all. But with a positive attitude, like you said, we survived. Just think of what we can do together Eden? The children we can bring into this world, together. To raise them up into the knowledge of all things! To pass on our legacy!"
Eden nodded her head. Egon was right. Together they could do this. Together they had saved each other. Together they could make a difference.
"I love you Eden," Egon said as he squeezed her hand. "No matter what happens. I will forever love you."
Eden laid her head onto Egon's shoulder and closed her eyes. She was tired. She knew that Egon would never hurt her. She felt safe for the first time in her life.
And safe Eden would stay that night as she fell asleep against Egon's shoulder. Eventually he carried her to his bed and placed her inside its warm covers. Kissing her forehead, before taking a pillow and blanket, Egon crossed the room to sleep on the couch for the night. He would never harm her and couldn't wait until she was his.