AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank God he left you such a handsome and capable son.”
“You grew up alright,” Eden laughed, ruffling his hair. “...Oh, it smells so good.”
“I made all your favorite foods for today.”
“I can smell it. Thank you, my love.”
They remained silent for a little while, but, after some hesitation, Julian slowly turned toward her.
“Mom... can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” she replied without hesitating.
“Why... did I never get a stepfather?”
“What?” Eden chuckled. “Didn’t you have enough father figures already? Jack and Rolf would be hurt to hear that!”
“No, I’m not talking about me, you know I was fine, but... why did you never remarry? I understand why it was just the two of us when I was a kid, but... it’s not like you couldn’t have. I mean, as you said, there were plenty of men around you, and I saw how some of them looked at you. I had the prettiest mom on the block! Why did you never even... try to find yourself someone else?”
Eden remained silent for a few seconds. Her hand gently petted the dog on her lap, and she eventually smiled faintly.
“...Because none of them looked at me the way your father did, I guess. I told you what kind of job I had before he appeared. There were many, many men around me, but even so, I kept them all at bay, and I always felt so lonely no matter what. But when your dad barged into my life, he made me realize I didn’t have to be lonely. So, even when he left... I never felt lonely again.”
She let out a faint sigh.
“To be honest, there were times I did wonder if it wouldn’t be better for you if I remarried... but every time I thought about it, I felt like I couldn’t. Hell, I imagined your dad coming back from the dead to take me away! He was so jealous.”
Julian laughed.
“I’m glad I managed to do it on my own,” she continued. “Well, I had a lot of help. Everyone took care of me, even when I thought I didn’t need it. Every time things got hard, somebody would show up to help. That’s how I knew. That our family didn’t have to be perfect, it had to be just a bit bigger than usual. I was the same. I grew up without my dad, and when my mom left me too, there was always someone to take my hand. There are some bonds that go beyond blood and family ties. We have a warm, caring community of people around us, and that’s worth more than any family out there.”
“...I see. Well, thank God for them, or I would have probably died of starvation before the age of five!”
Eden laughed. She was proud of her son beyond words, and at the same time, shocked how he had turned out to be such a fine man. Technically, he had been pretty much raised by mafiosos, criminal hackers, a drag queen godmother... and a cyber uncle. If that wasn’t the most unexpected mix to make a handsome and talented young man! She smiled and held his hand gently. He reminded her of Dante every single day, and she loved that. It was as if he had known, and left a part of him to look after her until her later years... Although she had tried many times to send him away to live his life, telling him she’d be fine on her own, Julian always came back to her, no matter what; he was as stubborn as his dad. Eden had given up. Even her daughter-in-law had the best relationship with her and was the first to get mad whenever Eden suggested she got her own place. They had naturally taken her to live with them in their new house, and she suspected they had chosen this one to accommodate her.
“Let’s go,” declared Julian with a sigh. “It wouldn’t be great if Grandma arrives after the kids...”
He helped her into her hoverchair, next to the patio. It was the most recent model that could go on all sorts of surfaces and was very comfortable. Eden had chosen to never put her Parts back on again after the battle. Although it was less convenient at times to take care of her son, this was a choice she had made for herself. It was another way to say farewell to her previous life, and she had never regretted it. It was as if, after spending her lifetime running, a new chapter had begun, where she could simply take her time, and not just try to survive.
She had Dived a few more times, but only when she was still working for the Zodiac, or to spend time with Prometheus. It had taken a few years, and many negotiations, but the current Chicago was so much more peaceful than what she had once known, and now, there was no need for Ghost anymore. There was still some disparity between the people, but there were no more walls, no more oxygen masks. Eden was still in touch with some of the former Zodiac and the Edge, but she was only acting as a consultant from time to time. She and Pan had worked together to take over some of her father’s abandoned research, while also making sure the wrongs the Governor had done were repaired and no crimes could be committed again in the name of science. Truthfully, she could have spent the rest of her life without working at all. To her surprise, Dante had left more than enough money to provide for her and her son, and Eden hadn’t needed to act as the Tiger for long. As soon as somebody else had taken over, she had happily taken a step back to dedicate herself to Julian. The crime rate and gunfights had significantly dropped, just as promised. The Zodiac wasn’t gone completely but had changed into some kind of global organization, probably still very mafia-like, but they did not touch the citizens. Most of the Zodiac Eden once knew had passed or were retired, the same as the Edge. It did feel like a new generation had taken over, with, hopefully, the means to do even better than they had.
“Ah... That song,” Eden muttered, surprised, as they were almost at the entrance of the house.
“One of your favorites,” smiled Julian.
She couldn’t help but smile as they crossed the threshold. All three children turned their hazel eyes to their grandmother but, before any of them could say a word, they noticed the nostalgic expression in her eyes, and saw her lips open.
“Stars fading but I linger on, dear, still craving your kiss... I’m longing to linger till dawn, dear... Just saying this–Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you; sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you... But in your dreams whatever they be, dream a little dream of me...”
“Dream a little dream of me,” repeated the little girl, with a pretty voice.
She ran to her grandmother, taking her hand.
“I love it, Grandma! Your voice is so pretty!”
“...Yours too, my little Songbird. Yours too.”
