Twisted Every Way(Phantom Of The Opera Fic)

Chapter 26:Learning

Christine had suspected it.

She had seen it in every glance, every effort on her son's behalf to remove himself when the girl entered the room.

She saw the far-off look in his eyes. She had felt that look before. She had given it to Erik ever morning since they were wed.

For once she knew what her son was thinking. Maybe it was because of the baby, maybe not, but she swore sometimes when Gustave entered the room she could sense his joy. It overwhelmed her, his confusion, his youthfulness and it was hard not to collapse into tears once he had left.

Gustave sighed and tapped on his father's shoulder. It amused him to now think that he used to be so scared to approach his father.

He used to look up and it seemed that that with mask towering over and eyes looking down the Phantom had always intimidated him.

Now he could look directly into his father's eyes, man to man.

"Whats wrong Gustave?" Erik asked.

"She's leaving." He sighed, fixing himself a cup of tea. "Leaving me alone and in desolation behind her.

Though Erik tried his hardest to remain sympathetic and serious he couldn't help but notice hat Gustave looked a bit like a moping puppy. He remembered how he had felt on that dreaded day Christine left and put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Tell me about it." He stated.

Gustave took a deep breath.

"She looks for simple things, I complicate them. She looks for honesty, I've none to borrow. She yearns for higher things, things I can't give her. She wants me as a friend, she needn't bother. Beneath this mask, I wear there's nothing of me. I pretend to be what they all want, rich and charismatic and noble. There's nothing noble about me."

Erik listened sadly to his son's words. "Gustave, you'll move on."

"It's not like Anabel. I can tell, but she can't." Gustave sighed.

Suddenly the door flew open.

"Morning Monsieur Destler! Coffee please, hurry now before I freeze! I'll just take it black-"Autumn's face went back to its quiet shy state when she saw Gustave. She smiled timidly, "Gustave, fancy meeting you here."

"Dad, can I speak to you for a moment?" Gustave said standing up and gesturing for Erik to follow him.

Autumn sighed, how she wished she had told him nothing. Said nothing of her duties, she felt like a royal snob.

"Gustave, just talk to her and tell her how you feel!" Erik laughed.

"Father with all due respect I hardly understand why the skys blue or why birds and bees go together. You honestly expect me to discuss my feelings with a girl!? Feelings I don't even have." Gustave exclaimed.

"Then don't say anything." Erik shrugged.

"How does that help me?!" Gustave exclaimed.

"Let the music speak as it always does." Erik nodded, then pointed a finger to his maskless face. "How do you think I got your mother to marry this?"

Gustave gave a small smile and a shrug. "Very funny, but seriously I can't just-"
    
Erik readied his full power and shoved Gustave back into the room. He smirked as Gustave waved awkwardly at Autumn and turned and frowned angrily at him.

Erik smiled as his wife entered his view.     

Her bump had now become exceedingly visible and for Erik, it was almost a comfort.

"Good morning," He smiled. "How are you?" 

Christine furrowed her brow, "We're speaking today are we?"

"I speak," Erik said defensively but submitted to his wife's scolding gaze. He softly smiled, "That's really happening then? The baby thing."
   
Christine gave an amused chuckled and nodded, "I thought so, yes but on the second analysis maybe I've just been having too much of your famous pancakes."
   
Erik cleared his throat and took her arm, leading her slowly for a walk around the small island.
  
Halfway in, he turned, his eyes gazing at her affectionately.

"You're beautiful. Even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."
  
"Erik," Christine blushed.

"I know I'm shy, and at times can stand alone, defensively. But I do it all out of habit. I never thought I'd be in this place, this role. No one taught me, trained me."
    
"No one knows Erik," She laughed, "I've done this all before and yet everything still new, it's terrifying."
    
He looked at her skeptically.

"Listen, I'll tell you a secret." She smiled. "I think it's a girl."
   
Erik gave a huff, that was almost as bad as a boy. Girls needed delicacy, kindness, not the horrors of the world. Yet then again, how nice to teach her things, how much she would be like her mother.

"How do you figure?" Asked Erik with intrigue.

"I longed for strawberries yesterday, but I hated them when I was with Gustave."
   
Erik nodded, the logic made no sense to him but clearly, his wife saw the correlation. She would know best.
    
"Though today I did yearn for some blueberries, which I did eat plenty with Gustave. So it might be a boy." She speculated.
     
Erik's brow furrowed, A boy. That was almost as bad as a girl. Boys needed his guidance, they would also have a genetically higher risk of inheriting his deformity. But, he could teach him his music from when they were young, train them how to be a gentlemanly scholar of the arts. Read them from the greats of mathematicians he had grown to love as an inventor.    

Twisted every way, which was he to want?

"Ill be happy either way," He said truthfully.    

Christine's face went solemn, "Do you ever get the feeling, that I wasn't meant to make it off that pier Erik."

Erik looked away.

Christine realized why.

"Those dreams you've been having at night." She nodded, "The ones I've pretended to sleep through. Erik-"

"I don't want to discuss them," He sighed sharply. "Birth is dangerous Christine, for you and the child. "

She took his calloused hand in her own soft one and held it tightly. "Everything is going to be okay."

His big eyes looked at her pleadingly. "How can you know?"

She grinned teasingly, resting her head on his strong shoulders.

"Because, dalring, dearest, I want cantaloupe."