Twisted Every Way(Phantom Of The Opera Fic)

Chapter 35: Waiting

Erik was on a rampage. Eli had caught a glimpse of the new arriving party, and with them heard a fraction of a name.

He wandered the small cavern laughing joyously for perhaps the first time ever, "Raoul, Rool, Raol."

Erik shuddered at the name, an anxious anger building up in his soul. 

To add to the confusion Gustave was God knew where.

Autumn wouldn't find her way threw the twisting never ending tunnels. 

All was lost, the darkness had come.

They lived in Eriks world now.

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The eerie creaks and silent fogs of the tunnels surrounded Autumn. Those tunnels which Gustave could bring light and glory too with a snap of his fingers. She called to him but no one but the screaming rats replied. No one to hear her if she called for help.

She was scared to death, scared that she had lost Gustave just when she had become worthy of him. Her mind raced at a thousand miles per hour. She had so much to do, so much that she rather do.

"Oh what a mess life is!" she exclaimed to herself,  "Life is a hypocrite. Its lost my good opinion and frankly, my good opinion once lost is lost forever."

As she pondered meticulously her circumstances as she proceeded down the flight of stairs in an impeccable hurry. To her great misfortune, she tripped a trap. 

A trap intended for those who rushed into deaths lair without thought.A trap intend for any person with evil intentions towards the inhabitants. But machines and contraptions cannot think. The machine did not know how helplessly in love she was with Gustave. So it swept her along just as it would a thief.

"Gustave!" She screamed attempting to escape. She had been dragged down into some sort of unfathomably deep narrow hole filled to its brim with water. Slowly a gate was ascending upon her pushing her under the swirling waves.

Gustave turned his head and took off running for his home. He rushed into the main room.

Both father and son had heard the faint echoes in the distance.

"Father, Autumn," Gustave spoke hastily, gasping for air.

"And Raoul?!" Erik asked grasping Gustave by the shoulders.

"Yes but father!"

"And all these years does he look for you?! No, and now he thinks he can show up. Its disgraceful and Christine, oh if only your mother had a say in all this. but she mustn't know, she mustn't..." Erik was pacing the room going on and on about that "Contumacious Raoul."

Gustave quickly told him to stop speaking for a moment and Erik did so regrettably.

"Autumn" Gustave nearly yelled, "She's fallen in one of the traps."

Erik stopped and looked at Gustave. With one glance they both took off running.

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Autumn looked up, "Thank god you're here!" She yelled seeing the two familiar faces, "I thought I was going to die."

"Hold on! We're going to get you out of here!" Gustave yelled down to her.

"I am! Just hurry! Please, Gustave! I think my dress is getting a bit wet!" she yelled back up with a scared laugh, her lips were trembling in the cold. 

"Dad pull it up." Gustave stated.

Erik watched horrified, "I don't know if I can."

"What?!" Gustave exclaimed, "But you built it, surely there must be some safety mechanism?!"

"Only from inside the trap, a per cation in case I was ensnared." Erik exclaimed, "I'm sorry Gustave truly, but there's no way she could figure it out."

Gustave took a deep breath. "No way she can...but I could." 

Before Erik could protest he had found a hole in the gate, big enough for only him. With one deep breath, he jumped in.

"Gustave what are you doing?!" Erik yelled terrified, "You've practically doomed yourself! You want to throw your life away for her sake go ahead! I've been there done that. But your mother will kill me! I have children Gustave! Children who need a father!"

Gustave wasn't listening. He held Autumn's trembling hand and dove under. He struggled against the current. Slowly feeling around he found his way to the mechanism. When he resurfaced for air the gate was nearly upon them. Gustave sighed, it was now or never.

"When I say take a deep breath, so just so. Do not let go of my hand, do not struggle, and by god Autumn, whatever you do, do NOT die on me." Gustave said voice trembling.

She nodded.

"Now!" he yelled.

He dove under and with all his might turned the mechanism. Nothing happened. Erik watched in horrified suspense as to whether or not Gustaves last resort had been enough to save both their souls.

Then slowly, the gate began to rise. Gustave clutching to the gate for dear life with one hand and holding Autumn with the other was slowly raised until with the help of Erik he was pulled over onto land.

"Are you okay?!" Erik asked alarmed.

Gustave nodded coughing. He pointed to Autumn. She wasn't moving.

"Gustave, it might not have been enough," Erik said slowly.

Then she moved. Just a small bit. But it was enough to show she was alive. Her eyes fluttered open and she began to cough violently. Gustave laughed and hugged her close.

"Are you alright?!" he muttered nervously.

"Gustave..." she mumbled.

Gustave laughed and held her closer, "Yeah?"

"Let's not bring our kids here alright?" She laughed.

"Alright." he laughed moving her wet hair from apront her eyes. "Are you hurt?!"

"A little fall of rain never hurt anyone," she smiled.

He nodded and laughed lightly, "And we will together always dear god above. If immortality was made with words of love."

"Just hold me now." she smiled touching her tender small hand to his cheek, "Leave this all behind us now, I'm sorry Gustave I never meant to-."

"You will never be alone again. I swear it to you. Not down here anyway. I am not a romantic, I am not a musician, I am not an artist. With you I am a man, just like any other man. My dearest Juliet, you are the sun and the stars you are my world. And on you, my life shall revolve for all the eternity of my conscientiousness."

Erik gave a roll of his eyes. he hadn't inherited that from him. Must have been Christine's doing.

Autumn, however, smiled at his soft loving words. Slowly she touched his face, and even though dripping wet and cold, his love warmed her and restarted her heart. One look at him and all worries vanished, life at its purest was all that remained.

He traced her every imperfection, which were perfect in their own way to him. He felt her silent tears upon his strong hands, and to him, they did not appear strong unless they were to stop her crying. His eyes searched hers for love and more than a little he found. Her starlit eyes searched his for warmth and strength but all she found was a love for her beyond mere words.

"You could not love me." she said through her sobs.

"My darling you are life itself. You have bewitched me mind heart body and soul and I love,I love, I love" he pulled her in closer feeling her shaky breath and wet dripping hair.

"I love you too."

With that he kissed her as if it was their last moment, or as if it was the beginning of their forever.

Erik winced.

Trouble, that was all this was.

Trouble.

And of the worst kind.

Love.