Twisted Every Way(Phantom Of The Opera Fic)

Chapter 44: Anna Karenina

The group of ragtag Orphans made their way to Autumns hotel, and Peter begrudgingly paid for their rooms.

He did it as a kindness for Gustave. In his heart though, he was ashamed to know that were it them they depended on he would leave the boys to the streets to starve. His siblings had, it was life, it hurt. 

When Luke had been put to bed, Gustave and Autumn finally got a moment alone.

But the only thing exchanged between them were glances and awkward silence.

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"I will start by saying- I wanted to tell you- that you have behaved very badly." she began slowly, solemnly, her voice monotone and her eyes fixed on some far off object.

"Do I not know that I have behaved badly? But who was the cause of those actions? You, it was always you! But it wasn't just you either! No, not you alone that drove me to my madness!" Gustave scoffed.

"Why do you say such a thing?!" she asked, looking severely at him.

"You know why!" he answered boldly and joyously, meeting her look and continuing to gaze at her.

It was not he, but she who became abashed.

"That only proves you have no heart!" she said.

But her look said that she knew him to have a heart and therefore feared him. Feared what he was capable of with feelings too big for her to understand. Feelings she had seen in her teacher a million times whenever his wife or children entered the room. Love and attachment that she had never felt or received before.

"To that instance which you refer to as my badness, that was a mistake. Do not think that my anger was out of a lack of love!" Gustave exclaimed.

Autumn shuttered, "I forbid you to mention that word in my presence. For it no longer means anything to me! Not when spoken by you!"

He smiled as he realized the word Forbid showed she claimed certain rights over him. Rights she knew she could not exercise try as she might, thereby encouraging him not to stop speaking of the forbidden subject.

"I have long wanted to say those words to you. I have chosen them carefully with a great deal of thought! You are despicable and dishonest. A hypocrite and a man of lies." she went on looking resolutely into his eyes.

His smile made her stutter in uncertainty, it took her off guard. He was supposed to fly into a rage, flame up and tell her to mind her place. Yet there he stood, dumbly, not saying a word in his own defense.

"I came to New York, three months ago hoping, and knowing I should meet you here of all places. I wasn't sure but I knew in my heart. I have come to tell you that this must stop. That you have to make a choice rather than tormenting others with your lack of one!"

He continued to gaze at her with a smile.

"Would you stop it?! Gustave please, You make me feel as if I was guilty of something!"

"What do you want from me?" he asked simply and seriously the smile leaving his face.

"I wish you to go back to Paris and leave this place behind!" Said she. "Tell your father the truth and put all of this behind us."

"You don't want that." he replied placing his hand on hers.

He watched as a tear fell down her frosted face and cascaded downwards to the floor.

"If you love me as you say I do," she whispered, "Behave as I have said so that I may be at peace."

His face brightened, "Don't you know you are my whole life to me?! I have made up my mind now! If you love two people always go with the second because if you really loved the first you never would have loved the second in the first place! But, peace I do not know and I cannot give to you! I cannot think about me without thinking of you! In my mind we are already one! Of course, I see the possibility..."

He paused and chose his words carefully, but said them with an even greater conviction and anger than before, "Yes there is a chance, in my life of despair and misfortune but also happiness! Such happiness! Autumn, I'm asking you! And Lord abiding I mean it. I mean it! For you to be my wife- And should the heavens above forbid it an Opera House won't catch fire this time!"

She no longer could force the words her common sense told her to say from her mouth. Instead she choose to obey the words bursting from her heart.

How she longed to storm away, leaving him alone to wallow in regret. How she longed to run back to Anabel and tell her everything, whisper every secret ask for her guidance and help.

But there was no time for thinking, no room for logic.

Anabel had a child, it was hers not Autumns. She knew that in the end, she would want something of her own. 

No right choice. 

Only those pleading threatening eyes staring helplessly back up at her.

She placed a quivering hand to her lip.

"Yes." she whispered.

"I know I haven't any money. I know all I can offer you is my word, but Autumn-"

"Yes!" she laughed joyously throwing her hands around his neck and peppering him with kisses, "Oh Gustave a thousand times yes."

He looked at her in a breathless daze, realization slowly entering his every fiber of being and filling him with a strange tingling shock of joyful anticipation.

"Yes?" he repeated warily as if he himself could not believe it. 

She grabbed him by his vest and pulled him down to her level, kissing him lovingly and tenderly , abolishing any grudge between the two.

Gustave's eyes sparkled in the moonlight, searching her furiously for understanding as he pulled away. 

"But.." he stuttered, "But Why?"

" I haven't the faintest." she laughed putting a hand to his face, "Oh what a child I've been. How silly and stupid and all the time you were right here."

"I've missed you so much," Gustave whispered holding her hand to his face, tears of his own threating to escape, a quiver coming to his pursed lips.

"Wandering child, so lost so helpless, yearning for my guidance." Autumn smiled pulling him into a loving hug. "I will fix you."

Gustave closed his weary eyes, "An angel come to save me."

"Freaks," Peter scoffed entering the room abruptly and breaking the couple ten feet apart in surprise.

He made a look of disgust, "What were you doing anyway?"

Gustave cleared his throat and tried to brush away tears through laughter but eventually Autumn spoke.

"We're going to be married." she spoke firmly, the strange words and their meaning falling clumsily off her tongue.

Peter looked between them and shrugged, masking his surprise, "Sounds dull."

Gustave smiled half-witted and gave a knowing glance, "Yes Peter, that's what marriage is. Someone to be dull with instead of dull alone."

"Hm." Was all Peter hummed, he looked as though he had left the room when a small shout of, "Congratulations," Floated back down the wall and spread a smile across the happy couples face.

Gustave after a moment of staring at his future bride dug into his back pocket and produced the ring.

"I'm sorry," he stammered, "I didn't do this quite right did I."

Autumn gave a knowing chuckle, "Gustave since when have we ever been conventional."

"Since when have the French ever been conventional," Gustave laughed slipping the ring on to her finger.

Autumn grinned slyly and spoke tauntingly in a dark tone, "Your chains are all mine. You belong to me Gustave Destler."

"Don't push it," Gustave frowned with a laugh. "My Father can sense plagiarism from an ocean away."

Autumn bit her lip in a nervous disposition.

Oh.

"What is it?"

She tilted her head ever so slightly and Gustave realized her meaning.

Oh no.

His Father.