Like Father Like Son

A family of our own design

"Diamonds never sparkle bright if they aren't set just right. Beauty sometimes goes unseen. we can't all be like Christine," I said, only to feel Meg tear herself from my arms. I could feel every ounce of rage directed towards me in her movements. But nothing could've prepared me for her actions that followed.

"Christine...Christine. Always Christine!"

The shot was fired and I found myself jumping back a bit. Typically that sort of thing never jolted me, but something about this time made it different. something deep within me had known she wasn't aiming for me. But for some morbid reason, I had hoped she was.

I stumbled back a bit and looked down at my chest. I prepared myself to see the scarlet blood spreading through the crisp white of my shirt, but found none. I felt no searing pain. and that terrified me even more, knowing that I hadn't been shot - but that someone behind me surely had.

I barely had time to think before I turned around to catch Christine as she collapsed. Yelling filled the air, but after so long missing that voice...my ears were finely tuned to it. All I could hear was her. And by the look on my angel's face, all she wanted - after all this time - was me.

"Christine," I breathed as I feel to my knees and held her close. "Giry, go get help!" I turned to see the woman seemingly stuck in one place as she stared at the two of us. "Go!" I repeated, my voice cracking as I felt my emotions bubbling over.

"Father! Where's Father?!" As I grabbed at Christine's dress and pressed it to her wound, I glanced up to see Gustave frantically searching for Raoul - the man he thought was his father.

"Gustave, your father! Your real father!"
I could have sworn I felt my heart stop beating in my chest. I looked at the boy and saw the confusion painted on his face, then turned to Christine to see a pained smile on her face.

"Look with your heart, and not with your eyes. The heart understands, the heart never lies," Christine said as she grabbed the boy's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"No!" Gustave screamed as he took off running.

"Gustave, please!" I cried as I watched him run down the pier. I could feel Christine trying to get up, to go after him. But she was too weak. I thought that I had finally discovered what true heartbreak was when Christine left me in the catacombs of the Opera House, but this...seeing this boy, the son I never thought I would have, react so violently to learning his parentage broke my heart into more pieces than I thought possible.

I turned back to Christine - the fallen angel in my arms - and tightened my hold on her as she gave me a small smile. "Once upon another time, our story had only begun. I had a taste of joy," I said, unable to stop a smile from appearing on my face when I saw Christine grin at me. "The most I ever knew. Now there isn't any time, and somehow our story is done." I took a shaky breath as a frightening question crossed my mind. "And what about the boy? What am I to do?"
I felt her run her thumb across the back of my hand that she was holding so tightly. "Just love, just live," she whispered. "And give what you can give, and take the love that you deserve."

"Just love, just live. I'll give all that I have," I promised as I hugged her closer to my chest. "And take what little I deserve." How could I believe her when she said I deserved love? After all that I had done...there was nothing that I deserved less than love.

"Come closer, I beg you," she said quietly as she laid her hand over my heart. "Closer still."

There was no real place to go, but for her, in this delicate moment, I would do anything. I oriented myself to hold her closer than ever, our foreheads practically leaning against each other.