Twisted Every Way(Phantom Of The Opera Fic)

Chapter 32: Autumn at last

Peter and Gustave found solace in their friendship. For Peter it was an escape from a life of hard labor, loss and pain. For Gustave, someone who was willing to listen and ignore the questions about his organs. Instead, Peter was greatly amused and impressed by Gustaves tricks and life as an opera ghost which played in his favor. 

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She was coming back. 

Nearly two years and at last she was returning. Gustave had heard a word through Peter, who had heard it through his second cousin's barber who heard it from the deli. 

Autumn arrived the day after. Everyone noticed she seemed to be waiting for something, looking up to the walls and statues of the opera house. 

Everyone wondered what exactly was so fascinating.  

Everyone, especially her fiancee.

She waited all day in silence and almost all night. When he brought her flowers her eyes were turned to mirrors and candles.

Gustave never came.

He was too busy having nightmares of his own. The moment played over and over in his head. Faint memory, faint slanted horrors that terrified him. The gunshot, the scream. "Father." he thought, "Wheres father." Then she said those terrible words, "Your father, your real father...is" Gustave sat up and yelled. 

"NO!" He screamed, "No she can't be dead she can't-" 

He looked around and took a deep heavy breath. Just a dream, just a dream. But it wasn't a dream, he couldn't forget that. His mother lived yes, but his life as he had known it had shriveled away. He wondered what his mother would say if she saw him. The true self he hid in the dark walks of the opera.

 Spending his life as his father had, pining away at some lost girl. Would she be disappointed to know he was so much of Erik and so different from who he was as a child?

Gustave slipped out of his room. 

He had seen Autumn arrive but had also seen who she had arrived with. 

Had seen the ring. Seen the smiles and hidden glances.

After he took a deep breath he slowly approached her room. 

"Autumn!" he whispered.

She sat up in her bed, she had sworn someone had called her name yet no figure appeared. She lit the lamp. 

"Have you forgotten your angel?" The voice sang. 

Autumn grinned and jumped out of bed. 

"Gustave?!" She yelled joyfully.

He appeared in her mirror and she helped to open it. Without hesitation, she pulled him towards her and kissed him long and hard. 

He laughed, "That's some hello!" 

She grinned, "I need to tell you so much Gustave. So much has happened! So much has changed. Oh but look at you, you haven't changed a bit! Not in soul, but so much in your looks. You've grown up without me Gustave. You've broken your promise!" 

And she hadn't?

Gustave frowned, "Congratulations by the way..." 

She looked at him confused until he pointed at the ring on her finger. 

"Oh no!" She laughed, "You've misunderstood! Trust me I'm completely 102% alone! I'm helping  practice this big proposal, he's my cousin!"

Gustave turned around briefly as if to clear his throat. 

"Thank the opera ghost," he whispered to himself.

"So uh...your girlfriend she must be nice..." Autumn shrugged playing with her hair.

"Oh, I don't have a girlfriend, i'm the lone ranger sort." Gustave grinned. 

Autumn turned around to fix her dress. "Praise the Opera Ghost."

"So you didn't meet any eligible dashingly rich bachelors?" Gustave smirked.

Autumn blushed, "Many but that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I talked to thousands of dashing charming men and every single time I found myself pretending they were you. They were dull and ugly and old and uninteresting. Rich enough, enough to keep my mother happy in her old age- But you..."

She took his hand and her eyes sparkled. She was no longer a little shy girl at all, she was a brave independent woman who just happened to be madly in love. "Now I know what I was looking for. And it was here all along. Gustave, I don't know why I ever left in the first place. But I've tried that life and I despise it. If you want me back...which I don't know how you could ."

Gustave laughed and picked her up. "Autumn I'd want you no matter what!" He swung her and she laughed. 

"Keep it secret alright?! Be careful how you go, don't let my mother know!" she laughed.  

Gustave grinned and hugged her.

Finally, he was truly happy.

At least he thought he was. 

Was he?