Twisted Every Way(Phantom Of The Opera Fic)

Chapter 59: Questions

"Peter," Ilios said slowly, placing her card down and drawing another. "Have you ever fallen in love?"

"Ilios!" Christine snapped, "That's not a question to be asked."

Peter raised a hand to stop Christine and smiled at Ilios, "Once or twice daily."

Erik frowned, his eyes piercing Peters skull, but softened as the young man let out a hearty laugh.

Ilios looked at him with a discerning eye, "Have you ever been kissed?"

"No."

Eli gave a scoff, "I find that hard to believe."

"I haven't!" Peter insisted. "I've done a lot of kissing but I've never been kissed."

"Try the mirror sometimes," Eli sneered teasingly.

Peter gave Eli a hard ruffle on the head, "How's the arm kid? Heard you got shot or something?"

Eli stood a bit taller, he liked feeling grown up when Peter was around. "I got a pretty good scar from it yeah."

Peter nodded cooly, "Draw two," he stated picking up his cards.

Peter watched as Ilios leaned forward as far as she could to pick up a broach she had pretended to drop.

"Well aren't you a little sneaking brat." Peter scoffed with a laugh lifting her up by the collar and setting her back in her seat.

"You tell her Peter!" Eli cheered.

Christine smiled, Peter brought out a diffrent side in Eli. Whenever Peter was there it seemed almost possible Eli was truly Ilios sister. The stark contrast between them went away and both were simply children, laughing, having fun.

Erik too sometimes wished Peters visits would last forever.

But Peter always left in the end. Were it for a few days or weeks.

Just as soon as Erik would be suspecting him dead a new headline would appear in the paper, a new scandal, a new girl.

A new reason to come and hide below the Opera house until the presses had run over.

"So Elis inventing," Peter noted as Eli fiddled with his small gears. "What are you doing Ilios."

"I took ballet," Ilios shrugged.

Christine gave a groan and fixed Winifred's blanket. "Took it for two days and chucked the shoes at me."

"They made my feet hurt," Ilios exclaimed. "And everyone so cross. Everything has to be perfect, and you can't run about. ANd I hate stockings."

"No," Erik corrected with a chuckle, "You just hate white stockings, had they been pink you may had felt diffrent."

Peter smiled knowingly as Ilios blushed.

"Come come," Peter said with a nod in Elis direction, "I need a smoke."

Christine frowned.

"I know, not around the babies of course. But Eli and me, we're grown men are we not?"

Christine sighed and Eriks agreed that it could do no harm.

"Don't corrupt him, Peter!" Christine shouted firmly after them, "I wish to keep my little boy just as he is."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Peter stated, tipping his hat.

"Mother why can't I go?" Ilios whined.

"Help me with dinner dear, it's good for Eli to get out."

Ilios huffed, rolled up her petticoat and tucked it into her stocking and went on running about wild collecting things for dinner.

"Come now," Eli said as Peter lit his cigar. "Who are you seeing?"

"It's who I'm not seeing," Peter sighed with a gaze outward to the edge of the lake. "I left Elizabeth this morning, the press will soon be after me."

"Elizabeth McAllister?" Eli baffled. "The lead soprano."

"Her kissing isn't half as good as her singing." Peter laughed, but there was a sadness in his voice that pained Eli to hear.

"You think I'm-" Eli started. Peters interested gaze cut him short.

"What's wrong?" Peter said with genuine.

"You think I'm that diffrent?" Eli asked slowly.

"I think we're all different in our own ways." Peter shrugged.

"That's not what I meant," Eli sighed. "Some things have been going on these last couple days, with the new kids here."

"Jealous?" Peter teased.

"No, no," Eli stated. "It's just that. I've been feeling diffrent you know?"

"How so?"

Eli gave a small laugh towards the sky, his eyes raised upwards, "Like I don't want to be alone anymore or something."

"Well, that's normal."

Eli shook his head, "Not for me Peter. I've been happy alone, I always was, even if Mother and Father weren't there, if Ilios had left for school earlier I wouldn't have minded. Just after the accident-"

Here Peter watched as Eli paused, kicking his bare feet in the sands and closing his eyes with a pain he wouldn't even try to comprehend.

"I know I'm alone now." Eli said firmly, "I know there are people who won't be my friends. And it's not so much wanting to go up, cause I'd rather stay down here, it's the fact I'm not allowed to. That I can't go too wild parties and have fun like you."

Peter shook his head, "Life isn't all the great above for the normal of us."

"But you get everything," Eli exclaimed, "Your intelligent, you get to go as you please. You don't stutter or doubt."

He looked up with great admiration. "I've always wanted to be just like you."

Peters' face grew gravely serious. "Don't you ever say that. No sir, don't you ever wish that."

"Why?" Eli laughed.

"Cause you end up cross and lonely and stubborn."

Eli watched in confusion as his friend removed his tie, unbuttoned the top of his collar and looked rather ill.

"You alright?"

Peter bit his lip and gave a troubled look at the small boy, "The way I live my life, is because I don't have a choice. I have a certain amount of money that dictates I live in a certain way. I don't need some kid thinking its grand when he doesn't know the half of it."

Eli looked at him pained, Peter had never called him a kid before. Never like that.

"I'm sorry," Eli whispered, "I spoke out of turn."

Peter gave a sigh and ruffled the boy's hair, "I shouldn't have said it. You know you can tell me anything, good or bad. I just don't want you ending up like me Eli. I'd never wish my life on anybody else as glamorous as it might seem."

Eli took Peters hand and they went along the shore, collecting lost treasures that had been carried in by the tide and drawing large circles and names in the sand.

"You gonna leave soon?"

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"You going to take Elizabeth out again?"

Peter shrugged, "Don't know. If it's not enough to press I'll probably take her out and dump her again."

Peter watched Elis face, expecting some sort of protest or defense for the 'poor' girl.

Eli only grinned and went on teasing, "Poor Peter. She'll have to lose you again. When are you gonna break up with me?"

Peter knocked him over the back of the head and pushed him into the sands. "Knock it off weirdo."

"Quit it!" Eli laughed, "You're twice as strange as I am."

Peter came and sat in the sands beside him. "You know I am."