Twisted Every Way(Phantom Of The Opera Fic)

Chapter 99: Together at Last

"Papa!" Mary screamed as a shadow figure moved towards her. 

Gustave quickly moved Mary behind his back and let out a scream of his own as he took one of the lamp posts from the wall. 

"Please!" Mary sobbed. "Get rid of it! It's a ghost I know it is!" 

"Nonsense!" Gustave said sternly, looking forward in slight annoyance "It's not a ghost! I've known ghosts, they're just people without anything better to do." 

The man took a step forward and Gustave yelped again in fear. 

"Begone Ghost!" he shouted flailing the candlestick about madly. 

A young man's voice laughed heartily, "Father?" 

Gustave frantically felt around for light and watched as the young man took a match from his back pocket and lit the candle in Gustaves hand. 

Mary's tears evaporated and glee overtook her features. 

"Luke!" She screamed bombarding her brother hugs and kisses. 

"Look at you!" He laughed sweeping her upward and twirling her around, "If you aren't the Queen of Sheba I don't know what else." 

Gustave smiled proudly, his eyes watering. 

Luke set his sister to the ground and grinned cockily at his Father. 

"Father." He chuckled brushing his suit off. 

"Luke," Gustave grinned pulling his son into a tight hug. 

"How have you been?" Luke asked holding tight to Gustaves shoulders, "I feel it's been ages." 

"One year four months and six days," Mary chided as both heads turned to look at her. 

She blushed heavily, "It's just, that I've been counting." 

Luke grinned and walked her along forward, "So I heard you were a regular mathematician. At how old now?" 

"I'm nearly five." 

"Five!" Luke stammered looking to Gustave in horror, "Good Lord has it been so long since she was born?" 

He meant to say since Mother died but he knew better than to bring that up. 

"I'm afraid so," Gustave nodded. He squinted and tried to make sense of the passageways. "Do you know where you're going?"

"Of course," Luke said, pulling a small piece of paper, "Mother always wrote me directions."

Mary gave a small gasp and looked to her Father expecting a fit of anger. 

" You see Mary, Mother always like to be sure-" 

"We're not supposed to talk about mother Luke." She exclaimed pulling on his jacket, "Not here, not anywhere." 

Luke frowned, "Not at all Mary?"

"Not one bit!"

Luke looked to Gustave curiously in confusion.

"It's alright Mary," Gustave muttered patting the girls head, "Luke doesn't know better." 

Luke frowned, some awful feeling taking hold in his heart. 

As long as he could imagine his Mothers face, sing her songs, find remnants of her life she was still there. 

Without stories, without mention, what little did Mary have left to hold on to? 

"Right... this way," Luke mumbled, hoping that neither his Father nor sister would notice the change in his voice.