Disclaimer : I do not own nor will I ever own Gankutsuou : The Count of Monte Cristo .

Summary :Albert one day is shocked when he discovers that Edmond Dantes is his real father , depressed and confused he goes to the Count for advice and comfort. The Count , though still determined to extract revenge on the men who betrayed him , finds himself acting like a father to Albert . The knowledge of Albert's relation to him gives the Count a new desire to hold on to his humanity and sanity . Hurt/comfort , tragedy, family


Albert D Moncerf stood in front of his mother Mercedes who had something extremely important to tell her only son.

"Albert please sit down dear, this may be a little overwhelming to hear."

Albert frowning slightly and looking slightly confused but did what he was told, "Mother ...what ...what is it?" the 15 year old asked.

The woman looked pale and she had a certain look in her eyes that he couldn't place.

Mercedes gave a sigh before saying, "Your father isn't your real father, your ...your real father is a man by the name of Edmond Dantes "

Albert paled in shock, his heartbeat quickened and he stood up from his spot on the chair he sat upon.

"What? How...How can that be?" He asked in disbelief.

"His mother gave another sigh and an expression of grief, sadness and shame made their way onto her beautiful facial features. Tears were falling quickly down her cheeks and she looked her son in the eyes.

Mercedes told her son of a man she had once known who she had loved very much and was still, even now very much in love with. The man had been stolen away from her one day on her wedding day and she had never seen or heard from him again. Not long after because of her terrible grief she had given into a marriage with another one of her friends and then within a year gave birth to Albert, though she knew that the child couldn't possibly be her new husband's.

By the time she had told Albert all of this she saw that her son had tears running down his face.

"Albert?"

"Why tell me this now Mother?"

Albert's mother smiled morosely, "You deserve to know the truth Albert and I think you are at an age now when you can properly understand."

"Right. Does father know that I'm not his real child?"

Mercedes shook her head, "No, I haven't told him, he would never forgive me if I told him."

Albert didn't say anything ...he had truly never felt more confused, angry or more upset than he did at this moment.

Albert's mother stepped closer to him , as if she wanted to try and comfort him , "Albert , please don't be upset..." she began but she was then forced to watch as her son walked out of the room , deliberately ignoring her and everything around him .

Later Albert sat in the Count of Monte Cristo's company.

"What's wrong Albert?" the Count said, his words spoken in a concerned tone.

Albert rubbed his eyes, trying to remove his tears but they wouldn't stop.

"My mother told me that I'm not my father's real child, that...I was...was born from a different man!"

The Count's eyes widened slightly and he let a frown appear on his face, he beckoned in the troubled teen closer to him, as if trying to comfort the lad. Albert moved himself closer and sat beside the Count of Monte Cristo and he stared at the Count in pure hearted naiveté and anguish.

The Count of Monte Cristo spoke softly and eloquently words of comfort to the boy , while at the same time suppressing a humourless smirk at the thought of how Albert's father would react if he found out . Of course the Count would still take his revenge against the man who wronged him but the image he concocted for himself did amuse him somewhat.

The much older male was also very curious as to whom Albert's real father was and so he delicately and with a carefully arranged tone of concern asked the young man.

Albert looked at the Count , tears falling down fast down his face , "My mother ...my mother told me he was a man by the name of Edmond Dante's and that he was sent to prison on the night he married mother"

The Count felt something stir inside of him, and as he stared at the boy he felt a mixture of feelings he had rarely felt since letting Gankutsuou take him over. He couldn't manage to hide the feelings of sorrow and shock that had appeared in his eyes. The idea that this boy beside him could possibly be his child was very overwhelming ...too much take in right this moment.

"What...what are you going to do with this information Albert?"

Albert, gave a sigh and shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not sure, do ...do you think he might still be alive? Maybe I could go visit him in prison and talk with him"

The Count of Monte Cristo wanted to laugh at the naïveté and innocence of this boy, his eyes now filled with amused mirth and sorrow at the same time. There was no way he could ever be able to tell Albert the truth, he still had plans to use the boy and couldn't afford even been a father to ruin it. It would be better if the boy didn't know, besides even if Albert did find out that he was the boy's true father it would only bring the young naive aristocrat much pain.

"Albert, you should forget about the name Edmond Dantes, he is a dead man and would be of no use to you"

It took a few moments for the Count's words to sink into the young aristocrats mind, and when the boy finally spoke next it was in a tone of great sadness, "Thank you for telling me Count but I think I want to find out what kind of man he was at least, even if it turns out that he was a really terrible person"

Albert then gave a respectful bow to the count and excused himself from the man's presence. The Count of Monte Cristo was then left with his own thoughts and he also couldn't help but dwell upon the memories of his past of long ago.

If the Count of completely honest with himself he felt a tiny bit of happiness at this new found knowledge , the idea that Mercedes had been carrying his child during the time of his imprisonment made him feel both immensely happy and sad at the same time . If only things were different and he hadn't been framed by those men...he could have had a family ...he could have been happy and be living a completely different life now.

He felt jealousy too at the very thought that one of the men who had betrayed him had raised his son and had been a lover to Mercedes, the woman who he had loved.

The Count now that Albert was gone from his presence couldn't stop the few tears that escaped his eyes and fell down his cheeks , "I'm sorry Albert but I can't be your father , even if you do learn the truth" , the man spoke out loud in a sorrowful tone . His eyes focused on the chair that Albert had sat at, where his son had been sitting at.

The Count of Monte Cristo promised to himself that this knowledge wouldn't change anything, but he was wrong because in the following weeks to come unbeknown to the man things were definitely going to change.


Author's Notes: I'm not sure where I'm going to go with this fic but it's an idea I've had for a while , I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter . I don't have a beta reader for this fanfic yet so if anyone is interested please ask in a review or send me a PM .