Chapter Ten: Courting

Gustave.

They (being Uncle Nadir) took father and I to a large green and sat us down on a bench; by the time we reached the green my ear was three different shades of red! Father calmed down from whatever high he was on and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, smiling to me as Uncle Nadir fumed before us. "Gustave" Uncle Nadir started, trying his hardest to be calm. "I know you have feelings for her-"

"No, I don't just have feelings for her, Uncle Nadir, I love her. I love her, and those are the simplest words I can say upon the subject; I...I love her." Said I, smiling to father who smiled back to me and ruffled my hair.

"No, Gustave, you can't love her. You can't possibly love her. You've known her for what, two, three days?" Uncle Nadir asked, becoming frustrated; he crossed his arms.

"Have you never heard of 'love at first sight' uncle?" I growled, my irritation level rising.

"You didn't even see her until today!" He cried

"Love at first word, then!" I yelled, standing and balling my hands into fists, holding them by my sides. "Besides" I said, sighing, attempting to cool off. "Time is a mere object in my eyes, I feel as if I've known her all of my life-"

"You're fifteen, Gustave! How could you possibly know what love feels like?!" Nadir yelled, advancing upon me.

"I know a hell of a lot more about it than you do, you stuffy old coot." I growled, meeting his advance and puffing out my chest. "Just because you've been married does not mean you know a damn thing about love, just because I'm young doesn't mean I don't get butterflies in my stomach when I hear her voice or get hot all over when I see her. It doesn't mean I don't stumble over my words when she stares at me or I don't dream about her. It doesn't mean that I don't imagine her holding a baby in our home, in Paris, whilst she wears the most luxurious dresses and wears the most beautiful jewelry money could ever dare think to buy.

"I love her, Nadir, and the thought that you dare question that sickens me to my core; I want to love and care for her, I want to kiss her wounds away so when she moves she doesn't cringe in pain. I want to hold her so tightly that the world cannot ever lay a hand upon her again, I want to buy her everything she's ever wanted in her wildest dreams and I want to be the one to put a smile upon her face that could power Paris for all eternity. I love her, Nadir, and if you can't respect that, well, I guess we're going to have more than a problem; we're going to have a war. And I will not stop until one of us is either dead or dying, because damn if I won't fight for my angel." I hissed, staring at his blank expression, all of a sudden, thunderous applause roared around us and I whipped around to find a large crowd that heard our argument had gathered.

They were applauding me, applauding me for standing up for her...for us! Nadir stood straight and nodded. "As you wish, Gustave. I'll do the same with you as I had to employ with your father-"

"No, Nadir" father said from behind us, his hat was pulled down, hiding his face and mask from the crowd. "Let the boy be, I remember I nearly killed you when you attempted to get between my angel and I; just, leave it be, Nadir."

"But, Erik, he's only fifteen!"

"And Christine was sixteen!" Father roared, standing and pushing me behind him, causing me to fall to the bench. "We will find out how old Gustave's angel is tomorrow and I will make my decision then; besides, Gustave is a very responsible young man, I trust him with my whole heart." Father growled, he turned away from Uncle Nadir for a moment and took up my arm, gently, he was always gentle with me.

"But, Erik-!"

"No, Nadir!" Father yelled, turning upon his heel back to Nadir. "You do not get to make his decisions, you may suggest things, but nothing like this, Nadir Khan. You are not his father, I am, and that is a role I've committed to and loved; you will not steal that role from me just because I am grieving and get a little over-angry when I see that my child's suitor was so viciously beaten. Who would do such a thing to a girl?

"A sick and twisted man, a monster of a man...a monster which I see growing in you Nadir, I see the sickness twisting your heart of gold; I do not need a babysitter, Nadir, what I need is a colleague." Father hissed, again, the audience around us roared like thunder! Father led me away from Uncle Nadir and into a bistro, to escape both Uncle Nadir and the large crowd which had gathered; father never liked crowds. We sat together for a long time, silent, after we ate; father's fingers drummed impatiently upon the table as we waited for the waitress to bring the check.

"Thank you, father" I whispered, tapping my glass; father nodded and I turned away, my attention being drawn out of the window to see two, prepossessing aqua eyes staring back at me from the darkness of a bush; two eyes I knew. I gasped and a smile was etched across my lips; the eyes seemed to smile at me and I tapped father's hand.

"What is it, son?" Asked he, his tone suggested he was exhausted.

"She's here, she's here! My angel, she's here!" I said excitedly in a whisper, grinning to him.

"Where?" He asked, turning around and around in his seat.

"There, out of the window! Behind the bush, watching us!" I said, a grin still spread across my face. Father turned and looked out of the window, waving to the eyes; the eyes nodded. The waitress came over and father addressed her.

"Mademoiselle, may we have a pastry to go?"

** I don't believe I've ever hugged anyone harder! I must've held her for two minutes straight before lifting her into my arms and carrying her off; she cackled and giggled as father held a small box in which her surprise laid. I followed father as he walked around the green, he led us to a cinema where they were playing a moving picture named 'Dracula'; which, was about a vampire and his bride. Father paid for our tickets and bought us two drinks, warning us before we all went into the room that he would be sitting in the back row, making sure everything went smoothly. But, secretly, I knew father was a large 'Dracula' fan; he loved the book and read it over and over, it was my bedtime story for a while!

She and I sat in the fourth row from the front, she was giggly and stayed close to me, holding my hand tightly within her own. "Oh, I'm so excited! I've never been to a moving picture show before!" She said, bouncing a little up and down.

"Father's taken me to one before, it's really quite amazing! You'll love it, I know." I said, smiling to her, she grinned and hugged my arm, giving my hand a little squeeze.

** During the moving picture show, she got scared. She jumped into my lap! We giggled quietly, but, by no means did we move! She laid her head down upon my shoulder and held my hand, and there we remained until the moving picture's end. As we left she cringed. "What's wrong, my angel?" I asked quietly.

"It's just...a man coming into your room and drinking your blood at night? Oooh, that's just a little creepy!" She said with a laugh; father smiled.

"Exactly, see, Gustave, coming through a woman's mirror isn't that bad!" He laughed, and my angel giggled; we walked to a carriage where father gave my angel her pastry and she began to weep!

"Oh, my lovely angel, why do you cry?" I asked, bringing her into my arms and thumbing her tears away.

"Oh, my charming Romeo, I've...I've never believe it or not...I've never had a pastry before. Than, the man that hurt me, teased me with a powdered pastry, and I...I hadn't eaten much, maybe a few grapes...I was starving and he put it up to my nose and then yanked it away and stuffed it into his mouth...how I wished he would've choked on that." She said and I couldn't help but thrust my arms ever more around her, kissing all over her cheeks and face whilst doing so.

"Angel, never, never will you go starving again, do you hear me? Never! If your stomach so much as rumbles I'll get you a buffet of only the most delectable cuisine in all of France!" I said, pushing her chin up so she could look at me. Tears gathered in her eyes again and she nearly tackled me she thrust herself at me so hard!

I laughed and kissed her cheeks, goodness, her cheeks morphed into cherries and her eyes glowed; she puckered her lips of ruby and kissed the tip of my nose, I'm altogether sure I passed out! For I woke to find father carrying me inside of our hotel with my angel trailing behind him, she was staring at me dreamily. "H-He's awake, monsieur Opera Ghost" my angel said and father chuckled, he slung me down onto the couch.

"Well, well, sleeping beauty! Your angel and I learnt that you speak in your sleep" Father said, smiling to my angel of music.

"Wha...what do I say?" I asked, rubbing my eyes, half awake.

"'I am not worthy, I am not worthy'"