Chapter 25: Erik's POV

I couldn't believe what had just happened.

Gustave had just seemed so interested in everything, even the most perplexing and bizarre of my inventions. Then he found my piano and began to play one of the most beautiful melodies I had ever heard. It was so splendid that I thought it had to have been written by some genius composer that I had yet to hear about. When I asked Gustave who wrote it, he said that it was just a song in his head. I couldn't believe it. I had known that Gustave was my son, of course, but this incident confirmed to me that you certainly hadn't been mistaken about who his father was.

I honestly don't know what foolishness came over me that made me show Gustave my face. I must have thought that if he accepted these oddities, these strange and different things, he might accept me. It all seemed so perfect; if Gustave liked me, there would be nothing that could keep you from staying with me and leaving Raoul.

That was until I heard him scream in horror.

I was dismayed that even my son thought I was a monster. I guess I'm just a different kind of "different". I didn't want to cry, but the tears came anyway. Nobody could love me, not even you, my dear, sweet Christine. Then you said you did love me and thought Gustave would love me if he knew that I was his father… that was when I snapped. I knew that it could never happen; he hated me already, but perhaps you could… but not with that Viscomte of yours restraining you from our love.

I was beginning to form a foolproof plan, or should I say "Raoul-proof".

-oOoOo-

Raoul was sitting in a secluded bar by the docks, lamenting to the bar tender about his relationship problems with you, Christine. "Why does she love me when I treat her so horribly," he said.

I wanted to laugh, she doesn't love you, you drunk fool!

I was quite surprised when the little Giry, Meg, came in wrapped in a towel with her hair wet. She ordered a cup of coffee and said to make it quick.

She turned her attention to Raoul, "I thought you might be here."

He nodded. "Always here; in Hell," he muttered.

"Raoul, I'm not going to dance around the subject. You and your family need to leave. Now."

"Try telling that to my wife! She insists on performing tonight. And you just expect us to get up and leave now?"

She nodded, "Just go. Then, tomorrow morning everyone will wake up and it will be as if nothing had happened." Then she ran off.

"Meg! I'm not afraid of him. Even if he had the nerve to try to take Christine away, I've already beaten-" he stopped mid-sentence when he turned and saw me standing behind the bar instead of the bartender.

"Why are you so quiet all of a sudden, Viscomte? I thought you weren't afraid of me."

"Get away or I'll-"

"You'll what? Kill me?" I chuckled, "You may have won once, but this time we are… under different circumstances. What do we say we make a deal?"

He hesitated and sipped his drink, considering whether to trust me. Finally he said, "Count me in."

"Christine shall choose whether or not to sing tonight. If she sings, you lose. She will stay with me and you will leave alone."

"I won't lose," he chuckled. "But, tell me, what will happen if I win."

"I understand that you have some financial problems. If you win, I will give you enough money for you to be debt free… And I wouldn't be so confident in winning if I were you."

"We have a son; she won't leave."

I chuckled, "About Gustave… He's just so musical, so unlike you in many ways…"

He realized what I was trying to say. "No. You're just lying to make me stop loving her."

I shrugged and extended my hand, "Devil take the hindmost."

We shook hands and I left him to his thoughts.

A/N: It's sad to see the final chapters of this story begin. Thank you for the reviews and support so far.