Erik's POV

"Good?" I asked, watching Gustave stuff the pastry into his mouth.

"The best…"

"Don't speak when your mouth is full… That's how people choke."

When the boy swallowed his food, I bit into my own breakfast. Yes, it was unbearable to chew, but the last thing I needed was to take off my mask in public.

"You eat weawwy swow, Mister E…"

"Yes, well, it's comfortable that way. Anyway, since I'm taking so long to eat my breakfast, I was thinking that we could play a game."

"A game?" he questioned. "What kind of game?"

"Well, how about I ask you a few questions and you answer them?"

"That doesn't sound fun."

The boy rested his head on the table, already bored with my game. Oh, I disliked children, for they were difficult to entertain. But I needed to know! I needed to know if this boy was of my own flesh and blood.

"What are you afraid of?" I asked. "What is your worst fear?"

The boy shrugged, still seeming extremely bored with this game. If this was the way he was going to act, how was I ever going to get any answers out of him?

"How about I tell you what I'm afraid of?" I continued. "And then, you can tell me what you're afraid of?"

When Gustave didn't answer me, I sighed and thought about another way of doing this.

"Or…I could start naming some things and you could tell me if I'm right?"

"How about I show you?"

"Show me? How could you show me what you're afraid of?"

I wasn't sure what the boy was up to, but I followed him. He dragged me into Luna Park, pushing past hundreds of men, women and children who were there enjoying themselves. I wasn't sure where he was taking me, but when we arrived at a fun house of some sort, he pulled me inside. It was a maze of mirrors, one that distorted your image in every way possible. Some mirrors made you tall, others short…It reminded me of the one I had built for the Shah of Persia many years ago. The boy stopped me in front of a particular mirror, one that was taller than me and had gold trim around the glass. The child covered his eyes and took a step back, staying as far away from the mirror as possible.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "It's just a mirror…"

"No, Mister E, it's not… Stand in front of it…You'll see…"

I left the boy's side and stood in front of the glass, gazing at my reflection. Though, this was not me, for the illusion had turned me into a monster. Not that I wasn't one already. I was covered in fur and had dripping fangs… I was old enough to know that it was all fake, but for Gustave, I knew that it had to be frightening. He wasn't old enough to understand the difference between what was real and what wasn't.

"It makes us into monsters…" he whimpered. "Mama took me here a few weeks ago and when I looked at my refwection, I was slimy and covered in scales… There's a monster inside me, Mister E…"

This child was indeed me, for we held the same fear..that fear being myself. Sometimes, I forget that my mask is off when I'm bathing, only to accidently look up in the bathroom mirror and gasp in fear.

"So, you're afraid of monsters?"

He nodded. "It's in me…"

"No, it's not…" I reached out for his tiny hand. "I'll show you…"

The child closed his eyes and approached me. I stood behind him and placed my hands upon his shoulders.

"Open your eyes, boy… There is nothing to be afraid of."

Gustave whimpered the moment he opened his eyes to find the slimy sea serpent standing in his place. Behind him was the furry demon I had changed into. I felt him attempting to move away, but I was going to clear his mind of this silly fear once and for all.

"Gustave, do you know what an illusion is?"

He shook his head.

"An illusion is something that attracts the eye, but in reality, it's not real… Sort of like this mirror. It's just for fun, boy. There is no monster living inside of you."

"How do you know?"

"Because I have seen a real monster once…"

"You did?"

"Yes… On my seventh birthday. You see, my mother never had any mirrors hanging in our house. I never saw my reflection and I wanted to see what I looked like so badly. When I begged her to let me see my reflection, she pulled me up into her bedroom and forced me before the only mirror she had hanging on the wall."

"And what did you see?"

"A monster…There, before me, stood a monster, Gustave. He had yellow flesh pulled tightly over his rotting bones, no nose and part of his brain was exposed on the side of his head… I was frightened."

"And was it an illusion?"

"No," I said. "It was not an illusion…It was me…It was reality. There really is a monster living within me, Gustave. I've seen what it looks like and it certainly isn't what I'm looking at now. That's how I know these mirrors are nothing but an illusion."

"So I don't have a monster wiving in me?"

I shook my head. "No…"

"So how do you keep the monster that's wiving in you away?"

I pointed to my mask. "My mother once told me that as long as I kept the mask on, the monster would stay away…It's important that you heed this warning as well…Are we clear?"

"Yes, Mister E…"

"So, no more scary monsters. You're not to be afraid of this mirror or any mirror ever again, understand?"

"Yes, Mister E…"

"Good, let's continue this game while we're on our way to the hospital…"

The child clasped his small hand around my own, and we were off, headed towards the hospital Christine was at.

"So, what's your favorite color?"

"Bwack…"

"Do you have anything that you would like to ask me?"

"When is mama coming home?"

"Not the sort of question I was hoping for, but to answer your question, maybe tomorrow. She has to stay in the hospital until the doctors are sure she's going to be all right."

Deciding to continue the conversation about our likes and dislikes another day, I pulled open the door to the hospital and entered, taking the boy to Christine's room. Once inside, he ran to her bed and wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"Easy, Gustave," I warned. "Don't squeeze too tight."

Christine tried to smile as she clung to her son. When their hug was over, I scooped the child up into my arms and placed him down on the chair that was placed besides Christine bed. With that, I sat down on the small mattress space and interlaced my hand with her own.

"Christine, how do you feel today?"

"Tired," she mewed. "I try to sleep, but the doctors keep waking me up when they come to probe me every hour."

"You'll be out of here soon enough…"

"The doctors told me that there isn't any damage they can see."

"Good…Hopefully you can get out of her soon enough. I'll talk to the doctors before I leave…"

Deciding to have a private conversation with Christine, I handed Gustave a few coins.

"Gustave, why don't you go to the cafeteria and get something to drink?…My treat."

"Erik, do you think it's safe to send him off alone?"

"He'll be all right, Christine. I needed to talk to you…I need you to tell me the truth."

"The truth about what?" she curiously questioned.

"Christine, Gustave and I have connected. We think alike, we share the same interests…"

"What are you saying?"

"Christine, I need to know… Is Gustave…Is Gustave my son?"

Christine had been smiling, but as soon as I said those words, her smile faded and left her staring at me with an expression that was filled with such seriousness.

"What?"

"Christine, I need to know…I find it unlikely that we share the same interests if we weren't related in such a way."

"How could you even think such a thing? Your son? Have you gone mad?"

"We slept together…Did you forget that?!" I snapped. "We did the one thing that would have resulted in a child and Gustave is about the right age…"

"He's not your son, Erik…"

"We share the same birthmark…I have a half of heart shaped mark on my chest, and the child has the same birthmark in the same place. Convincing?"

"Erik, I got pregnant by Raoul…Do you understand? You're not his father and I wish that you would stop saying such things. Raoul is his father…He was conceived on our wedding night."

"You're angry with me now, aren't you?"

"How could you expect me to not be angry at such a thing? Oh, Erik…"

I had a sick feeling within the pit of my stomach. All this time, I believed this child to be my own, and now that I found out that he wasn't, the reality of it all hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Erik, say something…"

"I…I thought…I thought that perhaps, there was some hope in this world that he was perhaps mine. That I wasn't alone…That there was somebody else upon this earth that shared the same ideas and fears as I do. I…I'm sorry, I'm ashamed of myself…"

"Erik…"

"Mama…" Before I could say another word, Gustave came walking in with a bottle of soda pop in his hand. "Mama, why do you seem so sad?"

"Oh, I'm not sad, pumpkin…Mister E and I were just talking is all."

I didn't say a word…How could I even look at this child again?

"We should go," I said. "I have lots to do today before work…"

"Erik…" Christine was trying to stop me from leaving, but the truth of it all was that I didn't wish to be stopped. I wanted to be away from her…I wanted to be away from this boy, but I was trapped, for until Christine was released, I was his guardian.

"Say goodbye to your mother, Gustave."

"But…But we just got here."

"I said "say goodbye," I growled. "Now…"

Gustave wrapped his small arms around Christine and kissed her goodbye.

"I will check on you again soon," I stiffly said, taking Gustave by the hand and heading out of that dreaded hospital….I didn't look back, for how could I ever look upon Christine or Gustave the same way again after believing there to be more….Oh, I was so ashamed with myself.

Christine's POV

When I was left alone again, I gazed at the white ceiling of my room. Erik had found out about Gustave's true parentage, but I couldn't tell him the truth. How could I explain to him that Gustave was actually his son? It hurt me to watch the man flee the hospital like a wounded animal. But what could I have done to change his mind? I was only trying to protect myself and my son from heartache. Even when I got out of this place, there would be no telling what the future would hold for me…I wasn't sure if Erik still loved me, but if he didn't, I didn't want to be trapped like a prisoner just because we shared a son. But I was hurting him…that's all I ever did was hurt him. The hardest thing of all, was sitting here and lying straight to his face, when all he ever wanted was the truth. Gustave needed his mother and I couldn't be there for him…I needed my husband, but he couldn't put the bottle down and step up to the plate. Erik needed compassion, and the saddest part about it all was that I had none to give.

Well, I'm sure that's not the answer you all wanted out of Christine, but what can I say? Drama, Drama, Drama! Please review... Happy chapters are ahead, but not for a few chapters. Thanks again, everyone!