Erik's POV
My heart was breaking…In the last few years I found out that I had a son, lost the love of my life, raised the child from boy to man and now, I was to watch him marry. Every night I wished that Christine would return to me, but when the room stayed silent, I knew that she wasn't coming back. No, she had gone away, her soul being reincarnated into my grandchild. And now, Gustave wanted to take her away from me…Tomorrow my son was to be married and I couldn't bear the thought of watching it. I had wanted to wait until the right time arose to give him Phantasma, but that day just never seemed to come. There would be no right time to hand him Phantasma, for it was the only part of my soul that I had left. No, I was going to hand it over to him on his wedding day. Marriage was the final task in becoming a man, and even though I never walked down the aisle, my boy was about to…At least a part of me was getting this chance.
"Erik, are you in there?"
I was standing in front of my mirror adjusting my tie, when I heard Nadir calling me from downstairs. I groaned and hurried to the door, pulling it open to find the man standing there ready to go… Oh, he was always early!
"You're early!"
"No, you're late…We have to be at the church by noon, Erik. It isn't a walk around the corner, you know."
I rolled my eyes and pulled the door to my home closed.
"Erik, you seem so sad," Nadir replied. "What's wrong?"
"Everything, Nadir…My life has not been going down as planned. My child is about to be married and he has a daughter. I wasn't a father until I was nearly an old man. And yet, my boy is married and has a baby."
"Things aren't what they used to be, Erik. You should be happy…Your son is happy and that is all that should matter."
"Oh, so moving into the city should make me happy? Nadir, Gustave has been the only reminder of Christine that I have left. To not have him with me every day is going to kill me inside. My loneliness is going to come back and haunt me…I can't go back to that, Nadir... I…I just can't go back to being alone again. Not after losing Christine, not after raising Gustave for the past few years."
"Erik, you shouldn't make it seem so terrible. I'm sure Gustave will visit you every day."
"It's not the same, Nadir…It won't be the same. The silence will echo off of my walls, my heart's beat will be the only sound I will hear. I can't lose him…I can't lose my grandchild."
Nadir patted me on the back and tried to smile.
"Erik, everything will work out, you'll see…"
I wanted to believe Nadir, but I couldn't…How could I believe that I would see Gustave everyday when I knew in my heart that I would be lucky to see him once a week. Over the years, Phantasma had kept me busy at times, so busy that I was barely home. Gustave was going to neglect me for his work just as I had neglected him some nights. Yes, when Christine died, I had stayed with the boy most nights, but when he became used to living with me, I began working…late, extremely late at times.
When Nadir and I arrived at the church, I parted from the man to go find my son. I found him on the other side of the church, waiting at the back doors with a few of his friends. He looked so grown up…So much like his mother. I grasped my chest, for just seeing him standing there in his tuxedo was enough to put an uncomfortable squeeze upon my heart. After taking a few breaths, I approached him, only to have him run towards me and wrap his arms around my frame.
"Papa, you came…"
"I…I wouldn't miss my son's wedding for the world."
"Are you all right?" he questioned, raising a brow. "You seem pale…"
"I'm all right…I…I was hoping to talk with you for a few moments."
Gustave took out his pocket watch, the one I had given him long ago and gazed at the time.
"We have ten minutes before the wedding starts. What is it that you needed to talk to me about?"
I pulled out the ring of keys to Phantasma along with a signed document.
"Here…This is for you."
"The keys to Phantasma?" he questioned. "Papa, not today…"
The boy tried to hand the items back to me, but I closed his hand around them.
"No, Gustave, I'm one hundred percent sure this time. You deserve this…You deserve to own Phantasma. You're married now and that is a big step for a growing man…The last step."
Gustave smiled and opened the document.
"You really signed over your park to me."
"Yes, I did…You start next week…I know that you and Melody are going to Paris for your honeymoon."
A tear slipped from my eyes the moment I mentioned such a place. How could I ever expect to bring Paris up without thinking about her? It was impossible…
"Thank you…You won't regret this, Mister Y…"
Gustave hugged me once again and when he broke away, he opened his mouth to speak…Only, he never got to speak because one of his friends popped their head out to warn us that the wedding was about to start.
"Mister Y, wait…"
I was headed back into the church, when Gustave called for me.
"Yes, Gustave?"
"N…Nothing has to change after today. You're my papa and we're always going to be best friends. You took me in when nobody else would…You didn't know me like Raoul did, but you gave me the chance to be your son…"
"And you gave me the chance to be your father…Me, of all people."
Gustave smiled and looked up at me. "We've had our arguments, but you are the best father a boy could have ever asked for. Things aren't going to change, you'll see…I'll be with you every day, this I promise you."
"You have a wife now, Gustave…I know where you're heart will lie…"
"I won't abandon you…"
And with that, Gustave disappeared into the church. I knew the boy wanted to still be a part of my life, but there comes a time in every boy's life where he grows up and moves on…Spreading his wings and flying from the nest, that nest being my home. I had become a grown man at the age of eight and not because I wanted to be…I had to be for the sake of my life. I was grown by eight and old by twenty five. I never settled down, nor did I ever walk down the aisle in a church, but I had one blissful night with the woman of my dreams, and from that night, she bore me a child…a beautiful and wonderful child.
"It's a beautiful church, wouldn't you say?"
When I heard that familiar voice, I spun around to find Christine standing behind me dressed in the wedding dress I had forced her into on that faithful night many years ago. She approached me with that beautiful smile and took my hand into her own.
"Christine? What are you doing here? I…I thought you left me…I thought that your soul became reincarnated into our granddaughter?"
"Erik, you really are superstitious… Reincarnated? Don't be silly…"
"But you told me that you had to go away…That once Gustave became a man, you would have to leave me. I haven't seen you in months."
Christine pressed her lips to my cheek, that wonderful feeling soaring through my entire body. It felt like a small shock at first, but afterwards, I felt warm and loved once more.
"Oh, don't leave me," I cooed. "I won't be able to live another day without you…Gustave says that he won't ever leave me, but in my heart I know that he has a duty to commit to, that duty being to take care of his new family."
"And I've been watching over our little angel…" Christine continued. "She is beautiful, Erik…She will make Gustave and Melody very proud one day. She will grow to be a beautiful and successful lady. Gustave is going to have many talented children…"
"Children?" I crooned. "There will be more?"
"Of course, Erik…How could he just have one? No, his family is going to continue to expand."
"And I will be left alone."
I pulled my hand from Christine's grasp and stormed away from the church.
"This is why you came here today," I growled. "To rub everything in my face…To tell me how lonely I'll be for the remainder of my life…Gustave is going to spend all of his time running Phantasma and changing diapers. He will have no time for me, no time to sit down and talk to me like a son should…No, I simply raised a spitting image of myself. I barely had time for him while I was working and soon, he will do the same to me."
"Erik…"
I felt Christine's hand upon my shoulder, her grasp tugging me back towards the church…
"Erik, I came here today for two reasons…The first reason was to see my son join hands with the woman of his dreams. You see, when you go to heaven, you still get to see the special things in life…Those things being births and marriages. Unlike you, I got to watch our little chocolate curled granddaughter being born. It was beautiful, Erik…And now, I get to watch Gustave join hands with Melody."
I wasn't sure what Christine was doing, but she opened the church doors…I expected the church to be filled with people, but instead, it was empty…As if there wasn't even a wedding scheduled for today.
"Where is everyone?"
"Don't you mind that, Erik…Today is not only about Gustave, but it's also all about you."
"Me? How, Christine?"
"Simple…You're supposed to be standing at the alter…"
I was about to argue, when Christine shooed me towards it. Obeying her and still confused as to where everyone was at, I stepped to the alter and watched as Christine walked up the aisle. It was strange, for as she passed each pew, people from our past appeared…People like Andre and Firman, Madame Giry and Meg…The entire church was soon filled with everyone from the opera house. But why was it that they were silent? Why weren't they screaming and trying to kill me? They were all smiling and watching this as if they were at a normal wedding.
"Th…this is strange…"
Christine placed her finger to my lips to shush me, spinning me around to notice that there was a priest standing before us. What was going on?
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Erik Mulheim and Christine Daae together forever…"
Was this a real wedding? Was this my wedding? But how? How could I be marrying Christine? She was dead? This had to be a figurative of my imagination…It just had to be!
"Erik, do you take Christine to be your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
"I…I do…"
"And do you, Christine, take Erik be your lawfully wedded husband, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
"I do…"
"And so, by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife…You may kiss the bride."
My hands shook as I lifted Christine's veil and pressed my lips to her own, the clapping and happy shouts of the spectators in the background quickly fading as fast as our kiss was. When I broke away, I noticed that we were once again alone in the church.
"Christine? What's going on?"
Christine had tears slipping from her eyes as she pulled me over to the nearest mirror…
"Have a look…"
I nearly died the moment I gazed at my reflection…I was no longer hideous. There was no mask, just beautiful flesh… But how? Oh, I had handsome cheekbones and beautiful blue eyes. My hair was no longer white…No, it was brown again. Believing it to be a joke, I pulled open my shirt to notice that there were no scars…No, I was completely flawless.
"Christine?" I faced her, my heart pounding against my chest.
"We're married, Erik…"
"How? The dead couldn't possibly marry the living…"
That's when I paused…my fingers flying to my face once again. How was it that I was handsome? And then, my eyes moved towards the open doors of the church, and there, under the tree lay a body…But not just any body, it was a body dressed in the same clothing I had come to Gustave's wedding dressed in…No, this was not just a body, it was me…
Sorry for the day delay in this chapter...I was at a concert on Sunday and had been too tired to finish this up. Sadly to say that there is only one more chapter of this story left. I want to thank my reviewers and hope that you continue to read my other story "Love Is not always beautiful..." Thanks again everyone!
