Erik's POV

God works in mysterious ways…Mysterious ways indeed. The moment I walked into that hospital room and spotted Gustave's girl holding the child, my heart stopped within my chest.

"Mister Y, we have a girl," Gustave said, taking the pink bundle into his arms. A girl…A girl…Gustave had a daughter and I had a granddaughter. My world slowed down the moment Gustave placed her into my arms, for the second I gazed down at her beautiful features, I spotted my angel…It was her…It was my Christine. Every feature upon this child reflected my angel, starting with her beautiful green eyes. It was her, it just had to be! Yes, hours before I had wanted to end my life, but now that I was holding my angel, my life seemed finally complete. I had wanted a chocolate curled angel of my own, and yet, here in my arms, was just that. She wasn't my daughter, but she was my Christine.

"Mister Y," Gustave began. "Melody and I have decided to name her Christine… Would that be all right?"

"That," I began, smiling down at my beautiful angel. "Is a perfect name."

And Christine was indeed perfect. After that day at the hospital, I never saw my Christine as an ever again. She wasn't in my room when I returned home, nor did she return the following day or the day after that. I knew the time had come for Christine to go away, and yes, it came as a shock to me at first, but taking care of Gustave's daughter took a lot off my mind. She was more like Christine than ever…Perfect, that's what she was. During the day, Gustave ran my park, leaving Melody at home with the child. When I had the time, I took the girl off Melody's hands, sitting on the floor and playing with her while Melody did some housework. I never knew Gustave as an infant, and to tell the truth, I had missed out. I never got the chance to feed a baby, nor did I get the chance to see his first steps or first words. With my grandbaby, I was able to enjoy everything. This was like a wonderful dream come true…I always wanted a daughter of my own, and yet, Gustave had given me the next best thing. She wasn't my daughter, but she was my granddaughter…Soon, her bald head turned to one filled with brown curls…Oh, she was absolutely perfect. Though, my perfect angel would soon be leaving me, for within three months of her birth, Gustave had purchased a home of his own and was already speaking about marriage. Marriage…To think that my boy would breathe such a word.

"Papa?"

I was sitting at my piano one evening, when I heard my son's voice. I spun around to find him standing in my doorway. Oh, what did he want?

"I'm a little busy," I growled, pounding on the keys of my piano. "I've been that way all day. What is it that you need from me?"

"Oh, don't be so sore…" he warned. "You've been this way ever since I spoke about moving out. Now that the day has arrived, you're going to give me an attitude about it. Though, I remember the day I told you that Melody was carringg my child, you warned me that I needed to save up for my own place. Now that day has come, and you're angry about it. Why?"

"You don't need to leave this place," I said. "You don't need to leave. Once you leave I'll be left alone once more."

"Which was why I've been telling you to find a woman of your own."

"And how could you expect that?! How could you tell me to stop loving your mother to be with another woman?!"

"I'm not telling you to stop loving mom…You can love her. I still love her, papa…I love her in my heart. But that doesn't mean that you can't love another. She would have wanted you to be happy. I found Melody and I'm extremely happy…I have a daughter now too, and she makes me happy. I found my own place to call home, and soon, that will increase my happiness. I'm not being selfish by moving out. I'll come visit you every day…This I promise you."

"And Christine promised me that she would always be here…That she would always be here for me. Well, where is she? Where is she, Gustave? Just go…If you want to go, just go… Leave your old man, that's what you've always wanted."

There was silence, and then nothing…Nothing at all until we heard Christine's cries from downstairs.

"Your daughter is calling, Gustave, you should go to her."

"Just think about what I said, papa…"

And when Gustave left, I shot to my feet and headed towards my window, gazing out at Phantasma…Yes, I loved my granddaughter, but I missed my angel more. Christine was indeed inside my heart, but having a child here instead of her was hard. Yes, each day, the girl grew, but I missed my long conversations with her, I missed her kisses. No, the infant form of Christine didn't replace what I once had.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I growled, looking up at the night sky. "Why do you torture me with this? Why do you take things from me, things that I love more than anything in the world. I haven't seen her in months… I haven't seen my Christine in months. Yes, I see her in my granddaughter, but where is my Christine? Where is my angel? Torture…"

And like always, there was nothing but silence. My world was always filled with silence, and I knew it would stay that way.

Gustave's POV

"Melody, tell me what to do?" I lay down beside my love and sighed. "Tell me what to do about my father…What should I do with him?"

"He is a puzzle, Gustave…"

"He doesn't wish for me to leave the house…He doesn't want us to move away. I don't know what's gotten into him."

"Perhaps he's just afraid that you're growing up…I know he doesn't want you to get married. He's spoke about it many times in the last few weeks."

"And it's not because he doesn't like you, Melody…Believe me, if he didn't like you, he would have wanted me out of the house months ago."

Melody kissed me on the lips and snuggled down beneath the blankets.

"Get some rest, love…Who knows how long our little angel will sleep."

With that, I closed my eyes and slipped away, only waking when I heard Christine crying in her cradle. Leaving Melody to sleep, I scooped the child up into my arms and smiled…She was indeed the light of my life, and that would never change. Oh, what was I going to do? I was split between two worlds, the world of Melody and me, and then, the world with just my papa. He had been my savior, and yet, now he believed me to be abandoning him.

"Tell me what to do with Grandpa?" I cooed. "Tell me what to do about that man…He's such a puzzle at times…I'm a puzzle at times."

And when my daughter laughed, I placed her back down into her cradle and crawled back into bed. The following morning, I dressed and headed to my papa's room, only to find that he wasn't there. I sighed and grabbed the keys to my papa's park, knowing where to find him. Whenever my papa was angry or upset, he scurried to his office…an office that would soon become my own. The park was yet to open, and yes, I had to be back to move us to our new home, but the most important thing at the moment was fixing things with my papa.

"You're up early this morning," I said as I opened the office door to find him sitting at his desk with his back turned. "Nowadays, you're barely up before nine."

"And why would you care?"

"Because I am your son…Why wouldn't I care about you?"

"Lately you haven't…No one cares about me anymore, not even you. No, you're going to move away and leave me alone…Go ahead, see if I care."

"You do…If you didn't, you wouldn't be so upset about me moving."

"You're not moving down the street."

"Right," I argued. "But being thirty minutes away isn't bad at all."

"Your sweet little girl has persuaded you to move to the city. The city…To think that my son would want to move out of the small little town we live in to move into a row home in the city."

"Schools are better there…"

"And may I remind you that Christine is only a few months old. You have years before she will even be in school. And what's wrong with the public school you went to? What is wrong with that? No, I forgot that Phantasma has gone to your head. You think that money is everything…Well, let me tell you, money is not everything. Years ago, your mother and I had nothing…We had each other and that was good enough for us. No, you need to take it a step further. You run on money…Let me guess, you're going to go buy one of those new automobiles too and drive it to work every day? Yes, that would be you…"

"Papa, please don't act like this. Times are changing and everyone is driving nowadays."

"And in my day, we took the train. Well, now that you have your money and your new house and soon to be wife, you might as well take this from me too."

My papa took out his keys to Phantasma and handed them to me. Oh, why was he being this way with me? I knew he didn't see things the way I seen them, but he didn't have to treat me like a selfish child.

"I know you're not ready to give me your park."

"Why not? It's the only thing left to take from me."

"I'm not taking your keys, Mister Y," I said. "I know you're not ready to give me your park. So, until you formally hand over your park to me, I won't be taking your keys. I need to get back to Melody now and get ready for our move. I was hoping that you would help me, but I can see that you're not interested."

When my papa didn't say anything, I headed towards the door and turned to face him one last time.

"I do hope that you will be there for my wedding…Next weekend, in the city."

"You're making a mistake by marrying her…"

"And why is that? Because I fell in love? Now you're being cruel. If mother were here she would be on my side when it comes to Melody. I love her, and I know that you don't hate her either…You're just jealous that she's pulling me away from my childhood."

"You're just a boy!"

"No, papa, I am a man, and I wish that you would start treating me like one. Haven't I proven myself worthy of the title? I have a job, I proposed to the girl of my dreams and I get up every night with my daughter…What else do I have to do to prove to you that I am a man?!"

"You will never be a man, because you are my son! You will always be my son…"

"Perhaps, but the truth is that I've grown up… I'm not a little boy anymore, papa. I'm getting married next weekend and I hope that you will be there…"

"I won't allow a child to get married! You are a child…"

"And like it or not I'm getting married next weekend…"

And with that, I slammed his office door closed.

Wow, Gustave got brave in this chapter...Maybe he really is a man now. Anyway, please review! Only a few more chapters left of this story...