"I hadn't remembered it before," Gustave explained, "It had been one of those childhood memories I had blocked out. But somehow Mothers injury had gotten irritated when she had fallen a day earlier and there was a high chance of internal bleeding. I didn't know what to do with myself. Nadir came, he was looking after us." 

"I had asked Gustave to take care of Eli and Ilios for me." Erik recalled, "I didn't want them anywhere near should something had happened."

Gustave nodded, "So I decided to take them upstairs, up to the old attic room where all the chandelier mechanisms were. I knew Eli was interested in inventing and Ilios loved any place she could pretend was a tower. They had played happily most of the day, Eli putting together the pulleys and gears in his head and Ilios pretending to be some lost princess."

"I needed to see Gustave before I left. I had put it off for weeks," Autumn explained, "Finally I had days, then a day, then hours. I just couldn't bring myself to let him go. I loved him, and it scared me." 

--------------

THE DAY OF THE FIRE: 

Autumn had pulled Gustave into a hug, retraining him best she could. She knew that Gustave wouldn't make it a month if Christine died. In truth she pitied him, his life was so full of hardship. Not to mention she had to tell him she had made up her mind to go to New York with Anabel.

Erik had carried Christine into her room and sent for a Doctor.

Gustave's heart stopped in that instant. Nothing was real, it couldn't be real. He waited, for what seemed an eternity to wake up. The time never came.

Erik rushed passed him and Autumn sent him a nervous glance, or at least he thought she did, everything was a slow blur. He couldn't breathe fear and paranoia was slowly filled his lungs, drowned him, killed him. He could take so much until he had enough.

Christine had fainted, she had just served lunch to Ilios, a nice serving of cantaloupe

"No," He whimpered, "No."

It all flooded back to Gustave, his mothers face, his father's solemn sobs. "No. Not again, not again."

Now as he recalled it, watching his siblings in the attic, Gustave felt that perhaps now his loss was even worse. If he lost his Mother, so would his siblings, his family might very well come apart at the seams. 

"Gustave," Autumn smiled peaking in the doorway interrupting his thoughts, "Can I see you downstairs for a minute?"

Gustave sent a glance to Eli.

"No worries," Eli had grinned, "I'll watch her."

"Since when did you speak?" Ilios scoffed with a laugh, reaffirming Gustaves suspicions that the two would get along just fine.

Autumn gestured for him to follow.

"Gustave-" She started with a sigh, "I need to talk to you."

"So you said," Gustave laughed.

"It's about-" Autumn wiped a tear, "My Mothers sick Gustave, dreadfully sick."

Gustave frowned, he understood, he was feeling intense round the clock panic right now himself, but he couldn't show it to the children, he couldn't let them know.

"Gustave I can't afford to pay her medical bills." Autumn sighed.

"Well, I'll pay them," Gustave laughed with a shrug putting his hands in his pockets.

Autumn shook her head, "Not this time Gustave. I've been thinking- I've been meaning to ask Uncle."

"Raoul?!" Gustave scoffed, "But he's not even your uncle."

Autumn raised an eyebrow and looked away downcast.

"No!" Gustave said with loathing, "Autumn you wouldn't."

"For my Mother, I would. It just would be for a while. Then I'd come back I swear. He's in New York and Anbels already offered. I know I said I wouldn't leave for a few more months...but he's a friend Gustave he would listen-" 

"I won't let you marry him!" Gustave shouted, "Autumn for God's sake I'd rather be paying off our debt the rest of our lives than have you go after him."

"I wouldn't marry him. Just keep him on enough to get some money out of him. He'd have me back, he's a good man Gustave!" Autumn argued.

"Autumn no! I won't let you! Let me take the debt!"

Her hand closed around his, "Gustave if you take on this debt, if we do, not only we be paying off but our children, their children. I won't put them through that. Not them or you. To Fred it would be as much as dining out, a simple fee." 

"Autumn I won't let you." Gustave said fiercely, "I won't let you go back to him."

"I have no choice, Gustave. I already have paid my ticket," Autumn said clutching her ticket in front of his face. "I'm doing what has to be done to get in Raoul's good graces. My Mother needs to live."

"I need to live too!" Gustave shouted, "And I can't without you. Just-Just marry me. There I said it, marry me and stay right here and we'll figure it out."

"Gustave, as much as I adore you, I want our marriage to start with the slate clean. I need to see Fred."

Gustave threw up his hands in exasperation, "And what if you fall in love with him?"

"I won't."

"But if you do!?" Gustave shot back loudly, this time drawing the attention of Eli who slipped out the door.

"What if you do?" Gustave repeated weakly.

"I admit," Autumn whispered, "I may have loved Fred in the past, but things are different now."

She reached for his hand. "Now I have you."

Gustave pulled away and shook his head, "Not anymore Autumn."

Eli watched in silent observation and Gustave turned away.

"People who love each other don't switch partners like leeches to siphon money."

Autumn felt anger rising within her. "People who love each other understand what's important to each other."

"Maybe I was wrong then." Gustave shot back, "Maybe we aren't in love."

Autumn gave a scoff, "If that's what you think Gustave. Then I'm glad to hear it. Excuse me, I have a boat to catch."

Before Gustave could utter another word she was gone in a mad rush down the stairs.

"Gustave!" Eli exclaimed, "Go after her!"

Gustave frowned and turned toward his brother a fury in his eyes. "Eavesdropping again you little pest?" He hissed.

Eli cowered and turned away.

Gustave in a frustrated rage turned to the wall and gave it one hard long kick, and clenching his fists banged his arm against it with tremendous force.

"Gustave-" Eli started to speak noticing the shaking of the light.

"Won't you leave me alone?" Gustave yelled giving the poor wall another strike.

This time the candle fell to the ground.

Eli stood paralyzed with fear.

"Gustave!" Eli yelped.

"What do you want?" Gustave roared as he turned and watched in horror as the small flame spread across the floorboards.

Panic filled every fiber in Gustaves Body, he took off his jacket and tried desperately to stop the flames from spreading but it seemed too late.

Eli froze as he heard his father's footsteps coming up the passage into the attic.

"Father," Gustave murmured stepping on the jacket and flaming faster now.

Eli felt a choke in his throat. His papers, he had been taking notes on the mechanisms all day. He didn't- he couldn't let his Father know. He didn't want anyone treating him like he was different. He wouldn't let his father know he was different in any way. He couldn't, not yet.

--------------

"There it was," Eli sighed in remembrance, "So beautifully red, dancing with light. I couldn't resist. I couldn't even think. I took it."

---------------

Eli grabbed a candle and rushed to the attic, Ilios terrified face peering at him.

"I smell smoke," She muttered nervously.

"Ilios," Eli said sternly, he nodded towards the exit. "Fire."

"Fire?!"

"Fire!"

Ilios gave a scream and rushed out of the room

Eli gave a deep breath. There was only one thing left to do. Slowly he went from paper to paper lighting them. He hadn't anticipated the wood to be so old, so dry.

Elis' eyes widened in horror as the flames surged up, knocking him backward.

-------------

Erik shook his head, "You can only imagine my horror, coming up and the whole of the chandelier is crashing through the ceiling. It was like that fateful night at the opera long before. I knew Andre was going to kill me this time."

There was no more denying the Opera Ghost had returned.

-----------

"Eli," Erik stated, "Come over here. Quickly!"

Elis eyes were fixed nervously on the gaping hole in the floor. Until now his life had been so calm, so normal, with the heat of the fire came realization.

His family seemed anything but normal.

"Eli quickly!" his father commanded.

Eli shook his head, the wood would break.

Erik worked his way across the ledge of flames and helped Eli out the door.

"Father!" Gustave beamed, "Don't worry I got it put out!"

Erik scoffed as the door to the attic slowly crinkled and turned black with fire.

"Oh." Gustave said rubbing the back of his neck.

Erik raised an eyebrow, "Yeah. oh."

Gustaves mouth fell open as he pushed Ilios further down the stairs, "Eli watch out!"

A large flaming rafter came between him and his Father. Eli was just barely missed, he lay flat on his back eyes wide and staring upward.

"Woah." Eli murmured.
------

"I thought I killed him," Gustave laughed, "He can look like a corpse when he wants to."
----

"Is he alright?!" Erik yelled.

"I got him," Gustave nodded climbing underneath, "Get Ilios out of here shes half way down already. "

Erik hesitated but Gustave urged him onward.

Erik took off after his daughter.

With silent horror, Gustave had traced Elis's tear-stained dirty face.

"Hey, hey don't cry its alright I'm here, I'm right here." Gustave laughed holding Eli's hand.

"It's hot," Eli marveled with a pained laugh, "It never hurt this bad when we played opera ghost."

Gustave shook his head unamused lifting him to his feet and carefully navigating away from the fallen rafter.

"I know, I know but that was with rocks, this is real life, Eli. But don't worry," He cried his voice breaking, "Everything is gonna be fine."

Eli coughed and looked around at the flames which were coming up everywhere, "I'm not stupid I can tell when your lying."

Gustave couldn't speak, he so desperately wanted to but every time he went to speak the words caught in his throat. The smoke was started to seep into his lungs and choke him.

"Eli..." He started to speak.

"Gustave I want you to know it wasn't...your...fault."

"Later Eli. Let's get out of here."

The two started to make their way down the staircase.

Gustave placed his hand on the railing only to find it heated and his hand burned, "Dang it!" He groaned, the flames traveling up like fire in his eyes.

"Gustave, what do we do?"

They made it halfway down before the steps began to melt beneath them.

Gustave clenched his fist with shaky breaths.

"I kill my whole family in a temper tantrum." He clenched his fist harder. "It's not even a dark day, there are birds and a blue sky. Father gets mad and the thunder bends at his will."

Eli laughed despite the smoke suffocating him. "You're not Father."

"I was waiting for this, waiting for the day you'd finally lose your temper." Eli laughed teary-eyed. "I've always known that you were like Dad."

Gustave frowned, and in a moment of decision tossed Eli over the side of the railing. He watched hopefully as Eli fell on the next leg of the staircase down.

"What are you doing?!" Eli yelled harshly, "How are we supposed to get out of here now? How are you gonna get down?"

Gustave looked up, "Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires."

"Shakespeare," Eli nodded with a sad smile, "That's more like you. You're crazy. You're a psychopath."

Gustave grinned and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Guess I am."

He winced in pain as he set his hand on the railing, searing his palm as he jumped over and landed beside Eli.

He repeated the action until they had reached the bottom, his hands bleeding and blistering badly.

"Get out!" Eli cried desperately, dragging Gustave towards the door.

Gustave took one last look at the damage he had caused, he heard the roar of the fire trucks outside.

------

Gustave turned to Anabel and smiled, showing her his palms. There were two deeply seared scars across them.

"That was one hot piece of metal," he sighed. "I didn't want Eli getting in trouble, so I took all blame."

Eli sighed, "And I didn't want Gustave in trouble so I took the blame. But Mother in these last couple weeks refound my papers, she thought they were Gustaves. The fever drove me crazy, I was delusional, I needed all the signs of my intelligence abolished."

He turned to his mother with a shy smile and blush, "I guess I forgot that my secret got found out way before."

"And I did go after Fred." Autumn continued, "Only when I brought him home, well-"

Anabel smiled, "That's when I met him."

Autumn nodded, "He was so enraptured in you, so happy I had led him there that he offered of his own will to pay. My Mother passed serval months later, but they were comfortable months, which is all I could ask for."

Erik shifted uncomfortably, "And I had a- talk with Andre and Firmin. They graciously allowed me to pay the damage from my wages. Sadly, that meant forgoing an income."

"That's why the budgets tight," Eli explained.

Fred peered into the doorway, "I'm sorry did I miss something?"

Anabel laughed and kissed his cheek, "Nothing dear. We were just discussing how we met."

"How Autumn was falling all over me but I pushed her aside for my brilliant wife?" Fred smirked vainly.

Autumn gave a look to Gustave and smiled, "Sure Fred. Keep thinking that."

Eli smiled.

He liked everyone happy.

"Thankfully," Christine noted, "The Doctor had smelled the smoke and carried me to safety before Erik could think to come back in."

"I'm glad your back." Ilios smiled to Eli hugging him close. "I missed you."

Eli smiled, "I think we can finally move forward."

"Onwards?" Gustave smiled at his family.

Erik nodded with a half smile, mysterious as the day Christine had first met him.

"Onwards."