Chapter 3- Friends and Enemies.

He sat in the seat opposite the baby, watching its face become redder and redder through its squealing. He balled his hands into fists, rested them on his knees, he rocked himself into the chair… gritted his teeth. His body ached from the sound of the boy, his head was pounding.

Irritated was a word not even close to describing this feeling.

Erik stood up and walked to the child, stared down at its legs kicking out as the wailing continued from its mouth.

'Shut up,' he growled. Apparently the boy had yet to be told to shut up, her only seemed to get louder and Erik wondered how much more he could possibly take. He had been given a baby to look after like he was some sort of nanny, a child he had never seen of nor heard of before. A child that didn't belong to him and a child that he had no longing for.

He turned around and moved back to his chair, threw himself into it and continued in his attempts to block out the outrageous shrieking.

'What on earth..?'

Erik looked up at Nadir standing at the door, staring from Erik to the boy.

'Who is this, Erik?' he asked, a frown creased his forehead. 'What have you done?'

'Why is it…' Erik began, looking at his small friend. '…that you are so quick to assume that this god forsaken mess is my doing?'

'Isn't it?' asked Nadir, closing the door behind him and walking cautiously to the centre of the room.

'No,' he said. 'Don't be so stupid.'

'Such a foul temper..' he said with tsk. Erik glared up at him. 'Then who is the baby?'

'Joshua.'

Nadir stared at him.

'Joshua de Chagny,' he said, rubbing his eyes. Nadir raised his eyebrows.

'How is it that he is here, Erik?' he asked, staring at him.

'Well,' Erik said, his voice oozing sarcasm. 'I get the distinct tendency to think that Christine realises I might not be dead.'

'She brought him here?'

'No,' Erik said, rolling his eyes. 'He flew here entirely of his own accord.'

'If you're going to be so bloody minded I will leave you to deal with this by yourself.'

Erik shrugged and Nadir wandered towards the door at the front of the cave before he turned to look at them both again.

'You can't just let him cry like that,' he said.

'Why not?' Erik asked.

'He's a child.'

'He isn't my child,' Erik snarled.

'Christine trusted you with him,' Nadir said and glanced at the baby. 'Though Lord only knows why.'

'Apparently he is in some sort of danger,' Erik sighed.

The baby's screams intensified.

'Hmm,' Nadir frowned and walked towards Joshua. 'It's amazing how out of the loop you become once you move away from France… I'll do some digging, perhaps I can find out what is going on.'

'What for?' Erik asked.

'So that you can understand.'

'I already do,' he said. 'Not that it matters… the child…'

'Joshua…'

'The child…' Erik growled. 'Cannot, under any circumstances, stay here.'

'I don't see why not,' Nadir said shaking his head and reaching down to lift Joshua into his arms. 'He needs someone, you need someone, I don't see why you can't need each other.'

Erik glared at his friend.

'Perhaps because he isn't mine… he is the child, the product… of Christine's disloyalty… maybe because I have nothing to give him… no clothes or food… Nadir, I barely eat myself…'

'Then we buy food…'

'I can't look after a baby,' Erik barked. 'I have no such inclination and I certainly do not have the knowledge or the means.'

'Erik…'

'That is it,' he said, and stood up. 'Take him with you, give him away at market, someone will take him… just get him out of my home.'

'What about Christine?' he said quietly.

'What about her?' Erik said, looking into Nadir's black eyes. 'She left me… I owe her nothing.'

'But you love her,'

'Don't be so stupid,' he snarled. 'I did love her, that much is true… but to love someone who betrays you so? No… never…'

'Then you will give her child away?' he asked. 'Betray her in return, is that it?'

Erik looked at Nadir who was gently and carefully rocking Joshua in his arms. The child's crying was slowly becoming quieter.

'Erik,' he said. 'When he cries he needs to be held… babies need to be held when they are sad… his mother has given him away… do you remember how that feels?'

Erik fixed his stare once again up on Nadir.

'Are you trying to make me kill you, Nadir?' Erik spat. 'Do not for one moment think that I won't.'

'I don't doubt that you would,' he replied. 'I do doubt that you want this child to grow feeling the way you have.'

Erik fell back into his seat and raised his fingertips to firmly massage his aching temples.

'Put him down,' he said.

'Erik,' Nadir tried to make his voice firm and fearless.

He failed.

'Now,' Erik roared and finally Nadir obeyed, placing the child back down to the settee gently. 'Leave us.'

Nadir opened his mouth to protest but instead he thought better of it and turned to leave.

'Don't desert him,' was the last thing he said before he left the shattered phantom and his new companion.