As usual all rights go to Gaston Leroux etc and I don't own any of the characters (except for one). Enjoy and please leave a review! Thanks.
"Erik… You can come in now." Her soft voice called from the room whose door he was currently leaning against, but he did not move. His gaze remained fixed on the wood before him, the grain now imprinted in his mind for he had been there for far too long. A touch on his shoulder, one that brought him back to reality made him break his concentration and look to see who it was. Nadir. He stood there, tired but smiling, as he squeezed his oldest friends shoulder in pride.
"Congratulations, my friend." He grinned, eyes alight with joy. Erik, however, did not quite feel the same sort of joy his friend felt. More dread, a sickening weight gathering in his stomach as his throat went suddenly dry, his hands clammy.
"Nadir… I… I am frightened." Nadir did not need to ask of what, for he knew what his friends troubled mind was torturing him with.
"Just a minute, my dear." Nadir called as he drew Erik away from the door and down the corridor. "Erik-"
"What if it looks like me? What if it is doomed to have the same existence as I have had?" Erik practically wailed, crumpling to his knees as he buried his head into his hands. Nadir followed him down and gripped his shoulders, giving them a slight shake.
"Listen to me. Even if your child does look like you, what does that matter? They have you, and Christine, and me… And the Giry's, and we will all love the child as if it is our own, because they will remind us of you. And you, though you refuse to believe, are far more loved than you could ever hope for. We will protect the child, yet teach it the wonders of the world, teach it that it does not need to know fear, because it will have the same strength and belligerence that I have seen in you and by God Erik, I will not this child believe that it cannot do anything because of their appearance." Erik stopped sniffling, instead rested his head against Nadir's shoulder.
"But when we are gone…"
"They will not have to worry about a thing, because of the brilliant guidance I know you will show them." Erik nodded dumbly.
"Yes… I… Thank you Nadir. I needed that. I am thankful to call you my friend."
"And I too. Now, let us go see your child." Nadir helped Erik to his feet and guided him to the door, resting his hand on the door knob. Still seeing his friend's hesitance, he opened the door and gently pushed him forward so that Erik stumbled in, catching Christine's attention who beamed at him from her bed. Madame Giry stood in the corner, washing her hands in the basin, and looked over her shoulder to give him a warm smile. Nadir followed in behind, shutting the door before leaning against it, not wanting to miss this meeting for the world.
"Come here, Erik. Come and meet our child." Christine cooed, a swathe of blankets cradled to her breast. It was not making any noises and that worried Erik alone, let alone what it's appearance would be. He sucked in a nervous breath and took a few hesitant steps towards her, resting gingerly on the edge of the mattress. She smiled and moved the fabric out of the way so that more of its face was revealed, causing Erik to let out a shuddering breath as he caught sight of the infant's appearance. The young babe was perfect, not a sight of deformity to be seen and Erik almost collapsed there and then as the relief flooded through him like a tidal wave.
"Oh, thank God." He whispered fervently, leaning closer so he could get a closer inspection of the child. Christine rolled her eyes, shifting the child slightly so that she could hold it out to him, which made him stare at it in horror.
"Erik, it's ok. Please, hold your new-born son."
"A boy?" He whispered, timidly reaching out to take the babe from her hands which he did with such delicacy you'd think he was handling a rare, precious antique. The baby squirmed slightly at the new smell, the difference in heat and opened his eyes to reveal two beautiful burning golden orbs that stared up at his father in curiosity.
"He has your eyes." Christine smiled, watching the interaction with adoration as her husband smiled tenderly at their son, his soft fingers tracing patterns on the chubby cheeks of his child.
"He has your lips and nose… And your beauty." Christine inched her hand forward, brushing his knee with her fingertips.
"He has your beauty as well. I can see it. He will grow up to be just like his father." Erik snorted in amusement.
"Poor lad." He said in mirth, but she merely ignored the comment and relaxed against her pillow. "Nadir, come look." Erik said, never taking his eyes of the babe but knew when Nadir was near as he felt his presence lingering at his shoulder.
"What a handsome young man. Have you decided on a name?" Only then did Erik look away and that was to his wife, who smiled and gave him a nod of confirmation. They had settled on a name a while ago, but chose to wait until they could confirm the babe's gender until they told anyone, especially Nadir.
"We have. His name is Gustave Nadir Hugo Chevalier. We were actually hoping you'd be the boys Godfather, that is if you're up to the challenge." Nadir blinked at them in shock, his eyes glimmering with pure happiness as he gave them a huge smile.
"I'd be honoured. Thank you so much."
"Are you certain? It will be like putting up with a more demanding, fussier but smaller version of me after all."
"I have put up with you for 20 years of my life, I think I can manage a little bit more. Besides, I will teach Gustave to respect me and not threaten to kill me every five minutes." At that, Erik laughed, it's melody startling Gustave that he began to cry. The joy quickly dissipated from Erik as he stared at the baby in panic, arms stiffening as he sat there unsure of what to do. Noticing his discomfort, Christine gave him an amused smile and closed her eyes.
"Sing, love. Sing and he will stop crying." So he did, and thankfully it worked. As she dozed away, father and son sat there on the bed, Erik singing a beautiful song that calmed the babe immediately, as he stared up at his father and proud Godfather in wonder. Then, very slowly, he shut his eyes and fell asleep, tucked against his father's breast listening to the steady heartbeat that pumped in time with his own. He grasped one of his father's fingers in his small hand and held on tight, signalling that a connection had begun, one that was sure to last until the very end of days.