Now on with the 'show'!

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Chapter 37

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Blake stood on deck, coiling up a long rope as he thought about what he planned to do. It was dangerous, to say the least, but he could hold his feelings in no longer. It was killing him to watch his captain suffer like this, and while he had brought it all on himself, Blake still felt a measure of pity for the man. When he saw Erik exit his cabin and head towards the upper deck he knew it was time. Throwing down the rope, he headed towards the masked man with a stride that conveyed determination, if not confidence.

Erik saw Blake approaching and gave an inward groan. He had been waiting for this moment for quite some time. Well, waiting was not exactly the word, avoiding was a more accurate description. Mr. Blake had been giving him the cold shoulder for a while now, and the icy chill was beginning to irritate him. It was probably best that they hash this out now; prolonging it would only allow things to fester.

"Captain, I would be obliged if you would grant me a parlay with you, in private," Mr. Blake said, his chest puffed out with false bravado, hoping his tone came across as stern and not shaky.

"As you wish Mr. Blake. Would you care to step into my cabin for this talk?" Erik asked, turning back to where he had just come.

Blake gave a silent nod and followed him back inside. Once the door was shut the two men faced one another, but even though Erik waited patiently with arms crossed and his lips pursed, the older man seemed reluctant to say what had apparently been eating away at him.

"Mr. Blake, I know there is something you have wanted to say to me for quite some time, and I am tired of the looks of death you have been firing my direction, so let's have it. What is on your mind?" Erik braced himself for the rebuke he knew was coming. Yet what he heard next shocked him.

"I have watched you for a while now and I see what you are going through, the drinking, the despair and the self-loathing. I recognize every sign and know it well, since I went through it all myself…when I lost my family. Only difference is, I had no say in their leaving, but you do. You are dying inside and for no good reason."

"I had a perfectly good reason for sending her away and you know it!" Erik argued. "I want to protect Christine, to keep her away from a life of danger and piracy."

"Yet by doing so you are killing yourself. For whatever reason you are apart, be it due to miles or death, the result is the same." Blake looked down and fidgeted slightly as he bolstered the courage to say his next words. "I told you once that if you ever hurt that little girl I would be one very unhappy and unpleasant man towards you. I have tried my best to hold my tongue and my temper, allowing you to hide in your cabin with your rum and your hurting…but it ends now."

"Are you threatening me, Mr. Blake?" Erik asked in a low voice, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Are you calling me out?" He truly hoped this was not the case, for he would have hated to damage or kill such a fine member of his crew in a forced battle.

"No sir. Just telling it like it is. Christine is devastated, you are miserable and I am extremely disappointed. Those are the facts. What you choose to do about it is purely up to you. I am still a loyal member of your crew…for now. However if you do not heed my advice, I will be forced to take more drastic measures, even if that means taking leave of this ship. I refuse to sail under the command of a man I can no longer respect."

Erik stared at the usually quite man for a long time, allowing his words of warning to settle in. He then cleared his throat and spoke in a calm but serious voice.

"I appreciate your candor, Mr. Blake, and I will not hold it against you if you feel you can no longer sail under my flag. However, I will not abide you trying to threaten or persuade me on this matter, my mind is made up and I will not alter it."

"It is your life and you must live it as you see fit," Blake said with a nod, but then he straightened and raised his chin high. "But know this…if I thought I had even the slightest chance of being with my wife and child again, I would sail straight through hell to make it happen. Between you and me, I simply don't want to see you end up like I was for so many years, holed up inside myself and hardly living because of the grief I held on to. It aint no good, captain, it just aint no good," he finished in a sad tone.

"I will take your words under consideration, Mr. Blake," Erik assured him, uncrossing his arms as he gestured to the cabin door. "For now, I would ask that you return to your duties, and keep your opinions to yourself."

"Aye, captain. I aint one to go talking out of turn, in fact I might be the only one on this ship who knows how to hold their tongue," he gave Erik the slightest hint of a smile before he left the cabin, leaving Erik behind to contemplate his words.

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Later that night, as darkness fell and surrounded the Phantom, Erik found himself once more dreaming. These nightly torments were nothing new, but this time something was different…something had changed. Captain Dubois' words about Christine had somehow brought him comfort, a measure of peace he had not had in months. She still loved him. His Christine did not hate him, as he had let himself believe. She loved him.

"Erik?" He heard her sweet voice call from the darkness.

He sat up in bed, searching the shadows of his cabin for a glimpse of who had spoken.

"Christine? Is that you?" he asked, hardly daring to hope.

"I am here, my love," Christine answered as she stepped forward into his line of sight. Even through the blur of twilight she was breathtaking, a white lacy nightdress hugging her slender form as she approached him, sitting down on the edge of the bed gracefully. "Have you missed me, my husband?"

"Oh God, yes," he moaned, reaching up to pull her down on top of him as he claimed her lips in a ravenous manner. It has been so long since he had felt her in his arms, for even in his dreams she had always denied him this ecstasy. Yet tonight he had her once more, and he was bound and determined never to let go. When he could at last remove his lips from hers he stared into her eyes, relishing the gentle look he saw there. "Is this real? Have you truly forgiven me for my sins and come back to me? Is what Dubois said true? That you do still love me?"

"Oh, Erik, I do not blame you and I have never stopped loving you," she told him with a smile that spoke volumes.

"But my other dreams…in them you…you said you would never forgive me." Erik persisted, his hands now running down her bare arms as he relished the feel of her skin.

"None of that matters now. I am here and we are together. Let's not waste this time with words. Show me that you still love me, Erik. Prove to me that I am still yours," her seductive words were having the desired effect, and Erik could feel his need beginning to overtake him. His lips once more sought out hers, as he rolled her over onto her back, his own body now blanketing hers as he let his hands begin to explore. Oh she felt like heaven, warm and inviting as she reached out to guide his hands on their journey, touching here and caressing there as she moaned in pleasure. Yet as his palm grazed over her flat stomach he suddenly shot up, desperately trying to catch his breath as he looked down at her in absolute fear.

"The baby…what…where is our baby?" He searched her face for any sign that would alleviate his fears, and thankfully the comforting smile that sprang to her lips brought with it a wave of relief.

"The baby is just fine, Erik. Our child was born…healthy and perfect." Christine turned her head and looked to her left, pointing to the small bassinet that had suddenly appeared in the corner of the room. "Go see for yourself,." she offered.

The last thing Erik wanted to do was leave the arms of his beautiful and sensual wife, but he had a desperate need to see what lay in the small crib. Silently, with much trepidation, he eased off of her and walked slowly around the bed towards his child. He knew this was all a dream, that in truth their baby would not be born for a few more months, for he had been diligently keeping track on the calendar. Yet he would not deny himself the hopeful glimpse into the future that this vision was providing. He could see the bassinet moving slightly as if the baby within was kicking or playing and the small cooing sounds coming from within tugged at his heart. His child, his own flesh and blood…perfect and whole? Could it truly be? He stopped and looked back at Christine as she sat up in bed, her knees pulled up to her chest with her hands wrapped around them as she watched him.

"Don't be afraid," she encouraged him. "Take a look, see the perfect life we made together."

Erik turned back around once more and took the last few steps that would reveal everything. Reaching out his hand he went to remove the gauzy cover, the one last barrier that concealed his child from his eyes…

"Captain? Are you all right?" He heard Amir ask from behind him as he watched the bassinet fade into nothing, his hands now touching only air. Erik was now fully awake and he could see that he was standing in the corner of his cabin, the sun now shining through the windows, alerting him to the new day. He spun around and stared at the now empty bed, the bed he had just moments ago shared with his beloved Christine. She was gone.

Erik turned his eyes to his ill-fated first mate, a burning rage taking hold against the man who had stolen his happy dream by the simple act of bringing in his breakfast. He wanted to kill Amir for this, to make him pay for taking away his first moments of pleasure in months. Instead he simply contented himself with picking up one of the many empty bottles of rum that lay around, and threw it at him in a fury.

"Get out! Get out and never dare disturb my sleep again!" he yelled, watching as Amir ducked the flying missile as it hit the wall behind him, shattering into a thousand pieces. "Go!"

Amir stared at his distraught captain a moment more, and then slammed the tray he held down on the table.

"Fine, you can just stay in here and starve for all I care!" he yelled back, knowing he didn't mean a word of it. "If you want to mope around for the rest of your life, be my guest, but don't expect me to watch!" With a snort of disgust he then turned and left the room, shutting the door with a loud bang as he went. This was getting ridiculous! He only prayed that the plan he had already set in motion would soon come to fruition. It had to. Erik's life, as well as his sanity, depended on it.

Back inside the cabin Erik collapsed on the floor as all his strength left him. The dream had felt so real, so wonderfully perfect that he could still feel the touch of her skin on his fingers. Oh what he wouldn't give to be able to go back to sleep, for he dreamed of dreaming dreams of her, just so he could hold her for a few moments longer.

He reached over and took hold of one of the bottles that looked to have some rum still left inside, but as he lifted it to his lips he stopped. He refused to taint the taste of her honeysuckle kiss with the vile drink. Mr. Blake had been right, rum was not the answer, it only masked the pain. Just like only seeing her in his dreams was not what he wanted either, knowing it would never be enough. He had to find a more permanent solution to his despair and he was not about to do that if he was liquored up all the time. It was time he began to really decide what he wanted…and how to go about getting it.

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Back in South Port Dr. Daae removed the stethoscope from his ears and gave a nod to the woman sitting in front of him.

"Your baby's heartbeat is very strong and everything seems to be progressing on schedule, Mrs. Wright," he said, smiling down at Christine as he used her married name.

"Well thank you, Dr. Daae. I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice," she laughed, picking up on the use of formality. "As well as giving me such an encouraging prognosis."

"You are the one doing all the work here, you and my grandchild," he laughed, placing his hand over her growing stomach tenderly. "You will be giving birth to a very healthy boy or girl in just about two and a half months," he told her, reaching into a glass jar on his desk and taking out one of the peppermint sticks he kept on hand for brave little patients and handing it to Christine. "Has the baby been kicking or moving more?"

"At night I feel lots of little flutters and bumps," she laughed. "The way it keeps me up at night you would think I am growing a night owl in there. I have not really felt a serious kick yet though, perhaps the baby is trying to be kind to me."

"Well don't take it personally if that changes," Charles told her. "I suspect you will be feeling some major movements and kicking very soon in the last few months. It is all very normal."

"Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" she asked, sucking on the end of the candy stick as she looked down at her stomach. She really did need to go shopping again, the dress she was wearing was her largest one and even it was now feeling snug.

"Hard to say, I have tried to make some sort of chart over the years, noting the position a woman carries a child or any other oddities, but every time I think I have found a pattern my theories are blown out of the water," Charles said, shaking his head. He wouldn't hazard a guess now if his life depended on it, since he was usually quite wrong. He did notice that Christine seemed a bit subdued, staring down at her stomach thoughtfully as she bit off a piece of her peppermint stick. "Is there something else bothering you, my dear?"

"I was just wondering. Do you think it is possible…I mean, is there a chance…" She simply could not find the words to finish her sentence and was very grateful when her father seemed to read her troubled mind.

"Do I think there is a chance that my grandchild will be born with Erik's deformity?" he questioned, knowing he guessed right when she looked up at him with a touch of fear in her eyes. Charles walked over to the table where she still sat and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. "I can't say for sure, not having seen his face for myself. There could be a chance, but it is highly unlikely that something of this nature would be passed on. Do you know if his own parents had this same disfigurement?"

"I…I believe both of them were quite normal looking," she stammered, not wishing to discuss his parentage with her father. Especially the state of his paternal side.

"Then there you have it. More than likely it was something very rare that caused him some sort of damage when he was being formed, nothing inherent that might be handed down to your little one." He could see that while his words seemed to ease her mind, she remained pensive. "However, if for some reason it is genetic and my grandbaby is born different, that certainly does not mean I will love him or her any less. It will be a part of you, and how could I not love it just as much as I do you, my darling daughter." His words were meant to reassure her, but much to his dismay he suddenly saw large crocodile tears begin to pool in her eyes and she quickly gave way to heart wrenching sobs.

"I…I am sorry, Papa. I don't…know why I cry all the time," she said taking several deep breaths as she did her best to stem the tide flowing freely from her eyes.

"It is very normal for a woman in your condition, my dear. You are growing a new human being inside you, that is bound to mess around with your emotions from time to time. At least you have stopped yelling and throwing things," he laughed, more serious than he let on. Those few weeks had really been a trial on his patience. Dr. Daae leaned down and kissed his daughter on the top of her head before he walked over to his bookshelf and pulled down a large thick book. "Here, maybe if you read some of this it will help you to understand what is happening to you and your body. It is the most detailed book written on pregnancies that I have found so far. I think it will help."

"Thank you, Papa. You have been so wonderful through all of this. I don't know how I could have survived losing Erik if you had not been here to help me through it," she said, now accepting the handkerchief he offered as well.

"You have not lost Erik, my dear. You have just temporarily misplaced him," Charles told her, enjoying the small smile that sprang to her lips at his words.

"Well, I intend to find him, and soon." She said, her chin coming up in defiance to match the conviction in her voice. She then looked back down at her stomach. "Isn't that right, little one?"

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Charles was sitting at his desk, going over some notes he had made on a few of his patients when he heard the bell ring at the door. He knew Antoinette would get it so he continued with his work, looking up when his housekeeper stepped in the doorway.

"A letter just arrived, Dr. Daae," she sounded a little unsure about it. "It is addressed to Christine."

"It is probably from Captain Dubois," he told her, removing his glasses and reaching out for the envelope. The young Frenchman had written to his daughter several times over the two months since he left so the arrival of another letter was no surprise.

"I don't think it is from the French Captain, the handwriting looks nothing like the ones he sent before," Antoinette informed him.

"Rosalie perhaps?"

"It is not the penmanship of a woman, I can guarantee that," she said with a shake of her head. "See for yourself."

Charles turned the envelope over and inspected the script which was written in a strange manner, almost foreign. There was also no return address or indication of who it was from, and this worried Charles a little.

"Who on earth could have sent this?" he asked out loud.

"Do you think it could be from …him?" Antoinette asked, lowering her voice to almost a whisper as she looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening.

"I have no idea." He stared at the envelope in his hand for a few more seconds, contemplating what to do before he looked over at Antoinette. "Shut the door," he ordered.

Quickly complying, the housekeeper closed the door and came over to stand beside the desk, handing Charles a letter opener. He felt a little guilty as he opened his daughter's personal mail, but rationalized it by telling himself it was strictly for her protection. Unfolding the letter he put his reading glasses back on and quickly glanced to the bottom to see who it was from. He immediately recognized the name to be that of Erik's first mate, Amir Dessan, then going back up, he read the letter to himself. When he was finished he handed the letter to Antoinette, and leaned back in his chair. Placing his elbows on the arms, he brought his folded hands up and rested his chin on them, deep in thought.

"So what are you going to do about this?" Antoinette asked, after reading it for herself.

"What else can I do?" he asked. "I swore I would never interfere in my daughter's life again, regardless of my own feelings on the matter. If I choose to hide this letter from her I would be breaking that solemn vow, as well as Christine's heart. I think it would be best that I give her the letter and let her decide what to do about it."

A large smile of approval spread over Antoinette's face as she handed the letter back to him.

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"Christine?" Charles said as he entered the parlor where his daughter sat doing her best to learn to knit.

"Do you have any idea how hard this is?" she laughed, holding up a very oddly shaped conglomeration of yarn. "If motherhood were solely based on the ability to knit baby clothes, then I am afraid I am doomed to failure." When her father did not even smile at her jest she became immediately concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"You received a letter today, Christine, and while I admit to opening it, I promise that I had no intentions of hiding it from you. I simply wanted to see what it was all about first, so I could discern how you might react," he admitted, holding the envelope out to her.

Fear and panic gripped Christine, the knitting needles slipping from her fingers and falling to the floor as she felt her breath die on her lips.

"Has something happened to Erik? Oh God, is he dead?!" Her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes grew wide with fear.

"No, no! Nothing like that. Erik is just fine," Charles said, rushing to her side as he knelt down beside her chair. Over the past months he had been eyewitness to many emotional outbursts associated with pregnancy, but even if he understood them, it pained him to see his little girl in anyway distressed, so he was quick to alleviate her fears on the matter. "Yet, it does have to do with him. It is a letter from his first mate."

"From Amir?" Taking the letter, she opened it with trembling hands and scanned the page, an amused smile coming to her lips at the sight of foreign looking handwriting..

Christine,

Erik needs you. Nothing has been the same since you left, he is miserable, angry and volatile. You need to come back immediately. If you don't, I will be tempted to throw him overboard myself and take over the ship! He is becoming quite intolerable.

I will get the Phantom to port in Brisol Bay the first week in June. I will look for you at the inn called Rooster's Rest.

Please come,

Amir Dessan

"I…I can't believe this," Christine stammered after reading it a second time.

"I know, the handwriting is almost illegible," Charles stated, shaking his head.

"Not that!" Christine said, laughing at her father's attempt at a joke as she wiped away tears of joy. "We now know where Erik is going to be! I can go there, find him and we can be together again."

"I figured that this is what you would want to do, but please think about it first. What if you get there and Erik says he does not want you with him? That he still feels it is not safe for you and sends you away again? Or worse yet, what if he has moved on? What then?" He really wanted to avoid Christine being hurt a second time.

"I don't care, I have to try. I have been given a second chance at happiness and I am not going to pass it up just because I am afraid of what might happen." She reached out and put her hand on her father's arm. "If someone had offered you a second chance to be with Mother, wouldn't you have taken it, no matter the risk?"

"In a heartbeat," he whispered, closing his eyes.

"Well, I feel the same way about Erik," she told him.

"Then I am going with you," Charles told her firmly. "I lost you once, and I will not let you go traipsing around the Caribbean a second time alone. Besides, by June you will be very close to having this baby and you might need me. "

"Will you contact Commodore Edwards and see if he can take us?" she asked, unable to contain her excitement about planning the trip.

"No," Charles said thoughtfully. "I am reluctant to involve him in this again. He risked a lot helping me before; I do not want to put his career in any further jeopardy by asking him to help us rendezvous with a pirate ship a second time. We will book our own passage to Bristol Bay, and do this ourselves," Charles told her. "And I know just how we will pay for it too. Remember that money Erik gave me when we left the ship?"

"I had forgotten about that. I remember thinking it was odd that you took it without a fuss."

"Well, what better use could there be for it than to get the two of you back together." He mused, finding the humor in using Erik's own money to plot against him. "I will head down to the docks right away and see about booking passage." He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead before heading out the door.

Christine looked down at her stomach, rubbing it lovingly as she felt a tear escape and run down her cheek.

"Looks like you are going to be seeing your father real soon, little one," she told the child growing inside her. She gave a slight gasp and smiled as she felt the baby give a strong kick, obviously just as excited at the prospect as its mother.

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Charles estimated the journey would only take two weeks, but just to make sure they did not arrive late, the two set out almost three weeks before June. Christine was growing bigger every day, her little one becoming very restless, keeping her up quite often with his acrobatics. She was enjoying every new experience and discovery with being pregnant, the book her father had loaned her had come in very handy and she now felt much more confident about having this baby. She just hoped that they would fine Erik in time so he could be there as well.

She let a smile spread across her face as she stood on the deck, letting the salty sea air blow around her. Oh how she had missed this. Just stepping onto the deck of the ship that would be carrying them to Bristol Bay had brought back so many wonderful memories of her time at sea with Erik. She had forgotten how much she had enjoyed the sway of the ship beneath her, the cry of the gulls and the sound of the ocean spray as the vessel cut through the water. However, it was not just being at sea that made her happy, it was the knowledge that she was on her way back to Erik. She was both nervous and elated to know that in a few short weeks they would be face to face once more. How would he react? What would he say? Most importantly…what would he do? Her father reminded her that there was a chance Erik had moved on, forgotten about her. And while she feared that more than anything, she knew she could not let it dictate her actions. She had to find him and see if they could mend the bridge that had formed between them at his parting.

Christine found that she vacillated between delight and anger when contemplating what she was going to say when she found him. Would she yell, cry, scream or beg and plead with him? She decided to let his reaction dictate the moment, as well as her words. If he put up his usual protective front, the one he had learned so well from being treated as he had been for so long, she would have to tear that wall down with her assuring words. She gave a sly smile as she decided that a few heated kisses might go a long way in driving her point home. Oh how she longed to have his arms around her once more, to feel the heat of his body as he pulled her to him in that almost desperate manner she had become accustomed. Being away from Erik for so long had been nothing short of agony, and she only prayed that with the turning of the month she would once and for all know an end to her torment.

The child inside her gave her a gentle kick, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I know, little one, I wish the ship would sail faster too. Don't worry, we will make it to Bristol Bay in plenty of time for your father to be there for your coming out party," Christine laughed, rubbing her hand over her protruding stomach. Her face suddenly darkened as she remembered Erik's fear about their child inheriting his features. She knew without a doubt that she would love their baby no matter what, however like any good mother, she still prayed that it would be healthy and perfect. They had gone through so much to find happiness; there could be no way that fate would be so cruel as to burden their innocent child with the struggles his father had faced in life.

During their time together, Erik had told her quite a bit about his past, with some gentle urging, but she knew that he still harbored many dark and painful memories he refused to share. When she thought of the scorn, the hatred and the abuse he had suffered from those in the small town he grew up in, she could completely understand the lure that a life at sea and piracy offered. Out here he could be himself. No one would dare to mock or berate him once he had built up such a dangerous reputation. Being the masked pirate who struck fear into the hearts of others was as much a protection for him as it was a way of life. At sea his face was an asset, a weapon that brought him strength, and not a thing of shame. It was this Erik that Christine had fallen in love with, and it was that same Erik who would be a wonderful father to their baby. He knew what it meant to be singled out and beat down, she knew he would never let that happen to their child.

Yet first she had to find him again, and convince him to take her back. She was determined to not leave his side again, and he would have to literally tie her up in order to make good an escape this time, that was for damn sure.

"Christine?" her father repeated, having tried to get her attention once already as he walked up.

"Papa, I am sorry. What did you say?" she asked, startled by his sudden appearance.

"I asked how you were feeling," he laughed, realizing he had caught her in deep thought.

"I am feeling wonderful," she assured him, her hands still wrapped around her stomach protectively.

"No nausea or light headedness from the motion of the sea?" he probed.

"Not in the least." She smiled, knowing that both she and her baby were born for the ocean.

"Wish I could say the same," her father said, looking a little green in the face. "Here is your shawl, you need to keep warm. It would not do for you to show up in Bristol Bay with a cough and a cold," he warned, helping her place the knitted item around her shoulders with a smile.

"Thank you so much for coming with me, Papa. I love you so much for trusting in me, as well as my marriage. It means a lot to me."

"You know that I only want your happiness. While I still wish Erik would abandon this life of piracy, I will not deny you the happiness you have obviously found with him, my dear," Charles told her as he leaned in to give her a warm embrace. He pulled back suddenly as his smile faded to one of panic. "I…please excuse me," he said, his face going pale as he covered his mouth and ran to the far side of the ship just in time.

Christine hoped he had thought to pack some ginger in his medical bag as she shook her head and gave a quiet laugh. She looked down at her stomach and spoke to her child.

"Don't worry, that will never happen to you, my darling one. You will most definitely inherit your father's strong constitution and sea legs." With a sympathetic look she went to help her father.

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So, Erik is now seeing the light…Amir has sent a letter…and Christine and her Dad are on their way to Bristol Bay! EXCITEMENT!

So what did you think of Blake's talk?

Of Erik's good dream?

Of Dr. Daae's prognosis about the baby?

Their reaction to Amir's letter?

Them being on a ship and on their way?