And now we come to the conclusion of our fic... Aww... That sucks. WHAT WILL I DO WITH MY LIFE! Argh! Oh well... Maybe I'll start a new fic... HeHe okay... Oh yeah, and thank y'all so much for being such awesome reviewers!
Disclaimer: You know the drill... I don't own Poto... Wish I did... Yada Yada Yada.
EPILOGUE:
Once again Erik sat at the table in the main room. His feet rested on the chair in front of him, and he let out a sigh of contentment. That was what he had felt most in his life for the past week: content.
"I do." The two magic words that bonded him to Jane and Jane to him. He sighed and mouthed them under his breath. "I do." He allowed his eyes to close for a second, then something happened that made them snap back open in an instant.
"Erik!" Jane cried, and he could hear obvious distress in her voice. He jumped up from his chair, loathing the sound of his wife in pain. He dashed to her room, and found her kneeling by the bed, her eyes red even though she had only just started crying.
"What's wrong, my love?" he asked, coming to his knees beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Please... tell me..."
"Oh, Erik!" Jane turned and fell against his chest. He wrapped his arms firmly around her and waited patiently for her to calm down. It seemed that she was going to do no such thing, so he once again asked her what was bothering her ("bothering," of course, being a major understatement).
Jane took a deep breath, then began to tell him, her voice and small figure shaking violently.
"Erik, our... our child... It's... Oh my god, it's... dead!" she cried, and she burst into tears again. Erik could tell how upset she was, but nothing could have prepared him for that. He felt as though the wind had been completely knocked out of him.
As for Jane, she continued to sob uncontrollably into him. She could tell that a shadow was beginning to surround her, and the more she cried, the more vulnerable she was to it. She struggled to stay awake, but sleep tempted her with its inviting emptiness. Before she fell into darkness, she breathed one word. "Erik..."
"No... No, Jane. Please, don't fall asleep. Stay awake. Please, I know you need me right now, and not only that, but I need you!" Erik was frantic, and he shook Jane more roughly than he intended. Knowing that it was a lost cause, he sighed and sat for a few seconds, kissed her softly on the forehead, then picked her up and carried her into her room.
"I'm so sorry, my love," he whispered as he lay her on the bed. His mind spinning, he turned and shut the door behind him. He walked back to the main room and sat at the table.
"Poor Jane," he murmured to the silence. "I wish there was some way I could help her..."
'But there is,' a voice sounded. It was very different from the dark, snake-like one he usually heard. 'She needs you, Erik. She needs your love. You, of all people, realize how love can change lives. The absence of it, the presence of it. It affects how we act, how we feel, and how we think. Just give her your love. She will come around.'
A small smile formed on Erik's lips, despite himself. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to prepare for when Jane awoke.
At last Erik heard the soft sound of rustling material, and he got up as quick as a flash and strode back to Jane's room. He opened the door to see that the room was dark, though he fancied that he could make out the shape of Jane arising from the bed. He stepped into the darkness and was met with the familiar warmth of Jane's body as he pulled it close to his own.
"Hello, love," he muttered into her ear, and he felt her nod in reply. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't know..." Jane answered. Erik sat down on the bed and pulled her to sit beside him. Her voice began to crack as she continued, just as Erik knew it would.
"Erik... I wasn't ... I wasn't strong enough... I-...I'm sorry."
"No, Jane," Erik murmured as he tried to console her, moving her hair out of her face and taking a deep breath to keep himself composed. "It isn't your fault. It's... his. He... abused you in such a way... To be honest, I'm surprised you were able to live through that. Had any other woman been in your place, I'm sure they would have died. But you, Jane... you had the strength in you to live. And not only did you live through that, but you also... saved my life. I am the one who should be sorry. I love you, Jane."
Upon hearing those words, it seemed like Jane cheered up, however slightly. She sighed, her breath coming out unevenly just like it does whenever one cries. Swallowing with apparent effort, she offered him a smile.
"I love you, too, Erik. Thank you."
"Were you looking forward to having a child, Jane?" Erik asked, thinking to himself, After all, it was the Ratcatcher's child...
Jane took a few deep breaths to steady her voice. "I was getting used to the idea. I did think it might be nice. You, me, and the baby. But, well, I guess that's not going to happen now..." Her voice faded away, but Erik was relieved to see that she wasn't crying.
Suddenly, he got a crazy idea, one that he hoped Jane wouldn't think he was voicing at the wrong time.
"Well, uh, it isn't like you... couldn't try again. To have a baby, I mean."
Slowly, almost unbelievingly, Jane raised her head and looked at him, and Erik could have sworn that her eyes were sparkling. "Erik, I... I don't know what to say. God knows I do want a child, but I want to be sure that you want it, too. After all, a baby would affect both our lives, not just mine. It would be unfair of me to... to ask this of you, unless it's something you want, too."
"How could I not want it? I already have a beautiful wife, and that in itself is more than I could ever have hoped for. A child would only make it twice as wonderful."
A second smile crossed Jane's face, but it slowly faded. "But I... it might not be a good idea. Our child just died. Should we already be making plans for another one, as though the recently deceased one didn't even matter...?"
"Of course it mattered, Jane," Erik murmured comfortingly. "It was going to be a big part of our lives. Don't ever think that I don't care that it's... dead. If there was any way I could bring it back, even by taking my own life, I would. You know that I was prepared to love that child as though it was my own. I would have loved it as much as I love you right now. I know you want a child, Jane... and it wouldn't bother me at all to give you what you want, no matter what."
It seemed as though Jane was holding her breath, and tears came to her eyes. "Oh god, Erik..." she whispered, the tears now running down her cheeks. "Thank you... so much. I... I love you. I... love you more than you could ever imagine."
Erik leaned down and met Jane's lips. He was so glad that she was feeling better, and especially happy that he was able to offer her something she wanted. His tongue slipped into her mouth, dancing with hers, and she giggled.
"Now, Erik?" she asked, her voice shaking, but now not with sadness; with anticipation.
"Whenever you're ready."
Jane bit her lip, a smile threatening to betray her emotions. "Well, I'm ready now, if you are..."
Erik grinned, and gently nibbled on the lobe of her ear. She let out a quiet moan, which only grew louder as he gingerly put more weight on her...
(Important A/N: Okay, I know Jane and Erik making love right after their baby died was kinda unrealistic, but bear with me, people... I wrote that at like 3:00 in the morning last night... And I asked me health teacher this, and an unborn baby about 3 months old that died would still be small enough to, ahem, "come out" without surgury... As disgusting as that sounds. So yeah... On with the fic!
NINE MONTHS LATER
A stifled scream forced Erik into consciousness. He straightened up in the small armchair he had been sleeping in and watched as Madame Giry hovered over Jane, who was lying in the dressing room bed.
"Hold on, Jane. Meg will be back soon with the doctor," the old woman assured, "Just wait a few more minutes."
Sweat dotted Jane's brow, and her breathing was slow and labored, but she swallowed (with a great effort, it seemed to Erik) and nodded. Not a single tear fell from her eyes as Madame Giry drew a stray lock of damp hair out of her face. Eventually Erik found himself incapable of simply sitting in a chair while Jane was suffering as much as she was. He stood up and crossed the room to her side, then knelt beside her and grasped her hand tightly in an attempt to help her.
"It's okay, mon ange," he breathed in her ear. "You'll be alright."
"I know," Jane whispered, smiling when she saw that Erik was beside her. "I'm fine, my love. I'm... fine." She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut as pain took over her body, and a few seconds later Meg and the doctor burst through the door.
The doctor looked Jane up and down once, and instantly took control of the situation. "Excuse me, madam," he muttered, and Madame Giry dutifully stepped aside. She leaned over and began to speak in Erik's ear.
"Maybe it would be best if you left the room, Erik," she murmured. She caught the reluctant look in his eyes, and her tone became more firm. "You can come back once the doctor is done. Go!" She dragged him upright and shooed him out, ignoring his protests.
Meg accompanied him out of the room, though all he did was stare at the door and try to figure out what was going on inside. After a while, Meg felt as though she should say something.
"Jane... really seems to love you," she mumbled quietly, unsure of how comforting that really was. Erik glanced at her, and she looked away. When she finally turned her gaze back to him, she was surprised to see that he was staring straight into her eyes. Slowly he nodded, and he was about to respond when they both heard Jane give a cry of pain.
Erik's eyes widened, and he pressed his fingertips to the wood of the door. "Jane!" he mouthed, worriedly gazing at the barrier between him and his wife. The hallway and the room echoed an uneasy silence, as though the very walls were holding their nonexistent breath, waiting to see what would happen.
Suddenly Jane gave a second cry, and another joined hers after a few seconds. Meg sighed and smiled, and Erik felt his heart skip a beat. It was the cry of a baby.
I don't believe it... That's.. my child! he thought, and he listened intently. He could tell that people were conversing hurriedly, but although he could distinguish whose voice was whose, he couldn't make out what they were saying.
The baby cried for another minute or so, then all went quiet once more. Erik's first impression was that something had happened to the baby, and then he felt a horrible worry ensnare his mind for a second.
The door finally opened before him. Madame Giry, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, stepped aside to let him enter.
Erik slowly crossed the room, though it took him much longer than usual to get to Jane's side. Although he was rather nervous, as this was the first time he had ever seen a baby (let alone his own child), he did his best not to show it and strode over to Jane with what he hoped was a purposeful stride. Jane looked up at him when he finally got to the bedside, and she smiled. Neither or them spoke.
The doctor decided to break the silence. He cleared his throat first, then informed, "It is a girl." His words brought forth the joy that Erik and Jane both felt. They both beamed, and Erik let out a breath he hadn't been aware of holding.
"A little girl," he murmured softly. He hesitantly reached out a hand as though to touch the bundle in Jane's arms, but it lingered in the air, inches from the blankets.
"Our little girl," Jane corrected. Madame Giry sensed how special a moment this was, so she motioned for Meg and the doctor to follow her out of the room. Neither Erik nor Jane so much as glanced at any of them as the door clicked shut.
"Would you... like to see our daughter, Erik?" Jane asked at last. It was a while before Erik found the voice to answer her.
"I... I would love to." Jane took one corner of the blanket in her fingers and folded it back so that the baby's tiny pink face was visible.
Erik's breath caught in his chest. "Oh, Jane... she's so beautiful," he whispered. He realized that his hand was still frozen in midair, so he gently lowered his fingers and let them stroke the cheek of the sleeping baby.
Tears began to well up in his eyes as he took in the sight of his little girl. He ran his hand up to Jane's face, lightly tracing the features that made her so perfect to him.
"What will we name her?" Jane asked quietly. Erik froze. He hadn't thought about that. He let out a thoughtful breath and pondered over Jane's question.
After a couple of minutes, Erik still had no idea what to name the baby. wanting to say something helpful, though, he did his best to answer. "Well... I think her name should somehow reflect something about her, like her beauty." He paused, and Jane nodded.
"What does your name mean, Jane?" he questioned.
"Gracious," Jane answered without a second's hesitation. At Erik's surprised look, she explained, "My aunt told me all the time. She seemed proud of it, for some reason."
Erik inhaled sharply. His belief in such a thing as fate and destiny had always been rather undecided and wavering, but now it came back in full.
Gracious... that's another word for graceful, and... compassionate. He could hardly dare to believe it. All this time he had never known, but Jane's name told him everything about her, all in one word.
"Never have I know a person more fitting for your name than you, mon ange," he murmured. Jane's face adapted a tinge of light pink coloring, and she turned her gaze to her baby.
"If you want a name that reflects her beauty," she began, "I know of one. It was my grandmother's. Her name was Belle. It means beautiful."
A smile crossed Erik's face as he thought about it. "Belle Beaumont," he breathed. "It's perfect."
Jane grinned and laughed. Erik could see her eyes shining, both with joy and with the tears that didn't fall. He pressed his temple to hers, swallowing a lump in his throat as he did so, and she shifted her position so that he could sit beside her.
"Do you want to hold her, Erik?" she asked, and he again had to swallow a lump.
"I would love to, Jane, but... I don't want to hurt her," he answered at last. Jane sighed and laughed, then used one hand to position his arms in front of him. Before he had a chance to protest, she had given him Belle to hold.
It was all Erik could do not to gasp. He was holding... his daughter in his embrace. Slowly Belle started to wake up, and her chocolate brown eyes suddenly opened. They were slightly crossed and a little unfocused.
Being the newborn that she was, Belle quietly began to fuss. Erik looked at her anxiously with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. Jane giggled when she saw him.
"Sing, Erik," she suggested. He was a bit reluctant to comply, but took her advice. After all, it could only help... right?
"Nighttime sharpens, heighten each sensation
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination
Silently the senses abandon their defenses..." Belle's fussing gradually died down, and Erik could have sworn that she gave his mask a curious glance. Jane smiled and took it off gently, and his face was bare before Erik knew what had happened.
Once again Erik froze, and he expected the baby to start crying in fear. To his surprise, little Belle did no such thing. Her tiny hands waved in the air, and one made contact with his right cheek. Erik noticed how soft his daughter's skin was before her fingers slid away from his face.
He shook himself and kept singing, and watched as Belle's eyes finally shut as she drifted off to sleep. He blinked back tears as it hit him that Belle hadn't shown any disgust as she saw him unmasked. Of course, she had been far too young to know that it was any different from a real person's, but it meant something special to Erik. There was one more person in the world who loved him.
"I love you, Erik," Jane murmured, seconds before sleep claimed her. She did not hear Erik answer, but in her heart she knew what he would say.
A long time after she fell asleep, Erik was still lying awake in bed. He made sure Belle was positioned where she couldn't be crushed should someone roll over in their sleep, then he went about making himself comfortable, too.
I can't believe it... I have a family. I have a beautiful wife, and my wife has given me a beautiful little girl... A single tear of the purest joy ran down Erik's cheek as he gave Jane and Belle each a tender, loving kiss.
Countless times had Erik dreamt about this, having a wife and a child. The best thing, he knew, was that this was more than just a dream. This was a dream come true.
Okay, I have officially decided to start a new fic! It'll be called "September 17" since I seriously lack abetter title... Anyway, Thank you all again so so so much,
Oh yeah. I also have a little, uh, "extended" scene from the first time Jane and Erik... well, you know, and since it's kinda rated M, I'm not going to post it. If you would like to read it, either email me or leave your email address in a review (By the way, PhantomAngel, your email address was cut out of the review. Next time you put it in, leave spaces between the "at" and "dot" and stuff. I'll get yor meaning. Or you could just put your email underneath your username thingy.)
So anyway, anyone interested in reading "September 17" might wanna put me on their Author Alert, because I'm not sure when I'll get it posted. I'm praying soon!
Thank you guys so so much! Writing this fic has been a, HeHe, "dream come true"... Sorry, couldn't resist quoting... Anywayz, byebye!