Okay! I told myself I would have this up on Friday and now it's Saturday (Oops! Sorry!)

Thank you so much to all my reviewers! I'm so glad everyone's liking it so far. I do hope this next part entertains as well. There will be a small Epilogue after this and that's probably all.

Oh, and let me just say this... Pierre is my hero!

Pierre returned to the Opera House tired. A patient's daughter had managed to cut herself rather severely and he'd had to console the paranoid mother while the brave girl suffered through a few stitches. Altogether, an unpleasant experience. He sighed as he snuck past all the people dancing and drinking and laughing. Could it really be another year since he had had that first beautiful dance with his beautiful wife?

Pierre reached her rooms, where she would be waiting to go home with him. But she was not. Curious, he thought. Then he noticed the note on the dresser.

Pierre.

Let me first say how much I hate your worthless hide.

Secondly, Ann is down with me. She's in labour. If you don't get down here as soon as humanly able you'll never be able to cause such a disturbance to my life again. I hope we understand each other. Good.

By the way… I pity you so much right now that I doubt I'd be able to go through with the aforementioned threat…

Erik

Ann? Labour! In the cellars!

He jumped up, grabbed his bag, and ran for all his life was worth.

OOO

Pierre burst into Erik's lair in a sweat, panting heavily.

"YOU! You bastard!" Ann yelled furiously at her husband. He was stunned. Erik just looked at him tiredly, not even pitying the man anymore.

"She's been like that for hours…"

"GET OVER HERE!"

He rushed to her side like a devoted puppy.

"Ann, Love… Are you alright?"

Erik had collapsed sideways into a large wingback, hanging his legs over one armrest and head over the other. He covered his eyes with his arm.

"Alright? Am I alright! I am in phenomenal pain! You have no idea what I have been going through!" She did the mood switch again, bursting into tears and dragging him into a crushing hug. "And you weren't there! I needed you and you weren't there! I had to call Erik because I just couldn't bear to be alone," return of Evil-Ann, "Where the hell were you!"

"I… I was with little Katerina, remember? She…"

"Why should I care! You should have been here! My water broke all over my floor!"

"I'm sorry Love. I came as soon as possible!"

Pierre went into his Doctor mind-set. At least there he was in control. There he knew how to handle a pregnant woman.

"Ann. I need you to listen to me now. I want you to tell me, as best you can, how close the contractions are."

"How should I know! I wasn't paying attention to the time!"

"About four minutes apart… She's due now…" Erik muttered from under his sleeve, which had fallen over his mouth. "Good luck…"

"Huh? OUCH!" Pierre screamed as Ann grasped his hair in her pain.

"Oh, and watch your hair. She likes to grab…" Erik sniggered. Revenge is so sweet…

"Ann," he groaned, "Please let go. I need to check how dilated you are, remember?"

She just sobbed as it ended.

"But who'll hold my hand?"

"I'm sure Erik would be happy to do that for you…"

You horrible bastard, I'm going to kill you when this is over!

"Of course I would."
He jumped up and sent a scathing glare at Pierre. The man just smiled back charmingly.

"Erik?" Ann called weakly holding out her hand for him. He went to her side and Pierre, rolling up his sleeves, went… well… elsewhere. Erik blushed and turned his back as the Doctor began his work.

"How are you coping Ann?" He asked, looking at her red, perspiring face. She looked worn out already. Poor thing…

"It hurts Erik… I want it to just stop…"

"Won't be long now Love," Pierre said soothingly. "The baby is eager to come out! And until he is, you just listen to my voice…" He looked at the other man holding onto her, with a smirk. "And remember my Ann, we both care for you. I love you more then life. And Erik was kind enough to leave me that note he wrote with that very hand you're holding, which brought me here to you…"

The Phantom looked at him, totally baffled at the last statement, until the next contraction came.

His eyes crossed and he whimpered. I hate you both! You vile Demon-Spawned-Ann and your heartless, cold-handed, Doctor lover! To hell with you both! Where's a priest when I need one!

OOO

"Erik?"

"WHAT!"

Labour mood swings are contagious, he had determined.

"Do you have any towels around?" Pierre called over his wife's groaning.

"Yes. Why?"
"I'll need one in a moment. As soft a one as you might have. And any boiling water or alcohol you may have laying around."

"I don't have either. Only cold water."

"Well, I do have a little rubbing alcohol… Alright. Just the towels is fine."

My towels…? My beautiful, soft cotton towels? I had to resort to blackmail just to get those!

"Fine. They're in that drawer beside the bed."

"Thank you."

OOO

A piercing scream rent through the damp air of the Opera cellars. It was the cry of a new born baby.

Erik refused to look at the screeching creature. It sounded worse then Carlotta… with a head cold!

Apparently Pierre cleaned it, wrapped it up and was bringing it over to the new mother. Ann was crying. And she had calmed down enough to tug on Erik's crushed hand and pull him towards the nasty little person.

"Erik, oh, look!"

"Ann…" Pierre said with a tear. "It's our daughter." He placed her into the woman's arms. She took the tiny thing and gazed at her with awe.

"Oh… Hello my darling… Pierre, she's beautiful!"

"You are both beautiful… My two wonderful girls." He kissed her forehead and sat on the side of the bed to wrap an arm around her. Ann turned to her friend again.

"Erik? Look, it's my baby…"

He faced her at last; his old Ann who had miraculously returned and brought a newborn with her.

He couldn't help it. A tear came to his eye…

"Oh Ann… I can't believe…"

"What?" She smiled at him.

He cradled his broken digits to his chest and sobbed,

"You finally let go!"