Lately I've been getting really into writing Leroux-based stories (most of which have yet to be posted), so…yeah, I'm writing another one. What can I say? Leroux Erik is so adorable when he's angsty! And if he's cute as an adult, imagine him as a child! So I'm writing this. This won't be too much like Kay's novel. Of course there will be some inevitable similarities, but for the most part it's a combination of Gaston Leroux's characterization of Erik and my interpretation of his description of Erik's life.

Disclaimer: I don't own Erik! I wish I did (in many, many different ways), but I don't! So there!

Erik

Prologue

A Nameless Child

Martine Beau cried out in pain. The baby was coming much too fast for a first birth. She had only been in labor for about two hours. She squeezed her husband Denis' hand as she pushed once again.

"I can see the top of the head. You're almost done, Mme. Beau!" the midwife cried encouragingly. Martine pushed once again. Gently, the midwife pulled the baby out onto the blanket. The new mother was relieved when she heard her little child crying. She looked up into the eyes of her husband, who leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Meanwhile, the midwife was cleaning the baby off. She was doing it very absently, not even looking at the child, for she had done this many times. As she ran the cloth over the baby's face, she felt something odd. Just above the mouth, where the nose should be, she'd felt a large hole.

Thinking that she was imagining things, she just mentally shrugged and continued. When she felt for the area around the eyes, she instead found two deep sockets. She looked down at the child. Sure enough, it had no nose, and its eyes were indeed hidden inside of two deep, black sockets.

But that wasn't all that was terrible about it. The yellow skin was very thin and seemed to be stretched across bone and the veins were more acutely visible than in that of an average human's face. The woman gasped quietly as her hand flew to her mouth.

"Is something wrong?" asked the father, who had heard the midwife's gasp.

"Well, you see…" the midwife started. She didn't know how to break this terrible news to the young couple. They had been so excited about their baby. Not knowing what else to do, she wrapped the baby in a blanket and lay it in Denis' arms. "It's a boy," she whispered awkwardly. With that, she left the parents to become acquainted their new son.

Denis could hardly look at the creature in his arms. Even the mental image of the child's face was sickening. Ignorant to his father's horror, the baby cooed and put two of his long fingers into his mouth.

"W…what's the matter, Denis?" Martine asked hoarsely. She stared longingly at the bundle in her husband's arms that was her son. He looked down at her.

"I don't think you're ready to see, mon cher," he said. But Martine didn't care what he said. She'd worked hard for nine long months, and she wanted to be able to hold her child. After a few minutes of arguing, Denis finally thrust the child furiously into her arms.

"There!" he cried, finally giving in. "Are you happy now? There's our son! Our little pride and joy!"

Martine was speechless. She looked down in horror at the thing she had just brought into the world. The monster seemed to be looking back at her. It was hard to tell, since his eyes were invisible in the darkness of their deep sockets. Feeling helpless and afraid, Martine began to sob violently. Tears fell onto the baby's hideous little face. She sobbed harder as the drops rolled into the black holes in his head that made him so terrifying.

Finally, she spoke. "What should we name him?" The innocent question made Denis even more furious.

"Name him?" he yelled. "Now you think we should name him! Good God, Martine, this thing is a monster! It doesn't even deserve to be called 'him!'"

"Well, what do we call 'it,' then?" Martine snapped. "It needs to be baptized, first of all, and to be baptized, you need a name! Second, what will we address it as? 'Monster'? 'Creature'? 'Thing'?"

"Well, why don't we just let it name itself, then!" he cried.

"Fine!" she yelled back at him. The couple's arguing was very loud, and the nameless child had started to cry. Although she had fought for a name for him, she was still too terrified of him to do anything about it.

Exhausted from the labor and the shock, Martine shoved the sobbing baby back into her husband's arms and fell asleep.

ADORABLEDEFORMEDBABIES!

Yes, I know that was short. The whole nameless thing was from that comment Erik makes about taking the name Erik by mistake. And now we know where Erik gets his rage issues! Honestly, I didn't plan Denis to be like that, but my muses do often surprise me.

Why, what is this? V It's the shiny review button! Why don't you press it and see what it does?