Christine lay in bed, her face and hair drenched in sweat. It had been only fifteen minuets into the birth, but the pain was almost too much for poor Christine's sickly body. Erik had an arm wrapped around her shoulders, and his other hand holding hers. She screamed for the fifth time since Erik came down to the lair.

"Take a deep breath, Christine," Isabeu coached her patient. She stood at the foot of the bed, aiding with the delivery. "That's it, sweetheart, you're doing wonderful. How's she feeling Erik?"

"How bad is the pain, Angel?" Erik whispered.

"It hurts…" she panted, "So much…" another scream erupted from her lips. She squeezed Erik's hand so hard, he was sure he would break it.

"You're almost there, Christine, the baby's almost out.

Erik let go of one of her hands and caressed her cheek. "Be strong, my love. It's almost over."

"When I count to three, give one more push, and then you can rest." Isabeu encouraged.

Sweet Jesus, thought Erik. So many thoughts were buzzing around his brain, he was getting dizzy.

"One…"

Would Christine and the child be alright?

"Two…"

Will mother and child live? The whole pregnancy must have been tramatizing to them…

"Three!"

Will the child have a normal face???

Christine made a strained face. She screamed for the last time, and her head fell back on the pillow.

Erik feared the worst. "Christine?" she didn't answer. He thought she looked dead. "Christine?!"

"She's resting," Isabeu said gently behind him. "Let her sleep. She's had a tough time."

He turned to her. She was gazing down at a tiny blanket wrapped bundle in her hands. Tears were glittering in her eyes. "Oh, Erik," she said softly. "Say hello to your child."

He gazed down at the blanket wrapped bundle. Now is the moment of truth… He extended his arms to take the baby, and

--And a gunshot rang out. Isabeu's eyes widened. There was a large bloody wound in her side. She fell backwards, still clutching the baby to her chest.

"Isabeu!" Erik cried out. He bent over to check her wound, but he received a blow to the back of the head from a blunt object. He staggered to hiss hands and knees. A presence ran past him. He couldn't see, but he heard Christine shriek and the baby cry. He tried to stand, and he looked around for the fiend. He saw Isabeu lying facedown in the ground, with a large pool of blood spilling from the wound. The gun that had wounded her lay about five feet from her body. Erik hoped she was alright, but his main concern was for his family.

The baby was gone. So was Christine.

He turned toward the water, and there was standing his hated enemy. The Fop. He was holding Christine against his body, and had a rapier pressed against her throat. The other hand held the baby ominously above the water.

"Monsieur Phantom," he sneered, "We meet again."

A decade seemed to pass before either of the rivals moved. Finally, Erik took a step into the water.

"One more move and they die!" snarled the Fop. He pressed his blade closer to Christines throat.

"Please monsieur," The former phantom begged. "Let them go. We will leave Paris, we will leave France even, if you only let us go."

"You should have thought about that before you RAPED my fiancée. You monster!" he barked at Erik.

The Opera Ghost's mouth snapped shut. The hate and misery he had felt for his actions were intensified more than ever at this point.

Raoul wickedly grinned at his foe. "Now, you demon, you will hear what I must say. All those months ago, you gave Christine a choice after you trapped us down here. You said either I go free, and she stays with you for eternity, or I die and she go free. Now I will give you an ultimatum."

"No…" Erik pleaded softly.

"Oh, yes." Fop snarled. "You must choose. Either I let my sword slip across her pretty neck, or I let your…" he couldn't find a word to describe how repulsed he was by Erik's child. "…your spawn drown in the lake. You must choose. Only one may live. Then, I leave you to your darkness."

(CLIFFHANGER!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHA!! This Chapter's in THREE parts actually. Sorry, guys! I am almost done with this last part, then Epilogue and Ill work on Part 1 of the Sequal…DUnDUnDUHH!!!)