Erik's POV

Oh, did I have a special day for Gustave planned. Now that I was the infamous Mister E, I could get anything that I wanted. How strangely things change. Before, I couldn't even get respect, now, I got that and anything I wanted. After speaking to my fisherman friend, he introduced me to his pirate friend, who had his ship docked on the other end of the Coney Island marina.

"Of course I'll give you and that boy of yours a tour of me ship…" he said. "It's the least I can do, seeing that it is his birthday and he loves us pirates… We're becoming extinct, ye know…"

Oh, this was going to be great. With the boy's birthday present in hand, I hurried to the beginning of the marina to await Christine and his arrival. When I seen them coming, the boy quickened his pace and jumped into my arms.

"Well, you sure are happy today," I teased, holding him up by his arms. "Happier than usual…Why is that?"

"Mr. Erik, it's my birthday today!"

"Your birthday? How could I forget? Well, if it's your birthday, then I guess I should give you your birthday present…"

From behind my back, I produced the small wrapped box and handed it to him. The child sat himself down on the dock and pulled back the bright paper, opening the box and gasping in excitement over the authentic pirate hat. I smiled as he placed it on his head, the hat being way too big for him.

"Look, mama, look!"

Christine giggled as Gustave jumped up into her arms.

"I see, Gustave… That was very nice of Mr. Erik to get you a pirate hat."

"That's not all, Gustave," I said. "There is a meaning to that hat."

"There is? Well, Mr. Erik, I do like pirates…"

"Of course you do, child…"

I lifted the boy onto my shoulders and interlaced my hand with Christine's.

"Come along, Christine, I have something to show the two of you…"

I could tell the excitement in Gustave's laughter as we trudged along. Though, when we came around the corner and spotted the pirate ship sitting there, Gustave gasped and began shifting up and down in excitement.

"Mr. Erik, is that…is that…"

"A real pirate ship? Of course, boy…"

I placed the boy down on his feet, only to have him go running towards the ship.

"Gustave, slow down, pumpkin…"

"Mama, look, a ship! A real pirate ship!"

"Yes, darling, I see…"

From that moment on, I once again scooped Gustave up into my arms and smiled.

"Well, wouldn't it be something to take a tour?"

"Sure would!"

"Did I hear someone say that they wanted a tour of me ship?"

Just then, the pirate appeared and began walking down the ramp.

"Mr. Erik, a pirate! A real pirate!"

"I've been looking all over for you, boy… What is your name?"

Gustave's jaw dropped the moment the pirate began speaking to him.

"Gustave…"

"Gustave? That isn't a pirate name… No, boy, you're new name shall be Gusty…My first mate."

Gustave was in awe…That was all that could be said.

"Well, boy, don't stand there…Come aboard."

"Really? Really?"

"Well, if it's all right with your mother…"

Gustave turned towards Christine, waiting for her permission.

"Go ahead sweetie… We'll be right behind you."

"Already a pirate with that hat of yours, boy…"

While Gustave was having the time of his life, I walked arm in arm with Christine behind the captain.

"Erik…This is…Well, I have no words for this. You didn't have to do this. You've made his day and possibly his dream."

"Well, I'm just trying to give him a nice birthday, Christine. I really am glad that I made his day."

Christine smiled and nuzzled her head into my shoulder. Oh, to walk beside someone like this meant the world to me. We toured the pirate ship, Gustave's eyes never losing any excitement. He was happy throughout the entire tour, making Christine even happier. During that tour, the pirate not only showed Gustave the entire ship, but he also gave Gustave one of his extra spy glasses and an eye patch… I never thought pirates to be kind, but I guess there were a few exceptions.

"Now," the pirate sat Gustave on a spare barrel and smiled. "Since it's ye birthday, I'm going to give ye a special wish…If you could have anything, first mate, what would it be? It's your special day…"

"Well, I've always wanted to take a tour of a pirate ship, so that wish has been fulfilled. I really don't have anything else, captain."

"Oh, there has to be something else. All right, if you could have anything else, what would it be?"

"To be captain…"

As soon as Gustave said those very words, the captain sprung into action.

"What are you doing?" Gustave asked.

"Well, ye wanted to be captain…A captain can't be a captain without sailing the ship."

The captain hauled up the anchor, sending Gustave's sprits into a frenzy of excitement. He stood there in shock, never believing for a single moment that he was actually going to ride on a real pirate ship. The captain steered the ship away from the dock and towards the ocean. My stomach was never to keen on being out in the ocean, for the motion of it all always made me ill. Though, for the child's birthday I would suffer through it.

"Like this, lad…" the captain grasped hold of Gustave's hands and placed them over the wheel of the ship. "Nice and straight…"

"Look, mama! I'm steering the ship!"

"That's wonderful, Gustave!"

For nearly an hour, we stayed out at sea, returning to the same dock once the ride was over. I couldn't be happier when it was, for my stomach was taking a turn for the worse.

"Thank you, Captain Sparrow…" Gustave said as he headed towards the plank.

"Ye welcome, first mate…I hope you come back soon."

When Christine was gone with Gustave, I turned towards the captain, already filled with gratitude for what he had done.

"Thank you, sir… You didn't have to do that."

"No, I didn't, but I wanted to give him something he would never forget. I too, have a boy about his age back home. I know what it means to them when one of their wishes comes true."

"Well, sir, if you and your family ever come here on holiday, look me up. I shall give you free entrance to my park anytime you wish. You've made that boy's day, and for that, I shall always be in your debt."

"Ye have a nice son, Mister E…"

"He…He's not my son, sir. He's Christine's…I am merely a friend of the family I guess you could say."

"Shame, really… You would have been a perfect father."

"Nobody's perfect, sir…"

With that, I shook the man's hand and headed off the plank to meet up with Christine. Gustave was already excited, hopping about and explaining everything that he loved about the pirate ship.

"…And did you see the size of those sails?!"

"Yes, Gustave," Christine said. "It was wonderful…Now, why don't we go to the beach and you can dig up some treasure?"

"Christine, I believe that I shall depart from the two of you for now."

"Awwww, but, Mr. Erik…It's my birthday."

"Of course it is, but work still needs to be completed. Your mother is going to be making you a special dinner tonight, child. I promise to be there, all right?"

Gustave nodded and came running towards me, his arms wrapping themselves tightly against my body. Oh, what was I to do?

"That was the best birthday ever, Mr. Erik…"

I ran my hands through his locks, smiling as I did so.

"It's not over yet, boy… Now, go to the beach with your mother and I shall be back soon enough. Go and find some treasure, young pirate, and bring it to your captain later."

"I love you, Mr. Erik…"

Both Christine and I looked up at one another as he said those exact words. Love…I sighed and broke away from his grasp.

"Right…Go along now. I shall be joining you soon."

When Gustave was gone, Christine approached me and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Christine, I…"

But I never got to finish my sentence, for she pressed her lips against my own.

"Don't stay at work too long, Erik…I'm making a special dinner for the three of us."

"I'll be home around six, Christine. I just have some work in my office that needs to be taken care of."

"I trust that you won't be too long…I know how you can sometimes get into your work and forget about time. Just make sure that it's not the case for today. Your presence means everything to the boy."

I kissed Christine back and set my pocket watch for five thirty.

"And that's a promise, love…"

For the remainder of the afternoon, I worked in my office, filling out needed paperwork and other things like sending out pay checks, things that needed to be done in order to run a park. When my pocket watch began to chime, I knew that I had reached five thirty. After packing up and locking my office door, I headed home just as the street lamps were coming on.

"You're here," Christine seemed surprised when the door opened and I came walking through it.

"Of course I'm here…" I teased. "You said six, and I said that I would be here by six."

Christine took my coat and smiled. "Well, this means a lot to me, Erik. I know how you can get lost in your work at times…sometimes for days."

"I'm not the same man that I was before, Christine. I'm changed, and changed for the better."

"Sometimes I miss the old Phantom."

"Phantom? Oh, woman you're just as brainwashed as the others in Paris if you still believe in ghosts."

"Believing in ghosts is exactly what got me to believe in you, ange…Don't ever look down upon me for believing in ghosts, otherwise you and me would have never met."

"I wouldn't say that…I did, after, all show myself to you as a man. The whole ghost story didn't last that long…"

"It did for seven years."

"Wow, was it really that long?"

Before Christine or I could say another word, Gustave came running out into the hall.

"Mama, Mr. Erik, I'm waiting for dinner at the table!"

"Well, best to save this conversation for another time. Dinner awaits us and the birthday boy is really getting angry for keeping him away from his special dinner."

Dinner was lovely…But, how could I say such a thing about a single meal? It had been years since I had a dinner that I had enjoyed so much. I never did like eating, but for some reason, tonight, I was surrounded by love, and that was all I had ever wanted. When dinner was over, Christine brought out Gustave's cake and sat it down in front of him. Like the angel that Christine was, she sang happy birthday to the boy, and even though I had no idea what the lyrics were, I still tried to join along in the song with her. Oh, no one had ever sung this song to me…No one. My own mother never threw me a birthday party or a special dinner. No, my birth was simply something that wasn't worth celebrating…More like the most horrible day of her life. Who could blame her for thinking like that? I wasn't worth being happy over, and no one would ever feel the same way. Just sitting here in front of the boy was making me remember all of the birthdays I never got at home. And so, as soon as Gustave blew out his candles, I rose and patted the boy on the head.

"I…I'm not feeling well this evening, Gustave. I'm going to go up to my room and rest."

"But what about cake?" he whined. "You have to have cake, Mr. Erik…"

"Yes, Erik," Christine said. "You can't go to bed without a piece of cake."

"Perhaps later," I said, walking towards the stairs. "Happy birthday, Gustave, I'm glad you enjoyed your day."

For a few hours more, I stayed within the confinements of my room, drowning myself in my music in order to get the memory of my mother out of my head. I wasn't sure what time the door to my room opened, but when it did, I spun around to find Christine entering. She was carrying a tray and was wearing Gustave's pirate hat.

"Very amusing," I emotionlessly replied, turning back to my work. "You look like a real pirate…"

"Oh, I forgot that I was even wearing it…"

Christine removed the hat and placed it on my bed. "The real reason I came up here was to give you a piece of cake. You ran away before I could even cut you a piece…Why?"

"As you know, Christine, I've had a horrible life. It was filled with cruelty and abuse. Sometimes, I even get flash backs…Like tonight. When you were singing to the boy, I remembered my mother and how she never once did the same for me. It hurt me to think about it, which is why I escaped the entire situation."

"Erik," Christine crawled into my lap and pressed her head against my chest. "You don't have to think about that now…You're here, with me."

"I know, Christine, but the past still haunts me."

"It may haunt you, Erik, but you shouldn't have to worry…Gustave and I are here now and that's all that matters."

Christine handed me my slice of cake. "Here, eat this. It will keep your mind off of things."

The moment I took a bite into my slice of cake, I felt Christine's hands against my shirt, unbuttoning every button.

"Christine, what's this?"

Christine smiled devilishly and pressed a kiss to the side of my malformed mouth.

"Desert, Erik…"

I placed the remainder of the cake aside and began to kiss Christine. Oh, it felt so wonderful to be kissing this woman and having her want me just as I wanted her.

"Erik?"

"Yes, Christine?"

"Could I speak to you about something first?"

I broke away from our kiss, my eyes filled with concern.

"Yes, Christine?"

"We've been together for a few days now and I can't help but wonder…"

"Wonder what?"

"W…Would it be all right if I slept in here from now on? With you?"

I paused…If I agreed, it would be the end of my privacy. Privacy was a big thing for me, for without privacy, there was no living.

"Christine…"

"Yes, Erik?"

"I…I don't know. I just don't want to move too quickly."

"Please, Erik?"

And then, I kissed her again. "Anything for you, Christine."

Fluff! A few of you doubted that this chapter would be fluffy...But I'm not evil all the time...Haha. Please review everyone!