Hello! I am back from a particularly long hiatus, I'm terribly sorry, I simply was a mun without a muse. Forgive me, please forgive me.

Anyway, I have a little bit of story here for you, so I hope you all enjoy it, I had fun writing it once I got the inspiration! That was the tricky part...

A super huge thank you to guest, tinkmasked, ElauraGrave, River Price, and last but definitely not least, ShadowKissedDhampir! You are so supportive and you are what motivated me to get my lazy, uninspired self typing. Thank you.

As always, thanks a bunch to you all, and Happy Reading!

~TPWG

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Erik was not calming down at all, no matter how much Nadir tried to console him.

"Just relax, it'll all be okay," Nadir repeated.

"You . . . are starting to sound like . . . a broken record."

"I appreciate the compliment. Now calm down! For pity's sake, get your act together!"

"I can't do that," Erik replied between heavy breaths, his face white as ivory.

"Why not?"

"Is it really mine?"

"Without a doubt. And by the way, it's a she, not an it."

"And how do you not have any doubt in your mind? Hmm?"

"Because I was there! Alright? I know you, and I know that I was there when the baby was born! I had to rescue her immediately because I knew she would stir up trouble! I knew she'd follow in the same destructive patterns as you, my friend! I wanted to save her!"

"I'm so confused," Erik moaned, burying his uncovered face in his hands and squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them again, a tear slipped out and rolled down his marred cheek, making the tear-stain trail show up in the light. The look he gave Nadir was a hopeless one as his eyes returned to their normal shade of brown, a few gold flecks remaining suspended in his irises. His eyes were melancholy. His anger had dissipated. Now, all he felt was the hope draining from him.

"What do I do with it?" Erik asked, terrified.

"She, Erik, it is a she!"

"What do I do with her then?"

"It would appear as if you have a lot to learn."

"Well no shit," Erik snapped, glaring at Nadir.

"That attitude will get you nowhere."

"Obviously it's gotten me this far," he said impatiently, huffing and making a gesture to the stage around him.

"So it has, but I wasn't referring to affluence in society."

"Then what exactly were you referring to, Daroga?"

"The deeper meaning of life."

"I'm not positive I understand what you're saying," Erik said slowly.

"What's not to get?" Nadir asked him with a quizzical tone.

"Are you saying . . . do you want me to raise her?"

"Presumably what I was getting at," Nadir said tersely, folding his arms across his chest. "Or, as you so eloquently put it, no shit."

Erik groaned dejectedly, smacking his forehead. "Where is my mask?" He asked suddenly.

"It flew off when you fell."

"Where is it though?"

"Right here," Nadir said, waving his hand, the mask in his grip.

"So you have it," Erik said, his hope diminishing even further. "I need it back."

"I like it, actually."

"Good, I'm glad you like it. I like it on my face, so give it back."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, that is so. Therefore, like the good, supportive friend that you are, you should definitely give it to me. Now."

"I think you should give the child some attention."

"Mask first, child next. Give it."

"Ah ah ah, I don't think so."

"I don't really give a damn what you think, so I'll just take my mask back now!" Erik swiftly rose to his feet and quick as lightning was standing over Nadir, his bony frame towering above Nadir's shorter and stockier one. Nadir stepped back a few paces but Erik was quicker than him. By the time Nadir had stepped back, Erik had snatched the mask out of his hand and pressed it back onto his face. Smoothing his wig back down to his head, he let out a breath and massaged his temples.

"Why, Daroga? You come all this way, hand me a baby that has a messed up face, tell me it's mine just because of the face, and you just think I'm going to buy that crap and raise her?"

"I know it's yours," Nadir responded quietly.

"How? You gave a sorry explanation on that one, if you don't mind me saying it."

"I was there, I know she is your child!"

"But you aren't telling me HOW YOU KNOW!"

Just as Nadir was about to respond, the child in the basket started to cry. She grew louder and louder as the adults in the room kept yelling at each other until Nadir put a finger to his lips.

"Erik, shh."

"WHAT?! You don't just 'shh' me, you know better!"

"Shh! Someone's upset."

Erik turned around to face the stage and heard wailing coming from the basket. Erik turned around again to face Nadir and got a mild shove towards the stage, Nadir shooing him off to go take care of the malcontent infant.

"What do you want me to do? I haven't a clue what to do with her, I don't understand what's going on here, I can't process anything, and my brains are a veritable pile of useless mush." Erik thought for a moment. "Wait, wait wait wait wait wait, you brought the child here, why don't you take care of her? It works out, you've had time to get attached, you know how to handle infants, you're obviously better suited for the task than me, dear Daroga." Erik smiled half-heartedly at his conclusion and just as he was about to take off, Nadir laid his troubles out on the table.

"Erik! I'm nowhere NEAR through with you!" He said through gritted teeth. Straightening his astrakhan cap, he walked over to the stage, picked the basket up, turned around, and walked back to Erik. "Take the child out of the basket."

"She seems perfectly content, I don't see why I should disturb her-"

"Take. Her. Out. Or. I. Swear. You'll. Regret. It."

Erik saw the intense glare on Nadir's face, which didn't happen often, so Erik threw his hands up in mock surrender and gently rustled the blankets as he folded them back to expose the crying child.

Tear-stained, red in the face, disfigured on one side, but simply beautiful on the other. She had wisps of blonde hair that clung to her scalp for dear life. Her tiny little fingers attempted to shield her eyes from the bright lights in the concert hall and her pudgy little legs waved around as she squirmed in the blankets. Erik cautiously reached down into the basket, wary that something would go wrong. As she moved her little arms from her face, Erik saw her eyes.

Her eyes were hazel, with warm brown tones that looked just like his, and green hues that reminded him of what it felt like to be happy. He gasped slightly at this, then looked up at Nadir. Nadir gave a reassuring nod, and Erik held the child a little closer to himself, his fear slacking off and intensifying at the same time. He smoothed a wisp of her blonde hair back gently with his finger and gazed at her with a feeling that was completely new to him - genuine fondness. The infant's crying abated with Erik's gentle touch, and he keenly picked up on this. Erik, after just a few minutes of holding the child, broke into a whole-hearted smile. He reached out and touched the tip of her nose, making her giggle. Looking up at Nadir, he asked,

"Does she have a name?"

"No."

"No one bothered to name her?"

"No. I thought I'd leave that to you."

"Well," said Erik, "this is frightening. What do I do? How do I decide on a name? Why was this left up to me? Oh God! What if I give her a name and later on she hates it? What if-"

"Relax," Nadir said, trying to get Erik to calm down. "Yes, it's a responsibility, yes, choose well, but it isn't worth hyperventilating over!"

Erik glanced up at Nadir, swallowed the lump in his throat, and tried to think.

"How about . . ." Erik started nervously, "Erika Rose?"

Just as Erik was waiting for his idea to get shot down, the infant giggled and gave him a big toothless grin.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she likes it," Nadir noted after several seconds of silence, smiling softly.

"Erika Rose it is then," Erik whispered to her. "Hello, little one, you're home now."

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So, is anyone else just gushing right now? Let me know what you think in the comments, and I will try to write more soon. Thanks for reading! :)

~TPWG