Wanted

Chapter 16

(7 months later)

Erik absolutely hated the fact that he couldn't be in the room while Christine was giving birth. His back was pressed up against the door and he cringed every time he heard Christine scream in pain.

He had been sitting outside the door for five hours. Madame Giry was in the room with Christine while James and Nadir were somewhere in the house.

"Erik, James and I made lunch. You should come eat." Nadir said when he walked up.

"I have to stay here. If anything happens, and I'm not here, I'll hate myself forever." Erik pointed out and Nadir just shook his head.

"You're being melodramatic." Nadir said as he walked away. Erik leaned back against the door and waited for it to open. Erik heard more screams from Christine and it took all of his willpower to not knock down the door and run in there.

Erik waited for an hour until finally he heard a baby cry. Tears brimmed the edges of Erik's eyes when the doctor opened the door and let him in. Erik ran over to Christine's side an gazed at the small bundle in her arms.

"Erik, meet your son." Christine whispered and he sobbed as Christine handed him their son. The first thing Erik did was pull down the blanket to check his face for a deformity. To Erik's horror, a small scar ran down the right side of the child's face. Nothing extreme, but it made Erik feel bad.

"What's his name?"

"Gustave Erik Destler." Christine whispered with a smie. Erik placed a tender kiss on his son's forehead. Gustave's eyes fluttered open at the sudden contact and he gazed up at his father.

"Welcome to the world, Gustave. I'm your father and I love you very much." Erik said and Christine let a few tears escape her eyes as she watched the scene unfold.

"Darling, take off your mask." Christine said and Erik immediately shook his head. Christine gave him a stern look so he raised a shaky hand to his face and pulled off the mask. Gustave didn't react and Erik took that as a good sign. Erik cried again as he held his son close to him.

"I never thought I would be a father, Christine." He admitted as he handed the small child back over to it's mother. Christine cradled the small child in her arms before looking over at her husband.

"The world is full of many surprises." Christine said and Erik nodded. He would be the first to agree with that. He never thought that he would have a wife, or own an opera house, or have a child for that matter. As he was thinking this, the door busted open and in stepped Madeline Destler.

"I told you I'd be back." She said as she smirked at Erik.

"Get out." He sneered and he stood up in front of Christine and his child in protection. Christine held the child closer to her chest as Madeline came closer.

"I need to talk to you." Madeline said and Erik looked back at his wife who was shaking in fear. He looked back at Madeline and pointed to the door.

"We'll talk in the hall then." He said and they walked out into the hall. Erik shut the door behind him and glared at his mother. "What do you want?"

"Despite your beliefs, I want to be apart of this child's life." Madeline admitted and Erik shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Why should I let you? After all you've done to me?" Erik asked and Madeline sighed.

"I've always wanted to be a grandma. This is my chance." Madeline said with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"I'll make a decision later. There's already enough going on right now." Erik said before walking back inside the room.

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(1 month later)

Erik swiftly played a melody on the piano before quickly writing the notes down on sheet music before the melody escaped his mind. He smiled to himself as the song came along. Once the melody was there, the lyrics came to him rather quickly.

"Shh, Gustave. Don't cry." Erik heard Christine soothe the child who was crying. His poor wife hadn't gotten much sleep at all since the birth of their child. The new parents could never get Gustave to stop crying, but Erik was about to solve that problem with a little thing he liked to call the power of the music.

He stood from the piano bench, cracked his knuckles, and walked towards the nursery. Christine was sitting in the rocking chair trying to rock Gustave to sleep. Erik walked over to them and picked up the crying baby. Gustave stopped crying for a second as he gazed at the masked man, but it was short lived.

"Follow me, Christine." Erik said as he walked back towards the music room. When they reached their destination, Erik handed Gustave back to Christine before sitting at the piano. "He'll be asleep in no time." Erik said confidently as he started playing the quiet, eery melody.

"A gentle breeze from hushabye mountain
Softly blows over lullaby bay,
It fills the sails of boats that are waiting,
Waiting to sail your worries away

It isn't far to hushabye mountain,
And your boat waits down by the quay.
The winds of night so softly are singing,
Soon they will fly your troubles to sea

So close your eyes on hushabye mountain,
Wave goodbye to cares of the day,
And watch your boat from hushabye mountain
Sail far away from lullaby bay

So close your eyes on hushabye mountain,
Wave goodbye to cares of the day,
And watch your boat from hushabye mountain
Sail far away from lullaby bay

Sail far away from lullaby bay"

Erik quietly sang the last note and let it float in the air. He looked over at Christine who was holding a sleeping Gustave. Erik smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his son's temple.

Christine mouthed a thank you to Erik before taking Gustave to his crib. Who would ever guess that the opera ghost could be the best father?

Cast:
Erik Destler ~ Ramin Karimloo
Christine Destler ~ Sierra Boggess
Nadir Kahn ~ Nadim Naaman
James Destler ~ Michael Crawford
Madeline Destler ~ Helena Bonham Carter