"Alright, I think we're ready," the midwife nodded.

Erik nodded back at her, looking over at Charlotte. "I have to go, love, though I hate to do that," he said quietly. "You'll be alright. The midwife is going to take good care of you."

"No, no, please don't go," Charlotte begged. "Please."

"Love, I don't know if I can stay," Erik replied, looking to the midwife for some form of guidance.

"You may stay if you wish," the midwife nodded. "Make your decision quickly."

"Okay, Charlotte, I'm going to stay. It'll be alright," he said, looking back to his wife and giving her hand a quick squeeze.

Charlotte gave a nod, clutching his hand tightly in hers.

"Alright. Let's get on with this, then, shall we?" The midwife nodded.

"I would imagine Charlotte is anxious to do so," Erik said.

Charlotte nodded, gripping his hand tighter as another contraction hit her.

Erik didn't feel helpless very often, but this was one occasion where he felt nothing but helpless. His wife was in the most pain she'd ever been in and he could do nothing to help. "You're doing so well, love," he said as the contraction passed and Charlotte leaned back on her pillow. "Just take a deep breath."

"God, it hurts. Please tell me it's over," Charlotte whimpered.

"Almost, love. You're doing wonderful," Erik said gently.

Charlotte nodded weakly, crying out as another contraction washed over her.

Erik winced a bit as she practically crushed his hand, but as she settled back onto the bed, his head popped up when he heard little cries. Looking over to the midwife, he smiled wide when he saw her hold up their baby. "Congratulations. You have a little girl," she said as she went to clean the baby up.

"That felt like death," Charlotte sighed.

"I'm sure, but it's over. You did it. And now look. We have a daughter," Erik said softly, kissing Charlotte's forehead.

The midwife placed the baby in Charlotte's arms. "Look," the mother said softly. "Oh, Erik, she's beautiful."

Erik looked down at his daughter and couldn't help but tear up when he saw her. She was absolutely perfect, though his heart dropped when he saw the twisted flesh surrounding her right ear. "She truly is. Though she did inherit a bit of both our genetics," he said as he gently stroked the baby's head.

"That's okay. It's just another thing to make her unique," Charlotte said as the baby opened her eyes. "Hello, baby girl. You need a name, don't you?"

"She does, doesn't she?" Erik said softly. "Did you have any ideas, love?"

"What about Angelina?" Charlotte asked, kissing her daughter's little forehead.

"Angelina Destler. Perfect."

"It does sound wonderful," Charlotte smiled. "Thank you for staying with me."

"Of course, love. Once I heard I could, I knew I was going to. You needed support."

"I appreciate that," Charlotte said softly, staring down at their daughter. "She's so tiny."

"I know. She's precious," Erik said, his eyes not leaving the baby for even a second.

"You should sit on the bed so that you can hold her," Charlotte nodded.

"Oh, I...I don't know, love. She seems pretty comfortable where she is with you."

"You should hold her," Charlotte said softly. "Come on."

"I...I don't want to drop her," Erik finally admitted.

"You won't, darling. I'll make sure of it," Charlotte smiled. "Come on."

Erik nodded, getting to his feet and stepping back so the midwife could finish changing the sheets on the bed before he walked to the other side of the bed and got in next to Charlotte. "What do I do?" he asked, looking to his wife.

"Just position you're arms like mine," Charlotte nodded.

Taking a quick look at her, Erik folded his arms as Charlotte did, holding his breath as she placed his daughter in his arms. "Hello, little one," he said softly.

"Breathe," Charlotte chuckled. "She's so cute."

Angelina was quiet for the briefest of moments before she began to cry, and Erik immediately stiffened when she did. "Charlotte, what do you think she needs?" he asked, starting to bounce the baby in his arms.

"She needs to nurse, Monsieur. Just pass her over to her mother," the midwife said softly.

"I think it's something different. Could you leave us for a moment?" Charlotte asked.

The midwife nodded, stepping out of the room.

Charlotte waited until the door was shut before slipping off Erik's mask, and Angelina immediately stopped her wails.

"That was it?" Erik asked, looking down and meeting Angelina's eyes. "You don't like the mask either, hm?"

"It appears so," Charlotte nodded. "Look, she appears to be smiling."

Erik nodded. "I see that. She's so sweet, my goodness."

"She really is," Charlotte grinned. "Is this your first time holding a baby?"

Erik nodded. "It is, yes," he said, still gently bouncing Angelina in his arms.

"Isn't it incredible?" Charlotte asked with a smile, kissing his cheek. "Look at what we've created."

"It is amazing, yes. It never ceases to amaze me that someone like me can create something so perfect."

"It's remarkable," Charlotte nodded as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I love her."

"I love her too. Although...oh, never mind," Erik said with a shake of his head. "I'll keep that thought to myself for now."

"No, tell me," Charlotte chuckled.

"It's just something about this moment that somehow manages to make me sad," Erik admitted. "It makes me realize how much I missed with Gustave. I never got to hold him like this. And I truly wish I did now that I'm holding her."

"You didn't know Christine got pregnant," Charlotte said softly. "If you'd found out, I know you would have gone back to her."

"I know. I feel like I can't help but hold it against myself a little. If I hadn't left at all, things would have been so different." Erik shook his head. "But I shouldn't say that when my wife is next to me. I'm sorry, it probably doesn't make you feel very good when I talk about wishing I'd stayed with another woman."

"I understand. It's okay," Charlotte shrugged. "You should go tell Papa and Gustave the news."

"I will," Erik said with a nod as he looked over at Charlotte. "You know I'm very happy with you, right? I did love Christine, but you are my wife. I love you. I wouldn't want to be anywhere other than here with you...and this little one," he added as he turned back to Angelina just as she started to fuss, her little hand grabbing onto his shirt. "I think she might be hungry now, though, which I cannot help with."

"Not likely, unless there's something you'd like to tell me," Charlotte giggled. "Just pass her back to me."

"There isn't, no, so I'll hand her over," Erik said with a laugh as he carefully gave Angelina to her mother. "And so the motherly duties begin."

"Prepare to start being ignored," Charlotte chuckled, shifting her attention to Angelina as she cried out. "I know, dear. Give me a moment. This nightgown wasn't made for breastfeeding."

"If it means she's taken care of, I'll gladly be ignored," Erik said. "Do you need me to hold her again for a moment, or are you alright?"

"It's okay," Charlotte shrugged. "She's just getting impatient. Nothing I can't handle. Go make sure the midwife has left and tell Papa and Gustave the news."

"Okay. I'll be back shortly." Erik gave her a kiss before he climbed off the bed and walked downstairs. "Did the midwife leave, Nadir?" he asked as he made his way into the parlor.

"Yes, she did," Nadir nodded, setting aside his newspaper. "I take it we have a new addition?"

"We do, yes. A little girl."

"That's wonderful," Nadir smiled. "You should go tell Gustave. He's in the kitchen, curled up in a corner."

"Oh, the poor boy. Yes, I'll go check on him. Thank you, Nadir," Erik said as he hurried off to the kitchen and over to Gustave, who was indeed in the corner, trying to read his book. "Hello, Gustave. Are you okay?"

Gustave nodded. "Is Charlotte alright?"

"She's just fine. And guess what?" Erik asked as he kneeled next to his son. "You have a little sister. Just like you wanted."

"Really?!" Gustave grinned, quickly putting his book aside.

Erik nodded. "Charlotte had a baby girl."

"Can I go see them? Please?"

"Charlotte was just feeding the baby, so they need privacy for a few minutes. I'll go check on them in a moment, and you can come up if she's finished. Alright?"

"She might need you," Gustave nodded. "You should go be with her."

"I can't be of much service when it comes to feeding the little one. She'll be fine if I stay for a moment with you," Erik said with a smile. "Thank you for being so good today. I know it was probably very difficult for you."

"It was a little scary," Gustave admitted. "She is okay, right?"

"Yes, she is absolutely fine. She'll be in some pain for a couple of days as her body recovers, but it all went smoothly, considering how long it took," Erik replied.

"Okay, good," Gustave nodded. "Is there something we can do to help?"

"Just give her lots of love and affection, and help with the baby if we can. That's about it, I'm afraid. Her body needs to heal on its own."

"Okay," Gustave said before giving a thoughtful frown. "Maybe we could get her something."

"We could. A little gift could be nice," Erik said with a smile. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Maybe a necklace or a bracelet," Gustave smiled.

"Perfect. We can go out and look for one soon. Maybe in a couple of days so I can be here to help if I need to, alright?"

"Okay," Gustave grinned. "Can we go up now?"

"Yes, let's go. I'll just step in first to check on them and I'll bring you in," Erik said, standing up and taking his son's hand to lead him upstairs. As Gustave waited outside the bedroom, Erik slowly stepped into the room. "How are you both?" he asked softly.

"Good," Charlotte whispered with a smile. "She's falling asleep."

"Can Gustave come in?"

"Of course," Charlotte nodded. "Bring him in."

Erik smiled at her before he poked his head out the door. "Come in, Gustave. Just be quiet, though. The baby's falling asleep," he said.

"Okay," Gustave whispered, stepping in. "Hi."

"Hello," Charlotte smiled. "Come sit with me."

Erik gave Gustave a nod and the boy hurried over to the bed, carefully climbing onto it to sit next to Charlotte. "She's so small," he whispered.

"Do you want to hold her?" Charlotte asked softly.

"Can I?" he asked, looking between her and his father. "I really want to."

"Of course," Charlotte nodded, kissing his cheek.

"Just hold your arms like this," Erik said, walking over to him and helping him fold his arms. "Then make sure to hold her little head up, alright?"

"Okay," Gustave smiled.

Charlotte gently placed the baby in his arms. "Meet Angelina, your sister."

Gustave grinned. "Her name is so pretty. Like her," he said softly, smiling at the sleeping baby in his arms.

"Thank you," Charlotte said softly, smiling as Angelina made a little noise in her sleep and gripped onto Gustave's shirt.

"Dreaming already, I see," Erik said as he slowly sat down on the bed beside Gustave and reached behind him to hold Charlotte's hand.

"Thank you," she mouthed silently, sending him a quick smile.

Erik smiled back at her. "You're welcome," he mouthed back, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

—————

Charlotte gently laid Angelina in her crib before climbing back into bed with her husband. "She's so precious," she whispered.

"She is. I almost can't take it," Erik said with a quiet laugh.

"I can't either," Charlotte smiled, kissing his cheek. "Could you turn out the light?"

"Of course," Erik replied as he reached over to turn out the lamp. "Try and rest, love. I know you're probably still sore."

"Very," Charlotte nodded, cuddling into his side. "I will admit that it's quite uncomfortable."

"Well, I would think so, considering what I saw you go through."

"I'm surprised it didn't make you ill," Charlotte chuckled, kissing his cheek. "Thank you for staying with me."

"I did feel a bit light headed at one point, but I managed," Erik admitted. "And you're welcome. I hated the thought of leaving you to go through that with no one to hold your hand."

"I appreciate that," Charlotte smiled. "Speaking of which, how's your hand?"

"It's sore, but I don't believe I have authority to speak on pain at the moment," Erik replied.

"That's okay," Charlotte chuckled. "I love you so much."

"I love you too. You did incredible today. Stronger than I could ever dream of being."

"Thank you," Charlotte said softly, kissing his cheek again. "We should get to sleep."

"We should, yes. Who knows how long we have before that little one wakes up?" Erik chuckled, gesturing to the bassinet where Angelina was sleeping.

"Precisely," Charlotte chuckled. "Goodnight, my love."

"Goodnight, Charlotte," Erik replied, kissing the top of her head before he shut his eyes to try and sleep.

Charlotte rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as well as she snuggled close to her husband.

Within a couple of hours, though, Erik's mind was torturing him again with the horrible thoughts that so often plagued him. He managed to hold in a cry so he wouldn't wake his daughter, but he still shot up in bed, chest heaving and tears in his eyes.

Though he didn't cry out, the sudden movement was enough to wake his wife. "Darling?" She whispered. "What's wrong?"

"Just a nightmare again," he replied, putting his head in his hands. "You died in childbirth and...and I was left alone with a child. Again."

Charlotte slowly sat up in bed and pulled him close. "Shh, it's alright, my darling."

"I know, I just...I can't lose you too. Not like I lost Christine," Erik said, her name being enough to send him into a fit of tears as he held Charlotte close.

"You won't, my love, I promise. Don't cry," his wife replied softly as she rubbed his back. "Everything's okay."

"God, I thought the nightmares had gone away. I suppose I spoke too soon."

"Poor dear," Charlotte sighed. "It's going to be okay."

"Well, so much for sleeping tonight," Erik said with a sigh as he pulled away from Charlotte and leaned against the headboard.

"Why don't you hold the baby?"

"I don't want to wake her," Erik said, glancing over at the bassinet.

"She'll be fine." Charlotte carefully got out of bed and gently lifted Angelina out of her crib. "Do you want to hold her?"

"If you think she'll be alright, then I will."

"She'll be perfectly fine," Charlotte nodded, resting the baby in Erik's arms.

Erik smiled, holding Angelina close and simply watching her sleep. "I hope she won't wake up. I'll feel bad if she does," he whispered as he started to gently bounce her in his arms.

"I'm sure she'll be perfectly okay, dear. Don't worry," Charlotte chuckled.

"I know, I'm sorry," Erik said with a quiet laugh. "I'm new to this, I'm going to worry."

"I know," Charlotte chuckled, letting the baby wrap her little fist around her finger. "She's strong."

"She is. Like her mother."

"She gets it from you too."

Erik shrugged. "I don't know about that," he said softly.

"You're very strong, darling," Charlotte replied with a nod.

Erik looked over at her. "I know you think so," he whispered.

"That's because it's true," Charlotte smiled, kissing his cheek.

Erik smiled at his wife before he looked down back at his daughter. "Do you think she'll struggle with it much? Her...deformity," he said quietly.

"I don't think so," Charlotte shrugged. "It's only around her ear. She'll be able to hide it easily."

Erik nodded. "I would hate for her to have to deal with anything the two of us did."

"Well, we didn't have parents to look out for us. We can be there for her," Charlotte nodded. "Everything will be perfectly fine."

"I hope so. I want to give her the best I can. We're going to do that together," he said, reaching over and taking Charlotte's hand in his.

"Yes, we will," she smiled, turning her attention to Angelina as the baby began to fuss.

"I figured it was only a matter of time," Erik said, bouncing the baby in his arms and hushing her. "It's alright, my darling."

When Angelina still continued to fuss, despite her father's attempts to calm her, Charlotte thought for a moment before looking over at the two. "Hold her to your chest and rub her back," she said softly.

Erik followed her instructions, gently starting to rub Angelina's back. "She's just fussy?" he asked. "Or there's a reason for this?"

"She's just fussy," Charlotte chuckled. "I just fed her, so she shouldn't be hungry yet."

Erik nodded, slowly climbing out of the bed so he could walk around with the baby. "It's okay, my angel," he whispered as he gently rubbed her back. "You're alright."

After a little while of doing so, Angelina finally calmed down and fell asleep on his chest, making Charlotte smile.

"There we go," Erik whispered, still gently bouncing her in his arms.

"She loves you," Charlotte whispered.

"I hope so," her husband replied. "There's that tiny bit of doubt in the back of my mind. As per usual."

"Don't doubt it," Charlotte said softly. "She does love you."

Erik nodded and gently kissed the top of her head. "And I love her," he said.

Charlotte smiled fondly at the both of them. "I love you both."

"We love you too," Erik said as he carefully put Angelina down into her cot.

"I appreciate that," Charlotte chuckled. "Come back to bed and cuddle me."

"That I can do," Erik replied as he walked back over to their bed and climbed in next to her, wrapping her in his arms.

"I love you so much, Erik," Charlotte mumbled, burying her face in his chest.

"I love you too," he whispered. "How are you feeling?"

"Still sore, but I'll be okay," Charlotte smiled. "Thank you."

"Of course. I want to make sure you're feeling as good as you can after what you did today."

"I'll be fine," Charlotte nodded. "Let's get some sleep before she wakes up again."

"We should, though I'm not eager to get back to sleep," Erik admitted.

"It's going to be just fine," Charlotte said softly. "Try to rest your eyes."

Erik sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "Isn't sleep supposed to give you energy? Rejuvenating?" he asked. "It is anything but that for me most of the time."

"If only we knew why these nightmares kept persisting," Charlotte sighed.

"I wish we did. You would think that after coping with them all my life, I would be used to it, but no. They're so different every time...I can't really be ready for them."

"No matter how much I think I've finally learned to manage them, I'm always wrong," he added quietly.

"Well, at least I can help a bit when you do have them," Charlotte nodded, kissing his cheek. "Get some rest now, darling."

"I'll make an effort," Erik replied, pulling the covers over the two of them and wrapping his arms tightly around Charlotte. "Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight."