He never wanted it. Them. He never wanted one… much less two of them.

It wasn't fair, Erik decided. He had only just gotten Christine all to himself and now… this.

Not even a year since they had married--one year and two weeks since Christine had abandoned her perfectly handsome, safe vicomte for an occasionally sane criminal who is ugly as sin--that she had discovered that she was pregnant.

By nature, Erik was a selfish man. He never bothered to dispute the fact, nor did he make any apologies for it. He reasoned that someone who had to fight tooth and nail for even the basic comforts of life was exempt from the social obligation to… share. Even the very word disgusted him.

And now he was going to have to. With twins. And that was only the best case scenario. He was still not completely convinced that Christine was not going to wake up one day and leave him. And now that he had two more rivals for her love… he was almost positive.

He had been trying his best to keep his… reservations… to himself. He didn't want to upset Christine. If he was going to keep her after this, he couldn't afford to lose any points. And he was determined not to give up his wife without a fight.

But twins would be difficult. If there was only one, he could make it disappear rather easily. But with two… that would be complicated if not impossible to accomplish without Christine suspecting anything.

Frankly, he could not understand why Christine was so excited. From the beginning, they have been causing her nothing but pain. There was the stomach… unpleasantness… in the beginning… not to mention all the leg cramps and dizziness that followed a few weeks after.

Of course, Erik took each of her discomforts in stride, caring for her as meticulously as he always had… despite the fact that each episode threw him into a raging panic.

And then… that agonizing couple of weeks toward the end when she had been confined to bed rest. She had come to him--afraid that he'd be angry, of all things--and told him that she had been bleeding. His heart nearly stopped… even the assuring words of the midwife hadn't settled his spinning head. There is no need to worry, sir. This happens all the time with young mothers. I am sure your wife will be just fine. She just needs to stay off her feet for the remainder of her pregnancy.

Even if his own selfishness and fear had not given him enough cause to hate the parasite growing inside her… the fact that it caused his precious wife to suffer made him want to do something… unforgivable. If there had been a way to do so without injuring Christine, he might have been rid of it long ago.

But he could not… and here they were… on the day that 'it' became 'them'.

Even now, the parasites were causing her pain. Not even born yet and they were giving her more pain than his innocent girl had ever experienced.

Briefly, Erik wondered if he had caused his own mother this much pain the unfortunate day he entered the world. It didn't matter, he decided. He had done worse things.

Now that is a thought to ponder…

He quickly banished notions of his own hypocrisy. There were other things to worry about at present… like the fact that his wife could very well be dying in the next room.

The midwife seemed confident that everything would progress normally. However he couldn't stop thinking of the words he'd overheard Christine telling the woman. She thought he'd completely left the room, but he had been taking his time, wanting to stay with her as long as possible.

"If you have to choose… save my baby," she whispered, wincing in pain and panting heavily.

Oh no, you don't, Christine. Erik thought, absolutely horrified. He could not even believe that his wife would suggest such a thing. He would give her more children, if it was so important… but there was only one Christine. They had been through so much… he was not about to lose her.

He peeked inside the room and motioned for the midwife to come over. The woman instructed her young assistant to continue laying out the towels and other necessities while she went to have a word with the restless husband.

Erik led the woman down the hall, not wanting to risk Christine being with earshot. When they were far enough away, he stepped close and gently took the woman's elbow.

Very calmly and softly, he said, "Whatever happens, you will see to my wife."

The older woman smiled reassuringly and said, "There is nothing to worry about, sir. I have done this a hundred times and Christine is doing just fine."

Erik's narrowed eyes were the only indication of his change of mood. He shook his head and, even softer than before, said, "No, I don't think you understand. If she dies, I shall hold you personally responsible. Do I make myself clear? If anything happens to my wife, I will see to it that everything and everyone that you love is destroyed."

The level of his voice never rose, but by the time he had finished speaking, his grip on the midwife's elbow had tightened to near bruising. The poor woman just nodded; she'd save her soothing words for Christine. Whoever this Erik was, he was more than just another anxious father.

He hadn't been allowed in the room, an archaic rule that he was both irritated and thankful for. It distressed him that Christine was experiencing a pain that he could not stop. On the other hand, if something happened to the baby while he was in the room, she would most definitely blame him.

So, this is for the best, he told himself… just before he heard high-pitched scream, even worse than the others. Just seconds after he heard her cry out, he heard another kind of cry. He let out a relieved breath and took a step towards her door when, all of a sudden, he heard her scream again.

The little assistant poked her head out. "You have a son, sir," she said nervously, "And you have another on the way!"

Erik was speechless, but the girl did not wait for a reply anyway before she shut the door again.

Then there was more screaming… and more crying… until he could hear three distinct sobs in the room. The whole thing seemed contradictory to him. If it was such a supposedly joyous occasion… why were there so many pained noises? Why was everyone crying?

Erik continued to wait impatiently until the midwife had finished cleaning up and emerged from the room.

"Congratulations, sir," she said, "Your wife did wonderfully and you have two healthy baby boys. Would you like to go see them now?"

Erik nodded, curtly dismissing the woman as he strode resolutely into the room and to his wife's bedside.

Put his hand on her forehead. "How do you feel?"

She smiled weakly, but leaned into his touch. His cold hands felt good on her face. "Tired, but otherwise well."

His eyes never strayed from her face as he kissed her hands and stroked her hair, murmuring how much he loved her and how worried he had been. She patiently allowed him to continue his ministrations and repeatedly told him that she felt fine.

When, after several minutes had passed and he still seemed oblivious to all but her own well being, Christine asked, "Would you like to see your sons?"

Erik looked wary, but Christine squeezed his hand in reassurance. Reluctantly, he released her hand and walked over to the bassinet on the other side of the bed.

"Oh, Christine…"