Oh god the birth just kind of tenderized me to the bone. Again, I am a sucker for how you draw tension out from juxtaposing opposing elements: Azazel's new little family is the sweetest thing, but then you have Erik who loves Charles with an almost blind desperation, unable to give him the "brood" he wants. The nephew that Charles loves, the son that Raven's carried, is named to affirm the existence of her brother, but to protect that existence, he is not named. Erik builds bridges and 'holds' entire nations and lives in his hands, but he is terrified of dropping a baby. The things in the apartment stop resembling reminders of his confinement, and turn instead to 'old friends' (maybe the quality of inhibiting has influenced this). The baby as a metaphor for a perfect union (combining Az & Raven right down the middle), which, for their newfound relationship, Erik cannot grant.

Erik's first "love word". And for some reason, the visual recall of a train vs a baby's umbilical cord strikes me very deeply.

I feel so hard for this. Thank you for this update. For his inability to be 'human', Erik IS trying.