Erik looked different, but the same. His hair was shorter, but his piercing green eyes and the way he carried himself had not changed and I could feel my heart skip a beat as they landed on me.

He smiled, but all I could do was stare in disbelief that my eyes were truly seeing him there. Erik turned to the pianist handing him a piece of paper, whispering something to him before he turned back to the crowd. 

As the pianist played, Erik's eyes stared into me. I felt my heart begin to melt at the sight of those eyes that I had dreamed of for years, that I had thought I would never see again.

"The day starts, the day ends, time crawls by. Night steals in, pacing the floor...The moments creep, yet I can't bear to sleep till I hear you sing and weeks pass, and months pass, seasons fly, still, you don't walk through my door...."

His voice filled my ears, soothing my soul with each note that danced in the air. The words he sang echoed the longing that had been aching inside my heart as the familiar sensation of mesmerization took hold.

"And in a haze, I count the silent days, till I hear you sing once more and sometimes in darkness I dream that you are there but wake holding nothing but the cold night air. And years come, and years go, time runs dry still, I ache deep in my core....."

I found myself standing as I slowly approached the stage as if his voice was a magnet pulling me towards him.  The people in the bistro seemed to be nothing more than backdrops on a stage as I stood in front of the stage, his hand outstretched to me as I placed my hands in his. 

He pulled me up onto the stage, his touch sent shivers down my spine as my heart pounded. I could feel the tears overflowing my eyes as my brain tried wildly to comprehend whether or not this was truly reality and not just a dream.

"My broken soul can't be alive or whole, till I hear you sing once more and music, your music it teases at my ear I turn and it fades away and you're not here...Let hopes pass, let dreams pass, let them die, without you, what are they for.....I'll always feel no more than halfway real, till I hear you sing once more....."

His hand was at the small of my back as he pulled me closer to him, the tears in his glistening against the light as the applause from the crowd seemed to fade. We gazed into each other's eyes as if we were both trying to comprehend if the other was real.

Erik raised his hand shakily to my face as he wiped a tear away, his eyes filled with adoration and disbelief.

"Celeste," He spoke in a tentative whisper as if he were afraid if he spoke too loud the moment would be broken.

I couldn't form words, feeling the tears overflowing my eyes as he gently led me off of the stage

"I've missed you," He told me as he pulled me into his warm embrace.

I felt myself sinking into it knowing how much I had longed to be in his arms again. 

"I-I thought you were dead, all these years, I thought you were-" 

"I know, Celeste, I know, but I'm here now, and I promise I will never leave you again," Erik whispered into my hair, his grip on me tightening slightly. 

I looked up at him as tears continued to stream down my face as the memories of that night at the Opera House overflowed my mind. The gunshot ringning in my ear, Erik bleeding out and I shook my head, knowing that his words couldn't be true. What if I lose him again and this time he never comes back?

Instead of voicing this, I forced a smile.

"And I will never leave you," I whispered back.

He took my cheek into his hand and caressed it with his thumb, his smile never leaving his face. Erik gazed into my eyes as he took a deep, shaky breath.

"There's so much I have to tell you," He told me softly.

"I know, and we'll have plenty of time to tell each other everything," I said, my tone returning the softness in his.

Erik's eyes searched mine for a moment and I could feel the weight of the 2 years that had passed without him weighing against my shoulders.

Suddenly Ayesha came running over, her eyes wide and tail standing on end. She began to purr loudly as she rubbed against Erik's leg. He bent down to scoop her up and she immediately began to nuzzle against his face.

He chuckled. "I had wondered, where you wandered off to, no doubt making sure you didn't get lost."

His eyes widened slightly as he looked up from the cat, and I followed his gaze toward Christine as she walked up to us, her yellow dress shimmering against the dim light of the Bistro.

"Christine?" He breathed out her name slowly, as if testing the air around us, his eyes searching her form as if she were a mirage.

"Did you think I would let her travel to New York all by herself?" Christine asked with a soft smile.

He didn't speak for a moment staring at her as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Something flickered in his eyes for a moment, an emotion that I couldn't quite pinpoint, but as fast as it came it quickly disappeared.

But not quick enough for me to not notice. I felt my stomach drop as I realized what it could mean.

"I'm glad you did, and I'm forever grateful for your help, Christine," Erik said as he set Ayesha down.

"It's the least I could do," she replied with a warm smile, and then she turned to me. "Now, I'll wait outside and keep an eye on Ayesha, you two must catch up with one another."

Erik watched her leave for a moment and I couldn't help but feel a sense of jealousy and sadness. Did he still have feelings for Christine?