Mirror

Erik ignored her comment, instead continuing to flip rapidly through the pages, the people and events of his not so distant past appearing in front of him. He stumbled to the piano bench, his eyes never breaking from the pages.

Sarah remained frozen in place, her astonished gaze matching his own. She watched as he turned to the final pages, his jaw tightening, and she realized he was reading of his own supposed death.

"Erik?"

He threw the book down and Sarah knew his pain was not false. It was real....as was he.

"I cannot explain this," Erik rasped, pointing to the discarded book.

"Anymore than I can explain that." He gestured grandly towards the mirror.

Still silent, Sarah could only watch as Erik stood and looked out the picture windows into an unfamilar landscape.

"Where is this? When is this?" he asked softly.

"Oh no you don't!" Sarah's prior anger mixed with her confusion. "Before I answer where and when...."

She swallowed her fear, quickly closing the space between them. She pulled hard on his arm, forcing him to look directly at her. "You tell me who."

Erik looked down; Sarah followed his gaze to her hand upon his arm and quickly released him.

"Sarah, you apparently know far more about me than I do you."

"So you're saying that it..." she indicated the book. "Is true?"

"Some. I am obviously neither old or dead." Erik regarded her with a wry look. "Yet."

"And that mirror was...."

"The one in Christine's dressing room? Yes..." His green eyes seem to cloud with memories. "Yes it was."

Erik walked over to the imposing piece. "When the front portion, this here, was taken, I had already removed the other half after...after she left."

He touched the frame gently. "I moved it to my home, stood it in a bare corner...kept it covered."

Erik looked back at Sarah. "I've never been much for mirrors, you see."

She nodded. "So why here?"

He began to pace the room in much the same manner Sarah had earlier. "I kept it covered for over a year. For some reason I decided to look at it again. And I saw myself...horrid as that was...but the scene beyond the reflection was..."

"Scene?"

"Different from here, but certainly not the Opera, or even Paris." He shrugged. "I covered it agian, certain that I was going mad."

He began to walk back to her. "But each time I returned, the place was different. I started to leave it uncovered....curiosity I guess. I could see and hear what was beyond the glass, but was never heard, never seen."

Erik stopped, only inches between them. "Until now."

"So..." she hissed. "You just decide to step through and take advantage of the first available woman...is that it?"

"I'd never been able to step through until the lightning hit."

"But you saw me...before then?"

"Yes." Erik glanced back at the mirror. "I saw you at the antique store."

He looked back at her, meeting her eyes. "I saw the look on your face when you decided to buy the mirror."

Sarah forced herself to stay focused. "And just what look was that?"

"The pull of fate upon you....guiding you."

"Ha!" That's a good one. "Fate...is that what you call what happened this morning? Because in 2005 we call it assault!"

Erik's head bowed in immediate consession. "My anger....took over...I thought...when I...heard you sing this morning. He hit his fist into the wall. "I was...about to lose someone because of....this." He gestured towards his face.

"You assume much. The face I saw was nothing compared to..." Sarah broke off at the overwhelming memory

"I make no excuses. It was unforgiveable."

Then why do I want to forgive you? She sniffed and gathered strength again. "Fate? How the hell do I know you aren't imprinting whatever you felt for Christine onto me?"

There was utter silence in the room. Erik debated on turning away, disappearing again, walking into familar loneliness.

Instead he moved slowly, praying she would not bolt, that this...whatever they might become was not damaged beyond hope.

"What I felt, everything I felt...died the day she left."

A single tear escaped her eyes.

"I thought I died as well."

Sarah's breath caught...this pain she understood far too well.

"Then I heard you."