We walked side by side through Covent Park until we reached Drury Lane and slipped into the spectacular theatre. The sheer size and grandeur of the theatre had me breathless. We'd snuck in through one of the rear doors and were immediately caught up in the backstage whirlwind. We darted our way through the sea of dancers, props, and sets out to the house and up to an empty box on the fourth floor. From our perch we could look down on the humans as they chattered, waiting for the show to begin.

"What is this place Munkustrap?" I asked, starry eyed.

"This is the Theatre Royal. The humans assemble here every few nights to watch each other sing and dance and play music. The stories they tell, the music they create... It's simply incredible," he said with a distant look on his face, plainly reliving his memories of the theatre.

"It's the same every time?"

"Oh Heavyside no. That's the beauty of it all. Even when they're performing the same show it's never the same. Just like every Ball is unique, every one of these is unique. This performance, though, I heard the humans speaking of. It's meant to be one of the most beautiful of all."

"What is it?"

"It's called Swan Lake."

The lights dimmed, voices hushed, and the orchestra began to play. The curtain raised and I was taken into another world. The first dances were riveting, but it wasn't until the prince first approached Odette that I was truly enthralled. The way she spoke with her body was a sight to behold. I could feel her fear as the prince approached her. Even after he'd laid down his crossbow I could sense her nervousness. The way the emotion flowed from their bodies was utterly intoxicating. I couldn't pull my eyes away for even a moment throughout the performance. My heart broke for Odette at the close of act three, and I found myself blinking back tears.

Act four, though, was the most beautiful of all. Watching them dance and expressing their love was encapsulating. As they danced the finale I turned and faced Munkstrap. I could see on his face that he was equally captivated and, if I wasn't mistaken, quite smitten and enamored with the story. He looked so innocent, so loving. If I'd had any doubts about my feelings for him before then, they were long gone.

As the curtain fell, we were both drying tears from our eyes, hoping the other wasn't noticing. We slipped out the same door we'd entered through, not saying a word. The moment we'd exited the theatre, we were both gushing.

"Everlasting that was amazing Munkustrap! The développés, the jetés and grand jetés! Bast, what I wouldn't give to be able to dance like that. All of them with such perfect synchronicity! And the prince! Even his pirouettes were absolutely sublime!"

Munkustrap chuckled as he led us to our next destination. "I think the only things I understood there were the part about how synchronized they were and the bit about the prince's twirls being really good. But I'll take your word for all of it."

"Oh, right. I get a bit carried away when it comes to dance..." I blushed brightly and hung my head.

I felt Munkustrap's paw beneath my chin as he raised my head up again. "It's alright. It's endearing," he said, giving me a little touch on the nose. "Now come on, there's one last thing I want to show you." He led me through the streets of London, into a large building and up to its roof. He led me to the edge and showed me the square below. For the second time that night I felt myself completely breathless, stunned by the view before me. Below there were humans bustling around in the glow of neon lights, and there was a sea of twinkling street lamps as far as the eye could see. We sat there on the edge of the roof, looking out at the view.

"Where are we Munk?" I asked, trying to drink it all in at once.

"This is Picadilly Circus. It's beautiful here, isn't it?" I couldn't find the words to describe the wonder I was feeling, so I merely nodded my affirmation. "I always thought that one day I'd be here with..." His voice trailed off and I could see the emotion written on his face. I took his paw in mine and gave him a gentle nuzzle. I laid my head on his shoulder, resting my free paw on his knee. I felt him nuzzling me back as we sat there together looking out at the world before us. It felt like we'd truly escaped from the world and were looking down with the eyes of the Everlasting, observing the machinations working away. Any worries, any cares, just seemed to melt away into the dark. In those moments nothing else mattered. It was just the two of us, there, together. Eventually Munk broke the serene silence. "It's rather late now Misto. We really ought to be heading back to the yard."

"Just a few moments more?"

"Alright."

"Thank you Munk."

"What for?"

"For all of this tonight. The food, the ballet, and now this spectacular view. It's been beautiful. All of it." I looked up into his eyes and saw him smiling at me.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it Misto. I loved it too," he said as he put his arm around my shoulders.

Maybe it was the way he looked in the glow of the light, maybe it was the beauty of where we were, maybe it was something else, but before I knew what I was doing, something took hold of me and I closed the gap between us and pressed our lips together.