Erik woke up from the greatest sleep he had ever had. Katja was curled up in his arms, her head tucked under his chin. Their bodies fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. While Katja slept, he studied her. She was by far the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, but much to his dismay, it was going to all end later today unless he could find some way to convince her to stay. He placed a kiss on her forehead before climbing out of bed. After pulling on his pants, Erik left her to sleep.

He found himself pacing in the kitchen a few minutes later, regret consuming him. It would be a lie to say that he didn't enjoy last night, but it was nothing more but setting himself up for an even bigger heartbreak. Katja needed to see her family, he knew that. She needed to know that she was still loved and missed by them. Erik was being selfish by wanting her stay.

The sound of footsteps caused him to turn. Katja stood in the doorway, wearing nothing but the shirt he had discarded last night. She gave him a soft smile before closing the gap between them and pressed her lips to his in a slow, lingering kiss. Erik turned his head away. "Nadir should be here soon," he said, cursing the fact he couldn't come up with anything better to say. But he didn't want to get hurt any more. Distancing himself was the only way he could think of to avoid the pain.

Katja stared at him, her feelings obviously hurt. Erik felt bad instantly, especially after what they had done last night. He caressed her cheek gently, trying to make up for his cool indifference. "You don't want him to see you like that do you?" he asked teasingly, trying to downplay what he had said.

"I suppose not," she replied coldly. Her eyes and tone betrayed the fact that she still felt hurt. "I'll go get dressed."

She spun around and started to head back into her room. "Katja," he called. She paused and looked back at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm just worried about getting you home safely."

"You'll be there with me," Katja assured him. "Everything will be okay."

Erik nodded. "I sure hope so," he muttered so that she couldn't hear.

Garridan was frustrated beyond belief. "How the hell are we supposed to find her in here? We've been searching this building all night! Next time you decide to follow the advice of a drunk, leave me out of it!"

"I decided?!" Cato shouted. "This was your plan! You were the one who'd thought we'd look for them! There's not a trace of anyone ever being here! All I see is ash and rubble!"

"I'm done with this! I'm going back! You can find her yourself since you went and lost her!" Garridan shouted. He stormed out the door and froze when he saw a dark man slip into what once was a stable. As quietly as he could, Garridan followed him inside. The man pressed on a wall, which slid open to reveal a doorway. The gypsy watched in disbelief as the man disappeared through the door and it closed leaving behind what looked like a perfect wall.

"Cato!" he shouted, as he ran back inside the main building. He skidded to a halt in front of his brother, his eyes wide. "You're never going to believe what I just saw."

Katja was torn on what to do. She wasn't so sure she wanted to go home anymore. Her family was there, and she truly did want to see them more than anything, but she was scared of what would happen once she was reunited with them. Despite Erik's reassurances, she was terrified of rejection.

And whether her family wanted her back or not, Katja didn't think she could stand losing Erik either. She knew that he didn't want to go to Germany. It was obvious. And she knew that he would refuse to stay long. But every time she tried to voice her doubts, Erik would push them aside and insist that going was the right thing and say that everything would be okay and needn't worry. Katja just hoped there was some way she could convince him to stay.

She could hear Nadir talking with Erik. His arrival meant they were leaving soon. Katja quickly got dressed and packed what few things were still out. When she was finished, she found herself lingering by the door listening to their conversation. "You'll take care of Cesar while I'm gone?" she could hear Erik ask.

"Absolutely. You know, I only gave you that horse because I didn't think he would grow into much. He was a small and scrawny foal; one I didn't think had much of a chance."

"And so you gave him to me to die, and when he grew up into one of the best horses alive just to spite you, you've been trying to get him back."

"You two are a good pair for each other," Nadir said. "But damn he's a fine horse."

"Just until I get back," Erik reminded him firmly.

"You mean if you come back," Nadir pointed out.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Just a thought. Perhaps you may find yourself enjoying Germany. You may find another reason to stay." Katja gasped when she realized that Nadir was alluding to her. Had Erik told him what they had done last night? Or was Nadir just assuming that Erik had feelings for her?

Katja opened the door, revealing herself to the two men. "Good morning," Nadir said the moment she appeared.

"Are you ready to go?" Erik asked her.

She nodded. "Ja, und dir?"

"Nearly," he replied. "I just need to pack a few more things."

Nadir checked his watch. "Well you might want to finish that. Your train leaves in a few hours. It wouldn't do for you two to be late and miss it."

"What are they saying?" Cato asked. "I can't hear."

"Shut up!" Garridan hissed. "Or they'll hear us!"

"I can't believe we actually found her," he whispered in awe. "So what now? What's our plan of attack?"

"We wait until nightfall," his brother replied. "Right now, there are three of them and two of us. We know where they are and we know how to find them. We come back when they're asleep and take them by surprise."

Cato nodded. "Alright. Let's get out of here before they see us."

Erik gave a heavy sigh. He didn't want to leave; he didn't want Katja to leave. But that's how the world worked for him. Every time he developed any sort of feelings for anyone, they were taken from him or left.

He threw a few more possessions into his suitcase, pausing when he found a small stuffed monkey. It was crude and hand sewn and was clearly old.

Erik was in the corner of the cage, as far away from Javert as he could get. His back was covered with fresh cut from the whip. He looked up and spotted a small child, a little girl, maybe four years old, watching him. She held out a toy to him. Erik hesitated, and when Javert wasn't looking, he accepted it. It was a monkey, with tiny cymbals attached to its hands. This child had shown him the only kindness he had ever received from any of the gypsies. Javert locked the cage as he left, not noticing the toy in Erik's hands. He picked up the child, clearly his daughter, before leaving the tent.

For some reason Erik had kept it all these years. Perhaps as a reminder of one of the few kindnesses he had ever been given. He placed the monkey in the suitcase before returning to Katja and Nadir. "Ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be," she answered.

"There's a carriage outside waiting for you to take you to the train station," Nadir said. "From there, you're on your own."

"Thank you," Erik replied.

"Now you really sound like you're not coming back," Nadir exclaimed. "I didn't know you knew how to use those two words together." Erik rolled his eyes. "Goodbye old friend."

"Goodbye." The two friends clasped hands before he turned to the German girl. "Come Katja. We have a train to catch."

German Translations

Ja und dir?- Yes and you?