Three weeks ago Lena had opened her mail to find an envelope containing a singular ticket and a messy scrawl of words in handwriting she hadn't seen in nearly a decade.

If you're in London, do stop in at Wembley. Arrive early. And by early I mean give us a ring and we'll arrange for you to be stage side. Just like the old days.

You don't have to see him. But you will want to see Bowie.

Please come.

-Fred

And that's how she found herself calling her boss back to ask if the contract to work the next six months in London was still available. And then contacting Queen and finding herself on the phone with some new assistant who wanted to know how she had gotten this number. Then Freddie's voice. And it was suddenly all arranged. They had needed an extra couple organizational assistants anyway and her knowledge of show business was a perfect addition. And so she found herself crowded backstage with hundreds of other people hurriedly running this way and that in some hazy chaos.

She had been quietly doing her job, keeping out of the way and attempting not to make contact with anyone she knew, but it was only a matter of time before one of the boys noticed her or one of the other acts recognized her as Roger Taylor's estranged girlfriend. She was hoping for the former, but had a dreadful feeling that it would be the latter.

Checking one last item off her list and assuring that everyone was situated, queued in the correct places and trying to remind herself that she should not have a freakout moment because she'd just seen the back of Paul McCartney's head go by, she was stopped by a light hand on her shoulder.

"Miss-"

"Yes," Lena said, and turned to find herself face to face with a grinning David Bowie, his shirt half unbuttoned and tie haphazardly shoved in his pants pocket.

"Ah, it is you. I thought you wouldn't show. Freddie was just wondering if you were here."

"Oh?" Lena responded, suddenly slightly dazed that David Bowie actually knew who she was.

"I'm David-"

Lena laughed, "Of course I know! We've met before, but that was nearly ten years ago at a birthday party at Fred's house in London."

"I wish I could say I remember that. I certainly do remember Fred asking me to come, but the night itself I don't recall."

"I don't blame you. It was the seventies afterall."

"You say that with such blatant nostalgia," he said, taking her arm and gently leading her in the direction of where she knew Queen resided.

"Why else would I be here other than such nostalgia for a time when my life revolved around nothing but music."

"For perhaps some beloved friends?"

"And they are the heart of that music, wouldn't you say?" she ended as Bowie gave a small tap on the door of the trailer.

The door swung open to reveal Freddie, looking sharp as ever, but distinctly different from how the seventies had rendered him; cropped hair and mustache now drove his iconic appearance, the exuberant energy still radiating from his features.

"David how nice of you to drop by-" his eyes shifted to Lena, widening in excitement, "Lena darling! I'm so absolutely delighted that you were able to make it!"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she smiled as she was enveloped in a bone crushing hug.

"Lads you won't believe who it is," Freddie started, moving away from the door to reveal the rest of the band sitting beyond.

Lena shot Freddie a look in annoyance that he hadn't seemed to in the slightest enlightened them that she was to be there. Especially Roger. Whom she had not really wanted to see anyway. But when she locked eyes with him in that moment and her stomach flipped she found herself knowing she had never stopped loving him, not for one second. It was a dull love now, something distant, to be fondly remembered, but it was there nevertheless. This was the first time seeing him face to face since she had gone. There had been three letters and two phone calls between them to cover loose ends, but those had been kept professional, as if on business. Eight years later seeing herself reflected in those blue eyes again her heart fluttered even as her brain told her it was over.

There was a distinct momentary silence before David excused himself and Brian gave a small cough and they greeted her like old times. After hugs all around, even to Roger, they almost magically fell back into old rhythms of conversation that had long since been silenced.

When it came time for the band to head toward the stage, the crowd roared and there was a small split second in which Roger and Lena were alone, as the band turned a corner and they were momentarily blocked from the others as someone rolled an amp past.

"Rog I-"

"Lena, no apologies. Whatever you're going to say, that was a long time ago. Can we just be friends now and forget anything ever happened between us?"

The question surprised her, causing her to think that maybe Freddie had told him she was going to be there and he'd been putting a lot of thought into them.

"Of course."

"I don't want you to think I forgot us. But I don't want the future to be defined by all that shattered in the past."

Lena smiled at him warmly, "Okay Mr. Taylor. I have arrived as Miss Lierens, properly positioned in friendzone but having always loved you."

"Pinky promise me?" he said reaching out his hand.

Lena laughed, shaking on it, "Pinky promise."

Those beginning chords of Bohemian Rhapsody, to hear them played live again, to hear the crowd sing with Freddie again, his voice echoing across decades, was unearthly as Lena stood in the wings watching. The waving, flowing mass of people beyond the stage, nearly unimaginable as they dropped into Radio Gaga, complimented them with an even louder cheer. The crowd was clapping along like she had heard a hundred times before but this time to a worldwide audience, one that would likely remember this day for decades to come.

Every moment she had seen before, but today it was on a new level of magical, the things she remembered so fondly; the sheer energy of the moment, caught by camera glares and the boys having the absolute time of their lives. Hammer To Fall's intro riff continued the magic, and the "ready Freddie" in Crazy Little Thing, it was all the joy in life she'd nearly forgotten existed.

That was only followed by their bounding off stage and Bowie striding on shortly after, sending Lena a wink as he went past.

Never having seen Bowie perform in person, she found he held the stage differently but equally powerfully, powder blue suit glowing, shirt now buttoned up professionally. As soon as it had begun, it was ending, with Lena giggling at the multitude of exuberant tambourine shaking in the midst of a historical moment. Later, looking mildly like he'd recently risen from the grave, yet donned in sparkles, Elton John played Rocket Man at the big white grand piano that took up the stage, and by the end of his set, darkness had begun to fall on the city.

As the second to last song began, the band joined her in the wings, Brian on her left, arm stewn over her shoulders, Freddie on her right, his other arm across Roger's shoulders, and Deaky on the end, all swaying back and forth as music greats sang Let It Be, the stage doused in pink dreamlight.