"Oh, no!" Des interjected, waving a hand at the two of them. He didn't want to have any part of the smooch-fest that he knew was coming. "This is where I came in. I got you here safely. You're on your own!" he said, with a weary grin of his own that hinted at how little sleep he was getting, as well. "I lost enough of my day. I've got work to do. Besides, three's a crowd. You two will have more fun without me."

As far as Jason was concerned, he was looking a little confused as he looked between the pair, trying to sort out what exactly was going on here. It wasn't unusual to see Des in a suit, but it wasn't like Beth to get dressed up, unless there was a really good reason for it. "Would someone please tell me what?s going on?" he asked, raising his voice just a little.

Laughing at Des' insistence on running away before she forgot herself, Bethany blinked as Jason raised his voice, realizing belatedly how odd it must seem for her to have shown up in a dress and heels just to surprise him. "Oh ....Mom and Dad got married this afternoon," she grinned, delighted just to be sharing that news. "Finally. They didn't want a big deal, and ....I kinda blackmailed Des into bringing me here after. So it's not his fault."

"What?" Jason exclaimed, obviously surprised, though not overly so. Miranda and Rufus obviously belonged together, but he hadn't expected them to tie the knot so quickly. In fact, he was rather hoping to get an invite to the wedding, and from the look on his face, he looked a little crestfallen, or maybe he was just feeling a little left out. "Oh. Well, they've been waiting long enough, I guess." He pulled his door open wider and stood back to allow either or both of them to come in and get out of the hall before they disturbed the neighbors.

It didn't take a genius to recognize the expression on his face. Beth's smile faded a little, softening with sympathy for the crestfallen look that crossed her lover's face as she stepped in through the door. Her hand smoothed against his cheek, lips pressing a second kiss to his jaw. "We were the only ones there," she assured him quietly. "And I had to beg."

Jason quieted a moment as Bethany's lips touched his jaw and she tried to explain. "You had to beg for what?" he asked, unsure what she meant by that. She was Miranda's daughter; it seemed perfectly logical to him that she would be at her mother's wedding.

Desmond followed the pair in, if only to smooth things over before he left them alone. "It wasn't a big deal, Jase. They needed witnesses, and we were the closest thing to next of kin." Des took a look around, noticing his friend had been hard at work trying to clean things up. "You've been busy."

"To be allowed to come and see them get married," Beth murmured, not particularly wanting to revisit that conversation. "All your warnings have really been taken to heart, trust me." She smiled as Des pitched in to soothe the initial sting of not having been invited to a wedding that was going to be one hell of a surprise to most of the family on Rhy'Din.

"My warnings?" Jason echoed, dropping down onto the couch, still looking a tad confused, not to mention bleary-eyed. He shoved a hand through the mussed tangle of curls atop his head. "I'm not following," he looked from one to the other, not bothering to invite them to sit or ask if they needed anything. Both of them knew him well enough to make themselves at home there without his permission.

"How long were you up?" Des asked, ignoring his friend's question. It was obvious they'd interrupted his sleep, but it was unclear just how long that sleep had been going on or how long Jason had been up before he'd crashed.

As Jason thumped down onto the couch, Beth rolled her eyes. She recognized the signs of a man who was either operating on little to no sleep, or hadn't quite managed to catch up on said sleep just yet; she'd been there herself more than a few times. As Des went straight for the kill with his question, she moved to the kitchen, flicking on the coffee pot automatically before opening up Jason's refrigerator. Food and caffeine should do the trick.

"Longer than I should have been," Jason replied, fingers scratching at his scalp as he fell into a slouch. "That ex-bitch of yours kept me up most of the night. Took forever to convince her it was in her best interest to talk. She wanted to lawyer up, but once Tall, Dark, and Stupid started blabbing, she changed her tune pretty quick. I've got enough dirt on Nicoletti to send him away for three lifetimes. You interested?"

Des frowned and shook his head, remaining standing. He was not planning on staying more than a few minutes, just to make sure they were gonna be okay before he bailed to get some sleep himself. "Promised Piper this is my last case. Someone else will have to take it."

"Maybe you should suggest that Lyneth go into law," Beth suggested from the kitchen, over the enticing sound of bacon sizzling. When in doubt, make a BLT; one of the many mottoes she lived her life by. She smirked to herself at the thought of the tiny Fae girl cross-examining a witness. "I'll bet she could confuse Nicoletti into confessing just by being tortuously cute. Des, do you want coffee?"

And really, who could resist bacon' So long as you weren't a vegetarian and neither Jason nor Des were that, though they both knew the bacon was for Jason. Des rolled his eyes at Beth's remark about Lyneth. "Right and if they don't confess, she can sic the fairies on them!" he remarked with a smirk. Oops, he hadn't meant to mention fairies, but there it was.

Jason arched a confused brow. "What's with the fairies again?" He had yet to meet Lyneth and her little fairy friends.

Chuckling, Beth set out to do just that, describing as much detail as she could recall with any kind of accuracy, from the location in the courthouse, to Miranda's dress and Rufus' suit, to the nervous giggling and the lovey-dovey atmosphere. She couldn't quite recall the vows, but she described the rings for him, as animated in describing the most basic of details as she was the complex. "I just, I can't believe my dad's been carrying those rings around since before I was born," she smiled at the romance inherent in that simple act. "The man spends all day every day in a library researching the best ways to kill monsters, and he can do romance" It's shocking."

While Beth described her parents' wedding in as much detail as possible, Jason finished his BLT and washed it down with coffee, getting up once to refill his cup. While he was happy for Miranda and Rufus, he couldn't help but wonder if he could live up to the expectations already set by her father, but then he and Beth were very different from Miranda and Rufus. Though they might have only met recently, he couldn't help but feel like he'd known her his whole life. Longer even, if his dreams were any indication. "He's still a man with a man's needs and desires." He could just as well have been talking about himself. He glanced at his cup of coffee, feeling slightly awkward. Despite feeling like he'd known her forever, there was still a lot they didn't know about each other.

Beth's mind went straight where it shouldn't, her nose wrinkling with comical disgust. "I know they just got married, but I really don't want to think about that," she informed Jason, trying not to laugh. His awkwardness made her smile fade, feeling that same sense of not knowing quite what to do or say next pervading her own senses. Her fingers played against the side of her cup where it rested, drumming as she subsided, her gaze dropping to her own lap. "I, uh, I didn't realize you'd be sleeping," she apologized quietly. "I wouldn't have come if I'd known, I'm sorry we disturbed you."

He lifted his gaze to meet hers, a tired smile on his face. "You're not disturbing me. I told you I missed you. It's just..." There was that frown again. "I'm just trying to sort some things out."

"Anything I can help with?" she asked curiously. "Obviously aside from locking me in a room with the bitch that tried to kill Des, because I know that's not allowed. Even if I do kinda want to smash her face into the wall for a while."

He chuckled a little at her remark regarding Christina. "Don't worry. She'll get what?s coming to her, one way or another." At least, if the justice system worked the way it was supposed to. Des might have to testify against her at some point, but he had made it clear to Jason that he was planning on moving to Rhy'Din for good. Jason sighed. Though he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Bethany, he had mixed feelings about some other things - things he had not yet told her about, but would have to soon. "Des is planning on leaving the D.A.'s office and moving to Rhy'Din permanently," he started, waiting to see what her reaction to that would be before he continued.

She wasn't surprised to hear this, and it showed. What showed on her face was sympathy for his sense of being left behind. "I know," she nodded. "Piper's a little worried that whatever work he finds on Rhy'Din won't be enough to keep him happy, but she doesn't want to talk him out of it. I can see where they're both coming from, but I miss New York. Rhy'Din's just too weird for me."

"He'll be fine," Jason assured her. "Rhy'Din is his home now. He hasn't got anything left here but his career and a few friends." Including himself. "He'll find something there, I'm sure. And he's got Piper and Lyneth to keep him busy." But this wasn't about Des. Not really. It was about him - and Bethany.

Leaning forward, Beth found herself studying his expression minutely, wondering if she was reading too much into what he was saying or if he just wasn't saying enough. "What's on your mind, baby?" she asked him softly, reaching out to draw her fingertips along the line of his jaw. "This isn't about Des, is it?"

He met her gaze as she touched his face, drawn to her eyes, seeing his own love for her reflected in her eyes, seeing his own future there, as well. "It is and it isn't. I mean, he's my best friend. I'm gonna miss him, but I want him to be happy." And they could always visit. Everything and everyone around him seemed to be changing, but him. "I can't leave New York, Beth."

"No one's asking you to," she assured him gently, her fingers tangling with his with warm affection. She was enchanted by the way his eyes reflected her feelings, the depth of love there that was stronger, more enduring than anything she'd experienced before. "He's only going to be a portal hop away, and they get easier to use." Her full mouth curved in a smile that was impossibly soft with her quiet admiration for him. "I'm coming back, you know. My home is here. With you."

"I know. I'm just....feeling kind of torn, I guess." His thumb rubbed at the back of her hand, while he paused in thoughtful contemplation. He was going to have to just spit it out and tell her why he couldn't leave and hope she understood. It wasn't just the fact that Rhy'Din was too weird for him; there was something else. "There's someone I need you to meet," he admitted finally, after a moment. He'd never spoken much about his parents, about where they were or what had happened to them. He'd alluded to the fact that his father had been a cop, but that was all.

Just someone? Despite the fact that she seemed to go through life laughing as though she'd already seen the joke, Beth knew there could be any number of things holding Jason here. She didn't think it was his job, or a particular attachment to his friends. There was only one thing she could think of that could hold onto him so tightly, but she couldn't broach that subject until he did. So she smiled once again, brown eyes holding his gaze tenderly. "Tell me."

He wasn't sure why he was so nervous about telling her. She was a nurse, for God's sake! If anyone would understand, it was her. "It's my Mom. She's, uh..." He chewed at the corner of his mouth for a moment before deciding he needed to just be out with it. "She's got Alzheimer's."

She laughed softly, glad to see his aspect brightening as she drew him out of the kitchen, fully intending to tuck him into bed and make sure he was sleeping before she slipped out to raid her own apartment for clothing to last the next couple of days. "I haven't really thought about it in-depth," she chuckled affectionately. "But, uh ....I am kinda drawn to the idea of a double wedding. If only so I don't have to dress up twice."

"So long as Piper and Desmond don't mind sharing the limelight." Though he doubted they would. He and Desmond were almost like brothers, and the idea of sharing the most special day of their lives was very appealing, even if that wedding did take place in Rhy'Din. "And what does Miranda think of all....wait..." His smile widened as he realized something without her even telling him. He wasn't sure why, but he was sometimes psychic when it came to her, like there was some inexplicable connection between them that couldn't be easily explained. "You haven't told her yet, have you?"

"It was Piper's idea," Beth grinned, pushing open the bedroom door. She carefully didn't pass comment on the disorder in the room beyond, though she had a feeling it Jason's bedroom would have looked like this even without a recent break-in. His intuitive leap toward a very accurate guess made her smile a little guiltily. "No, I haven't," she admitted with a half-shrug. "Kind of enjoying it being our secret for a little while, because you know the second she finds out, it's going to be wedding catalogs, dress fittings, and tux fittings until she gets our names in the register."

He rolled his eyes as he imagined what would happen when Miranda found out. Whatever it was she thought of him, he she knew loved her daughter and would want to make her wedding the event of the season if not the year, even if she and Rufus hadn't opted for a small, quiet affair. "Maybe we should elope," he remarked as she led him into his rather messy-looking room. It wasn't so much that he wasn't a good housekeeper; it was just that he hadn't had much time to clean up after the break in. "We, uh....we could go to your place, if you want," he suggested, realizing she might not feel as safe or comfortable at his apartment as she would at her own.

"If we eloped, she would hunt us down and make us do it all over again in public anyway," Beth laughed, giving him a tug down onto his own bed. His suggestion that they should go to her apartment made her smile, appreciating that he was concerned about her state of mind. "I'm fine," she promised him, lowering herself onto the bed comfortably. "And you're not going anywhere until you get at least another few hours of sleep. So there." She stuck her tongue out at him impishly, daring him to argue any further.

He smiled as she tugged him down onto his bed, too tired to argue and as tired as he was, overjoyed to have her there. "See" You don't need any practice. You're perfect just as you are." He tweaked her nose playfully as she stuck her tongue out at him. He was already half-rumpled from his nap and it wouldn't take much for him to drift back off to sleep again, especially knowing she was close by.

He earned one of Bethany's rare girlish giggles with that tweak of her nose, followed with a gentle kiss as she tugged at the covers, pushing him back until he was lying down. "Go to sleep, you silver-tongued charmer," she told him fondly. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"That's the first time anyone's ever called me that. Sounds kinky," he teased, the smile returning to his face, the corners of his eyes crinkling with that smile. "I'm not dreaming then. You're really here," he said as she pushed him back against the pillows.

"I'm really here." Taking a moment to tuck him in, she twisted to lie on top of the covers beside him, her fingertips playing against his jaw and neck as she tucked her arm beneath her head, smiling tenderly at him. "I'm really here for the next day and two nights. So sleeping isn't going to make you miss out on anything, all right?" Her thumb brushed against the tip of his nose affectionately.

"I love you, you know," he told her rather drowsily, eyelids already getting heavy and he'd only just laid his head against the pillow. Her stroking of his neck and jaw only made him feel more relaxed and sleepy. He yawned as if he was trying to fight it. "Good night, Beth," he murmured, letting his eyelids fall closed, though it wasn't even night yet.

Her lips brushed his as his eyes fell closed, her fingers gently caressing against his cheek. "I love you back, Jason," she whispered to him, settling her cheek back on her arm to watch him sleep. And there she stayed, for a good half hour, before realizing she was going to have to get moving if she wanted to get to Harlem and back before he woke up again. Sliding carefully off the bed, she hunted out his apartment keys and let herself out as quietly as she could. It took about an hour, but she got back before he stirred, returning his keys to their resting place - a little sneaky, perhaps, but worth it, in her opinion. Seven o'clock found her completing the tidying of the main room of Jason's apartment, her cell tucked under her ear as she ordered dinner in.

He was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow, dead to the world, so to speak. Nothing short of a bomb going off was going to wake him. He looked peaceful in his sleep, like nothing at all could possibly be wrong with the world. It was the only time he really had any rest or any peace since his return to New York. Thankfully, he didn't keep these kinds of hours all the time, only every now and then, but this was a big case, and he was as eager to do justice as Des was. Hours passed, and he hardly budged, stirring every now and then only to shift position or mutter incoherently in his sleep. Seven o'clock came and went, and still he slept on.

Hanging up the phone, Beth put the device down, rolling her shoulders to stretch out a little. Her eyes strayed toward the bedroom door, listening for a moment to the sound of definite sleeping going on in there. Chuckling a little, she made her way across the newly tidied main room to slip inside, crawling onto the bed to lie down beside her sleeping detective. Her fingers stroked against his cheek as she called to him softly. "Jason' Babe, you need to wake up. Dinner's on its way."

"Yes, mother!" he called from the bathroom, thoroughly enjoying the beating of the hot water against his aching neck and back. The shower did more even to revive him than the nap in some ways, and a little food wouldn't hurt either. When he finally emerged from the bathroom to search for some clean clothing, he looked almost human again, the scruff of beard shaved, his hair damp but combed in an attempt to tame the head of unruly curls, and he smelled as fresh as he looked. He chuckled a little surprised at the state of his bedroom, thinking having a girlfriend was better than hiring a maid.

What he emerged to was a huge pizza and a cold beer, and Bethany already curled up on the couch, barefoot, too hungry to wait for him to arrive before tucking in herself. It seemed almost unreal that earlier that day she'd been at her parents' wedding, and now she was settling down to eat dinner with her boyfriend - that is a ridiculous word for what he is to me - as though it happened every night. She was very comfortable anywhere Jason was, as evidenced by the big grin she sent his way. "Dude, I am definitely not your mother," she smirked around a mouthful of pizza, patting his couch in invitation to sit down. "That's wrong on so many levels."

He emerged from the bedroom looking clean and comfortable in a navy blue t-shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants, feet as bare as hers - evidence that he enjoyed dressing down as much as she did. He had to wear a suit on a daily basis for work, and when he was off work, he liked to be comfortable. "That smells amazing!" he exclaimed regarding the pizza, as he joined her on the couch. "I'm starving!"

As he sat down, she let him load up with pizza and stretched her legs out over his lap with a comfortable kind of affection that was usually only visible in couples that had been together for months or years. "I thought you might be," was her warm answer as she settled once again, lifting her beer bottle in a toast as she winked at him. "Pizza's guaranteed to make the most of a weird day."

He toasted her with his own beer before taking a long swallow, which went a long way toward slaking his thirst. "You're too good to me," he told her as he dug into his pizza with voracious exuberance, feeling entirely too much at ease in her company for having only known her for a few weeks.

"Well, you know, I gotta get my hooks in fast so you don't ever think of getting together with someone else," she teased, and just from the twinkle in her eyes, it was obvious she didn't mean a word of it. Whatever was going on between them - whatever was delivering strange dreams and making sure they knew better than anyone else whether something was wrong, without having the chance to communicate - it didn't need to be analyzed or over-thought. It was just there, more of a comfort than a concern, but still worrying in its oddness. "Hey, how many games have I missed while I've been in solitary on another planet?"

"Right," he replied, sarcastically. "You can see how many women are beating a path to my door." She had no competition really. It wasn't that he wasn't a good catch; his job just didn't leave him much room for dating, and if he hadn't met Beth by accident, he'd more than likely still be single. "Games?" he asked, unsure what she was referring to exactly. Baseball, maybe? He had already scarfed down an entire slice of pizza and was reaching for his second, licking a bit of tomato sauce from a finger.

"Baseball," she clarified, licking her fingers before taking a sip of her beer. "Which, I believe, I was planning on making our fourth date, before everything went weird on us." A wider grin captured her animated face as she reached for a fresh slice herself. "Crazy, isn't it' We haven't even had four dates yet!"

He chuckled himself, though it didn't seem as weird to him as it might seem to someone else. "I guess I jumped the gun a bit. How many dates should we have had before I popped the question?" Not that it mattered. It didn't really matter what anyone else thought, but them.

"Well, you know, going by our track record ..." She paused a moment to work it out. "Date three, sex; date four, moving in together; date six; proposal. So, uh ....yeah, I think you did jump the gun a little." She grinned at him impishly. "Unless you count me beating up a burglar, you meeting my parents, and then waking up in hospital as dates four, five, and six, in which case, you're bang on."

"Well, it's not exactly official yet, so we still have time to squeeze in a fourth and fifth date before I get down on one knee." After all, he wasn't sure if a groggy proposal from a hospital bed really counted, and there was still the matter of a ring. "So, uh..." He paused a moment, as if he was considering his next move.

"Yeah, well, you'd better put a gag on Des, then," Beth laughed, licking her fingers clean once more. She'd somehow managed to inhale four slices of pizza, more than enough to keep her satisfied for a long time to come, resting her beer on her legs as she smiled over at him. "Mom's gonna be ridiculously over-excited about it, I can guarantee."

"You sure it's not Miranda we should be gagging?" he asked, pointedly. He'd been keeping up with her pizza-eating by the slice and between them had devoured the whole thing. "I'm impressed, by the way. You're the first woman I've ever dated who could keep up with me." As far as pizza eating went anyway, as well as some other things. They seemed made for each other, and he couldn't imagine himself with anyone else.

"Ah, but Mom doesn't know yet," Beth pointed out cheerfully. "And she won't know until, you know, we have a ring to show off." Because, knowing her, she'll try and buy the damn ring herself if we let her know too soon. She grinned over at him as he commented on her appetite. "Oh, well, I'm glad I've made it onto the Jason Daly scale of things to be impressed by," she snickered fondly. "Is this where I mention the fact that I can fit three golf balls in my mouth and sing the national anthem without choking?"

"You're right," he replied, as she reminded him of that fact, and Miranda wasn't likely to find out anytime soon as she was off somewhere celebrating her own wedding. "I think I can convince Des to keep his mouth shut a little while longer." His mouth dropped open a little when she mentioned that odd talent, before he recovered and asking doubtfully. "You're pulling my leg, right?"

He smirked at her teasing, catching hold of her hand before she could tickle him. "I like to be comfortable, so sue me. Unless you have a better idea, Pretzel Legs," he teased back, trying not to let his imagination get the better of him with regard to what kind of positions that kind of flexibility might allow her to get into.

"Oh, you wanna see me bend myself into the shape of a pretzel?" she laughed along with him, easing her arm around his back as she leaned into him. "Cos, uh, I think with the right incentive, I could probably do that. You might have to unknot me afterward, though. Or take me to a hospital."

"Spending the night in the hospital wouldn't be much fun," he pointed out, as he snaked an arm around her waist to draw her close. "But if you're going to dangle a carrot like that in front of a guy's face, you should at least be prepared to let him take a bite. Figuratively speaking, of course," he added as an afterthought.

"Mm, that brings up some interesting ideas, depending on what you're figuratively speaking about," Beth smirked cheerfully, brushing the tip of her nose against his. "Either I'm a carrot, which suggests you have some weird kinks, or it's just a figurative bite you're offering, which is kinda disappointing." Her eyes lit up, warm and impish as she grinned at him. "Unless, of course, you're thinking of doing something else to stay awake for a while."

"I seem to recall someone telling me I had to stay awake until ten o'clock. What do you propose we do between now and then" Play checkers" Watch T.V." Have sex?" Not all at the same time, of course, but one of the three. Personally, he was leaning toward the latter, and he assumed she was, too, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"I guess that depends what you've decided I am," she smirked, surprised by how funny it was to hear him outright suggest that they should have sex for the next two or three hours. "Because I seem to recall that neither the nurse nor the housewife strips off at the end of the day and screws you sideways. So the ball's in your court, baby." There was the barest beat, and she added with a beaming smirk, "Both of them."

"Well, since you insist on defining our relationship, technically I'd say you are my fiancee, though that's not really official yet, so, um..." Girlfriend wasn't quite right, and neither was lover. She was more than a girlfriend, not quite a wife. "And who says housewives don't strip off at the end of the day and screw you sideways" I'll bet some housewives do!" he argued.

Laughing, Beth drew her other arm about his neck, pulling him down into a warm embrace as she squeezed him affectionately. "You're so easy to tease!" she giggled, lifting her head to kiss the end of his nose. "I don't care what I am, so long as I'm yours. And don't you forget it." Her fingertip bounced off the end of his nose as though underlining her point.

"Oh, hell, this is ridiculous," he complained as she tweaked his nose. "I've been wanting to do this for a while." He slid his arms around her waist and hoisted her off the floor and up over his shoulder to carry her caveman-style to the bedroom. "Enough talking, wench. I'm going to have my way with you."

God alone knew what his neighbors thought was going on as Bethany let out a loud shriek of laughter, the air gusting from her lungs as she landed over Jason's shoulder in a hail of giggles, bare feet kicking in playful protest at being so manhandled. "What, you think you can shut me up while you're having your wicked way with me now?"

"Now, sweetheart, there's no need to protest when we both know you want it," he replied, giving her rear a playful whack as he hauled her toward the bedroom, kicking open the door with a bare foot and tossing her onto the bed, with seemingly little effort.

She squeaked a little indignantly at the smack that stung only a little on her barely covered rear end, landing in a flail of limbs on the bed where he tossed her. She barely bounced, letting her arms drop back above her head as she grinned up at him. "Now you just sound sore because you didn't get me to say it out loud," she accused him affectionately, raising one foot to tickle her toes against his stomach.

"I don't need you to say it out loud. I can read between the lines," he countered, stripping out of his clean t-shirt and tossing it onto a chair. It seemed a shame to mess up the nice clean bedding, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. "How did you plan on spending the next few hours anyway?"

"What?" She tried to look innocent, but it was completely destroyed by the huge grin on her face as she arched up to shuck out of her cardigan, tossing it aside onto the chair with his shirt. "I might not have spent the whole day imagining you naked. It's a possibility."

"Uh huh," he smirked, as he climbed onto the bed to straddle her body, leaning in to leave a trail of kisses against her neck. "Why didn't you just wake me?" he asked as he pushed her hair away from neck to to make room for his lips.

She arched beneath him, letting out a happy little moan as he covered her body with his own, her head tilting easily at the gentle exploration of his lips against her lips. "Because you needed to sleep," she told him through her smile, her arms rising to curl about him, playing her fingers down over his back. A tender sigh escaped her mouth as she turned her own lips against his skin. "I've missed you so much, baby."

Stay with me, Beth, he pleaded silently in his head, even though he knew she couldn't. Soon, but not yet. The trial would be over soon, he hoped, and then they'd be together, here in New York. Whatever problems arose, they'd work them out together. Where they lived, when they got married - one way or another, they'd work it all out. That's what people did when they loved each other, when they wanted to spend their lives together. Little did they know, it wasn't all just a matter of luck. This was their chance to be together, to live a life of love that they'd been denied once before. It was a match made literally in heaven, and favored by a certain goddess who had taken them into her favor. He said nothing, choosing to reply with a kiss that shared his feelings better than mere words.

Drawn into him as he kissed her, any words she might have spoken further were swept from her mind. She could feel everything in that kiss, all the longing for her to stay, the regret that she couldn't - at least for now - the certainty that they were going to have a long time to know one another and love one another. Little did she know that Jason had been experiencing the same dreams she had, the strange recitation of lifetimes she couldn't possibly have ever lived and yet were fascinatingly familiar - that those lifetimes were not the wild imaginings of an overly-active mind and heart, but the reality of the souls they'd held for centuries.

He didn't know what to make of it all, and so had chosen not to think about it much, but he couldn't help feeling like they'd known each other much longer than a few weeks. It felt like he'd known her forever, but other than for a few strange dreams, he couldn't explain it. It didn't matter much what her father or anyone else thought was going on - he wasn't interested in theories; only in proof. But none of that mattered at the moment. What mattered at the moment was that they were together and that they had three hours to kill before the time she'd declared to be bed time. Jason could think of no better way to spend those three hours than showing her how much he loved her in the only way he knew how.

((Okay, so we're vaguely caught up with this side of what?s going on. Vaguely! Massimonto thanks to Des and Jason!))