She had been right before. He was supposed to be her guardian angel, but she'd done a far better job of caring and watching over him and keeping him out of trouble and away from harm. It was practically fate- she was an angel, a heavenly body with a celestial sweetness and a lure stronger than gravity for those in her orbit. And he hated that he might be ripped out of that orbit, cast out of her radiance like the Expulsion from Eden.

Jane was paradise, and she was about to be lost to him.

Wild gesticulations over, he got her to follow him, and headed out to collect himself and take a few deep breaths. They were on the balcony because he needed air and there was none in that building.

The words were on the tip of his tongue. "Jane I just wanted to…" hold you forever and never let you go. "I wanted to give you my blessing. As your guardian angel, I'm supposed to be looking out for your best interests. And I think… telling Grayson the truth is…" the worst idea in the world "just that."

The look on her face was sweet confusion, and he wanted nothing more than to press a kiss to the little furrow in her brow.

"So I just wanted to tell you…" that I love you. He clears his throat and starts again. "I wanted to say goodbye, you know… while I'm still here."

"Oh. Well… thank you. That is surprisingly…" He could tell by her voice that he'd thrown her off track. She'd come out ready to fight him again and he'd conceded the point. It was a lot of energy to displace in a hurry. "Thank you," she concluded in a whisper.

Tears were beginning to sting at his eyes- those darn Santa Anas…- but he pinned a convincing smile on. And it grew when she started to speak again.

"You know I really am going to miss you. And your underwear on my floor. And your inappropriately naked body on my sofa." They both laughed at that, but it caught in the back of his mind. She'd noticed? By Earth standards he knew he was good-looking but he never thought Jane had noticed. Or rather that she didn't care if she had. The thought gave his heart a little squeeze, just shy of painful as he forced himself back to the present.

"But most importantly," Jane was saying, as she slid one little hand through her wayward layers, "I'll miss your kindness." The expression in her eyes was sincere, and he felt his heart break just a little at the genuine affection he saw there.

His fingers itched to touch her so he curled them into tight fists and forced another smile. He had to keep it light.

"We had fun, right?"

"Yeah," she chuckled, a little breathless. Then her voice softened again, as though she were recalling it in her mind. "Yeah, we did." If she could see anything more in his suddenly sober expression, she didn't say. There was no comment, no question, and he managed to restrain himself from taking her in his arms.

Until she said goodbye. It was quick, quiet, brief but emotional- and utterly Jane. He couldn't say the words, so he settled on a 'see ya' breathed into her hair as he pulled her into a hug.

Thank God there wasn't a mirror to show his face- he knew what it would look like. The pain leaked out along with a few tears but he valiantly fought everything down. He held her for the moments he had, and breathed in the scent of an angel, and thought a prayer for her to be happy always.

It was the mark of true love, they said- when you wanted the person to be happy forever, even if it meant not being happy with you. It was how he knew it was real. It was how he knew he would never forget her.

It was why angels were never supposed to fall…

A/N: so when I made it to the end of the episode, I saw the goodbye scene. it broke me but I decided to go with it.

well, there you go. whether you liked it or not, let me know. comments are always welcome.