She was enchanting. The second Jason's eyes landed on her strolling through the garden, butterflies dancing behind her, Jason felt any unease over his feelings for her wash away. He wanted to join her, to reach down and take her hand into his and stroll down the path with her. From here she looked so approachable, so carefree.

A genuine smile lifted her lips, making her entire face just shine. Her hand barely grazed over a few colorful buds as she made her way leisurely down the path.

He'd wanted to brush past his companion and go to her immediately. Instead he'd found himself promising to give Joe a few minutes to talk to Elizabeth alone. To help ease their introduction so she would be more comfortable around him.

What he should have done was pluck the bastards wings off and planted his foot up his diapered butt.

"I want some answers." Jason found himself taking a step closer to 'cupid' only to find a small hand wrap itself around his bicep to keep him from moving any closer. With a look back into anxious eyes felt like a bucket of cold water, Jason turned his attention back to the man but didn't move an inch. "Why am I here?"

"Cause you wanted to see Elizabeth." Joe answered, then enjoyed the embarrassed flush creeping up Jason's neck. "Don't you remember. We were -."

"Why am I here. In heaven? There was no mix up was there?" Feeling his right eye begin to twitch, Jason clenched his hands into tight balls. Typically he never got like this. To the point where anger surged through him like an electrical current. Sure he'd been known to lose his patience in the past, but he'd never before felt like physically harming a person.

"Not really." Joe shook his head, looking thoughtful. "Though we really hadn't expected you to arrive as early as you did. So I guess you could say there was a little hitch."

His nostrils flared slightly as Jason sucked in a deep breath. "What did you do to get me up here?"

"Nothing much, just borrowed you soul for a bit."

"What?" This time Elizabeth's voice matched Jason's.

"Excuse me." A voice came from behind Joe and everyone looked up to see Alexis standing just a few feet away. "There's a reason they call this Tranquility Gardens. You're scaring the public."

"Did you know what he was up to?" Elizabeth turned to Alexis, her eyes huge with confusion.

"No." Alexis muttered. "Had I known he and Peter were being stupid – again – I would've done something to stop this insanity."

"Excuse me?" Joe sniffed. "This was a brilliant plan."

"Oh yes." Alexis smiled brittlely. "For a mad man."

Turning her back on her friend, Alexis looked over at Jason. "Dr. Morgan I would like to apologize to you for any inconvenience you've suffered."

"Suffered?" Joe stuttered.

"Once I was made aware of the situation I checked to see how your earthly body is holding up. Medically speaking, it looks to anyone who's monitoring you that you passed out and hit your head."

"So my soul wasn't just sucked out of me?" Jason asked.

"Oh it was." Alexis nodded in confirmation. "It's against almost every rule we have, but Joe and Peter found a loop hole."

"So now what?" Jason growled.

"I was able to secure you a departure at the same time as Elizabeth." Bringing her attention back to Elizabeth, Alexis gave her a warm, supportive smile.

"Like I couldn't have figure out a way to get him back." Looking miffed, Joe's lower lip puffed out slightly.

"You didn't know how you were going to get him back?" Elizabeth looked appalled. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Please." Joe smirked. "He had to go back one way or another. It wasn't a question of if but a question of when. Besides you two should be thanking me."

"For what?" Jason demanded.

"For getting the two of you together." Pointing his finger at the two of them, Joe looked as thoroughly pleased. "I mean you were moping at her bedside and you were a spitting cat any time another female got near him."

"Joe." Elizabeth felt her mouth go dry and her knees start to tremble. Goodness no. Anything but this. Joe wouldn't tell Jason about how she'd been acting over the last few weeks.

"Perhaps we should give them a few minutes alone." Alexis suggested, pulling on Joe's arm.

"And don't get me started about the rules she broke when we were down there." Joe huffed, his belly shaking in laughter.

"Don't you dare!" Horrified, Elizabeth was suddenly pink all over.

"What? It's not like he didn't see you -."

"Perhaps a cup of coffee." Alexis interrupted, pulling harder on an unmoving cupid.

Covering her face with both her hands, Elizabeth turned away from Joe and walked right into Jason's chest. Her mortification knew no bounds. Jerking back on impact, Elizabeth felt two steady hands stopping her retreat.

"That's enough." Lips pinched, Jason glared over at Joe before looking down at the top of Elizabeth's bent head. "I want to know everything. From the beginning."

"The beginning like when Princess here was born?" Joe asked unhelpfully.

"I believe up to Elizabeth car accident." Alexis pinched Joe hard, giving him a stern look. "Just the basics. There's no reason to embarrass them both."

"I was assigned to Princess here while her body healed, to help her stop being such a snobby pain in the -." A wounded moan from Elizabeth and another sharp pinch from behind, had Joe stop and start over again. "Fine. Elizabeth had a few personality faults she needed help with before she ended up like her Mother."

Grimacing as the image of Elizabeth's mother passed through his head, Jason didn't let go of Elizabeth's shoulders but did ease up on his hold when it didn't appear she was going to try and pull away again. "So why was some Cupid assigned?"

"Not really part of the story you need to know." Joe muttered. "So pay attention, this is where you come in . . ."

Staring down at his hands, Jason leaned back against the park bench and looked over at the others. Joe had finished his little story, with a few interruptions from Alexis to stay on track. Elizabeth had kept her face hidden through most of it, not that he could blame her, seeing how easily Joe seemed to share her most intimate moments of her life. He could almost relate, seeing how neither of them respected a few of his own.

"So basically you two followed me around." Saying it out loud left a sour taste in his mouth. It made him feel exposed and he didn't like it one bit. From work, to home, even a date they'd been trotting after him, using him as some kind of life lesson. "Did you have a few laughs at my expense?"

"It wasn't like that." Elizabeth finally found her voice, hating the dark look on Jason's face. Looking at it from his point of view, Elizabeth could only imagine how betrayed he must feel. She hadn't taken his privacy into account and now she felt even worse for not having seen how wrong it was.

"Really?" Jason turned to look at her dead on and Elizabeth knew his first impression of her was shot to hell. "So tell me how it was when you followed me on a dinner date?"

"If it means anything to you, we were in as much pain as you were." Joe said seriously. "The pot pie, the wine. It was torture."

"Yes, I know. I happened to be there." Jason growled.

Elizabeth looked over at Jason on the other end of the bench and wished she knew the words to make all of this go away. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. First he wasn't supposed to be here. Second he didn't deserve this kind of insanity.

For weeks she and Joe had been following him around. She'd gone from mocking him, to admiring him. She didn't even know how to share with him all that he'd done for her. How her intrusion in his life had taught her more about living, then she'd learned in the last twenty-three years. Where he saw his privacy being invaded, she saw it as a window to the real Jason Morgan.

He was more than just some handsome guy to stare at. Elizabeth had seen what a kind and generous man he was. He wasn't perfect, but he was one of the most real people she'd ever encountered.

She knew Joe was only trying to help out. But bringing Jason here was a huge mistake. There was no way this could've ended any other way. Not once he was told the truth.

"Jason I am so sorry about all this." Trying to muster up a brave smile, Elizabeth drew a shaky breath and stood. "I do want to thank you for everything you've done for me and I hope you a wonderful life."

"Princess what're you doing?" Joe whispered loudly.

"He's right." Turning her attention to her friend, Elizabeth gave a helpless shrug. "I know if my privacy had been taken advantage of like that I would be furious. I think I've done enough damage, if you'll all excuse me I think I'm going to go for a walk before its time to leave."

With one last look at Jason's closed off face, Elizabeth turned to Alexis and Joe. "Thank you both."

With her head down so no one could see the tears falling from her eyes, Elizabeth hurried down the path she'd been walking earlier.

"I need to talk to her." Joe muttered and followed after her, sending Jason an uneasy look.

"Never a dull minute up here." Alexis sighed as she headed to the bench and sat down heavily.

Jason didn't say anything, as he looked at her, then in the direction Elizabeth had disappeared.

"You'll be leaving soon." Alexis said softly. "And I want to thank you."

His head jerking back, Jason cut her a look of disbelief. "For what?"

Alexis stared ahead of her for awhile before answering. "You saved her life."

"How's that?"

"Let's just say she wasn't supposed to be on the departure list." Silence hung in the air and Alexis gave Jason time to digest the information.

"She was supposed to die?"

"On impact." Alexis whispered.

Swallowing hard against the lump in his throat, Jason felt some of the anger ebb from him. "I don't understand."

"Between you and me?" Turning and placing an arm over the back of the bench, Alexis studied Jason's face. "Joe's been assigned to Elizabeth since she was thirteen. He was supposed to activate her first crush."

"He's had a rough go of it. Not many thirteen year old girls are against falling in love." Alexis joked. "But for the last ten years he hasn't given up. When the accident happened he had a conniption. So I pulled a few strings for a G.A. - Guardian Angel to step in and help Elizabeth."

"But Joe -."

"Is Joe." Alexis offered. "He's stubborn and didn't feel anyone else could do the job he could. He knew Elizabeth. Knew her fears, her faults. What buttons to push and what she needed to be able to stop hiding behind the walls she'd built."

"So she was given a second chance." Said slowly.

"I wouldn't say given." Alexis smiled warmly. "Lets just say she wasn't too happy being at Joe's mercy. But by watching you she was able to learn that not all people are like her family and the jerks they associate with. You blew her misconceptions out of the water."

"So is that why I had feelings for her?" Jason ventured. "Joe forced them on me to help her learn a lesson."

"No." Taking his hand in hers, Alexis gave him a loving squeeze. "You felt that way for her because you were supposed to."

"What?"

"The day of her accident Elizabeth was on her way to meet her mother for a lunch date at the same restaurant you were meeting you aunt at."

A chill went up Jason's spine and he felt his gut clench. "My aunt wanted to introduce me to a friend's daughter."

"Elizabeth."

Rubbing his hand up and down his jeans, Jason wanted to say something but couldn't.

"You two were supposed to meet" Alexis continued when he couldn't. "But without the accident your lives would've been rough. Her walls were thick and her view on love was extremely jaded."

"Does she know this?"

"No. There was no reason to tell her. Besides when she wakes up she won't remember a thing."

Jason stood looking down at the woman he couldn't decide he liked or not. "Why?"

"It's the rules Jason." Looking as though she wish it weren't so, Alexis sighed. "But you will."

"I will what?"

"Remember." Standing she stepped up to him. "You are my charge, have been since you were two. Joe bringing you here was wrong but I am glad to have been given a chance to talk with you. The loophole Joe and Saint Peter found gave me the ability to put in an appeal for you to keep your memory."

"Why?"

Checking her watch, Alexis took note of the time. "I wanted to give you the ability to have a choice in all this. You had the right to know what part you played. We don't have much more time before you leave and I am sorry this all seems so rushed. Please remember Elizabeth is a good person and has come to care for you a lot."

Starting to feel dizzy, Jason gritted his teeth against the uncomfortable sensation. There were questions he still wanted answers to. Still so much he didn't understand. "What's happening?"

"It's part of the departure." Kissing his cheek, Alexis took a step back. "You are a wonderful man Jason and no matter what you decide, I want you to know you make me proud."