Elisa grabbed a table while Jason ordered their pizza.
"One supreme with everything, coming our way," Jason said. He swung his chair in to the open space at the end of the booth Elisa had chosen.
"That sounds amazing," Elisa said.
"I wasn't sure if you were going to work after this," Jason admitted, "But I am, so I just ordered us both iced teas. They'll be out soon."
"Tea is perfect," Elisa said. "So, how have you been doing since you were released?"
"It's been interesting," Jason admitted. "Our family was always well off…"
"Well off?" Elisa broke in.
"Okay," He said, sheepishly. "We were stinkin' rich."
"Better," Elisa laughed.
"But now," He gave a one shouldered shrug. "I had an accountant set money aside for each of us to survive on when we got out of prison, and hired an investment firm to take care of that money for us. They invested wisely, enough that I will be comfortably set for a while, and so will Robyn, when she gets out. I got released, found a small apartment and for the first time in my life, I have an actual job."
He paused as the waitress brought over their drinks, then looked at Elisa and smiled. "I'm enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would."
Elisa raised her glass in a toast. "Here's to you becoming an honest to goodness working man."
He raised his glass and tapped the rim against hers. "Cheers."
The waitress returned with their pizza, and for a few moments, they were occupied with the food.
"Elisa," He began hesitantly, "I wanted to thank you."
Elisa frowned. "For what?"
He sent her a look that said he wasn't buying it. "For your help with the parole hearing and speaking on my behalf."
Elisa paused, a slice of pizza almost to her mouth, and studied his face. She heaved a sigh ans slowly, she lowered the piece back to her plate. "How did you find out?"
Jason smirked. "I asked my lawyer."
"Well," Elisa said, raising the piece again. "No use denying it, I guess."
"Why?" Jason asked. "Not that I'm not grateful, but…"
Elisa sighed. "It's not an easy question to answer, and even if I tried, I'm not sure I would be able to. You saved my life, hauling me out of the river. You showed me that you were tired of the hunt and wanted to change, then you proved it by throwing yourself in front of Goliath to save his life. Plus," she added, "You pled guilty to the destruction that was done to the church, when you weren't even there for it. I know," Elisa pointed to him accusingly, "Because I was with you at the time that Robyn and Jon destroyed the place, and I would have said so if you would have let me go to your sentencing."
"You know why you couldn't go," He said softly.
Elisa sighed. "That's another thing, and don't think I'm not grateful…"
"Stop," Jason said harshly. "My family has caused the Gargoyle race enough grief over several lifetimes. You are a much needed ally for them, to keep them safe, and you needed a place to live. Robyn and I spoke just after I found out about your living situation, and we both agreed to the purchase of the condo. We tried to set it up to where it couldn't be traced back to us, but just in case we missed something, we didn't want it to look like you were being bribed to speak for us."
Elisa gave up. "Well… I never got the chance to thank you in person, so Thank you."
"You're welcome," Jason said. "Now that that's out of the way, how are you doing?"
"I'm doing alright," Elisa said.
"More than 'alright', I see," Jason said, pointing to her wedding ring.
"Yeah," Elisa said, twisting the band self-consciously. "Never thought it would happen, the whole being married with a kid thing."
He looked surprised. "Really? You have a child?"
"A son," Elisa said. "His name is Liam, and we adopted him a few years ago."
"That's amazing," Jason said.
"It is," Elisa said. "If anyone would have told me a few years ago that I'd be married with a kid, I'd have laughed, but now…"
"You're happy," Jason said. "I can see it on your face."
Elisa rolled her eyes. "You should know better than to ask a parent about their kid. We'll go on for hours."
"It's good to see you," He said softly. "I wasn't sure you'd want to see me again."
Elisa tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "Well, the whole being a hunter thing kind of irritated me, not to mention the whole drugging me and leaving me in my apartment," She threw him a look, "But… you're not a bad guy, and you have been trying to correct your mistakes. I'm not totally heartless, and thought you deserved a second chance."
"Thank you," He said. He looked at the clock. "It's almost time for me to get back to work."
Elisa got to her feet. "I'll walk back with you."
Jason wheeled himself towards the door. "You don't have to come with me if you do not want to."
Elisa shrugged. "I'm kind of curious about your set up here. I've been in physical therapy before, and it's kind of nice to see things from a non-participant angle." Elisa absently slowed her pace to match his. "Do you only work with the younger ones? Or do you work with adults too?"
"Oh, I work with some adults," Jason said. "Mostly, only by request from the therapists, and only when they have a patient having a hard time adjusting to being wheelchair bound."
They continued talking about his work, his volunteering with a youth wheelchair league, and a few other bits about his life 'on the outside'.
They were almost to the door of the Physical Therapy room, when he asked, "Would you mind coming down to the Y and joining us for a night? I think the kids would really enjoy it."
The doors to the therapy room opened, and Elisa spotted Chris leaving with a mid-20's something man. She gave Chris a little wave goodbye before turning back to Jason.
Elisa mentally ran through her calendar. "Let me know what nights you guys get together, and I'll see if I can drop by."
"We meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays."
"Okay," Elisa said. "Today's Monday, so I'll try to stop by tomorrow. I may have my partner with me, and may not be able to stay long, but I'll try to drop in."
"Sounds like a plan."