Morning came, bringing with it shafts of brilliant sunlight to awaken the sleeping pair huddled together on Mark's couch.

Princess peeled her face off of Jason's shirt. Jason opened his eyes and chuckled at the sight of the bedraggled Swan. Wrinkled impressions were left on her cheek, from where she had been pressed up against him all night.

He kissed her gently on the forehead. "You ok this morning?"

Princess nodded slowly. Jason could tell that she was still a wreck.

He yawned and stretched as he watched her stumble into the bathroom. "I'll try to get Mark on the line once more." He said as he tried to get Mark on the communicator once more. All he received was static.

Princess peeked out of the bathroom and inquired, "Get anything?"

Jason shook his head in defeat, leaning forward to prop his elbows on his knees. "Nothing, Prin. I think we should go and look for him. I'll contact the Chief."

Over the next few weeks, the team gathered together many times in an effort to find their lost leader. They retraced every route by air and by ground. But they were unable to find him. Princess had dissolved into a state of despair that was inescapable. She practically lived in Mark's shack, praying for the day that she saw his red, white and blue Cessna reappear from the deep blue sky that had engulfed it.

The rest of the team had difficulty believing Mark was really gone. Jason, who had once resolved to find his Commander no matter what, had finally decided that Mark had died and apparently his plane had crashed somewhere. He tried to convince Princess and the others, to no avail.

One by one, the rest of the team, and even Chief Anderson himself, had agreed that the Commander of G-Force had succumbed to some great peril and was no longer alive.

Princess was the only one who could not be convinced. She stared at the token of love on her finger day after day and dreamed of the triumphant return of her fiancé. She sobbed constantly, as the hole left in her heart ached. She missed him terribly. Nothing and no one could fill that void inside her.

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Mateo grew in strength as the weeks passed, spending all of his time with his nurse, Claudia and her father, Salvador. In essence, he had become a part of their small family, and had also become a celebrity of sorts, in the small village.

Claudia showed him the beautiful scenery that surrounded them, helping him to walk on unsteady legs and resting and talking with him in the forest daily.

"Careful, Mateo," Claudia admonished. "You're not completely healed yet."

"Hey, I'm fine, Claudia. But if you want, I'll still lean on you, for old time's sake." Mateo leaned on Claudia as they made their way down the rainforest path. He grinned at his nurse. He knew she desperately wanted him to need her. She almost seemed as though she didn't want him to get better so she could keep tabs on him. He found her attention flattering.

"You haven't brought me this way before. This is beautiful…" Mateo began.

"Wait until you see the place we're going to. It is very special to me." Claudia replied, as she helped him over a large tree root.

Mateo's eyes widened as he noticed a clearing, containing a huge waterfall. Thundering sheets of water poured out over smooth boulders. He could see rainbows stretching out across the mist.

Claudia led him over to a large fallen log, and the two of them sat together, marveling over the waterfall.

"The rushing water... all of the colors...reminds me of something. Are you sure I've never been here before?" Mateo remarked. "This is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen."

"Humph!" Claudia pouted, folding her hands over her chest.

Then Mateo's blue eyes focused on Claudia's face. "Except for you, of course."

Claudia grinned back at him. He cupped one hand under her chin and gazed into her eyes.
"You have been so kind to me. You…remind me of someone. I just don't know who it could be."

Claudia was anxious to change the subject. She didn't like for Mateo to make any references to his past.

"It really doesn't matter, does it, Mateo? We're here, together, now… and I am so happy to see that you are recovering so quickly." Claudia blushed.

"I am recovering quickly because of you." Mateo replied, and leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers.

The kissing quickly spiraled out of control, and, despite Mateo's injuries, he and Claudia found themselves rolling around in the soft sand by the riverbank, breathing heavily and hastily removing their clothing.

The heat between them led them into making love by the bank of the waterfall. An icy mist filled the steamy air around them, covering them with tiny beads of water as the passion overcame them.

They lay still afterward, both out of breath and smiling at each other.

"That was incredible," Mateo gasped.

"I know." Claudia agreed, pecking Mateo all over his face with her lips.

"Want to join me for a dip?" Claudia beckoned toward the cool water next to them.

"CLAUDIA! What are you doing here? And with that boy?" An angry voice echoed from behind them.

A young man, tanned from the sun, with a broad chest and coal black hair stood before them with a deep scowl on his face. He had walked up to see his lover, entwined passionately with the pilot he had gone to send a message for.

"ANTONIO?" Claudia gasped and jumped up, frantically covering herself with her clothes. Mateo scrambled to get his pants on. "I thought you were sending a message for the elders?"

"We just returned, and I was looking for you. The entire time we were gone, all I could think about was returning home to you. Looks like you've forgotten me." Antonio bellowed.

He stormed up and grabbed Mateo by the shoulders, shaking him violently. "What are you doing fucking my girl?"

"Antonio, stop it!" Claudia screamed. "It's my fault, not his!"

Mateo suddenly whipped around, breaking Antonio's grip and flipping him across his shoulder, and then effortlessly slamming him down to the ground.

"You don't know who you're messing with!" Mateo growled.

Antonio was stunned for a moment, the pain etched on his face as he stared into Claudia's eyes.
"You deserve each other." He spat, and then he slowly stood up, and disappeared into the thick forest.

"ANTONIO!" Claudia yelled, as tears streaked across her face.

She turned back to a very stunned Mateo. He was buttoning his pants, and brushing the sand off of his legs. He stopped and examined at his hands. How did I do that? He wondered.

"I'm sorry, Mateo. I didn't mean for you to get caught up in this." Claudia began. She walked over and helped him up.

"I don't want to come between you and your boyfriend." Mateo began.

"I didn't mean for this to happen, Mateo, but…I do have feelings for you."

"I hope you're not confusing having feelings for me, with caring for me. Why didn't you tell me about Antonio?" Mateo stared at the rushing water, and thought for a moment. He suddenly realized that he had been very confused as to his feelings for Claudia. He cared for her, but he didn't love her. Instead, he had fallen under the spell of a very convenient nurse/ patient romance.

"Mateo, I'm sorry; I should've told you. But I never imagined that we would end up like this. I can't help it. I love you!" She cried.

He gazed into Claudia's tear streaked face. "Claudia, I'm so sorry. I'm just very confused right now. I care about you. I just can't say that I love you. What happened over there by the waterfall was very special to me, but I do not intend to come between you and Antonio. Besides, you don't really know who I am. Hell, I don't even know. But I have to find out."

Claudia sobbed loudly as she took off into the forest, leaving Mateo to return to the village alone.

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As he returned to the village, he was met by several villagers who handed him a small bundle. "We found these in the forest, near your plane. We thought you might want them."

Mateo's mouth gaped. He was curious to see what was inside. He had no memory of the plane, the crash, or anything about his previous life. And at this point, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. His desire to find out about the past had been causing him a lot of trouble with Claudia lately.

He took the package and thanked the villagers.

Mateo and Salvador had dinner together that evening, while Claudia spent several hours sulking in the gardens behind the hut.

Salvador wanted to know what had happened, although he already suspected that his daughter had fallen for their handsome young guest.

After they ate, Mateo spoke up. "I… I need to be alone. I'll be outside."

He walked outside and gulped in the fresh air. He sat down on a log and untied the small package. Inside, were what appeared to be a small watch, and a picture. The watch didn't work, but he studied it intently. He placed it onto his wrist, attempting to fasten it. A sudden flash of recollection flew through his mind. He saw white wings and he felt as if he was inside the cockpit of a plane.

He pulled out the photo and gazed into a pair of smiling green eyes. Beautiful girl…She looks so familiar…he thought.

He suddenly felt a pain in his chest. He knew that girl, and he knew that she was someone who had been very significant in his previous life.

He also had a feeling that he was supposed to be doing something. Something important. If only he could remember what it was?

He was interrupted by a voice from behind him.

"What was in the package?" Claudia asked. She plopped down next to him on the log.

Reluctantly, he showed her his belongings. "Just an old watch, and a picture."

She grabbed the picture and stared at the raven haired beauty. "And who is this?" She asked, in a rather accusing tone.

"I don't know, Claudia, maybe she's my sister." He groaned.

Claudia scowled as she regarded the picture. Somehow, she doubted that this woman was Mateo's sister. She threw the photo back into Mateo's lap.

"I doubt it. Not with the way you were looking at her." She grumbled.

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Several more days had passed, and Princess lay in Mark's dark bedroom, reminiscing about the last time she had slept in Mark's bed with him next to her. She wept daily, and tried to keep herself busy at Jill's diner as much as possible. But it didn't take her mind off of Mark…especially in the evenings.

She roused herself once more to get ready for another shift at the diner when suddenly, she received a call on her communicator. "Princess? You there?"

"Yes…"she answered. "What is it, Jase?"

"We've got some news on Mark. He may have crashed somewhere in the Andes Mountains, in Chile. Some tribesmen reported a plane down with one survivor." Jason replied. "The Chief told us to investigate right away."

Princess' heart leapt. She called Jill and told her the news, then took off to meet the Phoenix.

As she boarded the ship, she grinned wildly. "Full speed ahead, Tiny!" she ordered.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Tiny chuckled.

The team raced to the aid of their leader, hoping he had remained in good health.