What we do now echoes in eternity. 

Marcus Aurelius

It's a couple of hours later when Julian wakes again, saying, "Good morning," as he kisses Noel awake, his eyes soft and sleepy, his lips warm and moist.

"Good morning, Joo'n."

Julian stretches up to check the time on his watch; it's about quarter past seven. He says, "Do you want a shower or anything?"

"Yeah, I mean, we're both pretty crusty."

Noel gives Julian a grin that is positively obscene as he gets out of bed, pulling Julian's tee shirt down to nuzzle his shoulder.

Noel's just got to the bathroom, and Julian has taken his medicine and is about to join him, when there is a knock at the door. He freezes.

"It's only me, love," Pauline calls out. "Sorry to disturb you."

Julian hastily pulls his bathrobe on, and opens the door, combing nervous fingers through his hair.

"Oh, good morning, Pauline," he says. "I was just going to - "

"I brought a spare towel and another bathrobe for your guest, luvvie," she said, putting them on the end of the bed. "And some clean clothes and new shoes for him. I took the liberty of calling his hotel to get the right size. I hope that was alright, love?"

Julian can feel his face turning brick red as he stammers his thanks, and takes the bundle of clothes.

"I was sitting across from Noel last night," Pauline smiles. "He's ever such a nice boy, and I can tell he thinks an awful lot of you. It was Julian this and Julian that all night. Still, must get on. Ta-ra, love."

Julian wonders if his face might actually explode from the burning pain of blushing furiously, and Pauline has hardly left before the phone rings.

"Good morning, squire," Colin says chirpily. "Has Phil's Pauline been with the clothes for your guest, me old china?"

"Um, yeah. Thanks very much Colin," Julian says.

"Shall I have my Pauline send up breakfast for two, squire?"

"Er, that would be great. Um, maybe in about ... half an hour?"

"Oh ho, oh ho. Say no more, squire," Colin says with satisfaction as he rings off.

Julian slips off his bathrobe, picks up the spare towel, and pads into the bathroom, which is already filled with steam. He opens the glass door, and steps into the shower with Noel, pulling him into his arms and hugging him to his chest.

"Who was at the door, and on the phone?" Noel asks, raising his lips for a kiss.

"Pauline bringing you a towel and some clean clothes," Julian answers, before giving Noel what he asked for. "And breakfast will be here in half an hour."

"Plenty of time," says Noel, running his fingertips over Julian's stomach.

And he's right. There is plenty of time for everything Noel has planned. They even have enough time to wash each other.

**********************

Colin's Pauline brings them up an enormous breakfast, which they eat while still wrapped in fluffy bathrobes. There's scrambled eggs, rashers of bacon, brown grilled sausages, pancakes, fresh fruit salad, orange juice, tea, and coffee. Noel demolishes a stack of pancakes almost unassisted, while Julian eats a little of everything, hoping that Mary would approve.

"You're just picking at your food," Noel says in surprise. "Don't you like it?"

"It's incredible," Julian says, wiping his mouth on a napkin. "But I get full pretty easily here."

Noel gapes at him. 

"But you don't get full here!" he exclaims. "I mean, not uncomfortably full. You can eat all day if you want, and never feel you've eaten too much."

"I suppose I'm still getting used to being here," Julian shrugs, sipping his tea.

Noel shakes his head. 

"Are you sure you shouldn't still be seeing a Healer?" he asks. "It sounds like you're not fully transitioned to death yet."

"Mary, my Healer, actually did want me to stay at the House of Healing," Julian explains. "But the Head Healer said I would adjust more easily if I got out and lived a normal Afterlife."

"Okay," Noel says, still looking concerned. "Well, it shouldn't take too much longer, then."

"Did you get a chance to ask Jeannie any questions last night?" asks Julian, changing the subject.

"Yeah, quite a few," Noel answers. "One thing I found weird when I got here is ... how okay I felt about not seeing my family and friends any more. I don't really miss them. I mean, I love them all so much, but when I think about them, all I feel is ... happy. Happy that I got to to know them and spend time with them, and really, really happy that I'm going to be with them again one day."

Julian shifts uncomfortably. "And er, what did Jeannie say?"

"She said that all the bad feelings are taken away when you die, otherwise it wouldn't be fair. There's so much grief and suffering on Earth, and we shouldn't have to go through it all over again. We're meant to be ... I dunno, sort of working things out and preparing to move Forward, and we couldn't do that if we were bawling our eyes out all the time."

"That ... that makes sense," Julian says.

He doesn't tell Noel that although he certainly isn't paralysed with grief, he misses his family a lot. The thought of not seeing them again for hundreds or even thousands of years fills him with dread, and more than anything, he's worried about his family, and how they're dealing with losing him. He feels guilty too, for putting them through so much pain.

On top of everything else, I'm also failing at being dead, Julian thinks to himself.

**********************

Julian pulls on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt in the time it takes Noel to get to a mirror and gaze into it thoughtfully. By the time Julian has laced his boots, Noel has picked up a hairbrush and flicked his fringe about.

Julian picks up the phone when it rings again.

"Morning, squire," says Colin. "How was the breakfast my Pauline made for you?"

"Absolutely lovely," Julian says. "The nicest I've ever eaten."

"I will pass on your compliments, squire," says Colin. "Look, me old china, there's that geezer from yesterday waiting downstairs to see you."

Julian calls out to Noel that he has to see Marcus, and asks if he'll be okay on his own for a bit. Noel quickly assures him he's still getting dressed, and to take as long as he wants.

Julian is able to give Marcus a genuine smile when he comes downstairs, greeting him.

"Good morning, Julian," says Marcus. "Shall we sit in the lounge? It's empty at the moment, and should be private."

Julian sits across a tea table from Marcus, with his hands in his lap, feeling as if he has been called in to see his tutor at uni, and isn't sure what he did wrong.

"I've got some very important news for you," Marcus says. "You will be having your assessment tomorrow."

"That soon?" Julian says, trying not to show how dismayed he is.

"I don't want you to worry about this too much, but we may have a bit of an uphill task ahead of us," Marcus says. "You've been assigned to Chief Justice Dharmayama."

He looks serious.

"Is that bad?" Julian asks in trepidation.

"Well, they call him Karmageddon," Marcus says with a slightly grim smile. "He has a reputation for sending people back to Earth for another lifetime if they are not ready to move Forward."

"Oh shit."

"However, I'm not sure that reputation is entirely justified," Marcus goes on. "He has been a judge for a long time, and is very experienced. He certainly has no problems sending people Sideways. It's just that if a decision is fifty-fifty, he has a slight inclination to prefer that they undertake another lifetime."

"And am I a fifty-fifty decision?"

"To be honest, you're more of a seventy-thirty," says Marcus. "You probably have a seventy percent chance of being sent back to Earth. It would take a very lenient judge to move you up to a fifty-fifty."

"And I've got the hanging judge instead," Julian says cheerlessly.

"I don't want you getting the wrong idea," Marcus says. "Chief Justice Dharmayama is a man of exceptional intelligence and wisdom. You will receive a fair hearing, and he will make his decision based on the case I submit to him. I just have to make sure I submit the best possible case I can."

"Well, thank you for all the work you're putting in on my behalf," Julian says, remembering Edith's advice to trust his Case Worker. "What time is my ... my assessment tomorrow?"

"You don't get a specific appointment time," Marcus informs him. "You will go to Assessment Room 6 at the Waystation Assessment Centre at 9 am, and will wait your turn to see the judge. Some people will be dealt with very swiftly, while others may have more complex cases, so there's no saying how long it will take. But you have drawn the last spot on the Case Management List, so you'll have to sit through everyone else's assessments, I'm afraid."

"Is that bad?"

Marcus looks hesitant. "I wouldn't say it's bad. Being the last case of the day can have its advantages and disadvantages, but so can being the first of the day, or in the middle."

"Right. Anything else I need to know?"

"Oh well, make sure you aren't late. Even though you're the last one, turning up after 9 am will be a definite mark against you," Marcus says. "It never hurts to dress neatly and professionally, brush your hair and so on."

Julian swipes a hand through his untidy curls.

"Remember I'm the one making the submission on your behalf, so let me do the talking, unless the judge speaks to you directly," Marcus counsels. "If you're asked a question, speak up clearly, remain polite and respectful, and most of all, try to seem confident, but not over-confident."

Julian tries to remember all this advice.

"I'm giving you the official sheet with your assessment details on it," Marcus says, handing over a piece of paper. "You must take this with you tomorrow, in order to be admitted to the Assessment Centre. I will meet you there, and will be with you every step of the way. You won't be going through this alone."

"Thank you," Julian says, taking the paper.

"There's another thing," Marcus says. "Tonight you will be offered the chance to visit the Hall of Mirrors in preparation for your assessment."

"What's that? Some sort of Afterlife funfair?" Julian asks.

"It allows a glimpse into the Mirror of Life itself," Marcus replies. "You will be given the choice of two mirrors. In one mirror, you may see your loved ones on Earth. In the other mirror, you will be able to watch key moments from your past lives."

"Wow, okay," says Julian, nonplussed. "Er, which one do you advise me to choose?"

"If you believe you are going Sideways, then I think you should take the opportunity to see your loved ones, as a reminder that you will one day be reunited with them," Marcus says. "But if you believe you will return to Earth for another lifetime, then it would be a good idea to see your past lives. By imprinting their lessons on your soul, you will begin your new life with a more positive energy."

Julian thinks hard. Marcus has said that he will probably be sent back to Earth, so Mirror No. 2 is the obvious choice. But Marcus also told him to remain hopeful and confident, and in that case, he has to believe that Mirror No. 1 is the right one.

Which one should he choose? Was it better to trust in faith or reason? The lady or the tiger?

"Well, I'll have to think about that one," Julian says at last. "Is there anything I should be doing today to prepare for the assessment? I got some books out from the reading room here."

He has a vague idea it is like an exam he should be cramming for.

"This is your last full day at the Waystation," Marcus smiles. "Just relax and enjoy it. Why don't you go to Mandala Park? It's one thousand acres of woods, gardens, meadows, and fountains in the centre of the Waystation. I think it would be an excellent place to forget about the assessment and clear your mind."

"Okay, that actually sounds great."

"Er, have you seen your friend Noel lately?" Marcus asks tentatively.

Julian flushes and smirks, against his will. "Yeah, he stayed here last night. He's upstairs getting dressed now."

"Ah, that's good to know," Marcus says. "I'll get Colin to call his Case Worker, and ask Jeannie to come here so she can tell Noel about his assessment as well."