The course of true love never did run smooth.

William Shakespeare

"Miranda came to the Waystation a long, long time ago," begins Viv, in the tone of one telling an oft-told tale, "and it was here that she met her soulmate, a man named Rudi. They'd never seen each other before – they died when they were young, and had no chance to meet on Earth."

"Miranda and Rudi fell in love at once," Pete says. "The story goes that as soon as their eyes met, they knew that they had found the person they were destined to be with. It's probably the most romantic thing that's ever happened here. They're sort of our version of Romeo and Juliet."

"They had three days and nights of perfect bliss together," Viv says, before he pauses. "Then they had their assessments."

"Miranda went Forward – and Rudi was sent back to Earth," Pete says sadly.

"Oh, but why?" Noel asks, his heart already wrung.

"Some people say that it was because at his assessment, Rudi kept talking about the new style of music he'd been working on," Viv says. "He was a troubadour, you see. He had pledged himself to develop a new sound, and to continue until he found it."

"Can you believe that?" asks Pete in disgust. "He'd found his soulmate. He had the chance to go Forward with her, into perfect beauty and joy, but he couldn't let it go that he'd died before he was able to finish his music."

Julian wonders guiltily if he is any better. He'd been in the Afterlife with his soulmate, and all he'd wanted to do was sit in his hotel room, trying to develop a new form of comedy. 

"It's hard for artists to stop being creative," he says.

"Well, it broke Miranda's heart," Viv says. "She must have been the most miserable person to ever go Forward. They say she cried all the way there, as if she was being dragged into the very pits of Hell."

"What happened to her?" Noel whispers.

"She studied in the Halls of Learning to become a Case Worker, then she applied to return to the Waystation," Pete says. "Her plan was to wait for Rudi to arrive at the Waystation in his new form, and use her knowledge to help him to go Forward, or at least Sideways."

"Eventually, Rudi did arrive here again," Viv says. "Miranda recognised him at once, of course. It didn't matter to her that Rudi had a different name and face and body – she could see his soul, and she loved him as much as ever."

"She went to talk to him as soon as she could," Viv says, "trying to tell him that she was his soulmate, but he didn't remember her."

"You see, his mind had been wiped blank", Pete says. "Didn't remember the Waystation, didn't remember having a soulmate. He wouldn't even look at her".

"He'd become a monk in his last life," Viv explains. "He took a very strict vow of chastity never to speak to a woman or even to allow his gaze to fall upon one, for fear of temptation. He refused to see Miranda, and after his assessment, he was sent back to Earth."

"Oh my God," says Noel. "Did Miranda wait for him?"

"Of course," Pete says. "She gave up being a Case Worker, once she realised she couldn't help Rudi that way, and got a job working as a gardener here. Did you see all the red rose bushes along Love Avenue?"

"Yeah, there's dozens of them," Noel says, and Julian adds, "I've never seen roses such a deep, vivid red."

"She planted them," Pete said. "We call them the Miranda roses. Anyway, eventually Rudi arrived at the Waystation again."

"He'd had a good long life on Earth, and was very old when he got here," says Viv, "but that didn't mean anything to Miranda. His soul was the same, and she loved him exactly as she had when he was a handsome young troubadour."

"And I suppose he didn't remember her at all," Julian guesses.

Viv shook his head. "He'd been happily married on Earth. His wife wasn't his soulmate, but she'd been a loving and loyal companion, and mother to their twelve children."

"Twelve! Bleeding heck," Noel says. "He was really making up for being a monk, wasn't he?"

"He cared deeply for his wife, and all he could think about was going Forward so they could be reunited," Pete says. "When Miranda tried to talk to Rudi, it was obvious that he was still devoted to his wife's memory."

"And he thought of Miranda as a very young woman, far too young to be interested in talking to an old man like him," Viv says. "He didn't understand that Miranda was actually born many years before him, and that once he went Forward, he wouldn't be old any more."

"He didn't go Forward, though," Pete says. "He was sent back to Earth again."

"If you ask me, Rudi was always far too attached to the vows he'd made on Earth, and that's why he kept being sent back," Viv says.

"The next one was the worst of all," Pete says with a sigh. "Rudi arrived at the Waystation at the end of another life. Miranda was working in Mandala Park when she saw him."

"He was kissing another woman," Viv says in a severe voice. "He'd met a fellow arrival at the Waystation, and they'd become attracted to one another. Rudi walked right past his soulmate, and never knew her. Didn't even look up."

"Miranda left the Waystation after that," Pete says. "She'd loved it because it was where she met her soulmate, but now it held so many painful memories. She didn't even wait to find out the result of Rudi's assessment, but he was sent back to Earth again."

"Where is she now?" Julian asks.

"She's living and working Forward, still waiting for Rudi," Viv says. "He's come back here, life after life. He's been male and female, his appearance has changed in every way. He's been a teacher, a preacher, a tailor, a sailor, anything you can think of. And each time he ends up being returned to Earth."

There's a long pause, and then Julian says, "My Case Worker said some of his clients have had hundreds of lives and still haven't even been Sideways."

"I still don't understand why your Case Worker didn't warn you of the dangers," Viv says with a frown. "What the consequences could be."

"Probably because Miranda was just unlucky," Noel says. "It only happened once before."

"I've been told that Miranda and Rudi broke a Cosmic Law by meeting for the first time at the Waystation," Viv says uncertainly.

"My Case Worker was a bit worried about it at first, but he seemed to think it was enough that me and Noel had connected on Earth," Julian says. "We didn't quite meet, but we were going to, and Noel had seen me. I must have seen him too without being aware of it – I was in very small venues."

"Oh well, he's a Case Worker, he probably knows more about Cosmic Law than me. I'm only a baker," Viv says.

"And everyone else has seemed really happy for us," Noel says, a bit reproachfully.

"Hey, we're really happy for you," Pete says. "We want you both to go Forward, mates. People finding their soulmates is something that brings joy to everyone here."

"But we're also worried about you," Viv says. "We don't want another Miranda and Rudi situation. We don't want one of you getting your heart broken."

"That isn't going to happen to us," Noel says confidently. "Me and Joo'n are going Forward together."

"Or maybe Sideways," Julian says, with a shifty look.

"And if one goes Forward and the other goes Sideways, then we'll wait until we meet up again in Forward," Noel says. "My Case Worker says you have to remain hopeful. And I bet that's what Miranda's been all this time. Not heartbroken over Rudi, but hopeful that she'll see him again."

"I can see why you're in love with him," Pete smiles at Julian. "He's a little ray of sunshine, isn't he?"

"I'll have to start calling Noel the Sunshine Kid," Julian jokes.

"I call Pete my Sweet Pete, or Pete Sweet," Viv puts in, "because he's got a sweet tooth, and well ... he's just so sweet!" He leans over and gives Pete a kiss.

"What do you call Viv?" Noel asks.

"I call him Stitch," grins Pete, "but whatever you do, don't ask why."