[ WP ] It has always been said that when you first see your true love , time will stop . One day as you are watching the morning news , you see the photograph of a young woman who had been murdered the night before . In that instant , time stops ... ..and then it travels backwards .

It was two years ago, or maybe tomorrow, I suppose it depends how you look at it. I was sitting in my apartment, eating a bowl of cereal in my boxers. The news was on like it was every morning. A report came on about the recent epidemic of violent muggings in the city. There on the screen was a college graduation picture `` Erica Adler, was killed last night in one of the recent mug...'' The sound was out the picture frozen on my screen. `` AHEM'' 
 
 I whipped around to see him. Tall, dark robe, scythe, the whole bit, it was death in my apartment. Beside him, the girl of my dreams. Short dark hair, those adorable glasses. If it were n't for her distracting me I probably would have had to burn those boxers. 
 
 `` Oh God, Oh God. I'm dead are n't I? Was it a gas leak? At least tell me it got the landlord too.'' 
 
 `` RELAX. YOUR NOT DEAD. SHE'S DEAD.'' He hooked a bony thumb at the girl beside him. `` SHE'S BEEN DEAD SINCE LAST NIGHT, OR TWO YEARS FROM NOW. DEPENDS ON YOUR POINT OF VIEW. PROBLEM IS, SHE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD YET. IF I DO N'T FIX IT SHE FOLLOWS ME AROUND FOREVER. IT'S ALL VERY COMPLICATED AND ANNOYING.'' 
 
 `` So why are you here? Why can I see you?'' 
 
 `` LOOK, I DO N'T USUALLY LIKE TO INTERFERE LIKE THIS. I'M GOING TO SEND YOU TWO YEARS INTO THE PAST. GET A CUP OF COFFEE ON THE WAY TO WORK. TRUST ME. THIS WILL FIX BOTH OUR PROBLEMS.'' 
 
 Then it went black... I woke to the alarm. I stumbled out of bed, showered, grabbed my cereal and switched on the news. Sure enough the date was two years before yesterdays. 
 
 I decided maybe I should listen to that weird dream. On the way to my dead end bagging job I stopped at the little coffee house down the street. `` Just a cup of regular coffee, black.'' 
 
 I turned around and there she was. The same girl. Erica. My heart missed a beat. She had on a backpack that looked ridiculous on her tiny frame. Loaded with books. I'll never forget that blue shirt. It was just plain blue t-shirt but on her it looked amazing. She looked up at me and smiled the brightest smile I had ever seen. 
 
 We started talking, here about nursing school, me, well I mainly just listened. I offered to help her get her books to her car. She let me. When her car would n't start I took a look and did some little roadside repair. I've always been good with my hands. She gave me her number. 
 
 I walked into my job and Chad started hollering at me for being late. It was n't worth it. I was n't going to relive two years at this job again. I quit. 
 
 I called Erica up to see if she wanted to grab some coffee the next day. We met at the same place. She mentioned her father looking for apprentices at his garage. She said she would put in a good word for me. Six months later her father promoted me from apprentice to mechanic. Three months after that he nearly dropped the camera when I dropped to my knee and help up the ring to his daughter while he was snapping graduation photos. Another four months and she and I were married. 
 
 Yeah this time around these two years had been amazing. 
 
 We went out to celebrate her promotion. 
 
 I did n't think about the date. 
 
 The mugger rounded the corner. 
 
 It was all I could do to get between her and him. 
 
 I lay there bleeding on the cold concrete. 
 
 As she knelt over me I felt the pressure of her hands. 
 
 I saw the tears stream down her cheeks. 
 
 I smiled. 
 
 It had been the best two years of my life. 
 
 The world went dark. 
 
 There he was again. Death. 
 
 `` Is, is Erica all right?'' 
 
 `` SHE'S FINE'' 
 
 `` I suppose by fixing things I took her place?'' 
 
 `` NO. YOUR MARRIED TO A TRAUMA NURSE. SHE'S TENDING YOU RIGHT NOW WHILE WAITING FOR AN AMBULANCE. YOUR GOING TO WAKE UP COUGH BLOOD ALL OVER YOURSELF AND THE AMBULANCE AND PASS BACK OUT. BUT YOU'LL SURVIVE.'' 
 
 `` Then why are you here?'' 
 
 `` WELL YOU KNOW YOU WERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I THOUGHT I WOULD POP IN AND THANK YOU FOR SORTING THIS MESS OUT.''
