Matthew was beginning to break down.
"Wait, please! Surely I deserve some mercy?"
"Why?"
"I did what I did for the sake of Love, didn't I? Amor Vincint Omnia, Amor Est Dei! Was I to condemn Simon to save Brandon? Moreover, was I to deny the love that Allison felt? Defy Love, defy God Itself? Surely I deserve mercy on these grounds!"
Grandfather Jackson's sneer was audible.
"Bullshit."
"What?"
"Yes. You did what you did for the sake of Love. And if you'd ONLY been helping Simon and Allison, ONLY been keeping your word, I'd have just fixed matters, told you what you did wrong and left it at that. But be honest: you did it because YOU wanted to prove that YOU were master of the situation. The great Machiavellian schemer, lord of the geeks, controller of the minds and bodies of mankind! The Sin of Pride is your downfall."
"There was no other choice-"
"LIES! If you hadn't been so arrogant, you would have thought of another way, another solution. I can think of three off the top of my head."
Matthew snarled.
"Such as?"
"Make Simon a Muscle Geek, blending the Brandon and Simon identities, therefore making Simon perfect for Allison not only mentally but physically."
Matthew sagged.
"Make Allison a she-jock Cheerleader, making her perfect for Brandon."
Matthew sagged more.
"Or you could have done the thing in stages, first redeveloping the Simon personality and the Brandon personality into something similar to Mark and Walter's situation. Then, simply perform a separation."
Matthew collapsed under the wait of his despair.
"Not so arrogant now, are you?"
Matthew tried to defend himself...
"A lesson on Arrogance from the man who scratched "Suck it, Nietzsche" on his watch?"
...but it was obvious his heart wasn't in it. He sighed heavily.
"...please. Mercy. I acted in arrogance, yes, but also in ignorance. Mayhap ignorance of the Law is no excuse, but it is enough to plead for my soul."
There was a sound of a heavy sigh, and the light dimmed enough to allow Matthew to see his accuser.
Actually, Grandfather Jackson was a short-ish, sweet looking old man, with a series of smile lines on a face that was clearly not suited to the look of anger which it now wore; indeed, the look was softening even now, as though he couldn't quite keep it up.
"Alright, you little twerp. You got me, there. When I was your age, I was ALMOST as much of an idiot as you've been. So I'm going to show you a bit of mercy. I have got to fix this paradox; there needs to be a Football captain. Guess who?"
Matthew whimpered.
"But."
"But?"
"I'm going to give you a chance. During the day, and any time at night where the Football captain would be needed, like night games and so on, YOU, Matthew, will be the school's football captain: a Big, Dumb, Jock."
Matthew's eyes welled up, and he began murmuring unconsciously under his breath.
"Kyrie, luminis fons rerumque conditor, eleison..."
The rage was quickly draining from Grandfather Jackson's face.
"...However, each night, excepting those times when the captain would have duties after dark, you will be restored to your normal self. Further, since you pleaded Love as your defense, if you can help 14 souls find true love in One Year's time, I will perform a separtation between you and the Football Captain."
Tears were still streaming from Matthew's eyes, but they were now of joy.
"Oh, thank you, thank God, thank you sir!"
And then he fell into the trance of the watch.