{Soooo. This is my second shot at writing a fanfic, and my first shot at writing a Mediator fic. ::nod nod:: Wish me luck. ::salutes all readers::

As in most Mediator fics that have been coming out lately, this is set right after Haunted. I'll get into the plot line I mentioned in the summary (you know, the whole figuring-out-why-Jesse's-still-in-this-world-instead-of-wherever-it-is-dead-people-go thing) in the next chapter, but I thought it would be nice to have sort of an intro first, so...yeah. XD

DISCLAIMER: I, of course, do not own any characters or settings or anything from The Mediator series. ^_^ And I'm not making any money. So. Yeah.

However, the idea for this fic and this fic IS mine. So. No stealy. :)

Read & review!!! .....but please, constructive criticism if you're going to criticize. X3}

His lips are so soft.

I pulled him closer to me, never wanting this feeling to end. It's a consuming, elating, loving feeling, and now that I have it running through me, electrifying my mind, I'm not sure how I ever lived without it.

I felt so peaceful in his arms, letting him kiss me and kissing him back. I finally knew he loved me, and I finally felt whole.

But then Jesse tensed, and pulled back.

I stared up at him, still lost in a kiss that was no longer going on, and blinked. He was staring over my shoulder incredulously, looking a little embarrassed.

I turned and looked where he was going, and I felt my face heat up. Cee Cee? I half asked, half called.

Ha. So much for finally not being interrupted while I'm being kissed.

My best friend peered back at me, picking her way toward me through the headstones and grinning. Hey, Suze, what're you doing back here by yourself? It almost looked like you were kissing someone when I was further back! She jabbed her thumb behind her, indicating the direction she came from.

Oh yeah. Cee Cee can't see Jesse. So of course she hadn't seen us kissing each other. Well...she had seen me kissing nothing, technically. So which was worse? Being seen kissing a hundred-and-seventy-year-old dead cowboy or being seen kissing nothing?

Jesse gave me a hasty look, said, I'll meet you later, Susannah, and dematerialized.

I gave Cee Cee an irritated look as she approached. I normally enjoy seeing my best friend, but when you're finally kissing the guy you've been in love with for what seems like a really, really long time, it's kind of hard to be excited about her sudden appearance. Especially when that appearance chases the someone you were kissing away.

Cee Cee gave me an odd look. What's with the glare?

I glared harder.

What, you trying to give me the glowering of a lifetime or something?

I had to crack a smile at that. What? I couldn't help it. I was just...doing something, I said evasively.

Cee Cee raised her eyebrows. Oh yeah? She looked around, interested, and her eyes landed on Jesse's grave. I could see her eyes reading quickly over the gravestone, and she mouthed the words silently to herself.

Here lies Hector De Silva, 1830-1850, Beloved Brother, Son, and Friend.'

Cee Cee has always been quick. In fact, her immediate reaction to this was, That's him, isn't it?

I blinked. That's who? Unlike Cee Cee, I'm not exactly the fastest person on the earth.

she stressed, rolling her eyes. You know, the ghost you're head over heels in love with? Who doesn't love you back?

Boy, was I glad Jesse isn't here. It was weird having Cee Cee talk about Jesse like that. Like he was a ghost, I mean. I guess it was only weird because Cee Cee had only figured it out about twenty minutes ago, but still. Not to mention she's pretty much the last person on earth (other than my mother) who I thought would believe in ghosts. Except for the last part. I smiled a little. He DOES love me back.

Cee Cee raised her eyebrows again, and whistled. Then something clicked for her, and she started giggling.

I asked, perplexed.

You were kissing him, weren't you? She grinned slyly. Just before I showed up. Where is he, anyway? She started looking around, an amused look in her eye (not that I could tell, since she was wearing sunglasses, but it's what I suspect).

I felt my face heat up again, and I'm pretty sure I turned cherry red. He left, I said, embarrassed.

Cee Cee looked quite elated. Oh. So my suspicions were right: you WERE kissing him. Does he get embarrassed as easily as you do?

I blushed darker.

Cee Cee just laughed. So, you wanna sleep over tonight? Or I could sleep over at your place. She grinned devilishly.

Um, Cee Cee. I just slept over last night.

Cee Cee waved her hand, like, no biggie.' Aw, you can sleep over one more night, can't you?

I shook my head. 'Fraid not. I don't exactly feel like having Mom and Andy yell at me right now. And they would, too. Not to mention they would probably ground me. Not for asking about a sleep over, but for thinking they'd let me have one after what had happened with the whole party-while-they-weren't-home thing.

Cee Cee frowned. Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Then she brightened again, pushing the bridge of her sunglasses back up her nose and grinning. What about this weekend?

She looked like she really wanted me to say yes. What else was I supposed to do?

I replied after a moment. Besides, after only having Father Dom to talk to about Jesse, I really did need to unload about him. I mean, I already had, sort of, but I had never been able to talk about the things we actually did and stuff because he's, you know, dead. And I didn't think Cee Cee would believe me before. About Jesse being dead, I mean.

Cee Cee's grin widened. she exclaimed. Then her eyes widened, and she smacked herself in the forehead. Suze! We forgot about the cannoli stand!

My eyes widened. We had! And we had abandoned it for, like, twenty minutes!

Both of us turned and sprinted back down the graveyard path.

{Don't ask me how Cee Cee figured out she was in the graveyard, because I'm not sure. o_O; She followed Suze, I guess. ^_^ So, what do you think? Was it in character enough?

Oh yeah, one more thing. I'm thinking of having one chapter in Suze's view, and the next in Jesse's, and so on. Or else having some Suze and some Jesse just sort of randomly--not one after the other. What do ya think??

R&R, and I'll see ya in the next chapter!!}