'What a long day,' I groaned, lying my bed, staring into space. You know how you can't seem to focus your eyes on anything, but you just seem to be staring beyond, thinking . . .

I was thinking, all right. Thinking about just how far I was going to kick Paul's ass after when he tried to do. Again! He had some nerve, I swear. And I was going to make him sorry, too.

'Meow,' went Spike, leaping with clumsiness onto my stomach, extracting me from my reflection.

'Susannah!'

A Spanish voice startled me. I sat up slightly, and saw that the one and only, hotter than hot Jesse had just materialized in front of the door.

'Hello, Jesse,' I sighed.

'Don't you give me that,' he said, 'Why did you never tell me about these Shifter lessons?! How could you put yourself at such a danger? After everything that Paul's done to you!'

'You have no idea,' I said absent-mindedly, scratching behind Spike's ears. He was being strangely nice to let me do so.

'What did you say?' asked Jesse dangerously, coming to stand above me.

'Hello up there,' I said.

'Susannah, I'm warning you, don't continue with these stupid lessons, or you will regret it.'

'Jesus, Jesse, mind your own business,' I snapped, rolling over.

'Look at me when I'm talking to you!' he roared, pulling me back to face him.

'I don't have to do everything you say!' I yelled in reply, furious. I jerked away from him, staring at him strangely. Jesse didn't usually lose his temper with ME.

He stared at me for a moment, before sitting on the end of my bed, his head in his hands. He sighed, and wiped his hair back. It fell messily across his forehead again anyway.

'Querida,' he said defeatedly- I went all squishy- 'I'm only saying this because I'm scared of what he could do to you.'

Should I tell him about what Paul tried to do today? That would be exciting . . . but no, then Jesse would most likely end up exorcised.

Why do I always lose?

'Susannah,' he said, 'He could hurt you. No, he could damn well kill you, and I don't want that to happen.'

'You and me both,' I agreed.

'So? What are you going to do? Why are you even going to these lessons?'

'Because-' I shut my mouth quickly. What could I say to Jesse? He'd do his nut if he knew why I'd agreed to Paul's deal, because I was trying to protect him.

'-Because I want to learn about this stuff,' I said in a stammer, looking away from those dark Latino eyes of his that were blazing at me. Which was true, I did. Want to learn, I mean. But why did it have to be with PAUL?!

'There must be another way to-'

'No, Jesse, there's not. There's really not.'

He stood up, and began pacing in front of the bed. Wanting to get something of a confession out of him, I went, 'Why do you care?'

Again, he looked at me. His gaze was heavy.

'Because you're my friend,' he answered finally, looking away.

'Oh,' I said with disappointment. Was that all?

'But, Jesse,' I said, standing up from my bed.

'Yes, Querida?'

'Is that all I've ever been?'

WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!?!

He looked at me in alarm, unable to speak. What had I done?!

'Uh, I have to g-'

'No, Jesse!' I said quickly, grabbing his arm as he was about to dematerialize, 'No! You've kissed me twice now! Are you just messing with me? Were you bored? Do you really hate me?'

He was startled. 'Querida! Of course I don't hate you,' he soothed. 'I love you like a sister!'

My world shattered.

'Like a sister?' I squealed, 'a SISTER?!'

He pulled back from my tugging arms. 'I'll, uh, see you later, Susannah,' he said, and promptly dematerialized.

'JESSE!' I roared, but it was no use. He was probably at Father Dom's by now.

He kisses his SISTERS like THAT?!?!?!?!

~*~

Knock, knock.

'Come in,' I said dully.

'Hey, Suze,' greeted a very rosy-cheeked CeeCee. She beamed at me.

'Hey, Cee.'

'Oh, I've brought Adam too, he'll be up in a second-'

'Uh huh.'

'Why are you so down?' she wanted to know, squinting at me curiously, coming in to sit on my window seat. I shrugged. I was still lying on my bed.

'Cee, you know about . . . Jesse?' I asked in hushed tones.

Her eyes widened, and she looked around furtively. 'Yeah?'

'He doesn't love me,' I confided sadly. 'Well, he does, but like a sister.' I spat the word out like it was a contaminated.

She gave me a scandalized look, her lips all tight. 'Really?'

'Yes, really,' I answered. I sighed. 'I don't know where the idea came from that something was ever going to happen between us. I mean, seriously, he is a ghost.'

She looked at me sympathetically. 'I'm sorry Suze,' she said. 'Hey, why don't you go out with Paul?'

I turned to her sharply.

'Have you gone freaking CRAZY?!' I hissed in fury. 'And besides, I'm going out with Tad again.'

She looked alarmed at my outburst, but then squealed in glee. 'Really? Well, that's great!'

'No it's not,' I said, pouting.

'Okay. Oh, by the way, Suze, you left this at school in the library that day,' CeeCee said, pulling out a little slit of grey cardboard. Huh?

'What's that?'

'That photo of that guy that you didn't know who it was of? Remember?'

'Oh yeah. Well, do you know who he is?' I asked hopefully, taking it from her extended white hand.

Angrily, she said, 'Yes, but no. I recognize him, but I can't think of his name.'

'Join the club,' said a voice.

I turned, and Adam came striding in. 'Hey Suze,' he greeted with a smile. I sighed and said a lacklustre hello.

'Why so down?' he wanted to know. Oh, Jesus. I can't tell Adam about it.

'Girl stuff,' said CeeCee, looking at me quickly. I wrinkled my nose. I mean, yeah, I needed an excuse, but not THAT excuse.

She grinned at me.

'Uh, Cee, if you don't know who the guy is,' I said, referring to the photo, 'is there any possible way that you can somehow research who the girl next to him is?'

CeeCee stared at me strangely.

'What girl?' she asked.

I blanched. 'T-The girl next to him.'

She frowned, looked at the photograph of the smiling hot guy and Bessie, and then at me again.

'Suze,' she said, 'There's no girl there . . .'

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

A/N: Thanks for reviewing, guys! You ROCK! Uh, preview of what's coming next, okay, uh . . . oh, crap, I've forgotten! Thinking of "Get Out Jesse" too much, I guess, (another fanfic I am writing) um, oh yeah. Well, Suze finds Ramsis, that Egyptian dude. Ironic, how she can find him out of all the animals in the world. Also, don't kill me, as Bessie's character is one done by so many, but her story comes up soon, too. Otherwise, that's about it. KEEP THE REVIEWS COMING! (