Second Chance

I totally had a blast at CeeCee's. Too bad Jesse didn't want to come. But I guess it was ok with out him. CeeCee and I spent the whole night watching horror movies and scarfing down Cheetos and old boxes of chocolates from Valentines Day.

What more could I girl want? Well besides a hot boyfriend like Jesse.

We also talked a lot about life and CeeCee asked me some more about being a Mediator which I hadn't been able to answer when Adam butted in earlier that day.

I knew it was only a matter of time before the subject of Jesse came up. And it wasn't long before CeeCee asked the one question I knew she wanted an answer to.

"So Suze," she said causally, "What does that word querida mean?"

"I don't know what it means, Jesse just calls me it." I lied.

CeeCee rolled her eyes. "Simon, I so know you're lying. You probably looked it up in some Spanish dictionary." She teased

I choked on the Cheeto I had in my mouth and blushed.

CeeCee looked at me and started laughing, almost falling off the bed.

"So what if I did!?" I yelled, throwing my empty bag of Cheetos at her head. "I was curious!"

CeeCee finally got of hold of her self. "Well, what does it mean?"

"Um, It means Sweetheart or Dearest one." I replied, blushing a bit at my confession.

"AWW!" CeeCee burst out. "That's so sweet."

"Well Jesse's the sweetest guy I ever met." I replied, looking off dreamily, thinking about Jesse.

"And the hottest too!" CeeCee joked, then noticed my dreamy expression. "You really like him, don't you? As in love?"

I looked at her. "I guess I have for a while now." I confessed, and wondered if I should tell her what Mme.Zara had told me all those years ago. "But I'm not too sure if Jesse really loves me back. I know he likes me though."

CeeCee looked at me like I was crazy. "Suze," she said exasperatedly, "Guys don't go around calling girls they don't like Sweetheart in Spanish. Of course he loves you"

I shrugged and looked at the clock. It was just past eleven. "Crap! I had to be home before eleven." I said in a panic, hopping off CeeCee's couch.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow, I guess. Watch out for the bogeyman on the way home." CeeCee teased, trying to make me feel scared after all the horror movies we had watched.

"I've taken on tougher," I laughed, "it's not the bogeyman I'm worried about anymore."

I left with one last wave out the front door. The night air was kind of chilly and since I was wearing a skirt it was starting to bug me. I really need to learn to drive so I can get a car.

And it was also really dark, I noticed with disdain, and one thing I don't like is the dark.

I started walking at a faster pace, and not because I was all that chilly. Even though I told CeeCee I wasn't afraid, I was still a little freaked of walking home alone in the dark. I mean, who isn't?

By the time I was on my block, I was walking—or should I say jogging—at a pretty quick pace.

Finally in sight of my house I sped up and bit more and quickly ran though the front door closing it roughly behind me.

Woo, talk about a work out.

I took the steps up to my room two at a time. And when I opened the door to my room I must have looked pretty winded or spooked because I herd a distinctly familiar voice say with concern, "querida, what happened?"

I flopped down on my bed face first, trying to lower my heart rate.

"Nothing, just a little winded from running home." I replied flipping over to look at Jesse.

"Why were you running home?" he asked, tilting his head to the side a bit, making him look totally adorable.

"Oh no reason," I laughed, "Must have been all the horror movies me and CeeCee were watching."

Jesse lost the look of concern on his face and sighed. "Next time you should get someone to go with you if you're so scared of the dark."

"Am not" I pouted, glaring back at him, "And why aren't you sleeping? It's late, you need to sleep you know. Remember?"

It was Jesse turn to frown, "I did not forget, I was just waiting for you to get home. And plus I don't have a bed anymore."

I looked at him confused, "Huh?"

Jesse sighed and pointed to his cot across the room. I looked over and burst out laughing. The cot had been ripped to shreds, a huge hole through the middle. And of course there was only one animal—or should I say beast—that could do something like that.

"Looks like Spike doesn't like you sleeping in my room." I pointed out, still laughing.

"It's not funny, where am I suppose to sleep. And don't worry I scolded him firmly for what he did." Jesse replied.

That made me laugh even harder. I could not picture Jesse scolding Spike, I mean, he obviously loves that cat too much to even be angry at it for more then two minutes. I wish it was like that with me. I swear Jesse spends more time being angry with me or telling me how much I suck at being a Mediator, then anything else.

"You have to admit, it's a bit funny." I laughed, smiling at him.

Jesse just frowned deeper, and glared at me, but then a smile broke out across his face…an evil, mischievous smile….

"You know what else is funny?" He asked walking closer

From the look on his face I knew he was up to something. Something not good.

"Umm, no" I said sheepishly, leaning as far back against the headboard as I could.

Jesse took a couple more steps and he was now standing in front of me.

"This!" He said and he grabbed me around the waist……..and started TICKLING ME!

"No! Jesse stop!" I screamed thrashing in his arms.

I started laughing so hard tears were coming out the corners of my eyes.

"You asked for it." He laughed as I desperately begged him to quit.

"Jesse!" I gasped between laughs, "What—laughs—are you? Five—laughs—years old."

I wiggled in his arms but he was just too strong and the hands he was tickling my sides with were just too big.

I desperately groped around with one hand for something to hit Jesse with—while I fended him off with the other.

Just when I thought I'd die of not being able to take a breath, my hand clasped a pillow.

A flung it with all my might, hitting him half in the shoulder, half in the side of the head.

"Whoa!" Jesse yelled as he was caught off guard, falling over the side of the bed.

I peeked over the side of the bed at him and glared. "That was not funny, Jesse. I couldn't breath."

"You have to admit, it was a bit funny." He imitated me with a laugh, just to make me angrier.

I flung the pillow—which I still had in my hand—at his face. But unfortunately, with quick reflexes—that I didn't expect him to have—he caught the pillow a knocked me over the head with it.

"Hey!" I pouted, "No fair!"

"I think it was fair," he said grinning at me, "but what is not fair is that I don't have a bed."

An idea quickly popped in my head………..hmmmm.

"You know, Jesse," I said blushing, "You can probably sleep in my bed…. with me……I mean since you don't have anywhere else to sleep……but, you know, just 'casue you don't have a bed….." I trailed off.

Ugh! What was I thinking? That came out sounding really bad. He's going to think I'm some pervert.

Jesse looked at me with a questioning glance. "Are you sure?"

I blushed an even darker red. "Well, since you really don't have anywhere else to sleep…I wouldn't want you to sleep on the floor."

I bit my lip. Why did I even open my big mouth in the first place?!

"Well, I suppose….since I don't have another bed." Jesse looked uncomfortable.

I couldn't stand it anymore. "Ok, I'll go get my pajamas on." I said, and I high tailed it out of there as fast as I could.

I closed the bathroom door behind me and with a sigh, slid down the wall. That was the last time I did something that embarrassing.

I took my time getting my pajamas on and then I peeked out the door.

I slowly let out my breath. Jesse was already wrapped up on the far side of my bed. He apparently had changed while I was taking my sweet time in the bathroom.

I don't know what came over me a second later—I guess if I was already extremely embarrassed, I really couldn't do anything else to make it worse—as I stifled a small giggle and then crept up to my bed and flopped myself down on it about as hard, loud and bouncy as I could.

I burst out laughing as Jesse flipped over to see what the heck was going on.

"Susannah! Are you trying to wake up the whole house?!" He said with a startled expression on his face.

I couldn't stop laughing as much as I tried. It was like I had gone insane.

"I'm sorry," I gasped in between giggles, "I couldn't help it."

Jesse lightened up and gave me a teasing smile and then smashed a pillow down on my face.

"Hey!" I said, throwing the pillow off but then a whole new wave off giggles started as I realized something else. "You know how bad it would look right now if someone walked in?" I said through giggles. "I mean, you're in my bed!"

"All the more reason for you to be quiet so no one comes in!" Jesse said trying to look angry, even though you could tell he was about to laugh.

"Ok, ok, I'll stop," I said, finally calming down. "But we had better walk up early tomorrow, I don't think we want someone coming to wake me up and finding you in here with me."

Jesse chuckled, "Good idea."

"Well," I said with a sigh, "Good night Jesse."

"Good night Susannah." Jesse said, then he flipped around to look at me. "Can I ask you a question first?"

"Shoot" I said, then groaned inwardly at how stupid I just sounded.

"Did you ever kiss Paul Slater?" Jesse asked, a serious look on his face.

I guess that wasn't such a tough question, Jesse might not like the answer, but I could explain. Then the best scheme popped into my head.

"I'm only going to answer your question if you tell me what you and Keri were talking about." I said with a grin. I knew I had won; now he had to tell me.

Jesse frowned. "Fine, but you have to answer mine first."

I nodded. "Fair enough, but don't freak out."

Jesse frowned a bit more because whenever I told him not to freak out, it was usually something bad. "I promise I will not freak out." He said.

"I kissed Paul once," I said quickly, "But he forced it on me and I didn't want it."

Ok maybe that was a little fib. At the time I didn't really hate that Paul was kissing me but I now know that it was totally wrong and that I really never felt anything for him.

Jesse didn't look too happy at the little bit of information I had just told him. "But don't worry," I said to reassure him, "I gouged him in the eye when he did it."

Jesse smiled at that and raised an eyebrow. "Did you really?"

I shrugged, "Well he deserved it."

Jesse chuckled a bit at Paul's misfortune. "Remind me to never kiss you when you're mad." He teased.

I blushed a bit but quickly covered it. "OK, I answered yours, time to answer mine, what did she ask you?"

Jesse shrugged. "She asked me if I wanted to go out on a…what do you call it…a date."

"What?" I burst out, "That hoe asked you out!?"

Jesse frowned at my vulgar use of language. "Yes, but she became extremely angry after I told her I wasn't interested."

I smiled inwardly. "I know, I saw. What did you say?"

He shrugged again. "I told her there was only one person I was interested in," Jesse said, with a grin.

I swear I felt my heart break when he said that. There was someone that Jesse was interested in? Who could it be, since he was so obviously not interested in me?

I tried to hide my hurt feelings though, but it didn't work. "Who?" I asked quietly, in a pitiful little voice.

Jesse noticed my horribly sad expression and for some odd reason he smiled a little wider and pulled me closer, into his arms.

"She's smart, funny, self-confident, loving, fashionable, and so beautiful…..everything about her is perfect….." he said as he ran his fingers up and down my arm.

At every one of the reasons he gave, my heart seemed to be crushed into smaller and smaller bits. Jesse obviously loved this girl very much.

"Don't you want to know what her name is?" Jesse whispered seductively into my ear as he noticed that I was silent.

Are you purposely trying to torture me?! I wanted to scream at him but instead, in an even more pitiful voice I said, "Ok."

"Susannah, Susannah Simon." He breathed into my ear as he ran his fingers down my arm, sending chills up my spine.

Oh my god. Did he just say what I think he said? I flipped around to look at him and was met with unusually bright black eyes and a teasing smile.

"Who did you think it was, querida?" Jesse asked as he cupped the side of my face.

I was so happy I could barely stop myself from jumping up and doing a jig. "I don't know, but I'm glad it's me." I said and I snuggled closer to him.

"Of course it's you." He said. He slowly leaned in and gave me a tender kiss on the mouth then pulled back and I noticed he was frowning.

Oh no! I'm a horrible kisser! Was the first thought that ran though my mind.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, hoping that my suspicions were totally off.

"There's something else. When I told Keri I would not go out with her she said something very odd." Jesse said with his eyebrows knit together.

"What did she say?" I asked, slightly relieved that I was wrong.

"She said that she always got what she wanted and that you were going to pay." Jesse said looking back down at me with concern, "I'm worried Susannah, if she has the power to give me life with her necklace, she could also use it to harm you."

"Don't worry," I said reassuringly, "We've dealt with tougher.

But Jesse just shook his head and said, "She was extremely angry and might try something drastic, we don't know what kind of power she has." Jesse's grip on me tightened. Delightfully so. "You must promise me that you will stay away from her and be careful."

"I solemnly swear that I will stay away from Keri." I promised as I held up my hand like the witnesses do in court.

Jesse smiled. "Good, and you must also be careful."

"I promise I will be careful," I replied with a smile and then I cuddled back into Jesse's arms and sighed. "Good night…….again."

Jesse chuckled and I could feel it reverberating in his chest, which I was snuggled against. "Good night, querida."

And then I feel asleep moments later, wrapped up in Jesse's warm arms.

To Be Continued…

A/N: WHOO! I shoulda cut that into two chapters! Too long!! Hahahaha that chapter was so fluffish! Lol! And you guys were probably thinking that it would be all nasty cause they were in the same bed!!! Naughty naughty! You pervs! Lol! Jk! I'll update again reaaaaally soon.