A/N: *Sniffs* Okay, I guess I'll change it, but I just want to say, will you lovely people still review if I do? And another thing, that was the only bad thing, I promise! I'll maintain self control this time, really I will! Please, don't make me change the rating! It's not that bad. Review and promise that you'll still review, or tell me that I should keep it PG 13! I mean, really, I think that 13 year old kids can handle that. I didn't go into any icky bits, and if the readers are younger than thirteen, it's not my fault. They were warned. I'll see if I can change the last chapter a bit, maybe . . . Thanx!!!

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Oh crap . . . I'd just let Paul Slater kiss me!

Funnily enough, that fact had taken a total of half an hour to enter my mind properly. I sat on that velvet bed, gawking into space. I was still seeing terrifying visions of what Jesse had done to me earlier.

Another thing occurred to me: What was my family going to say when they found me dead? Oh, God . . . And what happened if I came back to life somehow, and I was in a coffin! With that thought, I jerked from the bed, and tried to hammer on the door, hoping that Paul would hear me. I still couldn't move through walls, as Jesse knew well, and was relying on me to remain that way. This curse had now fully engulfed him, and I don't think that he had a spark of compassion left. I knew that there was a big possibility that I would stay as a ghost forever, but I wasn't thinking about that. Oh, I'm just so well known for my optimism. What I really needed to was contact Father Dom. If anyone knew what to do, it would be him. The question was . . . how?

'Ah, Querida, nice to see that you're awake.'

I shrank, not bothering to turn around. I felt Jesse's hand smooth over my shoulder and down my arm. I shivered, but determinedly didn't face him.

'Why won't you look at me, Susannah?' he asked, his voice brimmed with mirth and supremacy.

I took a step away from him, but very rapidly, his hand shot out, and he spun me around.

And I saw his eyes.

They were pools of inky blackness.

You know, like off Charmed? The Source's eyes? Yeah, well, like that. My jaw dropped, and I emitted a rather embarrassing squeal. I noticed that his grip was dreadfully tight on my arm.

'Jesse, let go of me, or I swear, I'll materialize out of here,' I said furiously. A complete lie, as I still didn't know how to, but hey, what else was there to do?

He laughed hollowly. It stung at me, because I knew, from that mere laugh, that his soul was completely black. 'No use trying to threaten me, Susannah. This room, as Slater graciously informed me, holds ghosts. They cannot materialize in or out of this room, so it is impossible for you to do so, and impossible to know if you can, as you couldn't have practiced.' Again he laughed, and I recoiled. His laugh seemed to swirl around me like a rope of thorns, constricting sharply, the barbs penetrating my skin. I shivered uncontrollably, despite the warmth of the room. With that, he grabbed each of my shoulders sharply. I got lost in his dark, Latino eyes. They were so malevolent, pitiless and shallow now, no longer spilling with love and warmth. I didn't know this Jesse at all.

'I hate you so much,' I said coldly.

Bad move. In response to that, his powerful hands shot to my neck, and he began to throttle me! I screamed indistinctly, slapping his arms. From the way his skin was touching mine, I could feel his darkness pump into me, and merge with my flowing blood, swimming around my body like a black cloud of toxin. This evil that was entering me was killing me, as if, even though I was a ghost, I was going to die again.

But it was so much worse that death.

Screaming wasn't an option any longer, but the look I was giving him, well, I was sure that it would make him stop this transference of wickedness. It didn't, however. Well, me being quite the little actress, I had an idea, and slumped forward. To my relief, he seemed to think that my apparent unconsciousness was an indication for him to stop. He let me fall to the floor. After about five seconds, I came gasping up for air, coughing. For half of this, no acting was required. I gasped, and glared up at him.

'You were lying, when you said that you needed me to get off this earth, weren't you?' I snarled.

He raised an eyebrow, his wholly black eyes reflecting unemotionally. 'Of course not. That was the truth,' he said.

'Ha, the truth,' I echoed bitterly. 'You know what, Jesse? Nothing's the truth anymore! You're cursed! Did you know that? You have the Curse of Dark- '

And he flared up again. I didn't see him coming. His hands were tensed forcefully around my throat again. I don't know if you've ever been strangled before, but I tell you, it is the worst pain to me, having no breath, and having such unbelievable pressure on your windpipe. 'J-J-chkh! Jesse!' I choked, and phenomenally, I plunged my fist into his chest. I mean, I broke the boundary of ghostly skin even. I don't know what I did, but it felt like I grabbed his heart and twisted it, I was just so powered by my wrath. His eyes zoomed to tiny circles, so the blackness was gone. I drew my hand out with a squeal. He stumbled back.

I clapped my hand to my mouth, backing away quickly. I had just hurt Jesse! How? I was supposed to be all weak. Was he going to be okay?

Well, judging by the huge, furious grunt he let out, he was going to be just dandy, but I didn't really want to stick around. I bolted for the door, and I almost collapsed with the relief to find that it was unlocked. I threw the door open-

WHOOSH!

Icy wind blasted at me from a land of nothingness. Darkness lingered all around, and this wind was almost propelling me back. I looked at the ground, only to find that before me, there was no ground! Nothing there, just wind!

And that was when I tripped.

I screamed the loudest I had in my life, and it was ringing in my head! Just before I fell into oblivion, I grabbed for anything. The edge of the door was the only thing to grab onto. My cold fingers gripped it clammily, and I was still screaming, despite my bruised throat.

But I was slipping.

That was when Jesse came to the door.

'Jesse, help me!' I screamed. The wind carried my fear up to him. Then, my blood ran cold, as he let out an evil chuckle.

'Well, this is certainly very fascinating,' he commented, folding his arms. My fingers were going numb with the force I was using to hold onto my existence. I kicked my legs around helplessly below me. The wind was chilling my body so bitterly . . .

'Please, Jesse!' I shrieked in panic, as my right hand slipped off totally. Only my left decided my fate. I rephrase that, Jesse decided my fate.

And my fate certainly looked pretty definite when he slammed the door on fingers.

'NOOOOOO!' I yelled in pain and horror as I fell. I heard Jesse's laugh ringing in my ears. It was the most painful thing in my whole life. I was descending into an abyss of empty space, and he was laughing at me.

Well, that was when a hand caught mine, just as I thought I was a goner. It monkey-gripped around my wrist, and hauled me up. I fell into the warmth of-

'Oh, Paul,' I whispered quietly, as he wrapped strong, protective arms around me. He intertwined his fingers through my hair, his hot breath brushing my frozen cheeks. I buried myself in him, as heat washed over me.

'What the devil do you think you're doing?' roared Jesse, ripping me from Paul's amorous grasp. I yelped, as he placed a muscular arm around my waist, almost knocking the wind out of me in the process.

'She was about to fall!' Paul objected stubbornly.

'Precisely,' Jesse's eyes glinted madly. Paul's face changed. I knew what he was thinking. How this one Curse had already gotten me killed, and now I was even in danger as a ghost. He looked so guilty. And so he should! It WAS all his fault!

. . . Be that as it may, I'd certainly rather be in HIS arms than Jesse's right now.

Jesse cast me sideways, so I slammed brutally into the wall, sliding down it in pain. Jesse advanced on Paul. 'Is it just me, Slater, or are we forgetting where we stand?' he asked menacingly, grabbing Paul by the scruff of his shirt. Paul, I noticed behind my hands, which I'd put up in front of my face, looked undaunted.

'I know where I stand, Da Silva,' he said calmly, 'I just think you were a little rash tossing Suze-'

'Susannah. You will call her Susannah, Slater-'

'Fine. Tossing Susannah away. She may be useful later on.'

Jesse considered this. 'But, I saw you holding her in your arms. You aren't getting fond of her, I hope?'

Paul laughed flatly. 'Hardly,' he grinned wryly, throwing me a false hostile look.

Jesse was satisfied. 'Well, you will leave me to deal with her-'

Panic flickered across my face. Paul noticed and said, 'Ah, actually, we need to move as fast as we can. I have researched how to activate the portal to our destination at last. So if you want to come now, we can get there quickly, and then you and Susannah can have your lives back, and I-'

'Susannah is staying as a ghost,' blazed Jesse.

Paul nodded hastily, 'My mistake, I keep forgetting,' he said. Jesse sauntered over to me. I hid my face behind lightly curled hands, shivering still. Oh, how I ached. I really wish the after-death condition wore off soon, and I could start acting like a real ghost, free of pain, and able to materialize . . .

Jesse dragged me up by the wrist very brusquely. I wheezed. He twisted both my arms behind my back, and I drew my breath sharply. Paul looked pained.

'Well? Aren't we going?' asked Jesse dryly.

'Oh, right, yeah,' Paul snapped out of his thoughts, and raised his hand so it was eye-level to himself. He murmured a few soft words, and instantly, there was a crackle of light, and a fine, dark red shimmering mist erupted from his bare hand and spiraled around, until it connected and became a solid cloud. It then rippled and glowed a blinding gold. Jesus, even the portal was going with the colour scheme of the room. I wanted to shield my eyes, by my hands were a little preoccupied at the moment.

Then, the golden cloud shimmered, so it was a solid round circle. The edges hardened, and shaped into antique looking rocks, the rim of this doorway adorned by stony dragons and snakes. I gulped, and Jesse held me tighter. My hair brushed into my eyes. Beyond the door frame, was a land that didn't exactly look all that appealing.

'Here's our stop,' Paul said, 'But I'm not sure if it's safe. I don't know how we can test it, though.'

'Allow me,' said Jesse, stepping forward.

And he shoved me through! What a bad ass!!!

Again, I felt myself falling . . .