A/N: Hello everyone. I know, I know, I haven't written for this story in
forever, and It's been killing me that I haven't been able to update.
But you know what? Whatever. I'm just sitting here with this nagging
feeling in the pit of my stomach and I think,
"I'm going to finish this story. Even if it takes me all night." (It's like
2 am) So here I am.
I hope you like this chapter. Please remember that I was a little confused
(which is why I was having trouble updating).
Thanks for hanging in there. (Ah! I'm nervous!)
And a special thanks to Susan B who (lol) inspired me to finish by adding this in the new chapter of her story. "...and although I have major writers block, I'm just going to get writing, and see if anything interesting happens..." So basically that's why I've tried here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lucas's POV:
Jesse led me into his apartment and nodded toward the sofas in his living room. I took a seat and he emerged from the kitchen a minute later, two cans of beer in his hands. He held one out to me but I shook my head.
"No thanks," I said, but he set it down in front of me anyway, just in case I changed my mind.
"So," He said after taking an enormous gulp of his. "What is it that's so important?"
I actually did change my mind (about the beer thing) and opened mine, swallowing more in one gulp than Jesse had. I was actually a bit nervous. I mean, I'd known Jesse for so long, and chances were he'd kill me if I told him that I was in love with his ex-girlfriend.
"Uhm.... Well..... Suze and I..."
Jesse sprung up out of the chair he was sitting in. His eyes were wide. "She's with you? Susannah was with you this whole time and you didn't bother to tell me?"
"Yes, but....Did... Did something happen between you guys?" I regret to say that my voice had a hint of jealousy instead of what should have been concern.
He sighed. "Susannah showed up, and we were talking and then Brandie came over."
"Sorry, dude, but Susannah really likes you. Or at least she used to. She's really down because of Brandie." Sometimes I think I'm way too nice. Like now, telling Jesse how Suze really felt. I mean, I could have told him that she hated him and I would have gotten Susannah and everything would have gone my way.
"Well what did she expect?" Jesse boomed. "I couldn't just sit here and not live my life because of her."
"But," I said. "If you really do love her, you can't fool around with some girl and then expect her to forgive you for it."
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"No." I said, standing up. "No, not whatever. Suze deserves so much more than that. If you can't treat her like a lady than soon she's going to find someone who does and you'll regret saying whatever."
Jesse narrowed his eyes. "Do you-Are you.... Do you *like* Susannah?"
I felt myself beginning to blush furiously. "I-uh, no, no, no. Of course I...." The look in his eyes let me know that there was no use lying. He knew. "Yeah. Yeah, I do, Jesse. I'm in love with Susannah."
At first Jesse's face went so red, and his eyes were so narrowed, I began to sink back into my seat, wincing, sure that this was it; I was a dead man. But all of a sudden, his shoulders loosened up and he shook his head. "Nombre de Dios." He said, kind of chuckling. "You're absolutely right. I can't expect Susannah to love me.... We need to sort this all out." I nodded. "You can say that again."
"So are you going to tell her?" Jesse wondered, his arm now swung lazily over the arm of the sofa. It was amazing how one minute he looked murderous and now he looked like he hadn't a care in the world.
"You mean tell Suze that I....."
"Obviously." His English was brittle and unaccented, despite his Spanish roots.
"Well, no, I can't. Number one, because you two are apparently in love with each other and two, because, well, she's a ghost."
Jesse smiled, clearly relieved. "You're a great friend, Luke."
"You know..." I said, remembering something suddenly. "Do you know anything about this man, Father Dominic?"
"The Padre," he said.
"Yeah," I said. "This secretary told me that something had happened to him, and there was this new priest there so we only assumed that he had... you know, died."
Jesse looked taken aback. "Dead? No, of course not. True, he did get in an accident a few months ago, but he is recovering nicely and should be getting back to work soon."
I sighed gustily, relieved that my worst fears were incorrect. Father Dominic wasn't dead. "We have to tell Suze. She thinks that he's dead." I closed my eyes, thinking only thoughts of Suze, and reciting her name softly.
"Um, Luke," Jesse said. "What are you doing?" I held up one hand, asking him to hold on.
I opened my eyes and standing before me was Suze Simon, looking down at her hands. Around the same time I noticed her, she looked up, finally realizing where she was.
"So you're the one who called me." She said, half smiling at me, then looking at Jesse, her smile fading.
He stepped forward. "Look, Susannah, I'm so sorry. About everything. I promise you, I still love you. I'll always love you, querida. And... Brandie, I don't know what I was thinking with her. We're... I don't love her."
I winced upon hearing his words, but figured that once again, I being the nice guy, that this was just a good deed since Suze and Jesse were meant to be together. Even if it meant my heart getting crushed along the way. As long as Suze is happy.
Susannah's eyes seemed to soften after hearing Jesse's little speech.
She took his hands in hers and shook her head. "No, you do love her. And I don't want you breaking up with her because of me. Believe me, Jesse, in my heart, I still love you, too, but we both know this won't work. I'm dead. And you're alive. You have your whole life to live; I don't want you to waste it on me. I have to leave sometime."
"It's not wasted, Susannah. You're..." She silenced him by laying her index finger over his lips. She pulled her finger off and instead began kissing Jesse. I turned around, fearing that if I watched any longer I would hurl. Seeing the girl you love kissing another man isn't really something you want to see, you know.
The next thing I know, Suze's hand rested on my shoulder. I turned my head to look at her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered softly. I nodded half-heartedly. "So... Father Dominic. He's dead, isn't he? Poor old man. We all loved him so much. It's just too bad we didn't get to say...."
I smiled a little. "Suze, he's alive. Jesse says that he was in a car accident, but he recovered nicely. He'll be back at The Mission soon." Susannah beamed up at me.
"Can we go see him?"
I looked at Jesse and he shrugged. "Yeah," I said. "I guess so."
Although Jesse and I were mediators, we had not yet mastered the art of teleportation as Susannah had, so we took a small path through the woods to, what Jesse said, would lead to Father Dominic's place. It was a small dirt path, enshrouded my shrubs and small trees along the sides, while the farther into the forest you looked, the thicker the trees got. Jesse, of course, didn't want us to be seen talking to someone who wasn't there, which explains why he chose this somewhat deserted route.
"What about my parents? And my friends, Adam and Cee Cee, and my step brothers, do you think we could go see them? To kind of, I don't know, check up on them and see how they are?"
"I guess," I said, twigs cracking beneath the soles of my shoes. "If you want. But you have to remember, Suze, people eventually move on. I've done this plenty of times before with other people; you might not like what you see."
She took no heed to my warning and shrugged. "They're my friends and family. I just want to see how they're doing."
I sighed and gave Jesse an apprehensive look. "Suit yourself, Suze."
A/N: *bites nails* Eh, good? Bad? So/so? Please review!! Next chapter after a couple of reviews, hopefully soon. 3 Luna
And a special thanks to Susan B who (lol) inspired me to finish by adding this in the new chapter of her story. "...and although I have major writers block, I'm just going to get writing, and see if anything interesting happens..." So basically that's why I've tried here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lucas's POV:
Jesse led me into his apartment and nodded toward the sofas in his living room. I took a seat and he emerged from the kitchen a minute later, two cans of beer in his hands. He held one out to me but I shook my head.
"No thanks," I said, but he set it down in front of me anyway, just in case I changed my mind.
"So," He said after taking an enormous gulp of his. "What is it that's so important?"
I actually did change my mind (about the beer thing) and opened mine, swallowing more in one gulp than Jesse had. I was actually a bit nervous. I mean, I'd known Jesse for so long, and chances were he'd kill me if I told him that I was in love with his ex-girlfriend.
"Uhm.... Well..... Suze and I..."
Jesse sprung up out of the chair he was sitting in. His eyes were wide. "She's with you? Susannah was with you this whole time and you didn't bother to tell me?"
"Yes, but....Did... Did something happen between you guys?" I regret to say that my voice had a hint of jealousy instead of what should have been concern.
He sighed. "Susannah showed up, and we were talking and then Brandie came over."
"Sorry, dude, but Susannah really likes you. Or at least she used to. She's really down because of Brandie." Sometimes I think I'm way too nice. Like now, telling Jesse how Suze really felt. I mean, I could have told him that she hated him and I would have gotten Susannah and everything would have gone my way.
"Well what did she expect?" Jesse boomed. "I couldn't just sit here and not live my life because of her."
"But," I said. "If you really do love her, you can't fool around with some girl and then expect her to forgive you for it."
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"No." I said, standing up. "No, not whatever. Suze deserves so much more than that. If you can't treat her like a lady than soon she's going to find someone who does and you'll regret saying whatever."
Jesse narrowed his eyes. "Do you-Are you.... Do you *like* Susannah?"
I felt myself beginning to blush furiously. "I-uh, no, no, no. Of course I...." The look in his eyes let me know that there was no use lying. He knew. "Yeah. Yeah, I do, Jesse. I'm in love with Susannah."
At first Jesse's face went so red, and his eyes were so narrowed, I began to sink back into my seat, wincing, sure that this was it; I was a dead man. But all of a sudden, his shoulders loosened up and he shook his head. "Nombre de Dios." He said, kind of chuckling. "You're absolutely right. I can't expect Susannah to love me.... We need to sort this all out." I nodded. "You can say that again."
"So are you going to tell her?" Jesse wondered, his arm now swung lazily over the arm of the sofa. It was amazing how one minute he looked murderous and now he looked like he hadn't a care in the world.
"You mean tell Suze that I....."
"Obviously." His English was brittle and unaccented, despite his Spanish roots.
"Well, no, I can't. Number one, because you two are apparently in love with each other and two, because, well, she's a ghost."
Jesse smiled, clearly relieved. "You're a great friend, Luke."
"You know..." I said, remembering something suddenly. "Do you know anything about this man, Father Dominic?"
"The Padre," he said.
"Yeah," I said. "This secretary told me that something had happened to him, and there was this new priest there so we only assumed that he had... you know, died."
Jesse looked taken aback. "Dead? No, of course not. True, he did get in an accident a few months ago, but he is recovering nicely and should be getting back to work soon."
I sighed gustily, relieved that my worst fears were incorrect. Father Dominic wasn't dead. "We have to tell Suze. She thinks that he's dead." I closed my eyes, thinking only thoughts of Suze, and reciting her name softly.
"Um, Luke," Jesse said. "What are you doing?" I held up one hand, asking him to hold on.
I opened my eyes and standing before me was Suze Simon, looking down at her hands. Around the same time I noticed her, she looked up, finally realizing where she was.
"So you're the one who called me." She said, half smiling at me, then looking at Jesse, her smile fading.
He stepped forward. "Look, Susannah, I'm so sorry. About everything. I promise you, I still love you. I'll always love you, querida. And... Brandie, I don't know what I was thinking with her. We're... I don't love her."
I winced upon hearing his words, but figured that once again, I being the nice guy, that this was just a good deed since Suze and Jesse were meant to be together. Even if it meant my heart getting crushed along the way. As long as Suze is happy.
Susannah's eyes seemed to soften after hearing Jesse's little speech.
She took his hands in hers and shook her head. "No, you do love her. And I don't want you breaking up with her because of me. Believe me, Jesse, in my heart, I still love you, too, but we both know this won't work. I'm dead. And you're alive. You have your whole life to live; I don't want you to waste it on me. I have to leave sometime."
"It's not wasted, Susannah. You're..." She silenced him by laying her index finger over his lips. She pulled her finger off and instead began kissing Jesse. I turned around, fearing that if I watched any longer I would hurl. Seeing the girl you love kissing another man isn't really something you want to see, you know.
The next thing I know, Suze's hand rested on my shoulder. I turned my head to look at her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered softly. I nodded half-heartedly. "So... Father Dominic. He's dead, isn't he? Poor old man. We all loved him so much. It's just too bad we didn't get to say...."
I smiled a little. "Suze, he's alive. Jesse says that he was in a car accident, but he recovered nicely. He'll be back at The Mission soon." Susannah beamed up at me.
"Can we go see him?"
I looked at Jesse and he shrugged. "Yeah," I said. "I guess so."
Although Jesse and I were mediators, we had not yet mastered the art of teleportation as Susannah had, so we took a small path through the woods to, what Jesse said, would lead to Father Dominic's place. It was a small dirt path, enshrouded my shrubs and small trees along the sides, while the farther into the forest you looked, the thicker the trees got. Jesse, of course, didn't want us to be seen talking to someone who wasn't there, which explains why he chose this somewhat deserted route.
"What about my parents? And my friends, Adam and Cee Cee, and my step brothers, do you think we could go see them? To kind of, I don't know, check up on them and see how they are?"
"I guess," I said, twigs cracking beneath the soles of my shoes. "If you want. But you have to remember, Suze, people eventually move on. I've done this plenty of times before with other people; you might not like what you see."
She took no heed to my warning and shrugged. "They're my friends and family. I just want to see how they're doing."
I sighed and gave Jesse an apprehensive look. "Suit yourself, Suze."
A/N: *bites nails* Eh, good? Bad? So/so? Please review!! Next chapter after a couple of reviews, hopefully soon. 3 Luna