Chapter 4

Not much more was said through out the rest of the drive, but once we finally arrived to the Slater residence, it was too late to go in a see Paul, which was actually a blessing in a way. It was a lot longer to get to the house from the airport than I thought it would take, but we did get there. The place was huge, a little bigger than the glass mansion that Paul and Jack's grandfather resided in. Because of the darkness of the night it was hard to see the details of the house, but you could see the size. Big.

Jack showed us to the guest house, which was behind the house towards the left a little and gave us the quick five minuet tour of the place. "It's late, so I'll show you the main house tomorrow. Umm, when ever you two wake up, just come right on in the big glass sliding doors, you can't miss it, and best of all, it leads right to the kitchen and I promise you'll find someone there. So that's all I can think of, now. Umm, I might sound like some rich snob after saying this, but if you need me, just pick umm that phone and dial 277. That'll connect you to my room. There's a list of all the extension numbers there."

"Thank you Jack. Thank you for letting us stay here." I said with a tired smile.

"Anything for my all time favorite babysitter." Jack said with a smile and came and gave me another hug. "it's great seeing you again, Suze, and you too Jesse. I'm glad you're hear, I think it's good for Paul to have a friend here."

With that he left, leaving me with another burden on my shoulder. Friend? Look at what I had done to Paul. After seeing that good side of him, it was very hard to hate him the way I used to.

"It's late Susannah, let's go to bed." Jesse said, wrapping his arms around my stomach and kissing my neck. When I yawned, he led me towards the bedroom.

"Jack sure has grown up, hasn't he?" I said as we started changing into our pajamas "I mean, I know it's been ten years and all, but he used to be such a shy and scared little boy, now look at him."

"He did have a good teacher didn't he, Querida." He said looking up from what he was unpacking. "Nombres des dios, Querida!"

I looked around trying to figure out what was wrong, when I looked back at him, he was staring right at me. "What?" I asked.

"That outfit is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen you in." huh?

"Jesse, what are you talking about I'm not wearing any…oh" I got this quirky little smile on my face. "Well, kind sir, I'm afraid I can't quite say the same thing for you." I answered back in a rather fake British accent, showing just why I didn't become an actress "There is this new style I had heard about and I think it would look absolutely fabulous on a man of your sort."

"And what would this new style happen to look like?" Jesse asked in an accent that was even worse than mine.

I walked over to him and started pulling off his shirt. "Allow me to show you." It took me only a few seconds to finish my "masterpiece" after all I had been doing this sort of thing for the past nine years of my life, and as most say, it had not gotten, umm, worse as the time progressed. Oh no, we were still in our peaks, and it only got better. Love what can I say?

"Perfect!" I exclaimed as I took a step back to admire my handy work. "I shall call it…The Birthday Suit"

"I hope you're finished admiring Querida, because I want to start admiring you, and in a much different way than I have been doing." And with that said the love of my life came forward, adding another memory of bliss to my personal storage compartment.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Every muscle in my body ached, but what should I expect, I hadn't exactly used them in what, ten years? Okay, so walking right now wasn't the best thing. From the feel of it, it's probably the worst thing, but I needed to get them working again. I had to be like the Bride in 'Kill Bill,' which happened to be the last movie I saw before I was so lovingly trying to save the love of my life, and "move my big toe" just focus on using every muscle and I'd be okay.

Well, at least physically. Mentally? I don't know. After everything that I had just found out, about Jesse, about Suze, I don't know if I'd ever be okay.

How could Suze do that to me? Didn't she know how much I loved her, I much I had sacrificed for her? I know she loved me, it's obvious now that I know both sides of the story. Maybe in a way I should be grateful for that little coma thing. After all, because of it I now know the truth, the WHOLE truth and nothing but the truth.

I know that even when Jesse had been in the picture as a ghost, she had still wanted me, even if she did deny it to herself, just look at that one incident that afternoon in my bedroom, she had kissed me back, I felt it, and she knew it. She knew what she had done.

Jack said that she was coming, unfortunately with the cowboy, who, as I understand it is now her husband. How could she be so stupid to marry that, that FUCK! What had I ever done to deserve this?

The night was dark, and it was reassuring to know that some things didn't change. Just like the guest house that I could see in front of me right now, the only thing that had changed was the two people who I knew to be inside of it. The person I hate most, and the person I love most in the world.

Together.

In one room.

I found myself going up to front door of the guest house and letting myself inside. They didn't even lock the door.

So typical.

It was getting easier to move. With every step I took I felt my muscles loosening, strengthening, readapting to life.

Finally, I found myself at the bedroom. Not knowing if I was ready to find what was waiting for me behind those doors, opened them anyway, as quiet as a mouse, so as not to disturb a thing.

And there they were. It was difficult to keep my anger down. I mean what's the typical response to finding your love tangled up and all snuggled up with your nemesis?

Well, every one I know of would have shot the bastard, or shoved a knife through the guys face, then they'd take back their girl.

But you see, I'm different. I wouldn't do that here and now. No. I'd wait, wait for the right time to come.

I slowly walked to the side of the bed where Suze was lying and softly kissed her cheek, I watched as she let out a soft sigh. She knew I was there. She had to. And with that, I walked away. I'd get Jesse when the time was right.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

The sun shining through the window was the first thing I noticed when I woke up. My brain was still going over that dream. It had seemed so real. Paul coming into the room, watching me, then walking over to me and kissing me on the cheek…

"It's about time you woke up." I heard a deep voice next to me.

"What time is it?" I asked, my voice was raspy from sleep, and my mouth had that morning feel to it. Gross.

"Almost nine, Querida. We should get ready and head on over."

"Do you think he'll talk to us?" I asked in a small voice.

"Only one way to find out." Jesse answered as he pushed my hair behind my ear to look strait into my eyes. As usual, he was right, time to get out of the sanctuary of the bed, and Jesse's arms.

Ah, the blessedness of reality.

Not.

We decided to save time by taking a shower together, hey, we're married, nothing's wrong with that. Twenty minuets later we were in front of the big sliding glass doors that Jack had been talking about.

"Wow," I said as we walked into the house, "Jack wasn't joking when he said we'd find someone here."

There were people everywhere, none of whom I recognized. The thing that got me worried were the cops I could see interviewing what looked to be a nurse. Apparently Jesse noticed, because he grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"There's Jack" he said nodding in the direction of the nurse. Jack saw us and came over, a nervous look on his face.

"Jack, what happened, is everything alright?" dumb question, but it was the two questions I wanted answers to. Jack looked so distraught and panicked, that could not be good.

"It's Paul; he's… he's gone."

Jesse's arm wrapped around my shoulder as I said, "What? But how, he was doing so well, he came out of the coma and he was talking and…"

"Suze, you misunderstood me." Jack said a little bit more patiently. "He wasn't in his bed this morning when the nurse got there. We can't find him."

Okay, that made it a bit worse. I mean, gone? As in missing? This is a dream, right? Someone, pinch me please, so I can wake up to find that Paul is still indeed in his bed.

"How can someone, who can't move his muscles suddenly up and vanish?" I asked, still not believing that he was gone, not when we had just gotten him back.

"That's why the police are here, there treating it as a kidnapping." Jack informed us. "They'll want to interview you."

"Who would kidnap Paul? The only people I could think of are, well dead, and the police can't do anything about that, unless there actually a group of mediators, which I highly doubt, because that would be really weird, it would be like the ghost buster's or something. Yeah, there not detectives, there…"

"Susannah, come sit down," Jesse interrupted, dragging me to a chair near what I assumed to be the dinner table "you're babbling." His hand went up to my cheek and wiped something away. Great, I was crying too.

"Between the three of us," Jack said in a soothing voice, obviously trying to comfort me, "I think he just healed faster than we thought he would, unless someone had a bet for today that I wasn't aware of."

"But if that's the case, why did he leave, why didn't he stay here?" umm, do you want some cheese with that wine Suze?

Jesse, who was sitting next to me, staring at the ground said the words that I'd been dreading, "He remembers." and sadly enough, I knew it was true.

"He remembers what?" Jack asked and at our silence he got a little mad. "This is the second time that you two have mentioned something along those lines. Last night in the car I let my curiosity fly, but now Paul's missing, what is it that you two aren't telling me?"

Lucky for us, we didn't get a chance to tell him dot to the fact that one of detectives had freed himself and made his way over to us. He pulled out his badge and showed it to Jesse and me. "Detective Delinsky," as he introduced himself, he was tall, around 6'4 and buff, with dark hair, and an overall dark appeal to him. He was probably in his late forties, and, from his attitude, felt as if he was the boss. "over there is my partner, Detective Harris." he said pointing to a much shorter blond man, no more than 5'8 he had a baby-face, and looked to be in his early thirties. "do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Not at all" Jesse answered. "I'm Hector de Silva, and this is my wife Susannah."

"Jesse, I didn't know you're real name was Hector." Jack said with a laugh, but shut up when he saw my glare.

"I like to be official when it comes to the cops," Jesse answered "hope you don't mind Detective Delinsky."

"Not at all, now, where were you last night after midnight?" and so the questions rolled on, the drilling going from me, to Jesse, then back to me.

It seemed to go on for ever, god, do I hate cops, they ask WAY too many questions, and they really don't end up helping you, they just waste the tax-payers money by eating donuts all the time. Not that detective Delinsky looked as if he had been eating much of them. Finally when he did leave to go 'look around the house some more' Jesse and I were left alone in the kitchen with Jack.

"So, spill" great, he hadn't forgotten, couldn't he have suffered from like early Alzheimer's or something?

"Jack, it's a really long story, and really boring, are you sure you want to hear it?" lame, I know. But it was worth a try.

"yes." Was all he said to that. Jesse stood up and started for the glass door.

"I think we should take a walk outside." Jack was hesitant for a moment, but realized he had no choice since Jesse was already out there, and I right behind him. The Slater's owned plenty of gorgeous land, so we had plenty of walking room. No wonder Jesse wanted to go outside.

"Jack, you won't remember this, but in a different reality, I was actually a ghost that resided in Susannah's bedroom." Jesse started. Great, let's get all the kicker stuff out first.

"Say what?" was all that could come from poor jack's mouth.

I found Jesse's hand, and squeezed it tight, not wanting to remember the past but knowing it was inevitable. "When you were eight you actually exorcized him." When his mouth dropped, I nodded my head "imagine my surprise when I got THAT phone call."

"I performed an exorcism?" umm, was this what you call denial? I wouldn't know, I wasn't the one who wanted to a psychiatrist.

And so we continued telling Jack our little story, the one in which Paul hate Jesse's guts. We told him everything, from the necklace, which might I add, I still where to this day, to going back to time to save Jesse, to Paul's love for me, his hate for the ex-ghost, everything except the, umm, kissing of Paul when Jesse was a ghost. Yeah, that will be my little secret, which uh, not only I knew. Yeah, Jack definitely liked the story, a little too much than should be expected. When we finished, we were all settled down on earth's floor.

"So," Paul said, looking at me, "you actually chose a ghost, someone who was dead, over my brother. A living person?" I felt Jesse go a little tense, and I glared at Jack.

"Of course. Jesse always made me feel a lot more comfortable. I loved him then, just as much as I do now. And whether he's dead or alive, I'm going to choose the guy I love, over anything."

Jack seemed to take this in, as he looked down to the ground. That's when my shifter senses kicked in, and I realized something, he had an all too familiar look on his face.

"Jack, is there something YOU want to tell us?" Jesse asked. So he had seen it to, I didn't wait for Jack's reply to Jesse, I went strait to the point. Acting like a major gossipy teenager

"What's her name?"

He paused a second, then answered, "Rose"

"Does she haunt your bedroom?" I asked

He sighed, and then shook his head and got up to start walking to the main house. "I shouldn't be talking about it."

I looked up to see Jesse smiling. Then I yelled to him "but talking about it is good." But he was already gone,

Yeah, me done, me get to go to sleep

So, review. Just please me, and make all this work worth it. Review – I want your opinion

-sky