A/N: So completely lazy right now. And, of course, my lazy is inversely related to the productivity of this fic. Also, the character Carmen from this fic and the one from Chocolate Eclar's is a coincidence. We've already privately discussed it.

Chapter 6:

So here it was. We finally arrived at the Slater residence. It seemed somewhat less ominous since I wasn't riding with Paul this time. The glass house on the cliff was still as empty-looking as ever, but noting the old Toyota in the garage, at least I knew who was in there. I was already doing some quick thinking as Brad and I walked up to the front door. Ringing the doorbell, I muttered to Brad, "Just follow my lead."

We heard the bell ring throughout the house. Glass isn't exactly a great sound muffler. Kinda made me wonder if Dr. Slaski didn't mind the privacy invasion that came with the great view. Then again, Dr. Slaski wasn't all there sometimes, if you know what I mean. Or at least, he pretended not to be. I still had to get some answers about that.

As I was wondering about this, the same youngish male nurse I met last time answered the door. He looked at us, rather surprised, and asked, "Yes?" Peering at me, he added with a smile, "Susan, right?"

"Hi, um…" It didn't occur to me to correct him since I didn't know the guy's name either. I plowed on, "We're here to see Mr. Slater."

The nurse asked with a small smirk, "Shouldn't you be at school?" The way this guy was smiling all the time was making me nervous. Like those artificial grins on mannequins or housewives from the 50's. Way freaky.

I plastered on my sweet schoolgirl routine. "The class is doing an article on Mr. Slater for the school newspaper. As a surprise for his grandson." I threw in the last bit as an afterthought. It wasn't my most convincing line, but I had to make sure the nurse wouldn't tell Paul about our little lunchtime visit. Last thing I needed was to have him barreling into 1850 after me.

The nurse seemed to buy it though. He winked and said, "I see. Right this way."

Brad and I stepped inside as the nurse held the door open for us. He led us down the familiar hallway of glass and steel as Brad was looking around, obviously impressed. All I could think was how sterile everything was. Clean and cold like a doctor's office. Both made me uneasy in the same way.

The nurse looked over his shoulder and said, "This is very kind of you two, but Mr. Slater may not be very responsive today." I guess that was how he put 'nearly comatose' lightly. "We'll just have to see how it goes," he added optimistically.

We finally came to the room Dr. Slaski was in, the one with the widescreen TV, hospital bed, and great view. Kinda like a high-class rest home, and given the occupant, made perfect sense. Dr. Slaski himself was in the same place he was last time I was here, planted in front of the TV and slightly drooling. The nurse said kindly, "Mr. S? These nice people have come to visit you."

For a moment, it looked like the old guy hadn't even acknowledged our presence. But then Dr. Slaski lifted his head slightly and lost that glazed look. He said clearly to the nurse, "Lunch. I'm hungry."

The nurse blinked at Dr. Slaski in surprise and said, "Oh, I thought you said you didn't want lunch. Alright, I'll go prepare your meal." He turned to us before leaving and asked, "You guys going to be all right while I'm gone?"

I nodded. "Yeah, just fine."

As soon as the nurse shut the door behind him, Dr. Slaski looked up at me and asked, "What's the trouble, Susan?" I noticed that Paul must've gotten his blue eyes from his grandfather. They were the same color, but somehow entirely different. Calmer. More like Father Dom's.

"How did you know?" I added, "And it's just Suze." If I was going to work with the guy, we might as well know each other's names.

"Why else would you be here?" Dr. Slaski said roughly, "He's done something to that ghost boy of yours, hasn't he?" I didn't bother to wonder how he knew about Jesse. Dr. Slaski obviously had some major insight on Paul if he already knew his grandson was screwing around in shadowland before. A big deal like Jesse wouldn't go unnoticed.

"Paul's changed the past. He –" I didn't want to go on. How do explain something like that without sounding like an idiot? Paul had technically saved Jesse. 'Fixing' this would mean murder. No, I was doing the right thing. I would just… go see how things were working out and come back. That's it. Really.

I probably would have convinced myself of that if it wasn't the same exact excuse I used when I exorcised myself. Look how that turned out. It wasn't my fault though, Jesse wanted to come back. I had nothing to do with his decision.

Or did I?

My little revelation was interrupted just then when Dr. Slaski had apparently read my mind about what Paul had done. He considered me warily and said, "I see. You want to right his wrongs, do you?" Sighing heavily, he slumped back in his wheelchair and stared at his lap thoughtfully, as if weighing the options. Dr. Slaski was probably thinking about how insane this plan was. I know that's what I was thinking. But it was the only one I had and it just might be crazy enough to work. I just needed his help.

He finally lifted his head and muttered resignedly, "Well, someone's got to put that boy in his place, and I'm not in any shape to do it." He looked at me with a kinda glare. Not a suspicious one. Just the kind that screams 'you're not much, but you'll have to do.' Yeah, thanks. That really builds up my hope there, Dr. S. The old guy continued, "I'll tell you how, but you have to follow my directions exactly. Don't want you to end up somewhere without a way back."

Dr. S used the little control stick on his wheelchair to drive himself over to a shelf on the opposite wall, rummaging around for something. He was muttering under his breath again as Brad and I glanced at each other uncertainly.

When he didn't find what he was looking for, Dr. S moved on to the next shelf but raised his voice to say, "First, you'll need an item from that time. Once you have that, that'll be a sort of compass when your spirit is traveling." He picked up a black and white framed photograph, glanced at the back, and then set it back down to continue his search.

"Whoa, wait!" Did I just hear him right? I asked him, "I have to be a ghost when I do this?" Great, more pounding headaches. If there was one helpful thing I learned about being a shifter, it was to carry around Advil all the time. Those head trips are not fun.

Dr. S explained without turning around, "You have to be a spirit because the human body isn't meant to crossover, but you'll be solid when you get there. Don't worry." He was still checking those old pictures. Checking the backs of them, anyways. I was tempted to just ask him what he was looking for, but Dr. S looked pretty intent on finding it himself. "Second, concentrate hard on that item and exactly when you need to be. Just like how you shift from here to Shadowland. You'll find your way."

Finally, Dr. S found the picture he was looking for. He fumbled with the clasps on the frame and removed the photo. Hidden behind it was a folded slip of paper that looked almost as wrinkled as he was. The page was yellowing and kinda feathery on the edges, like he had kept it back there for ages.

He replaced the frame and photo and drove back over to us, saying, "Third, you absolutely have to get back before Sunday at midnight, when the star stops blazing. To do that, find a natural bed of water."

Eyeing the paper, I asked, "Why the water?" I didn't like the idea of having to take a dive coming back. I'm pretty sure they didn't have bathing suits back then.

Dr. S unfolded the piece of paper, showing us what at first looked like a big, blobby scribble. But upon closer inspection, it was a rubbing. You know, one of those things you did in grade school where you rub a crayon over a texture and get a copy of it? Well, this was done in graphite and had an imprint of something that definitely wasn't English. It looked more like a bunch of little pictures to me. But apparently Dr. S had no problem reading it.

He traced the pictures with his fingers and said, "Memorize this: 'Water ends what fire began and all returns to life.' It was written on a clay tablet I acquired in Egypt. Something else I picked up in my years. When you're on the water, recite that with your object in hand and you'll find your way back just as you came."

He heaved a sigh and folded the paper back up carefully. With it still in hand, he pointed at me and said meaningfully, "You have to be careful. Time travel is tricky business."

As he went to hide the rubbing – probably for another decade or so – I asked, "Can I take anything with me, besides the compass-thing?"

"Yes, things can be taken through, but only what you can carry." He suddenly whirled around and warned fervently, "But don't take anything from the past! There's no telling what can happen then!"

I was a little surprised by his little freak out. The guy may have been a genius, but he obviously had a few screws loose somewhere. "Ok, jeez."

"How do you know all this? You do it before?" Brad asked unexpectedly. We both stared at him in surprise. I almost forgot he was there.

Dr. S, however, laughed with a tone that was ringed with something I couldn't quite explain. Regret? Sitting back in his chair, he murmured quietly, "Yeah, there was a supernova way back before you were even born. Things have never been the same. I cheated death and it's hounded me ever since." Now we weren't sure if he was talking to us or just to himself. I was actually starting to get worried about him when he said, "Promise me that after this, you won't shift anymore. Please."

Before I could say anything, the nurse came back with a metal tray carrying a simple sandwich, pudding, a cup of ice water, with a side of pills. Yum. "Here's your lunch, Mr. Slater." He turned to Brad and me and said, "You two ought to leave now. Mr. Slater needs his quiet and rest."

"Yeah, we were just leaving. Bye, Mr. Slater." I turned to leave, but realized that Dr. Slaski was still staring at me. I hesitated, but nodded firmly so he could see. He bobbed his head in return and once again he got that glazed-over look to his eyes.

I felt weird on the drive back. We probably couldn't get back to school on time, so Brad just headed straight for CeeCee's to drop me off. An eerie quiet had settled over us, neither talking. My mind wandered since Brad didn't bother to turn on the radio as a distraction. I thought vaguely about how serious Dr. S had been about shifting. Everything from his wheelchair to his once bright eyes told me something. It was dangerous. And now his grandson was messing with things that even shifters shouldn't touch.

Mediating was never easy, obviously. But at least back in New York, it was basic. I found a ghost, solved the problem, and left. That was it. Everything was different now. I wasn't alone anymore. Father Dom looked after me. Paul proved that I didn't know everything. And then, of course, I fell in love with a ghost. It just wasn't simple anymore. And it never would be again, even after this.

"You're quiet," Brad spoke up suddenly. I shrugged in response. Well, no duh. I had a lot on my mind. The full weight of what I was going to do was settling in. I was going into the past. I was going to see Jesse again. Alive.

And he probably wouldn't have a clue who I was.

He glanced over at me again, "You're really planning to do it, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Although I tried to sound cool about it, that phrase was more of a final call. I really was going to 1850. Since I still didn't know what I was going to do once I got there, talking to CeeCee and Adam sounded like a walk in the park now.

Brad let out a heavy sigh and asked, "What do I need to do?" When I just gave him the blank stare, he said, "Like, what do you want me to tell Mom and Dad?" Wow, Brad was actually trying to be helpful. I could understand if he just plugged up his ears and sang to himself that he wasn't listening, but this was pretty decent of him.

I thought about it for a moment, making sure I had everything covered in my plan. "If anyone asks, tell them I'll be at CeeCee' till Monday. She'll back me up."

"She's not going to mind a lifeless body around the house all weekend?" He screwed up his face as he added, "Imagine the smell."

I rolled my eyes before answering, "CeeCee's parents took her little sisters to go see their grandmother." I decided to leave out the fact that I hadn't exactly told CeeCee about this yet. I'd cross that bridge when I got there.

We came upon CeeCee's place, a tidy little place where nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I'd have to apologize later for ruining that. Stepping out of the car, I noticed that Brad was staring at me again. I closed the door and asked almost impatiently, "What?"

He frowned to himself and just said, "Just be careful, 'kay?" Before I could even reply, he drove off.

I walked up the driveway and saw two cars parked there. I recognized the VW as Adam's, but couldn't quite place the other one. Looked awfully familiar though. But I marched right up to the door before I could lose my nerve. Taking a deep breath, I rang to doorbell. After a moment, a violet eye peeked out from the side curtains and the door opened. CeeCee stood there and gave a noticeable sigh of relief, "Good, I was hoping you wouldn't chicken out." I must've looked funny since she added, "What's wrong?"

I replied automatically, "Nothing." She raised a pale eyebrow and I amended, "All right, something. But I'll get to that. Where's Adam?"

CeeCee made a sort of grimace. "Um, he's entertaining another guest." She stepped aside to let me in. The inside was as orderly as the outside, save for the area in front of the TV which was littered with crayons and magazines. Obviously remnants of where the little Webbs spent their time. When I gave her a questioning look about this other guest, she said, "Just come upstairs, Suze, I'm already weirded out by this."

"What is it?" We headed up the peach fuzz colored stairs as I mentally ran through the possible people who might know I was here. My eyes widened as I grabbed CeeCee's shoulder, asking, "Is it Paul?! You didn't let him in, did you?" If he was here, it would ruin everything!

But CeeCee shook her head, "No, but it's a good thing Mom and Dad took my sisters to my grandmother's for the weekend. Otherwise, we both would have a lot of explaining to do."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

CeeCee opened the door to the room at the end of the hallway. Inside was a surprising girlish bedroom, but accented with posters from various old movies. I recognized a few of them with Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn. Sitting on the duvet covers was Adam, chatting casually before looking up to say, "Hey, Suze." But what immediately caught my attention was who he was talking to.

I sputtered, "Father Dom?!"

Father D gave me an exasperated look before answering, "Of course, Susannah. You didn't think I'd just sit idly by while you did this, do you?"

"How did you find out?" I asked, frowning.

"Well, if Mr. Slater could achieve it, I'd imagine you would naturally try it yourself." He looked around uneasily at CeeCee and Adam, who were watching our exchange like a tennis match. "I came here when Ms. Webb here tried to confirm your excuse for when you and Bradley left campus. You should have-"

But I cut him off right there and said, "Look, Father D, I know you're going to say I can't do this and all, but I have to! Jesse's life is a stake here. Not only him but Carmen deserves to know what happened and –"

It was his turn to interrupt, "If you'd calm down, Susannah, you'd know that I have no intention of stopping you." He sighed and explained, "I was going to say you should have told us what you were up to first so we could've helped. You were planning on using Ms. Webb's room, weren't you? You could've thought this through a little better, Susannah."

CeeCee perked up and asked, "My room for what?"

Hesitating, I replied, "I was going to ask if I could stay here for the weekend." Sure, I was skirting around the real answer, but it was true in essence, right?

Adam raised an eyebrow. "I don't see what the big deal is. All this because Suze wants to spend the night? What is she, a vampire?"

"I am not a vampire." As if I needed another freak label on me. Turning back to Father D, I asked, "Then what do you want me to do then? Do it right in my own house?"

"Whoa, do what now?" asked Adam, but we ignored him.

Father Dom continued patiently, "You could perform whatever you need in the rectory. Jesse's room is still vacant."

I stared at him for a good moment. Why didn't I think of that?! Stupid, stupid me! I was so busy getting everything else done that I overlooked a perfectly good hideout for the weekend. I could've kicked myself. Father D must've seen the revelation on my face since he just patted my shoulder kindly and said, "Let's go, Susannah. Carmen is waiting for us there."

"Hold it right there, Simon!"

CeeCee was standing in front of the door, arms crossed, a determined glare set on me. "You owe me an explanation, Suze. No buts. What is going on here? First, your boyfriend is a ghost, and then you and the principal are being all hush-hush like some government conspiracy. And who the world is Carmen?"

Father D and Adam were caught completely off guard by this. Father D because he wasn't aware CeeCee knew and Adam because, well…

"What do you mean your boyfriend's a ghost?!"

I looked at Father Dom apologetically and said, "I did promise I'd tell them."

Sitting down heavily on CeeCee's bed, I began to explain everything. But if I'd known the consequences, I'd never have brought them into it.

A/N: Yeah, I'm cutting it off here. It's a bit rushed, but that's because I got bored with the talking. Too much talking. I'll get around to updating… later. If you'd like some sort of warning for if/when I'm going to update, you can read my Xanga site. It's listed as my homepage on my profile. If I'm working on something, it'll be noted there. Note to under-aged readers: Since my xanga site is my personal college blog, most likely there will be R rated material at some point. When, I dunno, but I'd thought I'd give you guys a heads up first.

Happy reading, people.