A/N: Does anyone still read this?

Chapter 7:

I had left CeeCee and Adam a little jaw-dropped by the end of the explanation. Adam more so because he honestly didn't have a clue. He joked around at first that Carmen must be a ghost of someone who died of boredom in Carmel. Unfortunately for him, Carmen had appeared at the mention of her name and overheard. Not terribly amused, she aimed a few of CeeCee's markers at his head to make her point and disappeared again. Adam clammed up immediately.

CeeCee on the other hand took it all in stride and even went back over it to make sure she had all the facts right. She mentally filed away everything about Jesse, Carmen, the De Silvas, and Slaters. But when I got to the part about what I was planning that night, we caught a snag.

She shot up from her seat, "You're doing what?!"

"I'm going into the past," I repeated.

"Are you nuts, Suze?! You could affect anything! Didn't you watch Quantum Leap?"

"Uh, no." I didn't know what she was talking about but vaguely recalled the name from one of those old shows Mom used to watch. "Paul already did it once, so…" I trailed off lamely. Trying to make her not worry so much, I added, "Father Dom will be here though."

CeeCee opened her mouth again, but Father Dom interrupted calmly in that nice deep voice of his, "I assure you Susannah will be fine, Miss Webb. As a fellow mediator, I noticed she has a certain, er, talent for getting herself out of trouble as well as into it. If it makes you feel better, you can contact me at anytime to check on her. As she mentioned, I will be at her side the entire time."

And with that, we left.

It really made me feel better to know Father Dom was going to watch over me. Or at least what was left of me after I went into the past. But I also felt bad about what happened. I hadn't meant to make Father D admit his whole role in the mediator shtick. The guy deserves some privacy at least. Although when I asked him about it, he just waved it off and said that he was far too old to be concerned with gossip at his age. He did fix me with that look though and said, "I do wish you would consider what we talked about before."

I blinked curiously at him. "What?"

"Your mother, Susannah," he sighed. "At this rate, the whole town will know besides your own family." I hope he didn't notice my guilt. I couldn't even remember if I had told him about David knowing about this. That left one step-brother and the parental units. And now in addition to Gina, CeeCee and Adam knew. I'm not very good at this secret thing after all.

Father Dom spoke up again, "I wanted to inform you about Miss De Silva. We had a little talk when you ran off earlier today."

"And?"

"It appears that as Paul changed the past, Carmen came to fill Jesse's role in the present. Everything we've done up to now seems to have been altered to fit that fact. Even Miss Webb's article has changed."

My eyes widened. "Changed? To what?" He pointed to an old newspaper on the floor of the car. I picked it up gingerly since it was kinda already torn in a few places. Reading through, it noted Clive Clemming's death and last works on Hector – er, Jesse's mysterious vanishing. Only this time, there was no mention of finding his body. The article only talked about Jesse's cancellation of the wedding and the speculation of his disappearance. Diego's part in Jesse's murder was completely missing.

Father Dom said, "Carmen says that we've been trying to find out what happened to Jesse the entire time we've known her. You both had such a strong feeling that Maria and Diego did have a part in Jesse's disappearance that their ghosts were raised out of spite for Carmen and Mr. Clemming. That article is the result."

"Are you saying they don't now?" I asked, stunned. I mean, c'mon, Maria and Diego did kill Jesse. Or at least, they had before this whole thing. If they weren't behind Jesse's eventual disappearance, who was? Besides Paul, that is.

"I simply don't know, Susannah," he sighed. "Everything seems to hinge on what you find tonight."

When we got to the rectory, Father Dom and I snuck up to Jesse's room. Well, I did anyway. Father Dom was more of a look out. Luckily, most everyone was already tucked away for the night. Maybe religious people need more time to pray before they sleep or something. As we made our way up the final stairwell, I realized that Father Dom was a little too good at this. He made sure to check down each hall and around every corner for any unseen wanderers. We might've been caught at one point if he hadn't backed up suddenly to keep me from running straight into one of the novices. Sure, I bumped my head a little on his shoulder blade, but that was a hell of a lot better than trying to explain what I was doing there. Father Dom politely greeted the novice and blocked me from view until she had turned the corner.

As he unlocked Jesse's door once more, I asked casually, "That was pretty sneaky, Father D. You do this before?"

He slipped slightly in turning the key, but regained himself. "I was young too once, Susannah." The response sounded stern, but I swear there was a twinkle in his eye as I passed him going into the room.

Inside, Carmen had laid out several things on Jesse's bed: a flashlight, some pre-packaged snack foods, and a few changes of clothes. She was pacing back and forth nervously as I approached to make sure everything was in order. As I emptied my backpack of books and started packing up the items, Carmen pulled them away and said softly, "Here, let me do it." I was going to ask her what was wrong, but didn't. It seemed like she had a lot on her mind, and I couldn't blame her. The sun was setting just outside, casting an orange glow over the room. It made me wonder how time could be so immense, yet there not be enough of it left.

Father D jostled me back to attention by asking, "Do you have everything you need, Susannah?" He looked sad somehow and older, as if the lines in his face were suddenly deepened by the situation.

I nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I have everything." To show him, I pulled a small round object out of my pocket. It was the miniature that Jack had left me last summer. I always had it safely tucked away on me ever since I decided to keep it. Edged in gold with a small broken hinge, it looked as if it could've been used as a locket once. Jesse in his cravat still stared back from the frame, unblinking. But something had changed. There was something different about it.

I held it up close till I realized what it was. Jesse was smiling. Not that that's a bad thing, but he definitely wasn't how the miniature looked before. The bored, indifferent look was gone and replaced with an almost mischievous smirk. Father D asked, "Something wrong?"

"I… Uh, no. Nothing's wrong." I couldn't tell him. For some reason, there was a churn in my insides as I looked at the miniature again. He looked so happy. Jesse was happy.

Carmen called to me. My stuff was packed and ready to go. I bit my lower lip and hesitated. I mean, if there was any evidence of Jesse's good health, that miniature was it, right? I didn't want to ruin for him just for my own insecurities. But looking at Carmen's anxious face, I told myself that it wasn't just for me. It was for his sister too. We both loved him enough to take this chance.

I took the pack from her, tucking it under my arm. As I lay down on the bed, Father D murmured, "Godspeed, Susannah. And good luck."

"Thanks. See you Monday," I tried to sound optimistic. Closing my eyes, I gripped the miniature gently and thought of Jesse. I heard Carmen whisper, "Maybe…" before everything went black.

It was a hazy blue when I could focus again. A wind blew across my face as I tried to see where and how I was moving. There was a tug from the miniature in my hands as it seemed to be leading me somewhere. There was a creak as passed through a waft of warm air and my body came to a sudden stop.

"Oh, shi-"

The stop was a little too abrupt. Pitching forward, I put out my hands to stop my face from slamming into the muddy ground.

Great, just great. I picked myself up, wiping the muck off of my bare knees. It was then that I noticed that I was actually a little transparent and slowly solidifying. Let me tell you, seeing through your hand to the dirt sticking to it isn't exactly encouraging.

And then there was the rain.

So to wrap it up, I was standing at the edge of some creek, soaking wet, with my pack at my side, and still clutching Jesse's picture to my chest. Now what?

A feeling of dread built up in my stomach. I had no clue what to do now. Was I even close to where Jesse was? Was I still in Carmel? Was this even the right time period? I tried to calm myself down and make sense of things. First things first. I had to get out of the rain.

Scoping out the area, there wasn't much around. It was already past sunset and all I could make out was a barn or storage house of some sort in the distance. Better than nothing, I suppose. I picked up my things and ran towards it.

The door was heavy, but already slightly ajar thankfully. I had to throw my weight against it to open it enough to sidle in. It was eerily quiet inside. And smelly, actually. I hoped that this hay stench wouldn't stick to my clothes.

But I couldn't be bothered with that now. I suddenly realized how dead tired I was. There was a swelling headache emerging from the back of my skull. Not pleasant. I sat down on the surprisingly warm and dry hay pile to rummage around for maybe some Tylenol when I heard a sniffle. And it wasn't me.

I looked around quickly, but didn't see anyone. Hesitating, I continued my search for pain relief. Mystery lurker or not, this headache wouldn't wait. I downed a couple of tablets with a bottle of water from the pack. There was another sniffle, and this time a cough too.

Finally getting up the nerve, I asked, "Hey, is somebody in here?"

Another cough. It sounded like phlegm was involved. Lovely.

Being the kind-hearted person I am, I spoke up again, "You know, that sounds kinda bad. I have some medicine." If I was lucky, this person would owe me a favor and I could figure out what to do from here. Better to befriend at least one person from here than wander around aimlessly.

There was a small shuffle from the pile behind me. I turned around quickly to see a little girl with large hazel eyes.

As Suze's body went limp and the brief swirl of light disappeared with her spirit and belongings, Carmen turned to Father Dominic, worried, "Do you think it is all right we didn't tell her, Father?"

The old priest shook his head. "We have to let time take its course, Carmen. Even if we had, I'm sure Susannah would have gone anyway." He added softly, "Dead or alive, people do strange things when love is involved."

Understanding, Carmen patted the older man's shoulder comfortingly. She sighed, "I hope I'm right about this."

A/N: Short, but I thought I'd give this to you anyway. Finals next week, but only two so I might get another one out by the end of the year. Storywise, yes, I'll be switching back and forth between past and present. I'll make it flow well though so it's not like you got suddenly sideswiped by a different plot.

By the way, chapter title is from a song sung by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx. I believe it's from the movie soundtrack of Anastasia. Pretty fitting.

So, see ya when I see ya then.