A/N: Sorry to leave you guys hanging like that, but hey. Life's tough, get a helmet. Yah, I got that off boy meets world.

Disclaimer: Meg owns all, I own nothing. I still wouldn't mind owning Jesse…

Chapter 8

Sam? No. No way. It couldn't be…but it was. She was sitting there on my bed. Staring at the wall. Major excitement there.

I looked at Ms. De Silva. She hadn't noticed the 'spectral' intruder. I looked at Sam, caught her eye, she waved at me, then looked at the wall again. My brain felt like it was going to explode. This was not possible.

"Yes it is." That was Sam. This whole mind reader thing could come in handy.

"This is where you will stay," Ms. De Silva walked toward the door, "there are some spare clothes in the closet, I believe they will fit you nicely, you poor dear. How awful of that man," she gave me a sympathetic smile and exited.

"Thank you!" I called after her. Then I turned to face Sam.

"What are you doing here?" I walked over to the closet. Which was really just a hole in the wall. Sort of like a door less closet. I picked up a folded dress. It was pale green, poofy and floor length. There was a corset lying on the ground. No way. I was so not touching that. The green slipper shoes I could do though.

I made her turned around while I changed. This thing was not easy to get into. So many buttons…so little time…

In the end, I had to get Sam to help me button up the back.

Sam returned to her perch on the bed and smiled at me, "I'm here to help you get Jesse back. Mostly because I don't like Paul, but partly because it's in my job description," She flashed me a bigger smile.

"Okay, um. Right. What would your job description entail?"

She sighed, "I have the whole mind reader powers right? Well, I'm not the only one. There's a ton of us. We help shifters and mediators. Mostly shifters though. Mediators aren't as much trouble," she wrinkled her nose distractedly, but continued, "So, I'm here to help you get Jesse back. Something to do with Paul meddling with time too much, so it has to be straightened out to what it originally was. But don't worry, he's okay in the 20th century."

That was a relief. "Right. Where do we start?"

She shrugged, "I dunno. That's up to you. I'm just going to help you. Right now, only you can see me, because I'm in ghost form. And Jesse isn't a mediator yet. Oh, here he is."

There was a knock at the door. I ran over and swung it open. Jesse was standing behind it. I wanted to throw my arms around him and hug him, but I'm not sure he'd like that. Sam was laughing behind me. I almost turned to give her a death glare, but remembered that Jesse couldn't see her.

"Hello Susannah."

"Hey Jes—Hector," he raised an eyebrow at me, but let it pass. Sam said, "be careful!"

"I see you have changed. Are you comfortable? We will be having dinner shortly, my cousin will be joining us, and you are welcome to also."

I flashed a big smile at him and said, "thank you, I'd be honored." He stepped out and closed the door behind him.

I turned to Sam and said, "What does he think of me?" I ran toward her, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Not much. He's not sure who you are, he's preoccupied. But then remember he's not in love with you…yet. He thinks you're pretty. I don't speak much Spanish, so I couldn't catch a lot of his thoughts. But I speak enough to grasp the gist of it."

"He thinks I'm pretty?" I smiled, my brain was temporarily gone.

JESSE THINKS I'M PRETTY! My brain repeated it several times before I returned to planet earth.

Sam rolled her eyes, "yah."

I walked out the door, down the hall and into the living room. There was a leather couch, and when I walked into the next room, there was a large table and several chairs. I guessed it was the kitchen. There were a bunch of plates filled with food, and people were just starting to sit. I took an empty chair and looked at those surrounding me.

On my right, was one of Jesse's sisters. Next to her was another, and another, and another and another. Next to her was Ms. De Silva, and then Mr. De Silva was at the head of the table. Next to him on the other long side was a tall, grey haired man, and his older wife. A young boy sat next to her, and then was…

Oh, shit.

Maria.

I started gagging on the rice I'd been swallowing. I was sitting next to the person who had ordered Jesse's murder. I wanted to wring her neck, body slam her or do something to cause her pain. Maybe I should break one of her nails. Not just sit there like I was. But I wasn't going to. I had a feeling no one would appreciate it. And I would be sent to the 1850's equivalent of Belleview.

"Are you alright Susannah?" The sister on my right asked.

"I'm fine, thank you." I continued to eat. I found it easier if I didn't look at Maria. The skank.

I somehow survived the rest of the meal and learned the names of Jesse's sisters: the youngest was Jasmine, the middle was Josefina, then Mercedes who was about my age, then Marta, then Selest.

I didn't care about the names of Maria's parents or brother, therefore I hadn't paid attention.

I opened the door from my room, and wandered into the living room. It had to be close to midnight, I had, unfortunately, left my watch in the 21st century. Not that it would have worked here anyway. Probably would have been screwed up in the time traveling or something. Stupid Paul.

I sat on the leather sofa and started out the window. Rain was pouring down against the house, I was the only one awake.

There were footsteps in the hall.

Okay, maybe I wasn't the only one awake. But where was Jesse? My Jesse. Was he still in the 21st century? Or was this him? Had Paul actually been able to do that? I hoped this wasn't him. It would make my life so much simpler if he was still back…home. Then I could just go back. I could shift there easy enough. I think. Damn Paul.

"What are you doing up so late, Senorita?" I whipped my head around. Jesse.

"Just thinking Jesse," I looked at him calmly until I realized what I'd said.

"You called me Jesse."

"You look like a Jesse?" I tried hopefully.

"Try again Senorita," he smirked. But it was a sexy smirk.

"I didn't call you Jesse, I called you Hector."

He laughed. A real laugh. Not a humorless one like Paul.

"I'll let it go…for now. Do you feel…safe here? From the man who kidnapped you?"

I nodded, "yah. Paul's not going to come after me here, only in Shadowlands. If he does though, I'm so going to kick his sorry behind back to his Grandpa's house." Jesse's jaw dropped. Before he started laughing. Not a big laugh or anything, but an I-seriously-doubt-that kind of laugh. Which he voiced in a minute.

"I'm sorry, but I seriously doubt you could inflict pain on him, if he managed to catch you once…" he trailed off.

"Yah, but I was unaware. I'm ready for him now. I mean, I know I'll see him again, but theirs not much he can do from there," GAH! WHY DO I KEEP ALMOST GIVING MYSELF AWAY? I'M SUPPOSED TO BE MEEK AND MELLOW.

Stupid 18th century, they don't even have real toilets.

"I'm sure." But I could totally tell he was lying.

"Oh, yah, and you were so great when Felix made you kick the bucket that one time. You are so lucky that I saved you. Even though the fire was my fault. But hey, all was good in the end, at least, if you really meant it." For a minute I forgot I wasn't talking to my Jesse.

"Didn't you?" I looked him in the eye. I meant did he mean that he loved me. Sam appeared just then.

"Good god Suze, how confused can you make this poor boy?" Sam had materialized on the couch.

"He's not a boy. He's older than you are. Well, unless your 180 years old," I snapped back at her, mentally not with my voice, I'm not that stupid,and she laughed.

"I'm afraid I couldn't hear what you said, you talk extreamly fast senorita," Oh, god, thankyou for my useless rambling skills which apparently,arn't so useless.

"Never mind, you didn't hear that. But you should look out. Don't go to marry Maria, she's a skank. And that's when Felix gets you. Wait, if you don't die…oh, god. I hate this part. This is the part when you die, and I'm happy, or you don't die, and I'm miserable. And oh, god. What if you don't die, what if you live a happy life? But Madam Zara can't be wrong, can she? Well, if I change the past…again…she can, oh, god. I'm so screwed either way." Now both Jesse and Sam looked at me like I was a maniac. What could I do to convince him I wasn't insane? Not much.

"He's the real Jesse, you know," she looked at me sadly.

"The real Jesse?" I said it out loud this time. This is not good. What had Paul done?

"Yah, Paul—merged them somehow. I don't know exactly what he did, but they're one person again. So, you have to drag him back in time, again. But first, you have to make him remember. Everything. If you don't, he won't be a mediator and the trip will kill him," this was so not a good thing.

"Yes, I'm real." I turned back to Jesse, and burst into tears. Real ones this time.

He looked confused, but I just stood up and said, "good night," but I was blubbering too hard for him to comprehend it. I ran to my room and collapsed on the bed. I don't know why I was crying that hard. I just was.

My sobs slowed to sniffles, and eventually, I slept. Sort of.

I was back in the Shadowlands. Great. Every time I sleep, this is where I end up? Joy.

Sure enough, Paul was there too.

"Did you have fun in 1850 Suze?" he was trying not to laugh.

"Yah, it was real fun Paul. Now, undo whatever it is that you did, and make the world go back to normal. I will never be with you. Can you get that through your thick head?"

He chuckled and strode toward me.

"I don't even want you anymore Suze. Well, I do. But mostly I just want to put you and Rico through hell. Or, at least, your idea of it." A smile twitched at his lips and he walked away right before I drifted into real sleep.

A/N: I was a good person and finished yet another chapter! Go me! Yay! I also didn't leave a cliff hanger. Am I good or what? Don't answer that.

Anyway, review! If you do, you get um, another chapter as a consolation prize! As soon as I write it anyway…