'Andy, I have to tell you something. Dave kinda knows. But, did my mom tell you how I snuck out repeatedly, and usually got brought home by the cops?'

'Yeaha. Sorta. Why?' I was about to explain, when my mom walked in with Father Dom. 'Why what? What were you guys talking about?'

'Oh. You might want to just listen. And Father D? I think I might need your help with this.' I continued my explaining.

'Well, all of that was to get rid of these people constantly bugging the crap out of me. They were everywhere, and only I could see them. They all wanted to hurt my mom, Gina, or me. And I couldn't let them do that.

'But, the thing is, these people were dead. And when they came to me, they wanted to live again, and I don't have the power to make that come true. So, they'd threaten me, and I'd get into a fight, they'd make a mess, and someone else would call the cops on me. Resulting in me getting brought home by the cops.

'So when we moved here, I was hoping to start over. But right from the start, I wasn't liking my luck. You and everyone else--the people, are fine, but it was other things. The house--old. I hate old buildings---'

'Because someone was likely to have died there?'

'Yeah. And they did. The ghost there died in 1850, he was murdered by his cousin's--who turned out to be his fiance too--secret boyfriend. He stayed in this world for nearly a hundred and fifty years, watching life go by without him. Imagine all the things he saw--inventions, new technology, all the people that lived in that one room--until I came. I was the only one in a very long time that had talked to him, and if I am right, the first ever to love him.

'Don't get me wrong, I wasn't too happy to have a male roommate. I wanted him gone, and fast. But, some time later, I grew attached to him, after he'd saved my life a number of times too, and fell in love.

'I met other mediators in Carmel, too. Paul, for one, and Father Dominic too. But when I was working at the Pebble Beach, I met Paul's little brother. Well, I guess I met him before I met Paul. But, Jack, Paul's brother, was in the same situation as me. He had different ideas about it, however. He thought that all the ghosts wanted to kill him. It scared him to death. I reassured him, and helped him out a little, and he met Father Dominic, everything was good.

'When it came to his brohther, though, he was mad that I had teased Jack, and had taken advantage of his 'condition'. Their parents took him to all these different doctors, and they were sure that he had a mental condition. In order to not tell their parents he threatened me to go out with him. I didn't. But one day, he got me to finally go out with him, and during that time, he exorcised, or got rid of my best friend.' I continued to tell him about Jesse and getting exorcised, and Paul moving back to California, everything that needed to be said.

I was getting near the end, saying something about my dad, when he popped up. 'Hey dad.'

'What? Your father is here? When?' Mom wanted to know.

'Just now.'

'I kinda heard some of the stuff. What's this? Jesse? What happened? Where did you go? You're alive? Congratulations, son!'

'Hi Mr. Simon.'

'You can see him? Since when?' Apparantly, I wasn't the only one that was confused here. We're all a bunch!

'Well, I've been alive for what? 4, 5 months?'

'Four.' Paul said. Oh. I'd forgotten all about him.

'Ok, four months, I've been alive. Paul said that this is an after-effect of becoming alive. He is the one that made me alive in the first place. And Susannah, I didnt' know that I could do that because I haven't seen any ghosts since I was one. I sure would've told you or someone.' Of course. I should've known that.

'Susie, I really have some questions for you, but I think I need to sleep on this before asking them. Can we continue this in the morning...or later? It's already two in the morning! Come on Andy, David. We need to go sleep. Susie, you stay and watch Jesse. Jesse, you have to come finish dinner sometime. Oh dear, we left all that food out. I hope Jake and Brad had the sense to pick all that up for us. Goodnight you two! Goodbye Father, Paul, it was nice meeting you, I hope you'll be around the house more often. See you in the morning!' And with that my mom left the room, taking all the energy with her.

I hadn't realized that she was holding me up, until she left. Jesse looked droopy, and Father Dom sloooowly walked out of the room, quietly. All I wanted was to sleep, and Jesse of course.

The moment I'd been waiting for was finally here: I was in a room...alone...with Jesse. But it was a hospital, after he'd just suffered from a heart attack brought on by something Paul did. Romantic eh?

When I looked over to him, his eyes were drooping, and he was looking at me. Tiredly, he motioned for me to come lay with him on the bed.

Hesitantly, I crawled up next to him and snuggled as close as I dared get. Soon, we were both asleep.


When I woke up, my mind was all fuzzy until I saw that there was a lady poking and prodding Jesse.

Wait

Jesse?

Then my mind hit the end. Oh! Memories hit me from last night.

Jesse was waking up as the nurse pulled tubes and things out, took his temperature, and did other pokey nursey things to him. He must have been as fuzzy as I was when I woke up if his face was any indication.

'Hey! You're up!' I said as the cranky nurse left. 'Feel any better today?'

'Yes. I'm quite hungry though. I want to get up. Will you help me, querida?'

'Uh,' was he supposed to get up yet? Could it hurt him? And then I saw him struggling to get up on his own. 'Wait. I'll help you.' I got up to the other side of his bed and half walked him to his mouse hole--I mean...bathroom.

Then I saw the, um, view. Whatever unseen force residing inside me made me giggle I curse it.

Whatever.

Then he noticed.

'What? I'm only going to the bathroom. Is there something wrong, querida?' And he noticed the...draft. His face colored as he covered his backside, muttering about hospitals, and hobbled into the bathroom.

I looked around the room for Jesse's normal clothes, but didn't see them. Until I looked under the bed, and there they were.

I guess Father Dom had stopped by Jesse's apartment to grab his clothes, because there were some sweatpants and a T-shirt in a belongings bag.

Funny, I didn't know Jesse owned sweatpants. He doesn't seem to be the sweatpants type, to me anyway.

Knocking on the bathroom door, I called, 'Jesse! I think you'll like what I just found.'

'Yes, Susannah?' He poked his head out the door and looked at me. I held out the clothes. 'Good! I'll be right out. Thank you, mi querida,' he closed the door.

When he came out, he was wearing these enormous pants...and a very sexy looking old shirt. It didn't look that good in the bag. But then, those pants didnt' look that big in the bag either...

'Is it just me, or are these rather big?' Jesse asked me pulling on the side of his pants.

'Well...they weren't that big a minute ago. Or when you bought them right?'

'Buy them? I think I know my own size in pants. Besides. I wouldn't buy a...' He turned around to look at the tag poking out of the shirt '...an X-L? I don't remember buying any sweats anyway.'

'Well, you dont' look too bad in them to me...sexy even.'

Father D walked in happily saying ' Jesse! You're up! I see you found the pants I bought last night! I didn't see any when I went to get you clothes at your house, and so I bought some. I guess they're a bit too big then.'

'A bit? He's like drowning in them! But you know, it was nice that you went to get some. Maybe I could wear them as maternaty pants when I get married and have a kid.' I joked, with a smile on my face.

'I didn't know Jesse's size, so I just bought those to be sure. And they are drawstring, so he can tie them up. Paul was the one that took him to find the clothes that day that we decided that he could go outside some time ago. Speaking of, where is Paul? Is he coming by today? I want to have a talk with him.'

'Nope. Dunno. I was too fried last night to do anything but breathe and blink.' Getting two blank stares, I explaned, 'Tired. I was too tired last night to do anything but breathe and blink.'

'Oh. Well, I'll go call him. By the way, Jesse, when do you get out of here?'

'No idea, Padre. I'll tell you if they tell me later,' Jesse told him with a grin.

Father Dominic didn't notice, however, and said, 'I'll go check. I need to make a phone call too. Are you guys alright? Need any food or anything?'

'No, Padre, I'm fine.'

'Yup. Me too. I'm good.' He strode out the door, and turned left to the nurses' station.

'Tuesday. Day after tomorrow,' Jesse said absently. His grin was getting bigger.

'What? You mean you just wanted to get rid of Father D so we'd be alone?' Things kept getting better and better...

'That and I wanted to get him back for not getting me a normal size in these pants. He knows my size. And that I don't need an X-L.' Wow. Jesse was really acting more modern. He would never did this when he was a ghost. He was really catching on (not that most people send a preist on a chase for something because said preist bought an X-L pair of pants...) 'Yes, and I wanted to say something to you, Susannah. Come here,' Softly, he said to me.

I made my way over to Jesse, and took his hand. It was so warm. He gently pulled me closer to him, and wrapped his arms around me. I was begining to like this new Jesse that had replaced that ghost I fell for so hard, so long ago. Even though it was only like, six months away, but you know, it seems like longer.

I could feel his breath on my neck, and I burried my face in his shoulder as the tears threatened to come. I felt him open his mouth to say something, and tears dropped in my hair. I squeezed him tighter and waited for the words.

Sorry Guys for the wait! but with all the various REVIEW PACKETS my teachers all decided to DROP on US! You'd be busy too right? Especially if your sucky old ANCIENT pre-algebra teacher didn't TEACH YOU A DARN THING then you'd be sunk for you algebra test. Because, it's not an algebra core test, it's a pre-algebra flippin REVIEW CORE TEST! sorry. I'm angry at that, and I didn't have hardly any time to do the homework, much less check my email because I have to babysit my sweet little neice who likes to SCREAM really loud when you put her down to do a problem, or type a word, or write a word, heck, even finish your page of an awesome book like Twilight... Not that I value all that stuff more than her, I had just been holding her for the past h our and a half ususally. So, you know, now that I'm done yelling at my wordPad, I'll go type my waiting chapter 13 for you guys!

luv,
Kath