The Mediator: Changes- (Based on the mediator series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll)

This Chapter is LONG!!!!!!!!!!! OK... you can read now! Happy Thanksgiving BTW!
~Chels

Chapter 27: Confusing Times

(Third Person POV)

"Susannah?" Asked Mrs. Simon- who is now Mrs. Ackerman- as Suze opened the door, "What were you doing out so late? It's three in the morning!"

"Sorry Mom... We were out having fun and lost track of time..." Lied Suze, "Oh, this is Susan..." She said, as the other girl made her way through the door.

"Nice to meet you Susan." Greeted Mrs. Ackerman, "You two go to sleep, we will talk in the morning."

"Yes Ma'm" responded both of the girls. Mrs. Ackerman smiled uncomfortably, then walked away towards her bedroom.

"Wow... that was- weird" announced Suze. "She must have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow... but let's just go to sleep now." She said, motioning for Susan to follow her as she walked up the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile, at Jesse's house~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Just go to sleep Slater!" Yelled Jesse, aggravated

"I can't..." Commented Paul, "I'm not tired in the least... I feel wide awake!"

"Why did you take those pills when we were at the club?" Jesse asked, "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to accept drugs from strangers?!"

"What drugs are you talking about? I'm not sick!" Asked Paul, walking in a circle, "That candy was good though..."

"Drugs...oh, right, you're from the fifties, you don't know what drugs like these are..." Jesse said, tiredly "Ok, that 'candy' was not candy. It was a type of drug that doesn't help you when you're sick... it will make you jumpy and you'll probably start to see things-"

"See things?" Asked Paul, smiling stupidly.

"Like purple little stars, or blue strawberries, or little green people" Jesse said, listing a few possibilities.

"The strawberries aren't real?" Asked Paul, "Are you real?"

"Yes." Assured Jesse.

"Oh..." Said Paul, sounding exhausted. "... Look at the little fairies!" He commented, then he fell flat on his face, asleep.

"That works too!" Commented Jesse, placing Paul's head on a pillow and covering him with a blanket before returning to his own bed and falling fast asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next afternoon, Cee Cee's Aunt's house~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suze was holding Jesse tightly, Susan was clasping Paul's hand, Cee Cee was talking animatedly on her cell-phone, and her Aunt was in the kitchen pouring everyone a glass of lemonade.

"My head is killing me!" commented Paul. Susan kissed him on the cheek, saying, "Next time you'll be more careful then."

"Was it really that bad?" Jesse asked Suze, who had latched onto him the second they had been reunited and hadn't said a word yet. She shook her head numbly. He squeezed her shoulders tightly, reassuringly, "We'll talk about it in private later, alright?". She nodded 'yes' and smiled weakly.

"Ok, there's some bad karma in this room... Cee Cee, get off of that phone!" Ms. Webb said. Cee Cee got off the phone, and shoved it into her pocket with a look that clearly said, 'are you happy now'.

"Where's your little friend Adam?" Asked Ms. Webb.

"Aunt Pru! Um... we broke up... quite some time ago..." Said Cee Cee, blushing furiously.

"What a shame, I really liked that boy." Commented Pru.

"Aunt Pru, this is Paul," Cee Cee said, trying to change the subject.

"Hello Paul!" Exclaimed Pru, "I understand that you need a place to stay."

"Yes Ma'm" Answered Paul respectfully.

"Well... I always said that I wanted a kid that was not a kid... you can stay here for as long as you like...I hope you don't mind, but I don't really feel the need for all the paperwork that adoption requires." Pru said.

"That's fine Ma'm" Paul answered.

"Well... now that that's settled!" Said Cee Cee, "We'd better go!"

The four remaining teenagers were already out the door by the time Cee Cee's Aunt Pru could protest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~That same day, At Jesse's house~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Susan had gone to the mall with Cee Cee, they were trying to give Susannah some time to speak with Jesse.

"Do you want to tell me what happened Querida?" Jesse asked softly.

Suze sighed deeply then took a deep breath and spoke, in a very quiet, un-Susannah-like voice, "She...My mom, had- triplets... she told the doctor to- (silence)- to kill two of them... I just happened to be the one that was kept alive... it was all by chance... my father never knew that there was more than one... he never even was told that she was pregnant... not until he asked, when he noticed that his wife had grown in the stomach area..." She paused, "I could have been killed, I could have never known you, I could have never known what the sky looked like, or how freshly cut grass smelled, or what an ice cream cone was... They never did... the other two triplets... But I did, I was the lucky one, I was the one who lived... But just by sheer luck... And Susan, my mom thinks that the doctor disobeyed her orders or something, but nothing can be done about that... he died mysteriously right after my third birthday." Suze looked as if she was on the verge of tears.

Jesse was silent, shocked from this startling revelation of the past. He was visibly pale, white as a ghost even... probably from the thought of his Querida being dead before he had even known her. Suddenly he moved, grabbing her in his embrace, wrapping his arms around her, and kissing her on the lips. "I'm glad it was you who lived, even though those other two had to die for it. I am thankful that they gave me the chance to meet you, to love you, to be with you now." He kissed her again. Silently she burst into tears. He held her tighter, and stroked her hair comfortingly as she cried into his chest.

"I love you Jesse." She sobbed, "Thank you for being here for me, thank you for caring, for not giving up on me even when I treated you like the dirt beneath my shoes. Let's make the other two of the triplet's sacrifices count, let's live out our opportunities to the fullest, for them."

"I couldn't agree with you more." Jesse answered. "For them, and for us." He compromised. Suze looked into his eyes and smiled, her face no longer covered in fresh, wet, salty teardrops. She kissed him with a passion that he could have never expected, but he accepted it gladly, holding her around the waist as she put her hands on either side of his head.

When they pulled apart, breathing hard, it was almost five in the afternoon. Suze, smiling picked up her purse and fished out her cell phone, which was ringing quite furiously. "Hello?" she answered, it was Cee Cee.

"Are you two done talking yet?" Cee Cee asked, "It's only been like FOUR HOURS!!!!!!"

Suze laughed, "Yep... I feel much better thanks for asking!"

"That's great Hon," Said Cee Cee sarcastically, "But me and Susan -yeah- we're all shopped out"

"OK, so what do you want me to do about that?" Asked Suze.

"Meet us for some food!!!!!!!!" Cee Cee said, "The Pizza place by the beach... I want some 'za, and I don't think Susan would mind grabbing a bite to eat"

"Nope, I'm STARVED!" Suze could hear Susan say in the background.

"Pizza it is!" Said Suze.

"And Suze?" Cee Cee said.

"Yeah?" She answered tentatively.

"Girls night out. No boys allowed!" Cee Cee declared, "You've had enough time with lover boy... You should have heard your voice when you picked up the phone... breathe much Suze?"

"Ok, that's great" Suze said, ending the conversation, "I'll see you soon." She hung up. Turning to Jesse she said, "Sorry, I gotta go... Pizza with the girls... sorry... but I'll see ya later!"

"Count on it!" He said pulling her into one last embrace and giving her a teasing kiss, "More of that later too."

"You better hope so!" She said, walking out the door. Suddenly she turned around, "Jesse?" she called.

"You just couldn't leave without more, huh?" came his laughing response.

"Umm... well yeah I could, but you kinda drove me here, now you need to drive me back!" She responded.

"And I thought you loved me!" Said Jesse, coming out of the room, car keys in hand.

"Think again," Joked Suze as they walked out to the car.

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SO?!?! SO?!?!?! Waddidja think? PLEASE REVIEW! you could save my life...kidding, it's not THAT urgent! But please do ~Chelsea