Chapter 3:

A/N: Hey you guys! Chris and Jassy here! Sorry for such the long wait. It's been a while . . . but we're finally back! We know, we know, you guys have missed us so much that every night you would be awake around 2 a.m. in the morning crying your eyes out, but don't fear! Chris and Jassy are here! . . . . . . Shutting up.

Chris: Pretend that there's superman music in the background.

Jassy: Wow, I'm weird! all nod head in agreement HELLO! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO AGREE WITH ME ON THAT! . . . Shut up.

Now here are our replies to our b-u-t-full reviewers! P

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-- nikki007­--

Jassy: Gee, that was so nice! Someone actually 'loves it'! Wow, this feels so cool...

Chris: Hello my fellow Jesse lover. I just have one thing to say: BACK OFF HE'S MINE! turns into incredible hulk Ummm . . . yes. Ignore that. Here's that update.

-- whitedestiny34 --

Jassy: Whoa, you think we kept Suze's character? How awesome! Well, I live in South Florida. I don't really want to say anymore or give out too many details 'cuz you never know who's reading this or what weird sicko pervert freak stalker is out there wanting to . . . you know . . . /

Chris: Cannie all the way! I'm from Toronto. Well a little city near it. I TOTALLY agree with Jaz on the sick pervert thing! Thanks so much 4 reviewing!

-- tokengirl --

Jassy: Aww, you are SO nice! Thanks! Well, your wish is my command, so here is that update you demanded.

Chris: I'm a genie in a bottle baby. OOOhhh Yeaaa. glass shatters OK, my singing isn't THAT bad! Thanks for reviewing Miss Token.

Jassy: Man, I feel so bad . . . we only got three more reviews! sniffle sniffle Nobody likes our fic Chris! breaks down into tears

Chris: You horrible, horrible people, you made poor little Jassy cry! There's only one cure: MORE REVIEWS!

Tee Hee.

Well, here's chapter 3 of our story, 'The Next Generation'...

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-- Suze's P.O.V. --

Oh. My. God. Jesse's already checked in!

And his room is right in between Father D and me! Room 26.

OhmyGodOhmyGodOmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod...

. . . Aw, shit! He caught me red-handed staring at him. I quickly looked away and turned around, making small talk with Father D.

"So, dad, have you seen the weather out here lately? It's very nice . . ." I kind of screeched at Father D. Great, Father Dom's looking at me as if I was screaming at him in Japanese or something. God, I'm making a complete fool out of myself. Just my luck. I bet Jesse thinks I'm psycho now. Jeez . . .

"Susannah, are you feeling all right?"

"Not really. Jesse's right behind you." Father Dom turned around to see if it was true. Oh yeah, he saw him all right, if the expression on his face was any indicator.

"Oh, I see." God, he must've been feeling pretty as bad as I was feeling right about then.

I turned to give Jesse one last glance but all I got to see was his back since he had unlocked his door and already stepped in. Damn it! We might as well do the same, I guess.

"Maybe we should get settled into our rooms already."

"Yes, we should. Okay."

I took my key from Father D and walked up to my room, jamming the key into the keyhole, and unlocking the door quickly so that I can hurry up and just get inside already. I seriously don't think that I'll be able to do this. I know that it's something that needs to be done, but it's just SO HARD to save the one guy that I love with all of my heart. By saving him and making him live, I'll be killing a part of me. Funny how things work out to be like that.

I went to grab my necklace for comfort, but felt that it wasn't there. WHAT THE HELL? That's my favorite necklace, dude! My dad gave it to me when I was a little girl before he died and I've never taken it off ever since. Shit, it probably fell outside in the hallway.

As I went to grab the door knob, someone knocked on the door. Hmm, I wonder who that could be . . .

. . . Holy. Shit.

". . . Umm . . ." – he seems to be holding back . . . and why is he staring at me like that? – ". . . Hello, miss. I just happened to step outside of my room for a second and saw that this was lying in the middle of the hall. Does it happen to belong to you", Jesse asked me all gentleman-ly-ish, still staring at me longer than he should be. "Umm . . . have I seen you somewhere before? I'm sorry, it's just that I have this feeling, as if I'm experiencing déjà vu, because you look and seem so familiar . . ." Wait a minute. Does he remember me or something?

"Uh . . ." – damn it, Suze, stop staring at him! – "Yeah, that is my necklace." Hmm, I have an idea . . . "Hi. My name is Susannah Simon", I told him, extending my hand. This is going to be good . . .

Taking my hand, he gently kisses the back of it, with the barest brush of his lips, his eyes never leaving mine. Then he said, "Oh, yes. How rude of me. My name is Hector de Silva." he stated oh so lusciously, still holding on to my hand. "Well then, Hector, since you think you've seen me someplace, let me try to jog your memory." And with that, I pulled him in using the hand he was holding mine with for one last mind-blowing, goodbye kiss.

As soon as our lips met, my hand left his and instead, went for his face, pulling it towards mine. Slowly, my hands moved to his soft yet crisp, thick hair, balling fistfuls of it, as his left hand tenderly slipped from the base of my neck down my spine to the curves of my sides retrieving to the small of my back, pulling my body towards him, while his right hand caressed the nape of my neck, tracing circular, irregular patterns there and making my nervous system go totally haywire. I put my whole heart, body, strength, and soul into that one last kiss.

Oh God, Jesse. Please, don't stop . . .

HEY, don't look at me like that! It's my raging teenage hormones. What do you expect? It's not like I can control them. Damn hormones . . .

Besides, it just might be the last time I'll ever get to see him again, let alone kiss him. I couldn't let this chance slip by. It was like Mr. Opportunity was banging my door down, about to tear it off from its hinges, screaming 'DO IT! IF YOU DON'T, YOU WILL REGRET IT!'

God, I can't believe Father D and I are actually going to go through with this . . .

Well, he seemed to have liked it, because he was definitely kissing me back. He was still as good a kisser as he was when he was dead. But of course, after realizing what he did, he pulled back. Damn.

"Nombre de Dios! I am so sorry! Here", he said, in that delicious and sexy accent of his, handing me my necklace back. "I must go now. Goodbye." He looked pretty shameful, like he just realized he cheated on Maria. Meh. That dumb bitch totally deserves it. It's not like she'll ever love him like I do.

And with that, he left. "Goodbye, Jesse", I whispered back, a lone tear escaping my eye, making a slick, wet trail down my cheek. Angrily, I swiped it away, not wanting to break down before we went on to do what Father Dom and I came here to do.

Come on. Just keep in mind that it's for the better Suze and that you love him and won't ever forget him. God knows you'll be bawling like a baby and crying your eyes out once we get back to the present. You can wait a little while longer.

A couple minutes after Jesse left, someone else knocked on the door. This time, when I opened it, Father D was there to greet me.

"Um . . . there's been a change in plans."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, according to my calculations, Jesse was murdered at approximately 4: 00 p.m. today. It is already 3: 50 p.m., so we must hurry and save him before it's too late." Well, we might as well get it over and done with before I change my mind.

"Got it. So, what's the plan?"

"Well, after thinking it over thoroughly, I concluded that the only thing we can do is to get the police over to save Jesse and put Diego away in jail."

"Good plan. But only one problem."

"And may I dare ask what that might be?"

"How are we going to get the police over here in time before Diego offs Jesse?"

"Oh, that. Well, we'll call the police over."

"But the nearest police station was like 7 blocks away. And remember, they'll be using those chariot thingies, which take like an eternity and a half to get over here and we've only got like 8 more minutes left before it happens. There's no way in hell they'll make it here in time. We'll have to do something."

"Oh. Well, now I'm not so sure . . ."

"Wait. I've got something."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"You go and run on downstairs to the phone at the reception desk and say you need to make a call to the police. Mercedes should be able to give you the number. Call the police and tell them that a murder is about to take place and that you need someone dispatched over here immediately before the murderee is, well, murdered. While you go and do that, I'll go and warn Jesse and help him fight off Diego if necessary."

"Susannah, have you gone completely insane? I can't let you risk your life here!"

"But Father D, that's not fair! I love Jesse so much that I'll be willing to do anything for him to make sure that he'll be happy and safe. Even if it means risking my life for his."

". . . Fine. But please Susannah, for the love of God, promise me that you'll be careful."

"Okay Father Dom. I promise. Now go! We have a life to save here!" With one last goodbye hug, which completely threw me off guard since Father D isn't exactly the touchy-feely kind of guy, he left to go make that phone call.

After I closed the door behind him, I searched the small room for anything I could use as a weapon to fight off Diego if worst comes to worst. Don't worry, nothing lethal. You don't have to get your panties in a bunch.

And I couldn't exactly use the mini umbrella and that hand purse because one: they wouldn't be effective; and two: they're not even mine. I'll just leave them in here.

Aha! A feather pen. YES, it is my weapon to fight off Diego, so kindly stop staring at me that way. I tucked it away under the strap of my bra so that it wasn't visible and headed out of my room, locking the door behind me. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what I was about to do.

I then went up to Jesse's door and lightly knocked 3 times. He didn't answer very quickly. Scratch that. He didn't answer period. My heart racing that little bit faster, I knocked on the door that little bit harder and panicked that little bit more . . . Still no answer. Okay. I think I can safely say that I really started to freak out. Not thinking straight. Oh no, oh no, oh no. I started pounding on the door repetitively until finally, Jesse opened the door. Oh, thank God! As soon as he opened it, I ran up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly and protectively, and laying my head on his chest.

"Oh my God! Jesse, don't you ever scare me like that ever again!"

He looked kind of weirded out, having a 16-year-old teenage girl that he barely even knew hugging him that closely and all. "Um . . . okay . . . Hey! Wait a second. How did you know my nickname? Only my family and some very close friends call me that", he said sort of suspiciously. I suddenly stopped hugging him and took a small step back to look up at him. Uh oh.

"Uh . . . never mind that. I didn't come here to discuss that with you. I came here to warn you."

"Warn me? About what?"

"About Diego. He'll be here any minute to murder you."

"Diego? You mean Felix Diego? Why in the world would Felix Diego want to murder me?" As he asked this, I walked in and towards the window that looks out into the ocean.

"Because when he wants Maria for himself!" After hearing this, he closed the door and followed me where I was positioned next to the bay window and in front of the closet and stood in front of me.

"I don't understand. Felix Diego cannot stand Maria. He practically hates her."

"Felix hates Maria," I asked incredulously. No way! "It's more than likely to be an act. Just trust me on this one."

"Why should I trust you? I just met you today."

"Look at it this way then: Diego offs you, right? Then Maria will be left as the poor weeping widow who just lost her fiancé. Maria will then be looking for a shoulder to cry on. Who's is it? Oh, would you look at that? It's Diego, her knight in shining armor, coming to the rescue. He'll sweep Maria off her feet and end up running off and marrying her, while you, on the other hand, are left for missing when you're actually, in fact, dead. Then you'll never move on and end up, nearly 150 years later, in the 21st century meeting me. We'll fall in love but it'll never last, because you'll be a ghost and I'll be alive. It'll never work out, and since I love you so much, I want you to live a wonderful life instead of being stuck in that limbo, so I came to the past to prevent your death and so that you'll live a full life."

Whoo! I need to catch my breath.

". . . . . . Um . . . . . . are you feeling all right, Susannah", he questioned, his accent caressing my name faultlessly. Hey, he remembered my name! Wow, I am SUCH a loser.

"You know what? Just forget everything I said. I'm telling you, once you see Diego walk through that door with a huge, and I mean HUGE, knife, be prepared. I'll stay here to help fight him off until the cops get here."

"First of all, what are 'cops'? And second, how do you know all of this will happen?"

"One: 'cops' is slang for 'police'. And two: I know all of this will happen because I'm from the future and I experienced the consequence: your spirit living in my bedroom. Is that enough proof for you?" At that moment, there was a knock on Jesse's door. Show time.

"Jesse, please be careful. I'll be hiding in the closet just in case anything happens", I whispered, pointing to the closet in back of me. "Remember, he has a knife and he's going to stab you to death unless you do something. It's in his back pocket. He'll bring it out and stab you 3 times in your heart. So watch out and be cautious." And with that, I ran into the closet, well as fast someone can actually run in those stupid heels, and closed the doors behind me.

Jesse walked up to the door and opened it, greeting Diego with a "Hello" and a shake of the hand and let him in. Diego walked right in front of the closet, but not directly in front of me. Jesse followed and stood in front of him.

Oh no, I could already see the knife in Diego's back pocket glistening in the moonlight, its sharp and dangerous tip gleaming in the dark. Oh man, hurry up with the cops, Father D!

"I came here to make you a proposition, Hector", Diego declared.

"And what may that be?"

"You must stop your wedding with Maria and let her come and elope with me."

"And what do I get?"

"Basically, the chance to live."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Yes, I am. Cancel the wedding and leave Maria in my hands or I will kill you."

"I am not doing any such thing, you bastardo! I love Maria. You will have to go thru me first to get her." Oh, boy. Not the smartest thing to say to a man that has a 9-inch knife in his back pocket.

"Fine by me." And with that, Diego swung the knife, held it in the air Jason-style, and went in for the plunge. I blood froze in my veins, my lungs malfunctioned, and my brain shut off instantly. OH SHIT, OH SHIT, OH SHIT, OH SHIT, OH SHIT, OH SHIT, OHSHIT, OH SHIT! But before I could even blink, Jesse dodged Diego's stab and got in a really good uppercut under his chin. YES! GO JESSE!

"You. Jodio. Hijo de puta! You're going. To pay. You dirty. Maldito!" With every sentence, Jesse punched Diego in the face. Yes! Jesse is totally winning!

"Vetete al infieno, maricon!" Uh, I take that back. Diego head-butted Jesse and kind of sent him stumbling back. Jesse still had a grip on his shirt, so Diego kneed him in the stomach, definitely knocking the wind out of Jesse and causing him to let go of his shirt and to curl up in a ball, coughing and groaning because of the lack of oxygen he was receiving and to swear in Spanish pretty loudly.

Hey Suze. You know that pink, round, tubey thing you've got in your head? Yeah, your brain. Right now would be a good time to use it. So I popped out the feather pen that was under my bra strap and stormed out of the closet with it in my hand, ready to attack.

SHUT UP! YEAH, it's a FEATHER PEN, but STILL! That was a no ordinary feather pen. It was as long as Diego's knife. That's got to count for something. Plus, the pointy end of the feather was-

Suze? Your weapon is a dingy feather pen. You officially suck. Ugh.

After realizing that, I threw feather pen down in frustration, trying to think of something else I could use to smack Diego with. I scanned the room hurriedly, desperately trying to find something, anything . . .

Nothing. Dammit. Just some shoes . . .

Wait a sec. Shoes . . .

My shoes! Perfect! I'll use these stupid heels and whack him in the head with it.

So, unstrapping my left shoe, I said "Oh no, you don't!" and, gripping my left shoe with my right hand, I channeled all my strength, power, force, anger, rage, and fear together, grabbed Diego's right shoulder in my right hand, spun him around, swung my right arm towards my left side, and swung at his face. The heel facing his right cheek, of course.

And boy, did I hit him hard. When I hit him, I punctured his skin and scratched some of it off in the process, revealing tissue about two inches wide.

Oh, boy. That sure ain't pretty lookin'.

Diego fell to the ground on his back, holding the wound I made. The knife fell out of his hand about a foot away so I quickly grabbed it just in case he tried anything slick. He didn't look like he would be getting up anytime soon; but just for good measure, I kicked him in the face, stepped on his stomach, and stomped on his manlihood; all involving the heel of my right shoe (A/N: Jassy – Heh heh. I'm sorry you guys, I couldn't help my self!). All causing Diego to moan and groan and his eyes to cross and roll back into his head (well the last one mostly caused by me stepping on his balls).

STOP STARING AT ME LIKE THAT! I wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be standing up to attack anyone else until the police arrive. Besides, when I stepped on his nuts, it wasn't like they were large and long, if you know what I mean. It shouldn't have hurt that much.

With the knife in my left hand and my shoe still in my right, I ran over to Jesse (well, hopped over to Jesse is more like it) and asked "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine", he managed to cough out. I could see that Diego got him in the gut pretty good.

Putting my shoe down, I offered Jesse my hand. Reluctantly, he took it and pulled himself up.

"Thank you. You saved my life . . . ." Jesse said mesmerized.

"Oh, it was nothing." I answered modestly while looking down.

We kind of stood there for a while. Both of us in pain from the fight.

I looked at the man I loved and realized that this was it.

I did what I came here to do. I stopped Jesse's murder. Now he could live a full life and not haunt my bedroom.

Would I even remember him? Would I want to?

Of course I would. No matter how much it would hurt at the thought of losing him, I would never ever forget him. I wouldn't let myself forget him.

My first and only love.

Suddenly tears sprang to eyes and for once I didn't bother to wipe them away.

"Jesse, I . . ." My voice broke and I had to stop and take a breath before continuing. His face took a look of concern as his brow creased.

He has such a beautiful brow.

"I love you."

Before he had time to react, I strode over to him and laid a quick but sweet harmless kiss on his lips.

I'll never kiss those lips again.

Choking on my sobs I ran out of the room, out of the inn and into the midnight air.

I told myself that I wanted it this way. I said that he deserved a proper life.

Then why did it feel so wrong inside. Because me and Jesse, we just seemed so . . . right.

I couldn't bear to see him anymore. I couldn't cry in front of him. SO I just had to run.

But why was I still running?

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

I ran right past the 'police' as they made their way over to the inn.

My legs took a familiar route and my brain realized where my legs were taking me.

When we first moved here, there was a hill that some people liked to have picnics on. At night though, it would be completely deserted and sometimes I would creep out of my bedroom and sit on this really big boulder at the top of it. You could see the whole city from that boulder. Later they cleared the hill to make room for a parking lot.

I knew exactly where it was. I knew that the boulder would still be here.

The adrenaline pumped into my veins causing me to run even faster. I tripped and fell more than once causing my dress to rip and tear but I got up and kept running.

Carriages and people blurred past me as I kept running. The sobs were being ripped from my throat and it was making it harder to run since I couldn't breathe.

Choking, running, sobbing, tripping I finally saw the hill coming up and I ran up to the very top.

The boulder was bigger than I remembered it. It was shaped like a nest and was perfect for curling up in.

With my bear feet – I guess my shoes had fallen off a while back – I climbed the rock and shrank into the hole.

I wailed into the night again and again. Each cry like an outlet for my sadness

I knew it would hurt. I thought I was strong enough to endure the pain. But this wasn't pain.

It was torture.

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Hey you guys! It's us again. Well, we hope you like and review please! If we get lots of long reviews with constructive criticism we'll update sooner.

Much love.

Chris & Jassy.