1850.…

How we met.

"Madam?" A gentle yet deep voice asked me from behind me, he had the loveliest English acccent.

"Yes, Sir…..?" I was amazed. Behind me was the most handsome lad I have ever seen, and with the moonlit balcony… His eyes were haven, like the sky and the ocean below. It was so deep and caring.

"Slater, but you can call me Paul." He said as he reached out to kiss my hand. And I curtseyed as a reply.

"Say… aren't you that young lady who got into that little fia---" I put a hand to cover his mouth.

"Sush! Do not let anybody else know that okay? It's too embarrassing to be mentioned." I hissed. Not very lady like, I know

"Madam--"

"Suze"

"Suze…." he said as if my name was a sweet candy he was tasting.

"I think what you did was smashing, I mean, wonderful, you shan't be ashamed. Such heroic acts should be praised." He said.

"Yes, I am quite aware of that thank you but, a lady should be a lady, right?" honestly, that didn't make sense even to my own ears.

He smiled that glorious smile that shows his dimple. And I melt right on the spot.

"We meet again, Paul." Said a voice I knew too well.

"Jesse." I nodded and smiled accordingly at him. I felt that tingle in my stomach again.

He smiled back in response. I melt for the second time.

"Sir Hector." Paul nodded promptly.

Right then and there, I confess, I was torn. One could never live through all these emotions I was feeling.

Gradually, Paul and I got to know each other better. Paul was a visitor from England and just came by here in Monterey to live with a cousin… which was Jesse. They were so different inside out but I feel the same about the two. Soon enough, Paul and I fell in love with each other. Some nights we would escape and meet down by the split oak tree and some times by the shore near the alcove. Little did we know then that Jesse was watching.

Jesse….. My dearest friend and lover to whom I was betrothed to.

Later that night when we were going to meet again, Paul didn't show up. It was an important night for us because my parents are hot on our trails. They didn't want Paul for me and so did Jesse. Tonight was the night we were going to run away and move to England. But he didn't show up. I was standing there at the shore weeping. It only meant one thing and I didn't want to believe it. I waited a while longer it was almost midnight. I heard footsteps coming from behind. I hastily wiped my tears and expected to see Paul. I turned around as the footsteps came to a halt behind me. My smile faltered when I saw HIM but my heart started pumping rapidly.

"Jesse?…"

He grinned at me, but it was of contemptuous desire. He immediately pulled me to him, he dropped something behind him and kissed me fully on the lips. It was so passionate that it hurt, filled with desperation and greed. I won't lie, it felt so good…. But I belonged to someone else now.

"Jesse, please. Stop." I whimpered as he violently pulled my top out of the way. But my clothes were too tightly attached to my body. A large amount of my top was ripped violently, exposing my colarbones even more and showing my cleavage.

I started to panic. I was shaking violently and pushing him off. He started kissing that area behind my ears and started making noises I wouldn't like to share.

"Please Jesse…."

"Stop it already." I was cut off because he resumed kissing me in the mouth. I was fighting it. I just lay there frozen, not kissing back. His kiss turned from greedy and violent to smooth andpleading… it was slow… not like the first one. I felt him lift me by my back a little and started to smoothly undo the buttons behind my dress. Once he opened them halfway, he started to trace things behind me… seducing me… pleading me. Slowly the grip from my hands loosened and the hand he used to grip it cupped my chin and his hand at my back propped me up a little. I jammed my eyes shut and thought of my room, I wished desperately to go there and escape Jesse… I was desperate.

Shifting… Paul taught me that.

Mediating… Jesse taught me that.

Suddenly my eyes flew open. I felt something soft underneath me, no longer sand. I swallowed HARD.

MY BED.

Jesse was looming over me. He opened his eyes, according to my book, he was supposed to grin mischievously right about… now, but he didn't. except, he pulled away, kneeled over me and looked around, his eyes were gentle, mysterious and innocent and the moonlight flooding my bay window reminded me so so much of the Jesse I have loved before.

My mouth pouted instinctively at the thought of the past. Jesse always respected me… gave me my first kiss on the cheeks when I turned thirteen, It was a custom at those times once a girl enters the teen years and during my debutante year… he was my hero my first serious kiss and the first one who saw me, just like how I told him to.

"Jesse, I am counting on you. Wear the Zorro costume, and save me before I fall off the balcony, okay? I want it to be perfect!"

"But Querida!" He whined

I gave him a look he knew too well… After 18 years, you'd distinguish the looks I give you.

"It's just a legend!" He reasoned. Although Jesse is two years ahead of me, at times, he'd act like he was younger.

"Jesse…" I cooed he knew he was in it for now. He gulped loud enough to my satisfaction. I'd always do these things to get him to agree with me.

"Corazon…" he said warningly.

Jesse POV

"¿por qué, Jesse ...le asustan?" she said teasingly as she walked around me, her fingers circling around me as she did so.

( Trans: why, Jesse... are you scared?")

I gulped again.

A big mistake. She stopped in front of me and narrowed her eyes at me, grinning mischievously.

Her mother came in to my relief. But Susannah had other plans.

"I'll be seeing you later, okay? don't you sigh in relief! I'll be dressing up for later and I have to put these stom make ups on my face… jammer genoeg voor me hoewel mijn moeder wil me doden. Don't look at me like that! What, mom! Stop that!" Only Susannah and I know how to speak Dutch in this town. We always spend our spare time by the docks where there are a lot of tourists. We had a friend, John. He taught us.(translation. Stom: stupid. The longer ones means: Unfortunately for me though, my mother wants to kill me)

Susannah's mother rolled her eyes at Suze's unladylike-ness. Only me and her family know this part of her.

"Suzie! Make ups aren't stupid." She said.

"They are when you make them up." She laughed at her own joke but suddenly she caught her mom.

"Madre!" She whined stomping her feet.

"What?" Her mother asked smiling secretively. She knew how to speak Dutch…

"Mijn moeder wil werkelijk mijn moord" she exclaimed moodily scratching her head violently.

(trans: my mother really wants my murder)

I laughed uncontrollably at her though deep inside, I was feeling nervous, excited, aroused?

Nombre de dios! The silk robe she had on is really tight.

"Suzie don't over react! I'm not going to murder you, just put on your make up. It won't hurt. I promise!" Her mom sighed.

"Hmph." Susannah crossed her arms and looked in a different direction.

"I give up!" Her mom surrendered.

Susannah just turned her head sharply away. Very very mature.

"Suzie, you have to accept it. You're already a lady…you have to put make up on. Start wearing your hair down instead of tying then in pigtails, it's time for you to start wearing dresses, no more jumpers and farmer hats for you and no more wearing of Brad's shoes. Time to wear accessories, earing, have dates…Please?" I immediately turned serious. It was the "talk".

"But madre!"

"No, Suzie!"

"Dates! That's totally absurd. How about Jesse?---" She stood in front of me and wrapped her arms around my neck. " I'm sure he'll get jealous if I date someone else." She said sweetly with her head facing her mom.

Her mom just placed her hands on her hips.

"I don't want mi Jesse getting jealous, I mean, we are madly in… love aren't we?" She put stress in the word love. Our faces were just inches from me. I just chuckled but deep inside there was this cringe where her words hit, hard.

She pulled the small hair just at the back of my neck, it hurts. Her eyes widened at me expectantly.

"Yes, umm, we… are very, very much in love." I said as I rubbed the base of my neck.

"Right…" her mom said unconvincingly.

Suze pouted at her mom. Her arms were still around me and we were still dangerously close, I could feel her… umm ahem ahem against my chest.

"Jesse, por favor."

"Si, tia?" I asked. Suze pulled away curious.

"You, make her wear the dress." Thunder and lightning clouded me.

"perdón?"

(pardon)

"You force her to wear that dress after I am done with her." Suze just gaped at us. I can read her mind. She thinks we are spawns of Satan by now.

And I have no comments about dressing her up. My mouth is shut.

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"Madre! it hurts!" I Suze's voice from the other room.

"Ayyy, Susannah Corazon Simon! It is only make up" I chuckled again. But this feeling just won't go away, this anticipation I am feeling. It was truly weird.

After about half an hour, Susannah's mother emerged from the room smiling triuphantly as I heard Susannah's voice wailing.

"Good Luck, hijo. You'll need it. And oh, Susannah looks beautiful! You will surely love her." She said as she led me to the room and opened the door for me.

"Susannah?" I asked around, it was dark and all the candles were blown off by the wind thus I cannot see a thing.

"Suzie?..." I asked desperately.

"Querida..."

"Susannah Corazon, show yourself to me. now!" I demanded and suddenly the candles surrounding her room lit up starting from left to right it was just lovely.

Susannah and I are mediators (A/N: they still don't know that they are actually shifters including Jesse but they realized they had ample powers... just thought you'd have to know)

We see spirits and we have slight control of the things around us. Just like how the candles lit. It was Susannah's doing.

When the candles were all fully lit, I was surrounded by a circle of flames. I was startled when I heard grunting.

It was Susannah, she was there in the middle the whole time.

"Susannah, you look..." I trailed off.

"Dreadful?" She asked hopefully.

"Stunning"

She visibly blushed at my remark. "Umm, thanks, I guess..." She tucked her hair behind her ear.

And I blushed at what she was wearing.

A white blanket was wrapped around her. And it was low...

Gulp.

I feel the awkwardness in the air.

"Let's wear the dress." She said encouragingly.

I gave her a look.

She dropped the blanket around her.I instinctively covered my eyes.

"What!" she demanded as she came nearer.

"Querida, I'm a gentleman if you haven't noticed."

Her face was questioning.

"Oh, you mean this?"

"Yes, that." I said as my eyes were covered.

"Jesse, open your eyes, I'm wearing clothes on." she said impatiently.

I reluctantly uncovered my eyes.

She was still wearing the blanket. It must have been my imagination.

"Oh." was all that I said as she walked towards her bed. She stopped in front of her bed and time came to a slow motion. She was unfolding the balnket around her, my eyes widened.

"QUERIDA!"

"What?" she demanded facing me and she was wearing undergarments I can't define because they were colored like her skin.

I walked towards her and pretended not to mind how shapely her body is.

"What are you wearing?"

"Garments which are none of your business!"

"What are you doing?" I asked patiently.

"Trying to get dressed." She said

"You're almost naked." I pointed out.

"So what? You've seen me naked before." She retorted.

"True, but that was when we were twelve and you were much more of a man that me back then." I said choosing my words carefully.

"What are you saying then?" she asked as she put her hands to her waist.

"All I'm saying is that... You--- you..." I trailed off.

"I...?" She tried to help me.

"You're seducing me." She laughed loudly at me.

"Oh come on Jesse!" She said moodily.

"We've been together for almost a lifetime already, and you tell me, after 18 years that I am seducing you?" she continued.

I looked down... guilty.

"Why, Is- is it working?" She asked in a small voice.

I looked up, I can't help it. I started to drag my eyes from ther legs up to her face and don't let me mention the little stop over I made before reaching her face.

"Are you actually guilty?"

"No! what are you talking about! We're brothers right? My little tomboy is growing up to be a lady and I'm stuck being plain Jesse." She smiled and hugged me, I had no ill intentions towards her, but my hands strayed to the bare portion of her back, it was smooth.

"Of course you'll be plain Jesse! You don't have to grow into a lady, you're a boy!"

"You're right, querida."

"Why do you call me querida?" She asked

I honestly don't know.

"Same as why you call me Jesse." I answered.

"Fair enough" She said finally.

"Look, I'll be fine, I'll wear the dress myself. I'll just call Maria to helpme with these. I know you are just as clueless as me when it comes to these things." She shooed me away when Maria their helper entered the room.

"Wait for me down the stairs okay? We'll talk." With that, I exited with a bow.

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My heart was violently ripped from it's rightful place that I have to hold on to it, but it was too late.

It was her, the girl of my dreams walking down the stairs. Her hair was curled and there were streaks of light brown in her hair that I never ever noticed before. Her eyes were lined black with perfection and her eyelashes were perfectly curved, Her cheeks were flushed a bit which made her radiate a spectral glow of beauty. She was wearing a dress that matched her eyes, it had a low neckline, and adorning her chest was a locket. A locket that symboled our forever friendship. How I wished to be more than her friend.

"Jesse you look like you've just seen a ghost." I was snapped out of my reverie. It was her, mi Querida.

Susannah.

I'll make her mine.

I just have to.

"Turn around." I ordered softly.

She smiled and did so.

Her dress was backless, only a few laces held it together.

"So what do you think?" She asked nervously

"I- I am absolutely speechless." I said.

"Don't change the topic Jesse,..." She said squinting her eyes at me.

Nombre de dios! She is beautiful.

Helloooooooooo

Please review!

Comments, criticisms? etc... are welcome.

By the way, what's AU?

Australia? I usually see it under the titles and stuff.

Tnx.

lmi