A/N: Whoa. THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH I LOVE YOU GUYS TOO MUCH lol. Gah, I love writing this story so much lol more than anything. I've said that like 50 thousand times already lol, haven't I?

You seemed to have had a lot to say this time and, well, a lot of it being that you wanted to hear Paul's POV. Anyhoo, I decided to reply to some of these personally, alright? Cool.

Lolly: Eww Elsie Cowell??! lol your blood??.... okay, whatever you say. oh and I was talking about how you just HAD to know about that whole 'die die' thing. LOL "Time of my Life"???? haha your brother sounds.... interesting lol...

Nice Hayley: :-) Ah, no problem about the translations I'm glad they helped.

Esodes08: lol I don't like Maria much either. Eh, and I don't know about Jesse and Susannah fluff right now because there's a lot of other fluff going on but when there is, it will be very fluffy.

Saz-646: Aw, thank you! :-)

Purtymanagirl58: Yeah, I tried to make it as long as I could. Paul's pov, that is. And I'm glad you like the story XD

And thanks to the others. Really you guys brighten my day lol.

Oh and a little warning, there is a lot of swearing in this chapter because everyone is either really pissed off or really surprised. And, well, 16 year olds tend to swear when they are either of the two, okay? So if you can't read that then don't. But nothing worse than you'd hear in any PG-13 movie. I think. If you think it's too bad just let me know and I can change this to R or whatever.

And, if you're a Suze/Paul fan, the Suze/Paul romance is kinda.... well, over.

Kind of. There might be a few fluffy moments later or maybe not. I'm not so sure yet.

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PAUL'S POV--

I shifted my weight underneath my feet nervously, waiting for some more news from the doctors. They had been keeping us waiting for hours. Meanwhile, we were all finding our own little ways to pass the time, whether they were productive or not. I, myself, had spent a fair amount of my time at the hospital pacing back and forth in front of the waiting room.

Mr. Ackerman held his his wife in a tight, supportive hug while she dabbed at the little black rivers that ran down her face with a tissue. Cee Cee chatted quietly with David and Adam, who had only arrived minutes ago. He had his hands on hers as she rung a tissue between her fingers. Little white shreds of paper scattered the floor near her feet. Father Dominic, who arrived with Adam, spoke to Suze's brothers. Jake was listening intently, barely blinking, while Brad rolled his eyes after every other sentence and eventually went back to his magazine.

Father Dominic was saying something about Faith. All we had to do was believe that Suze would get better and pray for her to get better. And soon she would be. Better, I mean. Just like that. But who really believed that?

I actually prided myself in not believing all that bullshit. It didn't work for my grandmother. We spent every hour of every freaking day at her side, in the hospital, praying. But she didn't make it, did she? No. So why should it be any different for Suze?

I understood what I had to do here. If I wanted to get Suze back, I had to act fast. Because I knew something that all of the others didn't: Suze wasn't sick. She wasn't sick at all. What was wrong was something completely different. I wasn't sure what, but I had a strong feeling that it had something to do with her messing around in the Shadowland when she wasn't supposed to.

I knew from the very moment I walked in. The doctor was shaking his head, his pasty-white face grim. "I'm very sorry, Mrs. Ackerman. It's always hard for us to reveal this kind of news but... Well, your daughter is deteriorating rather quickly... and...."

Mrs. Ackerman's hands lashed out, her talons digging into his shoulders. "What do you mean!? Is she going to be okay? How could this happen? She was just fine!!" She yelled so loud, causing everyone to crane their neck and see what was going on. Andy put his finger to his lips in an attempt to quiet her down but she was hysterical. I walked away as other nurses rushed to her side, offering her water or a seat. She was unconsolable.

But she also had a point: Suze was just fine. So how could something like this have happened? Because, of course, she was perfectly healthy the night before so something obviously went wrong. And I knew exactly what. So while the nurses were busy trying to tame Mrs. Ackerman, who was thrashing about now, I slipped through the double-doors that separated the waiting room from Suze's hallway, and into room 103.

I looked at her laying there. The same innocent, beautiful Suze laying there looking almost lifeless. I gasped sharply and, with a pained face, I walked to her bedside, pulling up a chair. Her auburn hair was tangled and matted to her damp forehead. I pushed it away and kissed her forehead softly. She remained still. Only her chest rose slowly and in short, jagged breathes that looked extremely painful. Everytime she exhaled, her face scrunched up and she whimpered softly. Like a small, wounded animal.

I couldn't let her live like this, in pain. But on the other hand, I had to find a way to let her live, period. I wouldn't let her back out on us now. I had to take action.

Gently, I took her pale, fragile hand inside my own and whispered, "Suze. Suze, can you hear me?" Into her ear, leaning forward so that my face was hovering just inches above hers. I got to take a good long look at her, then and she looked nothing like the Suze I knew and loved. Not with that endless maze of tubes and wires plaguing her body.

Then, out of nowhere, "NOOO!!" She screamed, her eyes still shut. Her back was arched high and her fists clenched into tight balls.

"Holy shit!!" I shouted in alarm, flying backwards and nearly knocking over the curtain that separated us from the other patient. My heart was drumming furiously and threatening to come out of my chest. What the hell!?

Her arms began trashing about in every direction as she shouted curses and names and words I could not even understand. But one word was very, very clear:

"JESSE!!"

My knees almost gave out upon hearing his name. Jesse. Why the fuck was she calling Jesse's name, huh? I got rid of that asshole a long time ago!

I rushed up and grabbed her forearms, pinning them down to the bed forcefully, and then moving one hand so it was covering her mouth. It was the only obvious thing to do to keep her quiet and still. Her breathing slowly returned back to normal and I pulled my hand off her mouth as her eyes fluttered open.

She blinked at me a few times, her face contorted in a look of confusion. Then she whispered, "Jesse.... Where's Jesse?" Her green eyes widened in horror as she whipped her head around. "Where am I?"

"Suze," I said, struggling to find my voice. "You--"

But I got cut off as a doctor and a few nurses burst into the room. One of the nurses yelled at me for being in there and angrily pushed me out as another nurse injected a shot into Suze's arm when she started shouting for me to come back.

As soon as I stepped out of the room, Jake grabbed the side of my shirt and pulled me off to the side and hissed, "Paul what the hell were you doing in there with my sister? Come on, they won't even let her own MOTHER inside! What the hell makes you think that you have the fucking right to just walk right in like you own the fucking place, Paul?" He pushed me backward by the shoulder, shaking his head incredulously.

Alright I was getting pissed now. Suze was talking about Jesse. She wasn't shouting my name, or calling for me to hold her like I would have hoped, but she was asking where Jesse was. JESSE. That chick-stealing no-good son of a bitch! What could he have that I didn't?? For God's sake I'm ALIVE! Isn't that enough?

"Jake." I said in a low, angry growl, "you have know idea what's really going on so I suggest you stay out of it." Then, because he was really pissing me off, I stepped up so that I was right in front of his face and went. "And don't you dare telling anyone about what just happened, Ackerman, because I have more say in Suze's recovery than you think. I'm in control here, Jake. Complete control. You don't want to get me angry."

I hit my shoulder against his as I walked away casually, as if we'd just bumped into eachother at the store, my hands in my jacket pockets. Oh, Jake had no idea who he had just messed with. If he thought I was just another guy Suze was dating, then he was wrong. He didn't have a clue what kind of power I really had over Suze in her state. Now that I knew that she wasn't really sick, I knew exactly where to find her.

I was the only one who could bring her back, but did I really want to?

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(a/n: lol suze sounds kinda ditzy here shrugs hey i was half asleep and kinda sick.... aw mel gibson's cute!!! :D:D lol okay... the story i know....)

SUZE'S POV--

Have you ever heard of out of body experiences?

I was watching TLC once and there was this show on OBE's. It's supposedly where a person's spirit has left their body and sort of... floats around in another place for a while before returning back to their body. In most cases, people have OBE's before death. A little weird, you say? Yeah, well I'm a sixteen-year-old who can speak to ghosts and has just traveled back in time to be with her ghostly boyfriend. There aren't many things that really freak me out, you know.

Still. I can honestly say I thought I had one of those when I walked over and saw Maria. Not that I had almost died (though it kind of felt like it) but I kind of blacked out for a few seconds. Like I had gotten sudden tunnel vision... except that there was no light at the end of that tunnel. For a long time. Or at least it seems that way. I don't know. But when I could see again, I was in a blinding white room.

It really freaked me out for a second because, well, okay I'll admit it: I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. Silly, I know. But you would have had to come up with some explanation, too, if you found yourself in an all white room with a hot guy hovering above you. At least I'm pretty sure he was hot; my vision was still really fuzzy, you see.

Er, no pun intended.

So anyway, all I remember was this shaking and commotion and screaming... like in the Exorcist or something. You know where the bed is spinning, or whatever? Anyway, then I just felt a sharp pain around my arms, a lot of pressure, then a sharp pinprick and then everything was black again. And you must understand, when I say black I don't mean woohoo-new-dress-shoes-black or punk-kid's-nailpolish-black but real black. Threatening. Endless. Menacing. Dangerous. Just darkness. I have to admit, that kind of darkness never failed to scare the shit out of me.

Then the picture slowly began to return and once again I was standing in front of the de Silva's home, watching through far away, glossy eyes as Maria hugged Jesse's sisters affectionately. I'd only just realized that I was holding both Lucero's and Rosa's hands. Very tightly, at that.

"Susannah," Lucero grumbled, nudging me in the side. "Um , my hand... please?" I smiled a little and let go. "Susannah, are you feeling well? You look so... pale...."

"Y-yeah." I muttered, letting go of their hands, embarassed. "Uh, look I really should be going. You guys have company, right? Ha ha, yes, okay I'll see you later then." I stammered as I rushed past them and down the street. I wasn't sure where I was going to crash and didn't really have a place in mind. Maybe, oh, I don't know.... my own bed maybe? Yeah, that would be nice, wouldn't it? Just kidding. That wasn't a possiblility. But as long as it was nowhere near here, I'd be fine.

But, right then, that didn't really look like much of an option seeing as how there wasn't a thing I recognized and there didn't seem to be another house around for miles. Anyway, I didn't have to run far because Lucero and Rosa followed me there, calling my name.

"Susannah," Rosa gasped. "Que te pasa? What's wrong with you?"

I sighed. a big, heavy, burdened sigh. "Nothing. I just... I don't really like that girl...." I muttered so that even I barely heard me.

"Who?" Lucero said, grabbing my arm and leading me back to her house. "Maria? What could you possibly have against my cousin Maria? She's one of the nicest young women you could ever meet, Susannah."

I snorted loudly. Maria, nice? Yeah, if nice meant you like to off hot Latino guys that you were engaged to, just so you can marry your slave-driving lover, then sure, Maria was real nice.

"Come on," Lucero begged, dragging me forward. "She's a beautiful girl with many fun stories to tell, I am sure you will love her." I let out something that sounded like a mix between a whimper and a laugh and followed the girls reluctantly.

Rosa gave Maria a short hug and then pushed me forward. "Esta es mi amiga, Susannah," Rosa said, grinning. "This is my friend, Susannah. We've told her all about you, Maria, and she is very excited to meet you."

I smiled sarcastically and held my hand out. "Hi, Maria," I recited, my hand still stretched out in front of me. She noticed it and slipped a slender hand inside of mine, the other holding a lavender-colored parasol. She fluttered her thick, long lashes.

"Hola, Susannah." She cooed and then, looking over my shoulder, went, "Ay, Hector como estas?" And skipped on over to stand in front of Jesse, who looked considerably surprised to see his cousin. She curtsied politely and Jesse, like a nice gentleman, grabbed her gloved hand and gave it a small, polite kiss.

I swear, if I didn't know that Jesse had no feelings whatsoever toward Maria, then I would have gone all Hulk on them both. Really, I couldn't even stand seeing Jesse give this girl a simple kiss on the hand, which was kind of standard when you met a lady back then. If I couldn't watch that, they what was I going to do when Maria and Jesse got ma---

HOLY SHIT.

It had just hit me:

THIS IS THE PART WHERE JESSE GETS ENGAGED TO MARIA!

Jesse's dad had brought Maria and her family with him because THEY WERE GOING TO GET MARRIED.

SHIT.

And sure enough, Jesse's and Maria's dad were herding them into the living room, most likely to give them the news that they were engaged. Oh, God, what was I going to do now?

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(a/n: Tio means 'Uncle' if you didn't know. And Tia means aunt. If you were confused about the last part, Suze did wake up although she didn't remember much of what happened during the time she was awake. Then, after the shot, she just kinda went back to the past, alright? Just wanted to clear that up since Purtymanagirl asked. There was really no place to actually put that in the story.)

JESSE'S POV--

"We have some great news," My Tio Alberto said, his hands clasped together excitedly.

Maria's mother was holding Maria's hands in hers, grinning broadly. Maria, herself, looked nervous but had a pleasant, satisfied smile on her face. This must have been some awfully good news since everyone seemed to be very excited and they were all dressed in their very best clothes. The servants had given everyone a tall glass full of the finest red wine for a toast. Dios, please don't let this be what I think it will be....

I swallowed hard. "Si, Tio?"

My father laughed a great, loud laugh and clapped me on the shoulder. "Jesse, mijo, your uncle and I have found you a wonderful wife. She is a beautiful, intellegent young woman who can give you many sons and a good, steady home."

My stomach was churning dangerously and all I could think of was Susannah. Dios mio, I had told her that I loved her only last night. I can't just show up and be engaged to a different woman the next day! What would she think of me? I will lose her trust forever.

"Who is this woman?" I asked with a false, confident smile. "She sounds wonderful, padre."

He nodded, beaming, while our mothers and the other women tittered and whispered to each other. "Hector, I'd like you to meet your future wife: Maria."

Even Maria wasn't expecting it. The fine, crystal glass she was holding slipped out of her hand and onto the floor, breaking into millions of tiny shards, each reflecting Maria's genuinely stunned expression. The thick, red liquid coated the floor and formed puddles around our feet. I didn't flinch.

I'd had a feeling it would be Maria. No, I knew it would be her, but I wouldn't let myself believe it until I actually heard it for certain. But now that I have, I couldn't be more surprised. And, apparently, neither could Maria. It was clear that neither of us wanted to be married now, at such a young age. Especially to each other. But we didn't have much of a choice, seeing as how our parents were absolutely elated over the fact that their children were engaged.

By the time my mind wandered back to where it was supposed to be, the servants and our mothers had already finished fussing over the broken glass and everyone was looking at me expectantly as Maria held out her hand and blinked at me from underneath her long black eyelashes.

I kissed her hand softly, and then slipped the large, diamond ring my father had given me earlier from my pocket. Slowly and hesitantly, I slipped in onto her slender ring finger and said, in the most regal, confident voice I could muster, "Maria Teresa de Silva, te casas con migo?"

(a/n: That's 'will you marry me' for those slower folks lol. aw, just kidding)

While the rest of her smiled and nodded, whispering "Yes, Hector, I will." In a soft, breathy voice, I could see the sadness in her eyes. She didn't want to do this and neither did I. Now I had to give up my Querida. How was I going to explain this to her?

"It's settled then," My mother said as she clapped her hands together. "Vamos a tener una gran fiesta esta noche. We'll have a big party tonight, kids. To celebrate your enagement." She and my aunt stood up suddenly and scurried away, chatting and whispering, mapping out our futures.

I gulped as my father cleared his throat and stood up. "Alberto and I will leave these two alone to talk." And then they both left us alone with an uncomfortable silence plaguing the room.

Maria's face was indecisive as she bit her bottom lip. I put my hands in the pocket of my jeans and clicked my toungue, looking around the room.

"Hector," Maria said suddenly, taking my hands in hers. "You know I despise this whole wedding idea just as much as you do. I propose we do something about it, Hector."

I shook my head. "That's out of the question. You saw how excited they were for us, Maria. I do not think there is much we can do except to accept their decision and get married. I... guess it could work out... if we try." I said, shrugging.

Maria looked absolutely miserable. Nothing like a future bride should. Although I can't say I was any happier. I'd barely ever seen Maria more than a few times. How do they expect me to wed a woman that I barely know?

But Susannah... oh, she was a different story. I'll admit that I do not know her very well, but there was this attraction between us that made up for all the years that we didn't know each other exsisted.

Maria's mother came in a few seconds later and gave me another hug, congratulating me, and then swept Maria off to get her ready for tonight's big party. I sulked out of the living room and ran into Lucero, Rosa and Susannah waiting by the door for me.

"Contratulations, Jesse," Rosa and Lucero murmered, half-smiling at me. I locked eyes with Susannah for a moment and smiled but she looked away quickly.

"Thanks," I said. Susannah's arms were crossed in front of her chest and she wouldn't look at me. The girls noticed this and nudged her in the side.

"Oh, yeah congratulations, Jesse," She said in the most obvious sarcastic tone. "I hope you and that freaking bitch Maria are very happy together." She shot me a venomous glare and turned away, stomping off in a huff.

But then she stopped, turned around slowly and said, with a kinder face, "Watch your back, Jesse. Please, just... be careful."

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A/N: How was that? :-) I actually kinda maybe liked that chapter. I wrote it when we went on vacation for the weekend, in the car and at the hotel. And now we're sitting outside of the casino in the car because, frankly, I don't like scary old grandmas blowing cigarrete smoke into my face. XP hehe

I've got some stuff planned for this story yup yup I do.

All I need is for you to review, kay? Yeah, you will review? Yay hugs

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