I Remember
Summary: Suze decides to save Jesse's life, and the fire never starts. But, instead of not remembering Jesse, both Suze and Paul remember. They wonder why, when a certain person appears...
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
3
"So, who is this 'Jesse' you speak of?" Laci asked as we ate at... you guessed it! McDonalds! It was two days after Jesse's little visit to Paul's place. Just as she said this, Jesse walked in. "There," I nodded my head toward him. Laci choked on a french fry. After I slapped her on the back, she finally coughed out, "You have got to be KIDDING me! That is the hottest thing I've ever seen! And ever will see! My gosh!" "Ssssh!" I hissed, clapping my hand over her mouth. "He'll hear you." Jesse's gaze met mine, and he walked over. "Hello, Susannah," He said in that smooth voice. "And..." "Laci," My friend breathed. A pang of jealousy stabbed me. How dare she try and flirt with him! Not that Laci has much of a chance... But I just looked up at Jesse. "What brings you here, Jesse?" I asked sweetly. He smiled. "Just wanted something quick between shifts, querida," He visibly paled at that word, meanwhile, I was jumping for joy inside. "Is that a Spanish swear word?" Laci asked like an idiot. "No!" I cried, while slapping her arm. "You, um, don't know what it means, do you?" Jesse asked. "No," I replied quickly. It was obvious that he hadn't meant to call an engaged woman sweetheart. And part of me thought that it was wrong. Paul should be the one calling me sweet names... But another thought that it was all too right. I put my face in my hand, trying to disguise the tears in my eyes. "Suze?" Laci asked. "Susannah, are you alright?" Jesse was kneeling down to help me. "Y-yeah," I stuttered, "Just a migraine." But as I peeked through my finger to look at Jesse, they came raining down on my face. All those tears. He was so... alive. I had never seen him like this in my time. He had always been a ghost. But he had known me. Had loved me. And now, he had no memory of me. Leaving my food behind, I got up and ran into the empty parking lot. In a way similiar to when Paul and I had first shifted back from the 1800s, I sat down and began to weep. "S-" I could hear Laci. "No," Jesse said, "Let me handle this." I could hear his footsteps on the sidewalk. "Susannah? What's wrong?" I looked up at him. "I had to do it." And then , I don't know why, but I passed out.
I awoke on a nice queen-sized bed, in a plain but nice bedroom. Where was I? Slowly, I arose. Wait a minute... A brown hand opened the door. "I thought you'd never wake up." I smiled at Jesse. "Hi. Thank you, for letting me stay here." A blush began to spread across my face, though I was still wearing my t-shirt and jeans. The only things that were off were my shoes. "How long was I out?" "A few hours," Jesse replied, "I couldn't reach Paul, and I knew that it was nothing physical..." I raised an eyebrow. "Than what was it. Jesse walked closer. "You are not an emotional woman, Susannah," His face was getting closer to mine. "You lead the illusion of a perfect life, and when your emotions to come out, they are usually freed in an enclosed, private enviroment. But today, you had kept these particular emotions-whatever they were-bottled up to long, so you had to let them out. What were you feeling, anyway?" I gazed into his eyes. "Confusion," I began, "Fear. Shame. Anger. Hate. Sadness. Longing. Pain. Worry. Distrust. Betrayal. Loss." His face was now centimeters from mine and I couldn't help it. I murmured, "Love. Lot's of love." But to cover up, I added, "With the Paul thing." He nodded, and I saw a fleeting glimpse of something in his eyes. What was it? He sighed. "Susannah, you said, 'I had to do it', right before you passed out. Why?" I tore my gaze away from his. "I had to sacrifice," I whispered. "Sacrifice what?" Jesse persisted gently. "My happiness," I murmured, "I had to sacrifice my happiness for y-someone's well-being. And now, I can't get out of it." Tears began again, this time more slowly. "Oh, Susannah," Jesse whispered, bringing my head against his chest. His hand was stroking my hair. "What you did was an honorable thing. I'm sorry. But you will be happy. I promise you, you will be happy."
Later that afternoon, Jesse took me back to my dorm room after I finished crying. Laci was still gone, so I just lay down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. A voice suddenly came. "I never thought I'd see him again." "Dad!" I cried, jumping up. He was sitting at my desk. (A/N, since Jesse never needed to see his body, Suze's dad never fulfilled a reason, or had the whole my-daughter-has-found-true-love-she's-OK thing, so he never moved on, and being a ghos himself, he didn't forget) "Yeah," I looked down. He got up and hugged me. "I know, Suze, you've missed him. But... maybe it's for the better. Paul really loves you." "Maybe," I sniffed, "But does he love me? Or my body? I mean, Paul's great, and I know he likes me, but... Oh, he's just changed so much!" "That's what makes it harder," Dad said, "That Paul's good. Now you may jus love him." I had a flashback of Paul and I on the bench. I had basically said I loved him then. But that wasn't the only time...
1 year ago...
I sat snuggled up to Paul on his sofa. We were watching old movies, and all was right. I nearly forgot about Jesse, even. Paul suddenly took my chin and made me look at him. "I love you, Suze." I smiled. It took me a minute, and a lot of self convincing, but I finally said, "I love you too, Paul." And he leaned in...
Whoa. I had basically forgotten about that. Hard. Maybe I was meant to be Mrs. Slater after all...
I know, pretty short, I promise that the next one will be longer... Soem fluff in there, I guess. So, press that button...