A/N: Hi everyone, I'm so sorry for the delay in updating. If anyone could give me a device that stops time so I can just put life on hold that would be fantastic! :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, it's a little like a filler chapter, but is still (I hope) as good. Enjoy! Reviews are love...so is cake. x


'There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.' Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Chapter Three

As far as the first week of back to school goes mine as a junior wasn't too bad. I got what I expected once I strolled in on Pauls arm; envious looks, conspiring whispers behind my back, Kelly trying to muscle in on him when she thought I haven't been looking. As for that, well it didn't ignite the jealousy and anger in me I thought it would. But for the rest, the usual daily meetings with Father D and getting a bag load of homework from all teachers, life wasn't too bad. I even got to test out the new hot tub - after making sure it's been thoroughly disinfected out after catching Dopey and Debbie Mancuso in it one evening. Life's been, well I guess you could say life's been good for me.

So I guess that's why I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I'm not that surprised that I haven't had many ghostly visits, not that I'd want one! Because I wouldn't. But between me, Paul and Father D I guess there's more choice of Mediator help around here than there was before. I try not to look too closely why I feel a rush of something whenever a ghost shimmers into my room, or bathroom or any other place that is a massive inconvenience to me. It's not as if things haven't been picking up lately, because as I've already covered, they have. But being bugged by a pesky spirit . . . well I guess that gives me a different kind of thrill. One that makes my heart race as I turn to look at them. I don't know what I'm expecting to see when I do, but I guess whatever it is it hasn't happened yet because I always feel a pang of . . . something quickly after.

That was the same feeling I got now as the ghost shimmered into existence next to me where I was laying on my bed, reading another doodle covered letter from my best friend, Gina. I closed my eyes for a second trying to gather my patience and the fall out of disappointment I knew I'd get when I turned to look at them. But as I opened my eyes and looked at the young devastated girl beside my bed, I instantly sat up straighter and took attention.

Of course I've had upset and inconsolable ghosts crying to me before. Sleepy, Dopey and Doc's mom being one of them a few months back. But this one seemed different. She seemed different. There was something about her expression, the intense pain she looked like she was in that made me swing my legs off the bed and stand up. I had the insane and totally not me urge to give her a hug, but was smart enough to not do it. I don't exactly enjoy physical contact with the dead, unless it's my dear old dad. So I stopped myself from taking a step forward to comfort the girl.

Geez, she didn't even look that old on first glance. But the more I stared at her, the more I realised she was around my age. The sadness and eerie glow around her making her look more like a child.

"I need your help," she quivered before I could say anything. Honestly, she looked so heartbroken that I didn't even know what to say first. "I n - n - need a Mediator. Are you her?" I stamped down on my sarcastic retort of, 'Well duh; how many other girls do you know that can see the dead?' But judging from the tears making her eyes shimmer that would have been the coldest reaction Father D has been telling me to change.

"Yeah, that's me," I answered, sitting back down on the edge of my bed, never taking my eyes from her. She looked so tiny. Not just in height, but she was so slim I had to wonder how she died in the first place. It's not as if they go around with name tags and cause of death labels attached to them. Her long wavy hair pooled over both shoulders, adding to the innocent young look of her. I wonder how much that must have annoyed her when she was alive, being mistaken for a kid and not a teenager. "I'm Suze, what's your name?"

"Anna," she simply said, her small porcelain coloured hands wringing together in front of her. Now I'm not saying having an eerie glow would help anyone's complexion, but for Anna it was just bad. If I didn't know better I would have said she was even paler because of the obvious upset, the colour literally drained from her. I'm sure when she was alive she had more colour to her. But here in my bedroom, she just looked completely washed out. "I - I've already spoken to the other Mediator, but I need more help, Ethan needs more help. I don't know what else to do!"

Other Mediator? Was she talking about Paul or Father D?

"What other Mediator did you go to? And who is Ethan?"

Sighing impatiently she chewed down on her bottom lip, nerves eating this girl from the inside out. She was beginning to make me nervous too. I guess this is the proverbial other Jimmy Choo shoe I've been waiting to drop on my head. "The other Mediator, I don't know his name," Which was no help to me whatsoever, so I just let it go, making the mental note to talk to Paul or Father D in the morning. "Ethan is my boyfriend and he needs your help. He's so lost without me, he blames himself for me dying, but it's not his fault, I swear! It was just an accident, a stupid freak accident. But he's going to destroy himself; you need to help him, please!"

"OK, OK, calm down I'll help him, I'll help you," I reassured her as patiently as possible. Her voice had been getting weaker and weaker the more she spoke. She looked like she was crumbling in to her self, shrinking even more under the weight of her pain. "What's his full name? Where can I find him?"

Lifting a hand to her chest she clutched at it, almost doubling over before me. I jumped to my feet, trying not to reach out to help her.

"Oh God, he needs me, he's in so much pain," she sobbed, her body shaking with the strain of it. "I have to go to him, help him, please! His name is Ethan Baker, find him!" And just like that, she was gone. The second she dematerialised I sank down on to my padded window seat and pulled my legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my knees. I might not be the most in touch with my emotions person, going through life more than a little numb to everything good and bad, but it doesn't mean I'm completely immune. And something about Anna struck something in me that nearly tore the breath from my lungs. Like I could feel her pain.

But I could, couldn't I? Because it's the same pain I feel when I wake up from my repetitive nightmare. The same heartbreak she was feeling. Maybe that's why I felt like I wanted to comfort her. Why I feel like I need to help her.

Maybe the Californian sun has finally broken something in me.

"Hey kiddo," My dad, Peter Simon suddenly said from beside me, his voice soft and quiet.

Lifting my head from my knees I turned to see him sitting next to me on the window seat, his usually strong frame a little weighed under like mine. "Hey dad," I replied, giving him a tired smile. "What are you doing here?" Because I don't like anyone to see me looking even the tiniest bit weak, I dropped my legs and arms so I wasn't so defensive. Oh yeah, I'm the poster child for defensive, but I don't have to admit that out loud to anyone. Even if my dad did look at me like he could see right through my act. He wasn't a damn good lawyer when he was alive because he was soft after-all.

"It felt like you needed me, so here I am," he shrugged, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. I guess it should have been, except my dad has never reacted to me like that in the past. Maybe that's because this is one of the first times I've ever felt the way I do. But either way it made me feel uncomfortable so I got up off the window seat - sitting there with my dad felt wrong for some reason - and went back to sitting crossed legged on my bed, fiddling with Gina's letter. "She was very upset."

'No shit,' was what I wanted to say, but this is my dad after all, so I kept my mouth shut and just nodded.

I guess I must have been giving off change the subject vibes because my dad dropped it like a hot potato. "How's school? How's your mom? How's Father Dominic?" he reeled off, making himself comfortable on the seat, as though he has all the time in the world. OK, so he does, being dead and all. But it didn't mean I needed him spending that time here, asking questions that I know he already has the answers too, but is just making idle chit chat.

"Why don't you say what you really want to say, dad?" I asked tiredly, exhausted all of a sudden by all the ghost activity and stress of emotions. Being numb is much better than feeling like this, after-all.

"Picked up on that, huh?" he chuckled, raising a sneakered foot to cross over his knee. Something about the action made me frown, an image coming to me from the back of my mind. But when I tried to reach out to grasp it, it leapt away from me and disappeared. I shook it off and focused back on my dad. "How's Paul?" he asked, his tone not as light hearted as it was before.

And there it was. The main reason for his visit.

"Paul's fine, dad. Been to visit him yet?" I retorted, meeting fire with fire. I am his daughter after-all. Where do you think I got all my badassery from?

My dad narrowed his eyes at me, debating whether he was going to remark on my tone or not. Clearly deciding it wasn't worth the hassle - this time - he shrugged as if there was nothing more to his question but idle curiosity. "No. Why, do I need to?" he asked, putting his foot back down on the floor. In my mind I heard it land with a lot more power than what it did and not for the first time, I wondered if I was maybe losing my mind a little. It's not as if I can talk to the dead or anything too . . .

Oh wait.

"Nope, everything's fine and dandy, sugar and candy," I grinned back innocently.

Tapping his fingers on my window seat cushion, my dad steadily looked back at me, clearly biding his time. And then, "I don't like him, Suze. I don't think he's good for you. I don't - I don't get a good feeling from him." he finally said, looking like the words cost him to say. "I want you to be happy; I want you to find someone who cares about you. But there's something . . . something I can't put my finger on with him. I know your mom feels the same way. So does Andy, even if I don't want to admit that. I also know me saying this isn't going to make you break up with him, but likely send you running in to his arms more. So . . . I won't say anything else. But just know that I am keeping an eye on him."

Not at all surprised by what he just said, I shrugged it off. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, dad."

Sighing with relief that I wasn't about to suddenly pop an artery yelling at him for butting in, because honestly it doesn't make any difference to me what anyone else thinks of Paul, my dad stood up and clapped his hands together. "Great. Good, well I've said my piece I'll leave you alone then. See you later, kiddo." He leaned forward and kissed my head, running a quick hand over my hair once before he shimmered away and I was left alone again, staring at the window seat and wondering a thousand things.

xXx

The next morning I got a ride into school with Dopey and Doc, with Jake having started college it's been up to us to make our own way there. Unfortunately Dopey took that as his sign to be the one to do it, but he usually forgets he has passengers if his terrible singing, ear-piercing music and bad driving are anything to go by. Doc, being used to his brothers driving by now sat in the back seat somehow balancing his open laptop on his lap as we flew through the tourist traffic hindered by no stop lights. I might not be the most in touch with my feelings girl, but I don't have a death wish!

Dopey snorted at this when I turned the music down and told him that. "Right, Queen of the Night People, whatever you say."

Reminder to self, slug him when out of the car.

Unfortunately my idiot step brother was out of the car and across the parking lot before I had to chance to act on my threat. "Find your own way home after school, I'm busy!" he yelled to us, barely even glancing in our direction as he remote locked the Land Rover.

Too tired to even shout anything back I just shouldered my bag and heaved what must have been a pretty pathetic sigh to have made Doc look up from his own bag rummaging to peer closely at me from his bespectacled face. "What's wrong Suze? You look tired. Are you sleeping?" he asked, looking closer. Frowning I stopped the urge to snap at him, deciding in-stead that he didn't mean any harm by his off-hand insult and ruffled his red, curly hair instead. "Are you still having nightmares?" he continued, pulling me to a stop as I tried to walk away from him.

How the hell?

Flushing so his facial colour mirrored his hair and looking embarrassed he looked down at his scuffed sneakers in-stead of me. "Ugh, I've heard you sometimes, crying out. It wakes Max up and he wakes me up until I go and investigate what's wrong. Do you want to talk about it? I mean, I can't really hear what you yell out, but maybe we can find the route cause of it. It's a repetitive one isn't it? You know statistics say that students experience an average of 4 to 8 nightmares a year, while adults normally experience nightmares only once or twice a year. So if you go by those facts - "

"That's OK, I don't need any help," I interrupted him not so kindly, sighing guiltily before smiling awkwardly at him after to apologize. But that's the great thing about Doc, he never takes offence. He knows he's more of a walking encyclopaedia than a normal human, or even kid his age. "I just need an undisturbed nights sleep and everything will be great, nothing to worry about." Doc looked like he was about to fight me on it until I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and led him into the school with me. "So how's your friend, Shannon?" I asked before he could push any further on me. My question pretty effectively took his mind off that and sent his colour into a whole new shade of red I haven't seen before.

"Ugh, I don't - she's just - uh." he stammered sweetly, making me laugh as I stopped tormenting him.

"It's OK, I won't tell anyone. Your secrets safe with me, little brother," I ruffled his hair again, the sentiment of brother taking me as much by surprise as it did him. But it seemed to have the right effect because I'm sure he stood a little taller and walked with a little more confidence after that. Once we stepped into the courtyard I let him go, feeling proud of him. Sure he still eats as badly as Sleepy and Dopey and still hasn't mastered the art of using a glass for a drink from the fridge. But he's still my favourite of my new family and I would do anything for him.

Snapping back to the present I made quick work of getting to Father D's office before the bell rang, keeping an eye out for Paul anywhere along the way. Just as I was about to breezily walk to his closed office door though it swung open revealing my favourite white haired principal and fellow Mediator.

"Susannah, good morning," Father D smiled at me kindly, his sparkling blue eyes shining back behind his glasses. "Why Susannah, are you OK? You look very tired." he enquired, peering at me closely as we walked together back to the breezeway of the school, our steps slow and steady. Why was everyone saying that to me today? Sure I had a rough night, Anna the ghost shook me up a little and then my nightmare hit again. But I thought I'd done a good job of hiding the dark circles beneath my eyes by making sure my hair looks especially good and my outfit super hot. I guess that's what you get for being friends with a priest and a red haired kid.

Ignoring his question I asked one of my own. "Has a ghost been to you recently, called Anna?" I all but whispered. I was pretty sure it wasn't Father D she was talking about, I'm sure she'd have mentioned he was also a priest. But then the girl was pretty cut up, there's a good chance she didn't even notice who she was talking to. The perplexed look on Father D's face told me everything I needed to know though. He didn't have a clue. "Never mind, she must have meant Paul then." I muttered preparing to walk to my homeroom as the bell had just rung.

"Hold on, Susannah. Is it something you need help with?" he asked me, concerned.

Shaking my head, I took careful steps back hinting that I needed to go. "No, I'm fine. I can handle this one alone. I'll ask if I get stuck, thanks." Smiling not very convincingly I gave him a wave of my fingers and strolled to homeroom, still keeping an eye out for Paul along the way. Where is he today? Although we've only been back to school a week, the two days he hasn't given me a ride in has had him right there waiting by my passenger door the moment I pull up. Not that I missed that this morning, because the space hasn't exactly been awful. But for him, it was a little strange.

Consciously flicking it off, I sat through the next few hours of school in a bit of a sleepy daze, not taking any notes from my classes and daydreaming through most of it. The physical absence from Paul had continued, but not the silence. My cell he brought me vibrating in my bag enough times that I almost had it confiscated by Sister Ernestine more than once in one class. As if that nun needs any reason to pick on me. But the constant texts saying, 'I miss you.' and, 'Can't wait to kiss you.' reminded me of when we first started going out.

Believe it or not but I wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to date him when he first asked me. I turned him down a couple of times before he convinced me to say yes. And that was after I found out he's a Mediator too! It was the lure of finding out more about Mediators or Shifters as he called us that led us to going on more dates and by then he had me hooked. Other than a few little hints here and there he hasn't really explained much more about it, even though I've asked. He has an uncanny way of kissing me as I start to get curious and by then I'm too distracted to remember what I wanted to know. The other times he's told me he's still gathering the information together and that'll he show me soon. I mean, how much about seeing ghosts can you show someone?

Either way I haven't let it go yet and he knows I'm getting a little impatient. Not that I'm only with him to find out what he knows! Because I'm not, the making out definitely helps. But my curiosity . . . that's not something I can ignore forever.

"Earth to Suze, come in Suze!" CeeCee prodded me, poking me with a finger.

"What? I'm listening, I'm here," I retorted, knocking her finger away from my ribs.

"Oh you are? Because I was just talking to you about the Winter Formal and you totally spaced out on me. The Winter Formal, Suze!" she all but shouted in my face. "You know the one that means lots of shopping for the perfect dress and talking about who will ask who to go. I thought that would be right up your street since Paul came into the picture." She sniffed indignantly, another member of the We-Hate-Paul-Slater fan club. I would love to say it's because he's been taking up a lot of my spare time I usually spend with CeeCee and Adam, but it's not. It's just because like my dad and family, there's something about him that seems off to CeeCee's journalist nature.

Adam isn't exactly singing his praises either.

Thinking about what she said about the Winter Formal only made me shudder. It's been the furthest thing from my mind, when she's right, I should be excited about it. My first dance with a date, let alone a boyfriend! Not that Paul and I have talked about going, but I guess I just assumed we would be. My mom's mentioned it a few times but I've just brushed it off, wanting to talk about it another time. It's not as if it's next week or anything. She's not stupid though, she must be picking up on my reluctance to go because she keeps asking me if there's anything I want to talk about.

I tried hard to not groan at the idea of that talk and what she thinks is wrong.

"Oh, speak of the devil and he will appear." CeeCee muttered suddenly, turning away as Paul sauntered over to us, his eyes pinning me in place as he ignored the stares and wanton looks around him, including the glares from my best friends.

"Hey beautiful, I've missed you," he told me as his stride took him straight to me, his arms wrapping possessively around my waist as he kissed me right there, outside the Historical Society building and in front of the majority of our junior class. I'm not exactly one for shying away from Paul's kisses, but I draw the line at too much PDA, so pulled myself away before tongue got involved too. I'm so sure Dopey will be going back to tell my mom and Andy what happened anyway, judging from his grossed out expression as he stared at us. "Now my days complete."

Smiling back, because that's what a good girlfriend would do right? Not shy away from her hot boyfriends touch and actually be deliriously happy to see him. It's nothing against Paul either; I just don't feel those weird bad vibes from him that everyone else seems to. But hello? Girl numb to everything here! And yes, that does include being groped and kissed by a very hot, model like guy, who is quickly becoming one of the most popular guys at school too. There really is something wrong with me, isn't there? To not even get the flutters anymore . . .

"Hey, can I have a word?" I asked him once everyone started filing into the museum for the history tour. He looked at me questioningly, and not in the way that told me he noticed anything about my withdrawal from him thankfully. "Have you had a ghost come to see you recently? A girl about our age, called Anna?" I kept my voice low just in case anyone over-heard us. I'm not about to start making up codenames for ghosts, people think I'm weird enough, no need to make it worse.

Frowning at me, Paul rubbed his hand up and down my bare arm. But that just felt like he was wearing gloves, his touch barely sparking anymore than a vague awareness. "Suze, what have I told you about being charitable to ghosts? You've got your priorities all wrong with them. You're not here to solve their problems for them," he patronized, making a frisson of anger spark off in me. "I haven't seen any ghosts like that recently and if she comes to see you again send her my way, I'll push her to where she needs to go." Something in the tone of his voice and gleam in his blue eyes told me that would be a very big, bad mistake for Anna, and Ethan - her grief-stricken boyfriend - wouldn't get the help they need.

Keeping that thought to myself though I just nodded, knowing a losing battle when I see one.

Turning away from Paul I let him wrap his arm around my waist as we joined the junior class in the museum, my stomach somersaulting at his words. If he and Father D weren't the Mediators Anna said she went to, then who was she talking about? I guess it's possible there's more than the three of us, with Jack Slater being back in Seattle. I went sixteen years of my life thinking I was the only one to be able to see ghosts, to then find there are three more people who could too. But who is the other one?

"Good afternoon children, welcome to the Historical Society," A nasally voice rose up as we stood off to the side of the group, most people already looking around at the artefacts in the glass cases on show. I directed my eyes to the man up front with the frizzy greying hair and thick coke-bottled glasses perched high up on his nose. His ugly brown tie wasn't straight and his shirt looked like it had a coffee stain on it. His appearance matched the boring, monotone of his voice perfectly. "My name is Dr Clive Clemmings, PhD and I will be giving the tour today with the help of my assistant, Mr de Silva." Vaguely gesturing off to the side of him, I glanced at the guy walking towards our tour group and felt my heart come to a sudden stop in my chest.

I know him...

That's what I wanted to say. I wanted to suddenly point and hysterically shout, "I know him!" - my finger practically twitched with the desire to.

Everything dropped away from around me, I heard nothing the nasally man said, I didn't feel Paul's tight arm around my waist. I could have been standing there stark naked for all of my peers to see, but I honestly wouldn't have noticed or cared because I could not rip my eyes away from this guy. I was too scared to blink in case he would be gone when I opened them again. I couldn't move - I don't know if I breathed. I was greedily taking him in, looking from his dark wavy hair to his straight nose leading down to his thin lips. I never seen him before, but I wanted to run a finger through the pale scar cutting through his left eyebrow and look deep into his fathomless dark eyes.

But I know him...

But above all of the physical reactions I was having to him, I was just as shaken by the emotional too. The intense, almost painful familiarity I felt the moment I looked at him was feeding the dormant, numb part of me and I felt shaky and weak from the sudden rush that came with it. It was like I was me, but I wasn't. The contradicting emotions made me dizzy, but still I stared at him, almost willing him to look my way so I could have that connection with him. I needed that connection with him so badly tears burnt my eyes.

Who is he and what is he doing to me?

My body wanted to move closer to him. It's like I'm so cold all the time, but looking at this guy I know, I just know he would be the warmth I'm so desperate to feel. His arms would wrap around me and make me feel safe at last, I know he would. I caught myself staring at his mouth again – suddenly desperate to know if his lips would make me feel all the things Paul is supposed to make me feel.

But then that thought was like a bucket of ice cold water on my head as I finally tore my eyes away from him and looked down at my feet, heat and blood rushing to my face and spreading throughout my body like a drum beat, thrumming again and again.

"I need to use the bathroom," I muttered to Paul suddenly needing to get away from him, away from the man so familiar to me even though I wasn't near him. I needed to get a hold of myself and fast!

Frowning at me Paul let me go and watched me dash away, no one else seeming to notice my quick escape. Except I didn't go to the bathroom, I ducked off to the side somewhere so I could breathe and have some space. I could still hear the dull boring tones of Dr Clemmings' voice ricocheting around the museum and it just made me press my body to the wall that much harder.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, Anna suddenly decided to shimmer into existence near me too. Jumping out of my skin I frantically waved for her to shimmer away, to leave. But she was in just as much of a state now as she was when she came to my bedroom last night and I felt that same pain in my chest from before. Hearing the sounds of footsteps I moved along the wall, desperately trying to stay more hidden from whoever was coming – hoping it wasn't Paul.

"You," Anna half sobbed, half said to the person coming towards us, relief taking over her young pretty face.

"Hello Anna," the deep, very masculine warm voice, like a balm to my frazzled emotions, responded. The same voice that wasn't my boyfriend but could definitely see the ghost standing in front of him. Like a second bucket of ice water over my head it spurred me into moving from my melting into the wall and showing myself to the person cresting the corner where I hid - to see this other Mediator that up until this afternoon I had no idea existed. With my hand pressed to my chest to stop my racing heart I looked at the breath-taking guy who had made me react in ways I have never done before and took in his equal surprise and shock once he spotted me.

Call me big-headed but he looked as though he was having as tough a time taking his eyes off me as I was him.

But damn he looked even better closer up than he did from afar and my body started to shake all over again.

"Please, you both have to help me," Anna pleaded, interrupting our staring contest and laying a hand on both our arms. When did we become so close to each other? What was I supposed to be doing? I was confused and wary and all I knew was that I didn't want to take my eyes off the guy standing in front of me. Or that I didn't even care that a ghost was touching me without permission. But Anna was insistent and her grief was almost like a fog in the air around us. "Please . . ."

"Anna, I - " I started to say before I was cut off.

"You can see her?" Guy who has even darker eyes up close than I first thought said; shock and what looked like relief warring with his expression. Being within touching distance of him I watched with fascination as the scar through his eyebrow slowly turned white, a stark contrast to the inky black of his eyebrows and olive skin tone. My fingers twitched again and I forced my hands to stay where they were.

"Suze, you're missing the - What's going on?" Paul demanded coming to a sudden stop as his eyes took the whole scene in with one sweep of his crystal blue eyes, missing nothing. His hands fisted at his side as he took in how close to the mystery, familiar guy I was, Anna standing as a mediator between us, ironically. But like most ghosts do when they get you into trouble she disappeared the moment Paul appeared. That only left me caught out staring up dreamily into the stranger's eyes with my boyfriend glaring at us menacingly.

I realized then that my life is about to go from semi normal teenage girl with a hint of crazy; to never being the same again.

Simply because of one unbelievably handsome and familiar stranger I met who as it turns out also happens to be a Mediator.

Go figure.