Epilogue

I awake abruptly from a deep sleep and quickly turn on the light next to my bed. My breath is labored as I frantically look around the room. She's not here. Was it all a dream? Have we still not saved her?

I'm on my feet in mere seconds, which is a mistake since the blood rushes to my head, and I get woozy. Blinking my eyes I make my way to the door of my bedroom. It's closed. I always keep it open. Grabbing for the doorknob, I feel it turn in my hand. I step far away from the door, unsure of what is going on. I feel silly as the fractions of the seconds pass me by. The door opens and in steps Susannah.

My chest, which I hadn't realized was so tight, relaxes with the sight of her.

"I didn't want to wake you," she says and steps into the room. I can smell her from where I am standing. She walks closer, with a small smile gracing her lips. "Are you okay, Jesse?" Her tone is suddenly tense, her voice tight in her throat. I look from her face to her shoulders, which have locked; her breath comes in short stabs. I can practically see the adrenaline pumping through her.

"It's alright, Querida. I'm right here; it is me." I step closer and embrace her tense body in a hug, while nuzzling her neck. She exhales and her muscles relax within my grasp.

"Hi," she mumbles into my hair. Her fingers tracing down my back.

"Hola," I reply while pulling away and placing a kiss chastely on her forehead. Susannah looks up at me with those emerald eyes I cannot resist. She gets upon her tiptoes and kisses me with her lusciously soft lips. We seem to melt together perfectly. It still amazes me to this day just how much love I can feel pulsing through us.

Stepping back from me, our lips part, and her eyes dodge my piercing gaze. She dances around me and jumps into my bed, her hair bouncing after her. I walk over to my bed and climb in next to her. Once we're settled, Susannah snuggles up to my side and wraps her body around mine. I pull her into me with my arm and she falls asleep while I whisper sweet Spanish nothings into her hair.

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I wake up again to the morning sun skimming across my eyelids. Before I open my eyes, I cherish the feeling of its warmth gracing my face and Susannah gracing my life. When I finally open my eyes, Susannah stirs beside me. I lay there in my bed, snuggled underneath the covers with my querida, for how long, I am unsure. I turn carefully onto my side, so that I can look at her face while she sleeps. Her lips are slightly parted, showing a sliver of her white teeth, the chestnut hair haphazardly thrown over the pillow and her beautiful face.

Taking a strand of the soft hair between my fingers, I pull it away from her face and gently tuck it back behind her ear. Again, I take another stray strand, but this time it tickles her face, and her eyes flutter slowly open. Instantly, Susannah smiles at me and brings a hand up to her face to rub the "sleepies" out of her eyes, she informs me.

"Good morning, querida," I say. Leaning over slightly, I kiss her forehead lightly. She beams up at me sleepily.

"I could sleep for a hundred years." I laugh at her exaggeration and lean over to kiss her neck.

"But then, Susannah, where would I be? Sleeping beside you is not enough for me for the rest of our lives."

"Is sleeping with me enough?" Susannah asks with a smirk. Memories of yesterday in the bathroom flood me and I feel a blush rise to my cheeks. I do not answer her, for neither answer would be right.

"What if we were to make love right now?" She whispers quietly into my ear and then nips the lobe before I can recollect a response. I inhale and my eyes dart from her eyes to her mouth. My tongue darts out to lick my lips and Susannah kisses my neck.

She leans up after nuzzling my neck and looks me straight in the eyes. "I love you, Jesse."

Her nakedness stuns me. Right here, in my arms, mi querida has been stripped by her walls, and all because of her love for me. Me. Hector de Silva. What could I have possibly done that has been so spectacular to get such a gift as mi querida? Susannah's eyes never leave mine although she is emotionally naked in my embrace. She still has her courage to stand behind what she believes in: her love for me.

I know it sounds "crazy"…She has said, "I love you" to me before, and when she first said it I knew she meant it (as well as each time after that). But now, it is different somehow. It is as if there is a deeper meaning. She means it even more now. We're completely devoted to each other. I could never survive without her, and I would like to think that she would disappear without me. When it comes to my Susannah I become selfish. I do not wish to ever have her walk away from me and share herself, her soul, with anyone else like she has with me. I've got to hold on to her forever.

"Susannah—"

DING DONG!

Susannah's gaze flickers to the door and she smiles at me. "Visitors!" She jumps up off of the bed and runs to the door. When I do not follow her fast enough, she comes back and drags me out of my bed. We rush to the door and Susannah looks through the "peep hole" to see whom is visiting us.

"It's CeeCee!" She chimes while looking over her shoulder at me, and then steps back, right into me and pulls open the door with a "CeeCee!"

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Stephen and I are walking around the mall with CeeCee and Susannah.

"I can't believe we got them to drag us here," Stephen says dismally with a disgusted glance at me while we follow behind the giggling pair walking sexily in front of us.

Susannah looks back at his comment and smiles at us, "Oh shut up, Stephen. You'll like our next stop." When Susannah turns back around to talk to CeeCee, Stephen looks at me, and raises his eyebrows.

"Victoria's Secret!"

We arrive at CeeCee and Susannah's next destination in this "hell hole" (according to Stephen) and they walk right in. I glance at the displays and see the manikins scantily dressed. My eyes widen at the thought of Susannah wearing that, and I barge in to drag her out.

"Susannah," I say sternly and she turns around as I barrel towards her. I take her hand and attempt to pull her out of the store.

"Jesse, what the heck?" Susannah asks while trying to pull her hand out of mine.

"I will not have you dress like this." I wave my free hand around the store and shake my head. "This is not appropriate for you to wear, Susannah. I will not allow it!"

"Jesse, would you calm down?" She says calmly while yanking her hand from mine and pulling me into a secluded part of the store. "What the hell is going through your mind?"

"I cannot allow you to wear these revealing clothes in public!" I say a little louder than I should have.

She puts a finger roughly to my lips while glancing around the store for onlookers. "Jesse, honey," she says gently, as if she does not know how to say something to me. "These 'revealing clothes' are not meant to be worn in public—well maybe for a stripper, but then, she's only doing her job." Susannah pauses for a second pondering the thought and then plows on. "This is lingerie." When I don't comment, Susannah explains. "You know, they sexy stuff that I wear under my clothes for only you?"

My gaze slips around the room and looks at some of the displays. Black, pink, red. Lace and silk. Panties, bodices, bras.

I look at Susannah with wide eyes. "Oh."

"Yeah," Susannah exhales and rolls her eyes. "Gosh Jesse, way to think highly of me."

"I think very highly of you, Susannah. It is just, in my experience, when women get together with their friends they are different beings than they are with men."

"Jesse, you need to stop being so overprotective." Susannah states bluntly while squeezing my hands. "Do you want to help me pick out some stuff?" I just stare down at her, not able to comprehend the idea of me walking around this store with Susannah touching these articles of – can one even call them clothing?

"Surprise me," I simply say and place a gentle kiss upon her lips and walk out of the store without looking back.

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After we part with Stephen and CeeCee in the parking lot of the mall, I take Susannah to our place on the beach. We walk away from the crowds hand in hand. As the screaming kids disappear and the lapping of the waves caress our ears, I stop and we sit down in the sand, still hand in hand.

Do it now, de Silva, or someone else will! I shake my head and try to get it together so I can ask her the biggest question I will have ever asked.

"Susannah," I begin while staring at Susannah's profile as she watches the sun dance upon the glistening water. Her head turns and suddenly those green emeralds are upon me. I find myself grasping for my train of thought as her lips begin to smile at me. When I do not continue, Susannah takes it upon herself to question me. "Jesse?"

"I wanted to ask you a question, Susannah."

"I wanted to ask you one, myself," she says while lifting her hand from mine and pushing it through my hair.

"Then I will allow you to go first, if you wish," I say in the exact words my mother told me to use when I was just a boy.

"Okay," Susannah says; she licks her lips and looks right at me. Her intensity startles me, and I begin to wonder just what her question may be. "Jesse," she repeats as if to buy herself time.

"Yes, querida?"

"Willyoumarryme?"

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AN: I believe this to be the end. I'm very appreciative for all my readers, and I hope you enjoyed the ride, because I know I definitely liked the challenges this story proposed – whether I chose to face them or not. I have an idea for yet another sequel, or at least a fluffy piece based on this.

Thanks again for all your comments, I like knowing what you guys are thinking (as does all the other writers on FF) when reading my stuff!

--Sarah