A.N - Yeah, so much for this being finished before Christmas. Sorry about that. I hope you all had happy holidays, depending on what you celebrate. And a wicked new year. Happy 2008 guys.

May it be filled with quicker updates :P

Suze Simon's To-Do List:

1. Distract Paul Slater.

2. Help Jesse.

3. Sleep.

Chapter Twelve

In spite of my bad luck - I mean, honestly, who else could get themselves into a situation like this? - I decided to brave my chances, and took small steps away from Jesse De Silva's rapidly-gaining-consciousness form. I wanted Paul's attention on me, not Jesse.

"I guess so," I muttered in response to Paul's earlier statement.

Though I couldn't answer the 'who's going to save you now' part.

"You know," he continued with his cool façade almost conversationally. "If you had just agreed to go out with me in the first place -"

"You never asked me." I cut him off. There was no way that he was going to blame all of this on me. Nuh-uh. It's his fault too.

He merely rolled his eyes.

"Did I have to?" He countered. "I'm Paul Slater! I'm worth millions of dollars. The least you could have done is show me a bit of attention. After all the work I went through to get you here in the first place."

"I'm sorry," I had successfully gotten his attention away from Jesse and focused on me as I'd edged away from the unconscious man. "I don't date crazy, egotistical maniacs."

I shrugged apologetically and raised my leg to offer a hard kick to Paul's ribs, in the hope of winding him at the very least. I was relying on my dancer's balance at the moment.

Feeling my leg sail through the air, I could almost let myself believe that I was dancing. The freedom of moving because you wanted to, not because you had to get anywhere. I loved that feeling.

With a hard smack as my leg was caught in the ever-ready hands of Paul Slater, I was brought back to earth with a jolt.

"Fool me once, shame on you," he muttered, his blue eyes burning me in their anger. He yanked my foot towards him and pulled me out of balance. "Fool me twice -" I fell to the floor, my head smacking against the concrete with a heavy thud. "Shame on me."

Which was funny, because I didn't remember shaming Paul Slater a first time. Although, that could be the headache talking.

"Susannah!" I heard a male voice gasp and, even through my fuzzy state, I would tell who it was. I would know that voice anywhere. Only I couldn't help but curse his timing.

"Ah, Rico Suave awakes." He paused. "Again. You know, I'm starting to think it would be better to just kill you."

Oh, no he didn't. Paul Slater did not just threaten my boyfriend and expect to get away with it. Dizzily, I stood up, ready to fight him, again. Hopefully with better results then last time.

"Well, I'm thinking not." I replied. Paul rounded his attention on me once more and groaned.

"I'm also hoping that you will stop this soon, as well Suze." He walked towards me, cupping my face in his hand. "I hate hurting you. But you leave me no choice."

"Susannah, no!"

Jesse's shout reached me just as my eyes caught up with the fact that Paul had picked up a sharp piece of … something that had been lying on the floor. Damn this warehouse. I couldn't tell if it was wood, or metal, only that it was sharp enough to hurt.

With Jesse's warning still ringing in my ears, I dodged to the side, the makeshift-weapon grazing my hip, as I cocked back my fist and hooked Paul Slater's head as hard as I could.

He was out like a light.

I collapsed on my knees the second that we were safe.

"Susannah!" Jesse physically forced himself over to me. I could see the strain on his face as he fought against the pain of the broken bones in his ribs. "Querida, you're bleeding."

His hand came to probe my side, checking for whatever it is doctors-in-training check for and I couldn't find it in myself to care whether or not I was hurt.

Jesse was okay, moving at least - which meant not dead - and he'd called me 'querida' - though I had yet to find out what that meant.

"I'm fine, Jesse." I whispered, gently pushing his attention up towards my face. "Just fine."

His big, brown eyes looked up at me as his fear for the situation we'd just gotten through leaked into them.

Without a thought for either of our comfort, we simultaneously moved towards each other and kissed thoroughly, needing the reassurance of each other's safety. His hand came to tangle in my hair as my own hands moved gently over his back, ghosting along his spine.

We broke apart only when needing to breathe.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Jesse." I whispered to him, whilst forcing myself to stand up. I wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible.

It seemed Jesse shared my opinion, judging by his own movements.

"Same," he replied coolly, causing a smile to stretch across my face. "I saw your head hit the floor, and it was the longest moments of my life before your eyes opened again."

"I was out?" I wondered. "For how long?"

"Oh, hours, at least." He replied, both of us having stood up as he entwined his fingers with my own and pulled me as close to his side as possible. It was only then that I realised just how much blood was leaking out of the cut Paul had recently provided me with. "Though probably only a few seconds - a minute at the most."

Together, we made our way outside of the building, only to find it covered with the flashing red and blue lights of the emergency services. I almost collapsed in relief. They had found us.

It was really, truly, over. The ordeal we'd been put through. It was over.

And, now, I wanted nothing more then to go to sleep with Jesse at my side.

Only, as it turned out, the paramedics rushed over to us, and separated us, forcing us to separate ambulances as they looked over our many injuries.

I heard the voices of many reporters retelling my day's events outside the warehouse as two paramedics moved quickly around me, bandaging my side and treating to the many cuts I'd sustained.

"What about Jesse?" I asked them, elaborating at the confused looks on their faces. "Where is he? The man I was with. Is he okay?"

"He has to be treated immediately." One of the men informed me, both of them continuing with the work. "He'll be taken straight to the hospital."

My eyes widened.

"Can I go with him?" I asked.

"You're on your way there yourself, Miss. You've received some pretty bad injuries as well."

"But -"

"He's already gone."

Admitting defeat, I allowed the men to continue their job, strapping me to a stretcher as the ambulance sped away towards the hospital. I felt the stab of a needle as the paramedics injected me with morphine, to stop the pain, then remembered nothing else as my eyes drooped shut in exhaustion.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Oh, Jake! I think she's waking up."

"About time too."

"Hey! Be nice. Suze went through something pretty traumatic. She's not going to want to talk about it for a while."

"Well, she'll have to. The police are just waiting to talk to her about everything. They can't get anything from De Silva for at least another few days."

It was the last statement that finally caused my eyes to snap open.

"Jesse?" I asked immediately. "Where is he? Is he okay?"

"Suze," Gina was the one to talk to me first. "Jesse's fine. He's just a bit out of it right now. They had to really pump those painkillers into him."

"Where is he?" I asked again.

"Chill, Suze." Jake. "He's right over there."

I followed Jake's finger to find Jesse lying still on the bed next to mine. There were bruises covering his face as he lay prone still, his tanned face a severe contrast to the stiff white sheets surrounding him.

"Jesse…" I whispered.

"He's fine Suze." It was Cee Cee who talked this time, leaving Adam as the only silent one so far. "Trust me. He'll wake up soon. Wow. I guess you really do care about him."

My eyes remained on Jesse's prone body, guilt wracking me at the thought of everything being my fault. Stupid Paul Slater.

"I do." I whispered. "I love him."

His chest moved up and down evenly with his breathing and I smiled at the sight, finally believing that he was really okay.

"And Paul?" I asked them. "What happened to him?"

"He's in custody. They brought him here for a brief check-up and waited until he was released before taking him straight to the big house." Finally, Adam spoke. "Where I hope he'll stay for doing this to my best friend."

I smiled at him.

"Thanks Adam."

"Though the police will want your statement pretty soon. Probably before Jesse wakes up," Gina added. "So that you don't have to chance to, I don't know, confirm each others, or whatever."

"Thanks guys." I mumbled, feeling tiredness consume me once again.

It was either the morphine, or the events of the day catching up with me. Either way I was beat.

"I'm just going to sleep again now."

Their laughter filled the room.

"Sure, Suze.

"Goodnight!"

Their various goodbye's were lost to me as I shut my eyes and fell into a blissful unconsciousness.