Disclaimer – The Mediator is not mine but Meg Cabot's.

We ended up falling asleep pretty much straight away. I woke up feeling dehydrated and queasy in the stomach. I opened my eyes slightly, waiting for them to adjust to the darkness before getting up and walking into the bathroom.

I looked at myself in the mirror, using the moon as my source if light. I gazed into each contour of my face, wondering what it would feel like to be in-between life and death like Paul or Toby…or even Jesse. I'd never thought of what it could possibly feel like to be here one minute and invisible the next.

I felt strong, bare arms circle around my body from behind, feeling Jesse's muscles tense as he gave me a squeeze and kissed me on the cheek. I closed my eyes and just stood there with him for only God knows how long.

It felt good to be loved and needed. Imagine the loneliness Jesse must've felt all of those years. I think about what would have happened if I had never moved to California and had never ever met Jesse…I felt tears in my eyes at the thought. I turned around in his arms and looked up at my beautiful fiancé.

"I'm so lucky to have you" I told him, holding his face in my hands. He smiled warmly at me and turned his face to kiss my palm. Noticing my subtle tear tracks, he brought his hand up and wiped them away with his thumb softly, cupping the side of my face. I leaned into his hand and closed my eyes.

"Te amo, querida" he said softly to me. I circled my arms around him and embraced him, my head nestled into his neck, more tears making their way onto his bare chest.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

I just wanted him to be mine. All the planning and wedding details seemed insignificant at that point and I felt like I couldn't wait any longer.

"Jesse, I don't want to wait forever to be your wife," I finally said, looking up to him. "I mean June just seems…so far away…I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't want to rush anything…I want it to be perfect…but I don't want it to be another half a year away. I'm far too in love with you." His big brown eyes softened into mine with relief and I felt his muscles relax around me.

"Oh, Susannah, I feel the same. I want you as my wife and I don't care how or when. I just want you." I felt my face almost split with the smile that became plastered on my face.

I jumped up and Jesse caught me, holding me at his height as I wrapped my legs around his waist and tightened my arms around his neck. I started kissing his face all over with joy.

He chuckled at me. "Susannah…querida…I don't suppose…you and I could have a date night tonight? I do not want to hurt Gina, but I just want to spend time with you. I've barely gotten to speak to you this entire trip." I smiled at him and nodded.

"I think we're allowed a night off from impossible amounts of activities just this once." I rubbed my nose against his and hopped down from his arms. "The things I do for the one I love," I teased before walking out into the living room.

Everything was silent and dark…it wasn't eerie, just silent. I heard a whistling noise coming from Gina's room and opened her door a crack.

I smiled and gave a chuckle as I saw her tall slender body under the covers, moving them up and down with her breathing. I walked back quietly, backing into the room in order not to slam the door.

I turned around to find Paul standing by the window, glowing in the light of the moon, Jesse sitting on the end of the bed watching him intently. I sighed "Oh, what now?"

"Suze, relax. I just came to tell you that if you're ready to help me, meet me at the Library tomorrow at 10am. I think we need to do a little research." I pouted.

"But, but, but Gina and I are going to a day spa. I've never been to one and all expenses are paid for," I sulked.

His eyes widened and groaned. "Oh my god, Simon, I think my death is more important than your maintenance…which, might I add, is beautifully kept without it." Jesse looked at him with an angry glint in his eye. I rolled my eyes.

"I'll meet you there at 8am. Sharp. That way I can do both. I'll try and use some of the information we find while I meditate," I sighed in defeat.

He vanished without another word. I really hoped that nothing supernatural would interrupt my date with Jesse tonight…it wouldn't surprise me if I went mad thinking about it.

Jesse and I decided to go to dinner and then a gallery opening. I hadn't been to one in years and Gina said (after she finally woke up) that her friend could get us on the list of one in Manhattan. I jumped at the chance, of course.

We were on our way to a cute little Italian restaurant that I remembered going to when I was younger…and kind of became friends with the owner after a ghost incident when I was 14. So I pretty much had a reservation as I walked in…which is kind of wrong but I didn't think we'd get one anywhere else.

I linked my fingers with Jesse's as we walked down the street toward it, me in my sexy black dress and him in another nice shirt I picked out for him and his good pants that hugged him perfectly.

I looked up and smiled. He felt my gaze and looked back, smiling mischievously. What was he thinking? I couldn't read his face and as I tried he turned his face away. I shook my head and realized we had arrived.

It wasn't very busy yet so we got a really nice table inside, in an intimate corner, which was sweet of Paolo. We ordered some sparkling white and I decided to make a toast. "Here's to us," I began.

"No…" Jesse interrupted. "Here's to you, my beautiful Susannah. For without you, we would never be sitting here…" he paused. "I can't tell you how much I have appreciated every moment with you and every thing you've done for me to give me the opportunity to be as happy as I am now…with you."

I blush profusely. "Must you do this to me?" I ask him, referring to my pink cheeks. He smiled and put down his glass, taking my hands in his. I leaned in close to him.

"So Querida…what are your thoughts on the wedding?"

I half-smiled and looked at our hands and then back up again, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, I've been thinking about the venue…and I really think that the Mission chapel would be the perfect place. I don't know why I shrugged it off, because, I mean, it is the most appropriate place for us to marry, after all."

I don't think I'd seen him so happy since I'd said yes when he'd proposed. His face was practically a smile of its own agenda. He leaned over the table and kissed passionately.

I was caught off-guard but kissed him back with the same amount. "Oh, well, if you were gonna kiss me like that, I would've agreed earlier."

He chuckled at me, his large grin not leaving his face. "You have no idea how happy you have made me Susannah. The Mission has always been a family tradition and I just…"

I saw him tilt his head back, blinking away tears "I feel like if we were to marry there, it would be like this connection with my parents that I haven't felt in centuries…"

He paused and looked at me in the eyes. "And it would connect us all together. They would have loved you Susannah. It would be like…your welcoming into the De Silva."

That made me blush, looking down at our hands. "I would have been the biggest pain of a daughter-in-law to them."

I felt one of my hands being released and instead, my chin being pushed up slowly to face him.

"Never, querida," he cooed. "You are everything they would want as a daughter-in-law and more…and you make me happy which would be reason enough to love you." He pecked me lightly before the waiter came to take our order.

"Well, I expect Father Dominic will be ecstatic as well," I began because I was feeling too cliché in the flickering candlelight, talking about marriage. "People seem to like getting married on the beach these days which would probably get tiring."

He nodded with a smile.

"I'm just sad Paul won't be here for it," I paused, waiting for his reaction, which, as I suspected, wasn't the most pleasant but I pushed on through. "I know he has been so much of a thorn in our sides but he really taught me a lot about myself…what I can do." I took a chance and looked up at his expression. He wasn't totally angry…just had this glint in his eye. "Look, I'm in love with you…but he is also a huge part of who I've become…I mean, without him, we wouldn't be sitting here." I heard a soft sigh escape his lips as if he realised I was right.

"I know, Susannah, I really do owe him a lot, but I still don't trust him." I chuckled.

"I'm not saying I do, but we need to give him a break...we don't have long before his death is solved and he moves on. I know we always think about how great it would be if he wasn't around…" I paused and felt tears well up in my eyes. "But it's just like they say, you don't realize what you've got 'til it's gone…and there's gonna be this huge gap in our lives where Paul isn't trying to make our lives hell, and I'm seriously going to miss him." I bit my lip and began dabbing the small tears that had escaped with the corner of my napkin and smiled.

"Querida, I understand, it's ok. Don't cry," he whispered softly to me, reaching over the table to wipe off another tear.

And I just smiled at him, because I knew that deep down, he felt the same.