Mediator Series
The Next Generation
Summary
Post Haunted: Suze can prevent Jesse's death (Duh!). But what happens when she comes back and he's still there? But how come he's so different, almost like he's not the same person…. (Bare with us you guys; this is our first ever!)
CHAPTER 1
Suze's P.O.V.
"Susannah you know that you have to do this."
"Yes."
"It's best for the both of you."
"Yes."
"He doesn't deserve 'living' like this."
"Yes."
"…. You're not even listening to me are you?"
"Yes."
In Father Dom's office. Again. Talking about this. Again. The past week has been hell. Each time I think about Jesse I start crying. Again and again! And let me tell you something: CRYING IS NOT COOL! Not for me anyway. Everything looks dead to me now, even this office. It's so dark, even though the sunlight is shinning so bright making the room so warm. Maybe it's me that's so dark.
We've been talking about this everyday now. About going back in time. Yeah, you heard me right. TIME TRAVEL! 'But Suze this is so awesome, this is the opportunity of a lifetime!' you'll probably be saying. Well it's not!
Pretty complicated stuff, let me tell you. And because Father Dom figured out how to do it, (actually he just found this whole ritual thingy in an old book in his attic. Yeah, I know; his attic! Wonder what else is up there?) he INSISTS that WE use it to help some poor unfortunate ghost to undo history in order for them not to die such a horrible death and not be trapped in between earth and heaven or whatever is next. Namely: JESSE. Yeah, MY JESSE! Isn't that what Paul wanted or said that he could do? But Father Dom said this is best, even though I cried on his shoulder (talk about EMBARRASSING!) and begged him to just SHUT UP! But I don't know how, he's managed to convince me to do this.
I can prevent Jesse's death. Father Dom is willing to help me. I have to do this. It's my duty as a mediator. I refuse to pass up this opportunity to help a ghost to find his….WHAT THE HELL AM I SAYING! I'm talking like I've been brainwashed!
I can't let him go! I love him. Things are finally starting to go my way and now I have to give it up? Why? Why? JUST SERIOUSLY, WHY?
….Because I know that he secretly wants this. Because I know its hell for him to be like this. Because I love him too damn much to not do this for him. Stupid love. Who invented it? Duh Suze, God! OK! Stop going blond. It's not exactly the perfect time…
"Susannah!"
"WHA…yes, father?" I batter my eyelashes like Gina told me to when I want to look sweet and innocent. But when I did it, she said to stop because, and I quote "IT LOOKS FREAKY!"
"Susannah? Are you alright? Is there something in your eye? Because if not, please stop doing that, you're starting to scare me."
Dammit…
"Susannah. You're having doubts aren't you? I know this must be incredibly hard for you."
No, you don't. You have absolutely no idea. You uncaring, hard-hearted inconsiderate…
"But remember we agreed to do this. And remember that you are not alone. I will be with you. You must be strong. Now, did you tell Jesse of our plan?"
No.
"Of course, Father Dom! Seriously, what do you take me for?" Don't look at me like that! If I had told Jesse of 'our plan,' he wouldn't have agreed to it. Time travel (my God I sound so Star Trek-y or … war-y or whatever) can be incredibly dangerous, or so I've heard. YES, I'VE HEARD ABOUT IT! I do do my research before I do stuff like this! Or rather make Cee Cee do it. Whatever. He didn't answer the question, which I am quite thankful for.
"Ok. You'd better be getting back to class now."
Wow. Harsh! And he's supposed to be a man of God!
Seesh. Here I am about to do the hardest thing I've ever done, and Father Dom wants me to actually go back to my classes!
" Pshht. Later" I grunted.
"Yes, Susannah…later. 12 midnight."
"I'm sorry, what?
"Susannah, we agreed to meet at 12 midnight. Don't you remember? It was your suggestion that we meet so late." He looked heavenward like he was getting frustrated with me. Wait a minute; he was getting frustrated with me! God what is up with this dude today? Talk about impatient!
"Oh yeah. Right. 12 it is."
I felt a little guilty leaving his office with absolutely no intention of going back to class. Hey! In my defence, after tonight I'm never going to be able to see my boyfriend again. Excuse me for wanting to spend all my time with him.
So I snuck out to the graveyard and called him like any other normal teenager who has a ghost as a boyfriend would do. Yeah, right, and Jessica Simpson's boobs are real! (A/N I just want to let you guys know that I have nothing against Jessica, it's just that her boobs ARE HUGE! I heard she's like a D. No, Michelle I am NOT jealous! No, really I'm not! Anyway…)
"What's wrong Susannah? Aren't you supposed to be in class?" Jesse whispered in his sexy voice right behind me. And to think that I'm never going to hear it again.
I'm not proud of what I did next either. I burst out crying. I've been doing that a lot lately. I just felt so hollow inside. Like I was about to kill a part of me. Except that I was going to do the opposite. I was going to prevent a part of me from dying. I was going to prevent Jesse from dying. So, why did it feel so wrong?
"Querida? What's the matter? Please tell me. Was it Paul? Tell me what he did." He looked so angry right then. Like he really cared about me. I think that made me cry even harder if that was possible.
"No, it wasn't Paul." That's what I meant to say, but it kind of just came out like this instead:
"Naweewanpaah." I'm such an idiot in front of him. Scratch that. I am such an idiot period!
"I'm s-sorry." I sobbed, and a hugged him. Hard!
"I –I just really, really love you and I just want you to kn-know that." Wow Suze, soap opera much? He seemed a little taken back.
"I love you too, Querida", Jesse said into my hair.
I have the best boyfriend ever.
And so we stood like that for what seemed like hours and Jesse didn't even mention school anymore because he knew something was up but he knew that I didn't want to talk about it. Once again: I HAVE THE BEST BOYFRIEND EVER! Or… had.
Jesse's P.O.V.
I hate seeing her crying like this. It breaks my heart. She's been really sensitive lately. I don't want to press it further because she'll just start crying harder like last time. The only thing that I can do is be there for her. And it seems to be working.
I whisper sweet nothings into her ear. Things in Spanish.
She raises her head to look at me. Each time I look into those two pools of emeralds, I get lost. It takes me a moment to realize that she's talking to me.
"I'm sorry Querida?" A smile appears on her tear-stained face.
"Father Dom said I could take the rest of the day off."
I see something flash in her eyes, but it is gone before I have time to recognize it. Could it be …guilt?
"Yo, Suze what are you doing here? Didn't…whoa, are you crying?" It's her friend, Adam.
"No, I just have something in my eye." It's so typical of Susannah to say that. I put an arm around her waist for support.
"Oh. Okay. So… are you skipping or what? Mind if I join you?" He really likes her, and sometimes, I get a little jealous. What if she was with him instead of me? Would she be happier when she could actually show him to her parents?
"Umm… actually you know what; I think I need a little time alone. Thanks anyway, Adam." He smiles and looks right though me trying to figure out who Susannah is leaning against.
"Uhh…You're not getting stoned are you, Simon?"
"No, Adam. Bye."
"Bye, Suze."
We walk hand in hand out of the graveyard and into the street. I know it must look strange to bystanders to see a girl with her hand holding nothing but air. But Susannah doesn't care and neither do I.
Suze's P.O.V.
This is so hard. He has no idea. What will he do when he finds me gone? What's going to happen when I alter the course of history? Will he disappear? Evaporate? Ughh, I can't even think about it. I'm just going to try to enjoy the last moment I have with Jesse. I'll try not to mope. You know, be optimistic. Have fun.
HAVE FUN? Suze you weirdo!
Whatever. I need sleep. (A/N that last one applies more for me) I just want to cuddle with him. I want to hear him whisper things to me in Spanish, to kiss me so tenderly (and maybe some heavy making out won't hurt), to hear him say that he loves me over and over again. Because I know what's going to happen later. I 'm going to pretend to sleep, Jesse dematerializes, I crawl out the window to meet Father Dom and go back in time to try to prevent Jesse's death. Only to come home and find him …no more.
8
"Susannah, we agreed to meet at 12; you're half an hour late! I was getting so worried!"
"Geez, Father Dom chill," I was late because Jesse INSISTED on waiting until I was asleep before leaving due to my being upset earlier in the day.
"Ok. I've already started to set up. All you have to do is read this when I tell you to." He handed me a piece of paper. Wow. I couldn't even pronounce this stuff. I think it was Latin.
We were doing this in a small, open field surrounded by some trees. Father Dom wanted it to be in the rectory. Obviously I objected in case of Jesse seeing us. I looked up and finally took in my surroundings. HOLY CRAP! Well it sure looks like we were about to do some magic alright. Everything was covered in either red or black sheets. Even the freaking trees! There were candles everywhere and they alternated between the two colours. I wonder how long it took Father Dom. to set this whole thing up.
"Hey Father Dom, what's your favourite colour?
"Green, why do you ask?"
"No reason." Ok, then what's up with the reds and blacks? Weird! It was seriously gorgeous! It looked so soft and…romantic like setting taken right out of one of Shakespeare's play. I snapped out of my trance when Father Dom started talking
"Susannah, lie in the middle on your back while I start the ritual." I can't believe I'm actually going o do this. I'm going to go back in time.
I did as he said and lay on the sheet that felt even softer than they looked. Father Dom started to say some stuff but I seriously couldn't keep me eyes open. Sleep just overtook me!
"Kardonai partan ki satalli ohydah ijiftariyor ...Susannah? SUSANNAH!"
Wait, was that my name?
"Susannah! You must fight the sleep! Read it! Read it NOW!" Why was he shouting? And what was that noise?
"Uhhh…Ubahghar i-infredeas os isoif ihrat u-unwan" The noise was the wind. Why was the freaking wind SO loud? Seriously, it was deafening! But strangely with all that wind, the candles were burning brighter than ever. Plus I WAS SOOO SLEEPY!
I got this sudden nausea that would have made me hurl. I doubled over in pain. Crap it hurt like hell! It was like all my insides were coming out, replacing my skin while my skin went inside my body. I screamed at the pain and somewhere off in the corner of my mind I could hear someone else screaming, too.
My head finally stopped spinning and then with a sudden jolt, everything stopped, all the pain, all the screaming. I wasn't sleepy anymore.
Father Dom's P.O.V.
We did it! Thank the Lord, we travelled back in time! I didn't think Susannah wouldn't be able to fight the sleep. And the pain was so much more severe than I would have thought. I should have warned her first. I knew that it was going to come, but I thought she would be able to fight it. That's what she is: a fighter! But ever since I told her about time travelling, she's become weaker…different.
But all that aside, we made it in one piece!
"Susannah, are you alright?
"Yeah, no, wait. Ow, my head! Oh my God, it's like worse that a Shadowland hangover!" I stiffened when she said that. I really hate her going there. I know that she can relate.
"Yes, I know. I have one, too. It'll be over in a couple of minutes. "
"Wait, did we…I mean are we actually in…."
"Yes, we are in 1849, three hours before Jesse's murder."
Suze's P.O.V.
Fresh tears sprang to my face when he said that and I totally forgot about my headache. I mean, I knew that that's why we were here, but now that we had actually done it, actually travelled back in time, the reality of it finally hit me: I was never going to see Jesse again!
"Where are we?" I asked. I had to be strong. I couldn't just start tearing up at every mention of his name.
"At the academy. Your house, or the inn as would be right now, is about 20 minutes away. Would you like to rest for a little while? Here, change into this behind that tree there." He said as he pointed to an oak tree and handed me a huge dress with a matching hat, umbrella, hand purse, stockings, and glass slippers to go with it (A/N: I know, I know. I couldn't think of any footwear so I just stole the idea of the glass slippers from "Cinderella". Once again, my apologies!).
It was baby pink and made out of smooth silk. It also had white lace on the edge of the dress in an elegant floral pattern and like, 32 petticoats underneath it. And the dress had a tight, built-in corset that you have to tie in the back as the top part of the dress. It also had little beads running down it and was sleeveless, with only 2 straps that were 1-inch wide. The hat was the same color as the dress with the same lace pattern as well but was suede instead of silk.
The umbrella was silk and had that lace pattern on the edge as well. The handle was pink and smooth, not to mention short, like a miniature umbrella. The hand purse was shaped in the form of a cinder, small in size, had the same little beads like the build-in corset, was made of silk on the outside, and was suede on the inside. The stockings were white fishnets. And the shoes were made of clear, crystalline glass and had a see-through sole with a two-inch heel that was a bit narrow.
Wait a second…..put on that outfit….behind an oak tree….
SAY WHAT?
"You're kidding right?" Oh God, please let him be kidding.
"Of course not Susannah! People cannot see us like this. We might have drastic effects on them. This is extremely complicated. Disturb nothing except the task at hand."
"I'm sorry, what!" Was I the only one not getting any of what he was saying? Duh, Suze you're the only one here at 12 o'clock MIDNIGHT in 1849! Wait, are we in daylight then? Oh yeah, Father Dom said that Jesse's umm…..murder took place at 4 'o' clock in the afternoon. That means it must be 1 'o' clock.
"Susannah, have you seen 'Back to the Future?'" I nodded and he kept going, "Well, you know how Michael J. Fox kept changing things and he altered the future?"
"Uhhh…..I think I do."
"Good. Thinking is good. It's very much like that." Was there annoyance in his voice? He kept talking to me like I was 5 years old or something! "We must not change anything except for what we are here to do, understand?"
"Yes. Yes, I do!"
"Good. Now hurry."
I went off with the huge thing behind the tree, mumbling the whole way about how he didn't have to change into a big puffy pink dress. I shut up when I actually got a good look at it. Damn, it was gorgeous! I had the hardest time of my life trying to get into it, though! What with all the hooks and strings and stuff.
After like 20 minutes of struggling, I finally got it on and looked down at myself. The top part was all tight and umm…extremely low cut. It looked good I must admit, but the bottom looked like an umbrella. Yes, a huge pink umbrella! The dress alone could weigh like 40 pounds, it was so freaking heavy.
I half-walked half-stumbled with it on to Father Dom who was complaining about how long I took, but he shut up too when got a good look me.
"Why, Susannah, you look absolutely stunning!"
"Uhh… thanks, let's just get this show on the road." And that's when we started walking uphill, with me in a dress and Father Dom in his vestment thing in 40 degree weather (A/N Celsius).
We walked in silence. The whole time, I was thinking what I was going to do when I saw Jesse there. We hadn't really come up with a plan of how to stop Diego. Father Dom just said to do whatever the situation called for. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Whatever, my mind kept thinking about Jesse and I tried to push it away by concentrating on how to walk properly with the dress so it wouldn't trip me.
Father Dom's P.O.V.
After Susannah went to get dressed, I quickly got dressed in a vestment that I brought. Susannah, however, was still behind the tree after I was finished getting dressed.
Susannah was taking a lot of time just to put on some dress and a pair of shoes. How hard could it be to put on a dress? But when she came out from behind that old oak, she looked truly amazing so I complimented her.
Afterward, we were on our way.
I was a little nervous though, since we didn't come up with an official plan. So when Susannah asked me what the plan was, I just told her to do whatever the situation called for. There was a flash of confusion and doubt in her eyes after I told her about our little 'plan' but it had disappeared as quickly as it had come.
As we kept walking, Susannah seemed to be having trouble walking but looked determined to try and walk properly in that puffy dress of hers. She also looked as if she was deep in thought, like she was thinking about something…..or rather someone; in other words: Jesse.
But she has to except the fact that she is alive and that he….just isn't. That's the whole purpose of this trip; to stop his death in the first place and to stop Susannah from getting hurt……………..like me.
OK you guys, seriously, this is like the first fanfic we've ever written and we would really really really really really really really appreciate some good criticism! Is it as bad as we think it is? Tell us if anything it's too confusing and we'll try and explain it in the next chappy. We know this doesn't have a lot of action but it's only the first chapter and we had to get the plot going. Do you think we switched Suze's mood too quickly?
THANKS SO MUCH!
Chris
and
Jasmine