FicWad

Title: The Crystal of Life: Of Man and Spirit
Chapter: 1/5
Series: The Crystal of Life
Author: Cerasi J.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: People can't come back from the dead. Can they? Set right after Darkest Hour.
Disclaimer: Suze, Jesse, Sleepy, Dopey and Doc all belong to Jenny Carroll, but Dessa (Dae) O'Conner and Jade Stone belong to me!!! HA!!! Put that in your crack pipe and smoke it!!

~~~

For the last twenty minutes the same thoughts replayed in my head: Jesse wants to talk. Suze attempts to get out of talking. Jesse kisses Suze.

Oh, my God. YEESS!!! I AM THE LUCKIEST WOMAN ALIVE!!! HA!!

So, anyway. After he-Jesse, WEEE!!!!-kissed me, he kinda just stood there with this look on his face that said, "Oh no, what have I done?"

And me, you ask, what did I do? Well, I'll tell you.

I sat down on the edge of my bed and giggled. Yeah, you read right, I giggled like a nine-year-old girl at an N'Sync concert.

It just popped out all of a sudden, it was just, I dunno, there. It was one of those things that just had to be giggled about.

And Jesse just stood there watching me, probably thinking I was insane. I didn't care, I honestly really didn't.

I felt so good at that very moment, like I could fly or something. I mean, in a good way, not in a I'm-High-On-LSD sort of way.

So, finally, Jesse goes, "Susannah, what's so funny?" I noticed it seemed he had a hard time trying not to smile. "I dunno," I said, still sounding all giggly, "I just-... it's really hard to explain-... hehehehe-... I'm not laughing at you, honestly, I just-... hehehehe-..."

He raised an eyebrow at me, smirking, "Explain it to me." I fell backwards onto my bed, still giggling. "Oh, I can't, I can't, I just can't-..." I wiped tears of laughter from my eyes, "It's so complicated-..."

Jesse said nothing else; he just sat beside me and tried hard not to laugh too.

That's when it hit me. I could really go for some Cheetos right now. Suddenly I stopped laughing, and I blinked. Jesse looked at me, startled, as if to say, "Now what's the matter?!"

So then, I look him right in the eyes and say, "I could really go for a bag of Cheetos right now." Then I started laughing again. Oh geez, how weird can I get?

I mean, laughing to the point where I fell off my bed. Well, needless to say, I had Jesse very worried.

I hadn't laughed like that in years, and it felt really good. I didn't care if he thought I was skitzo, it felt really nice.

Okay, so I did care if Jesse thought I was skitzo.

So, finally, I dragged myself to my feet, still laughing, I slipped into a pair of leather sandals from Lord and Taylor.

Jesse grabbed my arm, "Where are you going? Your mother said not to leave the house until they got back."

I shrugged, "I'm gonna go get a bag of Cheetos, want to come with me?"

He blinked, "What are 'Cheetos'?"

I smiled, I couldn't help it. "They're really good-they're like cheesey things that... oh." That's when I realized they didn't have junk food back in Jesse's day, so I shrugged again, "You'll see."

Jesse frowned, but didn't let go of my arm, "You shouldn't leave the house... your mother will be mad."

"I'll be back before then," I replied, "So, are you coming or not?"

He rolled his eyes, said something in Spanish and finally nodded.

Note to self: Start learning Spanish.

I started down the stairs and went out the front door. I was still smiling, I felt like skipping. Skipping. Oh, God. How embarrassing.

Jesse walked beside me-well, he walked, I had to run to keep up with him-and never said a word.

It was a comfortable silence, I suppose. But I couldn't help but wondering... why did he kiss me in the first place?

I shrugged mentally, who cares? He kissed me all the same. And thinking about it made me want to giggle again.

Jesse looked over at me, and all of a sudden I wanted nothing more than to hold his hand. Cheesy, I know. Almost cheesier than those Cheetos I was going to buy.

So, trying to make conversation, I said, "How much of this"-I waved my hand, taking in the city-"was here when you were... um, well, alive?"

He looked around, his eyes drinking in every detail, "None of it. Nothing was here."

"Oh. Well, what was here?"

I hurried along, trying to keep up with him. "There was a saloon here, a bar I believe they're called now, a hotel, and a few other things."

"Ohh," I said, and nodded. How boring, I thought, not even a coffee shop.

We walked along in silence for a few minutes; I racked my brains for something witty to say.

Frowning, I shoved my hands in my pockets, so I wouldn't do anything stupid, you know, like try to hold Jesse's hand.

When we finally reached the corner store-Jimmy's Qwik Mart, the place where I met the four ghosts from RLS-I said to him, "Wait out here, will 'ya? So that way if you talk to me, I won't look like a total idiot talking to someone who isn't there."

Jesse gave me this You're-already-an-idiot smirk, and leaned against the wall. I went inside and started on my quest for the Cheetos.

When I walked in I caught two girls about my age out of the corner of my eye, standing in front of the pop coolers.

One was tall and skinny, blonde and beautiful, probably rich, probably a cheerleader. You know the type. And the other was short-but not fat-she had black hair, and purple eyes, obviously contacts. She had on a white long sleeved shirt, and over the white one was a black t-shirt with the Papa Roach logo on it. A long black skirt, zebra-striped tights and combat boots sealed the deal.

Yup. Your typical Goth. I know, I've met a few Goths in my day.

I walked over to the pop cooler, said your usual "excuse me," grabbed a diet Coke, and then walked off to find the Cheetos.

I could feel that Goth girl's eyes on me, which was totally creepy if you ask me. I walked down the aisle with the chips and stuff; I hardly noticed when the two girls left.

As I walked toward the counter where you pay for your stuff I was wondering why a cheerleader and a goth would hang out together. I mean, isn't that why there are Goths in the first place? Because they're outcasted by the preps?

I mulled over this question as I handed over a five to the latest surfer-cashier behind the counter.

I stuck the change in my pocket, tucked the bag of Cheetos under my arm and I went outside, only to find that the blonde girl I had seen in the store was leaning close to Jesse, talking to him.

Okay, this kinda freaked me out, so I walked over to Jesse just in time to hear the blonde girl say in this really lusty voice, "Hi... this is my friend, Jade," she pointed at the Goth, "And I'm Dessa O'Connor... but you can call me Dae."

Jesse blinked at the two girls, obviously startled that they could see him, he said nothing. I have to admit, I was pretty startled too, I mean, how many Mediators are there in this city?!

The Goth girl tugged at Dae's elbow and mumbled something, because then the cheerleader turned around and glared at me, "What?"

I shrugged and also said nothing, I was too busy looking at the cord that hung around her neck. It looked to be a homemade necklace, you know, the kind you would make your mom. It was a plain, brown leather cord, but at the end there was a shard of crystal, it was a blueish-grey color and almost seemed to be glowing. Whoa. Creepy.

The girl-Dae-turned her attention back to Jesse, she licked her lips, "So cowboy, what's your name?" I raised an eyebrow at this, the Goth chick-Jade-took up glaring at me with her beady purple eyes.

Jesse finally seemed to notice me, he gave me a "please help me" look.

"Uh," he said, "Jesse."

I wrinkled my nose, shook my head and sent him a look of my own, the "boy are YOU stupid" look. The blonde girl reached out and touched Jesse's shoulder, "Ooh," she cooed, "That's a nice name for a cowboy."

Ugh, this was sickening. It was almost worse than watching Dopey and Debbie make out.

Okay, so it wasn't that bad.

But it ticked me off all the same. At this point I stepped forward, past the Goth who was still glaring daggers at me, and past the blonde girl who obviously wanted to do some unspeakable act with Jesse right there in the street.

I grabbed his elbow, twisted him around and gave him a shove in the direction of home, "Well gals," I said, "Nice to meetcha, but we have to run, /ciao/!"

And before you could actually say ciao Jesse and I were up the hill and around the corner, heading toward home.

---

Back on the street corner Dessa O'Connor and Jade Stone watched the two leave. "Jade," said Dessa, flinging her honey-colored hair over her shoulder, "Find out who they are..."

Jade looked grim at this command, but Dessa continued, "Find out who she is, and do whatever it takes to get her out of the way..." Dae grinned, it was a grin Darth Vader would be wearing. "He's next."

---

Fifteen minutes later when Jesse and I arrived at home, I flung myself on my bed and started devouring my snack, wondering just exactly how many Mediators were in Carmel.

Jesse sat down on the day bed on the other side of my room, "What was that all about?" he questioned.

I shrugged and said around a mouth full of Cheetos, "I dunno... but that freaked me out, what do you think? Are they Mediators?"

He blinked at me, "Why are you asking me? How should I know?" Duh. Stupid me.

I said, sheepishly, "Oh... yeah, well... any ideas?" I twisted the cap off of my Diet Coke and took a swig.

Jesse looked up at the ceiling, as if all the answers to my problems where hidden there, "None whatsoever," his eyes drifted to me. "Why were they looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" I asked. He shifted uncomfortably, "Well, like-... like-... you know-... they acted like your friend Gina did."

I stared at him for a moment, unable to contain my grin, "You mean, why were they coming onto you?"

Jesse nodded, "Yes." I kept grinning at him, he obviously had no idea how hot he really was. "Well," I said, pretending to think, "maybe they thought you were cute."

He blinked at me again and made a face, "Cute? My little sisters were /cute/, Susannah."

Rolling my eyes, I took another sip of my Coke. God, guys could be such idiots sometimes. "Fine then, attractive."

"Oh. I see. Why would they think that?" He raised an eyebrow at me, and I knew he was up to something. Something no good, probably.

"Um, well..." I ate a few Cheetos and tried to think up an excuse for getting out of this conversation. "Uh," I said again, "because you are?" Oops. I think I said too much.

Suddenly a song popped into my head, "It's just (just) a little crush (crush) not like I faint, every time we touch, it's just (a) little thing (crush) Not like every thing I do depends on you."

Oh yeah. I had it bad.

I blushed and tried to cover my mistake, "Well, I mean-... for a dead guy." Jesse stood and smirked at me. God, I hated it when he did that... it made me feel so... so... Scarlett O'Hara.

I held up my hands, trying not to smile, "Hey! Don't slap me or anything, I forget you're still touchy about the dead guy thing."

He grinned and stood looking down at me, "Susannah," he said, still grinning like an idiot at me, "do you think I'm attractive?"

I stopped smiling, oh God, oh God. What do you say to that?! I opened my mouth to reply, "Uh, well, you see-..." I played nervously with the cap on the bottle I was holding, "Well," I stuttered, I was starting to sound squeaky again. God, I hated that. "M-maybe... just a little."

Jesse shook his head and chuckled. My face, I knew, was probably bright red. "Okay," I said, still playing with the bottle, "so, maybe a lot, what's it matter anyway?"

"Oh, oh, a lot now, is it?" He sat down in front of me.

"You know," I said, rolling up the bag of Cheetos, "This isn't really fair, I mean, I don't go around saying, 'Hey, Jesse, who's your favorite Mediator? Me or Father Dom?' do I?"

He tried hard not to smile at me, "Oh, well, that's an easy one." I looked at him hopefully, I wasn't the best Mediator, that was for damn sure, but maybe Jesse thought I was an okay one.

So I said, "Oh? Really?"

"Sure," he said, "Father Dominic."

I reached behind me, grabbed a pillow, and hit him in the face with it. He totally didn't see it coming, which was really funny, because I knocked him off my bed.

I laughed at the sight, it was extremely amusing to see him sprawled out on the floor, blinking up at me and looking annoyed.

"That's what you get," I said, laughing hysterically. "For being mean to me!"

"Oh," he said, climbing to his feet, "Let's talk about being mean, Susannah!" He then grabbed the pillow from me, and smacked me upside the head with it.

I couldn't believe this. I really couldn't. That was the first time I had ever horsed around with Jesse before. (Nothing kinky, you pervs! Get your minds out of the gutter! Honestly!)

I mean, my dad and I used to play around all the time like this, you know, like tickling wars and pillow fights and all that? That's when it hit me. Suddenly, I felt very sad. I was so busy mediating all the time, I never really had a chance to realize something.

My father was dead.

My father, who made me blueberry pancakes on Saturday mornings, then watched cartoons with me. My father, who stayed up with me when I had bad dreams. My father, who tucked me into bed and read me stories about princesses and dragons.

God, how I missed him.

"Jesse," I murmured, not really in the mood for a pillow fight anymore, "Where do you think my dad is?"

He gave me a funny look, then chuckled, dropping the pillow back to my bed. "What brought that on, Susannah?"

I shrugged, "Just thinking... about my dad. Some of the things he and I used to do together." Jesse looked sympathetic, "Like what?" I shrugged again, "He used to make breakfast on Saturday mornings. Then we'd watch TV together..." He sat down beside me again, listening and still looking sympathetic. Did I mention he looked really cute when he was sad? You know, like a puppy or something.

I smiled, "And on my birthday, he'd run into my room and tackle me, saying he didn't believe in birthday spankings, but he did believe in birthday tackles."

Jesse grinned, "And when is your birthday?"

My smile faded slowly, I was still thinking about my birthday tackles. "October 17th." He nodded, "Mine is-well, was-April 19th."

I turned to him, surprised. You learn something new every day, I guess. "April 19th is my mom's birthday."

Jesse raised his eyebrows slightly, "Oh. Really?" I nodded, "Yeah. What a small world." At that point I really wondered what my mother would think of sharing a birthday with the ghost of the hot cowboy guy living in my bedroom. I sighed.

I was about to ask Jesse just exactly how old he was when he died, but that's when my door flew wide open and Doc ran in. "Suze!" He threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly.

I was so surprised; it was my turn to fall off the bed.

Jesse grinned at me and disappeared. I looked at Doc, "Doc-I mean, David! It's good to see 'ya kid, how was camp?"

He looked embarrassed and helped me up off the floor, "Oh, I had fun!" He lowered his voice, "How are you feeling? Is... um, your ghost still hanging around?"

Oh sure, David, he just kissed me and then I talked him into walking to the corner store with me where we met up with a bimbo mediator and a Goth mediator. Oh yeah, he's cool, no problem.

Instead I only shrugged, "He comes and goes."

At this point Andy came in my room to yell at Doc for tackling me. "David! Suze isn't feeling well, you should have knocked first!"

At this point I felt bad for little David, who slunked out of my room like a sad puppy. "Oh, no, Andy," I said, "It's okay, David was just telling me about camp."

Andy frowned, "Well, your mother and I still want to talk to you about your, um, state of health."

DAMMIT! I was so excited about Jesse kissing me I forgot that my mother and stepfather wanted to take me to the E.R.

I swear; the people at the hospital probably knew me by name now.

I nodded, "Yeah, yeah, okay." After that I went downstairs, mom fussed over whether I need an MRI or not, we had dinner and I was sent back to my room to "rest". HA!

Just as I was snuggling down between my sheets, I saw Jesse standing in the far corner of my bedroom.

I propped myself onto my elbows and said, "Geez, Jesse, I hate it when you do that!" He grinned at me, walked over to my bed and sat down beside me.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Doc keeps asking about you."

"I know."

"You know? What are you doing? Spying on me?" I grinned at him, I couldn't help it. "No, Susannah, I'm not spying."

"I was just kidding anyway." I flopped back down against my pillows and closed my eyes. "What should we do about those two mediator chicks? Should I call Father D?" I asked, with my eyes still closed.

"No," Jesse said, "Just rest for now, Susannah."

He leaned down and kissed me on my forehead, which then caused all the muscles in my body to freeze, and for my heart to stop beating. My eyes flew open, oh yeah, I could really get used to that.

He brushed my hair out of my eyes and whispered, "Goodnight, querida." And with that he disappeared. I rolled over on my side and fell asleep very quickly.

I didn't see Jesse again for three days.


To Be Continued...