I've been working on this fic for awhile and I have quite a bit of it written, however, I will be taking my time at updating just because I don't want to jump blindly into posting immediately after I write( which I have done with my other fics ). If you read Plan B, there will be one more chapter left in it, I just lost interest in it when I got the idea for Gifted ( which was back in the Summer ), all my thoughts have been directed towards this fic and not Plan B, so I apologize for those who read it. Its last chapter should be up relatively soon. Anyways, back to my latest brain child, this concept is AU, but its Faberry so hey why not give it a try. I'm going to post at least once a week, and considering I have half of this already written that shouldn't be a problem. I have left some of the concepts/details ambiguous on purpose but if you have questions you can ask me in reviews and I will answer them/ tell you if I will ever make things clear. If you have read Plan B, you will see some similarities in the struggles the characters go through; a.k.a there is alcoholism in this fic. There is angst, action, Faberry love (eventually), some fluff here and there. Its rated M on purpose so beware if you have young eyes. As always r&r, I love to hear what you have to say and I am always open to ideas.
Prologue
The room wasn't typical for an office board meeting, but then again, Quinn didn't exactly work at a typical office.
"As you all know there are four direct contact mutants, all previous residents of Lima, that have yet to be brought in."
John Michaels, who had made the announcement, was a good looking man, tall, clean cut, aged nicely for someone forty years old. He was the head of the nation's newest agency, and he was one of the most compassionate men Quinn had ever met. She hadn't liked him at first, she had actually hated him, but that is an entirely different story, and one the blonde wasn't keen on getting into at the moment.
"Dave Karofsky, Class AA."
Class AA, skilled and dangerous.
"Twenty-five years of age, last seen in L.A. three months ago last March, evidence supports the theory that he is responsible for the twelve Smith employee deaths and disappearances."
A fuzzy picture of the previous McKinley footballer flashed on the massive flat screen behind Michaels. He hadn't changed much since high school, appearance wise at least.
John's attitude changed as he next addressed his audience, "You all know what he can do, so do me a favor" ,he paused, "Bring him down."
Michaels came off as a hard ass to most people, but to those who knew him, they knew it was just a façade he kept up to look tough for the job.
He changed to the next picture on the screen. It was the same picture that had been shown for the past year, the last picture they were able to get of her. Michaels ran his hand through his hair, he was always cautious when it came to talking about this particular fugitive, especially when Quinn Fabray was in the room.
" Rachel Berry, Class AA."
Quinn felt herself tense at the name; it was never easy to hear her spoken about in these situations. Santana Lopez, currently seated next to the blonde, glanced cautiously in her direction. They had best friends since high school; she knew what Quinn was going through.
"Berry has successfully robbed two banks in the last four years, along with alleged accounts of violence, she was last seen one year ago in Boston, Massachusetts with Emily Gaston and Jesse St. James, both A mutants, their current whereabouts are unknown."
He finished, closing the pictures and complimenting fugitive files.
"Dangerous, please, each time Rachel has broken in it has been to take from her own accounts; she has never technically stolen anything." Kurt Hummel said, sticking up for his high school friend.
"I understand your, and I'm sure others, point of you" he said, making a point to catch Quinn's eye. " But the fact that she has gone undetected through these banks worries me, we only know it's her because the money was stolen from her account both times, she uses her abilities to one up people, you, and everyone else knows that we cannot allow Rachel Berry to continue this way."
Quinn wasn't paying attention to the conversation taking place; she had heard it all before, and her mind was focused on something else entirely.
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5 years ago
Quinn was throwing everything she could into the one duffel bag she and Rachel could find. Rachel had her eyes closed, focusing on what no one could hear but her.
" Fifteen minutes, we need to get out of here now."
Quinn dropped the bag, she thought she would have more time than that.
" But Beth" Quinn said, standing over the crib her daughter was sleeping in.
" My father's will look after her until we can come and get her, we've been over this Quinn."
Rachel was soft with her words, this wasn't easy for her either. Rachel had cared for Beth since her birth, almost two years prior.
Quinn couldn't bring herself to look away from her sleeping daughter, she loved her too much, she couldn't leave her.
" Jesse and Puck are waiting for us a few blocks away, Quinn we need to leave now, we will come back, I promise you we will come back." Rachel was pleading for Quinn to follow, she could hear the agents closing in on her home, they only had a few minutes left.
Rachel walked up to the blonde, pushing the hair away from her girlfriends face, "Please Quinn, if they find us, you know we won't be able to see her again."
Quinn nodded, picking up the stuffed bag beside her. She looked Rachel in the eye "Let's go."
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Quinn must have been inside her head longer than she thought. When she came to her senses everyone had left the room except Santana, who was leaning against the table staring sympathetically at her twenty-three year old friend.
"Michaels said you didn't have to come to these meetings" she said.
Quinn looked back at the Latina, "I want to find her just as badly as everyone else."
"Just for different reasons" Santana said, clarifying what she already knew.
Quinn didn't say anything; she was having a hard time keeping herself from falling apart at the moment. Santana noticed this and pulled the girl to her feet.
" Come on" she said "Let's get you to the bar."
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The bar was quiet for a Friday night; usually the place was crowded with regular's making drunken fools of themselves. Rachel thought it had something to do with the opening of a new Pub, a place a few blocks away, apparently it was the new place to be seen at. To be honest Rachel didn't mind the relative silence, it gave her a place to get drunk without having to listen to every movement, breath, or conversation.
The screen before the girl turned to the nightly news. Rachel tensed as a picture of her flashed on the television.
"Fugitive, and known AA mutant Rachel Berry has yet to be spotted a year after almost being caught in Boston, Massachusetts."
Rachel was not surprised by the announcement. She had been hearing her name on the news for nearly 5 years now.
"Known Class A mutants, Jesse St. James and Emily Gaston are suspected to be with her, if you have any information on the subjects please contact the New York office of Mutant Integration and Control as soon as possible."
Rachel was always in danger when she left her apartment, and the fact that she was living so close to MICA headquarters, the people who were trying to capture her, didn't make matters any easier. The truth is she couldn't keep herself away; she couldn't keep herself away from the two people who mattered most to her.
The brunette didn't want to risk anyone noticing her after the T.V. announcement. She secured her sunglasses and hat, left money for her two beers, and discreetly walked out of the building. The walk home was always her least favorite part; it was here she got to experience every sound of the city, from the abusers, to the drug addicts, right down to the sewer rats scattered below. She could see the despair, smell the pollution seeping from the factories and overcrowded streets. She hated this city, but yet she stayed.
The loft she, Jesse, and Emily shared was nice. It was partly due to the large inheritance, around fifty million U.S. dollars, Rachel had received from her grandfather when he passed away. He had owned Italy's largest supply company for fifty years, during which he grossed over two billion dollars. However, the trio wouldn't have been able to make it past the security cameras if it wasn't for Madison White, a mutant who owned the building. She was able to forge their paperwork for them, and on the rare occasion get them out of a tough situation. Her talent lay in altering appearances, not by much, but enough to fool the police when they came knocking.
Rachel entered the spacious loft, it was located in an old building but the inside was completely modernized. The brunette headed straight for the liquor cabinet, which she hoped would help drown out the sound of the construction work going on three blocks away.
" Put the bottle down, I'm worried this is becoming a habit" Jesse said, entering the kitchen with a full bag of groceries.
His girlfriend, Emily, was following him close behind "Give it here Rach, let's try and turn down the drinking for awhile" Emily said, taking the bottle of scotch away.
Emily Gaston was a tall, beautiful girl with striking auburn hair. If she wasn't a fugitive, Rachel had no doubt she would have modeling agencies swarming her. Her personality was low key, a quiet and kind girl who tended to be a little on the motherly side. She had joined them four years ago, a few days before Rachel's life, or at least what was left of it, was completely shattered.
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Four years ago
Rachel didn't think she had been more comfortable in her life. There was fire in front of her, a movie playing, a warm blanket around her, but most importantly she had Quinn. The two girls were snuggled up on the couch, waiting for Jesse and Emily to return to Puck's apartment with dinner. Puck was currently on the phone with his mother, telling her he would return home as soon as possible.
" I can't decide if I like Jacob or Edward more" Rachel mused, enthralled in the movie.
" Baby, I'm sorry to tell you this, but this movie is just plain dumb, he sparkles, sparkles!", Quinn exclaimed, too horrified at the terrible acting, production, and writing to even take a side.
" I think I like Edward better, he reminds me of you" the brunette said, completely ignoring Quinn's previous comment.
" So I remind you of a mopey 100 year old man."
" He is not mopey, he is protective, loving, romantic, and he's also quite pale like you" Rachel said, tacking on the end just to push her girlfriends buttons.
" Oh come on I'm not that pale"
Rachel was about to respond with a snarky comment, but when she heard multiple footsteps stomping obnoxiously up the staircase she stopped to listen. At first, she figured it was just the neighbor's children goofing off, but then she counted, one set, two sets, three, four, five, ten steps of feet. And then she heard the radio static.
" We have the building surrounded" a male voice said.
Inside the apartment, Quinn and Puck where oblivious to the MICA agents swarming the apartment complex. Rachel jumped into action.
"We have to go, immediately" she said looking at Quinn and half shouting to gets Puck attention.
Quinn and Puck looked confused " Rach what are you on about" Quinn questioned.
They soon found out why Rachel was panicking, the front door burst open, men swarming in. The three of them headed for the fire escape, their only way out. When it became clear that they wouldn't make it in time, Puck turned.
" Get away from here" he yelled as he ran towards the men, throwing one across the room in a matter of seconds. Rachel could hear the fight going on as she and Quinn rushed down the fire escape. Puck had the upper hand, even if he was fighting ten men. Puck could lift things no human could possibly dream of, but then again, he wasn't exactly human anymore, none of them were.
The two girls had made it all the way to the bottom when Rachel heard a gun slide.
" Puck NO" she screamed, giving their positions away. The gun never went off, but she knew he had been caught. When she saw the men coming around the side of the building, she knew they were too.
They ran in the opposite direction, one man dressed in a black suit ran after them. He was gaining fast when Quinn caught her foot on a pot hole. Rachel didn't see it happen, she had thought Quinn was right behind her. She should have heard it, she should have felt it, she should of known it had happened, but her adrenaline had clouded her usually perfect senses, it was all her fault.
When Rachel rushed back to save Quinn she knew it was too late. She went anyways, running back for Quinn. It was only when she made the mistake of looking Quinn in the eye that she stopped.
" Go " Quinn demanded. Whether or not Rachel wanted to leave or not didn't matter. She would have willingly sacrificed herself that day in Quinn's stead, but she made that mistake, she let Quinn catch her eye. After that, all it took was one word, one word to control her, to make Rachel do her bidding. It was Quinn's talent, mutation, or gift as they sometimes facetiously called it.
That day, the day Quinn let herself be caught, was the second worst day of Rachel's life. She remembered thinking it was her worst when Jesse flew in from above, flying her away while she sat emotionless in his arms, just trying to figure a way out of the nightmare she was living.
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Rachel stayed up that night, listening, waiting for the breaths indicating her friends were asleep. She had tried, really tried to fall asleep, but every time she closed her eyes she saw her. She saw that day replaying in her head; she remembered Quinn's hypnotic eyes, the feeling of losing control over her body. It was too painful to handle, so she stole to the cabinet Jesse and Emily had tried to make her forget about. She reached for the nearest bottle, not paying attention to what it even was. She drank until, when she closed her eyes, it was too blurry to see the hazel that haunted her.