Disclaimer: These characters belong to the creators of Glee.
A/N: This is just a little Halloween story. I would upload it on Halloween but I'm away and won't have access to a computer so today will have to do. I hope you enjoy it :) All mistakes are mine.
"It's Halloween, everyone's entitled to one good scare" – Halloween (1978)
Fall has always been her favourite season. It surpasses spring, summer and winter in her eyes. She loves everything about it, from the sudden drop in temperature, to the fallen leaves which crunch underneath your feet as you walk, to the change in clothing from shorts to cosy sweaters. Anybody who knows Rachel Berry will know she has an affiliation for sweaters, normally argyle or novelty ones, but sweaters nevertheless. She loves settling in for a night in on the couch with a blanket and a few good movies.
She loves how it suddenly starts getting dark earlier than normal and the days seem shorter. One of her favourite things to do, now she lives in New York City, is to go for a stroll around Central Park, wrapped up snug in a hat, scarf and gloves before rendezvousing in this petite vegan coffee shop she discovered her second week at NYADA for a coffee.
The barista always sprinkles a happy face into her latte and it's the little things like that which makes her prefer the smaller shops in comparison to the chain stores like Starbucks.
In her opinion, there is only one negative aspect of the fall season and that is All Hallow's Eve, more commonly known as Halloween.
Halloween has never been a particularly favourite night of Rachel Berry's. As a young child, she was slightly different than other children as she never really enjoyed trick-or-treating. She never truly understood why on one night a year you were allowed to knock on strangers' doors and accept candy from them, when any other night of the year, you're told to never to do this. As she grew older, her ardent dislike of Halloween merely grew and she started to find it rather a nuisance.
When she was fifteen years old, she spent Halloween night home alone because her dads were both working late. She baked a batch of cookies and watched two romantic comedies, 'You've got Mail' and 'Sleepless in Seattle'. She has always adored Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan together, and finds their chemistry very convincing. It makes a nice change from her usual choice in movie, or so Quinn tells her. She cannot understand why but Quinn doesn't have as passionate an interest in musicals as she does. The credits for 'You've got Mail' had just begun to roll when the contemptible pranking began. It started off with a few harmless knocks at her front door. Thinking it was trick-or-treaters; Rachel stood and answered the door only to find her front step vacant of any children. She opened the door every single time somebody knocked, even against her better judgement, just in case one time; there was a group of young children on the other side waiting for candy. The pranking progressed to eggs being thrown at her windows and that bothered her more than the silly knocking and running away.
She hated seeing the remnants of eggs dripping down her window.
It was such an unnecessary waste of eggs.
She's since found out the culprit of those foolish pranks had been Santana, not that Rachel expected it to have been anybody else. After berating her on the stupidity of her actions and the proper use of eggs, she forgave the girl.
When she was sixteen years old, she made the foolish mistake of accepting an invitation to a Halloween party. Noah Puckerman had become known as the go to party guy, so when an occasion such as Halloween arose, he seized the opportunity and threw a costume party. Since Rachel had grown friendly to Quinn, Santana, Noah, Finn and others through Glee club, she received an invitation to a party for the first time in her life. She always imagined what it would be like to be at a high school party and to rub shoulders with the popular students but her night hadn't been much better than her previous Halloween. She spent most of the night wishing she could be back at home, with all her home comforts, perhaps watching Joe Versus the Volcano, rather than declining Noah's many advances.
Halloween at the age of seventeen had been a significant approval on the previous two years because it was her first Halloween with Quinn as her girlfriend rather than just a friend. Still, she didn't enjoy it as much as other people might. Mainly because Quinn decided how they were going to spend the night and it wasn't exactly Rachel's idea of a good night.
Most people use words such as honest, kind and funny to describe themselves but those words have always been just a little too mundane for Rachel and if there's one thing you can say with absolute surety about Rachel Berry, it's that she's anything but mundane. In fact, when she describes herself, she uses it as an opportune time to expand her vocabulary. If she had to use five words, she would say she's veracious, obstinate, loquacious, methodical and a star. Or in layman's terms: truthful, stubborn, talkative, organised and obviously, a star.
Ironically, some of the traits she considers her best, can be seen as negative traits by others. For example, her fathers have sometimes been pushed to their limits by her stubbornness, more so when she was a child and Finn never understood why she needed to be so organised. He felt it was more freeing if you didn't keep everything in order.
Rachel has never been able to agree with that.
Quinn always tells her she doesn't have any bad traits, just quirks and each one makes her fall a little bit more in love. Rachel admires the answer and has to give a silent applause to Quinn because she certainly knows the right thing to say, even if it is hogwash. Still, she knows that if Quinn had to pick one, she'd say its Rachel's intense dislike of horror movies. Quinn has adored horror movies since she was too young to be watching them. Rachel partly blames Judy and Russell for this strange obsession and love with horror movies because they should have been monitoring the movies their daughter watched. Quinn loves watching them whenever ever she can; they're her go to genre of film. She especially enjoys a certain atmosphere for a horror movie and nearly always watches them when it's dark and she's alone.
Granted she only watches them by herself because Rachel refuses point-blank to watch them with her.
Rachel on the other hand has never been able to abide the horror genre, she loathes everything about them. She dislikes the superfluous gore and the nail-biting tension, she dislikes the fallible storylines and how the only characterisation the characters possess is usually riddled with stupidity, demonstrated throughout the movie when they constantly make the wrong decision. She despises the music because it's often unnecessarily loud and obnoxious and most importantly, she hates how horror movies unsettle her nerves for hours afterwards.
"I have Black Christmas, the Hills have Eyes, the Hills have Eyes 2, all of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, Psycho, Friday the 13th, the Scream movies, Saw 1 through 7, the Exorcist, Poltergeist, the Shining." Quinn pauses for a second as she trails her finger along the remaining movies in her collection. "Halloween, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Omen, Wrong Turn, Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead," she finishes with a rather unsettling smile. "Just so you know, I do have the original and the remakes for practically every movie I've just listed as well so you're not short of choice."
"Evidently."
They've been dating for six months now and even though she isn't proud of it, Rachel has to admit she's snooped around Quinn's bedroom. Quinn had been cooking them a meal and Rachel had been on the laptop in Quinn's bedroom and natural curiosity overtook her. She argues with herself that it's okay because she knows Quinn has done the same based on passing comments her girlfriend has made. Yet somehow she didn't realise Quinn had such an extreme collection of horror movies.
She's actually pretty impressed.
She'd be more impressed if the genre was better but you can't have everything.
Rachel swallows and rubs the back of her neck. "How about we watch something comedic and light-hearted? It doesn't even have to be a musical or a movie which stars the one and only Barbra."
Surely Quinn can't refute that offer; they both know it won't be on the table again.
Surprisingly Quinn doesn't even hesitate before she rolls her eyes in a disinterested fashion. "Rae, it's Halloween, we have to watch a horror movie."
"Now that is certainly not true because this is my seventeenth Halloween and I have never chosen to watch a horror movie on this night. You used the word 'have', I think perhaps you should have used the word 'could'. It would have been a better choice and would have offered an option for something to do tonight rather than a necessity."
"Watching a horror is like a rite of passage on this night."
"I'm not much of a stickler for tradition."
Quinn tilts her head to the side and gives a quiet snort of derision. "You told me that every first night of Hanukkah; you sit down with your dads for a three course meal before watching Yentl because it's what Leroy did with his parents growing up," Quinn tells her. "Every morning you wake up at 6am to perform what can only be described as a substantial waste of time, or as you call it, your morning ritual. I'd say they were traditions."
"Firstly, it's not a waste of time; it's what keeps me looking rejuvenated and refreshed." Rachel holds her hands up. "Secondly, I don't want to sound too pedantic but technically, my morning ritual is a routine, not a tradition."
"Same thing."
Rachel grimaces slightly. "Again, not to sound pedantic but a tradition is normally thought of as something which is passed down through generations or something which has been established for a long-time. Since my morning routine has only been in place for two years, I'm not sure whether it qualifies as a long-time but then again, everything is debatable."
"I thought it was everything is negotiable."
"You can have more than one phrase," Rachel justifies. "Perhaps in a couple more years my morning routine can be established as a tradition."
Quinn pecks her on the lips briefly. "You're adorable, you know that right?"
"You do tell me often enough."
"Because it's true." The corner of Rachel's mouth curls upwards. "Which movie would you care to watch?" Quinn asks, changing the subject back to her initial suggestion. "I'm sure I have a couple more hidden somewhere as well if none of these take your fancy." She scratches the back of her head. "Actually, I might have left them at Santana's. We had a movie marathon the other day."
"It's not really a problem as I highly doubt any extra movie you have to suggest will take my fancy any more than the ones you've already mentioned do."
Quinn pouts and sits on the bed beside her girlfriend, leaning forward ever so slightly. "You promised me that if I watched Funny Girl, you'd watch one horror movie with me on Halloween."
"I do understand that and normally, I'm not one to break a deal but if we truly analyse the terms of the deal, I think you'll agree it's hardly a fair trade. Funny Girl is an absolute classic; it's Barbra at her best."
"Your point is?" Quinn shrugs before standing from the bed and reaching for a movie. "The Shining can be considered a classic; 'Here's Johnny' is one of those lines where most people will know what film it's from." She picks up another movie. "Psycho, well I don't really need to explain why that's a classic." When Rachel stares at her blankly, Quinn gasps. "We all go a little mad sometimes."
"I'm sorry?"
"They'll see and they'll know and they'll say, 'why, she wouldn't even harm a fly.'"
"Quinn, are you okay?"
Quinn blinks quickly before sighing through frustration. Sometimes her girlfriend is impossible. "Considering your knowledge regarding musicals is vastly superior to many others, your knowledge of horror movies is well below par. They were quotes from Psycho, quite recognisable quotes to most people."
"I do apologise for my lack of knowledge but watching horror movies is not my idea of a good time."
"Incidentally watching musicals isn't exactly my idea of a good time." The words come out before she can stop them and she doesn't need to look at Rachel to know it wasn't the best thing to say. Especially not when she's trying to convince Rachel to do something for her. Sure enough, when she looks at her girlfriend, Rachel is holding her hand against her heart feigning heart. "Can we just forget I said that?"
Rachel furrows her brow. "I don't think I can."
The corner of Quinn's mouth curls upwards because she knows Rachel isn't really mad. She kisses her quickly. "Forgotten?"
"Not yet."
Quinn kisses her one more time before pecking her nose because it always makes Rachel release a giggle.
"What were we talking about?" Rachel questions with a dreamy smile.
"You know what I love the most about you, ahead of your stunning good looks and love of music?"
Rachel quirks her eyebrow but agrees to play along. "Colour me intrigued."
"That you always strive to be the best at everything, no matter what."
"A philosophy that many others should follow," Rachel says. "I don't understand why one should attempt something unless they intend to try their very hardest to be the absolute best they can be."
Quinn grins. "Don't you want to be the best at knowing horror movies? I mean, you're not going to be able to surpass my knowledge but you could give it a valiant attempt."
"Quinn," Rachel husks out, resting her forehead against her girlfriend's. "This isn't going to work."
Quinn releases a frustrated groan. "Fine, but you're still picking a movie because you agreed we'd watch one together. We never get to do this and normally I'm fine with that but not tonight. I know they freak you out and scare you but I'm here, you'll be fine. A horror movie can't hurt you."
"I am aware of that Quinn, I'm not an idiot."
"I never said you were," Quinn defends quickly. "It's just…the only thing you should fear is fear itself."
"Oh is that true? I'll remind you of that next time there's a spider in your bedroom shall I?"
A shiver involuntary runs through Quinn's spine at the mere thought of the eight-legged creature. "That's different, spiders are just plain creepy."
"So are horror movies."
Quinn grabs Rachel's hands and tugs her to a standing position before leading her towards the couch. "You watched like fifteen minutes of a terrible horror movie that went straight to DVD when you were younger and because that freaked you out, you've convinced yourself you're going to be terrified of every horror movie. The fear is already eating away at you before you watch one."
"Because I know I'll be frightened."
Both girls sit down on the couch and Quinn squeezes Rachel's hand. "You know what's going to be the best thing about watching a horror movie?"
"Not watching it?"
In spite of herself, she chuckles. "No. We can be really close and when you're frightened," Quinn starts placing a kiss on Rachel's neck. "I can hold you and keep you safe." She gives Rachel a tender kiss before pulling away with a wide grin. "Besides, I'm sure horror movies can be great foreplay."
That'll do it.
"If it means you'll cease talking about horror movies, I'll watch one."
"Excellent, which one?"
"You can pick."
A knock at the door causes their attention to shift to the front door and momentarily, Rachel wonders whether Santana is pranking them again. Seconds later, a chorus of 'trick or treat' erupts and Rachel releases a breath she didn't even realise she'd been holding.
"I'll go and grab one, you can get the door."
Rachel bobs her head and stands, grabbing the bowl of candy on the kitchen counter Quinn's mother had placed there earlier, on her way to the front door. Swinging the door open, she feigns fright when she sees three young children on her doorstep, a skeleton, a witch and a ghost.
"Oh my, don't you all look frightening," she exclaims, holding the bowl out towards them, enabling them to grab a handful of candy each. "Happy Halloween."
She closes the door once they've run down Quinn's path towards the woman standing by the gate, who Rachel presumes is their mother.
"Leave the candy outside so we're not disturbed," Quinn suggests as she returns from the bedroom, inserting the DVD into the DVD player and grabbing the remote. "It really ruins the tension if people keep knocking at the front door."
"I'll just write a sign asking them to be respectful to other trick-or-treaters and only take a couple of pieces of candy," Rachel announces, reaching for a piece of paper and scribbling on it rapidly.
"I'm sure that will work Rachel."
Rachel grins, failing to notice the blatant sarcasm and sticks the paper onto the bowl of candy before opening the front door and leaving the bowl on the front step.
"Come on Rae," Quinn calls out, patting the space on the couch beside her. "I've chosen Scream because it's not really scary so you should be able to cope with it. Plus, there are three more Scream movies if you suddenly find yourself enjoying this one."
Rachel sighs heavily before walking towards her girlfriend and sitting next to her. She had wanted to spend tonight attending the Halloween dance their school was hosting but a promise is a promise. Plus, once Quinn pouts, there's no way Rachel can resist her.
One pout and Rachel succumbs to her every whim.
Quinn extends her arm over the back of the couch and Rachel happily takes the initiation to nestle her head against her girlfriend's chest.
"You ready?"
"Don't hate me if I spend the next two hours screaming."
Quinn chuckles and kisses the top of her girlfriend's head before hitting play on the remote. "Scream away."
Considering Halloween isn't her favourite night of her year, she's once again found herself succumbing to somebody else's wishes. Santana and Kurt had wanted to host a Halloween party and since every decision which would affect them or their apartment is put to a vote, Rachel found herself outnumbered and powerless to resist what they wanted. Rather than sulk, she decided to throw herself into decorating because she's always had an eye for decoration.
If her dream of achieving Broadway success ever falls through and she prays it doesn't, she's pretty confident she could have a future career in party planning. As she scans her apartment, she can't help but feel delighted at how it looks. It's been changed from an atypical New York loft to a Halloween spectacular. Decorations are strewn everywhere, from the living room to the kitchen and both bedrooms.
"Having fun Berry?" Santana asks as she sips her drink, fiddling with her pointed hat. The hat is the only item which can be distinguished as part of her costume. She hasn't really made any effort whatsoever.
"I suppose if you use the word fun loosely, then yes, I'm having fun." Rachel redoes one of her bunches before sighing heavily. "Really Santana, could you not have made a little effort tonight? I mean, it was your idea to have this party and you've not even bothered to dress up."
"I'm wearing a witch's hat because I'm a witch," Santana explains. "I think my personality makes up for anything I'm lacking."
"Congratulations Santana, that was a witty repartee," Rachel says quietly. "I'm mildly impressed."
Santana grins and finishes her drink in one go. Her eyes are glazed over and Rachel can tell the alcohol is working for her, she's already buzzed and the party has only been in motion for less than an hour.
"Santana, I really must insist you drink a little less or perhaps drink slower than you currently are. I do not want to spend the entire night looking after you."
"You are not my mother Rachel."
"That's a blessing if ever I've heard one," Rachel mumbles under her breath.
Santana frowns because she couldn't hear exactly what Rachel said but she thinks it might have been a snide remark. She shrugs. "Where's Q-ball tonight?"
"Unfortunately, she's still at Yale," Rachel tells her, a hint of disappointment lacing her voice. It's only their second Halloween together as a couple and Quinn is too busy with university work to make the trip to New York.
Not that Rachel can really blame her, she hasn't had the time to travel in New Haven in the last couple of weeks but she can't pretend she doesn't miss her girlfriend. She actually thought Quinn might enjoy the idea of a Halloween party but she informed her last week, as fun as it sounded, she would be unable to come. They spoke on Skype earlier this morning and Quinn promised she would try and make it up to New York in the next couple of days, once her deadlines had passed.
A couple of days is better than nothing so she'll just have to be impatient and complain to Santana and Kurt about how much she misses her girlfriend.
"It's not like her to miss all the festivities. Especially a party for Halloween, she loves the day."
"I know, she's already texted me telling me about several parties which are happening at her campus that she cannot go to because she's completely snowed under with essays. People in costumes keep walking past her window."
The corner of Santana's mouth curls upwards. "Well maybe she'll manage to finish her work."
"I wish." When Santana grins, Rachel shakes her head. "Do not get any ideas in your head; if Quinn does somehow manage to turn up tonight, she is receiving my undivided attention. She told me what happened the last time you two met up and spent the night drinking."
Santana puffs out an annoyed breath. "Q really needs to learn that some things are supposed to be secret."
"For your information, Quinn and I don't have any secrets," Rachel informs her. "I just have two points to bring to your attention. Firstly, when did you acquire fake IDs?"
"A few months back, did you really expect me to live in New York without being able to drink?"
"You are entitled to drink underage as much as your heart desires because it's your life and only you are in control but I would very much appreciate it if you didn't take my girlfriend down the same illegal route."
"It's not like I forced her to accept the ID."
Her reply falls on deaf ears. "Secondly, in future, please refrain from asking Quinn to be your wing woman. She is a very beautiful woman and receives her fair share of flirtation on a normal day without you taking her to a lesbian club."
"Oh please, like Q-ball would ever look at somebody else. I honestly don't think she even knows what a roving eye is."
"That may be true but everybody can be tempted Santana. You should know that better than anybody. You're tempted by any woman with a pulse."
"That's because I'm not exactly choosy when it comes to women," Santana argues. "Quinn on the other hand is. She loves you, for the life of me, I don't understand why but she does. She's not going to go off with a strange woman in a bar." She points to herself. "That's my job."
That comforts Rachel slightly. Obviously she knows Quinn would never cheat on her but she isn't comfortable with the amount of times other women and men attempt to get her into bed.
"I understand that you enjoy being promiscuous but do you not miss being in a monogamous relationship?" Rachel asks quietly. "After Brittany –"
"Hold up," Santana shouts out. "What was the first rule I declared when you asked me to live here."
Rachel tilts her head to the side. "I never asked you to move in Santana, you appeared one day with a suitcase and decided you were going to live with me and Kurt."
"Semantics," Santana admits with a scoff. "What was the rule?"
"If you value your life, don't touch my stuff," Rachel recites with a confused expression. What that has to do with Brittany is anybody's guess.
Santana furrows her brow. "Okay, what was my second rule?"
Rachel sighs lightly, now she understands. "If you value your life, don't talk about Brittany."
"Precisely, I don't want to hear you mention her name," Santana warns lowly. "Now…" She pushes a cup across the counter towards her roommate. "Drink up; it's supposed to be a party."
Rachel accepts the drink as Santana leaves her alone in the kitchen. She sniffs it warily because her friend has a profound habit of spiking her soft drinks with alcohol. Santana is aware, as everybody is, that Rachel doesn't enjoy drinking, partly because of what happened during alcohol awareness week in Glee club and partly because she isn't one to break the law. Apparently this doesn't work for Santana because she prefers Rachel when she has liquor flowing through her, so she always tries to make her drink. Rachel decides she's going to add a little more fruit juice to whatever this concoction is, just to air on the side of the caution. Turning around to face the fridge, she jumps and places her hand against her now rapidly beating heart.
She's not alone in the kitchen like she first thought.
Standing practically right behind her, within touching distance, is somebody dressed perfectly in the Ghost face costume from Scream. Rachel recognises it immediately. After watching the first Scream movie last year, she had, reluctantly admitted to Quinn she'd enjoyed it and they proceeded to watch the remaining movies.
Much to Quinn's delight.
Rachel has to admit, Quinn had been right. Horror movies were great foreplay.
"Goodness, you scared me."
Ghost face tilts their head to the side but remains silent.
"I must say, your costume is perhaps one of the scariest at this party," Rachel comments as she sips her drink, grimacing once she realises Santana had indeed laced it with some form of liquor. "I for one find horror movies somewhat, well I suppose terrifying is an adequate word to use, so the fact you're dressed as a fictional serial killer is quite chilling." Rachel scans her apartment and sighs lightly. "Most people in attendance haven't put much, if any, effort into their costume choice for tonight so I admire you for making an effort. It's applause worthy."
"Thank you."
When the voice comes out exactly like the menacing voice Ghost face possesses, Rachel steps back. "I see you've even acquired the voice changer used in the movie. I must give you my praises, this is an exceptional effort. Care to reveal yourself so I can actually applaud you face to face?" Ghost face shakes their head and Rachel nods slowly. "That's understandable. Magicians never give away how they do their tricks because it would ruin the illusion; I suppose the same can be said for you. It would ruin the authenticity if you revealed your identity.
"Yo hobbit, is it alright if I use your bedroom for a second?" Santana asks as she stands a few feet away from her, holding the hand of a woman Rachel has never met before.
The girl certainly worked quickly, she's only just walked away from Rachel.
"Absolutely not Santana," Rachel says sternly, walking towards her roommate. "You will not use my bedroom, or more importantly my bed, to engage in coitus with somebody you've only just met."
"Well I can't exactly use my bed since I sleep on the couch and that's currently occupied," Santana bites back, pointing to the group of people sitting on the couch, playing what looks like a rather intense drinking game.
"Alas, that is not my problem. Stay out of my bedroom Santana."
Santana groans before scanning the crowd of people in their apartment. "Kurt," she shouts, over the music and chatter. "Kurt!"
"Unbelievable," Rachel mutters under her breath. "She's only been broken up with Brittany for about two months and she's already back to old Santana. Sleeping with people and not caring about them or herself." She looks up once she's finished talking to herself and shakes her head.
"You know they say talking to yourself is the first sign of craziness," Ghost face tells her before brushing past her and disappearing into the party.
The party has been in full swing for a couple of hours now and despite her best efforts, she has drunk alcohol, or at least more than that first sip of her drink. She's not entirely sure how because she's been monitoring her drinks and always adding more fruit juice but when you live with Santana, you're always at risk. Santana is like a hawk around alcohol. Although she hasn't seen her roommate since she disappeared with the unfamiliar woman and she's been too scared to enter her bedroom.
Telling Santana not to do something makes her want to do it even more.
She's like a child in that respect.
She's startled when she feels hands wrap around her waist and the feel of a mask against her cheek. It's almost as if somebody is trying to kiss her underneath her ear but the mask is forming a barrier and preventing it.
Something which Rachel is immensely grateful for.
"What's your favourite scary movie?"
Pushing away from the other person's embrace, she brushes herself down before turning around to come face to face once more with Ghost face.
"I'm sorry but we need to make one thing clear. You are not allowed to touch me like that," she chastises as gently but firmly as she can manage. "I have a girlfriend, whom I love with all my heart, so I would appreciate it if you keep your hands to yourself in future."
Ignoring her comment, Ghost face reaches for her once more.
"Okay, clearly you seem to have a problem with following orders," Rachel spits harshly. "I will spell it out for you in the simplest way possibly. You are not allowed to touch me! I don't even know who you are."
"Do you want to die tonight?"
Rachel rolls her eyes at the question. "I have to admit, you are most definitely in character tonight and I do admire your commitment. You're even using his lines but I have no interest in playing this game with you any longer. Please, leave me alone."
She dashes away from the stranger before they can make another pass at her but only makes it as far as the front door before she's accosted by Kurt and Blaine.
"Blaine finally made it," Kurt announces.
Rachel frowns as she glances at the clock. He's very late arriving at the party but then again, punctuality isn't everybody's thing.
"Would you do me a favour and put this on my bed please?" Kurt asks, handing her Blaine's coat.
"Kurt, I'm not entirely sure your bedroom is vacant and I do not wish to enter it if that's the case. Living with Santana has meant that I've already seen more of her than I care for, I do not wish to see any more."
Kurt chuckles loudly. "She's not in there, don't worry."
Rachel sighs through relief before nodding. "In that case, I shall do as you ask." She starts walking towards his bedroom, or rather his area of the apartment separated by a curtain. She's just passing her own curtain when a hand reaches out from behind it and grabs her, a gloved hand coming to rest over her mouth, silencing Rachel's scream of fright. Whoever has grabbed her pulls her into her own bedroom before releasing their grasp.
As soon as she's free, she turns around and stomps petulantly when she sees none other than Ghost face.
This person is really becoming a nuisance now.
"Now that is enough. This is beyond a humorous joke; do you have any idea how scared I just was?" Rachel shouts angrily. "Your behaviour is unacceptable and I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave this party and more importantly, my apartment. I will not be frightened in my own home. Nor will I be fondled by some stranger who is too invested in their costume choice. I know I admired it but now I find it just plain strange."
A laugh erupts from underneath the mask.
"This is no time for laughter; remove yourself from my apartment before I remove you myself."
Obviously she would ask Santana to remove this unwanted guest but the stranger doesn't need to know that.
"Rachel, calm down. It's me."
"Calm down?" Rachel repeats with sheer infuriation. "I will most certainly not calm down. How dare you ask me to do that?" She freezes all of a sudden when the realisation hits her that the voice which has just spoken to her is no longer distorted. It's not the voice of Ghost face; instead, it's husky and instantly recognisable.
"Quinn?"
Quinn removes her mask and smiles widely at her girlfriend. "Surprise Rachel." She expects a smile or a hug in return but Rachel's face falls before she slaps Quinn repeatedly in the arm. "Ow, Rachel! Quinn attempts to grab her girlfriend's arm but Rachel's reflexes have always been fast and the girl continues to slap her. "Will you stop hitting me?" This time, she manages to grab hold of one hand before reaching for the other. "That's better. Honestly, you try to surprise your girlfriend and this is what you get."
Rachel pauses for a second and takes a deep breath before grimacing. "I profusely apologise for hitting you. I don't know what came over me."
"It's fine," Quinn reassures. "It's not like you're particularly strong."
"Do you have any idea how much you scared me?"
"I'm sorry; I honestly didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to surprise you and you know I love Halloween so I couldn't resist playing a little bit of a game. I thought you'd find it amusing." She wraps her arms around Rachel's waist and tugs her closer to her, grinning when Rachel doesn't resist her. She's always been able to win Rachel over. "Do you forgive me?"
"Are you telling me that this is what I have to look forward to?" Rachel questions. "To always be scared on Halloween if I continue to date you."
"Probably, but I'll always be there to protect you."
"I suppose it's a good thing I love you then isn't it?" Quinn kisses her gently. "What are you doing here? I thought you had too much work?"
"I made sure I finished it in time, I wanted to surprise you by making an appearance."
Rachel grins. "Well you've definitely achieved the surprise you desired."
"I love the Dorothy costume by the way; my girlfriend really does have fantastic legs."
Rachel blushes. She always does when Quinn compliments her. Standing beside somebody who looks like a Greek goddess is always intimidating but Quinn never fails to make her feel like the most special and beautiful girl in the world. "I've felt self-conscious all night."
"You don't need to," Quinn says with a kiss. "You look sexy."
Rachel grins and ducks her head bashfully. "I would say the same to you but you're a little too covered for my liking."
Quinn chuckles before ripping off the dark cloak and throwing it on Rachel's bed. "You will not believe how hot it is in that costume. I've been sweating all night. I thought I was about to pass out at several points."
"You do certainly know how to paint a pretty picture."
"I'm an English major; I have a way with creativity."
"I can't believe you've been here all night and taken this long to say hello. I mean I should have known it was you from when you tried to kiss me under the ear," Rachel tells her. "You know that's my weak spot. Plus, you were saying all the perfect lines. I have to admit; now I know it was you, the whole 'do you want to die tonight?' is no longer creepy but amusing."
Quinn frowns. "What are you talking about?"
"Earlier in the living room when you approached me. You grabbed me around the waist and asked me what my favourite scary movie was."
"No I never," Quinn clarifies. "Rach, the only time I spoke to you tonight was in the kitchen. I spent the rest of the night with Santana. The girl she was attempting to hook up with walked away because apparently Santana couldn't cease talking about Brittany. She blames you for that by the way; you mentioned Brittany and because of that, Santana couldn't stop thinking about her. She's spent the last hour crying to me about how much she still loves her."
"Is this supposed to be your idea of a joke Quinn?" Rachel asks firmly. "I know you think Halloween is supposed to be scary and all about giving people frights but this isn't funny. Just admit it was you."
"Rachel, I am not joking. I swear to you. Just ask Santana. You'll have to wait until she wakes up though, she's passed out."
Rachel swallows nervously. "Then who was the other Ghost face?"
Quinn shrugs her shoulders. "It was probably just somebody playing a prank on you. Don't worry about it, it's not like they were really a serial killer."
Somehow, Quinn's reassurance doesn't reassure her.
Several minutes later they return to the living room and Rachel immediately scans the apartment for the other anonymous ghost face. A shiver runs through her spine when there's nobody there matching that description.
"Quinn?" Quinn hums in response. "There's nobody else dressed like Ghost face in this apartment."
"Don't worry Rach, it was just a prank. I'm going to get a drink, do you want one?"
Rachel shakes her head and watches as Quinn walks away. Quinn's words play over and over again in her mind. She's right, everything is just a prank.
Until one day it's something more.