AN: So yeah, the blame and credit for this idea has to go to Tumblr user, and fellow awesome author, Obsessivekumpulsivereadr, who first prompted it on Tumblr and then decided I was the one to write it.
This wasn't the fic I was meant to be working on, but when the muse commands, I obey.
Set during Glee 4x06, 'Glease', and needless to say is hilariously AU and OOC.
Title from 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light' by Meat Loaf.
Warnings: Major Character Death.
Disclaimer: If Glee were mine, this might well have happened in the episode. Not mine.
Glowing Like The Metal On The Edge Of A Knife
Tina seethed as she stared at Finn's smug face; so proud of himself for having 'solved' their Rizzo problem at a stroke. Never mind that Tina was ready willing and able to take the role, no, he just had to bring Santana back, then rub it in by stating that she was 'the only one who could fill the part'. Asshole.
She looked around at the rest of the cast and rolled her eyes at the near worshipful expressions they were directing in Finn and Santana's direction. Unique met Tina's eyes for a moment with a sad smile before leaving the backstage area for her seat in the audience.
Her eyes followed Unique out of the door, and she froze in shock as she saw Kurt and Rachel stop to greet Unique before coming backstage, looking around curiously at all the set dressing and costumes, exchanging smiles and warm greetings with members of the A/V club and jazz band.
She swung back around and had to fight back a smirk at the gobsmacked expression on Finn's features, and Blaine's terrified deer in the headlights look. They swarmed forward to greet the two divas, and Tina aloowed herself to fall back, observing the whole time while accepting Mike's asinine comment that she was the only one who could possibly play Jan.
Blaine's face lit up briefly when Kurt spoke to him, before crashing back into depression again as Kurt dismissed him with a cold look, ice queen persona fully in place in the aftermath of Blaine's oft-whispered about cheating. Finn wasn't much better, all but wagging his tail as he tried to show off the whole production at once to Rachel, seeking her approval of his hard work.
The two of them left soon after, heading for the auditorium seating area, and Tina rolled her eyes at the crestfallen expressions on Finn and Blaine's faces. It was gonna be a long opening night.
…...
The show had gone off without much of a hitch, and the opening night party was in full swing when Tina arrived, Mike dogging her heels like a persistent shadow and carrying the pizzas Finn had sent them to pick up, a treat for the cast and crew.
Tina (or more likely the pizza) was welcomed enthusiastically and she was soon pulled into a conversation with Ryder and Marley, Mike hovering around her and all but begging for scraps of her attention. She'd known he'd been affected by their break up, but she hadn't wanted to risk a long distance relationship crashing and burning like Klaine and Finchel had. Now that Mike was back in Lima he was clearly angling to get back together, and she couldn't deny that the near devotion he was showing her was extremely flattering.
The party-goers descended on the pizza like a plague of locusts, and she smirked internally as they began to wolf it down. She stuck to the vegetarian pizza herself, and noted Kurt and Sam doing the same. Blaine was hanging around Kurt and pathetically begging for his attention, and she noted Kurt getting more and more irritated with him, expression set in a permanent bitch face.
It didn't take long for the special 'seasoning' she'd added to all the pizzas but the vegetarian to kick in, people beginning to clutch at their stomachs and groan, bending double and in some cases collapsing to the ground.
She smiled as she watched them all being rendered helpless, reaching inside her dress and pulling out the blade she'd secreted at the small of her back. Mike stared at the blade for a long second, then stepped backwards, head bowed submissively.
Tina strode forward, kneeling by the fallen figure of Santana, who still retained enough grip on herself to throw a volley of Spanish profanity at her, centred primarily around Santana being a much better Rizzo than Tina could ever hope to be. Tina rolled her eyes then fisted her hand in Santana's hair, tilting her head back and exposing her throat. She savoured the moment as the blade in her hand flashed once, leaving a line of crimson in its wake.
Santana gasped, trying desperately to breath while staring up at Tina with the most peculiarly betrayed look in her eyes. Tina allowed herself to revel in the moment of victory, allowing it to show on her face as the light left Santana's eyes, and they rolled back into her head as her body went limp
She pivoted on her knees as she heard a wavering scream, meeting Brittany's furious and heartbroken expression. She stood in one smooth motion and crossed the room to stand over Britt, looking down at her for a second with an almost pitying expression on her face, before kneeling and thrusting the blade into her heart. Britt's back arched off the floor for a moment then she slumped back.
As Tina stood up again she caught Kurt's glasz-eyed stare from across the room. To her quiet surprise he didn't look remotely perturbed by her actions, and was that a swiftly hidden look of approval? His eyes went flat and cold as Blaine clutched at the material of his pants, trying to haul himself upright using Kurt as a support while gazing up at him piteously.
Kurt allowed Blaine to haul himself up onto his knees before him, then cupped the younger boy's cheeks for a moment, holding him in place with a warm smile on his face. Blaine looked as though all his dreams had come true for a moment, and that look was still on his face when Sam stepped up behind him, gripping the top of his head and his neck firmly and twisting, snapping Blaine's neck in one brutally smooth action, muscular arms bulging.
As Blaine slumped to the side Kurt surged forward, gripping Sam's face firmly as he slammed their mouths together, nipping and biting at Sam's full lips until they parted and he could lick into the blond's mouth, both of them moaning as they stood over Blaine's corpse.
Shaking off the distraction they caused Tina looked around the room, searching for her next target. She zeroed in on Finn and strolled almost casually across the room, blade slicing Marley from ear to ear as she passed, the brunette's blood spattering on Mike's face as he followed in her wake. She kicked Finn in the balls just for the pleasure of hearing the high pitched noise he released in response, then slammed the blade home into his eye socket.
She was stunned when a body impacted with her legs, glaring down at Jake as he snarled up at her, rage in his eyes. She was grudgingly impressed by his ability to shrug off the drugs she'd added to the pizza, but didn't let that stop her from bringing the hilt of her blade down on his forehead hard enough to leave a dent and cause him to release her, then kneeling to slit his throat.
Across the room Kurt broke away from his embrace with Sam and slowly approached Kitty, her upturned eyes were terrified as she looked at him, and a chilling smile crossed Kurt's face as he knelt slowly at her side, hand covering her nose and mouth as she thrashed and struggled for air. He used his free hand to pin her down and watched dispassionately as she sagged and went limp, body spasming once before going still.
At the same time Sam crouched next to Mercedes, almost tenderly stroking her forehead for a moment before slamming the palm of his hand into her nose, breaking it and sending bone fragments into her brain.
Ryder struggled to his feet and made a break for the door, only to be intercepted by Mike, who struggled with him for a second until he had the younger jock pinned. Tina put a generous sway in her hips as she walked towards them, and as she slid the blade into him she leaned over his shoulder and kissed Mike, deepening the clinch as Ryder went still and cold between them.
As they broke apart they allowed Ryder's corpse to drop to the ground; Tina momentarily raising her blade to trace Mike's cheek, leaving a trail of her victim's blood on his features as he stared at her worshipfully.
She took a moment to stare around the room, and meandered towards Artie's wheelchair, Sugar had collapsed into their director's arms, and he was cradling her close even as they both moaned and groaned from the effects of the drugs. She tore Sugar from Artie's arms and slashed her wildly with the blade, leaving criss-crossing marks on Sugar's spindly arms and legs before leaving her to fall to the floor and die of blood loss.
She seated herself in Artie's lap, remembering the times when she'd done this when they'd been together, and leaned in to whisper a quiet "goodbye" in his ear as she slid the blade home. She bit down on his ear as he stiffened, then released him and stood as he slumped against the back of the chair.
She actually felt a twinge of remorse for a second, he hadn't been that bad a boyfriend after all, but he had supported Finn in casting Santana as Rizzo so he was just as guilty of trying to keep her down, keep her in the background. Tina Cohen-Chang was nobody's backup, not anymore.
She span the blade in her hand for a moment, then threw it, watching as it thudded home in Joe's chest. Mike slowly approached her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leaning into her and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.
Sam and Kurt approached as well, hands clasped and pressed together tightly side to side.
They all four looked at one another for a second, then turned in unison and headed for the door, never looking back, leaving behind their past, looking towards the future.
Free at last.
AN: This is very different to my usual fare. Rougher and much darker.
I'm not sure what to make of it, so I'll post it up for you to decide.