AN: Okay, first off the plot/inspiration for this story is based off the film, Ladyhawke. If you haven't seen the film that's fine because you don't need to have seen it to understand this story. But it wouldn't hurt to take a glance at a plot summary off of wikipedia or something for those who are completely unfamilar with the film - just to you know, get an idea of what's to come.
As for a timeline, this would be like an AU Season 2 just because I mention a few things that happened back in Season 1. This story will be Rachel-centric at first but once we dive into more of the backstory of our centric couple that will change.
Anyways, read. enjoy. review!
Rachel Berry was having a good Monday.
Despite being surrounded by nothing but her fellow peers languidly moving along the school corridors like the bunch of hung-over underachievers they were, she walked down the hallways of McKinley with her usual pep in her step and a bright smile gracing her features.
She had just received her Spanish test back from Mr. Schuster - she of course aced it - and had actually managed to avoid receiving a slushie facial from any one of the Neanderthal jocks. Granted there was still plenty of time left in the school day for that to still happen but she didn't dare dwell on the possibility. She was in too good a mood.
Aside from the new solo piece she planned to perform in glee later on in the day, she also intended on rekindling her romance with Finn Hudson today. Things took a rather sour turn for their relationship last year when Finn broke up with her due to the typical male commitment issues.
Issues that prompted her to move onto Vocal Adrenaline's lead vocalist Jesse St. James, though that relationship eventually ended disastrously and resulted in her getting egged (to this day she involuntarily flinches every time she sees an egg). And of course by then Finn was more than willing to start a real relationship with her but the same couldn't be said for her.
And while he was disappointed at first, Finn understood that after the whole Jesse debacle, she needed time to herself before jumping into another relationship. He promised that he would wait for her and he has.
Now that a new school year has arrived and what with glee destined to win regionals and subsequently take nationals by storm, she finally felt like it was the perfect time to be with the boy she loved.
She swiftly turns the corner branching into the hallway where said boy's locker was. No doubt he would currently be there exchanging his U.S. History textbook for his Chemistry one.
(As she worked as an office aid this semester, she managed to get her hands on a copy of Finn's schedule - naturally she committed it to memory almost immediately.)
As she maneuvered through the congested hallway and got closer to his locker, her handsome male lead slowly came closer into view. But for the first time that day, she felt the smile she had managed to uphold since early this morning faltering at the sight before her.
At this range she was able to see that Finn was not standing alone at his locker. Instead he had Quinn Fabray at his side, the two of them conversing as he swapped his books.
Her brow furrowed at the scene. She wasn't aware they were even friends. Sure they were in glee together but she had never really seen Quinn openly interact with, well anyone since the girl arrived at McKinley last spring.
If Rachel had to chose one word to describe Quinn Fabray it would be: mystery. Because that was exactly what the girl was. Not only to her but to the entire school - faculty included.
Despite having two classes with the girl, as well as glee, she knew about as much about the blonde as everyone else did. So naturally all the obscurity surrounding Quinn's life resulted in a whirlwind of rumors flying amuck. None, by the way, which Quinn ever bothered to address - though she kind of understood why, most of the gossip was absolutely absurd and not worth acknowledging in the first place.
Reining herself in from her own internal musings, she quickly refocuses her attention back on the two teenagers in time to see Finn abruptly pull Quinn into a hug, grinning boyishly all the while.
So much for Finn waiting for her.
Dejected, she turns around and starts for her next class before either one could spot her standing there. Here she was finally ready to begin a serious relationship with Finn and now it looked as though he was ready to start one with none other than Quinn Fabray - the most beautiful girl to grace McKinley High since…well, ever.
Great. Just great.
And as if her day couldn't have gotten any worse, she rounded the corner only to be met with an icy red splash of a slushie to the face. The boys' laughter trailed down the hallway as they kept walking.
Needless to say she was no longer having a good Monday.
—
It wasn't until her fourth period English class where someone finally decided to comment on her lackluster demeanor. That someone had been Mercedes Jones, who happened to share the class with her along with Kurt Hummel.
After informing them of the cause of her distress, her fellow glee-clubbers quickly became her voice of reason and persuaded her to get the facts straightened out before she went around sulking. Of course they were right. She only wished she had come to that conclusion sooner. It was so obvious.
Sweeping her hair over her shoulder, she turned back around in her seat to face the white board. A determined look swept across her face. At lunch she would get a hold of Finn and demand he explain the nature of his relationship with Quinn Fabray. Then if his answer proved satisfactorily enough, she would invite him over for dinner where they then could discuss the nature of their relationship. Or maybe just sing a ballad to one another instead.
Personally she preferred the latter, that way they would get in extra practice for sectionals.
She scurries over to the cafeteria to confront Finn as soon as she had settled her disagreement with her English teacher after class (the woman had the audacity to give her a B- on a essay that should have received an A).
The smell of undercooked tater tots wafted through the air of crowded lunchroom though the odor no longer bothered her like it had during freshman year and now she found herself ignoring it completely.
She pursed her lips together in a firm line as she scanned the area for any sight of Finn. She first zoned in on the lunch line only to come up empty handed. Her gaze snapped over to the jock/cheerio tables where Finn, as well as the rest of glee's football players and cheerios, ate.
Dismayed at his absence, her gaze drifts over toward the table where the five original glee members sat. Since Quinn had been known to join them on occasion, she figured Finn might be over there today - if her assumptions about the two of them proved true anyways. Unfortunately neither Finn nor Quinn were at the table.
Oh, God. Their names rhyme.
Shaking her head of that realization, she reluctantly heads toward her usual table. "Greetings all." she states, though lacking her usual enthusiasm, once she reached the table. Her gaze continues to dart around the area for any sight of Finn as she sat down.
"I thought you were going to talk to Finn." Mercedes brings up as she chomps on a slice of green apple, clearly sensing her unresolved frustration.
"He's nowhere in sight." She huffs, shaking her head and crossing his arms. "He's probably in some closest making out with her." She balked at the very idea.
"Jealousy is not a good color on you, Rachel." Kurt comments before sharing a knowing look with Mercedes. She turns her head and scowls.
"And for your information if Finn is off in some closet with a girl, it's not Quinn."
Her head snaps back to meet Kurt's gaze, her own eyes narrowing. "And how would you know?"
Taking a moment to roll his eyes, Kurt then uses his fork to point behind him. Artie, Tina, and Mercedes all turn their heads while she followed the direction in which Kurt's fork was pointing to. In a corner table near the long wall of windows that overlooked the courtyard sat a lone Quinn Fabray with her attention on the book in front of her.
The animosity that had filled her veins only seconds ago quickly started to dissipate. "Feel awful, yet?" Mercedes inquires.
"She could still be seeing Finn." she murmurs lowly, pouting slightly.
"So what if she is?" Mercedes retorts. "It's not like you have a claim on the boy. You two aren't together. She did nothing wrong."
The table stared at Mercedes long and hard, unsure as to why she was suddenly coming to the defense of a girl none of them really knew.
"Quinn goes to the same church that I do." Mercedes explains, shifting uncomfortably at the four pairs of eyes staring her down. "I see her every Sunday and from the few conversations I've had with her, she seems really nice… And sane - which is more than I can for certain people at this table." She adds, directing her gaze back onto Rachel.
She scoffs indignantly at that implication. "I resent that remark."
"Either way it's true." Artie chuckles, prompting the others to follow suit.
"If you want to find out what's going on with her and Finn, why don't you just ask her?" Tina wonders, taking a bite of her carrot stick. "It's not that hard."
"Fine." she replies stiffly before pushing herself upright. "I'll do just that."
It wasn't like she was scared of the girl. Cause she definitely wasn't.
First taking a brief second to smooth out her skirt, she then makes her way over to Quinn's table. She ignores the heavy feeling of her fellow glee clubbers' eyes following her. With her chin held high and back straight, she settles herself in the seat across from Quinn, prompting the blonde to tear her gaze away from the pages in front of her.
"Hello, Quinn." she greets curtly, managing a polite smile. "Is it okay if I join you today?" She knew it was customary to say that before one sat down but she had a feeling Quinn would say okay anyways.
Quinn drops her hand from her neck and slowly straightens up, wariness etched across her features.
At this close proximity Rachel was able to see just how flawless the blonde's skin actually was. God, did she even have pores?
"Is there something I can help you with, Rachel?"
She lifts her gaze from the girl's gorgeous cheekbones and looks into her haunting green eyes. She almost rolls her own eyes right then and there. Of course Quinn's eyes were green. No, she couldn't just be a regular blonde haired, blue-eyed girl like all the rest. She just had to have exotic green eyes.
She knew she was just being petty and maybe a little insecure but she couldn't help it. Especially when sitting across from perfection personified. And the fact that Quinn may or may not be seeing Finn did not help either.
"I demand to know what is going on with you and Finn. There I said it." She pulls her hands back and crosses her arms as she awaits the blonde's response.
"I'm not dating him if that's what you want to know." Quinn replies with out hesitation. "And I don't have a crush on him or have any intention on being romantically involved with him. He's not even my type. "
"Well…good." For a second she wondered if Quinn was gay or something because ever since she came to McKinley she never seemed to take any interest in the boys that pursued her (I.e. Puck and more recently their newest glee member, Sam).
"We have History together." Quinn continues to explain. "Finn isn't doing so well in the class and today he asked if I wouldn't mind tutoring him and I agreed to help him out. That's basically what you saw earlier at his locker."
She shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "So…you saw me then, huh?"
Quinn nods. "Finn was oblivious, but then again he always is, but yes, I noticed you."
As she pondered why Finn didn't bother asking her for help in history, her gaze caught sight of a tribal-looking bracelet around Quinn's left wrist. It didn't exactly go with her outfit and certainly didn't seem like her style. When she commented about it, Quinn simply replied, "It was a gift." before tugging her cardigan sleeve over it.
She frowned at this but didn't further question her about it.
"Back to Finn." Quinn firmly states. "If you have a problem with me tutoring him, I will gladly tell him I can't help him after all. I'm sure he would much rather have you tutoring him anyways."
"Thank you for the offer but I'm sure if Finn wanted my help he would have asked for it." She was still a little hurt, and pissed off, at that fact.
Quinn exhales heavily. "The only reason he didn't ask you is because he doesn't want you to think of him as an idiot."
She scoffs. "But I would never-!"
"That's just what he said." Quinn replies, holding up her hands in surrender. "Now if you'll excuse me…"
She watches with a furrowed brow as the blonde gatheres up her things and stood up. "Where are you going?" She glances at the watch on her left wrist before looking up at her. "Lunch isn't over yet." And she hardly felt like their little discussion was over.
"I've got somewhere I have to be. See you in glee." She watches as Quinn turns on her heel and saunters out of the cafeteria, inadvertantly catching the eye of a few males in the process.
Later that day, right before glee started, she cornered Finn and informed him that she would love it if they rekindled their romance. Finn was absolutely ecstatic, since he had been wanting this ever since she was dating Jesse (much to the delight of her ego).
They proclaimed their love for one another right there in the choir room, and sealed it with a kiss (much to the dismay of their fellow glee-clubbers but she paid them no attention). It was just like the movies.
It would have been an absolutely perfect had she not spotted Quinn sporting a rather longing gaze in that same moment. So much for the girl not wanting to be with her boyfriend. She should have known that was a lie. But either way, she was back together with Finn and he only had eyes for her. That was all that mattered.
The rest of the week went by without a hitch. The glee assignment had been adult contemporary and while the others approached the genre with an appalling lack of gusto, she of course ended the week on a high note by choosing the seminal Cèline Dion classic, "My Heat Will Go On" to sing.
(Ms. Dion couldn't have given a more moving and powerful performance, if she did say so herself).
When she finished the last note, she expected to be met with thunderous applause, tear-stained faces, and a standing ovation (at the very least). But once again her peers failed to meet her expectations and she was instead met with disinterested faces and standard applause, with the exception of Finn, thankfully. She figured it was solely due to the fact that the weekend was finally upon them and her singing was the only thing that separated them from their freedom.
Oh well. They would come to appreciate her talents soon enough.
Though she kind of hoped it would be sooner rather than later.
Saturday morning she promptly woke up at the same time she did everyday. 6:00 am. Her body was so used to this that she found herself no longer in need of an alarm (though she set one every night just in case). Hopping out of bed, she began humming a pitch perfect rendition of "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" from Oklahoma! as she combed out her shiny dark locks. She then dressed in grey yoga pants and her pink sweatshirt. She laced up her color coordinated running shoes and slipped her ipod in her pocket before bounding downstairs and into the kitchen.
Breakfast was very important. She liked to create her own unique juices and smoothies each morning to fend off any bugs she may have picked up in that disgusting petri dish of a school. All one had to do to catch a virus at McKinley was step through the door. She always took the necessary precautions. There was no way she was going to have an encore of her experience with laryngitis. Losing her voice had been traumatic, to say the least.
As she collects the ingredients necessary to create her favorite StarBerry smoothie, she went over morning schedule in her head. First she would partake in her usual morning run for an hour. Then she would come home and train on her elliptical for thirty minutes. She would finish with yoga before showering and starting on her daily vocal exercises. After that she would complete any weekend homework she had and then once she finished with that she would call up Finn to confirm their mall date for the afternoon.
Once she finished her smoothie, paired with a whole wheat muffin, she headed out the front door (but not before leaving the standard note to her dads, who had yet to start their day). As she scrolled through her ipod with one hand, she used the other to stick her earbuds in each ear. She double-clicked until the music from her jogging playlist filled her ears before starting her morning trek.
She ran along the pathway of Lima's sole hiking trail for awhile before altering her course and venturing deeper into the woodsy area. While she knew doing so would be ill-advised by some, she was confident running in the midst of nature at its most beautiful (as long as she had her rape whistle and mace on hand, of course).
It wasn't long before sunlight peaked through the overcast sky signaling the start of daybreak. She gradually slowed her movements to catch her breath. She came to a stop and removed her earbuds, letting them dangle out of the collar of her sweatshirt.
While her heart pounding in her ears and her breath evening out, she takes a minute to admire her surroundings. The scents, the sounds, and the scenery were all things she enjoyed immensely, especially at this time of day. Everything was just so peaceful…
Snap.
Mildly startled, her body stiffens. Her eyes dart around the forest for the cause only to come up empty handed. Probably just an animal of some kind. After all this was their natural habitat, not hers. Figuring it best to be on her way, she quickly stretches out her legs before slipping her earbuds back in her ears one by one. Since she hadn't bothered to pause the music, it filled her ears instantly. She turns around, ready to head back, only to come face to face with… a wolf.
A wolf. Not a dog, but a wolf.
She quickly pops her earbuds out of her ears and takes a cautious step back in hope of quelling the deep rumbling coming from the animal. "Nice wolf…don't eat me, please."
This does nothing to appease the large canine and instead prompts it to pull back its muzzle to reveal very sharp looking teeth, the growling only getting worse.
Should have never left the path. Should have never left the path. She could practically see her picture flashing across the six o'clock news now.
Local girl gets devoured by rabid animal in the woods…
Exhaling shakily, she slowly reaches into her sweatshirt pocket for her mace. While she did not relish in harming an animal (especially with mace of all things), she was not about to die now. Not at sixteen. Not by a wolf. Not in Lima. And certainly not before she had the chance of leaving behind a legacy.
"Sorry, wolf." Her thumb brushes over the push button as she aims it at the animal. Though she knew it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, it could give her a much needed head start when she bolted. She snaps her eyes shut just before she presses on the button…
"What are you doing?"
Her eyes fly open at the sudden voice just as something smacks her hand hard, knocking the mace out of her grasp. It takes her a second before realizing she had Quinn Fabray standing before her, looking livid.
Her brow furrows immediately in confusion. "Quinn?"
"What is wrong with you?" The volume at which Quinn spoke results in the birds scattering from their nests around them.
"I-I….that animal was going to eat me!" Rachel hastily exclaims, shakily pointing to the wolf that had oddly adopted a rather protective looking stance in front of Quinn. "I had to do something!"
"That animal is my dog. And he wasn't going to eat you." Quinn rolls her eyes at the very idea.
Biting back a scoff, she shoots a disbelieving look up at the blonde. "I may not know much about animals, Quinn, but I can tell the difference between a dog and a wolf." She states matter-of-factly before pointing down at the canine in question. "And that is a wolf if I ever saw one."
She instinctively takes another step back. Quinn really looked as though she was seconds away from striking her and she couldn't have anything happen to her nose…
She waits apprehensively for Quinn to say or do something in retaliation. The blonde seemed to open her mouth to speak but then closed it. She visibly noticed the girl's shoulders relax and felt herself become more at ease in response.
She swipes at the bead of sweat collecting at the top of her forehead before speaking up. She briefly gestures to the wolf at Quinn's side. "You know you should really have him on a leash."
Though she didn't buy into Quinn's claim that he was merely a dog, she figured it best to go along with it unless she wanted the blonde to sic the animal on her. Couldn't have that.
"He doesn't need one."
"Yes, I'm sure he doesn't." she mutters under her breath as her arms cross, eyeing the wolf and its razor sharp teeth warily.
Evidently Quinn heard her for she arched one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows at her. Shaking her head, Quinn turns her attention back onto her so-called dog. "He's just very protective. He doesn't do well with strangers." she explains, one hand running through the russet wolf's fur in attempt to soothe the creature.
She raises her eyebrows in surprise when it seemed to be working. "Well…You know you really shouldn't be out here alone."
Quinn looks back at her, seemingly amused. "I could say the same to you."
"I have mace and a rape whistle." she informs her promptly. "Do you?"
When Quinn doesn't answer, she nods and picks her mace up off the ground and brushes it clean. "I thought as much." She eyes the blonde curiously as she stuffs her mace back into her pocket. She couldn't help but notice that she had on the same clothes she had worn yesterday at school. Not to mention her rather mussed hair…"What are you doing out here anyways?"
"Just going for a walk." Quinn replies, her fingers now lightly scratching behind the wolf's left ear.
The lines in her forehead crease as her own eyebrow arches skeptically. "Barefoot?"
Quinn stops and briefly glances down at her own feet before shrugging sheepishly and lifting her gaze. "Not much of a shoe person, I guess." She straightens up and smoothes out the skirt of her dress.
"Right…" Rachel hesitates for a second. "Anyways, though I know we haven't spoken since our little confrontation in the cafeteria, I've been meaning to talk to you."
Quinn sighs in exasperation, staring at her jadedly with crossed arms. "Look, Rachel, I already told you-"
"Yes. Yes. I know." she calmly interjects. "I just…well I realized that I never formally apologized to you for jumping to conclusions like I did. Bu you can't really blame me, I mean after all, you are…." she drifted off.
"I am what?" Quinn inquires, brow arched expectantly.
"Well…you're…you!"
Quinn's lips form a small frown. "And what is that supposed to mean, exactly?"
Rachel fights the urge to roll her eyes. "It means you're practically perfect in every way." she replies, throwing her hands up in the air exasperatedly.
"I'm pretty sure you're describing Mary Poppins."
She waves her hand dismissively. "We're getting off topic. The point is I want to thank you for not having any interest in Finn."
"I already told you he's not my type." Quinn turns her body ready to leave. Rachel instinctively steps forward to stop her but the blonde's wolf snaps at her prompting her to keep her distance.
"I myself find pets unnecessary." she states, snapping her attention away from the rumbling wolf. "I never wanted a dog. Actually, scratch that - when I was seven I did go through a brief Toto-coveting phase after far too many viewings of The Wizard of Oz. I eventually came to my senses though. After all the first rule of show business is to never work with children or animals."
She wasn't sure why she was informing Quinn of this but she was sure that the blonde was thinking something along the same lines.
"To each his own, I guess." Quinn replies with a dismissive shrug, before turning her body once again to leave.
"If you don't mind my saying, you don't see like the animal loving type."
"Well, that just goes to show that you don't really know me, Rachel." Quinn responds over her shoulder before her figure retreats deeper into the depths of the forest, the wolf at her side.
Rachel stands rooted in her spot until the blonde was no longer in sight. Once Quinn was completely gone, she turns around and heads back the way she came with one thought in mind.
That girl is hiding something.
And she had every intention on finding out what that something was. After all it was practically her duty as glee co-captain to find out any information liable to disturb the club's well being. Cause for all they knew Quinn Fabray could have supernatural powers and be the real life version of Carrie.
Or maybe she was just an intrusively inquisitive person who wanted to find out what the deal with Quinn Fabray was.
Either way she had some befriending to do….
AN: If you'd like more, just tell me so. If not, thanks for reading anyways! Reviews are greatly appreciated!