Chapter 2

Is it hot in here? No it's just me

The next day I'm sitting in the library serving out my punishment. This morning I was given a list of students that teachers had suggested would benefit from tutoring. So far the day had gone like this:

(1st period) Brittany S. Peirce:

"Okay Brittany can you remember where the Declaration of Independence was signed?"

"At the bottom." She said with a proud grin.

(2nd period) Finn Hudson:

"Finn, shall we move on to General Calculus?"

"Who's that? Some kind of Roman warrior?"

(3rd period) Noah Puckerman:

"So what is 2k + k?"

"I know this! It's 3000! I know money, babe."

(4th period) Jacob Ben Israel:

"…"

"So how long do we have to do this until I can get inside your pants?"

Fifth period rolls around and I'm wondering if the teachers share jokes in the staff room about the hilariously idiotic comments students come out with. Scratch that, I know they do. But I'm also wondering if they are smirking gleefully at their cunning evil plan to pass off the worst ones on to me. It is brilliant punishment I have to admit. Either I actually improve these student's grades or the teachers get their revenge with my suffering or both. So it's win-win for them.

I stare down at the name of the last person on my list for today 'Rachel Berry', I don't have high expectations, not after the day I've had. A moment later a folder is placed down beside me and I look up to see a petite brunette shuffle nervously into the chair. She adjusts her skirt slightly then looks up at me with a big showy smile and extends her arm straight out towards me, "Hi. I'm Rachel Berry." The formality of the gesture catches me slightly off guard, but she seems a little nervous for some reason, so I act on instinct and return a warm smile. "Quinn Fabray" I say as I take her hand. Familiar tingles race into my hand immediately on contact and I gasp and almost drop hers due to shock.

"I know," is all she says with a small smile and a shy glance. If she noticed my gasp she didn't react to it, I casually but hastily remove my hand from hers. I drop it to my side and attempt to subtly shake it out. My hand is gradually heating up, the warmth seeping up my arm. I'm getting a sense of déjà vu and I'm trying to remember where I felt it before.

"How are you feeling today, Quinn?" she breaks me out of my thoughts and I look at her puzzled for a moment, "Yesterday, in the hallway? You had a headache? Did the aspirin help?" Suddenly it all clicks.

"Oh that was you! Sorry I didn't… Yes I'm feeling much better thanks. And thanks for the aspirin it made a huge difference." Okay that was a lie, aspirin doesn't affect my alien physiology but I really did appreciate the gesture. She beams at me. My arm pulses with heat. Maybe I'm having a bad reaction to her hand cream or something. Everything here on Earth is alien to me after all.

I think back to yesterday's encounter and I cringe inwardly.

"Sorry about my behaviour yesterday." I vaguely gesture to her face then think better of it and quickly drop my hand and clear my throat. I'm embarrassed at the thought that I had my hand all over her face and in her mouth, practically fondling her face, while insulting her. "Migraines make me a little… off." I finish lamely and mentally smack myself.

"It's quite alright, Quinn. It's understandable but perhaps next time you could make a more…visual signal for me to be quiet rather than…well…you know." Is she blushing? "Anyways I'm glad you're feeling better." I smile at her sweetness.

"Thank you. And I promise to respect your personal space and not…face grope you again." That's definitely a blush; it's a much darker shade. Feeling rather awkward I clear my throat again.

"So it says here you're having trouble with physics?"

She looks as though she is snapping herself out of something. "Uh… yes. Physics." She takes a deep breath, "Just when I think I comprehend it and regurgitate the stuff the teacher tells me into my exams, it turns out I have no clue what I'm talking about. I don't mind so much because I know I won't be using this stuff in my future career on Broadway, however, it is starting to affecting my GPA average which may prevent me getting into Julliard, and thus achieving my dreams of stardom."

I blink a few times and I'm surprised I caught all that considering the speed her mouth was moving, but once it all processes, I can't help but smile.

"Well I'm your girl…I mean, you're with the right person…I mean, you've come to the right person. Physics happens to be my specialty." Uh, Quinn? ...You know that four digit IQ you usually have? Where did it go?

Half an hour later and we have revised heat conduction and convection. I can't help but notice the irony of the topic since over the past half hour the heat from my arm has burned a path over my shoulder, head, chest, legs, until my whole body is pulsing with it. I'm starting to squirm in my seat, if I don't get out of here soon I'm going to tear out of my skin. I stumbled my way through an explanation of heat energy causing excitation of vibrating ions in close proximity to one another. I'm distracted and this topic isn't helping. "The hotter the…um…metal, the more kinetic energy these…er… vibrations have."

"So the kinetic energy is transferred along by free electrons that collide with other ions?" Rachel's brow is scrunched in an adorable way and she looks like she is really trying to follow it. Lucky for me she is more interested in finally cracking physics then my constant shifting and subtle tugging at my clothes.

"Yes exactly."

"So that's how heat energy gets transferred from one ion to another…" she trails off, speaking more to herself than to me. She is biting her pen as she concentrates on the text book in front of her, running the cap along her lip. Another wave radiates through me. I lick my lips and swallow thickly, my mouth is parched.

"Yeah…everything gets hotter…much hotter…Is it hot in here?" I don't even know what I'm saying at this point, and I'm hoping she's not really listening. I grab some papers and begin fanning myself, the temporary relief is blissful. I close my eyes and concentrate on the moving air breezing over my face.

"I think I get it," she croaks finally. I open my eyes to see her still staring intently at her book, her brow only marginally less furrowed.

"You think? Or you know?"

"I know that heat causes atoms to become excited and so they vibrate more, causing the atoms next to each other to become just as excited so the vibration increases and continues along till everything is excited and…hot." My chest is heaving against suffocating heat. "You look hot."

"What?" I snap my eyes to her again (when they closed again, I don't know) and she is staring back at me with a strange expression.

"I mean um…you look… Are you okay?" Far from it.

"Yeah…no…I don't know. I think I'm running a fever or something." She looks concerned and she leans closer to me reaching a hand to my forehead.

"Jesus!" she whips her hand back, as though scolded. "Quinn," she hesitantly reaches for me again and haltingly presses her hand against my skin like you would approach submerging yourself in a hot bath. She adapts and finally her hand is flush against my forehead.

My moan is instantaneous. I had no hope of suppressing it. Her skin is so blissfully cool against mine I unabashedly lean into the touch. "Quinn you're burning." She sounds in awe as she says it. She runs her hand slowly down the side of my face. I sigh in contentment and close my eyes. The hand continues down until it's cupping the side of my neck. I nuzzle into the touch.

"Mmmm, that feels so nice." I practically sigh out. The only concrete thought in my head is that I want her deliciously cool hands all over me. Wait…What?

I open my eyes to see two pools of chocolate brown staring back at me.

"Whoa." She breathes out. I feel her cool breath against my face, she is so close. My chest is still heaving. Her chest is heaving but I don't know why. I catch the scent of something delicious and inviting, it's kind of sweet. I'm only vaguely aware that I'm leaning even closer to this wonderfully cool body. I have no idea what's going to happen when I get there, I'm going on instinct again, but my hazy brain thinks it's going to be a good thing. The gap is shortening.

The bell rings.

I have no idea what a heart attack feels like, but I gather it is a very unpleasant and scary experience. I could hazard a guess that it's not too dissimilar to what I'm feeling at this very moment. I rocket back in my chair, but at least have the presence of mind to stop my super strength from propelling me through the wall behind me.

She does the same. (The rocketing back in her chair part, not the, trying not to significantly damage the structural integrity of the wall behind her part. I assume). We are both standing up and hastily gathering our things together in an instant.

I wouldn't have thought it possible considering my already higher than average body temperature and flushed appearance, but I mange to blush, hard.

"So same time on-"

"Monday," she finishes for me, looking everywhere but at me.

"You've done really well today. Good pro-"

"Progress, yeah I thought so," she clears her throat. "You should probably go see the-"

"Nurse, yeah thanks, I will," won't.

"So-"

"See ya."

"Yeah, see ya. Bye."

We both round the table, heading to our respective exists only to nearly bump into each other on the way.

"Sorry, I'm going-" I gesture to the door behind her.

"Yeah, I'm going-" She says almost at the same time gesturing behind me.

"Kay." I nod, accidently meeting her eyes.

"Kay." She nods back, a little breathlessly.

We manoeuvre around each other, trying not to let our bodies touch in the relatively small space. Our eyes flicker back and forth to one another. This is an excruciatingly long moment for reasons I cannot fathom. We clear each other only to turn back one last time.

"Bye."

"Bye."

I slump back against the door once I get to the other it and let out a long breath. What the hell?

"Mum! Dad!" I yell as I shut the front door.

"Hi sweetie, how was your- Oh my goodness!" she reels back slightly as she rounds a corner into the hallway. "Russell!" she yells behind her without taking her shocked eyes off me.

"What's the matter darling- Oh!" he has the exact same reaction as my mother, if it wasn't for my current predicament, I would find it amusing. "Quinn, sweetie. You're…steaming."

Steaming? Yes I was. The heat I was experiencing in fifth period didn't go away. Not only did it not go away, it actually got worse.

I thought it was a small blessing when a summer storm erupted above me on my walk home. The torrential down pour felt so refreshing I wanted to dance in it all evening. That was until I noticed the water droplets were rapidly evaporating off my heated skin as soon as they touched. The resulting steam was becoming increasingly noticeable so I decided to run the rest of the way home.

"Really? I thought someone was following me around with hot kettles." Maybe this wasn't the time for sarcasm but stating the obvious wasn't helping my panicked state.

They were both still gawping at me, I was becoming exasperated. "You may have noticed that this doesn't happen to me everyday, and although I have had marginally more time to process my predicament it doesn't change the fact that I may need help," still no movement from either of my parents. "Help me!"

"Right, er… Russell, go run an ice bath with all the ice from the freezer then run out to get some more will you?" my mother says, finally snapping into action and grabbing my father's attention. He nods and runs with super speed round the house getting things prepared.

My mother slowly approaches me; careful not to touch me she slides my school bag off my shoulder. "When did this-"

"Fifth period."

"Oh."

"The steam is new. Rain outside."

"How…how are you feeling?" she asks hesitantly.

"Like I'm slowly spontaneously combusting, but otherwise okay."

"Good, good."

"Good?" I ask incredulously.

"All ready," my father enters again. "I'll just head to the store." My parents share a strange look as he walks out; they seem to be silently communicating something. Unfortunately I'm not yet versed in eye language but I got the gist that they know something I don't.

"Mum, do you know what's happening to me?" she is leading me to the bathroom on the second floor.

"I'm not sure," she can't seem to meet my eyes. I want to question her further but my attention is drawn to the bath tub filling with cold water, heaving with so much ice it looks like a bird's eye view of the North Pole. I stare at it apprehensively but I know it needs to be done.

"Quickly now, we have to bring down your core temperature," I grimace but slip off my shoes ready to jump in fully clothed. "Clothes off, we need to make this process as fast as possible." I know it's true; the clothes will only slow the heat conducting away from my body, by acting as a barrier between the extreme temperature differences. Here's a physics lesson for you, Rachel.

One more uncomfortable pulse of heat, from either embarrassment or…something, and I'm stripping off my clothes and dropping myself into the frigid bath.

You know that feeling when someone drops an ice cube down the back of your shirt unexpectedly? Or when you're wading out in a cold sea and a wave comes and laps at your stomach for the first time? Or when you run your freezing cold hands under a hot tap? Well imagine all those sensations all over your body at the same time, times ten. Struggling with the times ten bit? So was I.

I screeched. I yelped. I swore in my native tongue, something equivalent to "Fuuuuuckkkkk!" My mother may have reprimanded me but probably sympathised to some degree or was incapacitated due to the blast of hissing, fizzing steam that assaulted her full in the face, I can't be sure. Instantly the bathroom was turned into a steam room, and a quarter of the water from the bath had gone.

I'm not sure how long I laid there stunned, motionless, unable to move, unable to think or breathe. I was burning from heat and ice, my senses were overloaded until I thought I couldn't feel anything.

A knock at the door announced my father's presence. My mother moved to the doorway. I had forgotten she was still in here. Bag after bag of ice were lined up beside the bath tub. And so hours, (what seemed like hours), would pass like this. Every time I became vaguely accustomed to the water my mother would check the temperature, finding the water very warm, then preceded to drain the water then refill with cold and dump another large bag of ice on top of me.

We were almost out of ice when a small miracle happened, I started to tremble. Then shiver, and then shake uncontrollably. My hands and feet were a purply/blue colour and I imagine my face wasn't too dissimilar.

"How are you feeling, honey?" My mother asks sweetly.

"F-ffff-fr-freee-ezing."

"Wonderful! We will leave it another half hour then get you out,"

"Www-what!"

"We need to be sure your body has settled down fully or you might relapse."

"Www-whe-en I g-g get out-ttt of this t-ttt-tu-tu tub-b we nnnn-need to have a t-ttt-talk." I think the firmness I intended to portray may have lost some effectiveness somewhere during that sentence.

I'm warm (not too warm) and cool (not too cool), snuggled into a pair of sweats and a long sleeved top. I'm the Goldilocks of temperature and I've found my 'just right'.

I pad downstairs into the kitchen to face two big bears to demand to know why they seem to know why it wasn't 'just right' in the first place. I think that analogy should have ended a sentence ago, I'm lost. Anyway, I know that they know something and I want to know what they know. There that was far less complicated, kind of.

The smell of food wraps round me teasingly and like a blood hound on a scent trail I high tail it to the dinner table. Momentarily distracted by my over eager stomach I nearly miss the hushed conversation in the kitchen.

"How could this be possible, Russell? There are no other Caelens on this planet."

I should probably mention at this point that Caelum (pronounced like Kay-lum) is our home planet, the people on our planet being known as Caelen (Kay-len) as opposed to Human.

"I don't know, Judith. But it's the only reasonable explanation. We took a chance coming to this planet without knowing what effect it would have on Quinn when she's no longer around our people."

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know. We need to know more about the situation. So let's talk to Quinn."

"Yeah talk to me," I say while leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen, munching on a piece of bread because my stomach was seemingly unaware of the more important issues.

They are slightly startled by my presence. My mother quickly plasters on a grin. "Let's eat shall we. We can discuss this over dinner." My mind wants to protest but in this instance my stomach is more dominant and quickly overrules my brain with a loud, forceful grumble.

I sit there shovelling food into my mouth while observing my parents closely, waiting for them to start the conversation. My father starts after I move on to second helpings. Smart move on his part as we are all slightly more relaxed after having eaten something.

"Quinn, I think it's safe to say that we are all very confused by what happened to you today. Though your mother and I have a theory we would like to know more about how this all started. We will work though this together and get to the bottom of your condition and decide what, if anything, is to be done about it." It's a very diplomatic start. I'm appeased by the knowledge that they will include me in their theories and decisions. I'm rather suspicious of my parents, I've had good reason. I know they keep a lot of secrets from me and it irks me that they don't treat me as an equal who is capable of handling any situation as well as them if I have all the facts.

In their eyes I'm still the little girl they had back on Caelum before the war started. I was still only young (9 Earth years) when I ran away to join the resistance. That may seem preposterous by human standards but Caelen children are very bright, and my youth meant that I could adapt quickly to life in time of war. I was a quick learner and studied fighting techniques and tactics, becoming a valued weapon as a soldier. I was small, fast and agile perfect for reconnaissance and sabotage missions, so that's what I did for a very long time. War was my life, it was pretty much all I knew. However the older members of our society, my parents included, had a difficult time adjusting. Caelens by nature are very peaceful people, valuing only intellect and wisdom. So when a race of people that can only be described as barbarians brought war upon us, most of the elders fled and went into hiding while the younger Caelens stayed to fight for the planet.

I had little contact with my parents during this time, when we were in contact, we argued, a lot. My parents were respectable figures and held a lot of sway with members of the Elder's Council. I argued that if they could persuade the elders to come out of hiding and fight then the numbers would be greatly in our favour and we could claim the planet ours again. They argued that the planet was lost. The elders were looking for new planets for re-settlement and begged me to come with them.

A time came that I got an urgent message that they were in peril so naturally I rushed to their aid, only to find an ambush waiting for me. Fifty of my own people had set a trap and I was quickly overpowered and incapacitated. I woke up on a private spacecraft, light years from our planet. I was livid.

I snap myself back to the present and take a deep breath. I fill them in on my day thus far, brushing over some of the more boring details and embarrassing moments. I finish and sit patiently for their verdict. They are both deep in thought until my father again breaks the silence.

"Have you experienced anything like this before today?"

"Not to this extent obviously, but yesterday there was a moment in the school hallway when I felt the tingling and warm feeling in my arm, but it was transient and only my arm."

"What were you doing when this happened? Were you with anyone?"

"I had just been sent out of Miss Swarbrick's class, I was on my own until…Rachel came."

"The same Rachel from fifth period today?"

"Yes."

"How long have you known Rachel?"

"I only sort of met her yesterday."

"In the hallway?"

"Yes."

"What exactly happened in the hallway?"

"She asked if I was okay and gave me a bottle of water and some aspirin and left."

"Oh that's sweet," my mother interjected happily. I tried to hide my blush, my father ignored her.

"That's it? Did you take the aspirin?"

"No what would be the point?"

"Good, well at least we know it's not something you've taken." I didn't think it was that either although being allergic to her hand cream was still in my mind.

"Was there any…um intimate contact between you two?"

"Er…define intimate."

"Uh…well a hug…or a kiss on the cheek or hand…or something of that um nature." This is getting awkward.

"Um…kind of," I was hoping I could just leave it at that and spare myself the embarrassment; however, the looks on their faces suggested that they wanted me to elaborate. "She touched my wrist after I…"

"You…?" my mother prompted when it didn't look as though I would finish the sentence.

"Please remember that I was in the grips of a migraine. I was leaning against a locker with my eyes closed feeling sorry for myself, when she approached. In my pain addled brain I think I must have thought she was some kind of an alarm clock because she was making a lot of noise, so I think I was trying to find a snooze button by…groping her face." I braved a glance at their reactions and as anticipated they were looking at me incredulously. "Before for you say anything I have already apologised to her, she forgave me, I understand that that was not proper social etiquette of these people and I have already lived through this embarrassment more times then I would care to."

"Well that is certainly an unconventional meeting of two people," my mother comments, thankfully keeping her opinions of me to herself. "But it may still fit our theory."

I looked at them expectedly. My mother looked towards my father who was looking suddenly extremely uncomfortable and merely gestured back pleadingly to my mother.

"Right, where to begin…? I don't suppose you remember much of life on Caelum before the war, you were so young."

"I remember that everything was beautiful and peaceful. I remember laughter and stories and school and our home in the valley right on the river, surrounded by trees."

"Yes it was beautiful. And if it had stayed that way you would have had a more conventional Caelen upbringing, with us." My mother pauses briefly a look of sadness passes across her face and in a blink it's gone again. "As you know Caelens only have one mate in life, they never have a love before or after their mate," okay where is this going? "When Caelens reach a certain age they become receptible to their mate." Wait…this isn't going where I think its going is it?

"Please tell me you're not going where I think you're going with this," I pleaded.

"If it hadn't been for the war you would have learnt about these things a long time ago. The important details about what happens when a Caelen meets their mate are what we never got the chance to teach you," Kill. Me. Now!

"Oh what analogy is it the humans like to use? The birds in the trees?"

"I think it's the birds and the bees, Mum."

"Don't be silly, dear. Birds don't mate with bees."

"Birds don't mate with trees."

"No but birds live in trees and mate with other birds, so I think it's the birds in the trees."

"Whatever, Mum. Can we leave the birds out of this?"

I'm dying from embarrassment and my mother is dragging this out. I may have the IQ superseding the geniuses on this planet but it apparently doesn't mean I'm any better informed or practised in the finer details of reproduction than the brilliant minds on this planet. Basically I'm a geek without a clue. "Can you give me the abridged text book version and leave out the fluff?"

"Very well. You've already gone through the 'puberty' that Caelens experience where the body becomes ready to find a mate. Thankfully the process is quicker and a lot less messy than what humans experience; you wouldn't have noticed it. It's a subtle change; a gene is switched on so your body will recognise your mate once you find them." She takes a deep breath like she is ready to take a plunge. "However, the greater changes take place when you meet your mate; it's when the bonding process begins. Both parties are unconsciously drawn to one another by sensing the other's pheromones, until some kind of intimate contact is made between them, a kiss for example. The intimate contact starts a chain reaction of chemical changes that bind you to your mate chemically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. For the process to complete itself, the mates need to remain in the presence of one another for a prolonged period of time. The usual side effect is increased body temperature due to the extreme chemical changes. However, the temperature increase that you experienced was more excessive then what most Caelens go through. This is part of the reason why this is just a theory."

The whole room is silent while I process everything.

"So you think I've found my mate? Who is Rachel Berry?" I say slowly.

"Or possibly the gentleman you encountered before her. Jacob was it?"

"Oh no. No. Just. No! Not him! No way!"

"You did say he made sexual advances towards you. It's possible," Words escape me while I try and overcome the nauseous feeling roiling in my stomach, so I just shake a finger at them and send them a hard glare. "Or not," she concedes.

"The thing is," my father begins. Speaking for the first time since the mating topic was brought up, "it's unheard of for a Caelen to find a mate with someone who isn't a Caelen. In the whole history of our species, it has never happened. This is what is throwing us. And if the case is that you have found a human as a mate then we are in completely unchartered territory."

"That's a scary thought."

"Indeed."

"So if this was a normal mating on Caelum, what could I expect to happen next?"

"Well…Judith? You are obviously better at this then me…" he started, shifting uncomfortably again, turning to his mate to save him. My mother smiled at him teasingly before turning to me.

"All the romantic notions you've ever heard about. You would be instinctively protective, calmed by their presence, emotionally in tune with one another, practically inseparable. And of course there is the um…physical aspect. Particularly in the early stages of the mating the attraction and arousal felt by both parties is intense and-"

"Okay, okay. You can spare me the details I get the picture."

"But remember, sweetie, we have no idea how this situation will affect you. The bond's strength comes from the mates being completely in tune, so a bond with a human who obviously doesn't share the same physiology as you, will likely be very unstable. That means that everything that happens for you and Rachel from now on is unknown and completely unpredictable."

Wonderful, I feel completely reassured now.

"I would love to document this as it happens," my mother adds eagerly, "this could be an exciting historic event. Oh you should invite Rachel round," she nudges me excitedly. "We would love to meet her!"

"Great, sure," I say with all the fake enthusiasm I can muster. "I can see the conversation in my head now. 'Hey Rachel, I know we don't really know each other but I'm an alien and I'm bonded to you for life. Would you like to meet my parents?'"

"I would suggest a little more tact, Quinnie."