DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!
Chapter Three
The sand was warm under Finn's feet, and he looked up into the blazing summer sun as crystalline blue water stretched out in front of him for miles. He shielded his eyes from the bright light illuminating the picturesque beach in front of him; a kind of tropical oasis that Finn had never seen in person before.
That's because it was a dream, and as he stared out at the water glittering on the horizon like diamonds, he knew he wasn't alone.
"Come here, Finn," the soft, familiar voice called to him, beckoned him, summoned him to her like he was being pulled by an invisible force. She was standing behind him in a long, billowing white dress that whipped around her in the invisible wind. He couldn't resist her even if he tried. Reaching out to her, a sense of calm settled into his bones once his skin grazed hers, like the two of them were untouchable in their own private paradise. Smiling softly, she looked like an angel with her glowing halo of power. "You're safe with me, Finn. He can't get you here."
"Who?" He asked, wondering what could be a threat to the perfection surrounding them.
"Him," she pointed behind them, where the sand continued endlessly, contrasting against the gorgeous sea. "Over there," he turned around, squinting in the distance, and finally realized what she was referring to.
The demon was skittering on the outskirts of their oasis, his silhouette merely blackness against the bright horizon, but his presence was still lingering and tainting the peace of their surroundings. It tried to move closer to where Finn was standing, but every time it approached it looked like the beast was hitting an invisible wall, one he repeatedly tried to penetrate. Finn turned around to look at the girl and there was a warning in her eyes.
"Don't fall into the darkness, Finn. Remember to stay in the light." Before Finn could answer her she began to fade away, and her hand dropped away from his as the light became to bright to bear. . .
A disconcerting feeling shook Finn awake as the dream lingered in his hazy subconscious. For the second night in a row Rachel had been the star performer in his dreams, and while spending some peaceful alone time with her on a beach was way better than falling towards a fiery death, the lingering presence of the monster inside of him was still terrifying. If it weren't for the calm provided by Rachel, it would have been just another nightmare. He opened his eyes, stretching and kicking his sheets off of his legs, and then promptly fell out of the air, slamming down onto his mattress with a loud "oof!" of surprise and having the sheets land on top of him.
He groaned as his head fell back on the pillow, rubbing the crick out of his neck while his mattress creaked from the strain. Levitation provided very little neck support while sleeping.
"What was that?" Kurt suddenly banged on his bedroom door, his voice rising in pitch as Finn chased away the lingering feelings of unease from the dream. Last night he thought that Rachel's "magical therapy" idea was overkill, but he was starting to think that it was going to be a necessary part of life from now on.
"Nothing," he called to his half-brother, getting up and trying to think of an excuse for the noise. He didn't want to burden Kurt with his problems, especially since there was nothing he could do to help him. It was just too odd and personal to share with anyone besides Rachel. "Just my failed attempt at morning exercise."
"Well, be careful then," Kurt replied, annoyed. "We have neighbors." Finn waited a few moments for Kurt to go away, then sat on the edge of his bed and let his head fall into his hands.
What the hell was happening to him?
Before now, Finn Hudson had been an average, run-of-the-mill guy who was just trying to find a place in the world. He had a great family, a decent job, a girl that he thought he loved. . .
And now he was floating above his bed at night and having his aura picked apart by a tiny naked witch.
His body burned instantly once the mental image of Rachel filled his mind; her perfectly petite body and soft curves that seemed to glow in the dim lighting of her shop. The twinkle in her eyes as she teased him about being naked. The proximity of her body to his during the ritual. It was enough to make him groan as his body reacted to the memory.
He couldn't help the way he felt though; Rachel was the only person in his life right now that knew what was happening to him. Who wouldn't judge him or think he was crazy. Hell, he still thought some of this was too insane to be real, but he had witnessed too much over the past 48 hours to deny the truth now. The connection between him and Rachel was too important to deny; he needed her help and the fate of his soul depended on Rachel's ability to keep the dark forces at bay.
It didn't hurt that he got to ogle her naked body every night for the foreseeable future, either.
In any case, Rachel was the only thing on his mind, and continued to be the only thing on his mind as he tried to work and make some money. She was just too captivating to ignore as he played through the memories of the past two nights and how she had flipped his entire world on it's head. That kind of deep, intense influence changed a person, and Finn certainly felt different as he coasted through the streets of Manhattan on his bike, picking up packages, dropping them off, and thinking about his petite magical companion. Beneath her flowing peasant blouses and long gypsy skirts she had a smoking hot body, and a smile that made his heart race like he was a teenager again.
Finn was almost anticipating nightfall as he pocketed the money he'd earned from the day and headed downtown towards Rachel's shop. He stopped by the local bakery to pick up a surprise for his magical therapist before he headed into the twisted side streets of Greenwich Village.
When he walked inside her establishment he was shocked to see that the little shop was packed with people, and maneuvered himself around the gaggle of European tourists who had visited Rachel for a tarot card reading. Their accents were thick and they spoke to Rachel in stilted, broken English, but she received them all with a smile and worked her own personal brand of magic on her customers. When she shooed them all into the back room, she shot Finn an apologetic smile.
"This might take a while, Finn. You want to sit behind the counter and watch over the shop while I take care of them? You can do some research while you wait." Finn couldn't deny the sting of disappointment he felt when he realized that he would be without her company for another hour or two when she had been on his mind all day.
"Um, sure, I guess so," he replied sullenly. He placed her surprise on the counter-top. "When you're done, we can share these," he opened up the lid and revealed a half dozen red velvet cupcakes, with dyed sugar sprinkled over the decadent cream cheese frosting. Rachel's expressive brown eyes went wide with excitement and her smile seemed to light up the room.
"You got these for me?"
"Well yeah," he shrugged. "You said they were your favorite." Why did her smile make his heart pound so suddenly? Relishing in the happiness of her expression, he couldn't help but notice how pale she looked, especially against the dark contrast of her hair and navy blouse. Her olive skin looked tepid and she had an air of exhaustion around her that worried him. There were dark circles under her eyes as well, and everything about her held an air of fatigue. He wanted to say something, but since there was still a smile on her face, he didn't press the issue.
"Well, seeing as I haven't drafted your bill yet, I'll accept this as tonight's payment," she joked lightly and disappeared into the back room, bringing out some volumes for him to study while she took care of her other customers. When the back door closed behind her, Finn dutifully opened a book and tried to study. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he read through the confusing passages and tried to find any information that pertained to his case. When the tiny letters started to blur into illegible blobs of ink he knew he needed a break, and walked around her little shop trying to figure out what everything was in the mason jars to pass the time.
It seemed like forever, but Rachel eventually worked her way through the group of tourists, and they all exited the back room speaking in rushed, excited whispers. Finn sat to the side while Rachel charged them for her services, and he couldn't help but notice that her hands were slightly shaking when she collected the money.
"Thank you for coming, and blessed be," she greeted warmly as they left, and Finn watched them leave with an amused smile on his face while she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Wow, I'm sorry that took so long," she sounded completely exasperated and the circles under her eyes looked a bit heavier, but she was smiling brightly nonetheless. She reached for the box of cupcakes and didn't hesitate stuffing one into her mouth. When her tongue darted past her lips to lick off the frosting there, Finn felt his pulse start racing and he looked away. For a fleeting moment he had the undeniable urge to kiss those frosting-coated lips and he shook the thought away as soon as it hit him. Rachel was his. . .well, he didn't know what she was yet, but what he did know was that she was his only chance at holding onto his soul and he couldn't, and wouldn't, mess that up.
Rachel stood behind him and looked over his shoulder, peeking down at the book he was researching while polishing off the rest of the cupcake. He turned his head towards her and her flowery scent assailed him, making him want to bury his nose in her skin and inhale. He didn't know why these kinds of thoughts were entering his brain uninvited, but he forced himself to focus on his task and ignore the temptations that were creeping up on him. Rachel wasn't just another girl he met around the city; not only was she a powerful witch, but she was the only thing keeping him from being possessed by a demon from hell.
But she was really pretty, and genuinely kind, and spending time with her provided the calm he needed to keep the demons at bay.
"Did you find anything interesting?" She asked, reading over the page he'd been studying. He shook his head and forced his thoughts to stay neutral.
"Nothing," he answered, dejected. "Unless you wanted to learn the finer points of astral projection."
"No, that's okay," she smiled. "How did you sleep last night?"
"Fine," he shrugged, not going into details about the dream or how she was the star of it for the second night in a row. "No nightmares, but the demon was still in the dream that I had. I did wake up floating again, though. Have you figured out why yet?"
"Nope, I seriously have no clue. If you were a magical being at all, even one with dormant powers, I would be able to sense them in your aura. As far as I can tell, you're just a normal guy with a very abnormal problem."
"Lucky me."
"Well, we should get started with the ritual," she sighed heavily, closing the book and standing in front of him. His eyes trailed the length of her body and the anticipation shot through him like a bullet. Sure, he hated being naked, especially in front of women, but getting to see Rachel naked was the perfect incentive to get in the nude.
"Alright," he got up from the counter and Rachel locked the front door so no one could interrupt them. He followed her into the back, his heart pounding harder with every step he took, and stood in the center of the pentagram like he had done the previous night. It should have seemed odd to him, but he figured that he was already desensitized to the whole weirdness factor of his predicament. He had seen too much crazy shit to still have any lingering doubts about Rachel or her magic.
Without saying anything, Rachel stripped off her long black skirt and sleeveless pink blouse, revealing the creamy skin and soft curves that had lingered in his thoughts all day. It took every ounce of self-restraint not to pop a boner in front of her while he took off his own clothes, and looked everywhere but the girl in front of him while she lit a heavy perfumed incense and allowed it to fog up the room. It was a stifling, musky, pungent scent that triggered a sharp pain in his temples.
"Are you ready?" She asked, standing an arm's length from where he was. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak while his stomach started to roll in tense circles. He didn't feel well all of a sudden, and he didn't know why.
"No gooey paste this time?" He forced himself to say through gritted teeth.
"No, that was for last night's ritual. This one is going to be like the cleanse we did the night we met, but a bit more intense." She held out her hands for him to take, smiling softly, and the second he grabbed them he didn't feel the peaceful calm he was expecting.
Instead a sudden, sharp pain in his head exploded into an agony he had never experienced before, and even though he was holding onto Rachel like a lifeline, Finn could feel himself slipping away as the pain overwhelmed him, and his bellowing shout filled the room before everything around him went black.
She held onto Finn's hands tighter once he started to yell, and his head started to shake back and forth in a disturbing, violent manner before he stopped moving altogether in a sickening jolt of his body. She should have been blushing at his state of undress, but she was more concerned with the pain that twisted his features, and the rippling negative energy that was flowing in the air.
When Finn looked up, she was no longer looking into the warm, chestnut eyes of her client.
She was looking into the evil, malicious eyes of whatever was possessing him.
Rachel dropped Finn's hands instantly, like his skin had burned her, and even though the man before her was grinning, it was an evil smile that made her cringe in terror. Finn was staring at her with blackened, soulless eyes, and her heartbeat started to race as it stared right into the core of her.
"Finn is mine," the deep, guttural, unfamiliar voice growled through Finn's mouth. "And then you're next," it started to move out of the center of the pentagram and she placed her hands in front of her to create a barrier between her and the evil that was trying to break free. She feared Finn's safety as the empty eyes looked back at her, and while she wasn't using much of her powers to keep him at bay, she felt inexplicably drained, like a battery that needed to be recharged. But the energy kept flowing around her, and her desire to keep Finn safe served as the fuel she needed to control the situation.
"Stay away from him!" She yelled, summoning her anger and purifying the energies inside of the pentagram while Finn clutched at his head, his eyes softening back to their normal light brown coloring. Her breathing was heavy and erratic from the exertion of power, and her legs felt unsteady for a moment as she tried to maintain balance.
What was happening to her? Never in her life had she felt so drained and exhausted, and while her powers normally regenerated on their own, she knew that something had to be wrong for her to feel like this. An unsettling sense of fatigue was weighing her down, and she still hadn't cleansed his aura yet.
"Rachel?" Finn's soft voice filled the back room and she looked up at him to see a lingering fear in his eyes. "What just happened?"
"It was controlling you again," her words trembled as she spoke them, her voice breathless. "It didn't last long, but I had to make a barrier." The naked man in front of her nodded his head with a grave expression on his face. Her heart broke for him while the conflict played out on his handsome face; she could almost see the torture in his eyes as he gazed at her shaking form. She wanted to help him, she wanted so badly to make his problems go away, but the more she faced the monster that was controlling him, the more she realized how vulnerable she was against it. The demon was stronger than she had anticipated, and with her strength waning for some unknown reason, she didn't know how helpful she would be. "I think it's after me now, too."
Finn nodded his head. "I heard it in my head yesterday. It wants to take your powers." A chill of fear shook down her spine, and even though she wanted to help him, every single one of her instincts was telling her to kick this guy out of her shop and stay as far away from him as she possibly could.
But for the first time in her entire life, she ignored her instincts over the plight of his man who had somehow wormed his way into her heart.
She couldn't explain it; despite her initial impression of him, Rachel felt an overwhelming need to protect Finn from the dangers he was facing, even though a few days ago he was nothing but a complete stranger to her. There was a connection that had strengthened between them, formed by magic and solidified by trust, and she couldn't just ignore that no matter how scared she became in the face of evil. Rachel had made a promise to help him, and from the look of despair in his eyes, he needed more help now than ever before. Her heart was bleeding for the kind, caring man standing naked in her shop, and she refused to be frightened off like a little girl who was afraid of the monster under the bed.
She stood up at her fullest height, summoning all the strength she had left to complete her task for the evening. Rachel needed to purify Finn's aura and keep the evil energies at bay or else he was going to be lost to the darkness. She made a mental note to email her friends in the magical community again, to see if she could gather enough witches to create a coven.
"Rachel, are you okay?" Finn asked as she tried to steady herself on shaky legs. Most of her strength had waned drastically, but she needed to see her task to it's end.
"I'm fine," she said. "Let's try it again." She looked up into the worried eyes of her client and he shook his head vehemently.
"No way. You don't look so good, Rachel. Maybe we should call it a night."
"And risk having that thing come back?" She said incredulously. "No way. There's too much dark energy inside of you and I need to dispel it quickly before it seizes control. We're doing this now." She shook out her hands and held them out for him, but he bypassed them and came closer to her, stepping out of the pentagram and shocking her with his proximity. Their naked skin was almost touching, and it suddenly felt like the walls were closing in on her as she was forced up to look into his brilliantly handsome face.
"I'm worried about you, Rach," the nickname fell from his lips and Rachel's heart skipped a beat before it pounded with a loud thud. First the flowers, then the cupcakes. . . now he was giving her nicknames? It was bad enough that she couldn't get him out of her head since the night they'd met, now she felt herself getting attached to the way he made her feel, which was bad for business. She was spending far too much time with her client, and the urge to wrap her arms around him steadily increased. Sure, he hadn't technically paid her for any of her services yet, but she still thought of herself as a complete professional and knew that she shouldn't have romantic relationships with her clients.
Especially her most needy client, who just happened to be possessed by a demon from hell.
She shook the unwelcome thoughts out of her head but didn't step away from him. "You don't need to worry about me, I'm fine."
"No you're not," he gently cupped her cheek with his massive palm and his hand felt warm and firm against her skin. She took a sharp inhale of breath and his earthy, masculine scent invaded her senses, leaving her feeling lightheaded. "You look really pale and you're shaking. I don't know, but something is wrong."
A wave of fatigue crashed over her, and she had to shake off the disconcerting feeling that he was right and press on. Finn's safety was on the line, and she had promised to do whatever she could in order to help him. Besides, there were other ways for her to regain her lost energy. . .Finn just didn't need to know about them.
"I'm fine, Finn. I need to do this for you."
"Not if you're going to hurt yourself!" He protested, his face pinching in anger. He was still holding her, and she leaned into his touch before removing his hand and gently leading him back towards the center of the pentagram.
"I'm just feeling a little drained because I used a lot of my power today. Lucky for me, my energy can regenerate itself. When we're done I can theoretically charge up my magical batteries and everything will be fine." She didn't go into detail about how she would accomplish that task, but he didn't need to know that information.
He didn't look like he believed her. "Are you sure?"
She nodded her head, trying to shake away the last fringes of fatigue and focus on her task. "Yes. We need to do this."
"But not if you're going to get hurt!" He was so adamant, so protective of her, it made her eyes widen in shock as her heart began to pound. "Rachel, we can't let it get to you. You're too important to put yourself at risk." He was looking into her eyes and she was caught in his gaze, locked into the emotions she saw swirling there and breathless at the power of those feelings. For a moment she allowed herself to get lost in his eyes, and the energies that coursed through her were electric as he inched closer to her with nothing but skin in-between them. He was right, she did need more energy, and she knew exactly how to get it.
"Kiss me," she said, her voice breathless as her eyes darted to his lips. Her powers were controlled by her emotions; the more emotional she felt, the more power she was able to exert in a spell.
But emotions that was ignited inside of her; emotions that were nurtured and focused and stayed contained inside of her body, that was the energy that fueled her powers. Romantic energy, like kisses and simple touches, were always a quick boost, but there was another kind of energy that acted like instant fuel for witches.
And she hadn't experienced that kind of energy in quite a long time. For now, a kiss would suffice, and give her enough of a power boost to cleanse Finn's aura and keep him safe.
And Finn didn't look like he was going to say no.
"Rachel," her name was a ghost on his lips as he closed the distance between them, and while there were questions in his eyes he didn't ask them out loud as he firmly sealed his mouth to hers. An instant jolt of energy flowed through her, shocking every one of her nerves as she reciprocated his kiss in earnest, wrapping his arms around him and pressing their bodies together. Once her skin pressed against him she was flooded with warmth, a simmering heat building inside of her towards something powerful. Energy twisted and collided inside of her; with every press of his lips she felt the emotions coursing through her and re-energizing her with surges of power that charged her tired body.
It was a massive tide of energy, more powerful than anything else she had ever experienced, and she received such a sudden flow of power that she suddenly craved more. One kiss just wasn't enough. She pulled away from him long enough to drag in a ragged breath, and moaned when she pressed against him again, feeling his pulsing erection against her abdomen. The hot, sizzling sensation that flowed through her was so intense it made her heart pound, and all the energy that she thought had waned was now an overflow of power just aching to be released.
Rachel couldn't get enough. With merely a kiss Finn was able to make her power surge in startling ways, and the emotions that flooded through her were addictive and scary and strong. Who was this man and how was he able to make her feel like this? No one had ever inspired such overwhelming emotions with just a kiss, and it was a kiss that she never wanted to end.
The friction between them was so hot she thought her skin was on fire, and Finn shifted against her, holding her close and pressing against her in the most intimate way as he shifted his hips against hers, making her gasp in excitement as passion exploded in her. Every single part of her was engaged in him; her senses, her body, her powers. The sudden need to protect him was encompassing every other thought in her mind, and with a breathless sigh, she started the ritual, purifying the energy around them while they were still engaged in their heated kiss.
She could feel her energy leeching out of her again, which worried her since Finn was still kissing her and creating the purest emotions she had ever felt. But she needed to complete her task; she needed to protect Finn no matter what, or else the demon might steal what she wanted to be hers. The realization that she wanted Finn hit her with the force of a battering ram, and her heart was slamming against her ribcage so hard she thought it might bruise.
After a few more passionate moments, Rachel broke apart from the kiss so she could focus all of her energy in cleansing his aura, chasing away the dark energy while her lingering power began to fade again. Finn stared at her with worry in his eyes as he still continued to hold her in their intimate position, their auras shimmering around one another in a glow of light. She relied on him to hold her up once her knees buckled, and he caught her before her legs gave out completely.
Her vision started to blur, the last of her energy fading away, and while she knew she should be scared, her thoughts were more preoccupied on Finn, and whether or not he would be safe.
"Rachel," he said, his voice thick with worry, gently setting her down on the floor and quickly grabbing her black skirt. He pulled it over her head and arms far enough to turn it into a dress and give her some modesty, then sat cross-legged on the floor, pulling her into his naked embrace while she finished chasing away the last vestiges of dark energy. When his aura was as clear as it could get, given the circumstances, she let out a deep breath of air and felt dizzy while Finn cradled her. "What did you do?" He whispered in the silence of the back room and shook his head, holding onto her and pulling the errant hair out of her face. "Why did you do that?"
"Do what?" She replied weakly, her dim voice fading. "Kiss you or purify you?"
"Both," he said, tenderly kissing her forehead. She was so drained that his show of affection did nothing for her, and she was starting to get very nervous about the events of the evening. There was something seriously wrong with both her and her powers, and if she didn't figure out what it was then she and Finn were both screwed.
"There's something wrong with me, Finn," she said weakly, resting her palm on his chest, burying herself in the warmth of his arms, ignoring his nudeness, and closing her eyes. She was so overwhelmingly tired, and she could no longer fight against the tide of fatigue that pulled her under. Sleep was what normally rejuvenated her, but there was a sick feeling in her gut that was telling her it wouldn't be enough anymore. Looking up at Finn, she didn't answer his original question, but shared her fears with him instead. "I don't know what it is, but if we don't find out soon, then we're both going to be in serious trouble." He nodded down at her, and his kind, but worried, gaze was the last thing she saw before she succumbed to her fatigue and passed out in his arms.
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