In Too Deep - Chapter 7
Rachel was drowning in her own laughter, feeling more alive than she had in her entire life as she whisked down the halls of the ship carelessly. Her hand was interlocked with Finn's as the two bounded down three flights of stairs. "Where are we going?" she asked as they appeared at a door.
He spun around, placing a finger to her lips. "Shh," he warned. "We'll be there soon, don't worry." He opened the door to reveal a dark room, completely noiseless. They walked in.
As she took in the sight, she brought herself closer to him, afraid of being seen by someone, or afraid of what could possibly be in the room. "Finn," she whispered, "what if we get caught? Where are we going?"
Finn couldn't help but laugh at her chagrin. Before she could protest again, he planted a kiss on her lips to lull her. "We'll be fine, don't worry."
Rachel's brows furrowed as he pulled away, walking slowly backwards. "How do you know? Have you done this before?" Her head cocked to the side as she awaited a worthy response, but he simply looked around casually, avoiding her worrisome eyes.
"Once," he replied. "Besides, everyone should be upstairs, shouldn't they? Although," he paused and listened intently, "they should be finishing up just about now, shouldn't they?"
Her eyes widened in horror, but she said not another word as he pulled her through another door. This room was much brighter, but also much smaller. There was a long, narrow bench in the center, the only decoration besides the gold paint along the walls. It reminded her of her own room, minus the furniture and scattered clothing. "Where are we?" she questioned quietly.
"I found this place the other night," he explained, "after I was chased away from your room by St. James and the other woman. I wasn't sure when the perfect opportunity to bring you here would be, but I finally decided now was best a time as any, right?"
Rachel beamed up at him. She released his hand, moving closer and kissing him again. "I love it. It's just like our spot."
Finn nodded. "Only we have more privacy." He followed her to the bench, where they sat down side by side. "Rachel?"
"Yeah?" Her dark eyes looked at him curiously.
"I-I think I may love you," he stammered.
A perplexed expression replaced her bliss. "Finn, w-we just met. Don't you think it's a little soon?" Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to fathom a proper response without inflicting pain upon him, upon them both.
"I know," he acceded. "But look at us! We're turning every corner, running from others just to be together. It's only been a few days, but I feel like we've been through so much. I've grown to care for you so much."
A single tear formed in her eye as she took in his words. "Oh, Finn." She leaned forward on the bench, scooting herself close enough that she was practically on top of his lap. Their lips met, and he hugged her close, allowing the moment to go by calmly. Suddenly, she pulled away. "Wait."
Finn grew cross. "What's the matter?"
"You said the dance was over, that everyone would be leaving, doesn't that mean we could get caught?" Her eyes vacillated as she studied him while worry plagued her once more. "This is too dangerous; we've already been caught once. They know, Finn. Our lives are in danger."
He couldn't help but chuckle, though his facial expression remained dark. "Trust me," was all he replied, and they kissed again.
Jesse wished more than anything that he could trust Rachel, but there was something oddly suspicious about Hudson disappearing much too eagerly after she did. No. He refused to think of her as a traitor; Rachel Berry, of all people, was not the sort. Still, an incredulity remained inside of him.
Someone shifted outside of his door, he could hear them sighing heavily. Who other than Shelby, of course? "You idiot," she huffed. He frowned at the accusation. "How could you be so stupid? You honestly thought she would listen to you, to us, that she obey the rules and simply go back to her room, didn't you? I cannot even begin to fathom how you could be so naïve, Jesse."
His brows creased. "What do you mean?"
Shelby narrowed in on him, her eyes raging with fury. "If you expect me to believe you truly do have your heart set on Rachel, why aren't you out there looking for her? It's amazing how gullible you are."
Jesse shuffled across the floor towards her. "I'll go find them." She didn't miss the them in his statement. He brushed by her, preparing to slam the door until he realized she was not far behind.
"Here." Shelby tossed him a pair of small, metal objects linked together. "If necessary, use them to your advantage."
On who? He wanted to ask, but restrained. Instead, he jogged down the hallway. Once he appeared at the staircase, he halted. Surely they would have gone down rather than up - otherwise, they would be hiding in plain sight. After a minute of consideration, he flew down the flight, nearly overlooking most of the steps.
Finn's head snapped up. His eyes grew dilate. "Rachel," he croaked, "someone's coming." He pulled her off of him, both of them standing up. His eyes rested on the door as he took a protective stance in front of her. Finally, he turned around, wishing they had had more time. "You have to go."
Rachel tore her eyes aware from the door for just a moment. "Where?" she demanded. He simply pointed to another door pointing her in a different direction. "Finn, I won't leave you, please. We both know it's him. Let me fight this battle with you, after all, it is my fault…"
"Don't say that," he warned. "Just go! It will be better if you aren't involved in what happens."
Unadulterated point on his part. She fumbled with the handle, but finally opened the door before the intruder saw anything. In fact, she didn't get a chance to look at their face, but she knew for a fact she had plenty of times before.
Rachel ran down the dark hallway, though her vision was poor. Suddenly, she felt herself falling. Something had cut her, but it wouldn't become a distraction; she had to get away, to find some method of saving Finn before anything worse could happen to him. Then again, she had the utmost faith in him, with his priorities set straight and his defensive demeanor.
"Please," she pleaded to herself, "please, Finn, do this for me." Her ankle began to throb, but she couldn't see - and she didn't dare feel for - the derivation of the injury. The sprint abruptly turned into a limp when she could no longer take the pressure.
Rachel always knew herself as a fighter. As she neared the hallway to her bedroom, she prepared to collapse until a set of arms caught her. She almost assumed she was dead, in the figurative sense, until she realized it was her own father who had saved her from meeting the floor.
He threw one of her bantam arms around his shoulder and dragged her the next couple of feet into her bedroom. "What happened?" he demanded when he laid her down on the bed. He inspected the wound, searching the room for something to abate the bleeding.
"I'm so sorry," was the only response she could muster. She lifted her head only to see thick red seeping into her sheets, the sight making her feel nauseous - that was also due to the loss of blood along the way.
Suddenly, a cool wet cloth shaded her leg, the pain slowly exiting her body as she took in the feeling of the material against her skin. A slightly salty, metallic smell filled her nostrils. She could feel beads of sweat composing along her forehead, and she knew the injury was worse than she gave it credit for.
Rachel's hands trembled as she searched the room for her father, who had disappeared for the time being. "F-" She couldn't even conjure a word, let alone a statement. All she knew was that she needed him beside her more than anything. Before she could even think to try calling for him again, she slipped into unconsciousness.
"Where is she?" Finn ducked out of the way to avoid a punch. Unfortunately, he was about to be backed into a wall where is only choice was to take the pain. "Where's Rachel?" Jesse had never been so furious in all of his life, but Finn also observed the putrid smell of alcohol on his breath, a possible contributing factor.
Finn avoided another blow to the face, stumbling to the side as he changed directions. "She's not here," he replied. For once, he was able to tell the truth and feel warm about it. "She never was." The truth had to be covered with another lie, just to save Rachel.
Jesse eye twitched slightly as rage overcame him. He had paused, but soon returned to his fighting stance. "Don't think for a minute, Hudson, that I am going to believe anything you say! I don't care what has started between you two, it ends tonight. You should have known from the start that the second we arrive in New York, Rachel will forget you ever existed. She won't know your name, she won't remember anything from your experiences on this ship. You'll be thrown away. How could you be stupid enough to see past that?"
Oh god, he had struck a nerve. Finn didn't want to believe him. In fact, for a fraction of a second, he didn't, but there was a side of him that knew the truth, a side that knew he would be the one to remember everything, but their meeting wouldn't even have an impact as soon as Rachel was drawn away from him so easily. He also knew that New York was a big city - it would be a miracle if he ever saw her again. Finn was too taken aback by the speech to defend himself. In an instant, he was unconscious.
His eyes flickered nervously as he took in the scene. Where am I? How did I get here? The room was his own, he soon realized. But how? When he opened his eyes entirely, he saw that he was on the ground against his bed. A note rested on the desk a few feet away. Just as Finn was able to catch his balance and stand upright, he pulled away, only to be thrust back against the wall.
"God dammit," he shouted, realizing he was trapped. The handcuffs were more secure than necessary, much thanks on Jesse's behalf. "Please have the key in here, please have the key in here." He sifted through the sheets on the bed beside him, praying that Jesse would have been moronic enough to leave it there. Unfortunately, he knew the man was much smarter than his peers gave him credit for.
Something clinked against the ground, the sound of metal hitting marble countertops. "Looking for this?" Jesse asked, pride echoing in his voice. Finn's expression fell. "Nice to see you're awake. I'm sure your precious Rachel would just love to see this, wouldn't she?"
"Please," Finn pleaded, "just don't bring her into this. This is between you and me."
The other man laughed maniacally. "You sound so pathetic, Hudson," he spat. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay." With that, he swung the door shut, taking the key with him - once again, he was not nearly stupid enough to leave it in the room. Finn felt his heart race, just as the ship began to rumble beneath him.
"Finn!" Rachel tore the door open. The bottom of her dress - she had changed into more comfortable sleeping apparel - was soaking wet. "Finn, we have to get out of here, come on-" Her eyes fell to the handcuffs linking his swollen wrist to the bed. A hand flew up to cover her mouth as realization dawned. "No," she sobbed, "no, no, no, this can't be happening."
He stared at her in wonder and worry. "Rachel, what's happening? Why are you wet?" She was too hysterical to respond, desperately searching the room for a key. "He took the key, is there anyway you can-"
The door opened once again. A smug smile appeared on Jesse's face, but it did not reach his anxious eyes as he turned to Rachel. "We have to go, we don't have time for this." He allowed her to unleash her fury upon him, for she could only do so much damage when he towered over her. "We have to go," he demanded through clenched teeth.
Rachel shook her head, folding her arms across her chest. She took a step backwards, toward Finn. "No. I'm not leaving without him."
Jesse shrugged. "Suit yourself." He shut the door, and they could both hear him sprinting down the hall. "I suppose I'll see you in Hell, Hudson."
Finn gazed at Rachel in horror. "Please tell me what's going on, Rachel, I need to know. Are we going to die?"
Her tears made it nearly impossible to speak, but she made her way towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I won't leave you," she promised between gasps. "Even if it kills me, I won't." Her lips crushed against his. Beside them, the way burst open, a single hole allowing water to seep in, but neither of them dared to believe it was real.
