"Everybody in Kurt's car!" Puck chanted holding his guitar.
"Wow, hold on a second Noah!" Mercedes cut in.
Brittany and Mike were putting the towels in Finn's boot and Sam walked up to them to put the cooler in between two piles. By the lake, Tina, Rachel and Blaine were getting dressed. Kurt was already behind the wheel and was calling his dad. Santana was watching the sun slowly setting in silence, leaned against Sam's door, and on the other side, Quinn was taking a cigarette out of her skirt's pocket.
"Done, we're good to go!" Mercedes shouted to anyone who could hear her. "So, who goes with who?"
"Everybody in Kurt's car!" Puck repeated.
"We'll never fit!" The young woman retorted. "And who will drive the other two cars?"
"Right, well in that case, all the boys in the van and all the girls in Finn's car." Puck offered.
"What about Sam's car?' Mercedes asked, staring at him like he was a complete moron.
"I got it." Quinn decided, walking towards them, her cigarette still in her hand.
"You're going to drive alone?" Brittany asked. "It's going to be so sad."
"Don't worry, Britt." The blonde reassured her with a weak smile. "It'll relax me."
She turned towards Santana who was glaring at her.
"Alright, Quinn, if you don't mind…" Mercedes eventually said with a smile.
The blonde nodded before taking the keys Sam was handing her and turning around.
The minute the door shut on her, chocking the Glee Club's squeaks, she felt a bit better. She lowered the window and let her head fall against the seat, waiting for Kurt and Mercedes to go. The passenger's door was thrown open and Rachel sat next to Quinn. She stared at her, alarmed, barely noticing the cigarette that was slipping off her fingers and under her seat.
"Rachel?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to keep you company." The diva explained with a hesitant smile.
"That's… very nice of you but I'm fine on my own." Quinn answered. "Why don't you go with Finn or Mercedes…"
"Does your cheek still hurt?" Rachel suddenly asked.
"What...?" Quinn stuttered, confused by the sudden change of topic.
"It's red." The brunette pointed out.
"Oh, uh, well…"
She shrugged to let her know she didn't really know what to say.
"I can get some cream from Finn's car if you want." The diva said after a second of hesitation.
Quinn shook her head no.
"No thank you, I'll be alright. It's not the first time she slaps me, and it probably won't be the last."
She ignored Rachel's sympathetic smile, focusing on turning on the engine. It seemed to be reluctant at first and only rumbled, and for a short instant, Quinn panicked at the idea that she might stall with Rachel watching her. This horrible thought seemed to breathe some life into the car, because the next second, the engine was starting. The air-con blew some much-needed fresh air in the car and Quinn smiled in satisfaction.
"We take the road this time!" Mercedes announced, popping her head out the window.
The cars all followed Finn's, driven by Mercedes. They drove along the west side of the lake, past the water tower which state they had checked a few hours ago, and took a path weaving along the north hill, between two conifers. Just as they were taking the road, the van's boot was opened, revealing Puck sitting in it with his guitar.
"Puck, what the hell are you doing?" Kurt asked.
"It's too crammed on the backseats!" The boy answered, adjusting his guitar on his knees.
"Close that boot!"
Puck ignored him and started playing some chords.
"Puck! Get out of there!"
"Leave him, Kurt." Artie said.
"If he falls, that's on him." Mike added with a careless shrug.
"If you want I go with him to keep an eye on him!"
"Sam, no!"
But the blond had already stepped over the backseats and was sitting by the Mohawk boy.
"I swear to god, if you fall, you walk the rest of the way…" Kurt mumbled glaring at them in the rear-view mirror.
"What on earth are those two idiots doing?" Quinn whispered, squinting her eyes, not sure whether she was dreaming or not.
"Is he about to play guitar in Kurt's boot…?" Rachel asked, not too sure.
Quinn was tempted to pop her head out the window to tell Puck that if he smashed his head on her windscreen she wouldn't hesitate in mocking him, but instead, she glanced at the brunette. She seemed really anxious, frowning at Puck and Sam like that, as if she thought they would actually die. Quinn couldn't hold back a smile and did her best to keep her attention on the road.
"Hahahahah, Puckerman, Evans, if you smash your head on the ground I am going to piss myself like never before!"
"San, get back here." Brittany asked with worry, grabbing her t-shirt.
Santana was half out the car and was already laughing just thinking about Puck and Sam falling off the boot and Quinn driving over them. She eventually listened to her girlfriend and sat back in the safety of the car.
"Sit down you're rocking the boat!" Puck hummed in a falsetto voice.
"Nevermind I'll find, someone like you." Sam sang in a deep voice.
"I don't need a parachute baby if I've got you!" Puck added.
"You're gonna catch me if I fall down!" They sang in unison.
"Shut up." Santana mumbled sitting up.
But they were too far to even hear her and continued with another song.
"Light up the world tonight!"
"Throw your doubt away!"
"They're beyond help." Mercedes sighed and exchanged a knowing look with Tina.
"You make me feel like I'm living a!"
"TEENAGE DREAM!"
"There's only Puck and Sam to ruin ten songs at once." Kurt commented.
Quinn raised an eyebrow and tried to focus on her driving. She heard a giggle next to her and turned to see Rachel struggling not to laugh, two hands on her mouth. But her shaking shoulders were giving it away.
She was so distraught by the sight that she forgot she was driving and the car started to turn left.
"Quinn, watch out!" Rachel screamed.
She quickly leaned over and put two hands over Quinn's to put the car back on track. Quinn's heart missed a beat upon feeling Rachel's warm skin against hers, and for a second, she genuinely thought they were going to crash.
In front of her, Puck started singing Drive My Car, smiling sarcastically.
Quinn mumbled some sort of apology to Rachel and gave her a small smile before pushing her hands away.
"You're going to Hell."
The diva's perfume was still tickling her nostrils and it was even harder to keep her eyes on the road. She felt like a teenager and cursed herself for it.
"Tonight, we are young, so let's set the world on fire." Puck hummed, strumming his guitar a bit more seriously.
"We can burn brighter than the sun." Sam answered, nodding his head to the rhythm.
"Na nan a nan a naaa naaaa naaaaaah!" Puck sang louder, soon joined by Mercedes, Tina, Brittanyn Artie and Blaine who all loved this song.
"Carry me home tonight." Quinn sang on a soft voice, and she couldn't help but look at Rachel.
"NA NA NA NA NAA NAAAAA NAAAAH!" They were all screaming.
Their eyes met, and the brunette smiled at her, singing back:
"Just carry me home tonight."
Quinn looked back on the road, this time to hide her burning cheeks rather than to keep control of the vehicle.
"The world is on my side." Mercedes sang with a powerful voice.
"I have no reason to run." Santana added, holding Brittany's hand in hers.
Rachel and Quinn exchanged a knowing look.
"So will someone come and carry home tonight?" They sang lowering the windows so that everyone could enjoy their performance.
"The angels never arrived." Finn and Mike added, turning around to wave at them.
"But I can hear the choir!" Artie followed.
"So will someone come and carry me home?" The three boys asked, joined by Puck and Sam.
A car approached on the other side on the road, the first one so far. It was a construction truck with about fifteen workers sat at the back.
"Tonight, we are young!" Sam sang smiling innocently as they were driving past the three cars.
"SO LET'S SET THE WORLD ON FIRE!" Puck shouted holding his guitar like a punk musician.
The workers all looked the same side to watch them curiously.
"We can burn brighter than the sun!" The two boys continued to sing.
"Toniiiiight, we are young!" A bearded guy followed, clearly the only one knowing the song.
"Na nan a na na naaa naaaa naaaaah!" Another followed, uncertain.
Kurt and Finn's passengers cheered loudly and even Quinn waved at them to congratulate them. She regretted it instantly when half of them smiled at her, like perverts. They drove away still singing the only two verses they seemed to know, and Puck encouraged them by loudly strumming his guitar above his head.
"So if by the time the bar closes and if you feel like falling down, I'll carry you home tonight." Rachel concluded in a whisper leaning against the door.
The Glee Club's cheers resonated across the prairie and they could hear the workers screaming in response a few miles away.
"One more, one more!" Blaine requested hitting the ceiling excitedly.
Puck gave his guitar to Sam who started playing a more upbeat song. Without even looking at each other, they both started singing.
"They say you've got to lose a couple fights to win!"
"It's hard to tell from where I'm sitting."
"They say that this is where the fun begins."
"I guess it's time that I was quitting!"
They arrived at the cottage about ten minutes later, carelessly singing, and parked one next to the other by Brittany's car.
"A slight figure of speech. I cut my chest wide open!" Puck whistled, jumping off the van.
He was still playing the guitar was he walked inside, following Mercedes and Tina.
…
…
…
"Alright Finessa, we get it. This thing opens like that, never put that thing that way, and this stuff always has to be attached to that stuff. Can we move on to something more interesting?"
Finn, who was showing Rachel how to quickly and efficiently put a hook through a strap, looked up annoyed.
"What?" The Latina continued with a shrug. "All we have to do is avoid holes and try not to get lost. It's not that difficult."
They were all in the living room, surrounded by the speleology equipment that Finn and Brittany had taken out of the cars to show them how to use it. They wouldn't split once in the cave, but it would have been stupid to go into it without knowing the basics.
Kurt, Artie and Mercedes were in the kitchen, chatting, happy they didn't have to participate.
"It's for safety." Finn said, irritated.
"I think we all know how to use a hook." Santana said with a nod.
"Listen Santana, if you want to take the risk of finding yourself on your own and not knowing how to use the equipment, fine by me!"
"Oh, thank you Frankenteen, but…"
"San…" Brittany whispered, placing a hand on her arm.
Santana turned towards her.
"Finn is right." The blonde said with a smile. "Even if I'll always be with you, I don't want you to rely on me. It would be like Lord Tubbington trying to stop smoking."
The Latina's face lit up and she smiled at Finn on the other side of the room.
"Alright, Hudson, what's the next lesson?"
In the kitchen, Kurt abruptly put his mug down.
"No way!" He said.
"I was only offering." Artie said with a shrug.
"I'm with Kurt on that one." Mercedes cut in. "Watching Final Destination after The Descent might not be the greatest idea."
"Rachel won't even come near the ropes, scared she'll trip over and hang herself." Kurt added, very seriously. "And how is she supposed to survive without ropes in a cave? Might as well send her to audition for West Side Story with the flu, it would hurt less!"
"But that movie is really far-fetched." Artie added with wave. "She'll realise that what happens in it can't possibly happen in real life."
"No w-…"
"You know what guys? No movie tonight, that way everybody is happy!"
"Hey, no!" They both shook their head no.
"We're all here together, so why sit in front of the tv like zombies?" Mercedes asked with a smile.
She glanced towards the living room where they were all struggling to master the equipment, before looking back at them and adding:
"Let's be honest, it might be our last chance to all be together, so we should enjoy it."
A silence fell on the room. Kurt looked at his mug to hide his sadness and Artie nodded with a sad smile. Mercedes abruptly stood up.
"No sulking!" She decided. "Artie, you still haven't told me what you wanted to drink!"
"Mierda!" Santana shouted, pulling her hand away.
She observed her finger with a frown.
"Shit, that hurts…"
Brittany rushed to her side, grabbed her hand and looked at it with worry.
"I let go of the pulley too soon and the rope burned me." Santana mumbled after another curse word.
"There's first aid kits in the spare room." Rachel said. "I can go get one and…"
"It's okay Rachel." The blonde gently said. "I'll take care of it."
She took the Latina's hand and guided her out of the room.
"Don't forget to put cream all over her, just in case!" Puck shouted.
Santana glared at him before walking out the room after Brittany.
"Now that we have one wounded, are we finally going to stop playing with the equipment?" Quinn asked from the couch. "We know enough to survive in case of an emergency, unless of course, one of those creatures happens to be there."
"Quinn!" Rachel whined.
The ex-HBIC shrugged.
"I think Quinn is right." Finn said, putting his things down. "We'll just have to check our equipment individually tomorrow before we leave, and we should be fine."
"About time, I was starting to suffocate in here!" Quinn said, standing up.
She disappeared in the library without adding a word.
"Alright, who's ready for Final Destination?" Puck offered, and Mike nodded fervently.
"No movie tonight!" Mercedes shouted from the kitchen.
"What about alcohol?"
"No!"
"Boring." Puck grumbled.
"What are we going to do then?" Finn worried.
"Oh I don't know, stay sober maybe." Kurt commented.
"First of all, clean up this mess." Mercedes said with authority.
"Then?" Sam asked.
"Then we'll see!"
Puck eventually accepted his fate and stopped winging after ten minutes of intensive cleaning. They put the equipment back in Finn's car, while Kurt, Mercedes and Artie were having a nice cup of coffee. Quinn was still missing, and Brittany and Santana were still upstairs.
…
…
…
"Charades." Sam said with enthusiasm as they were all going up the stairs leading back inside.
"You serious?" Mike whispered, staring at him with wide eyes.
"Spin the bottle?" Puck offered with his usual swagger.
"Alright, but with water bottles then." Rachel cut in.
"No spinning any bottle tonight!" Finn protested.
They still remembered perfectly the kiss the diva had shared with Blaine. Well everyone but Rachel of course. And Blaine who had had too much to drink as well. Actually, barely anyone remembered. Only Kurt and Finn did, as well as Quinn, but nobody else knew about that.
"We'll find a way to steal one once Jones the Godfather turns her back." Puck said with a shrug.
"Guys, I don't it's cool to get drunk like that." Finn said. "We never remember anything the day after, there's no point."
"That's the pot calling the kettle back." Puck said.
"You were just as drunk as the rest of us last night." Sam added with a sympathetic smile.
Rachel grabbed Finn's arm and guided him inside before he dug himself him any deeper. She didn't have any argument in his favour anyway.
"Karaoke then?" Tina offered as they were walking in.
"Oh! Yes!" Blaine exclaimed with a smile.
"Mmm…"
"Maybe." Mike said, thoughtful.
"Guitar then?" Sam offered.
"Again?"
"Finn, it's always time to play guitar!"
"And to sing!"
"Yes, Blaine. To sing. But not you."
"Huh? But I'd like to sing!"
"Well go on then."
"It's not great acapella."
"There's a piano in the attic."
"Don't be silly Sam, it's full of dust, he'll never touch it!"
"Of course, silly me, good thing you're here."
"Or maybe Warbler here would like us to wear a blazer and a read tie to sing along?"
"Of course, how could I forget?"
They stopped as soon as they saw Kurt walking towards them, looking murderous. Mike attempted a dance move as he walked past to calm him down, but the young man didn't even flinch and watched them walk towards the living room.
"Kurt, it's not what you think…"
"Shut up and come have a drink in the kitchen." Kurt cut him off, grabbing his hand.
Blaine shut his mouth and followed without question.
…
…
…
"Where does it hurt?" Brittany asked walking out of the spare room with a first aid kit under her arm.
Santana was sat at the edge of the king size bed and watched her without a word.
"San." The blonde insisted. "Where does it hurt?"
The Latina remained silent and stared at her, unreadable. She suddenly smiled, amused.
"You know what, Britt? I think it's the perfect time for a shag."
"What about your finger?" The blonde asked, confused.
The Latina grabbed her hand and pulled her towards her. The first aid kit crashed on the wooden floor and Brittany lost balance and fell over Santana.
"I can barely feel it anymore, unlike some other parts of my body." The young woman husked, grabbing her waist.
Brittany's wide eyes stopped on Santana's dark ones. She opened her mouth to speak but Santana sat up to kiss her.
"Hmmm… San…" She breathed, reluctantly pulling away.
The young woman frowned, a bit upset.
"You can just lay there, I'll do the rest." She decided.
She gripped her wrists and turned them around, pinning her down the bed. She laid on top of her and grabbed the hem of her shirt.
"They're going to hear us…" Brittany whispered.
Not giving her time to say more, Santana slipped her shirt off and sent it on the other side of the room, smirking at her.
"If we try hard enough, they won't know." She affirmed before leaning down and kissing her neck.
The blonde bit her lip to stop from moaning.
"What if somebody comes up?" She managed to articulate.
Santana looked up, eyes full of desire.
"Nobody will." She whispered.
Brittany grabbed her by the collar and crashed her lips against hers with enthusiasm.
…
…
"Britt…"
"Yes, San."
"Am I a freak?"
"Of course not."
"But if my father says so, it must be true."
"You're a unicorn. You're precious. It's not the same."
"But unicorns don't exist. I'm a freak."
"San, you're not a freak."
"But if my mother says so, it must be true."
"No. I don't think you are, neither does the Glee Club."
"But if my abuela says so, it must be true."
"San, I love you, stop saying that."
"But…"
"San."
"If I disappeared, it would be so much easier."
"San, I love you, don't say that."
"I want to die, I want it to stop."
"It's over San, you're with me now."
"I feel like I'm in a prison."
"Does Lort Tubbington scare you? I can tell him not to come in if you want."
"I feel like a prisoner within myself. Am I… Am I ever going to be normal?"
"But you're normal."
"If that's being normal, I don't want it."
"Being normal is boring."
"I want to be boring."
"I don't want you to be."
"As if I had a choice anyway."
"I love you, San."
"Why am I like this?"
"Are you sad you're my lobster?"
"I'm a freak."
"That's not true. I love you, San, and Lord Tubbington loves you too, and everybody here loves you. The Glee Club too."
"Why doesn't my family love me? It's all I want…"
"They're Death Eaters."
"Stop making stupid references."
"You used to like it…"
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay, you're allowed not to like it anymore."
"I didn't mean to snap, I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"I'm sorry."
"I'll stop making references."
"No, don't, I love them."
"Really? Then why did you-…"
"I'm sorry."
"You don't have to pretend, San."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm like this. I'm sorry I'm feeling for myself. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"Stop apologising San."
"I'm sorry."
"Would a magic kiss help you feel better?"
"I don't know… I don't see what could make me feel better. My life is ruined."
"No!"
"Yes. I should disappear."
"You'd be leaving me…"
"You wouldn't be alone. You have Lord Tubbington, the hobbit, Q…"
"Without you, I'm all alone."
"I'm here."
"Don't say you want to disappear."
"You know I don't lie."
"Then stop thinking it."
"I can't do that. I don't know how to tell myself that my parents are wrong. They know me better than anyone, so they must be right."
"They're wrong. Anyone who can't see who you are is wrong."
"And who am I?"
"You're…"
"Deranged and sick."
"SAN!"
"Then who am I according to you?"
"You're my lobster."
"I was expecting better."
"You're not convinced?"
"No."
"What can I do to make you believe me?"
"There's nothing you can d-…"
"… Did that work?"
"Does that count as a magic kiss?"
"Your choice."
"Can you do it again? I'm not sure it worked the first time."
"How about now?... San why are you crying?"
"It's not working, it's not working…"
"You don't love me anymore?"
"Shut up! Do you think I would have done all of this if I didn't love you?!"
"Then why are you saying it's not w-…"
"It's not working because I still feel sad? But I love you, Britt, so shut up now."
"I'm sorry…"
"Don't apologise. I should be the one apologi-…"
"No."
"Yes."
"San…"
"Britt, I love you, I'm sorry alright?"
"One more time."
"Britt, I love you."
"Ah! One more time?"
"I love you, I love you, I love you."
"I love you too, San. So much."
"Why are you smiling like that?"
"Because I love you. And I'm happy."
"Show me how to be…"
…
…
…
Mike was whistling, nodding his head to the rhythm Puck was playing.
"Here's a little song I wrote." Sam sang.
"You might want to sing it note for note." Finn added.
"Don't worry, be happy." The boys sang in unison.
Blaine started to click his fingers to mark the rhythm. Mike, Puck, Finn and Sam were sitting on the larger couch in the living room. The former Warbler was leaning against the wall, lightly tapping his foot on the floor.
The cottage was quiet. Rachel was outside calling her dads, Mercedes was counting their provisions with Kurt in the kitchen, and Artie and Tina were chatting not far from them. Santana and Brittany still hadn't come back and through one of the windows, Sam could see Quinn's shadow on the patio, smoking a cigarette.
"In every life we have some trouble." Puck continued.
"When you worry, you make it double." Finn added.
"Don't worry, be happy." They all sang.
The peaceful atmosphere was almost magical, and Puck was even starting to appreciate being sober and relaxed. He loved singing with the boys. He would even forget his disdain for Blaine.
Through the sliding door, Quinn could hear them singing and was swinging to the rhythm of their voices, blowing out the smoke of her cigarette towards the sky where you could see the stars. Her mind was finally a bit more at ease and she hummed the lyrics. She would have loved to follow the advice the song was giving.
Upstairs, Brittany and Santana could hear everything that was happening around them. They were trying to keep it down the best they could, but the burning look Brittany gave Santana as she was finishing to undress her only enticed her more. The bed squeaked as the blonde sat up to passionately kiss the Latina, who grabbed her hair, burning with a desire she could no longer control. The feeling of their skin against one another, that blueberry scent surrounding her completely, the blonde's beautiful face, her blue eyes consumed with a desire she was silently begging to be satisfied, and Santana couldn't even remember her own name. All she could see was Brittany and the certainty that she could never have enough of her as she placed both hands on her cheeks, kissing her once again.
"San…" Brittany mumbled, her voice raspy with lust.
Santana grabbed her by the waist, only wanting to satisfy her silent prayer.
Downstairs, Mercedes, Kurt and Artie were each doing their own thing, without the slightest doubt of what was happening right above their head. Mercedes was humming the song as she put the dishes back where they belonged, while Kurt was cleaning the ones from the day before. Artie and Tina were talking about how they would stay in touch while she was in the cave and he was in the house.
"And you're positive the antennas will be enough?" The young girl asked, hesitant.
"We can never be 100% certain, but there's a high probability that it will be." Artie assured with one of his charming smiles.
"And what happens if I break it while falling?"
"There's always going to be somebody else's antenna. Plus, the cave isn't too far underground, so if I'm not wrong, the service will be good."
Tina looked at the table, thoughtful.
"You're still thinking of that movie, aren't you?" Artie guessed, taking her hand.
She slowly nodded.
"I knew it was a bad idea to watch this before you left." Mercedes said, looking at her with understanding eyes.
"It's not realistic at all, though. The day you find a cave full of Gollums, you let me know. But the one you're going to doesn't look anything like that now does it?" Kurt said, almost disdainful.
"There are a lot of rooms." Artie added. "It's not a new cave, it has been visited in the past. And I'm pretty sure we can trust Brittany and Finn."
"Those creatures don't even exist anyway." Kurt added, now getting annoyed. "Not in caves, not in zoos. It's like unicorns, or God even."
"Careful what you say." Mercedes said with a smile. "If Brittany could hear you…"
"Where is she by the way?" Kurt wondered, looking at the stairs.
"She's probably about to operate on Santana considering how long they're taking to take care of her hand." Artie said.
They all looked at him and it took him a second to understand what he'd said.
"I mean, not like that!" He quickly added, raising his hands in defence.
They continued to stare at him.
"All I meant is they're taking an awful long time. That's it." He added, slightly embarrassed.
Kurt ended this embarrassing moment.
"Anyway." He said, looking at the sink where cutlery was covered in soap.
"You should know by now that talking about Brittana is like walking on eggshells…" Tina whispered, tapping his hand.
"Brittana? Seriously?" Kurt said from the sink.
Mercedes and Tina exchanged a look before bursting out laughing.
"Cause when you worry your face will frown." Sam continued in the next room.
"And that will bring everybody down." Finn sang.
"SO DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY!"