Ch12 Blazing Fires

It was late at night when I awoke with a start, body rising like the dead. I scanned my room, fully alert. Even through the darkness of the shadows I couldn't find anything that was out of place. I ran a shaky hand down the side of my face, staring out into the shadows. I was filled with this type of energy. It was strong, tight, and pulling beneath my chest. The feeling was only growing stronger by the minute. I didn't understand what was going on with me. I had never felt this way before. There was another tightening in my chest which made my heart jolt with surprise. The pounding grew louder along with this strange new feeling. It was hard to ignore. I had this urge to get up and leave the house.

I quickly got up and threw on some clothes before sneaking out of the house. The fresh breeze swirled around me like a wave of fresh water, cooling me to the touch. It felt better being outside, like I could breathe. The tightening in my chest was starting to loosen with each step I took. I walked down the invisible path led by the pale moonlight. I didn't know where I was being led to but I knew I had to trust this. It saved me last time. Saved her….

I am a magnet now, being pulled, drawn into. The faint traces that I was feeling before grew stronger while the pain dissipated. It didn't take long to realize where I was now and where I was heading. Ten minutes later I was standing outside of Rachel's house. It was dark. No lights were on. I stood on her walkway staring up at the house with a mixture of feelings. What the hell am I doing here? What's going on? Is she alright? My mind was reeling with the endless possibilities. The energy around me intensified like a lit match, consuming me like a fire. My skin was tingling with flames. All the nerves in my body went on alert as I slowly walked up the walkway. My heart was beating faster than ever. I was suddenly outside her door. How did I get here so fast? I breathed out heavily about to reach for the door when-

The front door swung open and Rachel came out. A large and heavy blanket was wrapped around her as she stepped out onto her front porch and gazed out into her front lawn. From behind the bushes by her porch I held my breath, pushing my back against the wall. I was hidden by the darkest of shadows and knew for a fact that I couldn't be seen. I gazed out through the branches of the bush watching the other girl intently. Rachel was staring out into her yard, searching for something. I followed her eyes trying to see what she might be looking for. But at my angle I couldn't see jack shit. It was too dark. I stayed where I was. Rachel stood still for a good five minutes. When it became clear that no one was there she shook her head and scratched the back of her head. Even in the darkness I could see her roll her eyes while she mumbled something underneath her breath. As she turned back around her eyes accidentally glanced over at the bushes, at me. My body exploded, lava pouring out of me in every direction. I knew she couldn't see me, but I couldn't help this dying fear that she actually could. Brown eyes stared at me with unrelenting waver. I was burning up.

Then she took a step toward me and then another. Oh fuck! FUCK! Okay, think of an excuse…. I was just in the neighborhood, thought I saw something…. Is that too weird? It's 3 am. Right, I was jogging, couldn't sleep…. Saw something strange? FUCK! RACHEL TURN BACK AROUND! Suddenly the other girl stopped halfway through. Again those eyes were still on the bushes, on me. I was heaving at this point, trying to refrain from any sort of movement. Rachel closed her eyes and shook her head. Then she quickly turned back around and went back inside her house.

I released a long shaky breath and pressed my head against the wall. My heart was still racing, body pumping with adrenaline. I didn't know what the fuck just happened. But there was a chilling thought that rang through my body. I was physically being drawn to her. But I didn't think that was the worst part. There was something ringing through my very being. Deep down I knew….

Rachel was calling out to me.

I silently cursed at the thought. If it happened again I wouldn't be able to stop it. I didn't know what I was going to do…

"I so fucked!" I whispered to myself.

Tina and I were sitting down outside the Lima Bean. The sun was high up in the sky and a fresh breeze was all that was going for me. Tina still hasn't said a word to me since she texted me to meet her here. It's awkward to say the least. Things were changing between us and I didn't know if it was because we were growing in different directions, or if it was the recent events. I didn't think that we would be here right now. Were we even friends anymore? This is bullshit….Tina finally breathed out loud before removing the sunglasses from her face.

"Quinn, I called you out here because I wanted to talk." She started off.

I nodded, eyeing her cautiously. Maybe I was still a bit hurt that Tina decided to defend the other girl and not me. Tina and I have been through a lot, especially during the early wars and now with our charges. While we were angels she never had any flaws. Neither of us did. But now in human form there were certain parts about us that were bleeding through the surface. I was torn up about this. Would this be the end of our friendship? Maybe we can work together to overcome these flaws. I really hoped this wouldn't be the end for us. We've been friends for a few hundred years…

Tina shifted uncomfortably in her seat, eyes landing on me, softening in the process. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened these past few days, especially those that were on my part. I know that I can't go back and change anything that's happened and I also can't keep coming up with these excuses for Santana. You were right. Her actions are her own and she has to take responsibility for the consequences. So in saying that, I wanted to let you know that I turned her into principal Figgins, she's suspended for now."

I was really shocked by this. "What?"

The other girl nodded her head. "I got her suspended."

"Wow…" I breathed out heavily.

"Santana thought it would be funny to prank Rachel by texting her to meet her out by the pool. When Rachel got there Santana pushed her into the pool. The girl was stupid enough to post pictures all over her Facebook. I handed over the pictures to Figgins and told him he needed to do something about it. So he suspended her."

"How are you feeling about it?" I asked, clearly blown away.

"It's just really hard you know, trying to balance out our lives versus being their guardian. And I know that you must be feeling just as confused as I am about this place. It's really hard you know? I'm saying one thing then wind up doing the complete opposite. It's frustrating!"

I nodded my head in understanding. She was preaching the truth.

"I'm sorry about Rachel. And I'm really sorry about Santana. With her, things are never clear. A part of me feels like I have to protect her, defend her. Its instinct and I can't help it. I mean you should know that better than anyone."

"Yes I do." I agreed.

"They each have their own story and we've watched them grow up through every step of the way. It's hard not to feel biased about them. But I know now that this plan that I've come up with isn't working, the whole staying away from them thing. The connection between our charges is driving us crazy, and I'm willing to bet its driving them crazy too. It's getting worse the longer we try to ignore it."

"What do you suggest?" I asked, leaning forward.

Tina sighed and rubbed at her face. "I think that we need to have some kind of relation with our charges, to keep ourselves from getting out of hand. It's obvious that our girls need some kind of guidance to keep them out of trouble. They need us…. They just don't know it yet."

"And we need them." I answered back a bit airlessly.

"We can't ignore them. They aren't going away…."

"So you're saying that in order for us not to become consumed by our connections we have to spend more time with them?" I asked, clearly confused.

"I guess so." Tina replied a bit unsure.

"Don't you think that's a bad idea?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just think that it might be dangerous to get so close to them. We aren't going to be here forever…"

"Dangerous? Possibly…. But what would you rather have, insanity or peace?"

"I would rather not hurt anyone. That's what's going to happen if we do this." I pointed out.

"How would you know?"

"I'm just trying to think this through…" I huffed out.

"Look, I don't really know how all this is supposed to work. Your guess is as good as mine and you can handle this in any way you choose to. But I'm letting you know now that I need to keep an eye out for Santana. She's not doing well. She's going to need someone real soon. And that's why I'm letting you know that I'm joining the cheer-leading team."

My eyes drew open in shock. "The cheer-leading team?" I asked incredibly.

"It's the only good place that I can infiltrate without her getting suspicious. This way, I can find a way of getting closer to her."

"So you're really going to do this?"

She nodded. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. My mind was buzzing with all this talk. None of it was making any sense. But then I recalled the other when Rachel called out to me in the middle of the night and how powerless I was to resist it. Could I handle anymore nights like that? Would it only get worse?

"So listen, there's this carnival that's coming into town next weekend. I really think that we should check it out since we've never been to one. What do you say?" Tina asked.

I was pulled out from my thoughts. A carnival. That actually sounded like fun. "That sounds good!" I nodded, plastering a smile across my face. "There's going to be animals in there too right? Like elephants and shit?"

Tina chuckled lightly. "I think you're thinking of a circus."

"Isn't that the same thing?" I asked.

"No." Tina laughed, before standing up. "I'm going to get another drink. You want anything?" she asked. I shook my head. The other girl turned and left back inside the shop.

I sighed and kicked my feet up, basking in the sun. Tina's thoughts were eating me and I was troubled by it. I didn't know what I was going to do. I was conflicted. I had been warned by many people that I needed to keep a safe distance from my charge. On the other hand, I really wanted to spend time with Rachel. She's funny, smart, and honest. She's the most interesting person on this planet. I was dying to know more. But as I said before I don't want to hurt anyone, especially Rachel. She's been through enough for a lifetime. I couldn't live with myself if I ever hurt her. Maybe staying away from her was for the best.

"Quinn?" a voice called to me.

Speak of the devil…. My eyes looked up and there she was. Rachel Berry. An instantaneous smile smacked my face like a brick. Rachel smiled back with just as much enthusiasm.

"Rachel? Hi!- What- uhh, what are you doing here?" I asked, taking her in.

"I was just jogging." She replied back.

I stored that piece of info into the back of my head. She never runs in public… she usually runs on her treadmill… Rachel stood before me wearing a black tank top and a pair of short shorts. Her beautiful brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail. Sweat was glistening down her face and chest. There was an earpiece dangling from one ear. The sight of her was a bit mesmerizing.

"And what about you? Are you here alone?" Rachel asked, bringing me back to reality.

I blinked, and slowly stood to my feet. "No, I'm just here with Tina, we're grabbing some drinks."

Rachel nods her head and pinches her lips together in a tight line. "Right," she gets out.

There's a small moment of silence as I lean against the small rail that is between us. Rachel's eyes are on me and mine on her. It's obvious that the connection is there, bright and strong. I could feel it. She could too by the look she was giving me. Something strummed inside, like plucking the strings of a guitar. A melody was playing inside my head and for the life of me I couldn't understand what it all meant. All I knew was that it was beautiful. This was beautiful.

"I wanted to both apologize and thank you for that other day on the bleachers." Rachel whispered out shyly, looking away from me. "That incident revealed some pretty heavy emotions that I thought I had dealt with. But I guess I really hadn't. So I just wanted to say I'm sorry for putting you into that kind of situation. And thank you for not pushing me away."

My emotions rushed heavy to my throat. "Why do you feel the need to always apologize to me?" I asked with a deep voice.

Rachel sighed and placed her eyes down at the ground. "Because I'm fairly sure that my actions aren't like normal people. I feel like I keep messing up and making mistakes around you. It just feels like everything I'm doing is wrong."

"You're not doing anything wrong. You never need to apologize to me." I stated with a firm tone.

"Never?" she asked, raising her eyes back up to me.

I nodded, smiling softly at her. "Don't apologize for needing someone. We all do. I'm just glad that I was there."

A small smile broke out across Rachel's face as she whisked a small hair behind her ear.

"If you ever want to talk to someone, I'm around. I'm a pretty good listener too. You'll get no judgment from me." I added in.

Rachel bit her lower lip, trying to hide the smile that was trying to get out. "To talk? About what?" she asked with curiosity.

"Anything." I breathed out.

Rachel was staring at me with a shy smile. "You'd really want to talk?"

"I'm pretty sure." I smiled.

Rachel blushed a bit as she restlessly shuffled her hands by her side. "Okay." She nodded, looking away from me again.

There was another quiet lapse. This time Rachel seemed to be in a daze. "So did you hear that the carnival is coming into town?" I asked.

Rachel focused her attention back to me and nodded. "Yeah, Sam has been bugging me about it since last month. Why, were you thinking of going?"

"Tina and I thought we might go check it out."

Rachel narrowed her eyes a bit. "Tina? That's the new Asian girl right?"

I nodded. "Yes."

Rachel hummed quietly beneath her breath. Beside me I felt another presence. Tina was back. Rachel and Tina threw each other a look, eyeing each other up and down. Rachel's face quickly slipped into a mask. The air suddenly died.

"Right, well you should check out the carnival. The both of you." Rachel added. "Maybe I'll see you there."

"Maybe." I nodded back.

"Goodbye Quinn- Tina." Rachel stated, quickly jogging off down the sidewalk.

"That was weird." Tina muttered out.

"Yeah." I agreed.

"Is it me, or is she getting weirder than before?" Tina asked.

I shrugged. I didn't have a clue.

"What are we doing to these girls?" Tina sighed out.

"More like what are they doing to us?" I asked.

"Yeah." Tina agreed.

.

After my talk with Tina there was one thing that I needed to do. My mind was finally made up… I was done holding back.

I stood in the middle of the choir room chatting quietly to Mr. Schue. Blaine, Mercedes, and Kurt were already in the room whispering quietly to each other and eyeing me. Puck and Mike walked in. When they saw me their eyes grew big and smiles crossed their faces. They lit up brightly and walked over to me in a rush. Both of them threw their arms around me in a firm hug.

"Don't tell me this is what I think it is.."Puck stated with a large smile.

"You're going to join? Like really!" Mike asked with just as much enthusiasm.

I nodded. "You guys can be very convincing."

"It was me right? I did buy you those cupcakes.." Puck nodded to himself like he was the man.

"Psh, as if. " Mike threw out.

The boys started goofing off and in no time I was bowing my head in laughter. More students started entering. Finn and Sam walked in. Sam was a bit surprised to see me but he quickly walked over to us. Finn eyed me with a sulking type of look, one that spoke of jealously. I threw him a look that said to stay away from me. He clearly got the message since he went straight to a seat.

"Are you really going to join?" Sam asked with a bright smile.

I nodded. Sam and Mike high fived each other. "All right! Maybe now we can get to nationals!"

At that moment Artie and Brittany entered the room. Introductions were made to Brittany and pretty soon we were chatting about everything.

"Omg, you're going to be taking dance lessons with Mike? No way! I'm so totally down for that. I love dancing!" Brittany announced.

"He's not THAT good." Puck pointed out.

Brittany slapped Puck's arm. "Don't be rude. Jealously is not a good color on you."

Puck blushed as he drew his gaze away from me. Rachel suddenly walked in and froze in her tracks once she saw me. I could feel my face heating up. Her eyes grew large like saucers. It looked like her jaw fell 30 ft below ground. Her face was paling a bit. She was frozen, staring at me like I just busted into her world. Was she even breathing? Rachel was accidently hit in the shoulder by Mr. Schue who apologized. The other girl was brought back into the world. She blinked a few more times but didn't say anything. She walked over to her normal seat, sitting in the front row. Rachel crossed her arms across her chest, trying not to look at us. But every now and then I would catch her sneaking glances. She really wasn't that subtle…

Everyone finally took a seat once Mr. Schue started making announcements, except for me. "And now ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Quinn Fabray. She's new here to McKinley, so let's give her the respect she deserves and welcome her."

There was a small amount of applause as Mr. Schue took a seat. Suddenly I was the only one left, standing alone in the middle of the room. I was feeling a bit nervous now. All eyes were on me. I had never sung before an audience before. My hands were shaking. I was really anxious and excited about this.

"Hi, I'm Quinn Fabray. I just moved here from LA. Now I'm not really much of a singer.."

"Bull shit." Puck stated with laughter.

Brittany nudged him in the stomach. I smiled at them and chuckled softly.

"Puck, language." Mr. Schue stated.

"But I'll give it a try." I stated with a shy tone. "This is a song from one of my favorite artists. So I hope you enjoy."

The slow piano like melody came on thanks to Brad. I took in heavy breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. I could feel Rachel's eyes zooming in on me like a hawk. It was nerve racking. I knew I wasn't as good as Rachel. I was still learning. Maybe I wouldn't look too foolish in front of her. I closed my eyes, trying to zone everybody out. And just like that I slipped into the music and let out the first note.

Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel

I paused and slowly opened up my eyes. Everyone was gaping at me with shocked expressions, except for Mike, Puck and Artie who had already heard me sing. I quickly snuck a glance at Rachel who looked beside herself. I smiled internally; maybe I'm not so bad?

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

The music suddenly started up…. The drums and trombones kicked in with a bang.

Fish in the sea you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree you know how I feel

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

My body slowly started moving with the beat. And before I knew it there was a smile gracing my face at how wonderful I felt. The music was creating something in me. And I loved it. I really loved this feeling.

Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
That's what I mean

When I finally belted out the last note all fell into silence. I was breathing heavily and trying to keep myself from having a heart attack. A split second later the entire room filled with loud cheering. Everyone looked blown away, even Kurt and Mercedes. All seemed well until… Uh-oh! Alarm bells were going off in my head. Rachel's face was anything but amazed. She had that look on her face. It was the kind of look that said she had just gotten the new scent of a predator in her area. I had done something wrong. Rachel was glaring at me silently, fuming.

"That was amazing! Welcome to the glee club!" Mr. Schue announced.

Everyone was packing up and ready to leave after the meeting was over. Almost everyone cleared out of the room except for Rachel who marched straight over to me. Mr. Schue was congratulating me again about joining the club when Rachel appeared beside us. The diva threw a look at the teacher and he immediately scampered away. I was taken aback by her forwardness.

"Welcome Quinn. You know I was fairly surprised by your skills. It's apparent that you are pretty talented. I didn't realize when we met that you were interested in singing." Rachel expressed with a fire in her eyes.

I smiled, knowing that Rachel was getting riled up. I don't know why I liked this feeling.

"You never asked." I replied back, trying to hold back my smirk.

"Where exactly did you receive your training?" she asked, abruptly.

I was internally laughing. Everything I knew I had learned from her. Hello? I was practically by her side every second of the day. Of course I would've trained along with her. "You wouldn't know her yet. She's not really well known. But I'm sure in a few years she's going to be a star."

Rachel hummed, taking this in. She was rubbing at her chin, examining me closely. "So am I to assume that you will be trying out for the lead solos as well?"

She was prying now. "And what is it to you?" I asked, wanting to see her reaction.

"Well, I'm the lead captain of the glee club." She pointed out.

I nodded, smiling widely. "Right."

"And often I'm usually always put in the lead spots."

"Well what if someone else wanted one of those spots?" I asked playfully.

Rachel was eyeing me now, a bit intrigued by the conversation. "Then they'd have to fight me for it."

"Oh really, and what all would that entail? Some dueling? Gun slinging? Or should we take it back to middle ages where broadswords are used?" I asked with a smirk.

Rachel licked her lips and rolled her eyes. "Only if we draw blood."

"So till death then huh?" I asked with a teasing tone.

"Well that depends.." Rachel stated.

I raised a brow. "On what?"

"Whether or not you can keep up with me." Rachel bit out with a challenge.

I was intrigued now. She was calling me out. Something inside me stirred. I wanted nothing more than to play her game. Hell, I didn't even know what this was…. But I really liked it. A lot…. Whatever this was, it was making me feel really good. Now I knew why people liked to tease each other. I definitely liked this side of Rachel. But I knew that if things didn't go her way she would flat out murder me. I didn't want that. So I swallowed down the tempting offer.

"You have nothing to fear from me Rachel. I'm not trying to take away your spotlight. I only joined the club because everyone kept bugging me to. They said it was a good way to make some new friends."

Rachel eyed me, sensing the change in my tone. "So you don't really care then, about the glee club."

I frowned a bit. "I didn't say that. I'm just saying that you have nothing to worry about." Was all I said.

Rachel was looking a bit confused, brows furrowed, lips pouting. "Look, I don't mean to be rude or anything but we really don't need another person around if you are just going to slide on through."

What? I am so lost now…. "I'm confused. Do you want me here or not?"

Rachel was taken aback. "I-"

"You should probably make up your mind Rachel. If you don't want me here just say it and I'll quit."

Rachel's eyes turned wide with shock. "That's not what I'm saying"

"Then what is it that you're trying to say?" I asked.

She huffed and shook her head. "I don't know."

I started laughing out loud. I knew it was probably inappropriate but I couldn't help it. This was stupid and ridiculous. We were having one of those moments that I had always watched on in complete boredom. Right now if I were an angel I would be silently mocking us about how stupid we look. Rachel was looking at me weird. She was annoyed. But I leaned over and gently brushed a stray hair from her face. Her face washed over with surprise. I smiled down at her and shook my head.

"I'm just fucking with you. See you next Thursday Rachel!" I got out, grabbing the rest of my things and taking off.

I could picture the girl's priceless face as I exited the room. She was totally going to get me back later on and I was okay with that. But her face… it was worth it.

Songs used.

Feeling Good- Nina Simone

How you guys feeling? I'm doing amazing! I meant to get this out faster but work scheduled me in and twisted all my time stuff. Hope you guys enjoyed, because I sure did. Anyways… SO I've finally come up with an ending for this story. It's not going to be anytime soon because I have big plans for this story. Hopefully you guys are in this for a bit of a journey. But you will NOT be disappointed. Liking the Q&R moments? Let me know… (In case you didn't figure it out, this was Quinn's first time flirting…) ;)

Fun Fact #1: Originally I had written Finn in as Rachel's boyfriend, but changed him to Sam because I thought they would be a cute couple/ I hardly ever read stories about Sam and Rachel.

Fact #2: I originally chose Tina as Quinn's guardian friend but almost changed her character to Marley. But I felt that Marley wouldn't have the balls that Tina would so I kept her.

Thanks for reading! You like carnivals? I sure do.. (Spoiler alert)

Until next time….