Warning: Character Death.
Sorry? Kind of...
Somewhat a filler chapter. If there are mistakes, my apologies...
Brittany twirled the charm around her neck. She had her back to the others so they couldn't see her face, and by others, she meant Quinn. The angel had a bad habit of reading behind the scenes, and Brittany didn't want that happening yet. At least not before she could do her part of the ceremony.
"So what does this ceremony entail?"
"Bunch of precision, blood, and patience," Tina answered.
Brittany schooled her face and kept her eyes down as she turned around. "And other things, but mostly what Tina said."
The witch grumbled under her breath about stupid ceremonial laws while mixing the ingredients needed. Brittany smiled, but there was no warmth in it. She hadn't told anyone what the actual ceremony involved…least not the one they were performing that night. Artie's Mom, Jennifer, came over and grabbed her by the arm.
"Come with me," she growled.
Brittany sighed and let herself be pulled in the direction of the kitchen, waving off the others when they gave her different looks of concern. "Just a conversation between old friends," she said, forcing a smile.
Jennifer yanked her into the walk-in pantry and slammed the door shut. She slapped her palm over the symbol etched into the wood, and Brittany's ears popped as the sound rushed from the room.
"You wanna tell me why you had this tucked into your jacket?" she hissed, brandishing an all too familiar paper.
Brittany rubbed her forehead and snatched it from her hands. "Do not say anything," she said. "Please?"
"How can you ask that of me!? What does this mean? I recognize enough to know this isn't a regular ceremonial speech," Jennifer snapped.
"Yeah because I'm dying!" Brittany snapped back.
"What the hell does that mean?!"
Someone knocked on the door, and Jennifer opened it quickly. Brittany looked up at the ceiling when Quinn told Jennifer that Tina was ready, and the older woman told her to give them another few minutes. Once the door shut, Jennifer put her finger in Brittany's face and scowled.
"What did you mean by that?" Jennifer hissed.
"Exactly as I said. When Santana called my name, I was already on my way to the damn house. The Council broke my immortality, and time is a bitch when you've been avoiding it for so long. It's catching up with me. So, this is my way of doing it on my terms."
"What does the paper say?"
"I can't tell you."
"Seriously?"
"I'm serious. If I tell you what I plan on doing, the Council will know about it. They can't see me, something about permanent protection no matter my status, but if I tell you, they'll know what I'm planning. So I literally can't tell you."
"Yeah, well what if I tell Quinn you're planning something stupid? What then?"
Brittany shook her head. "You can't do that. I don't care if you tell her once all is said and done, but please do not tell her before I get the chance to do this," she begged.
"Why?"
"Because I know how much she cares about Santana, and I know that if something were to happen to her, she wouldn't know how to go on."
"She loves you too, you know?"
"We would never get our moment."
"Says who?"
"Says life. I'm dying, Jen. I won't make it to the sunrise."
"This isn't fair," Jennifer whispered.
Brittany tucked the paper into her back pocket and wrapped her longtime friend in a hug. "I'm sorry it had to be you," she whispered.
Jennifer tapped the hands around her waist and laughed humorlessly. "Me too. Not a day goes by where I don't regret saving your life."
"Yes, well, I agree with you in some manner, but just think about all the years we wouldn't have had together," Brittany murmured.
"Again, I should've left your ass to die."
Brittany rolled her eyes and stepped back. "Whatever. Come on. We need to get started. I want to live long enough to see this happen. It's a once in a lifetime event for me," she said.
"You're unbelievable."
"You still love me."
"Unfortunately."
Tina stared at Brittany the entire time. There was something…off about the Seer. She was paler than usual, and her hair seemed like it was turning translucent. In short, she looked like something was sucking the life out of her. Her confusion only deepened when Brittany's shirt dipped, and the Mark of the Seers Council rested on her collarbone.
"Do you see that?" she asked Jennifer.
"Yeah, and it would be better if you pretended like you didn't."
Tina turned and looked at the older woman. Artie's Mom had a glass of whiskey in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
"Pardon?" she asked.
"I said, it would be better if you pretend like you didn't see it," Jennifer muttered. "Trust me."
"What do you know?"
"More than I want. Look, just be prepared to grab Quinn when I give you the signal."
"Wait, what?"
Jennifer took a sip of her drink and shook her head. "You'll know when it happens," she said, walking off.
Tina stammered her way through a response, but by the time she knew what she wanted to say, Jennifer was on the other side of the room. "What the hell is going on?" she whispered.
"Did you see that mark on Brittany?"
Tina jumped when Simon came up behind her, but folded her arms and nodded. "I did. Jennifer is hiding something," she said.
"Hmm. There's a mood around here. I don't know what it is, but there is something off," Simon said.
"Yeah, but what is it?"
"Then I guess we keep watching until we figure it out," Simon suggested.
Tina scrunched her face in annoyance and went back to staring at Brittany. The Seer took a syringe of Santana's blood while Mike did the same for Rachel. In the midst of her confusion, worry, and fear, Tina grudgingly admitted the black and red liquid formed a color similar to gold was cool. But when Brittany coughed into her arm, Tina saw specks of red splatter against the pale skin. She frowned, and in the corner of her eye, noticed Simon do the same.
"Did you see-
"Yeah," Simon interrupted. "I saw it."
Before Tina could say anything, Brittany clapped her hands together. "Thank you, Mike, for your help, but I got it from here," she paused and cleared her throat, "Quinn?" she called out.
The angel looked up from where she'd been sitting on the floor. "What's up?" she said.
"Can you and Mike grab those water jugs from the backyard? The red and blue ones?"
Quinn nodded and jumped up, following behind Mike outside.
"Simon, can you step back for me?"
"Why?"
"Because I don't want the smoke to get to you," Brittany said.
"Uh, sure?"
Simon stepped back, and Brittany smiled before she tossed a stone on the carpet. Tina recognized it a little too late, and she burned her hand on the barrier as it shot up from the floor.
"Dammit! Brittany! What are you doing!" Tina shouted.
The Seer put down another stone, and the barrier shimmered. The sound vanished, and Tina couldn't even hear Brittany breathe. She slammed her palms on the boundary, not caring about the searing pain in her hands, and Jennifer came up behind her and pulled her back.
"You'll burn the skin off your hands."
"I don't care," Tina said.
"What is she doing now?" Simon asked.
Tina shook her head when Brittany pulled out a piece of paper from her back pocket, and a bright light covered her body. "Oh no," she whispered.
"I take it you've figured it out then?" Simon asked. At her nod, he said, "Mind sharing with the rest of us?"
Tina grimaced as she clenched her fists, trying to stop herself from knocking on the barrier again, and said, "She's-
"Hey, what's going on? Is this part of the ceremony?" Quinn interrupted.
Jennifer nudged Tina and gave her a look. "Remember what I told you? Now is the time to grab her," she hissed.
Tina hesitated, but apparently, Simon heard, and he grabbed Quinn.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Quinn said, struggling against the hold. "Simon, let me go."
"I can't. I don't know why yet, but I can't." Simon then kicked Tina gently and added, "Please finish what you were saying."
Tina sighed when Brittany began to mouth the words on the paper, and that translucent appearance to her hair grew more pronounced. "Brittany's doing the Seer's version of the Soul Ceremony," she said.
"Still need some details. What does that mean?" Simon grunted after Quinn elbowed him in the stomach.
"Brittany's going to bind them together with her soul. It's an old ceremony, one that went out of use because too many Seers were dying."
"What! No!" Quinn shouted. "Simon, please!"
The demon closed his eyes and tightened his grip. He did so to the point that Quinn began to gasp, and Tina knew the angel would pass out if she continued to panic. She stepped in front of Quinn and grabbed her friend's cheeks to force her to look her in the eyes.
"As much as it pains me to say this," she said, "If we break that barrier now, we risk losing all three of them. We have to let her finish."
"But she'll die," Quinn whimpered.
"She's dying anyway," Jennifer said suddenly.
"Come again?"
"She's dying," Jennifer repeated.
Tina frowned, ignoring the tears rolling down her cheeks, and said, "How can she be dying?"
"The Council broke her immortality. Brittany's been alive for a long time, and time is now her enemy."
"I still don't get it," Simon said.
"Think of it this way," Jennifer sighed. "Brittany is rotting from the inside out at a fast rate. She won't be alive by the sunrise."
"Okay, see? Now you have to let me go. Let me help, please," Quinn pleaded.
"You'll die too," Tina said.
"I don't care. But I can't watch her die. Please don't make me."
Tina clenched her jaw when Simon put Quinn down and held onto her waist with one hand while he covered her eyes with the other. "Then you won't watch," he murmured.
It was crude but effective, and Tina held her friend's hand while the ceremony went on. The group, minus Quinn, looked on as the Seer finished reading the paper, and then they watched as the bright light spread over Brittany's body and also over Santana and Rachel. Tina saw Mike from the corner of her eye hang his head and walk off. There was nothing they can do, and Brittany faced them as the light grew brighter. She looked at Simon and motioned for him to drop his hand, and he did so. Quinn blinked and jerked forward when she saw Brittany smiling at her.
The former Seer blew Quinn a kiss before she mouthed, "I love you."
Quinn moved away from Simon and punched the barrier and kept punching it. No one stopped her. Even as her skin grew red and blistered, Quinn kept hitting the field until Brittany started to fade.
"No," Quinn said, her throat raspy. "Please don't leave me."
Brittany gave her one last smile and signed something. Tina didn't know, neither did Simon, but evidently, Quinn did because she fell to her knees. Brittany continued to fade until she no longer stood in front of them, and the barrier finally dropped. It took all of four seconds before the situation settled, and Jennifer left the room. Simon ran a hand over his face, but it was the scream from Quinn that not only shook Tina to the core but also shook the foundation of the house. Tina didn't know how much worse their night could get.
And then, Santana woke up.