Hey guys :) Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays y'all! I told you guys I'd update soon. I hope you guys enjoy xoxo.

Also, please be aware that the previous warnings and triggers may apply to this chapter as well so read at your own discretion and stay safe.

"Rachel?!"

The calmness that had enveloped her in its warmth had been ripped away from around her as she heard her name shouted at her from above. She could feel it tugging at her consciousness, the water, the light, the dream...it had a firm grip on her mind, tethered to it as if it knew it wouldn't see her again. As if giving her a final nod of reassurance, that though it may be long before they met again, it would once again take her in as it had that night.

But, I'm not ready to say goodbye! She found herself crying in her mind, not the first time she had said those words to herself. But, all too soon she had opened her eyes, and as she attempted to take in her surroundings, she felt the blinding ache that remained as the tether finally let her go. Fuck, she wanted to sob. Pitiful. All too soon the warmth had drained from her body, leaving her on the shore, wrapped in the frantic arms of a familiar woman, drenched and shaking. Yearning.

"Fuck." She whimpered before immediately choking on the water that seeped into her lungs.

"Oh grace be! Rachel you're alive!" Tracy. She wanted to groan aloud, only stopped by the hacking that wracked her figure. Trembling, she reached out a hand and gripped the girl's arm to squeeze it tightly. When the coughing subsided, Tracy wrapped her in her arms, attempting to comfort her the only way she knew how. I would have asked first but I guess this works...Rachel thought rudely, trying to compensate for the humiliating display of weakness she was putting on.

"How-" Rachel began, still gasping in air as she hugged the girl back reluctantly.

"Your friend called me, the one with the complicated situation." She prompted, leaning back to examine her face closely. Rachel could only look at the ground, ashamed of the scene she'd made. Santana probably saw me head for the woods, she concluded, slumping ungracefully forward to lean her head on Tracy's damp shoulder. I liked it better when she ignored me, she internally grumbled, not truly ungrateful for the girl's thoughtfulness.

"Santana." Rachel gave said girl's name as a response, knowing exactly what she was referring to. Though it doesn't seem so complicated now, thank the stars.

"Rachel," Tracy whispered, and in that moment as the whisper hit the side of her head she was reminded of who she'd seen. Fucking Quinn Fabray. She grunted pitifully at the sound of her name regardless, not minding the change of tone in her voice, only attempting to mask the memory with Tracy's scent. "Erm, Rachel...You're not wearing any clothes." And just like that she shot back, eyes wide and frantic.

"Uh, yeah I just went for a-uh...um-" She stammered, futily attempting to cover her parts as she tried to come up with an excuse for her nudity.

"You were skinny dipping in a lake...In September." Realizing that Tracy had not only already seen her naked and therefore vulnerable, but that trying to cover her parts with only her hands was a lost cause, she huffed and dropped her hands, only to cross her arms over her chest defiantly at the suspicious tone in her voice.

"Yes!" She stated, as though that was even what she was going to say in the first place.

"Let's get you home." And as soon as her defiance had come, it was gone, replaced instead by trepidation. If Santana saw me like this she would no doubt tease her for months..oh heavens, she thought, and what about Puck!? As if she could hear her thoughts Tracy put her hands up and tilted her head downward, "I meant my home. You left some clothes by me so we'll go there first. Then you can explain to your friends why I'm dropping you off in different clothes than when you left."

She walked away, moving tauntingly toward her car, swaying her hips as she moved with confidence, knowing that she'd have a part to play in her humiliation.

"Tracy," Rachel all but growled frustratedly, only serving to make the girl bust into a jog as she laughed. "Tracy!" She shouted as she jogged away, running to catch up to her in a few seconds. As she neared the girl she tried to keep her steps light so she could effectively spook her. And lucky for her, it worked.

Tracy turned her head, checking to see how far behind Rachel was, only to find her right behind her and charging.

"Ah!" She squealed excitedly, only a little spooked by the fight, after all Rachel's face was hardly scary, especially when she was chasing her butt naked and wet in the woods.

Rachel managed to pin her easily to the leaf covered ground, smiling widely as the girl beneath her giggled furiously. Suddenly, Rachel became aware of her position, and her smile dropped immediately. She probably thinks I'm some weirdo who tackles girls in the woods...naked! She started to freak out, eyes widening at her racing thoughts. She made eye contact with Tracy then, just as her laughter died down. She searched and searched her eye for any sign of discomfort and found nothing but lust and mirth. Before she could let herself feel confusion at her lack of discomfort, Tracy got her hands out from under her distracted grip and pulled down on her shoulders, crashing their lips together forcefully.

They both knew they probably wouldn't even make it to the car, but neither of them had the strength to break away for long enough to call anyone to let them know they wouldn't be making it home tonight.

To say the least, Rachel certainly wasn't thinking of the Lake anymore. If she had been, maybe she would have noticed the way those golden flecks of light that always burned so brightly in her presence seemed to dim. And as she took Tracy over the edge, they began to fade.

It had been days since she'd left these four walls. Days, and she had no clue what to do with herself. She was in a hotel room, one that she hadn't even paid for, one that no one but Sue knew she was in by herself. She was in a hotel room alone, and she had no clue what to do.

Quinn had been taken away for the man that raised her, and without him she didn't...She just wanted to know what to do. And her father was apparently the only man who knew what to do. Because since Sue had taken her away, she hadn't been given a single command. So she hadn't left the room. Hell, she hadn't done much more than pace around her room like a caged animal. She just needed something, anything to do.

She had only left once. She'd only left once since Sue...and she had gone to get her belongings, which she hadn't had many of to begin with, and seeing that she could only carry so much, she now had even less. She had been expecting trouble. She had been expecting a glare, or a slap, or harsh words. Yet, when she got there Sue had opened the front door to her father's house. And he wasn't there.

My father's house...she thought, still pacing tracks into the carpet of her hotel room. My father?

"Some Father." She spat roughly to herself. The man used and abused me. That man is not my father. She convinced herself. That man is not my father…

He never had been. That man, Russel Fabray, he never had Quinn's best interest at heart. All he thought of was power. And all he did was use her. But Sue? Coach Sylvester took her away from him. Sue Sylvester took her out of an unfriendly and hostile environment. Sue had Quinn's best interest in mind when she drove her to this hotel and checked her in under her name. She made sure no one who didn't need to know of her circumstance would find out that she was out of a home. That she had never had one to begin with.

Russel Fabray was not her father. I...I had forgotten. For a second, I had forgotten all that he did to me. That man used and abused her. He was unkind and unloving and a drunk. And he used her. She had forgotten. And she made sure with those words that she would never forget again.

She was safe. Because of Sue, she was safe. And even if it had thrown a wrench in her plans to beat the crap out of her-out of Russel, she was safe, and that was what mattered. Now she didn't have to fight a grown man, and she won't have to concern herself with Purifier business until she had to. And as of now, she didn't have to. And that's what mattered.

Plus, it's not like Sue said I couldn't leave, she recalled. Yet, even remembering that this was indeed true, she couldn't bring herself to leave. She never said I could leave though. And so she sat down and waited, only to stand right back up and begin her pacing again. If she sat still for too long she'd remember what she'd seen before she left that man's house for the second time.

It was silly, foolish even, but as she entered what used to be her bedroom she could have sworn she saw a wolf. A huge wolf, just standing in the middle of the room, sniffing at her pillows. And when the wolf turned to face her, she could have sworn she recognized it. Rachel, she remembered saying. It's not like she hadn't already known she was a werewolf, but seeing another wolf, one that she knew as a human, one that she had such a...history with. It was surprising to say the least.

The girl had whined. Well, the wolf had whined. When she said Rachel's name, she let out a small, almost inaudible cry. Quinn couldn't do anything. She was frozen to her spot, her mouth only able to utter her name and gape as she tried to say something else. And she knew she shouldn't have said her name. She hadn't called her by her name since that day. It was always something cruel and demeaning, something that would make Rachel hate her just a little bit more, something that would give Rachel a reason to not be so goddamn understanding. And it had been working. She had pushed the girl away enough until that moment. She said her name. Rachel…

"Quinn." Came a voice behind the door of her room. It was Sue, and if it wasn't her it was the officer that had been assigned to her case. Either way, the flinch that erupted through her body was unwarranted. She was safe.

She stood up after taking a moment to compose her self, and within the next second she'd gotten to the door and looked through the peep hole. Just in case, she relented. It was Sue. So, she opened the door.

"Coach Sylvester." She'd prompted somewhat breathlessly, giving the woman a subconscious once-over to make sure she posed no threat to her newfound safety. Safe.

"Hello Quinn. I-um, I wanted to check in and make sure you were keeping yourself busy." She said, standing as tall as she normally would, as if this were a normal circumstance that Coaches had to deal with all the time. Maybe it's because she doesn't know I'm a monster…

"Well how busy could I really be in here. It's not like I even have friends to talk to. He made sure of that." She said spitefully, almost directing her venom at the woman before her. She shot her an apologetic look just in case, making sure to not anger the woman who saved her.

"Try working out, do yoga or something," She started, running a hand through her short hair, and bringing it to rest with her other hand behind her back. "When I...I know how it is. You feel like you can't make another move until someone tells you what to do so how's this. Get ready to keep cheering. School starts in a few days and we don't want you to be so disrupted that you can't even keep up a façade. So, workout, go for a jog or a hike, just do something." She said, barely making direct eye-contact with the girl in front of her.

"Okay."

This sucks.

That was all she could think as she jogged her way away from the hotel room and into the woods/ She was in desperate need for a real run. A wolf run. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was the fact that for the past month or so she'd been worried about needing to take on the Purifiers, she'd been training and learning and preparing, and now she didn't have to.

Now, she had nothing to do. No task, no plan...What was she supposed to be plotting, waiting for the moment she'd see her classmates-turned-wolves. She was meant to have a role to play. To act as though she hated them all and behind closed doors she would grovel, beg and plead, or whatever she had to do to make sure they spared her. But, she didn't have to anymore? It...It didn't make sense.

How could she have gone from a tortured, isolated werewolf killing machine, to just...this. Whatever this was. Now there was no role, and there was no one to report to. Quinn was on her own with this whole Purifier debacle. And all she had to do concerning her safety was be wary of any familiar Purifier faces...Maybe-maybe that could be my new mission.

She could keep them safe. She could keep Noah and Santana and Brittany and...She could keep them safe. It was a bit of a suicide mission to vow to throw herself in harms way when they see a sign of trouble, but she knew how to play it safe with the Purifiers. And she would do everything in her power to make the fight easier for them. To make it easier for her.

That will be my new mission. With her decision came a small smile. It was the first she'd actually meant in god knows how long, and she hoped that it wouldn't be the last. Just as she hoped that that brief moment with Rachel in her bedroom wouldn't be the last. Just as she hoped that as she tucked her clothes away in a corner in the brush and transformed, that it would be the last time she could experience freedom.

"So?"

There were five days left. Five days until those kids would have to face what could be the last days of their lives. Five days…

Blake Puckerman stood in a room with the parents of those very kids, the ones that he was basically sending off to die...There he stood, trying to give their parents hope that they could come out of this with their limbs in tact.

He was a police officer in Lima, Ohio. He was a delinquent until the day he was forced to face this part of his life. He was irrational, irresponsible and a whore for a lack of better words. And he knew that's what his son was before not too long ago. He had hoped that the day would never come where his son would have the same, sudden and rude awakening to their reality as heirs, and yet it had came and gone before he could say "uncle."

Blake knew his son. He knew he was bright and adaptable. But he also knew he was restless and pigheaded and whore-ish at times. Yet, in this room, as he prepared to present the growth and capability of each of the teens, even he could see that his son had changed.

Noah was still whore-ish and restless, but now he was so much more. He was...caring and watchful, and he thought of everyone and everything before anyone could say "uncle." His son had adapted better than he had.

Where it took Blake drinks and sex, it took Noah two and a half months, support from his friends, and his father. And Blake was proud. He had raised a son who had friends that cared enough about him to help him through this. Where Blake didn't.

So, standing there, before his son's friends' parents, he definitely had a lot to say, and where not all of it was inspiring or even enough to ease their concerns, if the rest of them could see how far they'd come, just as he could with his son, there was no doubt the they'd leave here happy.

"So," He began, clasping his hands together in front of him. "They are not ready-" And before the man could utter another word he was met with an uproar. Well that sure got their attention, he thought humorlessly, not that I hadn't had it before. "They are not ready!" He said loudly and calmly over the shouts of the parents around him. "But neither was I. They were just as much thrown into this as I was. They had plans of their own, friends, and school and relationships...and then this happened, and they almost died."

He looked around the room, meeting each eye with intent, watching as some faces morphed from anger to fear and disappointment, and as other's morphed into understanding. At them he gave a slight quirk of his lip.

"No, they are not ready. Neither was I. But because they have each other, because they have a pack, and an entire team of parents and body guards behind them, the chances that we come out on top are great. The odds are in our favor. With our contacts from the North and South, the casualty rates are close to none. We are ready. As a unit we move, and as a unit we will fight. As a unit, we will protect them, because they weren't ready for this."

"How are they?" Came a voice from beside him. As he looked he found Shelby Corcoran with her eyes set on him, glaring as though she too had a child in the group that he trained. If he were going to comment on it, the comment died in his throat when he saw the nods from the crowd around her.

"They are...odd." He smiled, hoping that their retained oddities would put a smile on some of their faces. When he was met with quiet chuckles he only smiled harder and continued. "They are strong, stronger than I ever was. And they are resilient. But more importantly, they've bonded. Which was better than we could have hoped for. They have a system and a dynamic that works. Each of them are miraculous fighters. My son for example has always had brawn and strength, yet over the course of the summer we've been able to build his spatial awareness to the point where his ability to adapt manifested physically, as a power." The gasps that spread around the room at the sound of Noah's power were hopeful and congratulatory. He smiled again in thanks, yet already hearing another question forming he poised himself to answer.

"And what about Brittany? How is she?" Came Brittany's parents. They were a strange pair but they sure had a good kid. And if they had raised such a good kid, they couldn't be all that bad.

"Brittany, she moves with the grace and poise of a gazelle. Even in the throws of battle she finds innovative ways to counter-attack and maneuver. Her empathy certainly helps her discern her opponents next move." He emphasized, watching contently as they visibly relaxed some. He continued speaking this time before another question could be raised, already having the answer prepared.

"Santana was difficult, especially in the beginning. She appeared to have some tension with Rachel before their transformations but after that point, they became rather close. Because of Rachel, Santana was able to control her power, she was able to create fire. The kids seemed to find it rather fitting," He joked lightly, "In all seriousness, Santana shows the most promise as an offensive fighter, she is deliberate and passionate and motivated...She's come a long way."

He let the happy statement sit for a while before his face grew serious again. At this, the Berry's grew worried, knowing that their daughter was the only one who had yet to be evaluated.

"Rachel...She um. I won't beat around the bush here, Rachel was the hardest one of the four to train. She was resistant and detached for a long time. Her relationship with Santana seemed to bring her out of this state, but it wasn't until a confrontation had gone awry that her power became visible. Rachel uses Chi."

"My-my daughter, Rachel is the Alpha?" Hiram said aloud, looking to LeRoy for assurance. The man in question only looked at Blake with a furrowed brow as if to ask why didn't we see this coming ? And to that question, Blake had no answer.

"Yes. She is the Alpha." He stated.

"I believe that this, her power, is how she was able to help Santana control her fire. As well, that interaction could very well be the reason for her metal state in the days after. See, because of the volatile nature of Santana's power, she had been able to use it since the moment she first transformed. She had erupted into a ball of fire and she had no control over it. It burned the rest of us just standing near it. Luckily we didn't have to wait long before the fire went out. Rachel sprinted to Santana with impeccable control only seconds after her own transformation, and straight into the fire. She got Santana to submit to her power and it took a lot out of the both of them...but it took more out of Rachel in the long run."

"What do-what does that mean?" LeRoy asked, still not understanding what Blake was getting at.

"Rachel overexerted a power she didn't even know she had. She used Chi to help her in that fire and she used it to get Santana to relax. But because she didn't have enough to give, Rachel subconsciously opened a channel between their energy's that would allow them to merge for a moment. This essentially created a bond. Santana had been able to use her power because Rachel had unknowingly provided an outlet. The power was...hungry. It needed a lot to be tamed. Rachel made it work though, even thought it took a while for her chi to regenerate, its definitely there now."

"So, their bonded? What kind of bond is this? I mean is it th-"

"Oh no, I wouldn't worry about that bond. Those are extremely rare and express themselves very differently from the way theirs does. This one is more of an exchange of energy. Because one party gave so much energy for the other's livelihood, in the future they'll be able to rely on each other in a case of chi depletion. It's proven very beneficial in battle and though they haven't developed it very far, I can only imagine it'll get better with regular use. Rachel is more powerful and mature than she was at the start of the summer, and I can say with confidence that she will make a fine Alpha."

The meeting had ended soon after that.

Everyone had packed up gone to bed to prepare for the near future. Everyone except for Shelby.

"My daughter saved her bully's life…" She mumbled, shaking her head with a wry smile. She's a better person than I ever was, she thought, holding her head in her hands.

Shelby had made no sacrifice when it came to Rachel.

She'd gotten pregnant, ran away and delivered her child, only to give her sweet baby girl to her best friends so she wouldn't be disowned. No matter how she put it she was the bad guy in Rachel's story. Well, Shelby's parents were the bad guys, but Shelby didn't try, and that what made her bad too. And even still, Rachel grew up to be a better person than she'd thought possible, and it wasn't because of her. She became that person under their care. They raised her, and because of that she grew to be a strong girl in a shit-show. Disregarding her mental state earlier in the year, that is.

Shelby had seen the signs. When Blake had told Hiram and LeRoy of her spiel to him about how she wanted to die, she wasn't surprised. She saw the signs. She had been in denial. Shelby wanted to believe that Rachel's family would be enough to take her out of that episode but she was wrong, and she almost realized it too late. She could approach her when she returned, ask her how she was doing, but according to Blake she was okay now. Rachel was better. She was a leader now, and apparently she was a good one. I missed my chance...

She didn't get to see that part of her development because she was too much of a coward to tell her parents that Rachel was hers. If they had known, Blake could have called her and she could have talked to her parents while she processed it all. Instead she was in a hidden conference room after dark, all alone. And all she wanted to do was see her daughter.

I miss you Rachel, she silently cried. Please come home, okay?

How was it?

I can't wait to give you guys the next chapter XD heheheh how do we think Lima's gonna react to the new Rachel?

I love y'all and Happy Holidays !

XOXO