Disclaimer: I do not own Glee

A.N: Warning: Mercedes is not the nicest of people in this story, as seen in some of her thoughts and actions.

Mercedes watched stunned as one by one the members of the glee club turned their backs, and walked or rolled away from her. Some threw her looks of disgust while others refused to acknowledge her existence. In the background she could hear Finn mumble angrily to himself, catching words such as 'tramp', betrayal', 'revenge' and 'payback'. He might have been ranting about those leaving the audiotorium, and to be fair that was an adequate description of how he viewed the gleeks, but those four words perfectly summed up her current feelings towards the school's quarterback.

Mercedes had always known that Finn was fickle, it was one of the reason that she had known he would not be able to resist her advances. She had constantly warned herself not to fall for him, not to allow anything he said to hurt her, and yet there was no denying that his inability to support her one hundred per cent had cut her to the quick. How many times had she and Kurt laughed about the knots that Quinn and Rachel tied themselves in to appease the boy who claimed to love them, but never once showed them loyalty? Had she, Mercedes Jones, fallen for the same tricks and lies? Did Finn seriously think that he could get away with that kind of behaviour with her?

"Cedes?" His voice sounded sheepish, his classic little boy lost spiel that had always irritated her whenever she had heard it directed at others.

"You know I didn't mean it right? It's just Puck, he always knows what buttons to push, to get me to react." The tone was petulant but the words offered a little comfort, if only because she knew how she could use them for her own benefit. Still she would not forgive him immediately, if at all, but that was a decision for later. Now though she needed to get out of McKinley, needed to regroup, and having Finn with her was more than she had thought possible even ten minutes previously.

"You really hurt me," she made her voice wobble, the slightest bit of pain in it. "I thought it was us two against the world." Finally she turned to look at him, trying to decipher the look on his face.

"Babe I'm sorry." As apologies went it was short and lacked any real emotion, and somehow she knew that before they left the school she would have test Finn, would have to know if he really could be trusted.

"I let you down," as he spoke he moved closer to her, one of his hands sweeping down her back, an action that was meant to show his regret, only for his hand to wander further down to her curves. She stepped away from him, his look of confusion at being denied genuine.

"You have to know Finn, what we have, what I thought we had, it meant something to me." Mercedes knew that she would have to be careful now, if she wanted to reel him back in. He would expect certain things, especially in light of how she had drawn him in the first place. Yet he needed to see that rewards were only for those who deserved them. Still if it got him back on her side, if it got her further to her real desire for revenge and retribution against those who had betrayed her, then she could blur the lines again. Looking at Finn now, she could see the way his mind was working overtime trying to figure out what she needed to hear in order to be forgiven. Once again she was reminded of a small child trying to get an extra cookie for good behaviour, and she was more than prepared to make Finn work extra hard for the privilege of being her leading man.

"I'll do anything you want me to." Finn blurted out, his words showing his desperation and giving her a thrill of knowing that she had caused that. "Name it and it's done. I can make Puck and the rest of the club grovel in public for how they treated you, for how they made me act." So he was happy to let others take the blame, really it shouldn't surprise her, or hurt her feelings so much. After all it wasn't as if Finn was known for his loyalty to anyone but himself. Yet this was different.

There had been decisions she had made, actions she had taken, boundaries that she had pushed in order to succeed and now it looked as if they had been all for nothing. Unless, that was she took steps that even she was hesitant to. There were some lines that still gave her pause, but now that she had committed, was there even any point in trying to stick to her principles, or should her belief that she deserved more be her sole reasoning for continuing. And ultimately she had to continue. She had afterall, stepped over the line and in front of Sue, so it was time to decide once and for all if it was all worth it. Furthermore she needed to know just how committed Finn was, and if he should disappoint her what punishment did he deserve. The road she was about to take would require assistance, the choice now was whether or not she stayed loyal to the person who had failed her.

With a sigh, she moved closer to Finn, taking his hand and moving them to the front row of seats.

"This isn't easy for me Finn," he tried to interupt her, but she just silenced him with a look. "What I feel for you, it's so much more than I ever thought, and seeing how you were treated today, that makes me so angry." Finn clearly hadn't been expecting those words, and it took her everything not to laugh. "How people who you have always been so kind to could behave like that, well I'm just amazed that you were able to let them walk out the door without demanding an apology." She moved closer to him now, so that she was practically sitting on his knee, allowing her hand to caress him for a few brief moments.

"'Cedes", his voice was harsh, showing that her touches were working like magic. She kissed him quickly, not allowing it to linger or deepen.

"I can't Finn, not while I know that they are all sitting around laughing at you, at us, for daring to demand what should be rightfullly ours. Yours."

"Monday, we'll show them who is in charge." Finn tried to capture her lips but she moved back, knowing that here was the first test he would need to pass.

"Why should we wait til then? Knowing Berry she's already crying to her parents, painting herself as the victim. No you need to act fast or they'll start to get ideas. Like Rachel and Puck going public."

"What are you talking about?" It had been a bit of a gamble mentioning Rachel's name, but it had to be done.

"Don't tell me you haven't seen how close those two were today. They will never just be friends, and with Santana and Brittany's support the school will accept them."

"They wouldn't dare," Finn spat out, his face growing red, and for a second she was genuinely worried that she had gone too far.

"It's why we need to act now. Those two cheerios think that because they are under Sue's protection they can do what they want. It's up to us to stop that, and I know how." She let her voice tremble then, lowering her gaze, snuggling into his chest once more. This time when his hands wandered she allowed it for a few minutes.

"Think about it, the biggest threats are Puck and Santana, we take care of them and then there is nothing we can't do. Everyone else will fall into line, and if they don't we can remind them what happens to those who dare to cross you." She could see that Finn was considering her words, and how he was still undecided.

"All you have to do is call her parents, and tell them how concerned you are about the kind of people she is close to. How she has been corrupted by Sue, and how her soul is in danger because of her life of sin." She shrugged her shoulders as if it was all so simple.

"When Santana has no friends left, no power in the school, she will be begging for any attention you give her. She will never reject you again. She wouldn't dare." Though he didn't know it then, it was his next answer that sealed his fate as far as Mercedes was concerned. Not that he would ever know, and that feeling of vengefulness helped to cover up the pain caused to the parts of her heart that she had unwittingly given away to him.

"Bring her so low that she can't say no, she can never refuse me, she would be mine again, and not his, I mean not Britt's." Finn was beaming at her like the proverbial Chesire Cat, not fully understanding the high price he would pay for that slip.

"Exactly. First things first we need to make sure that Kurt is not spreading lies about you, then we should go pay a visit to Mr and Mrs Lopez. Share our worries and concerns with them. They will be so grateful to you." As expected Finn preened at the thought of the praise he would get.

"I trust you can deal with Kurt, get him back in line, or at the very least convince him not to be a gossip. I need to check in with my mom, and then I'll meet you at the Lopez house."

"I can drive you home if you want?" She was surprised that Finn would offer, then he kept talking, "maybe we can take the edge off," he added suggestively. She barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes, but it was Finn so why should she expect anything more from him.

"I like the way you think, but wouldn't it be better if we didn't have to rush. Just think of all we could do?" His eyebrows raised so high it was again a struggle not to laugh in his face. She knew how her words sounded, knew how they would convince Finn to do what she wanted.

"So I'll persuade Kurt to keep his mouth shut, anything else?"

Recognising the opportunity that she had been given, Mercedes pretending to think for a minute.

"You could always go find Mr Schue. Try to get him to see things from your point of view. Maybe find out if someone has been lying to him as well. Otherwise why would he have been so cruel to you today."

"That's so clever of you babe. He's probably in his office mooning over a picture of the red nutter he's obsessed with." The lack of disrespect for two teachers was not shocking, and Mercedes hoped that with how strong of a connection Finn had with the glee club director, it would be enough to make the older man see sense.

"Whatever happens, meet me at the Lopez house in an hour okay?" That should give her enough time to get what she needed, but only if she left in the next few minutes. It was clear though that Finn would need some kind of incentive to stick to his mission, and so it was with a slightly dishevelled appearance that she exited the school and jumped into her car.

For once luck seemed to be on her side as she reached her destination to find the house empty, just as she had anticipated. She found the spare key and punched in the pass code to the alarm, relieved that it hadn't been changed. She rushed up the stairs, and with only a little difficulty found what she had been looking for. She debating leaving a note, but as she was still unsure of how the next few days would go, she decided to err on the side of caution. Taking time to search the other likely hiding places, she was rewarded with an unexpected find, one that would either be the perfect weapon should people get ideas, or could be a necessary get out of jail card if she should fail.

From a distance she heard the slamming of a car door in the driveway, and she could only hope that she had not been discovered. She hurried down the backstairs, knowing that there was a self locking door in the basement that might just provide her with the cover she needed. With seconds to spare she was able to make it look as if she was sitting on the back patio waiting for her best friend to get home.

The assessing look that she got from Burt Hummel was more than a little disconcerting, but he seemed to believe her excuse of getting the location of the sleepover wrong.

"Kurt said it was a tough day, not the most productive of rehearsals?" The question sounded innocent enough, but she still gave a non-committal answer, before trying to leave.

"Wait, just a minute. I was going to swing by Rachel's house, bring some snacks, maybe some pizza, but as you're already going there..." his voice trailed off, and she realised she must have let her anger show a little.

"Sorry Mr H, it's just been a long day. Sue showed up and well you know how she can be." Not feeling the least bit guilty for speaking against the cheerleading coach, it was a relief to see a look of understanding on Burt's face. She waited with little patience for his return wanting to be gone. He insisted on walking out with the supplies, commenting on how heavy her bag looked, but she changed the subject.

"Do you think you could keep this visit a secret from the boys? I'll never hear the end of it if they knew." She gave him what she hoped was an embarrassed look, "you know how teenage boys can be." Mr Hummel agreed with a kind smile. Needing to leave before she was delayed any further she put the last of the supplies in the car, closing the trunk with a bang.

"Thanks so much for this, I've a feeling it's going to be a late night at the Berrys." She couldn't help herself, if everything went as she intended it would most certainly be a long and memorable night for those who had made the mistake of siding with Rachel. With a brief wave she reversed her car and was soon on her way. Seeing Finn's vehicle parked on the driveway at the Lopez house, she released a breath that she hadn't even realised she was holding. It wouldn't have been all that shocking if he hadn't shown up, but there he was climbing out, and the annoyance on his face made her wonder who had put it there. Not that she had to wait long. She had barely exited her own car before he had pushed her back against the door, his lips on hers in a bruising kiss, that was not only painful but not at all appropriate for where they currently were.

"Finn," she winced at the sharpness of her voice, but it did the trick, alerting the boy that she was not happy. From the stormy look in his eyes, he was not in a good place, and she couldn't help but remember the long ago accounts of just how unsteady he could be when his temper was really riled. There was no space to move back, and she could feel the evidence of his arousal as he moved even closer. She had no chance to push him back as he captured both her hands in one of his own.

"Do you know what that man said to me? What he accused me of doing?"

So Mr Schue was the cause of this rage. It was typical of the teacher to speak without thinking, without considering how Finn might interpret what had actually been said, and who might be left to pick up the pieces. Again a quiet voice whispered to her, reminding her of previous conversations she had heard, advice she had given, but she ruthlessly shut that down. They were weak, she was not. She was a powerful woman who would control the angry man child in front of her. She would have her revenge against anyone who had ever dared to stand in her way, including Finn, who's anger seemed to have burnt out for the time being.

"Sorry babe, I'll make this up to you," he placed a gentle kiss on her wrist, and she knew there would be marks left. Still he had shown remorse without being prompted to do so, which gave her a little comfort.

"You are my priority Finn, if you want to leave so that we can talk, then that's what we'll do." It would mean a delay but at the moment it was important to keep Finn on side.

"No, absolutely not. Nobody tells me what to do, or what to think. They don't get to cover me in ice and get away with it. They don't get to sit there and judge me, or let others openly laugh at me. We're going to show them just who the stars of McKinley are, and the lesson starts here." His voice had a scary edge, but she didn't say anything, just stretched up on her tip toes to kiss him, then they walked hand in hand to the front door.

Later that evening, after the conversation at the Lopez house and ensuring that Finn knew what he needed to do next, she made her way home. She tried not to show her impatience as her mother delayed her, wondering where she had been and if anything she'd heard in a phone call was true. Claiming it was all a misunderstanding that she was working to fix, Mercedes finally escaped to the privacy of her room. She ignored the bruises that Finn had left behind, glad that the days of him being that close to her were limited. She read late into the night, noting all that was written in the notebooks she had stolen, picking which ones she would share with Jacob, which ones she would use for blackmail, and which ones she should use to keep Finn in line.

Glancing at the clock, she was about to call it a night, knowing that it would be a good idea to get some rest before church, when she found something that truly shocked her to her core. Something that she had never really thought Finn was capable of imagining, and yet there in her hands was proof of just how far he was prepared to go to get what he wanted. For some crazy, unexplainable reason, she was more angry at the girl he was obsessed with, her irrational jealousy growing as the rest of the weekend once did she consider sharing her findings with anyone else. As she prepared to wage war on her former friends, she waited for the right moment to drop her next bombshell, the shockwaves of which would be felt through out Lima.

A.N. Many thanks to everyone who reads and reviews. This fic has been helping me to pass lockdown, which I am spending in rural Spain with my family. There is very limited Wifi here which makes updating a little tricky so I am grateful for your patience between chapters and for staying with this fic, even though it has gone slightly darker than I had originally planned. Carrie