Twice the Trouble

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Glee or any of it characters.

Chapter 11

Volleyball practice went well and once they showered the girls headed off to glee. Brittany met up with them after the bell rang and they entered the room together. Royal and the football boys were already there and he called them to him.

He had saved seats so Rachel and Santana sat right in front of him turning in their seats to talk to him as Quinn took the seat between him and Puck. They all ignored the glares they received from Finn, Kurt and Mercedes.

Mercedes sat back and called out to Rachel. "I see since you've become buddy-buddy with these guys that you can't even be on time to glee."

Rachel shook her head. "I have volleyball last hour so I have to shower before coming here. Besides I'm not late I just wasn't the first one here."

She just scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest saying no more. Rachel just sighed as Royal rubbed her shoulder and Santana leaned into her. "Remember what I said."

Rachel nodded slightly and looked up as Mr. Shue came into the room thankfully stopping anymore comments. "Hey guys I want to start off the year with some friendly competition."

They all just groaned and Tina put her head in her hands "Not the hat again, please Mr. Shue."

Mr. Shue just shook his head at their antics. "I'm not using the hat. I think it's safe to say that it is retired for the time being. No, you get to choose who you sing with this time. The only rules are that you have to have a group of two or three. One of our songs for Sectionals needs to be a duet or trio. If what you come up with is good enough the winners may get that slot for Sectionals. Also, Sectionals has a theme this year, music in Movies. Any song from a major motion picture is acceptable as long as it is age appropriate."

The girls cheered and he continued. "Ok, I want use the rest of practice to choose who you are singing with and get started. I'll be in my office if you need any help."

The boys resigned themselves to their fate and they all started looking around for who they wanted to sing with. Rachel looked back to Royal who was talking animatedly to Quinn. She smiled and looked back toward the front.

Santana nudged her shoulder. "What do you say shawty? We've never sang together."

Rachel looked up shocked. "Really? You've never wanted to sing with me before."

Santana just shrugged. "We talked about this earlier. You're my friend and I really do want to sing with you. Besides I want a chance to sing at Sectionals and you're my best bet for that."

Rachel smiled that megawatt Berry smile she had seen so little of this year and Santana felt her heart flutter. "Ok, what do you want to sing?"

She was bouncing in her seat and clapping causing Santana to chuck happy to see that some of the old Rachel was still there. Don't get her wrong, she really liked the real Rachel so far but there were things that she had always found endearing before about the little diva. This was one of them. Pulling out her laptop she smiled. "Let's start looking up epic movies."

A shadow cast over them and they looked up to see Finn standing there with that stupid little grin of his. "Hey Rach, I was just thinking that we could do a duet together seeing how we are always so good together."

Santana scoffed and Rachel slapped her playfully as she looked back to him. "I'm sorry Finn but Santana and I have already decided to sing together."

She turned back to Santana and Finn just stood there stunned. "What the hell. Why are you even talking to her Rachel? She's never been anything but horrible to you. Why would you sing with her?"

Rachel sighed and looked up. "Because I forgave her for the past and we are friends. Not that it's really any of your business anyway. Now, we need to get to work on this so I suggest you find someone else to sing with."

Finn took a step forward but stopped as Royal, Puck and Quinn all stood behind them. Royal moved down a step. "I suggest that you listen to her and back off. She said no."

Finn threw his hands in the air. "I was just talking to her. We always sing these things together."

Santana scoffed and growled. "Yeah, and after the last time when you tried to eat her face like the hungry-hungry hippo chases a marble is it a wonder that she doesn't want a repeat? You're lucky after what happened earlier that we even let you this close to her."

Royal chuckled at the hippo remark but stopped dead at her next statement. "What happened earlier?" his voice was deadly calm and Santana looked up at him realizing what she just said.

She looked to Rachel with guilty eyes then back to Royal. "It's nothing let's just forget it for now."

Royal turned his body fully to Rachel, "Tink?"

Rachel sighed. "Like Santana said it's nothing. We'll talk about it later at home."

He didn't like this answer and wasn't backing down. "I think we need to talk about this now." He looked around at all the faces around him and the only ones that didn't look confused other than Rachel and Santana were Quinn, Puck and Sam. "Someone needs to tell me what the hell happened."

Puck looked to Rachel opening his mouth but Rachel beat him to it. "Come out to the hall with me and I will tell you." He nodded as she grabbed his hand pulling him out of the room. Giving Santana a look and cutting her eyes to Finn she hoped that they would get Finn to sit back down or leave out of the other door.

Once they were out and a little ways down the hall Rachel turned to him. "Earlier after you left us to go to weight training Finn came up to us wanting to talk to me. I told him I had nothing to say to him and we pushed past him to go to the gym but he grabbed my arm pulling me back."

Royal tried to turn and go back to the choir room but she pulled him back. "Stop and just listen to me before you do something stupid."

He turned back to her and the look in his eyes was murderous. "Let me see your arm."

She raised it to him and he gently took it and inspected it than pulled up her other arm and inspected it as well. Satisfied that there wasn't a mark he released it. "Ok, I'll listen."

Sighing in relief she continued. "He didn't do it hard just effectively stopped me. I told him to let me go than Santana and Quinn pulled me away. Quinn pushed me down the hall a bit and Santana threatened him. He moved to step toward her and Noah and Sam pulled her away and told him to leave before they told you and coach Beiste that he was being a bully. After that he left."

Royal took a deep breath trying to calm himself. "Has he ever grabbed you like that before?"

Rachel shook her head. "Never, I'd have flattened him if he had." This caused him to chuckle and some of his tension eased so she continued. "Please just let it go. We all handled him and he didn't hurt me."

He nodded slightly and took her hand. "Ok but I swear to you if me lays another finger on you I will be getting him kicked off the team and he and I will be having a conversation with my fists."

She smiled and rose up on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, now let's get back. We have a lot to do for the competition."

They walked back into the room and everyone looked up as they entered. He gave Puck and Sam a look and they were instantly by his side then he started walking toward Finn. Rachel pulled back on his arm. "You said you wouldn't do anything."

Royal kissed her forehead. "I promise I will not lay a finger on him."

She looked into his eyes and let him pass as Santana and Quinn flanked her.

Royal walked right up to where Finn was sitting and leaned down so that they were face to face. "I'm going to say this once and you had better listen if you want to keep your spot on the team and keep your face intact." Finn gulped but said nothing and he continued. "If you ever, ever lay another finger on my sister again I will personally make it my life's ambition to make your life a living hell. I will kick you off my team, I will kick your ass and I will make sure everyone in this school knows just what kind of guy you are that you would manhandle a woman when she doesn't give you the answer you want. You are more than twice her size you prick. You could have really hurt her and trust me if you had you wouldn't be breathing right now. Back off my sister."

Finn looked into his eyes and knew that he meant every word he spoke and all he could do was nod and Royal smirked as he stood. "I'm glad you could see things my way."

The other Gleeks all looked on in various states of shock. As Mr. Shue walked back in the room Royal was straightening back up. He took in the faces around the room. "What's going on?"

Royal moved back over to Rachel who wrapped around his arm. "Nothing Mr. Shue. Finn and I were just discussing something about the football team. Right Finn?" Finn nodded eagerly and Royal looked back to Mr. Shue. "I'm sorry to take up glee time with football related stuff."

Mr. Shue eyed them all warily not really believing them but let it go for now. "Fine but let's leave it to glee related topics. You guys have a lot to do because next Friday is the day we will have the competition. Everyone needs to take your seats."

They all moved back to the risers and sat as Mr. Shue started talking again. "I just finished talking to the other judges and wanted to let you know who would be helping to choose the winners. Ms. Pillsbury, Coach Beiste and Coach Sylvester will be the other three judges."

They all were shocked when he said Coach Sue and Mercedes raised her hand. "Um… Why is Coach Sue going to be there?"

Will sighed. "She is technically still the co-director for this group and she said she wanted to be more active this year since so many of her girls were in here. She said she had to make sure we had a winning year this year since her captains were both on our team. What was she talking about? I know Santana is here but…"

Kurt sat forward cutting him of. "Apparently miss diva is now co-captain on the Volleyball team."

Mr. Shue looked over to Rachel sharply. "Is that true?"

Rachel looked down at her outfit and letterman and back up to him. "Yes it's true."

He sighed giving her a condescending look. "You have to know that she only did this to try and take down the club yet again."

Rachel moved to speak but Santana beat her too it. "No she doesn't have to know that. Coach gave her that spot because she's a badass on the court. She earned that spot and you don't get to try and take that away from her. Coach stopped trying to take down this club after what we did for her sister's funeral."

Rachel and Quinn both laid a calming hand on her shoulders. "It's true Mr. Shue. I'm on the team too and Rachel blew us all away at tryouts."

Mr. Shue just shook his head. "I don't know about this. You're our captain and you should be focused on glee. I'm not sure you can do both and I think it would be best if you choose just one."

Rachel scoffed as she put a hand on Santana's thigh to keep her from standing. "You had no problem with Finn being captain here and for football last year and the year before. I assure you I have no problem doing both but if you force me to choose you won't like what I choose. If I have to choose I will not only stop being captain but I will also stop being on this team. I love to sing but I love to play ball too and if you push me I will walk out right now."

"Ok fine just as long as it doesn't interfere with Glee." Shue rushed the words out then changed the subject back quickly. "Now, I'm going to head back to my office and let you all get back to planning for your duets and trios for Glee." He gave Royal a poignant look and walked back out of the room but paused at the door. "Oh, one last thing. Once you pick your partner or partners write your group on the white board."

After he left everyone cast glances at Finn, Rachel and Royal then back to Rachel. They couldn't believe what Royal had said to Finn or that Rachel had just threatened to quit and pick Volleyball over singing. Once everyone shook out of their shock they all settled back with their partners and got to work.

Rachel and Santana moved to the back corner of the room and sat for a while pouring over song after song, movie after movie, but nothing was catching their interest. At the end of practice Shue sent them all home and they decided to look on their own tonight and talk about it later on the phone or tomorrow at school. Rachel and Royal walked Quinn and Santana to their cars still talking about their duets then headed off to their bikes to go home.

It had been a long day and Rachel just wanted a long bath to sooth the day away and a nice dinner with her dads and brother. Hopefully tomorrow would be better.

A/N: Hello all. Sorry for the delay but there is chapter 11. More to come soon.