Disclaimer: If I had owned Glee, its characters or the used songs I wouldn't be still living in the Netherlands and Glee wouldn't have ended.
Summary: After a horrible tragedy Rachel and her family are forced into Witness Protection for their safety. Will they be able to be kept safe or will they be found before the perpetrators have been stopped?
The idea for this story comes from a story named 'Of Poker Faces and Dreaming Dreams'. I've tried to contact the writer to adopt the story since it hasn't been updated in six years with no luck. I was already planning to go a whole different direction with it so here it is with my own twist.
Special thanks to all of you who are still following this story for your patience.
English still isn't my native language. For that and to kick my ass every once in a while to get it into gear and update I have jenmer61977 as my amazing beta.
This story is AU where they all joined Glee freshman year. Everything happened as it did on the show only a year earlier and except for Shelby walking away and being single. She's been in Rachel's life since the girl was born and is married to a woman. And she never was the loud, annoying know it all like in everything she does she is on the show.
A.N.: I'm changing things up a bit to make it fit better for what I have in mind later on in the story.
Previously on Into the Fire:
At her mother's nod she disappears to her room upstairs where she restlessly lays on her bed for ten minutes. Knowing she won't fall to sleep anytime soon she puts on some of the clothes Emily got her, opens the safe in her bedside table to get the items stored in there out 'cause she would be in a lot more trouble if she didn't take them with her.
Downstairs she peaks her head in the kitchen. "I'm going out for a bit." Without waiting for an answer she's out the door and in her car.
"Rachel," Shelby yells after her but before she can run after Rachel she's stopped by her wife.
"Let her go, Shell. At least she's wearing the clothes Em gave her like she was told to. She'll probably end up with Santana or Noah, so we know she'll be safe." Sue reasons.
"Hummingbird has left the nest," Emily sends out a text to the surveillance detail standing in a parking lot just off the farmyard.
"Already on her. You were right by the way, we're not the only ones watching the house." She sighs worried at the text she receives back.
"And she has a security detail on her tail," she decides to keep her mouth shut about the house being watched by a yet unknown party so as not to worry her childhood best friend.
Rachel isn't stupid or naive. She saw the car pulling out the parking lots of Sam's Club and Applebee's the moment she left the farmyard. She just knew it would be the security detail her aunt was talking about earlier. She also knows she's probably going to be in a heap load of trouble with her mom for leaving like that at this time of night when she gets home but at the moment, she just doesn't care.
Arriving at her destination she can see there's still light in the living room. Not wanting to talk to his mom, she forgoes going through the front door. Growing up around boys like Noah and David meant she can climb trees with the best of them, so she climbs the tree with ease. She still doesn't understand why mama D. hasn't taken it down yet. Lucky for her come Summer or Winter he sleeps with the window ajar like it is.
Noah is lying on his bed thinking about everything that has happened that day when he hears the rustle of the leaves on the tree just outside his window. It couldn't be Santana coming for a booty call since she came out as gay to him and Rachel while they were in Texas during the summer. He looks at the window just in time to see Rachel climb through. Although she was wearing something completely different, he did have dreams of her doing just that. Not wanting to spook her he keeps his mouth shut and waits. It is Rachel Berry after all, she'll speak eventually. She strips out of her clothes not stopping at her underwear, and crawls in bed snuggling into his side whispering "hi."
"Hey yourself. How are you feeling?" he whispers back as she starts to kiss his neck following his pulse point towards his mouth.
"Numb and I was kinda hoping you could help me with that." She answers between kisses and even in the dark he can see her blush. Before he can answer she reaches her destination running her tongue against his lips trying to lure him into a deeper kiss. He grants her access and their tongues battle for dominance.
He flips them so she's beneath him and backs away looking her deep in the eyes. "Are you sure Rae 'cause if you're not it stops right here. I love you too much and I've been waiting for this moment for fucking ever and couldn't handle for this to be a night of regret." He finally admits his feelings for her.
"I need to feel something, Noah. So it was either this with you, find somebody else to do this with or become completely wasted and if this is as good as you and San always say it is I'd prefer this with you. So yes Noah, I'm sure. Besides, I've always wanted you to be the one I did this with. Always," And that is all he needs to attack her lips again in a bruising kiss.
"This is gonna hurt for a moment baby," he warns her right as he is about to enter her.
She swallows. "I was counting on that."
"After that I'm gonna make you feel sooo good but you have to keep quiet," he promises. And he does make her feel good until she exhaustively falls asleep after three rounds.
He's woken up by his mom knocking on his door. "Noah, Shelby called and said that she wants Rachel home after breakfast. I'll be at the temple helping Rabbi Greenberg with the preparations for the funerals." It is quiet for a second. "Oh, and Noah please tell me you used protection?" She pleads.
"How did you kn-" Before he can finish that sentence Rachel turns and burrows her head mortified into the pillow, making the bed squeak. "Never mind. Yes ma, we were careful."
"Good, 'cause as much as I love that girl as my own, I don't want to become a grandmother just yet. If this is going to be a regular thing, I need to buy you a new bed. I'm not eighteen anymore. I need my sleep," she makes a step towards the stairs to leave but comes back one more time. "And Noah, make sure she eats something. Shelby told me she didn't eat anything last night and God knows she needs some fuel after the calories you two burned last night."
"Oh my god. Did that just happen?" Rachel groans as he laughs at her embarrassment.
"Oh yes. Like she said, she loves you as her own. She's been hoping and planning for this to happen since you were born," as he swings his legs over the side of the bed he kisses her gently on the nose. "How about you take a shower while I make you some pancakes?"
"Hmm. Now that we have the house to ourselves, how about one more time 'for the road' and we'll make the pancakes together?" She compromises while she straddles him.
"I like your idea better," he cups her butt in his hands and lifts her up to walk to the bathroom.
When she enters the kitchen at home her moms are sitting at the table talking with Emily and her grandparents who arrived from Florida sometime this morning.
Shelby looks up, gliding her eyes up and down her daughter's body. If Deborah hadn't told her what happened at her house the night before, Shelby would have known now. There was definitely a change, "Were you at least safe?"
"Yes on all counts," Rachel answers with a tiny smirk on her face. Deciding to keep the fact that the condom broke in the shower that morning to herself, at least until it was for sure there would be consequences that needed to be talked about. That would be soon enough to start worrying.
Shelby nods. "From now on there will be an open door policy when Noah comes over, understood?" Rachel nods her head.
"I need a verbal confirmation Rachel." Shelby insists.
"Yes ma'am," Rachel salutes. Knowing that with both her mothers' working late all the time because of the Cheerios and her mom's new job with the Show Choir Board and Noah's mother working as much as she does at the hospital there would be enough chances to be together like that again.
"Good girl," Shelby smiles. "Now I have laid out your clothes on your bed. If you need to shower you have to hurry. We leave in thirty minutes."
Rachel nods. While walking to the stairs she swears she hears someone (Sue) making squeaking noises, embarrassing her all over again.
The funerals go as heartbreakingly sad as they always go. If it wasn't for Noah holding his arm firmly around her waist to hold her up, she would have crumbled at her fathers' graves. At the reception she really wanted to punch every single one of those hypocrites showing up from outside their community only to gloat at the fact those fagots finally got what they deserved. Especially when Mr. Shue and the rest of the glee club show up acting like they felt sorry for her. If Noah wouldn't have been there whispering sweet nothings in her ear, she probably would have.
After the service and reception Rabbi Greenberg and their family lawyer come over to go over Leroy and Hiram's wishes regarding the period of mourning and their will. It was to be expected that all of their possessions are left to Rachel as well as the law firm and the foundation, leaving it up to her to decide what to do with both. Until she has made a decision she appoints Maribel Lopez, the only remaining named partner of BB&L (Berry, Berry & Lopez) Law, as managing partner. Since besides a few traditions they weren't that strictly religious, they didn't want the family to sit Shiva but did request that the family would take the seven days of mourning for themselves to come at peace with their loss. Despite there not being a Shiva sit down the Rabbi will come by to light the Shiva candle which will burn for the seven days they would normally have to sit Shiva. It is decided that Rachel, Noah, his little sister Rebeccah and Santana would all be allowed to stay home from school the rest of the week.
When the Rabbi leaves, Emily, who has decided to leave the investigation to her team for the day, asks the three women to finally show her the extensive recording and dance studio they established in one of the barns. Even though Shelby assures her that the barn is completely soundproof she turns on the scrambler just to be sure nobody can listen to what they will be discussing.
"We arrested the person sending threats to the office. For the ones sent to the house however he has been cleared of. He only did it because Leroy lost his case against some multinational. He wasn't anywhere near Lima at the time of the fire. That leaves us with the threats to your home."
At that point Sue extracts an envelope out of her pocket and gives it to Emily. "This was in our mailbox this morning."
'Now that the fagots from this town are gone, it's time for the dikes. Prepare yourself to be next!' It reads.
Emily nods. "That's what I was afraid of and why I wanted to talk to you away from possible prying ears. Do you have a storm cellar?" Shelby nods, unable to say anything.
Her best friend sighs. "Good. Is it fireproof?" She asks.
"Yes. It is even away from the house." When Emily looks confused Shelby explains. "When we bought the property we spoke to the owners at the time. It had been in their family for years and experienced several storms and the consequences that came with them. There was one specific storm that destroyed everything because of a gas leak and the sparks that came free when the electricity lines broke. That's when they rebuilt the stables and fireproofed them and had two storm cellars built. There's one right beneath the house for the milder storms, and one for tornados. That last one is right beneath where we're standing right now with an extra exit right behind it. The two cellars are connected by a tunnel with a fire door at the beginning."
"How well stocked is the one down here and is it comfortable enough to sleep in?"
"Yes," Sue confirms. "We might have no gas, but we do have electricity and running water in the one down here. It is an apartment as big as the barn and has a living room, a kitchen, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. We have it fully stocked with canned food which we replace every six months."
"Good," Emily smiles in relief knowing her niece and best friends will be safe. "I want you to stay in there at night, but you still need to enter and exit from the house walking in and out of the front door like you normally would. I don't expect anything to happen during the day so you should be fine until evening. All we need now is an exit strategy. This is what I suggest." She explains the exit plan she has in mind.
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