Quinn rubbed a hand down her face, trying to clear her grogginess as she joined Santana in the kitchen. She wasn't going to tell the Cheerio about her dream, after all, wasn't it just that? A dream? She sighed and headed over to the jug of orange juice on the counter, collecting a glass for herself.
"You okay?" Santana asked, noticing Quinn's distant expression.
"I just want all of this shit to go away," the blonde mumbled, "but I don't know how to make it," she groaned with frustration as she sat herself down at the island, facing Santana who was shoving toast into her mouth.
"Domt you gav mmy iyea hat oo oo?" Santana tried to get out between mouthfuls. Quinn raised an eyebrow and the brunette swallowed her toast. "Don't you have any idea what to do?" she corrected. "I mean, didn't Mortisha tell you anything?"
Quinn sighed thoughtfully, thinking back to everything and anything that her and Rachel had ever talked about. Even if the ghost had mentioned something that could help, Quinn wasn't sure she'd be able to trust it. Though, one memory did pop into her mind.
"I remember Rachel telling me that to destroy the demon, I'd have to burn the house down to the ground- with me in it. But that could just be lies, like everything else she had me believe. Plus, that'd kill the actual Dr. Shepard. Whereas exorcising could solve both of those problems, but I don't know if that would work either," Quinn growled as she buried her head in her hands, trying to urge the stress away. "What I really need is to..." she stopped herself and shook her head as she tried to dismiss the idea but Santana already had a pretty good idea as to what the blonde was going to say.
"Talk to Rachel?"
"Yeah."
"You do realise that even if you did, anything she told you could be bull. She could just be leading you to your death again. Or she might actually stop being a scheming bitch long enough to help you."
Quinn chewed her bottom lip before meeting the Latina's gaze. "What would you do if it was Britt. I mean, if she had done this to you, would you still try to help her? Would you still get involved?"
"Of course I would," Santana replied without hesitation. "I love her."
"So what would you do?"
Santana relaxed back into her seat, keeping her eyes on Quinn. "I'd burn that place down. Chances are the demon's already killed the Doc and all you have to do is survive the flames long enough for him to die with his house right? Just wear a fire proof blanket or something," she finished as she settled for some more toast.
Truthfully, Quinn had thought the same thing but she was still unsure. So many things could go wrong and she didn't know how much of the ghost's information she actually trusted. "Okay," she started, "I want to do it tonight."
Santana force swallowed the rest of her toast so she could speak, "Calm down Ghostbuster. We haven't even got a plan together yet. We can't just march in there, spark a match and hope for the best. You said that now the demon's stronger, he's not confined to the house anymore at night right? He could just leave the second he knew your plan and the house he was trapped in would be ashes, meaning he'd be fully free. So everyone would have you to thank for a rampaging demon." Quinn looked like she was going to speak but Santana continued before she got the chance, "but if we draw him out then somehow trap him so he cant escape, we'd be able to burn him and the house and hopefully you'd only suffer first degree burns," she said with a playful smirk.
"If that would work," Quinn sighed. "I don't know if anything Rachel's told me is true, it could all be another part of her plan."
"Then like you said, you need to talk to her," Santana said.
"Yeah and fast before the thing sucks any more life out of me. He said I had about a day to live which means I probably only have about twelve hours left now."
"So what? You'll just drop dead?"
"I don't know, I don't really intend on finding out San," Quinn said, obviously getting a bit aggravated.
Santana shrugged and carried on munching her toast. Without warning, Quinn jumped up from her seat and started to walk out of the kitchen.
"Where're you going Blondie?" Santana called after her.
"To see a ghost about a house," Quinn replied before grabbing her freshly washed coat off a hook and walking out of the front door. Santana groaned, shoving aside the rest of her toast. She knew she'd have to follow the blonde so she didn't do something stupid...again.
Quinn walked along the side of the road, shifting uncomfortably as her healing ribs ached underneath her clothing. She huddled her arms closer, realising that the cold probably wasn't making her injuries any better. She only had a thin top on underneath her coat but she didn't have time to think about things like that when she was faced with the reality of possibly dying within the next few hours. She didn't know what was going to happen to her then, but she knew what was happening now. She was intent on heading back to the house and talking to the brunette ghost. She knew she couldn't trust the ghost but she needed to hear what Rachel had to say if it meant that she'd be that bit closer to knowing how to kill the demon.
As Quinn subsided into thought, a familiar car screeched to a stop beside her and started obnoxiously honking. The blonde turned around to see Santana sat in the drivers seat of the car, motioning for her to get in.
"Don't you even think of going back to that house alone Fabray," Santana scolded. "Every time you do, I have to come and save you so I'm beating you to it this time and going with you."
"What if we both get in trouble?"
"Then we call Puck."
"What if he gets in trouble?"
"Just get in the fucking car Quinn."
They were parked up just in front of the house. Neither one of them spoke and Quinn simply stared at Rachel's window, wondering what she was going to say to ghost or what the ghost was going to say to her.
"Right, get out then," Santana said, breaking the silence. "And remember to wedge the front door open and if you're not back in twenty minutes I'm coming in there. I'd come in with you now but every time I mention it, you glare at me so I'm guessing you want to do it alone."
"Thanks Santana," Quinn replied, smiling with mutual understanding. "I'll see you in twenty," she added as she hopped out of the car.
"Mhm, we'll see," Santana muttered to herself as Quinn shut the door and headed towards the entrance of the house.
Quinn hesitantly pushed the front door, wedging a rock against it so it'd stay open. Once satisfied her escape route was secured, she continued for the stairs. With each step, Quinn listened to the point of straining her hearing. Every sense was ignited, ready for the slightest sign of danger so she could bolt to safety. It was day time yes, but Quinn didn't know if the same rules that once applied to the demon still did, though, seeing as she was still alive and not chained up waiting for her death, she thought they did. When she made it to Rachel's door, she paused. Really, what was she going to say? Quinn could barely look at Rachel during their last encounter, and she said some pretty terrible things but this was probably her last chance at living and if anyone knew how to deal with the demon, it was his daughter.
The blonde exhaled slowly, getting a grip on her nerves and her emotions. She twisted the door handle and let the door widen, peering in as the door allowed the room to become visible. Quinn couldn't see Rachel so she walked straight in, glancing around to check for Rachel. As soon as she was through the door, it slammed shut and Quinn let out a surprised yelp, spinning around to face the door. Instead, she was met with a pair of chocolate eyes that stared at her with an awry of mixed emotion.
"Quinn," Rachel breathed, still looking directly into the other girl's eyes. "Quinn I'm-"
"I don't care Rachel. Not right now. I'm over you and your lies," she lied. "I just want to know how to end all of this. I want to know if anything of what you told me was true or if that was just another load of shit you fed me. I want to know how to destroy your dad and I want to know the truth Rachel. Will burning this house down do it? And will I have to be in with it?" She rushed her questions, eager to get her answers and to get away from Rachel. She still couldn't look at the ghost without wanting to cry and break someone's neck at the same time.
"What I told you is true Quinn. This house has to be burnt down with him, me, you and that little box you found inside. Everything that is connected to him has to be inside or it wont work and he'll be free." Quinn regarded Rachel carefully, looking for any sign of deception in both the ghost's voice and face but she found nothing which only made her feel worse.
"Last time you said I was being possessed and that he'd leave my body if we tried to burn the house and that I'd still get out alive," Quinn swallowed thickly. "That bit wasn't true was it?" she asked, receiving her answer when she caught the glisten of tears in the ghost's eyes. "I have to die don't I?"
Rachel refused to look at Quinn, instead she settled her gaze towards the floor. "You were doomed the moment you came into this house Quinn. You're going to die either way. He's taken too much of your life essence, he's become too human and the only way to stop him is if you die with him. He's partially bound to this house because he's not fully human yet, he needs the rest of your soul, life, essence, chi- whatever you want to call it and if he doesn't get the rest of it then the stuff that he's already claimed will disperse and he'll finally be gone. And the only way we can stop him getting the rest of it is if it dies with you. That way he can't absorb it any more. And by burning him in this house with me and the box, you're destroying absolutely everything he's apart of so there's no chance he can stay in this world."
Quinn felt her anger starting to bristle as she wanted to scream and shout at the ghost all over again but really, what good would that do at this point? Quinn was either going to die in a fire or she was going to let a murderous demon claim the rest of her soul so he could be unleashed on humanity. She didn't know which one she hated most but she knew that she couldn't just sit back and let him claim her entirety. She couldn't let him kill innocent people. She couldn't let him tear people's lives apart like he had hers. She couldn't be selfish any more. So it was in that moment that Quinn started to accept her fate. "What do I do?" she addressed Rachel, her voice emotionless.
"It needs to be tonight, before midnight," Rachel started explaining.
"Why midnight?"
"Because that's when he'll have completely claimed your life you'll die by his hand. You'll need to start the fire in the main hallway. Set fire to the box and then this place. The flames will do the rest of the work. And Quinn? Don't be scared. Death isn't that scary."
"Don't be scared? Rachel, I'm shit scared. I wasn't prepared for any of this. All I wanted was to live a normal life and to find normal friends and have a normal family." She wasn't angry, she sounded more exasperated, as though she had long given up on what she once wanted.
"I'm sorry Quinn. I was scared of what he'd do if I didn't listen and I was selfish. I thought if he managed to free himself and leave you trapped here, then at least I wouldn't be alone. You'd be with me for eternity and you wouldn't have to worry about me being dead or you being alive or my dad or any of your human life problems."
"Do you have any idea how-" Quinn stopped herself, not bothering to waste her breath. She slumped down on the floor and leant on her arms. "I'm scared Rachel," she whispered. "I'm scared because I'm going to die. I'm scared because you're the main reason I'm in this mess and I'm scared because I still love you and I don't want to. I should hate you, I really should but I cant." Rachel knelt down to Quinn's level as she poured her thoughts out into the open.
"I know. I know you love me. I know you're scared. But if there's one thing I didn't lie about Quinn, it was my feelings for you now. Yes, they were unintentional and involuntary to start with but I don't regret them. You have been the best thing that has happened to me in both my human and ghost life Quinn. And even if you still hate me, you should know that." Quinn listened silently to Rachel, trying to unjumble the mess in her head as the brunette went along. "If I could go back to when you were little and stop you from having that accident I would. I'd make this all stop but I can't and neither can you."
"Does it hurt? Dying?"
"Only for a few seconds and then it's the most relieving feeling in the world," Rachel said sadly, unable to control the shake in her voice.
"Will you be here when I come round?" She looked at Rachel with the same expression she used to, one filled with kindness and genuine love for the brunette so it made it hard for Rachel to answer truthfully.
"I don't know Quinn. I don't know what's going to happen to any of us, all I know is that if it all burns, he's going to be destroyed and we won't be trapped here. I don't know where we'll end up."
Quinn nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'll do it," she said after a few minutes. "I'll be back tonight and all this is going to stop."
"I know it's not worth anything but once again, I'm genuinely sorry Quinn I-"
"I know Rach, I know. But there's nothing we can do to change it now."
"Can you forgive me?"
"I'm trying," Quinn sighed as she stood up.
"Thank you," Rachel said, fully understanding. She stood up to face Quinn and bore her eyes into the blonde's. Gently and carefully, the ghost softly brushed her lips against Quinn's. The blonde didn't move or jolt away, instead she welcomed the kiss, it was strangely still so electric and exciting for her and it was in that moment that she knew no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't be awful to this ghost any more. She couldn't be angry with her any more. Sure her betrayal stung like a bitch but there was nothing she could do. She was in the present and no longer the past. Rachel broke the kiss and Quinn could see Rachel's relief and genuine remorse hiding behind the other girl's eyes. "I love you too Q," Rachel told her quietly.
Quinn squeezed Rachel's hand, still matching Rachel's gaze. She took a hefty inhale as she dropped Rachel's hand and started to walk to the door. "I'll be back," she told the ghost before slipping out of the room.
"What the hell took you?" Santana asked as Quinn settled into the passenger seat.
"I think I forgave Rachel," she simply replied, not sure how the Latina would react.
"I figured you would," she smiled at Quinn. "Two emotions can't be present at the same time within the human mind so it was only a matter of which was stronger. Hate or love," Santana explained. "And we all know you got it bad for the ghost," she said with a cheeky grin to try and lighten the mood. "So what's the plan?"
Quinn turned to face her with heavy eyes. Santana wasn't going to like what Quinn had to say but it was the only thing that would work- according to Rachel. "I'm going to die."
"Well shit," Santana breathed and Quinn began to elaborate on what Rachel had told her. Quinn watched as Santana's expression shifted constantly throughout the exchange. She knew Santana was nowhere near happy with the prospect of loosing her but the fact that Santana remained silent meant that she also knew that Quinn had already accepted this so as her friend, Santana had to as well. "Is there absolutely nothing else we can do?" she asked Quinn who shook her head sadly. "So what now?"
"I'll wait until it's dark and that's when I'll do it," Quinn told her.
"Uh-uh," Santana bit in, looking at Quinn with determination. "You mean, we'll wait until it's dark. You're not going to do this alone Quinn."
Quinn started to shake her head."You're not coming with me. It's too dangerous and if you got hurt what would Brittany do? And your parents? I'm not risking you getting hurt too San."
Santana didn't reply and Quinn wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. The brunette Cheerio shifted the stick into drive and pulled away from the house, noticing Quinn staring at the house with an expression that showed she was evidently scared and sad and hurt but Santana also noticed relief. Though, for what, she didn't know.
A few hours later, the night had started to shadow the day and Quinn grew more nervous and uneasy with each passing second. She was sat on Santana's bed, holding the little wooden box in her hands and staring down at the pictures within it. When she heard Santana walk into the room she shoved the box- along with paraffin and matches- into her bag.
"You ready?" Santana asked quietly. Quinn nodded and rose to her feet. This was it. There wasn't any turning back now.
Without a word, they exited the house and climbed into Santana's car. Quinn made sure to take a good look at everything she probably wouldn't see again feeling bad that this was probably the first time she actually appreciated the things around her, feeling even worse that death was the reason for her doing so. The heaviness in Quinn's stomach grew as they neared the house and she felt like she was going to throw up.
Santana parked up in their earlier spot and they both sat in silence simply staring at the house. "Thank you Santana," Quinn suddenly said.
"For driving you to your place of death?"
"No, for being a friend. For believing me and sticking by me when no one else would. Friends have been hard to come by for me and it's sad I know, but you, Britt and Noah are probably the first set of them I've had. So thank you."
"You don't need to thank us. Just don't forget us when you're living it up in the afterlife," Santana joked, trying to cheer them both up but not really succeeding. She then flung her arms around Quinn and squeezed as she hugged her tight. "I'll miss you."
Quinn felt tears gathering in her eyes and she hugged the other girl even harder. "I'll miss you too." Without another word, she let go of Santana and shifted out of the car. She looked back at Santana and nodded, watching as she started to drive away.
Quinn stood looking at the house and noticed Rachel peering out from her window. Rachel looked as though she was the one about to die all over again which made Quinn wonder, just how bad this encounter was going to be. She started to tread slowly towards the house, feeling the actual weight of it now resting on her shoulders.
A/N: My updates are far too scarce I know, but as I keep saying, this story IS going to be finished so thank you to those who are still reading and enjoying :) The story also has a lovely new cover picture (thanks to Withabrandnewname on Tumblr). I hope you enjoy this angsty chapter and I'm sad to say that this story is very close to being completed. Until next time!