[7]

As prisons go this was pretty nice.

Tina sat on the bed, looking at the extravagant furnishings, thinking if she didn't have other things on her mind she wouldn't mind staying here for some time. The bed was soft, and the bookshelf stacked with books, and the carpet was thick and furry.

The guard who seemed to be a drunk only managed to capture them because they were off guard. But perhaps it worked for the best they were inside, and separated.

Tina fell back on the bed, her hand twitched to pull out her knives, but the drunken witch had at least the sense to remember relieve her of that.

A part of her wanted to stay angry at all of them for the lies they told, even if they withheld it for good reasons. But she couldn't no matter how hard she tried. Call it her effervescent personality but in some ways it made it easier knowing they all had something to go back after to this was all over. That they weren't expected to stay together as unit, that this journey was over.

Maybe she should read a book while she was waiting for their captor to interrogate them.

Tina's eyes darted around the room to the bookshelf only to realize the implications of the window in the room.

She placed her hand on the window, and when she didn't feel a ward, she pressed it open, staring out at the sheer cliff before her.

Tina stood on the ledge, straining to see how many windows were around her, before she took a deep breath and threw herself off the ledge. Letting the wind do work for her, she whistled softly gliding between the windows, glancing out at them as she passed until she caught sight of a familiar face in the window.

Tina fluttered to the window ledge and knocked on the window once she gained her bearings.

Kurt jumped up high enough to make Tina think he had an affinity with air as well.

"By Gaga, Prada, and Couture, Tina are you trying kill yourself?" He yelled as he opened the window, "or better yet kill me!"

"It's the only way out of our comfortable prison," Tina said as she sat down in a slight crouch, noticing that the wardrobe spread out on the bed and chairs were from Kurt's own trunk. "Unless you rather stay since this is a comfort close to what you know."

Kurt picked up the shirt he must have dropped when she made her entrance.

"You're going to half to fight the dragons off before I do if you're going to make me feel guilty. How long have you've been gone from the Clans?"

Tina didn't answer.

"I thought so." Kurt sat down on the bed, sighing. "It felt like my father found the son he always wanted. I decided to make things easier for him and stayed longer in the capital even though I was being stifled by Schue. If I were to be honest, I probably learned more from Artie blowing up things and Mercedes running errands across the kingdom than anything else."

"You have to go back though, Finn needs someone to guide him," Tina said, "he's looking for a star."

Kurt shook his head, "He's was always a bit big on grandiose gestures."

"I think it's a metaphor," Tina said slowly pacing the words out, "Rachel does have a thing for stars."

"Oh for the love of- I hate them both, why couldn't he just say he was looking for her!"

"People do things for strange reasons," Tina shrugged, "he probably wanted to avoid certain responsibilities."

"Are you projecting?" Kurt asked amusedly.

"I was a kid when I left," Tina admitted, "I just wanted to see the world." She stood bracing herself against the window, "I'm going to find the others. I'll be back."

"Wait don't-"

Kurt's swears floated in the air above her as Tina fell backwards into the sky. Whistling, she swooped over floating in the tunnel of swirling wind as she glanced back up at the window Kurt was frantically waving his hands about. From her vantage point she saw the open window from her own, and estimated the surrounding windows and took a wild bet.

She was in luck, she realized as she landed on the ledge of Mercedes's window.

"You're a plum fool."

"Good to see you too." Tina sat down, catching her breath watching as Mercedes sat penning a letter. "I don't know how you're going to mail that from here."

"Ha," she said tossing the pen down as she shrugged. "Yes, I should have said something, but you're overreacting."

"It was everything all at once," Tina admitted, "I calmed down."

"I wanted to tell you," Mercedes said abruptly, "but I figured it didn't matter to you about the promotion. Not," she added staring at the letter before her, "like it's going to happen."

"It fell through?"

"I'm not going to take it. I have other skills than magic. Matt offered me a place in his information ring."

"Wait," Tina said, "he's a spy? You said he was a painter!"

"Girl," Mercedes shook her head, "you really need to get out more."

"How would I have known he was spy!"

"Didn't you and Artie wonder about all the books that were in the library? More than a few are contraband."

"I wouldn't know," Tina said looking away.

"You haven't found Artie yet have you?" Mercedes asked.

"No," Tina shot her a glare, "should I have?"

"I don't know you tell me."

Tina found herself grinning, despite everything.

"You keep everything locked in too much," Mercedes said returning to her letter, "if you tell me that's why you left in the first place."

Tina didn't answer but fell backwards off the windowsill once again. It didn't take too long to figure out which room was Artie's. He was sitting by the open window, watching her, his expression hard to make out from the distance.

"You do know," he said as she stepped onto on the ledge. "There aren't any wards or locks on the door. You could have walked down the hallway. I had some nice chats with Kurt and Mercedes."

She shrugged hiding her start of surprise. "This was more fun."

"I imagine."

They sat in silence for a bit, as the gentle breeze made the curtains flutter around them.

"I'm sorry." They blurted out together.

"But I lied about the amnesia and everything."

"And I overreacted so it's even." Tina said smiling.

"I even faked the spells not working."

"Kurt won't be happy about that, he'll think you've been doing out of spite."

"I wish," he muttered.

"Tell me," Tina asked, "what as the accident?"

"I fell off a building when I was stealing spells from an Elvish university."

Tina stared. "You're lying."

"Solemn truth," Artie replied with a grin, "I snuck into libraries and read up on a variety of spells in my free time. When the guards came I snuck onto the roof and lost my balance. I was lucky they felt sorry for me or I might have been turned into tree. But all in all, it was probably an equivalent trade for the spells I stole."

She braced herself to ask about how long had remained paralyzed before attempting spells to give him back the ability to walk, when Artie glanced back at the door. "Do you think we should go consult with our gracious hostess?"

"Why not?" Tina asked.

She strode to the door, and found just like Artie had said it to be, unlocked and with Kurt and Mercedes hovering at the door frame listening in.

Kurt toppled backwards losing his balance but Mercedes met the smirk Tina flashed at her.

"Listening in for juicy details? You two really are bad at it being fairy godmothers."

"The plan is to get the abyss out of here," Mercedes began ignoring her, "Now that we aren't at each others' throats anymore."

"Aren't you curious if it's really Rachel who captured us?" Tina asked.

"And put us in the lovely furnished rooms," Kurt added.

Mercedes glowered at them. "No."

"I am," Tina said firmly.

"Aren't I the one," Kurt added, "with the plans that don't work? Fleeing without answers seems like a dumb thing to do."

Tina wasn't sure if the floor was shifting underneath their feet, but she wasn't willingly to wait and see for a more formidable show.

"I think it would useful," Artie added as he leaned against the door frame twirling the staff around. "To look around first."

"Fine, let's go in search then!" Mercedes she strode down the hallway and kicked open the first door she saw. "No one's in here."

She slammed it shut, and strode to the next.

"Don't be like this," Tina begged as Mercedes kicked open the next, "we're only here-"

"Because this all my fault," Mercedes growled, "empty room with sheet music, that I wanted desperately to belong somewhere, because all of you are part of something special. Whether it's your family, your clan, wizard stuff you have going on, I have nothing but a dead body-" she shrieked, slamming the door behind her, "there's a dead body in there!"

"Really?" Artie perked up crossing the hall, more animated than he was a moment ago. Mercedes moved to the side blocking the door handle.

"We don't need to go in there," Mercedes hissed, "we could be next!"

"That's the interesting part about it."

"We're wasting time," Kurt interjected, "let's just look."

"I hate you all," Mercedes muttered stepping aside and Artie pushed open the door.

The four of them peered into the doorway, into the dimly lit room.

"I don't see anything," Tina whispered as Kurt gasped, "there really is someone in here."

A little girl lay on a bed, her blond hair pooled around her with an array of stuffed animals watching over her like guardians.

"Wait," Mercedes whispered as they entered the room, "doesn't she look she look familiar?"

"I don't know any- you're right," Kurt added, "splitting image of Quinn."

"Oh," Tina eyes widened, "That's explains everything."

"And so," Mercedes nodded, as Artie checked her pulse, "but not why she's dead."

"She's not dead." Artie said as along with an echoing softer voice.

"Beth's just under an enchantment." A tiny woman, girl almost, stood behind them smiling brightly as she placed book to the side.

As Tina took in the sudden appearance she was irked by something familiar about her.

"Jesse brought me here to help cure her. Said Ms. Corcoran tried before but they healer they found wasn't very good. Beth's been like that for many moons it seems."

"I suppose there's a reason," Kurt said dryly eying the open door, "you haven't started screaming yet."

The young woman smiled, widely at Tina who finally put the pieces together, "there's no need to when Snowdew is here."

They turned to her, Artie mouthing "Snowdew" while Kurt coughed hastily.

"Don't you dare say a word!" Tina retorted her face flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Sunshine said, "did your dreams lead you here like mine did?"

"Your dreams?" Tina stuttered.

"Well, I-"

"Sunshine it time for us to our daily practice in –" The new person start short seeing them.

Kurt gave a little wave, "Long time no see, Berry. I see you somehow managed to find a tailor that sews animals onto your clothes."

"This is," Rachel said dramatically pressing hand to her chest, "this is unexpected."

"How about anticlimactic. You're a nursemaid instead of being held prisoner," Kurt sat down in a chair, "I was even willing to storm a castle. Not in these shoes though."

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked, "If I remember none of you like me."

"We don't," Kurt said.

Mercedes cleared her throat, "when was the last time you were in McKinley?"

"Quite some time ago," Rachel asked, "why? Are you going to tell me my talent is being missed, when you wanted, and I quote to preserve my talent in a jar?"

A stricken expression flashed across Mercedes's face and Tina stepped up, "Mr. Schue wanted us to find you and when we were thinking back why you left to suddenly, and the questions lead us here. Wherever here is."

"Jesse's stronghold," Rachel said with little enthusiasm, "he's away at the time diligently seeking out a cure for little Beth, he'll be back soon."

"When was the last time you saw him?" Artie asked.

Rachel's expression faltered, biting her lip.

"He's not dead is he?" Kurt interjected.

"Not," Rachel drew herself up, "not to my knowledge. I liked to know why you are. Weren't your rooms rather pleasing? Ms. Castle made sure you were all taken care of thoroughly."

"We were enchanted!" Mercedes said hotly.

"You were trespassing. And you still all, whatever business you may have, it has nothing to do with Beth."

"Actually it does," Artie looked over at Sunshine who was casting spells over Beth that were rebounding gently against the wards she held in place. "You're here because you're trying to cure her, and we're here because we need you as much as you need us."

"How do I need you?"

"You have neutral magic don't you? Tina said you don't have much affinity with more specific types of magics"

Mercedes made a face, and for a moment Tina was afraid she going to snap at Artie for bringing it up again, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"You do need us," Mercedes said smoothly, "the four of us have elemental tendencies."

Tina was glad Rachel wasn't looking in her direction. Her jaw had fallen at Mercedes words. Her friend was speaking as if she never had spoken a word against them talking about theory behind magic.

"We're a unit, and can overload the spell in way you can't."

"Overcome," Tina coughed into her hand.

"Exactly," Mercedes said, "we'll get Beth free on the enchantment, it's what you wanted right?"

"What's the catch," Rachel asked, "why are you being so nice to me?"

"No catch," Mercedes said, "we found you. Whether or not you come back with us is your own decision."

That was something Tina doubted highly, but she wasn't about to argue at such a crucial moment.

"That sounds wonderful," Sunshine said her enthusiasm was infectious enough that Rachel cracked a smile. "We've been trying for ages, let them try, enchantress. They might be able to do it."

"Well then," Rachel hesitated, "While you work on that I'll prepare something for you."

"Make sure you fire that Castle woman," Kurt hollered after her, "those hemlines went out of style of a decade ago!"

The powerful enchantresses left shutting the door behind them, leaving them in the room with the bespelled little girl.

"What," Kurt muttered leaping out his chair, "was that about? Working together as a unit? No matter how much we talk about in theory, our styles don't mesh!"

"That was before," Mercedes said quickly, "and mostly because we didn't trust the magic or each other. Surely at least one of those things have changed by now."

Kurt quickly glanced over at Artie before he crossed his arms. "You convinced me," he said stiffly, and then turned to Artie, "your turn."

"What spell do you think it is?" Tina asked.

"I don't know yet," Artie remarked as he idly tapped the staff on the floor. "I wonder why she's here in the first place?"

"It what Sylvester was talking about, the baby snatching," Tina said looking at Beth. "She's probably the chess piece that's keeping Quinn from speaking out against Sylvester, instead of any spells the Witch of East cast."

"Bringing back both Beth and Rachel would solve everything then," Kurt muttered. "Sylvester loses her blackmail and Quinn stands against the bill. I'm pretty sure at least one of the Duchesses would change sides if Quinn did. And if I bring back Finn, it'll be enough numbers to squash the bill for good."

"You're getting ahead of yourself," Mercedes cautioned.

"You just promised we could do it," Artie pointed out.

She beamed at him. "I trust you."

Artie rolled his eyes. "Now you say it."

"You were only messing up because you're memory was faulty, that's not the case now is it?"

Mercedes continued to smile.

"It's a memory charm," Artie said without a trace of irony. "But it's halfway done, with a poor attempt to remove. The reason she's in this state because she's being held between the spell and the counter spell. Which crystallized around her, we break it if we overcome the barrier."

"Nothing elegant, just blasting it," Kurt asked caustically, Artie began to cast a ward. "what are we going to do put a hole in the ceiling?"

Tina nudged him in the arm, "stop talking."

Kurt swallowed his complaints as the room filled with a glow of soft blue light around them. Wards in the shape of diamonds floated around them in a pattern that vaguely reminded Tina of argyle.

"Hold out your hands," Artie gestured placing his hand palm down in the air above Beth's head. Tina followed in suit first, brushing the tips of her fingers next to his, Mercedes and Kurt following in suit.

"Follow my lead."

It was different from the time he had attempted to walk them through making wards. Instead of being thrown out haphazardly it truly felt like she being guided through the spell. In the back of her mind as they formed spell around Beth, Tina couldn't help but think they might have been some truth in him pretending to get the spells wrong on purpose.

But in the end it didn't quite matter to her.

There was something just right, with the four of them doing a spell together like she had all imagined. Kurt's fiercely bright magic swirling around bursting for fight, buffered against Artie's cooler though just as bold magics. Mercedes grounded them all with her calm and unmoving force, balancing out the boys' magic and keeping Tina's own flighty magic in control.

Under their ministrations, the four elements swirled into a ball of tightly condensed magic as the diamonds wards surrounded it, shrinking as flew around Beth leaving a trail of blue slight behind it as it flew.

Tina's knees buckled as the ball of magic flew past her, her unnecessary exertions from earlier getting the best of her.

"I'm fine," she said as feels a hand on her shoulder. "Did I shatter the spell, we can try again."

But there was silence above, even from Kurt whom she knew had something to say.

Tina pushed herself off the floor, just in time to see the Beth's eyes flicker open as she yawned. "I want my mama."

Chaos soon erupted in the room, as Kurt jumps few feet into the air, and both Tina and Mercedes nearly knock each other out as they went to go get Rachel and Sunshine before they disappeared.

As for the little girl in the middle of all of it, she was looked at them all as if they were crazy people, and perhaps they were.

It didn't take long to pull the entire story out of Rachel, not when the three of them were using their myriad talents to elicit a response.

The story appeared that evening filling in the gaps in what they had so far.

The Jesse St. James had come to the Capital in disguise at the whim of the Witch of the West. He initially came to seek out Rachel whom was the witch's daughter. Finn mistook that interest and her motives for going with St. James and called her a traitor, so she fled with him from the city. During her flight, she crossed paths with the Witch of the East who was had a child with her, but she thought nothing of it. She would later learn from rumor and excellent deductive skills that it was the same child was the one Quinn and Puck had out of wedlock and was stolen from the family they had placed her with. Despite Jessed warning her not to, Rachel stole back the child leaving a doppelganger in Beth's place.

"But I heard the rumors that were going the city, and I've been humiliated and I couldn't go back, not even with Beth." Rachel bit her lip, digging her finger into the cushion of the armchair, "But I probably should have gone, instead of going to see my mother. I think much of it, since I figured it would be the opportunity to meet the woman who blessed me such talent, but it was mistake. She desired Beth for her own, to mold in an image after herself since I was unfit to become the Witch of the West Quarter after her. I wouldn't let her have Beth, she placed an enchantment on her. And…" Rachel trailed off without words for once.

"Jesse brought me here, because he thought I could be of some help," Sunshine added, "but it wasn't magic I was familiar with no matter how hard I tried."

"So now it's broken," Mercedes said, "and you come back with us. I'm sure what you did can be explained away."

"On no," Rachel shook her head, "I can't."

"Where else can you go," Kurt asked, "they won't let you into Carmel you're too notorious. And I don't see you bumming around the countryside unknown and a pest."

"Some talents are meant to be shared," Tina added quickly reaching over and touching her on the shoulder.

Rachel looked up with a weak smile, "You think so?"

"Is what you always said," Tina said, "You needed applause to get your spells to go right,"

"You're right," Rachel jumped to her feet startling Tina, "I don't deserve to be locked away! I have talents that need to give to the kingdom. I'll pack to go away right now!"

"That was quick," Kurt remarked dryly as Rachel bustled out the room, "And much easier than I anticipated. Should we be worried?"

"It's almost expected," Mercedes added. "She can't turn down spotlight."

"I don't what I'll do though," Sunshine said, "no one else is here, we hadn't seen Jesse for a long time, I don't want to be here by myself."

"Would you like," Tina said quietly, "to go home? I know it hard to get back, and maybe you explain how you lost in the first place?"

"Well there was a storm but I don't remember much afterwards…"

Sunshine told the tale in full riveting details that got both Kurt and Mercedes worked up, but in honesty Tina didn't pay much attention as she should have.

Her eyes had fallen had across the room where Artie was stretched out on the couch no longer pretending he wasn't dozing.

She wouldn't go as far as calling it love, but she did feel uneasy on returning to the clans when everything was left in the air. The lies, the kiss in the woods, the way she seriously considered never returning to the Clans.

Kurt was right in some ways, she knew nothing about who he was, but she did know some things. The enthusiasm he had anything taking everything in stride, the ease he teased both Kurt and Mercedes, and the fact she couldn't figure out if he had really had cheated when playing cards or not.

And maybe that was that mattered.

Tina blinked in surprise when Sunshine suddenly leaped to her feet and went off to check on Beth, drawing her out her musings.

Kurt and Mercedes started to talk politics, and bored she crossed the room without a second thought sitting to Artie on the couch.

"You fell asleep."

His eyes fluttered open a bit, but didn't make another move.

"I was listening."

"Don't bother, Rachel's very tiring." Tina said glanced over where their friends were seemly occupied with their discussion. She heard Rachel's name tossed out a few times, as well as some other noble names. "By the way, when did you break that gem of yours? When you checking her pulse or after we revealed how crucial a chess piece she was?"

Artie's eyes were wide open now, puzzled as if he was looking for some subtext in her words.

"Does it matter when?"

"Since it determine your motivations. How many levels of magic was that?"

He shivered, "I don't really remember."

Tina smiled a bit. "Haven't heard that one before."

"No matter what you think, I really did have amnesia. That's why I was with the Witch of the South. I was doing an experiment to get some ability to walk again, and it blew up in my face. I remembered the spells, but seldom else." He grinned faintly,"Don't tell Kurt though."

"I promised I wouldn't," She said trying not to laugh.

"She summoned you, mostly because she realized I had an affinity with water, and magic would have been the pathway to get my memory back, and it worked. And if I didn't break the keystone everything would be fine."

Tina's smile faded, "if that crystal was a keystone for the spell, are you going to make another one?"

"It depends." He scrunched up his face, "it's nice to walk, but it's too much of hassle. The magic's taxing and-

"And what?"

"If we're going to continue this crazy quest, I might consider it."

Tina looked down at her hands, catching the full implication of his words. "I'm going to take Sunshine back to the Clans." She revealed abruptly before he could speak, "It's time I returned and settled matters there, and I was going to regardless of her. Mercedes's taking Rachel back to the capital, and she's going to inform both Puck and Quinn about Beth being returned to her family. And I think Kurt's going to track Finn down and bring him home -"

"Are you going to stay long?"

"I don't know, they might," Tina tried to laugh, "keep me from leaving again. It won't be as easy as last time I'm sure. But Sunshine has power power than I have and hopefully she'll make a better Dreamwalker than I could ever have. "

"Then," Artie said patting her hand, "we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"