"Where…where am I?" Rachel croaked out as she finally began to come to. Her brain was foggy and vision was blurred as she tried to lift her head.
"Don't worry my dear, we aren't going to hurt you…much," a sickly sweet voice said quietly. She felt a hand stroke her hair and she tried to swat it away but found she couldn't move. As she became more conscious and aware of her surroundings, Rachel realized she was tied to a chair.
This fact cleared her brain and brought back her memories of what happened. A man had taken her. A man had knocked Rocco over the head and kidnapped her from his home. Based on her surroundings she assumed she was back in McKinley. She was quite confused as to why though.
Rachel struggled against her bonds to no avail and tears welled in her eyes. "Who are you? Why are you doing this? Where am I?" she screeched at the woman pacing around her.
"What is it about you that he likes so much? You aren't that pretty and your state of dress is rather…scandalous," the woman said as she assessed her. "Whatever, that's not part of my job. I just need to make my potion." The woman walked away leaving Rachel alone.
"What do you need from her?" Jesse asked the Witch as she walked out of the back room and stirred the base of her potion.
She spooned some of the potion up and sniffed it. "Her blood." She smiled wickedly at him before letting the liquid spill back into the cauldron. "Oh don't give me that look, I won't kill her."
Jesse had paled when she stated her reason for needing the girl. He may have been a thief and able to dish out violence when necessary but that didn't mean he particularly enjoyed it. "What kind of potion are you making?"
"That's none of your business. Why are you even still here?"
"Lady Fabray owes me information and I'm not leaving that woman until I have what I want."
"What is it that you want?" Terri asked, drooling over the gossip.
"That's none of your business," Jesse snapped back. Terri reeled back looking like she had been stung. "Why haven't you taken her blood yet?"
"If you must know, I'm waiting for Lady Fabray and Quinn so I can be paid immediately. I'm not finishing this potion until I have what I'm owed."
Just then a knock on the door signaled Terri and Jesse to the Fabrays' arrival. She allowed them entry and Jesse smiled as he saw Quinn for the first time in nearly a year. "Hello Quinn, it's good to see you again," he greeted quietly. She looked just as lovely as she did when they first met.
"Hello Jesse. You look awful." She smiled at him.
And she was still just as bitchy. "Thanks."
"Did you get the girl?" Lady Fabray asked, ignoring her daughter's reunion with her child's father.
Jesse nodded. "She's in the back room."
"Give us the potion now," Lady Fabray demanded of Terri.
Terri sighed. "It isn't finished yet. I need that diamond first." She stuck her hand out. "I'm pretty sure you need my potion bad enough to hand it over now. So…"
Lady Fabray rolled her eyes and dug the diamond out. "Now finish the potion."
Terri fondled the diamond wearing a huge grin of satisfaction. "I'll be right back." She walked away still staring at the jewel, disappearing into the back room their prisoner was in.
Rachel watched through her silent tears as the woman from before walked back into the room carrying the biggest diamond she had ever seen. The woman hid it in a cabinet then grabbed a vial and a thin knife and turned around to face Rachel. "If you just relax and cooperate, this will hurt a lot less."
"What…what are you going to do? What are you doing?" Rachel cried out, getting more hysterical with each step Terri took towards her. "Please! I haven't done anything, why are you doing this?"
"Sweetie, just calm down. It will barely hurt." Terri held the vial under Rachel's arm and both women watched as she dragged the blade over her skin, making her bleed, but balked when it began to flow out. "Oh my…"
Rachel's eyes widened as she watched her blood trickle down her arm. She looked up at Terri wondering what was going on. Terri just continued to stare at the blood in awe. "What the…why is my blood blue?" Rachel asked, scared out of her mind. Had whatever that man used to knock her out done this? Did everyone's blood turn blue in McKinley? Had she been poisoned and was dying now or something?
"Is the potion done yet?" Quinn called from the other room snapping Terri out of the trance Rachel's blood had put her under. She shook her head and filled the vial then wrapped it in cloth to cover the color before wiping the excess blood from Rachel's arm.
She left Rachel alone in the room again and walked to her cauldron. Terri poured the blood in, hiding the color from the others, and stirred until it was done. "You'll need to drink it every few hours to keep it from leaving your system. It will only give you her outward appearance and voice and nothing else; no memories, no bits of personality." She handed Quinn a flask of potion and watched Quinn hesitantly down it. Seconds later her skin bubbled and shifted until she stood there looking exactly like Rachel.
"Did it work?" she inquired, her voice sounding just like Rachel's.
Her mother nodded and held up a mirror for her. Quinn stared at herself examining her features. "Wow, she has a big nose." She poked at it and played with her hair and other features.
"You'll need her clothes," Jesse added quietly.
Quinn turned to look at him in disgust. "I will not wear her clothing. She runs around nearly naked."
"Your plan to get the king won't work if you act like yourself. He loves Rachel, not you. You have to act like her long enough to get what you want which means you need to wear her clothes."
Quinn gritted her teeth and grunted. "I wil-"
"He's right, Quinn. You need to be her," Lady Fabray interjected. "I'll get her clothes."
"I can do it!" Terri announced loudly stopping Lady Fabray in her tracks. She ran into her room and released Rachel's ropes. Rachel tried to move to fight back but she couldn't.
"What have you done to me? Why can't I move?"
"Would you please shut up? If you cooperate nothing will happen to you. Now, give me your clothes," Terri said quietly.
Against Rachel's will her body began to pull her clothes off. She cried harder as she stood there naked in front of her captor. Terri was decent enough to throw her a nightgown to put on and once she was covered again she was retied to the chair.
"Please, why are you doing this?" Rachel begged once more. She had cooperated the way the woman said to so why was she getting zero answers? None of this made sense.
"I can't tell you that, but believe me when I say that you are safe here." She tried to give Rachel a comforting smile but it failed, frightening the terrified girl more. Terri exited to find Jesse, Quinn and Lady Fabray in a heated argument.
"I did what you asked! I want to know where my child is now!"
"Jesse, would you calm down. What are you going to do with the information anyway? Steal the child?" Lady Fabray asked knowingly.
"Of course not," Jesse lied. "I just want to see her, just once."
"Mother, you aren't seriously going to tell him where she is? I don't even know," Quinn said as she sneered at the clothing Terri handed her.
"That was our deal though." Lady Fabray sighed. "She's living with the Puckermans."
"What?" Quinn and Jesse hissed together.
"You let the head of the king's guard adopt our child?" Jesse spit, running his hands through his hair.
"She needed a home and the Puckermans were desperate. They didn't know who she was coming from."
"Why would Sue give her to the man who is responsible for protecting the king she's been trying to off since birth?" Quinn asked coolly.
Lady Fabray shrugged. "Does it matter? The point is she was adopted and they're the family she is with now. If you want to…see her that is where you will find her."
Jesse shook his head. "You better not be lying to me." He grabbed his things and stormed out of the Witch's home.
Quinn stared at her mother. "Is she really with the Puckermans or are you setting him up?"
Lady Fabray smirked. "Oh she does live with the Puckermans but I know Jesse. He's lying about just visiting her. He'll sneak into their home and get caught then we won't need to worry about him anymore." She ran her hand over Quinn's hair. "I can't wait for this charade to be over with. I miss your face already. Now get changed. We must get you to the King."
Quinn made a face at the garments she was being forced to wear and Terri pointed her to yet another room where she could change in private. Lady Fabray waited until Quinn was out of the room to speak again. "What happens with the girl now?"
Terri crossed her arms over her chest. "She stays here and she stays alive. You'll need more blood for more potion and if she dies the connection will fail and the potion won't work anymore. Don't worry, she'll be very well cared for and she won't ruin your plan."
Lady Fabray nodded lightly. "See to it that she doesn't. We can't have her escaping and showing up at the castle."
The women waited in silence for the next few minutes while Quinn changed. Once she was finished they thanked Terri for her assistance and told her they would return when they needed more potion. Once she was sure they were gone, Terri walked back into the back room where Rachel was sitting with her head down and her eyes closed trying to keep herself together.
"So, Rachel is it?" Rachel's head shot up at Terri's question. She didn't answer the woman but just stared at her as she grabbed a chair to sit in front of her. "Let's have a chat about your blue blood, shall we?"
Miles away in the middle of the forest, Finn was waking on the ground, only Rodney with him for company. He stared at his horse who was staring at him expectantly. Finn knew he wanted to go back to the stable and get some oats and carrots which was the only reason he hadn't left already. Rodney knew Finn would never allow him carrots again if he ditched him for a second time.
Finn stood up and brushed the leaves and dirt stuck to him off and Rodney got to his hooves as well. "Come on. We'll go back to the castle now."
Rodney whinnied in happiness and allowed Finn to mount him. They rode back at a steady pace and when Finn arrived to the stable he was surprised Brittany wasn't already there. She always came in early to feed the horses and oversee the boys cleaning out the stalls. When he asked one of the boys about her whereabouts he had no idea. No one had seen her since she went home last night.
Finn thought it was odd but there was any number of reasons she wasn't there yet. Maybe Lord Tubbington had gotten stuck in his cat door again. It always took her forever to get his fat butt out of it when that happened. Figuring if she didn't show up soon he'd look into it more, Finn made his way back into the castle. Once up in his room he laid out on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
He couldn't believe how bad things had gotten so fast. One minute he and Rachel were happy and in love and it was perfect then the next, he was alone in the dark forest crying over the woman of his dreams leaving him. Finn hoped she would come back to him. They belonged together and he needed her to see that.
"So why am I sitting here? I should be showing her that." Finn sat up and stared at the cabinet. Rachel had said she needed time but what if too much passed and she never came back? What if he lost her forever because he let her walk away and didn't fight for her? Finn couldn't take that chance. He was going after her and making her see what he truly felt she knew down deep but was only too scared to act on.
Not even bother to change, Finn bolted into his cabinet and entered Rachel's world. When he came out on her side, he vaguely remembered that Rocco was supposed to have a guest and he wasn't sure if she'd still be there or not. But he'd just be passing through as Rachel would probably be home when he arrived.
Finn walked down the hall and as he passed by the living room he noticed a lump on the floor. He did a double take and realized it was a person on the floor, specifically Rocco. Worried, Finn ran over to Rocco and flipped him over. He checked his pulse and luckily he was still alive.
"Rocco, Rocco, can you hear me?" he yelled at the older man. "Rocco! Wake up!"
"Would you stop yelling at me," the older man grumbled as his eyes half opened. "It's so loud." Finn smiled at the fact he was alright. "Help me up, would ya?"
Finn carefully lifted Rocco to his feet before helping him walk over to the couch. "Rocco, what the hell happened?"
The man rubbed his head where it hurt most, a sharp gasp of pain escaping his lips. "Ow. Am I bleeding?"
He turned his head for Finn to look at it. "It doesn't look like it. Rocco, how did you get on the floor? What happened?"
"Can you fetch me an ice pack and towel? There's one in the door of the freezer." Finn nodded and quickly ran to get an ice pack and towel. "Thanks son. Now, what?"
For the third time, Finn asked Rocco how he got on the floor.
"Oh, well, um…" He thought about it trying to remember until the light bulb went on. "Rachel was here and she was all upset because you asked her to marry you and we talked and she changed her mind-"
"She changed her mind!" Finn yelled, excitement and happiness building in his heart. "She's going to marry me?"
Rocco nodded. "Yeah, she was gonna go back to tell you and when she was giving me a hug goodbye…all I remember is pain in my head and just before I passed out, I remember…" He looked pained trying to remember what happened. "She was dragged…"
Finn's excitement was now replaced by fear and worry. "Rocco, where's Rachel?"
"Someone dragged her down the hall."
Finn's heart stopped as Rocco's words and their meaning sank in. He stood up and ran down the hall checking all the rooms, stupidly expecting Rachel to just be sitting in there waiting for him. She wasn't at Rocco's and if she had been dragged down the hall… Rachel had to be in McKinley. Why else would someone take her down Rocco's hallway instead of out of his apartment?
"Did you see what the person who took her looked like?" Finn asked quickly, hoping for a lead that could be useful. Rocco just looked sad and shook his head.
"I'm lucky I remembered that much. I'm sorry, Finn."
Finn ran his hand through his hair. "I gotta find her. Do you need to go to the hospital or something? I feel bad just leaving you here." He needed to find Rachel and fast but he couldn't leave Rocco without knowing he'd be okay.
"I'll be fine. Go find Rachel. I'd call the cops but if she's in your world, they won't do any good." He wished Finn luck as he walked back down the hall and back into McKinley.
Finn frantically ran through the castle trying to find Puck. He was the best at finding things others couldn't and Finn needed his expertise to find the woman he loved. Only as Finn jogged into his mother's drawing room, relief and utter joy washed over him. Sitting in a chair opposite his mother was just the woman he was in need of finding.
"Rachel!" he cried out, ecstatic she was there. He ran over to her and pulled her into a giant hug before crashing his lips down on hers. It took her a moment to respond at all and when she did, Finn was taken a little off guard. Instead of kissing him back she lightly pushed him away.
"Hello Finn," she replied, glancing between him and the Queen a little nervously.
"I was so worried about you. Rocco said you were dragged away and I was so afraid you had been kidnapped or hurt or worse." His brow furrowed at the thought.
She gulped before grinning. "I'm fine. Rocco must have been mistaken."
Quinn hoped Finn couldn't see through her right now. She had been so taken off guard by his grandiose greeting and she wasn't sure if her pushing him away had been an indicator.
"But Rocco was hit and he remembered you being dragged away…"
Quinn smiled at him hoping her answer would suffice. "Rocco was fine when I came back. I wasn't dragged anywhere, I swear."
"Finn, I think you're overreacting a little. Rachel showed up about an hour ago and we've been discussing you since," Carole explained to her son. "She's quite alright."
Finn smiled at Quinn and hugged her once more before turning to his mother. "If you don't mind, Mom, I'd like to steal Rachel away for a bit. We have a lot to talk about."
Carole nodded. "Of course."
Finn took Quinn's hand and led her out of the drawing room and back in the direction of his bedroom. "I'm so happy you came back. I just went to your world and found Rocco knocked out on the floor. He said you'd been dragged away by someone but I guess he was wrong. I'm glad you're alright." He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it making her blush while a huge grin spread across his face. "He said that you changed your mind."
Quinn's brow furrowed. What had Rachel changed her mind about? "Um, yes, I did."
"I love you so much." He leaned in to kiss her again but something felt off. She was much more rigid than usual and didn't seem to use her mouth the same way. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. It's just been such a long day."
"Yeah, well with the Crystal Lake and your really emotional response to my proposal yesterday and going back and forth through the door…"
"You proposed?" Quinn said rather surprised. Finn narrowed his eyes at her. "I mean, right…with your proposal…which I accepted?" The way she spoke made it seem like she was guessing at the answer rather than knowing it.
Finn's mouth fell open a little. Now he was really suspicious. His proposal had been her entire reason for leaving yet now she didn't seem to remember it? How did that happen? He smiled at her going along with it. Something was wrong, he could definitely tell that now and he was sure that Rocco hadn't been lying about what happened and what he'd seen. He continued to play along however until he could get more information.
"Right. Why don't you get some rest and I'll have the kitchen make some food for you. Is there anything you'd really like?"
"I would love some eggs and bacon if possible."
Now Finn was positive beyond a doubt that everything was entirely off about this 'Rachel'. His Rachel never ate meat and she had told him she was Jewish which meant she could never eat pork even if she did eat meat. Finn may not have known what being Jewish meant but he knew Rachel would never eat bacon or eggs.
"Okay. I'll have them send it right up." He smiled tightly at her before leaving her in his room alone.
Quinn watched Finn exit and felt rather proud of herself. She had managed to fool the King into believing she was the troll he had become obsessed with and now she was about to marry him. Yes, the plan was working perfectly so far.
Simultaneously, back in Terri's cottage Rachel was being grilled.
"So, where exactly are you from?" the woman asked Rachel who only stared at the floor. "Answer me and this will all go much smoother."
Rachel looked up and answered tersely, "Manhattan."
"And that's in the other world, yes?"
"Yes. What does this have to do with why my blood is blue?"
Terri smirked at her, clearly knowing something Rachel didn't. "Oh my dear, it has everything to do with why it's blue. Now, you've been spending time with the King a lot recently, right? Did he take you anywhere special, like a certain crystal lake perhaps?" She stared Rachel down.
Rachel slightly shook her head. "Yes. He wanted to show me his favorite place. Why?"
Terri just tsked. "Such a shame that the Crystal Lake is his favorite place; he'll never see it again."
"What? Why?" Rachel looked totally confused. The woman was being so cryptic and she just wanted some straight answers. She didn't understand why she was being held hostage or why her blood was blue or why they needed her blood in the first place. She wasn't anything special. Why would someone kidnap her?
"What exactly did you do while at the lake?" Terri asked completely ignoring Rachel's questions.
Rachel stared at the woman. There was no way she was going to reveal the intimate moments she and Finn had shared at the lake. They were private and much too special to share with anyone, especially the woman holding her against her will. "Nothing. He showed me the lake then we left."
Terri chuckled. "Oh sweetie, I know way more than that happened at that lake. You and the King had sex in the water didn't you?"
Rachel shook her head, denying in an attempt to keep Terri from drawing out the truth. Unfortunately it just enraged the woman who stood up and got in Rachel's face. "You can deny it all you want, but the evidence is against you. I know what you did in that lake with the king."
"What evidence? What are you talking about?" Rachel yelled back at her.
Terri smirked. "There are only two types of people in McKinley who have blue blood; people who were conceived in the Crystal Lake and their mothers while they're pregnant with them. As you aren't even from this world, you must be in the latter category."
The room fell silent and Terri stood up straight watching as the information penetrated Rachel's brain. Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened significantly.
"I…I'm pregnant?"
Terri shook her head. "Yes, you're pregnant."