A/N: Hey everyone, I'm ba-ack! Apologies for the really long lay-off between chapters, I was suffering from a serious case of writer's block. Fortunately, I cured it by writing a one-shot. Anyone who's still annoyed that I killed off Mike (I still feel bad about that), check out You Should Be Dancing, in which our favourite Other Asian is alive and well…
As always, I'm delighted to report that your reviews are keeping me ticking over. We're at an amazing total of 76 now! So on that note, thanks to: LiveLoveLaughLife, MmmStrawberryLips, Bella1992, SawyersNumberOneFan, JMHawthorne, CTruck, LittleMissCheese, Nadia, TheUltimateGleek123, AG3293, cut-thestring (twice) and KairiNamineStar. Reviews are love.
The title this time is taken from the Elton John classic Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, one of my personal favourites. I may be only 17, but even I can see that the oldies are the goodies.
DISCLAIMER: I think it's pretty obvious by now. Glee? Not mine. Sadly.
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"Rachel," Shelby said evenly, staring directly at her daughter. "Rachel, I promise you I didn't do this. I came to find you, to warn all of you, I-"
"Can it," growled Puck. He glared at Shelby, evidently certain that she was guilty.
"Noah," Rachel said warningly.
"No Berry. I get that she's your mom and you don't want it to be her but come on! I don't buy this Little Miss Innocent act. Do you? Honestly, do you?"
"I…" Rachel trailed off, speechless for once. She allowed her gaze to fall on her mom Shelby was pale and trembling from head to foot. However, Rachel greatly enjoyed watching procedural crime dramas on television when she was not singing, dancing or plotting ways to ensure Mr Schuester gave her every possible solo in glee club. Her viewing of these shows had given her reasonable insight into the various traits displayed by guilty suspects: they sweated profusely, fidgeted and their gaze darted skittishly to the left. Shelby, however, was doing none of these things. She didn't sweat or twitch suspiciously. Her gaze remained locked on Rachel, unwavering and imploring. This was the only evidence Rachel needed. She turned to Puck with a defiant expression. "Yes, I do."
"Rachel," Kurt said gently, trying to help Finn to hold Puck back. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah Rach," murmured Finn. "I mean, it is kinda weird. Your mom just turns up here out of the blue just when all our friends are getting taken down Friday the Thirteenth style? I mean, you two haven't exactly been close, and-"
"She couldn't do this!" Rachel exclaimed shrilly. "She couldn't! She's built like me, she'd never be able to do this to Santana. And she said she came to warn us. Mom, tell them!"
"It's true," said Shelby calmly. Her gaze travelled from her tearful daughter to Puck, who looked ready to snap her neck with his bare hands, to Finn, who seemed to be in two minds, to Kurt, his eyes narrowed with suspicion, to Brittany, who was crying quietly and clutching a tiny teddy bear. "I know how this looks, but I swear to you I didn't kill that girl."
"Santana," Brittany sniffled. "Her name is Santana Carmen Lopez. I forget my middle name all the time, but I could never forget hers. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."
Shelby looked touched as Rachel wrapped an arm around the tall blonde cheerleader. "I'm sorry. But I promise you, I didn't do anything to Santana. I was visiting Jesse at the hospital, and he woke up and he told me that somebody was out to get all of you."
"No shit Sherlock," Puck said sarcastically. "Do any of you buy this crap? Other than Berry, I mean."
"Dude, I think I do," Finn murmured slowly. He turned to look at Shelby again. "Uh… Ms Corcoran? Did Jesse say who it was?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed, relieved that the tall boy believed her. "Yes, he wrote it down for me. I-I have it here somewhere."
She began to search frantically through her pockets. She extracted half a packet of gum, her keys and one of Beth's dummies, but no programme. She sighed in exasperation and ran a hand through her hair.
"I must have left it in the car."
"Yeah sure, and I'm Queen Latifah," Puck sneered.
"No, I did have it! I don't think I knew the name, but it felt strangely familiar. Dammit, why don't I remember?"
"Because you're lying!" the tough boy shouted. He turned his back on the cowering woman and faced the daughter who so resembled her. "Berry, you might want to leave."
"Noah, please-"
"I won't kill her," he said shortly, and for some reason Rachel believed him. Perhaps it was because she had seen the good inside him when they had dated, when he picked glee club over football because it was the right thing to do. "But I'm going to tie her up and gag her."
"Noah, this is ridiculous!"
"If she's telling the truth, we'll know soon enough. The killings are pickin' up speed. And we'll release her, no harm done."
Rachel opened her mouth to argue, but before she could start one of her patented Rachel Berry Rants™, Shelby cut her off.
"Fine," she said evenly, looking Puck straight in the eye. "If that's what it takes to show you I would never do anything like this, fine. But I hope you're wrong. Enough innocent blood has been spilled here."
"Hummel, give me a hand? You too Brit."
Brittany held out her hand to Puck, looking confused, and it was so like any ordinary glee club rehearsal that Rachel couldn't prevent a startled laugh from slipping between her teeth.
"I don't want to see this," she whispered to Finn, and the lanky quarterback nodded.
"Let's go," he said, steering her away down the corridor and out onto the small porch.
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"Mercedes, are you OK?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You're the one whose leg looks like the pattern on one of Rachel's godawful sweaters."
Matt laughed, a short bark of amusement that was cut off as he stepped over an uneven patch of ground and gasped in pain. Mercedes rushed to his aid, helping him over to a large boulder.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you," she told him, lifting up the leg of his jeans. The wound beneath was ugly and angry looking. She was no doctor, but Mercedes was pretty sure it was infected. Badly. "Am I being too rough?"
"No," Matt breathed through clenched teeth. "You have soft hands. Gentle."
Mercedes felt a dull blush creep across her cheeks as the handsome football player smiled cheekily at her.
"You keep sayin' things like that and people are gonna start to talk," she said shyly. Matt took her chin in one hand and tilted it up to face him.
"Let them," he told her simply, and kissed her with a passion so intense it would have made Kurt swoon had he been there to witness it. "Now stop avoiding my questions. Are. You. OK?"
Mercedes shook her head dizzily and sat down next to Matt, letting her head drop to his broad shoulder companionably.
"No," she sighed. "I'm not. This is all just too weird. All these people getting' killed off around us… It's not supposed to happen to people like us. It belongs in glossy big-budget movies with unnecessary sex scenes and absurdly beautiful teenagers with legs up to their armpits."
"Hey now," said Matt in a soft voice. He wrapped an arm around her. "Didn't you get the memo? You are an absurdly beautiful teenager."
"Oh hell to the naw," Mercedes giggled.
"Too cheesy?"
"Way too cheesy. But I kinda like it. How's the leg now?"
"Better," admitted Matt. "But it's still a bit sore."
"Don't sweat it, we can just take it slow. The walking, I mean."
"Guys, I hate to interrupt… but we really need to start making a move if we want to see a foot in front of our faces on the way back to the lodge," said Mr Schue, strolling back into view with Emma in tow. "Matt, are you OK to keep going?"
The football player eased himself to his feet and placed his injured leg gingerly on the ground. To his great surprise, it only hurt minimally. Mercedes' homemade tourniquet seemed to have done the trick. He threw her a glowing grin.
"I'm fine Mr Schue," he informed him. "Mercedes has been brilliant."
Mercedes felt herself start to blush again and tried to maintain some vestige of self-control. If Kurt was here, he would have clubbed her to death for acting like a giggly twelve-year-old with her first crush. And possibly for getting mud on her new high-tops.
"Alright then," Will grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Let's go."
He steered Emma by the elbow around a patch of funky-looking green-tinged mud on the forest floor and continued along the tiny winding trail. Matt and Mercedes followed along a couple of steps behind, still limping slightly. Mercedes couldn't prevent a delighted smile from caressing her features as the two teachers bent their heads close together in whispered conversation. She jabbed Matt in the ribs and pointed.
"What?" he asked blankly. Mercedes rolled her eyes. "What?"
"Boy, you are no Kurt."
"I'm glad. I could never walk in those Lady Gaga heels."
As they watched, Emma skirted gingerly sideways to avoid a foul-smelling patch in the middle of the trail. She rested a hand tentatively against the trunk of a tree and attempted to detach a tree branch from where it was caught on her sneaker. She wobbled precariously and put her foot down to steady herself. A metallic click rang out in the deserted clearing.
"What was that?" Emma asked, her lips pursed daintily. She turned to Will with frightened, globe-like eyes. "Will?"
"I don't know," he said slowly. "But I-"
"Miss Pillsbury!" Matt yelled. "Duck!"
He made a mad scramble for the red-head, but he was too far away. Emma turned in slow-motion, her face a mask of horror, and attempted to dodge out of the way. However, her reflexes were much too slow. She had no chance against the lethal blade swinging towards her from behind the boughs of a nearby tree. It winked as it caught the light before connecting with a sickening squelch.
"Emma!" Mr Schue yelled.
Mercedes screamed.
Matt swayed dangerously, his face tinged with green.
The guidance counsellor fell. And for once she couldn't scream or faint at the sight of the blood seeping from her lower abdomen.
She was too far gone.
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"Thanks for this Finn," Rachel said with a sheepish smile. She was standing on the lodge's front porch with the tall quarterback. It was getting colder outside and she could see her breath in the air when she spoke. As gooseflesh rose on her exposed arms, Finn shrugged out of his hoodie and wrapped it carefully around her. It swamped her, but she appreciated the idea nonetheless.
"No problem."
"Finn," she said carefully. "Do you think my mom did all this?"
"No," replied Finn firmly. "No, I don't. It's like you said, she's too small. She might be able to handle Quinn or Tina or even Artie, but Santana is badass and Mike's really strong. There's no way Shelby could overpower either of them."
"I'm glad you believe her," Rachel whispered. "It means a lot to me."
Finn shot her his best endearing, lopsided smile and looped an arm across her slight shoulder blades. Rachel drew into his patient embrace and leaned against the hard muscles of his chest. Silence engulfed them for a moment.
"Rach," Finn said, finally unable to take the quiet. "I have to ask you something. About what your mom said."
"I know where this is going Finn," she replied instantly. "It's about Jesse, correct?"
Finn shrugged sheepishly. "Well, yeah. I mean, I know you two used to go out and…"
"And we finished," Rachel finished promptly. She sighed and turned around so that she was facing Finn. "I'll admit it, my heart leapt when my mom said she was visiting with him in hospital, that he was the one who told her to come, because that meant he was alive. And I'm happy he's alive, because I care about him. I always will. Jesse was the first boy I ever had a proper relationship with. We're so alike, he and I, in tune with each other."
"Oh." Finn's voice was full of defeat. Rachel smiled and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight.
"Jesse and I are alike," she continued in a gentle tone. "But we broke up, and there will always be a part of me that won't forget how he broke my heart when he egged me and went back to Vocal Adrenaline. I loved Jesse once, and I still care for him, but the spark I felt when we sang Lionel Richie together in the library has been extinguished. It's gone."
"Oh," Finn repeated, sounding much happier now. "Well that… that's good. I-I mean, I know how upset you were when you two broke up, so that's not good, but…"
"Finn, we already talked about this, remember? Just before we found Noah with Quinn? And we nearly…"
"I know," Finn sighed. "I just thought, when you found out that Jesse was going to be alright, that-"
"Finn Hudson," Rachel murmured in exasperation. "You are an idiot."
And with that, she promptly stretched up on her tip-toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. Finn gave a strangled noise of surprise before giving himself over to the embrace fully. As Rachel's tongue entered his mouth, he felt a rush of electricity. This was how he always wanted things to be.
When he was with Quinn, he had wanted her, of course. The girl was smoking hot, and he really thought he loved her. But with Rachel… it was different. Minimally, but infinitely at the same time. He didn't just want Rachel, he needed her. He felt certain that he would die without her, and when she pulled away from the kiss, her teeth lingering momentarily to nibble on his bottom lip, he felt a pang of disappointment. Her hair was ruffled from where his hands had roamed through it, and her cheeks were flushed.
"I… uh…" Finn was dumbfounded. Completely dumbfounded. Speechless. He took Rachel's small form and held her close to him.
"I love you Finn Hudson," she whispered against his chest.
"And I love you, Rachel Barbara Berry," he replied. "Glad we straightened that out."
Finn dipped his head, ready to kiss her again. Rachel's moist lips parted slightly in anticipation and her hands made fists in the cotton of his t-shirt. Finn only wished it hadn't taken the insane murder of their friends for them to finally get their act together. Kurt would be having serious words with them when he found out.
He stroked Rachel's face and pulled her so close that he could see the individual lashes guarding her delicious chocolate brown eyes. A sudden longing to protect her overcame him as their lips met once more.
The sound of running feet pulled the pair out of their reverie. Mercedes was jogging up the trail towards them with Matt a couple of metres behind. He was using a crude wooden branch to propel himself along and even from this distance they could see the bloodstained bandage on his leg.
"Dude, what's wrong?" Finn called, running to meet them. Rachel followed suit and caught Mercedes by the arms. The black girl was trembling violently and her eyes were wide with fear.
"Mercedes," Rachel said fiercely, shaking her. "Mercedes, what happened out there?"
She just shook her head dumbly, and Rachel turned her gaze despairingly to Matt. The football player was pale beneath his caramel skin tone and his clothes were covered in blood, but he seemed more in touch with reality than his companion.
"Miss Pillsbury's dead," he choked out. Rachel gasped and Finn swore as they led the two freezing teens inside. "Something came out of the tree, it like- it sliced her in two. We- we saw it happen."
"When?" Finn asked anxiously.
"A couple of minutes ago," said Mercedes shakily, recovering some of her usual composure. "And…"
She broke off, tears in her eyes. Matt held her close to him and looked up at the others with resignation.
"And we heard footsteps running away soon after," he said in a broken voice. "And… and laughter. Whoever did this was watching."
"Well that means it can't be Shelby!" Finn said confidently. "Puck's had her tied up for almost a half an hour. I knew you were right, Rach."
Rachel, however, still looked troubled. She looked Matt directly in the eye.
"Where's Mr Schue?"
"He… he wanted to take care of the body," he told her in a halting voice.
"And you left him out there on his own?" asked Finn angrily. Matt held his hands up.
"We couldn't get him to come with us. I tried man, but he wouldn't budge. And 'Cedes was so scared, I had to get her to safety."
"We need to find him," Finn said.
"Let's go get the others then," added Rachel. "We need to stick together from now on."
She flounced off down the corridor to where Kurt was squatting on his hunkers outside one of the bedrooms. He looked weary, as though he had seen too much horror to cope. When he saw the group, he waved feebly and stood to hug Mercedes briefly before opening the door.
"Puck," Finn called to the other boy, who was standing with his arms crossed against the wall and glaring at a gagged and bound Shelby. The older woman wasn't tense or scared, but sat in a relaxed pose. Her hazel eyes held no contempt as she eyeballed Puck, only pity. "Puck, let her go."
"What?"
"Miss Pillsbury's dead."
The pair of them worked quickly to untie Shelby's bindings and Rachel peeled away the tape on her mouth as gently as possible. She hugged her mother tightly before pulling away.
"We have to go find Mr Schue," she said to the room at large. "All of us, together. We can't split up anymore."
Not if we want to survive. The unspoken words hung in the air between them all. Kurt shivered. Then Shelby spoke.
"Where's the other girl? The blonde one, with the teddy bear?"
"Brit," Matt breathed.
"Isn't she with you two?" asked Kurt, his gaze focused on Rachel and Finn.
"She was with you," Finn said, worry in his voice.
"Yes, but she said she wanted to talk to you. Didn't she come out to the porch?"
Both Finn and Rachel shook their heads. Matt wheeled around and pounded back down the corridor with the others in hot pursuit. He came to a skittering stop in the living area.
"Did anyone open the French doors?" he asked in a hushed voice. Their silence was answer enough and they all hurried to peer out into the night, desperate for a glimpse of the ditzy blonde.
"She's not out there," Puck growled, frustrated.
"No," added Kurt, straining to peer into the darkness. "But there's something there… near the kitchen building."
"I think I see it too," Mercedes agreed. She tugged on Matt's arm and pointed, showing him what they were looking at.
"It's…" Rachel broke off and swallowed. Her gaze flickered from Finn to Puck uneasily.
"It's the bathtub."
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Apologies for the cliffie. I'll try to post again tomorrow, but after that I might not be able to post for a couple of days. I'm getting my Leaving Cert exam results on Wednesday, and they will determine if I get to go to college… Scary stuff, so if you could keep me in your thoughts, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks for reading, and please drop me a line to review!