Thanks for the reviews since the previous chapter: Monichanz, Devin Jaste, FaberryBRA, You-Know-Who-I-Is, thatdamnyank, makurutenoh (for Ch 22 & 23), kutee, djsmith10186, ToastedMarshmellow08, lemon-rind, NZgleek91, LoveSKINS94, bigbangfan91, wkgreen, Guest and mika-faberryluver4395
Sorry again about the previous chapter, the crap chapter... the crapter... yeah hoping a slightly earlier update (than recently usual) will make up for it.
Disclaimer: bit late for this and I know we're not all stupid but lets just say I own nothing
Posted: 18/1/13
Troubled Mind
Santana was gone a few hours, when she got back it must have been 8 maybe 9 in the evening. When she pulled into the base, she didn't expect everyone to still be waiting for her, well everyone minus Beth. She thought they'd all go their separate ways by now, especially after the training and all the theories Rachel had wanted to test out earlier that day. She parked her car next to Rachel's and cut the engine. Santana took a moment to compose herself, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling before she reached for the door handle and got out. She left the keys in the ignition, not seeing the point in locking it.
As she walked across the white floor she noticed the others all crowded round the usual area. Only this time Rachel actually had her chair back, with Quinn sitting sideways in her lap. Santana almost smiled to herself, secretly happy that Quinn was finally comfortable, even though it was only in front of the few people in their team. Mike and Tina sat on the cot bed against the wall just next to Rachel and Puck was left with a work bench stool, seeing as Brittany was sprawled across the one sofa sleeping.
Everyone just watched the fiery girl in silence as she approached, she stopped by Brittany and crouched down to softly wake her. "Hey B" she whispered as she nudged her girlfriend "I'm back"
"San" she murmured as she blinked awake. She just pulled herself up and pulled her girlfriend into a very tight hug "I missed you"
"I missed you too" Santana said as Brittany pulled her up to sit next to her.
"So... what happened?" Quinn asked cautiously, trying to coax any events from her friend "How did it go?"
Santana huffed a humourless laugh and shook her head "Where should I start?"
"At the beginning" Brittany mumbled softly as she cuddled into Santana's side
"That's a very good place to start" Rachel chimed in, not completely intentionally
"I swear to god Berry, you start singing I will flame you" Santana threatened lowly
"Just tell us what happened" Puck butted in, not wanting to sit round here for much longer and wanting to know what Santana had learnt from the outside world they had shut themselves away from
"Fine" Santana huffed "So I tried to get home before my parents, god knows where they actually were when they called me because...
Santana knew she was breaking the speed limit but with everything going on she really didn't care. As she turned into her road she saw a cab ahead of her just pulling up in front of her house. She punched the accelerator pushing the car forward even faster until she was near enough to break just as sharply. She cut the engine and opened the door, she was in such a panic to get out and get to her parents before she saw she forgot to undo her seatbelt and got held back when she tried to climb out.
When she finally freed herself she slammed the car door shut, at the same time she saw her mother climbing out of the cab "I can explain!" she yelled, ignoring the strange look she got from the people passing by
When her mom heard her voice she looked down the road to see her daughter running towards her "You damn well better explain" her dad was too busy struggling to get the luggage out of the trunk of the taxi with the driver. "Where the hell have you been?"
"O know I'm sorry" she stepped up to the right of her mom so she was between the woman and the house "I just didn't know what to do and I kept putting it off, and I'm sorry you had to come home to this but-"
"San" The mothers face morphed from mild anger to worried confusion "Santana, calm down, now tell us what's wrong"
She creased her brow in confusing, hadn't they seen the house behind her "The house it" she looked back over her shoulder to find by some miracle the house stood un damaged, exactly how it usually looked
"What have you done to the house" her mom shrieked as she became angry again "I said no more parties"
"What has she done?" her father stepped up next to them after paying their cab fare
"I-I... nothing" she swiftly turned back to her parents "Absolutely nothing, the house is fine" she told them. Although maybe she should check inside before she said that "Um, shall we go in" she dug her door keys out of her pocket
"Santana, are you feeling okay?" you'd have to be an idiot to think Santana was being normal, she was hardly ever apologetic even to her own parents
"Yeah, I'm fine, I just-" she sighed to herself, she'd come here with every intention of telling them everything, that she was in a relationship with Brittany, that she was a fire creating, controlling, mutant and that she was part of a new team that was ready to fight some new possible threat to their simple town. But the house looked fine, so she wouldn't need to say anything now.
As she reached the front door, her parents just behind her, she noticed a little card, like a business card suck in the edge of the door. She saw handwriting scrawled across it and a logo in the corner one she recognised. She pocketed the car to look at later before her parents saw it and asked questions.
...This is the card found" she pulled it out and placed it on the coffee table.
Despite the top layer of glass getting smashed a couple of days before, Rachel found it was still usable by just turning it upside down so the bottom pane became the top pane.
The group leant forward. Sometime during the story telling Mike and Tina had moved to sit on the floor on the opposite side of the table to Santana and Brittany.
On the card in the top right corner was a circle outline with an eagle shape inside, an eagle made out of basic block shapes but you could still easily see what it was supposed to be.
"S.H.I.E.L.D" Rachel said it first, it was what they were all thinking. Puck, Tina and Mike had been introduced to the workings of the organisation when they all read through the records Agent Hill left for them. "What happened next?" the shortest brunette asked "You don't have your bags so, it couldn't have been that bad right?" she was hopeful she didn't want any of her friends any more vulnerable than they already were.
"Well, we went inside, I even made them coffee I was so nervous. I decided before I left here I was going to tell them everything, but when I saw the house I wondered if I needed to anymore" she had started rambling but she calmed when she felt Brittany's hand clasp over her own.
When Brittany had done that before it would freak her out, like she couldn't control her own body, but right now she appreciated it, now she could let her mind focused on what muttered before she spilled everything to these people. Friends or not it wasn't Santana Lopez to share that much with them.
"When they were settled I decided to go with it, I started by trying to tell them...
"Mom, Dad... I have some things I need to tell you"
"Well you can start by letting us know why you've been skipping school" her dad demanded "Are you failing, because we can easily help you Santana, we can get you a tutor-"
"No, I'm not failing" when she was actually there she was doing pretty well. She also found it kinda funny how her dad said he'd help her... by paying for someone else to help her "Some bad things have been happening" here it went time to sound crazy "Someone tried to kill me and some of my friend"
"What? Are you serious?" her mother asked
"Yeah, they burnt down the house, I guess as a warning because they knew I wasn't here"
"Wait, slow down. What house? Whose house did they attack?" her dad asked as he sat down on the sofa next to her
"Our house" yep she was going to sound crazy "I put it out and... some people who helped me and my friends must have fixed it up again" with that her dad was out of his seat again.
"Really Santana" he scoffed "This isn't funny"
"I'm not kidding, it happened. There's this other group of people the ones who tried to burn the house down, they want to kill me and my friends because..." she trailed off. Making herself sound crazy she had done well at but actually saying what she was, was more difficult.
She didn't have to be afraid. She was part of a team, part of a new family; she didn't have to worry what her parents would think because she already had a support system behind her, a real team that could respect each other. She also had a team leader to rely on, even though in a million years she never thought she'd see Rachel Berry as a leader she wouldn't mind having.
"Sanny if this is about your friend Brittany, we kind of already guessed"
"What!" she spat "Why would this be about her?"
"Well aren't you with her?" her mother asked cautiously
"Well ye-" the word caught in her throat. Having to explain being a mutant had dulled the worry of coming out to her parents "Yes, Brittany... she's my girlfriend"
"It's okay, it doesn't change who you are" her dad said, now standing behind her "but is this why you have been cutting class, to spend time with her. Because that isn't acceptable Santana"
"No, no" she told them quickly "I mean, yeah I've been with Brittany, but its not the reason I skipped school" she took another calming breath, while wishing she'd let Brittany come along too, she'd be useful in more than one way with her own mutation."It's because... I'm different".
"San, you can't miss school because of a few people at school" her mom used a tone that said she was being understanding, Santana wondered how long it would last.
"No, I'm not like a normal human, I'm... they call it a mutant".
"A what?" her mother chuckled.
"A mutant, I'm one, Brittany's one, Quinn the old Cheerios captain she's the daughter of God, Thor" every new point just made her parents laugh a little more "She's in a relationship with the long lost daughter of Tony stark, who is one of the girls I used to be a super bitch to at school".
"The weapons guy" her dad scoffed "He was a playboy until recently he probably has a lot of kids" They weren't taking her seriously, she couldn't blame them but at the same time it was aggravating.
"No look" she stood up and took her jacket off. She'd decided to wear sleeveless tops most of the time, in case she needed to use her powers, she wouldn't just set her clothes alight. "I can create fire, I'll show you".
"Grow up Santana, we've had enough of your games" her dad cut her off, enough was enough.
She'd known her dad to be a stress smoker, that's why they had a few ashtrays hidden round the house for when he went through these phases. And he always had some cigarettes hiding round the house. That's why she was particularly surprised when he opened a draw to a cabinet and pulled out both an ashtray and a carton of cigarettes.
"These aren't games, I'm telling the truth!"
"Okay everyone calm down" the mother soothed "maybe we've spent too much time away".
Her father just lit up a cigarette and took a long drag "You're right dear" he agreed with his wife. He then looked back to his daughter "we need to spend more time here for your sake".
"You're not listening" she snatched the lit cigarette fearlessly from him, not afraid the embers would hurt her... because it wouldn't "Look" she said penitently as she took the cigarette.
Her parents looked at her in horror, her mother even letting out a little shriek, as she pushed it onto her bare forearm, putting it out. She pulled it away, putting what was left in the ashtray and sweeping away the ashes from her arm.
"Look" she showed them, there wasn't a mark on her skin like there should have been
... I then did something really stupid, I showed them my powers... and they just looked at me with such fear" she closed her eyes but it was too late to stop that one tear escaping sliding down her cheek "Then my dad started shouting, he was holding my mom... I get it you know, they're just protecting themselves"
"Tana" Brittany whimpered feeling her girlfriends pain
"It's okay Britt" Santana reassured her. At least she believed it would be okay, with some time. She then looked to her new team leader "My bags are in the car" that explained why they weren't with her right now
"Santana, if there's anything I can do-"
"No Rachel" it was always refreshing when she heard Santana say her first name "You've done more than enough already" she nodded reassuringly. She really was appreciative of everything Rachel had done for her, she'd saved her life more than once. "I want us to go back to school" she suddenly said getting everyone's attention again "Nothing's happening and we can't stop our real lives while we just wait"
Rachel looked round at the others to notice they were all watching her "She's right. I've nearly completed all my work and preparation for us, and we can still train in the evenings. We need to get out, get a perspective on what's happening. We've been in here for too long" she knew Quinn would be the hardest to convince, maybe Puck as well because going back to school meant separation from Beth. Rachel had grown more than fond for the child too, so she would share those feelings, although she wouldn't admit it. She didn't believe she had any right to those feelings. "What do you think?"
Quinn looked down at her girlfriend "You're the team leader Rachel" she told her girlfriend "We're all behind you"
...
It was a bad idea, a really bad idea. Santana had been fine the evening before, being outside, because she was thinking about talking to her parents and getting through that, but now she was back at school and it felt... empty.
The halls were still full of people, the same people that were always there were walking around, but it was getting to the Latina again, Karofsky and Azimio wouldn't be wandering the halls anymore.
Rachel had had Fairchild scan all the latest news reports there had been no mention of the missing students, no bodies found, meaning they hadn't been found yet or the purifiers or S.H.I.E.L.D had cleaned up the mess.
It made her feel sick to her stomach, Brittany must have felt it too... well, she felt what Santana was feeling, she couldn't help that. It was instinct for her to slip her hand into Santana's again, they'd lost that contact when they got out of Santana's car, both girls were comforted when they got it back again. Santana had given Mike and Tina a lift too that morning, Rachel took Quinn and Puck, with Beth. The expanding and awkward family dropped Beth off at day care before heading to school
Somehow the 7 teens managed to get to school around the same time, so they could walk in together. Santana wasn't alone in her uneasy feelings; they were all feeling anxious and vulnerable, despite what they were. They were walking around aware of a different world to the other students they passed in the hallways.
The 7 were in their own little world when their pathway was blocked "Rachel, its so good to see you I've been so worried" the giant man child grabbed Rachel's free hand and pulled her to him without even thinking. Quinn felt Rachel's hand get torn away from her own and when that happened she felt her confidence slip away.
Rachel was pulled into Finn's arms for a smothering hug "I was so scared, everyone called me crazy but people have gone missing Rach and I was worried you had too"
"Okay, Finn let go" she strained to speak as all the air was squeezed from her lungs
He released his arms allowing her, her freedom "Sorry" he smiled down goofily at her, making her feel sick. His huge hand was still wrapped firmly round hers, she looked back over her shoulder to Quinn who just looked so vulnerable and lost. The others were staring between the back of Quinn and Rachel, willing the blonde to make a move... but she didn't she was frozen.
Rachel tried to pull away only to have Finn stuck to her "I need to go to my locker Finn" she told him. she didn't actually need to go to her locker but she realised it was close to where they were standing and she needed any excuse to get him to let go... seeing as Quinn wasn't coming to her rescue. Not that she blamed her, Quinn wasn't ready for that
"Oh right" another dumb grin that had her wanting to punch him was across his face as he released her hand. She stopped by her locker as the others still watched, torn between saving her themselves and telling Quinn to snap out of it
"So I was thinking" Finn started while Rachel made a mental note of those words sounding dangerous when they left Finn's mouth "I know its been a while since your accident ad some strange stuff has been going on but I've realised life is too short and we're great together"
"Uh-oh" Rachel thought "He's going there"
"And I was thinking... I'll take you back" Rachel couldn't believe she thought he might be joking when she heard that.
"Did he really just say that?" Rachel sighed as she closed her locker and turned to face the idiot
Meanwhile a few lockers down
"What the hell are you doing?" Santana hissed into Quinn's ear
"Huh?" the stunned girl finally un-froze to turn away from the scene in front of her and back to her friend
"Or should I say what the hell are you not doing?" The Latina corrected herself. Quinn looked back at the others that decided to make themselves look busy instead of stand in an awkward crowd and listen in, in the obvious way. "Go over there and kiss her brains to mush... well maybe not the mush part because we need her to be all smart and shit" she put as intellectually as she could
Quinn smiled briefly before the fear settled in again "Santana I-I can't" she stuttered, which just proved her weakness. She peered at the people passing by, it was shocking how vulnerable Quinn looked when she used to rule these hallways
Santana stepped round Quinn and casually leant on a random locker so that when Quinn looked at her she'd see Finn trying to take Rachel from her "Don't let him think he's got a shot. She's yours, you know it, she knows it, I know it, hell our team knows it"
Santana saw the pain and self hate in those hazel eyes as Quinn looked passed her to the boy as he leaned in closer to Rachel. When Rachel slammed the locker shut Quinn flinched the tiniest amount and broke her line of sight "B-But people..." she whispered
"Q" Quinn was sure Santana had never sounded so genuine and sincere when talking to her in that one letter. It made her look straight into the Latina's eyes "What the hell have you got to lose?"
She was right... and if Quinn said that out loud she knew Santana would say that she was always right. The blonde dropped her bag on the floor by Santana's feet and with one goal in mind summoned that old HBIC hall strutting confidence and marched forward.
She didn't say a word as she brushed past Finn. As she appeared round the tall boy she saw Rachel's expression change from irritation to a bright smile, probably from relief
"Hey-" Rachel didn't get another word out as she was pushed up against the locker and Quinn's lips were pushed roughly against her own. She quickly surrendered as she felt Quinn's body press against her own too, everything was lost and forgotten to her but the girl trapping her in a place she was happy to be in.
It was an oxymoron of a kiss, when such soft lips pressed so hard and moved slowly yet fiercely against her own. Rachel was in a whole new world. This was a different Quinn to the one who kissed her in the sanctity of the base, before now Rachel always felt like the protector in the relationship, but this was something new, and Rachel would be lying if she said she didn't like it.
She felt Quinn make the next move of asking permission by sliding her tongue over Rachel's bottom lip. She didn't have to think twice as she parted her lips letting Quinn in.
They didn't see Finn staring at them opened mouthed, they didn't hear him try and talk to Rachel or hear Santana and Puck push him away when he went to pull the two girls apart. Rachel was too busy moaning for either her or Quinn to hear anything.
They also didn't see the boy get really angry and his very unmanly storm off, they didn't see him kick the chair that was being used to prop open a door, which means they didn't see him accidentally smack his shin against the edge off the door as the chair was violently thrown by foot back into the class room. So they missed him limping away.
And Quinn needn't have worried that other students might stare, there was no might about it they just were, it was down to the others to awkwardly get some of the less subtle stare-ers to move along... 'others' meaning Santana, who was in a protective mood.
Quinn didn't pull away until they heard the obnoxious clanging of the school bell ringing above them.
When Rachel finally came back from her Quinn induced state she breathlessly asked "What was that?"
"Finn was all over you, I saw him leaning and..." she just sighed "I'm sorry I hesitated" she explained simply without whining about a worthless boy "I'm okay when we're just round those 5 at the base, it's even better when its just you and me" she chuckled lightly, before her face dropped again "but in front of all these people..."
Rachel just smiled as she kept her arms wrapped round her girlfriends middle "Why did you do it then?"
She bit her lip with hesitance before she remembered it didn't matter anymore she'd already taken the final step "Because I love you... and I couldn't let Finn be all over you like that... that and Santana told me to" she laughed again
"You didn't have to do that, you know?" Rachel still couldn't stop smiling though
"Yeah I did" Quinn told her softly as she looked far into her eyes "I need to show you I'm not scared, not of this"
Rachel leant in a little closer to whisper "Then why are you trembling?"
Quinn laughed, more nervously this time "Because I'm scared" she stepped back removing her arms from round Rachel's neck and took her girlfriends hands instead
"It's okay though" Rachel reassured her "I'm going to be here for you, through everything, always"
Always is a very long time.
...
They had a glee club meeting at lunch time, and despite their absence they planned ongoing anyway, to try and return to old times. Anyway half the glee club was missing without them, so they were kind of needed. Well that's what they thought.
"Oh hey Guys, It's good to see you all back, Finn told us you were" the group who'd just come through the door way looked to the mentioned boy who was trying to glare at Quinn "why don't you take a seat and we can get started?" Mr Schue was okay then, welcoming enough.
They barely made it a step before they hit trouble
"Oh hell no, you guys think you can just strut back in here ready to take your damn spot again, well I got news for you Berry" wow Mercedes was now using the second name thing, that might freak Santana out "me and my man Kurt, we got it covered, we don't need you anymore"
"Thank you Mercedes for making that point, had you given me a moment to settle you would have found out that I am not here to take back my so called spot"
"Really Rachel" Kurt stood up next to his fellow diva and folded his arms defensively across her chest "You expect us to believe you've changed that you don't want to be the star of the show"
She had a new stage to be the star of, one that was more dangerous, one that involved life and death and wrong and right. So yes she didn't want this stage right now, maybe never again.
"Yes you should believe that" Quinn spoke up from next to her. She knew more than anyone how much Rachel had changed. It had happened when she'd woken after the accident with that thing in her chest.
"Oh right, and that Quinn is out and proud with you, please, what a scam for attention"
"For a gay kid you gaydar is shit" Santana just wanted to tell it like it was when she stepped up next to her friends.
The comment went ignored "You show up after all this time" how long had it been, two, three weeks, Rachel couldn't remember "after abandoning the team-"
"You wanna talk about being a team, but you two get on our cases the minute we walk through the door" Rachel had been preparing for confrontation but not this sort and she really wasn't in the mood "You have no right, you have no idea what we've been through. I mean come on you were stupid enough to believe the damage at Quinn's apartment was water damage" she still couldn't believe that were really stupid enough to believe that "You saw men in black running around, the mysterious house fires, the kidnappings and murderous burglaries. They've been all over the papers and all you give a flying fuck about is some stupid singing competition"
"It used to matter to you" Kurt pointed out
"There are bigger things in life than singing" she said lowly
There was a collective gasp from the small group
"What is wrong with you?" Kurt asked, disgust across his face
"What's wrong with me?" Rachel scoffed "What's wrong with you guys, you can't just be happy we're back" Quinn squeezed her hand hoping to calm her but it didn't work as easy for her with Rachel as it did for Brittany with Santana. "Let's just go, I just wanna go home" she turned away pulling Quinn with her as she pushed her way through her group.
She's had enough with today the only good part was Quinn pushing her up against the lockers. The comments and the gossip in the class rooms she'd handled by ignoring them, but the short argument made her give up, they should have stayed at the base.
One by one the five mutants followed her out, leaving the group with a glare each of their own.
When they finally got outside to their freedom Rachel was able to relax again "We'll get Beth on our way back" she told Quinn making her smile again
"Are you okay?" Quinn had to check as they waited on the top step while they waited and made sure everyone else had caught up
"Yeah" she sighed "I just wasn't in the mood to face them, I thought they might actually be happy half the club was back seeing as Regionals is coming up" she chuckled humourlessly to herself.
Just then they felt the air grow colder as the clouds gathered over head
"Are you doing that?" Rachel looked to Quinn after looking up at the sky.
Quinn shook her head "No, its not me, not this time"
The 7 teens all looked back up to the sky, they heard a low grumble just as the sky seemed to rip apart. It looked like a doorway in the sky, like the fabric of space had been torn open to reveal a dark void, a picture of the other side
"What the..." Rachel trailed off as they all just concentrated on the hole. That's when an indescribable giant creature floated down through the hole...
Let us know what you think...