Glithe
Sixteen-year-old Rachel is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her two father's rock band until an ominous attack forces Rachel back to Lima, Ohio. From there, all goes to hell.
Pairings mentioned/used include but not limited to Finchel, Quinn/Finn, Klaine, Kurtofsky, Brittana, Pezberry, Samcedes, Wemma, and Carole/Burt
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Little Rachel was sitting down on a larger rock near the stream, three Barbie dolls in hand. Quinn was flying around her ears, singing and putting little flowers in Rachel's hair. The faerie was about the size of one of her Barbie dolls herself. She sat down on Rachel's shoulder to start in on a little braid in the girl's long dark hair.
Tina was kicking her feet lazily in the stream. Back and forth, back and forth. Mike held her much larger hand and danced back and forth with it in tow. They both shared a look promising each other of a love they were certain of.
Rachel laughed. Mike and Tina giggled along with. This was always how Rachel spent her days before she grew up and moved away to Pennsylvania.
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As much as she hated to admit it, she had nothing better to do today. Mercedes had summer church camp until 3:30. She didn't have any other 'Real' friends to hang out with. Until she decided, what the hell. She knew Kurt and her shared similar interests, and Rachel knew that the best place to check was Hummel Tires and Lube if she wanted to find him.
Back when Rachel still lived in Lima, Kurt had followed his dad around with big eyes and a cute little smile. He'd probably be at his dad's shop, spending more time with him and handing him wrench parts and things.
Rachel stopped at the Lima Bean before hand and stood in line to order a coffee for the two of them. She didn't know Kurt that well, so she wanted more than anything to give off a better impression than the night before at BreadstiX. Coffee was always a good start.
"What can I do for you, miss?" The cashier waited her Rachel to tell him her order. She didn't know what Kurt would like, but if he was like the stereotype, then something creamy and rich.
"One Medium Drip with whipped cream on top and a non-fat Mocha please." She ordered, knowing she liked either coffee and that he'd pick whichever he liked better. Non-fat was for her, since she hated how she couldn't fit into her size 7 jeans quite as well as she wanted to.
She also hated how much she had to tailor them so she could walk properly in them. She hated jeans altogether, actually, but they were necessary on occasion. Rachel grabbed the steaming coffees before walking over to the car shop she'd recognized from her dad's having to drop their car off there.
The bright sign read Hummel Tires and Lube but Rachel already knew it was the place she had wanted to head over to. She expected Kurt to be hanging around in the office, but she was sorely surprised to find that Burt was there instead. Was Kurt not there today?
He simply nodded to the back door that lead into the shop. Well. If that one didn't surprise Rachel, she didn't know what would. She grabbed the heavy steel handle on the door leading out of the almost air-vacuumed-from-the-amount-of-air-conditioning room. The large suck of the warm air hit her in her face.
Rachel ventured out into the stuffy, smelling of iron, sweaty garage, which had an open side for the people who drove their cars into the garage. She didn't see Kurt anywhere in sight, but she heard him.
"Dammit! Stop texting me, Mercedes!" He swore to himself, Rachel poking around, until she found the oddest sight.
Kurt Hummel, king of fashion and gay pride, was sitting on a paint chipped Volkswagen Jetta with the hood popped open, glittering phone in one hand and a wrench in a another. His shirt had been discarded and he was wearing overalls that had been carelessly drooping low on his hips. While he definitely didn't have a six pack, his entire upper body was toned and slender.
Rachel gulped, staring at the unobtainable specimen of the male race. He was attractive, almost as attractive as Finn. That or her hormones were speaking for her at seeing a half naked teenage boy with a beautifully displayed chest and stomach.
Her hormones automatically replaced his face with Finn's, his skin tone tanning, and she had to gulp dryly to remove that image.
"Rachel?" He turned to look at her, and blinked owlishly. At the sound of his higher voice, the fact it had been her hormones speaking and that she was in no way attracted to Kurt Hummel, King of the Gays, registered in her brain.
"I brought you coffee?" She offered. The coffee cups were tucked against her ribs by her right arm. Her left was dangling next to her like she'd eaten something bad.
"Well, you're lucky I was just finishing up here because otherwise I'd send you back to the fifties, where that sweater belongs. It'll take me a while but do you want to head over to my house with me after this and wait for Mercedes to come over, or is this strictly a coffee run?" He put his phone down next to him, ignoring as it buzzed desperately in favor of taking the non-fat Mocha from Rachel's fingers. Well, then she had the medium drip all to herself.
Rachel smiled a little while sipping her coffee. At least he liked her. A little. "Sure thing. I had nothing better to do today."
This was apparently the wrong response because Kurt ignored her after this and went back to doing whatever it was he was doing under the hood of the Jetta. After a few well placed curses, and about 30 minutes of small talk that was muffled by his head being under the hood, Kurt had apparently decided that his work there was done and that he could leave. It was almost 11:30 by then.
Kurt picked out his own Cadillac Escalade before unlocking the doors and opening the front door for Rachel. He slid into the driver's seat before inserting the key and giving Rachel an expecting look. She didn't hesitate any longer. Rachel had already slid inside and buckled up by the time Kurt had turned on the engine.
The actual drive took less than 10 minutes, which was about half the amount of time it took Rachel to walk from the Lima Bean to the shop. But she supposed he had to take his car back to house anyways. What was a little gas to someone like him, who had a steady job waiting for him no matter what happened in his career; the answer was little to nothing.
Rachel knew the Hummel household. How could one not, with Kurt and Mercedes being the closest friends since peanut butter and jelly? She walked in the front doors and was hit with the smell of clean laundry, air fresheners, and cologne. Well, it was a man's house.
But of course Kurt would make sure it didn't stay that way. He automatically headed down to the basement, beckoning Rachel to follow. Once she got down the set of stairs, she couldn't help but gasp a little at his room. The interior design on the room; combined with how neat it was; made the room look like it was straight from Better Homes And Gardens.
Rachel sat down on the bed happily. Kurt made his way over to the chair and his (…was that a vanity?) respectively. The conversation didn't really start until Rachel picked up a different magazine, Vogue, off his bed. Flipping through the pages and seeing some outfits that Kurt had copied with a limited budget and superior sewing skills, she couldn't restrain herself.
"Are you gay?" Rachel blurted out.
It took her three seconds to realize this had been the worst mistake she'd made around Kurt in the entire time she'd known him. Her social skills just committed suicide.
Kurt went immediately to the defensive. He shot up out of his chair and his face flooded red. "So I wear clothes that are actually in fashion, take good care of my skin, and like excessive amounts of Disney movies! Yes, there's a better term for what I am, just go ahead and laugh, call me a faggot!"
"Hey, hey!" Rachel stood up and put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly, because he was already close to tears. "I have two gay dads, remember? I'm not going to make fun of you! I remember watching tons of Disney movies with the two of them and I still love doing that!"
This seemed to pacify him quite a bit. He smiled shakily at her, his eyes wet but not crying yet. "Thanks."
"Have you told Mercedes yet?" Rachel asked, knowing that if he told her, then he had probably already told Mercedes. They all suspected, but it was different being told. Rachel highly doubted that he'd tell her so easily without denying it if Mercedes didn't know.
"Yes. But I want to keep it a secret. My dad…" Kurt wrung his hands out nervously. "He's not good with things like this. He grounds me if I wear knee length sweaters and tries to get me to play sports and be normal."
Rachel grabbed his hands. "Your dad loves you! He might just need some time to except that you like Disney movies instead of football!"
"I own every single one." Kurt said softly. Rachel took this as an offer. As much as she had no real connection or love to Disney movies anymore, she knew that a few hours of revisiting the classics would be good for the both of them.
"Then why don't we go and enjoy that fact and get started on our Disney marathon?"
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Mercedes walked down the stairs to the basement far later than she was supposed to, blinking as she saw both Kurt and Rachel singing duet to Once Upon A December. It was late, about 8 o'clock, but they welcomed her anyway. Rachel smiled up at her and beckoned her down to the couch. Soon Mercedes's rich voice joined their medley, and it didn't take too long before they were all laughing and snuggled up against each other.
Little did they know, about 3 hours and 42 minutes away, a girl was stepping off her train in New York city, her head completely shaved almost completely bald earlier that evening. She was heartbroken and betrayed, far away from her home in New Jersey. This girl was Brittany S. Pierce.
Brittany tried to hold back the tears. Her phone was off, because she knew Santana would be calling and calling endlessly in worry. How could he?
Artie and her had been going out for forever it seemed. He was so cute, and nice, and he had such a good singing voice! So why did he betray her like that? How could she have been so blind? She knew Santana had been dropping her hints but…
Brittany let out a sob. They were going to go see The Lion King on Broadway tonight. She had wanted to see the dancing mere kats to see if they actually looked like Lord Tubbington and Artie told her he'd do anything for her because she was sweet.
So why? What had she done wrong that made Artie and her mom make out on the couch once they thought she'd been gone? She had walked in on the both of them, Artie laid out on the couch and her mom unbuttoning his pants.
And now she couldn't stop crying. Brittany knew that Santana was always right, that Santana always was honest with her. She should've listened more to Santana.
Brittany sniffled and handed the ticket master her ticket. "My friend couldn't make it. Can I have a refund for his ticket?"
He gave her a sympathetic smile. "No. It's too late for that. The show is going to start in five minutes. But I'll upgrade yours, how about that?"
Brittany gave him a shivery smile, her eyes swollen and her nose runny. He gave her back a supportive smile.
She ran into the theater and sat right up at the front. She watched the bright lights, the show, the beautiful singing and dancing, and even though a real smile shined through, it didn't last forever.
Brittany shuffled out of the theater, having to wake up. She couldn't go home. She didn't know what to do. The tears started falling again. She pulled out her cell phone while she settled down at a bus stop. Santana's number had been dialed before she realized she'd turned on the little pink device.
"Hello?" Santana's voice brought her back to life.
"A-Artie- *hic* he w-was wi-with my mom and I *hic* s-saw them to-toge-together!"
"Oh, Brittany…" Santana's voice sounded so soothing and sweet. "You're going to be okay. Artie was just a weird ass cripple. Where are you? Do you need me to come pick you up?"
Brittany froze, still sobbing. "Y-you knew? Th-this whole t-time?"
"Oh god, Brittany I'm so sorry!" Santana begged. "I knew, but your mom told me that if I told you, she'd spill on the case of condoms I keep in the bathroom drawer to my mom!"
Brittany shut the phone. Santana had betrayed her too? Artie, Santana, her mom…? Everyone? Why wasn't she good enough? Good enough to be honest and truthful to?
Brittany stayed there until she fell asleep, her tears and damp blonde hair plastered on her face.
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Brittany woke up to three boys gathered around her. One was blonde, another was brunette, and the last was slightly chubby. She blinked, watching them watch her.
"Hi?" She managed, surprised and unsure of where she was.
"We're the Warblers. You look a little lost." The chubby one said, holding out his hand. The blonde helped her stand up on her unsteady feet. Brittany ached all over. She had criss cross indents in her back from sleeping on the bench.
The brunette boy smiled at her. "I'm Nick."
The other two boys followed suit. The blonde grinned and pressed his thumb to his chest. "Jeff. And this fellow here is Trent."
Brittany didn't know if she was supposed to say her name as well. All she knew is that all three of them had. "I'm Brittany!"
"We take care of our brothers and sisters here. We don't have much, being runaways, so we make sure we share with others who aren't as fabulous as us. Come, let's walk. We live underground, we'll get you suited right in with the only other girl."
Brittany felt Nick's hand slip into hers, pulling her away from the bus stop. She didn't know what was going on, neither did she care. The events of the night before had begun to fill her mind and she knew there was no way she'd go back. These Garblers would take care of her instead.
They led her to a downtrodden mansion. The walls were climbing with poison ivy and half of the left side of the manor was blown away. It was so out of place where it was, nearby china town's cute little shops, and snuggled next to a sky scraper of a building.
They lead her up the crumbling steps. "Welcome to Dalton Manor." Jeff announced proudly, opening the heavy, chipped oak doors into a crummbly living room.
There were more boys in the room, as well as one girl sitting on the staircase. Brittany knew her eyes were like saucers. The place felt so magificant, somehow.
"Hey, you. I'm Sunshine Corazon." The girl said in a thick phillipino accent. Then she walked up to her, her dark hair trailing down her back and her short figure making her seem miniature compared to Brittany.
"I'm Brittany!" She gushed, still amazed over the place she was standing in. It was so grandioso!
Another Garbler separated from the pack, walking up to them. He was handsome with chisled features and olive skin complimented with curly hair and a set of plump lips. Brittany would have loved to make out with him any time.
He scowled at her. "I said not to pick up any more strays, Jeff. Trent. Nick."
They looked at him sheepishly. "You said to act like gentlemen! She's just like us, she just happens to lack a dick!"
"The Warblers are made of boys only. Girls like her only drag us down. Remember what happened to Sunshine's little friend. And the rest of her little friends." He hissed, bringing up his slender hand to point an accusing finger at the girl, who was currently staring at him with dreamy eyes.
"I'll be good. I'm Brittany!" Brittany smiled. He didn't know her yet. Being homeless probably made him overtly suspicious of people he didn't know. But Brittany knew she wouldn't hurt a fly. She'd win him over and get a good lay eventually.
She'd hadn't had good sex when she'd been with Artie. He always made her feel bad about cheating because he was in a wheel chair. But now he was the cheater. And now she could give this eurasion hottie the best sex ever and she wouldn't even feel a bit guilty.
He was always worried she would leave him because he was handicapable. He couldn't really have good sex with her. But he was the one who left her. She was the one who stayed true and he was a giant liar.
The curly haired boy smirked at her after notiving the way her eyes lingered on his biceps and chest. "I'm Blaine, and there's no way you're going to get this."
He left her gaping and the rest of the boys catcalling. Nick slapped his hand on her shoulder. "Welcome to the Warblers."
They sat Brittany down on a broken table while Blaine watched her suspiciously. Sunshine pranced over and took a seat next to her.
"Here we do things to stay alive. We have a glamour protecting this palce from outsiders, so they won't bother us. But in exchange we all have to do deliveries." Blaine said softly, flicking a coin in between his fingers.
"Glamour? And what sort of deliveries?" Brittany asked, not sure what either really meant. Glamourous was high scale and fabulous, while deliveries were like mail, right? So the Warblers were mailmen?
"Do you believe in Faeries?" Sunshine giggled out as she poked Brittany's nose.
"My cat talks to them all the time!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I've never seen them, but I believe in fairies!"
Blaine cut into their moment, pulling Sunshine away from her, and pushing all of them back a bit so he could talk to Brittany personally. Brittany had no idea what he was going to say, but his far too light eyes seemed to make sense now.
"I will let you know that if you cause any problems you will leave immediately. I keep these boys safe, they keep Sunshine safe, and in turn you now. Anything goes amiss, and I can't guarantee that your body will be found anytime soon." He leaned in, their noses touching, his hazel eyes almost glowing. "I have true sight. I'll know when this shit happens to you, to any of you. Stay away from the folk, and don't do any deliveries until I clear you."
Brittany nodded slowly, her vocal cords afraid of use. Blaine stood back up and let the rest of the boys and Sunshine to envolpe her in hugs and call Blaine a big old meanie for being so strick on her.
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Kurt felt his head pounding and his heart thudding against his rib cage. He was sandwhiched between the two girls who'd slept over that night. His dad trusted Kurt not to get into any trouble. Asking if another of his friends could stay over was easily accepted.
His dad knew, and Kurt had said it to him himself. But only Mercedes and Rachel knew outside of his dad. That he was gay, and proud of it. Having girls over was no problem.
And being snuggly with Mercedes and Rachel was actually kinda nice, in the pup-cuddled-with-all-other-pups way. He smiled into Rachel's dark hair, his nose pressed into her back and his legs entwined with her and Mercedes's.
With a nice, soft sigh, Kurt snuggled closer to Mercedes and fell back asleep.
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Little did Brittany know she was in the exact same situation. Blaine was unconciously cuddled into her side, his nose pressed into her ribs. Nick had his arm sloppily over her stomach, his fingers nestled into Blaine's curly hair. Trent was curled up around her shoulders, Brittany's head nestled in his stomach. Jeff had started hugging one of her legs, her knee being cuddled like a teddy bear. Sunshine had taken claim to her other leg, using her thigh as a pillow. Around them, the rest of the boys joined the pile somehow.
Brittany's face held a smile that not even Santana had seen since the beginning of Artie and her's relationship.
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A/N: And now we see Brittany filling the role of Val, with those characters written down here. And I'm not making Rachel and Kurt together in this, she was just being horny and he was innocently fixing cars. I know little to nothing about cars, I don't drive one, own one, or regularily be driven in one, so I'm using google like a troll. I also am making up all the places you see Brittany go in New York, and all of the addresses yet to come. The locations will not be found using google earth, that or something else is already there.
Basically how the cast conversions go:
Brittany: Valerie
Blaine: Luis
Sunshine: Lolli
Wes and David: Ravus
Flint: Sketchy Dave