Medal of Honor Chapter 12
I'm back. Sorry for the long wait. I was just so blocked. But with the wonderful help of Carol (cab4five) . She got me over the block and this is the result. So thank Carol for me. I hope you enjoy
Honor their tether! Remember our drummer!
Medal of Honor Chapter 12
Where am I?
Rachel felt like she was in a can. She could hear, what sounded like people, but they were far off. She had a hard time opening her eyes. Her head was heavy and hurt like heck. Where was she? She wondered. She tried to remember what happened before she woke up here but she was still very groggy. She plunged back into the darkness when her eyes closed.
Rachel woke again, this time more coherent. She was able to focus. It looked like she was in a cabin of some sort. There was a lock on the door in the room she was in. Her limbs were bound with duct tape. She was able to remember what had happened.
She had just left her dance class and was walking to her car when someone came up behind her and put a cloth over her mouth. She passed out and the next thing she knows she woke up in this room.
Looking around Rachel started to panic. She was unable to stand and she's laying on a mattress in the middle of the room. Why would someone kidnap her? She was a no-one, her family isn't rich. Then she heard the woman's voice. She knew that voice, she'd been hearing it for the last three years.
"Please uncle Nate, I just want to make sure she knows I'm the one that took her away from Finn, then you can do whatever you want with her."
"No, keep your voice down. I don't want her to recognize your voice. You need to keep your emotions out of this."
"It's hard, she's been the bane of my existence for the last two years. If she hadn't interfered I'd still have Finn and my daughter. She stuck her nose where it didn't belong. Then her grandfather had to come in a spoil my second attempt with Finn."
"Wasn't that a bogus relationship? It doesn't matter, I took her because her grandfather ruined my life and now I'm going to ruin his by taking his 'Angel Girl' and keeping her locked away."
The voices moved farther away and Rachel fell back under the weight of darkness. She now knew her attacker had been Nathan and somehow Quinn is involved. Sure, her and Quinn were never going to be best friends but this is beyond what Rachel would ever imagine Quinn doing.
After some time, Rachel heard the door open and in walks the blonde. She had a mask on her face, but Rachel already knew it's her.
"Eat!" Quinn demanded.
"Why are you doing this Quinn?" Rachel replied questioning her rival. Rachel saw her stiffen up and slowly turn around lifting the mask from her face. Actually, seeing Quinn was more than Rachel can bear. Her tears were now falling.
"I don't understand Quinn. Why?"
Quinn just smirked at Rachel then laughed. "You know why. Don't act all innocent. You took Finn from me not once but twice. But it's like I told you I get Finn and you get…she pauses then chuckles…and you get dead."
"You are going to kill me because I love Finn and he loves me?"
"Well no, I suppose not. I'm not going to kill you my uncle is, because your grandfather ruined his life or something. All I know is you'll be here for a while. The whole time you are missing, I'll be working my way back to being his friend. I will console Finn when they find your body and be his friend through his grief over losing you. I'll make sure he knows how much I grieve for you, my teammate. Gag. He will see me in a new light. I'll be there to swoop in and he'll be so grateful he will want to love me again." Quinn told her with conviction.
Rachel listened to Quinn unable to really comprehend what she was saying. Because it was so utterly ridiculous, Rachel couldn't help but burst out in laughter. "Oh, my Moses, Quinn you are delusional. Finn is not going to fall for your crap anymore. He's already cut you out of his life. Carole won't let you within 2 miles of Finn. Kurt either. Neither is afraid to tell Finn about you and your manipulations anymore. I may die, but I'll die knowing that Finn loved me and hated you." Rachel spit out like venom.
Quinn was enraged. She charged at Rachel and slapped her across the face. "Shut up, shut up!" she screamed alerting her uncle something was amiss. Nathan ran to where he was holding Rachel and saw Quinn above her punching her repeatedly.
"QUINN! Stop it." Nathan roared and pulled Quinn off of the tied-up Rachel. "What the hell are you doing? She's seen your face."
"Well then I guess you will just have to kill her." Quinn screamed.
Nathan looked at his niece like he didn't even know her. Sure, he wanted the General to suffer and he planned on keeping Rachel until he died, but to kill her. "Quinn, you need to get out of here and don't comeback, I'll take care of this." He says pointing to Rachel.
With Quinn gone, Nathan could actually get back on track. He let her high school drama derail him a little bit. But his plan will be better now. He'd never hurt Rachel physically. But now that Quinn beat her face, it will be that much sweeter when he sends the General the fake ransom demands. He planned to set up ransom drops but never show then send pics of Rachel to her dads and grandfather every six or so months until the general dies. Knowing the General will never see Rachel again, was giving Nathan more pleasure than he ever thought possible.
Finn had texted Rachel six times. She should have been home by now. Her dance class ended hours ago. He grabbed his keys and took off for Rachel's house. He got there and her dad's cars were in the driveway. Finn rang the doorbell waiting for one of the dads to answer.
Leroy jumped up when the doorbell rang. Opening the door, he was greeted by a very worried looking Finn. "Finn, what a nice surprise. Rachel didn't say you were coming over."
"Rachel's not here?" Finn inquired.
"No, she had dance class and then she was going shopping for prom." Leroy said.
'Sir I've texted her six times and she hasn't responded. She always texts me even if it's to say she's fine. Something is wrong Mr. Berry I can feel it." Finn was getting hysterical.
"OK, let me call her, did you do anything to upset her and that's why she isn't answering." Leroy chuckled but quickly stopped when he saw Finn's face and Rachel's phone went straight to voicemail. "Angel Girl its daddy, gives us a call and let me know where you are and when you'll be home." Leroy left her a message then texted her the same. He turned to Finn "Finn do you have Tina's number, she was meeting her at the mall."
Finn whipped his phone out and started dialing. "Hello, Finn."
"Tina, is Rachel with you?"
"No, she was supposed to meet me after dance class but, she never showed. I waited like an hour and a half. I figured she blew me off to go make out with you." Tina let out amused.
"Tina, she's not with me and she's not at home. The dance studio is closed now, I drove over there before I came to her house. Something is wrong. She wouldn't just not answer me and definitely not her dad."
"What do you need Finn?" Tina asked worriedly. "Can you call everyone and let's go look for her. Meet me at the dance studio."
"You got it Finn. Are you okaying to drive? I can have Mike there in five minutes." She offered,
"No Tina I'm not ok I'm scared shitless something has happened to Rachel, it's not like her but I can't afford to come apart I have to be strong and think clearly till Rachel is safe and sound in my arms where she should have been for the past 6 months, and now I've got her back it has to be forever"
A loud happy squeal from Tina at the news Finchel are once again. "Ok Finn we'll see you in 10 at the dance studio." Tina hung up on Finn and immediately dialed Mike giving him a short explanation of what she wanted him to do and to pass the message on to all their other glee mates, she hadn't yet contacted.
Finn meanwhile was looking between the two men watching him with scared looks and gripping the other's hands tightly. "Please don't worry Mr. Berrys we will find Rachel. But it might be a good idea if you stayed here in case she just got caught up somewhere looking at music books or sparkly microphones and ballet shoes, and call the police even though they probably won' t do anything till she has been missing for 24 hours."
"Of course, Finn thank you."
Finn nodded at them a determined look on his face, and strode to the front door and after a quick call to his Mom to let her know where he was going and to call him and the Berry's straight away if Rachel turned up at their house, he climbed into his truck and took off for the Dance studio. Walking around the perimeter of the building checking and looking for any clues.
Finding the number of the lady who ran the classes stuck on the window Finn called her but unfortunately Heidi couldn't tell him anything as she had a phone call just as Rachel's class was leaving.
Just as he hung up his cell Mike and Tina, Kurt and Blaine, Mercedes and a couple of other glee kids arrived, turning to them all Finn, even though he was shaking inside spoke his tone exuding leadership.
"Thanks, you guys for showing up now I know there is probably a very simple explanation for Rachel not answering her cell, but I've a gut feeling something is wrong so let's start with what we know which isn't a whole lot, Ok Rachel was supposed to meet Tina at the mall, at like 4:45 yeah?" He looked at Tina who just nodded
"Ok well she never arrived and hasn't answered any of my texts or ones her Dad sent either. So, we should start by asking other people along this street if they saw anything does everyone have a photo of Rachel?"
At the negative head shakes Finn smiled a little realizing he would be the only one to have a collection of Rachel photos on his cell. "Ok then well I'll send you one to show people." he then spent a couple of minutes scrolling through his cell, stopping every few seconds to just look at them before quickly choosing one of his bright smiling girlfriend dressed in her normal dance outfit of tank-top and yoga pants, then clicking a few buttons, sending the picture to everyone standing in-front of him.
Telling his friends to call asap the minute they got some news he took off for his truck and slowly drove around the block and instantly spotting Rachel's Pink Mini Cooper, parked to the side of a little alley way pulling next to her car, he jumped out and ran over, disappointed that nothing looked out of place. His head dropped in worry but then then something caught his eye just under the front wheel, at first, he just thought it was a bit of trash blown about by the wind but when the words TODAY, DANCE CLASS 3:45 THURS, ALONE! Caught his eye he reached down to pick up the piece of paper from what looked like a notebook. The writing looked vaguely familiar. But he couldn't remember where he'd seen it before, and obviously wasn't positive it had anything to do with his girlfriend's disappearance though it did seem to coincide with what was going on, he just folded it up carefully and put it in his wallet. Finn climbed back in his truck and called the Berry house to ask if they'd heard anything telling them he had found Rachel's car, and that he would be back soon. It was getting dark now and late so with a heavy heart he sent a group text asking if anyone had found anything and thanked them for their help, but would see them at school tomorrow.
Pulling into the Berry's driveway 15 minutes later, he hadn't even turned off the ignition when he saw the front door opened by the tall distinguished form of Rachel's Grandfather, General Berry. The look of worry on his dark face somehow made him look about 10 years older as the older man hugged him. Finn felt… well he couldn't name it just lost.
"General Berry, it is good to see you Sir."
"And you my boy, my son tells me you found my Angel Girl's car?" he was guiding Finn into the living room as he spoke.
Finn noticed Hiram and Leroy taking it in turns to pace the room their worried faces echoing each other
"Um yes sir… it was still parked just around the corner from the dance studio in a little side street, it looked normal… but I did find this note, not sure if it has anything to do with Rachel though… Finn handed over the page he found and in a flash the General's face changed from the sad worried one and took on a hard look as did his body. "This looks like a ambush. Someone must have told whoever took her where she'd be and luckily, they dropped this note. Maybe now the police will do something. Good Job Finn."
Finn didn't feel like he'd done a good job. Rachel was still out there somewhere scared and alone, wondering if he was going to save her. "We have to do something!" Finn exclaimed. Just as Hiram was going to say something there was a knock on the door. LeRoy answered the door and two detectives from Lima Police Department Entered.
"I'm Det. Laura Ingram and this is my partner Det. Danny Regan. I understand from what the patrol officer said that you believe your daughter is missing and that something may have happened to her?" All four of the men that loved Rachel the most shook their heads in the affirmative. Det. Regan asked, "Are you sure she didn't run away or just went somewhere to be alone?"
Finn jumped up "This is garbage. Rachel doesn't do things like this. She always tells her dads where she'll be and she doesn't not answer my calls. Even when we were broken up and I'd call her, she'd answer. She doesn't do this! She wouldn't have run away either." Finn was borderline hysterical.
"I have to ask the questions Finn, is it?" Det. Regan. Finn nodded. "I take it she is your girlfriend?"
Finn sized up the detective and quantified his assumption "She my everything. My world."
The detectives asked the four men question after question trying to ascertain who would want to take Rachel. Had she any enemies? Had someone been making her uncomfortable. They asked about ex's they should be aware of. Finn didn't think Jesse would do this because despite being an asshat, Jesse cared about Rachel.
They were finishing up with the note Finn found when the doorbell rang again. Finn answered this time because the Berry men were understandably upset. Opening the door, he stared at the face of his best friend. "Puck?"
"Mike just told me Berry was missing, I came as soon as I could. What's happening, did you find anything." Puck was walking with Finn into the room the men and the police were. The note was sitting on the table and Puck spied it and stopped in his tracks. Finn was still talking and looked back at Puck.
"What's wrong Puck?"
"Noah?" Hiram queried.
Puck bent down and picked up the notebook page with Rachel's dance class information. "Quinn wrote this. I'd know this handwriting anywhere. She would write me lists when she was craving shit when she was pregnant with Beth."
Finn took the note from Puck and inspected it closer. He knew he recognized it. She had written him note once and he remembers a paper she had written he turned in for her so she wouldn't be late to Cheerio's practice. "What the hell?"
The Detectives took down Quinn's information and told the men to stay put they would go question Quinn. Once they were gone the General spoke. "Do you think Quinn set Rachel up?"
Finn and Puck both shook their heads telling the General they believed that she was capable of something like this.
"She didn't do it alone." Finn said.
"No, you are right. She had help." The General thought hard and uttered one name. "Nathaniel McKenzie."
Finn jolted upright and was out the door before anyone could stop him. Puck told the Berry men he'd have Finn's back and wouldn't let him do anything stupid.
LeRoy called Detective Ingram and relayed what they concluded that Nathaniel with the help of Quinn had something to do with Rachel's disappearance.
Quinn had heard from Mercedes that Finn and the glee club were out looking for Rachel and that her dads had called the police. She got into her car and headed to where her uncle was holding Rachel.
Finn and Puck pulled up to Quinn's house in time to see her leaving. "She's leaving. I'm following her." Finn said jamming on the gas pedal. He stayed back just enough that she wasn't able to spot them. She weaved through down town Lima. Puck saw the Detectives going the opposite direction probably on their way to Quinn's to question her.
"Finn, don't you think we ought to let the cops handle this?" Puck tried to persuade Finn.
"Fuck no, they don't care. They thought she ran away and we were making a bigger deal than it needed to be. I know Quinn knows something and I'm following her until I can make her tell me where Rachel is."
Puck shrugged and accepted Finn was doing this with or without his help. They were best friends and he'd stay with him doing whatever it took to get Rachel back into Finn's arms. They saw Quinn pull onto this back road leading out of Lima toward the Lake.
"Quinn told me her mom's family owned 15 acres near the lake." Puck communicated to Finn while keeping an eye ahead of them.
"She has to be there. I can feel it she's somewhere and she's hurt. Not bad, but still hurt. We have to get to her Puck. I can't lose her. Not like this and not to her." Finn said with tears in his voice.
"Okay man, let's do this." Puck was going to help Finn and everything else be damned. Puck did send a quick text to Mike letting him know about the land and please inform Rachel and Finn's parents and his ma.
Quinn pulled on the side of the cabin and her uncle came out. "I told you to stay away." He yelled.
"Uncle Nate, they called the police. They are eventually going to come and talk to me. What if they found my note that you dropped? The will know Uncle Nate. I think we should just get rid of her. Take her to the lake and throw her in. They'll never find a body."
Nate was pacing back and forth listening to his niece. This has gotten way off track. He didn't want to kill Rachel he wanted to torcher General Berry for his recommendation of a dishonorable discharge. He didn't mean to fall asleep, letting the insurgents pass him. Chris was his friend. When he heard the gun fire he ran towards it, using his weapon to take some of them out. But it was too late, Chris and a few others were either gone or severely wounded. After the investigation, he was sent to the brig for dereliction of duty. The panel of the tribunal found that he was solely responsible because he fell asleep. They gave him a dishonorable and 3 years at Leavenworth. If it weren't for General Berry pushing for him to be discharged he could have resigned and his status wouldn't be one of shame.
Finn and Puck could see Quinn and her uncle in conversation on the far side of the cabin. Finn motioned for Puck to go around the front and he'd go through the back. Finn and Puck fist pumped and broke their own way. Finn crept to the back door finding it opened. He carefully and cautiously opened the door slipping in unnoticed by the two on the side of the cabin. Finn was in the kitchen, he was silent in his search. The first room he came to was the bathroom. Rachel wasn't there. He felt her before he heard her. She was moaning from pain. He need to find her. The next room looked like it was locked but with slight force he was able to open the door with little noise. His breath caught in his throat. There she was, his beautiful girl. Face swollen and bruised. Her eyes closed. He knew when she knew he was there when she opened her one eye with a tear rolling down her cheek.
Rachel felt Finn the moment the door gave way. She didn't think it possible that she could feel such relief. "Finn." She whispered.
Finn ran to her untying the restraints and he pulled her to him. Rachel was in a full out cry when Puck came through the door. "Man, we got to go they are coming."
Finn nodded in agreement then turned to Rachel. "Rach, baby listen you've got to pull it together until we get out of here. I need you to be strong for me."
Rachel just stopped crying and shook her head in understanding. Then, the three of them heard it, glass shattering and a small explosion. Finn put his body over Rachel's to protect her. Puck was heading out the door. "Shit, he threw a Molotov Cocktail through the window the kitchen is on fire. This way." Puck led Finn and Rachel the way he came in.
Outside Quinn and Nate just threw the small Molotov cocktail through the window when Quinn noticed two guys in the house. "Oh, no…she screamed…Finn!." Quinn ran toward the cabin while Nate tried to stop her with no success.
"Quinn get back here. QUINN!"
Quinn ran in through the back door forgetting that is where her uncle had thrown the firebomb. As soon as she made it through her clothes caught fire. She started to panic. "Puck!" she yelled but was not heard over the breaking of glass in the cabinets. The entire kitchen was engulfed in flames and Quinn was unable to get back to the door.
Finn, Rachel and Puck made it to the front door when Nate came around and stopped in his tracks. "Fuck" he murmured.
"What the hell are you doing? You can't take her. I can't go back to prison." Nate was panic-stricken. He pulled his side arm out and pointed it at the three teenagers.
"Nate, what are you doing? Put the gun down. It doesn't have to be this way." Finn tried reasoning with him to no avail.
"Shut up. I just wanted the General to suffer like I suffered. He took my life away and I wanted to take what he loved the most. I can't let you go. I'm sorry, but the General needs to pay." Nate aimed at Puck first squeezing the trigger. Puck was able to move quickly enough that the bullet caught him in the thigh. Puck dropped to the ground rolling around in pain.
Finn and Rachel watched in horror as Nate shot Puck. Finn moved them quickly to the other side of the house making Nate chase them. Nate was hot on their heels when through the window they saw Quinn screaming in agony from the fire overwhelming her body. They couldn't do anything to help her, Finn had to save Rachel. They made it to the edge of the clearing where Finn and Puck had parked the car and heard a gunshot. They both froze waiting for the pain of a bullet entering their bodies, but instead looked up and there behind Finn's car stood General Berry with his AR15. He shot Nate. Rachel ran to her grandfather and Finn turned saw Nate motionless then jetted to see if he could get Quinn out of the burning house.
"Finn!" Rachel roared after him being stopped by her grandfather. That's when she heard the sirens and saw the lights.
"Rachel, you have to stay here. Finn will be okay. I promise. Where's Noah?"
Rachel was bawling and kept her eyes searching for her love. 'Please keep him safe.' She thought to herself.
Finn rushed up to the cabin when he saw her collapsed at the back door. Finn hurried and pulled her further away from the fiery cabin. He could do no more for her. The ambulance was here, he saw it. He then sprinted to the front where his best friend lay in a pool of his own blood. "Puck! Fuck. Are you alright?" He was getting more scared as he approached his motionless friend.
Finally, when right upon Puck, he turned to Finn "It hurts like a motherfucker, but it went through and through. I don't think it hit anything to important. I'll have a hell of a scar. Chicks dig scars right?" Finn crumpled down to the grass and the tears started flowing.
"I didn't think this would happen when we got in the car to follow Quinn. I thought she knew something. I had no idea she was involved in it to this degree. You got shot. Did you see Rachel's face? They beat her bad. Quinn is laying in the back of the house with burns all over her face man. It's not good."
"Finn, you were going off your gut. None of this is your fault. We did good. We saved Rachel. That's what matters." Finn listened and knew no matter what anyone said he'd still feel like he should have done it different. Finn wiped his tears and stood helping Puck to his feet.
"Let's get you looked at." Finn said. Puck hobbled while Finn held him up. They saw Quinn being loaded in the ambulance and the two Detectives came up to them. "You could have gotten killed. I should haul you in for interfering with a police investigation."
"I'm sorry sir, well I'm not sorry I saved Rachel but…" Finn didn't finish because there wasn't anything else to say. Rachel was waiting on him. Once he saw Puck into the ambulance he jogged over to where his beautiful girl was being treated.
"Finn!" Rachel exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're okay. Oh, baby don't ever run away from me again. I was so worried when you went to the cabin, what were you thinking Finn Christopher Hudson? Don't… she was interrupted by his lips on hers.
"I'm sorry I worried you. I had to try and get Quinn. Despite everything she still is a person. I couldn't let her die in there. And Puck."
"I forgive you. You wouldn't be you and I wouldn't love you if you didn't do everything you could to save someone. I love you."
"I Love you too, Rachel. Don't ever leave me again." Finn expressed to her and pulled her into him to capture her lips once more.
For all intense and purposes this story is complete. I might be persuaded to give you a Finchely Epilogue if you want one. I'll see how many reviews I get and so on and so forth. In Finchel, we trust. Until next Time
Please Review. They make me happy. I need a little happiness right now.
Honor their Tether! Remember our Drummer!