I reached over 100 reviews! :O :O dream come true! No really...lol
Ok, so I kicked some major ass yesterday and managed to write two chapters. Lucky for you all...I decided to mash them both together into one chapter. Thus, you'll get both scenes instead of me leaving you on a cliff hanger.
I hope you all enjoy it! It was kinda difficult for me to write, but the characters started writing themselves. I'm just along for the ride. Enjoy :) Review's are gold.
You know that moment when you feel like you should be doing something, but no matter how much you try and remember…the further and further away it falls from your grasp? That's how Quinn felt. She remembered looking up at the night sky, the stars twinkling and winking at her, before everything went dark. Who knew oblivion could feel so peaceful?
Quinn's face was getting hot. Already, she could feel beads of sweat beginning to form at her hair line. She brought up an arm and wiped away the moisture. Cautiously the blonde crackled open her eyes. As she suspected would happen, a bright light pierced through sending a jolt of pain into her retinas. She squeezes them shut with a moan and rolled over onto her hand and knees. Beneath her fingers she could feel and smell fresh grass. Sure enough hazel eyes confirmed her senses. After giving her eyes a moment to adjust, Quinn looked around and noticed she was in the middle of a meadow. Tall Ash trees littered the area along with smaller shrubs and bushes. The one thing Quinn noted was that the air smelled so clean.
She slowly got up onto her two feet and swayed slightly. She looked down and noticed she was in her full armor, but wasn't her tunic gold? Not green? She shook away the thoughts. Not knowing where she was, she just started walking north. Quinn didn't bother to even think about using her wings, when that was obviously more practical.
She walked through the grassy plain, and past the trees. Quinn frowned, wait….shouldn't that have taken longer? She turned and looked behind her and saw nothing but Ash trees so thick the sun was completely shut out. Her instincts told her to keep walking so she did just that, ignoring the nagging thought in the back of her mind.
Eventually the blonde came across a small mountain stream. She kneeled down and took a sip of water. The cold water cooled down her hot body. Behind her she heard a twig snap and reflexively reached behind her to whip out her sword. Her hand grasped at nothing but air. Another twig crackled. Quickly, Quinn glanced over her shoulder and sure enough…her sheath was empty. Figures. Hazel eyes scanned around the river bed looking for anything she could use to defend herself.
She heard a horses neigh and ducked behind a large boulder she hadn't seen before. She peaked over the side of the rock. A lone rider was on top of a chestnut mare, leading it towards the stream. However, something spooked the horse causing the rider to get thrown off with a sickening crunch. The horse stomped around before calming down and taking a drink of the cool water.
Quinn revealed herself and slowly eased her way to the fallen rider. The face was concealed with a dark cloak, but Quinn could tell that it was a female.
"Miss, are you ok?" Quinn's husky voice asked.
The rider leaned up on her elbow and used the other had to pull her cloak down off her face. The woman had to be one of the most beautiful women Quinn had ever seen in her life. Her eyes were as deep as an ocean framed by curly black hair, her skin was pale but looked incredibly soft, and her lips her full and pink. Quinn's heart skipped a beat.
"I…I think my leg is broken…" the soft voice whispered laced with pain.
Quinn frowned, "May I take a look at it?" at the nod, she carefully moved the woman's skirt up the leg that was at an odd angle. The blonde winced seeing the bone pushed up against skin that was already ugly shades of purple and yellow. It hadn't broken through the skin, but Quinn worried trying to reset it from the risk of pinching any of her nerves causing permanent damage.
She grabbed onto the injured leg gently and closed her eyes trying to see the woman's energy. She took a calming breath and slowed her heart beat. The injury site glowed hot in Quinn's mind. The bone had broken cleanly in the middle of her left tibia. Suddenly, Quinn felt a jolt of her own energy rush out from within her and into the girl's body. She watch, slack jawed, as her own mana mixed perfectly with the girls and molded around the broken bone. Slowly, the muscles flexed pushing the bone back into alignment and aided the bone marrow in reforming. Quinn let go of the woman as if she had been burned. She stared at the woman wide eyed.
"Who…who are you?" Quinn asked breathing heavily.
The woman ran a hand down her healed leg and looked over at Quinn with electrifying blue eyes, "My name is Sonya, thank you for the help. How did you do that? Are you a healer?"
Quinn floundered for an answer, "I..uhh…maybe…yes. Yes, I'm a healer."
Sonya…why does that sound so familiar? Quinn was starting to get frustrated with her own thoughts. They were all jumbled and it was getting increasingly difficult for her to focus on one idea long enough to think it through. However, something told her that this Sonya was important. As if she knew this woman. On the other hand, Quinn was quite certain she had never seen this gorgeous woman in her life.
The warrior stood up and offered her hand down to the prone woman. Sonya smiled and took the offered arm. Instantaneously, electricity traveled up Quinn's arm and into her body. Still, her warm smile never wavered.
Sonya brushed her skirt off, "Thank you so very much. I don't know what you did…" she trailed off when she looked up at Quinn. Quinn raised her eyebrow in response.
"Excuse me, but….oh my….you have wings? What are you?" Sonya stated in an awed voice.
"I…it's complicated. Just know I'm not here to hurt you," Quinn said as she ruffled her wings anxiously. The more Quinn thought about it….she didn't really know what she was either nor what she was doing there. The fogginess in her brain was increasing.
Sonya nodded, "For some reason, I do believe you. I….may I ask your name?"
"Quinn"
"Quinn. Do you think that you could escort me back to the castle?" Sonya asked shyly with a blush.
Quinn shook off her confusion and focused on this lovely woman in front of her. If she wasn't mistaken….she might be interested in the warrior. Quinn smiled bashfully and offered her arm, "It would be my honor to do so. If I may….what were you doing out in the woods by yourself?"
Sonya shrugged, "I just wanted to get out. No matter what the peasants think, castle life is not all what it's cracked up to be. There's always this or that to do. And mother…mother is always so strict about everything her daughter does."
Quinn listened intrigued, "Perhaps your mother is only worried for you and she has no other way to express her love?"
Sonya stopped and looked up into hazel eyes. A small smile graced her lips, "Full of surprises you are. From your attire, I would not expect you to speak like a poet…do you write?"
Quinn blushed, "My apologies Miss. I am no poet, but I do know for certain a few things in life. One of which is that Love is a very powerful force in existence."
"You speak as if you know this from personal experience. Have you ever been in love Quinn?" Sonya asked while eyeing her taller companion carefully.
Quinn paused to think. Her first instinct was to say no, but the word wouldn't come out of her mouth. It seemed to be stuck in her throat. The more Quinn tried to access her memories, the more they seemed out of her reach. This entire situation made Quinn's body on high alert, but she still didn't seem to know why.
"I….I don't know." She answered honestly.
Sonya raised a dark eyebrow, "I suppose it is difficult knowing when you are in love. Sometimes….you don't know what's really in front of you. Are you in love? Or do you just love them? Perhaps you have to look past what you see on the surface…and dig deep to find something truly special." She gave Quinn a knowing look.
Quinn shifted uneasily and flapped her wings slightly, "You speak as if you are in love. Are you?" Irrationally, Quinn felt slightly upset.
Sonya smiled slightly, "The person I loved was taken from me a very long time ago. We had only just begun our romance when tragedy struck. I'm afraid I'm lost to her now. But do not worry, I am still in love with her to this day. As you said, Love is one of the strongest forces in the natural world."
"Her?"
Sonya smiled and winked, "I've always fancied the ladies in waiting a lot more than my suitors."
Quinn couldn't help but chuckle herself, "You are unlike so many people I've met before."
"Well, I would like to believe I am special!" Sonya said with a lazy grin.
Quinn laughed and patted her arm gently. "Tell me, how far we from your home?"
Sonya sobered, "We are nearly there. We just need to head through that," she pointed towards a rough trail leading into a thicket of old trees. Darkness consumed the trail making it difficult for Quinn to see through it to the other end.
"Are you sure? Is there no other way around….it's awfully dark…" Quinn muttered uncertain.
Quinn didn't notice how Sonya's eyes became serious, "Yes. That is the only way to the castle. We cannot avoid it. Trust me, all will turn out as it should in the end. Sometimes, you have to push through dark and scary places in order to reach something you never knew was possible."
Quinn eyed the woman warily, but her honor wouldn't let her back down from a promise, "Very well. Let's get through this shall we?"
Sonya smiled and began walking onto the new trail. She hoped Quinn would be ready for what awaited them. She needed her to understand.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Brittany wrung out a wet cloth in a bowl of water and dabbed at Santana's forehead gently. The Latina had gotten a fever, but the Seer had insisted that she would be fine. The fever was just a side effect of the concoction she had given the woman. The Seer stuffed an herb mixture into Santana's shoulder wound and wrapped her shoulder up with fresh clean linens. After the Seer had finished, Brittany got to work on cleaning up the Latina's body with a wet rag. That was when she noticed the fever.
The old woman watched the careful movements of the blonde, "You care for her very much I see…"
Brittany nodded quickly, "Yeah I do. Maybe it's the stress of this situation that's making me cling to her…but sometimes I just feel like there's something calling me to her. It's crazy I know…" she trailed off.
The Seer shook her head, "You are no more crazy than I am old. And I'm quite young for my age!"
Brittany raised her eyebrow wryly.
"You do not believe me, but I can tell you I have been alive for over a millennia. There's hardly anything I haven't seen in all my days. Are you hungry?" she woman asked as she moved back to her fire pit, "I can make us up some stew"
The blonde didn't want to seem ungrateful, "Yes, I am. Thank you,"
The old crone waved her off, "Do not worry your head about it. I like entertaining guests…the few that I have, " she tossed Nala a large chunk of meat with surprising strength, "Come sit with me, I'd like talk with you if I could. Your warrior will be just fine over there."
Brittany tossed the rag into the bowl and set it down next to Santana. She brushed her jeans off and sat herself carefully down at an ancient looking table. The wood creaked and the blonde blushed, "Sorry…"
The Seer chuckled, "They won't break trust me. If I've been sitting in them for years…I think they can hold your weight. So tell me…what do you feel for your friend?"
Brittany rubbed her shoulders nervously, "Well, I don't know. I just met her a couple days ago. What can I really feel?"
"You can't control your emotions, and during dark times like these? I would hope that you'd grab ahold of anything that gives you hope for the future…" a bushy white eyebrow rose in a questioning manner.
What the Seer told Brittany, reminded the blonde about the small conversation she had with Quinn. The other blonde had told her to never lose hope, even in the face of uncertainty. She couldn't think of a time when she was more uncertain than now. Blue eyes raked over the forms of her best friend and Quinn. She couldn't help but think that the two would make a striking couple. She smiled unconsciously remembering the fire she had seen in Rachel's eyes when she wanted to chase after the warrior. Please, Rachel be safe and find a way.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Rachel woke gasping for air. She was lying flat on her back staring into darkness. The silence was deafening. The brunette calmed her racing heart and sat up. She remembered drinking the potion, and then everything going dark. The conversation she had with the Seer rushed to the forefront of her mind and she groaned. I'll know when I see it she mocked silently.
She stood up and turned around in a circle. Everything was completely black and she couldn't see anything. The darkness was suffocating the brunette. She needed light. She needed to be able to see her own hand in front of her face. Her heart rate started to pick up and her breathing became erratic.
"You really should calm down." A voice said from the darkness.
Rachel whipped around, "Who's out there?"
"That's easy. I'm you," the voice said from a different direction. Rachel twisted around trying to get a lock on the voice.
"What are you talking about? I'm me…"
"Well….you are inside your mind. There is no one else here but you because this is your mind. I am just a representation of what your inner thoughts are. Ones that even you aren't privy too,"
"So, I'm basically talking to myself?"
The voice chuckled, "Yes. I would say you are."
"Since I've officially gone crazy, can we turn on some lights or something?" Rachel asked as her eyes still struggled to see anything.
"Why are you asking me? This is your mind." The voice laced with humor replied.
Rachel rolled her eyes at herself. Of course her mind would be sarcastic. Still, she listened and thought deeply about having the darkness gone. She opened her eyes and the area was lit up brightly. So brightly, she almost had to shade her eyes. The only problem now was that there was still nothing to be seen. Now it was all pitch white.
"I don't suppose you're here to help me are you?" Rachel asked her mind.
"I'm here to do what you need me to do. Even if you don't know what that is exactly right now."
Rachel sighed, "Ok, can we stop with the riddles now? And…I don't know…can I like see you or something? It really sucks talking to air…" Rachel jumped back with a scream as a carbon copy of herself materialized in front of her. Her doppelganger smiled mirthfully.
"You asked for me…" the copy stated simply with a shrug.
"Yes, but that didn't mean scare the living shit out of me!" Rachel hissed. The copy shrugged nonchalantly.
Rachel sighed, "Now what happens?"
The copy shrugged once more, "I don't know. Why are you here?"
"I'm here to find out what makes me so special" Rachel stated dryly.
"Then why don't you start looking for that?" came the voice as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Rachel waved her arms around comically, "Does it look like there's anything to be found here? Who would have thought my mind was completely empty?"
The copy snorted, "It's not empty. You just don't know what you're looking for nor do you have any idea what you want. Which is why," she moved her arms around, "there's nothing here but me."
"Fine, I want you to help me find what's special about myself," Rachel demanded irately.
The copy eyed her speculatively, "Do you think you're special Rachel?"
Rachel kicked her foot, "I don't know. I guess I don't really. I'm really quite average."
"These past couple days should show you that you are far more than average. Human nature is a fickle thing to behold. Do you remember when you were in med school and your roommate used your term paper as a coaster after a night of hard partying? Do you remember your reaction?"
Rachel nodded, "Yes, of course. I remember I stayed up till 2am getting that paper written. Ashley came in around 4 and spilled her beer all over the paper. I had a nasty surprise waiting for me when I woke. I…I remember I was so angry, but I tried to dry it off as much as I could before hand writing it again. I barely made it in time for the deadline."
"And do you remember how upset Ashley was about destroying your work?" Rachel nodded, "You forgave her Rachel. And since I am your mind here…I can tell you for a fact that you completely forgave her and don't hold any ill will towards her to this day. Do you remember in high school when you were teased constantly for your perfectionism?"
Rachel nodded slightly, the wheels turning in her head trying to figure out where this conversation was leading.
"You forgave them all. If this had been any other human being…they would not have been so forgiving," the copy started to pace slightly, "Sure, people can say they accept an apology and they forgive someone, but usually there's a tiny thought lurking in the back of their mind that still holds a grudge. You, Rachel, do not have that problem. You are the most forgiving human being in existence."
Rachel snorted, "You make me seem like I'm a Saint. I'm not. I get angry, I curse, and I fight. I'm no angel here."
Dark eyes regarded the young woman, "Yes you do have your vices. But you're missing the entire point here. There is something, something, inside of you that prevents you from holding deep seated hate."
Rachel nodded, "So, you're saying that is what makes me…whatever I am?"
An identical smile smirked, "Partially. You're getting there!"
Rachel just leveled her best 'WTF' look.
The copy chuckled, "You can't expect me to do all the work here."
Rachel raised her eyebrow, "If you're me…then technically I am doing all the work…"
The copy grinned, "Touché."
Rachel shook her head, "Ok. So I am forgiving…so what? I have my flaws….but I'm perfectly normal…"
Rachel number two shook her head, "Still stubborn as ever. You are who you are because you are the one person in existence who can balance their flaws and their strengths perfectly. There is not one single other person who can be filled with so much Light, but still be acceptable to Darkness. The way you are now? You can be swayed to either side, with the right persuasion."
Rachel blinked and cleared her throat, "So, this is why a bunch of things are after me?"
"Not completely. Humans all have good and evil deep within themselves. As do you. However, you have never given way to either end of the spectrum. It's not that you are a balance that attracts the forces of Light and Dark. It's what will be released once you choose,"
"I have to choose a side?" Rachel asked in a whisper.
The copy simply nodded, "Yes. Once you choose a side, a power, that even I have no idea what is capable of doing…will be in your hands to do with as you see fit."
Rachel rubbed her forehead, "So I have to tip this 'balance' thing that Quinn told me about? But won't that destroy life as we all know it?"
Rachel's copy shrugged, "I do not know. This has never happened before. If you choose, perhaps the universe will implode in itself killing millions of lives. Or maybe it will do nothing at all."
"….great…that makes me feel loads better…" Rachel said dryly.
"It's not supposed to make you feel better. Those are the facts. However, I will warn you. Good and evil are not always so black and white. You might think the obvious choice is to choose good…but you must consider your decision very carefully. Choose with your mind," the copy winked, "…and choose with your heart. Both will never steer you wrong."
Rachel nodded with a smile, "I never knew I was such a poet," she laughed when her copy blushed slightly, "…Ok….now please tell me how this is supposed to help Quinn?"
The copy clucked her tongue and scratched her arm, "That is a bit tricky. The Witch thought that you could access your power and perhaps transfer some of it over to Quinn. However, she got it wrong. That's impossible. The power is yours to bear and no one else's right now."
Rachel frowned, "So, what happens now? Is there anything we can do for her?"
The copy nodded, "Yes, there is. Listen closely…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Blue eyes returned to the old woman, "I feel….very deep things for Santana. Things that I can't explain why I feel them. Things that terrify me, but at the same time bring me so much happiness that I feel like breaking out in song and dance. It should be impossible. I just met the woman, but I feel as If I'm finally coming home with her. What's even more crazy…is that I think she knows it too. The feeling of having someone communicate with you on such a deep level…that you don't even need words to express the way you feel." She finished with fire in her strong voice.
The Seer smiled, "You feel a lot for the young warrior. You even think you love her?" pale eyes asked while glancing behind the woman.
Brittany pondered for a moment, "I've never felt this way before in my life. What I thought was love, must not have been because what I feel for her is so much stronger than anything I've ever experienced. All my life, I've seen other people get what they wanted. Their happiness; it was always elusive to me. I look into her eyes and see a promise. You ask if I love her? I love her more than I can find the words to explain."
The woman smiled as her ancient eyes twinkled, "I'd say you did a fine job my young friend." She stood up with a groan, "I think…that I will return in several minutes to give you some privacy."
Brittany frowned, "Wait what…?" she jumped, startled when a hand settled on her shoulder. Brittany twisted around to meet Santana's red rimmed eyes.
"I think…you said enough…for the both of us…" Santana croaked out with her dry throat.
Brittany quickly stood up and wrapped her arms around the dark woman, "Oh Santana! I'm so happy you're ok!"
Santana wrapped her good arm around the blonde woman and smiled brightly despite the pain in her head, "So am I, so am I."
After a moment, a tiny voice spoke, "So….you…like heard everything?"
Santana chuckled deep in her chest, "Every word, and boy am I happy I woke up when I did."
Brittany blushed and looked up at Santana, "I meant every word."
Santana nodded, "I know…I feel the same way…" she whispered her eyes searching the blonde's.
Brittany smiled brightly and then leaned in pressing her lips against the tan woman's for the first time. Santana melted into the kiss and returned it gently. Her wings fluttered restlessly as tendrils of shocks ran up and down the large body parts. She didn't want a kiss full of desire…she wanted to give Brittany a kiss of promise.
So much happened! What are your thoughts? Who's ready to save Quinn from herself?
Review please!