Yay, 100 reviews passed! Woot, woot! Excuse me while I celebrate. —dances wildly around the room— Can you tell I'm really excited? Originally, when I first started this story, I was crossing my fingers for 100 reviews but I seriously doubted that I would be even close. Fast forward to now and I've reached it, all thanks to my wonderful supporters! :D If I could hug every single one of you, I seriously would. :) But seeing as I can't, this chapter is for you! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Wondering if I have to keep writing this…I don't own Glee!

Chapter 10

The day finally came for Rachel to be discharged from the hospital. She was especially delighted to get out of the old itchy hospital gowns and back to her argyle sweaters and short skirts. After being in the hospital for what seemed like an eternity, she wasn't sure what her old house would look like. Actually, the more she thought about it, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go back home. Of course she was sick of the hospital…but would home be that much better? Home meant having to remember her tragic experience, to relive everything. She quickly brushed her anxiety and uncertainty behind and cleared her mind, trying to focus on the present.

Her doctor had told her that she was allowed to leave the hospital at precisely 10 pm. He wanted to keep her for one last day to make sure she was fully recovered and to run some last minute tests. Although she had gotten used to having IVs being inserted into her arm, she grimaced at the thought of having to endure through one more day of tests. What did the doctors really need them for anyway?

The day inched by slowly as nurses came and left her room, taking her blood with them. They measured her blood pressure and made sure that her heart was receiving enough oxygen. It was all routine to her now. After the whirlwind of tests, Rachel collapsed onto her bed, tired from all of the activity. She tucked a pillow under her head and curled up in a comfortable position.

Maybe one last little nap wouldn't hurt, she thought, as she quietly drifted off to sleep.

Seth paced around his room, walking back and forth from one end of his room to the other. His mind was racing and positively brimming with different ideas. He was feeling a tad bit guilty and doubtful of what he could achieve but he knew in his mind that he had to go through with it…for Jacob. That was his motto. He had to fulfill Jacob's order. It was the only way he could ever repay his best friend for everything he had done for him.

He sat down at his desk and turned towards his laptop which was already on. Seth quickly typed in the phrase "Rachel Berry Lima Ohio" in a search engine. 198,000 results in .33 seconds. He scanned the list of articles that popped up on his screen. Local teen shot by fellow classmate, In critical condition. Seeing as the article was posted on the day of the shooting, he automatically clicked on the link and read the words on the page.

Seth scanned through the piece of writing, scouring it until he found the information he needed.

After being shot by her sophomore classmate, Jacob Ben-Israel, sixteen year old Rachel Berry is undergoing surgery for the gunshot wound she is carrying. Currently being treated at Lima Memorial Hospital, Berry is said to be in critical condition…

Seth chuckled to himself, laughing at how manageable it was nowadays to find the information he needed. Lima Memorial Hospital, huh? It was almost too easy.

Seth waited in his room until he heard the sound of his parents' footsteps leaving the front door. A "Bye Seth! We'll be back soon!" and a loud thump confirmed the fact that his parents were indeed gone and that he had the house to himself. Seth immediately ran downstairs and peeked through the window curtains to make sure his mom didn't forget her keys and come bursting back in. He saw the back of their silver Prius dash down the driveway and skirt around the corner, laughing with glee once the vehicle disappeared.

Running into the kitchen, Seth fumbled through the drawers, opening every cabinet he could find. He didn't care if he made a racket; he was on a mission to find the key component of his master plan. Suddenly, he spotted what he was looking for. A box of matches.

Grabbing the little, yet dangerous, package in his hand, Seth yanked his coat from his closet and ran out the front door. He pulled open the door of his shiny blue Camry and stepped into the driver's seat, backing out of the driveway as quickly as possible. Then putting the car into drive, Seth sped away towards Lima Memorial, intent on carrying out Jacob's order.

Seth soon arrived at the hospital. He placed the box of matches into his coat pocket before strolling through the hospital doors, whistling nonchalantly as he went in with his hands buried in his pants pockets. He coolly walked to the receptionist and asked in a very (almost suspiciously) polite manner, "Excuse me. Sorry for bothering you. Do you know which room Rachel Berry is in?"

"Umm, yeah, hold on one sec," the receptionist replied hastily, obviously caught up in her own problems. She seemed like she was busy, frantically looking through files and tabs of information. She quickly glanced at her computer.

"She's in room 254," the receptionist said quickly, not paying attention to the young teenager in her midst. She assumed he was simply a friend and did not pay any more attention to him.

"Thank you," Seth replied, trying to be as sweet as possible. He slipped away and headed up the elevator to Rachel's room. Trying to make sure he was not seen, he stealthily crept from door to door, hiding behind corners or walls whenever he heard someone coming. He realized some medical professionals might have caught a glimpse of him but he wanted to keep his profile on the down low. Finally he reached room 254. Fumbling through his coat pockets, Seth pulled out a golden brass lock, raising it up in the air so he could admire it. He had been saving that baby for a special occasion; it was a gift from Jacob. He never had a use for it but here was the perfect opportunity! Seth swiftly looped the lock through the latch on Rachel's door and inserted the cam of his lock into the hole so that the door was bolted shut. He wiggled the lock a few times in order to make sure it wouldn't give and slyly ran away.

Seth didn't stop running until he reached a deserted hallway in the hospital, bending down with his hands on his knees and panting like mad when he was finally alone. Adrenaline surged through his body, stimulating him. He had never committed such a "bad boy" crime before and actually doing it was thrilling to him. But it wasn't over yet.

He found a seemingly empty closet and ran in, shutting the door behind him. Whipping out the match box and pulling out a single match, he struck the head of the stick against the side of the box. A bright orange yellow flame exploded from the tip of the match, flickering and illuminating the wide grin on Seth's face. Very carefully opening the door wide enough so that he could later slip through, Seth placed the burning match under the wooden door, its white paint beginning to chip off. Once the fire caught, Seth lit another match and set it on the ground to ensure the flames wouldn't just die out. Dashing out the door, Seth ran until he reached the end of the abandoned hallway. With one last glance at the closet, which was now aflame, he ran like he never ran before.

Finn was chilling back at home with his feet propped up on the table in front of him, a bag of chips in one hand and a can of soda in the other. He watched the television enthusiastically, standing up and whooping with joy when his favorite football team scored a touchdown. Potato chip crumbs tumbled off of his shirt and onto the ground but Finn was too caught up in the game to notice. With a plop, he fell back down onto the couch, now staring intently at the star quarterback who had just thrown the football to his teammate. The ball soared through the air, about to land in other player's hands, but a sudden tackle from the opposing team resulted in a failure for any player to catch the ball. Finn groaned with disappointment and tipped the can of soda towards his lips. Suffice to say, he was thoroughly upset when he discovered that there was not a drop of liquid left in the bottle. He grumbled to himself and walked over to his kitchen to grab another can.

Once in the kitchen, Finn reached to open the refrigerator. He stopped suddenly when he saw the calendar (located on the fridge) with a date repeatedly circled in black ink. He glanced at the date. It was today.

Crap! he thought to himself, Today's the day Rachel leaves the hospital. I promised I'd pick her up since her dads were busy!

Finn quickly snatched the keys that had been hanging on the hook by the door and rushed into his truck. He sped away, hoping Rachel wouldn't be too mad if he was late.

As Finn neared the hospital, he could tell something was amiss...though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Pressing a button positioned on the inside of the car door, Finn was able to make his window slide down and he swore he could smell something burning. It smelled familiar…like that time when he had tried to grill steak but ended up charring the meat so that it was completely burnt black and ashy. Except this time (unbeknownst to him) the stakes were much, much greater.

When the hospital came into view, Finn realized where the smell came from and felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach.

The hospital. Ablaze.

Dense smoke, menacing and ominous, billowed from the building, a pall enveloping what used to be a very busy hospital. The angry fire blazed through windows, consuming everything in its path. From a distance, Finn could hear the sound of sirens gradually growing louder and louder. But he wasn't concerned about that.

He was worried about Rachel. Where is she? Did she get out? Is she safe? Is trapped in the hospital? Is she hurt?

Finn parked his car down the street and ran over to the hospital. He towered over the crowds of people there, some of whom were sobbing, and some of whom were slightly burned and bruised. He tried to spot Rachel in the mess but he couldn't. Running all over the place, Finn bumped into a lady whose head was turned away from him but who had the same long, chestnut brown hair as Rachel. Finn thought it was like a stroke of good luck; he had finally come across Rachel!

"Hey Rach!" he called, tapping the girl lightly on the shoulder.

The girl turned and Finn felt his whole world come crashing down in an instant. It wasn't Rachel. The girl tilted her head, looking at him in a confused manner.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else," he muttered, resuming his search for Rachel. After countless minutes of trying to find her in the mob of people, Finn reluctantly gave up and resorted to using technology. Pulling out his cell phone, Finn scrolled down his list of contacts until he reached Rachel's name. He dialed her number and the phone rang several times before going to her voicemail.

Finn gave out a small cry, frustrated that Rachel wasn't picking up. Where the hell was she? He tore over to the other side of the hospital where he knew the window of Rachel's room was located. Spotting a couple of pebbles on the ground, Finn began frantically chucking them at the window in case Rachel was still in her room. The rocks clinked as they came in contact with the glass and swiftly fell back down to the ground.

Having heard a repetitive tinkling sound, Rachel awoke with a startle, but her hands immediately went to her throat as soon as she opened her eyes. Thick, cloudy smoke had permeated her entire room, clouding her vision. She blinked a couple times before realizing the seriousness of the situation. The freakin' hospital was on fire! She hastily jumped out of bed and lunged for the door. She tried twisting and pulling the knob but, to her horror, discovered that her door was stuck and wouldn't budge.

"HELP!" she cried out desperately, pounding on the door with her fists, "ANYONE?" She grew more frantic by the second, "HELP!"

Suddenly she heard someone shout, bringing her out of her panic attack. She whipped her head around and realized it was…coming from the window?

Rachel moved towards the window and saw Finn standing right below it. A familiar face! Working as fast as she possibly could, Rachel unfastened the latch that had locked the glass in place and slid open the window.

Finn called to her from down below, relieved that she was still alive, "Rachel! You have to get out of there now!"

"I can't!" she shouted back, "The door's stuck!"

"Try again!" he urged, desperate for her to get out safe and sound.

Rachel raced back to her door and with both hands on the knob, heaved with all of her might. The door opened a crack and it was then when Rachel noticed that her door had been fastened securely with a shiny golden lock. She tried to reach her hand through the sliver of an opening but quickly withdrew it when she felt immense heat and pain radiating through her hand. She shook her hand a couple times and glanced at it; her palm was red from where the flames had grazed her. Rachel clenched her hand into a fist, trying to block out the stinging sensation. And as if the burn wasn't enough, the smoke all of a sudden became too much to handle; she coughed violently, her lungs aching for some fresh air. Rachel crumbled onto the ground on her knees, the acrid smoke choking her, preventing her from breathing properly. She coughed again, this time even more harshly. However, with danger looming so close, Rachel, in pure desperation, forced herself to get up and move.

Stumbling back to the window, she cried, "Someone's locked my door! I can't get out!"

Someone could have been tearing Finn's heart apart and scattering them across the globe, he felt so helpless and his heart wrenched in desperation and pain. He tried to come up with a solution but he was running out of time. He didn't want to waste any time running to the firefighters and paramedics all the way of the other side of the hospital. It would be much too late by then; Rachel's room would most definitely be in flames.

An idea popped into his mind but he doubted if it would work as it was extremely risky; however, even though it was a gamble, he knew Rachel would perish if he didn't act soon. Finn's face grew grave as he stated in a serious tone, "You have to jump."

"WHAT?" Rachel practically screamed at him in disbelief.

"Rach, it's the only way! You're only two stories up! I'll catch you I promise." He looked up at her with complete and utter sincerity, "Trust me."

Rachel saw the authenticity (tinted with a shade of fear) in his eyes and knew that Finn would never do anything to hurt her. He was the guy who stayed by her throughout all of the obstacles she had been through. She knew in her heart that Finn wouldn't let her down now. She had to believe in him and take a giant leap of faith.

Rachel slowly staggered up onto the edge of the window, keeping her knees on the windowsill. Tightly grasping the sides of the window frame (her knuckles were white with fear), she slowly moved her legs so that she was crouching down with her feet on the edge. The heat from the room soon became unbearable and from the corner of her eye she could see the door of her room catching on fire. It was now or never.

She glanced back down at Finn and saw him holding out his arms, ready to catch her. Closing her eyes, Rachel took in a deep breath of air and, with one great push from her legs, she jumped.

Are you guys sick of the suspenseful cliffies yet? :p I feel like I have them after every chapter but hey, it's become my personal style haha. Hope this one keeps you on the edge of your seat! I really liked writing this chapter (it's my first 3000+ words chapter too!) and I hope you guys like reading it! Evil Seth…tsk tsk…

On another note in case you are a bit skeptic, the whole sleeping through smoke/fire thing is totally realistic. I didn't believe it before but trust me, I've experienced it firsthand as well as heard true stories about it so that's where I'm drawing it from...

On a slightly happier note, reviews are always appreciated! Help me make it to 200 soon hehe! :) Thanks!