Okay, so I'm trying to start a new tradition. I want to personally respond to everyone who reviews because I think you all deserve something for taking the time to tell me what you liked (or didn't like) about my story. If you didn't get a PM, check your email. :) As always, thanks for your reviews! And also thanks to the many favorites and alerts :D So nice!

Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Not even one teeny tiny bit. But Seth is! :D

Chapter 11

Rachel felt a gush of wind fly past her as she plummeted like a rock down towards the hard cement pavement, her hair streaming behind her. She clenched her eyes, pressing down harder than before, fearing what would happen if Finn didn't catch her. Meeting concrete did not sound like such a pleasant idea.

But it was all over before she knew it.

Rachel landed a pair of perfectly strong, muscular arms and was immediately crushed in a cradling embrace. Her neck fit perfectly into the crook of Finn's elbow and her legs dangled off of his left arm. She felt so safe and secure once he held her close to his chest.

Finn fell to his knees, still grasping tightly onto Rachel. He placed her gently on the ground where she immediately leaned in and gave Finn a huge hug, throwing her arms around his neck. He in turn wrapped one arm around her waist, giving her a tight squeeze.

"Are you okay?" Finn asked worriedly, stroking her hair while still holding onto her body.

"Yeah, all thanks to you." She smiled, snuggling her head deeper into the side of his neck, not willing to let go of him.

"God, you scared me Rach," he said, finally pulling away from the hug. He raised her chin with his index finger. "You've been doing that a lot lately." Finn chuckled as he took Rachel's hand and put it on his chest.

"Listen," he instructed softly. She felt his heart beat rapidly, pounding like crazy, almost ready to jump out of his chest.

She smiled and slowly took her hand off of Finn's chest but Finn suddenly caught her by the wrist, turning her hand over to reveal her now blistering palm. Skin was starting to peel off ever so slightly, her skin bright red.

"I thought you said you weren't hurt!" he said alarmed, gently taking her hand in his to examine the damage.

"It's nothing. It barely even stings," Rachel lied, trying to pull back her hand. In all honesty, she had forgotten about the burn, but now as she focused on it more, she all of a sudden became aware of the throbbing pain surging through her palm.

Finn grabbed her other hand and helped Rachel stand up, leading her over to the other side of the hospital towards the paramedics. Running up to a man in a blue uniform marked with a red cross, Finn asked if they could help Rachel's burn. The paramedic took one look at the nasty burn and immediately ushered Rachel towards a swarm of EMTs, all of whom were busily treating various burns and cuts.

One paramedic gingerly held Rachel's hand, washing the burn down with cool water in a bucket nearby. Rachel let her hand soak in the water, the pain not completely subsiding. However, Rachel wasn't thinking about the pain or about herself. She was worried about the other patients who had been in the hospital too. What happened to them? Were they all safe? Did they all get out? She glanced worryingly at Finn who had his arm draped around her shoulder, tenderly stroking her upper arm with his thumb. He made eye contact with her, curious as to why she seemed so concerned.

"Rach, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing," she lied again, shaking her head. She didn't want to seem weak or anxious in front of Finn.

He, however, could see through her thin veneer and knew that there was something on Rachel's mind that she wasn't telling him.

"Seriously Rachel," he said in a firm yet gentle tone, "I know something's bothering you. Why won't you tell me what's the matter?"

"I'm just worried, Finn. What if there are still people trapped inside? For that brief moment in that hospital room, with no one there to help me, no one to talk to, I thought that was it." She grew quiet before saying, "I thought I was going to die. I can't imagine anyone having to go through the same thing! They might be dying in there Finn!" She grew more hysterical, tears welling up in her eyes, ready to spill out at any second.

"Don't worry, Rach," he comforted, pulling her close to him. He leaned his head on top of hers and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I have to go make sure no one else is trap—ow!" She winced as the paramedic cleaned out her wound. "Will you come with me?"

"Of course, I'm surprised you even had to ask."

Afterwards, the paramedic squeezed a creamy, white substance onto a piece of gauze and wrapped the bandage securely around Rachel's hand. She thanked the paramedic and quickly walked away with Finn.

Suddenly she heard a low voice, booming over the crowd. "Berry, Rachel?" Rachel's head turned to the sound of whoever was calling her name; it was odd, she didn't recognize this voice at all. The voice cried out again, "Is Rachel Berry here?"

Dragging Finn along with her, Rachel soon found out where the sound was coming from. A police man, dressed in a dark blue uniform adorned with various badges and pins, clutched a clipboard and a pen, crossing off the names of patients who were registered at the hospital.

Rachel walked up to the man as he turned to stare at her. "I'm Rachel Berry," she stated.

"Oh good, thank you," he replied as he drew a line over her name.

"Can I ask what you're doing?" Rachel spoke up, confused.

"Making sure everyone is accounted for," the officer replied before bellowing out another name, "Stewart, Ryan? Has anyone seen a Ryan Stewart?" He looked back at Rachel before continuing, "Someone apparently thought it would be a fun trick to light the hospital on fire. It's bad luck that the fire alarms hadn't been checked for years; they were broken. Fortunately a nurse was nearby and spotted the fire before it got too out of hand. Now we need to make sure every patient is safe…how did you get out may I ask?"

"I jumped out."

The police officer looked at her in total shock, his eyebrows arched, his eyes glancing back and forth between Rachel and Finn.

Finn pointed to himself, as if the police officer needed more help piecing the clues together, "I caught her."

"Thank you Captain Obvious," Rachel whispered, giggling softly.

The police officer was still staring disbelievingly at the two teens so Rachel decided to elaborate, "I was in a room on the second floor and I woke up to smoke in my room. I tried to open the door but it was locked. That's when I burned myself." She lifted up her bandaged hand and kept talking, "Lucky for me, Finn was right there below my window and I jumped."

"W-w-wait," the police officer stuttered, "The door was locked?"

She nodded her head slowly, wondering why the officer was so confused. She had assumed that a doctor had locked her door because it was nearing night time…

"The doors are never locked. I've been helping out this hospital for over ten years. Not once have doctors ever been permitted to lock the patients' doors."

"So what are you saying?" Finn protectively rested an arm around Rachel's shoulders.

"I'm not quite sure just yet. I'll promise to look into it, okay? Now you kids better get home. Your parents might be worried."

"Thanks officer."

Seth sat wide-eyed as he watched the news program, the reporter busily explaining what had expired at Lima Memorial. Grabbing the remote, he turned up the volume in order to hear the report more clearly.

What appears to have been a mere accident at Lima Memorial Hospital may have actually been an act of treason. Though the fire destroyed all of the video cameras inside the hospital, one hidden camera outside revealed footage of a young boy running out of the building just before the fire broke out. Because his back was the only thing caught on tape, we do not know his identity nor do we have any confirmation if that boy is responsible.

The reported suddenly placed her hand next to earpiece she was wearing.

We have just been informed that no one died in the fire. Only a few had minor burns and everyone was able to escape the deadly flames. If you have any information that might be helpful about this case, please call the phone number below or the police. Back to y-

Seth cursed under his breath as he quickly turned off his television with a flick of his remote, stomping back to his room instead. He barged into his room, slamming the door shut with the heel of his foot. Seth was frustrated that after all he done, Rachel Berry was still alive and he was back to square one. And now, on top of all things, he had been spotted and caught on a dumb security tape! Seth muttered angrily under his breath. He thought he had been so careful! Obviously, he was wrong.

Onto Plan B. At least now he knew what changes had to be made in order for his plan to be successful. He had to corner Rachel alone, that was for sure. That would be the only way to ensure that he could finish the job once and for all. A wave of different possibilities flooded his mind; however, he decided to wait a few days in order to spy on Rachel and fully understand in what ways he could trap her.

After throwing away the leftover box of matches and washing all of his clothes in a method to remove all of the possible evidence, Seth jumped into the shower. He felt the hot water stream down his back, calming him down. His muscles relaxed under the downpour of water as he felt his worry wash down the drain. All of the fear and trepidation he had seemed to have simply disappeared as the water continued to gush down all over his body. He massaged his hair with shampoo and very slowly lathered his body with soap. Seth didn't want to ever get out of the shower. He felt so serene and careless and at peace as the water cascaded down him. After forty long, blessed minutes in the shower, he unwillingly turned the spout off and grabbed a towel from the rack to dry himself off.

Slowly trudging back to bed, Seth climbed in, covering himself with his large quilt. He rested his head on his pillow, wondering why Jacob's last wish had to come to this. Seth wasn't a particularly violent person but he was probably the most devoted and loyal friend one could have. So if Jacob wanted it, Jacob would get it. After a few minutes, Seth fell asleep, dreaming about the ways he could finally get to Rachel Berry and make his friend proud.

Finn opened the door for Rachel and she graciously stepped into the passenger seat of his truck. After buckling her seat belt, Rachel took some time to observe the inside of his truck.

"Sorry, it's a bit messy," Finn stated when he saw Rachel looking around, "I didn't have the time to clean it."

Messy was an understatement. Empty Pepsi cans sat in all four of the cup holders, papers were strewn on the back seat as if they were of no use, and balled up grease stained napkins had been carelessly tossed on the floor. Rachel saw a glint of what looked to be a magazine stuffed under her seat. Picking it up, she realized she had stumbled upon a Playboy magazine.

She raised her eyebrows at Finn, holding up the magazine and trying to suppress her giggles. She saw Finn's eyes widen as he chuckled nervously, his cheeks flushed red.

"Oh that's Puck's," he said hastily, snatching the magazine from her hands and throwing it behind his seat.

"I see," Rachel said, laughing, amused at how quickly his face could change color.

Finn, keen to change the conversation, nudged her with his shoulder and said, "C'mon, let's get you home." And with that, he drove away out onto the street and into the vibrant pink sunset.

After a short ride, Finn pulled up onto Rachel's driveway, unlocking Rachel's door and escorting her out. They linked arms and ambled up towards the front door. Just as Finn was about to insert the key into the lock, Rachel put her hand out, stopping Finn from opening the door.

"Where'd you get that?" She glanced at the key in Finn's hand.

"Your dads gave it to me." Finn earnestly moved towards the door once again but Rachel grabbed his shirt, pulling him back towards her.

"No, they wouldn't do that without telling me. They're very protective of their little star."

"Well, that's exactly what happened." Finn put his hands up in the air as if he was caught by a cop.

"You're up to something Hudson. I know it."

"Now, why would you say that?" He grinned widely, dragging Rachel up onto the porch with him.

Rachel eyed him suspiciously. Something was up and it was killing her that she didn't know what. Finn slid the key into its slot and twisted the knob, opening the door for Rachel. She unsuspectingly stepped in the room, only to be welcomed by a loud "WELCOME HOME RACHEL!" combined with a mixture of different party horns and noisemakers.

Her jaw dropped and if it wasn't for Finn's gentle shove into the room, Rachel was pretty sure she would have stood in the doorway with her mouth agape the entire time. Colorful streamers were strung across the ceiling, pink balloons floated freely through the air, and a huge banner that read "Welcome Home Rachel" with gold stars on each side tied the scene together. Every single one of the Glee club members had their heads poking out from various hiding positions. Mike and Matt had somehow squeezed their way into a closet, while Puck and Quinn were hiding on the staircase, peeking out from behind a wall that had shielded their bodies from view. Artie had maneuvered his wheelchair behind a potted plant. Tina, Kurt, and Mercedes were concealed by the couch while Santana and Brittany were lying down under a table, snuggling as close as humanly possible to each other so they would not be seen.

Rachel let out a barely audible high pitched squeal as she turned to face Finn who was still standing by her side. Finn reached out his arms, presuming Rachel would be all over him and give him another hug. Her reaction was not what he was expecting.

She slapped his chest playfully, and pointed a finger at him. "You knew about this all along and you never told me?"

"Well that would ruin the whole point of a surprise party," he laughed.

"Still…you could have at least warned me or something…"

Kurt piped up, "Where's the fun in that?" He walked over to Rachel and gave her a tight squeeze, "Nice to have you back."

"It's nice to be back. I've missed you all so much." She turned towards her fellow classmates, immediately going into what everyone dubbed as 'Rachel Berry mode', "How's Glee club been? Are we prepared for sectionals? Do we have the songs picked out? What about the choreography? I'm sure I can whip one up in a jiffy if you're not ready. It's imperative that we start rehearsing immediately."

"Calm down Rachel," Mercedes joked as she came up to give Rachel a hug, "You know us. We've got it covered…ish."

Rachel raised a skeptical eyebrow at her and let out a tiny laugh. Despite her concerns about sectionals, she couldn't deny that it felt so great to finally be reunited with friends who seemed like they truly cared about her.

After Rachel was welcomed by all of her New Directions' comrades, her friends shooed her into the kitchen where she was met with a table absolutely stuffed with food like a buffet. The Glee clubbers had each brought a different dish for the occasion, just like a potluck. Quinn brought in her homemade casserole. Puck decided that he would bring some potato pancakes so he and Rachel could flaunt their good-lookin'-Jew-ness together. Mike brought corn on the cob while the meat dishes (for the non vegans…basically everyone besides Rachel) were delivered by Matt. Santana volunteered to bring salad with a side of Sue Sylvester's Master Cleanse (including the teaspoon of sand). Kurt brought in a bowl of mixed berries, which he insisted was good for one's skin. Tina and Mercedes baked batches of cookies and brownies for the dessert. Brittany forgot to bring anything.

Rachel was floored, so grateful that she had so many wonderful friends who would do this for her. She slowly turned to Finn and saw him nod, unbeknownst to everyone else. She nodded back, knowing that he was trying to signal a message to her: they would keep the whole fire incident on the down low so everyone could enjoy themselves and not have to worry about anything.

The party soon commenced as everyone began to pile food onto their plates, eager to chow down the feast held before them. Once they all found their seats around the dining room table, the teenagers began busily chatting and gossiping about the latest scandals. Rachel picked at her food, not really hungry after the day's events.

"C'mon Rachel. You got to eat something," Finn remarked, already on his third plate.

"I'm not that hungry right now. I just want to spend some time with my friends." She gave him a small smile.

He smiled back, accepting her decision, and engaged in the discussion at the table. The kids babbled on and on, eating heartily as they went.

"Mmm, this casserole is really good!"

"Did you know that I stole Ms. Sylvester's diary? It's right here, look…"

"Whoever made these brownies, I just wanted to say that I love you…"

Brittany whispered to Santana, "Where's the birthday cake?" She tilted her head sideways like a confused puppy as Santana shook her head and shrugged her off as usual.

Finn raised his cup in the air, prepared to give a toast. He tried clinking his glass with his fork like in the movies but as soon as he jerked his hand, the fork flew up in the air, cartwheeling past Kurt's head (who let out a shrill shriek) and landing with a thud on the ground.

"Oops," he said, embarrassed. He saw everyone's wide eyed stares and noted positively, "At least I got your attention!"

Turning to look at Rachel, he began his speech, "I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I'm so incredibly glad that you're with us today Rach. You have got to be one of the strongest people I know and I just wanted to take this time to make sure you knew that too. Here's to you and Glee club!"

Rachel blushed feverously as everyone clinked their glasses in approval. She simply responded with a small "thanks everyone" as the kids began attacking their plates of food.

Kurt rubbed his full belly, "I'm stuffed. I'm pretty sure I ate my weight in corn."

Brittany's ears perked as she added, drifting off day dreamily, "I once ate an acorn…"

Kurt glanced at her strangely for a second and then moved on, "I brought my karaoke machine and facial kit. I thought we could all enjoy music and exfoliate our skin at the same time!" He grinned as he lifted up a bottle of moisturizing cream and a towelette.

Some nodded while others stared at the boy in shock and horror. Nevertheless, all of the Glee clubbers left the dining room table and congregated in the family room where the karaoke machine was positioned.

Finn picked up one of the two microphones, holding out the other one and gesturing for Rachel to do the same. Gratefully accepting the device from Finn's hand, she stepped right beside him, poised to sing her heart out. Mercedes jumped over and clicked the play button on the karaoke machine. Immediately a familiar tune flowed through the air, enticing everyone to sing along.

"Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world…"

No cliffy for the first time ever! Aren't you proud? xD But trust me, the cliffies will return…with a vengeance! I just thought a sweeter ending was well deserved. Yeah, sorry if the Glee club's a bit OOC (especially Brittany). I tried :/ I wasn't happy about this chapter but here it is anyway. I hope it wasn't too bad.

Random but can anybody guess the two references in this chapter? I just felt like including them and I'm wondering if any of you Gleeks can figure it out (I bet all of you can :p)!

Please review and make me a happy-go-lucky gal! :)