.-.

"Hello?" Rachel's voice echoed throughout the darkness. She couldn't see anything unless she pounded on the invisible wall, the purple streaks of lighting briefly casting a dull haze around the room before fading once again. "Please… let us go!" she begged fruitlessly.

She didn't know how long they'd been trapped inside the dark room, but she was worried about Noah's still form. It must have been hours since they'd been captured, and the disembodied voice had remained silent the entire time. Rachel feared the worst. He hadn't moved in all that time. What if he was hurt? Or worse? She couldn't bear the thought of Noah being hurt because of her.

"Please…" she sobbed again, hoping, wishing, praying that he was okay.

Suddenly, Rachel heard a groan from the darkness. Quickly, she hit the barrier, allowing light to briefly flood the surrounding darkness. She sighed in relief when she saw Noah shaking his head, blinking sluggishly.

"Noah!" She called, thankful that he was finally stirring. "Noah…"

"Rachel?" he asked groggily. "Rachel, what's going on?"

"I don't know, Noah," she replied desperately, hitting the barrier again. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know." He groaned, and Rachel felt herself wanting to cry all over again.

"Noah…"

"What the fuck?" he asked suddenly. She could hear Noah struggling against his binds, the chair rocking against the floor. "What the hell!"

"Noah…" Rachel repeated. "It's no use." She said, gloomily, echoing the horribly voice from earlier. She hit the wall again before continuing, "I think the ropes have been enchanted by a witch."

Noah's head shot up. "What?" he asked incredulously. "You're joking! Please tell me you're fucking joking!"

Rachel shook her head solemnly, biting her lip as she fought back a fresh wave of tears.

"I don't know what's…." But she was suddenly cut off.

"I'm sorry, Rachel," a voice finally sounded from the shadows, breaking the ominous silence of their captors. A different voice. A voice she recognized. "I really wish I didn't have to do this."

"Will?" she asked, completely stunned with disbelief, searching the darkness blindly. "What…?"

A light started glowing from a concealed door, lighting up two figures as they entered before its glow engulfed the room completely. Will walked forwards into the feeble light, followed by a tall, stocky woman with curly brown hair. Despite her brutish figure and deep voice, she looked as delicate as any other woman, a similar expression of helplessness and regret that was also reflected in Will's features.

"You bastard!" Noah shouted when he saw Will, his wild rocking becoming more forceful as he tried to wriggle free from his restraints. "You fucking lowlife!"

"Quiet," said the large woman standing beside Will, and suddenly Noah's voice fell silent, his mouth flapping soundlessly as he tried to speak.

"I need you to understand, Rachel." Will continued, as if Noah's interruption had never happened. "I need you to know that I don't want to do this, but I have to."

Rachel gaped at him silently. How had he known?

"I knew what you were the moment you started glowing. I thought I had imagined it at first, but then it happened again, and I just…" He trailed off. At least he had the decency to look ashamed. "Emma, my wife, she was bitten by one of her students." He tried to explain. "It was an accident, but now once a month I have to watch helplessly as she screams in agony. The transformation is long. Unbearable. I just don't know what else I can do…"

Realization dawned on Rachel's face as he spoke, and she looked at him in shock. "You mean she's a…"

"She's a werewolf." Will stated, his voice filled with sadness. Noah immediately stopped struggling, and gaped openly at Will.

"Shannon here is a witch we met while trying to find a cure. She's the only reason we've been able to survive all this time. When I realized what you were, I asked her to help me to…"

Rachel's eyes glared at Will indignantly. "Capture me? Like an animal?"

Will cringed at Rachel's harsh words. "I'm sorry," he repeated pathetically.

"Did it ever occur to you to ask, Will?" she shouted accusingly. "Did it?"

"Please, Rachel, please understand…" Will repeated, revealing a thin, spindly blade from behind his back. "Please…"

Rachel's eye widened in horror as Noah began struggling once again, frantically rocking from side to side, trying desperately to break free.

"What-what are you doing?" Rachel asked, backing away as far as she could in her small cell.

"Shannon says there's no other way, Rachel…" Will explained. "I need it and then Emma will be okay." He was crying now, tears silently streaming down his face. "I'm-I'm so sorry…"

Will approached brandishing the knife, entering the energized prison with ease.

"Please, Will." Rachel begged. "There's another way."

"She's my wife," he repeated hysterically, no longer seeing reason. "She's my wife…"

Rachel helplessly, scrambling to get away. She heard Noah knock himself over, trying to escape his confines, while Will came closer and closer.

"Please, Will." She pleaded. "Please just listen…"

Suddenly, the front door burst open with a bang, eliciting a loud scream from Rachel. Both Will and Shannon spun around to face the intruder.

"Drop it, William," the man said, stepping into the apartment. "You don't want to do this."

Shannon approached the man, mumbling under her breath, trying to mutter a spell to stop him.

"No," the man said, waving his hand, sending Shannon flying towards the opposite side the room to hang limply on the wall, pinned there by an invisible force.

"Blaine!" Rachel shouted, recognizing the old warlock, her voice pleading for help.

"William," he said again, stretching out his hand, his focus fixed on the distraught man. "Hand me the knife."

"It's the only way." Will repeated brokenly. "It's the only way." He turned again, wildly lunging at Rachel.

Suddenly, Rachel found herself able to step backwards; the invisible force field containing her had disappeared. Seizing the opportunity, she ran around the room, as far away from the hysterical man as possible.

"Rachel!" Noah struggled free from his bounds, his voice returned to him. He was now able to scramble towards her, standing in front of her protectively.

"William," Blaine repeated calmly, before commanding, "look here!"

Against his will, Will was forced to face Blaine, abruptly dropping the knife in his hand as though it had seared his skin and causing it to clatter loudly against the floor.

There before him stood Emma, soft tears falling down her cheeks. "Will?" she asked in confusion, her voice very, very small.

"Emma…" Will stumbled towards his wife, his arms moving to embrace her, but instead they just passed right through her body.

"It's a projection, Will," Blaine explained. "She's not physically here, but she can see you as if you were standing right in front of her."

"Will, what are you doing?" Emma asked, trying to contain her sobs.

Will crumpled to his knees in front of his wife, completely broken. "I'm so sorry." He cried again, his voice completely hopeless as he buried his face in his hands. "I just didn't know what to do."

Emma, too, kneeled and sobbed, reaching out, trying to console him, but once again her hand passed through him, like he was nothing more than a stream of light. "Will…"

Rachel couldn't bear it. Her heart ached for the forlorn couple. She moved slowly towards Will, but Noah held her back, giving her a warning look. "It's alright, Noah," she said, trying to reassure him. "It's okay."

Reluctantly, he nodded and allowed her to approach the broken man sobbing on the floor.

"Will…" she said, her hand gently touching his shoulder.

At first he flinched, as if he expected her touch to scald him, but then a fresh wave of tears overcame him, and he grasped Rachel's hand tightly. "Oh my god, Rachel, I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay, Will. I forgive you." His body slumped in relief, possibly disbelief, and he looked up at her. "You're a good man, Will. I understand."

He shook his head vigorously, blinking away his tears. "It's no excuse…"

Rachel hushed him, and held both his hands in hers. "It's okay, Will."

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"Rachel, don't…" Blaine warned but she ignored him.

She couldn't bear the pain this man was in. He was just a lost husband, trying to do whatever it took to protect his wife, and if she could ease his pain, even the slightest, she would do it.

She could feel herself draining of energy, passing it on to someone who needed it more.

Opening her eyes, she looked at Will and said kindly, "Go home, Will. Go home and hold your wife. Tell her how much you love her, and never let her go."

Will nodded, looking away ashamed. He didn't know it yet, but Rachel had imparted a great gift upon him; it wasn't everything that he needed to cure Emma, but with the help of the witch, Rachel was sure he'd find a way.

Rachel released his hands and stood up. She stumbled slightly, feeling a pair of strong arms encircle her waist.

"Rachel…" Noah spoke, his voice laced with concern as he steadied her. "What the…"

"Not now, Noah," she interrupted gently, one hand clinging tightly to his shirt, the other moving to brace her slightly aching head. "Let's just go."

Slowly, with Noah's arms around her, Rachel walked out of the building. The sun was setting as they stepped out of the building, and Rachel had almost forgotten that there was a world outside that pitch black room.

She directed Noah towards a nearby wall and slumped against it, trying to regain her strength. She could feel Noah's concerned yet confused gaze on her, studying her intently. She met his gaze, trying to convey everything silently. She would explain later. She would. Right now, she just couldn't.

Instead, she directed her gaze towards their savior.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Blaine," she said, offering him a smile.

The warlock looked at her calculatingly, not returning her friendly smile. "What are you doing here, Rachel?" he asked calmly, though his voice carried a stern tone.

She ignored his question and turned towards the glimmering white unicorn flanking Blaine's right. "And you, too, Kurt."

Noah looked at her confused. "What?"

She'd forgotten that mortals couldn't see Kurt, that he didn't exist on the human plane. She opened her mouth to explain, but Blaine cut her off.

"Rachel," he said firmly, demanding an explanation. "You shouldn't…"

"I know, Blaine. Can we please just not talk about it right now?"

"Fine," he replied, crossing his arms across his chest. "You can explain it on the way back to my place. That way I can send you back."

Rachel's head shot up. "No!" she said, summoning as much strength as possible to push herself up off the wall, preparing to walk away

"You have to, Rachel. It's dangerous. The Unholy Trinity have awakened, and they're coming for you."

Rachel froze in her place.

She wondered if Blaine's statement was true. The Unholy Trinity had disappeared almost three hundred years ago. After a century of madness and mayhem, wreaking havoc around the world and doing the evil witch queen's bidding, they had vanished. Everyone believed the queen had killed them in anger, jealous of their eternal beauty and unfailing strength.

She shook her head, disbelievingly. "I don't believe you. The Unholy Trinity is gone. They have been dead for a long time." She paused, swallowing thickly, turning on the offensive. "And besides, you're the one who shouldn't be here! I don't need you here, Blaine."

Puck's question, "Who the fuck is the Unholy Trinity?" went ignored.

"Oh?" Blaine asked in disbelief, his voice eerily calm. "And what would have happened if I hadn't arrived? What would you have done? He would have taken it, Rachel, and it would have been useless. At least for his purpose." His hand hooked around her arm to stop her, pulling her to face him. "You shouldn't be here, let alone be using your magics. What you did in there? It's against the rules. And the fact that you did it with no regards for the law further proves that you have to go back. You don't belong here, Rachel." He tugged on her arm, trying to force her to go with him.

"Yes, yes, I do!" Rachel protested stubbornly, shrugging his hand away. She was quickly getting aggravated. Who was Blaine to all of a sudden turn up and start dictating her life? "Look Blaine, I appreciate what you did in there. Your arrival was timely and I am most grateful, but I'm not going anywhere. I just got here!"

"No, Rachel, you have to go back!" Blaine persisted, glaring at her like she was a petulant child. He reached out again to grab her hand when…

"No!" She burst out, yelling so loudly that waves of energy exuded from her body, causing a strong pulse to send Blaine flying backwards. He landed some thirty feet away with a loud thud in the middle of the sidewalk. She looked around panicked, grabbing Noah's hand as he watched, stunned. She briefly looked at the Kurt as he whinnied indignantly, galloping towards Blaine's fallen form. "I'm sorry, Kurt," she called out to him apologetically. "I just… I can't."

Rachel turned abruptly and ran, pulling a speechless Noah along with her, and leaving Kurt to fawn over Blaine's fallen body. She hated doing that to him, but she had to. He just didn't understand. She hadn't come all this way to turn back so close to the finish line.

Unholy Trinity or not, she didn't care. She just couldn't. She refused to. This was her dream, and she couldn't turn back now. No matter what.

.-.

Puck followed blindly as Rachel pulled him along, his mind still reeling at the day's unexpected chain of events. He couldn't help wondering what the fuck he had stumbled into.

At first, this gig seemed easy. Take a hot chick to New York, and all his dreams would come true. Easy as pie, whatever that meant. But after being knocked unconscious, tied up and having his voice magically gagged, all while watching a seemingly normal decent guy lunge at Rachel with a knife?

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Now there was this other guy, Blaine, some magical dude or whatever, who was after Rachel and trying to force her to return "home." And with Rachel talking to invisible people about complete nonsense… Puck felt like his world was spinning out of control. Or maybe it was just spinning?

What the fuck had he gotten himself into?

He pulled Rachel to a stop, digging his heels into the pavement. She turned to look at him, and Puck dropped her hand, almost as if her touch burned his skin, letting it fall limply to her side. He stumbled backwards, putting a few paces of distance between them.

He stared at her incomprehensively, watching her as she cringed, shying away from his inevitable outburst, the question bubbling at the pit of his stomach ready to come out. He opened his mouth, his question ready to burst when, suddenly, Puck turned his head to the side and wretched, the contents of his stomach hitting the sidewalk. He turned his face away, spitting out the unpleasant taste of bile lining his mouth.

Rachel rushed over to his crouched form, laying a hand on his back and attempting to run soothing circles along it. But he shrugged her away again, taking another few staggering steps away from her.

It was all too much. The past thirty-six hours shouldn't have happened. It couldn't have happened. He pinched his arm, hoping beyond hope that he was still hanging upside down and unconscious in his truck, waiting to wake up. There was no such luck; he felt the definite and unmistakable twinge on his arm.

"Noah…" Rachel began timidly, and Puck whirled around to face her, wiping his mouth with the edge of his sleeve. She looked so scared, like she didn't know what to expect. The anger was there, on the tip of his tongue, ready to yell, scream, anything to make sense of had happened, but as he looked at her shivering, nervous form he found that he couldn't get the words out.

What was it about this girl?

He groaned and rolled his eyes in frustration, his hands moving up to clutch his head. He turned away again and took a few deep, calming breaths. When he finally did manage to speak, he tried to remain as calm as possible, speaking slowly and purposefully, void of any anger or distress.

"What's going on, Rachel?" he asked, walking over and slumping down on a nearby bench. He looked around and realized that they were probably on the edge of some park. There was a large stone wall behind him, extending down a large concrete path, a place where everyday people walked and jogged and generally went about their everyday lives. In all the chaos, Puck hadn't even noticed them. All he saw was Rachel, and the image of her cowering away from a spindly knife. He shook the memory away, trying to clear his head.

Rachel sighed and took a seat beside him, her back straight and her body tense.

"It was nothing, Noah," she said dejectedly, her eyes darting about and refusing to meet his.

Puck wanted to groan in frustration again, but instead he turned and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcibly angling her body towards his.

"Don't give me that bullshit. I almost watched you get stabbed to death!" he said incredulously, rapidly losing his composure. It felt like the fear in her eyes earlier was firmly imprinted on his retina, etched there forever. He couldn't shake the feeling of dread and helplessness he'd had as he lay silent on the ground, effectively bound and gagged.

He looked at her sternly, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Now I deserve to know what the hell I've gotten into!"

Rachel glanced down at her hands, wringing them together nervously.

"Rachel…" he prodded, his voice softening as he took pity on her.

"It wouldn't have worked," Rachel finally spoke, her voice shaky. "I mean, he wouldn't have been able to take it. Not like that."

"Take what? Like what?" Puck frowned at her. Her words offered no explanation whatsoever. "What the hell happened back there?"

"He wanted it for his wife." When Puck continued staring at her, his face lined with confusion. "My wish. He wanted my wish."

Puck's eyes widened, realization dawning on his face.

"He wanted to-to cut it out of you?" he asked, incredulously, bordering on hysteric. He closed his eyes and swallowed thickly. This was more insane than he thought. He didn't even think that was possible.

Rachel nodded solemnly, still refusing to look up. "But like I said, it wouldn't have worked," she repeated. "That witch had been seriously misinformed."

"What?" Puck shook his head. It felt like it was going to explode as he tried to process… everything.

"My wish can't be cut out of me. I have to grant it willingly, otherwise it won't come true."

Puck stared at her blankly, his eyes unseeing. He could hear the words she was saying, even process a few of them individually, but together, he had no idea what they meant. Puck opened his mouth once more, but Rachel cut him off.

"Please, Puck, can I explain later? I just feel so tired right now."

He tried to nod, he really did, but he just couldn't bring himself to let it go, not yet, not even just temporarily. There were just too many thoughts, fears and alarms running through his mind. It was like a giant mess and he needed, needed, to make some sense of it. Even if they were just the smallest of things.

"At least explain to me who that Blaine guy was." He demanded, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

Rachel sighed and nodded. "Okay… That I can explain…"

.-.

Blaine's eyes blinked open and took in his surroundings, the sound of a dull beep filling the background. He turned and took in the heart monitor connected to his chest, the stark white walls and smell of disinfectant. He was in a hospital. He turned his head to the other side and saw Kurt standing over his body.

Blaine sighed, letting his head sink back into the pillow. "Is she okay?" he asked.

Kurt's head bobbed up and down and Blaine relaxed. "She's a stubborn one, that one."

Kurt neighed, shaking his mane.

"Yeah, I know. She is acting just like he was. But he realized his mistake, and so will she."

Kurt moved forward, nuzzling Blaine's hand affectionately.

Blaine smiled. "I'm fine," he said, trying to appease his friend's concern.

Kurt whinnied, his mane shaking again and his hoof clacking against the linoleum floor.

Blaine laughed, scratching the underside of the unicorn's chin. "Yes, I'm sure. I'm perfectly fine. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Sir?" A voice spoke and Blaine turned his head towards the door to see a nurse poking her head inside, looking at him strangely. "Is everything okay?" she asked uncertainly.

Blaine immediately dropped his hand and smiled. "I'm quite alright, miss. How are you?"

"Fine, thanks…" the woman said slowly, eyeing him strangely. She entered the room and walked over to check his vitals, completely oblivious to the pearly white unicorn also occupying the room.

"I feel fine," Blaine said with an assuring smile. The nurse stepped back, appraising him skeptically, Blaine worried that she'd heard him earlier. Instead, he tried to push on cheerfully. "So, can I go home now?"

The nurse fixed him with a stern glare. "Not until morning, at the earliest. You'll need a doctor's consent before you'll be allowed to leave. Also, I need you to fill out this paperwork, Mr…"

"Anderson," Blaine responded promptly, offering the middle-aged woman a smile.

"Mr. Anderson," she repeated, pursing her lips before handing him a metal clipboard. "I'll be back to collect it in a moment." The nurse returned his smile tightly and exited the room, leaving him alone.

As soon as she was gone, Blaine began tugging at the wires connected to his body, disconnecting the monitor and tubes. Kurt whinnied again in protest, nudging Blaine with his nose and urging him to sit back down.

"I'm fine, old friend." Blaine reassured the unicorn, patting his mane. "I have work to do."

Kurt shook his mane and rigorously pushed against Blaine's hand, forcefully sending him back against the bed.

Blaine sighed, shaking his head gently at his friend. "Look, I know you're concerned. But you know as well as I do that we don't have time to waste. The Unholy Trinity is closing in on her, and the witch queen is that much closer to claiming her prize. Not to mention we have to deal with the witch, possibly bind her powers. I don't have time to just lie around."

Kurt leaned his muzzle into Blaine's hand again, staring directly into his eyes, wide and unblinking.

Blaine felt his heart constrict. He had known Kurt his entire life. He had popped up every now and again, seeking Blaine's help, and of course, he'd always done all that he could to help. But lately, Kurt's visits had been few and far between. And Blaine knew exactly why.

It was hard. Kurt, like Rachel, didn't really belong to his world. But nor did he belong to the magical world. He straddled both worlds, coming and going when he could. Blaine knew Kurt hadn't always been a unicorn, but a normal human boy. Well, mortal anyway. He'd been born clairvoyant, able to see all that was, all that is and all that will be. But centuries ago, something had happened, and Kurt was transformed into what he was today. He had never explained what happened, refused to reply whenever Blaine used to ask, so he had stopped asking, opting to help in any way he could instead.

Kurt had been there on the day of his birth, had appeared out of the shadows just like he had done the previous day to warn him. Blaine couldn't remember much of his childhood, but he did remember seeing Kurt come and go, bringing words of warning or hope.

See, Blaine, too, belonged neither here nor there. He'd spent the majority of his life as an outcast, his gifts and youth alienating him from his family and friends. Needless to say, Kurt provided a safe haven from his troubles.

They were… friends. Close friends. The oldest of friends. And it was because of that friendship that Blaine couldn't just sit back and let bad things happen.

Blaine gently placed his hands along the plane of Kurt's muzzle, and brought his face in close. "You and I both know that Rachel's just rebelling against her nature, but sooner or later, she'll want to go back. We can't let anything happen to her. You know we can't."

Kurt neighed, tapping his front hoof softly against the hard hospital floor.

Blaine smiled. "I know. I'll be more careful next time." He again stood up from the bed, and started disentangling himself from the hospital equipment. "Truth be told, I didn't expect her to be so powerful. She has a lot of determination."

Blaine sighed, collecting his belongings quickly to get change from the revealing hospital gown. "Unfortunately, determination isn't going to prepare her for what she's going to face. Not by a long shot."

.-.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think ;)