This is a shift day [see above]. There was another upload this morning: Crossover.

"A Dish Best Served Cold"

7. Seventh

Lima, Ohio

Once the police had started cordoning off the school from the onlookers, gotten appraised of the situation, calls had begun to go out. Will had been made to provide the list, and for once he was glad he had the numbers right there with him, although he would have given anything not to have to use them, not for this. But as it was, there were eleven kids in there, in potential danger, and their parents had to be informed.

They would soon begin to arrive, more and more pooling in, and with each new arrival it was only more real, everything that was happening… The first to arrive had been Burt Hummel and Carole Hudson. Will and the four kids had been standing at the front, but then they had heard her. "Finn!" Carole called when she saw her son, and the sight of him worked to both part the crowd and give her wings to move to him.

"Mom…" he moved to her as well, and she nearly bowled him over throwing her arms around him. He wasn't exactly resisting either. Only with her did his fear for what was happening begin to emerge. Burt behind them looked unable to rest on one emotion. He was relieved that Finn was alright, but angry at the actions of Matheson and most of all terrified for Kurt who had to be in there with this man. Will moved to talk with him.

"Burt, I'm so sorry, I…"

"What are they doing to get them out of there?" he didn't need apologies; he needed his son.

"They're trying to establish contact with him. But the detectives from New York who arrested last time are on their way." He paused, feeling like he owed him more, but he couldn't give it to him. "They weren't supposed to be there, not like this, I don't…"

"No, don't go blaming yourself, this isn't on you," Burt insisted, and after a moment Will pushed out a breath and nodded.

After them, more parents had continued arriving. Judy Fabray, Al Motta and his wife, Hiram and Leroy Berry… Even the parents of those who had not been taken had come down to McKinley. With each new arrival he had to give the same bare minimum of information, and he had to worry that even as the minutes and the hours ticked by he didn't really have new information to give any of them. There were over twenty people there eventually, with mothers, fathers, siblings, a grandparent or two… With all their faces together it was hard not to see his Glee Club in them, and all Will wanted was to be able to give them more than he already had.

The car with the New York license plates and the police lights was greeted by the cluster of reporters which had materialized as the hours went by, but the detective and the writer had no mind for them, instead being led through until they could reach the director.

"Mr. Schuester," Beckett addressed him and relief washed over him the moment he saw the both of them. He came up, shaking both their hands.

"Thank you so much for coming, really I… I've got about two dozen family members standing over there and I really want to be able to give them some good news."

"That's what we're here for," Beckett bowed her head. "Has there been any development?"

"Not that I've been told, but… he hasn't called in for anything, no demands, not even food. They must be starving in there," he shook his head. He knew his kids, and they did not do well on hunger, and coupled with the stress they must have been under…

"Where are the other four?" Castle asked, and Will pointed. Castle went to them, soon followed by Beckett. Santana saw them first, tapped Puck's arm and nodded for the others to look as well. He was not too familiar with Finn or Lauren. Puck he knew from the night the boy had spent at his apartment when they were trying to make it seem like he was being held for questioning. But then Santana… He didn't really know her, but he knew Brittany and that was as good as knowing Santana, from how she spoke about her. The girl looked to sense that, staring back at him. "Are you alright?" he asked the four.

"Don't worry about us, what are you going to do to get them out?" Puck asked.

"Making contact with him is our first priority," Beckett nodded.

"Excuse me?" they turned to find Carole there, the rest of the parents and family members at her back. "You're the cops from New York, right?" Beckett and Castle moved away from the kids to approach the group there.

"I'm Detective Kate Beckett," she identified herself. "This is Mr. Castle. I know you've all been waiting, and I promise we're going to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible and get your kids out of there."

With the pair of them off talking with Will and the parents, it left the four of them just standing there again, powerless to what was happening to their friends. Santana just stared at the building like her mind was elsewhere, and it was Puck who realized, moving to stand at her side, that she stood with her phone grasped firmly in her hands. It took about a minute more for him to understand why.

"You're not serious."

"I don't know, alright? I'm thinking…"

"Thinking about what?" Lauren asked.

"Shut up and let me think," Santana snapped, her eyes frowning closed, breathing deep like it would help clear the clutter and tell her what to do.

"He's probably taken hers and all their phones away," Puck pointed out.

"I know," Santana had no room for patience. "Just call it a hunch."

"We should tell them first," Finn finally seemed to understand what was happening.

"No," Santana stopped him. "If we do, they won't let me do it."

"Yeah, I wonder why," Lauren replied, and Santana turned on her.

"Nothing has happened for hours, and they're in there, she's in there, I can't just…" Now it was her fear which burst forth. It silenced them for a beat, but then they thought it through.

"If you're going to do this, better make it quick," Puck told her, and that was all she needed. Instinctively she turned her back toward potentially on looking eyes, pulling her phone up to eye level, staring at the screen. Her fingers froze.

"What if he…" she started. But she had to power through, for Brittany, for all of them, yes… So she let her fingers dance across that screen, calling up the familiar number. The ringing tone felt ominous and heavy so long as it wasn't being answered, waited, waited…

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)