A/N: So, I'll be introducing some original characters. Some are characters that I'm introducing from Glee world, and some as I go along will be people rescued before, and people to be rescued. I might be using OCs from another story I wrote for another site a while back. Not sure yet. Just an FYI. I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story. I know there hasn't been a lot of action, but there will be some action soon.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Rachel and Brittany spent the next two hours getting their asses kicked by Faith and the youngest girl, a little ten year old from Egypt named Shahara. Faith told them how Xander had found the girl in Cairo a year before and while she was learning English, she still didn't have the best grasp of it. Besides their tendency towards foul language, Rachel found herself really liking and fitting in with the other slayers. They just automatically accepted her and Brittany. They didn't care who she'd been before, or who she hadn't been, and even though she'd never been in any physical altercations before she still found herself almost able to keep up with the more experienced girls.

She'd just delivered a roundhouse kick to Faith, sending the older girl across the floor when Buffy moved over to them. "How's it going over here?"

Faith had righted herself and thrown her arms over both Rachel and Brittany's shoulders. "These girl's are naturals, B. Rach here can kick like a fuckin' mule!"

"She's a dancer, F. Not really surprised she's got strong legs."

"And Britt's got good evasion skills. She was somersaultin' all over the damn place. I don't think I got more than one or two hits in on her!"

Shahara had attached herself to Rachel's leg, and beamed up at Buffy. She began babbling something in her own language and finished with, "Ray-kel gooot!"

"I think Shahara has a new favorite," Buffy laughed.

The guys had been going over both offensive and defensive moves for a while now. At the beginning of their drills Riley and Dean had explained that they'd be training in hand to hand and weaponry, and perhaps even, in one or two cases, explosives. When Riley saw the slayers breaking up and heading out of the room he called a halt to the guy's work out.

Buffy and Dean had been right, he thought; the Puckerman kid, along with Hudson and Karofsky were tough. And Chang, Rutherford and Carruthers were slippery little fuckers. Sadler was young, but tenacious. Every time Graham knocked him down, the fourteen year old football player just got right back up. Sam Winchester had made the comment how with these skills their football and hockey teams must have kicked ass. The teens had looked at each other and began mumbling how, no, they pretty much sucked. Dean had snorted and said that didn't mean they sucked, it just meant their coach did. All seven teens had gone silent and Ken Tanaka, who'd just been observing, had slammed out of the room. Graham had looked at Dean and quipped, "Guess that was the coach."

Finn and Puck had just started to move towards Rachel and Brittany when a strange humming filled the air. "Is that another magic door thing?" Brittany's voice broke the strange silence.

Everyone in the room looked to see a strange bluish-white light pulsating in the far end of the room. Buffy and her Scoobies, as she called them, minus Willow who was upstairs, moved forward pushing the others behind them. A slender figure began to form, its body extremely thin, and its face morphing from feminine to masculine from one moment to the next.

"Our finest champions now look upon us in physical form," it began, its voice hollow and echoing. "Never did we think to look upon your countenance in the flesh. Always were our needs spoken of through our intermediary, our dear Whistler."

"You're The Powers That Be?" Buffy asked; a tone of distaste in her voice. "About fucking time."

"Once, we were, but soon that title shall no longer remain. Soon we go the way of all others. We are undone."

"What does that mean?" Xander asked.

"This life being lived was unwritten, these days untold by prophecy," the voices switched, high then low, hollow but layered as if more than one voice spoke, losing power as it continued. "All that was meant to be is now unshaped. All that was to come, is now lost. Threads sewn into a tapestry, unraveled. The most unnatural no longer welcome. We are ended," there was a deep sadness in its voice. "Soon, our last foothold lost. We would bequeath the last vestiges of ourselves to thee before this would happen. Long we have known the anger and displeasure harbored when our title spoken, yet still have you fought. Even with hearts weighed with bitterness towards us, you have done as asked. We are unmade, but you are not… and so we give the last of ourselves to your aid."

Buffy looked at the being who had manipulated her through the years. "And what exactly is your aid?" she asked rubbing her face wearily.

"So many are born with potential; slayers, witches… we give to those who are worthy, those who have shown themselves thus, THEIR potential." As soon as the words left its mouth the glow grew fainter. "Never did we think this… death would hurt… With our last breath we decree, our slayers will be protected from this scourge of man-made devilry. We would if we could, with our last breath protect you all, but we can only protect those we have highest claim to. And now, dearest Champion, you have the world you once wished for, a world with no vampires, no Vengeance Demons, no Demons at all, and now no Powers That Be." There was a slight gasp of air and the being hardened into a dark gray ash, and then crumbled to the ground into dust.

Before anyone could say anything a shriek tore through the air, and Kurt came slamming up to the ornate staircase that led to the second floor. He looked down at everyone with wild eyes. "Quinn… she just collapsed… someone…"

Without even thinking Rachel was up the stairs two at a time. She knew she wasn't alone; she just didn't bother to look who was with her. Quinn had fallen to the floor in the room Willow was using to try to locate other survivors. Willow was muttering over her and the blonde began floating up and over to a low cot in the corner of the room.

"What's going on, Wills?" Buffy asked her worry for the pregnant teen evident in her tone.

Rachel could see that Finn and Puck had followed her upstairs, along with Mr. Schue, Ms. Pillsbury, Xander, and Mr. Giles. Rachel moved straight over to the cot, and knelt down to hold Quinn's hand in her own. Quinn seemed to be breathing fine, and all Rachel could hope was that nothing was wrong with the baby.

"All of the sudden she popped up as a witch… which is slightly odd because before then she'd registered a big fat zero," the redhead was frowning. "I'm getting other readings too, Buffy. I've only seen these kinds of readings three times."

Buffy quickly began to talk quietly to her friend; Willow explaining her findings and Buffy explaining the happenings with the strange being downstairs that'd spoken so strangely and then disappeared.

Rachel looked up to see Finn looking down at Quinn with fear in his eyes. "Pull up a chair, Finn. You can sit next to her and hold her hand."

He did as she suggested and they were both quiet. "Rachel, I…" He didn't know what to say to her. He felt like an ass. One minute he was with Quinn, then he was kissing Rachel, then he was having a baby with Quinn… he couldn't keep going back and forth. He had feelings for both of them, but Quinn held his heart. How was he supposed to hurt Rachel? She didn't deserve it.

"Finn. You love Quinn. This is where you should be. Here, with her."

"But I do feel something for you," he told her, his feelings in his eyes.

She looked him; this boy who she'd fought so hard for. The boy she'd just let go without even a bat of her eyelashes. "I know. Me too, you're not the only one I have feelings for, but I'll always care for you. And maybe, once upon a time, we could have, or would have had something, but not now." She looked away, her eyes losing focus. "Everyone's world is being rewritten, and mine seems to have collapsed and remade itself and me. I don't know who I'll be by the end. Certainly not the Broadway star I always thought I'd be. But I'll always be your friend."

Tears pooled in his eyes as he saw her uncertainty at where her life was going. "I happen to think that you're an amazing person, and one of the best friends I could ask for. I will always be your friend, Rachel Berry. Always. And whoever the other guy is, he's damned lucky."

Rachel gave him a wry smile, "Sure."

Quinn began moaning a bit as she became conscious, "Rachel? Finn? Is everything okay? The baby?"

"Everything's fine," Finn murmured to her as her eyes opened.

"I'm going to leave it to you. You're going to be fine, Quinn," Rachel dropped a kiss on the girl's forehead and left the room. She was shaking a little as she leaned against the wall.

"You wanted him so bad, for so long, now you're just giving him up to her? Just like that?"

Her eyes came open to see Puck leaning next to her. "Hello, Noah."

"That's not an answer."

"They love each other. That's how it needs to be. So, I'm sorry if you thought I'd take Finn, and leave you time to put the moves on Quinn, but…"

"Shut up, Berry. That wasn't it. You did a good thing in there." She'd been scowling from him telling her to shut up, but his words startled the frown from her face. "I didn't want Quinn. I just want my baby."

"Oh!" She was surprised. "I was sure…"

"There's only one crazy ass girl I wanna get close to."

"Oh?" Well, now she was very confused. Who all had they met since getting here? "Well…"

Puck sighed. He could practically see her brain flipping around in that head of hers. "You, Berry, you're the crazy ass girl I wanna get close to," he told her impatiently.

"Oh…" her? Noah wanted her? He'd said they weren't even friends… "But I thought…"

Puck decided to just go with what normally worked. He leaned in, capturing her between himself and the wall, and kissed her. He was very pleased when she didn't even hesitate, just began to kiss him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Now see, that's how you show a girl you're interested, Sammy."

Puck and Rachel broke apart to see the Winchester brothers coming towards them. Rachel smiled at the two, while Puck looked annoyed.

"It's Sam. And I know how to show a girl… why don't you just leave it alone, all right?" Sam snapped, before giving the other two a brief smile.

"You'll always be my Sammy… how you doin' Gorgeous?" Dean asked Rachel. "How's your friend?"

"She's going to be okay. I guess when that… being, was talking about giving out potential, it gave Quinn some."

"Witch or slayer?"

"Witch."

"Didn't hurt the baby?" Sam asked.

"No."

"Good."

"Diana's Daughters strong and brave give their lives for this world to save; There are more to save. Ohio, New Jersey, Miami, Washington DC." Everyone had turned to see Tina coming slowly down the hallway towards them, her arms down at her sides, palms facing out. Her eyes were a pure, swirling white, and the girl didn't so much as blink as she spoke. "Do not let them die. When all are brought back to you when all are brought back to the haven, the time of Diana's Daughters shall begin."

Buffy came out of the room quickly, her gaze falling on Tina immediately. "Willow found some evacuees," her words were directed towards the Winchesters as they all moved towards the young girl. "Found the Seer, Wills," she called out.

"Seer?" Rachel shook that off for a moment to focus on what Buffy had said before "Evacuees?"

"From Lima?" Puck asked, his hold on Rachel tightening.

For a moment Buffy considered lying, but she remembered how that felt when she was their age. Now they were in the position she'd always been in. There was no normal, and the kids she was looking at weren't kids anymore. "Yes. There's a group. Follow me; we're meeting in the planning room."

Sam had moved over to Tina who was coming out of her trancelike state. Artie had come wheeling up as quickly as possible. "How are you doing?" Sam murmured.

"What just happened?" she asked, her voice frightened.

"You had a vision. They can be pretty scary," the tall man explained. "I get them sometimes. You'll probably get quite a headache with them. I normally get them when sleeping. Don't worry, I'll help you through them, and who knows, maybe this is just a one time thing?"

It didn't take long for everyone to get settled around the large table. Someone had printed a large map of the city of Cambridge, Ohio, and then the blueprints for a shoe store. "Okay, here's what we've got. It looks like a group of approximately twenty. They've holed up in this Shoe Carnival. We can tell that they're surrounded by hostiles, but we can't tell how well they're barricaded in. The main entrance is comprised of two sets of double doors, and the exit is one steel door and two rolling doors in a loading dock."

"Dawn will set the portal here," Willow motioned to the blueprint. "Slayers first, followed by hunters, then witches. You'll all have ear wigs to keep in communication."

"How many are going in?" Rachel asked.

"Eight slayers, eight hunters, and two witches. We don't know if anyone is wounded, but we do know that this will be ample opportunity to stock up on shoes. Two hits are coming up as slayers, with this whole Powers That Be thing… we don't know what to expect," Willow explained.

"Here's the marching order, two at a time; Rona and Vi, Faith and Rachel, myself and Brittany, Nora and Caridad, Riley and Graham, Oz and Jordy, Connor and Gunn, Dean and Sam, Dawn and Kit. We're leaving in thirty. Let's get suited up," Buffy ordered. She looked up and met the eyes of first Rachel and then Brittany. "You girls ready for your first run?"

Quinn looked at the group preparing to go through the portal with nervous eyes. She didn't want to throw up so she decided to lighten the mood. "Rachel, you look… hot."

"She's right," Kurt agreed. "Leather is definitely a good look for you." The leather ensemble she'd found was black with purple trim, while Brittany was in teal.

"Right, and I should believe you because you 'thought' I looked so good in spandex?" she asked wryly, reminding him of the time he decided to give her a 'makeover'.

Kurt had the grace to blush. "I would hope we were past that time in our lives. I like to think we're friends now. As friends I can tell you the only thing you need to complete your look is a hair tie."

Rachel looked at him with one raised eyebrow, but Mercedes and Quinn were nodding, and Quinn took the band out of her own hair and handed it to Rachel. "It'll keep your hair out of your face if you have to fight."

"Thanks guys." Not one of them had mentioned the thing they were all hoping for. That they would go through the portal and find all the Glee club kids parents alive and well on the other side.

"Rachel…" Mercedes began, after she'd finished hugging Brittany. "Be careful. You're our friend and we want you to come home safe."

Rachel looked surprised by the other girl's words. "I was never really sure, you know?" she said softly.

"Well, be sure, girl." Then the black girl stepped forward and hugged the petite brunette.

Puck had been hovering in the background. He was pissed because they weren't letting him go. He'd argued, but they'd told him until they could test him with guns and bladed weapons he wasn't going out. A part of him understood where they were coming from… then again, the part of him hoping his mom was with that group, or the part of him watching his new girlfriend going out into obvious danger, wanted to kick ass and force them to let him go. He stepped forward, pulling Rachel close to him. "Don't you do anything stupid, Berry. Don't be a hero."

Rachel leaned up and kissed him. "I'll see you soon, Noah."

"Everybody not going, back away. Everyone going, get in order," Dawn called out before she stepped forward and began muttering and moving her hands against the wall.
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