"Ex Memoria"

33. The Ride Back

May 2012 - Lima, Ohio

The activities of the day had not left much of an impression on a great deal of the students present there, but much less when it came to the majority of the Glee Club, who had been too busy chasing after Mike and Tina. It was a good thing at least that it had not been in vain.

Now sitting on the bus, they were rolling back to the school parking lot where they had come aboard that morning. They had worked as cleverly as they could in order to get themselves the back of the bus on their own, hoping no one would take notice, especially those two in their group who had yet to be brought into the loop. It was hardly time to have either of them thinking that they were going behind her back.

"So you've met him? You've actually met him?" Mike asked the others. Now that he believed it, he had to know. They shared a look. They might as well give them the rest of it.

While Sam kept watch to make sure no one was listening, they had told as much as they thought to allow themselves, to leave time for the others to speak, too. Quinn talked about the circus, Puck about his ancestors and descendants. Sugar gave her brief account, while Santana and Brittany spoke of the cat people and the scientist. Mercedes told them about her jumps in time, and this had led to the revelation of the Doctor's multiple incarnations, and went right into Artie and the one female incarnation he had met... along with Gemma Lucas.

"She's here... because of the Doctor?" Tina asked, and they nodded. "But why?"

She couldn't help but look down at the pouch in her lap. Inside were three stones and a freshly plucked flower... Fresh ten years ago but fresh today, too. It was no real trick. It had been transported in time, but to her it still felt as though the little thing had lived a remarkably long life... And now it was going to end, it would die, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Well, we don't know, do we?" Santana frowned.

"She hasn't told us. She promises that she'll tell us eventually, but she keeps a tight leash on that information," Quinn added.

"We don't even know all that much about her," Mercedes pointed out.

"She wouldn't even tell Artie it was really her at first," Puck jumped in. "Pretended like she had no idea."

"Yeah, but I get it," Artie made sure to clarify. "She wouldn't be so secretive if it wasn't so important." Sugar nodded in firm agreement.

"How do we know?" Mercedes spoke up, and now it was Santana who nodded along. "I mean I want to believe her as much as anybody else, but we don't really know who she is, do we?"

"She's from the future, I don't think she's supposed to say," Blaine piped in. "Like she could change something if she talks."

"What could she have that might change anything here though?" Kurt turned to his boyfriend. "This is Lima, Ohio... She travels in time and space with an alien."

"Well, so did they," Blaine countered, looking to Sugar, Puck, Artie, Quinn, Mercedes, Santana, Brittany... He would not see the slightest twitch that took to Kurt's eye at this. "We don't know who she is or where she came from, when she came from."

"She's good at lying, we know that," Puck nodded.

"She's not a liar!"

Sugar's outburst was louder than even she'd meant for it to be, and she shrank back, seeing not only the rest of their group but those in the nearest seats had turned to look her way. She had very little time to consider her options, but she at least had the presence of mind that, if she didn't say anything, she might be condemning herself more than if she found a quick way to correct herself. So she cleared her throat and sat forward.

"It's like Artie said, she's keeping things to herself for a reason. I personally really believe that. I trust her, and my... my uncle always said you either trust someone or you don't, there's no halfway," she breathed.

Toh was not her uncle... He was not her family at all, not in that way, but she would have been glad if he was, on any day. He had always counselled her well, and if she only had that to remember him by, then she would be satisfied.

At the very least, it seemed to knock some sense into the others, and made them forget her outburst. It really was the truth that, for what they knew and didn't know, they had put their trust in Gemma Lucas, and they would continue to.

"There's all of us who know now, and just two who don't. If we're all going to know in the end, then it has to mean we're pretty close, doesn't it?" Brittany spoke first, and it got her a nod from each of the others.

It had been a long day, and everyone was glad to go home at last. They had done what they'd set out to do, and they would rest gladly, waiting to discover what they were meant to do next. Each one of them had their own personal view on where they stood in this situation and what they felt with regards to the continuation of it all. The only thing they might have agreed on was that they would be glad when they reached the part where they could be told the truth, and they didn't have to walk around like they were playing a game with blindfolds on.

TO BE CONTINUED (TODAY)