A/N: As I'm sure you can tell, The Sue Sylvester Shuffle chapters are coming up next and while I normally break up the episodes into two chapters, I'm breaking up this episode into three. Just wanted to let y'all know. Thanks again for reading this story and offering your various forms of feedback.
Enjoy! :)
~Chapter 26~
Previously: "It was nothing, sweetheart. I only wish I could do more," the hazel-eyed man spoke sadly.
"Will, you've done so much for me over the past couple of months and you made this Christmas so much easier on me, so thank you for that. I don't think you know how much I love you," the British girl informed him with a watery smile.
"I love you too, Mia. And I hate for ruining the mood, but we need to get going if we're going to get to the Hummels in time for dinner!" Will said frantically as he began rushing around the apartment causing his niece to giggle. As Hermione fastened her coat and grabbed her hat, she felt her phone buzz. She took it out and read the message.
"Merry Christmas, princesa! Want to go ice skating tomorrow? :)"
"Happy Christmas to you as well, San! And I'd love to, but don't you have Cheerios practice? Won't Sue kill you?" She typed out her reply, chuckling to herself.
"Yeah, probably, but you are so worth that risk ;)," the latest message from the Latina read and Hermione couldn't help but think that maybe things were finally going to be okay again.
"Nice hair," Hermione smirked as she walked up to Santana after Cheerios practice a few weeks after the holidays.
"Shut up, Granger. I think Coach Sylvester's finally losing it. First the blue wigs and then she had us hit ourselves in the face with chicken cutlets…" The British teen began laughing hysterically, earning her a slap upside the head from the dark-haired cheerleader. "You coming to the game after school?"
"I guess I should. I mean, I've never been to an American football game yet. I'll get Blaine and Kurt to come with me, so they can attempt to explain it to me," she responded sheepishly, ashamed that there's something she doesn't understand.
"It's not very difficult to understand. Even Brit can understand it," the Latina informed her with a smile as she linked their arms together.
"Is there any way that I could sit in the stands, but be close enough to you guys?" The wavy-haired brunette questioned as they walked down the hallway.
"Yeah, I can make sure no one sits in the first row of the bleachers right behind us, why?"
"So I can check you out, of course!" Hermione replied as the cheerleader stared at her with her jaw dropped. "Kidding. Well, sort of. I want to be close enough to you guys so if I have questions that Blaine and Kurt can't answer, you can answer them."
Several hours later, Hermione found herself fully enthralled by the football game she was watching much to the amusement of the Unholy Trinity and the two Warblers.
"So what did you think?" Brittany asked the British girl as she, Santana, and Quinn approached her after the game.
"Oh, it was brilliant! I think I fully grasped the idea of the game. It makes so much more sense than Qui—"
"Than what?" Santana questioned with a tilt of her head.
"Um, than quilting?" The wavy-haired brunette suggested weakly, causing Quinn to raise one of her eyebrows. "Um, how bout I treat you three to dinner at BreadstiX after you shower? I can't have you stinking up my car."
"Sounds good. And, by the way, we do not stink," the Latina informed her while sticking her tongue out.
"Yeah, yeah, just get a move on, Lopez, before I take my offer elsewhere," she responded playfully while glancing at Blaine and Kurt who were conversing quietly to each other. Santana looked at her with wide eyes before dragging the blonde dancer with her to the locker room.
"You really don't have to treat us, you know," Quinn murmured, watching her fellow Cheerios run off.
"I know I don't, but I want to. I mean, it's the least I can do after what you've all done for me, especially for Christmas," the older girl replied nonchalantly. "You better hurry up though. I doubt Santana would let me wait for you."
"You're probably right," chuckled the hazel-eyed girl. "Thanks again, Hermione."
"Are you planning on starting up more drama between Quinn and Santana again?" Kurt questioned with a smirk after the head cheerleader walked off.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione responded with a roll of her eyes.
"Well, it's quite clear how smitten Satan is with you, but it also appears that Miss Fabray has yet again developed some sort of crush on you," the well-dressed boy informed her with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, that's where you're wrong, Mr. Hummel. Quinn is interested in Sam. That much is clear."
"Whatever you say, Herms," snickered the brown-haired boy.
"Kurt, be nice," chastised Blaine playfully. "Thanks for inviting us, Mione. It was a lot of fun! Let us know when the next game is. I for one would love to go," he told her with a large smile as he embraced her.
"Will do, sir! You two drive safely now!" The British girl ordered with a grin after she hugged Kurt.
"Yes, mom," the two Warblers teased before hopping into Kurt's car and driving off.
The next day, Hermione was walking down the hallway when she noticed many of the football players standing in a circle around Artie, slushies in hand. She rushed over to her friend and pushed him through the doors before turning around and facing the bullies.
"You guys think you're so big and tough picking on a guy in a wheelchair? What a bunch of cowards," she spat. The athletes glared at her before simultaneously throwing their slushies at her. After they stalked off, Hermione sighed and slowly made her way to the choir room.
Meanwhile, the New Directions sat in the choir room waiting for their teacher to arrive when the raven-haired Cheerio noticed something.
"Have you guys seen Hermione?" Santana asked, trying not to show how worried she was. "She was going to meet me by my locker before glee."
"I have. She pushed me out of the way and took at least fourteen slushies for me," Artie murmured quietly.
"Oh my god," Tina exclaimed pointing at the door where Hermione was storming in, covered from head to toe in red slush. Santana hurried over to the fuming girl and tried calming her down.
"That's it. Screw rehearsal. This ends here and now," Finn shouted angrily as he and the rest of the football players headed towards the door.
"So this is what the ladies' lounge looks like on the inside."
"This is the choir room. Now put up your fists 'cause you and I are gonna do some dancing," the blonde football player threatened, casting a worried look at the British girl.
"No, I got this, Sam," Finn told him as he took a step forward.
"Coach Bieste told us to come. Where is she?" Karofsky snarled.
"Everyone, have a seat," the football coach ordered her players.
"You too, guys," Mr. Schuester told his students. "Alright, New Directions, let's give a warm welcome to the newest members of glee club."
"What?" All of the teenagers cried out furiously.
"Mr. Schue, are you serious? These are the guys that made Kurt transfer and have physically attacked your niece on numerous occasions!" Finn yelled as he bolted up out of his chair. Hermione groaned at his outburst and put her head in her hands.
"There is no way that I am sharing the choir room with a known homophobe!" Rachel spat while gesturing to Karofsky.
"I don't disagree with you guys. But I talked to Coach Bieste about it and she and I both agree that the kind of bullying that David does is born out of ignorance. Having him in here, as difficult as it may be for us, is an opportunity to show him and the rest of the guys that being in glee club is kind of cool. Find some common ground," the choir director spoke reasonably.
"All of you are going to be in this glee club for one week. No exceptions," Coach Beiste informed her football players.
"She's bluffing. Next week is the championship game. Without us, she has no team," Karofsky scoffed with a roll of his eyes.
"With you I have no team! You guys have got to find a way to come together or we're gonna get our asses kicked from here until Tuesday finds a saddle bag full of buckwheat!" She shouted at them, startling everyone in the room.
"If I have to stay, I'm not singing no show tunes that is the music of my oppressors," Azimio pointed out haughtily while crossing his arms.
"Do you even have any idea what we do in here?" Finn questioned with a frustrated sigh.
"No, none of them do. We have to show them. Puck, Rachel." As the two brunettes moved to the front of the room, Santana glanced over at Hermione who was still shivering from the frozen beverages that covered her.
"C'mon, let's go get you cleaned up," she whispered gently into her ear. The British girl nodded and stood up as Santana motioned to their teacher that they were going to the restroom. "Before we go to the bathroom, let me go get some extra clothes out of my locker. I'm afraid all I have is a sports bra and some rather short shorts," she mumbled bashfully as she opened her locker.
"It's fine, Lopez. Just try not to drool over me too much," the other girl answered teasingly.
"Ha, ha, very funny. Let's go," the Cheerio responded with a roll of her eyes as she pulled the other girl into the bathroom. "I guess we'll wash your hair out first and then you can, um, take off your clothes."
The wavy-haired brunette smirked and let the Latina rinse the red juice out of her hair. Once she dried the British teen's hair, Hermione stood up and took off her shirt. Santana gulped and looked her up and down. As Hermione wiped the remaining slush off of her torso, the raven-haired girl frowned and moved her fingers over some of the girl's scars. The older girl inhaled sharply and released a soft moan.
"I don't understand how anyone could do this to you," she muttered as a single tear slid down her face.
"Don't try to understand it. After I was rescued, I spent so much time asking myself 'why?'. I'll never get an answer and I'm ok with that."
"You're probably the bravest person I know," the younger girl murmured, stepping closer to the Hermione and placing her other hand on the side of the older girl's face. Both girls closed their eyes and inched their lips closer to each other.
"Santana, we have to get to Cheerios practice n—" Quinn froze when she saw the position the two girls were in. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. Um, I'll see you at practice."
"These people have the worst timing ever," growled Santana as she rested her forehead on the British girl's shoulder.
"You better go, love. I'm just gonna change and then I think I'll do a few laps around the football field in your clothes if you don't mind," the taller girl smirked. The Latina rolled her eyes playfully and exited the bathroom, taking a deep breath as she did so. Hermione quickly threw on the sports bra and shorts and headed to the football field. She stretched and began running around the track. The British girl had only been running for about fifteen minutes when she heard a loud explosion. She looked around frantically, fearing that Death Eaters were the cause of the noise. She whipped around and shrieked before ducking down as a mannequin flew towards her at a rapid speed.
"Hermione! Are you ok?" Santana screamed as she hurried over to the girl, the rest of the Cheerios following closely behind.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Hermione yelped as she dusted herself off.
"Sue Sylvester's latest scheme. She's going to put Brittany in that cannon," Quinn enlightened her skeptically, while staring at the girl in front of her.
"Is she mad? Someone could get killed with that thing!" She shouted out angrily. "Brit, don't worry. I'll talk to Will and he'll figure something out."
"Thanks, Hermione. You have a really nice body," the ditzy blonde stated with a wink.
"So do you, Brit," she chuckled. "I'll see you ladies later," she called out over her shoulder before jogging off. Santana noticed her fellow Cheerios ogling the British girl and furiously ordered them to get back to work. As the cheerleaders frantically rushed back over to their practice, only two blondes remained staring at the British girl's retreating form.
"Brittany, Fabray, you better get your asses in gear and stop staring at Hermione like she's a piece of meat."
"Don't forget that I'm head Cheerio around here, Lopez!" Quinn responded with a glare before joining her teammates.
"Don't worry, San. You may not say anything, but I know she's yours. Besides, I'm with Artie," Brittany informed her best friend soothingly. "I think I'd compare Hermione to a candy bar in a vending machine."
"What the hell are you talking about, Brit?" The Latina sighed as she tightened her ponytail.
"Well, every time I walk past a vending machine, I see all of these delicious candy bars, but I can't buy them because I don't have any money. Hermione's like that."
"Brit, you can't buy people…" Santana trailed off wondering what on earth the taller girl was talking about.
"No, silly. I mean, I can see Hermy, but I can't touch her. Like the candy bars in the vending machine!" The blonde dancer pointed out matter-of-factly.
"Oh, ok, that makes sense I guess," laughed the Latina as she linked arms with the blue-eyed girl.
"Will, you have got to have a talk with Figgins about Sue. She's trying to shoot Brittany out of a bloody cannon!" Hermione shrieked as she burst into her uncle's office where he was tutoring a few students, who now gazed at the British girl lustfully.
"Mia! Put some clothes on!" The curly-haired man cried out as he handed her his jacket. "Now, what's this about Sue and a cannon?"
"Her latest plan is to launch a student out of a cannon!" The brown-eyed girl informed him while waving her hands around erratically.
"Are you serious?" Will questioned his niece who nodded fervently. "Ok, you two can go," he spoke to his students. "Mia, I am going to Figgins. You might want to avoid coming to the office. I'd hate to think what Sue would do if she found out you were the one who told me," the curly-haired man told her with a shudder.
"I think I can handle her, Will," chuckled the wavy-haired brunette. "But I'll go find something else with which I can occupy my time, alright?" The hazel-eyed man nodded before hurrying to the principal's office. When Hermione exited her uncle's office, she ran straight into Puck.
"Hey, babe, you look smokin'. What's up?" The boy with the mohawk asked her while waggling his eyebrows suggestively earning a smack on the arm from the girl.
"Just looking for something to do until Will tells me how his meeting with Figgins went. Got any suggestions?" The older girl asked him.
"Well, we could always go try to pick up women, but I'm pretty sure Santana would kill me if I allowed you to do that. Wanna go outside and toss a football?" The British girl's eyes lit up as she nodded her head and dragged Puck out to the football field.
"Damn, babe, you're a natural," the football player whistled as she caught the pass he threw.
"At my old school, I helped my friends practice for the game we played there," Hermione called back to him, thinking of the times when she and Ginny would toss the quaffle back and forth on the ground to help with the red-head's hand-eye coordination.
"Oh, sweet, what sport was it?" Puck questioned as he caught the football before throwing it back.
"Um, it's not very popular here. I doubt you would've heard of it," she answered with a chuckle as she easily caught the ball yet again much to the amazement of the crowd that had gathered around the two.