A/N: So I'm sorry I didn't update sooner...college stuff . Hopefully many of the lovely reviewers and followers are still with me-I promise, the story will pick up after this ;).
Chapter 3: Never Again.
Way above from the entire scenery where our presence is hardly noticeable, my friends and I were seated on metal seats that were attached to wires hooked to the ceiling—they were almost like swings. Our squad was in position, awaiting Santana Diamonds arrival. We already see the Russian assassin down below us who is currently biting her nails and tapping her foot. We're all in our own worlds: Rachel is reading a D.E.B.S. magazine, Tina is making small puffs of smoke, Brittany is toying with her spy gear, and I'm taking pictures of the scenery below me.
"Hey, Quinn, look at this!" Rachel nudged me. I turn my head from my canon camera to look at Rachel stabbing her finger at an ad in the magazine. "It says Miss Sylvester is looking for recruits into the Bureau. I'm going to apply." She says excitedly. Rachel has always been dedicated to being a D.E.B.S. and enjoys the power of being in control and giving orders. Sure she goes crazy about rules and such, but Rachel is strong-willed and intelligent. She pushes me forward and keeps me from losing track of reality. She keeps me from staying stuck in a moment like the still pictures I take despite the beauty and complexity of them. These are all the reasons why she's my best friend.
"That's cool. You'll definitely be a shoe in for the position!" I say enthusiastically while going back to snapping snippets of the people below us and their surroundings. Rachel goes back to droning on and on about getting a high position in the Bureau and being in the presence of Miss Sylvester.
I zone her out as I start zooming the camera lens to get a closer shot of what I had my eyes on. My focus was on the front door of the restaurant trying to take candid shots of people walking through. I took a shot of an elderly couple, a family of five, and a group of middle-aged rich women. I turn my lens to zoom in more, but I zoomed so close that my camera focused on a pair of dark brown eyes. The most beautiful brown eyes I've ever seen. The person's eyes were filled with anxiety and a smidgen of annoyance. The way the light reflected off her brown orbs highlighted the warm colors that made the inside of my stomach do tiny flips. This person must be stunning. I zoomed out slowly to reveal fair tanned skin and a cute nose. I zoomed out some more to find her beautiful cheekbones. I zoomed out more and saw a nervous smile on her lips and then…
"Oh shit." I gasped and dropped the camera so fast that it would have fallen if it weren't attached to a strap around my neck.
"What?" Brittany asked.
"She's here." Tina said with a cigarette hanging loosely by her lips. We all gaped at Santana Diamonds. She was wearing a white trench coat that covered her black tank and black combat boots. Her raven locks cascaded past her shoulders as she sauntered over to the table in her tight leather pants. I gulped as I watched the way she swayed her hips and I instantly felt my throat go dry.
"I can't believe it's really her." Rachel awed for a moment. She then shook her head and turned to Brittany. "Brittany what are they talking about?"
"Uhmm…" Brittany smiled sheepishly as she tried to untangle herself from the wires.
"Oh give it here!" Tina roughly untangled the wires and snatched the spy gear.
"So, what are they talking about?" Rachel repeated but with more force.
"They're talking about," She pulled the cigarette from her mouth. "About killing, how to kill, and skinning people alive…" Tina shudders.
"Eww." Brittany cringes. Then an incoming call comes from the walkie talkie in Brittany's lap. "Hello? Over?" She says in an uncertain tone.
"Put her on, Britt." A male voice resonates from the device. I shake my head at Brittany telling her not to give it to me but she shoves the walkie talkie in my arms anyways.
I sigh. "What, Finn?"
"When are we going to talk Quinn?" I roll my eyes at how pathetic he sounded.
"I'm busy right now, Finn. I don't have time right now." I throw the device back at Brittany who barely catches it. I try to bring my attention back to my camera and the raven-haired devil below us when a man suddenly drops down attached to a black rope. He was wearing the black uniform and vest of Homeland Security. It was Finn.
"Jeezus!" I jump at the sudden sight of him right next to me.
"We have time now, Quinn. Now tell me why you broke up with me." He looks at me seriously.
"What are you doing here?" I hissed. "We're on a mission."
"This is our mission. You're compromising it!" Rachel growled.
"What? You think you guys are the only one who knows Santana Diamonds is in town?" He looks around the entire scope of the building and we all follow his gaze. "Everyone is here. FBI, CIA, etc. Everyone is here to watch Santana Diamonds." Our mouths drop as we notice all the agents armed.
"This is absurd." Tina shakes her head.
"Yea, well get over it." Finn glares at Tina then looks back at me. "Now, talk Quinn." He demands.
I scoff. "I don't have to talk if I don't want to." I put my camera away carefully in my bag.
"You have to give me answers Quinn!" Finn practically yells. "I need to know why you broke up with me! We've been together for months! EIGHT MONTHS!" He gets louder. "Just tell me why!"
"Jeez, Finn." Brittany covers her ears with her hands. "You're loud."
"Yea, you're too fucking loud." Rachel hisses. "Keep it down."
"I will once Quinn—"
"I wasn't in love with you." I interject. From the corner of my eyes, I see Rachel, Tina, and Brittany pressing a button that shifted their seats far away from Finn and me.
Finn rolls his eyes and glares at me darkly. "I guess no one is good enough for the perfect score."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I glare at him but receive no response. Finn, instead, looks down at my wrists and forcefully grabs it.
"Ouch!" I yelp in pain from his strong grip. Immediately the girls come by my side with guns pointed at Finn.
"Let her go." Rachel barks.
"Relax." Finn loosens his grip a bit. He lifts my wrist up and points at the silver bracelet dangling. "I just want this back. It's my father's and he got it from an ambassador when he worked in the agency. It's a one of a kind."
"Seriously, we have to do this now?" I raise my eyebrow.
"Yes. I want it back now." He crosses his arms.
"Fine." I struggle with the hook of the bracelet trying to unlatch it. Seeing my struggle, Finn tries to unlatch it too. He only made it harder to do. Now we were both struggling to take the bracelet off.
"Just," Finn tries to unhook the jewelry with his clumsy fingers.
"Stop. Just let me do it." I back away from him.
"No almost go it…" Finn tugs harder on the bracelet and I pull further back trying to get my hand back. And then, a soft click is heard between the two of us. "Got it!" He proclaims loudly as I yank my hand back swiftly. "Now give it to me." He holds out his hand.
"What? You just took it off didn't you?" I furrow my eyebrows. We both look at my wrist then down below us simultaneously. Finn and I both gasp when we see a shimmering silver bracelet falling right into Santana Diamond's soup. Oh shit.
Almost in slow motion, I see the Latina rise her head up slowly and scan the entire area above her. Her brown eyes stop and make contact with mine—a cold shiver runs down my spine at the intensity of her gaze. Santana slowly sinks her hand in the pocket in her coat without ever letting go of my gaze. Her eyes are so beautiful. I'm suddenly pulled out of the trance when I see my friends and the rest of the government agencies whip out their guns and point at Santana.
"Quinn…" Brittany hisses at me.
What? I look down at her making a gesture for me to pull out my gun…oh. I whip out my gun and aim at Santana (who has an incredulous look on her face). In one swift motion, Santana Diamonds leaves her seat and jumps behind the counter. Everyone starts firing their guns at her all at once but not a single bullet grazed Santana Diamonds.
"Let's go." Rachel orders. Each one of us grab onto a rope that takes us down to the ground. The people in the restaurant flee from their food and run towards the exit screaming as gunshots are being fired.
Santana jolts up from behind the counter and starts shooting at us. The girls and I duck on the ground trying to dodge the bullets. Santana rolls a grenade our way that lands right in front of Brittany.
"Uh you guys…" Brittany's blue eyes widen as she scoots back.
We all back up away from the bomb and sought shelter from the explosion. There was thick fog of smoke that hindered our vision and from my peripherals I see the Russian assassin, Ninotchka, make a hasty exit with a cigarette in her mouth.
Rachel is the first to lunge up from the ground and charge towards Santana with her gun, shooting bullets repeatedly. Santana does a barrel-roll on the ground and aims towards Rachel's head. Rachel jumps behind a pillar just in time to dodge the bullet while Brittany, Tina, and I immediately rush to Rachel's side to aid her. All four of us begin shooting simultaneously at Santana, thinking that outnumbering her would cause her to surrender. Obviously, the girl lives up to her notorious clandestine and undefeated reputation.
Santana shields herself behind a metal table as she runs across the room-effectively dodging all our bullets. She then tosses another grenade our way and discards her "shield" on the ground, causing a loud clang when it makes contact with the tiled floor.
Coughing slightly, Rachel cocks her gun and looks at us seriously. "Tina, you will go with me this way. Quinn and Brittany go that way." Rachel orders us.
Brittany shuffles her feet. "But…Mr. Schue said not to engage or try to apprehend her." She looks down at the ground meekly.
Rachel steps forward with her hands on her hips. "Brittany what is this?" Rachel points at the small rainbow striped pin on her shirt.
Brittany lifts her head up and stares at the pin Rachel was referring to. "Your stripes…" Brittany mumbles.
"Right. And what do they symbolize?" Rachel presses.
"They symbolize a D.E.B.S. courageous act during unspeakable danger and is a mandatory requirement in order to graduate." Brittany breathes out fast.
"Correct. And out of all four of us here, who doesn't have one?" Brittany drops her head and points her finger at herself. "That's right. And who is in charge of recommending you to an administrator to give you those stripes?" Brittany points at Rachel. I hate when Rachel puts Britt down like this…but Brittany needs the push. "Right. So, now do what I say and follow orders." Brittany nods submissively. "Now that that's settled. Split up." Rachel and Tina run in the opposite direction of us.
"Come on, Britt. Let's go." I speed down the hallway, pushing myself through the crowd of people panicking and trying to exit, while Brittany tries to catch up with me. Finally thrusting myself out of the crowd, I push through two swinging double doors and step out onto the black asphalt of the abandoned street behind the restaurant. The crescent moon glowed in the dark night, providing a source of light on this surprisingly chilly night. I turn my head around expecting a tall blue-eyed blonde to be panting alongside me. But there was no one.
"Britt?" I call out. No answer. My eyes peer left to right, looking for any signs of Brittany…or anyone at all. My eyes land on a gray double door in front of me and my gut tells me that's where I will find Santana Diamonds—so I make haste and sprint to through the door alone with no backup. I mean, I am the "Perfect Score". Whatever that means.
Entering the door, I find myself in a room filled with cardboard boxes that were stacked almost to the ceiling. There was a waft of chilly air that kissed down my spine making the hair on the back of my neck stand. I lift my watch communicator to my lips, "Brittany?" No response. "Rachel? Tina?" Nothing. I drop my hand and tighten my grasp on the cool silver gun. I can do this. I reassured myself.
A sudden crash is heard and my heart rate quickens. I start running down the desolated aisle when suddenly I collide into a body with full force that sends me tumbling on top of the person. My head lands between soft mounds and a breeze of honeysuckle perfume tickles my nose.
Lifting my head up swiftly, I open my mouth to apologize.
"I'm so sorry."
"Watch where you're going!" The voice below me says over my apology. My eyes widen at the rasp and fierce voice, causing me to tremble as the goose bumps on my arms rise. Promptly I push myself upwards as Santana scrambles to her feet, cursing under her breath.
"Shit." We both say as we fumble with our weapons. At the same time, we aim our guns at each other and lock eyes. Her fierce dark brown eyes are burning into me intensely, they're nothing compared to the pictures in the papers.
"You're a D.E.B." She hisses. Her hatred rolls clearly off her tongue and the taste of bitterness she is exuding with her posture enrages me.
I roll my eyes at her and straightened my posture. "And you're Santana Diamonds. You're observational skills are astounding. It seems like the papers were all talk about you." I scoff.
Her eyes go comically wide and the sound of her jaw unhinging gives me a sense of accomplishment. "W-what?" She points her gun at me with more force. "You should be pissing your pants right now! Just like all the other spineless agents that I killed!" Her eye twitches slightly at her last statement but is immediately masked as she raises her chin and stabs the tip of her gun at my chest.
I return the gesture with equal force. "Pfft. If you could kill then why are you hiring an assassin? Afraid to get your hands dirty?"
Santana grits her teeth. "You D.E.B.S. are so annoying! I'm in town for less than a week and you guys hound me! You guys come and spy on my private life! Even though you helped me getting out of that stupid blind date, you had no—"
"Wait you were on a blind date?" I interrupt her quickly with my eyes widening. Well shit.
Santana falters a bit and her cheeks redden. That's something I thought I would never see…She scratches the back of her head with her free hand. "Well, uh yea. What's it to you?" She growls in defensiveness.
"Nothing…it's just," I can't believe she's into girls. I mean, I should have guessed it but…that completely thwarts my thesis.
"Thesis?" She tilts her head and arches a brow. Oh did I say that out loud?
"Uh…yea." I shuffle my feet on the ground. "I-I'm writing a thesis on you for my Criminal Minds class…" I blush. God, I must seem like a freak right now. Wait, why do I care?
"Well…" She gives me a confused look. "That class seems…interesting?" She quirks her eyebrow up.
My inner nerd suddenly feels the urge to appear. "Oh it is! We get to see the inner workings behind a criminals mind and we deconstruct the reasons for their actions through intensive psychoanalysis. For instance, my paper was on the psychoanalysis of your personality based on your actions and background. The information on you is scarce so it was—is, quite hard to write my thesis on you. I've researched and researched on you—for countless of hours in the dingy cold library at our academy. I only found a few candid shots—which were horribly captured—and articles that basically all said the same thing."
I let out a puff of air and crossed my arms, forgetting that there was a sociopath holding a gun at me. "Santana Diamonds has escaped once again. Agents found dead—a tragic mystery. Santana Diamonds steals, kills, destroys…I mean they could have done more research or searched for more evidence! My thesis can't magically finish itself with the unsubstantial and anecdotal information on you! Do you know how hard it is to write about you?" Santana shrugs her shoulders and I see the corner of her lips curling up slightly.
"But I can't choose any other criminal because you're…well you're the most notorious and mysterious one! So it's a challenge…and I love challenges! But no, you have to be all sneaky and go hide off somewhere in Alaska!" I throw my arms up and let out a deep sigh. I turn around when I hear laughing. "What?" I furrow my brows at the tanned girl laughing at me (who by the way still has her gun pointed at my chest).
"Nothing." She shakes her head and looks at me…but differently this time. There is a lighter shine in her eyes and more relaxed. "I just didn't know I had a devoted fan." She stifles her laughter.
I drop my jaw. "I am not your fan!" I glare at her.
"Yea, sure." She smirks. "It's okay. You're a cute one." Santana Diamonds winks at me. Is she flirting with me? I think for a moment but only thing replaying in my mind is: 'She thinks I'm cute.' My face must be red by now because Santana Diamonds is grinning at me with playful eyes.
Santana drops her arm that was holding the gun to her side and extends the opposite to me. "So, truce?"
Is she kidding me? "No. You're still a criminal and I'm still the cop." I point my gun to her again. Santana moves closer to me and stops mere inches before me—if it wasn't for the gun between us…our lips would—I shake my head.
"Come, on. You don't want to turn me in." Her hot breath brushes against my flushed skin. "You know…you seem different from the other D.E.B.S. Why is that?" Santana tries to move in closer but I step back hastily and point my gun at her with more assertiveness.
"Santana Diamonds, you have the right to remain…" I start stating the Miranda Rights to her.
"Oh, come on!" Santana rolls her eyes and throws her arms up. I continue the entire spiel despite Santana's annoyed groans. "This is stupid." Santana lunges towards me and I freeze in place. Rachel would have yelled at me to shoot. Mr. Schue would have told me to run. But my mind couldn't register any of that…not when I'm pushed against the thick towering boxes with Santana's lips inches away from mine. She gazes at me deeply with her brown eyes glinting with mirth and one hand holding both of my hands by the wrist above my head. "You don't have the guts to anyways." She breathes lowly.
"You…you have the…" I try to finish reciting the Miranda rights but my words fall short when Santana puts her gun in her jacket and uses that same hand to brush her thumb on my lips.
"You talk way too much, blondie." My gaze shifts to her red full lips and my heart accelerates. Santana inches closer to me and instinctively I lean forward, succumbing to whatever it was that was going on between the she-devil and I at the moment.
"Quinn!" I hear Brittany's voice yell. I immediately push Santana backwards and turned myself around. I mentally prepared myself for a verbal smack down by my friends for fraternizing with the enemy...if that's what I even should call it. I suddenly see a blonde head jogging down the path and headed towards me with a frustrated Rachel and bored Tina running behind her.
"Are you okay? I got lost in the crowd, I'm sorry." Brittany takes my hand and gives me an apologetic look.
"It's okay, Britt." I pat her on the shoulder. I then look at Rachel and Tina who had an annoyed look. "You guys it wasn't what it looked like and—"
"I can't believe Santana Diamonds escaped." Rachel's voice drowns out mine. Escaped? She's right—I spin around to look for the she-devil only to find her gone.
"Where did she go?" I said out loud.
"Who?" Tina asks.
"S-santana Diamonds! She was here!"
"Quinn, did you fall or hit your head or something?" Rachel asks genuinely concerned.
"No! Rach, I'm serious! She was here!" How in the world did she leave so swiftly and soundlessly!
"Quinn, that's insane! If she was, you would be dead right now." Thanks, Rachel. You have so much confidence in me.
"Rachel, I'm—"
"Uh…guys." Brittany interrupts. "Look at the ground." We all follow Brittany's gaze and drop our jaws.
Tina drops the cigarette from her lips. "Diamonds…" She gasps out. The entire floor was scattered with diamonds everywhere, shimmering brightly.
"She was here." Rachel stumbles back a little. "And you were with her." I nod my head.
Tina bends down and picks up the glimmering stone. "Do you know what this means?" She says while inspecting the diamond, as if trying to determine if it was real or not. Tina stands up and stares at me intently. "You are the first person who has ever fought Santana Diamonds," Fought? There was hardly any of that going on. "And lived to tell the tale." The girls stare at me with shocked, yet admirable, eyes.
"Haha, yea. Fought. That I did." I lie through my teeth. If I told them what actually happened I will be eaten alive by not only them, but the entire D.E.B.S. student body and administrators. I will just keep this to myself…it's not like I'm ever going to see Santana Diamonds again. Nope. Never again.