Caroline had been back for about a week and everything was good.
Katherine was apparently staying out of their businesses for now and if they knew it was only the calm before the tempest, they decided not to worry about it for now. Whatever the bt!ch was planing, they would deal with it when it came.
Caroline and Rachel were about to join the other Glee members in the choir room for the first session since Bonnie and Elena joined, when the blond vampire stopped. It was early and since the football players had a big game to prepare for, they were having their meetings before school this week.
"What is it?" Rachel asked her.
"I smell blood… Someone is bleeding…" Caroline replied.
"Not like menstruation bleeding right?" Rachel asked.
"No… Come on, it comes from this way…" Caroline said as she led her friend.
They arrived in front of the Spanish room to see their Spanish teacher, Miss Young, (the pastor's elder daughter) crying on her chair as she tried to apply make up on her face to hide some nasty looking bruises.
"Miss Young, what happened to you?" Caroline asked in horror as they both rushed to her.
"Nothing girls… Don't worry about it… You go about your business, I'm fine…" The sweet teacher told them.
"Who did this to you?" Rachel asked.
"I just fell down the stairs… I can be a klutz sometimes…" She replied with a fake chuckle.
"Who…" Caroline started to ask but Miss Young cut her off:
"Thank you Caroline and Rachel for worrying about me but I'll be fine. Now I believe you're both here early for your Glee club meeting so why don't you go there now?" The young teacher then stood up and went to the bathrooms.
"Screw Glee club, I need to call my mother." Caroline said.
"You do that and I'll call daddy and tell him to bring Pastor young here."
Caroline called her mother and told her what they had walked in on and since Liz was already with Damon and the Pastor at a council meeting, she told her daughter that they were on their way.
"I'll go and warn Alaric, I'll be right back." Rachel replied while Caroline waited in front of the school's entrance for her mother.
Rachel busted the door of the choir room open:
"Nice of you to join us Rachel but you're late… Where is Caroline?" Alaric asked her as Elena, done singing her audition song, went back to her seat. Everyone was watching Rachel.
"Can I speak with you outside please Mister Saltzmann?"
"Of course. Bonnie, you can go ahead and start singing." Alaric said as he followed his best friend's daughter.
"What's going on Rachel?" He asked as soon as the door was closed.
"Caroline and I just found Miss Young trying to cover wounds with make up… Caroline smelled blood… The sheriff and Pastor Young are on their way." Rachel explained quickly.
"Okay, you can go ahead. Keep me informed okay?"
Rachel nodded and walked to join Caroline just as Liz, Pastor Young and her father arrived. They quickly explained what they had seen and they all went to confront the young teacher.
.
As it turned out, the young Miss Young had been beaten by her boyfriend… She kept on finding excuses for him until she burst in tears in her father's arms, crying that she was sorry for being so weak... She kept on whispering that she had been an idiot, that it was all her fault, that she was sorry... She ended up going home with him while Liz left to arrest said boyfriend.
"You did well girls. Now you should go about your day." Pastor Young said before he turned around and took his daughter home.
Rachel and Caroline were both still pretty shaken up about all of this but they got a hold of their emotions and managed to get to class.
.
By lunch time, the rumours where all around the school and the next morning in Glee, Alaric was forced to explain what had happened to the students.
"Now, the principal wants to have an assembly to talk about domestic violence Friday afternoon and he wants us to perform. I know most of you boys won't have time to prepare something so this is mainly for the girls… I want you to prepare a few numbers for this assembly. You have until Friday to do it. The assembly is before the game. choose the song well because the principal wants it to be a surprise. He asked that even I don't know the songs so i'm trusting your judgment here... Don't screw up, this is pretty important!" Alaric told them.
.
In the end, Caroline, Elena and Bonnie got together with the other Glee girls for their own number but since Rachel thought it wasn't a good song, she left to perform on her own. Jeremy went to help Rachel and she wasn't sure if she would be able to include him on the song but he would be playing the music behind her anyway.
When the time for the assembly arrived, Miss Young was sitting by her father's side, near the rest of the council who came for the occasion and the Glee club members were ready to show their performances.
Elena and the girls of her group arrived on stage and the music form the musical CHICAGO started for the song CELL BLOCK TANGO. Caroline, Bonnie, Elena and Annie, a senior Girl, were going to be singing while a few other girls were dancing and singing in the background. They were all dressed in a very sexy kind of way and looked provocatively toward the crowd.
Alaric was nervous, he let the girls choose their songs and had no idea what they had planed before this moment. The principal thought it would be a good idea to let it be a surprise for everyone but Alaric started having doubts when he recognised the music. Surely those girls wouldn't be this stupid to sing such a song…right?
BONNIE:
Pop!
ANNIE:
Six!
CAROLINE:
Squish!
ELENA:
Cicero (Smoke puffs)
"I can't believe they did it…and Elena Gilbert is smoking on stage… How stupid are those girls?" Liz whispered.
"Rachel argued with them about it… She told them it was a bad idea and Elena told her she was just jealous she wasn't getting the lead. Rachel chose her own song." Damon explained.
JEREMY:
And now the 6 merry murderers of the cook county
jail in their rendition of the cell block tango
Jeremy had accepted to help them simply because his sister asked him and Bonnie insisted… He couldn't help the feelings he felt for his sister's best friend and he wanted to please her, even if their song was a bad idea.
ALL:
He had it coming
He had it coming
He only had himself to blame
If you'd have been there
If you'd have seen it
Pastor young had a comforting hand on his daughter's knee and said:
"I'm sure the next song will be better than this one…Rachel Berry is smarter than them." She nodded and fought against her urge to run far away from this place.
ELENA:
I betcha you would have done the same!
"I can't believe Elena is smoking on stage… She's in so much trouble when we get home!" Jenna told Alaric angrily.
BONNIE:
Pop!
ANNIE:
Six!
CAROLINE:
Squish!
ELENA:
Cicero (smoke puffs)
"I knew I shouldn't have listened to the principal and supervised the song choices and everything else… I just hope Rachel was smarter… I know there has been some sort of clash and she decided to do things on her own…" Alaric commented, ashamed by the girl's song.
BONNIE:
You know how people have these little habits that get you down. Like Bernie. Bernie like to chew gum. No, not chew. POP. So I came home this one day and I am really irritated, and I'm looking for a bit of sympathy and there's Bernie layin' on the couch, drinkin' a beer and chewin'. No, not chewin'. Poppin'. So, I said to him, I said, "you pop that gum one more time..." and he did. So I took the shotgun off the wall and I fired two warning shots...into his head.
If the performing girls had no experience and couldn't tell if people liked it from their reactions, Rachel could and if she had felt bad for a while about not performing with them, she now felt much better. She had made the right choice.
GIRLS:
He had it coming
He had it coming
He only had himself to blame
If you'd have been there
If you'd have heard it
I betcha you would
Have done the same!
The only good reactions were coming from the horny teenage boys that couldn't get their eyes away from the girls. They were in very small clothing and of course boys found them sexy… They didn't have to listen to the song to appreciate the show.
ANNIE (Spoken):
I met Ezekiel Young from Salt Lake city about two years ago and he told me he was single and we hit it off right away. So, we started living together. He'd go to work, he'd come home, I'd fix him a drink, we'd have dinner. And then I found out, "Single" he told me? Single, my ass. Not only was he married ...oh, no, he had six wives. One of those Mormons, you know. So that night, when he came home from work, I fixed him his drink as usual. You know, some guys just can't hold their arsenic.
"This morning Caroline told me she was feeling bad about following Elena and Bonnie instead of Rachel… Now I know why… Really, how could they have chosen this song at an assembly against domestic violence after what happened to their teacher!" Liz commented.
GIRLS without ELENA:
Hah! He had it coming
He had it coming
He took a flower
In its prime
And then he used it
And he abused it
It was a murder
But not a crime!
"They're young… I know Rachel and Caroline have a duet planed too later… At least she won't leave on a bad number…" Damon whispered back.
ELENA:
Pop, six, squish, uh-uh
Cicero, Lipschitz
Of course Caroline could hear the people's reactions to their song and knew she should have followed Rachel out of that room but it was too late now, she couldn't just interrupt the song in the middle of it… She didn't have a choice, she had to sing… She put on her best show face and started:
CAROLINE:
Now, I'm standing in the kitchen minding my own business, carvin' up the chicken for dinner, and in storms my husband Wilbur, in a jealous rage. "You been screwin' the milkman," he says. He was crazy and he kept screamin', "you been screwin the milkman." And then he ran into my knife. He ran into my knife ten times!
"Well, you better watch your mouth when you're with your girl Matt!" Tyler joked.
"She told me she made the wrong choice singing with Elena instead of Rachel… I get why now… Really, what was Elena thinking?" Matt replied.
ALL:
If you'd have been there
If you'd have seen it
I betcha you would have done the same!
As he watched his girlfriend, Stefan knew exactly why she had insisted on being in charge. She wanted to show off for him because she felt threatened by Katherine's presence in town. She was humiliating herself without even realising it because she wanted to show him she could be just as good as Rachel and just as sexy as Katherine… Why couldn't she just believe him when he said he didn't care about Katherine anymore? He hated when she let her insecurities dictate how she acted.
ELENA
My sister, Veronica and I had this double act and my husband, Charlie, travelled around with us. Now, for the last number in our act, we did 20 acrobatic tricks one two three four, five...splits, spread eagles, back flips, flip flops, one right after the other. Well, this one night we were in the hotel Cicero, the three of us, boozin' and havin' a few laughs and we ran out of ice. So I went out to get some. I come back, open the door and there's Veronica and Charlie doing Number Seventeen- the spread eagle. Well, I was in such a state of shock, I completely blacked out. I can't remember a thing. It wasn't until later, when I was washing the blood off my hands I even knew they were dead.
It was really hard for the young teacher not to leave this room. She hated what she was listening and if it wasn't for her father's strong hand on her shoulder, she would be out and back home now. Every single verse of those girls reminded her a moment when her ex-fiancé had beaten her up for some reasons, telling her that she had it coming…
ALL:
They had it coming
They had it coming
They had it coming all along
I didn't do it
But if I'd done it
How could you tell me that I was wrong?
ELENA:
They had it coming
GIRLS:
They had it coming
CAROLINE
They took a flower
ELENA:
All along
GIRLS:
In its prime
ELENA:
I didn't do it
GIRLS:
And then they used it
ELENA:
But if I'd done it
GIRLS:
And they abused it
ELENA:
How could you tell me
GIRLS:
It was a murder
ELENA:
That I was wrong?
GIRLS:
But not a crime!
BONNIE (Spoken):
You pop that gum one more time!
ANNIE (spoken):
Single my ass.
CAROLINE (Spoken):
Ten times!
ELENA (Spoken):
Number seventeen-the spread eagle.
BONNIE:
Pop!
ANNIE:
Six!
CAROLINE:
Squish!
ELENA:
Cicero (smoke puffs)
As they finished their number, they all stood and, after a few second, a few tentative and polite applause were heard while Alaric rose furiously to tell them off. They had done a terrible number and they needed to know it and they better apologise to Miss young later.
Rachel wanted to tell them she was right but held her tongue as Jeremy announced her next on stage with a song by Lori Crandall "Horror in your eyes". Not many people knew the song but Damon smiled, it was a good choice. (I personally advise you all to listen to this song. Lori Crandall is great and I just love her songs.)
The music was a bit angsty at first and then a bell was heard. After the second bell sound, Rachel started to sing:
RACHEL:
Sitting alone on my bedroom floor, fighting back the pain from the beating he gave me just a moment before. I know he said he'd stop but I guess he lied, cause I've got a busted nose and a bloody face to testify. I know I thought all was lost, yeah I thought I'd die, but the very next day I came walking way and you suddenly came alive… You see… I was hiding my face and my swollen eyes, and you ran to me and you held me close and I started to cry, and slowly you looked at me and said…
Rachel looked at the audience and knew that she was getting a better reception than the previous one. People were appreciative and she could see Miss Young was more receptive to this one.
RACHEL AND JEREMY:
I saw the horror in your eyes, I felt the pain you felt inside and now I scream to tell the world just what he did to you know that I saw it too, I felt the blows as they pierced you, my body shakes and my soul is tired, how could he do this to you?
Since Jeremy wanted to help her, Rachel let him sing the chorus with her. She knew he hadn't liked the previous song and only participated because Bonnie had asked him to. He was happy to be in a good number for once.
RACHEL:
Now I've gotta move fast, now I've gotta get out because of you I finally see that I am worth it now. But see I've got no money, see he took that too, but I've got my legs, my brain and now my courage too. Then you took me in, and you cleaned all my wounds, and gave me a home some love and now my dignity too. I'm alive because of you! When you said…
"You must be so proud of your daughter…" Liz told Damon.
"I'm always proud of her!" Damon smiled. The member of the council came mainly to show support to Pastor Young and his family but also because Liz, as sheriff, had a speech to speak.
RACHEL AND JEREMY:
I saw the horror in your eyes, I felt the pain you felt inside and now I scream to tell the world just what he did to you know that I saw it too, I felt the blows as they pierced you, my body shakes and my soul is tired, how could he do this to you?
Alaric had given the girls back stage a quick lecture and gotten back to his seat before the song started and he was happy to know Rachel was capable of choosing a decent song without help from anyone.
RACHEL:
But why did you do this, oh why did you care? Why'd you come back for me don't you know I was as good as dead? You see nobody cared, yeah they heard all my screams, but they turned their backs and left me alone to live this fatal dream. And as I looked in your eyes, I saw a glimpse of pain and could see you were just like me when you said...
"Jeremy is so hot up there…When did he become so hot?" Bonnie asked.
"He's my little brother Bonnie, he's not hot!" Elena replied as they all watched Rachel and Jeremy on stage. They had to admit they were pretty good.
RACHEL AND JEREMY:
I saw the horror in your eyes, I felt the pain you felt inside and now I scream to tell the world just what they did to you, know that I saw it too, I felt the blows as they pierced you and now you ask me how I knew… Because he did it to me too.
Everyone got to their feet and started clapping. Rachel and Jeremy bowed down and while Jeremy talked about the next song, Rachel got back stage to drink some water.
"I'm sorry Rachel, you were right about the Chicago song, I should have listened to you…" Elena told her.
"It's okay, we all make mistakes sometimes… it's what makes us human right?" Rachel replied with a wink as she and Caroline got on stage.
Jeremy had just announced that they were going to sing "Shake it out" by Florence against the Machine. He was already sitting down on a stool with his guitar, ready to play alongside them.
Caroline had changed and was now wearing the same style of dress as Rachel. They both sat on stools, on either sides of Jeremy and as he started to play the guitar, they started to sing.
RACHEL:
Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play
The eldest Young daughter was relieved that the two other songs weren't as bad as the first ones. The previous one had been slightly comforting, making her remember the help she had gotten rather than the pain she had been through. This one was along the same lines, it was helping her realise she had made the right decision.
CAROLINE:
Every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
"I'm glad Caroline is friend with your daughter Damon… She's matured so much since Rachel got in town…" Liz whispered.
"I'm not sure Rachel has anything to do with this but I'm glad they are friends too." Damon replied as he eyed, amused, the council's doctor, Meredith Fell, flirting with Alaric as he held on Jenna's hand for dear life. The doctor was here to present the medical effects of domestic violence and she was obviously very taken by the history teacher…
RACHEL:
And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
Pastor Young looked at his daughter and knew she was seeing herself in this song. He hoped she would feel better after this… He really wanted for her to move on.
RACHEL, JEREMY AND CAROLINE:
I'm always dragging that horse around
All of these questions' such a mournful sound
Bonnie couldn't take her eyes away from Jeremy. She couldn't help but find him sexy… She eyed as the muscles on his arms moved while he played and wondered if Elena would really object to them dating… Then she shook her head… She didn't even know if he liked her.
RACHEL:
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
CAROLINE:
So I like to keep my issues drawn
But it's always darkest before the dawn
"Don't worry so much Jenna, Elena understood her mistake… She's sorry…" Alaric said when he realised that Jenna was still tensed when she eyed Elena.
"She still smoke… She could have done her song without smoking… It was stupid and she will be grounded for this." Jenna replied.
RACHEL, CAROLINE, JEREMY:
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, oh woah
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, oh woah
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah
Rachel was happy to see people being so receptive to her choice of songs. She could tell Caroline was relieved too.
RACHEL AND CAROLINE:
And I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
Cause I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
"You were right dad, this is better than the sympathy pies…" Miss Young whispered.
"I'm always right honey!" The good pastor chuckled.
JEREMY AND CAROLINE:
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, oh woah
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, oh woah
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah
"Instead of training for tonight's game we should have helped Rachel… Look at Jeremy, he's popular with the girls now… They're all eating him with their eyes." Tyler whispered to his brother.
"We needed to train… Don't be jealous, when we win tonight you won't be able to choose, you'll have so many girls at your feet." Matt replied.
"You're right." Tyler chuckled.
RACHEL:
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
JEREMY:
And given half the chance would I take any of it back
CAROLINE:
It's a fine romance but it's left me so undone
JEREMY:
It's always darkest before the dawn
RACHEL AND CAROLINE:
Oh woah, oh woah…
RACHEL:
And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
CAROLINE AND RACHEL:
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
RACHEL:
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
JEREMY AND RACHEL:
It's a shot in the dark and right at my throat
CAROLINE:
Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
But what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me
The young Spanish teacher found strengths in the songs. She could do it, she could stay strong and away from him… She would forget about him and get stronger… She would even take Alaric up on his self defence lessons proposals.
CAROLINE, RACHEL, JEREMY:
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, oh woah
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, oh woah
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah
JEREMY:
So shake him off
RACHEL AND CAROLINE:
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, oh woah
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, oh woah
JEREMY:
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah
RACHEL, CAROLINE, JEREMY:
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, oh woah
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, oh woah
JEREMY:
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
RACHEL, CAROLINE, JEREMY:
So shake him off, oh woah
As Jeremy stopped to play and they all stood, everyone in the audience stood up too and started to clap loudly. They could see some people crying as they clapped. Rachel smiled at her success.
They got to their seats and listened as the doctor and the sheriff spoke of what they had seen and how to prevent it. Then a few women that had been through domestic violence came up and spoke too. In the end, everyone knew what to do if they were confronted with a situation like this.
When it was over, Damon congratulated his daughter, along with Alaric while Jenna was grounding Elena for smoking. Stefan, willing to show Elena that she had nothing to prouve, followed her.
Hey readers,
did you like it? I strongly advise you to listen to Lori Crandall's song Horror in your eyes (I also love THE WARRIOR IN ME). This chapter is an extra long one, a reward for you, to thank you for following me so faithfully.
Don't forget to review.
Lorelei Candice Black