"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Leroy Berry asked his husband as he looked around, they were no longer on a proper road, even if it was paved.
"I'm following the directions," Hiram nodded towards his phone. He glances at Rachel, who still looked rather excited and winces, he hoped that this wasn't a cruel prank. It certainly wouldn't be the first, "Rachel, you want to double check the address just to make sure that we've got the right place?"
Rachel froze, she recognized her father's tone and flushed even as she picks up her phone to make sure they had put the address in correctly. The twins were becoming her friends, even though it had been only three days they had eaten lunch with only her. It felt like she was part of some ultra exclusive club. Everyone was paying attention and more importantly no one, not even Karofsky had attempted to throw a slushie in her face. It really did feel too good to be true, and she was worried about the other shoe dropping. "111 Ponderosa Lane."
"It's the right address," Leroy said, peering at the phone, he looks outside once more. "The trees are beginning to thin, so why don't we just drive to the end and see what's at the end of this road. If someone does live here, they probably enjoy their privacy."
"We're in the middle of nowhere," Hiram pointed out. "There's privacy and then there is—" Hiram couldn't even finish the sentence as the trees thinned out, revealing a clearing with a split level ranch-style house. The space was massive, and even from here he could see the green murky lake behind the house.
Rachel let out a small breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. This wouldn't be the first time that someone had given her a wrong address and she'd been left stranded. She unbuckles her seatbelt, just as a loud boom shakes the car nearly causing her father to swerve.
"What the—" Hiram yelled loudly as Leroy latches onto his arm. He's about to do the intelligent thing and turn the car right around when he spots a woman, who looks rather apologetic waving them up towards the house. Hiram rolled down his window and stuck his head out. "What's going on?"
"Sorry! My mother is playing with Charlie!" Judy called out as there is another car rattling boom from the heavens. A mortified look crossed Judy's face as she looked up into the sky, she couldn't even see them at this point, which begged the question how fast were they even moving. Someone—Charlie, it was definitely Charlie, was probably going to get hurt again, and with Brittany in LA, it would mean actually going to the hospital.
"That's playing?" Leroy questioned and turned to look at Rachel. There was clearly something that she hadn't mentioned to them. "Rachel, exactly who are they?"
"I told you, they're my friends," Rachel reminded them as her father finally came to a stop. She turns to grab the wine that her fathers had brought along and exits the car, as Quinn appears beside her mother looking up at the sky. "Hey Quinn."
Quinn flicks her eyes to Rachel and flashes her a smile, "Hey Rachel, I hope you found the place okay it's a bit out of the way," she explains before looking up as there is another boom. She's about to say something else when a body comes hurtling out of the sky. Quinn flicks her fingers sending the body flying backwards into the lake behind the house. A huge splash is heard before everything goes silent. Quinn spots both Rachel's parents and flashes them an easy smile. "Charlie's probably fine. She's got a rather thick skull," Quinn said as she hopped down the steps and extended her hand. "Quinn Fabray."
"Dr. Leroy Berry," Leroy said, shaking Quinn's hand. "But please call me Leroy, you are one of Rachel's friends after all."
"Hiram Berry," Hiram introduces himself.
"Judy Fabray," Judy says as she makes her way down and smiles. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Quinn's been talking about her new friend Rachel—"
"Mom." Quinn immediately interjects.
Judy flashed a knowing smile at Hiram and Leroy who laughed, "Also thank you for giving Charlie your lunch on that day, she's talked about you in such glowing terms."
"We did date for all of ten minutes," Rachel said with a small laugh, it had only been three days but she'd gotten used to Charlie's eccentricities.
"Wait what?" Hiram blinked, this was news to him and he was certain that Rachel told him everything.
"I gave Charlie my lunch, while I was trying to dissuade Santana from throwing a slushie on them. Charlie seemed grateful and asked me out, but before I could say anything a fight broke out between Santana and Charlie. Charlie won, and after she found out I was vegan she broke up with me, but stated that we could still be friends," Rachel recounted with a shrug of her shoulders.
Judy sighed her cheeks flushing in slight embarrassment. "My youngest is—well I love her, she just seems to enjoy trying my patience, and making me worry about her. When she was younger I feared that someone would figure out that they could tempt her into their van, with candy. I assure you it wouldn't have turned out well for the pedophile, but I still worry about it, and she's nearly seventeen."
Quinn rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Rachel, "Come on, let's head down to the basement. There's a pool table, and a bunch of other things. Leave the parents to do boring parent stuff."
Rachel nodded but made her way over to Judy and handed over the wine, "It's impolite to not bring something for the host. I would have brought my sugar cookies but—I was certain that Charlie would just eat them all," Rachel admits.
"Thank you," Judy says. "I'll send Charlie down with some snacks once she finishes showering. Perhaps the Lopez's will be here by then."
Rachel's back went rigid, "Santana's coming?" She turned to look at Quinn who looked just as surprised as she felt.
Judy didn't notice Rachel's immediate discomfort, "Yes, I thought it would be nice to have a bunch of people over today to get to meet our new neighbors and to meet my daughter's friends. Her parents will be around as well. I've only met Dr. Lopez and he seems lovely, but I'm looking forward to making a few more friends."
"Dr. Lopez is coming?" Leroy asks, making a face. He always felt that Miguel was a pompous ass, and he never took his duties as a parent seriously. They had met with the family a few times to deal with Santana's bullying, but nothing was ever done.
"Yes do you know him?" Judy asked brightly.
"We work in the same hospital," Leroy says, forcing a smile onto his face. He couldn't blame Judy for not knowing that Lopez's were difficult. She was new in town, and was probably desperate to meet new people, so they could be polite and let her make up her mind about the family.
Before he can say anything, before anyone can say anything the ground quakes and there is a large boom and an explosion of water, followed by a body flying out of the water. Quinn sighed, "When she smells food or gets bored playing with grandma, she'll find us Rachel, come on let me show you around."
~ O ~
Miguel frowned ever so slightly as he adjusted his mirror to look at his only daughter, who was staring out the window listening to music. "Santana, I shouldn't have to tell you that you need to be on your best behavior. You already didn't make a good impression."
Santana pulled out one of her airpods and looked at her father, she understood that she was the pride of her family, "Understood," she mutters under her breath. His tone and the look on his face suggested that he wasn't in the mood to listen to her complaints. The last thing she wanted to do was spend the day playing nice with the fucking Fabray twins. Her popularity had plummeted and while no one was stupid enough to challenge her directly, she'd already heard the rumors about her spreading. She could hear the snickers as she walked by and she watched people she had thought were her friends making attempts to befriend the Fabray twins, inviting them to parties or attempting to seduce them.
Maribel glances at Santana, for the past three days all Santana had cared about was climbing her way back to the top of the mountain, and under normal circumstances she would have encouraged her daughter—but, a level five? The difference in power was too great and she was certain Santana would only hurt herself trying to fight her way to the top. "If you want to be—what is it the kids call it these days?" she turns to her husband, who shrugs. "HBIC? Is that right?"
"Please stop," Santana says sinking in her seat.
"Fighting them isn't working is it?" Miguel asked bluntly. "You lost to that girl you have detention with. Wouldn't it be better to befriend her?"
"Why in the world would I want to befriend that fucking—"
"Mija, language!" Maribel corrects glancing up, and frowning. They had been driving through rather dense forest, and she was tempted to check if they were in the right place.
Santana scowled and was about to say something cutting when there's a loud crash just ahead of them forcing her father to slam on to the breaks, causing her to pitch forward. Immediately she scrambles up to take a look at what was going on, and spots her nemesis, struggling to get up. Almost immediately a smile lights up Santana's face. Charlie's clothes were wet, and torn in several places. There was a massive gash on her forehead, and her face was drenched in blood. It looked like something out of a shitty slasher film.
Before her parents can say or do anything, she's removed her seatbelt and opened the car door, as Charlie finally falls to her knees. "You look good on your hands and knees," Santana said as she pulled out her phone, once this picture made its way through the school people were going to realize that it was just a fluke, and that there was no way that the twins were level fives.
Charlie's gaze turned to look at Santana, it was the only part of her body that she really could move freely and notes the phone in her hand. It didn't matter if Santana didn't believe that they were level fives, they were being tested by the government on Monday. "Move."
"Not ready for your close up?" Santana taunts, noting that there is electricity starting to crackle and dance around Charlie's hands which she couldn't seem to lift. She frowns and hesitates, as the blue arcs of lightning start to grow thicker and her hair begins to rise. "What are you—"
"Move." Charlie repeats, practically yelling at Santana who falls back in surprise as there is suddenly a bright beam of blue and gold light that erupts from Charlie's hands, flying upward into the sky.
Santana scrambles backwards immediately, the heat from the blast was hotter than anything she'd ever felt before and her eyes widened as she stared at Charlie who finally slumped over. "What the—?" She hears laughter coming from up above and she looks up as a woman slowly floats downward. The woman's clothes were slightly dishevelled as she slowly touched down in front of her.
"It seems you didn't beat me before the guests finished arriving. I suppose that means that I win."
Charlie puffed out her cheeks as she stared at the woman, before she nodded. Almost immediately she feels the tremendous pressure that she was under dissipate and she falls onto your back. "What's the score now," she grumbles as she places a hand on her forehead and looks at her bloody fingers.
"212 to 1. You nearly had me that time."
Charlie sits up immediately, a huge smile on her face, "Really?"
"Of course not dear," the woman laughs again and walks over to Charlie and pats her on the head. "Perhaps next time."
"Grandma!" Charlie whines as she flops back down. "Come on!"
The woman that Charlie's identified as her grandmother turns and offers her hand to Santana, "It's always a pleasure to meet my grandchildren's friends. You may call me Artemis."
Santana stared at the giant woman in front of her, she had to be at least six feet, and she wordlessly took her hand, allowing Artemis to help her up. "I—Santana?"
"It's a pleasure to meet you Santana," Artemis states and turns to look at the car that had stopped and waves at both Miguel and Maribel. "Just keep following the path and you'll arrive up at the house." With that she slowly begins to ascend into the air and once she reaches a certain height begins to glide through the air, heading towards the house.
"Shit. I thought I had her," Charlie sighed as she sat back up again and touched her forehead. She couldn't remember getting hit at all in the face, but the adrenaline was fading and the pain was starting to kick in. "I just need four more and I'll have beaten Aunt Cassie," Charlie says with a shake of her head as she slowly stands to her feet. She blinks when she realizes that Santana is standing in front of her. "What are you doing here?"
Santana turns from where she had been watching Charlie's grandmother and turns to look at Charlie, "Your mother invited me and my family over."
Charlie turned to look at Santana's parents for a moment and waved politely, and flashed them a smile before she turned back to look at Santana, "Follow the path, and keep going till you see the house. Park anywhere, I need to shower and fix this before my mom sees me and starts to worry."
Before Santana can say anything Charlie takes off flying towards the supposed house that was at the end of this path. She turns back to her parents, there was someone in Ohio, who could kick Charlie's ass.