Glee 1. Creatures of the Nightmares

_Hey guys! I haven't given up on you my awesome readers! You are now about to read the first book in a series of 4 fanfiction novels about night chaser Rachel Berry! This is very exciting stuff and it slightly inspired by one of my favourite series, "The Mortal Instruments". Enjoy the first installment, and remember to check back for the sequel called "Creatures of the Underworld!" _

* * *

**Creatures of the Nightmares**

i.

She remembers the way they stared at her as she walked on stage for the first time, the audience's eyes squinting to get a better look at the young girl attempting to showcase her talent. She remembers the adrenaline running through her as she opened her mouth, the first round of lyrics pouring through like a waterfall, effortless and beautiful. She remembers the way they applauded her, standing up and watching in glee as she finishes, her eyes teary with joy.

This time, although, as she walks in front of the crowd, her black dress flowing at her knees, her hair pulled into a tight bun, she feels quite different. Replacing shocked faces of excitement are grim expressions, some even crying. She doesn't feel adrenaline, but despair, so tight her throat knots into various tangles she can't seem to release. She stares out into the people surrounding her, waiting for her to speak.

Rachel wets her lips. "When I was eleven, I remember my parents telling me a story of the time I first met my brother. I was only a couple hours old, maybe six, still pink from birth and tired from crying. My brother was three, just as troublesome and reckless. My mother was worried that he was going to scare me so she made sure I was asleep when they first introduced us. He walked into the room, in his sneakers and baseball hat, and saw me, for the first time . . . "

Her eyes begin to prickle and she sees other people gasping for air as they let out sobs they've been holding in their chest. She breathes heavily, closing her eyes as she continues. "You see, I'm a very light sleeper, so when he ran up to my ear and screamed, 'Hi Rachel!' I immediately woke up crying," she lets out a chuckle, despite herself, "and my mother says, 'darling, you scared her.' He looks up wide-eyed, oblivious to how loud he was. 'Can I see her mommy?' he asked, and when she held me to him and whispered, 'that's your little sister,' he immediately smiled and whispered, 'Hi little sister, I'm Puck and I'm your big brother. Sorry for scaring you, it'll never happen again. I won't let anyone scare you or hurt you again, okay?'

A series of actions move throughout the crowd, women leaning on their boyfriends shoulder for support, men pretending to be more interested in the sky to hide the fact that they're crying. She feels the tears tickle down her face but she doesn't wipe them, she lets them fall in silence. "And although he isn't here anymore, I know for a fact that he keeps that promise. That he is my guardian angel, shining down on me, making sure that I am safe and protected." Rachel looks up, smiling a bit at the sun.

"Rest in peace, big brother."

* * *

ii.

"Sorry for your loss."

Rachel lets the person reach for her hand and shake it lightly in her grasp. She nods, trying to give some response that she's thankful for them coming to the funeral but her lips don't move, her mouth and throat hoarse.

She looks beside her at her mother and father, features set in sadness as they accept the people's sympathy for the death of their son. Her mother, dressed in black, shines with the light red of her hair, falling down around her shoulders as her father stands strong despite the longing in his expression, desperate to leave any reminders of the son they once had.

"Sorry for your loss."

Rachel turns to see the next person offering their gratitude, surprised to see a man she doesn't know, his tall frame looming over her. His hair ruffles lightly as a soft breeze passes by, air tugging at the tux that fits his muscular body. He slides his fingers between hers, his brown eyes focused on her as he shakes their joint hands. He watches her intently as he speaks again, his voice soft and creamy, "your brother was a great man."

Her eyebrows arch in confusion, but before she can say anything he quickly turns his head to the left, in the direction of her parents. She twists her neck back to face them, watching as they nod at him, their eyes suddenly cold and focused on the mysterious man.

Rachel's gaze falls on their linked hands, catching the tattoo that rests on his wrist. It looks almost burned onto him, the ink a dark line of dried skin. A circle inside a circle.

His soft hand falls from her grasp and she looks back at him, startled. He offers her a small smile before he turns away, leaving the small ceremony with a sense that Rachel didn't expect to feel - adrenaline.

* * *

iii.

Her hand comes up to caress the glass blocking her from touching her brother's face, her fingers skimming over the picture frame. She smiles tearfully at it, her eyes still puffy from a day of crying and sleep. She remembers the day perfectly, the way Puck stuck out his tongue before their parents snapped the shot, complaining that he didn't want to touch her. He was seven years old.

Rachel rests the picture frame back on her night stand, tying her hair back in a pony tail to clear her face. She removes herself from the bed that she's spent days inhabiting, her feet aching as she steps on them. Pain just seems to be so friendly in the Schuester household.

She ruffles through her closet to find an outfit she could wear for the last day of school tomorrow. Even though her brother only died three weeks ago, she promised herself she wouldn't miss the last day of being a kid, last day of being able to break rules and only have to deal with teachers and principles. She knows her brother would be pissed if she missed her last day of high school, so she pushed herself to go, not just for her, but for her brother.

Puck.

God, does she miss him.

Sometimes when everyones asleep, she'll think she hears the front door open and Puck will walk up the stairs, apologizing for waking her up. It's not that she's crazy, her parents have been acting paranoid ever since he died, extra cautious of Rachel, even if she's going out to buy milk. It feels like they more about his death than she does, like there was something else that happened that she isn't aware of.

Maybe it has something to do with that mystery man at the funeral.

The black hair and suit, the way he looked at her parents as if they were on the same team . . .

A noise catches her attention, and she's suddenly aware of her parents downstairs in the kitchen, whispering frantically. She steps away from the closet and tiptoes towards the door, pressing her ear against it.

"We need to move," her mother hisses, and she can hear the panic in her voice, "they'll figure it out and they'll come after her. And as soon as they find out we've been raising her all this time they'll - "

Rachel opens the door quietly and steps out, walking towards the staircase that leads downstairs. She hovers over the railing, her hands gripping the metal as she continues to eavesdrop. "We'll figure something out, okay Emma?" her father whispers, "we have an escape plan. Everything will be okay, Finn will - "

"Finn is still a kid. We can't expect him to protect - "

Rachel steps closer, her eyes squinting in embarrassment as the floor boards creak beneath her. Her mothers voice fades into silence, and she can already feel them breathing down her neck. "Rachel? Are you there?"

She doesn't answer, only backs away in shock to her bedroom, more confused than ever.

* * *

iv.

_"One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi . . ."_

_Rachel laughs as she hears her brother counting, her pink dress flowing around her chunky ankles. She smiles toothlessly as she backs away from him standing at the wall, his hands covering his eyes. Her hands waver as she struggles to find a good hiding place, checking rooms and cabinets possible to fit in._

_"Rachel . . . "_

_Her name hisses throughout the quiet house, echoing off the walls. She looks up, expecting to see her brother but the room is still. She twirls around. Nothing. "Mommy?" she whispers, clutching hopelessly at her Dora doll. _

_"Rachel . . . "_

_She hears a shudder coming from a kitchen cabinet, and she turns towards it, sees it glowing with red, like the colour of blood. She tiptoes towards it, her body turning cold the closer she gets. It calls out her name once more and she reaches the handle, pulls it open . . . _

_She catches a flash of hell before it attacks._

She gasps out, her breathing labored and heavy as she tries to catch it. Her eyes squint in the darkness, trying to adjust to the night covering her bedroom. She blinks repeatedly, her hands feeling her body for any signs that it was just a nightmare.

Rachel rolls over in her bed, stuffing her face in her pillow and crying out. The terror and feeling of the dream so real it sends shivers throughout her body. She winces slightly as a slight burn prickles the skin of her wrist. Evening her breathing, she lifts it to her face in the darkness, eyes narrowing as it begins to build into a deeper pain.

She notices nothing different about her wrist, and the pain suddenly subsides.

* * *

v.

Rachel tries to ignore everyone staring at her as she walks down the hallways on her last day of school, tries to pretend the only reason they're staring at her is because she's wearing jeans instead of a dress. She hides her blush behind her cascaded hair, not wanting to deal with the entire student body and how they're oh so sorry her big brother died.

"I'm really glad you came today," Quinn tells her as she walks Rachel to first period, "this is a big milestone in your life."

Rachel tries to smile, failing miserably. "I know Puck would have wanted me to come, just because he's not here doesn't mean I can't disappoint him." A comforting hand rests on her shoulder as she walks, and Rachel turns to see a person she doesn't know, attempting to give condolences she doesn't mean.

Quinn shrugs. "Everyone will be really glad to see you. Just think of it like this, you're only a couple hours away from the best feeling in your life." She waves off a student walking toward them, shaking her head.

Rachel is genuinely interested. "What's that?"

She smiles, her pearly white teeth shinning like a hot day in July. She looks at her with blue piercing eyes.

"Freedom."

* * *

vi.

She can already hear the whispers of shock as she walks into first period, her book clung desperately to her chest. As if on cue, everyone in class turns to face her, including her teacher, Mr. Ross. She silently gives her book to him, never wanting to read a single sentence from The Great Gatsby ever again in her life.

"Nice to see you Rachel," he tells her, giving a reassuring smile. She returns it, her head downcast as she makes her way to her desk in the middle of the room. She hears the hush of murmurs as she passes, "that's Puck's sister," "hey didn't her brother just die?", "is she wearing jeans?"

She sits herself down in the familiar seat, arms outstretched on the table in front of her. Her cheeks redden as more students begin to take notice in her, eyes wide and eager for any sign of a breakdown.

Mr. Ross notices the tension in the room and stands from his desk. "Alright, well, there isn't much left to say but good luck on you guys and your future. I really did enjoy this semester with you all, and it was such an amazing - "

A searing pain runs up the palm of her hand to her wrist, burning the skin like an internal flame. She gasps out, her hand clamping on the hot flesh, the pain a familiar sensation she experienced last night. She feels her skin boil under her fingers but she refuses to look, refuses to show any more weakness in front of her classmates. She can already sense everybody's eyes on her, but she pretends nothing is wrong, trying to ignore the searing discomfort in her wrist.

"Rachel?" Mr. Ross stares at her in confusion, as does the rest of the class, "is everything alright?"

She tries her hardest to stay calm, though finds herself jumping from her seat and out of the class room.

* * *

vii.

The first thing Rachel does when she gets to the washroom is look at her wrist.

She freezes.

It's the same tattoo the man from the funeral wore on his wrist, the one that looked like dried skin lining the ink. A circle rests on her red skin, though it's just one, not two circles that the man had in the graveyard. Her eyes blink back the tears that fight to escape, the burning sensation still lingering through her veins.

She moves over to the sink, dapping her thumb with water and presses it roughly against the circle. She rubs frantically, trying to remove any linings of the circle from her skin. It doesn't work.

"Come on," she hisses under her breath, sliding her fingers against her skin so quickly it creates a red rash painting the flesh. She gasps out in frustration, the burning still as real and heated as a real fire. Her eyes close as her head begins to buzz with warning, pounding along with the blood in her veins.

Her hands grip the edges of the sink, head bowed down as she tries to regain her strength. She feels her body sway in expectation, waiting for the moment she gives up and faints. Her fingers come up to run under the water from the sink, splashing her face with a revival of energy. She slaps her cheeks, giving pain to her other body parts to distract herself from the one pain she cannot seem to stop.

"Keep it together, Rachel," she whispers, pinching the skin on her face, "don't black out."

She removes her hands from her face, blinking repeatedly to keep herself focused. Her hair whips back as she snaps her head up, her face visible in the mirror in front of her -

A high pitched scream tears from her throat as she sees something else in the mirror. A person or a thing she doesn't know. It's body is crumpled in various ways it looks as if every bone in its body is broken. Its skin as black as night, eyes a slit opening of yellow as it stares beadily at her. Its tongue slides across its teeth, red and bloody, stained with hunger . . .

"Rachel?"

She turns around, expecting to see the creature standing behind though is faced with a young girl, Anna, from her English class. She doesn't even notice her rapid heart beat until Anna stares at her chest, rising up with every quick breath she takes. Rachel's hand rests on her heart, trying to steady it as she catches her breath.

"Rachel, are you okay?"

She gaps, hands shaking as she tries to answer. Before she does she notices the pain in her wrist is gone, and when she stares down at it, so is the circle. Both of them gone, just like that.

Just like the creature in the mirror.

Anna whispers her name once more, a warning sigh, but Rachel doesn't have time to answer as she already's out of the washroom, leaving the school with being known as the biggest freak that ever stepped foot in McKinley High.

* * *

viii.

The air is cold as she walks along Main, her arms wrapping around her body in an attempt to create some source of warmth. She can already feel the damaged skin of her wrist starting to peel, the heat leaving her flesh like throwing water on a fire. Her eyes prickle with tears with the remembrance of the days event, even though it's only eleven in the morning.

Rachel knows theres more to the symbol on her wrist than pain and insanity, more to the creature she saw in the reflection of the mirror. So cold and dark, so life sucking . . .

Her fingers rub along her bare arms as she turns into the alley that leads her straight home. When she was younger, she was always afraid to walk down it alone, so Puck would have to come with her even if he had football practice. She hasn't been afraid since he died, though something about the lack of light seems to send tense nerves through her body.

She tries to ignore the feeling that something is wrong, tries to ignore the prickling in her wrist, tries to ignore the fact that she just might be going crazy, or even worse, paranoid.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

Rachel turns to look beside her, immediately being faced with an odd-looking man staring at her from across the alley. His hair is stiff with grease, clothes ragged as if he's been wearing them for weeks. A level of fear rises in her chest, heavy on her heart, and she quickly responds as he begins to walk towards her. "I'm sorry sir, but I really must be heading home . . . "

"You look so familiar," he seethes, his teeth yellow with beer, "like a photo I've once seen."

Rachel tries to smile, ease herself away. She shrugs at him. "I'm sorry," she tells him, but she really doesn't know what she's apologizing for. Maybe she feels grateful because he hasn't jumped her yet, or asked her for her wallet. She gives him one last look and turns on her heels, twirling back to -

His hand grasps at her wrist, and it electrifies the buried pain of the burning circle. She cries out in pain, struggling to rip it from his hold. "Sir - "

He lets out a happy chuckle. "You're Rachel Berry," he cries out in excitement, "you're Puck's sister, aren't you?"

Rachel _Berry? _Why does he think her name is Rachel _Berry_? She hasn't been any one but Rachel Schuester her whole life. Shaking her head in disagreement, she finally removes herself from his uncomfortable grip, walking past him without another word.

He's faster than she thought. His hands come up to place on her chest as he pushes her back, the force so unexpectedly strong she falls backwards onto the ground. Her head cracks against the cement, her vision blurring as he hovers over her . . .

"Say hello to your brother."

A flash of movement echoes off the shadows before the man on top of her is whipped to the ground by an incredible force. She hears his fall, though her eyes are too slow to adjust to the fast actions as she hears grunting and flesh against flesh, heads cracking on bricks.

Rachel tries to sit up, because she doesn't know if her hero is winning or loosing, but the pain in her head causes her to fall back against the ground. She coughs up, trying to release some tension from her mind. Her eyes flutter close and there's a silence, no more punching, no more yelps of pain. She feels someone hovering over her again, but she's afraid to open her eyes, see if its someone she wants to see or is too afraid to look at.

"Rachel?"

The softness in his voice makes her feel safe, and her eyes snap open. She tries to adjust to the way his head is bent over hers, the paleness of his skin, the freckles surrounding his nose. Her eyes begin to focus, and she blinks a couple times before she sees clear whats in front of her.

The man from the funeral.

Her mouth is dry with shock, or blood, she isn't quite sure. She stares up at him in awe, noticing not a single dab of blood or bruise from the man he just rescued her from. "Are you hurt?" he breathes out, "is it okay to lift your head?"

When she nods, his hands cradle the back of her head, his fingers lost in the locks of her brown hair. He brings her upwards into a sitting position, and she immediately misses the contact as he puts his hands at his side. His eyes are hard on her, concerned and worried drawn tightly into his expression. "Are you alright?"

"You're him," she whispers out, her lips cracking.

His eyebrows arch upwards. "Excuse me?"

"The guy from the funeral," she explains, "with the tattoo on your wrist."

He stares at her for a long moment before he turns away, as if someone called his name. What is his name anyways? "Come on, lets get you out of here" He leans forward and hooks his hands underneath her arms, lifting her up swiftly. She feels a jolt of energy the minute she stands, the pain suddenly easing into the back of her mind. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to rid of the rest of the tension in her skull.

When she opens her eyes, he's staring at her with slight amusement on his face. "So," he looks down, "do you mind if I walk you home?"

* * *

ix.

"Thank you," she tells him as they begin to walk back the short distance to her house, "for saving me back there. I don't think I would have been able to do anything myself."

He offers her a small smile, his hands shoved casually in his pockets. She can see the tattoo on his wrist from where she walks beside him. "It's no problem, I wasn't going to let him hurt you." A tinge of fierce protectiveness flashes in his eyes, and she's reminded of the way her brother looked when she got a new boyfriend or went out to parties.

She bites on her lip at the familiar expression. "So what's your name?" she asks. He looks at her, actually debating on whether to tell his name or not. He sighs and his gaze falls on his shoes. "Finn," he says.

Rachel grins. She thinks the name fits him. "Oh, well I'm Rachel."

He lets out a chuckle. "I know." Oh yeah, he was saying her name in the alley, wasn't he? How did he know her name? She looks at him, she's never seen him in her life. She has no connection to him except for the fact that he was at her brother's funeral.

"How did you know my brother?"

The question catches him off guard, and his expression instantly turns blank, like a poker face. Finn opens his mouth to speak then closes it again, hesitant to say anything. His cheeks redden as he racks at his brain for an answer. She notices the way his eyebrows narrow tightly, almost as if he has to choke the word out. He stops suddenly, and gestures to the house in front of them. "Is this your house?"

Rachel turns to where he's pointing to, her eyes wide in surprise. "Yeah, how did you know where I lived?"

He shrugs. "Lucky guess."

Finn is insistent on walking her to her door, even with the fact knowing that her parents will answer it and ask tons of questions. She sighs as she knocks on the wood, already hearing the scratch of chairs as someone leaves the kitchen table. Her hands clench worriedly at her sides, knowing that after what happened with Puck, they'll surely freak out about this.

Her mother and father both answer the door, eyes worried on Rachel then they're suddenly drawn to Finn. Both of them widen in surprise as they look at him, but Finn doesn't flinch, doesn't even seem to notice. He casts a look quickly at Rachel then back to her parents. "Rachel ran into a little trouble in the alley, but I took care of it."

A hand flies to her mother's mouth, her body trembling violently. She turns to Rachel, staring with red eyes about to release some tears. Rachel tries to smile at her mother reassuringly. "It's okay mom, nothing happened, I - "

"Rachel, why don't you come inside." It's her father, tone strong and calm. She doesn't even have time to move before her father reaches out and grabs her by the hand, pulling her in. He looks down at her, and she can see the cracks in his hard expression, the worried lines about to break.

He turns back to Finn. "Thank you," he whispers, and he closes the door. Finn nods in response, and she notices his gaze fall back on hers before the door closes completely.

* * *

x.

Her parents were quiet as they ate dinner, none of them mentioning what happened in the alley or asking what the man looked like so they could report to the police. They sat side by side, barely looking at Rachel as they silently ate their mashed potatoes. It wasn't long before Rachel became fed up with the mood and quickly dismissed herself.

She lay on her bed, facing the ceiling and imaging she was looking at the stars. When she was younger, her mother told her that after someone dies, they become a star in the sky. She wonders if Puck is up there, looking down and worrying about who the next guy will be to attack her.

Rachel tries not to remember it, the way he looked at her in a familiar way, how he knew her name.

Well, the first half of her name anyways.

Rachel _Berry_, that's what he called her. She shouldn't think too much about it, he was probably crazy, she could tell by the look in his eyes when he attacked her, yellow with a tinge of evil, just like the creature she saw in the bathroom.

She's pretty sure he would have hurt her if it weren't for Finn, who just so happened to be there. She frowns, thinking about all the events that happened today, and trying to put them together. There was the burning, the circle on her wrist, the creature in the mirror, the man who attacked, and then Finn. Finn just magically shows up. She chews on her bottom lip, thinking of the way her parents looked at him, as if he was an occasional visitor.

A knock on her door interrupts her thoughts, and slightly twists her head to look at it. "Come in," she calls out, and she can tell by the hesitant opening of the door that it's her mother. She walks in thoughtfully, her red hair pulled into a pony tail. She doesn't try to smile, and comes over to sit on the edge of her mattress. Rachel sits up to look at her.

"How are you doing, Rachel?" she asks, voice small and thick. She lays a hand on her knee, the motherly comfort possessing her.

Rachel looks down. "I'm okay," she whispers, and then adds, "you know you don't have to lie to me anymore, right? I'm eighteen, I've graduated from high school. I can handle big girl problems. You can tell me what's really going on, can't you?"

Her mother bites on her bottom lip. She removes her hand from her knee and places it back in her lap, staring at the wall. "You might be an adult now but you are still young, you might not understand the things you see but you look at them anyway. I don't expect you to believe me when I say that everything is going to be okay. But you'll thank me one day for keeping you in the dark . . . or at least trying to." She plays with the fingers of her hands. "If anything happens in the next couple of weeks, just know that you're father and I are trying to protect you, alright?"

Rachel sighs, checking off another thing she'll have to worry about.

* * *

xi.

It doesn't take long before she realizes she won't be able to sleep tonight.

Rachel discards the blankets from her body, jumping form her bed and leaving her bedroom without a thought of returning to it. She pulls her sweater more tightly around her, her sweat pants making noise as she walks down the stairs. She can already smell the leftover chicken as she enters the kitchen, rubbing her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Her hand grips the edge of the fridge door as she opens it, her eyes scanning for the milk carton. She sighs in frustration, checking behind eggs and pop cans to find it. Her search momentarily pauses as she hears a slight cricket from outside, a chattering of teeth. She leans back from the fridge, looking at the nearest window in the kitchen, seeing nothing but trees and dark sky.

Rachel ignores the fear in her body as she closes the fridge, forgetting about milk and sleep and worry. The noise begins to build, scratches against the window and walls, hands clawing at anything audible. She tiptoes closer to the window, her socks swift against the floorboards as she begins to close the distance between her and the noise.

She gasps, feeling the familiar burn in her wrist. She stops walking completely, and the noise subsides, leaving the room instantly dark and quiet. Her eyes blink in confusion as she lifts her arm in front of her, seeing the same circle imprinted on her skin, though instead of one circle, it's two. One circle inside another circle, just like the one on Finn's wrist. Her eyes squint in the darkness, startled. "What the - "

Glass shatters in a roar as the nearing window bursts, the noise a deafening and hallow explosion. Rachel screams, her arms coming up to cover her face as she pushes herself to the floor, broken glass falling around her. She cries out as they pierce her skin, blood prickling from where they cut. She breathes into her hands, feeling the remainder of the glass break against the floorboards as it stops, leaving the room in a silent mess. She shakes the glass from her hair as she lifts her head to the darkness.

Her heart stops.

In front of her is the creature. She doesn't know if its the same one from the bathroom or not but it looks just as hungry and lifeless. It's yellow eyes shine in the night, it's teeth clattering together in the familiar cricket noise. It bends towards her, it's body breaking as it approaches her like a nightmare. Rachel crawls on the floor, facing the creature with a look of utter terror. Her hands press into broken class as she moves, sending blood splattering against the kitchen floor. She swallows thickly, building a scream ready to call for help when -

A blade as long as a sword drives through the middle of the creature's body, slick and sharp. The creature releases a screeching sound as it compulsives, black goo coming from its wound as the yellow leaves its eyes. Rachel gasps out a breath, trying to even her beating heart as she looks up at the person holding the weapon . . .

"Dad," she whispers as she sees him in front of her, the blade glued to his hand. Her eyes widen in astonishment and she's suddenly more concerned with the fact that her father just killed a soul-sucking creature than the fact that she almost just died. Again. He doesn't look proud though, only scared, but not for him. He looks around the kitchen, see's more creatures crawling from the window. "Rachel," he hisses, the blade shinning in his hand, "lock yourself in the bedroom and do not come out under any circumstances."

Rachel stares in bewilderment, fear returning as she looks at the oncoming creatures. She gulps loudly, refusing to look into their beady, yellow eyes.

"Rachel!" her father screams, more urgent than she's ever heard him, "now!"

She gets up from her spot on the ground, glass sticking to her body as she rushes out of the room. Her socks slide across the floorboards easily, and she grips onto the railing of the staircase for support. Another window breaks from inside the house, but she doesn't look for it, doesn't have time to look anywhere but the stairs as she runs up them two at a time.

She eventually reaches the top of the stairs and ushers into her bedroom, closing it with a slam. She can hear the crickets surrounding her, the noise of her father's blade cutting through them. Her fingers shake as she struggles to lock the door, her hands slippery with blood. Her eyes scan the room, looking for anything to protect herself with.

Rachel doesn't have time to search as her bedroom door flies open with a clatter, sending her falling against her nightstand. She cries out in pain as her head connects with the wood, sharp edges digging into the skin of her skull. Tears prickle at her eyes and she has to blink them away in order to see the creature in front of her, teeth clicking together.

It jumps on top of her, claws piercing through her skin as it pushes her into the ground. Rachel screams as it digs the wood of the nightstand deeper into her skull, blurring her vision. She wills herself to stay conscious, and she wonders if this is how Puck felt before he died, so cold and scared and alone. The thought brings an unbearable strength to her and she reaches her hand on the surface of the nightstand, knocking objects over until she grips a metallic stand. The creatures hisses on top of her, its tongue clipping out with blood.

She brings the lamp in her hand down on its head, smashing it to the ground beside her. The creature releases another hissing sound as Rachel kicks it off, pulling the remaining limbs off of her as she crawls into a standing position. She can already hear it forming together again and she races to her window, fingers gripping the edge as she pushes it open.

A cold amount of wind hits her face like ice. Rachel takes another look at the creature on the floor before she throws herself over the ledge and lands on the tiles of the roof. She slides slightly, catching onto the ledge with her hands. She looks out at the open sky, breathing in the open air, "Somebody - "

The creatures attacks her before she can finish her plea for help, forcing her to hit the surface of the roof. Her body rolls down the heap, hitting misplaced tiles and rocks along the way. She tries to stop herself as she sees the edge of the roof getting closer but her body aches and she feels tired and sore. She closes her eyes as her body soars off the roof, her hand clenching at the ledge, allowing her to hang, her legs dangling in the air.

Fear freezes her lungs as she looks below her at the ground, surely able to break her legs if she tries to jump. She squeezes her eyes shut, willing to hold on longer, wait for someone to help. She can hear the clatter of teeth as the demon approaches again, ready to defeat her for the final time.

A hand grips the bloody skin of her wrist, surprising Rachel and awakening hope inside her. Her eyes snap open, allowing the person holding her to pull her upwards, ignoring the pain it causes as her body scrapes against the roof. The hands toss her onto the roof, and she wipes the wetness under her cheeks as she feels the surface beneath her. She sees a familiar patch of brown hair and freckles. She looks up.

"Finn," she breathes out in shock, "What - "

The creature screeches from where it rests on the top of the roof, staring down at them with the yellow eyes. Finn swears under his breath and beckons it forward, taunting the creature with just two fingers. He pulls the blade she saw her father use from a pouch at his waist, facing the demon without any trace of fear. It surges towards them, fangs ready and thirsty as it leaps.

Finn effortlessly sends the blade through its skull, putting it to rest in a final daze. Rachel gasps as black goo pours from its wound like the one in the kitchen. A small cry escapes her throat in confusion of what's going on around her, and she finally feels pain catch up with her.

"What's going on?" she whispers, looking at the blood stains on her skin. Her mind tries to wrap around what just happened but she can't seem to focus with Finn holding her arm.

He looks at her. "We're going to have to jump," he tells her. She shakes her head in refusal but he doesn't listen because he gathers her in his arms and leaps from the rooftop.

* * *

xii.

She feels Finns feet slam harshly against the ground as she falls out of his arms, rolling over in the grass. She coughs out as she tries to suck in a breath, her chest heaving in shallow air. She looks up at the rooftop, sees the body of the creature crumpled against the tiles.

Finn reaches for her. "We have to move," he says, grabbing her hand and pulling her upwards beside him. He begins to pull her forward but she gapes at him, staring at the blood stained windows of her house. Her eyes begin to water. "My parents - "

"Rachel, come _on_."

He drags her with him as they run from her house, and she reluctantly allows him to lead her away. She thinks of her mother and father, the creatures that haunt the walls inside. She thinks of how fragile her mother is, how scared she must be.

"Do you mind telling me what's going - "

A creature appears in front of them and Finn doesn't hesitate as he brings out his blade and pushes Rachel to the side. He plunges the blade forward but the creature is fast and moves to the side, sticking its tongue out. She watches as Finn bends forward and slides along the ground until he's looking up at the creature and surges the blade up, decapitating its head in the process.

Her mouth opens in shock as the head rolls to the ground, its body dropping to the concrete. Finn breathes out, wiping the black from his blade as he looks up at her. His eyes suddenly widen.

"Rachel - "

She doesn't hear what he has to say because a sharp pain shoots up her neck, and she falls into darkness.

* * *

xiii.

She's awake before she can open her eyes. Her mouth drops to release a deep breath, and she tastes the prickle of blood against her tongue, splashing her with memories of what happened. Her eyes snap open, and she finds herself in a white room she's never been in before. Her eyes follow the trail of wires that cross her body, and she's suddenly aware of how sore she is.

Rachel notices the blood stains on her clothes and skin, gashes and wounds opening flesh. She lifts her wrist slightly above the mattress, and she sees that the two circles are still on her wrist, though not burning. Her mind begins to buzz with flashes of the creature on the rooftop, Finn effortlessly killing it and how it oozed with black blood. Her eyes widen as she feels the anxiety take over, and she sits upright -

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

A searing pain rides up her body to her head, exploding into all the senses of her brain. She gasps out in pain, falling back against the pillows as she holds her temples with the tips of her fingers. Her teeth clench together as the momentary injury passes, leaving her dazed and disorientated. Her gaze falls on a boy sitting across from her, his legs crossed and hair combed to the side. He looks at her, amused.

"Told you," he whispers, eyes darting to the ceiling. Rachel crunches in confusion, not knowing if she was in a hospital room or a mental patient room. She wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter. "I'm Blaine by the way."

Blaine. She's never heard that name before. But come to think of it, she's never seen a blood-sucking creature or blades as swift as swords before either. She nods in response. "Blaine," she says, tasting the word for the first time, "what's going on?"

He sighs. "I know you're confused, but I can't explain everything right now. It'll hurt your head. All I can tell you is that those things you saw last night, the ones that tried to kill you, they aren't from this world. They're demons."

Rachel visibly balks. She thinks of the fangs, the claws and scaled skin. "Demons?" She wants to vomit.

Blaine nods. "They're from the Underworld. Finn was bringing you here when a Caden demon jumped you from behind and hit your head, that's why you blacked out. He had to carry you the whole way back and - "

"Finn," she breathes out, "is he okay? Where is he?"

Blaine stands up and smiles. He gestures to the door. "Let me show you."

* * *

xiv.

"This place, Rachel, is the abandoned art museum," he tells her as they walk down the long corridors, "otherwise known as our home."

"Home?"

He nods. "There are others like Finn and I. Apart from us there's Sam, Jake and Santana. And now you."

Rachel looks sideways at him as they walk. She feels her heart racing at everything he tells her, somehow making her more anxious than she was before. Before she can open her mouth he stops walking and points to a room across from them. It's filled with blades, arrows, dagger, all of them hanging from wires in an organized manner. Her eyes widen.

"If you haven't guessed, that's the weapon room," Blaine says, chuckling at himself.

Blaine explains all of the rooms as they walk by them, telling her their history, who likes to sleep in them, and why they haven't torn it down. His obvious excitement begins to grow on her, but not in the way that she'll become excited too. In a friendly way. He must be happy to be interacting with someone outside the museum.

He brings her to a set of doors downstairs after showing her the rooftop. "And this is where Finn should be," he tells her, and she suddenly goes cold, "the training room."

Blaine opens both of the doors and pulls her inside. Her eyes struggle to adjust to the blinding lights that shine on the equipment and carpet, almost like staring into the sun. She blinks heavily, lowering her gaze on the only person inside the room except for her and Blaine.

Finn.

He seems to notice them, removing his fists from the punching bag and squirting water into his mouth. He shakes the sweat that runs down his face, shagging his hair with his hand. She stares at him without hesitance, her eyes narrowing as he walks towards them. His eyes momentarily flicker to Blaine before landing on her, analyzing the cuts and blood that remains on her body.

He stops in front of her. "You feeling any better?"

Rachel sighs, briefly closing her eyes. She just went from a poor girl who lost her brother to a poor girl who lost her brother and her house and most of her blood, so no, she doesn't feel any _better_. "Not really," she hisses, "no one is telling me what the hell is going on."

"Rachel - "

She throws her hand up to keep him from talking. "Who are you, Finn?" she begins, and she can already feel all the frustration she's kept for the last few weeks build inside her. She see's Blaine step away from her, though Finn stays where he is, unmoving. "You see, I've never seen you before in my whole entire life but obviously my parents know you, and Puck, because you showed up at his funeral. You said he was a 'great man', how would you know? I've never seen you at our house, I've never heard Puck even mention you before! And then all of a sudden, when I'm about to get attacked by some _creep_, you show up! Again!"

She begins to walk towards him, her finger pointing at his chest. "Then I try to go to sleep and forget everything, that should be easy shouldn't it? But it's not, because when I go to the kitchen I get attacked by this fat-ass creature, who is apparently a demon, and then my dad just comes and kills it like he's been doing it for years!" She's right in front of him now, almost pressed up against him as she digs her finger into his shirt. "So I try to run, but it doesn't take long before I'm attacked for the third time that day and almost die when you show up!"

Rachel sucks in a breath and pounds her finger against his chest in frustration. "Why won't you tell me what the hell is happening to me instead of just showing up and pretending to be a hero - "

Finn grabs her wrist in his hand before she can jab him again, holding it close to her face. She looks up at him, her chest heaving in shallow breathes as he rubs his fingers against her wrist, a look of confusion crossing his emotionless features. He brings her wrist closer to him and notices the circles burned into her skin. He turns her wrist to show Blaine.

"It's her."

* * *

xv.

Rachel soon finds herself sitting in the only chair in the living room, looking up at five curious faces. She feels tiny as they stand in all black, blades attached to their hip and leg pouches. Their eyes scan over her body, looking at the cuts and blood that plastered her body the moment the first demon attacked her house.

"So," she says, "is anyone going to tell me what I'm doing here?"

The five of them look at each other, eyes looking at every other person in the room except her. Finn locks eyes with the other girl in the room, Santana, and she turns her gaze towards Rachel, eyes narrowing. She walks towards her in her high heels, arms crossed over her chest. "We're what we call night chasers, a group of skillfully trained people who destroy demons and have the sight of seeing demons. Although some demons are strong enough to manipulate human figures, they have the appearance of humans to normal people. The two circles, the one you wear on your wrist, is the symbol that allows you to see the demons for what they are."

Rachel recalls the man in the alley, the yellow eyes that didn't fit him. "That man, Finn, in the alley - "

"Was a demon," he finishes for her, "I'm assuming you didn't posses the circles at the time so it seemed like an ordinary human. He ran off before I could kill him, so I'm guessing that's why all those demons showed up at your house, because he informed them that the rumors were true - that Puck really does have a little sister, another descendant of Berry."

Rachel laughs, exasperated. "Why is everyone saying that? I'm not a _Berry_, I'm a Schuester. And Puck has nothing to do with this - "

"You were adopted, Rachel. A prophecy was read that the sixth descendant of Raw Berry would be the one strong enough to end this war and destroy the portal allowing demons to enter our world. Your real parents, Shelby and LeRoy Berry, were fearful that people would come after you so they gave you up to fellow night chasers, Emma and Will, the people you think are your parents. Everyone thought it was Puck, he was the night chaser of the two and it was barely known that he had a younger sister, so demons were obsessed with killing him, making sure he wouldn't be able to destroy the portal."

Rachel's head begins to hurt. "Where are my real parents now?"

Santana sighs, "they were killed three days after they gave you and your brother away."

A waver of emotions shoots through her heart and she stands up, her mouth open with shock. She walks across the room to the window and turns towards them, confusion written all over her face. She see's all of them look at her with sympathy. "I don't understand," she whispers, "why am I suddenly a night chaser? I've never heard of that all my life."

A blonde boy, Sam, is the one to answer this time. "Night chaser's are born within blood, and are the oldest and only child of the children they breed. Since your brother passed away, the duty has been appointed to you, you now have the responsibility to destroy not only demons, but the portal that allows them to enter our world. It is said that the portal is in Hawk's tower in the Underworld, so we're going to have to find a way to get to Underworld. It's what the prophecy read."

Rachel points at herself, shaking her head. "I'm not a warrior, I'm not some child destined to save the world. It was probably Puck, he was the one who was supposed to - "

"If Puck was the one who was meant to destroy the portal he wouldn't be dead right now."

She stares at them, the way Blaine refuses to look her way, the way Santana stands cold and daring, the way Finn looks as if he wants to leave the room. She shakes her head, "what do you want from me?"

Jake speaks up, and she almost forgot he was in the room. "The portal in the Underworld only allows for entrance to the real world. No living night chaser has ever been to Underworld, the only people there are the creatures who were born in it. Demons. We need to build an army and then get to Underworld."

"How?"

"There was a portal that entered the Underworld back in the late 1800s. Raw Berry, an ancestor of yours, destroyed it. We believe you can open it again. Allow an army to enter it and attack the kingdom and destroy the portal letting demons into our world." Santana breathes heavily and takes a step closer to Rachel, her arms now pinning to her sides. She looks down at her, almost desperate. "For decades, our kind has been trained and killed to protect the citizens of earth. We've risked our lives for the safeness of others. We want to live a normal life."

Rachel stares up at them, she has to be the youngest one here because most of them look as if they're in their early twenties, nineteen at most. She thinks of never being able to decide a future, a choice that should be given to every child. She shakes her head. "I don't understand what this means - "

"It means that if we destroy the portal that lets demons walk through our land, than we don't have to worry about them ever returning here." Santana looks behind her at the rest of the group, and they nod in encouragement, "and we believe you're the one who can do it."

Suddenly, Rachel is reminded again of the responsibility they're asking of her. She stands up, feeling more like an eight year old than an eighteen year old as she crosses her arms stubbornly over her chest. Her eyes gaze around the room and she begins to back away. "This is insane," she feels the need to laugh in their faces, but she doesn't think that will make her feel any better. "I am not a hero, okay? I barely know who I am, and you think you can tell me who I'm destined to be?"

Blaine looks startled, almost ashamed. "Rachel - "

She holds up her finger to stop him. "No. I am no one special okay? I'm Rachel Schuester, I'm eighteen, I am not the girl you're looking for, and I'm definitely not a night chaser." She notices the look of hurt that cross their faces as she spits the word at them. She would have felt bad if she wasn't so confused and frustrated, so she just goes on. "I don't know who you people are, and I don't know what those things are out there. All I know is that I want to go home. Now."

Santana is the only one who recovers quickly enough to answer her, and when she does, her voice is suddenly cold. Her eyes reflect her tone as she stares at Rachel in disgust. "You can't go home," she hisses, "Will and Emma had an evacuation plan that led them to New York if an attack ever occurred so they could keep you safe. This place only offers residence and shelter to night chasers. It was built by the Law so no demons can get in. It was planned that you'd stay here if they ever left."

Rachel blinks at them, about to say something but thinks differently. She does the only thing she's been doing her whole life. She walks away.

* * *

xvi.

The cold air hits her roughly as she exits the art museum, starting towards the nearest pathway that leads to a forest. She heaves out a breath she didn't notice she was holding, her head trying to wrap around the information that they threw at her. Her hands come up to rub against her arms as she walks further and further from the building.

"Rachel."

She should have known he would follow her.

Rachel looks over her shoulder, her mouth resting above her shoulder. "Leave me alone, Finn."

She can almost hear him sigh in frustration. Without a sound, he's in front of her, as fast and swift as a cat, blocking her way to the forest. He leans over her small frame, disbelief shinning in his eyes. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" he demands.

Rachel is suddenly annoyed with the authority in his voice. "Anywhere but here," she retorts, "all you've done is cause me trouble and pain. I don't know if you ever thought - "

"Trouble?" He laughs at her, "if it weren't for me, you would already be dead."

She blinks up at him, speechless. Dead. Such a strong word with so many emotions that come with it. It could seem like a joke to other people, a way of exaggerating their feelings and frustrations. But to Rachel, it's a reality. Dead, just like her brother, just like her parents. She can already notice the regret tint in his eyes after he realizes what he said. Before he can move she stalks around him, again taking the path towards the forest.

"Rachel, I'm sorry."

She stops walking completely at his torn tone. She can almost feel him close his eyes in dread, his desperateness the only reason she isn't running down the path. She can feel her heart beat wildly through her blood, veins pulsing and quickening. Her chest heaves in shallow breathes as she waits for him to continue.

"I didn't mean it like that, okay?" he gasps out, obviously exhausted, "you're just so - so, like your brother, so damn stubborn."

She holds herself together as she slowly turns to face him, her arms snuggling against her beating chest. Her eyes attempt to adjust to the darkness of the night, his usual dull features now shinning with pain that she almost wants to embrace him. She keeps the attraction to herself, standing exactly where she is as he looks at her. "Were you two close?" she asks, her voice just cracking.

Finn shrugs, "he was my best friend."

Red begins to blur her vision when she realizes her body wants to cry again. She shuts her eyes closed, but she can still see Finn. "I'm sorry," she croaks, her eyes flashing open with tears, "I need to leave. I'm not the girl you were looking for, I - I - "

Rachel shakes her head, giving up. She begins to back away when he takes a step closer, keeping the distance the same between them. "He died trying you know. He wanted to end this war himself." The words sharply pinch at her emotions, and he continues, "all he kept telling me was that he needed to make a better world for you."

Rachel freezes, gulping down the building thickness in her throat. She wants to run, hide herself from all the pain and hurt she's experienced in the past few weeks. Finn can tell she's still hesitant so he takes another step towards her, and then he's suddenly in front of her, his head tilting down to her short size.

His breath is suddenly warm on her despite the cold air, and she shivers. Her eyes peer up at his, still watering with unshed tears. "I guess it's your choice," he breathes, "if you want to leave, I won't stop you."

Rachel looks at her surroundings, she would have no where to go, no where to go to. She has no protection against those demons or whatever they're called, she doesn't know the first thing about killing one. She looks back up at Finn, and he makes up her mind in one remaining sentence.

"But it would be easier for me if you stayed here, because I'm going to have to follow you either way."

She rolls her eyes at his comment, defeated. Without another word, she shoves past him and back towards the art museum.

* * *

xvii.

Blaine is already at the front door when she returns, his expression sympathetic. He pats her on the back lightly, guiding her towards the staircase and up the steps. "Everything will make sense eventually," he tells her. She chews on her bottom lip, not in the position to say anything as sleep begins to dawn on her.

Her mind starts to daze, and she thinks of Finn, of how broken he sounded when he spoke about her brother. She feels bad for assuming he didn't know him, but she'll never admit that, no matter how attractive and strong Finn is, no matter how many times she's dreamt about him since the funeral.

He stops in front of an open doorway, the room viewable for anyone to see. It's fairly large, the walls plastered with blue paint and white trims. Picture frames are set on tables and nightstands, though the darkness blinds her eyes from seeing the photo itself. The one thing that draws to her the most, although, is the bed in the centre of the room.

"This," he explains, "was Puck's bedroom."

Her stomach drops; she should have expected that. She nods at Blaine and offers him a small smile. He hesitantly leaves, probably nervous that she'll run off or break down crying.

Rachel walks into the bedroom and closes the door behind her. She walks up to the picture frames and grins at them, seeing one of her and Puck at his graduation. He must have been a night chaser at the time.

She's too tired to get sentimental so she stalks over to the bed, stopping when she see's a pair of shorts and t-shirt on the covers. She easily shrugs into them, throwing her bloody clothes on the floor without a thought. She snuggles on the mattress, bringing the comforters up to her chin as she stares up at the ceiling.

Rachel closes her eyes, thinking of demons and portals, heroes and her parents. Everyone must know she isn't capable of saving them, not even close to the amount of strength that Puck had, or Finn. She's tiny, not a warrior, and definitely not even coordinated enough to balance a sword.

_Everything will make sense eventually_, Blaine told her. She sighs, and allows herself to drift off into a world where no one expected anything from her.

* * *

xviii.

Light pours through the open cracks in her windows, shinning brightly down on Rachel. She groans in annoyance, trying to cover the light with her small hands. She rolls over on the mattress, stretching and yawning as her body begins to wake up. Her hand reaches for her alarm clock on the bedside table, but she finds nothing, just open air.

Her head snaps up from the mattress, just noticing that she isn't in her bedroom, that her parents aren't downstairs making pancakes for her. She growls as she looks up and realizes she is still in the art museum, still has the stench of blood on her.

Her eyes scan the bedroom again before she notices another door in the room, a door she didn't see in the darkness of the room last night. She jumps out of the bed and runs to it, opening it and seeing that it's a bathroom. She almost faints with happiness as she strips out of her clothes and turns the shower on, leaping in.

Hot water runs down her body, burning off the blood and fear from the day before. She hisses a little as it touches her wounds, though enjoys the following sensation. A couple minutes pass when she thinks it might have been a couple hours and she turns off the tab, getting out. She throws the clothes back on, now wet, and shakes her fresh hair.

Rachel exits the bedroom and walks down the grand staircase, wincing at every step with her sore body. She finally reaches the bottom, and feels as if someone should applaud her and give her a score, but she knows that's not realistic. Obviously it would be more realistic if an army of demons were to attack her and her family.

She can already sense him before she see's him, so she's not surprised when she walks into the kitchen and sees Finn sitting on one of the stools. He looks up from the bowl in his hands as she enters, eyebrows raising at her wet hair and outfit.

"Good morning," he offers as he sits there, watching her walk towards him. She stops in front of the counter, leaning on it and looking back at him. "Take a shower?"

Rachel nods, "didn't really feel up to smelling like blood and demon for another day," she says sarcastically.

Finn smiles, then shrugs. "You get used to it."

Her nose scrunches up at the thought of it, and she turns her attention to the fruit bowl in front of her. She fingers one of the apples in the fruit bowl, rolling it between her fingers. She feels her stomach growl, and she brings the apple towards her mouth.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Finn advises, and she stops before she can taste a bite. Her eyes avert back to his as he grabs the apple from her hands and places it back in the fruit bowl. "Look at this," he beckons her closer, and she bends forward to peer a glance as he presses his fingers roughly against the surface of the apple. It makes a popping sound.

Rachel lets out a chuckle, "Is that supposed to impress me?"

Finn shakes his head, and gestures for her to watch. She gazes back at the apple just in time to see it's surface begin to cave, the redness fading away as it's contents crumple. She stares in disbelief as the apple turns into water that splashes to the counter, and in its place is a small ball, black and crisp.

Finn looks up at her, "does that impress you?"

Rachel stares at the ball, blinking repeatedly to see if its just an allusion. Her eyes cast downwards and she notices that the puddle of water is gone, suddenly evaporated.

"What the hell was that?" she gasps, looking back at Finn. She suddenly notices their close proximity as her nose gently glides against his cheek and she leans back. Her cheeks redden, but Finn doesn't seem to notice as he twists the ball in his hands.

"This," he explains, holding it up between his fingers, "is a poisonous gas bomb. If a demon were to posses human form they have a chance of entering the art museum. We hide our weapons so they don't expect an attack, that's why it manipulated the appearance of an apple."

Rachel shakes her head in bewilderment. "This is so messed up," she says, eyes wide as she takes a seat on a nearby stool. Finn glances at her and nods in agreement.

She crosses her arms against her chest, leaning back in the stool as she stares at the bowl of fruit. What else is in there? Pocket knifes? Hidden chocolate bars? She doesn't think she wants to know.

"Are those Santana's clothes?"

She follows Finn's gaze to her body, takes in the blue t-shirt and the black, denim shorts that she's wearing. She looks back up at him and shrugs. "I don't know, I guess so." She instantly thinks of her house, the most recent demon attack. Her eyes pinch shut as she remembers her parents.

"Looks like we're going to have to get you some clothes."

Her eyes open. "Where?"

Finn jumps off the stool and begins to walk towards the training room. She deliberately follows, her arms still crossed over her chest.

"Why, your house of course."

* * *

xix.

He pushes the doors open, allowing Rachel to enter the training room as he closes them shut behind him. She can already grunting and fists hitting flesh as she follows Finn to the ring, and she can see a patch of blonde hair.

Sam has Jake in a rough embrace, his hands catching his wrists and pinning them to the ground. Jake struggles underneath him, using his legs as an advantage to wrap around Sam's waist and roll on top of him. He laughs in relief.

Finn claps his hands, stopping at the ropes that create a square. Jake shifts so Sam can sit upright, and he nods up at Rachel, a sign of greeting. "Nicely done," Finn applauds, smiling widely.

Jake shrugs. "Learned that one from you," he catches Rachel's eye, "nice to see you didn't run away"

Rachel doesn't know if he's being sarcastic or truthful, so she doesn't say anything, just hides behind Finn's muscular frame. She watches as Finn dismisses the comment, waving his hand towards Jake. He's obviously dealt with Jake's comments before.

"You guys up for some demon hunting?"

Sam wiggles his eyebrows, jumping from his spot on the ground. Jake follows his steps, the both of them walking to the end of the ring where Finn is standing. Rachel slightly takes a step backwards as they pant, their breath heavy on her prickling skin.

"What's the occasion?" Sam questions. His eyes wander to Rachel and back, and it seems like he understands before Finn can even say anything.

Finn grips the ropes playfully. "Rachel needs clothes, and we want her to feel as comfortable as possible while she's here," he ignores Jake's roll of the eyes. "Her house was attacked by demons so who knows what's there." His voice rises in excitement as he talks about weapons, and Rachel is shocked by how they think killing demons is fun.

Boys.

Jake nods. "We should go soon, before it gets dark. Just don't tell Tana and Blaine, they'll flip." He bends down to escape the ropes trapping him in the boxing ring, standing before Finn and Rachel with determination.

Finn grins. "I wasn't planning to."

* * *

xx.

"We're going to take whatever we can fit since we don't know how many there'll be."

Rachel watches as Finn begins to pick weapons from the shelves. She hasn't seen half of the stuff he's choosing except for a couple sword-thingys and blades. He notices her confusion, and stops, turning towards her.

"You sure you're up for this?" he questions. She blinks, she hadn't even have time to think about what she was going to do, if she were even going to go. What if she's in the way? What if she's just a distraction? She knows they think she's this great, powerful girl destined to fight, but she doesn't even know the first thing about cutting a carrot with a knife.

She watches as Finn grabs another weapon from the shelf, and walks towards her. He stops in front of her, reaching forward to grab her hand and place it outward. He opens her clenched fingers, spreading her fingers out in a relaxing state. She blushes again, does he not know that he's openly touching her? She tries to shake the thought from her mind, it's not like she's attracted to him.

He places something in her hand, cold and sharp. She removes her gaze from his face to stare at the item, seeing it as some sort of knife. "It's a dagger," he tells her as she examines it, "you're brother was good with them."

Rachel blinks up at him. "I don't know how to use this."

Finn sighs. He closes her hand around it, tightening her fingers at the base. He lets go and drops his arm at his side. "I know you don't believe in destiny and prophecies, but I also know that you come from a great bloodline of elite night chasers. You can't doubt your abilities before you try them."

Rachel nods, her hand shaking as she clenches the dagger. "Okay."

* * *

xxi.

Finn leads her to the grand hallway, opening the front doors and stepping out into the fresh summer air. He looks back to see if she's following, and she almost crashes into him as he stops. She feels the material of his leather jacket rub against her, his blades tucked into his belt.

Rachel steps back and allows him to move forward, and he turns the corner that stops at the garage doors. Adrenaline suddenly courses through her veins as Finn enters the code for it to open, wondering what kind of car is behind it. It could be a Mercedes, maybe a Lexus.

Her anticipation quickly subsides as the garage opens to reveal a mini van, parts of it missing, the front window chipped. Her eyebrows click together in confusion. "What?" Finn demands, "not every Night Chaser can afford nice cars."

Rachel shrugs. "As long as it has a stereo."

Finn chuckles, walking to the van. He opens the driver's seat door, nodding at Rachel to follow. She almost gags at the stench of demon as she makes her way to the mini van, throwing herself in the passenger seat. She looks around, appalled by the blood stains on the ceiling and bottom of the van.

"Oh my gosh," she gasps, "and you're telling me not to be nervous?"

Before Finn can say anything, Jake and Sam enter the garage, both geared up in blades and leather. They stalk towards them, sliding the back door open and climbing in. They plump on the creaking seats, smiling widely. "Let's go!"

Rachel ignores the uneasy feeling in her stomach, trying not to show the insecure, little girl she is.

* * *

xxii.

Finn stops the van a couple feet away from her driveway, opposite to the street her house is placed. She stares up at it through her window, it looks exactly the same, although her father's car is missing from the picture. Her eyes trail any broken windows, but there's nothing, as if they were on vacation or out for the day to any by passer.

Finn looks back at Jake and Sam. "You guys stay here," he orders, "if there's any trouble I'll call you up, but I don't want to draw attention."

Sam nods, and they both look a little deflated. Rachel wants to offer that they could take her place, but that will just make her look scared and weak, like any other eighteen year old girl. She sighs, she doesn't understand what they think is so special about her. She can tell that Jake doesn't either.

Finn opens his side door and hops out, hiding his belt of blades with his jacket. Rachel watches as he comes around the van towards her, opening her door. She doesn't move.

She can tell Finn is growing sympathetic. "I can get your clothes if you're too nervous to go in."

Clenching the dagger in her hand, she jumps from the seat. She looks up at Finn with determination. "I'm ready" she says, and she walks away without looking at the expression on his face. She can hear him shut her door and begin to follow her up the pathway leading to her porch. He catches up to her as they approach the front door.

Rachel stares at the door knob, waiting for something, anything, to signal it's either too dangerous or safe enough to go in. Finn grabs Rachel's wrist and pushes her behind him. "No matter what, stay behind me," he tells her, the authority thick in his voice. She can feel herself nod, watches as he turns the knob ever so slowly, pushing the door open.

The room beyond it isn't what she expected. Mirrors are shattered along the carpet, tables and chairs broken on the carpet floor. She can feel a rush of air as Finn closes the door closed, staring at the house in disbelief. He doesn't say anything, just lets her get a look. She can see the black goo that oozes from demons spray against the walls, and she hopes that her father killed as many as he could.

"Come on," Finn whispers, and she turns to see him already making his way up the staircase. She makes one final glance at the crashed room around her, the broken picture frames, the snapped fan. Her eyes blink away the images as she follows Finn up the stairs.

Her hands grips the railing as she squeaks up the steps, her dagger clenched tightly at her side. She reaches the last step at the top and turns to Finn. He nods in encouragement, signaling it's safe to move, and she hurries to her bedroom.

It's worse than she remembered. The lamp she used to crack against the demon is smashed at her carpet, the light bulb splinting pieces of glass around it. Black goo stains the lamp shade, and she feels a certain sense of pride when she realizes that she hurt it, made it draw blood. Her eyes avert to the window, and she see's claw marks against the walls surrounding it.

"It was like this when I came in that night," Finn whispers, "I thought it killed you."

She shakes her head, eyes scanning the red blood that hardens at the ledge. Her blood. "It was going to," she replies, throat tightening at the memory. She sighs, and then adds, "if you didn't show up."

She leaves it at that, determination finally settling in as she breaks away from the memories. Her hands grab at any material of clothing she can find, shoving them into a duffle bag under neath her bed. She notices Finn watching her from the door frame, his muscular arms crossed heavily over his chest. She doesn't know if he's impatient or not so she tucks all of the clothes from her drawer into the bag.

Rachel slings the strap over her shoulder, sliding the dagger into one of the pockets. She looks up to see Finn already staring at her, his brown eyes warm and welcoming it almost makes her feel wanted. "Okay, I guess we should leave," she estimates, not knowing what his plan is. Finn only nods, jerking his head towards the door that leads to the hallway.

She follows him out the door, the bag colliding with her legs as she walks. They're almost at the staircase when she stops him, staring across the hallway at the bedroom across from them. His eyes follows hers and he seems to understand what she's looking at. Puck's room.

"Go ahead," he whispers, his tone aching. She turns to look at him, sees the sadness in his face. The look of loosing someone and having to be reminded of it. The look of being able to relive memories, but wanting to respect the privacy of their snooping sister. Rachel steps backwards and gestures him forward. "Aren't you coming?

She can see the twitch of a smile on his face, and the action kind of creates butterflies in her stomach. He follows her to the bedroom and waits patiently for her to turn the knob. She can sense the his nerves as she slowly opens the door.

Rachel has never really been in Puck's room, and now she knows why.

Daggers and blades hang from the walls, giving the room a shadow of their silhouettes. His gear lays on a table in his closet, black and leather, blood stains visible in the material. Her eyes scan over the map of Lima that rests on the wall above his bed, red dots identified as demon populated spots. She see's her high school as one of them.

She stands back in awe. "I've never seen this before," she thinks aloud, staring around. Her eyes do a full circle and land back on Finn, who stands sheepishly in the corner.

"That doesn't surprise me," he tells her, "he probably protected this room so only Night Chasers can see it. You see it now since you have that symbol on your wrist."

Her eyebrows arch at the information, nodding. _Well played big bro, _she thinks_, well played_. She steps forward, shocked to feel the floorboards caving in, a large board of wood snapping in half. Finn grabs her arm and jerks her towards him, listening as the wood hits the first level with a crash. "Be careful," he hisses, as if he expected her to know she gained so much weight she'd break the floor. "When Night Chasers die, their rooms are altered so demons can't come through. These floorboards probably can't sustain demon weight. Very fragile."

"Noted." Rachel removes herself from his hold, tiptoeing along the floorboards as they creak underneath her. She feels Finn follow her exact footsteps, unexpectedly light on his feet. She slides the duffle bag from her shoulder and rests it on the ground, the floor screeching under its weight. Her eyes take particular interest in a picture frame on the night stand in front of her, a picture with two very familiar boys.

"Is that you?" Rachel asks, turning back to look at Finn. He looks slightly uncomfortable until she acknowledges him, and he peers forward, lifting the frame towards his face. He releases a chuckle, and Rachel can't help but smile in return. "This was the year we met at training camp in summer '04. We were both twelve years old but man, you're brother would do riskier things than the seniors."

Rachel laughs. "That doesn't surprise me. He was never very fond of any of my boyfriends." She doesn't know why she thinks how much Puck loved Finn, and how happy he would have been of her decision. She feels her cheek suddenly blaze red, and she forces the thought from her mind.

"He told me about them, you know," Finn laughs, "he told me about Carmen and Max, Adam, Leo, Jeremy - "

She interrupts him before he can name the whole alphabet. "Okay, okay I get it, he hated all of them." She expected him to laugh, respond with a snarky comment, but he just shakes his head. His eyes bore into hers, and she's never found brown eyes so interesting until now. She stares up at them.

"It wasn't them he hated." He waits for the thoughts to register with her, but she remains silent, still waiting for an explanation. "It was what they represented. They represented you growing up, becoming a woman. And if there was one thing your brother wanted, it was for you to stay innocent."

Rachel tilts her head to the side, gaze remaining on Finn. "Why?"

"Because you were his little sister."

She doesn't say anything. Her lips push together in a pout as she remembers how protective he got, how annoyed he was with them when they would take her out or she would go to their house. Thinking about now, how he just wanted to be close to his sister and know she's okay, she regrets ever leaving the house without saying a proper goodbye. A kiss or a hug. She's never said 'I love you' enough times.

A hissing sound echoes from the bedroom, and Finn instantly goes rigid. He draws his hand towards his belt, fingers resting upon the blades that run along his waist. Rachel snaps her head towards the doorway, her eyes widening as she see's a dark shadow in the hallway, tongue licking at it's fangs. Her heart stops.

It steps forward, and she can see it now for the demon that it is. It's bigger than she's seen, but she isn't all that familiar with them. Still has the same yellow eyes that suck hope and warmth from the air, claws tapping against the ground. She feels Finn push her behind him, his fingers already clenched around one of the blades.

"Don't move," he hisses, his eyes insistent on the creature in front of them. She stands closer to him, her chest heavy.

It's a fast blur, but Finn suddenly throws his hand back, a blade set between his fingers. He snaps it forward, the blade releasing from its grip and aiming towards the ceiling. She watches in horror as it completely misses the creature, though is suddenly aware that it was on purpose. The blade shoots through the ceiling, allowing a beacon of sunlight to shine through. The light lands on the demon's body, but it doesn't flinch, doesn't even seem to notice.

"Shit." Finn draws a long sword from his belt, holding it close to his chest. "Rachel, yell for Sam and Jake. This isn't a normal - "

The demon lurches forward, mouth gaped open in a roar as it charges. Finn pushes Rachel down to the floor, her weight cracking some of the floorboards that she falls upon. She looks up in time for the demon to step inside the room, and she waits for a crash for it to fall through, but nothing happens.

Absolutely nothing.

"Rachel - "

Finn doesn't have time to finish his order as the demon hurtles at him, its fangs stretching out. He jumps to the side towards Rachel, his hands reaching upwards as he brings the sword down towards the demon. It moves quickly, tail thrashing against picture frames and items placed on nightstands. Rachel stares in horror as it shatters the picture of Finn and Puck.

It's tail descends down onto Rachel, and she rolls over in time for it to crash on the floorboards beside her. Theres no evidence of anything snapping, as if the demon is weightless. She coughs out the dust that traps her lungs and stares up at the scene in front of her, the demon stench full of blood and death, almost inviting her in.

Finn's sword slashes down on the demons tail, slicing right through the flesh. The tail separates in half, releasing a bucket of black blood along Rachel and Finn. It almost burns on her skin, wetness violently seeking through her clothes. The demon screeches in pain, turning around and clawing forward, it's paw hitting Finn squarely in the chest. The action causes him to fly backwards, his body slamming against the opposite wall.

"Finn!" Rachel screams, and she tries to run towards him, but the demon claws at her back, creating three lines of open flesh. She cries out in pain, dropping down on the floorboards weakly. Her eyes blur as she sees the demon stalk towards her, and she turns to see if Finn is getting up, but he lays unconscious on the floor.

Her body screams at her as she lifts herself up from the floorboards, pain scorching through her. She reaches forward to grab the loose tail in her hands, and it feels heavy in her arms, unlike the effect it has on the floorboards. She closes her eyes, hoping whatever stupid plan she has, it will work. She waits until the demon edges closer, claws screeching against the wood.

That's when she slams the tail against the boards.

For a second, nothing happens. Only silence. The demon continues to taunt her though it doesn't seem to matter because the ground begins to shake, like a ripple through water. Her eyes glance around the room to see objects falling off shelfs and tables, crashing onto the floor. Rachel smirks.

It worked.

The floorboards cave in, all of the wood snapping in half under the weight. She sees the demon fall through the crack, and then she suddenly feels herself flying in the air. The ride lasts about a second before she hits the ground of the first level, her back landing against the kitchen counter. She screams, blood squirting from her wound. The sound of debris continue to fall around her, and she closes her eyes, just for a second, waiting for the destruction to be over. For everything to be over.

It's silent. That's the first thing she notices. Feeling safe, Rachel squints her eyes open, and the first thing she notices is a flash of movement, not from the demon, but a smaller figure. Relief washes through her.

"Finn!"

His eyes connect with hers, and it isn't until then that she notices the boards that lay on top of him, trapping him to the ground. She see's the pressure on his face as it squishes him, and she breathes out. "Finn - "

A screech of anger breaks through the room, and the demon surges through a pile of boards that landed on him. His yellow eyes grow in rage as they search for the closest source of death. Rachel sort of wishes it was her, and it makes it even worse when it isn't.

Finn struggles with the boards as the demon stalks towards him, and it almost looks as if it might be it. Rachel panics, her eyes searching for anything to distract it, harm it long enough for Finn to free himself. Her eyes rest on the duffle bag thrown beside her, the dagger shinning from where she placed it in the side pocket.

Rachel rolls on the counter, blood smearing against the surface as she lands harshly on the ground. Her legs carry her forward, the pain in her back subsiding as her determination takes over. She bends forward, reaching for the dagger. Her fingers grasp it, and she feels the power she possess, the advantage she has over the demon.

She closes her eyes, trusting herself. Her hand clenches around the handle of the dagger and she remember what Finn said, about how her brother was talented at throwing them. She thinks of her brother, her parents, she thinks of the demon inching closer and closer towards Finn. The one who is constantly risking his life for her._  
_

Her eyes snap open at the thought, and she raises her hand past her head. Anxiety pumping through, she can already feel herself breaking, but she doesn't care. Her gaze falls on the demons figure, and without hesitation, she throws the dagger.

It spirals, and for a second it looks like it'll miss the demon completely. She lets out a breath she doesn't realize she was holding, watching as the dagger slides through her target.

Right into the demons stomach.

It screeches again, high pitched, and turns towards her. Forgetting Finn completely, it starts towards her. She watches as Finn tries his hardest to escape from the boards, still struggling.

A break of light distracts them both as Jake and Sam enter the house, blades and swords attached to their hand. They notice the scene before them and gesture for Rachel to get out of the way, not even registering the blood and destruction that has occurred. They walk towards the demon without a fear in their eye.

Rachel doesn't watch as the two boys jump on top of the creature, but she can already hear the blades slicing through flesh as she runs along the piles of debris towards Finn. Her legs feel as if they're going to give out as she crawls the last couple of steps to where Finn lays under the floorboards, her breath harboring in shallow heaves. She reaches Finn, and she can see the cuts and bruises that begin to form on his face.

Her eyes scan the floorboard on top of him, and it intimidates her. "I'm going to help you lift it, okay?" she coughs out, wiping some of the demon's blood from her face. He nods, placing his hands on the wood, and looking in her direction. She reaches forward to get a grip on the board, wincing as she hears another scream release from the demon.

Their eyes meet, and Rachel puts all her strength into lifting the board. It's heavier than she expected, and she knows that most of the force is coming from Finn's muscular body. She can feel the board lift, and she gasps out as Finn throws it off of him, sucking in a large breath of air.

Rachel leans towards him in relief. "Are you okay?" she asks him, her hand brushing his arm. He looks up at her, his chest heaving as he analyzes the blood on her clothes.

"Good thing we got you some clothes."

Despite everything, Rachel lets out a chuckle. She's about to reply when a movement rushes past her in a quick motion. Both her and Finn look across from where they sit, and it takes everything in Rachel not to cry out in relief when she see's the demons head.

It's over.

* * *

xxiii.

"Hold still, will you."

Finn's fingers graze across Rachel's back, wiping the remaining blood stains from her wound. She hisses lightly, gripping the edge of the table in front of her as he cleans it.

"He got you pretty good, didn't he?" Finn places a large bandage on her open flesh, covering it. The cotton begins to sizzle onto her skin, instantly healing her. She wonders if this is another one of their tricks. A fast healing bandage.

Rachel squints her eyes in relief, leaning upwards. "I'm sure it could have been worse," she replies, turning around to face him. He looks different without the blood that she's so used to seeing him in. Almost unrecognizable. She leans back on the table, analyzing the bruises that cover his face.

The moment Jake and Sam killed the demon, they grabbed their things and rushed back to the art museum. No one really spoke about what happened, or what made the demon withstand sunlight. It was silent except for the frequent reminders by Finn that they were almost home, and hold on a little longer like he was expecting her to have a mental break down. Surprisingly, she didn't panic, as if she suddenly became a real Night Chaser.

It didn't take long to sneak past Santana and Blaine, and so Finn rushed her inside here, the "healing room." They both took showers - separately - and changed into new clothes. It would be difficult to tell that they just came back from fighting a demon, except for the claw marks on her back. The claw marks that are now being healed by Finn and his magic tools.

Finn stares back at her. "I'm sorry about your house," he whispers, recalling the broken floorboards and picture frames. "I didn't expect the fight to be so - disastrous."

She notices the genuine distress in his eyes. She feels her face soften. "It's alright," she reassures him, knowing she's not the only one hurting. Her eyebrows arch together when she remembers something. "You're not going to tell me why that sunlight didn't kill the demon, are you?"

She can almost hear the smile in her voice as he shakes his head. "No. Not yet," he tells her. Rachel sighs, crossing her arms stubbornly over her chest. She barely feels the pain in her back now, almost like it never happened. She will never understand how that works. Finn smiles. "First," he says, "we have to do something even more dangerous."

Her eyes narrow. "What's that?"

"Tell Santana."

* * *

xxiv.

"You what!"

Rachel winces from her position on the couch, squished in between Finn and Blaine as Santana paces the room. She can hear Sam snicker from the chair beside her, and Blaine turns to give him a disappointing look.

"You realize that she could have been killed right?" Santana screams. Words she doesn't understand release harshly from her mouth, and Rachel realizes that she's speaking Spanish, insulting them without them knowing. "Honestly, Finn - "

"Look at her, does she look dead?" he defends, gesturing beside him. She feels heavy under everyone's glare, obviously the focus of attention. Blaine shakes his head in disapproval after noticing the few bruises on her arms.

The room is silent, only the sound of breathing echoing off the walls of the museum. She can tell that Santana is beginning to calm herself as she holds a hand to her chest in an attempt to steady her racing heart. Finn stays rigid beside her, defensive, ready to reason with whatever situation Santana or Blaine could throw at him. Rachel sits in the middle, feeling useless and dumb for the cause of this fight.

Santana sighs. "You can't do that anymore Finn, if she gets killed, we're all doomed." Rachel rubs her hands together, remembering the demon's long claws as it dug into her back, how painful it felt, how much blood there was. She can't imagine the agony of her death if the demon were to repeat the action, stabbing her again. She winces.

"What happened in the house?" Blaine asks, noticing Rachel's jerk. Everyone looks at him, speaking for the first time since they called everyone down. His eyes register to Finn, waiting for a response.

Finn purses his lip. She hopes he'll explain the demon in the house, how it was weightless, how it with stained sunlight. She turns towards him, waiting like everyone else in the room. "The place was trashed when we got there," he explains, "blood stains on walls and floors. We - Rachel and I - went upstairs to get her bags and then we visited Puck's old room."

"Finn, that room is fragile - "

He cuts off Santana's comment, "it wasn't long before a demon found us. But it wasn't a normal demon. It was able to walk on Puck's floor and expose to sunlight. It was a Prite."

Santana inhales harshly, a hand slapping to her mouth. She stares after Finn, his words obviously triggering a strong reaction. Her hand moves up to her forehead, her fingers expanding on her skin. "Shit," she hisses, briefly closing her eyes. "Are you sure? They're only summoned by - "

"I know," Finn sighs, "which means he knows."

That doesn't sound good.

Rachel perks in her position on the couch, looking back and forth between Finn and Santana. Their expressions are the same, giving no hints. "Who knows what?" she demands, her voice raising in frustration.

Santana exhales and looks to Finn. He shakes his head. "Master Hawk," Santana answers, "he's the ruler of the Underworld, strong enough to control any demon he wants. Thought the only time anyone sees a Prite is because it's been ordered to complete a request made by Master Hawk." She stares at Rachel, her eyes raking the forming bruises, "which in this case he wanted them - "

"To kill me," Rachel finishes. She nods in understanding, her eyes averting to the ground below her. Her stomach twists inside her, a powerful feeling of fear washing over. A demon ruler wants her dead, great.

A comforting hand rests on her knee and she looks to see who it belongs to. Finn stares at her, his fingers rubbing softly against her skin, sending shivers down her spine. "We won't pretend he isn't dangerous, but he is limited," Finn starts reassuringly. "He won't be able to enter our world unless he can get back to the Underworld."

"And that is why we can't have you opening the portal unless we have an army ready," Blaine chips in, "so he can't come through."

"So he can't kill me," she repeats, her thoughts always returning back to that statement. She feels Finn squeeze her knee in reassurance, and she looks up at him, eyes shinning.

He tries to smile at her. "We won't let him near you, okay?"

She ignores him.

* * *

Rachel slams the door behind her, striding into her room in frustration. She throws herself on the bed, the mattress creaking under her weight as she stuffs her face in the pillow.

A demon ruler is out to get her, sending demons and other non-living creatures after her to make sure she dies. The thought makes her sick of having to see another 'Prite' again, it's slimy skin, it's wiping tail. One is dangerous enough, even to Finn, so she's not exactly sure how they plan on protecting her.

She doesn't think they do either.

A vibration echoes throughout the dark room, and she props her head on her hands. Her eyes scan the blackness, when she realizes its coming from the bag of clothes she packed from her house earlier today. She rolls over on her mattress, flinging herself upwards and to the bag across from her. She bends down, searching the pockets until she feels the vibration against her.

Her hand wraps around its form and pulls it out. It's her cell phone.

10 missed calls and 23 text messages from Quinn Fabray.

Rachel sighs, biting her lip as she scrolls through the screen. Her eyes catch multiple questions like "are you okay?", "where are you?" and "what happened at school?" She knows she should call back, confirm that she's fine, but something tells her its best to leave Quinn out of it until she figures out how to live in this world and protect herself.

Her fingers skim the screen, wishing more than anything to fall back into the world of the norm. It's no secret that she doesn't want the responsibility of a night chaser, or the so-called destiny that comes with being the ancestor of Raw Berry, but something tells her this is much bigger than her. Something much bigger than Puck or Finn, bigger then she ever imagined it to be.

A knock on the bedroom door interrupts her thoughts, making her flinch at the unexpected noise. She holds the cell phone to her chest, walking towards the door with slight hesitation.

"Rachel?"

She exhales, hearing the familiar voice. Throwing the cell phone on her bed she pulls the door open, frowning as Sam stands on the other side.

"Hey," he grins, despite her unhappy expression, "dinner is ready."

She gulps, slightly shaking her head to rid of her previous fear. Dinner isn't exactly her first priority right now. "Sorry but I'm not very hungry," she lies, though her stomach growls in disagreement. She nods at him, satisfied with her answer as she backs away with her hand on the door.

He grabs the frame before she can close it on him. His eyes stay still on her eyes as he pulls it open. "You're upset," he observes.

Rachel shrugs. "Well it isn't easy finding out the most powerful demon in the Underworld is trying to kill me."

Sam sighs, looking sympathetic as he returns her gaze. His hands fall at his side and he steps back, giving her space. He tries to look reassuring, but she knows he's just trying to help, no matter what he believes.

"All of us are committed to protecting you, Rachel. You don't have to worry."

Rachel leans her head against the door frame. Her eyes cascade downwards as she crosses her arms over her chest. She thinks of the Prite they faced earlier, how lethal it was. She thinks of Finn and Blaine and the rest of them, how they can be injured at any time just for the sake of saving her. She closes her eyes briefly, trying her best to feel any comfort or reassurance.

She opens her eyes, failing miserably.

"Come on," he encourages, noticing her doubting expression, "just try and get to know us better."

She lets him lead her out of the bedroom.

* * *

xxvi.

"Pass the turkey!"

Rachel leans backwards in her chair as Blaine picks up the tray of turkey in front of her, stretching over her to give it to Jake. She can't help but laugh as Jake reaches for it, both of them meeting in the middle on top of her in chaos, like two bickering brothers. A family.

She misses things like that.

She watches as Santana and Sam argue over how much salt to put on the broccoli, watches as Blaine chops messily with his turkey bits, obviously annoying Jake as he rolls his eyes. She smiles at them, turning to Finn, who sits steadily at the head of the table, observing them like a father in embarrassment.

She grins as he breaks apart the fight between Santana and Sam, taking the salt away from them and placing it roughly on the table. His eyes meet hers as he gets comfortable in his chair, and her cheeks redden. He returns the smile, and she has look away before she humiliates herself any further.

"You want any potatoes, Rachel?" Sam questions, chewing sloppily. She lets out a giggle, thankful for him dragging her down here instead of sulking in the bedroom. She can feel Finn's eyes on her as she nods, allowing Sam to scoop the potatoes onto her plate.

"Thank you," she bows her head towards him in amusement, and he winks at her. She sighs, thankful for the distraction of their company as the thought of demons and death slip easily into the back of her mind. She observes them in front of her, their humor, their interests, and she realizes that they're the closest thing to family she's ever going to be getting.

A shred of doubt echoes in her mind, reminding her of the dangers they're all about to face. Together. She knows now that the only way this will work is if she tries her hardest to protect them as well, all of them.

Her eyes glaze over as she remembers Puck, her parents and Quinn, the people attached to her past. And, as she looks at the new people in front of her, the people that are now apart of her future, she can't help but feel one thing. Theres no more time to play scared, no time to hide behind them and let them defend her. She can't help but accept the duties and responsibilities of something she's destined to be.

She's a night chaser.

* * *

xxvii.

Rachel places the last of the clean dishes onto the counter, her fingers scrunched up in prunes from the minutes she spent washing them in the sink. She continues to scrap small pieces of food from the plates, her eyes zoning in on a particular gravy stain.

"Need any help?"

She looks behind her to where the voice came, acknowledging Finn without a smile or grin. She is not intending on acting like a little girl in front of him. His mouth is perked up in amusement at the pile of plates beside her, his fist wrapped around the end of a full garbage bag.

He walks towards her, watching her steadily as he places the bag on the ground, turning fully towards her. "You seem to be very determined in cleaning those dishes," he teases. She can't help but grin.

"My mom has OCD," she explains, "everything always had to be perfect."

He nods in understanding. Rachel looks away from him, staring at the plate in her hands, the stain that she can't seem to get out. Sighing deeply, she becomes satisfied with the dish and opens the cupboard door. She reaches upwards on her toes, straining to place the plates on the shelf.

She rolls her eyes when Finn begins to laugh.

"Here," he says, leaning forward. His core presses against hers heatedly as he takes the plates from her, his fingers grazing hers. He then presses the tail of the garbage bag in her hand, wrapping her fingers around it. "We can switch."

She looks down, already feeling the heat rush to her face. Nodding, she clears her throat. "Sounds good," she squeaks out, before moving around him and quickly out of the kitchen.

Rachel shakes her body as she exits the museum, dragging the garbage beside her in frustration. Sure, Finn is charming and visually appealing, but it doesn't mean that she is bound to like him or be attracted to him. It definitely doesn't help that he saves her like a damsel in distress like some sort of hero.

Her hands wrap around the garbage bag as she pops it into the garbage bin, annoyed by Finn's good looks and body and everything else that comes with him.

She's a night chaser damnit, she can take care of herself.

A powerful impact crashes against her head, forcing her body into the metal bin in front of her. Her head lands roughly on the edge, and she falls to the side in pain, her hands wrapped around her neck. An aching beat echoes inside her head, and she blinks feverishly to rid of the blur in her eyes, her glazed vision.

A clicking sound chitters beside her, and she is suddenly aware that she isn't alone. Despite the pounding nerves in her head she lifts herself up, turning around to the source of the noise.

She should have guessed.

A crouching demon sits beside her, a smaller version of the one she faced by herself in her house. It clicks repeatedly, claws outstretched as it jabs at her skin. Rachel rolls over, her clothes padding against the ground as she shields herself. She hears the demon continue towards her, and she ignores the pain, the doubt, and faces it.

It's ugly features scrunch together murderously, eyes targeted on Rachel. It begins to stalk towards her and Rachel stalls, having no weapons, no room to run or hide. She looks around her, noticing nothing but the empty garbage bag around her.

Biting her lip, she runs towards it to pick it up in her hands, stretching it arms width. She looks on at the demon as it grows onto its legs, slightly taller but not as tall as her. Its slimy skin spits out water as it breathes in, almost as if its ready to charge.

It acts first, jumping forward with its teeth shinning in the moon light. Rachel moves aside as it lands beside her, taking the advantage to wrap the garbage bag thickly around its neck.

It screams in response as she twists it, running it deeply against its neck. She screams as it jabs a claw into her arm with its back foot, releasing slight blood from her skin. The surprise causes her to weaken her hold and it pulls on the garbage bag, causing Rachel to fall to the ground below it.

She coughs out the injury, staring up as the demon closes in on her. The garbage bag still held tightly around its neck, Rachel pulls her legs up in front of her, dragging the demon down with the garbage bag. It's body falls on her legs, and she pushes them forward, her hands still holding tightly onto the garbage can.

She can hear the loud tear as the force causes the demons head to slowly rip off. She pulls tighter, stronger, decapitate from its body, both of the parts falling to the ground beside her. She groans out in exhaustion, breathing heavily as the fear leaves her body. Closing her eyes, she slows her rapid breaths, turning them slowly into controlled sighs.

"Rachel?"

Her eyes flash open, blinking wildly as she regenerates herself. She weakly forces her body upwards into a sitting position, her eyes straining to see the dimmed figures of Santana, Jake, Sam, Blaine and Finn in front of her, all with one matching expression.

Shock.

Shaking his head, Blaine is the first to speak. "Did you just kill a demon with a garbage bag?"

Rachel looks at the dead creature beside her, its body twitching with the head beside it. The garbage bag lay beside it, human and demon blood stained on the material. She looks back at the group, and nods.

Santana smiles in amusement, winking slightly at her as the rest of them recover from their initial surprise. Walking towards her, Blaine kneels in front of her, pressing his hands against the bruise on her forehead. She winces. "Sorry," he says, pulling his hand back. She watches from the corner of her eye as Finn stalks to the demon beside her, his concern divided.

"Come on, let's get you up," Blaine tells her, gripping onto her arm. Sighing, she lets him pull her upward, her body sore and aching. She lets go of him as she regains her balance, standing limited on her feet.

Finn speaks from his position on the ground. "I think it might have waited for one of us to come out."

Jake steps forward in confusion. "What makes you say that?"

Blaine begins to assist Rachel to the door, not wanting her to listen to the conversation. She realizes his idea and stops before he can pull her entirely inside, her eyes perked and focused on Jake and Finn's conversation. Blaine tries again to drag her with him, but she refuses, and he stubbornly gives up.

"There's a note." Finn lifts the piece of paper from the demons back, and she wonders why she hadn't noticed it before. Facing the group, he opens it in his hands, his eyes squinting into the darkness.

"Night chasers," he reads, his tone curious. He looks up at them, his eyes flashing to Rachel, their eyes meeting. He returns his attention back to the note. "If you hand the girl over to me now, I will let you live."

She doesn't expect what to do, how to feel. If she should cry or scream or run. If she should whine on how scary this whole situation is, or complain about how she doesn't want to be the 'destined' one.

Her eyes glaze over, and she suddenly notices she is the focus of everyone's attention, waiting for her to break.

She swallows the growing lump in her throat, nodding.

That's all she can do not to break.

* * *

xxvii.

Rachel stares continuously at the ceiling above her, her eyes never tempted to close though her body aches in disagreement. She breathes in, briefly shutting her eyes and expects the feeling of tiredness to transform into sleep.

Her hands curl into fists around her comforter in frustration. She wants sleep more than anything, though her mind is constantly buzzing with comments and questions of what the hell is going on. The ruler of the Underworld directly wants her dead now, so what? That's hardly enough to give her a panic.

She opens her eyes, already knowing thats a lie. Sighing, she sits up in her mattress, hovering her feet above the floor. She slips her feet into the slippers she brought from her house, tightening the sweater around her as she exits her bedroom.

She enters the downstairs level, looking for any form of distraction to help her ease her mind. She pauses when she notices a familiar figure sitting outside on the back porch, his legs brought up close to his chest. Biting on her lip, she starts towards the doorway, her eyes focused on the small of his back as she steps outside the sliding door.

She stands behind him, her hands gripping her sweater. "Can't sleep either?"

She can almost see the smile on his face as he shakes his head. Her feet drag her forward as she walks towards him, sitting herself beside him on the porch steps. He turns his face towards her.

"I'm trying not to, actually," Finn admits, his voice bleak.

The hardness in his tone grabs her attention, and she finds herself leaning towards him. "How come?" she wonders aloud.

Finn licks his bottom lip, looking away from her. He shrugs, staring at his wrists as a distraction. "Nothing you need to worry about," he answers, shutting her out.

She narrows her eyes at him. "You're talking to the person who was worried about leaving a single stain on a pile of plates," she reminds him.

He laughs, a small but genuine chuckle. She smiles at him, looking away briefly as the blush began to creep up her neck. Her hands place gently on her cheeks in an attempt to cool her down.

"You're noisy," he points out, a grin still on his face, "you always have to know things, don't you?"

Rachel shrugs, pulling the sweater tighter around her. She doesn't think anyone has ever confronted her about that. Except for Puck, of course, who made it his daily duty to remind her. The comment makes her blush even more, though thankfully the dark night shadows the evidence.

Finn deflates as she turns back to him, his grin disappeared from his features. Sighing softly, he looks up at the dark sky. "I don't trust this place, especially after what happened tonight with the demon. It doesn't feel safe anymore," he confesses, his voice in wonder.

"So what?" she says, "you're on guard duty?"

He shrugs. "I guess you can say that."

Rachel stares at him, thinking. "Well," she begins, racking her brain. Finn turns to look at her. "I don't think you should worry." Her face feels hot as she looks at him. "You're sitting beside the ancestor of Raw Berry right now."

He stares at her, eyes soft and intent on her features. They scan her face, as if he's rating her, and then his eyes land on hers gently. She returns the gaze, tucking her hair behind her ears subconsciously.

Sighing, he pulls himself out of the trance as a small smile ups his corners. Shaking his head at her, he chuckles, "I'm glad you're starting to believe that." His eyes avert to the circles on her wrist. "I was starting to worry you would never accept it."

Her grin barely reaches her eyes. "So was I." She looks at him, and the amount of beautiful qualities on his face takes so much energy she can already feel herself falling asleep. "But now I think there's a reason I'm not so scared anymore."

She watches as his eyebrows click in confusion. "And what's that?"

Though before she can respond, a daze runs through her, and she suddenly feels her eyelids wanting to close, heavy and long. She shuts them briefly to try and power her energy, but she just finds herself falling forward.

She hears Finn release a chuckle in relief. "You're almost asleep," he comments, "let's get you to bed"

His hand grips hers as he helps her stand up, facing her on the second step of the porch. Her eyes flash open. "I can do it myself, Finn." Her eyes blink repeatedly to fuel herself, and she can see Finn's smile in the darkness.

"I know."

* * *

xxix.

She almost stumbles on the last step to her bedroom, Finn holding on to her wrist as he balances her on the staircase. Finally exhausted, she realizes that the only way she'll be able to rest is to fill herself with other company and stories. Almost like a distraction. A distraction to keep her from going crazy and fearful. A distraction that will ease her mind and help her sleep.

"You should get some rest," he whispers into the darkness of the hallway, standing in front of her bedroom door. She looks up at him through her heavy eyelids, her vision blurred at the corners except for his face.

She sighs, leaning on her door frame as she faces him. "You should try too," she pushes, already knowing that he'll refuse to. He shakes his head at her, his eyes cascaded as he takes a couple steps towards her.

"I think I'll be okay for the night," he replies, his face lifting up to hers. He's close now, so close that if she leaned forward just a little bit her lips would graze his. She watches as his gaze lowers to her mouth, eyes content on the shape. "You killed a demon with a garbage bag tonight," he reminds her, his breath fanning her face.

He smiles slightly. "Guess you really are the girl we've been waiting for."

Her eyes narrow, squint into the dark shadows on his face as he breathes out the words. Her lips twitch in anticipation, feeling his body moving forward, his mouth mere inches from her kiss. She shouldn't want this, but God does it feel good to feel something again, to feel wanted and accepted.

He shuts himself out before she can discover more of him, pulling back before he can get any closer. He pushes himself away from her, his hands pinning to his side stiffly. He looks at her once more.

"Goodnight," he breathes out, leaving a confused and bewitched Rachel behind him.

* * *

xxx.

She almost screams when she turns to her bed.

Blaine is sitting perched on her mattress, his knee bent over another as he keeps his hands formed in his lap. He looks on at her, back straight and demanding as if a father punishing his daughter. He doesn't seem to notice her shock, and begins, "was that Finn you were with?"

Hand still rested over her racing heart, all Rachel can do is nod.

Blaine is obviously disappointed with her answer. "You shouldn't be," he tells her, "he will never allow himself to get close to you."

She remembers the way he shuts himself out before she can see his vulnerability. Shaking away the doubt, she presses on, "why not?"

"That's not something for me to share."

Rachel is surprised by how much this annoys her, the fact that Blaine is basically telling her to never fall for Finn Hudson. She looks away from him to hide the frustration. "Well I don't like him anyways if that's what you were implying," she knows she's lying, and she can see that Blaine does as well.

He looks at her sympathetically. "I loved someone once," he tells her, "his name was Kurt."

Rachel turns to him, eyebrows shot. She's had her suspicions, but it's not exactly a common conversation to ask whether someone was gay or not. She feels her heart steady, pleased that he trusts her enough to be comfortable saying it. She quickly removes her annoyance towards him. "What happened?"

It takes him a while to answer, his posture going impossibly more rigid as he sits straight on her bed. Briefly closing his eyes, he looks away from her, tears evident in his eyes,

"He was killed."

She doesn't know what to think, doesn't know exactly what to say. He doesn't elaborate, and she doesn't ask him to, but something tells her his death included demons and night chasers and darkness.

Her eyes blink away the irritation in her eyes, red sparking her vision. Swallowing thickly, all she can do is stare in sympathy.

It's a while before he recovers enough to speak. "I wouldn't want a relationship if I were you Rachel," he insists, tone shaking as he talks, "not in these times. No one else has ever been in love, no matter how much they want to. And if you do just so happen to fall for someone, well . . ."

Blaine laughs to himself humorously.

"You'll just end up heart broken."

* * *

xxxi.

It's been a couple days since Rachel's encounter with Blaine, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't help but feel the attraction towards Finn.

His story about his tragic love with Kurt was terrible, and she knows she doesn't want to be heart broken but it's like Finn is doing it on purpose; with his smirks and his comments. She notices Blaine's disapproving glare every time she's around Finn, and she tries even harder to ignore the feeling that is basically banging on her insides.

"Throw them again," he tells her one day in the training room, his brow crinkled with sweat. She tries not to stare too long at the chiseled chest hidden behind his tight tank, looking down at the daggers in her hands.

Finn has been quite insistent on teaching her techniques necessary in the night chasing business, and that meant a lot of time together and staring at each other. She doesn't want to make it up in her head, but he feels something too, doesn't he?

"Hello," Finn claps his hands, the sound echoing throughout the large interior, "earth to Rachel."

Rachel blinks out of her daze, focusing again on the large knives she's holding. Staring at them, she holds one between her fingers, lifting it in the air. "Steady, just like before," Finn comments, his eyes intent on the blade.

She throws it, the object leaving her grasp in a swift moment as it flies towards its target on the other side of the room. Sighing, she can already see it miss the middle of the circle as it hits the left side, scoring only 10 points.

"Here," Finn walks towards her, barely acknowledging her fail. He stops behind her, one hand reaching forward to wrap around the other dagger. He gives it to her, his fingers wrapping around her wrist as she holds the dagger. His other hand grazes her hip, bringing her closer to him as he creatively wraps himself around her. She feels her cheeks redden.

"Squint your eyes a bit," he orders, his breath fanning the hair beside her ear. It sends shivers down her spine. "Breath deeply." She releases a large amount of air through her nose, chest heaving for effect. "Now . . . throw it."

She does, closing her eyes shut as it disconnects from her hands. She hears the blade slicing through material, but she's too scared to look.

Finn laughs, lowering his hand from hers, though keeps his mouth pressed against her ear. "Open your eyes, silly."

They open, and she immediately smiles when she notices her dagger in the centre of the circle.

* * *

xxxii.

They clean up afterwards, putting away the mats and weapons for the next person who wants to use them. She's cleaning the blade of the dagger when he walks up to her, a satisfied smile on his face.

"You did well today," he compliments, maybe the first one he's ever said to her.

Rachel looks up at him, "I wouldn't have been able to do it if it weren't for your constant commentary." She gives him a smile as he chuckles, leaning against one of the punching bags on the floor.

Finn crosses his arms over his chest, eyes taking interest in the floor and its a peaceful and quiet moment between them. She looks at him, not being able to get rid of the constant reminder from Blaine, _he will never allow himself to get close to you._

She bites her lip. "Can I ask you a question?"

Finn's head snaps up, staring at her with the answer in his eyes. Feeling bold, she places the daggers in the bin, turning herself fully towards him. She's nervous, obviously, but she has to know before she can discourage any hopeful thoughts and dreams.

"Have you . . . " she pauses, looking for the right words, "have you ever been in a relationship before?"

Surprisingly, he doesn't look bothered or upset. He just shakes his head. "Hookups yes, relationships no."

The answer disappoints her, not only in the way that he's never felt more than just attraction to someone, but just thinking of him being with another girl. She wonders if they were prettier than her. They probably were.

She finds herself pushing more on the subject due to his open response. "Why not?"

He cringes, and she's afraid she has gone too far. He recovers quickly, breathing in deeply. "It's complicated," he says after a beat of silence. His eyes lift to hers as he gazes at her, brown eyes frozen in place. "As much as I want to be with someone, I know that I'll end up hurting them."

"You never know," she whispers, not being able to focus on anything other than the commitment in his eyes.

He smiles sadly at her. "I do."

* * *

xxxiii.

"We need to find a warlock."

Santana stands in the centre of the living room, facing the group of night chasers in front of her. She's called on another meeting immediately after dinner, the moon light shinning from the open curtains above the window. Rachel sits comfortably beside Sam, her eyes sneaking a peek at Finn standing at the other side of the room. She looks away when she notices Blaine.

"Why do we need one?" Rachel wonders, interrupting her briefly.

Finn is the one to inform her. "Portals only work one way, and we have to destroy the portal allowing demons to enter our world. A warlock will have to reverse the portal that allows us to enter the Underworld. Once we all return we will destroy the portal, leaving the demons with no way of getting in or out of Underworld."

Rachel stares at him, trying to calculate the words in her head. "So we need a warlock to help us get back home after destroying the portal in Underworld? Then destroy that portal after as well?"

"Yes," Jake answers, looking up from his phone, "and the closest one is Jesse St. James, warlock of Ohio."

"Where's his location?"

Jake thinks for a moment. "On Harold Road, right outside of Lima," he replies, nodding as he speaks.

Santana stares at Jake in thought. She steps forward, hand in the air. "Isn't that - "

"Oh yeah," he responds, grinning a bit, "I've been there once for a party. He's pretty loaded."

Santana nods in satisfaction. She turns to every figure in front of her, looking confident as she makes a plan in her head. Smiling, she raises her hands in the air as if her next few words were obvious.

"Okay," she says, "we go tonight."

* * *

xxxiv.

Rachel continues to make a disastrous pile of clothes on her bedroom floor as she claws through her bag for clothes. She can't wear jeans and a t-shirt if a fight breaks out, if they need her assistance. She sighs in frustration when she meets the bottom of her bag.

"Need some help?"

Rachel yelps, whipping around on her knees to see Santana in front of her. Holding a hand over her heart, she stares at the girl in shock as she stands in her room with her black, leather night chaser gear on. _Does everybody feel welcome to enter her room whenever they like?_

"Yes actually," Rachel says, beginning to put the amount of clothes back in her bag. She holds up a skirt in her hands. "I'm not sure a skirt is appropriate attire for an event like this."

Santana smiles devilishly. "I think I have something that you could wear."

* * *

xxxv.

"Try this on."

Rachel watches from her position on the bed as Santana walks from her closet, carrying a whole bunch of black, leather and spandex. She throws them at Rachel, who gasps in response. She looks at Santana in annoyance.

She waves her hand at her. "We don't have all day."

Rachel sighs, removing her current clothes and placing them on the desk beside Santana's dresser. She slips the tank top on, followed by a leather jacket that covers her arms and stomach. The black spandex fit tightly on her, matching the beaded belt boots that she tries on her feet.

"Holy shit," Santana breathes out, staring at Rachel's final appearance. "You look smokin'."

Rachel blushes, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair. She doesn't think she's ever seen this side of Santana before, the fun, playful side despite her serious character when discussing plans and issues. She holds the belt in her hands, wrapping it around her waist.

Santana walks towards her. "You've got your brother's good looks, that's for sure." She smiles as Rachel rolls her eyes, feeling a little more comfortable around the care free girl in front of her.

"I'm assuming he was always excited whenever you guys went on a mission," she guesses, remembering her brothers determination. She sits down on the bed, smiling to herself as she gets lost in the thought of him.

Santana leans against her desk. "Excited? That's an understatement."

Rachel grins, sadness starting to sweep in as she thinks about him. She fidgets with the end of her belt, picking at the beads that cover it. Her hair stays loose around her, covering her face as she looks down.

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot," Santana admits after a moment of silence, "I know this must be a lot to take in. I shouldn't have judged you."

Rachel shrugs. "I was a whining brat," she laughs, "even I became annoyed with myself."

Santana is silent for a moment, and when Rachel looks up, she's trapped by Santana's eyes on her. Her fingers play with each other as she stares wordlessly, though not really seeing anything. "I'm really happy you're here," she says, nodding to shake the sadness away, "you had a really great brother."

Rachel smiles. "I know."

* * *

xxxvi.

Santana orders her to get her daggers from the weapon room, telling her they never know what they can encounter. She enters the room, her arms wrapped around her leather coated body. The boots she's wearing aren't as loud as she expected, and she steps towards the platform in front of the daggers, more than several different types of sizes and styles in front of her.

Rachel sighs, reaching forward to grasp the simple one she's been practicing with. She holds it in her hands, twisting it between her fingers as she remembers the day she first threw it at the Prite in her house. Hopeless and desperate, the dagger sliced directly into the stomach, shocking Rachel with her sudden coordination.

"Santana's clothes again?"

Rachel turns around, already recognizing the voice as she finds herself facing Finn. He leans against the opening of the room, also decked in black leather that fits tightly to his sculptured body. She finds herself blinking wildly at him, letting out a nervous laugh.

"I'm not exactly sure where to put these," she comments, holding up the daggers in her hands to show him.

Finn smiles, walking towards her in all his glory. He stops in front of her, his skin barely grazing hers as he takes the daggers from her grasp. "You just slide them in the belt," he informs her. His finger wraps around the belt at her waist band, using it to pull her closer towards him. She feels herself taking a couple steps in his direction, almost flush against him.

"Make sure they're in tightly." He slides the daggers into place, and she knows she should be watching what he's doing but all she can do is stare up at him, watches the crinkle of his eyes as he focuses on her belt. "Don't want one falling out and cutting you during battle."

Finn makes one final adjustment to the belt before lifting his head up, and she's suddenly aware of the close proximity. His breath slightly fans across her face, his eyes soft and intent.

It takes a while to find her voice, and when she does, all she can manage to say is, "thanks."

He doesn't seem to hear her, or otherwise chooses not to as his eyes bore into hers. She feels trapped, not being able to pull herself from the connection between them, his hand still on her hip.

"Ahem."

Finn pulls apart from her, realization evident in his eyes as he steps back. She shakes her head, shaking off the feelings she shouldn't be having. They turn to see Jake at the opening of the room, his arms crossed over his chest.

"It's time to go," he reminds them, a playful smirk on his features.

Brushing her shirt down, Rachel nods.

"Right," they say in unison, walking out of the room like nothing happened.

* * *

xxxvii.

She finds herself squished between Sam and Blaine in the backseat of the van.

"This guy better help us out," Sam grumbles out, his black gloves playing the blonde streaks in his hair. He turns to Blaine, leaning forward to look past Rachel at him. "Do you think he will?"

Jake laughs from the front seat. "Doubt it, he's pretty arrogant."

Santana growls from the driving seat, hands fiercely pinching the wheel. She looks at the group behind her in the rearview mirror, eyes cold. "No negativity allowed," she says, the playfulness Rachel saw in her bedroom vanished, "he's our only shot."

Blaine looks back at Sam, smiling reassuringly. "I'm sure he will," he tells him, being the wise young man that he is, "he'll have to once he sees that Rachel Berry exists. He'll be absolutely fascinated with her."

All the while Finn doesn't say anything, but she can notice a hint of annoyance he gives at the last comment.

* * *

xxxviii.

It's bigger than she expected.

It takes about 20 minutes to arrive at Jesse St. James mansion, the exterior surrounded by flowers and long strands of grass. She's surprised there isn't a doorman waiting to confirm their entrance, but something tells her Jesse knows they are here. He is a warlock after all.

"Wow," Blaine whispers from beside her, his head peeking out the window at the building above. Created by bricks, the mansion stands powerfully amongst them, even bigger than the art museum. Large windows match the grand place, marked with glass doors and openings.

Rachel doesn't even realize she got out of the van until she hears the noise of shoes against pebbles. She looks down, her boots crunching his driveway full of stylish rocks. One of them probably cost more than her house.

"Let's go."

She walks up with the rest of the group, standing closely to Blaine as he leads her towards the porch steps. They reach the large frame of the door, and before they can even knock, the warlock appears, opening it in a pure white suit.

"What a marvelous treat," he chips, his curly hair brushed back in a pony tail. She takes a glance at Jake, who is just as surprised as she is at his warm welcoming. "I was starting to believe nobody liked to visit me anymore."

He ushers them inside, his white gloves patting all their backs as they enter his home. She thinks they're in the opening hallway, but she can't tell because the length and width of the sequence is as big as her house.

"I love having people over," Jesse mumbles out, his fingers knotted together. His gentle and open hospitality begins to make her believe he is willing to help, and a hope awakens inside her. He takes a look at the six standing before him, his eyes analyzing their outfits. "And which night chasers am I meeting today?"

Blaine steps forward, reaching out to meet him. "Blaine Anderson sir," he says while shaking the warlock's hand, "and this is Finn, Sam, Santana and Jake." He gestures to each individual while saying their name, and Jesse smiles in delight. He then cocks his head over, his eyes intent on Rachel, focused. "I believe you forgot someone, Mr. Anderson."

The group turns to look at her, as if expecting something. She looks at them, biting the bottom of her lip as she meets Jesse's eyes a couple feet away. He waits patiently as Rachel steps towards him, hands behind her back. She breathes out, knowing this will make a reaction.

"Rachel Berry, sir."

Jesse stays silent, though his eyes widen in surprise. He stares at her, slightly shaking his head as the statement seems to shock him. He reaches forward to pick her hand behind her back, holding it softly in his. "Rachel Berry," he rolls the name on his tongue sweetly, "the girl destined to save us all." She watches as he leans forward, his lips plush as he presses them against her hand. She shivers. "It is an honour seeing you again."

Rachel slides her hand back. "Again?"

"Oh yes, child," he pats her on the cheek, playing with her hair. "Will and Emma came to my house once when I was very young, frantic about a little girl by the name of Rachel. They were desperate to split you and your brother apart you see, thought it would be safer, so they asked my parents if they could take you in."

Rachel looks back at the rest of them, though their expressions are set in confusion as well. Blaine shrugs at her, hearing the story for the first time as well. She turns back to Jesse. "And what did they say?"

Jesse releases a shrill laugh. "Why no of course! Do you know how much blood has been spilt trying to find you?"

Rachel blinks, the statement creating uneasy feelings in her stomach. Finn steps forward as he recognizes her uncomfortableness, pushing Rachel behind him. "We need your help, sir. We are planning on destroying the portal in Master Hawk's chamber, though we need your assistance to get back to earth. We were wondering if you are willing to work with us."

Rachel peeks from behind his shoulder, and she watches as Jesse's eyes avert from Finn's to hers. He smiles sadly. "On one condition," he moves around Finn to Rachel, hands on her shoulders, "my friend is terribly is sick. She has a particular interest in you Rachel. It would be grand of you if you could introduce yourself."

Rachel nods, despite the disapproving look Finn is giving her. This could be their only shot.

"Show me."

* * *

xxxix.

Jesse guides them through his house, giving the six of them a small tour of his home as he leads them to his friend.

"I don't trust this."

Rachel looks up to see Finn walking beside her, his look heavy and worrisome. She barely sees Finn worried.

She offers him a reassuring smile. "It's fine Finn. He's our only chance, all he wants to do is show me his friend."

Finn opens his mouth to respond, but before he can see anything Jesse stops, turning towards them. He grins cheekily, gesturing to the doors beside him. "She's in there," he tells them, "oh she'll be so happy to see you." Jesse snaps his fingers and the doors swing open.

Rachel steps forward but Finn pushes her back, walking in front of her. He keeps his hand near the swords on his belt as he walks through the opening, followed by Rachel and the others. Once they've all stepped inside, Rachel analyzes the room for the sick woman, but there's no where in sight. She turns to Jesse.

He smiles at them. "I'm sorry my dear, but they are giving an award for whoever catches you."

And with that he closes the door with a loud lock, and before Rachel can really panic, she hears Finn curse under his breath and point to the ceiling. She looks up, watching as a crowd of demons descend from the ceiling on an invisible string.

She looks at her companions, preparing to fight for their life.

What has she done?

* * *

xl.

"Jesse!"

Rachel kicks at the door as the demons of about 20 continue to make their way down. She watches as Finn takes his swords out, eyes focused and calculating on the army of demons above him. She has to fix this.

"Open the door!" she screams, knowing it's no use, "please!"

She hopes her cries of help might change his motives, but the doors stay closed shut. She breathes heavily against the wood, hating herself for trusting him, for not listening to the warning signs. She turns around guiltily, hearing the familiar sound of clicking from the demons. Her fingers caress the daggers as the demons make their final crawl, landing on the ground.

A chorus of squeals echo off the walls as the creatures stalk towards them, teeth baring and claws pointing.

Rachel steps towards them, just as prepared as she takes out her dagger, ready to fight.

"Go!" Blaine calls them forward, and she watches as he sends the opening kill at a demon in the front row, his knife slicing through its head in a clean shot. The army goes barbaric, rushing towards them on their pointed claws, slimy skin brushing against each other.

Rachel runs, her dagger attached to her hand. She barely makes it to the rows before one of them knocks her over, jumping high enough to push her to the ground. She coughs and rolls over, dagger pinching her skin as she looks around for the attacker. Looking up, she finds it on top of her, leaning forward. She screams as she sends the dagger into its throat, black goo pouring on her from its wound. It collapses next to her, squealing and thrashing as it airs out.

1 down, 19 more to go.

"Rachel! Look out!"

She blinks upwards, eyes widening when she sees a large claw coming down on her. Reaching forward, she grabs the dagger from the dead demon beside her and summersaults forward. She turns on her knees to the demon behind her, throwing the dagger at her target. It hits centre of the face, just like the circle in the training centre.

Her eyes can barely register the chaos around her. She watches as Sam pulls a knife on a demon he's facing, sending it directly into its stomach as it gargles black blood. Her head stays dizzy, red lines staining against her skin as she looks at the destruction she's caused. The death they're about to face.

A hand grasps her wrist, and she's suddenly twisted towards a muscular body. She gasps out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, feeling the graze of claws brush against the back of her arm. Her eyes squeeze close as she hears the sound of blade entering flesh, feeling the spray of the black goo press against her face.

"Pay attention," Finn growls, his fingers still wrapped against her wrist. She looks up at him, the blood plastered to his face and it makes her feel more shameful than before. Her eyes follow his sword as a distraction to the dead demon beside them, barely twitching.

"I - "

Rachel is unable to finish her sentence when she sees an oncoming demon behind him. Grabbing his hand, she pulls him around her, free hand grasping another dagger from her belt. She throws it quickly, sending it through its neck as black blood pumps from its flesh. She pulls Finn back in front of her, a smirk on her face.

"Pay attention."

He smiles.

The sound of doors squeaking open grabs their attention, and Rachel looks away from him to face the opening of the room. She watches in shock as Jesse stands before them, a grim look on his face.

Finn removes himself from Rachel, his hands hard as he unwraps them from her wrist. He stalks to Jesse, Rachel following behind him.

"You backstabbing, twisted little - "

He stops short when he's bounced back by an invisible force. Coughing out, he holds his nose as his hand feels the clear glass dividing Jesse from the rest of them. Rachel walks forward, her fingers touching the magic.

"I'm impressed," Jesse says, nodding in approval.

Finn and Rachel look at each other in confusion. "What?"

Jesse laughs as if he just realized they aren't in on the joke. "That was a test my dear." He points behind them to the room of demons. "Look behind you."

They do, both them turning to the room that once stained with blood and death. Confusion clouds her focus when she notices the room is clear of any demons, no alive ones, no dead ones, just empty daggers and swords lying on the ground that was once in the demons body. Santana, Blaine, Sam and Jake look around them helplessly, turning their heads as if anticipating more demons to come.

"An illusion spell," Finn whispers out, turning to Rachel. He reaches forward, his thumb brushing softly against her cheek. She shivers. "Look," he points to his hands, and she looks down expecting to see blood, but theres nothing. She stares at Finn wordlessly.

"An illusion spell it is, Mr. Hudson. I was possessing your mind for the past few minutes to make you believe there were demons," he begins, explaining his madness. Rachel turns to him, disgust shone in her eyes. "I will obviously be in danger if I join you. I just wanted to see how you would manage to keep me safe. I applaud you, you succeeded."

Rachel gapes at him. "So you'll help us?"

Jesse steps forward, the shield that held Finn back broken as he walks into the room. He stands closely to Rachel, and she notices Finns finger itching to punch him. His white-gloved hand comes up to hold her cheek.

"Of course my brave one," he whispers, "you can expect me to give you my full services any time you need them."

* * *

xli.

They arrive back at the museum shortly after, each one of them silent on their way in. She isn't proud of leading them into a trap, even though it was fake. She shouldn't have trusted him so easily, been so desperate.

Finn throws his leather jacket on the couch. "I don't trust that guy."

He's the first one to break the silence, and they turn their heads to look at him. Rachel turns back when she notices the angry glint in his eyes, staring wordlessly at her once blood-stained hands.

Santana steps forward. She places a hand on his shoulder, rubbing his skin comfortingly. "I know you don't," she confirms, shrugging, "but he can help us. He's our only shot - "

"At what?" He staggers backwards, sounding broken, "winning? Surviving this war? We can't pretend that all of us will live. Look at Puck."

Rachel flinches from her where she stands. Her eyes lift to meet his swimming ones, and he looks away from her. He swats Santana's hand from his broad shoulder, dropping his swords in a pile at his feet. Silently, he gives everyone one final glance before stalking miserably out of the room.

"Finn - "

Rachel steps forward, discouraging Santana with a wave of her hand. "No," she whispers, "let me." And she steps out of the room as well, following Finn into the emotions he's worked so hard to hide.

* * *

xlii.

She hears his grunts echo off the walls of the training room, arms pumping and vicious as he pounds his fists into the punching bag. She bites her lip as she watches the sweat dribble from his forehead, dripping onto the white tank top he switched into. She wonders if this is how he cools down, how he controls himself. Taking a couple more steps forward, she appears in the light shinning above them, exposing herself.

His eyes flicker to hers, shaking his head, "go away, Rachel."

Stubbornly, she crosses her arms across her chest, closing the distance between them. "No," she says confidently, stopping the punching bag in her hands as he takes one final swing.

Finn stares at her. He throws his gloves to the ground, lifting the white tank top to his face, exposing his toned stomach. He wipes a pile of sweat from his face, shutting off Rachel's gaze as he rests the material back over his body.

"Fine," he grumbles irritably, "allow me."

He begins to back away, and Rachel becomes more determined, saying the one thing she knows will make him vulnerable.

"Tell me about my brother."

He stops, hearing the desperation in her voice as she calls after him. She watches the tense nerves crawl up his body at the mention of her late brother, and when he turns around to face her, she notices the emotion shinning behind his eyes.

He swallows thickly. "He was my best friend," he tells her, his voice heavy. He watches as she walks towards him, leaning back on the shelf of weights in front of him. "He was for nine years."

Rachel's eyes scrunch in confusion. "I don't remember you," she says honestly. His face is definitely one to never forget, and she's sure she would have recalled meeting him at some point.

Finn laughs humorlessly. "No you wouldn't." He clears his voice, looking down at the scars on his hands. "My parents were just murdered by demons when I met your brother at training camp. I had no one, no where to go. I was expecting to live by myself when your parents offered me a place to stay before I turned sixteen, which is the legal age in Night Chaser years. So they helped train me and gave me a small house to stay in. They didn't want me living with them because then it wouldn't confuse their little, nine-year-old daughter Rachel."

Her eyes widen. Looking back, she remembers the looks her parents gave Finn when they saw him, like they trusted him, they cared for him. He was like a son to them, someone that they took in and trained, and she had no idea this was even happening.

"Puck would always come by, complain about you singing too loud or smiling too much," he grins a little at the memory, "everyone always told me about you, and I didn't even know you were, but I knew everything about you. Eventually, Puck would sneak me in the house sometimes and I would see you from the opening in the doorway, but you never saw me, never knew I existed."

Rachel steps towards him, the boy she never knew about. Her eyes lift to his warm ones, soft and comforting. She waits for him to back away, ignore the attraction and walk away but he doesn't, he stays.

His eyes don't leave hers as he speaks. "Then Puck would drag me to your recitals, to your competitions, I even went to your grade eight graduation. I was always in the back but," his voice lowers into a whisper, gentle and sweet, "I was always there."

She feels the familiar feeling as he breathes out the last words, sparking shivers throughout her body. Her eyes bore into his, the boy who was always there in the background, always made her feel safe despite the distance. She wraps her hand around his, fingers curling between his intimately.

"Finn," she whispers, relishing in the feeling of his thumb stroking the surface of her palm, "he didn't die in a car accident, did he?"

He must have been expecting the question because his expression doesn't change. Sighing, he briefly closes his eyes in preparation of answering her. Swallowing thickly, he opens them, and she's suddenly scared to hear the truth about the death of her brother.

"We were getting demon activity outside of Columbus, so they sent your brother and I to go check it out," he begins, voice attempting to be strong, "when we got there, we were confronted by the strongest demon ever created, a Magron. We were stupid enough to think we could kill it, but we were young and confident. I didn't take long before it sank its teeth into Puck's throat."

_"Puck!"_

_Finn moves to the side as the oncoming tail of the Magron slams against the pavement. His eyes peel away from the creature as he rushes toward Puck, his eyes clouded with pain. He catches him before he falls, arms secure around his bleeding friend as the demon cries out for attention._

_"Come on bud, move it." Sword in hand he pushes Puck into an alley too small for the demon to enter, and it squeals hastily in the background. Puck groans uncomfortably, and it doesn't take long before he collapses onto the ground, energy sucking out._

_Finn crouches next to him, his fingers wrapping around his neck to keep the blood from running. "Don't give up on me now," he orders through his broken voice, "let's get you back to the museum, come on." _

_He pushes on Puck but he doesn't budge, keeping his position on the ground. He waves at him in discouragement. "Bastard got me with his teeth," he grumbles, "I'll be fine, just let me take a nap."_

_Finn's eyes shine. He knows what he's doing, he's heard of this strategy before. Trying to reassure their partner that they're alright so they can die peacefully without any panic, any __wordiness. Finn shakes his head, grabbing the collar of Puck's leather jacket. He brings him up, forehead almost touching his. "If you're going to die just tell me," he demands._

_Puck's eyes flash open. He looks up at him with a laugh. "Always get straight to the point, don't you Huddy?" He laughs again, though the chuckle is interrupted as blood spews from his mouth, spraying Finn. He coughs as his breath hallows out, barely breathing._

_"Puck - "_

_"We don't have time for goodbyes," he whispers, and it's all he can do to save his voice, "I want you to do something."_

_Finn nods, his eyes pricking irritably. He removes his hand from Puck's neck, letting the blood flow out endlessly. He's a night chaser, he's used to death, he shouldn't be on the edge of crying. He should be strong._

_Puck gurgles silently. "I want you to protect Rachel. I don't care if she'll make you want to rip your hair out. You protect my sister Finn, not just because of the prophecy but because she's so much better than this world. So much better than all of us."_

He doesn't mention to Rachel that it took another five minutes of pain and suffering before he died, how he cried out in agony his last few moments of life. He leaves it there, though she cries anyways.

Her face looks broken as he finishes the story, eyes pinching together as he retells her the event of his last night. He watches as the first tear slips down her cheek, the droplet running smoothly down her skin.

He reaches forward, his free hand curving around the shape of her face. Her eyes widen hastily as his thumb rubs against the surface, wiping away the tear, trying to rid her of sadness.

"You should get some rest," he whispers afterwards when he realizes the intimacy of his action, "we had a long day today."

Rachel nods up at him, and this time she's the one who leaves.

* * *

xliii.

Rachel stares at the ceiling, hands folded behind her head. Her eyes focus on the various creaks branching out, trying to distract her from anything but the visions of her dyeing brother.

Killed by a demon. That doesn't give her a lot of confident when a demon ruler is after her.

She rolls over on the mattress and stuffs her face in her pillow. Why couldn't he still be here? Why couldn't he be comforting her right now, protecting her instead of making Finn have to?

Finn. The boy hidden from her. The boy who grew up by himself. She's still not sure why he's afraid to love, whether it's because of his troubled past or something else but she doesn't care. All she knows is that Finn is finally opening himself up to her, maybe letting her in, and that is the biggest progression she's ever made with him since she's been here.

It's crazy how Will and Emma shielded her from this. From her dead birth parents to being an ancestor of a night chaser destined to save the world. She grew up thinking life was as peachy and perfect, unaware of the death and chaos around her.

Her phone buzzes on her night stand, and Rachel lifts her face from the plush pillow to grasp it. Her eyes squint in the darkness as words appear on the screen.

"I miss you."

She sighs, looking up and seeing the text message from Quinn Fabray.

How could Quinn miss her though? When she doesn't even know the real her? When Rachel isn't even sure of who she is?

She throws the phone back on the furniture, returning to her thoughts on the lies and secrets of her life.

* * *

xliv.

Rachel walks down the staircase leading to the kitchen, stretching her arms above her head. She watches as all three heads in the room turn to her, certain admiration on their faces.

"Good morning," Santana chirps, a small grin on her face, "how did you sleep?"

Rachel releases a silent yawn as she makes her way over to the counter, resting her elbows on them. "Pretty well." She lies immediately. She was awake the whole night, thinking of her life and what she never knew about it. She can tell Santana knows, but she smiles anyways.

"Would you like some coffee?"

Rachel turns to Jake as he calls at her from the cupboards. Shaking her head, she declines. "I'm okay," she says, analyzing the scene around her. Is it her or do they seem a lot more interested in her than usual? "I'm guessing you guys are feeling good today?"

She sits beside Blaine on a stool, her head falling in her hands. Santana looks at her other two companions, nodding in encouragement. "We just wanted to thank you actually," she says, seriousness set in, "first for sticking with us after all your near death experiences, and second . . . " She leans forward, "for talking to Finn. He doesn't usually trust people, but it's nice he has someone else to talk to."

Rachel blushes, her head ducking. She shyly smiles, accepting her thanks. When she turns back though, she can catch Blaine's warning glare beside her.

* * *

xlv.

"Dude, get up."

Finn rubs his fists hastily against his eyes. He throws off the pillow that Sam chucked at him, sitting up right in his mattress. He turns to the blonde man at his door frame in annoyance. "What time is it?" he asks, followed by a yawn.

"Almost 9," Sam answers, checking his watch, "you told me you would train with me."

Finn waves his hand at him in agreement. "I will," he says, lifting himself from the bed. He stretches, pulling off his shirt in the process. He winces as the material scrapes against some of his previous scars he's earned during battle, and the emotional ones, the one he doesn't usually share.

Except for last night.

It's Rachel's fault for getting him to open up. Her and her brown eyes, her curly locks, the remarks that remind him of his late best friend. She's much more different than the girl he grew up learning about, than the girl he officially met a couple weeks ago.

He knows he shouldn't care about her so much, knows how much pain it will eventually cause her. But maybe it's worth it. Everyone dies at some point.

"Finn?" Sam's voice catches him, his voice free of playfulness, "you okay bud?"

Finn turns to him, half a smile on his face. "I don't know . . . " he sits back down on the mattress, his face falling in his hands. He rubs his fingers against the surface. "It's Rachel."

He remembers what Puck would always tell him, to never be afraid to fall in love, to never give it up. He's always longed for it, but the voice in his head constantly reminded him that -

"You're falling for her, dude."

Finn laughs humorously. He's never confronted his feelings about her before, but he knows its true the second they leave Sam's mouth. Finn Hudson, falling in love with the girl he admired from a far, his best friend's sister.

He briefly closes his eyes. "I should stop."

Sam chews on the bottom of his lip as he gazes at his feet. He shrugs his shoulders mindlessly. "Who knows Finn," he pauses, shaking his blonde hair, "prophecies don't always come true."

* * *

xlvi.

She leaves the kitchen with a full stomach, Santana pushing her to eat all three pancakes that she made her. They quickly brushed off the subject of Finn after she thanked her, instead mentioning how she kicked ass at Jesse St. James' house. It was nice, the feeling she got when they said she killed it, like she could actually be a good warrior.

"Rachel."

She turns, watching as Blaine walks up to her, a small grin plastered on his face. She returns it, though not exactly sure why. He meets her where she stands in the hallway. "I was hoping to get you alone," he tells her, a little breathless.

Her eyes squint in confusion. "Do you need anything?"

He acts quickly, his hands in the air and waving at her. "No, no," he stutters as if he's worried of offending her. "No. I wanted to apologize actually."

"Oh." Rachel nods, trying to keep up.

Blaine bites on his bottom lip, rubbing his hands together. His thick eyebrows scrunch towards each other as he looks up at her. "I know you care about Finn," he begins, ignoring her surprised expression, "and I know that I've been cynical about the two of you, based on my knowledge of Finn and his . . . situation." He chooses the last word carefully, and Rachel believes that it must be more than what she thinks. "But I've came here to say that it isn't my decision on who you can or can't be with. Just try to be careful."

Rachel smiles sweetly. "Blaine," she laughs, "we aren't anything. You don't have to worry about that."

Blaine shakes his head, stepping forward. He rests his hands on the top of his shoulders lightly. "Think about it Rachel," he whispers low enough for only her to hear, "I can't say anything, I know he wouldn't want it but just try and figure it out yourself. He cares about you, he does, but . . . "

She leans closer. "But what?"

"Listen, I know you're caught in the middle of the war, and there are demons after you, but the one thing you should worry about is protecting your heart." He rubs his thumbs against the surface of her skin, and it reminds her of the way her brother used to comfort her. "You're Puck's little sister, the youngest of the pack," he sighs, shrugging, "I'm just trying to look out for you."

Rachel smiles tearfully, battering her eyes. Without thinking she reaches forward, her arms locking around his neck in an embrace. He laughs, patting her back as his arms wound around her waist. She's attacked with visions of her brother, how he treated her when she was upset. She thinks of Blaine as someone like that.

"Thanks Blaine," she whispers, squeezing him tighter before she lets go. "I think I can count on you."

He shrugs. "You know what they say, the best men are the gay men."

* * *

xlvii.

"It's take out day!"

Santana runs into the kitchen, followed by Sam who is carrying a hat behind her. She faces Rachel and Blaine who are sitting on the couch, their heads turned towards the smiling Latina.

Blaine winks at Rachel happily, who stares on in confusion. "We have take out day once a month," he explains as Finn and Jake enter the room, "we choose two names from a hat to go get whatever food they want. It's kind of a break from San's cooking."

"Heard that Anderson!"

Rachel stifles a giggle, watching as Santana turns to the hat beside her. She waves at it magically. "Ladies and Gentlemen," she begins, "welcome to our monthly Take Out Day, where two lucky winners will be able to choose whatever restaurant they want."

Jake chirps. "Except for McDonald's!"

Santana hushes him. "Anyways," she rolls her eyes, her hand digging into the hat full of scraped paper. Rachel watches anxiously, she hasn't had take out in forever. "The first night chaser selected is . . . Rachel Berry."

They clap in exaggeration, and Rachel lets out a laugh. "Thank you," she plays along. She catches Finn's eyes, and he raises his eyebrows, winking.

"The next fortunate soul is," Santana pulls out another scrap, unrolling it between her fingers, "Finn Hudson."

What are the odds.

* * *

xlviii.

Finn insists on taking the bus, claiming that he doesn't want to drive or think for the rest of the night. She laughs at him nervously, alone with him for the first time since the night in the training room. She follows him anyways, and so that's how she finds herself squished beside him on an empty route heading to Breadstix.

"Tell me something no one else knows."

She turns to him, her eyebrows crunching together. "I'm sorry?"

He shifts on the bus seat, his body turning so that he's facing her on an angle. His eyes set on hers he smiles blindly, a playful side she's never seen before. "It's only fair," he teases, "I told you my secrets, now you tell me yours."

Rachel laughs, shaking her head. Her hands fumble with the end of her shirt, fingers twisting between the material. "You're crazy," she breathes out, letting her breath slowly fan out of her.

He stays silent, waiting for her to give in. She looks up into his patient eyes, so secure and safe and she knows he won't judge her. Like she didn't judge him. Biting her lip, she glances briefly at the window to give her the strength.

"I want to be a singer."

She can almost hear Finn smile, and when she turns back to him, her suspicions are confirmed as he shows his sly grin. "Really?"

Rachel chuckles nervously, "I mean I've been singing my whole entire life, but no one's ever taken me seriously for it, never thought I would want to do it forever. They just thought it was something to fill my time with." She pauses, rethinking her decision to tell him as he stares at her silently. He gives her a nod in encouragement. "I never told anyone, knowing that they would just shut me down tell me that it's impossible to be successful in an industry like that. So when people asked what I wanted to do, I would lie and say a doctor."

Finn quickly rings the bell for their stop, and he pulls her up from the seat. She follows him out of the bus, shouting a quick 'thank you' to the driver. They walk closer together, Finn facing her as they make their way down the isolated streets. "What about college?" he asks, his eyes reflecting the moon in the night sky.

Rachel shrugs. "My parents constantly asked me why I didn't apply to universities, and so I would say that I was too depressed after Puck's death, that I wanted to take a couple months off. Which wasn't exactly a lie, except I wanted to apply for Theatre Art." She turns to walk in front of him, facing him as she carefully takes her steps backwards. "But if I do end up saving the universe, I want to go to New York."

He grins. "New York?"

"New York!" she shouts, turning away from him. She closes her eyes, imaging the lights Times Square gives, the posters of Broadway and upcoming films. She squeals happily. "New York! New York! New - "

"Sh," Finn reaches forward, his hand cupping the back of her head as his other rests on top of her mouth. They both laugh, his body sending vibrations throughout hers. "You're going insane." He releases her, his hand slowly slipping past her cheek as he pins it to her side. Reddening, she looks away, even as he says, "I've heard you sing though, in the shower, at your competitions. You can do it Rach."

Her stomach flutters at the nick name. "Thanks." She breathes out the shivers she receives from his compliment, steadying herself on her feet. She turns so that she's again walking beside him, her small frame almost hiding behind his larger one. "How about you? Got anything else you'd like to share?"

"Actually," he turns to look behind him, his neck craning to get a shot of something in the distance. He looks back to her, his voice in a low whisper. "You see that man walking in the red sweater?"

Rachel looks. It's dark, so she can't see much except but the colour of his clothing but she can tell he's bigger. His hoody rests casually on top of his head, giving the appearance of just a normal guy talking a stroll down the street, but the edge in Finn's voice tells her otherwise.

"Yeah," she confirms when she notices him.

"He's been following us since we got off," he explains, his voice husky in her ear, "he's a demon, powerful enough to manipulate human transformation though you can still smell it on him, even from here. He's alone, not harmful, and we're going to have some fun with that."

The playfulness in his tone surprises her. "We're not going to kill it?"

Finn laughs and shakes his head. "Didn't I tell you?" he grabs her wrist, and Rachel has a feeling his plan involves a lot of running and hiding, "I don't want to think for the rest of the night."

* * *

xlix.

Rachel giggles as Finn drags her around a corner, his fingers folded between hers. He pulls her against the wall, pushing her deeper into the shadows of the night. She can hear the steps of the demon gain, faster padding against the pavement. Finn sneaks a peek to see if he is following, quickly dipping back and turning back to Rachel in excitement.

"Go, go!" He orders her to run down the dark alley, and she does, Finn following behind. She looks back to see the demon chasing after them, the human body eyes glowing a solid red. She squeals hastily, adrenaline pumping through her.

Finn grabs a hold of her hand again, turning her sharply around another corner at the end of the alley. He pushes her backwards into a shallow opening squeezed in the alley. Her body hits the brick wall harshly, and she releases a grunt as his body presses against hers, his hands held up on either side of her head.

"Is he - "

He scrambles, his finger grazing her lips as he gestures for her to stay quiet. She does, trying not to think so hard on the way his body curves against his, how his chest pushes on hers. She closes her eyes, drifting.

It's a couple more minutes before he speaks again. "Okay," he whispers, breathing out slowly, "I think he's gone."

Rachel smiles up at him. "Look at you," she says lowly, despite his clearing signal, "you've taken the bus, outran a demon . . . is there anything else you'd like to do tonight that doesn't involve thinking?"

He stares at her, eyes soft as he gazes. It's dark out, so she can't see much of his expression as she looks at him. "Yeah," he responds, his voice matching the vulnerability in his eyes. He removes one of his hands from the brick wall behind her, reaching forward to rest it tenderly against her cheek. She's sure he feels the heat in her face as she blushes, his thumb gliding against the skin.

Rachel remains speechless, words seeming to be hard to get out as he lowers his head. She shivers as she feels his forehead touch hers, his hand tightening around her face. She leans up, her lips aching. "I probably shouldn't do this," he whispers, his hand brushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

Rachel shakes her head. "Don't think about it."

And he doesn't, because the next moment he pulls her face towards his and kisses her.

Finally.

She gasps, her body tingling in the intense feelings she always felt when she was around him. Her arms slowly drape up his shoulders to lock around his neck, pulling him closer against her as her head swims.

His lips stay still on hers, barely moving. She worries that he's beginning to regret it, that he's starting to think again. Before she can pull back, he pushes his lips onto hers once more, reacting another spark inside her, one that she's never felt during a kiss before.

His hands are warm as they caress her face, fingers curling into the nape of her hair. She whimpers as he slides his tongue inside her mouth, soft and warm and welcoming. She wonders if he's ever been this gentle with a girl before, if he's ever held her like she might break. The way his fingertips glide against her skin tells her he hasn't, that he believes she is too fragile to be curled in his embrace.

"Finn," she breathes out as he trails kisses leading to her throat. She holds him close as he nibbles on the skin, his hand moving to cup the back of her head. She fists her hands into the collar of his shirt, her lips aching as she anticipates his kisses. Not being able to wait, she cups his face in her hands and turns him towards her, kissing him again in the only way that will satisfy her.

His actions escalate from there, the amount of tension built between the two of them seeming to control him. He bends down and rounds his fingers against her thighs, picking her up and pinning her against the brick wall. Her legs wrap around his waist as she falls onto the wall behind her, his close body keeping her from slipping.

Rachel sighs as his movements become jerky, needy, her back arching into his frame. Her hands can't seem to stay in one place, fisting his hair and shirt material. She never knew how much she wanted him, as if she was in a deep sleep her whole life and he suddenly woke her up with a kiss.

Finn breaks apart from her, his breathing heavy and longing. He keeps his eyes closed, forehead swiping across hers as he hides his face in the contour of her neck and shoulder. His hands stay still, lips unmoving, his body separating from hers so she can slide down from the wall.

She's lost him, she knows it. She can see the hesitation in his muscles as he untangles his limbs from hers. She can hear the regret in his sighs as he leans his forehead against the cold brick wall.

She tries to calm herself as she watches him. Her hand stays steady on her racing chest, her lips still tingling from their shared kisses. Her graze tries to grasp him, but his eyes are closed in disappointment. She reaches for him, not giving up.

"Finn, I - "

The base of a club is suddenly thrown into view, drastically slamming against Finn's head. She screams, her hands flying to her mouth as Finn collapses to the ground in front of her, weightless and unmoving. Without thinking she bends towards him, her finger massaging the wet wound. "Finn - "

The wooden shape of the club crunches with the bones of her jaw. The impact causes her to land harshly on the concrete, her body snapping in pain. Tears spring at the edge of her eyes as she feels the pain consume her. Her fingers gently touch her jaw, wincing as she releases a sharp hiss.

Rachel looks up at the attacker, noticing the same red sweater she outran earlier today. His blonde hair gives the appearance of an innocent teenager, but she can see him better now, see the devil eyes he tries to hide behind, the claws that are beginning to expose him. Her eyes slowly scan to Finn, lying helplessly on the ground, and she forces herself up.

Her hands clench angrily as she goes for the first blow, her punch hitting the side of his face as he attempts to move out of the way. He's fast, even in his human form, and he grabs her fist. He smiles at her as she tries to pull her hand free, a devilish glow surrounding him as he squeezes her fingers, crushes it slowly in his hand.

She yelps, pulling backwards. Her whimpers echo the empty alley way as she trips backwards into the brick wall. Her fingers feel lifeless in her hand as she holds them, bones broken and hanging. Blood pulses through her as she tries to regain her strength. She thinks of Finn, thinks of her brother and parents, thinks of her mission.

Her eyes hazily notice the club coming towards her, and she lowers herself to the ground. She can hear the sound of the weapon crashes above her, the spikes making shallow holes in the wall. Holding her hand to her chest, she lifts herself upwards, leaning back against the wall.

It isn't long before he attacks her again.

It hits her this time, the club sent directly against her right arm. She screams as the spikes pierce her skin, instantly slicing open a patch of flesh. Blood squirts from her body, almost paralyzing her with torment.

Rachel collapses to the concrete in agony. Her cries are barely audible as she lays crippled on the ground, thoughts surrounding the only person she wants to say bye to. Ignoring the misery in her chin and arm and hand, she tries to move, tries to crawl away and die with some dignity. She doesn't get far as the man kneels on top of her, his legs pinning her to the ground.

"I don't want you dead sweet heart," he slithers, the tongue of a demon, "you're making it harder for yourself. Just go to sleep for now."

She can't breathe as he brings the club in his hand once more. She closes her eyes, waiting for the blow to end her suffering. Just for a while, anyways.

But it never comes.

She hears grunting and growls. Her eyes snap open to find Finn's iron arms around the demon, throwing him against the brick wall. He follows him, his large hand grabbing the hoodie of the red sweater he's wearing. She watches as the fingers that held her so tenderly, embraced her so warmly, smash the man's head repeatedly against the wall, creating a pool of blood below him.

His actions get more vicious as the man rests lifeless in his grasp, the club falling out of the dead man's hand. Finn seethes between his teeth as he releases the body, letting it fall to the ground. He sends a kick to its ribcage as the human appearance melts down to the form of a Prite demon. She watches in wonderment as the blood transforms to black goo, splattering against Finn.

"Stop."

Finn freezes, as if he seemed to forget she was there. His muscles tense as his movements instantly stop, his feet pivoting to face her.

She cries when his eyes meet hers.

"Rachel," he breathes, his gaze softening. He sprints forward, wiping the blood from his face as he bends towards her. He leans forward, his breath fanning her injuries. "Where does it hurt?"

She points to her wounds, and he analyzes them all. She hisses in pain as he grazes her fingers and chin, though he stops uncomfortably when he notices the depth of the wound in her arm.

He gulps thickly. "We need to get you out of here," he whispers, his eyes averting to hers. She nods, allowing him to briefly cradle her face. Was it that bad? Could it kill her? Another sharp feeling shoots through her, and Finn acts quickly. "Come on." He reaches under her arms, lifting her upwards.

His arm wraps around her shoulders protectively, holding her close to him. Her head rests against his chest as he leads them towards the end of the alley, the fast beating of his heart pounding against her ear.

His fingers squeeze around her arm to keep it from pouring blood, his nails digging into her skin. Their feet pad loudly against the pavement as they leave a trail of blood behind them, though Finn doesn't seem to care.

"We're almost there, Rachel, almost out of the - "

A crowd of darkness blocks the entry of the alley, shadows lining the brick walls of the opening. Her hands clench against his shirt in fear, her eyes scanning the shapes in front of them. She hides her face in his chest when she realizes they're human forms of demons, the red eyes the only evidence.

Finn pulls her closer to him. She looks up to see him forcing his features into a calmed expression, but she knows he's worried.

He turns them around to go in the opposite direction.

It's like slow motion, the way their hands reach out to grab her as they're confronted again but another round of human demons. She doesn't even have time to react as they pull the her into the crowd, her body detaching from Finn.

"Rachel!"

She turns around, her eyes searching for him. Claws rip at her skin as the humans try to get a grip on her, but she ignores them, her neck straining for the only reason she's still fighting. "Finn!"

Rachel sees a glimpse of him through the crowd as the human demons attach themselves to his body. His face reddens in strength as he tries to make his way towards her, his muscles popping with the amount of weight he's dragging.

A sob ripples through her. "Finn!" She reaches her hand out, stretching forward as the human demons pull her back. She tries to feel him, touch him one last time before they face whatever torture is coming.

She feels the graze of his skin, and that's enough to satisfy her as she finally gives in and blacks out.

* * *

l.

She doesn't want to wake up.

She can sense the destruction bounding to happen, feel the death surrounding her. Roars of howls and screams echo in whatever room she is in, but she's too scared to check and see what's happening. Too scared to face whatever plan they have in killing her.

"Rachel Berry."

She pauses. They know she's awake. Her eyes remain shut as she stays still in her position on the floor. Heat waves against her and she wonders if there is a fire nearby, maybe something to torture her with. She tries to figure out where she is without touching anything or seeing anything, but all she can tell is she's in a hallow room, surrounded by creatures of nightmares.

"The one we've all been waiting for, isn't it?"

The heel of a boot makes contact with her stomach, pressing harshly down into her flesh. Her eyes snap open as she screeches in surprise, her body folding upwards as the impact forces her to spring. She coughs, sucking in a large amount of air, trying to control her racing heart.

"That's for killing my friend. Not so strong now, are you?" A man leans down in front of her, and she can tell by his eyes he's hiding behind his real disguise. He has brown hair and a mustache, taking the appearance of a man in his late 40s. Her eyes skim over his nails which are pointed at the end of his fingers.

A loud roar bounces throughout the room, and Rachel takes in her surroundings for the first time since she opened her eyes. Looking away from the instigator, she cranes her neck upwards. Human forms of demon crowd the area in what looks like a grand ballroom, taking the appearance of young girls and teenage boys and seniors. She frowns in disgust as they hiss at her, same red eyes. They look familiar, and she wonders if they're the same demons that attacked her and Finn in the alleyway. She tries not to think about it though, tries not to think about the possibility that she'll never see Finn again, tries not to think if he's dead yet.

Her arm begins to throb. Rachel turns away from the human demons as they begin to snatch at her, her focus drawing towards her injury. She stares in shock as a bandage fondly wraps underneath her shoulder, healing it quickly. Though she still feels the pain in her chin and hand.

"Ah yes," the demon in front of her nods, gesturing to her bandaged arm, "it would have killed you. Don't think of it as a caring act, we just can't have you die before you complete our request."

"Hurry up Dex! Finish her off!"

She winces as the words come from the growing crowd. The man in front of her, Dex, looks towards them in annoyance. "Not yet my friends. We will get our chance to ruin her. You must be patient."

Rachel closes her eyes, trying to block the images out of her mind. She feels the coldness wrap around her as the feeling of death seems to surround her. She holds herself, arms embracing her bruised and broken body. At least she'll get to see her brother again.

Dex leans closer to her, smiling his black teeth. "Here's the thing, Ms. Berry, we're Prites, demons sent by Master Hawk to complete a task he's requested. You know that, right? Well, Master Hawk sent so many of us that we had to manipulate human forms so you night chasers didn't get suspicious. We've been watching you for weeks."

Rachel whitens. "The Prite that attacked me, that one night - "

"With the garbage bag? Oh. That was a silly experiment. See how strong you are."

Rachel feels the colour drain from her body. How could she be so stupid to think she was a real night chaser? She was the one destined to destroy the portal and save the world? They're going to use her, then they're going to kill her, and then everyone is going to go back to their usual lives without her as a distraction.

Dex seems to notice the fear in her eyes, and he smiles devilishly. His hand reaches to curl her hair, and she leans away from him in disgust. "Don't worry darling, we will end your suffering soon. But first," he roughly grabs the top of her arms, lifting her to stand. He pushes her forward, directing her to face a unique looking door attached to the wall. She whimpers as he digs his nail in her skin. "We need you to open the portal allowing demons to return to Underworld. You see, our Master can't enter this world unless he can return. So you must open it, let our master see what the outside world looks like. He's very curious."

He turns to face her, letting go of his hold on her. She looks away from him, staring at the door, the portal she's been told to never open unless they have an army prepared. She sighs, refusing to destroy the world in the last few minutes of her life. She faces him, ready to face whatever torture as she spits at him. "No."

He grins as if he's planned this. "Very well."

Dex snaps his fingers. A choir of calls are released from the observing demons as someone makes their way through the crowd. Her eyes squint as she notices three bodies uncomfortably maneuvering around the bodies of the human demons. Her heart almost drops when the trio exits the crowd, recognizing the face.

Finn.

He slumps forward. He looks weak, more damaged than the last time she saw him and she realizes they've been torturing him too. His open skin is covered in blood and bruises, making her want to turn away. But she can't, because he's alive, still here. Even if it's for a little while.

She pushes past Dex, her shoulder roughly bumping his as he makes her way towards him. He can't do much but stare, the demons beside him having a firm grip on his body. She doesn't care though, all she wants to do is make sure he's okay before they'll never be okay again.

It isn't long before Dex wounds his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. She screams in protest as he drags her away, her arms outstretched towards Finn. He looks angry now, even in the blood and sweat. He pushes against the men holding him, struggling to walk forward.

"Let her go!"

His response earns him a punch to the stomach, and Rachel cries out as he groans.

"Sh, sh, Rachel," Dex coaxes her, holding her close to his chest. His tongue swirls close to her ear but she barely notices. She could have taken any other punishment, just not hurting Finn, she can't take that. "We will let him go. And we will also consider letting you go if you cooperate with us. We just need you to open the portal, alright?"

"Rachel don't - "

Another punch.

She scrambles. "No!" she cries as the blow makes him bend in torment. She turns to Dex, pleading. "I'll do it! I'll do whatever you want! Just let him go, please!"

Satisfaction seems to register in his eyes. He nods, gesturing to the demons holding Finn. They drop him to the ground, his body heavily collapsing. He grunts in pain, but Rachel feels the weight lift off her chest, even as the two demons hold a warning sword towards Finn's frame.

"We won't harm him for now," Dex explains as she watches in confusion, "first you have to open it." He drags Rachel to the doorway, ignoring her attempts to draw back to Finn's aching body. He places her in front of it, standing before her.

He grabs her hand and opens her palm towards the ceiling. She watches in apprehension as he pulls a pocket knife from his jean pocket. "It won't work unless you want it," he tells her, grabbing her hand, "Finn's life depends on it." She hisses in pain as he points the knife into her flesh, opening a fresh path of skin in her palm.

Before she can question his actions he opens the door of the portal, revealing a thick brick wall behind it. He presses her hand against it, letting the blood sweep into the creaks in the wall.

"Want it."

Rachel can feel the eyes of all the human demons on her, lasers of red watching her intently. She tries to control her body, reduce her shivering before she looses herself in anxiety. She tries not to think of the embarrassment she's causing her night chaser group by opening the portal, tries not to think of the destruction Master Hawk will make.

All she thinks about is Finn.

The thought is enough to motivate her, her hand pressing deeper into the brick wall. She thinks of how he needs to live and learn to love, even if its not with her. A life without love is empty, and she wants more than anything for him to be happy. She might not make it out of this situation but he can, and she's going to make sure he won't waste it.

He deserves a happy life. He deserves to be adored and cherished by women. She doesn't know what's stopping him from falling, but she hopes he doesn't listen.

The wall begins to vibrate, and she keeps going, thinking of all the times he's saved her, of all the times he's protected her. Now it's her turn to be the hero, even if it's just in his eyes, even if it's by opening the portal. She's still saving him, and that's all she cares about. Just one name.

Finn.

The brick wall explodes, blasting her backwards a couple feet from the portal. She lands harshly on the ground, her bloody hand falling upon her cheek and splashing her with red. Debris of bricks begin to fall around them and she covers herself, her hands moving to shield her head.

Rachel winces as chunks land on her body, bruising her. She hopes Finn is somewhere safe, maybe they've already let him go. If they did, she guesses she's happy she did something right out of this mess.

"Dex, look!"

Cries of shock seem to centre around the portal, it's hard to tell with the ringing in her ears. Her fingers remove bits of dust from her eyes, coughing out the smoke that snuck to her mouth. She lifts her head from the ballroom floor, vision blurry and faded. Her eyes squint into the distance as the crowd of human demons surround the standing door, a light shinning from it that she hasn't noticed before.

Her eyes make contact with Finn, who is laying weak on the floor. He stretches onto his back, hissing as he rests. She tries to tell him to leave, to get out of here but he doesn't listen. Doesn't even move.

Dex turns to her in the distance, and she can see the portal flashing behind him. It's not a break wall anymore, instead a backdrop of red sky and dark clouds that hang upon bloody rivers. She wonders if this is what home looks like to them, death and suffering. She wonders if it makes them happy. If they even have the heart to embody that emotion. Her eyes blink heavily at the scenery, suddenly realizing what she's done.

She opened the portal.

Dex looks at her the same time Finn struggles to get on his knees. He shoots her one smirk before whispering out, "kill her."

"No!"

A high pitch of screeching lines throughout the ballroom, followed by the sound of cracking. Rachel screams when the noise suddenly turns to destruction, a rainfall of shattering glass falling around her. Multiple windows continue to bust by an invisible force, a power so strong it doesn't require physicality. She hides her face in the ground for what feels like the 5th time that day, shards of glass mixing with her blood-matted hair. She squeezes her eyes shut, not being able to take anymore surprises.

A familiar chuckle fills the room, and she finds herself leaning forward in anticipation. She laughs in relief when she sees her night chasers, followed by Jesse St. James, his fingers twinkling from his recent trick with the blasting windows.

"Sorry to interrupt."

Now this is a surprise she doesn't mind.

The human demons barely have time to react. She sees Dex growl in annoyance, taking his knife strictly in his hand. Jesse claps his hands, once, a second time, and the demons are suddenly itching at their skin. Yells of terror release from their throat as their appearances of humans seem to melt around them, exposing them as the true demons they are. They begin to squeal as their skin blisters to slimy texture of a Prite demon, eyes returning to yellow.

They're weaker, but not weak enough. She watches as Santana raises her hand and points to the crowd of Prite's. She charges towards them.

"Oh God," she looks up to see Blaine coming toward her, his small frame sneaking from the battle, "Rachel . . ."

She coughs. Is it that bad? Looking down at her body, she can barely recognize her appearance, only seeing the red colour of blood. The pain seems to catch up with her as her sliced hand begins to burn, her other broken hand continuing to ache, and her chin forming a final bruise. She looks up at Blaine, who seems nauseous.

"How did you find us?"

He shakes his head, eyes trying to register her wounds. "You guys were gone for so long we got worried. It doesn't take long to track someone down when you see a dead Prite in the alleyway along with your friends blood smeared on the walls." He touches her cheek, his thumb grazing across her forming black eye. "I need to get you out of here - "

She shakes her head before he can finish. "No, Finn first . . . he's been tortured . . . "

"Rachel - "

"Go!" She pushes him away from her, towards Finn.

Blaine is hesitant. He looks to Finn, then back to her. Analyzing the battle behind him, he gives her one of his daggers. "I'll be right back," he gasps out, turning on his heel and running towards their dyeing partner.

Rachel watches him go, eyes then averting to the fight in front of her. Gripping the dagger in her hand, she raises her arm as she tries her hardest to help from her position on the floor. She makes sure her group is out of her aim, waiting till Jesse is done turning a Prite with his spells.

"Not too fast."

A slipping hand grasps onto her ankle. She looks up in surprise to see Dex crawling towards her, his body half melted into demon form, the other half the same appearance of a human. He hisses at her, his one arm dragging her across the ground towards him. She tries to dig her heel into the floorboards to stop herself, but it's no use.

Rachel stops below him, her body tired and broken. "When are you going to learn evil is stronger than good?"

She doesn't really remember what happens after that. Doesn't remember the sudden flow of energy she possessed as she gripped the dagger Blaine gave her in her hand. Barely remembers the way she sprung upwards and dove the blade into Dex's chest, black goo pouring from its wound. It's even hard to remember him convulsing above her, then collapsing to his death.

But one thing she does remember is breathing out in relief, and then going unconscious.

* * *

li.

She wants to wake up this time.

She knows she's safe the moment she feels the familiar mattress below her, her hands cushioning into it. Not knowing whether she's alone or not, she peeks her eyes open, searching.

No one's there, and she finds herself in the white room she was laid in the first day at the art museum. It feels weird being there again, so much changing since she was last placed inside the sheltered walls. Though it was only a couple weeks ago, she feels as if she were still a child, and now, laying here, a mature and knowledgable adult.

Rachel tastes the inside of her mouth, the sting of blood still favorable. She looks down to find her wounds healed, though still keeping the appearance of bruises and cuts and scraps. Staring down at her arm, she sees the familiar scratches from the club, though she feels nothing.

She sits up on the cushion, her face falling into the cup of her hands. Her mind is still foggy of the events that occurred at the ballroom, not exactly sure what happened, not exactly sure how she's alive. Her fingers wipe at the edge of her eyes, willing herself not to panic.

"Ouch."

Rachel's head snaps upwards. She turns to face Santana, who stands at the frame of the doorway, analyzing her injuries. "Santana," she breathes out, relief washing through her. The last time she saw her she was geared in Night Chaser attire, prepared for battle. Her eyes widen. "Is everyone okay? Finn - "

Santana looks down. "He's fine," she whispers, a little sad, "been asking for you."

Rachel swallows thickly. They haven't exactly had time to discuss their intense kiss, haven't had time to do anything but worry about not getting killed. Her lips burn in the memory of his mouth on hers, and she tries to not think of the way he pulled away from her. The way he shut her out.

"What happened?"

Santana sighs heavily. She comes forward to sit beside her on the cushion. Her eyes concentrate on her wrapped up hand that the human demon broke by just squeezing it. She shivers. "We were ambushed by human Prite's. They were sent by Master Hawk for you to open the portal," she starts, and there's something in her voice, maybe wordiness? Fear? "Finn said your blood and concentration opened the portal. And now Master Hawk is able to come through, make his markings on Earth."

Rachel shakes her head. "Can't we destroy it like we plan on destroying the one in Underworld?"

"Not exactly," Santana tests, playing on the words. She shifts towards Rachel, who stares wide-eyed. "If we destroy it, we won't be able to open it again. Jesse said your ancestor, Raw Berry, only closed it due to a spell. But he said that spell vanished long ago, it's almost non-existent. Extinct, if you will."

A feeling of shame crosses through Rachel, and she turns away from her. It's her fault, isn't it? She hates herself for believing they would actually let them go, hates herself for being so desperate for someone who isn't willing to commit to her. She's ruined everything. Prophecy or no prophecy.

She licks her lips, not being able to look at the older Latina. "I'm sorry . . . "

She places a hand on her shoulder. Her fingers rub into her sore skin, and she can hint a sad smile. "It's okay," she whispers, trying to be sensitive, "we'll figure something out. We should have seen a trick like this coming."

It doesn't make her feel any better.

* * *

lii.

Rachel exits the white room, wrapping a robe tightly around her body. She smiles sadly at Sam as he walks towards her in the hallway, his eye scratched up from the night before.

"Hey Sam," she whispers, trying not to look at the injury. Her eyes avert downwards, shame instantly flooding through her. He chuckles, obviously not concerned with his wound, and reaches out to pat her cheek.

"He's in his room."

She gulps. Her eyes follow his back as he moves around her to continue down the hallway. She winces at the bruises on the back of his arm. "Sam?" He turns around, a hint of a smile on his features. "Did something really bad just happen?"

She watches as he shrugs. His eyes look into hers, and for the first time she sees a seriousness in them. He sighs heavily, shrugging his muscular shoulders.

"It's not your fault, Rachel."

* * *

liii.

She finally makes it to Finn's room without any more distractions.

Her hand hovers over the door, knuckles prepared to knock. She can feel the anticipation course through her body, pushing her to tap the wood, but she stays frozen in place, not moving.

He opens it before she can walk away.

Rachel swallows the thickness in her throat. Her eyes meet his, and she instantly notices the scratches that cover his face. She wants to reach for him, wipe away the dried blood, though his gaze is warning her not to. She looks away and pushes past him into his room, his back facing him as she stands in the centre.

He closes the door, and she hears the shuffling of feet as he faces her. She crosses her arms across her chest. "I'm glad you're okay," she whispers, her words directed to him though she isn't looking. Her heart races in her chest, and she can feel his breath fan across her neck. She shivers.

"Blaine told me that you ordered him to help me before he could help you," he tells her, close to her body, "you could have died."

She breathes out heavily, closing her eyes. "You were hurt."

"So were you."

Rachel stays silent. She bites on the bottom of her lip, wringing her hands. The feeling of his breath seems to fade away from her, and she misses it immediately. She turns around, sees him a few feet away from her. "Listen, Finn - "

He stops her before she can continue. "We can't do this anymore, Rachel," he rushes out, gesturing between them. "Whatever it is." He combs his hair back with his hand, fisting it between his fingers. His eyes don't meet hers. "You shouldn't have felt the need to protect me last night, I am the one who is supposed to protect you. If you would have just let me go, the portal wouldn't have been open and - "

Her eyes glower. "They were going to kill you!"

"So let them kill me!" he yells, throwing his hands up in frustration. He growls, anger popping through his veins. "Don't you understand what we are Rachel? We're Night Chasers, we were born knowing that we could die at any second. We are trained to kill or be killed, there's no in between." He lets out a heavy breath, his hands twitching. "I'd rather die for something right then live for something wrong."

She stares at him, stares at the annoyance in his eyes, hears the disgust in his voice. Her eyes blink away the tears she didn't realize were falling, but she doesn't wipe them, doesn't give him the satisfaction of making her cry. He watches her with more to say, and she wonders if he's going to break her heart even more.

He does. "Just leave me alone," he whispers, turning away. His shoulders slug in defeat. "I shouldn't have let myself get close to you. That was a mistake, that kiss was a mistake. I was just bored."

Her heart aches. The feeling of breaking rushes through her again, and she's reminded of what it felt like when Puck died. Her head feels dizzy, but she stands strong. She's lost enough people to give up now.

Finn steps forward, eyes fierce and cold. He looks at her, and speaks the words that ruins her completely,

"You will always be Puck's little sister to me, that's all."

* * *

liv.

"Rachel?"

She ignores Blaine's calls as she runs down the hallway, her face streaming with tears. It didn't take long for her to leave Finn's room, having nothing to say but the silent words of heartbreak. Her chest burns, and she's not sure why she feels so affected.

It's not like she loved him or anything.

She slams the bedroom door behind her, sliding down to the floor. Her robe buckles at her feet, and she feels her breath quicken, her heart race. Her eyes close shut as she's reminded of all the losses she's encountered, of all the people who left her in the past year. She releases a sob, finally breaking down.

"Rachel? Rachel, please open up!"

She doesn't answer, doesn't make a sound. Is she really the one who is supposed to end this?

Because it feels like she just started something worse.

* * *

lv.

"He's coming!"

His eyes tear away from the mirror in the tower, beading on the portal in front of him. He slithers, waiting beside his companions for his entrance.

"He's going to be upset we let her get away," another one crickets, shivering as he speaks. He chatters his teeth together, gaze kept on the Underworld in front of them. His claws fold together, body vibrating as he sits. His slit eyes cross from one edge of the room to another, nervous and jerky.

A figure steps in front of the portal, bulky and strong. He's never seen him before, he's only heard stories of him living in his tower, isolated from the rest of Underworld. His hair slides from the top, almost draping him. He watches as the figure bends, as if adjusting to the new pace, his eyes dark red.

He steps away from him, bowing his head.

"Welcome to Earth, Master Hawk."

* * *

_THE END_

_That's the end of the first installment of my four part series! Did you guys like it? I hope you enjoyed it:) _

_What do you guys think Finn's reason is for not wanting to get close to Rachel? Are you excited for the next part? Give you a hint, it gets even bloodier;)_

_The next one, 'Creatures of the Underworld," will hopefully be up by the beginning of July, because I have exams and such. I am really excited about continuing this series, and I can't wait for you guys to read this one and the rest! Hope you guys enjoyed it:)_

_Please, review! And tell me what you want or think will happen in the next one! _

_PS NICE WAY TO COME BACK, HUH?_


	2. Questions

**If you are interested in asking questions for the upcoming Creatures of the Underworld installment . . . **

Ask them in the review section and I will be happy to answer questions regarding relationship developments, plots and scenes to hype up the release of the Creatures of the Underworld on **Monday**, **July** **1st** !

I will then post the questions and answers asked for everyone to see! **With every question I will post a preview of a scene in the next installment!**

**QUESTIONS SO FAR . . .**

**GleeIsAllINeed (Guest) : Are we going to have to wait to see Finn and Rachel together?:)**

_DreamofInception: _At the beginning of the fanfiction, you learn that Finn hasn't spoken to or had any contact with Rachel for the past two weeks since the portal has been opened. They're relationship is very strained in the first half of the novel, and Rachel is very confused by his actions. She soon realizes the reason why he acts that way around her, and I'll give you a hint (it has something to do with the prophecy!) It's very sweet how it plays out. I'm sure everyone can tell that Finn has always cared for Rachel since he was young.

**Maria (Guest) : Will we find out more about Rachel's and Finn's past? What is Rachel's prophecy? Why is Finn so guarded?**

_DreamofInception: _You will definitely learn more about Rachel and Finn's parents in the third installment of the series which is called 'Creatures of the Darkness' but it isn't the focus in this installment. Rachel's prophecy has no tricks. Hers is strictly being the one to end the war between demons and night chasers. And also, you will find out what Finn's prophecy is during this installment of the series! It shows why he is so guarded!

**Jessica (Guest) : How many chapters are there to these amazing series? Is there going to be a sequel? Will Finn ever stop being a meany to Rachel? In which chapter will they be together forever?**

_DreamofInception: _There will be four installments of the series, the sequel is called 'Creatures of the Underworld' then 'Creatures of the Darkness' and 'Creatures of the Universe.' Also, Finn is still an ass in the beginning of this installment but don't worry you'll be loving his old self when it gets to the end of the book and you'll understand his actions! And for the last question, I can't answer without spoiling hehe!

**fincheforever3 (Guest) : If this story is based off the mortal instruments it has 6 books so how are you breaking them up into only 4 chapters? Do you know how long it will be till the third and fourth ones are set to come out? Will you be releasing the Creatures of the Underworld at morning or night on July 1st?**

_DreamofInception: _I am not exactly basing my plots on the mortal instruments but I got the idea of demon hunting from those series so I wanted to credit them. Aside from the fact that the characters are both demon hunters (though this installment uses the term Night Chaser) there is nothing else similiar between the Creatures of the Nightmares and Mortal Instruments series. Also, I expect to release the third in mid-late July and the fourth in early August. The second one will probably be released around night time on July 1st.

* * *

**ALSO, HERE ARE SNIPPETS FROM SCENES IN CREATURES OF THE UNDERWORLD, ENJOY!**

1 - Santana has never been the one to give good advice on this situation. That was always Puck's job. But she thinks about how lonely he'll be if he lets Rachel go, if he lets anyone go. She leans forward, eyes on his. "But what's a life to live when you don't spend it with someone you love?"

2 - She screams as glass shatters around her. The tail of a Prite enters her window, picking up glass in its slimy texture and piercing her skin with it. Finn's eyes widen, his foot slamming on the gas as the tail wraps itself around the largest shard of glass. They speed off into the night, the tail lost in the background as they pull onto the country road.

3 - She relaxes, letting the events of the night wash over her like a waterfall. She tilts her head in his embrace, eyes struggling to stay open as he leans closer, his breath a fan across her face. He cares about her, she knows that, and she doesn't know why she ever doubted his feelings for her in the first place.

4 - Jake blanks, and through the darkness of the night Blaine can still see the stress lines on his forehead. The expression worries him, and he's suddenly afraid of what his answer might be. "I would grab as many weapons as you can hold," he responds, his fingers picking for items he doesn't even have training with, "because there was about forty of them the last time I was there."


	3. Creatures of the Underworld

_Hey guys, here it is! I am so excited you are all anticipating this installment of the Creatures of the Nightmares series! This one gets even more intense as it follows Rachel Berry the Night Chaser and her quest to save the world from demons! I don't want to give too much away but I'll tell you that this one of my favourites to right! Love the tension. Hope you guys like this installment even better!:) Enjoy!_

_Just want to let you know, Rachel is going through a lot in the beginning of this installment. Don't worry, old badass Rachel will come back throughout it! hehe_

* * *

**Creatures of the Underworld**

i.

It's been two weeks since the portal has been opened.

Rachel would be lying if she said things have been the same at the art museum, that everyone has been acting familiar around her. She would be lying if she said it doesn't hurt every time Finn avoids any contact with her, that she doesn't feel guilt whenever there is another 'mysterious' death on the news.

But the thing is, she hasn't been the same either. Every day she wakes up with a feeling of worthlessness, of emptiness. She wants to do something, but demons are everywhere that she's not, and every time she tries to sneak out to kill some, Blaine or Santana or Sam stops her.

Fact is, she screwed up.

She doesn't know why it took her so long to figure it out, probably because Sam, Blaine and Santana are so committed to making her feel like it wasn't her fault. But it was, and that's why Finn isn't talking to her, isn't looking at her, isn't giving her any satisfaction of the connection they used to share. She tells herself he's a coward because it helps her sleep at night.

Her legs begin to tremble as she climbs the last of the stairs, sweat dripping from her forehead. She's been training harder since the opened portal has allowed demons to return to Underworld, resulting in more deaths and disappearances. It hurt when she saw her teacher's name, Mr. Ross, as one of the deceased in the 'house fire' last week, including two other people she went to school with.

Rachel sighs. She knows there's a pattern. With every death released she has some sort of connection to, whether it was her parent's co-workers or her brother's friend, she knows them in some way that makes her feel despicable.

They need to come up with a plan, but that requires everyone to participate and she's not sure Finn would want to associate himself with her. She scoffs at the thought, removing the headphones from her ears as she listens to the crickets around her. It doesn't scare her that it's dark out, that a demon could attack her at any moment.

She has a lot more things to worry about.

* * *

ii.

She stumbles up the porch steps to the museum, her legs already beginning to sore from the intense training. Her hands reach for the door and she pulls it open, inhaling the instant sense of food as she steps into the kitchen.

"I'm making your favourite."

Rachel grins when she notices Blaine stirring a pot in the kitchen, and she immediately recognizes the smell of beef chicken. She walks up to him, his head cascaded and focusing on the pot in front of him. He dashes a few sprinkles of pepper and salt into the boiling water.

Rachel crunches her nose. "Where is everyone?" she wonders aloud as she takes in the empty level. She hesitantly turns her head towards the living room, where Finn constantly spends his time, but he isn't there.

"They're getting ready for dinner," he explains, finally looking at her for the first since she walked in. He wrinkles his nose when he notices her sweaty appearance. "Which I suggest you should do as well."

Rachel smiles as she places a hand on his shoulder. No matter how hard things are, Blaine always finds a way to make her feel like she isn't the worst person in the world. "I'll be right back," she tells him, skipping towards the stairs leading to her bedroom.

* * *

iii.

Her face lifts upwards to the rain of water drizzling on her, eyes drifting closed in the sensation. She allows herself to stand there, the conditioner long gone from her hair as she relishes in the warm droplets pattering against her skin.

She sighs heavily, hands motioning the thickness of her wet hair. She doesn't want to leave, doesn't want to escape the secure booth of her shower, where nothing can bother her. She feels safe here, in control. She knows it's silly to be so in awe of the water drawing over her but it feels natural, like it's washing away all of the guilt and worry.

Rachel eventually steps out of the shower, her hands automatically reaching for the towel beside her. She wraps it around the frame of her body, hugging it to her as she shakes her wet hair. It's steamy in the bathroom, and so she opens the door to her bedroom. She turns on the television, throwing away the converter as she begins to rub down her body.

She just put on the body cream when she hears it.

"Three Lima teenagers have been found dead outside of the Lakeshore warehouse this evening. It appears the method of murder was a knife, as the three young men displayed visible stabbing wounds over their body."

Rachel drops the bottle as her hand comes up to cup her mouth in horror. She steps out of the bathroom, eyes glued to the screen. Her eyes can barely register the reporter talking in front of the camera, focusing on the familiar warehouse in the background.

The warehouse where the portal has been opened.

The reporter continues, her head bending forward as someone feeds her new information through her ear bud. She looks back up at the camera, startled. "I have just been informed of the teenagers identities," she begins, brushing strands of blonde hair from her face, "the teenagers have been confirmed to be recent McKinley High graduates Leo Denmin, Al Theorit and Max O'Donnel."

Rachel shakes her head in disbelief. "Holy shit."

* * *

iv.

She rushes down the stairs, wet hair pulled tightly into a pony tail as she throws on a pair of shirt and shorts. She can hear the television on in the living room, the same reporter's voice echoing throughout the museum.

Rachel stops at the bottom of the staircase, standing behind them as she watches.

"This is the seventh murder in the past two weeks involving residences of Lima, Ohio. There is no lead on who or what the source of destruction is, but it is assumed that all murders are somehow connected . . . "

Rachel scoffs, tears springing to her eyes. "No shit it's connected. They've all been targeted."

They turn to look at her, except for Finn, who pretends to pay attention to the reporter. She knows he's listening, but she ignores him, facing the people in front of her.

"What makes you say that?" Santana asks her, voice skeptical.

Rachel looks away. She should have seen this coming, should have been prepared for something like this. Her eyes begin to water as she looks up at the Night Chasers, swallowing a large lump in her throat. "I know them," she whispers out, voice cracking, "I should have said something earlier, but I know every single person who has been murdered, in some way."

Finn slowly turns his head towards her. She points to the television screen as they display individual pictures of the recent deaths. "I was Max O'Donnel's neighbour for nine years on West Away. I dated Leo Denmin for two years in high school, and Al Theorit . . . he's been coming to my birthday parties since I was five."

They stare at her silently, and she can't help but wince at the thought of their shredded bodies. Blaine steps forward to comfort her but Finn pulls him back, eyes studying her actions.

She throws her arms up in defeat. "He wants me to believe they're dead because of me," she tells them, and they know exactly who she's talking about, "he's trying to get to me."

* * *

v.

"We need to do something."

They sit around the dinner table, the food laid out in front of them, barely touched. She sits beside Blaine as he holds her hand in his, but all she think of is the sympathetic gaze Finn is giving, that he might actually feel something for her. She rolls her eyes in annoyance - he doesn't have the right.

"We should ask someone from the council," Jake suggests, voice soft. She's not close with him, but she can tell he wants to help her. She smiles at him in appreciation.

Sam speaks up. "Most of the council is dead, we need to figure this one out ourselves."

Rachel fidgets as they discuss it, pretending she's listening. Her eyes scan over the food, the shredded pieces of meat in front of her. A series of flashes blind her as she thinks of how her friends were killed, how the demons must have butchered their bodies. There must have been so much blood, and their moms must be so upset.

It shouldn't get to her, but it is. What will happen when Quinn gets murdered? What will happen when they start coming for them? She's sure Master Hawk has the ability to do that. Her eyes squeeze shut as she tries to block the visual images of death, but the beef chicken keeps reminding her of how much pain they must have suffered.

She's faced a demon before, she knows how much it hurts. They were probably bitten, clawed, kicked and pierced so many times they became delusional. Her fingers clench in Blaine's hand, and it feels like she's suffocating.

"Rachel?"

Her eyes snap open to find she's the focus of everyone's attention. She blinks wildly, taking in her their worried expressions.

Blaine removes his hand from hers, and she can tell he's bleeding. "Rachel, don't let it get to you. That's what Hawk wants - "

"I'm fine," she reassures them, exhaling deeply. She licks her lips as she rids of the disturbing images she just experienced. Anger starts to build inside her. "I . . . I don't care on how we do it. All I - all I know is that my friends are dying as I sit here and watch . . . I want something done now."

She stares at them, expecting them to nod in agreement or cheer for retaliation. Though they just sit there, hesitant to even look at her. She shakes her head in confusion. "It's . . . listen, are we going to do something or what?"

Santana bites her bottom lip. "This is more than any of us, Rachel. We're dealing with Master Hawk, we have to be careful on what we - "

"Screw that," she hisses, teeth clenched. She points to the outdoors, where the destructions lays. "Everyone I know is dyeing."

Santana doesn't say anything, doesn't look at her. She looks to Blaine for support but he just shrugs his shoulders, not being able to give her the answer she wants. Her eyes register the rest of her companions around her, though they refuse to give her any satisfaction.

Rachel laughs in distress. "Wow," she says, shaking her head in disappointment, "thanks."

She pushes herself out of the dinning room chair, placing it back in place as she stands behind it. Giving them another disapproving glare, she offers a disgusted scoff before walking out of the room.

* * *

vi.

She rubs her fingers against the surface of the plate she's cleaning, her mind disconnecting from the thoughts of death and pain as she focuses on the task in front of her. Her eyes feel fuzzy as she continues to scrub, and she wonders if its from the tears she is refusing to release or from staring at a piece for too long. She briefly closes them, resting them.

"Rachel."

Her eyes snap open. The voice is familiar, though she hasn't heard it being spoken in more than two weeks. Her gaze averts from the plate to the boy beside her, and she almost gasps when her suspicions are confirmed when she sees Finn standing beside her. She blinks up at him, not knowing what to say. It's too hard to be mad at him when he sneaks up on her like that. He isn't here to remind her of how useless she is, is he?

He clears his throat, looking away from her. "I . . ." he struggles to find the words. Rachel frowns, hating how he's so close yet so far away. How she can reach out and touch him, but both their reactions will be regretful. She looks away to keep herself from longing for him. She shouldn't feel this way, _he_ is the one who told her to stay away. She should be furious, shouldn't she? "Where you were today?"

And here it comes. The anger. She turns fully towards him, turning the tap off. Her eyes are fierce as she looks at him. "I don't report to you," she hisses. When was the last time he cared about where she was, anyways?

He returns the emotion, eyes suddenly ablaze. "Do you understand how dangerous it is - "

"I advise you to stop Finn, it almost sounds like you care."

Finn suddenly deflates. His eyes weaken in sadness, and it only makes her angrier. He doesn't deserve to long for her, he doesn't deserve to miss her when he's the one pushing her away. She ignores the ache to touch him, clenching her fists by her sides.

"Rachel - "

She looks away. "Goodnight Finn." And for what feels like the first time, she's the one who walks away from him.

* * *

vii.

Rachel slams the door behind her. She throws herself on the mattress in front of her, stuffing her face in the solid pillows. It feels like a usual routine after the portal has been opened, running to her room and feeling guilty. Crying.

She grips the material in her hands as the tears release, sobbing angrily into the cushion. She kicks her feet wildly, feeling nothing but loneliness, hatred, death, destruction and guilt.

She thinks of Max O'Donnel, how he would walk to school with her even when his parents offered him a ride.

She thinks of Leo Denmin, how he was so gentle and careful during every touch in their relationship. How he refused to do something she wasn't comfortable with, and how she let him in.

She thinks of Al Theorit, how he would always write, 'I'll remember you when I'm famous,' on all her birthday cards.

Then she thinks of Quinn, the threats she doesn't know about. The thought alone nearly suffocates her, and suddenly it's hard to breathe.

Rachel has never really had a mental breakdown before, and when she slides to the floor of her room, clutching her knees and rocking back and forth, she thinks of how satisfied Master Hawk must do. The thought doesn't keep her from crying though, and she gives up on trying to stop, letting the guilt consume her.

* * *

viii.

She doesn't remember falling asleep, but she does remember the continuous noise of ringing that wakes her up.

Her fingers weave through the knots in her hair, annoyed with the instant sound that pulled her from her sleep. She sits up from the floor, back aching in the position she was laying in. Her eyes dart to the bedside clock - 1:14am.

Groaning, she rubs at the dry tears crusted around her eyes. The ringing suddenly dies out, and she's grateful for the silence that follows. Yawning, she gets up from her spot on the floor, sitting back on the bed behind her. She leans back, prepared to go back to sleep.

The ringing starts again.

Her eyes creak open. She springs upright, her eyes crunching as she analyzes the dark room for the source of the sound. Her eyes widen when she sees her phone flashing on the table across from her. She didn't even think that thing worked anymore.

Rachel pushes herself from the mattress, making her way to the table. A feeling of uneasiness washes through her as she thinks about the reasons for someone to call her. Is it her parents? Are they in trouble? A shiver runs over her when she sees the name on the screen.

Quinn.

Her hands hastily grab at the phone, flipping it open and pressing it against her ear. "Quinn?"

There's a noise of some sort in the background. It sounds like clawing, or breaking, and panic builds inside her. She doesn't answer for a long time, but when she does, she doesn't sound like the confident Quinn she's used to. "Rachel," she breathes, her voice quiet and shaking as she talks. For a moment she thinks she hears relief. "I didn't what else to do. So I called - "

"Quinn," Rachel interrupts, her voice breaking, "what's going on?"

The background is silent for a moment, and for a second Rachel thinks she hung up on her. But then Quinn speaks again, even lower than last time, and she can almost hear the tears that follow. "There's something in my house."

Her heart drops. "Quinn - "

There's a pause, and then a high-pitched screech of terror rips through the phone. Growls of hunger echo off the scream, followed by a noise of scraping.

And then the line goes dead.

* * *

ix.

Rachel hurries down the steps of the staircase, her Night Chaser gear on as she straps daggers to her belt. She knows the gurgling sound in the background was a demon, and she's not allowing Master Hawk to kill the one person that would throw her off the edge, not this time.

Determination empowers her as she grabs the car keys on the hallway table. She turns around to head into the garage.

And walks into something solid.

"Where are you going?" Rachel hisses under her breath, recalling the same question he asked earlier today. She looks up at Finn, his face set in a cold lie of worrisome. His hands come up to circle around the top of her shoulders.

"Let me go," she presses, shrugging him off. She looks at him again before she brushes past him.

He follows her. "I can't let you go. It's a trap, Rachel. Whatever is there is trained to kill you. You have to understand that." He grows frustrated when she continues to make her way to the garage. He grabs her arm to spin her towards him. "Rachel, I'm - "

She snaps towards him as he pulls at her, her fist thrown back. His eyes register her actions when it's too late, and he feels her fist collide with the side of his face. He stumbles back, loosening his grip on her, and collapses against a supporting wall.

His fingers cradle his cheek as pain prickles against her skin. He looks up at her in surprise, afraid that he's lost the Rachel that he was so focused on protecting. It looks like she believes she can protect herself.

Rachel stares at him through hooded eyes, shaking her crunched hand. He notices a hint of regret pass through her gaze. "Sorry Finn," she tells him, opening the door to the garage, "but I'm not letting Hawk win this time."

Finn watches her go, too stunned to move.

* * *

x.

The first thing she notices as she parks in Quinn's driveway is that there aren't any other cars. She panics, the thought of Quinn being in there alone with no one to defend her sending shivers down her spine.

She slams the car door shut as she runs up the porch steps, her hands close to the daggers around her belt. She can already smell the stench of demons as she pushes her way through the open front door, standing in the frame and analyzing the destruction in front of her.

Chairs lay broken and abandoned on their sides, glass windows shattered where the demons must have entered. Blood smears against the tiles of the kitchen, and her eyes follow the trail of red as it leads to the living room. It isn't any better. Claw marks are printed into the cushions of the couch, lamps broken on the carpet floor. She squints when she sees a item laying damaged underneath a table, heart dropping when she realizes its the phone, stomped in half.

Rachel clenches her fists. "Shit," she hisses, blinking away. She exhales deeply, not thinking about the chances that Quinn is still alive. Her gaze focuses on the blood that continues to the staircase. She follows it up the stairs, her heavy boots creating a sound in each step. Her heart slams against the boards of her chest as she reaches the top of the stairs.

Quinn lies brokenly on the floor in front of her, arms and legs tangled in a twisted pile of limbs. Blood crusts against the side of her face, where a large gap of flesh slices through her skin, along with bruises and cuts covering her body. Her eyes are closed, almost frozen shut in terror, and her mouth gaped open as blood oozes out of it.

If it weren't for the low heaving of her breathing chest, Rachel would have thought she was dead. She begins to walk towards her. "Quinn - "

She should have expected it, but by the time the tail of the Prite flung across her stomach, Rachel was too dizzy to realize the mistake she made. Her body hits the wall behind her, an ache bubbling in her core as a bruise begins to form. She looks up at the Prite, the demon sent to complete a task, and she knows now that Finn was right. If Hawk wanted Quinn dead, she would be dead. But she isn't. The plan was to lure Rachel here, and kill her instead.

The Prite growls angrily at her from across the hallway, its large frame tumbling past Quinn's motionless body. Rachel pushes herself off the wall, stalking towards the demon as she pulls the daggers from her belt. Her hand grips them tightly as she aims them above her head, throwing one directly in the skull of the Prite.

It screams, a large rumbling vibrating the upper level of the house. Rachel grins as it slows down, throwing another one into one of its legs. It stumbles, releasing another screech as black goo erupts from its wound. The yellow eyes avert on Rachel, and its tail is suddenly in front of her, curling around her neck.

Rachel gasps as shes lifted from the floor, her back pressing against a wall as it chokes her. She gurgles, struggling to reach another dagger in her belt as she looses time for air. She chokes in surprise when she feels the dagger between her hand, bringing it upright and shoving it into the flesh of the tail surrounding her.

The Prite screeches again, throwing Rachel onto the descending steps of the staircase as it recoils in pain. She tries to stop herself as she tumbles down, her body battering against the wood as it digs into her body parts. Her head harshly hits the last step of the staircase, and she rolls onto the ground dizzily. She crunches her eyes closed, her body buzzing.

It isn't long before the Prite's tail slaps against her stomach, opening a patch of skin as it slices through her. Rachel screams in agony, blood sputtering from her core and staining her clothes. She feels her belt for the last dagger, and her throat closes off in panic when she doesn't find out. Her head lifts to analyze the living room, stopping when she notices the dagger laying a couple feet away from her under a table. It must have fallen off when she fell down the stairs.

Rachel pushes herself on her elbows, her body aching as she crawls towards the dagger. She's close when the Prite's tail slams onto her back, forcing her to collapse onto the ground in pain. She cries out as the tail flips her over, her back facing the ground as she stares up at the demon above her. It's yellow eyes almost smile as its tail picks the dagger up from the ground, its scaly skin circling around the blade.

Rachel briefly closes her eyes in defeat. She did it, she really failed. She wonders if the others will miss her, or laugh at her stupidity. She thinks both.

The Prite is about to send her own dagger into her body when it stops. The blade in its tails grip suddenly clutters to the ground beside Rachel, as black goo of blood starts to rain around her. Rachel stares in shock as a blade is suddenly driven through the Prite's body, almost cutting through Rachel as it breaks through the creature's frame.

The demon starts to vibrate as it weakens, and Rachel rolls to the side. She turns her head to the side as the Prite shudders, and then collapses to the ground where Rachel used to be, the house shaking as its large frame hits the floor. She coughs out the dust that appears, rolling over once more to face her rescuer.

She should have known he would follow her. He kneels in front of her, his hands gripping hers as he pulls her into a sitting position. She blinks up at him, sees the red spot on his cheek from where she punched him. "Finn," she breathes, a sudden relief washing over her. He doesn't say anything, his eyes hovering over her wounds as he pulls her up to stand in front of him.

Rachel stumbles, and keeps his arms on her shoulders to balance her. She looks up at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize . . . "

Finn nods as he looks at the destruction surrounding them. "I know," he whispers, the hands on her shoulders slowly turning into a soft touch. She closes her eyes in exhaustion.

The relief quickly turns to apprehension when she hears a chorus of grumbles coming from outside. Her eyes snap open to find Finn stepping away from her, grabbing his blade from the Prite's body. He lends out his hand, her dagger resting on his palm. "We have to move," he tells her firmly, and she takes the dagger in her grip. "More of them are coming."

Rachel nods, following him as he runs up the stairs. He's there before she is, bending towards Quinn and gathering her in his arms. She watches as her hands fall to the side as she rests unconsciously, but still breathing, still alive.

The front door swings open as a group of demons break through, scattering around the opening hallway. Rachel covers her mouth before she can release a scream, and looks to Finn for guidance, who gestures her to follow him. She does, tiptoeing along the carpet floor as she watches him head into the one of the rooms. She follows, ignoring the increasing volume of hisses as the demons gain closer to them.

When she walks in, she quickly locks the door behind her. She sees Finn out on the balcony. "I'm going to jump first," he tells her, and she's suddenly reminded of the first time Finn rescued her on the roof of her house, pushing her to jump off before they were killed by demons. It almost feels like a lifetime ago. "Then you drop Quinn for me, and then you jump, okay?"

Their heads snap towards the door to the bedroom as it begins to pound, clawing demons trying to break in. She turns back to Finn, but he isn't there. She gasps, bending over the balcony railing to see him standing below her, his arms beckoning. "Quinn!" he yells at her, and she turns to see her resting against the railing.

Rachel bends forward as she picks her best friend up, hovering her over the balcony. "3, 2, 1 . . . " and drops her. She watches her fall, the wind blowing her hair back to reveal more cuts Rachel was never aware of. She winces when she harshly lands in Finn's arms, and Finn lowers her softly to the ground, his arms ready for Rachel.

The door holding the demons back suddenly bursts open, allowing them into the room. Rachel turns to them, and they notice her instantly, yellow eyes ready to kill. She stays frozen in place.

"Rachel!"

Finn's voice pulls her from her fear, and she backs up against the railing. She pushes herself over it before a demon can get a single claw on her, and then she suddenly finds herself falling. The wind wraps around her like a blanket, cool against her wounds and injuries. Almost healing.

She gasps when she lands into something solid, and doesn't even realize her eyes are closed until she feels arms around her. She opens them slowly, heavily, to see Finn's face in front of her, watching her intently. His gaze softens for the first time since she saw him tonight. "Are you okay?" he whispers, genuinely worried.

She stares at him in confusion, knowing she will never be able to get him. He hasn't talked to her in two weeks, leading her to believe he felt nothing for her, but now here, in his arms, she's not exactly sure that's true. She nods, forgetting about the past and future and only thinking about his arms around her. And in this moment, with him here, she is okay.

"Yeah," she responds, looking over at Quinn, alive and safe, "I'm okay."

* * *

xi.

Blaine takes Quinn from her the moment they walk into the door, as if he was expecting them. His eyes barely register the two bleeding Night Chasers as he holds the blonde in his arms, rushing towards the healing room. Rachel and Finn quickly follow.

"What happened?" Blaine asks as he leads them up stairs. Rachel struggles to hide the pain as she climbs the steps.

"A Prite army," Finn explains, recalling the large group of demons that broke into her house, "I think Hawk knew that Rachel would come. He was prepared. I'm not sure what they did to Quinn though."

Blaine turns to Rachel, eyes raising if she has anything to add. She shakes her head. "She was unconscious before I even got there. I don't know if they bit her or clawed her, or . . . " she trails off, freezing when she thinks of the endless amount of ways the demons could have tortured her.

"We'll do everything we can, Rachel."

She nods dizzily, the wound in her stomach and back starting to take affect. She stumbles a little, and Blaine takes notice. "You hurt, Rachel?" he asks worriedly, and she sees Finn turn towards her.

She holds up a hand. "Don't worry about me. Just make sure Quinn's okay."

They turn the last corner to the healing room, with Santana, Jake and Sam waiting just outside of it. She sighs in relief to know that they'll be helping as well, that Quinn has a better chance of surviving. She wants to thank them, but maybe its too early, she _did _almost get herself killed, especially when Finn told her exactly what she was getting herself into.

Sam and Jake follow them into the room, and Rachel is behind Finn before he turns towards her. His expression is sympathetic as he pushes her outside the door. "Stay here," he orders, before shutting it closed in front of her.

* * *

xii.

It's been 2 hours and 14 minutes since they delivered Quinn to the healing room.

After Santana helped cover her wounds with healing pads, she brought her to a couple of chairs outside the room where they were operating on Quinn. She tried to distract her with humorous stories of their days in the museum, but Rachel didn't care, it didn't get rid of the fear of loosing her best friend.

Or else she really thinks she would give up.

"Hey San," Rachel speaks up for the first time in almost two and half hours, interrupting one of Santana's old memories, "I'm sorry about sneaking out, not listening. I should have realized it was a trap."

Santana turns serious. She sees her throat move as she swallows thickly. "No, it's fine," she reassures, patting her hand, "I should apologize, actually. We should have acted instantly, making sure she was safe. We could have done more to prevent this."

Rachel shrugs. "I'm sure Hawk would have found a new way to destroy my life."

Santana gaps. She wounds her arm around Rachel's shoulder, pulling her against her chest. Rachel allows herself to rest against her, the exhaustion from the night's events starting to consume her. She breathes out deeply, struggling to stay awake. "We're not going to let Hawk do this anymore, Rachel," Santana promises, and she can hear the commitment in her voice. She smiles, knowing that she means it, but she also knows that Hawk is powerful, and it doesn't exactly comfort her.

The doors to the healing room swing open, and Rachel props herself from Santana's embrace. She sits in apprehension as Sam walks out, gloves over his hands as he turns to them. He looks at her as he speaks the news.

"She's alright," he tells her, and a sudden feeling of weightlessness surrounds her, and she almost wants to cry. She cups her mouth from doing so, trying not to focus too much on the fast beating of her heart as Sam continues to fill her in. "A couple broken ribs and stitches were needed but she'll be fine within a couple days. She's still unconscious."

Rachel presses her hand against her racing heart. "Thank you," she whispers, briefly closing her eyes. She then looks up at him in admiration. His eyes follow her as she stands up. "I need to see her - "

Sam stops her before she can walk forward, stepping in her path. He coughs uncomfortably, like he's about to do something he doesn't want to. She doesn't think she wants him to either.

"Rachel," he begins, and the way his sympathetic tone sounds she's sure she won't like what he's about to say, "I'm not sure that's the best idea. We're going back to clean the house, make sure nothing looks touched or like she was attacked. If you a survive a Prite bite, it clears your memory of the past twenty-four hours. We'll bring her back and she won't remember a thing, like this never happened." He looks down for a moment, biting on his bottom lip. "It's best you stay away from her, Rachel."

She gulps, swallowing the tension building up in her throat. Her eyes shine with tears as he finishes, telling her what is left to know about her best friend. Rachel coughs out the urge to cry, shaking her head. "Yeah, of course, whatever keeps her safe," she whispers, trying to sound enthusiastic though her voice breaks brokenly.

Sam notices the weakness in her tone, and he looks at her sadly. He touches her hair affectionately, and Rachel tries to smile at him reassuringly. She fails, a watery smile appearing as she thinks of never being able to see her best friend anymore. The thought suddenly pressures her, and she feels the tears starting to fall down her cheeks as Sam pulls her towards him in a hug, Santana standing up to wrap her arms around her from behind.

It's hard to tell if Hawk won this one or not.

* * *

xiii.

Her back faces the bed as she stares up at the ceiling, her eyes tracing circles above her. It's been a couple hours since she left the healing room to try and sleep, and though she's physically and mentally exhausted, her eyes can't seem to close.

It's probably due to the fact that Finn and Jake are there right now, picking up the evidence of an attack to make sure no one suspects anything. They've used healing rituals to hide the wounds and scars on Quinn's body, her parents not being able to detect if she was injured or not. They're making as if it never happened, as if Rachel didn't risk her whole destiny to save her best friend, and she will never know that.

Will never even see her again.

She knows it's for the best, but it doesn't change the way her eyes burn when she thinks about it. She's been her best friend since she was three, and considered her a sibling in ways that Puck couldn't satisfy her. So now she all her family. Great.

Finn's been back to his old ways the minute he walked out of surgery, not looking or talking to Rachel before he headed over to Quinn's house. She guesses she should have expected it, no matter how genuinely worried he was for her at the attack. If that's how he wants to be, she doesn't need him, even though her heart aches for him at every look.

A knocking rhythm on her door pulls her from her thoughts. She sighs, pushing herself onto her feet despite the dizziness in her head as she does so. Her fingers squeeze the doorknob, and she opens it with a frown.

"Hey," Blaine greets her the moment she sees him, "how you holding up?"

Rachel swallows thickly, her throat still dry from the tears. "I'll be fine. Will take a while but I know Puck would kick my ass if I gave up now. Just give me a couple days," she tells him, and she knows it the truth the moment she says it. With Blaine and the rest of the Night Chasers who care about her, she knows she'll somehow make it. She knows Puck will help her.

Blaine grins widely. He nods in encouragement at her. "That's great, Rachel," he tells her, and his enthusiasm almost makes her smile, "we all know you won't let this get to you. I guess it's in the Berry gene, Puck never gave up either." He teasingly punches her shoulder. "Looks like you're brother really did teach you something, huh?"

Rachel shrugs. "I guess so."

Blaine sighs, yawning a little as he does so. He jerks his chin downstairs to where the kitchen is as noises sound from it. "I just wanted to let you know they're back from Quinn's," he begins, and it doesn't hurt as much to hear her name right now, not with Blaine here, not with someone to distract her from the pain. "Everything is okay. The house is clean, they put Quinn in her bed, no one will suspect a thing. Hawk won't hurt her again."

The last few words put a little closure on the situation, and she breathes in satisfaction. As long as Quinn is safe, she guesses the pain is worth it. "Thanks Blaine," she feels the sleep start to creep up on her as she lets her mind relax, releasing the tension of worrying about Quinn. "I guess we should both get a good sleep then."

Blaine nods. He touches her cheek affectionately, patting it a little. "That's right. Goodnight, Rachel."

She smiles warmly at him, her eyelids heavy. "Goodnight Blaine." It feels good to say those words after this long day.

* * *

xiv.

"What you doing, there?"

Finn snaps his head towards the figure hidden behind the shadows, slim and tall. He breathes in a sigh of relief when he realizes it's Santana, his head falling against the wall behind him.

The Latina walks out of the darkness, her hair falling around her as she joins him on the ground. She looks up to see they're sitting in front of Rachel's bedroom, and she stares at him in confusion. "Are you stalking her?" she teases, her eyes widening in pretentious shock.

Finn chuckles. He brings his knees up in front of him, wrapping his arms around them. "No," he whispers, hoping not wake her up. He looks over at the door where she sleeps behind it, wondering if she could hear him if she wanted to. He hopes she can't. He turns back to Santana. "I can't predict her anymore. I'm just making sure she doesn't try to sneak out to get some sort of revenge."

Santana sighs as she curls a strand of hair behind her ear. "What do you expect? Everyone around her is dying." She looks at the door, thinking of how restless her sleep must be. "I wouldn't worry though. She's been through a lot, she'll be able to overcome this one too."

"We have to do something, Santana," Finn bursts, as if he's been holding it in. His eyes shine as he turns to her, and for the first time Santana realizes how vulnerable he is when it comes to Rachel. His voice lowers to a whisper. "I can't lose her."

Santana's eyes widen. She's never seen him like this before, like he even had something to loose. "You really care about her, don't you?"

He doesn't say anything for a while, and she thinks he won't answer her. His teeth nibble on his bottom lip as he stares at the ground in front of him, thinking. She analyzes it, the way he moves around her, the decisions he made since Rachel arrived at the museum. Everything seems to include her somehow. Every look, every gesture, every suggestion he makes, she knows he has Rachel in mind, for her safety or better judgement or trust.

A flame of sympathy sparks inside her as she thinks about the confusion he must be going through. His head turns to face her after a couple of minutes, and he looks pained. "It'll kill me," he tells her, and she knows exactly what he means.

Santana has never been the one to give good advice on this situation. That was always Puck's job. But she thinks about how lonely he'll be if he lets Rachel go, if he lets anyone go. She leans forward, eyes on his. "But what's a life to live when you don't spend it with someone you love?"

He's silent, and she leaves it at that. Her hand pats his shoulder as she stands, and by the way he reacts she knows her words had some sort of affect on him. "Get some sleep, Finn," she tells him as she stands. She isn't surprised he doesn't respond. "We've got a lot of planning to do tomorrow."

* * *

xv.

"We're going to go on nightly hunts."

Rachel's head perks from where it lays on Blaine's shoulder, instantly interested in the meeting that Santana called early in the morning. She shifts comfortably on the living room couch to get a better view of Santana as she talks. Her eyes notice the rest of them listening intently as she begins to explain the plan on clearing the city safe from demons.

"In pairs of two, we'll kill as many as we can in what we will call 'shifts'," she tells them, and Rachel thinks its the most useful thing they could come up with, "once we know the city is safe we travel the country to find as many Night Chasers as we can and build an army."

Jake raises her hands from where he sits beside Sam and Finn. "But it could take weeks to clear up the city."

"We'll do what it takes," Santana reassures him, obviously have gone through that option, "we have Jesse St. James who is committed to help us. I don't expect more than a week to clean it up. And then we'll have three of us stay here if anything happens as the rest of us search for other Night Chasers."

Rachel looks over at Blaine, who nods in agreement with her. She thinks of Quinn, how she'll be able to avenge her injuries by doing this. How she'll be able to avenge Al and Max and Leo and all the people murdered by the destruction that she caused. This is her chance to redeem herself.

"We're in."

Santana smiles at them, nodding her head as they make progress. "Good. Rachel you're with Finn - "

Her eyes widen. "What? I - "

" - Blaine you're with Sam. And Jake you are with me." Her hands clap together as she organizes the pairs in satisfaction. She turns to face the group, ignoring Rachel's disappointed expression as she addresses them all.

"It's about time we did something."

* * *

xvi.

"Of all people!"

She paces back and forth in front of Blaine, who sits perched on her bed as he watches her vent. She's never been the one release such tension about something she didn't like, but she isn't exactly in the best mood, and she deserves to let out a little anger.

"I don't get it, Blaine," she grumbles. Her hand pushes her hair back from her face. "He kisses me, then he doesn't talk to me. He saves me, then he doesn't talk to me. What the hell is he so afraid of?"

Blaine looks like a dear in the headlights as she speaks. She watches as he helplessly shrugs. "I don't know Rachel give him a chance," he offers. Since she told him about the night Finn kissed her in the alley, Blaine has always been on his side, always telling her to give him 'time' or a 'space.' He knows something she doesn't, she can tell.

Blaine sighs as she looks unconvinced, his shoulders slugging in defeat. "His intentions are good. He's just trying to protect you."

Rachel scoffs. She's heard that one before. Her eyes close briefly before she draws out a deep breath, moving to sit beside Blaine on the bed. They both stare at the wall opposite of them, quiet.

Rachel breaks the silence after a couple of moments. "I'm sick of people protecting me," she whispers, and Blaine turns to her to listen, "they just end up dead."

* * *

xvii.

Her fist makes contact with the punching bag, her gloved fingers pushing it to bounce backwards. She slightly grunts at the force, wiping a pile of sweat gathered on her forehead as she prepares for another hit.

Rachel has been in the training room for seven hours, prepping for her shift with Finn in a couple days. She hasn't seen him since they've been assigned partners yesterday, and she assumes he's probably training else where, not wanting to be in the same room with her. It's not like she can argue, she hasn't been his biggest fan either lately.

Even though he puts on a cold mask and avoids her at all costs, she can't help but remember the way he held her at Quinn's house. His arms were like iron around her as they caught her, and he almost hesitated to let her go. The look in his eyes was the gaze he offers her whenever he's worried about her, and he hasn't been worried about her in a long time.

It's almost a coincidence, as the doors to the training room swing open. Rachel snaps her head to the opening, eyes widening when she notices Finn walking towards her. She looks around her, not seeing anyone else in the room. Does he want to talk to _her?_

She brushes her sweaty hair out of her face, pulling it into a tight ponytail. Her hands rest on her hips as he comes to stop in front of her, regarding her with a slight impression in his eyes. She thinks it might be the first time they've talked in two weeks where there isn't demons or rescuing involved.

"Hi," he greets, swallowing thickly. His eyes quickly overlook the punching bag as it swings back and forth. "You've been here all day."

She didn't think he noticed. She shrugs her shoulders, removing the gloves from her bruising hands. "Turning grief into anger and anger into a weapon. You want a good partner, don't you?"

Finn sighs. She never knew she would ever feel such tension with him, like she doesn't know what to say. Her heart melts a little at the thought of never being able to be herself around him again, for _him _not to be himself around her again. She's mad at him sure, but, she misses him like hell.

"I know you don't understand the way I'm acting," he begins. Rachel straightens up, preparing herself. "But it's for both of our own good. Santana - " He stops abruptly, shaking his head as if changing his mind of what he was going to say. "I heard something a couple days ago, and it made me realize it doesn't have to be this way between us. I don't have to avoid you. And I don't want to, I never did."

Rachel's eyebrows perk in confusion. "What are you trying to say?"

Finn stalls. She wants to understand him, but his actions and words aren't matching. She watches as he walks towards a little closer, but not as close as she wants him. "You're my partner, and the only way a partnership can work is if both parties are committed to helping each other," he tells her. "And if we want to survive our shift than we need to help one another. I'll be able to protect you - "

Rachel wants to throw up at the word choice. "Look Finn," she hisses, cutting him off. Her eyes are blazing as she takes a step towards him, head tilting back to capture his gaze. "I don't need you to baby me. I'm stronger than you think."

Finn shrugs, and it agitates something in her. All the frustration, all the lies and avoidance he's acted towards her suddenly builds and boils in her chest. She breathes roughly through her nose as her fist snaps towards his face for the second time.

He's faster than she'd like, catching her wrist between his fingers. He spins her so her arm is slightly twisted behind her back, and she hisses at the immediate uncomfortableness. The contact forces her body to press against his, and it feels weird to be this close to him, yet the opposite action of affection.

His face is close to hers as he raises his eyebrows. "I wouldn't be so sure."

He lets go of her then, freeing her from his embrace. She stumbles forward, breathless, but not being able to slow down the instant racing of her heart.

* * *

xvii.

"Can somebody please pass the damn beans?"

Rachel's eyes widen at Sam's forceful tone, watching as Blaine gets up to hurriedly give his friend the bowl of beans. He settles back down in the seat beside her, raising his eyebrows at Rachel as Sam shoves the food down his throat.

It's been a couple days since the announcement of the nightly hunts, and things have been getting back to normal. The hole in her doesn't feel as big anymore since she's been distracting herself with training and helping other people train and watching other people train. She doesn't seem to be the only one feeling better though, the plan evidently taking affect on the rest of the Night Chasers as they have something to look forward to.

It isn't until Finn grins at her that she realizes she was staring. She blinks rapidly, returning a grin before she looks down at the plate in front of her. It hasn't been as tense between them, since Finn is committed to forming a strong partnership and allowing himself to actually talk to her. They've had a few conversations here and there but nothing big enough to change their partnership into a relationship or even a friendship for that matter.

"So you guys ready for tonight?" Santana calls over the loud chaos of dinner.

Blaine looks over at Sam, who nods eagerly. "We were up since five last night learning new moves and weapons. The demons won't be expecting this."

Rachel sighs. She knows how much of a fighter Blaine is, but it's the friend in her that worries about his safety. She rests a hand over his on the dinner table, squeezing it reassuringly. She doesn't want him to go.

"You better not get yourself killed tonight," she orders him teasingly, trying to hide the truth behind her voice.

Blaine slightly grins at her, catching her nose between his fingers. "I'll be careful, Rachel, promise."

It doesn't exactly ease the knots in her stomach.

* * *

xix.

Her bare feet graze the cement of the porch steps as she waits outside, her arms wrapped around her body. She rubs her exposed arms as a night breeze brushes past her, shivering slightly at the drop in temperature.

Blaine and Sam left a couple hours ago for their shift, and she hasn't been able to sleep since. The thought of loosing Blaine the same week as Quinn frightens her as much as a demon army itself. She has to remind herself that Blaine is a Night Chaser, he's trained to kill and knows how to defend himself. He has a good chance.

Her hands cover her mouth as she yawns, the night passing into the early hours of the morning. She wonders what it must be like out there, how many demons they might have killed. She doesn't remember the exact amount that appeared at Quinn's house but she knows that there was a lot, and there is a lot more roaming around the city.

It doesn't matter though, things will be better after this. People will be saved. No matter the injuries she might encounter on her shift tomorrow night, she knows it's for the people, even though they don't realize their heroism.

Her eyes squint into the darkness as she sees two figures walking along the field of grass in front of her. Her fingers cup her knee caps in excitement when she sees them walking towards the museum, brown and blonde hair, dark clothing . . .

"Blaine!" she screams, jumping from her position on the front porch steps, "Sam!"

Rachel runs, her feet padding against the grass as she makes her way towards the two men a couple feet away. Sam regards her with a single nod, and he looks fine, not a single scratch. Her excitement slowly fades into concern when she sees red, and Blaine covering his arm with his hand, cuts covering his skin.

She stops in front of him. "Oh my gosh," she breathes out when she realizes the blood spurring from Blaine's elbow. She cups her hand in surprise when she notices the tree branch springing from his flesh. "Blaine . . ."

Her heart begins to quicken. Sam grabs Rachel's arm as he pushes her backwards, ushering Blaine up the porch steps. She follows them inside the museum, his blood dripping onto the wood floor.

They rush into the kitchen, Blaine hovering his arm above the sink. She watches with guarded gaze as Sam grabs the top of the branch, counting down from ten. Blaine turns to Rachel, pain in his eyes. "Rachel, go upstairs - "

A scream of agony falls from his lips, blood spluttering against the window as Sam pulls the branch free from his body. She gasps as Blaine weakens against the counter, his body slumping from the critical pain he's in. "What happened - "

"I want you to go upstairs," Sam orders, grasping a cloth in his hand and covering the open wound in Blaine's arm. His fingers grip Blaine's wrist, and it isn't until he turns the kitchen light on that Rachel notices the demented form his arm is in. Broken. "Rachel!"

She doesn't say anything, just backs to the staircase leading to her bedroom. She sprints up the steps, but is still able to hear the faint crunching of bone before she reaches the top.

* * *

xx.

The first thing she does when she wakes up is see Blaine.

She wouldn't call it much of a sleep. She mostly spent the entire night cringing at the sound of Blaine's cries before Sam brought him up to the healing room. By the time they were gone she was so exhausted, the fear couldn't even keep her awake.

Her fingers fidget nervously at her sides as she rushes through the hallways of the museum in the early hours of the morning. She wants, needs, more than anything for him to be alright. Her body jumps in adrenaline when she catches sight of his bedroom door, and she practically runs to it.

Her hands slip as she opens the door, revealing a pale looking Blaine sitting on his bed. She almost cries when she notices the white bandage wrapped around his arm, the scratches on his body. He doesn't even have time to notice her before she kneels down in front of him and pulls him towards her.

He winces slightly as he slumps against her, his body still in exhaustion. It isn't long before he wraps his free arm around her waist, patting her back as she hides her face in the crook of his neck. "You idiot," she grumbles against his skin. She pulls back, her hands on his shoulders. "Don't you scare me like that again, you understand?"

Blaine opens his mouth to speak, but she doesn't let him, instead wrapping her arms around him in another embrace. She didn't realize how much she depended on him since now, didn't know how much he meant to her. She's like his brother, and she doesn't want to loose another one.

"Okay, ouch Rachel."

She grins despite the warning in his voice. She pulls back once more, her arms crossing in front of her chest. "Sorry," she breathes out, regarding the large bruise on his right cheek. She breathes out deeply. "What the hell happened?"

There's a cough, and Rachel looks at the boy in front of her in confusion, the sound not coming from his mouth. Blaine's eyes avert to something behind her, and she turns, sighing when she notices Finn standing in the corner of his room. His eyes meet hers, and she regards him with a single nod. He steps forward to sit on the bed beside Blaine, careful not to touch his arm. He obviously hasn't heard this past of the story yet.

"We found a couple of them out on Bay St., and there didn't seem like there was all that much so we followed them into the forest," he looks down at his arm, cringing a little at the memory. "There was more than we expected, and we decided to kill as much as we could before it got too bad. We were running out of the forest when a Prite got me. Pushed me up right against a tree, right into the branch. Lucky it was just my arm."

Rachel winces. Her eyes slowly raise to meet Finns, who stares back at her with the same expression. Blaine sighs as he notices the look between the two of them.

"Well, good luck tonight."

* * *

xxi.

It starts to get dark when Finn decides to change into his night gear. He can feel Sam watching him as he pulls on his leather jacket, leaning against the door frame of their bedroom.

"You nervous?"

Finn pauses, his hands frozen on the belt around his waist. He gulps loudly, staring at the wall in front of him. "Not for me," he tells him after a couple minutes of silence.

He's heard enough warnings of the dangers they're about to face, heard enough versions of the Prite stabbing Blaine with a tree branch. It wouldn't have bothered him if he was going alone. But he's not, and there's someone going with him that means more to him than he'd care to admit.

"I know you're worried about protecting Rachel," he starts, sensing the tension in his expression, "but it's dangerous out there, man. You need to worry about yourself too."

Finn shakes his head. He places a couple of wraps in his belt pocket. "I don't have room for that," he says, dedicated to only making room for one person.

* * *

xxii.

Rachel stares at herself in the full length mirror in Santana's room. Her hands roam over the night gear she's wearing, confirming all the things needed to kill as many demons as she can. She feels spare bandages in her front jacket pocket, her teeth gritting whether those will be big enough or not.

"Here," Santana says when she notices her doubtful expression, "bring these."

Rachel takes the larger wraps from her outstretched hand, placing it in a slot in her belt. Her fingers brush against the eight daggers that circle around her waist, all new and never been used before. The best ones to use if you want an instant kill.

She turns towards Santana, slipping her boots on. "Okay," she whispers, "I think I have everything."

She doubts it the moment she says it. Her hands suddenly search for the car keys for the van they'll be using to travel to the north end of town. Her face relaxes when she feels it in her back pocket.

Santana raises her eyebrows. "You sure?"

Rachel nods, not wanting to talk about it anymore. She steps towards the bedroom door, Santana beside her. "You be careful out there," the Latina tells her as they walk to the staircase leading downstairs, "you know how to use your daggers. Finn will try his hardest to protect you, but that might not be enough."

Rachel sighs heavily, knowing she's right.

* * *

xxiii.

She meets Finn in the hallway leading to the garage, Blaine beside him in comfort.

He analyzes her, she can tell the way he searches her body he's making sure she has everything. She does the same, not being able to risk it if they run out of daggers or blades or whatever other weapons he has. She feels a bit more confident when he seems to have everything needed.

"Remember not to be afraid to run," Blaine assures them, but Rachel isn't playing attention to him. Her eyes catch Finn's eyes as he watches her, something different in the way he stares. "They'll attack you at any moment of weakness."

Finn nods, the protectiveness in his eyes fading away as he turns to the direction of the garage. "Thanks bud," he tells Blaine, patting him gently on his harmless shoulder. He looks over at Rachel, gesturing her towards him. "You ready?"

She sighs, looking at her two companions before joining Finn at his side. She looks at the door leading to where the van is, the keys in her hand. "You promise you have my back, partner?"

She misses the way the side of his mouth turns up affectionately. "Yeah," he whispers as he stares down at her, "I got you."

* * *

xxiv.

They park the van a couple blocks down Concession, deciding to go on foot to search the alleys, where the demons are most likely hiding.

It's dark out, a little bit past 10 'o' clock as they walk underneath the street lights. He's been quiet, except for the occasional stop and listen for anything move he pulls every couple of minutes. He seems to be extra cautious this time.

But Finn has always been like that, always putting someone else's safety first. She watches as he holds an arm in front of her when they cross the street leading to the alleys, suddenly reminded of the time in the warehouse. He could have escaped, could have ran to get some help, leaving her to defend herself. But he stayed, throughout the pain and suffering they caused him, he stayed with her.

"Finn?" she whispers out, her breath appearing in the darkness around her.

Finn turns to glance at her briefly. "Yeah?"

She quickens her step to walk beside him, boots heavy on the pavement. He isn't looking at her anymore, instead focused on the alleys that surround them. She's being reckless, almost distracting him, but she wants to know. "The night the portal was opened, when they captured us and brought us to the warehouse. They tortured you, didn't they?"

He doesn't say anything for a while, and she suspects he found something, or someone. Her suspicions are declined when he answers minutes later, his voice too low to detect his emotion. "Yes," he confirms, his eyes intent on the pavement in front of him.

She bites on her bottom lip. "Why?"

A sudden movement of darkness flashes in front of her, and they react quickly. Her hand brushes against the handle of her dagger, gripping it in her hand as Finn removes his sword from his belt. They face the direction in which the movement was, waiting.

Finn leans towards her, his lips at her ear. "They wanted me to tell them everything."

Rachel's eyes narrow in confusion as she turns to him. "What?"

She suddenly feels the force of flesh on her back as it pushes against her. The impact causes her to stumble forward, giving Finn the right amount of space to slice his sword through the tail, chopping it off from the rest of its hidden body. He catches Rachel before she can fall, the echo of a screech sounding in the background of the alleys. "Tell them about you, your prophecy - "

Rachel straightens herself beside him as the full body of the Prite appears in front of them, six others falling behind. She stares up at them alarmingly, backing up against the wall behind her. She counts the daggers around her belt. Eight. Make it count.

The demon in the front leads the pack, it's tailless body rumbling against the pavement of the ground. She watches as Finn runs towards them, his sword swinging beside his hip. Rachel follows as Finn rolls himself underneath the stomach of the first Prite, springing upwards on the opposite side to face the demons behind him.

"Rachel!" he yells as the Prite begins to turn around. She nods, her hand setting behind her head. She releases the dagger, the blade landing directly between the eyes of the tailless Prite. It screeches, black goo sputtering from it's wound as it collapses to the ground in front of her.

She turns away from the dead demon in time to see Finn struggling as the other six surround him. Her fingers quickly grasp for another dagger, watching Finn swing his sword close to the pavement, cutting several legs and arms that allow them to stand. Her eyes widen when she see's a Caden demon striking towards Finn from behind.

"Finn!" she screams, and he turns to look at her, "duck!"

He does. Her arm swings back as she throws another dagger, this one sticking squarely in the heart. She hears a cry, but doesn't see him fall to the ground because a solid bone is slammed against the side of her face. She screams, crashing harshly to the pavement. Her eyes water as she struggles to open them, peeking up to find a Prite clicking on top of her, fangs outstretched.

Rachel grunts, her legs kicking at the core of the creature. It seethes, tail pounding into her stomach repeatedly. She coughs out, her fingers reaching her belt as she starts to weaken. She grips another dagger and rolls onto her side in safety of the pounding tail. She opens her eyes wide enough to catch the Prite jumping towards her and she holds her dagger out, the demon jumping on top of the blade, black blood falling on Rachel like rain.

She's thrown back to the ground before the tail of another one can hit her. Finn stays on top of her for a moment in the middle of chaos, searching for any serious injuries. She smirks up at him. "So did you tell them?"

He looks at her questionably. "Tell them what?"

He grabs her hands, pulling her up beside him. They stand facing three more demons, two Caden and a Prite. Her eyes narrow on the Caden rushing towards them. "Tell them about me," she reminds him, her dagger easily flying into the Caden's neck. It lands in a puddle of goo in front of them.

"No," Finn answers, pushing her to the side as the tail of the last Caden divides between them, "that kind of pissed them off."

Rachel winces as the sliming body part slaps against her leg, pulling from underneath to fall onto her back. She leans forward to cut the tail from around her ankle, the Caden recoiling as it screeches. "Why didn't you?" she yells at Finn, who crouches down as he sends his sword into the stomach of the Caden. Blood splutters against his face.

"They would have made you suffer a lot more if they knew about the plan we were making - behind you!"

Finn is in front of her before the Prite has time to dig its claws into her back. Finn pulls her against him, and she hisses as the nails barely scrape her skin. His sword swings upwards, slicing through the arm of the Prite, the claws falling on front of them.

He looks down at her in the short moment of calmness that they have. "I wasn't going to let them do that," he tells her, his fingers picking dried blood from her face. She sighs heavily, trying to catch her breath as her body presses against his. "Thanks," she whispers, eyes watching his.

The moment is quickly forbidden as the Prite makes one final attempt. Finn pushes Rachel to the side before he can claw at them again. He jumps forward, his sword attached tightly between his hands as he whips it down onto the neck of the Prite, disconnecting it's head from the rest of the body. The Prite doesn't have time to make one last screech before it's yellow eyes close in defeat, along with the rest of its pack.

Finn gasps as he lands on his feet beside the last Prite. His hands push against the brick wall in front of him before he can fall forward, finally able to catch his breath since the massacre began. Rachel closes her eyes, her hands hovering the skin of her slamming heart. She hopes it's over.

She thought too soon. Her eyes snap open the moment she hears a growling noise from the opening in the street behind them. Rachel inhales a sharp breath, slowly turning to the source of the sound. Finn does the same in front of her, his fingers squeezing the handle of the sword as they prepare to face whatever army comes through.

Her eyes widen when she sees the group reveal themselves from the shadows.

Fifteen, maybe twenty demons appear at the gap between the alleys. Her mouth gaps open, frozen in fear as they begin to stalk towards them, beady eyes stained yellow with hunger.

"Rachel," Finn rasps, his voice dry as he backs away from the oncoming demons. He turns towards her, pushing her in front of him as he begins to take off in a run. "Get back to the car!"

* * *

xxv.

They're gasping for breath by the time they reach the van.

Finn removes the keys from his pocket, unlocking the doors before they can open them. He climbs into the passenger seat instantly, reaching forward to pull Rachel in the seat beside him.

His hand jerkily inserts the keys into the ignition, bringing the van to live. Rachel fastens the seatbelt from where she sits, quickly scanning the area around them.

"I didn't see them following - "

She screams as glass shatters around her. The tail of a Prite enters her window, picking up glass in its slimy texture and piercing her skin with it. Finn's eyes widen, his foot slamming on the gas as the tail wraps itself around the largest shard of glass. They speed off into the night, the tail lost in the background as they pull onto the country road.

"Rachel," his eyes stay focused on the road through his voice directs her, "are you okay?"

She coughs out, her bloody hands moving to cover her mouth. "I'm fine," she assures him. Her eyes squeeze shut as she pulls pieces of glass from her flesh, each one creating open wounds on her smooth skin.

He risks a glance to look at her, see the red that covers her body. He slams the steering wheel, thinking about how close they were to coming to victory before another army was sent after them. This was the part where Blaine got stabbed with the branch wasn't it? While they were trying to escape? Finn looks over at Rachel again. He won't let that happen.

His left hand searches for hers, and he hisses when he finds it, sliming with blood. He squeezes it reassuringly. "Keep plucking them out," he orders, needing her to stay focused, "even if it hurts."

She coughs up again. "I'm fine, Finn," she tells him, but he can tell by the dryness in her voice that she's weakening.

He nods. "I just need you to - "

A quick movement of flesh suddenly appears in front of him, blocking his car from driving forward. He curses under his breath, his hands gripping the steering wheel as he turns it to the side. Wheels scratch against the pavement of the road, causing a screeching noise to erupt from the ground. The van moves on its own accord, swerving to the awaiting pit placed at the side of the road.

Rachel's scream fades completely as he desperately tries to control the van, churning the steering wheel in his hands. It doesn't take much more time before the wheels finally hit the side of the pit, and he suddenly feels himself falling forward. He thinks of one name before the van crashes to the ground, his face slamming into the airbag.

Rachel gasps as she bounces backwards on the seat, her face a result of scratches from the crash. She coughs out, her hands rubbing against her eyes as ashes appear in puffs in front of her. She unbuckles her seat belt when she hears the demon start to make its way towards them. She sends the blade into its neck before it even has time to pounce.

"Finn," she breathes, falling to the front heading of the van. She lifts his head backward by the nape of his hair, shaking him. "Wake up. Please."

He winces, his eyes peeling open. She cries out in relief, her fingers removing tiny shards of glass from his face. "Rachel," he sighs. He glances up and realizes where is, instantly looking for his sword. He doesn't find it. "We need to get out of here."

Rachel nods, waiting for him. He swears under his breath when he struggles with his seat belt, the button jammed damagingly into the side. "Shit," he hisses. He looks up at her, eyes forcing. "Get out of here, Rach."

"No."

She leans forward, gripping the last dagger from her belt. She ignores Finn's protest as she begins to cut through the material of the belt, the cricketing sound of demons gaining closer.

"Rachel, leave - "

She digs her dagger faster into it, the sound giving her motivation. Her blade rips quickly through the belt, needing one more slice.

It suddenly rips, springing Finn forward. She gasps in relief as he pulls her towards him, dragging her over her seat. Finn kicks his door open, bringing Rachel out first, his hand gripping hers. They land on the grass of the field they crashed into, smoke appearing in clouds.

Finn places his hands on her shoulders when they hear the sound of demons cave in on them. He brings her close to him. "We're not that far from the museum, and we're going to have to run," he pushes glass from her face, "I want you to run without looking back. Don't even try to dagger them, understand?"

She nods, but he's already pushed her forward up the hill. Her legs drag her upwards despite the exhaustion and pain, eyes widening when she notices two Prite's on the top of the hill.

"Go, Rachel!" Finn screams at her when they notice them running. She blinks away from them, forcing herself forward as they stomp after them, tails and tongues outstretched.

She feels the pain in her body with each step she takes, but she can't give up now. She can see the lights of the museum from where they run, standing tall a couple hundred feet away from where they are on the road. Her mind races when she thinks about how close it is, yet so far it almost freezes her with fear.

Then she thinks of Quinn, and the damage the demons have done to her. And Blaine, with the tree branch. And then there's Puck and Mr. Ross and Max and Leo and every other victim of the viscous creatures. The thought of them makes her run faster, steeper, and it causes Finn to keep up his pace beside her.

She can feel the texture of the demons tail tickle her back, not long enough to wrap itself around her or do any damage. Her fingers ache to grab the dagger from her belt, throw one last blade, but she remembers what Finn told her. Remembers what her goal is.

Rachel cries out in relief when they turn onto the pathway leading to the museum. She looks back at Finn, who places his arm behind her, and it isn't until then that she notices she has slowed down. Her eyes squeeze shut, ignoring the pain in her legs and arms and body and pushes herself forward. One last step.

She stumbles up the porch steps of the museum, quickly turning around to pull Finn with her. He trips beside her, and she watches as the two demons who have been following them finally reach the porch steps. She almost wants to laugh in relief when they hit the force that keeps demons from entering the museum, bouncing back onto their stomachs as they screech into the night.

Rachel whimpers, the injuries finally catching up to her. Her body slumps against Finn's, almost collapsing in the critical mixture of pain and exhaustion. Finn holds her up between his body and his arm, bringing her inside. "Come on," he whispers, trying to hide the fear that was once in his voice.

* * *

xxvi.

Rachel hisses as Finn applies a certain liquid to the wounds on her cheek.

Her fingers grip the skin of his arm as she wiggles in the chair. "Hold still," he mumbles, his fingers curling to cup the side of her cheek. She almost wants to lean against his hand.

He brought her to the healing room the moment they entered the museum, insistent on cleaning her up before he could get any treatment for any of his wounds. He ordered her on a chair, and healed the injuries from the glass, now fixing her wound where the Prite's tail slapped against the side of her face.

"It wasn't a total disaster," Rachel whispers, her eyes almost closing as Finn continues to pad a cloth against her burn, "at least we kicked ass in the first round."

She can almost hear in the smile in his voice. "Isn't it a little too soon to be making jokes about our near death experience?"

Rachel chuckles mindlessly. "I'm way too tired to be thinking about the rules. What I know is that we survived a car crash and a demon chase all in one night," she opens her eyes to find his staring back at her, the cloth gone from his hand. "I'd say we make a pretty good team, Finn."

He gazes at her, the gaze that shows her to shut up and be serious. Her mind wobbles dizzily as she tries to keep up with the feeling of his fingers against her skin. He graces his finger tips along her cheek, brushing slightly on the cuts that mark her.

She relaxes, letting the events of the night wash over her like a waterfall. She tilts her head in his embrace, eyes struggling to stay open as he leans closer, his breath a fan across her face. He cares about her, she knows that, and she doesn't know why she ever doubted his feelings for her in the first place.

There's something blocking him for feeling though, and she doesn't know what.

It isn't too long before he realizes the position they're in. His eyes widen when he notices the close proximity, and he looks away, pretending the connection was never there.

* * *

xxvii.

Her head is pounding the moment she opens her eyes. She groans, rubbing her face with her hands as her body starts to wake up. She's hasn't had a good sleep in a while, but she was probably so exhausted last night that it didn't matter about the pain or anxiety. She rolls herself out of bed, her stomach growling in hunger.

Rachel wraps her sweater around her and she makes her way down the staircase leading to the kitchen. She's not too excited about going back out on a shift in a couple of days, reminding herself that it'll probably be better by then. Santana and Jake are going out tonight, and Santana might just be one of the best Night Chasers she knows. She isn't worried.

She's never seen so many demons before. The first seven that they killed were easy targets, and that's probably the way they planned it. By the time the next twenty arrived, she was out of daggers and energy. They would have been killed if they stayed.

It's getting better though. She hasn't seen any deaths on the news since they've decided to start the nightly hunts. She's guessing it's because the demons are distracted by them instead of killing innocent people, for that she knows the pain she's in doesn't matter.

"Rachel!" Blaine exasperates when he sees her walk through the opening of the kitchen. His eyes momentarily regard the redness of skin above her eye, running forward and wrapping his arms around her. She pats on his back comfortingly. "You made it!"

She laughs when she pulls back, noticing she isn't the only one in the room. She grins at Finn and Santana who stand at the counter, their hands preparing a meal for their breakfast.

"So you survived last night?" Santana turns to face her, smiling.

Rachel nods. "Minor damage was done but we survived. We crashed the van though."

Santana rolls her eyes. She pats Finn on the back as she turns back to the frying pan in front of her. "I know, Finn told me," she says, and his eyes suddenly meet Rachel's. She looks away. "It's no big deal, Sam is already on his way to steal another one."

Rachel wants to laugh, but she doesn't think its a joke. She's always wondered where they got all their gear and gadgets from. "So are you and Jake ready for tonight?"

Santana smirks. She turns towards her, eyes raising in confidence. She nods her head rapidly, smoothly.

"We're going to kick some serious ass tonight."

* * *

xxvii.

They're alone in the kitchen now.

Santana decided to go training with Jake for tonight, and Blaine's arm was starting to act up again so he went to go rest it in his bedroom.

She stares up at Finn from where he sits on a kitchen stool near the counter. "You feeling better?" she asks. She walks over to the counter, resting her elbows on the surface in front of her.

Finn nods. "I've had worse fights," he says, picking at the apple he cut up, "what about you? You took quite a beating with that glass."

She sighs. Her eyes scan her laid out arms, wincing at the cuts that cover her skin. She remembers what it felt like, almost being stabbed but with a much smaller source. She blinks away the memories. "I certainly wasn't expecting that. But I'm fine."

Finn grins up at her. His eyes glaze over for a moment as he stares at her face. He reaches out, his fingertips tracing the red spot where the Prite hit her with its tail. She stays frozen in place, unable to breathe. "Your eye looks better," he comments, and his gaze suddenly widens when he realizes his intimate touch.

Feeling bold, Rachel steps forward, her body almost between his legs as he stays on the stool. They're the same height now, and she can see the relaxation of his eyes as she gets closer. Her forehead touches his, and she breathes in a shuddering breath. She hasn't been this close to him since the night the portal opened, and she wonders if the same events will occur. She leans forward.

"Rachel," he whispers, his lips millimeters away from grazing hers, "I _can't_."

He removes himself from her embrace then, not being able to look at her. His boots slam against the floor as he stands, and she watches as he walks away from her, holding her heart as he disappears.

* * *

xxix.

She barges through the bedroom door, her chest heaving as she stands in the opening frame.

"Rachel?" Blaine asks in confusion as he takes in her state. He winces when she slams the door behind her. "Are you okay?"

She expected sadness or rejection when Finn walked away from her, but instead she feels the heat of anger wash over her. She stomps her feet as she paces in front of Blaine for the second time. He watches her anxiously.

"I know you know about Finn and why he's so guarded," she tells him. She stops in front of him, her eyes wet with angry tears. "Tell me right now why Finn refuses to fall in love with me - "

"I can't - "

Rachel wants to erupt. "What is with that word? I can't, I can't, I can't! We're Night Chasers god dammit, we can do anything! We can kill demons and throw daggers and swords, but love? That might just be the most ridiculous - "

"It's his prophecy!" Blaine blurts out, "he would never want to hurt you like that!"

Her eyes widen the same time Blaine slaps his hand over his mouth. She coughs out the shock built in her chest as she stares at him. What the hell does that mean? She swallows the rising blockage in her throat. "Hurt me like what?"

Blaine cups his mouth with his fingers, shaking his head. "Uh-uh, no way," he shifts in his position on the mattress so he's laying down. His back presses against the pillow comfortably. "I've said too much already."

Rachel sighs. "Blaine - "

He holds up his hand, his eyes closing as he pretends he's going to sleep. He gestures her towards his bedroom door, face a straight line. "Just forget I said anything, Rachel," he tells her, but they both know there's no chance in that.

* * *

xxx.

_He would never want to hurt you like that_

Rachel stares up at the ceiling in her bedroom, eyes hazily following the pattern above her. After visiting Blaine and learning an important piece of information about Finn's prophecy, she locked herself in her bedroom and thought for hours of what it could be.

Does he mean hurt her physically? Or emotionally? Because she can handle fighting him if that's what it takes to get him to let his guards down. She can handle one argument if it means letting him trust her.

She groans into her pillow. Why does there have to be stupid prophecies in the first place? She still has to remind herself that she is the girl destined to end the war between demons and Night Chasers, restore the planet to a fair balance of good and evil. She doesn't exactly want it, and she's sure Finn doesn't want his prophecy either. There's just things they can't control.

Rachel jumps to her feet when she hears a crash coming from downstairs. Her mind races, and she remembers that Santana and Jake should be coming home around now from their shift.

Knowing she won't be able to go sleep, she opens her bedroom door and stumbles out, desperate to hear something other than the annoying voice in her head.

* * *

xxxi.

When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she can see their silhouettes in front of her, the moon light shinning from the window. She squints into the darkness of the room, her hand searching for the light switch.

"You guys okay?" she asks cautiously. They must be, standing there with no desperation to get to the healing room. She wonders how many demons they must have slaughtered tonight.

Jake's voice is the one who echoes throughout the dark. "Yeah," he whispers. Rachel sighs in relief, a weight she didn't know she had freeing from her chest. Her fingers finally find the light switch, and she doesn't hesitate when she turns it on, brightness flooding the hallway.

She gaps at what she sees.

Blood streams along Santana's leg, a noticeable opening of flesh below her kneecap. Her hands move to cover it, shifting her weight off of Jake who stands there with a couple of bruises and cuts on his face. Rachel's eyes stays frozen on the gash in Santana's leg, bite marks pierced in her skin.

"Holy shit," she breathes out, swallowing thickly, "It's - "

Santana waves her off. "Don't worry Berry, we're still standing." Rachel shakes her head, stumbling to the kitchen. She hurriedly fills two cups of water, bringing them to Jake and Santana in a rush.

"You're leg Santana," she mentions when she hands her the water. She blinks, turning to Jake. "Was it bad?"

He nods at her, his face set in a grim expression. "Worse than I thought."

She gulps. Her eyes scan over to Santana, who steadies herself on one of the supporting walls. She coughs out, wavering as she struggles to stand upright. "We killed a lot though," she reassures her, getting to her feet. "It'll get better."

Rachel watches as Santana pushes herself, stumbling forward. She drags her leg behind her, limping as she makes her way to the staircase.

* * *

xxxii.

Finn opens the door on the third knock.

"Rachel?" he coos, rubbing his fists against the tiredness of his eyes, "what's wrong?"

She stares up at him nervously. She didn't know what else to do, didn't know whether to ignore Jake's reassurance of Santana's health, or to listen to Santana telling her she's alright. She blinks, not being able to forget the fang marks on her skin.

She lowers her voice. "I'm worried about Santana," she begins, and he instantly straightens from where he stands in the doorframe. Concern fills his expression. "She came back, but she's limping. I think I saw bite marks - "

She isn't able to finish before Finn sets his jaw, walking past her and in the direction of Santana's room.

* * *

xxxiii.

"Santana!"

His fist pounds fiercely on the wooden door. He tries to the door knob, swearing under his breath when he realizes it's locked. "Open the door Santana!" he yells, anxiety building inside him.

Rachel watches from behind him, her body close to his as he tries other ways to open the door. Her nerves shoot up when Santana doesn't answer, and she wonders if maybe she is asleep. She crosses that idea out of her mind when she remembers her critical wound.

Finn turns to look at her. "Stay back," he warns her, his arm coming up to push him slightly behind him.

She stumbles backwards to the wall behind her. Her eyes widen when Finn begins to run into the door, his shoulder making contact with the wood each time. She winces every time theres an impact, hearing the creaking of the door as it begins to weaken. He gasps out as he breaks through, his body stumbling as he enters her room.

Rachel runs after him, stopping as she notices the red splattering against the floors. Her hand cups her mouth as she stands beside Finn, both of them staring at the trail of fresh blood. She's the first to move, Finn quickly following behind her as the spots of blood lead them to Santana's bathroom.

Rachel gasps. "Santana!" she cries out when she see's her crumpled body on the floor. Her back is against the tiles as she faces upright, her eyes closed shut as blood drips from her lips. She must have tried to take a shower, because her legs are hovering over the bath tub, the gap above her left kneecap almost a purplish blue.

Finn notices it right away. "Damnit."

A screeching sound suddenly rips from Santana's throat. Her eyes snap open, already filled with tears as she screams loudly in the room. Rachel cringes beside Finn, and he rushes to kneel beside her. "Get it off!" she barks, her fingers clamping at the hole in her leg. Her head smacks down against the tiles as a sudden shiver runs through her, and she starts to shake.

Finn turns to Rachel with fear in his eyes. "Rachel, get everyone up and start the car," he tells her but she remains frozen in place. Santana's screaming doesn't stop, and it makes her ears ring. "Now!"

* * *

xxxiv.

Blaine's room is the first one she runs to.

"Blaine," she rasps, out of breath from the long sprint that she took. She shakes him in his bed, careful not to touch his arm. "Blaine, wake up!"

He mumbles something. She hisses in frustration, turning the lights on in hoping of dragging the sleep out of him. She turns to see him slowly shifting into a sitting position on his mattress, his eyes blinking up at her. "Rachel?" he calls out.

She throws him his pile of night gear. "Wake everyone up, tell them to get ready and get to the garage."

Blaine suddenly bolts upright due to the alarming tone in her voice. He throws his shirt off and tugs on the tank top he wears as his night gear, throwing a leather jacket on top. "What's going on?" he asks, his bushy eyebrows crunching together.

Rachel shakes her head. "I don't know."

* * *

xxxv.

She doesn't know why she throws her night gear on, why she attaches daggers to the belt at her waist. She doesn't know where they're going, but the urgency in Finn's voice tells her it's something that isn't too easy, so she got prepared just in case.

Her hands grab the car keys that rest on the kitchen counter. She runs towards the garage door, pushing through it and placing a block in front of it to keep it open. She takes a couple moments to register the new van in front of her, not seeing it since her and Finn crashed the other one last night. It's almost unfamiliar, seeing a van without blood and a stench of demon in it.

She's certain the van won't stay clean for long.

Rachel hurries to the driver's seat, inserting the keys in the ignition and bringing it to life. She closes the door, making her way over to the passengers seat when someone enters the garage. She turns to see Finn running through in his night gear, Santana limp in his arms.

"Get in the back," he orders, and she knows she doesn't have time to argue. She rushes to the side of the car, opening the sliding door leading to the backseats. Finn is beside her in an instant, and she helps him as he lifts Santana onto one of the cushioned seats. He pushes her legs in, turning to Rachel. "I need you stay back there with her."

"Finn, I - "

Blaine and the rest of them enter the garage then, Sam holding a box of weapons in his hands. Her eyes widen at the chaos around her, knowing this is something bigger than she ever thought. "Here's a cloth," Finn tells her as the three other Night Chasers take seat in the van, "keep pressure on her wound."

She takes the cloth from him, bloody and covered with green. She nods up at him. "Okay."

He touches her shoulder affectionately before pushing her in the direction of the van. She watches him hurry to the driver's seat, and she breathes deeply before climbing into the backseat with Santana. She lays limp, and she wonders how long it'll be before she starts screaming again.

Rachel sits at the bottom where her leg rests, her hand clamping around the cloth. She presses it roughly against her wound, cringing when she feels the gap through her skin.

"Where are we going?" Sam asks as he settles into the seat beside Finn. The garage door opens slowly, and Finn prepares himself as he places his hands at the edge of the steering wheel.

"Jesse St. James' house."

* * *

xxxvi.

Santana's screaming begins moments later.

It burns through everyones ears, making them cringe at the sound of her agonizing pain. Rachel pushes herself onto her knees, gracing Santana's face gently. "Hold on, San," she whispers, wincing when Santana releases another screech, "we're almost there."

Finn looks at them through the rearview mirror. "Keep that cloth on, Rachel," he slithers, his nerves on edge. Everyone's on edge.

"I am!" she cries out. Her fingers dig into her wound, and it makes her cry out harder in pain. She feels useless, wanting more than anything to make the suffering stop, to make it go away.

She knows Finn is driving as fast as he can, she can feel it in the way the wind blows past her through the open windows. She wonders how he feels, watching his best friend going through the torture of her wound. She wonders how Jake feels, not being able to detect how serious her injury was. But most importantly, she wonders how Santana feels. For some reason she doesn't think she feels anything at all, the pain so intense it makes her delusional.

The sound of her screaming is suddenly cut off by a gurgling noise. Rachel looks up at her, gaping when blood splutters from her mouth. She reaches forward, turning her head to the side to keep her from choking. "Finn!" Rachel screams, wincing as Santana coughs out a large amount of blood, "drive faster!"

"I'm trying!"

Santana begins to convulse, her body shaking tremendously. Rachel feels a body next to hers as Jake squeezes his way through, peering up at his partner. "San?" he tries. He reaches forward, touching her clammy skin. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you."

Rachel watches as he intertwines his fingers with hers. "Jake . . ."

Santana gasps, and they both look up to see her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Rachel wants to scream, and so she does, fear paralyzing her as she thinks about what's happening. "Santana!"

The van comes to a complete stop, and arms are suddenly pulling her from the vehicle. She turns her head to see Finn behind her, balancing her on her feet before he climbs back into the van. She breathes out heavily, heart beating wildly against her chest. She looks around her. They're here.

Blaine comes to stand beside her, his hands wrapping around her shoulders as they watch Finn struggle out of the car, Santana in his arms. She looks pale, her eyes pure white as the pupils slide backwards. Blaine squeezes her tight before releasing her, running to catch up with the others as they make their way up the front steps. Rachel follows.

"Jesse!" Rachel calls out as they reach the top of the porch. Her hand slams against the front door. "It's Rachel Berry! Open the door. Please!"

The warlock appears in front of them, his magical smile disappearing when he sees the limp girl in Finn's arms. He regards the group with slight hesitation. He nods then, opening the door wider for them to enter. "Get inside," he ushers, anxious for the first time since she's met him.

* * *

xxxvii.

The last time Rachel was in this position, hopelessly awaiting her friends results, she was with Santana. It's odd now, sitting outside of Jesse's healing room without her, _for _her, Blaine being the person to comfort her.

"She'll be fine," he offers. She sniffles in her seat, her head rubbing against his shoulder. She knows Night Chasers are supposed to have the image of strength and fearlessness, but something in the way Blaine shifts in his chair tells her he's nervous as well.

It's been nearly two hours since Santana was brought inside, and the blood is beginning to dry against Rachel's clothes. She looks across the room at Finn, who stands in a corner, his fingers fidgeting in front of him. He's probably desperate to see her, though Jesse was strict when he told them he had to do this alone, and Finn wasn't exactly fond of that.

Rachel isn't exactly sure why her wound is so critical. She isn't comfortable with asking someone, afraid they might give an answer she's afraid of hearing, but she's sure it has something to do with the fact she was bitten. If looked deadly, the way the fang marks created a bluish shadow on her skin. She shivers in her chair, trying to stay positive.

The sound of a door creaking captures the rooms attention, and they turn to where Jesse removes himself from the healing room. He closes the door behind him, blood splattered against his suit as he stands in the doorway. He turns to send a warm smile in Rachel's direction, always the affectionate one.

"Is she okay?" Sam gets up from his chair the moment he notices the blood on his clothes.

Jesse nods slowly. "Of course," he answers, and the room sighs in synchronization. "I was able to remove the Caden venom from her system, so she is unconscious at the moment. She will wake up with the blood of a - "

"Caden demon," Finn finishes. He closes his eyes briefly, the muscles in his jaw flexing. She wishes she knew what he was thinking.

Jake bites on his bottom lip. "We were right outside of Dunville when dozens of them attacked," he tells him, "they seemed to be coming from the warehouse."

Finn's eyes suddenly flash with hope. He turns to Jesse, and he doesn't have to say anything before he nods in agreement. Rachel and Blaine stand up from their chairs, her fingers brushing against the handle of the daggers. She doesn't notice the way Finn directly avoids her gaze.

"I'll stay with her," Jesse agrees, and Finn nods in gratitude, "she might need some medicine in a couple of hours to keep her from feeling the pain."

Finn moves across the room. He stands beside Jesse, craning his neck forward to place his mouth beside his ear. Rachel can hear lines of murmurs as he whispers something low, obviously not interested in sharing with the rest of the group. She sees Jesse nod, and Finn looks at him in trust. She crosses her arms across her chest in annoyance. Finn turns to the Night Chasers behind him, his hand gripping the end of his sword.

"Everyone get your gear and I'll meet you at the van. Rachel, you stay here."

* * *

xxxviii.

Blaine follows Jake and Sam as they rush down the lavish staircase of Jesse St. James' house. He didn't exactly leave Rachel in good spirits, her face turning red with anger the moment Finn told her she wasn't going. He can't say he blames him, Blaine would probably have done the same thing. It's a dangerous mission.

"What did you bring Sam?" he calls out as the three of them exit the house. An immediate rush of wind blows past them, and he has to pull his jacket closer against his chest from the chill.

Sam turns his head to glance at him. "Daggers, blades, clubs, the whole bit."

The blonde boy stands at the back of the van, his hands gripping the handle of the trunk. He pulls the trunk open, keeping it up above him until it rests at the highest point. He leans forward and drags the box of weapons to the edge of the bumper, the brightness of the moon giving them enough light to see what's in front of them.

Blaine grabs a sword the moment he see's it, attaching it to a hinge on his belt. He turns to look at the boy beside him. "How many were there, Jake?" he asks him.

Jake blanks, and through the darkness of the night Blaine can still see the stress lines on his forehead. The expression worries him, and he's suddenly afraid of what his answer might be. "I would grab as many weapons as you can hold," he responds, his fingers picking for items he doesn't even have training with, "because there was about forty of them the last time I was there."

Blaine gulps loudly, meeting Sam's eyes as his mouth falls open in shock.

* * *

xxxix.

"I'm coming, Finn!"

She growls with each step she takes, walking after Finn as he turns onto a hallway she's never been in before. Her breath seems to ragged in annoyance when she thinks of the situation she's in. She isn't a baby, she's not going stay here like a good girl because someone told her to. "Why the hell are you allowed to go but I can't - "

Finn stops, turning to face her. The abrupt change in pace catches her off guard and she nearly falls into him. "I love her like my own sister, Rachel," he tells her. A moment of concern appears in his eyes. "I _have t_o go. I have to make sure she gets the blood."

Rachel sighs. "I understand that Finn, but she's important to me too - "

He turns away from her, cutting off her trail of words as he continues to rush down the hallway. She crosses her arms stubbornly across her chest as she follows after him, not giving up. "I want to help, Finn! You know I can take care of myself!"

Finn doesn't acknowledge her, creating a bubble of frustration inside her. She reaches forward, her fingers wrapping around his wrist. She pulls on his arm and he stops completely, her hand flicking so he spins to face her. His eyes widen when she appears in front of him.

"I've been training for weeks, I know how to fight. I don't care how dangerous you think this mission is, and I don't care how inexperienced you think I am. I am coming on this hunt whether you like it - "

Finn's gaze suddenly focuses on something behind her, his mouth propping open as if whispering something low. Rachel stares at him in confusion, watching as his head turns to create a small nod. Her eyes follow his, and she turns to look in the same direction when -

Hands grip eagerly at her face, trapping her cheeks between palms as her attention is brought back in front of her. She gasps, the sound interrupted when lips suddenly attach themselves to hers and it takes a while to realize that someone's kissing her.

_Finn _is kissing her.

Her arms lock around his neck instantly, fingers pulling at the nape of his hair. She doesn't exactly know how it happened or why it's happening, but she does know that she's wanted this for a long time, and when Finn pulls her flush against his body, his hands on her skin, she knows that he's wanted this too, he's just good at hiding it.

Rachel moans when his tongue probes at the opening of her lips, and she gives him permission, allowing his tongue to explore her mouth. His hands lower to grip at the material of her shirt, pushing her forward against the wall behind them. Her back hits the surface harshly, their kiss momentarily interrupted as she gasps in surprise.

She's grateful for the support as her legs begin to weaken. He presses his body against hers, and it erupts a feeling of heat inside of her. Her hands grip at any body part she hasn't touched before, releasing electricity between them as he kisses her with the same urgency. It's silent except for their ragged breathing as they struggle to find air without leaving each other's lips.

Finn abruptly pulls away from her, and it takes her a couple seconds to notice they're in another room. She looks at him, the dishevelment of his hair, the fierce look in his gaze, slowly melting into regret. Her eyes analyze the distance between them, his hands caressing her face as he stands just outside of the room, almost afraid to come in.

He leans forward to kiss her once more. "I'm sorry, Rachel," he whispers, his lips grazing hers.

He pulls back, hesitantly removing his hands from her face. She misses the warmth immediately, returning his passionate gaze. She watches him step away from the room, his eyes on hers until he turns the corner at the front of the hallway.

Rachel shakes her head in confusion. "What? Finn - "

She walks past the opening of the room, squeaking in surprise when she's met with something solid. Rachel stumbles backwards, her hand covering her face from the impact, licking her lips from where she hit it. Her hand reaches forward, feeling the invisible sort of glass in front of her. Her fingers tap against it, the contact creating a echo in the distance. She growls.

"Jesse."

* * *

xl.

He bends towards Finn as he leans out of the driver's seat, his head peering out the window.

"That was a clever idea Mr. Hudson," Jesse purs, reminding himself of the way the plan turned out. He expects to see Finn smile in appreciate, surprised to see him bow his head in shame. He clears his throat, changing the subject. "You better get that blood soon, or else she'll never wake up."

Finn starts the car at the mention of it. He places his hand on the steering wheel, his Night Chaser gang passing weapons around in the back seats. "I know, just." He pauses, lowering his voice so the rest of them won't hear him, "take care of Rachel."

Jesse's eyes click in understanding. He sees it now, in the way his eyes waver when he talks about her, the way his voice becomes gentle. Jesse is suddenly unable to resist the sympathy he feels for the young man in front of him. Young man but so very wise, very compassionate.

He claps his shoulder. "She's safe with me."

* * *

xli.

So this was Finn's plan wasn't it? Distract her with a kiss so he can trap her in a bubble.

Her mind races, searching for something, _anything_, to use against the invisible force surrounding her. She turns, eyes focusing when she notices a wooden chair beside a table. Her hands clench together.

"It won't work, darling."

Rachel screams, jumping in her skin when she hears Jesse's voice echo from where she stands. She quickly snaps behind her, eyes narrowing when she sees the warlock standing in the opening of the hallway. She leans towards him, careful not to hit the block. "Try me," she hisses.

She walks across the floorboards, bending forward to pick up the wooden chair in her grasp. She raises it above her head, regarding Jesse with annoyance as she aims it in front of her. Her arms swing backwards, grunting as she launches the chair at the force.

It flies weightlessly through the air before crashing miserably into the glass, sparks of wood surrounding her. She watches in frustration as it breaks into several broken pieces, falling to the ground in a pile of destruction. Her eyes lift from the mess to meet Jesse's amused smirk.

He taps his finger against his chin. "It's no use, dear."

Rachel growls. Her foot springs upright as she hits the force, slamming her body against it. She pounds her fist repeatedly until her hand aches. "Let me out of here, please!" She thinks of Blaine and Finn and everyone else who are risking themselves. She can help them, she's a better fighter than they think.

Jesse sighs. He walks up to the opening of the room, his arms crossed gracefully against his chest. "I can't do that," he tells her, genuinely regretful.

Rachel doesn't notice. She hisses, punching her fist directly where Jesse's face is displayed, hitting the invisible wall instead.

* * *

xlii.

Finn crouches against a wall in the warehouse, his hands gripping the handle of his sword. He looks behind him at the other three Night Chasers following his lead, and he gestures for them move forward, his finger pressing his lips to stay quiet.

"Just find the Caden and get out of here, got it?" he whispers, his voice a brisk sound in the abandoned building. He looks up to see if anything or anyone heard him. He breathes in a sigh of relief when he doesn't notice a difference.

His breath steadies as he continues to search the place, wanting nothing more than to leave and go back to Rachel. He hates himself for leaving her at Jesse St. James, for kissing her and then leaving her alone in the room. But it had to be done. She'll never understand why, and maybe she'll hate him for it, and that might be easier, if she hates him.

Finn straightens up against the wall, his back aching after bending forward for so long. He beckons for the boys to follow him as he suspects another hallway, this one full of loose merchandise. He gives the men behind him a warning sign, pointing to the items on the ground. "Watch out for the - "

A crashing of some sort echoes throughout the warehouse, instantly reacting anxiety inside him. He turns, his teeth gritting together when he notices Sam tussled on the ground, his limbs caught up in the jewelry that lay thrown across the ground. Finn pounds the bottom of his palm against his forehead in frustration.

Sam smiles weakly at them as he struggles to get up without making any more noise. "Sorry," he offers.

A low roar of growls rumbles in the hallway, and Finn quickly draws his sword from the belt at his waist. He points the tip of it in front of him, Blaine quickly coming to his side with a blade in his hand.

"What do we do?"

He can see the silhouette of demons as they appear from the shadows. He thinks of Santana, how she needs the blood to survive. He grips the sword tightly, eyes focused on the enemies in front of him.

"We fight."

* * *

xliii.

"This is kidnapping."

Rachel leans her head back against the wall behind her, her legs outstretched in front of her. She's tried everything, chairs, tables, even the daggers that rests at her side. The force doesn't seem to give in, and neither does Jesse, who refuses to let her out. So much for committing to help her, 'any time you need it.'

She can hear him sigh from the other side of the wall. "You are blind," he tells her. She opens her mouth defensively, but he continues before she can say anything. "That boy loves you . . ."

Rachel pauses before she realizes who he's talking about. She thinks of Finn, the way he kissed her before he left, the desperation and eagerness in his movements. She then reminds herself it was all to trap her in a room with no way out, and she feels herself deflate. "Yeah right," she laughs humorously, trying to hide the hurt from her voice. Care about her maybe, but _love? _He's not as wise as he cracks himself up to be. "Every time he touches me, he acts as if it burns him. Like he's afraid."

Jesse chuckles. "Of course he is, why wouldn't he be?" he traces a pattern in the ground with his fingertips, "he'll never be able to be with you."

Rachel perks in her position on the floor. She rolls onto her knees, pushing herself beside the invisible force so she's able to see his expression. "What are you talking about?"

He sighs, crawling to the edge of the room opening, sitting with his legs crossed. "You don't know about his prophecy, do you?" he inquires. Rachel eagerly shakes her head. She can feel her heart beating rapidly against the walls of her chest, desperate to hear any more hints of what it could be. Jesse places his head in his hands, almost hesitantly. "Although it's not my secret to share, you are trapped in a room while the people you love fight in battle so I seem to have gained a little bit of sympathy for you."

He breathes out deeply, his eyes on hers. "You understand how unfair prophecies can be correct?" She nods in bewilderment. "Well, when Finn was just born, his parents were almost paralyzed with sadness when they heard what his prophecy was."

He pauses, debating on whether he should continue. Rachel leans forward, eyes ablaze. "What does his prophecy say, Jesse?"

He stares at her, almost testing her. His eyes analyze the cracks in her expression, the concern that fills her gaze. He wonders if she'll figure it out when he tells her, or if she'll think of the wrong thing. He opens his mouth, noticing the way she winces when he tells her,

"That he will die trying to save the woman he loves."

Holy _shit._

Her mind races around the memories that fill her head. The way he tortures himself when he looks at her, how he was always there in the background, always protecting her from afar. For two weeks, he was hesitant to even make eye contact with her, and she gets it. He was trying to forget about her, trying to _live_.

She thinks of the kiss, the desperation, as if he might never be able to hold her again. Like he will never allow himself to. That's why he kept her here, so he didn't have to worry about getting himself killed if she was in trouble.

_He would never want to hurt you like that_

Blaine's words echo inside her head, and she understands now. She would be heartbroken if anything happened to him, so eclipsed with guilt and sadness it would ruin her. She remembers all the times he put her first, risking his life for her and she gets what Blaine means. It isn't the death that Finn is scared of, it's the sadness that he'll leave behind, the hole that he would place in her heart.

He _does _love her.

It feels like she's choking by the time she remembers where she is. Her hands come up to rest on the force, her fingers resting over the skin of her racing heart. She feels like she needs water, air, anything to keep her from going into shock.

"Jesse," she rasps, and she turns to him with water in her eyes, "you need to let me out."

His eyebrows scrunch in confusion. "Did you not hear what I just said - "

_I love her like my own sister._

"It's Santana," she tells him, knowing how much he cares about her. Knowing that what Finn is doing is saving her. "He loves her too - "

Jesse shakes his head. "As family. It doesn't work like that."

"I don't give a damn on how it works! I need to see him!"

Jesse's eyes widen in shock. She cries out, wanting nothing more but to express her feelings to Finn if it's the last thing she does. She knows he's stronger than he gives himself credit for, and so is she. She doesn't need saving, she just needs Finn.

He isn't the only one who fell in love.

She gasps when she feels a pain shiver down her spine. Looking down, she finds her nails have made a small cut in the circle of her palm. Blood oozes slowly out of it, red and fresh, and it gives her an idea. One last act of desperation.

"Jesse," she breathes out, her tears falling dramatically down her face, "could you just give me a couple minutes to myself, please?"

Jesse nods. "Of course." He pushes himself onto his knees, his hands helping him stretch into a standing position. He stares down at her, and she hides her bleeding palm against her chest. "I'm sorry, Ms. Berry," he whispers, and his footsteps are the last thing she hears before he disappears down the hallway.

Rachel bolts upright. She grips the handle of one of her daggers, placing the tip against the top of her palm. Her teeth grit together as she creates a small trail of open flesh down her skin, blood squirting from her wound.

She remembers what Dex told her the night she opened the portal - concentrate.

She presses her bleeding palm against the force, her whole body focusing on the feeling in her hand. She closes her eyes and thinks of Finn, of the torture he lives with everyday by loving her. She should be scared to even go near him, but the fact that he's been hiding the truth from her since she was little makes her want to do nothing more than be with him. Like a built up of emotions.

And then she can let him go. Or move out. Whatever keeps him breathing.

Memories swirl around her. The way Finn held her outside of Quinn's house, the first time he kissed her in the alley, the words that he said that he hoped would go unnoticed.

Rachel gasps when she feels herself falling forward. She almost trips over her feet as she stumbles outside of the room, her eyes snapping open in shock. She steadies herself, balancing her weight as she feels the cold air of wind coming from an open window. She turns, staring at the room that held her captive, now free to enter or leave whenever she wants.

She reaches her hand through the opening, smiling when she feels nothing but air.

Prophecies aren't all that bad.

* * *

xliv.

His sword slides into the flesh of another demon.

He pulls it out, wiping the black goo from his blade as the demons crumples to death in front of him. He turns behind him, watching chaos continue around him. He curses under his breath when he notices Sam, Blaine and Jake fighting Lispion and Sensi demons - none of them Caden.

He tries to run towards them when he feels claws scrap against his back. He hisses, turning with his sword held tightly in his hand. He dives his blade into the creatures mouth, blood spluttering his clothes. He kicks it to the side. Lispion's are easy to kill.

"Finn!"

He spins. His eyes catch Blaine's hand as he points his finger off into the background. He follows his line of vision, eyes narrowing when he sees a Caden demon ascending the staircase leading to the next level. There it is.

Finn turns to Blaine hesitantly. Twenty-seven Lispion and Sensi bodies lay motionless around him, but there's still about forty of them left to fight. Blaine meets his eyes as he drives his blade into a Sensi's stomach.

"We'll hold them off down here!" he yells at him from across the warehouse, "go!"

Finn glances at him once more before he chases after the Caden upstairs.

* * *

xlv.

She's attacked the moment she enters the building.

Rachel screams as a small demon jumps on top of her, causing her to fall backwards onto the floorboards. She winces as its slimy texture rubs against her skin, piercing her arms down with its claws. She grunts as she forces one of her arms free, punching the demon to the ground beside her. She coughs as she rolls over onto her back, pushing herself on her knees.

She moves to straddle its body, trapping it underneath her as she unhitches a dagger from the belt at her waist. Gripping the handle with both her hands, she lifts the dagger high before slicing it through its stomach, black goo erupting from its pouch.

Rachel gasps as the black blood sticks to her neck and arms, leaving a bad taste in her mouth. She removes the blade from its body, wiping the remains on her pants as she stands from the creatures corpse. Her eyes blink away the sweat that gathers on her forehead, staring up at the chaos around her.

She can see Blaine, Sam and Jake easily in the distance, the only human forms in the midst of the demons fighting them. Her eyes scan for Finn, and she almost cries out when she can't find him.

She pushes herself into the battle, her hand instantly picking up another dagger from her belt. She whimpers when her foot steps onto the smashed head of a demon she's never seen before, and she becomes distracted, bending forward to free her foot from the pile of thick blood.

She's pulled to the side before the demon can pierce its fangs into her, and she gasps when she whirled on the opposite side of someone. Her eyes focus when she looks up to see Blaine beside, one hand on her arm as the other stabs the oncoming demon with his blade.

He turns towards her with fierceness in his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Rachel pushes him aside to send a dagger into a demon marching towards them. It collapses before it can even come close to reaching them.

"Where's Finn?" she breathes out when she turns back to him.

Blaine looks at her with confusion in his eyes. His mouth gaps open, moving her to the side before another demon can get to them. "He saw the Caden demon go upstairs. But - "

He isn't able to finish before Rachel pulls away from him. He throws his hand in the air in bewilderment as he watches her makes her way to the staircase.

"Rachel!"

* * *

xlvi.

Finn steps onto the floorboards of the second level, wincing as his weight creates a sound in the silent room. He stretches onto his tiptoes as he continues to search the area, his feet softer and lighter as they pad against the ground. He can hear the growls of the Caden from around him, his sword held tightly in his hands as he turns to face it. But nothings there.

His nose scrunches as he squints his eyes into the darkness of the building. Closets and tables rest at the corner of the room, sitting along the edges and leaving the centre with empty with nothing but creaking floorboards. His eyebrows crunch in confusion, the Caden can't be hiding well behind small items of wood and -

He hears its hiss before he sees it. Skin rubs roughly against him as the Caden pounces, claws digging into his chest as it pushes him to the ground. Finn grunts as he collapses, his head bouncing on wood. He stares hazily at the creature above him, eyes weak from the fall. His eyes widen when he tries to squeeze his fingers around the handle of his sword, feeling nothing.

He lifts his head. He can see the glimmer of his blade as it lays a couple of feet away from him. His fingers stretch for it as the Caden shakes above him, removing its claws from his chest. Finn winces as he feels the blood rush from his open skin, his arm hovering above his head as the Caden widens its mouth, aiming for his neck.

His feet bend together, kicking at the creatures core. It screeches, slipping off him and giving Finn enough time to push onto his knees. He can hear the sound of the demon rushing towards him, and he stumbles forward, his fingers outstretched. He grips the sword in his hand, turning towards the Caden as it -

Collapses in front of him. A thud echoes throughout the room as its arms and legs weaken to the floor. Finn coughs out as he wipes the blood from his chest, his breathing hard and heavy. His eyes follow the black goo that spurs from the demons back, registering the familiar looking dagger breaking through its skin. He looks up.

Rachel.

Her breath catches as his eyes shift to meet hers, and it suddenly feels like there's only him, only ever been him. He regards her briefly, moving forward to kneel beside the corpse of the Caden demon. He fidgets with something in his pocket, removing a clear flask and placing it at the scaly skin of the creature. He pushes its blood into it, closing it with its tab. He sighs heavily before standing to face her again, placing the sword at his belt.

"Rachel . . . "

She starts towards him. Her arms swing by her sides as she makes her way across the floorboards, creaking in each step. Her eyes don't leave his as he stands frozen in place. She can see the depth of regret in his gaze and it makes her weak with emotion. She loves him, she's never loved anyone before, and somehow she knows all the responsibilities that come with love. How sometimes you have to sacrifice things for the one you love. This is her sacrifice.

_One last moment with him before you let him go. What are you going to do?_

"Listen, I know your mad at me for the - "

She kisses him.

Her arms instantly move to wrap around his neck, pulling him roughly against her. He inhales deeply, his hands like sticks at his sides before he hesitantly pushes his fingers into her hair. She feels the sadness on his lips as he moves his mouth against hers, suddenly aware of the intimate action she's initiating. If she's never going to see him again, she might as well make it count.

Rachel can feel her eyes flake with tears as she reminds herself of why she's doing this. She wants him more than anything, but she can't think about herself, can't think about how happy she'll be if she's with him. She has to do this for Finn, set him free, knowing that she's saving him.

Her heart hammers against her chest as he peppers his lips against her face. She wonders if he knows what she's doing, if he's trying to make the moment last between them. It makes her want to cry out and yell at how much she hates the world for tearing apart the only person she's cared so much about since she found herself in this messed up world of demons and war.

She pulls away from him. Her arms descend to wrap around the middle of his waist, wanting him close. His breath fans across her face as he leans his forehead against hers, fingers knotted in her hair.

Rachel gazes up at him apologetically. "This will be the last time you see me."

His mouth does that familiar thing as he gaps at her, and she wonders how long she's been in love with Finn Hudson. It's ridiculous, only really knowing him for about two months and still willing to do anything for him. This is proof already that she's willing to do anything. He looks at her with sad eyes. "What are you - "

"Jesse told me about your prophecy," she whispers. A moment of understanding passes through his gaze, and she thinks he might have expected this. It makes it harder to say. "You don't have to worry about avoiding me anymore, I'll live with another group of Night Chasers until we end this war. You can forget about me now. I can let you go."

He swallows thickly. Her fingertips move softly against the skin of her cheeks and the look in his eyes makes her want to turn away in shame. She doesn't realize she's crying until he wipes away the wetness from her eyes. "Rachel . . . "

She shakes her head. This is for him, she reminds herself, don't be selfish. "There isn't any other way," she mumbles. She tries to be strong, hating the way her voice cracks. "No matter how much I want this, I am not going to be the reason you die."

"No, but I might."

Rachel shivers at the sudden voice in the room. She feels Finn's hands peel from her face, his arms weaving around her so she's standing beside him. Her head leans into his shoulder when she feels a coldness in her stomach. She looks up at the new addition.

She winces when she see's him. Scars and burns cover the exposing skin of his body, arms scaled in a texture she recognizes as demon flesh. Her eyes scan over the dress coat that he wears, wool wrapped around his neck as he props his chin over it.

His face scares her the most. Stained blood crusts against the layers of his skin, yellow slits for eyes. When he smiles, she can see the fangs that point from his mouth. His nose blows out breath as he sighs, but he isn't a demon. He's a human, though deformed. Then what is he?

Her eyes widen when he opens his mouth to speak, voice as rough as his appearance.

"I don't believe we have met before. I'm Master Hawk."

* * *

xlvii.

Jesse sighs as he steps from around the corner, his hand grasping a glass of water as he walks. He can see the opening of the room as he strides down the hallway, fingers weaving through the curls in his hair.

He suspects Rachel is over the situation by now. It's been an hour since he left her to mourn, giving Santana the required medicine and catching up on the latest warlock gossip. He almost rolls his eyes when he reminds himself how stubborn Rachel is. It might take her about a day to forgive him.

"I know you are still upset with me," he calls out. He takes a sip of his water as he returns to lean against the wall beside the room. "But you must know this is in your best interest, darling."

He breathes out deeply, waiting for her response. His eyebrows crunch in confusion when she doesn't answer, and he suspiciously peers into the room. "Rachel?" he wonders, seeing her no where in sight.

He looks at the opening of the room in front of him, his hand reaching forward. The glass of water wavers in his grasp when he feels nothing but air. He rubs his fingers against his temples, briefly closing his eyes.

"I better not regret this."

* * *

xlviii.

Rachel instantly feels her body paralyze with fear.

Finns hand lifts to press against her stomach, pushing her behind him. His body guards hers as he faces Hawk without any hesitation, his fingers itching against the handle of his sword.

"Rachel Berry," Master Hawk slithers, his fangs dripping as he speaks. He leans forward, his hand outstretched. "Pleasure to meet - "

Finn removes the sword from his hip. He holds it in front of him with both hands, the tip close to Hawk's chin. "Don't come any closer," he hisses, stepping a foot away from him. Rachel grips the back of his jacket, pulling her close to him.

Hawk slowly lowers his hand, a sinister smile on his face. "Silly boy. I have no interest in you. You are wasting my time." His glare averts to Rachel, yellow eyes unblinking. "You're quite famous in Underworld, Ms. Berry. I assure you, you can trust me."

Rachel looks away from him. She's grateful for the coverage that Finn provides as a feeling of uneasiness washes over her. She doesn't want to see him, doesn't want to stare at the man who claims isn't here to hurt them. She doesn't feel a single reassurance that she can trust him.

Her face presses against Finn's back as he speaks. "You're human," Finn observes, "how were you born in Underworld?"

Hawk smiles, and it's the kind of smile you see on Freddy Krueger before he kills his victims. She feels Finn shiver against her, and she wishes more than anything that he wasn't here, wasn't protecting her. She doesn't know what she'll do if anything happened to him. Feeling bold, she pushes himself from behind him so he isn't in the position of saving her. She presses against him, facing Hawk with a strength she's never felt before. Love.

"Let's just say," Hawk continues, watching the way Rachel reveals herself from the shadows. "I've done things in my past life that the angels did not appreciate. You could say I'm a devil." His eyes blaze as he stares at Rachel. "You can never trust a devil."

He's quicker than Finn is.

Finn instantly raises his sword the moment Hawk mentions the last word. He's about to swing down on him before Hawk reaches forward, grabbing Rachel in his arms and pulling her roughly against him. She gasps as he spins her to face Finn, Hawk easily grabbing Finn's wrist in his free hand. He twists his bone, a growl releasing from Finn as Hawk picks the sword from his grasp.

He moves so fast that Rachel doesn't even realize what's happened until she feels the coolness of the blade against her neck.

Finn grunts from where he rests on his knees, his wounded hand held protectively against his chest. He squeezes his eyes shut as he snaps it back in place, the bone cracking. His gaze lifts to where Hawk stands above him, the sword against Rachel as he holds her roughly to him.

"You humans are as stupid as I thought," Hawk chuckles, the sound odd coming from a disturbing voice. "It was easy enough finding out friends and acquaintances of yours, Rachel, but I'm really upset Quinn wasn't killed. That would have really broken you. You really believe you can end this war can't you? You think this little girl," his nails scratch along the skin of Rachel's face, and it takes everything in him not to explode in rage, "this mindless girl knows what she's doing? She might not even be worth killing."

Finn rises to his feet. He keeps his hands above his head as he faces them, his head almost bowed. "We'll leave. We can stop our plans. Just let her go - "

The point of the sword briefly leaves Rachel's neck to swing against him. He stumbles backwards, but not far enough as the blade cuts into his right cheek. Blood bubbles instantly from the open patch of flesh.

"No!" Rachel cries out, and she tries to run to him, but Hawk keeps her trapped in his embrace.

He chuckles, the sword returning to its position at Rachel's neck. Her eyes meet Finns, and for a short moment he can only stare at her, the bruises on her face, the cuts on her arms. She struggles against Hawk's arms, and he wonders that if he kept Puck alive like he promised, if he didn't die and make Rachel the family Night Chaser, if she would still experience this pain and suffering. He closes his eyes in guilt.

"I would keep your eyes closed, Hudson," Hawk tells him, and his eyes snap open immediately. "I don't think you'll want to see this."

An intense shaking begins before Finn has time to move, his body suddenly vibrating along with the feeling. He stares up at Hawk, who seems to be taken by surprise and he realizes he isn't planning this. The floorboards begin to creak, snapping in half in various places around the room as the closets and tables in the corners start to rumble to the ground. Finn struggles to move forward. His feet slip as soon as he places them on the ground.

A screeching sound of breaking cracks through the night, and Finn looks below his feet. His mouth gaps open when he notices the floorboards beginning to fall through between him and Rachel and Hawk. He watches Hawk step back in confusion, his hands lowering to his sides. Finn takes his confusion to his advantage.

He reaches forward enough to wrap his arms around Rachel. A moment of rage passes through Hawk's eyes, but Finn pulls her fast enough that the sword misses her by a hair. She hugs him as she falls into his arms, hands on his shoulders as she balances herself with his support. Finn pulls her close to him as the shaking reaches its peek.

The floorboards fall into a circle around Hawk, almost like an island surrounded by water. The isolation leaves a large gap of space between him and Finn and Rachel, too vast to even attempt jumping. Dust appears in puffs around them as the boards crash against the floor below them, and Finn coughs out, his hands covering Rachel's eyes.

"Well that went better than I expected."

Rachel raises her head at the familiar voice. She sees a figure standing beyond the puffs of dust at the edge of the room, his hands clasped in front of him. Her eyes brighten when she notices the curly hair. Jesse appears from behind the smoke, his satisfied grin making Rachel's heart fill with hope. She feels Finn turn her so she's standing close beside him.

"I hope you weren't anticipating to perform anything important," Jesse says as he faces Hawk on the small land of floorboards. "Or else that would have been atrocious timing."

Rachel grips Finn's arm in relief. She instantly feels guilty for leaving Jesse's house in an irresponsible manor, but it was necessary. She catches Jesse's eye, and her uneasiness melts away when she sees him wink at her.

Hawk chuckles as he answers the warlock. "Not very wise, Jesse St. James. You really believe I didn't come prepared with my own warlock?" He raises his fingers above his head, his fingers twisting together as he snaps twice. "I'm getting antsy. Finish them off, Brody."

Another shadow appears from the corner of the room. Rachel moves closer to Finn as footsteps echo around them, the figure walking towards them confidently. She can make out the smirk on his face as he reveals himself from the dust, eyes small and calculating. His hair is styled behind his head, and he looks as if he were in his late twenties. He turns to Master Hawk, bowing. "They will be dead by the hour, Master."

Hawk smiles in satisfaction. "I want their bodies," he slithers, and it makes Rachel shudder in the darkness. She feels Finn's hands wrap around hers, squeezing her fingers. There isn't anything else he can do but try to comfort her.

Hawk turns to face the three of them, waving at them with Finns sword between his hands. "I'll see you in hell," he calls out, before he jumps forward and disappears into the level below.

* * *

xlix.

Blaine coughs throughout the dust surrounding him. His arms ache as he struggles to remove the debris from his body, floorboards piling on top of him. He doesn't know what happened, doesn't know if it was on purpose or surely because the warehouse is old and well, weak.

His fingers grip his blade lying a couple inches away, and he finally breaks through from the destruction. He expects to see more demons when he bolts upright, but instead he sees only seven of them left, most of them crushed by the wood. The demons don't recognize him yet though, and he uses that time to search for Sam and Jake. He breathes in relief when he sees them struggling from the floorboards that surround them.

Something doesn't feel right. He looks up at the hole above them, see's flashes of light spark in the air. His eyes crunch in confusion when he notices the open circle that isolates a large piece of the floor. This was on purpose. He needs to see what's happening up there, but he needs Sam and Jake out of here first before any real chaos begins.

"Sam - "

Blaine covers his mouth as he yells the words out, and the demons release a sound of yelping as they turn towards him. He curses under his breath as one pounces on him, easily sliding his blade into the centre of its body. Blood drips from its shine, and Blaine struggles out of the ruins, stumbling towards Sam and Jake who break out of the debris.

"You guys okay?" Blaine pants, noticing the cuts that mar their face. They nod in unison, eyes on the demons behind them that begin to make their way towards them. "I want you guys to finish them off down here and then leave. No matter what you see or hear, I want you to leave as soon as you kill them, understand?"

The roar of a Sensi demon bounces off the walls of the room, making Blaine shiver in apprehension. He claps the men in front of them on the shoulders before stumbling towards the staircase.

"Blaine! But the blood - "

Blaine turns in time before the Sensi attacks. "Just do what I say!" he yells, and then climbs up the creaking steps to the upper level.

* * *

l.

Rachel gasps as Brody sends a force of green towards Jesse, his hands folded into a casting pose. Jesse dives to the side, the spell missing him and hitting one of the wooden walls behind him. The impact causes a mixture of dust and debris around them.

Jesse straightens up, shaking his head. "Is that all you've got?"

She feels Finn's hand grabs hers in his, pulling her close to him. He begins to step backwards, leading her with him as he struggles to quietly removes himself from the scene. She closes her eyes, somehow hoping it will make them more unnoticeable. Or maybe she's just nervous. Or scared.

She hears a bang, and Finns fingers squeeze around hers. Her eyes snap open at the immediate warning, wincing when she notices Jesse hit against one of the walls a couple feet away. He falls miserably to the ground, his head dropping to his neck. She hopes this is one of his games, to make Brody believes he's injured so he can use a surprise attack on him. Her hopes are denied as his body slumps to the floorboards.

Brody turns towards them. His eyes blaze sinisterly. "Your turn."

Finn pushes Rachel to the ground as a beam of blue ejects from Brody's fingertips. She falls to the side, her arms covering her head when she hears the familiar sound of destruction. She allows herself to relax for one moment, but it isn't long before Finn pushes her onto her knees as Brody creates another spell with his hands.

"Move, Rachel!"

Her eyes widen when she sees the form of a ball in Jesse's hands, though it hovers above his skin, almost like its attached to a string. It flashes with blue and she can already feel the heat wavering over her. He smiles at her in satisfaction of her anxiety.

"Catch," he breathes out, and he throws it. Rachel stumbles to her feet, pulling Finn along with her. He quickly guides her to the edge of the room, pushing her behind one of the wooden closets. He squeezes himself beside her, their breathing raged in the tight space. She winces when the spell hits the furniture, shaking it with heat.

Her lips tremble when she feels another one hit the closet.

"We're going to have to run," Finn tells her. She doesn't even realize she's trembling before Finn's hands rise to cup her face, stopping her motion. "Trust me, Rachel. Okay?"

She nods. "Okay."

Her skin jumps when Brody's voice echoes throughout the room. "You can't hide forever," he calls out. "I have no problem in walking over there and killing you with my bare hands."

Finn grips her hand in his. He slightly shifts so that he's at the edge of the closet, Rachel standing behind him. He turns his head to hers.

"3, 2, 1 . . . "

He jumps forward, bringing her along with him. She can see the sudden recognition in Brody's face as he spots them appear from behind the closet. She watches him create a new spell in his hands, this one pink, and it aims it directly at them.

"Duck!" Finn yells at her. She lowers herself, though not exactly to the ground as Finn continues to drag her to the staircase. The blast of pink hits the closet behind them, and Rachel releases a sigh of relief. Her eyes look up to see the stairs, and they're so close. They might actually make it.

Rachel cringes as she feels Finn's arm rise to stop her. She runs into his muscles harshly, bouncing back on her heels. She widens when she sees a spell appear on the ground in front of him. She really should have been paying attention.

A feeling of heat warms around her, and she turns her head to the side. Her eyes widen when she sees one more spell coming towards them, much too fast for any of them to react. Finn's hand falls from her grasp, and she looks at him push himself in front of her. Her mouth widens in horror.

"No, Finn!"

Her scream fades. A bubble of force blocks the spell from hitting him, the flash of black bouncing off of the invisible block that couldn't have been caused by anyone but . . . Jesse.

"I expected the damage to be much more severe. But clearly your spells aren't as powerful as mine."

Jesse appears from the darkness of the room. He stands with his hands on his hips, an annoyed look on his face. His fingers curl around the piece of hair in front of his eyes, placing it behind his ear.

Her head falls against Finn's back in a smile, her heart beating ridiculously fast against the walls of her chest. She sneakily presses her lips to his leather jacket, forehead clammy with sweat. She can hear Brody's growl in the background. "You stupid, inexperienced son of - "

Her eyes peer from Finn's back in time to see a string of green wrapping around Brody's throat, cutting off his words. She follows the colour to Jesse, who holds onto the spell with his hands, as if the string were real. He glances briefly at Finn and Rachel, his eyes serious. "Finn, get her out of here."

Finn nods, almost breathless. He turns to Rachel in spite of the action he previously made, not being able to fully look at her sad eyes. He wraps his hand around hers, pulling her with him as they finally make it to the staircase.

They're down the steps before they can even notice Jesse fall in pain.

* * *

li.

She screams when she runs into something solid.

Arms wrap around her waist, and she feels Finn's hand rip from her grasp. It's dark on the bottom level except for the creaks of moon light that find their way though holes in the walls. She hears a continuous whisper in her ear, and it makes her push against the figure harder.

"Rachel! Rachel, relax - it's me, it's Sam."

Hands suddenly cup her face, turning her head so she's facing in front of her. Her breathing fades into a steady rhythm when she see's blonde hair, and a hint of green eyes. He stares at her, and a overwhelming waver rushes through her. She snaps her head to the side where Jake stands beside him, his hands on Finn's shoulder.

"I thought . . . " Her words trail off when she removes herself from him. She stumbles to the centre of the room, her feet washing through pools of black blood. She analyzes the demon bodies that surround her. Corpses are sliced in half where they've been killed, open wounds invested with bugs. Her hand hovers over her stomach, and it makes her want to throw up.

Finn holds her back as she begins to gag. "Where's Blaine?"

The two boys look at each other in confusion. Jake shakes his head. "You didn't see him?" he questions, genuine disbelief crossing his eyes, "he went upstairs looking for you two."

Rachel's eyes widen. Her body feels as if its shuts down completely, and she begins to feel the purest of fear. Her mind races around the possibilities as she thinks about Blaine upstairs, most likely hiding behind one of the tables or closets as Jesse and Brody fight to kill each other. He's probably been there the whole time, watching, not being able to leave without the anxiety of getting hit by one of the spells. She can't leave him.

"No," she breathes out. Recognition flashes through Finn's eyes, but she's running towards the staircase before he can stop her.

"Rachel!" Finn yells. He shifts into a running position, then curses under his breath. He turns back to Sam and Jake, who stand, not following what just happened. He pushes the flask of Caden blood in one of their hands. "Get to the house and give this to Santana. Now!"

And then he leaves them, speechless in the darkness of the night that never seems to end.

* * *

lii.

She stumbles as she reaches the top of the stairs, gaping at the scene in front of her.

Sparks of fire hover over the abandoned furniture in the room, broken windows shattering glass on the floorboards. Blue and pink and green colors burn through the wood, and her eyes follow the traces of magic to the two warlocks battling in the centre.

Brody stands a couple feet from Jesse, his face marred with crusted blood. He holds his hands up as spells cast through his palms, slamming into Jesse like bricks. He falls backwards onto the floor, a instant hiss releasing from him.

Brody chuckles devilishly. He stands above Jesse, his foot making contact with his rib cage. "Not so wise now, are you James?"

Her eyes widen when she sees him pull a knife from his back pocket. She steps forward, needing to do _something_. Her arms outstretched, she races gently against the floorboards. "No, please stop - "

She screams. A small area of floorboards collapse from underneath her, wood breaking under the path she was running on. Her arms wail in panic as she feels herself fall through the sudden opening of the floor.

Rachel winces when her hands grip on a piece of the floor above her, fingers squeezing into the wood. Blood instantly rips from her flesh as her skin hits a loose nail on the floorboards, and she feels the fear build inside her when she hangs in the open air.

She cries out. Her fingers begin to slip against the blood that her hands rest in, and she tries with all her strength to hold on. Think of all the people you'd be disappointing if you die here, she reminds herself, think of how guilty Finn will feel for letting you run away.

Her eyes drift to a close. This can't be the end. She was so close to making it out of here. She was so close to freeing the city safe from demons and death and building an army of Night Chasers. She failed them. She failed the people that were killed by the demons she led in through the portal, failed her brother, who probably expected so much victory from her.

Most of all, she failed herself, and the world she thought she could save.

A hand suddenly grips against her wrist, and her eyes snap open. She looks up to find a shadow holding onto her from above, his face concentrated in the weight that he's pulling. She hisses when he lifts her towards him, the skin of her wrist scraping against the broken ends of the floorboards.

"Come on, Rachel, do something!"

She smiles in relief at the familiar voice. Blaine.

Rachel grunts. She struggles to lift herself onto her elbows, the other end of her body still hanging to the level below. She fights against the building injuries that weaken her as Blaine continues to pull her upwards. Almost there.

She cries out when she feels her chest slam against the wood of the floorboards, her breathing labored. She looks up to find Blaine on his hands, bent over as he tries to catch his breath. She reaches for him, desperate to cling to his body as the relief makes her want to jump on him and scream out in excitement.

"Rachel!"

Her head swirls to face Finn who rushes towards them. He falls to his knees in front of her, holding her face between his hands. He picks her chin up, analyzing her cuts. "Are you okay?"

She nods, breathless. Her fingers slowly pry his hands from her face as she turns back to Blaine. Her blood freezes.

He isn't there.

"Blaine," she draws out, voice weak and body tired. Her eyes blearily stare into the distance as Jesse continues to squirm painfully on the ground, his clothes drenched in blood. She crawls towards them, only to be pulled back by Finn's iron grip. "Where's Blaine, Finn?"

He doesn't answer her, and its probably because he notices Blaine the same time she does. Her heart pounds in her chest when she sees his shadow walking behind Brody, his feet stretched onto his tiptoes. Her hands grip her face, shaking her head in disbelief. "No, no, no, no . . . "

Brody sends Jesse another kick to the stomach before he trails his finger against the blade of his knife, oblivious to the Night Chaser standing behind him. He sticks the knife towards the agonized warlock on the floor. "Any last riddles, James?"

Blaine jumps forward and reaches for Brody.

"No! Blaine, stop - "

Brody turns to face him, and pierces the knife deeply into Blaine's chest.

Blaine gasps. His fingers grip the material of Brody's clothing as the warlock digs the knife even more into his flesh, his expression forming the sign of evil. "Stupid boy," he slithers, pulling the blade slickly from his body. Blood bubbles on Blaine's lips as he coughs, trailing spots of red dripping over his chin. His eyes widen in shock, and he holds his hands against his bleeding chest, collapsing to his knees.

Finn tightens his hold around Rachel, but she doesn't even notice. She feels numb, motionless, as she watches Brody kick Blaine to the ground, blood spilling to the floor. This can't be happening, she tells herself, this can't be happening. This isn't real, this _isn't happening._

The feeling in her heart tells her that it is. It's so familiar, the aching of her heart being torn into pieces, and she wonders if this will be the last time she's ever felt like that.

Brody turns to her and smiles, and she knows it won't be the last time.

The last thing she notices is the missing spot where Jesse's body used to be, and then total darkness as she feels herself falling forward.

* * *

liii.

She doesn't remember anything when she wakes up.

Her body aches for a reason she doesn't recall, and when she shifts on the mattress she can feel the familiar uncomfortableness of bandages that stick to her skin. She winces when a shock of pain shivers through her as she flattens her hand across her face, her palm burning.

When the hell did that happen?

Rachel peel her eyes open and she finds herself in the similar white room. She looks down to see her skin patched up in wounds she doesn't remember getting. Her nose crunches at the silk dress that wraps around her.

"I know, not my style of choice either, but it was the only comfortable thing you had that wasn't covered in blood."

Her head turns. She breathes out a release when she sees Santana perched on the chair beside her, a delicate smirk on her face. "San," she whispers, her eyes almost closing from the relief, "you're okay." Her gaze lowers to the gap in her leg, cringing at the redness that covers her skin.

"I wouldn't be if it weren't for you and the others," she answers genuinely. "Thanks for that."

Rachel sighs. She focuses on the injuries that paste against her pale skin, shaking her head at the ones she doesn't understand that she got. Her fingers slide against the scar on her neck, and she knows that was Hawk's damage when he held the knife against her. She looks down at her hands, the shallow holes that must have been caused by a slip of a knife or sword. She's sure she would have remembered something that painful.

Santana notices the concentration in her face. She leans forward in concern. "Rachel," she calls out. Her head snaps from the wounds on her palms when she hears Santana's worried tone. "Do you remember what happened last night? Everything?"

Rachel nods slowly. She closes her eyes and tries to recount the last memory she has of last night. "We were - " Her eyes suddenly widen. "Finn. Is he - is he okay? Is he - "

"Yes, Rachel he's fine. Go on."

Rachel shakes her head to rid herself from her nervous thoughts. "Uhm," she squints her eyes closed as she retells the events. "Finn and I just escaped the battle between Jesse and Brody. At the time it seemed like Jesse was winning and that was when we bumped into Sam and Jake. They were fine, and then I . . . I . . . " She squeezes her eyes shut when she goes blank.

"Rachel." There's slight hesitation in Santana's expression, and it's odd to see her looking so complicated. The confidence she's so used to seeing melts away as she stares at Rachel. "You were walking with everyone when a demon hit you on the way out," she sputters suddenly, almost as if she didn't mean to say it. "Brody left because he knew he would loose and so Jesse and Blaine decided to go try and find Hawk - "

"What do you mean Jesse and Blaine decided to go after him? Where are they?"

Santana bites her lip. "We're not exactly sure." Rachel shifts into a sitting position at the edge of the bed, her heart pounding. She looks at the Latina with concern watering her eyes. "But we'll find them and bring them back, Rachel, I promise."

She misses the way Santana's gaze wavers with hesitation.

* * *

liv.

"Where could he have taken him?"

Finn rests his head in his hands as they continue to discuss the whereabouts of Blaine. He bends his body forward in exhaustion, not being able to get the best sleep the night before. His fingers rub against the side of his temples, a headache forming behind his eyes.

"Maybe he took him to a gravesite," Jake offers, and it sends an instant cringe down Finn's spine. He throws his hand up at Jake to stop him from saying anything else.

"Listen, we don't know if he's dead for sure," Finn snaps. He sees the infliction in Jake's eyes as he nods in understanding, his arms outstretched in warning. Sam sighs heavily from his side on the table.

They've been back at the museum for about seven hours now. They had to return to Jesse's mansion to bring Santana back, Finn already carrying Rachel after she got knocked out after Brody stabbed. His heart aches when he reminds himself of her, and her previous dedication of making sure she never sees him again. He wonders if she'll leave before he gets the chance to see her.

The rhythm of footsteps echo throughout the dinning room, the only sound other than the quiet breathing of the people sitting at the table. Finn lifts his head from where it rests on his elbows, ears ringing.

He stands from the table the moment he sees Santana limp through the door.

"Rachel," he breathes, the name only a whisper, "is she alright? Does she - ?"

Santana shakes her head before he can even finish. "The last thing she remembers is finding Jake and Sam when you two went down stairs," she gasps. She pulls herself a chair around the table. Jake and Sam regard her with apprehensive glares. "I told her Jesse and Blaine decided to try and go after Hawk. She doesn't remember seeing Blaine get stabbed."

Finn winces. He can recall everything that happened after Brody drove his knife into Blaine's chest. He can still feel the heat of the fire-consumed wood when it fell against Rachel's head, knocking her out and robbing her of her most previous memories. He can still hear the air crisp into nothing when Brody transported himself out of the room, leaving Blaine for the dead. Then Jesse appeared from his hidden spot under a pile of floorboards and took Blaine in his arms, transporting with him as well. And he doesn't have any idea where.

And that was the last time Finn saw Blaine, blood on his chest, pale skin, looking like death.

"Good, we'll keep it that way," he sighs, thinking of how devastated Rachel will be if they told her the truth, "if we don't find him we'll tell her but for now . . . she has enough to worry about."

Santana breathes out. She places her hand on Finn's shoulder, eyes insistent. "She told me she wants to leave by tonight, asked me if I can help her pack her bags." She notices the pain that crosses through his gaze. "This is your last chance, Finn."

He frowns at the sudden change in the conversation. They don't understand, don't realize that he has to do this for her; so she can fall in love with someone else and not have to worry about him dying on her. That she doesn't have to worry about planning funerals for one more person.

The three of them stare at him, watching his expression as he rubs his palms against his face. "I can't hurt her - "

Santana shakes her head before he can finish. "There are ways around this, Finn. You don't give up on the one thing you fight for," Santana tells him, and she sounds almost disappointed in him for even thinking about letting her go. She points to her fingers as she names new ways to make it work. "Make sure she isn't in danger, and if she is, get someone else to help. There's loopholes to every prophecy. Are you seriously going to give up on her without giving her a chance?"

Finn removes his hands from his face. He stares at the patterns in the dinning room table, not being able to think of anyone else but the one girl that he was always scared to fall for. The best friend's sister. He thinks about his parents, before they died, telling him to never be afraid to fight for the person you love. _Fight_, as in, _don't die on her, Finn Hudson._

"You're different with her, man. Better." Sam speaks from where he sits at the edge of the table. Sam, the quiet one that is always fearful of stating his opinion. "You don't have to let her go."

Finn barely has time to respond before Santana faces him towards her in her confident manor. "Tell me right now Finn Hudson. You love her, yes or no?"

He pauses. Nobody's asked him that before. Sure, they've assumed it or decided to categorize it as an infatuation or some sort of flirtation, but this is the first time anybody's ever _realized_. Realized that Rachel is more important than a silly crush, his feelings for her more powerful than any prophecy.

He thinks that when he was younger, and he didn't even know what love meant, that he knew Rachel was going to be trouble for him. As corny as it sounds and as whipped as he seems, he can't help but feel a flutter in his chest as he answers, and his life doesn't seem so terrible at the moment.

"I always have."

Santana nods. She takes that into consideration for a moment before asking him the question that changes his entire perception on what this all means. On what he can do about it. "Well," she swirls, and he can tell by the look in her eyes that she just came up with something brilliant, "nothing has happened to you yet then, has it?"

Finn's face slowly widens into a grin.

Santana rubs his cheek, bumping her knuckles against his shoulder. "She's on the rooftop," she tells him, and he's out of his chair before she can even say, "go get her tiger."

* * *

lv.

He breathes in the freshness of the evening air as he steps onto the rooftop. The sun is just beginning to set, creating a beautiful, orange glow across the sky. There's barely a cloud in sight, though the late August air sends a warm breeze, almost comforting.

He finds her sitting along the edge of the roof, her legs dangling to the city below them. Her hands face the surface as she looks down at her swinging feet. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, the silk dress wrapping snuggly around her. He can tell by her concentrated expression that's thinking about something, and he wants to say its adorable, but he doesn't think its the right time for that.

"Hey."

She turns to look at him. He thinks she expects to see him, because her face sets into a hard line when she notices him standing behind him. She doesn't say anything as she turns back to the view in front of her.

Finn swallows, not ready to give up. "You're sitting pretty close to the edge," he observes. He walks to where she's perched, settling himself down beside her. Their knees touch, and she immediately tenses. He tries not to touch her hand when he rests his fingers along the ground.

"Things make sense all the way up here," she whispers, and the wind blows beautifully with her hair, "my worries seem smaller."

He tries to get her attention, his body facing towards hers. She doesn't budge, keeping her gaze on the sun that begins to lower in front of them. Her eyes are sad, hopeless, and it makes him want to shake whoever's in charge and say, 'can't you see she's been through enough?' But then he probably wouldn't. Because he's Rachel Berry, and she's stronger than she thinks. She knows that too.

"What are your worries?" He tries to be interested without scaring her too much.

Rachel breathes out a staggering breath. She looks down at her hands, lifting them to her lap and playing with the tips of her fingers. "Worrying if we find Blaine and Jesse before they get themselves hurt," she mentions, rubbing her palms against her knees. Then her voice lowers, and he can barely make out the words as she whispers them into the cool air. "Worrying how long it'll take for me to stop thinking about you."

Finn gulps. He knows Rachel doesn't want to do this either, but he expected her to stop thinking about him the moment she decided to let him go. He aches to reach out for her, pull her into his arms and promise her everything will turn out fine. He remains rigid beside her, giving her time and space. "Santana told me you're leaving tonight," he mumbles.

She sniffles, blinking away the wetness in her eyes. "Yeah," she croaks, voice breaking on the single word. She shifts in her position, remembering something. "I should start to - "

"You don't have to do this Rachel."

She stares at him, her eyes heavy and red with struggle. He returns the gaze, trying to remind her of the emotions and feelings she'd be wasting if she were to leave. Love isn't meant to be easy, but it is expected to be _difficult_. Not this difficult, at least. He guesses some of it is his fault, making sure he wasn't ever close to her. How can he blame her when he's put her through so much?

Needing her to understand, Finn reaches forward. His hand slips onto her lap, easing his fingers between her own as he grasps her gently in his hold. It feels nice, comfortable, and he doesn't think they've ever held hands before. Unless they were being chased by some demon or unnatural force. He squeezes her.

She looks down at their intertwined hands, shaking her head. "No," she says, and it instantly deflates the warmness in his heart. "No, this isn't fair. I don't want to hurt you either."

Finn gaps as she removes his hand from hers. She pushes herself onto her knees, and he leans forward, desperate for her to listen. "No matter what my feelings for you won't change. It could happens years from now or - "

Rachel holds her hands up to stop him. "I can't Finn," she gasps out, stumbling to her feet. She steps away from him before turning on her heels and heading for the door back inside. He watches her go, feeling helpless.

_What are you going to do, Hudson? _he asks himself, _watch the woman you love walk away_? He clenches his hands into fists, disappointed in himself for even thinking of letting her go. He straightens to his feet, stepping away from the edge. What will it take to make her stay? He bites on his lip as he thinks of the words.

"I love you."

She stops in her path to the door, and he knew the statement has some affect on her. He wants to smile in relief that she didn't keep walking. "That's the first time I've ever said it out loud."

Rachel slowly turns to face him. The look in her eyes is unrecognizable, one he's never seen before. She gazes at him in admiration, though ashamed of it for reasons he can explain. He grins at her, the woman he's loved for half of his life, and he doesn't want to look at anything else for the _rest _of his life. He steps a couple feet closer, his heart not so heavy anymore.

He can tell she's cracking, even when she whispers, "Finn . . . " her voice strained.

Finn's stomach experiences a feeling of nerves, almost excitement as his words continue to break her walls down. He takes another step forward. "Remember when Santana assigned us partners, and I came to you saying I don't want to avoid you anymore? That I heard something that made me realize it doesn't have to be like that between us? You know what I heard?"

Rachel's chest heaves as her breathing quickens, and she shakes her head at his question. She stares at him from where stands, her eyes watering with unshed tears. He takes one more step towards her, closing the distance between them.

"What's a life to live when you don't spend it with someone you love?"

Her eyes close as the tears finally spill over her cheeks. She takes a shuddering breath, and he reaches for her, finally allowing himself to touch her. His hands cup her face, fingertips wiping the wetness from her skin. He bends his head to hers, creating a bubble around them, focusing on no one but each other.

Her eyes peel open to look at him, and he can tell by the rawness in her glance that he finally broke through. "I want to spend every breathing moment I have with you, Rachel. No matter what it costs me," he chokes on his words, and he didn't even notice himself getting emotional as well.

Rachel breathes out, her fan like sweetness across his face. "Finn," she gasps through the silent tears that continue to drip down her cheeks. Her fingers run through the thickness of his hair. "I can't loose anyone else I care about."

Finn gulps thickly. He thinks of Puck, her parents, Quinn, Blaine and more of the people that she lost during her short time here at the museum. He thinks of how insecure she must be about caring for people, knowing that she could loose them at any second. It makes him want to work even harder to keep himself alive, so he can be there with her when she mourns, not the person she mourns for. He shakes his head, diminishing her worries.

"You won't loose me. I'll keep fighting, no matter what."

She nods, and he briefly glances at the trust shinning through her eyes before he pulls her against him. His hands grip her face as he pushes his lips on hers, his eyes closing at the contact. She whimpers, her hands lifting to his neck, fingers trailing a path of heat down his skin.

He can feel the wetness of her tears slip into their kiss, and it makes him hold her softer when it reminds him of the sensitivity she's under. His fingers gently brush through her hair, caressing her.

She moves her mouth sweetly against his, her touch so light and beautiful it makes him feel heavenly. He thinks this might be the first time they've kissed where they weren't under pressure, weren't desperate and sloppy like the rest of the occurrences. It's nice, kissing her like their lives aren't about to end, and it sends a shiver of peace throughout his body.

And when she slowly descends her arms to wrap around his waist, he wonders if she loves him too. She hasn't said it, and he doesn't think she plans to for a while, but he doesn't care because she's giving him a chance, and thats all that matters to him.

Rachel pulls away from him, leaning her forehead on his as she catches her breath. She smiles when he lowers his head to press his lips against the skin of her face, tickling her with his kisses. Her shoulders stiffen up as she giggles, pushing his mouth from her neck. She pulls back to look at him, her grin fading into a relaxed expression.

"You're going to have to fight like hell for the rest of your life, you know that right?"

Finn grins down at her. He picks her chin up between his fingers. "It's worth it."

He kisses her again, and he think it might take a while for him to fully convince her he doesn't care what her prophecy is, what his prohpecy is, or anything else about destiny's and all that crap. What matters is what's happening now, not that Blaine is missing, or that Hawk still plans on investing the world with demons, but the moments he shares with the person he loves, despite the chaos around them.

He's almost jealous for the humans. For lazy days at a cottage, drinking with buddies and all the things he could never experience as a Night Chaser. Where he doesn't have to worry about sacrificing himself over the woman he cares most about in the entire world, where he can take her out on dates like normal people do.

Finn feels her tongue slip inside his mouth, and he reminds himself he doesn't need to be normal to be happy. He has Rachel, and he has hopes of ending the war that's been building for years. They've been waiting for Rachel for too long. _He's_ been waiting for Rachel too long. But being with her, he knows he'll be able to face anything life decides to throw at him.

And that's a life worth living.

* * *

_THE END!_

_How did you guys enjoy the second installment of the Creatures of the Nightmares series?!:) I had fun writing this one, especially because the ending is so action-packed and intense! Are you happy Finn and Rachel got together? Worried about Blaine? Be sure to check out the next installment, called 'Creatures of the Darkness', which I will probably finish for the end of July. More details coming soon!_

_Also, I will be setting up another chapter like the first one, wondering if people have any questions for the third installment, and will also be releasing preview scenes on that one as well! Be sure to check it out if you want some spoilers!_

_HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED CREATURES OF THE UNDERWORLD, WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK. XOXOXO._

_Ps. I have two vacations coming up this month so it's not likely I will have the next one done before the end of July! I hope this installment is enough to satisfy you as you wait for the next one! _


	4. Questions 2

**I am so grateful for the encouragement you guys have given me and motivation to continue this story. Thank you so much for the kind words, and although there might be a delay in publishing it, I promise you it will be published in early August. Thank you all xoxo. Love you forever Cory, this is how we can keep him alive!**

* * *

**If you are interested in asking questions for the upcoming Creatures of the Darkness installment . . .**

Ask them in the review section and I will be happy to answer questions regarding relationship developments, plots and scenes to hype up the release of the Creatures of the Darkness this August!**  
**

I will then post the questions and answers asked for everyone to see in a update/repost of this chapter! **With every question I will post a preview of a scene in the next installment!**


	5. Announcement

Attention all readers! I have an announcement!

**I am starting my first novel!**

* * *

Although this is a very exciting news for me, this will unfortunately put a delay in the Creatures of the Nightmares Series! But fear not, I do promise I will finish them, it will just be later than I expected.

The novel I am planning is a science fiction thriller that is set in the later 2000s! It includes romance, and will probably consist of four novels of a series. I do have a question though, which names do you like better for the two main female and male leads? Leah or Lily for the girl? And Carter or Mason for the boy? Comment back to post your opinion!

I will post more information on how my novel is doing and the characters and what its about and when I will finish it. I hope you guys are as excited as I am and read it once its done! Maybe I'll even preview a couple of chapters on my fanfiction profile! Thank you guys so much for the support you've given me over the last couple of years, it really motivated me to start planning my novel!

Love you all, xoxo :)

**UPDATE!**

I am hoping to write three books, and name them '**The** **Mason** **Chronicles**.' I have chosen Leah Mason and Carter Boyd as the main chracters.

This is the main plot and brief summary of the first installment of **The Mason Chronicles:**

After an act of terrorism that destroyed half of civilization and left America without laws and security, a new race of warriors have been created with inhuman powers that will end the country's mayhem. With a surprise attack on the headquarters, most of the warriors are murdered while a group of them escape and divide themselves across the country as government officials continue to search for them.

Nine years later, survivor Leah Mason discovers that two of the escapees have been killed. Realizing that they are becoming closer to finding them, Leah goes on a quest to find the rest of the warriors that will hopefully restore life to the country, finding love, friendship, and truth along the way in the first installment of **The Mason Chronicles.**

- horrible synopsis so far, but I'm still brainstorming! Powers include telekinesis, mind control and others and its very dark yet full of action and drama! Hope you think the rough copy of the synopsis is good so far! I'm trying, this is my first time lo! :D - (btw, Leah was 10 when the attack occurred at the headquarters, so she is about 19, and Carter is now 23. So they're still fairly young!)


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