[Glee] Stardust: the slow dance of infinite stars, 5/7
Title: the slow dance of infinite stars
Author:
uninspired_me
Part: 5/7
Word Count: 8,500/55,500
Rating: T
Pairing: Mainly Puck/Rachel, with a side of Kurt/Blaine, Finn/Quinn & Santana/Brittany.
Summary: Like many young men, Noah Puckerman has spent his entire life looking up at the stars, waiting for his life to begin. But he never imagined that the stars were staring back, waiting to live. Loosely based on the movie “Stardust”.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own the movie, nor the book, titled “Stardust”.
Spoilers: Canon elements taken from up to Season 3, so 3x14 just to be safe.
Warning: Supernatural themes with character death and animal cruelty, language
Beta: Special thanks to
dreamlesssleep and
joyasaurus_rex for being awesome betas!
Previous: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |
.-.
“So you’re telling me that that Blaine guy is a warlock with magical powers, and you were talking to an invisible unicorn?” Puck asked incredulously, his tone bordering on absurd.
Rachel sighed. “You said you’d keep an open mind, Noah.”
Puck shot Rachel a pointed look. This was him keeping an open mind. It was all just so mind-blowing.
“Okay, then.” He said, trying to stay rational through all this. “So say I believe you. Why does he want to send you back?”
Rachel looked away uncomfortably. “He just... doesn’t understand what it’s like to be a star. He just thinks things should be a certain way, and that’s all they can be.”
Puck frowned. He had a feeling that it was definitely more than that. This “warlock” seemed like he feared for her life.
“But who the hell are the Unholy Trinity?” he pressed on as his mind ran a mile a minute.
Rachel hesitated again, looking away. “They’re nothing. They don’t exist.”
Puck looked at her skeptically. “They seemed like a fucking big deal earlier. That Blaine guy looked like he was about to shit his pants over them.”
Rachel frowned at Puck’s crude words. “Noah,” she finally looked him in the eyes. “Earlier you asked me to trust you.”
He wanted to roll his eyes, thinking this was completely different. There weren’t any guys with daggers and dudes with magical powers chasing them when they were sitting in a car coming up on New York City. He opened his mouth to point that out, but Rachel spoke over him. “So, can you please do the same for me? I promise you, I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Puck once again opened his mouth, wanting to tell her it wasn’t himself he was worried about. Again, man with a big knife, threatening to cut her wish out of her.
But once again Rachel interrupted him. “Please, Noah,” she pleaded, her hands moving to hold his, tracing soothing circles with her thumbs. “Please, I need you to trust me.”
Puck sighed and nodded reluctantly. “Fine, Rachel. I trust you.”
She smiled and threw her arms around him. Slowly, Puck’s hands moved to land on her waist, surprised at her sudden close contact. He resisted the impulse to bury his face in her hair, to close his eyes, to just hold her forever. He cleared his throat and his mind, gently guiding her backwards to place some distance between them again.
“Okay,” he said finally, scrambling for a distraction. “It’s getting late, we better go look for a place to stay.”
She smiled brightly at him, and Puck briefly wondered what that smile was doing to him. He’d been with a lot of girls, had a couple that kind of stuck for a little while too, but still, none inspired the same feelings that that smile did.
“Wonderful.” She clapped her hand together and stood up. “Smile, Noah,” she said, finally looking around and taking in her surroundings excitedly. “We’re in New York City!”
Puck chuckled and joined her, “You win, Rachel,” he said smiling. Burying all his concerns and worries, at least for now, he offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
She giggled at his attempt at being charming, slipping her arm through his. “We shall!”
.-.
“Noah, I don’t think I want to stay here.” Rachel said, uncertainly, staring up at a seedy motel. Puck had the exact same thoughts as he studied the rundown building, but who the hell knew that decent hotels in New York were so fucking expensive?
“I know, Rachel, but I don’t think I can afford anything better,” he said apologetically. “I’m not exactly made of money.”
Rachel nodded reluctantly, an evident frown on her face. “I guess it’ll have to do.” She agreed with a sigh. “I suppose that every true star needs to go through hardships such as these to fuel their art. As I obviously can’t tell my soon-to-be adoring public my true history, it’ll be stories like these that will shape my image as a suffering performer.”
Puck raised an eyebrow her. He opened his mouth, a question forming on his lips before he thought better of it, shutting his mouth again and shaking his head.
Their first excursion into New York hadn’t been everything Rachel had expected. He could tell by her face that she was far from impressed at the streets, sometimes lined with trash and seedy alleyways. They’d even passed a fair share of homeless people, which he knew scared her a little. She felt both sad and frightened for their raggedy appearance. It didn’t help that they seemed to be in a very shady part of the city.
Puck felt really bad and wished he could afford a good place for them to stay, or at least one less… disgusting. But he had to be practical. His bank account had some cash, but they needed it. He had promised to help her until she became a star, and that would take time.
Neither of them had probably thought this out realistically. There were many hopefuls out there trying to make it in this city. What made Puck think that this was going to be a simple task? They had nothing. No clothes. No apartment. Barely any money.
He’d heard stories of people making it big with nothing more than the clothes on their back, but he had a feeling those were just those pipe dream stories used to keep struggling artists motivated. So until they formed a proper plan, the bare necessities would have to do. At least until she became famous and… she didn’t need him anymore.
He shrugged away the thought, as well the unexpected pang in his stomach, and continued his way into the hotel.
They checked in and made their way up to their room, Rachel pressing against his back, trying to hide from the moldy walls and stained carpet. The inside of the room wasn’t much better.
“Hey, at least they have a fireplace,” Puck joked feebly, trying to make the most of the situation.
Rachel squealed when something scampered across the floor.
“No, no, no.” she protested adamantly, backing out the door. “We can’t stay here, Noah. It’s unhygienic and unsanitary and just plain disgusting! I know I said I was willing to suffer for my craft, but I refuse to stay here!”
Puck sighed. Although he completely agreed with her, he didn’t see that they had much choice. “We have to, Rachel. It’s all we can afford. Unless we rob a bank, I don’t think we’re gonna be able get anything better.”
Rachel’s face lit up suddenly. “You know, Noah, you’re exactly right!” she said, brightly.
Puck looked at her nervously. “Er, Rachel, I was kidding. Like I’m all for fulfilling your dreams and all, but we can’t actually rob a bank!”
Rachel shook her head ridiculously. “Of course not, Noah. Don’t be silly.” She entered the room again and shut the door behind her before striding over to the fireplace and daintily picking up a small lump of coal.
“Uh, Rachel…” Puck said again, uncertainly.
“You said you were going to trust me, Noah.” She reminded him with a smile. “Now, trust me, you’re going to want to see this…”
He watched in apprehension as her fist enclosed around the lump of coal, just like the other day with the flower. A faint light glowed from her hand, escaping from between her fingers, and when she opened her hand again, there sat a small diamond where the lump of coal used to be.
Puck stared on astonished. “What the…?”
“It’s all about energy,” Rachel said, slightly out of breath, like she had just run a mile. She looked a little uneven on her feet too, but she tried to hide it. “Everything in the world has a certain energy, and energy can be transformed.” She explained. Puck picked up the small diamond from her hand and examined it as she continued. “But only similar energy can be transformed. That’s why I could change the flower into a butterfly, since they were both living things. But I can never, say, turn a rock into a butterfly.”
He looked at her with wide eyes. “Who the hell needs butterflies when you can do this?” he asked incredulously, but then his expression changed. “Rachel, if you could do this all along, then why the hell did you need me? You could just make diamonds, literally.”
Rachel smiled at him weakly, taking a shaky step closer to him. “As I said, it’s all about the energy, and doing that transformation, even just a small one, takes a lot of energy. It’s unsustainable.”
Puck nodded, tucking the diamond into his jacket pocket. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of this shit hole. He didn’t know how much a diamond like that could possibly cost, but hell, it was definitely worth more than this. It would be enough to get her established here in New York.
Together they searched for a pawn shop. He figured it was their best bet. They couldn’t go to a professional jeweler, otherwise they might seem suspicious. Not that they wouldn’t seem suspicious walking into a pawn shop and trying to offload a diamond, but Puck figured they were less likely to ask questions.
Rachel stared around, wide eyed, when they finally found one. The walls were lined with many so many different things, from musical instruments to old paintings. She clung to his arm as he led her up to the counter where a grubby old man sat, examining them calculatingly.
He smiled lecherously at Rachel as they approached. “Wot can ‘aye doo fer yer?” he asked in an indistinguishable accent, still eyeing Rachel.
Puck coughed loudly, commanding the man’s attention, while inching to stand in front of Rachel and shield her from view. He dug the diamond out of his pocket and laid it on the counter. “How much can I get for this?”
The old man looked at them in surprise, his expression becoming intrigued. Slowly, he picked up the diamond and pulled out a tiny eye glass, lifting it to his eye for closer examination. If the man was suspicious, he didn’t show it. In fact, he didn’t show much emotion at all.
He lowered his hands and stared directly into Puck’s face. “Fifty,” he said gruffly, his voice steady and unwavering.
Puck frowned. He didn’t know much, but he was sure diamonds were worth much more than fifty dollars. “Fuck no,” he said, reaching to take the diamond back.
“Fine,” the old man rolled his eyes. “One hundred. But ‘ats me final offer.”
Puck scoffed, pocketing the diamond, turning to leave. “I guarantee yer, no matter where yer go, for ‘at size and clarity one hundred grand is the best yer gonna get. Especially without any paperwork.”
Puck froze on the spot, trying not to seem stunned. One hundred thousand dollars. He turned slowly, looking the old man dead in the eye. “One twenty-five,” he replied. Somehow, he didn’t know why, it seemed like the thing to say. He had watched enough movies to know that it would be strange if didn’t at least try to haggle a little.
It was now the man’s turn to scoff. “One-ten.” He said finally, in a take-it-or-leave-it tone.
“Deal.” Puck replied, walking back up to the counter. “But I want it upfront.”
The old man nodded and sighed, heading towards the back, getting the money out of a safe no doubt. He came back with a small duffel bag and showed him the cash. They completed the trade without another word, and Puck tried not to show that he was shaking inside.
He’d never seen so much money in his life. In his life. It all seemed unreal. It was more than enough to set Rachel up here. Hell, if her abilities didn’t make her so exhausted, she could live here on that alone. But he supposed that wasn’t the point. Rachel hadn’t travelled all this way, light years from what he gathered, to get lazy now.
As soon as they step out onto the street, Rachel squealed and threw her arms around Puck’s neck, laughing.
“I can’t believe something so small could cost so much!” she said, happily. “I never realized! Though now that I think about it, it was rather pretty! I guess Lorelei Lee was right; diamonds are a girl’s best friend. ”
Puck laughed and spun her around. “You got that right! We can definitely stay somewhere fancier for a few days while we look for a place for you.”
Rachel paused, her smile falling slightly. “For us, you mean?”
Puck studied her face, smiling weakly. “Yeah, I guess, for us.”
“Noah…?” She looked up at him uncertainly.
He tried to smile at her more genuinely, but he guessed it came out as more of a grimace. “I just, I figured, after I got you here and set you up, you wouldn’t need me anymore. I’d be heading back home.”
Rachel frowned, shaking her head vigorously. “Of course that’s not true. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you, and now I can’t picture myself making it all the way without you by my side.”
Puck smiled widely at her, relief washing over him. He didn’t even realize he was feeling nervous. “Besides, we made a deal. You’re stuck with me until we see my name in lights!” Puck laughed. “And you still need to help me pick a stage name, Noah Puckerman, so it’s seems you’re here to stay.”
He laughed and picked her up again, twirling her around. “Okay then, Miss Star. Let’s go find a place for us to stay.”
.-.
“Now this is much better,” Rachel said, taking a seat on one of two large beds, staring around the lavish hotel suite.
Puck nodded in agreement. It was awesome. Really fucking awesome. There were pillow mints and a minibar, hell, there was even a safe for the money. He plucked out a few of hundred dollar bills and locked the rest safely away.
Turning to Rachel, he said, “Okay, let’s go!”
She looked at him curiously. “But we just got here.”
“Rachel, it’s your first night in New York City, are you sure you want to spend it in a hotel room?”
She smiled. “But it has a great view!” she joked.
Puck laughed. “You’ve spent your entire existence with a great view. Don’t you want to get a closer look?”
Rachel laughed, too, looping her hand around his arm and nodded excitedly. “Lead the way!”
.-.
He laughed as he watched Rachel. She kept spinning around, just like earlier in the car, trying to see everything around her at once. He was glad that she seemed to bounce back from the earlier drama. It was strange and intense, but he truly hoped they could put it all behind them. She seemed to think they could.
He didn’t exactly know where he was going, but after getting some directions from the concierge, he knew there was only one place they had to go.
“Rachel,” he said, trying to calm her down. “Come here.”
She skipped over to him. “Isn’t it wonderful, Noah?” She asked, unable to contain her enthusiasm.
He laughed. “Yep, and you still trust me, right?”
She nodded eagerly. “Of course.”
“Okay, then I need you to close your eyes again.”
She looked so cute as she smiled up at him, unfailing in her faith in him, and closed her eyes.
Slowly, avoiding the bustle of people around them, he guided her around the corner and positioned her in the middle of the walkway.
“Okay, now, open.” He instructed.
She gasped as she opened her eyes, taking in the bright flashing lights and giant billboards.
“Noah! It’s Broadway!” she exclaimed. Puck laughed again as she ran a little way up the sidewalk before realizing that she had left him behind. She ran back to him, almost giddily and reached for his hand, pulling him along. “Come on!”
She was just as energetic as ever, and Puck found it adorable. She was like a kid in a candy store, running here and there. They made their way along, walking the streets and taking in the sights. She gave him a lively explanation of every play, theatre and poster they passed. Puck learned more about the Great White Way than he had in his entire life.
“Oh look, Noah!” Rachel yelled giddily, pointing joyfully towards a group of buskers. She tugged him forward again to listen. “It’s lovely!”
Puck nodded his agreement, laughing as he dropped some money in the open music case.
“Come on,” she said, pulling on his hand again. Puck had expected her to drag him somewhere else, assuming something else had caught her eye, but instead, she pulled him closer to the performers, into the center of a gathering audience. Then, to his horror, she began dancing. Not that her dancing was horrible; she was actually really good. What was horrifying was that she expected him to join in.
“No!” he laughed, taking a step back as she twirled her arms in time with the beat.
“Come on, Noah!” she urged, but Puck firmly shook his head.
She laughed at him again, refusing to take no for an answer. His resistance was futile as she pulled him forward, and Puck found himself shuffling awkwardly on the busy sidewalk, surrounded by a crowd of people. To Puck’s relief, no one seemed to be laughing at him, but rather with him. In fact, a few other couples began joining in. His eyes trained in on Rachel, and he couldn’t take them off her.
She was radiant.
She didn’t even need to glow to exude brilliance.
She was breathtaking.
Puck stopped dancing and stared at her. He wondered how one girl could make such an impact on his life in such a short amount of time. All he knew was, wish or not, his life would never be the same.
Rachel spun around again, and noticed Puck’s staring. She paused in front of him, looking up at him with a vibrant smile.
“Rach-” he began, but suddenly there was a loud bang behind them. Instinctively, Puck covered his body over hers protectively and ducked down. “What the…?”
It was absolute chaos as the sound of screaming tore through the air. There were people running everywhere, and Puck started pulling Rachel along, trying to also get out of there. Whatever was happening, he didn’t want to get caught in the middle of it. They’d had enough drama for one day.
Unfortunately for him, they were the middle of it.
Suddenly, he felt something grab him by the collar and pull him upwards, flinging him through the air. He landed with a thud some twenty feet away.
“Rachel!” he called out groggily as he pushed himself up, ignoring the intense pain in his shoulder. It was still bruised from the accident. He looked for her frantically, cursing himself for letting her slip through his fingers yet again. “Rachel!”
Straining his ears, he heard her screaming for him, and as the crowd dissipated, Puck finally saw her. She was backing away from three girls dressed in cheerleading uniforms who were descending upon her. And they were not just any cheerleading uniforms. He recognized them to be McKinley High Cheerios.
“What the…?” He muttered, scrambling to his feet and racing towards Rachel.
The Cheerios quickly surrounded her, and just as Puck thought frantically that he wouldn’t be able to reach her in time, another loud bang wrought the night air. This time, however, the three Cheerios were thrown backwards, but instead of flying haphazardly through the air, they seemed to pause mid-flight, twisting their bodies skillfully and landed deftly on their feet.
Puck finally reached Rachel, protectively standing in front of her and readying himself to do whatever it took to keep whoever these girls were away from her.
The three Cheerios grinned evilly in their direction. “This doesn’t concern you,” they said almost gleefully.
Puck opened his mouth to shout back, but just at that moment, the warlock guy from earlier stepped up beside him and he realized they weren’t talking to him.
“Leave here!” Blaine commanded, exuding power. “Leave and I’ll spare you.”
The dark-haired Cheerio threw her head back in laughter. “Like you could do anything to us.”
A pulse of energy travelled towards them, knocking over several stands and trash bins, but one of the blondes, the leader by the looks of things, just waved her hand dismissively, and whatever pulse had been left them unaffected.
“Pathetic,” she said, taking a step forward. “Now, give us the star and we will leave.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Quinn,” Blaine shouted back. He waved his arms and sent another wave of energy towards her. This time, however, the blonde was unable to stop it entirely, stumbling backwards slightly.
“Enough,” she commanded sternly, her face angry in displeasure. In an instant, she had Blaine around the throat, lifting him in the air and throwing him like he was a ball. He was hurling through the air, but then something seemed to catch him. He was suddenly riding upon something invisible, and Puck realized that the unicorn must be there, trying to help.
The Latina Cheerio rolled her eyes and groaned. “What are you doing here?”
Blaine leapt off his perch and landed swiftly on his feet, running towards Quinn.
Puck watched on, both amazed and terrified at the ensuing battle as they traded massive blows. Blaine shot dark blue balls of energy towards Quinn, but she shrugged off the hits like they were nothing more than paintball bullets. Quinn was much more physical in her assault, launching herself at Blaine, her fists landing powerful strikes to his body. But the warlock seemed to be able to hold his own.
“Come on, Rachel,” Puck said quietly, backing away. Whatever was happening, it was because of her, which meant he needed to get her out of there. “Let’s go.”
Before he could take another step, the Latina was in front of him, her hand grabbing him around the throat. “Not so fast, white boy,” she said menacingly, squeezing hard.
“Stop!” he could hear Rachel shouting loudly as Puck struggled against the hand. His vision was rapidly blurring, the hand around his throat clutching ever tighter. And just as he thought he was going to die, his body screaming for oxygen and his mind getting weaker by the moment, a bright white light engulfed him.
He was sure that this was the end, briefly hoping the bright light would at least bring him peace. But then, the hand gripping his throat was gone, and the white light was getting stronger and stronger, blinding him until it slowly started to fade.
As the light dissipated, Puck suddenly found himself standing in their hotel room, clutching his throat gingerly and gasping for air. He realized that Rachel must have brought them here, had somehow transported them here. It was the only explanation.
Whatever she did, they had somehow managed to escape. They were safe.
He laughed with relief, his voice hoarse. “Hey Rachel, why didn’t we simply do this before?” he asked in wonder as he turned around. He paused when he saw her pale face. “Rachel?”
He watched in horror as her eyes rolled to the back her head, her body crumbling beneath her. He lunged forward, barely managing to catch her in time before her limp body hit the ground.
.-.
The last thing Blaine knew, he was being propelled backwards through the air, pushed by an angry Quinn, desperate to get to the star.
And the next?
He was landing safely onto his bed back in his small, isolated cottage. He looked around, stunned.
Kurt, too, was standing beside his bed, the anxious shake of his mane telling Blaine that he wasn’t expecting this either.
“Damn that girl!” Blaine cried, thumping the mattress with his fist. Kurt trotted over and nuzzled his nose against Blaine’s shoulder.
“I know, I know. But if she doesn’t stop using her powers, she’s going to run out of energy.” He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to sense her. “She’s weak. I can barely feel her life force anymore. She won’t be able to handle another attack. No matter what that girl says, she can’t face the Trinity.” Blaine groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face.
Kurt whinnied and Blaine sighed, nodding.
“Yeah, I know, at least she’s safe. For now, anyway,” Blaine rubbed his forehead. Obviously, chasing after Rachel wasn’t working. She didn’t want him there any more than she wanted the Trinity to be there. Though he guessed he was slightly less intimidating. At least he wasn’t trying to capture and kill her.
He stood up and walked to his window, staring up at the cloudless night sky. Kurt trotted over to join him, silently speaking to Blaine.
“You know, I think you’re right, Kurt.” Blaine said, struck by the same sudden epiphany. “A different approach would be best. In fact, I think I know a way to get Rachel to see reason and neutralize the Unholy Trinity.” His head turned and he smiled eagerly. He quickly busied himself around the small cottage, collecting supplies and readying his well-worn apothecary table. “And if I hurry, I can have him summoned here by morning.”
.-.
Rachel’s eyes blinked open slowly, taking in her surroundings. She found herself back in the hotel room, staring at the ornate decorations and the lavish furniture. The bed felt soft beneath her, much softer than the Schuester’s fold-out couch, and she could tell by the touch that the sheets were made out of a fine material. It reminded her of life before she came here; the feeling of weightlessness, like she was floating.
She blinked again and looked around, finding a worried Noah pacing back and forth. He held a lamp in his hand, brandishing it like a weapon. She watched as he paused every few paces to stare at the door, as if he was expecting someone to come bursting inside at any moment.
“Noah,” she croaked out hoarsely. Her throat felt parched. She tried to push herself up, but Noah was by her side in an instant, there to gently guide her.
“Careful…” he said, looking down at her, his face etched with concern. He quickly paced an extra couple of pillows behind her back, allowing her to sit upright. He then took a seat next to her on the bed, his hand moving to hold hers as he carefully examined her. “Are you okay?” he asked, tentatively reaching out to pat her hair with his other hand.
She nodded tiredly and opened her mouth to speak, only to find that the words wouldn’t come out.
Noah reached over to the night stand and handed her a glass of water. She smiled at him gratefully before taking a sip.
Clearing her throat, Rachel tried again. “I’m fine, Noah,” she said, her free hand rubbing his reassuringly. His body relaxed slightly, and he took the glass from her, taking a gulp himself, before settling it back on the table. She watched as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. It was only then that she noticed the dark marks around his neck, a large bluish-back bruise marring his features. ”Oh my god…” she whispered in shock, her hand reaching out to gently trace the bruise with her hand.
Noah leaned into her touch, and offered her a trying smile. “It’s nothing…” he said, “I’m just glad you’re…”
Rachel could feel tears stinging her eyes as her bottom lip began to tremble. “I’m so sorry, Noah.” She whimpered. He was taking such good care of her, and how did she repay him? She almost got him killed. “Oh god, what am I doing?” Her chest felt like it was closing up. She was struggling to breathe, gasping for air.
“Rachel…Rachel…Rachel!” Noah exclaimed loudly, gently shaking her shoulders and trying to snap her out of her panic-induced haze. “Calm done. I’m fine. It’s okay.”
“No, no it’s not okay, Noah!” She sobbed, shaking her head vigorously. “It’s far from okay! I thought it would be so simple. Come to New York. Be a star. I was so selfish that you were almost strangled to death. I can’t, Noah. I’m so sorry.”
Noah pulled her close, gingerly cupping the nape of her neck as Rachel’s tears soaked into his shirt. It was a while before she managed to calm down, his kindness just serving to exacerbate her guilt. But he just held her, running a soothing hand along her back.
When it seemed like she had no more tears to cry, Noah pulled away gently and looked at her carefully, studying her tear-stained face.
His hand moved to cup her cheek, brushing her tears away with his thumb. “Rachel, what is going on?” He asked calmly, like he didn’t have the heart to reprimand her. It just made her feel worse. “Who were those girls?”
She nodded somberly, taking a deep breath before meeting his gaze. “They…” she began, trying to find the right words without scaring him. “They were the Unholy Trinity.”
He leaned back, wide-eyed, muttering a low curse under his breath. He didn’t look entirely surprised by this revelation, but was reluctant to hear it all the same.
“Dammit, Rachel! I was hoping you wouldn’t say that…” She watched as he tried desperately to contain himself, but she could see his jaw clenching and unclenching nervously until he burst out, “Okay, seriously, Rachel. I know you said you didn’t want to talk about this, but fuck, it’s the second time today that someone’s come after you! You need to tell me what the fuck is going on!”
She nodded again before staring at their hands again, clutched tightly together, and steeling herself for the very long story.
“They work for the witch queen,” she began with a sigh. “Her name, well, it was once Sue Sylvester. She’s old; older than most of this world. She’s gained more and more power over the millennia, by stealing mostly, but when she was human, she was a truly remarkable witch. About five hundred years ago, Sue heard of a rising witch coven, their power rapidly growing throughout the Americas. So she set out to destroy them and take their power.
“By that time, Sue was already very old, and her power, while still formidable, was weakening. So, instead they bargained with the queen, pledging to give her everything she wanted. But they betrayed her, and Sue used the bulk of her power to curse them, bound to do her bidding until their debt had been repaid.”
As Rachel continued her story, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, but not from fear of what she was saying. She was scared about how Noah would react. So much had happened in such a short period of time, and she wouldn’t blame him if he left, but she just felt like she couldn’t bear to lose him right now. She just couldn’t.
“And thus, the Unholy Trinity was born. For centuries, they wreaked havoc around the world under her command until around 300 years ago when they completely disappeared. Nobody’s seen or heard from them since, and it was believed that Sue killed them in a fit of jealousy over their eternal youth and immortality because it seemed like Sue’s curse backfired on her. They had achieved all that she desired through this curse, but no one could figure out how.”
Noah sat quietly listening to Rachel, the frown on his face ever deepening. “Okay…” he said slowly. If he was scared, he didn’t show it and she was grateful for that. “But what the hell does that have to do with you?”
Rachel sighed, reluctant to impart this particular information. “She wants me…”
“For your wish?” Noah prompted when she trailed off. She could see the struggle on his face as he attempted to take everything in, which only served to deter her even more. “Rachel?” he asked. His voice was full of concern that she knew she couldn’t not answer. No matter how reluctant she felt.
She looked away, shaking her head and taking a deep breath. “No, she wants my heart.”
“What?” Noah asked, surprised, obviously no expecting this twist.
“There’s this legend, ‘He who possesses the heart of a star shall live forever.’” Rachel said sadly, looking up at him through her dark lashes. “Sounds romantic doesn’t it? But it’s far from it. A star’s life is long, almost eternal. In order for someone to own it, they must take it. Sue wants my heart, to take that energy and become immortal.”
“How-how do you know?” Noah asked, disbelievingly.
Rachel sighed. “Because she’s done it before.”
“But… but…” he stammered out, his calm demeanor quickly evaporating. “What?!”
“She’s killed numerous stars that have previously come to earth. She’s the reason stars are forbidden to come here anymore, because while the energy sustains her life, what she didn’t count on is that she would continue to grow old. She’s able to magically maintain her youth for a few centuries before her powers start to wane. The last star to be captured by her was almost eight hundred years ago. And the last star to fall, about five hundred years ago, managed to narrowly escape her clutches. Now, she’s getting desperate. She’s almost out of power to sustain herself. It’s probably why she sent the Trinity rather than come for me herself. She’s conserving her energy for…” she trailed off, but Noah didn’t seem to notice as her words hung heavily in the air.
He looked at her in horror, realization dawning on his face. “But if she wants your heart, then that means…”
“She must cut it out.” Rachel completed, her voice full of dread.
“Fuck…”
She could almost see the wheels turning in his head, the connections being made. That’s why Rachel had understood Will’s behavior earlier so easily, why he believed cutting her wish out of her was the only way to save his wife. He had been misinformed, because in truth, he would have instead gained immortality. Rachel didn’t want to think about how horrified he would have been to learn the truth. He would have to spend an eternity living with his guilt. It was quite sad, really. Especially since his wife would have continued on just as she is now.
Rachel truly believed Will thought he had no other option. Even though she knew she should at least be angry at him, she couldn’t find any within her. Will was just a lost man trying to save his wife. She could only hope that one day someone would love her as much as Will loved his wife.
Rachel was just glad Blaine had shown up when he did. As meddlesome as the warlock was, she was grateful for his concern. Even though she refused to believe that she couldn’t have all her dreams come true.
She studied Noah’s shocked face, trying to gauge the shadows of emotions playing across his face.
“Noah…” she began tentatively.
She expected him to yell, scream, shout, anything. But instead, his incredulous gaze turned towards her and he asked, unexpectedly calm. “Rachel, what the hell were you thinking?”
She flinched at his words. While his demeanor was calm and collected, his words stung worse than any knife trying to cut out her heart.
“You shouldn’t be here!” He continued, his voice slowly getting louder and louder. “Blaine’s right, it’s way too fucking dangerous for you to be here!” She looked away, fresh tears stinging her eyes. “Look, I know you want this. I do. But I can’t protect you! I’m helpless against those girls. That black-haired chick almost snapped my neck like a fucking twig, and I don’t even want to think about this queen bitch! You would have been defenseless Rachel…”
“You don’t understand, Noah!” she protested, raising her voice as well. “I told you, I have a dream-”
“And you think your dream is worth all this?” he interjected, fear lining his voice. “Rachel…” he took her by the shoulders and shook her forcefully, as if he was trying to wake her up. “Someone is trying to cut your heart out! Why are you doing this if it’s so dangerous?”
She looked at him beseechingly, begging him to understand. “Noah, please understand. I’ve been alive for a very long time. A very long time. Except I’ve never really lived. These past few days with you, I’ve experienced more, lived more, than I have in a millennia of being a star. I was simply just existing. Do you know how painful it is to have a dream and spend an eternity knowing it’ll never come true?”
Noah shook his head in disbelief, unwilling to hear anymore. He stood and began walking from the room, but Rachel’s quiet pleading voice seemed to cause him pause, at least momentarily. “I just couldn’t sit idly by anymore, Noah. I had to at least try...”
She watched as his hand moved up to scrub over his forehead and he groaned in frustration. She could feel the tears streaming down her face as he continued out of the room without so much as a word or even a glance over his shoulder. She was sure he was going to leave her, and she realized that she feared that more than anything else, even more than an evil witch queen hell-bent on cutting out her heart.
Because right now, it already felt like her heart had been shattered into a million pieces.
.-.
Quinn felt the agony of the Queen’s wrath coursing furiously through her body, each blow causing her to writhe in pain. She knew both Brittany and Santana were right beside her, enduring the same torture, their bodies contorting brutally as Sue shot bright blue jolts of electricity from her fingertips.
And yet there was silence. Not even a single syllable of their anguish lingered in the air. They had each learned long ago not to voice their suffering; it only served to fuel their Queen’s sadistic anger.
It had been a nasty shock to everyone when they appeared unceremoniously back at the Queen’s fortress, directly in front of the Queen herself. It had taken a moment before they each realized what happened; Brittany perhaps a little longer, but watching their Queen’s triumphant smile turn to bitter rage had been enough to give Quinn nightmares for the rest of eternity.
“Where is she?” The Queen bellowed ferociously, swiping at them through the air. Three large gashes appeared on each of their cheeks, marring their perfect features.
Quinn looked up at her Queen from her position sprawled on the floor, wiping at the blood and sweat running down her face and panting harshly.
“Our deepest apologies, my Queen.” She pleaded bitterly. “She was within our grasp and we failed.”
“Yes, you did,” Sue looked at them coldly, this time sending another blue jolt of energy their way. As they jerked haphazardly on the floor, she continued, “And you remember what happened the last time you failed me, don’t you? You disgust me!”
When she took another moment’s pause, Quinn slowly tried to sit up suppressing a groan at the pain.
“We tried, my Queen. We really-”she began, but the Queen caused her words to be cut off suddenly. Quinn gritted her teeth together as she felt like every cell of her body had been set on first, the pain overwhelming her again. “We tried, My Queen! We tried!” she shouted through the pain as the Queen continued on her rampage.
“Shut up! You think this is hard? You should try dying inside, that’s hard!” the Queen yelled angrily, sending another unbearable assault their way.
Quinn could see Santana and Brittany out of the corner of her eye, the pain threatening to overcome them. She watched as Santana’s hand reached out and took Brittany’s, trying to comfort her even as she thrashed about.
Even as she lay there panting, granted a brief reprieve as her Queen continued ranting, Quinn couldn’t take her eyes off their entwined hands.
She knew about them, of course. You don’t spend half a century with two people and not know certain things about their lives, but she felt a deep sorrow for failing them once again.
“Please, my Queen,” she gasped through each spasm of pain. “Give us another chance. We won’t fail again!”
The Queen laughed, but the sound was hollow, filling them each with chills.
“Like you have a choice,” she growled at them before muttering more quietly to herself. “Like I have a choice...”
The past three hundred or so years had been very hard on the Queen. The heavens had forbidden the stars from journeying to earth, and her supply of power had dwindled exponentially. It had been too long since she had claimed a new heart, and she could no longer sustain herself. Even though her power was still formidable, she kept just enough reserved to complete the ritual should another star fall.
However, time was not on her side.
It was part of the reason the Queen hated them so much; why she was happy, gleeful even, to see them bound to do her bidding.
It had long vexed the Witch Queen that despite being the most powerful being to grace the earth in its entire history, three seemingly simple witches had inexplicably been able to achieve what she had yet to accomplish: youth and immortality. Even now Quinn could feel her skin slowly healing, the large bleeding gashes mending themselves as the burns and bruises started to fade away. By the end of the day she would be back to normal, ready to face another battle.
After the first century of their servitude, the Queen had grown increasingly more aggravated as her jealousy overcame her. Her curse upon them had somehow bestowed upon them everything she had yearned for since the beginning of her reign.
Beauty. Youth. Power.
Ultimately, it was an invulnerability that both enraged and perplexed the Queen to the point where she locked them away, unwilling to face her own failures. It was only her curse upon them that stopped the Trinity from turning on her and retaliating. It protected her.
Now, the Queen harbored a deep-seated hatred for the three of them, especially when she had started showing signs of aging, and could no longer use her powers to maintain a visage of health and beauty. It also meant that she was trapped within this castle until she could regain her power to return her appearance to normal, especially her hair.
The queen had always prided herself on her ability to turn her hair into full blonde locks that shone in the sun, though Quinn knew that wasn’t how her hair had look all those years ago when the queen was actually human. There was something in her past involving an unfortunate incident with peroxide that made her hair hang lifelessly to her scalp like an old mop. It had sparked the Queen’s desire to remain young and beautiful forever. It was the driving force behind her desperate need for immortality.
It was why they were all here today.
But now, the Queen’s appearance issues were the least of Quinn’s problems. She was a vindictive, angry old woman, her bitterness only worsening during her time locked away in this castle. Quinn feared what would happen to them once she managed to get her hands on that star.
However, as much as Quinn dreaded the inevitable day when the Queen regained her powers, she also looked forward to it for she knew only then would they finally be rid of this prison. She unconsciously fiddled with the gold band encasing her wrist, the handcuff binding her to this life. There was every chance that she would kill them as soon as she released them, but Quinn didn’t care. At least then they’d be free.
“What would you have us do, my Queen?” she asked, slowly staggering to her feet, her head bowed subserviently.
The Queen scoffed, turning to stare at her wall of trapped animals. “I gave you one job. That was it. One job and you couldn’t even do that properly. What makes you think you pathetic lot deserve another chance?”
Quinn stared at the ground, knowing that her silence was prudent, despite the thoughts running through her head. Like the Queen said, she didn’t have a choice.
But Quinn also knew, neither did she.
“Tell me again what happened,” the Queen demanded coarsely as she studied a particularly ugly rodent with matching beady eyes and a large frown on its face. The animal seemed to almost sigh with relief when the Queen walked away, dismissing its shivering form.
The three of them immediately rushed to recount the events leading up to their unexpected arrival back at the castle.
The Queen looked perplexed. “She’s using her powers,” she stated unhappily. “So at the moment she must be weak. It’ll take her at least a few days before she’s able to regain what little external power she has. We must strike now, as soon as possible.”
Sue pulled a large black snake from its confines as it hissed at her menacingly, but the Queen shushed it with nothing more than a threatening glare. “And it is imperative that she not use her abilities again. You must find a way to subdue her. She’s no use to me if her magics are all drained.” She lifted her crooked dagger once more, slicing the snake cleanly down the middle before continuing, “And so here’s what you idiots are going to do...”
.-.
Puck stalked out of the hotel suite, the door closing loudly behind him.
He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to rant and rage about the impossibility of it all. He wanted to run away and never look back but he found that he couldn’t. So instead, he tiredly collapsed against the hallway wall, his head tilting back against it with a loud sigh.
What the hell was he going to do?
To say that he was scared shitless would be an understatement. His basic instincts when shit got heavy was to run and hide. Not literally. But normally, he’d just go off and do something self-destructive that would punish him for his past mistakes.
And he had made so many mistakes.
As much as his mind was screaming at him to leave, just turn down the hall and walk away, he knew he could never do that to Rachel. Running away was out of the question. He found himself drawn to her; he was filled with an overwhelming need to help her, save her, to protect her.
Truth was, he did understand why she had come, why she had risked everything just for the sake of her dream. These past few days, well, he’d never felt more alive. She made him feel… she made him feel. And the fact of the matter was, he liked her, and not just because she was a hot chick from among the stars.
No. He cared about her. She made him want to change. And not even the lame, cheating way he had started off wanting. He thought he could just make a simple wish and have the life he always dreamed of. But now, he wanted to change himself. For real.
If she could risk so much just to live her dream and become a star, then so could he.
He took a very deep breath and slowly let it out, stealing himself for the implications of what walking back into that room meant, trying to release all his fears in the process. He took a few moments to collect himself before he walked back inside.
He found the room pitch black but he could hear Rachel’s muffled sniffles through the darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Puck made his way over to the bed and crouched down in front of her. She stared up at him sadly, her tear filled eyes glinting in the soft moonlight filtering through a gap in the curtains.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered hoarsely, her lower lip trembling.
Puck smiled at her gently and nodded, his hand reaching to tuck a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. He lingered there momentarily, his hand tenderly stroking her silky soft hair.
“I didn’t think you’d come back,” she said shakily.
“Of course I would,” he said softly, barely above a whisper, offering another small smile. “Crazy girl…”
She returned his smile, causing a single tear to slide down her cheek. She closed her eyes tightly, almost as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“I don’t know why,” she replied, her voice straining to remain steady. “With everything that’s happened… it’d cause any sane person to run away and never look back. I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
Puck chuckled, the deep timbre oh his laughter filling the darkness. “Well, maybe I’m a little crazy, too...”
She beamed up at him sadly and Puck felt like he was falling. It wasn’t the terrified falling he had witnessed in his dreams or even in his worst nightmares as he flew through the air. No, it was something else entirely. Something extraordinary that he couldn’t explain.
“Get some rest, Rachel,” he replied lightly, his hand moving to give hers a gentle squeeze, but as he stood up and moved towards his own bed, he felt her hand enclose around his, tugging gently.
“Stay,” she said. Her voice was soft yet held a hint of desperation, as if she thought he might disappear.
He gulped nervously and nodded before rounding the other side of the bed.
Silently, he removed his shoes and jeans, tugging off his shirt before slipping beneath the covers in nothing more than his boxers. He slowly slid closer to Rachel and wrapped his arms around her waist. She pressed her back against him, and Puck had to suppress the groan threatening to come out. She obviously had no idea what she was doing to him, shimming her body against his like that, but to him, it almost felt like torture.
He wanted nothing more than to roll her on her back and press himself closer to her, to savor every kiss, every touch, everything. But it wasn’t the right time. Not right now. Too much had happened in the past two days and they both needed sleep. Sleep and time. They also needed to figure out this Unholy Trinity stuff first, and deal with this Sue-bitch. And then there was also Blaine.
He wasn’t sure he was ready to start anything with her yet. But what he did know was, when he did, he was never going to let her go.
.-.
Part 6
Author:
uninspired_me
Part: 5/7
Word Count: 8,500/55,500
Rating: T
Pairing: Mainly Puck/Rachel, with a side of Kurt/Blaine, Finn/Quinn & Santana/Brittany.
Summary: Like many young men, Noah Puckerman has spent his entire life looking up at the stars, waiting for his life to begin. But he never imagined that the stars were staring back, waiting to live. Loosely based on the movie “Stardust”.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own the movie, nor the book, titled “Stardust”.
Spoilers: Canon elements taken from up to Season 3, so 3x14 just to be safe.
Warning: Supernatural themes with character death and animal cruelty, language
Beta: Special thanks to
dreamlesssleep and
joyasaurus_rex for being awesome betas!
Previous: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |
.-.
“So you’re telling me that that Blaine guy is a warlock with magical powers, and you were talking to an invisible unicorn?” Puck asked incredulously, his tone bordering on absurd.
Rachel sighed. “You said you’d keep an open mind, Noah.”
Puck shot Rachel a pointed look. This was him keeping an open mind. It was all just so mind-blowing.
“Okay, then.” He said, trying to stay rational through all this. “So say I believe you. Why does he want to send you back?”
Rachel looked away uncomfortably. “He just... doesn’t understand what it’s like to be a star. He just thinks things should be a certain way, and that’s all they can be.”
Puck frowned. He had a feeling that it was definitely more than that. This “warlock” seemed like he feared for her life.
“But who the hell are the Unholy Trinity?” he pressed on as his mind ran a mile a minute.
Rachel hesitated again, looking away. “They’re nothing. They don’t exist.”
Puck looked at her skeptically. “They seemed like a fucking big deal earlier. That Blaine guy looked like he was about to shit his pants over them.”
Rachel frowned at Puck’s crude words. “Noah,” she finally looked him in the eyes. “Earlier you asked me to trust you.”
He wanted to roll his eyes, thinking this was completely different. There weren’t any guys with daggers and dudes with magical powers chasing them when they were sitting in a car coming up on New York City. He opened his mouth to point that out, but Rachel spoke over him. “So, can you please do the same for me? I promise you, I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Puck once again opened his mouth, wanting to tell her it wasn’t himself he was worried about. Again, man with a big knife, threatening to cut her wish out of her.
But once again Rachel interrupted him. “Please, Noah,” she pleaded, her hands moving to hold his, tracing soothing circles with her thumbs. “Please, I need you to trust me.”
Puck sighed and nodded reluctantly. “Fine, Rachel. I trust you.”
She smiled and threw her arms around him. Slowly, Puck’s hands moved to land on her waist, surprised at her sudden close contact. He resisted the impulse to bury his face in her hair, to close his eyes, to just hold her forever. He cleared his throat and his mind, gently guiding her backwards to place some distance between them again.
“Okay,” he said finally, scrambling for a distraction. “It’s getting late, we better go look for a place to stay.”
She smiled brightly at him, and Puck briefly wondered what that smile was doing to him. He’d been with a lot of girls, had a couple that kind of stuck for a little while too, but still, none inspired the same feelings that that smile did.
“Wonderful.” She clapped her hand together and stood up. “Smile, Noah,” she said, finally looking around and taking in her surroundings excitedly. “We’re in New York City!”
Puck chuckled and joined her, “You win, Rachel,” he said smiling. Burying all his concerns and worries, at least for now, he offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
She giggled at his attempt at being charming, slipping her arm through his. “We shall!”
.-.
“Noah, I don’t think I want to stay here.” Rachel said, uncertainly, staring up at a seedy motel. Puck had the exact same thoughts as he studied the rundown building, but who the hell knew that decent hotels in New York were so fucking expensive?
“I know, Rachel, but I don’t think I can afford anything better,” he said apologetically. “I’m not exactly made of money.”
Rachel nodded reluctantly, an evident frown on her face. “I guess it’ll have to do.” She agreed with a sigh. “I suppose that every true star needs to go through hardships such as these to fuel their art. As I obviously can’t tell my soon-to-be adoring public my true history, it’ll be stories like these that will shape my image as a suffering performer.”
Puck raised an eyebrow her. He opened his mouth, a question forming on his lips before he thought better of it, shutting his mouth again and shaking his head.
Their first excursion into New York hadn’t been everything Rachel had expected. He could tell by her face that she was far from impressed at the streets, sometimes lined with trash and seedy alleyways. They’d even passed a fair share of homeless people, which he knew scared her a little. She felt both sad and frightened for their raggedy appearance. It didn’t help that they seemed to be in a very shady part of the city.
Puck felt really bad and wished he could afford a good place for them to stay, or at least one less… disgusting. But he had to be practical. His bank account had some cash, but they needed it. He had promised to help her until she became a star, and that would take time.
Neither of them had probably thought this out realistically. There were many hopefuls out there trying to make it in this city. What made Puck think that this was going to be a simple task? They had nothing. No clothes. No apartment. Barely any money.
He’d heard stories of people making it big with nothing more than the clothes on their back, but he had a feeling those were just those pipe dream stories used to keep struggling artists motivated. So until they formed a proper plan, the bare necessities would have to do. At least until she became famous and… she didn’t need him anymore.
He shrugged away the thought, as well the unexpected pang in his stomach, and continued his way into the hotel.
They checked in and made their way up to their room, Rachel pressing against his back, trying to hide from the moldy walls and stained carpet. The inside of the room wasn’t much better.
“Hey, at least they have a fireplace,” Puck joked feebly, trying to make the most of the situation.
Rachel squealed when something scampered across the floor.
“No, no, no.” she protested adamantly, backing out the door. “We can’t stay here, Noah. It’s unhygienic and unsanitary and just plain disgusting! I know I said I was willing to suffer for my craft, but I refuse to stay here!”
Puck sighed. Although he completely agreed with her, he didn’t see that they had much choice. “We have to, Rachel. It’s all we can afford. Unless we rob a bank, I don’t think we’re gonna be able get anything better.”
Rachel’s face lit up suddenly. “You know, Noah, you’re exactly right!” she said, brightly.
Puck looked at her nervously. “Er, Rachel, I was kidding. Like I’m all for fulfilling your dreams and all, but we can’t actually rob a bank!”
Rachel shook her head ridiculously. “Of course not, Noah. Don’t be silly.” She entered the room again and shut the door behind her before striding over to the fireplace and daintily picking up a small lump of coal.
“Uh, Rachel…” Puck said again, uncertainly.
“You said you were going to trust me, Noah.” She reminded him with a smile. “Now, trust me, you’re going to want to see this…”
He watched in apprehension as her fist enclosed around the lump of coal, just like the other day with the flower. A faint light glowed from her hand, escaping from between her fingers, and when she opened her hand again, there sat a small diamond where the lump of coal used to be.
Puck stared on astonished. “What the…?”
“It’s all about energy,” Rachel said, slightly out of breath, like she had just run a mile. She looked a little uneven on her feet too, but she tried to hide it. “Everything in the world has a certain energy, and energy can be transformed.” She explained. Puck picked up the small diamond from her hand and examined it as she continued. “But only similar energy can be transformed. That’s why I could change the flower into a butterfly, since they were both living things. But I can never, say, turn a rock into a butterfly.”
He looked at her with wide eyes. “Who the hell needs butterflies when you can do this?” he asked incredulously, but then his expression changed. “Rachel, if you could do this all along, then why the hell did you need me? You could just make diamonds, literally.”
Rachel smiled at him weakly, taking a shaky step closer to him. “As I said, it’s all about the energy, and doing that transformation, even just a small one, takes a lot of energy. It’s unsustainable.”
Puck nodded, tucking the diamond into his jacket pocket. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of this shit hole. He didn’t know how much a diamond like that could possibly cost, but hell, it was definitely worth more than this. It would be enough to get her established here in New York.
Together they searched for a pawn shop. He figured it was their best bet. They couldn’t go to a professional jeweler, otherwise they might seem suspicious. Not that they wouldn’t seem suspicious walking into a pawn shop and trying to offload a diamond, but Puck figured they were less likely to ask questions.
Rachel stared around, wide eyed, when they finally found one. The walls were lined with many so many different things, from musical instruments to old paintings. She clung to his arm as he led her up to the counter where a grubby old man sat, examining them calculatingly.
He smiled lecherously at Rachel as they approached. “Wot can ‘aye doo fer yer?” he asked in an indistinguishable accent, still eyeing Rachel.
Puck coughed loudly, commanding the man’s attention, while inching to stand in front of Rachel and shield her from view. He dug the diamond out of his pocket and laid it on the counter. “How much can I get for this?”
The old man looked at them in surprise, his expression becoming intrigued. Slowly, he picked up the diamond and pulled out a tiny eye glass, lifting it to his eye for closer examination. If the man was suspicious, he didn’t show it. In fact, he didn’t show much emotion at all.
He lowered his hands and stared directly into Puck’s face. “Fifty,” he said gruffly, his voice steady and unwavering.
Puck frowned. He didn’t know much, but he was sure diamonds were worth much more than fifty dollars. “Fuck no,” he said, reaching to take the diamond back.
“Fine,” the old man rolled his eyes. “One hundred. But ‘ats me final offer.”
Puck scoffed, pocketing the diamond, turning to leave. “I guarantee yer, no matter where yer go, for ‘at size and clarity one hundred grand is the best yer gonna get. Especially without any paperwork.”
Puck froze on the spot, trying not to seem stunned. One hundred thousand dollars. He turned slowly, looking the old man dead in the eye. “One twenty-five,” he replied. Somehow, he didn’t know why, it seemed like the thing to say. He had watched enough movies to know that it would be strange if didn’t at least try to haggle a little.
It was now the man’s turn to scoff. “One-ten.” He said finally, in a take-it-or-leave-it tone.
“Deal.” Puck replied, walking back up to the counter. “But I want it upfront.”
The old man nodded and sighed, heading towards the back, getting the money out of a safe no doubt. He came back with a small duffel bag and showed him the cash. They completed the trade without another word, and Puck tried not to show that he was shaking inside.
He’d never seen so much money in his life. In his life. It all seemed unreal. It was more than enough to set Rachel up here. Hell, if her abilities didn’t make her so exhausted, she could live here on that alone. But he supposed that wasn’t the point. Rachel hadn’t travelled all this way, light years from what he gathered, to get lazy now.
As soon as they step out onto the street, Rachel squealed and threw her arms around Puck’s neck, laughing.
“I can’t believe something so small could cost so much!” she said, happily. “I never realized! Though now that I think about it, it was rather pretty! I guess Lorelei Lee was right; diamonds are a girl’s best friend. ”
Puck laughed and spun her around. “You got that right! We can definitely stay somewhere fancier for a few days while we look for a place for you.”
Rachel paused, her smile falling slightly. “For us, you mean?”
Puck studied her face, smiling weakly. “Yeah, I guess, for us.”
“Noah…?” She looked up at him uncertainly.
He tried to smile at her more genuinely, but he guessed it came out as more of a grimace. “I just, I figured, after I got you here and set you up, you wouldn’t need me anymore. I’d be heading back home.”
Rachel frowned, shaking her head vigorously. “Of course that’s not true. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you, and now I can’t picture myself making it all the way without you by my side.”
Puck smiled widely at her, relief washing over him. He didn’t even realize he was feeling nervous. “Besides, we made a deal. You’re stuck with me until we see my name in lights!” Puck laughed. “And you still need to help me pick a stage name, Noah Puckerman, so it’s seems you’re here to stay.”
He laughed and picked her up again, twirling her around. “Okay then, Miss Star. Let’s go find a place for us to stay.”
.-.
“Now this is much better,” Rachel said, taking a seat on one of two large beds, staring around the lavish hotel suite.
Puck nodded in agreement. It was awesome. Really fucking awesome. There were pillow mints and a minibar, hell, there was even a safe for the money. He plucked out a few of hundred dollar bills and locked the rest safely away.
Turning to Rachel, he said, “Okay, let’s go!”
She looked at him curiously. “But we just got here.”
“Rachel, it’s your first night in New York City, are you sure you want to spend it in a hotel room?”
She smiled. “But it has a great view!” she joked.
Puck laughed. “You’ve spent your entire existence with a great view. Don’t you want to get a closer look?”
Rachel laughed, too, looping her hand around his arm and nodded excitedly. “Lead the way!”
.-.
He laughed as he watched Rachel. She kept spinning around, just like earlier in the car, trying to see everything around her at once. He was glad that she seemed to bounce back from the earlier drama. It was strange and intense, but he truly hoped they could put it all behind them. She seemed to think they could.
He didn’t exactly know where he was going, but after getting some directions from the concierge, he knew there was only one place they had to go.
“Rachel,” he said, trying to calm her down. “Come here.”
She skipped over to him. “Isn’t it wonderful, Noah?” She asked, unable to contain her enthusiasm.
He laughed. “Yep, and you still trust me, right?”
She nodded eagerly. “Of course.”
“Okay, then I need you to close your eyes again.”
She looked so cute as she smiled up at him, unfailing in her faith in him, and closed her eyes.
Slowly, avoiding the bustle of people around them, he guided her around the corner and positioned her in the middle of the walkway.
“Okay, now, open.” He instructed.
She gasped as she opened her eyes, taking in the bright flashing lights and giant billboards.
“Noah! It’s Broadway!” she exclaimed. Puck laughed again as she ran a little way up the sidewalk before realizing that she had left him behind. She ran back to him, almost giddily and reached for his hand, pulling him along. “Come on!”
She was just as energetic as ever, and Puck found it adorable. She was like a kid in a candy store, running here and there. They made their way along, walking the streets and taking in the sights. She gave him a lively explanation of every play, theatre and poster they passed. Puck learned more about the Great White Way than he had in his entire life.
“Oh look, Noah!” Rachel yelled giddily, pointing joyfully towards a group of buskers. She tugged him forward again to listen. “It’s lovely!”
Puck nodded his agreement, laughing as he dropped some money in the open music case.
“Come on,” she said, pulling on his hand again. Puck had expected her to drag him somewhere else, assuming something else had caught her eye, but instead, she pulled him closer to the performers, into the center of a gathering audience. Then, to his horror, she began dancing. Not that her dancing was horrible; she was actually really good. What was horrifying was that she expected him to join in.
“No!” he laughed, taking a step back as she twirled her arms in time with the beat.
“Come on, Noah!” she urged, but Puck firmly shook his head.
She laughed at him again, refusing to take no for an answer. His resistance was futile as she pulled him forward, and Puck found himself shuffling awkwardly on the busy sidewalk, surrounded by a crowd of people. To Puck’s relief, no one seemed to be laughing at him, but rather with him. In fact, a few other couples began joining in. His eyes trained in on Rachel, and he couldn’t take them off her.
She was radiant.
She didn’t even need to glow to exude brilliance.
She was breathtaking.
Puck stopped dancing and stared at her. He wondered how one girl could make such an impact on his life in such a short amount of time. All he knew was, wish or not, his life would never be the same.
Rachel spun around again, and noticed Puck’s staring. She paused in front of him, looking up at him with a vibrant smile.
“Rach-” he began, but suddenly there was a loud bang behind them. Instinctively, Puck covered his body over hers protectively and ducked down. “What the…?”
It was absolute chaos as the sound of screaming tore through the air. There were people running everywhere, and Puck started pulling Rachel along, trying to also get out of there. Whatever was happening, he didn’t want to get caught in the middle of it. They’d had enough drama for one day.
Unfortunately for him, they were the middle of it.
Suddenly, he felt something grab him by the collar and pull him upwards, flinging him through the air. He landed with a thud some twenty feet away.
“Rachel!” he called out groggily as he pushed himself up, ignoring the intense pain in his shoulder. It was still bruised from the accident. He looked for her frantically, cursing himself for letting her slip through his fingers yet again. “Rachel!”
Straining his ears, he heard her screaming for him, and as the crowd dissipated, Puck finally saw her. She was backing away from three girls dressed in cheerleading uniforms who were descending upon her. And they were not just any cheerleading uniforms. He recognized them to be McKinley High Cheerios.
“What the…?” He muttered, scrambling to his feet and racing towards Rachel.
The Cheerios quickly surrounded her, and just as Puck thought frantically that he wouldn’t be able to reach her in time, another loud bang wrought the night air. This time, however, the three Cheerios were thrown backwards, but instead of flying haphazardly through the air, they seemed to pause mid-flight, twisting their bodies skillfully and landed deftly on their feet.
Puck finally reached Rachel, protectively standing in front of her and readying himself to do whatever it took to keep whoever these girls were away from her.
The three Cheerios grinned evilly in their direction. “This doesn’t concern you,” they said almost gleefully.
Puck opened his mouth to shout back, but just at that moment, the warlock guy from earlier stepped up beside him and he realized they weren’t talking to him.
“Leave here!” Blaine commanded, exuding power. “Leave and I’ll spare you.”
The dark-haired Cheerio threw her head back in laughter. “Like you could do anything to us.”
A pulse of energy travelled towards them, knocking over several stands and trash bins, but one of the blondes, the leader by the looks of things, just waved her hand dismissively, and whatever pulse had been left them unaffected.
“Pathetic,” she said, taking a step forward. “Now, give us the star and we will leave.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Quinn,” Blaine shouted back. He waved his arms and sent another wave of energy towards her. This time, however, the blonde was unable to stop it entirely, stumbling backwards slightly.
“Enough,” she commanded sternly, her face angry in displeasure. In an instant, she had Blaine around the throat, lifting him in the air and throwing him like he was a ball. He was hurling through the air, but then something seemed to catch him. He was suddenly riding upon something invisible, and Puck realized that the unicorn must be there, trying to help.
The Latina Cheerio rolled her eyes and groaned. “What are you doing here?”
Blaine leapt off his perch and landed swiftly on his feet, running towards Quinn.
Puck watched on, both amazed and terrified at the ensuing battle as they traded massive blows. Blaine shot dark blue balls of energy towards Quinn, but she shrugged off the hits like they were nothing more than paintball bullets. Quinn was much more physical in her assault, launching herself at Blaine, her fists landing powerful strikes to his body. But the warlock seemed to be able to hold his own.
“Come on, Rachel,” Puck said quietly, backing away. Whatever was happening, it was because of her, which meant he needed to get her out of there. “Let’s go.”
Before he could take another step, the Latina was in front of him, her hand grabbing him around the throat. “Not so fast, white boy,” she said menacingly, squeezing hard.
“Stop!” he could hear Rachel shouting loudly as Puck struggled against the hand. His vision was rapidly blurring, the hand around his throat clutching ever tighter. And just as he thought he was going to die, his body screaming for oxygen and his mind getting weaker by the moment, a bright white light engulfed him.
He was sure that this was the end, briefly hoping the bright light would at least bring him peace. But then, the hand gripping his throat was gone, and the white light was getting stronger and stronger, blinding him until it slowly started to fade.
As the light dissipated, Puck suddenly found himself standing in their hotel room, clutching his throat gingerly and gasping for air. He realized that Rachel must have brought them here, had somehow transported them here. It was the only explanation.
Whatever she did, they had somehow managed to escape. They were safe.
He laughed with relief, his voice hoarse. “Hey Rachel, why didn’t we simply do this before?” he asked in wonder as he turned around. He paused when he saw her pale face. “Rachel?”
He watched in horror as her eyes rolled to the back her head, her body crumbling beneath her. He lunged forward, barely managing to catch her in time before her limp body hit the ground.
.-.
The last thing Blaine knew, he was being propelled backwards through the air, pushed by an angry Quinn, desperate to get to the star.
And the next?
He was landing safely onto his bed back in his small, isolated cottage. He looked around, stunned.
Kurt, too, was standing beside his bed, the anxious shake of his mane telling Blaine that he wasn’t expecting this either.
“Damn that girl!” Blaine cried, thumping the mattress with his fist. Kurt trotted over and nuzzled his nose against Blaine’s shoulder.
“I know, I know. But if she doesn’t stop using her powers, she’s going to run out of energy.” He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to sense her. “She’s weak. I can barely feel her life force anymore. She won’t be able to handle another attack. No matter what that girl says, she can’t face the Trinity.” Blaine groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face.
Kurt whinnied and Blaine sighed, nodding.
“Yeah, I know, at least she’s safe. For now, anyway,” Blaine rubbed his forehead. Obviously, chasing after Rachel wasn’t working. She didn’t want him there any more than she wanted the Trinity to be there. Though he guessed he was slightly less intimidating. At least he wasn’t trying to capture and kill her.
He stood up and walked to his window, staring up at the cloudless night sky. Kurt trotted over to join him, silently speaking to Blaine.
“You know, I think you’re right, Kurt.” Blaine said, struck by the same sudden epiphany. “A different approach would be best. In fact, I think I know a way to get Rachel to see reason and neutralize the Unholy Trinity.” His head turned and he smiled eagerly. He quickly busied himself around the small cottage, collecting supplies and readying his well-worn apothecary table. “And if I hurry, I can have him summoned here by morning.”
.-.
Rachel’s eyes blinked open slowly, taking in her surroundings. She found herself back in the hotel room, staring at the ornate decorations and the lavish furniture. The bed felt soft beneath her, much softer than the Schuester’s fold-out couch, and she could tell by the touch that the sheets were made out of a fine material. It reminded her of life before she came here; the feeling of weightlessness, like she was floating.
She blinked again and looked around, finding a worried Noah pacing back and forth. He held a lamp in his hand, brandishing it like a weapon. She watched as he paused every few paces to stare at the door, as if he was expecting someone to come bursting inside at any moment.
“Noah,” she croaked out hoarsely. Her throat felt parched. She tried to push herself up, but Noah was by her side in an instant, there to gently guide her.
“Careful…” he said, looking down at her, his face etched with concern. He quickly paced an extra couple of pillows behind her back, allowing her to sit upright. He then took a seat next to her on the bed, his hand moving to hold hers as he carefully examined her. “Are you okay?” he asked, tentatively reaching out to pat her hair with his other hand.
She nodded tiredly and opened her mouth to speak, only to find that the words wouldn’t come out.
Noah reached over to the night stand and handed her a glass of water. She smiled at him gratefully before taking a sip.
Clearing her throat, Rachel tried again. “I’m fine, Noah,” she said, her free hand rubbing his reassuringly. His body relaxed slightly, and he took the glass from her, taking a gulp himself, before settling it back on the table. She watched as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. It was only then that she noticed the dark marks around his neck, a large bluish-back bruise marring his features. ”Oh my god…” she whispered in shock, her hand reaching out to gently trace the bruise with her hand.
Noah leaned into her touch, and offered her a trying smile. “It’s nothing…” he said, “I’m just glad you’re…”
Rachel could feel tears stinging her eyes as her bottom lip began to tremble. “I’m so sorry, Noah.” She whimpered. He was taking such good care of her, and how did she repay him? She almost got him killed. “Oh god, what am I doing?” Her chest felt like it was closing up. She was struggling to breathe, gasping for air.
“Rachel…Rachel…Rachel!” Noah exclaimed loudly, gently shaking her shoulders and trying to snap her out of her panic-induced haze. “Calm done. I’m fine. It’s okay.”
“No, no it’s not okay, Noah!” She sobbed, shaking her head vigorously. “It’s far from okay! I thought it would be so simple. Come to New York. Be a star. I was so selfish that you were almost strangled to death. I can’t, Noah. I’m so sorry.”
Noah pulled her close, gingerly cupping the nape of her neck as Rachel’s tears soaked into his shirt. It was a while before she managed to calm down, his kindness just serving to exacerbate her guilt. But he just held her, running a soothing hand along her back.
When it seemed like she had no more tears to cry, Noah pulled away gently and looked at her carefully, studying her tear-stained face.
His hand moved to cup her cheek, brushing her tears away with his thumb. “Rachel, what is going on?” He asked calmly, like he didn’t have the heart to reprimand her. It just made her feel worse. “Who were those girls?”
She nodded somberly, taking a deep breath before meeting his gaze. “They…” she began, trying to find the right words without scaring him. “They were the Unholy Trinity.”
He leaned back, wide-eyed, muttering a low curse under his breath. He didn’t look entirely surprised by this revelation, but was reluctant to hear it all the same.
“Dammit, Rachel! I was hoping you wouldn’t say that…” She watched as he tried desperately to contain himself, but she could see his jaw clenching and unclenching nervously until he burst out, “Okay, seriously, Rachel. I know you said you didn’t want to talk about this, but fuck, it’s the second time today that someone’s come after you! You need to tell me what the fuck is going on!”
She nodded again before staring at their hands again, clutched tightly together, and steeling herself for the very long story.
“They work for the witch queen,” she began with a sigh. “Her name, well, it was once Sue Sylvester. She’s old; older than most of this world. She’s gained more and more power over the millennia, by stealing mostly, but when she was human, she was a truly remarkable witch. About five hundred years ago, Sue heard of a rising witch coven, their power rapidly growing throughout the Americas. So she set out to destroy them and take their power.
“By that time, Sue was already very old, and her power, while still formidable, was weakening. So, instead they bargained with the queen, pledging to give her everything she wanted. But they betrayed her, and Sue used the bulk of her power to curse them, bound to do her bidding until their debt had been repaid.”
As Rachel continued her story, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, but not from fear of what she was saying. She was scared about how Noah would react. So much had happened in such a short period of time, and she wouldn’t blame him if he left, but she just felt like she couldn’t bear to lose him right now. She just couldn’t.
“And thus, the Unholy Trinity was born. For centuries, they wreaked havoc around the world under her command until around 300 years ago when they completely disappeared. Nobody’s seen or heard from them since, and it was believed that Sue killed them in a fit of jealousy over their eternal youth and immortality because it seemed like Sue’s curse backfired on her. They had achieved all that she desired through this curse, but no one could figure out how.”
Noah sat quietly listening to Rachel, the frown on his face ever deepening. “Okay…” he said slowly. If he was scared, he didn’t show it and she was grateful for that. “But what the hell does that have to do with you?”
Rachel sighed, reluctant to impart this particular information. “She wants me…”
“For your wish?” Noah prompted when she trailed off. She could see the struggle on his face as he attempted to take everything in, which only served to deter her even more. “Rachel?” he asked. His voice was full of concern that she knew she couldn’t not answer. No matter how reluctant she felt.
She looked away, shaking her head and taking a deep breath. “No, she wants my heart.”
“What?” Noah asked, surprised, obviously no expecting this twist.
“There’s this legend, ‘He who possesses the heart of a star shall live forever.’” Rachel said sadly, looking up at him through her dark lashes. “Sounds romantic doesn’t it? But it’s far from it. A star’s life is long, almost eternal. In order for someone to own it, they must take it. Sue wants my heart, to take that energy and become immortal.”
“How-how do you know?” Noah asked, disbelievingly.
Rachel sighed. “Because she’s done it before.”
“But… but…” he stammered out, his calm demeanor quickly evaporating. “What?!”
“She’s killed numerous stars that have previously come to earth. She’s the reason stars are forbidden to come here anymore, because while the energy sustains her life, what she didn’t count on is that she would continue to grow old. She’s able to magically maintain her youth for a few centuries before her powers start to wane. The last star to be captured by her was almost eight hundred years ago. And the last star to fall, about five hundred years ago, managed to narrowly escape her clutches. Now, she’s getting desperate. She’s almost out of power to sustain herself. It’s probably why she sent the Trinity rather than come for me herself. She’s conserving her energy for…” she trailed off, but Noah didn’t seem to notice as her words hung heavily in the air.
He looked at her in horror, realization dawning on his face. “But if she wants your heart, then that means…”
“She must cut it out.” Rachel completed, her voice full of dread.
“Fuck…”
She could almost see the wheels turning in his head, the connections being made. That’s why Rachel had understood Will’s behavior earlier so easily, why he believed cutting her wish out of her was the only way to save his wife. He had been misinformed, because in truth, he would have instead gained immortality. Rachel didn’t want to think about how horrified he would have been to learn the truth. He would have to spend an eternity living with his guilt. It was quite sad, really. Especially since his wife would have continued on just as she is now.
Rachel truly believed Will thought he had no other option. Even though she knew she should at least be angry at him, she couldn’t find any within her. Will was just a lost man trying to save his wife. She could only hope that one day someone would love her as much as Will loved his wife.
Rachel was just glad Blaine had shown up when he did. As meddlesome as the warlock was, she was grateful for his concern. Even though she refused to believe that she couldn’t have all her dreams come true.
She studied Noah’s shocked face, trying to gauge the shadows of emotions playing across his face.
“Noah…” she began tentatively.
She expected him to yell, scream, shout, anything. But instead, his incredulous gaze turned towards her and he asked, unexpectedly calm. “Rachel, what the hell were you thinking?”
She flinched at his words. While his demeanor was calm and collected, his words stung worse than any knife trying to cut out her heart.
“You shouldn’t be here!” He continued, his voice slowly getting louder and louder. “Blaine’s right, it’s way too fucking dangerous for you to be here!” She looked away, fresh tears stinging her eyes. “Look, I know you want this. I do. But I can’t protect you! I’m helpless against those girls. That black-haired chick almost snapped my neck like a fucking twig, and I don’t even want to think about this queen bitch! You would have been defenseless Rachel…”
“You don’t understand, Noah!” she protested, raising her voice as well. “I told you, I have a dream-”
“And you think your dream is worth all this?” he interjected, fear lining his voice. “Rachel…” he took her by the shoulders and shook her forcefully, as if he was trying to wake her up. “Someone is trying to cut your heart out! Why are you doing this if it’s so dangerous?”
She looked at him beseechingly, begging him to understand. “Noah, please understand. I’ve been alive for a very long time. A very long time. Except I’ve never really lived. These past few days with you, I’ve experienced more, lived more, than I have in a millennia of being a star. I was simply just existing. Do you know how painful it is to have a dream and spend an eternity knowing it’ll never come true?”
Noah shook his head in disbelief, unwilling to hear anymore. He stood and began walking from the room, but Rachel’s quiet pleading voice seemed to cause him pause, at least momentarily. “I just couldn’t sit idly by anymore, Noah. I had to at least try...”
She watched as his hand moved up to scrub over his forehead and he groaned in frustration. She could feel the tears streaming down her face as he continued out of the room without so much as a word or even a glance over his shoulder. She was sure he was going to leave her, and she realized that she feared that more than anything else, even more than an evil witch queen hell-bent on cutting out her heart.
Because right now, it already felt like her heart had been shattered into a million pieces.
.-.
Quinn felt the agony of the Queen’s wrath coursing furiously through her body, each blow causing her to writhe in pain. She knew both Brittany and Santana were right beside her, enduring the same torture, their bodies contorting brutally as Sue shot bright blue jolts of electricity from her fingertips.
And yet there was silence. Not even a single syllable of their anguish lingered in the air. They had each learned long ago not to voice their suffering; it only served to fuel their Queen’s sadistic anger.
It had been a nasty shock to everyone when they appeared unceremoniously back at the Queen’s fortress, directly in front of the Queen herself. It had taken a moment before they each realized what happened; Brittany perhaps a little longer, but watching their Queen’s triumphant smile turn to bitter rage had been enough to give Quinn nightmares for the rest of eternity.
“Where is she?” The Queen bellowed ferociously, swiping at them through the air. Three large gashes appeared on each of their cheeks, marring their perfect features.
Quinn looked up at her Queen from her position sprawled on the floor, wiping at the blood and sweat running down her face and panting harshly.
“Our deepest apologies, my Queen.” She pleaded bitterly. “She was within our grasp and we failed.”
“Yes, you did,” Sue looked at them coldly, this time sending another blue jolt of energy their way. As they jerked haphazardly on the floor, she continued, “And you remember what happened the last time you failed me, don’t you? You disgust me!”
When she took another moment’s pause, Quinn slowly tried to sit up suppressing a groan at the pain.
“We tried, my Queen. We really-”she began, but the Queen caused her words to be cut off suddenly. Quinn gritted her teeth together as she felt like every cell of her body had been set on first, the pain overwhelming her again. “We tried, My Queen! We tried!” she shouted through the pain as the Queen continued on her rampage.
“Shut up! You think this is hard? You should try dying inside, that’s hard!” the Queen yelled angrily, sending another unbearable assault their way.
Quinn could see Santana and Brittany out of the corner of her eye, the pain threatening to overcome them. She watched as Santana’s hand reached out and took Brittany’s, trying to comfort her even as she thrashed about.
Even as she lay there panting, granted a brief reprieve as her Queen continued ranting, Quinn couldn’t take her eyes off their entwined hands.
She knew about them, of course. You don’t spend half a century with two people and not know certain things about their lives, but she felt a deep sorrow for failing them once again.
“Please, my Queen,” she gasped through each spasm of pain. “Give us another chance. We won’t fail again!”
The Queen laughed, but the sound was hollow, filling them each with chills.
“Like you have a choice,” she growled at them before muttering more quietly to herself. “Like I have a choice...”
The past three hundred or so years had been very hard on the Queen. The heavens had forbidden the stars from journeying to earth, and her supply of power had dwindled exponentially. It had been too long since she had claimed a new heart, and she could no longer sustain herself. Even though her power was still formidable, she kept just enough reserved to complete the ritual should another star fall.
However, time was not on her side.
It was part of the reason the Queen hated them so much; why she was happy, gleeful even, to see them bound to do her bidding.
It had long vexed the Witch Queen that despite being the most powerful being to grace the earth in its entire history, three seemingly simple witches had inexplicably been able to achieve what she had yet to accomplish: youth and immortality. Even now Quinn could feel her skin slowly healing, the large bleeding gashes mending themselves as the burns and bruises started to fade away. By the end of the day she would be back to normal, ready to face another battle.
After the first century of their servitude, the Queen had grown increasingly more aggravated as her jealousy overcame her. Her curse upon them had somehow bestowed upon them everything she had yearned for since the beginning of her reign.
Beauty. Youth. Power.
Ultimately, it was an invulnerability that both enraged and perplexed the Queen to the point where she locked them away, unwilling to face her own failures. It was only her curse upon them that stopped the Trinity from turning on her and retaliating. It protected her.
Now, the Queen harbored a deep-seated hatred for the three of them, especially when she had started showing signs of aging, and could no longer use her powers to maintain a visage of health and beauty. It also meant that she was trapped within this castle until she could regain her power to return her appearance to normal, especially her hair.
The queen had always prided herself on her ability to turn her hair into full blonde locks that shone in the sun, though Quinn knew that wasn’t how her hair had look all those years ago when the queen was actually human. There was something in her past involving an unfortunate incident with peroxide that made her hair hang lifelessly to her scalp like an old mop. It had sparked the Queen’s desire to remain young and beautiful forever. It was the driving force behind her desperate need for immortality.
It was why they were all here today.
But now, the Queen’s appearance issues were the least of Quinn’s problems. She was a vindictive, angry old woman, her bitterness only worsening during her time locked away in this castle. Quinn feared what would happen to them once she managed to get her hands on that star.
However, as much as Quinn dreaded the inevitable day when the Queen regained her powers, she also looked forward to it for she knew only then would they finally be rid of this prison. She unconsciously fiddled with the gold band encasing her wrist, the handcuff binding her to this life. There was every chance that she would kill them as soon as she released them, but Quinn didn’t care. At least then they’d be free.
“What would you have us do, my Queen?” she asked, slowly staggering to her feet, her head bowed subserviently.
The Queen scoffed, turning to stare at her wall of trapped animals. “I gave you one job. That was it. One job and you couldn’t even do that properly. What makes you think you pathetic lot deserve another chance?”
Quinn stared at the ground, knowing that her silence was prudent, despite the thoughts running through her head. Like the Queen said, she didn’t have a choice.
But Quinn also knew, neither did she.
“Tell me again what happened,” the Queen demanded coarsely as she studied a particularly ugly rodent with matching beady eyes and a large frown on its face. The animal seemed to almost sigh with relief when the Queen walked away, dismissing its shivering form.
The three of them immediately rushed to recount the events leading up to their unexpected arrival back at the castle.
The Queen looked perplexed. “She’s using her powers,” she stated unhappily. “So at the moment she must be weak. It’ll take her at least a few days before she’s able to regain what little external power she has. We must strike now, as soon as possible.”
Sue pulled a large black snake from its confines as it hissed at her menacingly, but the Queen shushed it with nothing more than a threatening glare. “And it is imperative that she not use her abilities again. You must find a way to subdue her. She’s no use to me if her magics are all drained.” She lifted her crooked dagger once more, slicing the snake cleanly down the middle before continuing, “And so here’s what you idiots are going to do...”
.-.
Puck stalked out of the hotel suite, the door closing loudly behind him.
He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to rant and rage about the impossibility of it all. He wanted to run away and never look back but he found that he couldn’t. So instead, he tiredly collapsed against the hallway wall, his head tilting back against it with a loud sigh.
What the hell was he going to do?
To say that he was scared shitless would be an understatement. His basic instincts when shit got heavy was to run and hide. Not literally. But normally, he’d just go off and do something self-destructive that would punish him for his past mistakes.
And he had made so many mistakes.
As much as his mind was screaming at him to leave, just turn down the hall and walk away, he knew he could never do that to Rachel. Running away was out of the question. He found himself drawn to her; he was filled with an overwhelming need to help her, save her, to protect her.
Truth was, he did understand why she had come, why she had risked everything just for the sake of her dream. These past few days, well, he’d never felt more alive. She made him feel… she made him feel. And the fact of the matter was, he liked her, and not just because she was a hot chick from among the stars.
No. He cared about her. She made him want to change. And not even the lame, cheating way he had started off wanting. He thought he could just make a simple wish and have the life he always dreamed of. But now, he wanted to change himself. For real.
If she could risk so much just to live her dream and become a star, then so could he.
He took a very deep breath and slowly let it out, stealing himself for the implications of what walking back into that room meant, trying to release all his fears in the process. He took a few moments to collect himself before he walked back inside.
He found the room pitch black but he could hear Rachel’s muffled sniffles through the darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Puck made his way over to the bed and crouched down in front of her. She stared up at him sadly, her tear filled eyes glinting in the soft moonlight filtering through a gap in the curtains.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered hoarsely, her lower lip trembling.
Puck smiled at her gently and nodded, his hand reaching to tuck a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. He lingered there momentarily, his hand tenderly stroking her silky soft hair.
“I didn’t think you’d come back,” she said shakily.
“Of course I would,” he said softly, barely above a whisper, offering another small smile. “Crazy girl…”
She returned his smile, causing a single tear to slide down her cheek. She closed her eyes tightly, almost as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“I don’t know why,” she replied, her voice straining to remain steady. “With everything that’s happened… it’d cause any sane person to run away and never look back. I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
Puck chuckled, the deep timbre oh his laughter filling the darkness. “Well, maybe I’m a little crazy, too...”
She beamed up at him sadly and Puck felt like he was falling. It wasn’t the terrified falling he had witnessed in his dreams or even in his worst nightmares as he flew through the air. No, it was something else entirely. Something extraordinary that he couldn’t explain.
“Get some rest, Rachel,” he replied lightly, his hand moving to give hers a gentle squeeze, but as he stood up and moved towards his own bed, he felt her hand enclose around his, tugging gently.
“Stay,” she said. Her voice was soft yet held a hint of desperation, as if she thought he might disappear.
He gulped nervously and nodded before rounding the other side of the bed.
Silently, he removed his shoes and jeans, tugging off his shirt before slipping beneath the covers in nothing more than his boxers. He slowly slid closer to Rachel and wrapped his arms around her waist. She pressed her back against him, and Puck had to suppress the groan threatening to come out. She obviously had no idea what she was doing to him, shimming her body against his like that, but to him, it almost felt like torture.
He wanted nothing more than to roll her on her back and press himself closer to her, to savor every kiss, every touch, everything. But it wasn’t the right time. Not right now. Too much had happened in the past two days and they both needed sleep. Sleep and time. They also needed to figure out this Unholy Trinity stuff first, and deal with this Sue-bitch. And then there was also Blaine.
He wasn’t sure he was ready to start anything with her yet. But what he did know was, when he did, he was never going to let her go.
.-.
Part 6