DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!

A/N: I am ever so sorry for the delay! For those of you who were unaware, Hurricane Sandy hit my area right before Halloween, knocking out my power for DAYS, and I am super sorry I was unable to finish this before the holiday. I hope you still enjoy the ending, though! Thank you for your support in this story.

Chapter Seven

The next week was nothing short of torture for Finn as every day brought him closer and closer to Halloween and the threat of his own demise. Ever hour was another struggle to stay balanced and even when the dark energies inside of him were gaining strength as Samhain approached. Rachel was doing everything she could in order to keep Finn's aura purified, but no matter what she did he could still feel the demon in the periphery of his mind, trying to take control and wreak even more havoc on his life.

It was almost too much for him to take. There was no control left in his life anymore and he was too apprehensive to leave Rachel's side for any extended amount of time. Finn had to take a personal leave from work, since there was no way he could claim "demon possession" on any health clearance form. He was shuffling between his apartment and Rachel's at night, and during the day it was like a never-ending study session with Rachel, Kurt and Blaine, hitting their ancient books to try and find some information that could help them in their exercise in exorcism. It was exhausting, frustrating, and tense, which completely counteracted the efforts he was making to stay calm.

Thankfully, he had Rachel with him to diffuse some of that anxiety.

The only solace he had left in the world was in her arms, and every night was spent in the magic of her embrace. She was the anchor that held him down when evil was trying to drag him under, and he relied on her now more than ever as the dark forces inside of him grew stronger with every passing day. He wanted to protect her; he knew that she was at risk as well because of her powers and wanted to keep his distance, but he just couldn't. Just being away from her for a moment was enough to send his emotions spiraling into negative territory, and by the time Halloween approached they were practically attached at the hip.

Or, to be more specific, by the groin.

"Finn!" Rachel cried during the rush of passion as he tried to re-energize her after a particularly draining purification ritual. They were now averaging three rituals a day and in order to keep Rachel healthy, he had to do his part and provide her the services she needed.

Its not like he was complaining about it.

He loved staring up at her face as he laid back on her bed and watched her ride him slowly, taking her time to build up as much energy within her as possible. He would never get tired of the way she seemed to glow during these moments, like her soul was trying to reach out towards his until they were one. It was like watching her magic come to life, swirling and twisting and building around them until they were basking in it's glow. Rachel's face was alight with bliss as she rolled her hips and sent electricity shooting through his body, bringing them closer and closer to their peak.

Finn held her steady by the hips, his thrusts increasing with fervor as the pleasure began to wash over him in waves. She flung her head back, beautiful breasts bouncing, her mouth open in a silent scream as she fell apart on top of him. He could feel her body clenching around him, milking his own release as a powerful tide of sensation washed over him, pulled him out into the depths where he wanted to drown in the overwhelming pleasure of it all. For a moment there was no sound but heaving breaths and contented sighs as their bodies separated and they basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking. When he opened his tired eyes Rachel had curled next to his side, smiling softly and relaxing into the sheets next to him.

"Hey," he said softly, his voice still husky from their strenuous activities. Her response was a sexy smile and a soft kiss on his willing lips.

"Hey," she repeated, her eyes bright.

"You feeling better?"

"Much better, actually," she winked and sat up in bed, splaying her body over his chest and looking down into his eyes. "You know what they say: Practice makes perfect."

"Well that seemed pretty perfect to me," he replied, cupping her face in his palm. "But I'm worried about your powers. You've been working harder than ever trying to keep me balanced and I'm nervous. I don't want you to be weak when tomorrow's the big day." Finn should have been excited for his 25th birthday, but to be honest, he kind of wished tomorrow would never come. Rachel and Blaine had warned him that he would be vulnerable the moment the sun set on All Hallows Eve, and he was thoroughly planning on staying locked up in Rachel's shop all day, away from any innocent bystanders who could get hurt in the midst of a rampage. Every second that passed brought him closer to his demise as fear threatened to creep into his heart. He quickly chased that fear away, though; Rachel had been warning him non-stop to stay emotionally balanced so the demon couldn't be enticed or encouraged in his attacks.

So far, it had been working. Finn hadn't experienced anything out of the ordinary since that fateful night last week when he had almost killed his girlfriend, and he knew without a doubt that it was all because of Rachel and her powerful, magical influence. She kept him balanced, grounded. She purified his aura and calmed his spiraling emotions; helping him to stay in control of his feelings, despite the darkness that ruthlessly tried to creep into his heart.

"Finn, you have absolutely nothing to worry about," she smiled softly, chasing away the lingering fear in his mind. "I've been going over the spell all week long with Blaine and we're confident that it's going to do the trick tomorrow and chase away this thing for good." After days and nights of endless researching through every volume of text they both owned, Rachel and Blaine were able to find an exorcism spell that would work for Finn. All they needed was for the sun to set on Halloween, and they would be ready to complete their task.

Despite the dangers that threatened them all.

"But what if the spell doesn't work?" He voiced his fears out loud. "What if it backfires, or the demon overpowers you and tries to take you and Blaine down with it?" The apprehension was thick in his tone as he voiced his fears out loud. "What if I don't survive?"

"I won't let that happen, Finn," she said sternly, forcing him to look into the depths of her dark eyes. He saw nothing but honesty there, and determination to see this task completed. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure we all get out of this alive and demon-free."

"I hope so, Rachel," he said, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "I really, really hope so."

He looked out of the front windows of Rachel's shop and sighed at the people of all shapes and sizes, dressed up in their costumes and enjoying the fun of the day. The sun was already lingering above the western horizon, and Rachel and Blaine were busy lighting the dozens and dozens of candles that were spread around the back room, where the ritual was taking place. Finn had spent the day completely cooped up, for his own protection of course, and while he should have been shoving his face full of candy and birthday cake, he was worrying about whether or not he would live to see 26.

"Hey," Finn flinched and jumped in place as Kurt stood behind him and snapped him out of his trance. The costumed people kept passing by the shop but Finn shut the curtains and faced reality as he looked into his brothers worried expression.

"What's up?"

"Did you talk to Carole today?" Finn sighed and let his head fall forward as his heart lurched in his chest.

"Yeah. She called to wish me a happy birthday," and it had been the most painful conversation of his life. His poor mother, still living in Ohio with Kurt's father Burt, was completely unaware of her son's plight and the danger he was currently trying to face. It was hard to pretend that everything was okay; that Finn wasn't being threatened by dark forces who wanted to drag his soul into hell. She didn't even know about Rachel yet. But he had to talk to her, just once more, in case he didn't make it past sunset. He and his mother had always been close, and the stilted, rushed conversation left him feeling raw and emotional. The exact opposite of what he was supposed to be feeling. "Things in Ohio seem fine."

"But you didn't tell her about tonight, did you?"

He shook his head and counted to ten, calming himself down before he started to get frustrated. "What was I supposed to say, Kurt? Tonight's my birthday and I might not live to see another one. It's better if she doesn't know about all this. You and I both know she wouldn't understand."

Kurt nodded his head with a frown. "Hell, there are some things that I still don't understand and I've been researching demon possession for the last week." Finn nodded, lost in the turmoil of his thoughts while Rachel and Blaine emerged from the back room, looking stone-faced and serious.

"It's time to begin," Blaine said firmly, his voice holding no room for argument.

"Come on, Finn," Rachel held out her hand and he took it, squeezing lightly and instinctively knowing that there was no turning back. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the back room with Rachel at his side and stared at awe at the transformed space in front of him. Hundreds of candles were spread around the spacious back room, with a tall black pillared candle on each of the five points of the pentagram on the floor. Dark fabric was draped over the bookshelves and tables, and there was a long length of thick, strong rope on the ground.

"What's the rope for?" Finn asked. It was the one thing that really caught his attention amidst all the chaos around him.

"You'll see," Rachel said, leading him to the center of the pentagram. Sunset must have been approaching fast, because there was a pressure beginning to build in his head, and as soon as he entered the pentagram it erupted into a painful throb. "Kurt, you stand right behind Finn, and take this." She passed a giant dagger to Kurt and his brother paled visibly as he took it and stared at his reflection in the blade.

"What's this for?" He asked with a shaking voice.

"Everything will be explained once we're ready to start the ritual," Blaine said softly. "Just stand here." Blaine put Kurt in his place, then stood in front of Finn, looking solemn.

"Now, everyone needs to take off their clothes." With a groan, Finn knew he should have predicted this little detail and immediately shucked off his clothing.

Kurt, however, was not too keen on the idea.

"I have to do what?" He complained loudly, his face still pale as he clutched the dagger in his hand. From his shocked response it seemed as if Blaine had told him to plunge the dagger in his own chest.

"Babe, we don't have the time to explain the 'whys,' you just have to trust us and do what we say." Kurt looked like he wanted to argue, but he obliged his boyfriend anyway and started taking off the many layers of his outfit. Finn turned away to give his brother some modesty and didn't turn around again.

Because right now, his focus was solely on Rachel.

She was naked too, but that wasn't why he was staring. He had seen her naked enough times to know what to expect, but she was standing in front of Blaine with the rope in her hands and hope in her eyes. She looked so confident, so sure of herself, he couldn't tear his eyes from her. It gave him hope, a hope he held very close to his heart as it chased away the fear and doubt lingering there.

"Stay calm, Finn. I can tell already that your aura is starting to cloud."

"I can feel it, Rachel. It's coming," he admitted freely, knowing how to recognize the signs. She wrapped the rope around his naked waist and made a complicated knot around his midriff, securing it onto his body and tugging lightly to make test it's strength before stepping out of the pentagram. With Kurt behind him and Rachel and Blaine in front, he felt as protected as he was going to get as the pain in his head increased tenfold. With an anguished scream, he clutched at his head, feeling weakened but still determined to fight. It was hard trying to keep his balance when his head felt like it was splitting in half, but he stood his ground and waited for the ritual to begin.

Rachel had the rope in her hands and Blaine stood behind her, holding the rope like they were about to play a one-sided game of tug-of-war. The pain in his head started traveling down his neck and into his torso, hitting his gut and making him double over while more of his body became incapacitated. He looked up at Rachel and she was already in the throes of the ritual, her mouth moving in a silent chant with Blaine at her side. They were holding the rope tightly, like they were about to pull at any moment, and Finn could see his aura flare up around him like lights on a Christmas tree. It was an angry red, with dark swirls that became more and more prominent with every moment that passed.

"What's going on?" Kurt asked, obviously terrified, but no one answered as Rachel and Blaine's chanting became louder.

All of a sudden, it felt like his head was splitting in half- no, to be more specific, it felt like his entire body was being split in half. He could feel his muscles pulling, his bones aching, and every part of his body was in the worst agony he had ever felt before. A loud, violent scream was ripped from his throat, but the voice that echoed in his ears was unfamiliar to him as a guttural roar could be heard.

"Pull!" Rachel suddenly screamed. "Pull now!"

Finn opened his eyes to see Rachel and Blaine pulling on the rope, and it felt like Finn was being cinched right through the middle as the rope burned against his skin. They were pulling so hard he felt as if they were trying to sever him in half, but with wide eyes he watched the rope slip right through his body and come out the other side through his stomach, though his skin was completely unscathed.

But resting inside of the complicated knot of the rope, struggling against its binding, was the demon who had made his life a literal living hell, fighting against the rope that trapped him. With wide eyes Kurt stared at the growling, feral demon, it's hairless body squirming for escape and trying to free it's limbs.

"Kurt, the dagger!" Blaine screamed, still holding onto the rope with Rachel and trying to keep the demon steady. "Stab it!"

Kurt was practically frozen from fear, and Finn was staring at the demon in the rope while his hands brushed over his midriff to make sure that he had actually come out of the ritual unscathed. Right before his very eyes was the proof that Rachel's ritual had worked, and as he breathed in a lungful of air the clarity in his head made his heart soar in his chest.

He was free.

But he would never truly be free until the demon itself was destroyed, so while Kurt stood crippled from fear, Finn turned around and snatched the dagger out of his hands before plunging it deep into the bony, emaciated back of the demon that had plagued his life for so long. It let out a howl of utter agony, curling in on itself while black blood poured freely from the wound. It crumpled to the floor, the rope still around it's waist as it moaned and cried in strangled tones. Finn winced when it let out its last wheezing breath, filling the space with a putrid odor as it's body instantly began to decompose in front of their very eyes.

When the body was nothing but a pile of smoldering ashes, Finn and his friends let out a giant, collective sigh of relief.

Their ordeal was finally over.

The demon was gone.

Two Weeks Later

"Ahhh!" A sudden, piercing scream bled through the thin walls and rudely lifted Rachel out of her slumber, and despite the calm, peaceful dream she had just been engrossed in, she crashed out of the air with a thud and plopped onto the not-so-soft mattress of her boyfriend, Finn. He followed shortly thereafter with a loud groan to accompany his fall.

"Wha wuz that?" He mumbled incoherently, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. It was very early, but she could feel the contentment of his aura and the peace that had settled in there. For the past two weeks since Halloween everything had been blissfully normal in their lives and to be honest, Rachel never wanted it to change.

Well, it was as normal as their lives could be with two magical beings in their quartet.

Another short yell could be heard, and it filled Rachel with an uneasiness she hadn't felt in weeks. Fearing the absolute worst, she ignored her boyfriends sleepy questions and launched herself out of bed, heading into the hallway and facing Kurt and Blaine's door. The shouting could still be heard from outside the door, and forgoing modesty (she had seen them both naked anyway) she burst into the room with her hands raised, ready to fight against anything that might be a threat to her, Finn, or the peace of their apartment.

She had fought way too hard to get to this point and she was not about to jeopardize her tranquility for anything.

But the sight that greeted her instantly chased all of her fears out of the window. Floating above his bed, Finn's brother Kurt was clinging onto his boyfriend Blaine's body, frozen in air, looking down at the mattress like he was miles above the ground instead of a few feet.

"Rachel!" Kurt spotted her immediately and reached down for her hand. "Please, get me down from here!"

"Sorry, Kurt, this has nothing to do with me." She chuckled heartily while Finn's tall body filled the door frame behind her. Finn took one look at his brother and Blaine and almost doubled over in hysterics.

"Don't worry, babe, I can get us down." Blaine said as he stretched languidly in the air. Kurt held onto him like he was about to plunge to his death.

"This is ridiculous!" He exclaimed loudly.

"No," Finn said, wrapping his arms around Rachel's shoulders and holding onto her from behind. "It's love." The petite witch looked up at the man behind her in silent surprise. "It's the connection you two have made with one another. You should be happy about this, Kurt."

"I am happy!" He snapped, still holding onto Blaine's side while he started to mouth a simple spell. "But falling in love should not mean I have to fall on my ass every morning."

"Think of it as one of the perks of dating a warlock," Rachel said, trying to find her voice since Finn had suddenly stolen it away from her. His words were echoing in her mind, making her heart race uncontrollably as she thought about the implications of his statement.

Did Finn feel that way about their tether? Was he in love with her? Just the mere thought made it feel like Rachel could fly to the moon and back as she looked up and stared into his warm, chestnut eyes. The smile on his face was small, but genuine as they exited the room, leaving Blaine and Kurt to handle their own magical problems by themselves. He led them into the kitchen to brew some coffee and Rachel could no longer keep her racing thoughts to herself.

"So," she said, starting the conversation but having nothing of substance to say.

"So," he responded, loading the grinds into the coffee pot with a knowing smirk on his face.

"It seems like Kurt and Blaine have formed a tether of their own."

"Yeah," Finn said wistfully, but his smile turned into a frown. "I hope nothing bad has happened to either of them."

"No, sometimes a tether can be formed just from having a really strong connection," she said, a blush brightening her cheeks. "Like you said. I think they're in love."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I've never seen Kurt this happy before."

Rachel hesitated for a moment before speaking again, not wanting to be so vulnerable around him when he had the power to destroy her with one simple answer. "Well what about our tether?" She asked, her heart hammering against her ribcage in anticipation. "We know it never went away after the exorcism because you still float next to me when we sleep in the same bed. What do you think about that?" Finn finally looked up from the coffee pot, a small smile on his face as he walked away from the counter and approached her slowly. There was still an adorable sleepiness lingering in his eyes and his morning stubble left a light shadow on his face.

"I think it's awesome, Rachel." He entwined their fingers together until they were holding hands. "You're the most special, unique, and beautiful girl I've ever known," he took a deep breath and caught her in his gaze. "And I'm pretty sure I fell in love with you the moment I figured out how to recharge your magical batteries." His grin was wide and wolfish as a heated blush erupted on her cheeks.

"You love me?" The shock was enough to keep her frozen in place as pure emotion flooded her system, making her pounding heart feel like it might burst right out of her chest.

"Yeah, I do," he said softly, kissing their entwined hands. "You saved me, Rachel. In all the ways I could be saved. You opened my eyes to new things and kept me balanced and whole, even when it felt like I was being ripped apart." He held her close to him and kissed her once, softly but firmly, capturing her lips in his and pouring his affections into the kiss. She could feel them permeate her, filling her with the deepest emotion she had ever felt as she pulled away and looked him in the eyes.

"I love you too, Finn," she whispered, choking through the emotion in her throat that threatened to silence her. "You accepted me, you cared about me, and you never gave up the fight against evil." She chuckled lightly as a tear slipped past her eye. "Plus, besides that first day, you didn't even accuse me of using magic on you!"

"It wouldn't have mattered even if you did, babe," he said to her before closing the distance and kissing her once more. "You've had me spellbound right from the start."

THE END