THE MUSICAL VAMPIRE MYSTERIES OF RORY FLANAGAN

Author's Notes: Finally! It's the last chapter for the season! We now find out the fates of our characters and these teens are in for the fight of their lives. I loved writing this so much that I already am making plans for the next season! After all, we still haven't seen the appearance of numerous characters from Glee, so just imagine what roles they may have. New villains, new creatures, new powers, new drama, and lots of OMGWTFBBQ! Thank you to my boys Ragnarok45 and AndyMixter for getting me going on this project and huge thank you to TVTime for his outstanding beta work. We went over these chapters and plotlines and everything else so many times we could both recite it in our sleep. Thanks for reading, I appreciate the support and see you next season!

Beta Credit: TVTime

Season 1, Episode 12: War, Part 2

"That wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I asked if you could make us a small hole in the wall to get in," Sebastian said sarcastically, looking at Blaine with annoyance and amusement. "With all that noise we may as well have gone right through the glass doors. Oh well, I guess we make our grand entrance."

"I'm sorry! I told you guys I don't have a whole lot of practical experience with this stuff. I know it, but I don't have a lot of practice!" Blaine defended. "It's not exactly in our day-to-day studies to learn how to blow holes in things."

"Don't worry about it," Sam told the teenage Wiccan, who was turning ten shades of red in embarrassment and anger. Sebastian had asked him to turn a small section of the wall intangible so that they could quickly sneak inside without being detected. When Blaine cast the spell, however, it caused a large chunk of the wall to explode instead, the tremor shattering the glass doors as well. It was loud and shook the entire castle, ensuring that anyone inside was aware of their intrusion.

"Come on then, let's get inside and perhaps hide before anyone sees us," the sheriff ordered, stepping first through the new opening. Everyone else followed him inside, finding themselves in a large, open room. It appeared to be one of many foyers where several staircases met and interweaved with each other. Aside from the destroyed entryway, it looked rather elegant.

Before they had time to contemplate their next move, numerous figures emerged from various hidden doors all around them. Guards. They were all dressed in solid black garb reminiscent of a SWAT team, wielding guns and melee weapons, with masks hiding their faces. Heavily armored, they were not going to be easy to get around. Some had even slipped behind them, cutting off their exit back outside. Every firearm was pointed at the small group of intruders.

"This is not good," Sebastian said calmly, looking around at the others.

"You're damn right this isn't good! We're good as dead! We're screwed! We're-" Kurt's words were cut off as Santana clapped her hand over his mouth.

"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up, and do what you're told, for the fiftieth time you fucktarted human!" she hissed at him. "Keep it up, and I will kill, fuck, and eat you myself." Kurt gulped, suddenly unsure who to be more afraid of—Santana or the guards. Blaine glared harshly at her, hoping she was more bark than bite. He knew he should have come to Kurt's defense, but they had bigger problems at the moment than hurt feelings.

A familiar voice began to echo in the hall, accompanied by a high-pitched laugh. "Welcome boys and girls," Kitty announced, stepping out from the large, wooden double doors on the second floor. She approached the railing and peered over, looking at her new captives. "You really made this entirely too easy. I was hoping for some sort of challenge." She looked back at the mess they had made of the entryway, letting out a firm 'tsk tsk'. "Oh dear, the mistress will not be happy about that. Those were new doors."

"Where's Rory?" Sam barked, pure rage in his eyes. He ignored the guards closing in on them, tightening their circle. "Where is he, you bitch!?"

Kitty cackled at him. "Like I'm going to tell you! It won't matter anyway, I'm going to kill every last one of you!" she replied, leaning on the rail. She was no longer wearing a dress but was in a dark pink and black outfit. It barely covered the essentials, the backside open with a sash of material flowing down from the back of her waist, the underside of her breasts visible in the tight tube-top. Her boots came up to her knees and she wore loose open-flared coverings that began at her elbows. Her hair was wavy and long, the pink streaks matching her clothing. Had she not been an evil creature, she would have been arousing and enticing. Instead she was beautifully dangerous.

Instinctively and in a single movement, Sebastian, Santana, and Sam all leapt into the air and over the railing, ready to assault their taunting assailant. The sudden disruption threw the guards off of their game, startling them and causing them to lose focus on their surrounded targets. Tina and Mike both shifted their hands into claws resembling the paws of wolves and fell back into a fighting stance. Kurt and Mercedes raised their guns, and Blaine began to chant a spell, all five of them backing up against each other.

Sam lunged for Kitty, grabbing her throat and rushing forward. She twisted out of his grasp and grabbed his arm, slamming him into the double doors, the wood exploding inward. Santana leapt into the air, flipped, and landed on the woman, sitting on her shoulders. Santana threw her weight backwards, using her legs to pull and throw Kitty across the balcony, where Sebastian caught her and held her arms back tightly.

Down below, the guards began to fire their guns, but the bullets halted in midair and fell to the floor. Blaine's protection spell was taking effect. He said another word in Latin and the invisible bubble around them expanded outward violently, knocking the guards off their feet. It shattered the barrier but allowed Mike and Tina to dive into the fray, crashing into the nearest guards and clawing at their Kevlar armor with their sharp claws. Mercedes and Kurt began to fire their weapons in front of them, aiming down at the fallen soldiers. Bullets bounced off of the helmets and barely punctured the armor, however as neither one of them had shot a gun before, let alone a high-powered automatic rifle.

Kitty wrenched herself free from Sebastian's grip, spinning around and shoving him backward before doing a backflip, her foot connecting with his chin and throwing him into the ceiling. Sebastian landed with a thud and a deep growl resonated from his throat.

Having recovered, Sam dashed toward the flipping woman, his timing just right as he grabbed her heel and began to spin around. He slammed her head into the railing and support beams, splintering the wood and sending shards flying everywhere. Refusing to let go, Sam then yanked her backward, grabbing her by the neck and slamming her face first into the ground.

Santana helped Sebastian off the floor, not that he needed it. The pair quickly pounced on the succubus, the three vampires struggling to hold her down as she flailed about. "Get off me you walking corpses!" she screamed.

Back on the first floor, Mike and Tina had shifted their entire bodies into animal form—Tina into a tiger and Mike into a wolf. They bit and tore at the soldiers, ripping into their protective gear and digging into flesh. Men screamed and howled as they were being torn apart viciously. Necks snapped, hands and legs were torn from joints and tossed aside. Blood flowed and sprayed freely, but didn't stop the assault of the shifted humans.

Kurt had resorted to using the butt of his rifle as a club, smacking a guard in the head, throwing the man off balance. The guard tried to grab the gun but missed, his arm being the next target of the swinging weapon. The guard yelled loudly, attempting to block the blow, but failing. To his advantage however, the rifle cracked at the heavy impact against his armor, leaving Kurt unarmed for the moment.

Mercedes was having less luck as three guards surrounded her, one actually holding on to the barrel of her assault rifle, trying to wrench it from her death grip. She fired the weapon, tearing holes through the man's armor from the force of point blank range shooting. His spine cracked and splintered out of his back, leaving a large bone sticking out of his vest. Another jumped on her back, his arms around her throat trying to take her to the ground. The third had a combat knife, which he was aiming for her side.

"No!" Blaine yelled, conjuring up a flame that he launched at the knife wielding man, catching his uniform on fire. The man yelled in agony as his entire body caught ablaze at the small flame. Off guard, Blaine was wrestled to the ground by a pair of soldiers, holding his hands behind his back and keeping him face down on the ground. The shock of the igniting man startled the guard choking Mercedes. He loosened his grip enough for her to elbow him off of her.

Kitty stopped flipping at the top of one of the staircases, turning just long enough to blow a kiss at her opponents before running off. She wasn't moving quite as fast as usual—Sam had obviously injured her ankle just enough to slow her down. He made to run after her but Sebastian stopped him.

"No, Sam, you go find Rory! Santana and I will handle her! Take the Wiccan with you; the shifters and humans have things under control down there," he ordered, peering down below. He reconsidered his words as he noted Blaine pinned to the ground and Kurt and Mercedes struggling with their fights. Kurt had re-armed himself with a 9mm magnum pistol, and was firing at a guard, missing every single shot. Mercedes had been subdued by the man who had been choking her despite her defensive efforts.

"Fine! Go!" Sam shouted. Santana had already begun pursuit before Sebastian had even spoken, determined to catch the succubus and put her in her place. Sebastian turned and dashed after her at top speed, not wanting to be left behind.

Sam jumped down to the first floor, ripped the guard from Mercedes' back and shoved the guard holding Blaine down onto his back and then called to the recovering Mercedes. "Gun!" She got up quickly and threw the gun at him, not even realizing that she was doing it. He caught it in midair, twirled it around in one hand, aimed the barrel at the soldier and fired. Another shot at point blank range and the soldier's head exploded in his helmet.

"Thanks," Blaine huffed as Sam yanked him up off of the floor. He paused long enough to look around at the action. The ignited soldier had 'gone out' and was only a husk of a corpse on the marble floor. The man Mercedes had shot was in a heap against the side of the staircase, and Kurt had apparently knocked one of the guards unconscious. Sam noticed this as well and in a flash, snapped the man's neck. The crack caused all three humans to wince.

"Sorry, but this is war. They are the enemy. They won't hesitate to kill you, so kill them first, got it?" Sam said, looking both Mercedes and Kurt in the eyes alternatively. "I mean it. It's you or them. Rory would rather have you both. Handle things." He knew in his heart however that both humans would be struggling with the idea of killing another living being, but they had insisted on coming and that was their cross to bear. They would have to figure out their issues with it later.

Mercedes nodded apprehensively and Kurt managed to utter a quiet agreement. "Come on, you're with me," Sam turned to Blaine. "I have no idea where he is, so we'll just start looking. Those doors up there are a good start." Blaine nodded and followed Sam up the stairs. Sam kicked in the remaining pieces of the doors, more wood splintering inward.

Behind the door was what looked like an endless hallway, doors on each side. "Shit, this is gonna take forever. If they're locked, blast them in," Sam directed, stepping into the hall, Blaine behind him. "Dammit why can't I sense him!?" He didn't get two steps before his head began to scream like a siren, causing him to drop to his knees and throw his hands over his head as he yelled.

"Sam! What's wrong?!" Blaine cried, kneeling down next to him. Sam grimaced and looked up at him.

"I… I can sense him now! I haven't been able to until now. I can feel him, and he's in pain," Sam answered, his eyes glowing with anger. "I've never felt this in my head before though."

"Maybe it means he's close, or he's calling out to you. Can he even do that?"

Sam struggled to stand back up, his head throbbing. "I have no idea. None of us really know the extent of his abilities." He grunted again and put his fingers to his temples, massaging them. "This has got to stop or I won't even be able to function!"

"Power through it," Blaine ordered, standing back up. Sam looked at him with a frustrated glare. "That's what you'd tell any of us to do. Deal with it. We have a job to do. It's Rory that matters. I'm right, aren't I?"

Sam chuckled even though his brain felt like it might explode. "You're right. Let's start checking doors, fast."

-ooo-

Ryder had managed to get Rory down from the wall and carefully set him on the floor. He gave him the gentle kiss he had given once before, easing the pain. Ryder then began cleaning him up, wiping the wounds with gauze and disinfectant. He had to hurry because he knew the shudder and loud noise they experienced were most likely signs of a rescue, and Rory needed to be ready to escape.

The incubus didn't have time to dress every wound, so he did what he could with the largest – deep gashes across the boy's wrist and both of his palms –and then a bandage that wrapped around his torso and across his shoulder. Another deep cut on Rory's inner thigh and a long cut on his shin were the other two he wrapped up before he hurriedly, yet carefully, pulled the teen's clothes back on. He didn't bother putting the t-shirt back on, but simply pulled the button down shirt on his arms and buttoned a few buttons. He wrestled the jeans on and was tempted to forgo the shoes, but decided he may need them.

Tears streaming freely down the sides of both of their faces, Ryder hefted the leprechaun onto his back, reaching behind him and holding him up by his rear, Rory's arms draped across Ryder's shoulders. Thankfully Ryder had enhanced strength, so it wasn't too much of a struggle holding Rory's weight. He started to ascend the stairwell, trying not to lose his balance, but almost tripping as he heard what sounded like fighting coming from above.

-ooo-

"You'd better run you cunt! When I catch you, I'll tear you apart!" Santana screamed as she chased Kitty. The succubus had ducked into a side room and there were so many doors, staircases, and random pieces of furniture that it was easy for Santana to lose her.

Suddenly, before she could locate the succubus, Santana felt herself falling forward and barely managed to brace herself with her hands. She looked back to find Sebastian wrestling with Kitty, who had kicked the younger vampire in the back and was about to assault her. Kitty was thrashing about, attempting to break his hold on her.

"Thanks, Seb," the Hispanic woman said with a grin. "Now for you," she addressed the blonde woman. "I hope you made your peace with the devil, bitch!" She lunged forward and wrapped her hands around the other woman's throat and squeezed, trying to cut off her air supply. When Santana leaned down to attempt to bite her neck, Kitty took advantage of the position and tore herself free, shoving both vampires backward.

"I think not. I beat you before, I'll do it again," Kitty teased. Recovering from her injury, she seemed to regain her speed, slipping behind Sebastian and grabbing his arm. In a motion that couldn't be seen by the naked eye, she managed to wrench his arm around, a loud crack filling their ears as the bones dislocated.

Sebastian howled in pain and anger, falling to his knees and grabbing his arm with his free hand. He swore vociferously at the woman, pure rage filling his eyes. Santana began to lunge for her again but Kitty jumped out of the way, the vampire landing atop her maker in a heap. Sebastian swore some more, shoving Santana off of him. She didn't apologize but instead got back on her feet, her eyes searching for her target.

"Come and get me Bloody Mary!" Kitty taunted, running off again. Needing no further encouragement, Santana took off at top speed in the direction of the succubus.

-ooo-

Tina clapped her hands together, brushing the dirt off of her palms as she surveyed the hall. She and Mike had effectively put an end to the soldiers that Mercedes and Kurt had not defeated themselves. Blood was splattered everywhere – across the walls, the floor, even the tapestries and decor. It looked like blood-filled water balloons had popped all over the place. All four of them were covered in the gore, their faces looking as if they were wearing war paint.

"So now what?" Kurt asked, feeling a little braver and much more energized. His partially successful altercations seemed to have given him some sort of renewed spirit and he didn't even notice that his two friends were still nude, albeit streaked with crimson.

Everyone turned to Mike, the de facto leader of the foursome. "Sam went through the door up there, Sebastian and Santana went right, so we go left. I'll take the lead, Kurt and Mercedes next, and Tina brings up the rear. Stay on your toes, guys. We don't know how many more are around here," he instructed.

"Are you two okay? I mean, this is new territory here. Can you handle these fights?" Tina asked, worried. "This is life and death, defending yourselves isn't wrong," she added. She spoke as if she and her boyfriend had been prepared themselves for the ensuing splatterfest, but in truth both of them were just as bothered by the slaughtering. Fortunately for them, it was in their nature to separate the ideals of murder versus survival.

"I'm fine. I have no idea where this bravado came from but I'm going with it," Kurt answered confidently.

Mercedes didn't look quite so sure. "This is insane. We're killing people. Humans," she said, looking sickly. "I killed a man! I shot him and blew out his spine!"

Mike spoke up before Tina could. "You signed up for this. All of us did. Nobody said this was going to be a cakewalk. You're in the middle of it now, Mercedes. I don't take pleasure in killing anyone but this is self-defense, and this is a rescue mission. These people have hurt your friend, and we're here to stop it. If you focus on that, you can get through this."

"You always sound so inspirational," Tina praised with a smile. "He's right though. Rory is our friend. We're defending him as well as ourselves. This isn't murder." She regarded Mercedes carefully; the darker woman still didn't seem to be on board with the situation. "Look, if you truly can't do this, at least try and knock them out, okay? Let the rest of us do the dirty work. If you can help us incapacitate, we can do the deed we have to do. We're all gonna need therapy after this anyway. We can have group, now let's get moving."

Mercedes hesitated before looking up at Tina and Mike. "Alright, I can do that I think," she said. "I don't know what I thought this was gonna be, but not this. I'm sorry," she went on. Kurt hugged her, kissing her on the cheek. "I can't believe what I'm—we're doing."

"This is hopefully gonna seem like a bad nightmare when it's over. Me and you will walk through the aftermath together, okay?" Kurt offered. He sounded confident, but he would come off of his adrenaline high at some point and feel the crash of emotions she was already struggling with.

The heavyset woman couldn't help but laugh. "I never figured you would be so willing to jump into this insanity, Kurt Hummel, but you're full of surprises. As long as I can deal with the trauma with you, I think I can do this."

"Good, because I don't think I wanna be the only one who went crazy around here," the teenaged boy replied.

"We need to get moving. I'm sorry if I seem harsh, but we don't have a lot of time," Mike reminded them. "Let's go."

After Mercedes received another hug from Kurt and they exchanged silent reassurance, the four of them went up the stairs in the exact order Mike had specified and began to make their way down the left hallway.

-ooo-

Ryder stepped through the final sliding door, expecting to see Rachel sitting on her throne, but there was no one in the room at all. Relieved, he set Rory down against the wall, taking a momentary break. Despite his enhanced strength, he had been tired to begin with, and Rory was larger than some grown adults, being, the same size as Ryder. He leaned against the wall himself, taking several deep breaths.

"R-Ryder?" came Rory's very soft, very exhausted voice. His eyes were only half open, and he was breathing shallowly. "Where… What's… Ryder?"

The incubus knelt down and gingerly took the boy's hand in his own, being cautious not to squeeze too hard. "I'm right here. We're in the throne room. I was carrying you back to your room but I needed to take a breather."

"Why… everything feels so… weird… numb and light at the same time," Rory wheezed. "I feel so weak. I… I don't e'en know where I am. It's all spinning. Me head is spinning."

Ryder gulped. "Rachel… she took a lot of your blood. Probably about a third. Maybe a little bit less. You were bleeding a lot, so I did my best to patch you up. You're still hurt really bad, but I used my influence on you to ease the pain. You're incredibly disoriented. I just told you we were in the throne room," he explained. "I have got to get you to safety. It sounds like something major is going on out there and I want to make sure you survive."

"Thank ye'," the teen said breathlessly. He looked down at his arms and legs, which while bandaged under his clothes, were still stained. His injuries were still bleeding through the gauze. He brought his free hand up before his face, seeing the stained wrapping. He then touched his chest, felt wetness under his shirt. "Am I going to die?"

"No!" Ryder shouted unexpectedly. "No, you will not die," he repeated much more quietly. "She doesn't want you dead. You'll heal, but it's going to take a while. I swear I won't let you die."

Rory managed a very weak smile for the other man's benefit. "Please don't let me die, not before I see Sam again," the teen pleaded. "I can feel… I can feel meself fading…"

"Dammit, no!" Ryder shouted again. He slapped the boy across the face, pulling him out of his haze. "Sorry, but I had to. You have to get with it. You are not going to die, you will see Sam again, and somehow one of you will kill Rachel. So don't you dare give up! Not now!"

Rory reached up and rubbed his cheek where Ryder had smacked him. "Ye' hit like a girl," he teased, trying to lighten things up a little. "I won't give up. But ye' 'ave to come with us. When we get out of here, ye' 'ave to come. Sam can help ye' find a way to-

Rory didn't get to finish his sentence as they were interrupted by a huge explosion. The throne room doors blasted inward and several of the mirrors shattered. When the dust cleared, standing in the opening was Sam and behind him, Blaine.

The moment Sam saw Rory on the floor, obviously in some sort of pain, he let his rage loose. Whoever the man was in front of him had something to do with this, and Sam would tear him to pieces only after interrogating him thoroughly. His violent instincts as a vampire were taking over for the first time in years.

Sam rushed forward in vampire speed and grabbed the kneeling man by the throat and slammed him against the wall, the mirror behind him breaking, shards falling over them. "What have you done to him!?" the vampire demanded. Ryder had no time to answer before he was slammed against the wall a second time and then punched in the stomach. "Answer me! What did you do to him!?"

"Sam… please… stop…" Rory called weakly.

Sam didn't hear him as the rage was still running high. Ryder was beginning to turn blue in the face as Sam's grip was cutting off his air. Ryder clawed at the fist around him, but Ryder refused to fight back. He was trying to rasp something out, but it was no use.

Rory leaned over the best he could manage and summoned a dim burst of light, sending it flying at his boyfriend. The projectile hit, but only startled Sam. It wasn't strong enough to do anything else, but it got his attention as Rory had hoped. Sam looked over at him, meeting eyes with the boy.

"What has this man done to you?" the vampire demanded. "What did he do?" Bloody tears were beginning to form in his eyes, rage starting to be overcome by fear. "Tell me what he did!"

"He… he helped me…" the teen wheezed. "He helped me. Let… let him go."

Sam wasn't expecting that. He released Ryder, who dropped to the floor on his hands and knees, gasping for air, the color returning to his face. The vampire turned his full attention to his boyfriend, kneeling down beside him. "Wait, what happened?" he asked gently. He took the boy's hand in his, the smell of his blood sweet in his nose. The last thing he felt, however, was thirst.

"The banshee… Rachel, she… she did horrible things, but Ryder, he helped me," Rory said softly. "He's a good man."

"Are you sure? He hasn't played with your mind has he?" Sam asked, sniffling and wiping away a tear from his cheek, leaving a red smudge.

The leprechaun shook his head. "No. He's good. He's a slave. We 'ave to help him too," he said.

Sam looked back at the other man, eyeing him. He then looked over at Blaine, who was guarding the doorway. He nodded, asking Blaine to join them. "Can you heal him with your magic?"

Blaine knelt down and gave Rory a cursory once over. "No, I don't think I can. Not this kind of thing. Definitely not as inexperienced as I am."

"You can't try?" Sam urged, blinking away another tear.

"I might end up making it worse. I'm sorry," Blaine replied. He, too, had tears welling up in his eyes at the sight of his friend. "I can definitely cause his captors some pain though, and in the meantime, offer some bit of protection." Without waiting for an order, Blaine quickly conjured up his curtain of energy that he had used back at the Evans home.

Sam looked around from Blaine, who was busy with his spell, to Ryder, and finally to Rory. He made his decision. He bit his wrist and placed it before the ailing boy. "Drink," he ordered sternly.

Rory kept his mouth shut aside from muttering a firm no. He knew that while Sam's blood would indeed help, weakening his savior was not the best idea at the moment. Sam would need all of strength to fight and if he were suffering severe blood loss, Rachel, or even Kitty, would tear through him like tissue paper.

"I didn't ask! I said drink, Rory! You need my blood to heal. I can see and smell the blood all over you. You're in bad shape." He pressed his wrist up against the boy's lips, using his other hand on the back of Rory's head, urging him to imbibe. "Come on, drink dammit!"

Staring Sam in the eyes, seeing the bloody tears flowing freely, feeling himself fading again, Rory knew he had to do what Sam was ordering. He parted his lips and began to suck the open wound on his boyfriend's wrist. He gripped Sam's arm with both hands, keeping it still as he began to greedily drink, drawing out the healing blood. He closed his eyes, not seeing the pained look on Sam's face.

"Are you going to be okay? This is gonna weaken you," Blaine whispered in the vampire's ear.

Sam didn't answer verbally but simply stared into Blaine's eyes. The determination and confidence in the man's eyes told Blaine everything he needed to know: Sam didn't care if it killed him as long as Rory was all right.

The vampire could sense that it was time for Rory to stop. Sam was weakening quite a bit, and if the boy continued to draw the life-giving liquid, it would leave Sam in a dangerously vulnerable state. He tried to pull his wrist away but Rory held on tight. Feeling weaker and not wanting to hurt his boyfriend, he struggled halfheartedly.

Worried, Blaine reached forward and pulled on Sam's arm, prying Rory's fingers away. The younger teen was licking his lips as his source was taken away from him. It was then that he opened his eyes again and began to feel less hazy and more like he was alive.

Sam was now paler than usual, but he was still able to stand on his own. He shook his head, collecting himself. "Ryder, right?" he asked, looking at the incubus. "I need your help with him. We have to get out of here and I need you to steady him. He isn't ready to be on his own two feet by himself. Blaine and I can clear the way if necessary."

Reluctant to believe that Sam was in any condition to fight, Ryder agreed nonetheless. He stooped down and helped his friend onto his feet, pulling Rory's arm around his neck. Rory wobbled, the injuries to his legs not yet having healed enough. Realizing this, Ryder repositioned him so that Rory was once again on his back.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going with that!?" screeched a female voice. It was Kitty, standing in the destroyed doorway, one hand on her hip, the other gripping a seemingly unconscious Santana by the neck, dragging her along.

"Santana!" Sam shouted, alarmed at the woman's incapacitated state. It was then he noticed that Santana managed to move her head ever so slightly. She was down but not out.

"I'm not done yet," Santana croaked, grabbing Kitty by the arm. The alarmed succubus released her grip and screamed as she looked down and saw the pure rage in Santana's eyes. The vampiress clawed her way up Kitty's arm with one hand, the other clawing against the woman's chest. Streaks of red burst into view as Santana's incredibly sharp nails ripped open not only Kitty's clothing but her flesh as well. Kitty screamed in pain, the attack happening so fast that she barely had time to react.

"Fucking cunt!" Kitty yelled, finally wrestling her now shredded arm from the vampiress' claws. She gripped Santana's arms and threw her weight, shrugging the angry vampire from her body. Santana fell facedown in a heap on the floor, exhausted from her adrenaline-fueled attack. She managed to look up and see the succubus screeching at her wounds, trembling with her own ferocious emotions. Satisfied she had weakened her foe, Sebastian's progeny let herself pass out.

Sam, Rory, and Blaine had watched on in stunned surprise as their associate went into a crazed frenzy on their enemy, everything happening in vampire speed. Within seconds, Santana was knocked out, Kitty standing before them badly wounded.

Ryder gently eased Rory down, letting the boy stand on his own. "Impressive," he stated with a grin, his eyes going from Santana back to Kitty. He took several steps forward, still a 'safe' distance from his adversary. "How does it feel, Kitty? How does it feel to experience pain? To get your ass kicked a little bit?"

"Shut up you fucking faggot!" Kitty bellowed. It was a hypocritical insult, her own sexuality fluid, but she knew the word would strike Ryder just right.

Kitty was wrong.

"Clever. No, really. All these centuries and the best you can come up with is 'faggot'?" the incubus taunted. "I'm disappointed." He was feeling cocky for once; elated at seeing Kitty finally taking critical attacks.

Kitty's eyes turned a deep red, matching the gashes on her body. "I'm going to end you, you cocky little shit!" She took a dash toward the man, her speed not up to par due to her injuries. Ryder ran at her as well, dodging to the side just in time to clothesline her. She fell on her back but quickly recovered, turning and launching herself at Ryder, wrapping her legs around his neck and throwing him.

Blaine was maintaining the shield spell around himself and Rory while Sam slowly secured Santana out of the way. He may not have liked her all that much, but she was still an ally and an asset to their group, though he would never admit the latter to her face.

Ryder wasn't ready to claim defeat just yet. He forced himself back up and ran at Kitty again. He punched her right in the stomach, his fist tearing into a laceration. He felt the flesh part further, the wetness of her blood covering his arm. The woman howled in agony, her scream rivaling Rachel's call.

Kitty fell to her hands and knees, gasping and grabbing her stomach. Despite Ryder's strength and luck of hitting her injury, he had not gone as deep as she at first thought. She was weak, but far from finished. She picked herself up, blood covering her body from the neck down.

The succubus was shaking madly, her body seeming to vibrate. She began to glow an eerie green color as she began to channel energy from somewhere.

"What is she doing?" Blaine asked openly, the constant concentration of his spell beginning to give him a headache. "I can't hold the shield and attack her at the same time, Sam. It has to be one or the other." For reasons unknown to the Wiccan, this stronger version of his barrier spell was having side-effects he hadn't expected.

"She's gathering power, but from where I don't know," Sam croaked. "Ryder has to stop her. We can't chance that barrier coming down and someone taking advantage of it."

As if on cue, Ryder ran toward the woman, but stopped short. "Kitty what are you doing!?" he cried. "You'll kill us all! Including yourself!"

"She's channeling her essence. Every soul she ever taken…" Rory said almost robotically. "I can see them all. Every single person, one after the other."

"What? How?" Blaine asked, confused. "I thought you had to touch someone to see their memories."

Sam cleared his throat before answering. "It has to be her. The power she's summoning must be doing something."

"Augmenting…" Blaine said under his breath. "Ryder said she'll kill us all. I've got to do something! I'm sorry, but I have to!" he cried. He let the shield fall to the floor and stepped forward, not even entirely sure what he intended to do.

An idea coming to mind, Blaine began to chant in Latin, his speech coming out so fast the words could not be understood even by a native speaker. He crouched down and touched the floor with two fingers, a line of flame running from his fingertips up toward Kitty and then forming a circle around her. The fire increased, flames crackling.

The spell was no use. The fire dissipated as the aura around Kitty expanded. Energy flowed back through the line of fire and pulsed into Blaine, knocking him backward. Rory managed to catch him, the two boys falling to the floor.

"I'm feeling a little better now," Rory said quietly as he picked himself up from the floor. Blaine held out his hand and helped him stand. "Blaine, put the barrier back up. It might be the only thing that saves us if she explodes or something."

"But what about Ryder?" the Wiccan asked. "We can't let him do this by himself! He needs to be behind the wall too!"

Rory cried out in pain, grabbing his head. "Oh me god! Ryder! No!" Images flashed in his head, but instead of the pages of the past, he was seeing current thoughts. Ryder's thoughts. His idea. His mission.

"I have to stop her…" Ryder said softly. "I can't let her kill Rory. Any of them." He began to walk toward the glowing succubus, feeling his energy beginning to drain. If only he could get to her. He wished he could create some sort of memory to project to Rory, some message to tell him exactly what to do. He continually focused on his mission, praying that somehow the images would transmit to his friend.

Pushing all other thoughts out of his head—his regrets, his past, Damian, everything except his plan- Ryder forced himself into Kitty's aura despite the great pain he was suffering. He wrapped his arms around her, the woman screeching in anger. His energy was all but gone, his grip weakening already. "Rory! Now!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

Tears in his eyes, Rory knew he had to do it. He didn't want to, but if he didn't they would all die. His hands began to glow the familiar gold, his body heating up. He focused with his entire mind, holding out his hands in front of him. "Blaine! The instant this hits her, put the barrier up! I don't know what might happen!" he cried. He then turned to face the incubus and the succubus. "I'm sorry…" he whispered as a bright, white flash blinded everyone in the room, the golden light bursting from the teen's outstretched hands and surging through the air, hitting Kitty and Ryder.

Rory continued to channel his power, his nose beginning to bleed as his head focused harder than ever. Finally there was an enormous explosion, blinding flashes of light, sounds louder than thunder, screams of anger, pain, and agony resonating in the air. Blaine erected his spell the instant Rory cut off his power surge, guarding them from the energy overload. Shattered glass from the mirrors flew through the air, shards reflecting off of the curtain of light.

Despite the shield, when the explosion hit the light, Sam, Blaine, and Rory were thrown back so far across the room that they hit the wall. Santana's limp body barely moved at all, still safe from the influx of energy.

The light dissipated, Kitty's glowing body no longer an aura. She lay on the ground, her body now fully covered in blood, burns, and enormous wounds. Her eyes fluttered shut as she took her final breath, her soul leaving her body and dissipating like a cloud of green mist.

Ryder lay on the floor next to her, face-down and burned, cut, and bloody. He was still breathing, albeit shallowly, and rasping loudly. Rory managed to get on his feet, torn between checking on Sam and Ryder.

"Go, go to him," Sam said softly. "See if he's…" He closed his eyes as he struggled to get up, leaning against the shattered mirror for balance. Rory took one last glance at the vampire and then ran toward where Ryder was sprawled on the floor. He had taken off so fast he forgot all about the barrier, but the impact of the blast had broken Blaine's concentration and the shield had fallen.

"Ryder! Ryder!" Rory yelled, crashing down next to the man. He turned him onto his back and was horrified by what he saw. Ryder's entire torso was scorched black with deep angry gashes crisscrossing over him. A pool of blood had already formed beneath him.

Rory pulled the man's head into his lap, gently caressing his charred cheeks. Tears ran down Rory's face, dripping onto the incubus' chest. "Ryder… Hang on! Ye're gonna be okay. Sam can heal ye'!"

"I'm dying, Rory. I'm beyond help..." Ryder croaked out. With each breath he took, searing pain surged through his body. Ribs were shattered, his spine was broken. He couldn't feel anything below his middle back, but what he did feel was excruciating. Tears streaked down his face, drawing thin lines in the blood and soot that covered him. Rory did the best he could to wipe it from the man's eyes.

"No! Ye' can't die. Ye're an incubus! That has to mean something!" Rory cried. "Doesn't it?" he added quietly, already knowing the answer. "Doesn't it!?"

Ryder gasped in agony before he answered. "Even the supernatural has its limits. I'm done, Rory. I'm done… I saved you, that's… what… matters. That's what I… what I wanted." He coughed, his entire body quaking in pain.

The leprechaun had no more words for his friend. All along, Ryder had made it clear he intended to protect him, and he had. Right until the very end. Swallowing back another cry, Rory closed his eyes and began to focus. The memory he was searching for was at the surface of Ryder's mind, just where he had put it earlier. He drew it forward, his nose beginning to bleed again as he channeled his ability in a way he prayed would work.

"Close your eyes," Rory whispered. The memory was invading Ryder's current thoughts, taking on a form of it's own, controlled by Rory and overriding all sense of reality.

"Damian… oh thank you, Damian. My love…" Ryder said softly, his lips turning up in a faint smile. In his mind, Damian was standing over him, taking care of the incubus as he lay in a bed, injured.

"Ryder… Ye' can come with me now," Rory said, praying as he worked his ability beyond his known limits. "Ye're fading, but ye' can be with me now. I can see ye'. Touch ye'r skin again."

Ryder's smile widened. He knew what Rory was doing even through the haze, and the fact the boy was putting so much effort into this last moment meant the world to him, but he knew the truth. He allowed himself to drift back into the memory.

"Oh Damian, you… you know that's… not true," Ryder said aloud, struggling. You know… I can't go with you. You're… in Heaven, and my kind… Hell is what waits for me," he added.

"No, ye've made up for what ye've done. Ye' saved another human life; ye' sacrificed ye'rself. Ye'll join me here," Rory, as Damian, insisted. His tears were flowing stronger, soaking into the tattered shirt of his friend.

Ryder smiled again and managed to lift his arm. He caressed the side of Rory's face with the back of his hand. "A pleasant lie, that. Thank you," he said quietly. His breathing was slowing immensely, his body turning colder by the second. Rory could feel the life disappearing from his friend's body. Rory couldn't hear Ryder's final words of appreciation, another 'thank you', but he understood anyway as Ryder's memories faded. If the memories Rory could see in someone's head were a picture book, then this book was closing and the lights going out. He tried to pull back the images, to draw forward the memories, but there was nothing there. It was a void. A void that oddly sent shivers through the teen's body. Ryder was gone.

"No!" Rory shouted at the top of his lungs until his throat was sore. He sobbed uncontrollably, pulling the dead man's body toward him, hugging him tightly. He needn't worry about hurting him and Rory needed to hold him one last time.

Sam and Blaine watched the scene from the wall, allowing the teen his privacy. Sam had no idea what was going on between the two, but he trusted that Rory would explain it to him. He knew the boy wouldn't stray from him, but Ryder still must have been someone special. Blood ran from Sam's eyes as he watched the demon fade away to death, his boyfriend embracing the man and crying.

Blaine took Sam's hand, the vampire not expecting the touch. He didn't protest however. Blaine led him toward the despairing leprechaun, knowing that what Rory needed right at that moment was his other half.

Sam knelt down next to his boyfriend and draped an arm over the boy's shoulder. Rory gently laid the body of his friend back down onto the floor and then allowed himself to be drawn into Sam's arms, burying his face in the vampire's chest, his body wracking with sobs.

Blaine stood above the man and began to chant in Latin mixed with English, offering some sort of Wiccan prayer. He wished Ryder a safe journey to his destination, prayed that the gods would show him mercy. Sam looked up at him, his face still streaked with bloody tears, his eyes pleading. He knew there was no coming back from the dead. Not in this fashion. Ryder was gone and Rory was sad, and there was nothing Sam could do about it. He couldn't even pretend to understand what was going on, but he knew Rory needed him more than anything right then.

-ooo-

Rachel sat on her bed, deliberating. She knew that with the dosage of leprechaun blood she had ingested, she should be like a god, completely unstoppable. What worried her was the fact that she really didn't know everything it did to her. She knew it enhanced her latent abilities, and she knew it prolonged her life, but she had no idea what other effects it could have. Centuries of research hadn't amounted to much when it came to that. Even more worrisome was that she still wasn't feeling any physical changes to herself.

Suddenly she reeled back on her bed in pain, her head exploding with fire. For a moment she actually thought she might be dying, that the blood was having a negative effect on her body, but then images started flowing into her mind. Her visions of death never came to her this way; this was something different.

"What the hell…" she said to herself. She pressed on her temples, sitting back upright, closing her eyes. She saw something most distressing appear in her head: Kitty, standing in the middle of the throne room. She was glowing with a bright green aura, several people looking on. Ryder was on one side of her, Rory and his friends on the other. They were shouting something to each other, and then Ryder dashed forward and tackled Kitty. He shouted something else and then Rory began to glow too before sending out an impressive surge of his own power.

Rachel then saw the explosion she had felt minutes earlier, bright flashes distorting the memories. When it cleared again, the leprechaun and his friends were against the far wall, appearing to be stunned, but not incapacitated. What she did not see was Ryder. Instead she saw a large heap on the floor, looking like smoldering ash and char.

The last image to flash in her head was of Rory, knelt down next to the burnt remains of what she deduced to be Ryder. They were having a conversation and then the incubus went stiff and died. Rachel couldn't help but smile at the pain the leprechaun was experiencing at the loss of his caretaker. She could see him crying, could see the vampire, Sam, embrace him as he sobbed. He felt true and utter despair over this creature and it made her tingle in her loins, the pain in her head completely gone.

The loss of Kitty was more upsetting, but the banshee refused to let her emotions prevail over her better sense. Kitty had been her right-hand woman, and in many ways a lover. The succubus had been a powerful fighter, the best bodyguard she could ask for. Rachel would miss Kitty immensely, but on the plus side, she no longer needed the protection of the woman.

Keeping her face stoic, Rachel stood, her silk dress billowing as she glided to the door. Ready or not, she had work to do. "It's time to see exactly what I'm made of," she said aloud. I'll recapture the fae and force him to watch as I torture and kill each and every one of his friends. I'll draw it out for years, make them suffer worse than I ever have anyone else. I will fill his heart with such despair; he will be mine, no more questions asked.

-ooo-

Sam glanced at Blaine, both of them silently acknowledging they needed to get moving. Ryder was dead, and Rory was grieving for the loss of a friend, but they had no choice but to get to safety, otherwise Ryder's death was fruitless. Blaine went about the task of trying to rouse Santana while Sam tended to his fretting boyfriend.

Rory pulled back from Sam's chest, sniffling and wiping the tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'll explain e'erything later, I promise. I just… I can't right now."

Sam smiled softly, caressing the boy's cheek. "Right now we need to get the others and get out of here," he said. His voice was gentle yet commanding. "Mike, Tina, Mercedes, and Kurt are all here. Sebastian too. We have to get them and get out before-"

"Before I show up?" tittered a high-pitched, yet regal, voice. Her words seemed to flow from her mouth like a song. "You shouldn't have wasted so much time crying over that… thing," she taunted, looking toward Rory and the deceased. Both Rory and Sam stood up, watching her intently as she came through a sliding door at the back of the room.

"Ryder is not a thing!" the leprechaun bellowed angrily. "How dare ye'!" Without thinking, he threw his arm out, a short burst of golden light shooting toward Rachel. Rachel opened her mouth and let out a shriek that was so shrill it was like a dog whistle. Rory and Blaine couldn't hear it, but Sam could due to his enhanced hearing. He covered his ears, grunting and falling to his knee. The light dissipated in the sound waves, Sam still in agony, Santana joining him as she awoke to a very unpleasant noise.

The banshee then pursed her lips and blew a stream of air that knocked all four of her adversaries back down to the ground. "Is that the best you can do? Some light show and angry words? Surely this isn't all that challenges me," she teased with a laugh.

Blaine muttered some Latin and touched the ground, repeating his fire spell. Flames appeared at Rachel's feet but she didn't even bother to react aside from rolling her eyes. She made a sharp, quick whistle, all three of the men and the vampiress covering their ears. The fire faded as soon as Blaine's fingers lost contact with the floor.

"This is tired. Vampire, what have you for me?" she asked, turning her attention to Sam.

Sam knew he was no match for Rachel, even without her overdose of leprechaun blood. He had yet to recover from Rory's draining. His strength was weak; his speed wasn't up to par. There was no way he could take her. Santana was in the same condition – in no state to fight after Kitty's thrashing. "Nothing. I have nothing," he finally admitted.

"Nothing? You break into my home, steal my leprechaun, and don't even have anything to fight back with?" Rachel cackled. "How insulting and pathetic. The least you could do is put up a decent challenge. Instead you have nothing!"

"He said he didn't have anything. He didn't say I didn't!" They heard a familiar voice coming from behind them. Sebastian. The sheriff dashed at top speed toward the woman, intent on jumping at her, but she let out a wail that sent him flailing backward.

"You fucking bitch!" Sebastian screeched angrily, losing all sense of haughtiness. "I'll kill you!"

Rachel snickered. "Really? Not if that's the best you can muster," she said, her lips turning up in a cruel smile. "I was actually hoping for a little fun of some sort. I get kind of bored around here you know."

The banshee sighed and rolled her eyes again, annoyed. "Oh well," she said, throwing her arms in the air. "I guess I may as well get this over with. Just so you know, I have no intention of killing you here. I want my leprechaun alive, and I have a special treat for you all, so you'll be leaving here tonight and visiting a special place I have for you."

"Oh would you just shut the fuck up!?" Santana blasted back at her. "Do you realize you sound like every lame villain in history? 'Get this over with?' 'I have a special treat?' Oh and my favorite so far, 'a special place I have for you.' What next, 'I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for those pesky kids and their leprechaun?' Get some new lines," she taunted. She knew it was stupid to antagonize her, but if she was going to die or at the very least become a tortured prisoner, she was going to make sure she got in a few quips on the way out.

"Santana, survived and sassy as ever, I see. Good, I hate to think I would be without my baby girl," Sebastian noted, grinning at his very-injured progeny.

"You're pretty stupid to make jibes at me. You're already dead, halfway to the true death as it stands now, and then you make insults. Good choice for a progeny, sheriff," Rachel bit back. Before Sebastian or Santana could return her snide comments, all five of Rachel's foes were reduced to writhing around on the floor, holding their ears and screaming. The sound from Rachel's lungs tore searing pain into their heads, giving all of them severe headaches. The vibrations against their flesh didn't help, either. It was like they were being shaken to death.

Rachel stopped screaming. "See how easy it is for me to make you all suffer? To reduce you to nothing but whining babies, rolling about on my floor? You think for five minutes that you are some challenge to me, when I have the power of a god?"

"Just wait until that leprechaun blood wears off," Sebastian hissed. "You won't be a god anymore! You'll never be a god as long as you have that weakness you pompous ass!"

"I don't need that blood to take you on. I can kill each and every one of you all by myself," the woman taunted. "If I really was afraid of you, don't you think security might have been a little tighter? Instead a nice missile launch at your airplane, a lackluster 'army' to greet you. There wasn't any need to waste any more energy than that. You did kill my Kitty though, and that was a great loss. No matter, your suffering will make up for it."

At this point, Rachel was merely talking out of her rear. It wasn't that she didn't want to have security; it was more that she didn't have more security. Despite living for centuries, she had a limited number of beings under her command, two of her most powerful of which were now dead. The only other person she had on her side who stood even half a chance couldn't even stand. Artie, confined to his wheelchair, wasn't even anywhere in sight. In fact, she hadn't seen him since he sent the missile launch. Oh well, she didn't need him.

His head pounding, Sam looked up at the woman with not only a gaze of hatred, but also one of curiosity. "Rachel, before anything else goes down, answer a question," he stated.

"A question? For me? Yes, vampire?"

"What's the point of all this? I mean, yeah you want his blood so you live longer and have more power, but why are you so hell-bent on killing people and torturing them and making people suffer? Isn't your purpose simply to give the warning of death?" he asked, not the least bit of sarcasm or attitude in his voice.

Rachel cocked her head, intrigued by this new angle. Before she could answer, however, another voice echoed in the room.

"It's because she's insane," a slightly nasal voice stated as its owner appeared. It was a man, sitting in a wheelchair. Artie. Rachel snapped her head back and glared at him, her eyes piercing through him. "That's right, Rachel. You're insane. The thing is, it's not a metaphor. She is literally lacking her sanity."

"Explain yourself you ungrateful fool!" the banshee screamed.

Artie removed his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief, taking his time in answering. "You see, most banshee's don't live past a couple centuries. Their task of announcing death begins to drain on their sanity. They become depressed, alone. They become isolated from society. No other beings want to be around her for fear of the death wail. A banshee can either announce the call from a vision, or she can even make a call of her own, but either way she does nothing but bring forth death."

Rachel rolled her eyes and huffed. "I think we are all well aware of what a banshee does in her lifetime, Arthur," she said sarcastically.

"My story doesn't end, mistress. You forget, I have been with you for over half of my lifetime. I have seen your mind deteriorate. I have seen the loneliness consume you. The depression, isolation. You wanted nothing more than to experience love of another, and you could never have it. You still can't and not even all the leprechaun blood in the world can change that fact."

"N-Nonsense," Rachel said, her voice not quite as confident as it had been thus far.

"If you don't mind, I will continue," Artie stated. "The loneliness turned into jealousy of humans and other beings who could experience love. That jealousy turned to anger and hatred."

"Sounds like Yoda and Star Wars," Sam observed. He got odd looks from everyone else. "What? I like sci-fi," he added. It was the most casual moment any of them had experienced in the past week and would have elicited laughs had they not been in such dire circumstances.

Ignoring the interruption, Artie went on. "It's at that point that many banshees commit suicide. Not Rachel. She kept wanting. And wanting. It was a determination that was built inside of her. When she finally understood that she could never experience interaction without death, she decided she would just allow herself to be consumed by the hatred and jealousy. It turned her into this," Artie concluded, waving his hand toward his mistress.

"Wow, so you really did become insane with negative emotions," Sam said, awed. "If you were so miserable, why seek blood to make your life longer? Wouldn't you want to die?"

Rachel seethed. "No! I didn't want to die! I wanted to… I wanted to change things." It was the first time the woman had appeared genuinely disturbed in front of any of them.

Five people stared at her, confused.

"I thought that perhaps if I could gain more power, I could have control over this call of death. Maybe I could finally have what I wanted."

"The thing is, over the centuries her insanity drove her to enjoy hurting people. Torturing them, killing them, manipulating them. Even now if she got what she wanted—a lover—she would be so fixated on the suffering of others that it would destroy any love she could have. This woman can no longer experience love and affection," Artie stated, raising his eyebrows and smirking as he pointed his finger directly at her.

Rachel screamed in anger. "How dare you! You disgusting piece of shit!" she screeched, pointing at her servant. "I trusted you over the years and you betray my secrets! You betray my trust!"

"No more than you betrayed mine, mistress. You promised me the ability to walk once again. I've known for three centuries now that it's impossible to make that happen. Don't you remember, when the accident occurred I drank an entire vampire and it had no effect? Yet I still held out hope all these years. I hoped the blood of a fae would allow me to walk again. You swore to me during my entire servitude that you would restore me, yet who was it that got to partake of your prize? The succubus. I came to your chambers to beg for my chance, and you denied me so much as a drop, yet you gave Kitty, a lackluster succubus who ultimately failed you a drink from your treasure. It was the last straw, your betrayal."

"No more!" the banshee shouted. She pursed her lips and blew a stream of air at him, knocking him out of his chair and sprawling onto the floor. She then began to stroll over to him, bending down and taking him by the throat, lifting him before her. "I think I'll kill you now before I move on to my plans with the others. I don't tolerate-"

The woman's words were cut off and replaced with a howl of pain. Light was flashing behind her and an unbearable heat burned into her back. She twisted around, dropping the invalid on the ground. Rory was kneeling on the floor, his arms extended and sending a surge of light toward her.

Angry, Rachel let out a howl that once again knocked over her adversaries, but Rory didn't let up. Despite falling back on his side, he continued to send pulses of light at the woman, forcing himself back up on his knees. Rachel continued to scream, but in agony rather than attack. The beam hit her square in the chest, burning through her dress and seeping into her flesh. She began to smoke, but no blood came forth.

The beam suddenly struck upward, smashing her in the face before hitting the ceiling and then stopping altogether. Rory gasped, let out a deep breath, dropped his hands to his sides, and then fell flat on his face. As he fell, the blade that had been thrust into his back slid out. No one had seen Artie crawl around and come up behind him in accelerated speed.

"No!" Tina screamed. She and the others had come in the door just as Artie's surprise attack had happened. Mercedes attempted to scream herself, but no sound came out. Kurt stumbled and then fainted, Mike catching him. All four of them were looking rather rough, and seeing their friend attacked and killed didn't help matters.

Rachel stopped screaming the moment the heat stopped in her chest. She dropped to her knees, gasping and holding her chest with one hand.

"Now I can have my chance… This boy's blood is mine to drink," Artie said, a grin forming on his face. "Once he is dead, there will be no more blood for you, either, mistress. You will never have the power you crave, mistress," Artie announced triumphantly.

"And neither will you," Sebastian stated simply, grasping Artie's head and twisting, snapping his neck. The man's body went limp immediately. Sebastian let go, allowing him to fall in a heap on his face.

Sam was already by Rory's side, bloody tears freely flowing. He didn't dare move the teen for fear of paralysis. The boy had turned his head to the side, his eyes looking at Sam pleadingly. His breathing was already shallow, blood dripping from his lips.

Sebastian and Santana rushed toward the banshee, but the woman looked up just in time to send them reeling backward with a well timed, albeit weak, screech. Mike was holding the unconscious Kurt in his arms and Tina was sobbing to the point of hyperventilating. She wanted to do something but after seeing the vampires so easily knocked back, she felt useless. Mercedes still couldn't speak; she simply stood there, her mouth agape, salty tears staining her dark cheeks. Blaine had turned pale, moments from vomiting.

"No! No, no, no, no!" Sam cried. "I can't even hold him!"

"It's okay," Rory whispered. "Just hold me hand," he added, his eyes half closed, a complacent look on his face. Sam obliged him, grasping his hand and squeezing just hard enough so as not to hurt him.

Rachel was still reeling on the floor, tears of her own dripping to the carpet. She craned her neck up, seeing the scene before her once more, the reality settling with her. "No…" she said softly. "No… my leprechaun…" She spidered over to the crowd, stopping directly in front of Rory. "No, not my leprechaun… he killed him!" she screeched in anger.

"Where is the traitorous bastard?" the banshee demanded. "Where is he!?"

"Right there," Sebastian stated, pointing behind them. "He's quite dead, however." He spoke with a confidence and calmness he did not truly feel. He had never been good at handling the feeling of despair, and at the moment he forced himself not to focus on the aching in his heart.

"Give him to me," the woman hissed. "Give him to me!" she repeated, yelling loudly. Sebastian nodded his head and dragged the corpse to the banshee, leaving him in a heap. She took the man by the neck and forced his dead face to look at her. She was seething. Her eyes were redder than ever before. Carefully, she turned his head to the side and moved her mouth merely an inch next to his ear.

"He's dead. It's not like he's coming back," Sebastian said sarcastically, watching her intently, his eyes searching for the perfect moment to subdue her.

"I'll make sure of that," she whispered. Preparing to hear the wail of death, several of the crowd covered their ears, but the call she made was so high pitched, so shrill, that not even the vampires could hear it. Only the vibrations of Artie's head made any indication that anything was happening. His glasses shattered, his eyes bulged and then burst, white and red mush splattering to the ground. Blood ran from his nostrils and ears, out of the now-empty sockets of his eyes. Brain matter, bone, and gore exploded into the air as Rachel's scream destroyed the dead man's skull.

Blaine finally did vomit, facing away from the others and retching. Mercedes turned pale herself, her dark skin turning more of a gray. She dropped to one knee and covered her mouth, closing her eyes and fighting back the urge to throw up as well. She lost and had to turn away, decorating the floor behind her. Tina stood in a state of shock and horror, the image surreal, and Mike closed his eyes, turning his head away and swallowing back bile. Sebastian and Santana showed no reaction, being used to seeing the worst of destruction of a body. Rory didn't see anything but felt something splat on his backside. He didn't want to know what it was. Sam was far too engrossed in his dying boyfriend to pay any notice to the violence.

"He will never rise again, not even with the strongest resurrection spell," Rachel stated. "He killed my leprechaun. After centuries of searching, it's all for naught. The last one is dead. Useless."

"What did you say?" Sam growled, looking up at the woman. Sebastian bit back a grin as he knew exactly what was about to happen and that his services were not going to be required.

"I said-" the banshee began, but was knocked backward. Sam had pounced on her and had already begun a barrage of punches to her face. Rachel put her hands up to defend herself, catching his fists in her hands and then shoving him off of her. She stood, surprised and angry.

"His name is Rory, you evil bitch!" Sam screamed. He swung his fist back and then connected with the banshee again, a terrible cracking sound echoing through the room as her nose broke. "He is not useless! He's worth more than you could ever hope to be!" he went on, throwing punch after punch at her between words. His speech was barely making sense to her as her head turned from one side to the other. She then felt her stomach explode in pain as he punched her abdomen. She doubled over only to meet a devastating uppercut that sent her reeling backward.

"Stop it!" she ordered, attempting to right herself. "You don't understand my pain!"

Sam paused only long enough to taunt her. "Your pain? Fuck your pain! You were dealt your lot and you went insane. Your pain means nothing! His pain means everything! He's dying, because of you!" he shouted, closing the distance between her and himself.

Rachel went to wail, but her voice was cut off by the iron grip around her throat. Sam pulled her toward his face, eyes filled with rage, looking like a madman with his face stained with blood. "You can't scream if you can't breathe! All the blood in the world can't change that. You better hope we can keep him alive or I will follow you into Hell!" he yelled. Rachel struggled to make any kind of noise, but Sam's grip was tight and she was starting to weaken considerably. The blood she had ingested was already wearing off. The legends were false. The blood didn't bring with it the immortality she had desired. Instead it had merely given her a false sense of hope. The only answer her brain could manage to conjure was that the blood itself reacted differently with every species. It had made Kitty stronger, but had failed to enhance a banshee's abilities to the same extent.

I'm going to die. I'm going to die once and for all. By the hand of a vampire. Where did he get this sudden burst of energy? Rage. I am far too weak now. I'm dying. I can't save myself. Oh I hope to meet Kitty again in Hell. Her thoughts were becoming more and more disoriented as she began to lose brain function from lack of oxygen.

Sam pulled his fist back, keeping a firm grip on the banshee with his other hand. When he slammed his fist forward, he aimed directly for the spot where Rory's blast had burned into her. His hand tore through flesh, through bone, and he felt her heart in his hand. It was beating, but barely. Not saying a word, Sam pulled the woman's organ out of her chest and held it in front of her face. With a look of utter disgust, he smashed it into her face, covering her with muscle and organ matter. She couldn't even scream in pain as he reached back in, grasped her spine, and yanked it right back out. It was then that he released her throat and dropped her to the ground. He snapped the spine in half and tossed it aside like a twig.

Faded eyes stared up at the ceiling, her face locked in a mask of terror. Rachel was dead.

Sam felt weak. He had no idea where the sudden surge of strength had come from—humans would say adrenaline, but vampires made no such chemical anymore. It must have come from the same inner strength Santana's barrage on Kitty had come from. Truth be told, he didn't care how he did it. He dropped back down to his boyfriend, taking his hand again.

Sebastian hovered over them, his face betraying his emotions. He felt useless for the first time in centuries. He had not been able to conquer Kitty and almost lost his progeny to her. His initial attack on Rachel had failed. By the time he had worked out a course of action in his head, Sam was already slaughtering the woman, and now all he could do was loom over the dying leprechaun, unable to hide his despair from the others.

"She's gone, Rory. She's gone. I killed her. I killed her, for you," the blonde told him. "You don't have to be afraid, stay with me, stay with all of us. Don't go," he whispered, his voice raspy. He brought his free hand to his mouth and tore open his wrist. "Come on, drink. It's not too late, just drink!"

"I can't…" Rory croaked. "I can't. It'll kill ye'." He closed his eyes, his energy leaving him. He knew in his heart he was going to die.

"I don't care if it kills me, you can't die! Drink!" Sam insisted. "Drink God dammit, drink!" His voice was barely a whisper by then, his wrist pressed against the boy's lips as Sam urged him to imbibe.

Sebastian exchanged a look of concern with Santana, who only nodded. Finally he knew how he could be of use. "Sam. You're too weak. He's right. If he drinks, it will kill you," he stated. "He needs more blood than you can give up right now."

"I don't care!" Sam shouted. "Drink me dammit, drink my blood already!" No matter how much he tried to get Rory to drink, the teen refused.

"Sam. I can help. He can have my blood," Sebastian said. Sam glared at him. "I know you don't like the idea. In fact, I know you hate it. However, I am at full strength, and can spare the nourishment that you cannot. Santana has silently agreed to see to my safety afterward."

Sam stared into the man's eyes for several seconds before looking back down at his boyfriend. They locked eyes, Rory pleading with him. "Rory, will you drink from him? Will you drink if it won't kill him?"

"I thought ye' told me not to…" the teen whispered.

"Never mind that now; this is a life or death situation! Drink from him and it can save you. He's offering, so take it!"

Rory managed a pained smile. "I will… I will drink," he managed. Sam sighed in relief, pulling back his wrist. Sebastian quickly replaced it with his own, a gash torn across his flesh. He pressed up against the teen's lips, and Rory opened his mouth, locking around the tender flesh. Sebastian felt the strange sensation as the boy began to suck.

Rory instantly noticed the difference in taste from Sam's blood. While Sam's tasted like heaven, Sebastian's had no taste at all. It may as well have been red water flowing.

Sebastian winced slightly, but insisted he was all right. Never in a thousand years did he picture himself risking his own life for a human.

Sam watched with concern, seeking any sign of healing taking over but saw nothing yet.

"Drink as much as you need," Sebastian offered. "I can handle it. Drink until you can't drink anymore, and then keep drinking." In a sentiment of affection, he used his other hand to gently run his fingers through Rory's hair as if petting a feline lapping from its water dish. "You're doing fine."

Santana had more concern over her maker's health, but she had to admit to herself that she even felt a tug at her heart over the boy. He annoyed her, but he was important to Sebastian, and that made him matter to her.

Sam continued to watch on, never letting go of Rory's hand. He looked up at Sebastian, a wordless appreciation communicated between them.

As Sebastian weakened, Santana moved over to hold onto him for support. He smiled at her, appreciative of her care. The sheriff closed his eyes, feeling his own life force draining away.

"You can't take anymore of this," Santana warned. "He has to stop or you'll die," she added.

"He will stop when he is ready. I trust that he will," Sebastian said softly. He smiled at her again, cradled in her arms. "And I trust you. I know that no matter how close to the true death I get, you will keep me safe."

The vampiress kept a stoic face but inside she was screaming at him to stop the madness. His body was going colder than normal, his skin paler than usual. He was giving up way too much blood.

Sebastian felt relief when Rory stopped suckling his wrist and let the limb drop to the floor. He licked his lips and sighed, Sebastian pulling his arm back. He watched intently, waiting for something to happen, just as did the rest of the group sans Kurt who was still unconscious.

The wound on Rory's back was tingling, the sensation much like when a limb 'falls asleep'. It started to itch, and then it felt hot and burning. It was slowly beginning to seal itself shut. First the muscles and blood vessels, then the flesh itself. It didn't look fully healthy. It still looked like an angry wound, but it was no longer bleeding, and no longer an open wound. Despite the large amount of blood ingested, the wound would still take time to heal fully. Even though he had come back from near death once almost instantly after ingesting Sam's blood, Rory's extreme exhaustion, both mentally and physically, was interfering with the speed of his healing.

However, Rory's breathing was finally beginning to improve. His eyes were still drooping like a very tired man, but his breaths were now deep and full rather than ragged and shallow.

Sebastian passed out in Santana's arms, the woman losing her stoic demeanor and allowing red streaks to pour down her face in concern for her maker.

"Rory? Rory, how do you feel?" Sam asked.

Rory didn't answer right away but instead looked up and grinned. "I feel better. I still feel like I got stabbed and tortured, but the pain is less. I feel like I'm not dying anymore."

Sam smiled, leaning down and kissing the top of the boy's head. "When you feel ready, we need to get out of here." He then looked at his sheriff and Santana. "Will he be okay?"

"Yeah, after a fashion. You should both feel lucky. He wouldn't make this sacrifice for just anyone," the woman replied. She glared at them both, her eyes filled with a mixture of emotion.

"I'm grateful. He gave up a lot to help me. When he wakes up, I want to make sure to tell him to his face," Rory said.

"Oh shit! Can you feel that?" Santana asked suddenly, shaken out of her irritation momentarily. Sure enough, the floor was shaking. No, the entire building was shaking. They hadn't noticed it before because of all the action going on, but now that things had slowed down, it was very prevalent.

"The castle. It's not stable," Mike observed. "The explosions, everything. They all compromised the structure of the building."

"We have to get out of here!" Santana shouted. "If this shit hole collapses on top of us this will all be a waste! I'll be fucked if I'm gonna meet the true death here!"

"I don't wanna die in here! Get us out of here now!" Mercedes screamed at the top of her lungs. "Somebody do something and do it fast before this place falls in!"

Kurt huffed, having finally regained conciousness. "Blaine, can't you do something? A barrier, something?" he begged. "Teleportation?"

Blaine shook his head. "Teleportation is beyond my expertise. If I even tried we could end up in pieces or worse. A barrier isn't going to hold against tons of rock and who knows what else."

"Then what good is all your magic and shit if you can't do anything!?" Kurt blurted out. He regretted his words immediately, but he didn't have time to apologize before Santana tore into him.

"I don't like you people but I'll be damned if you're gonna shit all over the human that helped save our asses. You've gotten on my last nerve since I met you and now you talk trash to your ally and your boyfriend?" She turned her attention to the young Wiccan. "Great choice you made there, buddy. Maybe you need to find you a real man."

"Stop it!" Rory yelled. "All of ye', stop it! This isn't helping!" He was still in a lot of pain, wishing very much for Ryder's pain relieving ability.

Rory was incredibly tired despite the blood. "We 'ave to work together."

"He's right. We're all in sad shape, but we have to work together to get out of here and get safe," Sam declared.

Blaine stepped up to Rory and pulled the boy's arm over his shoulder. "Come on, I'll help you," he offered, shooting Kurt a hurt glare. Kurt simply hung his head and joined Mercedes as she started to make her way out of the throne room and into the hall.

"Thank ye'," Rory replied with a pained grin. Sam quickly came to his aid as well, the pair helping the teen to stay on his still-wobbly feet.

Santana glared at Mike as he approached her. "I'll help carry him," he said simply. The woman didn't reply but instead knelt down next to Mike and on silent count of three, they hoisted the unconscious vampire onto their shoulders.

"Tina, you, Kurt, and Mercedes go on ahead. If there's anything in our way, take care of it," Sam ordered. Tina nodded and quickly joined her friends in the hall as the injured party ambled out of the throne room.

The urgency picked up as the roof began to crumble above them. Clouds of dust and smoke filled the air, making it difficult to see. Fortunately, vampires and shifters had enhanced sight. Within fifteen minutes they were back outside in the hedge maze.

Rory shifted his weight onto Sam as Blaine stepped up to knock down the walls of the maze for easier passage. "There. I guess my magic is good for something. Let's get out of this hellhole," he said, shooting Kurt another harsh glare.

Upon leaving the hedge maze and arriving next to the gates, they stopped for a moment to watch as the castle cracked right down the center, the entire structure falling inward. Kitty had destroyed one last thing before she died, and this was something they were all happy to see go.

"What now?" Sam asked, nervously looking around. "It's almost dawn. The plane is destroyed. We don't even have a car."

"Cell phones. Hello?" Mercedes piped up. "It's the digital age. Never leave home without it," she said, pulling her phone from her pocket. The screen was scratched, but the rubber casing had kept it from breaking altogether. With Rory's assistance they were able to get hold of a trio of cabs to take them to a vampire-friendly hotel.

Sam went into the lobby and paid for the rooms, the entire group splitting up with their respective mates. He smiled as he heard Kurt apologizing profusely to Blaine in the next room. Of all of Rory's friends, Kurt was his least favorite and it had upset him that the boy had reacted so harshly to his partner.

Santana slept soundly next to Sebastian, draping her arm over his chest protectively. Mike, Tina, and Mercedes fell asleep almost immediately, the entire night catching up with them.

Back in Sam and Rory's room, the vampire sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at his boyfriend as he collapsed on top of the comforter. They had taken quick a quick shower, remaining silent as the muck washed down the drain. As soon as they were dry and clothed in pajamas, Rory had collapsed on the bed.

"I love you," Sam declared, smiling and caressing the teen's cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

Rory looked up at him with soft eyes. He had black circles under them from exhaustion, blood was stained all over him, and he had bruises and cuts that were desperately trying to heal themselves. He still is the most beautiful person I have ever seen, no matter how bad of shape he is in," Sam thought.

"Ye' came for me. That's all that matters. Ye' came for me, and ye' took me back. It's o'er now." After several seconds of silence, he spoke again. "Right? It is over now, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes it's over," Sam assured him. "Rachel is dead. Kitty is dead. All of their army is dead. There's no one to hurt you anymore."

"But Ryder is dead, too." Rory shut his eyes, struggling to hold back tears. "Ryder. He's gone…" Ryder had risked his life to keep them safe. Rory refused to believe that anything but happiness was waiting for him in the afterlife. Damian had to be waiting for him. Self-sacrifice should cancel out a lot of other bad deeds in his life, or so he hoped and prayed.

Sam remained stoic. "What's the—"

"What's between me and Ryder, right?" Rory asked. Sam nodded nervously. "I promise ye', someday I'll explain e'erything. But right now, right now it's too much. I promise ye' though, I ne'er strayed from ye'. Not at all. He was me friend, that's all."

Sam smiled and leaned down to kiss the boy on the forehead. "I know. I don't doubt that one bit. I just wanted to know… what happened. But you can tell me later, when you're ready."

"Thank ye', Sam. I love ye'. Knowing ye' were coming for me, knowing ye' loved me too, that kept me going methinks."

"Shh… let's go on to sleep now. Enough talking about all this. We need rest, both of us."

He slid onto the bed properly and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. Within seconds they were both asleep, not waking for two days.

Once the entire group had time to recover, Sebastian contacted VITA to arrange their trip home. It was expensive, especially since he had to pay the deductible on the insurance for the plane that had been destroyed, but he had no qualms about shelling out the cash, even for the humans. Half a day later, they were all home.

-ooo-

One week later…

"Life seems pretty boring now, huh?" Tina joked as she counted her tips. Kurt and Mercedes glared at her, not appreciating her sense of humor. "Sheesh, just kidding! You have to admit though, after all that, it does seem kind of strange going back to everyday life, doesn't it?"

Kurt didn't answer, choosing to escape to the kitchen. Mercedes wiped down the bar for the second time, pretending not to hear the other woman. The last thing she wanted to do was recall anything they had just gone through. Especially taking the lives of other living beings.

Tina shrugged and joined Mike at the register. "They're taking it pretty hard. We all are. How are we ever going to come to terms with this? With taking lives?" she asked sullenly.

Taking a cue from Sam, Mike remained firm. "We simply move forward. We can't dwell on it, but what we can do is remind ourselves that it was self-defense. None of this was in cold blood. We had to help our friend and we were attacked. We did what we had to do."

The tall Asian man hugged his girlfriend tight, not letting go of her and she quietly wept into his chest. "I hope we can all believe that. I hope we can," she said softly between sobs.

-ooo-

Rory woke up in his bedroom at Sam's home. No, not Sam's home. Their home. He loved the expensive bedding, the incredibly soft pillows, even the smell of the room. Most of all, he loved being able to spend more time with Sam.

He propped himself up on his elbows, his back still aching where the knife had been driven in deep. Even though the incident had been over only a week ago, most of it was hazy. He was thankful for that. They were memories he didn't think he wanted to remember.

The teen reached over to the bedside table and turned on the lamp. The clock read six in the evening. Sam should be awake, or about to wake up. He pulled the blanket away from his feet and sat up on the side, closing his eyes a moment. The teen was having the occasional spell of dizziness if he got up too quickly.

He stepped down on the floor, shivering. The slick wooden floor was cold and he had no socks on his feet. He was only wearing his boxer shorts, so he padded over to the dresser and dug out a pair of pajama pants, a long-sleeve pajama top, and some socks.

No longer cold, he made his way down the hall toward the stairs, descending very slowly and holding on to the handrail with both hands. His head felt a little light, but closing his eyes for a couple of seconds seemed to make it pass.

"Sam?" he called out. There was no answer. He hadn't woken up yet. The vampire would be able to hear him speak from anywhere in the house. He took a moment to walk toward Sam's office, noticing that the room was still in disarray. It appeared as though a tornado had hit and the rescue crews hadn't come yet. Making his way to the living room, he saw a similar scene of destruction.

"You're awake," came Sam's voice from behind the teen. He didn't startle, nor did he pull away when the man wrapped his arms around him from behind. "You've been asleep so much since we left Ireland. I worry a bit. How do you feel?"

Rory smiled, pressing his palms against his boyfriend's hands. "Alright. Still weak, light headed. I ache, especially in me back."

"That's to be expected. It was a mortal wound. It's going to take time to heal properly, even with the large amount of vampire blood you ingested. It's not like when I healed you the very first time. I was at full strength then, and well, I honestly don't know why else it's different now. Why it's taking longer to heal you. Maybe it's from the blood you drank."

Rory turned around and gazed into Sam's eyes. "My memories 'ave been so mixed up since we got back. They're all in pieces and some is gone, and some fades in and out. But I remember the blood. It was Sebastian's. I nearly killed him," he said. He lowered his eyes, feeling ashamed at his greed. "Is he alright?"

Sam nodded. "Yes. Another memory lapse I'm guessing? I told you he was alright the first time you woke up, and a second time the other day. Santana is taking care of him. He's pretty much back to his old self. You drained him quite a bit, but he managed."

The teen half-smiled . "Good. I'm glad he's okay." He wrapped his arms around Sam and leaned his head against the man's chest, closing his eyes for a moment as he breathed in the scent of Sam's freshly washed clothing. "I'm sorry I drank him when ye' told me not to," he said softly.

The vampire sighed. "You didn't have a choice. It was either that, or die. I think you know which option I was voting for." He nuzzled his chin on Rory's shoulder. "You have a bond with him now, you know. He can sense your emotions now. You may even have… sexual desires for him," he added, his tone filled with sadness.

"No, I could ne'er do that. I could ne'er 'ave sex with him. He disgusts me with his personality."

Sam chuckled. "You wouldn't really have control over it. It's something we'll have to deal with when it occurs."

"What happened here, Sam? And in ye'r office?", Rory asked, eager to change the subject. He could feel in his mind that he had been told once before, but the memory he was grasping for just wasn't there.

"I explained it the day we got back. I reacted poorly to your kidnapping and in the process, scared everyone and made a big mess of the house. I think they thought I might hurt them."

"I don't think ye' could e'er hurt one o' ye'r friends, even by accident. It's not in ye'r nature. Ye' might get mad, but ye'd ne'er hurt them. Give ye'self some credit."

"You have a lot of faith in me, especially since vampires can be incredibly unpredictable," Sam noted.

Rory scoffed playfully. "Now ye'r just being cocky." Sam feigned feeling insulted. "By the way, I'm not cleaning this up," he added, pointing to the mess in the room.

"Yeah yeah, you said that twice now. I'll work on that later. Right now, I kinda wanna take you to bed with me," the elder teen admitted.

"Ye' mean sleep with me? Maybe watch some of the tele until I fall asleep. Again," the younger teen replied, knowing full well that was not what Sam was referring to.

"Uh, I kinda meant something else," Sam said. "I wanna take you to bed and make you feel real good. I think you earned it, and might even need it."

Rory gulped. After the experience with Ryder, sex was the last thing on his mind, and even though it was Sam, he wasn't ready yet. So he lied. "I don't think I'm up to it. Still feel weak and light headed. Can't we just cuddle and watch a movie until I fall asleep? I really need the rest. E'en after several days. Besides, I'd like to remember it. Let's see what happens with me memory problem."

Sam sighed, defeated, but then he smiled. "Sure. My libido can hold out another day I suppose. Let me carry you upstairs though. You seem a little woozy." Not waiting for argument, Sam lifted the boy into his arms and slowly carried him up the stairs. He chose not to utilize his vampire speed for fear it might make the boy feel ill at the moment. He laid the teen down on the bed, removed all but his boxer briefs, and got into the bed snuggling up next to him and pulling the thick blanket over the top of them.

Rory used the remote to turn on the TV and find a movie on one of the premium channels. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep in Sam's arms, the vampire unmoving until he had to return to his coffin for safety and sleep of his own. Before he drifted away, he prayed to God that Rory's memory would correct itself, that it would stop going in and out on him and return to normal. Whether it was some sort of post-traumatic stress syndrome, or an actual physical effect of Rory's powers, they would have to figure something out if it continued to go on much longer. His worries faded away as slumber claimed him.

-ooo-

Sebastian lay in his own coffin, not yet asleep. He could sense Rory, resting peacefully. Envisioning the teen lying on his bed, nude and touching himself was enough to drive Sebastian crazy. Now that he had the bond with Rory, his affections felt stronger, his arousal for the teen increasing, and his desire to win him over, magnified. Santana was furious. The sheriff was suddenly uninterested in having sex with her, but she understood the reason. That didn't mean she had to like it, however.

"I will have you eventually, Rory Flanagan. I'll make you mine, and you'll forget all about Samuel Evans. It's only a matter of time," Sebastian Smythe vowed to himself before finally letting himself doze off.

-ooo-

Blaine sat on the floor of his bedroom, the only light coming from scented candles around him. Despite Kurt's apologies, he still felt a little hurt and found himself taking more comfort in meditation. It helped clear his head, and if his mental acuity was tuned just right, he could even experience lucid dreams.

A skeletal hand erupted from solid earth, grasping the dirt for purchase as a second hand revealed itself. In an eerie light, flesh began to materialize over the bones. The flesh looked like porcelain, the skin of a woman. A flash of solid white light and the image shifted. A shadow on the ground of a horse running, except the horse was being ridden by something, something either very short, or without a head. The shape was hard to discern but was definitely not completely human. The sound of someone, a female, chanting filled his ears; spells he was unfamiliar with were flowing from the ground where the hands had erupted.

The teen's eyes snapped open abruptly as whatever spell was being incanted was finished and his meditation was destroyed. His breath was taken away momentarily as his mind returned to conciousness. "Oh my goddess…" he said softly, his eyes wide.