New Moon-

“Hudson,” Couch Beiste yelled. “Hudson? Does, anyone know where Hudson is?”  The Coach looked around scanning the players on the field until her eyes settled on Sam Evans.
 “Evans, now is your chance to show me what you’ve got.”

“What?” answered the confused blond.

“Finn ain’t here and I can’t have that in my starting quarterback. You show me the right moves in today’s practice and I’ll give you the starting slot.”

“Really?” Sam asked excitedly. He’d been waiting all semester for the chance to move up from second string but the opportunity was tainted with the guilt that quickly set in at the thought that his moment came at Finn Hudson’s expense. “Wait, can you give me a minute?” he asked as he glanced at the bleachers and saw Quinn sitting alone apparently studying.

The coach followed his gaze to the lone cheerleader studying in the bleachers and sighed in frustration.

“Make it quick, Evans,” she said tersely.

Sam ran over to the blond cheerleader.

“Quinn,” he called when he got closer.

“Hi, Sam,” she said looking up from her book.

“Do you know where Finn is? He’s in trouble with the coach if he misses this practice.”

She shrugged as if to say she had more important things to think of than Finn Hudson. She glanced at the horizon noting the sun just dipping below sight.  It couldn’t be the full moon again - it was too soon for that.

“Come on, Quinn. Please, Finn has been good to me,” he pleaded. “I have to take this chance but I can’t stab him in the  back; could you at least look for him?”

“Sure,” she relented. “You’re a really good person, Sam. A good friend.”

“Anyone would have done the same,” he answered.

She wasn’t sure if he meant now or when she’d tried unsuccessfully to seduce him.  He’d been so sweet about it, telling her that he understood all the pressure she was under.  He’d protested that he couldn’t do that to his best friend and yet he had never accused her of cheating on the very same boy even though that was exactly what she had been attempting.  It made her want him even more.

Quinn headed into the building to begin what she was sure would be futile search for Finn. He was probably up to something useless as usual. True, it wasn’t like him to miss football practice but it didn’t worry her; Finn had been distracted and unfocused lately and she figured Sam was overreacting. She’d do a cursory attempt to find Finn and satisfy her future boyfriend.

“Have either of you seen Finn?”

“Frankenteen?” Santana snarked. “Have you tried the nurse’s office? He naps there with Puck most afternoons.”

“Puck is on the field along with all the other players except Finn. It isn’t like him to miss practice,” Quinn explained.

“Like you care,” Santana snorted.

“True, I’m dumping him soon any way.”

“How’s project trouty mouth coming?” Santana asked.

“None of your business,” snapped Quinn with an edge of annoyance.

“You struck out. You’re losing your touch, Q. Maybe I should give you a few pointers,” Santana added with a flirty smirk and an inviting tilt of her head. Her smirk was teasing but Quinn knew her best friend well enough to know the remark could be an invitation as easily as it could be a barb.

“No, thanks, I’m not that into that,” Quinn lied.

Brittany looked up as if just noticing Quinn and said, “It’s the new moon. If you don’t find him by dawn, Ms. Holiday is going to eat Finn’s heart.”

Santana laughed. “That’s right I did see him with Ms. Over-the-Hill a little while ago; maybe he’s got a thing for older women now. Told you that you should have put out, Q. I’m sure that skank has been around the block more times than an ice cream truck.”

“Did you see where they went, Britt?” Quinn asked as her insides twisted with concern. She hadn’t forgotten that Brittany was the first to tell her that Finn was a werewolf. She’d dismissed it as nonsensical rambling from the girl’s over active imagination but she’d been telling the truth. It had awakened Quinn’s curiosity and now she was beginning to think Brittany was the only person at McKinley who actually had a clue. She just hoped she wasn’t being literal this time.

“Ask Kurt,” she answered.

“He knows where Finn is?”

“No,” the blond answered cryptically.

“Great,” Quinn commented with a frustrated sigh.

Not having Kurt’s number or even the vaguest idea where he spent his time outside of glee,  Quinn was still racking her brain for ideas when she spotted Rachel.

“Rachel,” she said as she walked alongside the hurrying girl.

“Oh, hi, Quinn,” Rachel acknowledged with a smug smile, her stride gaining a slight spring to it as she matched steps with the blond cheerleader.

“Do you know where I can find Kurt? You’re his fag hag aren’t you?”

“I’ll have you know, as someone with two gay dads, I find that term offensive,” Rachel answered primly, but guiltily added in a lower voice, “and that would be Mercedes.”

“Oh, my bad. I don’t keep up with the current politically correct terminology,” Quinn grumbled sarcastically.

“I spotted them going into Ms. Pillsbury’s office a short time ago. Is this slayer business?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. Finn is missing and Brittany made a comment that may either be nonsense or a warning - a weirdly gross warning,” she added wrinkling her nose at the thought of Brittany’s words being literal.

“Let’s go talk to them,” Rachel suggested.

Rachel and Quinn burst into Ms. Pillsbury’s office to find Mercedes and Kurt in the middle of a serious discussion.

“Sorry to interrupt,” exclaimed Quinn, “But I think Finn is in serious danger.”

“And I’m pretty sure, Ms. Holiday might be…” started Rachel.

“Evil,” finished Emma, Kurt, and Mercedes.

“Oh,” said Rachel in a disappointed voice, visibly deflating at the realization that her dramatic moment had been stolen.

Emma stood up determinedly and said, “I’m going to Will’s apartment to find out what is going on. Kurt, Mercedes, search his office for any clues about what Ms. Holiday is up to. She must have thought she needed to get him out of the way so maybe there is something there. Quinn and Rachel, look for Finn. If any one finds anything, call me.”

“Should we really split up?” asked Mercedes nervously. “I mean, isn’t that how everyone gets killed in those horror movies?”

“Don’t worry, Cedes, you’re with me,” Kurt assured her patting her arm confidently.

“And what about us?” complained Rachel.

“I’m sure you can talk you’re way out of any problems,” Kurt sniped.

“Exactly how are we supposed to find Finn?” asked Quinn. “Shouldn’t we try Ms. Holiday’s place? Does anyone know where she lives?”

“No, but I’m guessing it’s in the personnel file in the Principle’s office. Start there,” suggested Emma.

Kurt and Mercedes looked into Will’s cramped office filled to the brim with books; the disorganized mess was in complete contrast to the spotless and fastidiously tidy office they had just left.  They began looking through the piles of books, hoping for a clue.

“This is hopeless,” Kurt complained after thumbing through what felt like a hundred books without any idea what he was looking for. He put the current book down face up on the desk, pages still open.

“Wait, Kurt!” exclaimed Mercedes as she grabbed the book Kurt had just put down. “I’ve seen that symbol before,” Mercedes exclaimed excitedly as she pointed at a drawing on the bottom of the page.

“Really? Where?”

“On Ms. Holiday,” Mercedes continued. Kurt’s eyebrows rose in surprise at that news.  “She has a tattoo like that. She was in the bathroom with her skirt hiked up adjusting her hose and I saw it on her thigh. It looked just like that.”

“The order of Jai,” Kurt read aloud. Kurt’s brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to decipher the rest of the text. “I don’t understand most of this but that can’t be good. Let’s call Ms. Pillsbury.”

Emma arrived at Will’s apartment fearing the worst. What she found there filled her with dread. The door was unlocked and when she pushed her way in, the apartment was a wreck. Someone had sacked the place as if they’d been looking for something. Books and papers had been tossed carelessly around. Emma had to find Will so she couldn’t pause to worry about that. She took carefully placed, dainty steps through the mess looking for Will, praying that he was still alive. She hadn’t trusted Holly - if that was her name - from the moment she showed up but the tall blond substitute had batted her blue eyes and shook those promiscuous hips of hers and Will had fallen for it. He was far too trusting to be a Watcher.

Emma heard a groan coming from another room and ran in the direction of the sound. She found her way to Will’s bedroom where he was lying on the floor but he had no visible wounds.

“Will,” she cried kneeling beside him, ignoring the unsanitary nature of the floor. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” he muttered sheepishly. “Just my pride. I think she drugged me - again! I didn’t figure out that the first cookies were drugged until the effects of the second batch started kicking in.” He rubbed his head and groaned again.

“I’ll call an ambulance,” she insisted.

“No, there’s no time. We need to find out where she went. She came here looking for information. I’m not sure what she’s doing but it is happening tonight.”

“Can you get up?”

“Yes, I think so, if you help me.”

Will put his arms around Emma and let her help him up. They stumbled into the living room together and after a minute to clear his head, Will started picking up the pieces of his life that Holly had thrown so carelessly around.

“I think I’ve found it,” Emma exclaimed after spending a great deal of time neatly arranging each piece of paper she picked up from the floor. “This map,” she continued. “This has to be it.”

“I don’t understand,” Will said, puzzled. “I’ve had that in my collection for a while but I’ve never figured out what it is. It sort of looks like a map but what are all those random lines?”

“They aren’t random, Will. See this spot, here? That’s the hellmouth.”

“Yes, I know, it’s right under the choir room.”

“These, lines?” she indicated pointing to the lines overlaid on the terrain. “Those are ley lines,” she paused and looked at Will. “You do know what ley lines are don’t you?”

Will looked embarrassed.

“Sort of, I had an entire class in earth magic my first year at Watcher university. I think they were mentioned but magic was my worst subject. That’s why I specialized in demonology.”

He expected berating or at least good natured ribbing, but instead, she smiled sweetly and said, “It’s a good thing you have me then.”

“A very good thing,” he agreed distractedly looking at her lips.

Will leaned in, inches from her face. Emma’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened as she realized that Will was about to kiss her. She wanted nothing more in world than to be able to let him but she couldn’t. Luckily she had a good excuse.

“Ley lines,” she reminded him sternly breaking the moment.

Will looked disappointed but immediately focused back on the map in Emma’s hands.

Emma continued, pointing to the lines Will had called random.

“You can think of them as electrical powerlines full of current just ready to be tapped for energy - except magical energy.” Her eyes were bright with excitement and her face animated as she forgot the dire circumstances and lectured on one of her favorite magical topics. She wasn’t talented enough to actually tap a line but she was fascinated by the potential power running right under their feet.  “They run just under the earth-”

“How do we find Holly?” Will reminded her gently. He could have listened to her all day but they didn’t have time to catch him up on magical theory. He imagined that with Emma as his teacher he might have done considerably better in his magic classes.

“Oh, yes. I was getting to that,” Emma said sheepishly. “This spot right here,” she said pointing to a place where the most lines intersected on the map, “is the most powerful intersection of the ley lines and the fractures from the hellmouth. This is where she’d be. Tonight is the new moon, which is a very powerful time for some spells.  The combination of earth and-”
 
Before she could continue she was startled by the sound of  her phone ringing.

“That would be Kurt; I should answer it,” she explained.

With a nervous smile to Will, she turned her attention to the phone she had pulled from her pocket.

“The order of Jai?” Emma repeated looking expectantly, at Will hoping the name meant something to him.

“Did you say Jai?” Will asked grabbing the phone from Emma. “This is bad, very bad,” he muttered as he pressed the phone to his ear. “Kurt, we’re going to send you a picture of a map. There is a spot just outside of the main building, to the east of the choir room  We think she’s there but don’t do anything until we get there, do you understand?”

“What are we even doing here?” Quinn complained.

“Looking for clues to find Finn,” Rachel answered as they walked down the empty hall.

The office had been a bust. Once it became obvious Holly had given a fake address on her application and no one had bothered to check it, the two girls had started wandering aimlessly through the halls.

“The Slayer is already on it - if there is anything to be on. It isn’t like we have any proof that she’s even up to anything. Maybe we’re all overreacting. Maybe she’s just a cougar.”

“Aren’t you concerned about your boyfriend?” Rachel accused as she turned to face Quinn.

“My boyfriend? Is that really what you’re concerned about? I’ve seen the way you look at him. You’re trying to steal him away from me. Why do you think I joined this stupid glee club?,” she said gesturing to the choir room door that they’d stopped in front of.

“Because you love to sing?” Rachel offered. “Because you belong in glee with us,” Rachel continued as she walked into the choir room. “This room, doesn’t it mean anything to you? I was jealous at first but Quinn you have a lovely voice and your routine for Sectionals is perfect. You’re going to have a featured duet. Are you sure you want to say it was all for Finn? Maybe the two of you don’t belong together, would that be the end of the world?”

Quinn walked up the tiers that usually held the chairs for glee club and looked out the window.

“What is that?” Quinn asked in a puzzled voice as she looked out at the familiar vacant lot that was inexplicably no longer vacant. 

“What is what?” Rachel asked as she moved next to Quinn and followed the girl’s gaze to the strange structure.

“Why have I never seen that before? And that green glowing…that can’t be right,” Quinn mused with a slight shake of her head.

Quinn and Rachel looked at each other as their thoughts came to the same place at the same time.

“Finn,” they cried in unison. Quinn grabbed Rachel’s hand and they ran for the exit.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Finn protested as the silver handcuffs snapped shut around his wrists.

“You really are stupid, aren’t you? You poor dear. Don’t worry, it will all be over soon,” Holly answered in a cheerful but condescending tone.

“What are you going to do to me?” Finn asked still more confused than frightened. He looked down at his prone body and tried to move his legs but they were secured as well. He wondered through a foggy haze why he’d let her do that.

“I’m going to cut your heart out and eat it,” she answered in the same cheerful voice she used to suggest songs for glee club. Her incongruous tone was disturbing and Finn renewed his futile struggles. As the fog began to lift from his muddled brain, he realized that Holly Holiday was truly insane.

“But not yet, the stars need to be aligned just perfectly. I have all my ingredients,” she said more to herself than the struggling werewolf as she began laying the ashes around them in a circle. When she finished, she began lighting candles. “Tears of a Slayer - much easier to get than one would have thought. Now, blood of an innocent murderer - that was harder to obtain. It took some serious planning on my part. Heart of a werewolf - well, that’s just trivial isn’t it?”

Rachel carefully opened the door to the strange building that was emanating the greenish glow and -

When she came to, she and Quinn were tied together, back to back. She could see Finn chained down on some sort of altar and, sure enough, there was Ms. Holiday chanting something ominous.

“Oh grow up, Finn,” Quinn was shouting. “I’m smarter than you are so just shut up and listen to me.”

“You know what, girly,” Holly interrupted in an exasperated voice. “I’ve had about enough of the two of you so either shut up so I can get my invocation done or I’m going to duct tape your mouth shut!”

“Quinn, what’s going on?” Rachel asked.

“Oh, you’re awake. Finally. You’ve missed so much. Let me see,” she said sarcastically. “Oh that’s right, us getting tied up, Finn whining about his stupid problems, Miss Evil Bitch going on and on about her evil plans, but most importantly me dumping my dim witted boyfriend who got us into this mess in the first place.”

“You dumped Finn?” said Rachel focusing in on the most salient point in Quinn’s rant.

“That’s it!” exclaimed Holly as she strode over to the two of them with duct tape in hand. She taped Quinn’s mouth shut first then as she was about to do Rachel’s the girl protested.

“What did I do? This is so unfair!”

“Finally, some peace and quiet. Rombus!” she shouted.

“Kurt, I came as soon as I got your text,” Blaine said. “Hi, Mercedes. What’s going on?”

“Apparently, my substitute Watcher is actually a member of something called the order of Jai and even as we speak she’s up to something nefarious involving Finn. We’re supposed to wait here for Mr. Shue and Ms. Pillsbury.”

“Which we are totally doing,” insisted Mercedes shooting a warning look to Kurt.

“Which we are totally not doing,” corrected Kurt. “I can’t get Rachel to pick up and we know where they are so I say we just go ahead and rescue everyone.”

 “No, no, no,” Mercedes objected, shaking her head in frustration.

“I like it,” Blaine agreed. “Short and direct. You’re the Slayer; I’m a vampire; what could go wrong?”

They quickly found the strange building in what they swore had been an empty field just the day before. Kurt kicked the door open unceremoniously.

The scene before them confirmed their fears; Quinn and Rachel were tied together with duct tape across their mouths, and Finn was cuffed to some sort of altar surrounded by candles. Beside him stood Holly Holiday looking fearless, defiant, and completely unfazed by the Slayer’s arrival.

“You’re too late, Slayer. Too late to save Finn, that is, but not too late for the show.”

Even though Kurt was usually one for witty banter, he didn’t give Holly the satisfaction and instead charged the pair. He was abruptly and painfully stopped when he crashed into an invisible wall of some sort. Sitting on his ass, Kurt tried to clear the stars from his aching head. As he sat numbly where he had fallen trying to chart a new course of action, Holly laughed at his predicament.

“This is almost too easy. Your slayer training is woefully inadequate,” she scoffed. “I have a protective circle, of course. You haven’t the knowledge or the magical strength to break it. So, just sit back and enjoy the show.”

Blaine was suddenly at Kurt’s side, looking into his eyes with concern.

“Are you OK?” Blaine whispered.

“I’m fine. Nothing is hurt except for my dignity but we need to get into that circle,” Kurt whispered as Blaine helped him to his feet.

“Kurt, you were supposed to wait for us,” interrupted Will’s voice. Kurt turned to see his Watcher walk in with Emma at his side. He desperately hoped they knew more about what was going on than he did.

“Oh my, looks like it will be a full house tonight. No worries,” Holly laughed. “Everything is in place and there’s nothing any of you can do to stop me.” Her laugh had taken a slightly nervous quality which gave Kurt a glimmer of hope. She didn’t seem as confident as her words indicated.

“What exactly are you trying to do?” Blaine demanded.

Holly cocked her head in puzzlement before her mouth pulled into an amused smirk as understanding filled her face.

“A vampire! Kurt, you’ve been holding out on me, dear. How naughty of you,” she scolded coquettishly with a knowing half smile.

“Are you trying to bring about the end of the world? Open the hellmouth or something crazy like that?” demanded Kurt frantically throwing out random fears in hopes of cracking Ms. Holiday’s control.

“Oh goodness, no. I like the world. I live in it! No, this is much more personal than that. I just want the power.”

Just when it seemed things couldn’t get any worse, it did. Burt and Carol walked through the door.

“Dad, no, run,” Kurt warned them.

“Finn!” cried Carol.

“Seriously?” complained Holly in an exasperated voice as annoyance finally cracked her creepily cheerful demeanor. “Did someone send out an Evite to this thing? I’m pretty sure that I didn’t.”

While Holly’s attention was on the new arrivals, Emma slowly inched her way to the circle and began testing it with her toe. She looked down and took note of the ash that Holly had used to make the barrier. She smiled and for once, thanked whatever fate had given her the burden of obsession with excessive cleanliness.

“Get the hell away from my son, bitch,” Carol spat with force that shocked Kurt.

Holly just laughed. Kurt’s shock at her demeanor was nothing compared to his stunned confusion when Carol began taking her clothes off. He’d barely begun to process that strange turn of events when things got weirder than he could have imagined - and that was saying something given all he’d seen since becoming the Slayer.  Suddenly, instead of the slight middle aged woman, an enormous sandy colored wolf stood in her place and leapt for Holly.

“No, there’s a barrier,” Kurt warned.

Just as he did, Ms. Pillsbury threw something to the ground and yelled, “Purgo!”

The air around Finn and Holly shimmered and the wolf sailed right through where the barrier had been only seconds before. The wolf’s jaws closed around Holly’s body and she shook the woman like a rag doll and tossed her several feet away. Blaine and Kurt rushed to Finn’s side and frantically searched for the keys to unlock him. By the time Finn was able to get up, completely freed from his shackles, the wolf was on Holly again this time she was going for the throat.

“No,” cried Burt. “Carol, don’t do it. Please, Finn is safe, she’ll be punished; don’t do this,” he begged.

Finn rushed to his mother and knelt on the ground in front of her. “Mom, I’m OK now. You saved me.” She let go of the sorceress who crawled away unnoticed as Finn embraced his mother.

“Mom, I thought I’d never see you again. I’m so sorry that I’m such a screw up.”

She started licking his face enthusiastically which made him laugh and push her away.

“Mom, stop it! You’re embarrassing me!”

Carol turned back into her human form and Burt rushed to her side and covered her with his coat. It was at that moment that Kurt realize that his father must have known that Carol was a werewolf. The man was too unfazed by his girlfriend turning into a wolf and back again to be in the dark on the subject. 

Blaine looked around for Carol’s clothes and brought them over, handing them to her discretely turned to the side. Kurt stood still keeping his eyes on Holly Holiday. The entrance to the building was blocked and she was out numbered but he didn’t like the look on her face which wasn’t registering defeat in the least.

“You dumb bitch, you should have killed me when you had the chance,” Holly gloated. All eyes turned to her and Kurt ran in her direction intent on securing her when billows of thick smoke appeared out of nowhere and obscured his view of the sorceress. When the smoke cleared she was gone.

Rachel and Quinn’s muffled cries caught Will’s attention and he quickly freed the two of them. Finn left his mother to rush to the two girls. He looked at Rachel then Quinn, unsure as to which one he should comfort.

“Oh, please,” Quinn groaned. She grabbed Rachel’s hand and dragged the girl out with her saying, “Come on Rachel, I’ll take you home. I’m sure your dads are worried. You can talk to Finn tomorrow.”

Kurt looked around trying to figure out what he’d missed.

“Wait, where’s Mercedes?” he asked.

“I’m here; I’m fine,” she said coming out from under a blanket she’d been hiding under.

“Were you-” Kurt gestured toward the blanket she’d been under, “the whole time?”

She shrugged sheepishly and said, “I’m not super hero material, Kurt. I think next time I should stay at school and help with the research. Or better yet, let’s try not to have a next time.”

After Mercedes, Will, and Emma were all gone, Burt and Carol were talking in hushed tones so Kurt took the opportunity to speak with Blaine in private.

“Thanks for helping me tonight,” Kurt started.

“I wasn’t much help but, of course, I’m here for you when you need me.”

“You should probably go before my dad starts to wonder who you are. With all that’s going on, tonight might not be the ideal time to meet him.”

“You want me to meet him?” Blaine asked with a hopeful expression.

“Eventually,” Kurt allowed with a smile.

Blaine hugged Kurt close and whispered, “Tonight in your room?”

“Yes, but wait until I text you.”