Fic: Starlight, Chapter 32 by Sapphire (PG-13)

[sapphireej]

Title: Starlight, Chapter 32
Author: Sapphire (sapphiresfic)
Fandom: Glee
Pairing/Characters: Rachel, Puck, Rachel/Puck, the Glee clubbers
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 7,610
Spoilers: Up to 1x22 ~ Journey; just to be safe
Series: 'Starlight' (List of all the parts on my LJ)
Summary1: He's the star who just wants to be a high school student; she's the loser, who dreams of her name in lights on Broadway... When they meet at WMHS on the first day of a new school year; how will they take each other? ~ AU from the eps.
Summary2: Crystal changes her plan, Carly finds a clue and an arrest is made.
Disclaimer: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.
A/N: I edited this chapter, so all mistakes are mine.
A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D

~*~

A/N3: Keep in mind, within this AU... There is no Puck/Quinn, no Finn/Rachel, Quinn is NOT pregnant at all, Puck's dad never left when he was a kid and Puck will be OOC so yes, totally AU, though you'll see similarities to the episodes.

~*~

Crystal went home to get some sleep and just after midnight on Thursday, she quietly snuck out of her house and drove out to the building and as she parked, she slowly went inside, having to use a flashlight to see and went right to the box she stashed the medicine in and filled a syringe with the sedative, and slipped it into her hoodie pocket and then went into the room Rachel was in, "hey Rachel," she said happily.

Rachel was half asleep, but had heard the door open, and kept quiet because she didn't know who was there and when she heard Crystal's voice, as much as she was relieved that it wasn't some mass murderer, she was terrified, "Crystal?"

"Yep, it's me," she removed the chain from the cuffs, "come on, let's get you to the bathroom since I'm here."

"Thank you," Rachel murmured, still tired, but did need to go. "Why are you here?"

"I forgot something," she said casually while Rachel took care of what she needed to.

"Oh," Rachel moved out of the bathroom and tiredly walked back to her warm spot. Once her cuffs were attached to the chain again, she ignored Crystal and pulled her blankets back over her.

Crystal reached for the blankets, "goodbye Rachel," she said with a grin, sticking the needle in her neck and emptying the contents into her body.

Rachel gasped and tried to bat away her hands, "what are you doing?" She exclaimed, "stop! Please!" Rachel struggled, but she wasn't quite awake and Crystal shifted once the needle was free and pinned her down, "please, don't hurt me," she sobbed, "I just want to go home. Please, just let me go," she begged, struggling more, but the drugs were already kicking in.

"I'm not letting you go, well, I am, but you'll be dead in a few days," she said with a grin as Rachel's body went limp.

Unlocking the chain, but leaving her hands bound, Crystal went out to her car and opened the trunk and then gathered Rachel up and carried her out to the trunk, then collected the blankets, a few waters, and the pizza box and put them in with Rachel and closed the trunk and after locking up the building, she got back into her car and drove off.

Making a few turns just after she left the building, she got on a gravel logging road and as it came to an end, she stopped and turned her car around, so the trunk was facing the direction she had to go. Getting out of the car and opening the trunk, she carried the things she wanted to leave Rachel with - the blankets, food and water and once she found a good spot, far enough from the road so Rachel wouldn't see it right away, but close enough to the river for her to find it, she dropped the things and went back to get Rachel. Carefully carrying her through the trees and brush, she laid her down on the blankets and smiled, "well, if hypothermia, dehydration or starvation doesn't get you, maybe the wildlife will. You're too much of a liability. A cop followed me today and I just can't have them following me to an abandoned building, because they'll know something is up, and I don't have any other options, so I have to get rid of you. The sedative will wear off by mid-morning, and I doubt anyone will ever find you, so goodbye," she turned and walked away, got back in her car and drove off like nothing ever happened.

~*~

Thursday morning started like any other for Carly and as she arrived at school, she happened to arrive at the same time as Noah, Tim and Alex did, so she greeted them and they walked into school together.

On their walk, Carly asked Noah about Rachel and he sadly told her there was no news about her, it was like she just vanished into thin air because there was no trace of her anywhere. Carly sighed and patted his shoulder, assuring him they'll find her, as they arrived at his locker, across the hall from hers.

She glanced over and noticed that Crystal was at her locker and though she didn't want to be around her, she also didn't want to let Crystal know she was 'avoiding' her former friend, so she walked over to her locker and opened it, casually continuing to sort out her books for her first class and neither girl made any acknowledgment that the other was there.

Out of the corner of her eye, Carly saw Crystal pick up a large set of keys in her locker, and drop them into the side picket on her backpack, just as a loud metallic sound hit Carly's ears, so she thought she had dropped something out of her bag. Crystal closed her locker and began walking away and once she was out of range, Carly looked down to see what had dropped and that's when her eyes landed on a familiar looking ruby and diamond Star of David pendant, "oh my God!" She gasped, quickly putting her foot over the charm so no one saw it while she dug in her bag for something it put it in.

Glancing in the direction Crystal had gone, she didn't see her, she quickly grabbed a blank sheet of paper, folded it into a small envelope and bent over, set the paper on the floor and used her foot to kick the pendant into it; she'd seen enough crime shows to know she shouldn't touch it herself, and once the charm was safely in the envelope, she stuffed it into her pocket and finished at her locker quickly, looking to see if Noah or his bodyguards were around. Not seeing them, she knew where they would be, so she went the opposite direction Crystal had gone and saw Noah and the two men standing with some of the other Glee members, "hey Noah, could I talk to you for a second?" She asked calmly.

"Yeah, of course, Carly, what's up?" Noah replied, looking at her.

"Actually, you, Tim and Alex, and hopefully in private," she murmured.

Noah glanced at the guys and then moved outside to a quiet corner of a courtyard, knowing they were right behind him and when they stopped he looked at her, "alright, Carly, what's going on?"

"Okay, so as you know, Crystal and I have not spoken for like a week. We had a falling out and I told you what she had been saying and how it pissed me off, right?" She asked.

"Yes, you told me," Noah nodded, "she thought Rachel was using me, which isn't true and you stuck up for us to her," he summarized, "what about it?"

"Well, when I was at my locker I heard something hit the floor and I thought I dropped something, at the same time Crystal was putting her keys into her bag. When she walked away, I looked down and something was shining up at me that looked familiar. I mean, well, I've seen it before, but there's no way Crystal should have it because well, she's not Jewish, and well, it's not even her birthstone," she mumbled.

"Carly what are you talking about?" Noah asked with wide eyes, his stomach knotting up.

Carly pulled the paper envelope out and unfolded it enough so he could look inside, "this dropped from her keys when she put them into her bag," she bit her lip, "I swear I didn't know anything and I don't know how she got it, but unless she found one like it..."

"She couldn't have. I had this special ordered for her," Noah said quickly, his heart racing, and then turned to the guys, "call my dad," he told them, as he tapped the paper until the charm flipped over and he looked closely at it, then gasped, "this is Rachel's," he murmured, seeing a tiny 'N' and 'R' engraved into the back of it. He never told anyone about the initials before, but asked Oliver to put them on there somehow. He blinked his eyes and folded up the paper until the charm was sealed inside and looked at Alex who was on the phone with his dad, so then his eyes went to Tim, "could you go get Finn before he goes to class?" He asked softly.

Tim nodded, "yeah, sure," he replied, walking away quickly.

"What does this mean?" Carly asked.

Noah took a deep breath, "it means that Crystal either took this from Rachel or she knows who did," he said softly.

"I'm sorry, Noah. I should have known something was up with her," Carly wiped her eyes.

"Don't apologize, Carly. Don't blame yourself for not knowing. You didn't, but you did do the right thing by telling me," he replied, slipping the charm into his Letterman's jacket.

She nodded, jumping slightly when the doors opened and Tim returned with Finn.

"What's going on?" Finn asked concerned, seeing Carly wiping tears from her eyes and Noah not far from tears himself.

Carly told Finn what she'd told Noah, Tim and Alex and then Noah showed him the charm, and Alex finished the conversation on the phone and hung up, telling them Ethan wanted all of them to go to Figgins' office, so they walked to the office to wait for Ethan and the police.

When they all arrived in the principal's office, they told him that Ethan and the police were on the way, because they had some news about Rachel and it didn't take long for Ethan, Mike and a female officer, Allison, to arrive just after school officially started.

The large group went through what Carly had told them, starting out with her falling out with Crystal over Crystal's opinion on Rachel and her relationship with Noah. Carly also told them how she found the charm, which Noah added that was Rachel's because of the 'N' and 'R' he had on the back of it and he knew it was not a fluke, because he never told anyone about the initials and he also swore Carly had nothing to do with Rachel's kidnapping, even if she was friends with Crystal before.

"We believe you," Mike replied, looking at Carly.

"Thanks," she murmured, "I... If I had just... I should have known she was up to something."

"Don't beat yourself up about this, Carly," Ethan said, "you did the right thing."

She nodded, "what is going to happen now?" She asked softly.

"We're going to get her down here and speak with her," Mike said honestly, "we need to know what she knows."

"Do I... Do I have to be here?"

"No, you don't," Mike replied.

"How old is she?" Allison asked.

"Eighteen," Carly replied, "why?"

"She's a legal adult, so she doesn't need a child advocate or her parents to be present to be questioned," Ethan replied looking at them, "I don't think you guys should be here, either," he added, looking at Noah and Finn.

"But dad," Noah started.

"No, Noah, you need to go to class," he told him, as the bell rang to end first period, "go to second period, guys."

Carly and Finn were the first up and already out the door, "find her," Noah begged as he reluctantly left with Tim right behind him, while Alex stayed behind, since he was a former cop and familiar with the law.

~*~

Principal Figgins found out what class she had next and the officers and adults in his office spoke for a few moments until classes began and then walked down to her class, Spanish, and as they reached Will's room, Alex, Ethan, Allison and Mike stood away from the door and Principal Figgins stepped into the classroom, "I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. Schue, but may I please speak with Ms. Crystal Sanchez?" He asked.

"Sure," Will motioned to the middle of the room where Crystal sat and calmly gathered her things, stood up and walked towards the front of the classroom, "is there something going on, Principal Figgins?" She asked as they moved towards the door and into the hallway.

"There are some police officers here that would like to ask you some questions," he replied, motioning to Alex and Mike by the door, and noticed Ethan and Allison were gone.

Crystal's eyes widened and dropped her bag, taking off in the opposite direction, down to the end of the hallway to the doors outside.

"Crystal, stop!" Mike yelled, but didn't bother chasing after her, because Ethan expected her to run, so he and Allison went to wait outside the exit doors.

Just as Crystal pushed the doors open, Ethan and Allison stepped into her path, startling her, "Crystal Sanchez, I presume," Allison commented, grabbing her and holding her against the wall, "Officer Puckerman, did you know that most of the time, when someone runs, it means they're trying to hide something?" She asked him calmly.

"I did know that," Ethan nodded, "Crystal, is there something you're trying to hide?"

Crystal looked at him, "no," she shook her head.

"Come on," Allison said, guiding her with her hand on her shoulder as they moved into the hallway and met Alex, Mike and Principal Figgins.

"Principal Figgins, could we please use your office to speak to Ms. Sanchez?" Mike asked.

"Yes, of course," he replied calmly.

Allison picked up Crystal's dropped bag and the group walked up to the offices and once inside, Figgins sat at his desk, while Ethan and Alex sat on the couch, Crystal and Allison sat in chairs by the desk and Mike stood, "you are Crystal Sanchez, correct?" He started.

"Yes, I am," Crystal nodded. "Just stay calm," she thought to herself, doing her best to keep her breathing at a normal pace.

"Are you aware that a fellow classmate, Rachel Berry, was abducted?" Mike continued.

She shrugged, "yeah, someone took her. So what?"

"Do you know who her boyfriend is?"

"Yeah, who doesn't? It's Puck."

"By 'Puck', you mean Noah Puckerman, correct?" Mike asked her.

"Sure, but I know him as Puck," she replied.

"Were you aware that he gave his girlfriend a necklace as a gift?"

"No, I didn't know that."

He nodded, "well, that's funny, because I had several people confirm that you did know that," he told her, pulling an official evidence bag out of his pocket and held it up to her, "it looked like this."

Her eyes widened, seeing the necklace, "oh no! That must have fallen off my keys!" She thought to herself, "I've never seen that before," she told them.

"So you have no idea how it fell off your keys this morning?"

"No, I don't. I don't know where that came from," she replied.

"So you're telling me, that the witness I have that assured me this fell off your keys this morning, is lying to me?"

"Yeah, they are."

Mike sighed and leaned against Figgins' desk, "look, this witness assured me that this fell off your keys this morning when you were putting your keys into your bag and Noah has already confirmed that this is the pendant that he gave Rachel, so if you know anything about where Rachel has been taken or who took her, now is the time to tell us. It's been a week and the longer she's missing the chances for her being alive when we do find her is getting smaller, so please help us," Mike tried, making it sound like she could help them.

"Why would I help you find her? I don't like that little stuck up bitch. Puck is better off without her, anyway," Crystal rolled her eyes and stood up, "I have classes to get to."

"Sit down, Ms. Sanchez," Figgins hissed from his desk.

Crystal looked at him and slowly sat back down, "what is the point of this?" She asked.

Ethan stood up and looked at Mike, offering him a chance to ask her some questions and Mike nodded, so Ethan looked at Crystal, "Crystal, are you Jewish?" He asked.

"No," she replied.

"Then why did you have a Jewish pendant on your keys?" He asked her.

"It's a free country!" She snapped and then her eyes widened.

Mike shook his head, not realizing he could have tried that.

"How did you get it?" Ethan asked calmly, trying not to sound excited that he made her slip.

She was silent for a long time, trying to weigh her options, "I bought it."

Ethan nodded, "where did you buy it?"

"Kay Jewelers, in the mall," she replied, spitting out the name of the first jewelry store she could think of.

Ethan smirked, looked at Mike and then back at Crystal, "now see, I know you're lying, because my son ordered it from a jewelry store in New York City, and had it made for his girlfriend with her birthstone, the ruby, and diamonds and until today, I didn't know the extra detail, but on the back, there are two letters an 'N' and an 'R' and those happen to be on this one, so there is no way you bought it," he told her honestly and he watched her face fall, "so Crystal, you either know someone who took Rachel or you took Rachel. Which one is it?"

"I don't feel like talking anymore," she replied, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms.

"That's fine, but maybe a trip downtown will change your mind," Mike said, motioning to Allison.

"You can't do that!" Crystal exclaimed as Allison stood up. "Principal Figgins!"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Sanchez, but you are eighteen. You are an adult. There is nothing I can do, but I suggest if you know anything about where Ms. Berry is, that you will tell the police so she can be found," he told her.

Crystal stood up and as her arms were pulled behind her back, she bit her lip, "what are the charges?" She asked.

"Possession of stolen property and withholding information in a criminal investigation for starters," Mike replied.

As the metal wrapped around her wrists, she held strong. "I'm not talking," she thought.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you? (1)"

She sighed, "yeah whatever."

~*~

When Noah, Mike, Tim and Carly walked from their second period English class to their lockers, they saw Ethan and Alex standing by their lockers and Noah walked quickly to them, "well? Where is she? Did you talk to her?"

"It took some asking, but she finally admitted that she had the charm, but refused to talk anymore, so they arrested her and took her to the police station, where they'll continue to interrogate her. We don't know anything more yet," Ethan said, "but we'll find out."

"Can I talk to her?" Noah asked.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Noah. She's really stubborn and I think you'd get too emotional talking to her to really get anything out of her," Ethan admitted, "but we're going to find Rachel, I promise you that."

Noah nodded, "so what? I'm just supposed to stay here and wonder?"

Ethan held up a piece of paper, a permission slip to leave school, "no, you can leave. I'm going to go to the station and meet them and maybe you could go to the hospital to tell David and your mom and then either stop by Alan's office or call him when you tell David and Deb. It's not a lot of news, but it's something," he explained.

Noah nodded, "yeah, I can do that," he smiled, looking at Carly, "you going to be okay?" He asked her.

"I will be," she nodded, "it's a lot to take in, but if this means finding Rachel, then yeah, I'm gonna be okay," she smiled.

Noah had told Mike during class what had happened, so he asked him to fill the rest of the club in at lunch, so they knew why he wasn't going to be there the rest of the day, or in Glee after school and it wasn't long before he and his bodyguards were on their way.

~*~

When Noah, Tim and Alex arrived at the hospital, they went right up to the floor Noah knew his mom and David worked on and as he walked towards the nurses' station, he saw his mom walking towards it also, "hey mom!"

"Noah! Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" She asked, surprised to see him.

He grinned, "well, just thought we'd come pass on some awesome news," he commented.

Deborah's eyes widened, "did they find Rachel?" She asked quietly.

"Sadly, no, but well, can we talk to David, too?" He asked hopeful.

"Yeah, he's in his office, so come on," she replied, motioning down the hallway.

Noah and the guys followed her, and after knocking and him letting them in, the four of them moved inside and Deborah closed the door behind them.

"Noah, Tim, Alex, is everything alright?" David asked concerned, standing up and moving around his desk.

"Yeah, um, is there anyway we could call Alan on speakerphone, so he can hear this to?" Noah smiled.

David looked at him and then moved around his desk and dialed Alan's office number and after a few moments, Alan was on speakerphone.

"Okay, so what's going on, Noah?" Deborah asked.

Trying not to get emotional, Noah explained the events of the past few days, leading up to why they were there, "so it's news. It's not much, but it's something," Noah finished wiping his eyes.

"It's more than we knew yesterday," David admitted, taking a deep breath, "I just hope she's... I hope this Crystal girl tells them more, because we want our daughter back," he added.

"I want her back, too," Noah nodded, "I miss her so much."

~*~

Rachel groaned feeling a heavy cloud over her as she came out of the drug haze, "why did she give me more of those drugs?" She thought, her body shivering in the damp cold. Reaching to pull the blanket over her, she realized her hands were no longer bound together, "what happened?"

Her eyes flew open and realized her surroundings were different, "I'm outside!" She gasped, looking around as her senses began to wake up from the drugs. Pushing herself up to a sitting position and trying to stay calm, she was even more scared now than she had been, "oh no," she choked out a sob, "she gave me the drugs so I wouldn't fight her when she brought me here," she shivered and looked around, rubbing her hands over her arms, trying to warm up, "it's so cold," she murmured looking around, trying to get her bearings.

Seeing the pizza box, a few packs of crackers and the water, she grabbed one of the bottles of water and found it slushy from the cold, "it must be just above freezing out," she sobbed, "why did you do this to me, Crystal?"

Taking a deep breath, she ate some pizza and crackers and drank one of her bottles of water, knowing she needed to keep her strength up and was thankful that Crystal had left her some food, but knew it wouldn't last long. "Okay, what do I do?" She thought, looking around, "I don't even know where to start." She choked back another sob and tried to breathe, "Rachel! Now is not the time to panic. You have to find help, but what if I have to be out here over night?" She bit her lip, "I have to find some shelter," she thought, carefully standing up. "You've watched 'Survivor' before, what did they do?"

Gathering up the blankets, the water and pizza, she walked down towards the river, hoping to find a sign of civilization along either shore, but all she saw was trees. Turning back around, she studied her surroundings and noticed a narrow rocky shoreline and a thick area of trees and shrubbery not too far from where she was left, so she walked towards it and as she pushed through the thick bushes, she found a dry area that seemed to be covered from rain and set her things down. "You've gotta find help, Rachel," she thought, "but I also need someplace safe, in case I have to be out her during the night... No! You're not staying out her tonight. You have to find help," she told herself.

~*~

Ethan and Mike stood outside the mirrored window, looking into the interrogation room of the Lima Police Department, watching Allison and Crystal sit across from each other at the table, neither saying a word. Allison had been trying to get something out of her, more than what they already knew, but Crystal was still not talking.

Everyone knew she was hiding something, but no one knew how to get anything out of her, "I don't get this kid. I've never known anyone to be this tight lipped about anything," Mike murmured to Ethan.

"Yeah, I know," Ethan nodded, "but there's something we're missing. Something has triggered her to act like this. When did Figgins say she started at McKinley?"

Mike pulled his notebook out and looked at it, "September 2008."

"That's the same year Noah started at McKinley, too," Ethan commented crossing his arms over his chest as he thought, "and they're in the same grade, but she was held back a year. Maybe..." Ethan looked at Mike, "when a girl and a guy break up, and the guy starts seeing someone new, what does the ex do?"

Mike looked at Crystal and then Ethan, "she may get back at the guy or girl, but Noah never dated Crystal," Mike told him.

"I know, but think about it. If one of my kids were held back a year and they had to go to a new school, they'd be pissed and upset, but as a parent, I'd tell them something along the lines of 'everything happens for a reason'. What if Crystal got in her mind that the reason she was held back and started at a new school was to meet and be with Noah?" Ethan asked, "then when he left after football season, she would have felt heartbroken, then when he does come back, he's got a new girlfriend. Granted this is a stretch, but it could explain some things."

"Yeah, it's a stretch alright, but it's one I'm willing to try if it means finding Rachel," Mike commented, "you want to come in, or stay here?"

"I'll stay. I don't think I should be in there," he admitted.

Mike nodded and moved out of the room and into the other one, taking a seat next to Allison, "hey Crystal, how are you doing? Do you need anything?" He asked her.

"No," she shook her head and continued to study the table, keeping her eyes off the cops.

"Good, alright, well, I hear that you started school at McKinley the same time that Noah Puckerman did," Mike started, "that must have been pretty cool. He starts there the same time you do."

Crystal smiled, "it was amazing!" She smiled, looking up for the first time.

Mike studied her for a moment and saw a sparkle in her eye that hadn't been there before and he realized Ethan was right, "how long have you been a fan of Puck?"

"Since his first single came out," she admitted.

"He does have some good music," Allison agreed.

"Good music? Try the best music, lady," Crystal retorted.

At Crystal's response, Allison got the hint at what Mike was getting at, but kept her mouth shut, letting him continue on.

"Have you ever had any classes with him?" Mike asked.

Crystal sighed, "no. I haven't been that lucky, but I still see him at lunch and at my locker, because his is right across the hall."

"I bet since you didn't get much time with him, you always wanted to talk to him, huh?" Allison asked, playing along.

"Yeah, but I didn't know what to say, so I never said anything," Crystal replied with a shrug.

"It probably upset you when he left your first year at McKinley, you know, when he had to go back into the studio and everything," Mike told her.

Crystal nodded, "yeah, it hurt. I had been building up the courage to talk to him and he just left. I felt like crap, but when I heard he was coming back to school this year, I knew it was my year to finally talk to him and tell him how much I loved him."

"You love him?" Allison questioned and at her nod, she asked another question, "I bet it really upset you when he and Rachel started going out."

"Of course it did! He comes back to school and he just starts dating her. He didn't even give me a chance!" She huffed, "so I just kept an eye on them and hoped they'd break up and now that she's gone, I've got my chance."

"She's not gone, she's missing," Mike said, "unless you know something you're not telling us," he added, looking at her.

Crystal sat back in her chair and shook her head, "I'm not telling you where I took her!" Crystal snapped and as soon as the words left her mouth, she gasped and her hands flew to her mouth, "I didn't say that!"

Mike and Allison both jumped up, looking in the mirrored window for a moment before turning back around to Crystal, "yes you did, Crystal. Where is Rachel?"

"I'm not telling you where that spoiled little brat is! She's just using Puck for his money. She doesn't deserve him. He deserves someone who truly loves him, like me," she said, turning from the table and crossing her arms over her chest so she wasn't looking at them.

"Crystal! Do you realize you just admitted to kidnapping Rachel?"

"So what? You can't prove anything and I'm not telling you where she is," Crystal retorted.

Mike put his hands on the table and looked at her, "whether you're in love with Noah or not, you just admitted to a felony in the first degree! Do you know what that means?" Mike asked, anger seeping through his voice, and at her turning her head to look at him, he continued, "that means up to ten years in state prison for your little stunt. Ten years. No school, no family, no friends, just a six-by-nine-foot cell, all by yourself and I bet I know what the worst part will be for you," he smirked, "you'll never get a chance with him," he hissed, getting up and motioning for Allison to follow him as they both left the room and another officer stood outside as a guard. Mike and Allison moved into the viewing room, where Ethan and a few other officers were. "You called it, Puckerman," Mike sighed.

Ethan was leaning against the glass, unable to look at Crystal anymore, as he held his head in his hands, shaking his head, "I can't believe this. How she could say that and think she's right. I was just guessing. I mean, I thought there was a chance, but I didn't really think it'd work," he looked up at them.

"It was a good idea, Ethan. You went with your gut and it worked," Mike said resting his hand on his shoulder, and then looked at their boss and the others, "this isn't the most normal way of interrogation, but she's not going to talk to us anymore, but I think I know who she would talk to," he said softly.

"No! That's not happening," Ethan shook his head, "he'll be devastated at this. He'll be in no shape to talk to her and I don't want him even near her!"

"I know, and if I was in your shoes, I'd feel the same way, Ethan, but he may be our only shot at finding Rachel. We already have her admitting to taking Rachel, so all we need is a location. You, Noah, Allison and I can go in there, so he won't be alone. Come on, please, Ethan. It's worth a shot. You can't hide this from Noah, and he's a tough kid. He's been through a lot and I know he wants her back, just as much as we all do and if there is anyway he can help, this is one of those ways," Mike told him honestly.

Ethan took a deep breath, contemplating his options, and realized what Mike was saying was true, and their boss agreed that if it was the only way, it was with it, "alright, give me some time to call him," he said softly.

~*~

Rachel had walked a good distance down the river's shore, hoping to find a road, a bridge, a house, a boat, anything to give a sign of home, but with no luck, she made her back the way she had come, glancing up to see the sun was dipping from directly overhead, so she knew it afternoon, but without a watch or anyway to tell an exact time, she at least knew what direction was west or east, but without knowing where she was, it did her no good.

Finding her little spot, she sat down and ate some more pizza, but this time, didn't drink her water, hoping to save it, but as thirst got to her, she cracked into it and took a few sips and soon the water was gone, "great! No more fresh water and I don't know if the river water is safe to drink and I don't have any way of boiling it." She sighed and wrapped herself up in the blanket and tried to get warm. Her walk gave her some exercise, but once she sat down, she began to cool off and she knew the later in the day it got, the cooler it would get, "please, someone find me," she begged, "I just wanna go home to my family, friends and my boyfriend, please," she sobbed.

Taking a few deep breaths, she slowly calmed down a little, "just go splash some water on your face and cool off, but be careful," she thought, and stood up, walking out towards the water's edge, the tiny waves crashing softly against the rocks and she carefully found a spot where she could stand and reach for the water without getting into it.

As her hands broke the surface of the cool water, she cupped them together and splashed some water up on her face, immediately feeling refreshed, since she hadn't had a shower, or been able to clean herself up in a week.

"This feels good," she murmured, tugging up her sleeves and washing her arms and face a little more, watching the grime wash away and as she shifted her feet for a little more balance, she didn't realize the pebbles were wet, so when her rubber soled shoes hit the wet rocks, they slipped, causing her to fall face first into the cold water.

She screamed when she felt herself fall, but the angle and pressure she was at, she didn't have time to put both of her hands out completely to catch her and she landed with full force on her left wrist, feeling the snap echo through her body, "oh no!" She sobbed, unable to put pressure on her left hand at all, realizing something was broken.

~*~

Just after one-thirty, Noah, Taylor, Tim and Alex walked into the Lima Police Department and met Ethan and Mike in the front. Without a lot of explanation, the four signed in and once they got their visitor badges, they were taken to the interrogation room's viewing area and Noah gasped when he saw Crystal, "what's going on?"

"I take it that's the chick?" Taylor commented."Yes, it is," Ethan nodded, "um, well, Noah, we need your help."

"How? I thought you didn't want me talking to her," Noah said softly.

"Honestly, as your dad, I don't want you to, but as a cop, I think it may be the only way to get anymore out of her," Ethan replied.

"Anymore, what did she say?" Noah asked quickly.

Ethan glanced at Mike and between the two, explained how she wouldn't talk, until he thought it might have something to do with Noah, and as soon as 'Puck' was mentioned, she opened up and let slip that she wouldn't say where she left Rachel.

"Wait a second! She took Rachel?" Noah looked at them. "All this time, she's known where she is and has been at school acting like nothing happened?" He took a deep breath, fists balling at his sides.

"I'm afraid so, son," Ethan rested his hands on his son's shoulders, "and when she said that, she shut down. We think if you go in there, with Mike, Allison and I, that she might be more open to talk, especially to you."

"I'll do it," Noah commented, "if it means finding Rachel, I'll do it," he added, moving towards the door.

"Wait, Noah," Ethan moved towards him, "there's more."

Noah stared at his dad, "more? What is it?"

Ethan took a deep breath, "she doesn't like Rachel, so she may say things about her that are mean or try and suggest that you and Crystal should be together, but you have to put this all aside and know that what is in your heart is true, okay?"

"Nothing she says in there will make me change my mind. I love Rachel and no one can change that, but if I have to listen to those mean comments in order to find out where my girlfriend is, then I will. Finding Rachel is what is important and I can handle it," Noah assured him, "so let's do this."

"Okay," Ethan nodded, looking at the others in the room.

Mike, Allison, Ethan and Noah moved towards the door into the interrogation room and Mike stepped in first, followed by Allison, Ethan and Noah was last. Mike and Ethan took seats across from Crystal, who was still turned away from door, and Allison stood next to her and Noah stood behind his dad and Mike, but Crystal hadn't seen him yet, so he cleared his throat, "Crystal," Noah started.

At his voice, Crystal's head whipped towards him, "Puck!" She gasped, moving to stand up, but Allison's hand on her shoulder kept her down. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I came to talk to you. What are you doing?"

Crystal rolled her eyes, "they're standing in the way of our happiness," she commented, "you can't be happy with that slut. You need someone who really cares about you."

"Like you?" Noah wondered, his blood boiling at what she was saying.

"Puck, we could be so happy together, but she was standing in our way."

"No she's not," he said softly, "you never attempted to talk to me, so how could I know you were interested? And now? I'm not happy at all. Don't you want to see me happy?" He asked her.

She looked at him, "why are you not happy?"

"You took the girl I loved from me. Don't you see what you did made everything worse? I'm miserable. You did this to me."

"But you'll get over her," she tried.

"No I won't. I love her."

"She's using you! I'd never do that!"

"Crystal," Noah moved around the table and stood near her, "she is not using me. She has never asked me for anything except honesty and love. I gave that to her, along with that necklace and you stole it from her. I want my girlfriend back, Crystal, please, tell us where she is."

Crystal bit her lip, "she's brainwashed you!"

"No she hasn't. You're making me miserable by keeping my girlfriend from me. Please, where is she?" Noah begged, fighting his own emotions, "just tell us where she is."

"You really love her?" She asked softly.

"Yes, I do." Noah nodded.

"And you miss her?"

"More than anything, Crystal."

Crystal bit her lip and took a deep breath, "I.. I don't know where I left her... I..."

"You what, Crystal?" Noah tried.

"I found this building out off a road near a river. It was abandoned. I think the road starts with an 'S', but I don't know how to pronounce it," she murmured, "then this morning, I was so pissed that I drugged her, drove her down to the river and left her..."

"Left her where?" Noah exclaimed, his hand slamming down on the table.

"Just by the river on a blanket. It's not far from the building," she replied softly.

Noah's face fell, "it's the middle of winter! What the hell were you thinking?"

Crystal stared at him for a moment, "I wanted to get rid of her. I didn't think that you'd miss her," she admitted as Allison guided her to stand up, pulling her hands behind her back, "I'm so sorry, Puck."

Noah shook his head, "that's only my stage name," he hissed.

"Crystal Sanchez, you're under arrest for the kidnapping of Rachel Berry," Mike said calmly, naming off numerous other charges she was getting and then Allison led her out of the room, leaving Noah, Mike and Ethan.

"Rachel," Noah choked out, "we've gotta find her," he murmured, taking a deep breath as he wiped his eyes.

"Noah, I think you should go home and relax. You did great, but you need to leave this up to the police," Ethan said.

"No! I'm going with you guys! She's probably scared and cold and she needs to know I'm still there for her," he told his dad, "please?"

Ethan looked at Mike and Mike shrugged, "if he wants to go, he can. It's just a search and rescue, and it's gonna be dark in about two hours, so we've got a lot of ground to cover in that time."

~*~

Rachel's sweater had gotten wet when she fell into the water, so she took it off carefully and knew her wrist was broken, so she tore pieces of fabric off one of the thinner blankets she was sitting on and wrapped the pieces around her wrist to keep it still and made a sling. She was freezing, so she laid out the smaller blanket and then wrapped up in the heavier blanket, hoping to warm up, but with no luck, she closed her eyes, wanting to fall asleep.

She didn't know how long she laid there, but she thought she was dreaming when she heard cars nearby, because the engines stopped just after she heard them and tried to let her mind think of anything but the situation she was in. "I just want to go home, I'm so cold!" She thought, feeling her body shake from the cold.

Thinking she was drifting off to dream land, she tried to let the nature sounds soothe her mind and just as she was close to sleep, she heard her name being called, but immediately recognizing the voice, "there's no way Noah would be out here. I must be dreaming," she thought, shivering into her blanket as her name was said again, followed by footsteps, which startled her, but she was so cold to jump, she only opened her eyes, immediately noticing it was darker out.

"Rachel! Come on, baby, stay with us," Noah begged.

Rachel felt hands on her and she focused more and saw him, "Noah?" She whispered.

"Yeah, baby, it's me," he choked out, smiling though the tears as he rested his warm hand on her cheek, "I'm right here."

"Noah," she smiled, reaching out with her good hand to take his, "you're really here?"

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, "I'm really here," he promised, "there's nowhere else I'd rather be," he assured her, unzipping his jacket, "come on, let's sit you up so you can get my jacket on to help you warm up," he told her.

"Okay," she replied, using her good hand to sit up, and when he reached for her left hand to help her up, she flinched back, "I think it's broken," she murmured, shifting into a sitting position, which is when she saw Ethan, Tim and another guy she'd never met.

Noah took his jacket off and held it up so she could slip her arms into it carefully without the guys seeing her with no shirt on and once Noah zipped up the jacket, he pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back, "I've got you, baby, you're safe," he murmured, looking at his dad and the guys, all of them relieved to see she was okay.

Rachel began sobbing into his chest, clinging to him as relief washed over her, "oh Noah," she cried, "I was so scared."

"Me too, baby," Noah murmured, kissing her cool forehead, "but you're okay now."

She bit her lip and nodded, looking up at him and reached with her good hand and rested it against his cheek, "and you came for me."

"I did," he nodded, reaching up to wipe her eyes, "let's get you out of here."

"Please," she begged.

~*~

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_warning

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A/N4: What do you think? I hope you enjoyed! Review and let me know!
A/N5: Mom is cancer free! She doesn't need a hysterectomy like they first thought, so things are great! January is cervical cancer awareness month (the cervical cancer color is teal & white) and it's feels great to say she's cervical cancer free now! Thanks for all the support! Love you all!

~*~