The prequel to my story Party Time in the City! This tells the story of how Santana and Rachel became the best friends that they are in that story. This is canon until the third season episode "I Kissed A Girl", which was a long time ago. After that, I'll do my best to keep it to canon, but with the exceptions of what I've changed. I hope you guys like this, it's a little more serious than what I usually write.
Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine.
The knock on the door came just as Rachel and her dads were sitting down for dinner. Well, actually for dinner and a movie, seeing as a new DVD had just come on Netflix.
Sighing, Rachel got up to get the door, leaving her salad on the coffee table in front of the couch. She walked to the front door of the house. Once she got there, she stretched onto her tiptoes to see through the peephole. Not many people aside from some of the Glee clubbers and her dad's friends knew where she lived. It was only the brief glimpse of the girl's face that gave her away.
"Santana?" Rachel gasped, wrenching open the door and seeing the huddled up girl. The normally brash girl was a shadow of herself, with red eyes and black eyeliner/tear tracks all down her face.
"Oh my goodness, are you alright? No, that's a stupid question, here, come inside," Rachel said quickly, wondering what had brought the girl to Rachel's house instead of someone else's.
Santana shook her head, "No, I'm an abomination," her voice was weak but harsh, as if she had been crying for hours.
"Rachel, who is it?" her dad, Hiram, called. Rachel could hear the worry in his voice.
"Nonsense," Rachel said, putting her arms around the taller girl and pulling her inside with Rachel. She led Santana back to the living room and sat her down on the couch, quickly sitting next to her and putting her arms around the girl.
"Rachel, what happened to your friend?" Leroy asked, shocked at the state of the strange girl sitting on his couch.
"That's a good question daddy. Santana, sweetie, tell me what happened," Rachel pleaded with the girl.
"I went to see my abuela after school, to tell her," Santana whispered. Rachel saw the tears begin to flow again. She mentally gasped in understanding.
"It's alright Santana, you're with people who accept you," Rachel comforted, rocking the girl. Hiram and Leroy exchanged looks at the revelation of the girl's identity. Rachel had told them about what Santana was going through with her sexual orientation.
"She told me that she never wanted to see me again," Santana said with a broken note in her voice, "She means the world to me, and to never see her again? I can't," she started crying in earnest again.
"Is that all that happened San?" Rachel used the girl's nickname, almost as a sign of comforting, but also because she could tell that something else was wrong.
The sobbing girl shook her head, "My abuela called my parents and told them to kick me out. She said that if they didn't, they would never see her again either. And then she said that they were all going to hell because they had accepted an abomination. They had accepted me, but she said no," Santana sobbed. In one afternoon, she had lost her entire family because she wanted to be who she was.
Leroy and Hiram exchanged another set of looks at this new knowledge. Something was going to have to happen, and based on their daughter's forceful personality, they were both pretty sure that it was going to be Santana moving in. They were beginning to be okay with that however. Santana seemed really nice, although they had heard things about her in the past. She had an amazing voice as well.
"Oh, sweetie, that's terrible. Why don't we just have some food and watch a movie okay? Something to take your mind off things?" Rachel suggested softly. Santana tearfully nodded in agreement.
"Can we watch Disney movies?" she murmured quietly, almost inaudibly. Rachel looked surprised at the request, but eventually shrugged.
"Which one do you want? And what food do you want?" Rachel asked gently, rubbing the girl's arm softly.
"Aladdin, and can I have mac and cheese?" Santana requested. Rachel nodded firmly.
"I'll get those, can you let me go sweetie?" Rachel asked.
"No, honey, we'll get those. You just stay here with Santana. Why don't you two go up to your room, we can call you when food's ready," Leroy stepped in. He could see how much Santana needed his daughter.
"Okay daddy, come on Santana," Rachel agreed, pulling Santana up with her and to the girl's room.
"Why don't you change clothes, that always makes me feel better when I'm sad," Rachel said to the girl, who looked like she was beginning to feel better.
"Okay, but no animal sweaters," Santana weakly quipped, "Those are freaky"
Rachel laughed, relieved that the girl was beginning to be herself again.
"Don't worry San, I've got normal clothes as well," Rachel said cheerfully. She pulled out a pair of pajama shorts and a long-sleeved shirt for Santana, and got some for herself as well.
"Do you care if I just change here?" Santana asked, waiting for Rachel's nod of agreement before pulling off her clothes and putting on the pajamas Rachel had given her. Rachel changed quickly as well.
"Santana, if you don't mind me asking, why did you come here tonight?" Rachel asked hesitantly. She was wondering why the girl didn't go to Brittany's house or someone else who she was close to.
"Well, it was actually because I knew you were the one person who would genuinely listen to me and not judge anything. And the fact that your dads are super accepting helped too," Santana explained, "But it was also because Brittany, the only other person I would've gone to, probably wouldn't have understood. She's smart sometimes, but just doesn't get it most of the time"
"Well, I'm really glad you came here. Honestly, I think we could be really good friends. We're a lot alike you know," Rachel said, hugging the girl.
"And one more thing. I never really meant anything I said to you. All of the mean, nasty, cruel things that I regret saying," Santana apologized, "I guess I was just jealous of the way you were so confident of everything when I was so insecure,"
"That's okay Santana, I forgive you. I'm not mad at you," Rachel reassured her.
"Girls! Food's ready!" they heard Hiram yell up the stairs at them.
"Coming!" Rachel yelled down at him, before looking at Santana and holding out her hand. Santana, with a hesitant look on her face, took Rachel's hand and the two girls walked downstairs together.
When they came down, Hiram and Leroy were sitting at the table together, both with serious looks on their face.
"Santana, we'd like to ask you something," Leroy started, looking at the girl who'd managed to worm her way into his and Hiram's hearts in the short while she'd been there.
"Yes?" Santana responded, starting to look worried. Were they going to ask her to leave?
"You have nowhere to go, correct?" he asked. When Santana nodded, he continued, "We wanted to offer you a place to stay. Here," he paused.
Santana and Rachel's faces lit up.
"You'd let me stay here?" Santana questioned, a look of disbelief on her face, "But you hardly know me!"
"Are you serious daddy? Yes!" Rachel rejoiced, hugging her fathers jubilantly before grabbing a still-shocked Santana in a huge hug.
"Oh my gosh, thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you," Santana finally comprehended their offer. She had a place to stay, with people who accepted her and a girl who could (and would) be her best friend. She started crying with happiness.
Rachel's dads came and hugged the two still-hugging girls. Leroy had tears in his eyes from the realization of the hope that they'd just given the new resident of their house.
The growl from Santana's stomach interrupted the moment.
"Go get set up on the couch girls, we'll bring the food to you," Leroy said, pushing them towards the TV and the big couch.
While watching the movie, Rachel wasn't surprised at all that Santana knew all the words. What she was surprised by was the way their voices blended together so well. Her higher voice combined with Santana's low, raspy, voice was amazing. She knew it, her dads knew it, and Santana knew it. The girls were going to be best friends, adopted sisters.
After the movie finished, Leroy ushered both girls upstairs. They were both going to sleep in Rachel's room, as the guest bedroom was stacked full of random stuff.
"By the way, neither of you are going to school tomorrow," Hiram ordered. Rachel almost protested, but then realized that the day off was more for Santana's benefit.
"Why aren't we going to school?" Santana questioned, looking confused.
"Well, you two need to spend some time together in the house so that Santana knows where everything is and all that. Why don't you go to the mall too?" Hiram said. He hugged both girls, kissing them both on the forehead.
"Goodnight sweethearts," he said. Leroy echoed him, leaving the girls in Rachel's room.
"I'm not even sure what to say, but thank you so much Rachel," Santana said tearfully, "I don't know how I'll ever repay you"
"Santana, you'd never have to repay me. My dads and I are doing this because we want to and because we like you," Rachel admonished the girl, "Now, we should go to sleep, tomorrow's going to be busy"
The end of the first chapter! I have at least one more chapter planned, but it'll take a while. Writing this took a lot of emotions, I definitely teared up a couple times while writing Santana in this story. I promise, it'll get happier! Please review and give me constructive criticism!
