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Last Christmas
Last Christmas I gave you my heart but the very next day you gave it away.
"Good morning Mija, how are you this morning?" Maribel greets.
"I'm fine Mami" Santana replies grabbing a large mug and filling it with coffee.
"Morning Papi."
"Good morning Mija. So I have a favour to ask you. I have a friend at work whose daughter is coming home for the holidays, I told him you would take her out on Saturday night."
"Papi! Why did you say that? I don't want to go on a blind date."
"I thought I would help you out, you haven't been on a date for months."
"That doesn't mean I need my parents help, I can get a girl all by myself thank you very much" Santana replies.
"How has that been working out for you?" Maribel asks.
Santana shoots her mother a look.
"All I am saying is maybe you should just go, what's the worst that can happen. Your Papi is paying so you'll at least get a free meal out of it."
"I made reservations at Breadstix" Miguel adds.
"Don't try and bribe me with Breadstix. You could have at least made a reservations at an expensive restaurant, she's going to think I'm cheap."
"You are cheap honey. Your father is paying."
"If I agree to do this will you two leave me alone?" Santana asks.
"Yes, we promise after this we will no longer meddle in your love life. So make sure you dress nice and buy flowers."
"Fine I'll do it but I'm not buying flowers."
Santana walks into the all too familiar restaurant. She spent most of her high school life in one of the restaurant's booths but it's been a while since she has returned.
"I have a reservations under Taylor" she says to the waiter that is too busy playing on his Iphone.
"Hey" she yells again grabbing the cell phone from his hands.
"Reservations under Taylor."
"I'll see if your table is ready" the boys stutters before Santana hands him back his phone.
She watches as he scuttles off with a satisfied smirk on her face, after all these years she's still got it.
"Santana?"
She turns around at the mention of her name.
"What the hell are you doing here Berry?"
"I'm meeting someone" Rachel replies.
"I meant what are you doing in Lima?"
"I am visiting my Dads for the holidays. We were going to celebrate in New York but they changed their minds and asked me to come home instead."
"Excuse me Miss, your table is ready" the waiter interrupts.
"Thanks. I have a date, so later Berry" Santana says before following the waiter to a booth at the back of the restaurant.
She slides into the booth and immediately takes advantage of the free breadsticks that are on the table.
"Here we are" a female voice says.
Santana looks up and sees a waitress directing someone to her table, a few seconds later her eyes land on Rachel.
"I think there's been a mistake" Rachel says.
"Table for two under the name Taylor" the waitress states, both girls nod.
Rachel takes a seat in the booth as the waitress disappears.
"I didn't say you could sit down."
"I'm sorry Santana I was only sitting so we could work out what's going on. I was suppose to be meeting someone here. She's the daughter of one of my father's work colleagues " Rachel explains.
"Those conniving little…Come on" Santana orders, getting out of the booth.
"Where are we going?" Rachel asks.
"To see my parents."
The walk back to Santana's house was silent. Rachel wanted to say something to Santana but the determined look on the Latina's face made her think against it. The air was cold causing Rachel to wrap her arms tighter around herself. The street was covered in a sheet of white, crisp snow, illuminated by the warm glow of the street lamps. It was a picture perfect scene but she didn't get a chance to take in the beauty of it all having to keep up with Santana's pace.
Santana's hands were numb by the time they got back to her parent's house. She didn't take the weather into consideration when she dressed for her so called date. Rachel however was covered by a hat, scarf and gloves and could still be seen shivering.
She walked straight into the house and made a bee line for the living room, knowing exactly where her parents would be.
"Hey Mija, you're home early" Maribel says sending her husband a quick look.
"Why the hell would you set me up with Rachel?" Santana yells.
"We were only trying to help."
"This is what you call helping?" Santana asks.
"It has been nearly a year now. We thought eventually you two would forgive each other and get back together but when that didn't happen we thought we would take matters into our own hands."
Maribel sends a reassuring smile towards Rachel who had been nervously hovering by the door.
"We aren't getting back together, we broke up and you need to get over it" Santana says.
"Santana, I don't think it's us that hasn't got over it. You two need to talk to each other" Maribel replies.
"What's there to talk about. We broke up because she valued her career more than our relationship."
"That's not true" Rachel spoke up.
"Then why did you leave me?"
"Maybe you two should talk somewhere more private" Miguel suggests.
"I'm sorry, I thought you two would want front row seats for this."
"Don't include me in this, this was all your mother and Hiram's idea" Miguel defends himself.
"You were the one that set up the date" Santana says.
"Leroy and I were bribed into making the date but that was our only involvement, besides if this works out you'll be thanking me."
"Whatever. Come on Rach we can talk in my old room."
For the second time that night Rachel finds herself following the Latina. She walks up the stairs and finds herself in the familiar surrounding of Santana's old bedroom. She had only seen the bedroom a couple of times when they were dating and had visited Lima. They always opted to stay in the same house rather than sleeping in separate beds across town from each other.
"So what now?" Santana asks.
"I don't know, you were the one that invited me up here."
"I was just trying to get away from my parents. If you have nothing to say then you might as well leave."
"I miss you" Rachel says.
"Don't. You don't get to say that, you're the one that broke up with me."
"I know and I'm sorry. You don't know how much I regret it but I thought I was doing what was best."
"How was breaking up for the best?" Santana asks.
"You know how long I have wanted to be on Broadway but that takes time so I had to start somewhere, so when I got the opportunity to be on stage I took it."
"I offered to move to Chicago with you."
"I know but you had just been offered an internship at Johnson and Smiths. I couldn't let you give that up."
"There would have been other internships, even in Chicago" Santana argues.
"Even if that was true, you couldn't waste this opportunity, they are the best law firm in New York. Tell me you don't love it there" Rachel says.
"Your right I do love it there but I loved you even more, shame you couldn't say the same thing about me."
"You're wrong I did love you more, I only wanted what was best for you. You know every night I went to bed thinking about you. I thought about how much I wanted to leave Chicago and run straight back into your arms."
"Then why didn't you?" Santana asks.
"I signed a contract. I couldn't leave but you have to know I never stopped loving you."
"So how's Chicago, the show going well?" Santana asks ignoring Rachel's last statement.
"It's going great, the theatre is full almost every night. They want to extend the run for another year so they want me to sign another contract."
"Are you going to?"
"I was thinking about it, unless there was a reason for me to return to New York" Rachel says.
"If there was, would you give up everything you have in Chicago?"
"Yes. I already gave up the thing I really want, if there's a chance to get that back then I'll take it."
"I never stopped loving you either" Santana admits.
"So what does this mean for us?" Rachel asks.
"I don't know. It's been nearly a year Rach. There is still so much to talk about, things we need to work through."
Rachel tears her gaze away from the girls she loves, it had been months since she has last seen the Latina. She had never stopped loving her but being so close to her intensified those feelings. All she could think about was touching her or kissing her, breathing in the scent that was uniquely Santana.
She knew that she had hurt her. She thought she had been doing what was best but instead she had ended up hurting both of them. She hadn't expected to bump into her ex-girlfriend today nor did she expect to be sat in her old room discussing where they had gone wrong but whilst they talk Rachel had slowly gotten her hopes up.
Santana had admitted that she still loved the tiny diva and Rachel thought there could still be a chance for them but now with the way the conversation was going, she wasn't so sure.
"I know that us breaking up was all my fault but you have to believe me when I say it was the hardest thing I ever had to do but we can get past it. We can make this work I promise, I just want you back. Please take me back."
Rachel was crying now. Santana knew they had a lot to talk about, issues they had to work through but having Rachel in front of her begging her to take her back made every other thought to leave her brain.
"Okay" Santana says, crossing the distance between them and pulling Rachel into a kiss.
They were finally back in each other arms it felt all too familiar, like the last few months hadn't happened.
"I love you" Rachel mumbles between kisses.
"I love you too."
Rachel manages to push the slightly taller girl towards the bed, making her land on her back. She crawls up Santana and reconnects their lips, a couple of minutes later Santana push Rachel back.
"What about Chicago?" she asks.
"I'll call the director tomorrow and tell them I won't be signing a new contract" Rachel replies pushing Santana back down in a heated kiss.
They continue to kiss, rediscovering each others mouths when there a knock on the door.
"Everything okay Mija? Things have gotten quiet in there" Maribel says through the door.
"Everything's fine Mom."
"Okay, just to let you know Hiram and Leroy are here."
They listen as Maribel's footsteps descend down the stairs.
"Now I remember why I couldn't wait to move out. No privacy" Santana says.
"I think it's cute that our parents tried to get us back together. Remember when we first started dating and you were worried that my Dads wouldn't like you because of how you were in high school. Look how much has change, they were practically scheming to get us to be together again."
"Yeah I should be grateful really that they like me so much."
"The last time they did this much scheming was to stop Finn and I getting married."
"I knew there was a reason I loved them so much" Santana smirks.
"I think maybe we should go back downstairs, we have left our parents alone again. God knows what they are planning now."
"Before we go I just want to make sure we are really doing this. I don't want to get my hopes up for you just to get up and leave the next time the stage comes calling. I don't think I can handle losing you again."
"I won't. I promise that I will never leave you again" Rachel replies.
"Okay. Now come on" Santana says.
Rachel gets off Santana and pulls her up by her hand, keeping them connected as they walk downstairs.
"Hello girls" Leroy greets as they enter the living room.
"By the smiles on your faces and the fact that you two are holding hands, I can assume you worked things out" Hiram says.
"Yes, Santana and I have decided to rekindle our romantic relationship." Rachel beams.
"Good because we have invited you and your Dads to join us for Christmas" Maribel says.
"And of course we accepted."
"What if we hadn't made up then what would you have done?" Santana asks.
"We knew that once you two saw each other again you would work things out and if you didn't then that would have been one awkward Christmas meal" Miguel laughs.
"Come and sit down girls we haven't seen you both in so long. Rachel I want to know how the play has been going" Maribel says.
"Yes and Leroy and I want to know all about your internship Santana" Hiram adds.
Santana takes a seat on the spare chair and pulls Rachel down on her lap, wrapping her arms around her.
They talk about what everyone had been doing over the last few months. The snow had started falling again, the slowly burning fire added to the warmth provided by Maribel's special eggnog. The only exception being Rachel who had a specially made vegan hot chocolate.
Santana stared at the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree, she had always loved this time of year and was still looking forward to it again this year but having Rachel back made it even more perfect. They were still things to work through but that would be put aside until the holidays were over She was ready to leave this year behind a start afresh with Rachel back by her side.
A/N It is four weeks until Christmas and I am hoping to write four one-shots which means one every Sunday until Christmas.
Each story will be named after a Christmas song that will hopefully have some relevance, starting with this one which was Last Christmas. I won't post an artist name as these songs have been covered countless times and everyone has their own favourite.
Many thanks to xphrnzrjh who sent me the idea for this story and gave me advice when I needed it.
The next one-shot will be a continuation of Three Hundred And Sixty Five Days, if you haven't read it and you want to read that first its in my Circumstances series Chapter 16.
Whatever you are celebrating this December, I wish you a very happy holidays!
Live_Young