Pairing: Rachel/Santana
Synopsis: In Little Encounters, Rachel's little vow of silence revealed certain desires that Santana had. Eventually, they had sex in Mercedes bathroom, but now it's been a month since Santana's had anything to do with Rachel and the diva realizes she's going to have to amp up her game in order to get Santana's attention – and keep it for good. (This is, by the way, a one-shot and the final continuation of Little Encounters.)
Author's Note: Lyrics in this one-shot are from The Civil Wars' song, "To Whom It May Concern." I decided to finally get around to doing this continuation because more than one person has requested that the original one-shot be continued. Normally I leave one-shots be, and let them stand on their own, but I realized there was more story after the end of the last. This truly is the only continuation of Little Encounters, and hopefully it satisfies the desire you all had to see the story out fully.
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Part I: Formulating a Plan
Why are you so far from me?
In my arms is where you are to be…
How long will you make me wait?
I don't know how much more I can take.
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Rachel woke up, beads of sweat on her forehead. Her clock glared at her from the corner of the room. She'd been dreaming about Santana again. Ever since their last encounter, last month, she'd been plagued with dreams about the raven-haired Cheerio. While she'd thought at the time that their little encounter had meant something, it apparently didn't mean what she wanted it to. Santana had immediately returned to ignoring her. Yes, the bullying had definitely stopped but it was as if nothing had ever happened. The few times Rachel tried to corner Santana and talk to her about what had happened, the Latina would find some excuse to disappear and she'd just be gone.
It hurt Rachel's feelings; obviously she wasn't the kind of girl who just had sex with people and then walked away. She knew that was the kind of person Santana had been, but … there had been that little bit of hope. Day by day, the hope was dashed.
And night-time was worse, because she dreamt about Santana. She'd wake up swearing she heard that voice against her ear, or would feel the echoes of Santana's fingers on her skin. It was a sad sort of feeling. It's not like she'd expected much, but she at least thought maybe it would mean they'd start spending time together, getting to know each other. It was as if Santana's burning interest in her had died out the morning after that sleepover.
She felt a little bit like a silly high school girl, being disappointed like she was. She knew Santana didn't get attached to people, didn't love people or open up to them. She was Santana Lopez, eternally beyond everyone's reach.
Still, Rachel thought the whole thing sucked a lot.
So she made a resolution. She was going to get Santana's attention in a big way and make sure she kept it. She didn't have much for friends, so she'd have to do this mostly on her own. She turned on the lamp beside her bed, suddenly driven by her impulses to put her plan into action.
The first step was her clothing. These argyle shirts and skirts weren't doing the job. She was basically invisible in them. Granted, she wasn't permanently compromising her fashion because after all, she was Rachel Berry and she liked her animal sweaters. She just had to start things off with kind of a bang.
There was a small portion of her closet that had different clothing – clothing her fathers bought for her in hopes that she would dress her age, and other things she bought just because she thought one day she may feel confident enough to wear them. It was in this portion of her closet that she spent most of her night; she was planning an outfit for every day of the coming week, each outfit better than the last.
By the time the sun rose, she lay out the first outfit on her bed and got on her elliptical. She broke such a sweat that she soaked her sports bra, but she figured that was just because she was venting frustrations. She had a nice figure for someone who hid underneath knit sweaters. As she toweled herself off and headed for the shower, she pat her stomach to feel the developing muscles there. She could use that to her benefit later.
She showered and dressed. Today's outfit wasn't so drastic that it would make her fathers demand she turn around and change. She wore skinny jeans, a fitted tee, but the key to her outfit wasn't the clothing but her hair. She spent a portion of her morning braiding her hair back into a single braid, sure to leave just one strand hanging near her bangs. Rachel also had a fair collection of make-up and knew what to do with it. Usually she didn't wear it because she was certain it wasn't good for her skin in the long-run, but with just the right amount of makeup she became a much more mature version of herself. Just simple enough that she wasn't compromising her morals, but enough that it would make Santana look twice.
Rachel knew that she wanted Santana's attention. Ever since that night in Mercedes' bathroom, she'd realized nobody else had ever made her feel so alive and vibrant – not just during the sex, either. She got a thrill every time Santana's eyes met hers. Today she would make sure Santana saw her, and remembered that she existed. She would make sure Santana would remember fondly that they had hooked up, and that the great secret between them was that Santana had managed to make Rachel feel things no one else ever could. She wanted to blow Santana's ego up just enough to make the Latina get cocky again.
As Rachel put on her shoes and grabbed her bag, she kissed Leroy goodbye on the cheek before heading to school.
She felt confident as she strode onto campus. Heads turned just because she wasn't wearing the outfits she always wore. She looked a little bit like a teenage bombshell (and she was wearing a push-up bra). She would make Santana notice her, and then she'd make Santana sorry that she'd ever ignored Rachel in the first place.
Today would be a good day.
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Consequently, she didn't see Santana until glee club. They didn't share any classes together, so it was hard to run into her without making it obvious that's what she was trying to do. She arrived fashionably late to glee club; the brunette wanted to see the look on Santana's face when she saw her walk in the room. Her reaction would set the pace for how Rachel executed her plan.
When Rachel entered the room, there were a few gaping mouths and even Scheuster looked just a little confused, but she merely kept her head high. She saw Santana in the corner of her eye, a confused and bewildered expression on the Latina's face. There was that little thrill of satisfaction before Rachel climbed the stairs and took a seat in the empty chair in front of Santana's. She cleared her throat, pulled her braid over her shoulder a little bit as if adjusting and getting comfortable.
"So… uh, anyway, as I was saying – " Will was going into some detail about something but Rachel wasn't paying that much attention. She was instead paying attention to the gaze she felt at the back of her neck. Encouraging Santana's staring, Rachel casually ran her fingers over the side of her neck, stretched a little, shifted in her seat. Every action was simple, subtle, and nobody would have guessed it was a plan of seduction she was following. Her first step was just to make Santana realize what she was missing out on.
She wouldn't speak to Santana, wouldn't try to get her in conversation. She just wanted Santana to look.
At some point she stripped off her jacket, her fitted tee styled in such a way that one bare shoulder was revealed. Rachel pretended to have an itch there. Behind her, she heard Santana shifting in her seat, and at one point she heard Santana clear her throat.
"What's your problem?" Quinn whispered to Santana.
Confirmation that it was working.
"Shut up, Tubbers," Santana growled under her breath.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong? You're beet red, or as beet red as you can be."
"Shut up."
Rachel smirked to herself, not turning her head around. She spent the rest of glee club noticing how many times Santana cleared her throat or complained about how hot it was in here.
###
In a series of controlled exposures, Rachel learned, she could bait Santana into coming out of hiding. So that's what she did. After glee club, Rachel waited just long enough to catch Santana in the hallway. She pretended she had dropped something, because she figured it was better than talking to Santana directly. Sure, she wanted to ask Santana why she'd ignored her, and Santana expected that of her. Surely the Latina had expected Rachel to cling to her after their little encounter, but instead she would give Santana the exact opposite expression. It was like her vow of silence – hide just enough from Santana to make her crazy.
Rachel was picking up the things she'd purposefully dropped, and stood just as Santana was in her space. They stood face to face for a moment, and Rachel gave an apologetic expression, "Sorry," she said simply.
"Sure you are, dwarf," Santana's voice sounded just a little strained, like she was trying very hard to be her old self.
Rachel didn't respond, she only gave a brief nod before passing Santana – sure to brush her arm past the Latina's – and making her way down the hallway.
"Hey," Santana called after her.
Rachel turned, raised an eyebrow, her expression soft and unassuming, "Hmm?"
"Why are you dressed … different?" Santana motioned to Rachel's figure, and Rachel noted the way those hypnotically dark eyes lingered on her waist and thighs.
"I figured it was time for a change." Rachel answered innocently enough. "Why, is it bad?"
Santana blinked in a sort of bewildered way, expression somewhat serious, "No. It's .. no."
Rachel left her like that, grinning widely by the time she got home.
###
The next day her outfit was similar, only she wore a form-fitting red zip-up hoodie. Her hair was loose today, hanging over her shoulders in a way that kind of framed her face. She put on a thin silver necklace – the key was to accessorize what you wanted people to look at.
Rachel had to admit, she looked kind of hot in normal clothing. She balanced yesterday's casual-sexy look with a casual-cuteness of jeans and converse. It was just enough to keep Santana on her toes. Except today she had to step it up a little; it wasn't so much about the outfit today, but the way Santana would run into her.
The diva set it up very carefully, leaving a little lie here or there, eventually manipulating it so that nobody would be in the glee room. And because she knew Santana always stopped in there after school, she'd have Santana stumble upon one of her vocal lessons.
Brad the piano guy was ready with her music by the time she got there. She smiled a little bit, "Ready?"
He gave a thumbs up, started playing the lead-in to "Defying Gravity," and Rachel closed her eyes, getting ready, stretching her throat and mouth a little bit before she began to sing.
"Something has changed within me, something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game; too late for second-guessing, too late to go back to sleep, it's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap, it's time to try defying gravity, I think I'll try defying gravity, kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity, and you won't bring me down."
Her voice was a power-house, perfectly engineered for this song, and even she had tears in her eyes as she was singing. Brad, always emotionless, was smiling and playing the song for her as she sang. She saw the doors swing open out of the corner of her eye, but continued on, not skipping a beat. Her heart swelled at the act of singing – it was her one true love, and it would serve her well today.
"I'm through accepting limits, 'cause someone says they're so, some things I cannot change, but til I try I'll never know, too long I've been afraid of losing love, I guess I've lost, well if that's love it comes at much too high a cost; I'd sooner buy defying gravity, kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity; I think I'll try defying gravity, and you won't bring me down," and as she moved into the last verse and the final, heart-wrenching note that ended the solo, she opened her eyes, found warm tears slipping from her eyes.
She caught her breath as she finished, feeling wind-blown from the song, and remembered that she'd performed it for Santana alone. She felt her heart racing just from performing the song – that song always did it for her – but when she saw Santana staring at her, mouth agape and looking frozen in place, she met dark eyes.
"Sorry," Santana murmured in the silence. Brad turned around and looked at the girl, turned his head to Rachel, smirked, and made a silent exit.
The guy was a little creepy. Rachel gave him a small nod before she turned her gaze back to Santana, "Why? You've seen me sing before, it's not that big of a deal. I .. figured no one would be here since Schuester called in sick. I thought I'd work on my vocals."
"Yeah," Santana still looked a little stunned. "Right."
Rachel raised her eyebrows a little, couldn't help the involuntary smile. "Can I help you with something?"
Santana shook her head. As the Latina turned around and began to leave the room, Rachel ticked off seconds on her fingers. One, two, … three. Santana stopped in the doorway and looked a little perturbed, "What's with the wardrobe change lately?"
Rachel shrugged her shoulders, folded her hands in one another and stayed where she was.
"No, forget it, I don't wanna know. Like I care." Santana left, and Rachel covered her mouth, stifling a little laughter.
Her plan was working perfectly.
###
By the final day, Rachel was certain that Santana was going to burst. Only she wasn't going to allow Santana to do that.
Rachel wore a dress to school. It wasn't just any dress. Her hair was perfectly styled and her headband matched the black of the dress she wore. She had to dress her shoes down so she didn't seem 100% obvious. She wore netted leggings that gave a tantalizing view of the skin of her thighs, and she'd probably never felt sexier than she did that day.
Everyone was gaping at her. She strode the hallway like she owned it, and she was getting so many looks and so many freshmen offering her their phone numbers that it was kind of flattering. Only she just wanted one person to notice it.
Santana did notice it. In fact, Santana noticed it so much that she intercepted a freshmen, slammed him into a locker and slapped him in the face. When Rachel pretended not to notice and headed into the bathroom, she heard the door swing open and shut behind her.
"Are you on some kind of drugs? Are you all of a sudden some other Rachel Berry? Everyone is drooling all over you and nobody ever drools over you," Santana spoke, shoulders hunched and fists clenched as she stared at Rachel's reflection. Rachel was touching up her lip-gloss.
"Thank you, Santana. That's kind of you to say," she patronized simply as she washed her hands.
"Now you're looking all fucking … bangable and it's like you're just doing this to get attention and that's not the Rachel Berry I know."
"I guess you don't know me that well," Rachel answered simply, and confidently strode to Santana, closing the distance between them like a predator. She ran her fingers down the front of Santana's Cheerio's top, running her fingers over the lettering. "Just because you had sex with me, it doesn't mean you really know much about me. Maybe it just took a little confidence to get out of my comfort zone." Rachel all but purred the words, her eyes locking on Santana's.
The Latina looked so enraged and turned on that Rachel burned a little on the inside. "That was a one-time thing."
"I know," Rachel stated simply, "It's too bad though." She stated with a quiet smirk. She traced the lettering over Santana's top as she spoke before drawing her fingers away, leaving Santana speechless and alone in the bathroom.
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Part II: Taking the Bait
Oh but I want to
How I do
Slowly counting down the days
Till I finally know your name…
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Santana showed up at Rachel's doorstep looking semi-furious that weekend. It surprised Rachel, because she'd expected Santana to stew on her attraction for a good two weeks. She didn't even ask to be let in. When Rachel opened the door, she somewhat pushed the shorter girl aside and stormed in. She seemed to know where she was going until she didn't. Santana turned around, huffed, "Where's your room?"
Rachel motioned up the stairs, a little surprised and half-amused although she hid that part. She followed Santana up the stairs and into her bedroom, closing the door behind her while Santana fumed on what to say.
"Where do you get off being all hot at school like you're going to just wave in my face that we slept together and I never followed up on that?" Santana's voice was a little harsh but full of sexual frustration.
"I shouldn't be hot? You thought I was hot?"
"Oh cut the shit, Berry. You were armed to the teeth with sexified clothes just to make me want you."
Rachel's smile was slow, cat-like. She didn't answer, merely folded her arms over her stomach and waited for Santana.
"Okay so we had sex and you probably got feelings, but news flash I sleep with a lot of people."
"Do you always show up at their door a month and a half later?"
Santana's expression soured, "I'm only here because … you… in that outfit and then your little 'it's too bad though' comment," when she mimicked Rachel she swayed her hands in the air and made a funny sort of face.
Rachel covered her mouth, laughed at the impression even though it was inaccurate.
"What did you even mean by that anyway?"
"I mean it's too bad that I was just a one-night stand to you."
"Why is it too bad?" Santana sneered, moving forward. The Latina was kind of hot when she was pissed.
Rachel glanced at the ceiling as if she were thinking, then curled a finger, beckoning Santana to come closer.
"No! I'm not going to be the mouse here. I'm the cat. I'm the one who does the thing."
Rachel nodded simply, seemed to be thinking still, but in reality she was just trying not to laugh at Santana's frustration. The shorter girl moved forward – Santana moved back a step – and she moved forward again. Rachel reached forward, fingers curling around the edges of Santana's Cheerio uniform and craning her neck up. She closed the distance between them, felt Santana exhale warmly against her mouth just before she pressed her lips to Santana's open mouth.
To her surprise, the kiss aroused her just as much as she wanted it to arouse Santana. She felt the Latina melt into the kiss, heard and swallowed a quiet moan as she slipped her arm around Santana's waist and tugged her fully against her body. The warmth of her was delicious. Her kiss tasted like some kind of sweet, spicy candy. Rachel's kiss wasn't demanding, but it was sensual and powerful in a different kind of way. She kissed Santana in a way that said she'd thought about her a lot, and even missed her a little bit. She kissed her like she wanted Santana to know ignoring her for a month had been torture.
Santana's fingers tangled in Rachel's hair and the Latina was whimpering against Rachel's mouth just before Rachel bit Santana's bottom lip.
"Rachel," Santana breathed quietly as they broke apart. It was a half-groaned sound, and it gave Rachel a thrill. She wasn't going to let Santana take over the situation just yet. Rachel pressed her fingers to Santana's lips, but didn't move away or give Santana room to escape. Rachel's fingers curled around the curve of Santana's hips.
"I know that you're the kind of person who does what they want then leaves," Rachel whispered softly, "and it was really terrible of you to ignore me for a whole month, but I am going to make certain you never ignore me again." This was more of a seductive threat than anything as she gently nudged Santana to the bed, forcing the Latina to sit down.
Rachel stood between Santana's knees, amazed at how enthralled Santana looked. She ran her fingers over Santana's jawline, just gazing down at the face that had haunted her dreams for the past month. She leaned down, pressing her lips to Santana's in a teasing kind of way, a way that made Santana lean up for another kiss (only to be denied).
Rachel found Santana's hands, gently guided them to her hips, and when she felt fingers digging into her waist, she slowly removed her shirt, revealing a well-cared for body and firm stomach, modest but bare breasts. Santana let out a quiet gasp and Rachel felt a flood of lust from the way Santana was looking at her. She felt Santana's mouth on her stomach and fought the urge to close her eyes. Rachel tangled her fingers in Santana's hair for a moment.
"I'm not asking you for forever," she whispered headily, feeling a tongue dip near her belly button before Santana's mouth began to travel north to aching nipples. Before she let Santana connect, she pulled the Latina in a slow burning kiss, "I'm just asking you to give us a chance."
Santana was hardly in a position to say no, but she looked at Rachel as if she was really thinking through what Rachel was proposing. The Latina gulped, and Rachel sifted her fingers through Santana's hair. After a moment, Santana nodded and they shared another smoldering kiss. Rachel was semi-gasping by the time Santana's mouth was trailing down her throat and found a pert nipple. The shorter girl gasped and she tried to control her breath, but it hitched and halted when Santana's teeth teased the sensitive skin. The Latina switched, and finally Rachel was whimpering a little and arching her torso against Santana's mouth.
"Not so fast," Rachel whispered, though she lacked conviction. She was really turned on but she needed to show Santana why she should give them a chance. So she gently lifted Santana's Cheerio shirt over her head, peeled the sports bra from underneath, marveling at the beauty of Santana's bare figure.
Santana was practically breathless with want, so much so that Rachel had to pin both her hands to the bed and force the point.
"Don't move," Rachel murmured. She slipped her pants off, leaving herself half-naked, and pulled Santana's skirt off, taking every article of clothing off one by one until she and Santana were equally unclothed. Rachel maneuvered Santana down onto the mattress, sitting astride her and forcing the Latina's hands onto her breasts. She rocked her hips a little before kissing Santana hard.
It was a passionate, bruising kiss, and by the time they needed to catch their breath, Rachel had begun to slip her hand downward. She could tell Santana wasn't expecting it, because when two fingers slipped inside the Latina's warm wetness, Santana let out a powerful groan, arching upward, hissing, "Fuuuuuuck,"in such a way that Rachel whimpered at the sound.
Rachel was more talented than anyone would have expected, but she knew it and used it to her advantage. She spread her fingers inside Santana's throbbing wetness, massaged, built a canting rhythm that had Santana gasping her name and various curse words. Rachel watched with fixation as Santana's torso writhed beneath her, felt the rolling of her hips beneath her stride. It was the most heavenly sight.
Rachel leaned down, sucking and biting hungrily at one nipple then another; she fucked Santana slow and hungrily, exactly how she'd been dreaming of doing. She wasn't quite done – once Santana was teetering, just about to go over the edge, Rachel slipped her fingers out, tasting Santana on them before she lifted Santana's knees, kissed down her bare thighs. There was something so sexy about the sight of Santana's legs on either side of her, and she savored every gasp and sigh.
When she spread Santana, found an eager nub and took it between her teeth, teased it with her tongue, Santana cried out in a way that was absolutely inflaming. Rachel sucked, tormented Santana into pleas and gasping. Santana was breathing hard enough for Rachel to catch the movement at the edge of her vision, her hips rolling and canting into Rachel's intimate kiss. She savored Santana's taste, felt immense arousal at the taste and sound of Santana's pleasure. The shorter girl slipped two and then three fingers inside, starting a faster pace that matched the throbbing of Santana's insides. She was coaxing Santana into oblivion. She was hungry for the sound of Santana's orgasm and she wanted it almost as badly as Santana did. She hummed against Santana's clit, her hot breath stimulating the Latina even more.
Finally when Santana couldn't bear it anymore, Rachel found that spot and insisted against it until Santana's hips rose fully off the mattress.
Rachel relented after a little bit, letting Santana remember how to breathe before kissing the Latina and sitting astride her again. She was left burning and wanting, so when Santana seemed to regain motor function, she guided Santana's fingers to where she needed her most.
The Latina didn't need much more of an invitation. Soon Rachel was riding astride Santana's touch, hips canting downward, needily, her breath coming out in pants. Santana's other hand was on her hip, guiding her motion and regulating how fast Rachel got to that edge, drawing it out as much as she could. Rachel found her hands gripping Santana's hips as she undulated against her experienced touch. Her arousal was so far beyond comprehension that it touched the emotional part of her.
Santana's rhythm grew quicker, harder, and Rachel was all but moaning, begging, a strangled whimpering coming from her throat. Rachel's heart was racing faster than she thought possible; inside of her, Santana's fingers were dexterous and powerful, and suddenly Rachel felt like she was floating, and distantly she heard Santana's name come from her lips. The Latina surged upward and silenced Rachel's orgasm with a hungry kiss, Rachel's hips still crashing against Santana's fingers, her palm stimulating her clit every time. Rachel's arms draped around Santana's shoulders and she kissed her in an open-mouthed way until she couldn't coordinate her motor functions anymore and she was coming.
She swore everything went white, and when she realized she was coming down from an amazing orgasm, Santana was looking flushed and breathless.
Rachel kissed Santana passionately, whimpering when she felt Santana's fingers slip from her throbbing insides. She kissed her with a mixture of passion, lust, and affection. She kissed her soft yet demanding, and she only barely recognized that tears were coming from her eyes.
"You win," Santana whispered against her lips. Rachel's hips were still rocking slightly until her body realized it could relax against Santana.
Rachel kissed Santana slower this time. "I missed you," she whispered passionately, almost lovingly.
Santana nodded, caught her lips in a delicate way, "I think I missed you too."
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Part III: Epilogue
The way your hand feels round my waist
The way you laugh, the way your kisses taste
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Rachel realized, 3 months after secretly dating and sleeping with Santana that she was definitely falling in love with her. She was scared when she realized it.
Then Santana surprised her with a bouquet of roses late one night. The Latina quite literally had crawled through her window and nearly dropped the vase on the ground. The Berry men had been trying to keep the girls apart on school nights for school's sake, but it really didn't work.
Rachel lit up the moment she saw Santana. She didn't even see the flowers at first. She just rushed to the sight of her sort-of-girlfriend and caught her in a loving kiss. It was a hushed sort of kiss. Then she felt the bulk of the vase between them.
"It's our anniversary," Santana murmured when Rachel stepped back, looking at the flowers confusedly. "We've been dating three months. Four if you count the first time we hooked up," Santana almost looked sheepish as she set the vase on Rachel's desk.
"I didn't even –" she didn't even realize Santana had been counting or paying attention to the length of time they'd been seeing each other, "Baby," she whispered the word before stepping forward, kissing Santana sweetly and lovingly. Santana's arms slipped around her waist and Rachel melted into it. "Thank you," Rachel whispered against Santana's mouth.
Santana was smiling against her lips and delicately caught Rachel's mouth in another kiss. "Bet you didn't think I paid attention."
"Not really," Rachel laughed, her grin bright even in the dark of her room.
"I pay attention to the girl I love," Santana whispered quietly against Rachel's temple. Hearing those particular words from Santana made Rachel grasp Santana's arms a little bit.
"You love me?"
"Guess so."
Rachel laughed quietly, buried her face against Santana's chest, and found tears slipping from her eyes.
"I really do," Santana whispered against her ear.
"I love you," Rachel's words were tender, filling the space between them before she hugged herself tight against Santana. She didn't ever want to let go. And maybe she wouldn't have to.