Noah grumbled loudly as a loud shrill noise woke him up; he shifted to answer it; when a pointy elbow hit him in the side.
"Answer it. Now." Quinn hissed, turning back around
Noah nodded; and picked it up.
"Hello..." Noah mumbled, sleep still evident within his tone
"Noah... It's Santana." A soft voice said
Noah's sleepy mind immediately woke up as he turned to sit up; "Santana, is that really you?"
A stifled hiccup, and small sob followed; "I need your help, Puck... I'm... I'm really..."
Noah rubbed his jaw; as he tried to listen to Santana; the loud sounds of car driving passed; "Are you still there? Just tell me where you are, San."
"I can't... I'm... I'm sorry." Santana finally settles on saying before abruptly hanging up
"San, Are you there?" Noah called down the phone before looking down at the now blank screen; he stiffens momentarily when Quinn touches his shoulder.
"Was that really Santana?" Quinn asked
"Yeah... It sounded like her... She hung up." Noah replied, turning to meet his wife's face; "I should go find her right? She sounded in trouble."
"Noah, it's been four years. She's probably drunk and dialed you by mistake." Quinn replied soothingly
"I'll try calling her back..." Noah said
Quinn nodded, kissing his temple; "I'll check on Beth."
"Britt, I need to tell you something." Quinn said as she placed several grocery bags on the top of the counter, a small frown playing on her face; "Noah's cousin... She's apparently coming to stay for a... little while. She's staying in the room besides yours... and its been a really long time since anyone really heard from her."
Brittany nodded in agreement, although she didn't really know what she was agreeing to.
"Look, I just wanted to warn you about your flirting... I just don't want any reason for Noah to argue." Quinn added
"I won't flirt with her, Q." Brittany replied, winking at Beth who giggled in response; "So Santana... Is that her name? I thought she was..."
Quinn stopped Brittany from finished that by sending her a firm glance; "I think everyone thought that..."
Brittany watched Beth rush out of the kitchen before clearing her throat; "Didn't she run away from home?"
"At 16... Yeah, she didn't even come back for her mother's funeral." Quinn replied, stacking away the fruit in the fridge; "I mean... Noah hasn't even spoken to her since the day before she left... It's been 6 years!"
Brittany let a sigh escape her pale pink lips; "Maybe she had a reason to leave... I mean... Most 16 year olds aren't running away from home for 4 years."
Quinn shrugged her shoulders, a concerned expression across her face; "Look, I was Santana's best friend at 16... and I didn't even know her that well."
"Well, Noah will find out. She must have came back for a reason." Brittany said as she walked out of the kitchen.
Noah ran his palm against the back of his neck, feeling the skin moist from the lack of air conditioning in his vehicle, but also the pounding heat which was burning down. He leaned out of the window, before releasing a dissatisfied sigh.
Driving around 50 miles for a cousin he hadn't seen or heard of in near 4 years wasn't top of his plans. It was madness but he knew her mother had died a few years back, and her father was a bum. It turned out the only family Santana had left was him. So he knew he was going to help her, even if all it seemed she wanted was a room for a few weeks. It was the least he could do.
A sudden tap on the car door made him snap his eyes to it. Meeting black aviators; he let a warm smile across his features.
"Santana, wow... It's been a while." He said, climbing out of the vehicle
Santana nodded silently making Noah rub his hands together, it seemed kinda irrelevant to give her a hug.
"Thanks, for this." Santana said softly, making Noah turn to meet her. Her voice sounded sincere so he smiled happily.
"You're welcome." Noah replied; leaning down to grab the small rucksack; he turned and placed it in the trunk; "Hop in then..."
Santana nodded and walked round to the passenger seat, throwing her black jacket in the space where her feet were resting.
"Thanks for... picking me up." Santana said, after a few minutes of silence. The hum of the car engine and Noah's heavy breathing making up most of the so called silence.
"It's nothing, right?" Noah said, "You're still family, Santana... It's sucks that you were away but... Fuck it."
Santana nodded, slipping her sunglasses off. Noah turned to glance at her face this time. Surely she had changed from the 14 year old he remembered. She was a little skinnier than what was healthy; her cheek bones were a little promident but nothing outrageous. Her skin was a little pale. And her eyes which he remembered from memories had gone from a deep chocolate colour were now purely cloudly.
"Where did you go?" Noah asked, rubbing his palm against the rim of the steering wheel
Santana seemed distracted by the question, her eyes flickering from the scenery they were passing, and her lap. "Erm, around."
Noah sighed; "How did you get my number?"
"The phone book." Santana replied, letting her head rest against the glass window; her breath fogging up the glass.
"My daughter's... She's been told you're coming." Noah said, glancing at Santana from the corner of his eye.
"You always said you wanted children." Santana commented
Noah sighed at how difficult it seemed to blend into a flowing conversation; leaning forward to flick the radio on; he subtly saw Santana flinch away from him as he towards her.
Santana squeezed her hand into a fit before gently releasing it; "How old is she?"
"She's 4... An angel." Noah replied, softly; his pride shining through
Santana nodded but didn't bother to offer a response. She ran her fingers through her
"How long are you staying for?" Noah asked, not really knowing what else to say
Santana shrugged lightly; "I don't really have any plans right now... but I'm looking for work."
Noah nodded; and leaned forward; he pulled his wallet out; before tugging out a couple of dollars; he passed them to Santana; "Look... Just keep it in case you need something... I don't know."
"Thanks..." Santana replied, slipping it in her jeans pocket; "Thank you for picking me up... I... You're the only real family I have left, and it means... a lot that you're still here..."
"Its nothing, San... Really... I've been looking for you for a few years." Noah replied sending a pointed glance at Santana; "You've missed a lot, San... Did you hear about... your mom?"
Santana nodded lightly
"You didn't come to the funeral." Noah said
Santana closed her eyes, and pinched the skin between her thumb and forefinger; "I wasn't ready..."
"Well, I can take you to the grave whenever you are." Noah replied, trying to remain calm, Santana looked like a loud noise would scare her to death.
Santana hummed in response; before turning to face the window, effectively cutting the conversation there.