Carpe Diem

Summery: Santana is well on her way to accepting who she is, when she is forced to invite Rachel Berry to her monthly sleepover. Causing two old friends to reunite after 24 years of estrangement, and new friendships to form.


Chapter 1: Can't Say No

Rachel was putting her Spanish book back into her locker, when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder. As she turned to see who it was, her hands flew up to protect her face from the inevitable slushy facial. It did not come. She peeked through a gap in between her arms, and was surprised to see Santana standing there, looking annoyed.

"Jeeze, chill dwarf. I'm not going to hurt you," Santana told Rachel, prompting the girl to lower her arms. "I just came to tell you to be at my house at five. We've got bizness to discuss ."

"I'm sorry Santana, but I feel that going to your house is a bad idea. We don't exactly like each other, and since we don't have any Glee assignment that we are supposed to be doing I don't see what business we could possibly have to discuss."

"Look Man-hands just be at my house at five," Santana said.

"And what if I don't show," Rachel asked challengingly, as she shut her locker door.

"Then I will come to your house and drag your ass back to mine. Simple as that."

"First off, I don't know where you get off ordering me anywhere, and secondly if you did come to my home I would call the police on you," Rachel pointed out.

Santana facial features visibly softened. She realized that in order to get the diva to come over to her house she would have to go with a nicer approach. Please come to my house tonight. I promise I won't hurt you." Rachel still looked hesitant, so she decided to at least tell her why she wants her to come over. "Look over my shoulder," she told Rachel.

Rachel was not sure why she was so surprised to see the Latina's best friend standing halfway down the hall, waiting anxiously. "She wants something from you, and I promised I would at least attempt to get it. If I go back to her and tell her, you won't even come over to my place to talk about it she is going to be devastated. Do you want to upset Britt?"

She was playing dirty with that last bit, but it was the truth. Brittany had gotten her hopes up, and if she did not get her way, she was going to be devastated. That was the last thing she wanted to see.

"No. I do not want to see her upset," Rachel said. I wish no ill will on anyone let alone Brittany, but I do not see why we can't discuss whatever it is here."

"Because it's not something I want to talk about at school," Santana replied.

Rachel looked hesitant for a minute as she weighed the pros and cons that come with her going to Santana's house. In her mind, there was only one potential pro in this situation. The slim possibility that Brittany wants to start a friendship with her. This single pro outweighed the several, some potentially violent, cons.

"Alright, Santana. You have made a convincing argument. I will be at your at five o'clock, promptly," Rachel agreed.

"I'm sure you will be," Santana said. She quickly turned and made her way back toward Brittany.

Rachel watched Brittany's eyes lit up and a giant smile form on her face when Santana whispered something in her ear, and then watched as the blond came barreling down the nearly empty hallway toward her. Before she had, a chance to fully comprehend what had happened she was scooped up into the blonde's arms in a bear hug.

"I hope you say yes," Brittany whispered in her ear, and then set her back on the ground and skipped off toward the gym. Santana gave her nod as she passed her. Rachel had a feeling that she was not going to be able to say no, when she found out what they wanted.


Despite her better judgment, Rachel found herself staring at Santana's front door, at five o'clock.

The door opened just as she went to knock on it. "Get in here, hobbit, before somebody see's you," Santana hissed, then grabbed the front of Rachel's owl sweater and pulled her into the house. She slammed the door loudly, and then dragged Rachel through the open parlor and up the stairs. Barely giving Rachel enough time to take in her surroundings.

A few seconds later, Rachel was standing in the middle of a large dark bedroom. Santana released her shirt, and sat down on the foot end of the bed. She looked around the room as she said, "Was that really necessary? I could easily have followed you up here on my own."

"Whatever. I got you up here without any small talk. Take a seat, Berry. We got shit to discuss, and I want to get it over with as quickly as possible. Then you can go back to doing whatever the hell it is Hobbits do in there free time."

"While I am not happy with the insult about my height, I do agree with the quickness of this conversation. I have a dance class to get to, and even though I am highly curious why somebody who has spent the last two years helping to make my life miserable, suddenly wants me to come to her home."

"Aye dios mio. Do you ever speak like a normal person?"

"I find normal to be highly over rated," Rachel replied.

"Yeah, well, if you talked normal, maybe you'd have more friends," Santana snipped.

A hurt look briefly crossed Rachel's face. "Like your one to talk miss Lima Heights Adjacent. At least I know how to speak in proper English. Now if you do not mind, I am going to leave. I would rather not stay and continue to be insulted. Especially since, you practically forced me to come here. I hope you have a pleasant evening."

Rachel was half-way through the door when Santana called, "No wait. I'm sorry okay. Please just hear me out, and then you can go." The smaller brunette stood frozen in the doorway, not entirely sure if she her heard the Latina right. Santana Lopez just apologized to her, and she sounded sincere. Moreover, she thought she heard desperation in her voice as well.

"Fine," Rachel said as she turned back into the room. "I will stay and hear what you have to say, but if you insult me again I will leave. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. Got it."

"Good," Rachel said, and then she sat back down on the desk chair. "Now, what is it that you wished to speak with me about?"

"I want to make one thing clear before I get into it. I don't want any of this getting around school. My rep has already taken a bad enough hit now that I quit the Cheerios. I don't need people to know I am willingly sharing air with you, let alone having you here at my house. If it does, the last two years will be nothing compared to the next two. Gots it?"

Rachel was not happy about the subtle insult, or the threat, but she understood that the girl's reputation meant a lot to her. More so now then ever, so she let it slide. "Yes. I understand you perfectly. Nobody will hear about this from me."

"Great," Santana replied, but instead of continuing, she went silent. It was not that big of a deal, but she could not quite get the words to form. 'This was for Brittany,' she thought. I can put up with the neurotic dwarf for one damn weekend. I have to do this. If I don't, Brittany would be crushed. It's just one damn weekend. How much could go wrong in that amount of time? I can do this.'

Rachel watched Santana fidget on her bed as she struggled to form the right words. She was actually starting to get a little worried about whatever it was that Santana wanted. Surely, nothing good could come from whatever is, if Santana cannot even get the words out. She finally heard Santana huff, and calmly say, "Britt wants you to come to our sleepover this weekend."

Rachel looked like Santana just hit her. For the first time in her life, she had no clue how to respond to that. It sounded utterly crazy to her, and she was not even sure she had heard the taller girl right. She had watched Santana struggle for nearly five minutes , just to ask her to come to a sleepover. All that build up for that. Here she was thinking that Santana wanted her to have sex with her and Brittany or something criminal.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. She closed her mouth and repeated the process several times. That flicker of hope that she had felt before reignited. She had never been invited to an actual sleepover before. The closest she had ever come to it was when she invited Kurt and Mercedes to sleepover at her house, but they never invited her over to their houses. Her friendship with them was sketchy at best. Both would throw her to the wolves if it meant they got a solo, so the possibility of a friendship, or two forming this weekend was like a dream to her.

She was cautious of the offer though. It did come from one of her biggest tormentors after all, and Santana did not seem to want her there if her previous internal struggle was any indication. She was feeling very discombobulated by it.

Santana would have been laughing her ass of at the petite diva, if she were not so nervous. Hell, she wasn't even sure why she was so nervous. She blamed Brittany, and was silently cursing the tall dancer for making her do this. Brittany had gotten her hopes up, and Rachel said 'no' then she would be crushed.

Rachel opened her mouth again, but this time she finally found her voice. "I'm sorry. I am not entirely sure I heard you correctly. Please repeat that."

With that, all the nervousness she was feeling a minute before was gone. "You heard me right man… err… Berry. Britt's got this insane notion that having you join us for our sleepover will be fun. I tried explaining to her that having you join us would be the equivalent to us having a root-canal done with out any happy drugs, but she wouldn't listen."

Again, Rachel chose to ignore the subtle insult, although she silently gave Santana credit for altering the man-hands comment. That had to be something, right? "Why," She asked. "Brittany has never given any indication that she wanted to pursue a friendship with me, so why now all of a sudden?"

"Look. I'm not happy about this. I would much rather it be me, Q, and Britts getting our drinks on this weekend, but Britt gots this crazy idea that you need to be cheered up. I tried to tell her that you got Aretha, and Lady Lips to take care of that job, but she wouldn't listen. Just kept saying not to judge a duck by its feathers. So here we are. Me asking you to come here for the weekend."

"Why would you agree to it, if you hate the idea of having me join you so much?" Rachel asked.

"Have you ever tried to say no to Brittany?" Santana asked rhetorically. "The look she gives you is worse then if you had just kicked her damn cat. Trust me it is not a look you want to see. I've seen them both exactly one time each, and I don't ever want to see them again."

Rachel was excited by the seemingly honest invitation, but she felt that spending an entire weekend with two people who hate her guts was a horrible idea. She did not want to hurt Brittany's feelings but in her opinion, it was just asking for trouble, even though Brittany would be there. "Well I'm sorry to say that you will be seeing that look on her face when you inform her that I regrettably will not be able to attend the sleepover. However pure Brittany's intentions are; I feel that spending the weekend with you as well as Quinn, who has repeatedly turned down my offer of friendship in the past, is a catastrophe waiting to happen."

"Dios. Would you stop doing that," Santana spat irritably. "And see. It doesn't work that way. If you're bailing, then you have to tell her yourself."

Santana smirked when Rachel visibly deflated, and then said quietly, "But I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"Then I guess you'll be joining us, won't you."

"Yes. I guess I will be," Rachel replied.

"Good," Santana said; clapping her hands together once. "Now that we gots that settled it's time to go over some ground rules. Number one: As much as I love Glee Club, I do not want to hear any singing unless Britts requests it. Gots it?"

"Yes. I understand you perfectly well, and I wish to inform you that I do…"

Santana cut her off by placing her left hand over her mouth. "Rule two: No talking in paragraphs. Nod your head yes if you understand." Rachel nodded her head, which made Santana feel very proud of herself. "Good. Rule three: I cannot stand a full weekend of your ugly clothing. If you'd wear it to school, do not bring it. Normal shit. T-shirt, jeans, sweats, and normal shit to sleep in. If we don't approve, we're gonna burn them and make you stay in your underwear for the entire weekend, and I for one don't want to see your treasure trail."

Rachel mumbled something from under Santana's hand that she could not make out. "I've still got the floor," She told the diva. "Rule number four: You will be drinking with the rest of us. You don't have to keep up with us. You really need to loosen up a bit, and I think a drunken Berry will be highly amusing. If you break any of these rules, I will hog-tie your ass to a chair. Nod if you agree to all of this."

Rachel nodded again. "Good," Santana replied, as she dropped her hand from the smaller girls mouth.

Rachel had not felt this out of sorts since she started high school, and had just gotten her first slushy facial. There were so many thoughts and feelings running through her that she was not sure what she needed to focus on. She was feeling excited, apprehensive, and doubtful all at the same time. She tried to focus on the passivity of a drama free, fun filled weekend, but visions on her cry in a closet kept filling her head. She knew that she just needed to think things through, and then she would feel only excitement. There was one thing, or rather a person who could potentially make this weekend horrible. Finn. She had to know why? Why she slept with him. Why she had to tell her like that, and the boast about it afterwards. If she could at least get that out in the open, then maybe she would not feel so much hostility toward the Latina. "Before I leave, would it be alright if I ask you a question?" she asked.

Santana waved her hand at her. "Keep it brief, but I'm reserving the right not to answer."

"I know it's not any of my business and I don't really have a right to ask about it because I was with Jessie at the time, but I have to know. Why did you sleep with him? What did you get out of it?"

Santana knew when Brittany convinced her to do this, that Rachel might want to talk about Finn, but she was still slightly stunned by the inquires. 'Shit,' she thought to herself. "Umm… Damn it Rachel. It had nothing to do with you. It didn't mean anything to either of us. I only did it so that I could secure my spot as head Cheerio."

"If it didn't mean anything, then why did you brag about in front of everybody?" Rachel asked.

Santana felt a pang of guilt form in her chest. Rachel looked small, and vulnerable. It was something she had never seen from the petite diva. Something Rachel tried very hard not to show in front of her classmates.

"I'm sorry. I never should have told you that in front of everybody. You needed to know though. I tried to get Frankenteen to tell you himself, but he refused. He wanted to continue lying to you. I was going to tell you in private, but you pissed me off and I just snapped. I wanted to hurt you, and I knew that would do it."

For the third time that day, Rachel was questioning her hearing. She could not believe that Santana Lopez was apologizing to her, and was shocked that it sounded the sincere. "I accept your apology," she replied. "While I appreciate knowing the truth, I am confused as to why you felt the need to tell me at all. Why not just let me in the dark?"

"Look. It's no secret that I don't really like you, but I know how much you value your virginity. I didn't think it was cool that Finnessa was lying to you about something you value," Santana said sincerely. Then she nonchalantly said, "Plus I wanted to save you from what would have been two minutes of having a heavy, sweaty, grunting, Finnept on top of you."

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you're making it seem," Rachel replied.

"Your right. It was worse. Sex is supposed to be fun, and satisfying. Trust me I saved you from making a huge sweaty, disgusting mistake."

"I guess I will have to take your word for it," Rachel said. "I feel that in a way, I owe you a thank you. I do love Finn, but I think that the break-up was for the best. I was wearing love goggles when it came to him, they did not come off until I had time to think and reflect. Finn is a very sweet guy, but he is not that sharpest note in the song. I cannot be in a relationship with somebody who is cannot respect my choices, and values. I have repeatedly told him that I am vegan, and yet he continued to try to feed me meat. Not to mention that he never stands up for me."

Santana choose to ignore the long-winded monologue, and chose to focus on the end. "Jeeze, I don't know how anybody can forget that. Especially after St. Jackass, and the V.A. nimrods egged you. I even felt bad for you when you told us about the dreams."

"Ugh. I've had those dreams regularly since that incident, and I told him about them every time I had one," Rachel said.

"Aye dios mio. How daft can one boy be? Brittany has trouble remembering things sometimes, but she is the one who reminded me to get you vegan food for this weekend. Even though she doesn't exactly understand what it means to be a vegan."

"She did. That's so sweet," Rachel gushed. The uneasy feeling she had earlier was quickly disappearing, while her excitement mounted. "I may be risking bodily harm by asking this, but are we having a civil conversation?"

A shocked look appeared on Santana's face for a moment. She was right. They were having a decent conversation. "Yeah, I guess we are. Maybe this weekend won't be so bad."

"I hope so," Rachel said, and then glanced at the clock on Santana's bedside table. "I'm sorry, but I really must be going. I am going to be late for ballet class. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bring your stuff to school tomorrow. We're going to Breadsticks right after school, and please for the love of Dios wear something normal to school tomorrow."

"Okay. I hope you have a wonderful evening," Rachel said, and then started to move toward the door. Turning back toward the Latina when she reached the door. "I have one more question before I go. Why did you insist on me coming here to invite me to the sleepover? You could have easily asked me at school, and still protected your reputation."

"Oh. Yeah I was planning on doing that, but Britt thought it would be a good idea to ask you to come when you're already in my house. Something about being comfortable. I don't know. Britt doesn't always make sense, but there's usually a good reason behind the madness."

"Okay, Goodnight," Rachel said, and then left the room.

Santana heard the front door close a few seconds later. She laid backwards on the bed and stared up at the glow-in-the-dark star covered ceiling. After she had her room painted black, Brittany decided that the Latina needed stars on her ceiling. Brittany told her that the star would be something fun to stare at when she was thinking about rainbows. Sometimes the blonde did not make much sense, but she always seemed to be able to read people like a book. Some how she knew that the stars would be a great source of comfort to her.

She replayed the last hour in her head. She hoped this weekend was not going to be as bad as she initially thought. This is what Brittany wanted, and she wanted she got. They may not be having sexy times anymore, but Santana would still lay her life down, if it meant Brittany did not get hurt.

She thought back to the duets competition. It was one of the few times she had said no to Brittany, and it had nearly destroyed there friendship. The dancer had not said it aloud, but Santana knew exactly what Brittany was asking for. They had been sleeping together on a regular basis for nearly two years, and Brittany wanted to put a label on there relationship. Something she had not been ready for. After refusing to sing a duet with her, Brittany not only cut her off, she proceeded to try to make her jealous. It worked.

Brittany let the infraction slide, and thing went back to normal between the two of them. The had sexy times, and never talked about what it meant to them. Keeping there feelings buried deep. At least until Artie came begging the blonde for a second chance, and Brittany demanded Santana to talk about the relationship. Santana praised the blonde for her evil method of getting her to talk.

Santana was lying naked on her bed, with her wrists handcuffed to her bedpost, and an equally naked Brittany between her legs. Two fingers buried deep in her, while the blonde nipped at her clit.

Santana's hips bucking wildly and Brittany knew she was close. She pulled her head away from the Latina's clit, but kept her fingers inside of her. "San. We really need to talk."

"Not the best time, babe," Santana struggled to say.

Brittany nipped at Santana's clit, and then said, "Now is the perfect time to talk." She brought Santana to the cusp of an orgasm, and then stilled all movements.

"Britt, what the hell," Santana demanded, her hands pulling at the cuffs. "I was so close."

"I know," Brittany told her, and then nipped at her clit, pulled her fingers out of her before slamming them back in. "I told you we need to talk."

"What… ah, what does that have to do with you not letting me cum?" Santana asked.

"I want to talk about us silly," Brittany said, and then stilled her hand. "I'll let you cum when you agree to talk to me."

"Fine. Please, Britt. I need to cum," Santana begged. "What do you want to talk about?"

Brittany started moving her fingers in and out again. She sucked Santana's clit into her mouth, before releasing it and saying, "I want to know how you feel about me. Your sexy feelings."

"Britt. We don't talk about that," Santana said.

Brittany sped her thrusting fingers up, sucked firmly on Santana clit, and brought her once again to the brink of an orgasm before completely pulling away from the brunette.

"Britt," Santana whined.

"No. Sanny I want to know how you feel. Artie want to get back together, and I'm confused. The only way I can become un-confused is if you talk to me. Please?"

Santana bucked her hips. "I promise I will talk, if you make me cum. Damn it. Please," Santana begged.

That was good enough for the blonde. Santana had never once broken a promise to her. She dived back in. Taking the shorter girls clit into her mouth, sucking firmly, while pushing two fingers back into her. Pumping in and out quickly. She released the clit, flicked her tongue rapidly over it, before taking it back into her mouth. Thanks to already being brought to the cusp several times, it did not take long for Brittany to push Santana over the edge.

Santana's body was hit with one of the most powerful orgasms she had ever had. Brittany stayed in her spot, lick her pussy clean until Santana's body completely relaxed, then crawled up the bed. She snuggled into her left side and using her left breast as a pillow. Santana tried to bring her left arm down to wrap it around the blonde but found it still cuffed to the bedposts.

"Um… Britt. Can you un-cuff me. I want to get my cuddles on."

"No. Not until we talk," Britt replied.

"Britt, I promised I would talk. There is no reason to hold me hostage," Santana argued.

"I know you San. We talk first and then I'll release you," Brittany said.

"Fine," Santana huffed. "What do you want to know?"

Brittany propped herself up on her right arm and looked at Santana. "I want to know how you feel about me."

"I love you Britt. You know that," Santana replied.

"What are we?" Brittany asked.

"We're best friends, B. You and me against the world, forever."

"Friends who have sexy times almost every day," Brittany stated.

"Look, Britt. I know what you want. You want to put a label on this, and I just can't do that. I love you. I really do, in every way that I'm suppose to feel about a stupid guy, but why do we have to change how we work. We work good. This works good."

"I love you, too. but this isn't working. You're still hovering over the rainbow, instead of sitting on it, and I don't want to be hidden. I want to be able to share sweet kisses in public and be able to say I'm with this person."

"I can't give that to Brittany. I wish I could, but I just can't," Santana said sadly.

"Then I think after tonight we should go back to being just friends. No more sweet lady kisses or sexy times."

"Britt. Please," Santana said. Tears started welling up in her eyes. She did not want to lose this, but she knew she could not keep hiding her away, despite never officially committing.

"I don't want to lose you, but I want to try things with Artie. He can give me something your not ready for. Please. Can we just go back to being best friends?"

In the end, Santana had agreed. At the time, she had not been sure if she could be around the blonde with out wanting to kiss and touch her, or see her with Artie. It was awkward at first, but they quickly feel into their old routine. The pain she felt, disappeared over time, and she even got used to seeing Brittany and Artie together. Santana felt that the 'break-up' had brought them even closer together as friends then before. Especially since the raven-haired beauty had officially come out to the blonde on New Years.

Yes. Brittany's evil, but cunning plan had worked. It had force Santana to really face her sexuality head on, instead of hiding behind their fun sexy times.

Was she ready for everyone else to know about her orientation? No, but that does not mean she was not happy with who she was. She may not show it at school, after all, she did have a reputation to up hold, but she was not as angry or bitter as she once was. Admitting it to her and even more so when she said it aloud to Brittany, had lifted a heavy weight off her chest. Some still lingered, but know she knew what was causing it.

She envied Kurt for being able to do what she could not. For having the strength and courage to let everybody know who he is. She wanted to tell the club, her friends, and her family, but she was not ready for that just yet. She was terrified of what they would think of her. That maybe they would not love her anymore.

She was not sure how long she laid there lost in her thoughts, but she was pulled put of them by her mother, Anna peaking to her from her open doorway. "Yeah, Mama," she said, as she sat up.

"Are you alright?" Anna asked. "I've been calling you for ten minutes."

"I'm fine, Mama. I was just thinking. I'm sorry that I didn't hear you," Santana replied.

"It's alright, sweetie. Your Papi called. He said he'll be home in an hour, and that he's going to pick up Chinese food on his way. I thought we could bake some cookies for your sleepover while we wait."

"That sounds great," Santana said. She got off the bed, and followed her mother out of the room. "You got the vegan crap to make some for Rachel, right. Britts will never forgive me if we don't have any for Berry to eat."

"Yes. I got the vegan substitutes, and I found a great recipe for vegan chocolate cake, that I want to try. I have to say. I admire your friend for her dedication to her beliefs."

Santana didn't correct her mother about the friend comment. As Far as Mama Lopez knew, they were friends. "Yeah, Berry doesn't do anything half-assed Mama."

"Language, Mija," Anna scolded as they walked into the kitchen. "I wish I could meet her, but you Papi and I will be gone by the time you girls get home from school."

"Maybe next time."

"I hope so. Are you sure Quinn's mother, and Rachel's fathers are fine with their daughters staying here unsupervised?"

"Quinn mom could care less. She lets Quinn do whatever she wants. She's still trying to make up for let her father toss her pregger ass out. I'm not sure about the Berry's. I just asked her tonight."

The latter piece of information shocked Anna. She turned away from the cupboard, where she had been gathering supplies from, and looked at the girl. "Wait. What? What do you mean you just asked her tonight? You've been reminding me to get the vegan substitutes for nearly two weeks."

Santana shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I was procrastinating a bit. I don't exactly get along with her. Britts is the one who wants her to come."

"How did you know she was going to say yes?" Anna asked.

"Because nobody can say no to Brittany," Santana stated. "If the Berry's are as close as Rachel makes them out to be, you will probably be getting a call from one of her dads."

A shimmer of hope shines brightly in the older woman's eyes. "Well I look forward to it. I haven't spoken to Hiram in years."

Her mother never mentioned knowing the Berry's. "You know the Berry's?"

"I've only met Leroy briefly at a benefit several years ago, but I went to high school with Hiram," Anna replied. "He was my best friend. We even dated for a while, but then he realized that he was gay. After that we pretended to be dating for awhile."

"Aye Dios mio! You were Rachel Berry's father's beard. That is some priceless shit, Mama!" Santana exclaimed, giggling uncharacteristically.

"Santana, language," Anna scolded, and then looked at her daughter with a big smile planted on her face. "Hiram and I had quite a few laughs out it ourselves."

"So what happened? Why ain't ya friends anymore?" Santana asked as she broke several eggs into the non-vegan cookie batter.

"Well as you know my ex-husband wasn't the greatest guy. When I first met Nick, Hiram told me he was bad news, but I smitten and refused to listen to him. Even after Nick hit me for the first time. When Hiram saw new bruises on me nearly weekly, he tried everything to get me to see the light, but with no avail. He even went to my parents. I was very pissed at him after that, and he finally gave up. He said that he couldn't stand by and watch me get hurt, and I was suppose to call him if I ever came to my senses," Anna recounted the story as she mixed the batter for the vegan chocolate cake.

"Did you ever call him again?" Santana asked, as she put the first batch of cookies into the top oven.

"No," Anna said sadly. "I was embarrassed for not listening to him. For throwing our friendship away and I was equally angry at him for giving up on me."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I can't imagine my life without Brittany," Santana said. "Do you regret not listening to Mr. Berry?"

As she poured the cake batter into the cake pan, Anna pondered her daughter's question. Searching for the right answer. "I regret loosing Hiram as a friend, but I don't regret staying with Nick," she answered honestly. "If I had listened to him then I wouldn't have had your sisters and brother. I never would had met you father at the hospital that night, and I never would have had you. Sometimes the best of things are spawned from the worst of situations. This is a prime example."

Quiet over took the large kitchen as Santana though over everything her mother told her. Santana knew the story of how her parents met very well. Her parents kept very few things from her, and her siblings. She had only been given the abridged version until she reached high school. Back then, it was simple Mama and Papi met at the hospital and fell in love, and that her siblings had a different biological father then she did.

As she got older, she realized that her parents had not told her the full story, but they had told her older siblings. So when she entered high school she asked her parents for the real story. It was not a big request. Her parents had always planned on tell her. After all, it was a good teaching story. They did not want her to make the same mistake that her mother had. Therefore, they told her the tale.

Her Mama's first husband was abusive towards her, and had went to jail for it. Her Papi, Felix was working in the ER the night her mother, who was three months pregnant, was brought in, beaten nearly to death. It was a miracle she survived the attack, let alone her un-born son, but they both had. Her three-year-old twin daughters Samantha and Alaya had been safe at her parent's house. She had stayed in the hospital for nearly a month, and her Papi visited her room daily. Whenever he told the story, he said that there was just something about her that made him unable to stay away.

Nick had been arrested for attempted murder for the attack, among other chargers, and had been denied bail. She had the opening she needed to finally get away from him, and Felix was all too happy to replace the bastard. Which he made very clear when she was released from the hospital. He gave her an open-ended invitation for a date. She had refused at first, but gave him an alternative. Her phone number. He called her every night at nine o'clock, when he knew the twins would be asleep. He gave her the time she needed to move past what had happened, and in the process, they both fell madly in love.

Four months later Nick was sentenced to life in prison with the chance of parole in twenty. Due to the sentence, Anna was granted a speedy divorce from him, and she had his parental rights terminated. The week she had gotten the final divorce papers, Felix asked Anna out on a date again, for the first time since the hospital. This time she said yes. After that, the rest of their lives kind of fell into place. The got married just after Anna had the baby, who was named after Felix, who had signed the birth certificate. He adopted the twins, and four years later had Santana.

Felix Sr. told the story regularly to Santana, among other stories. She loved her family, so she understood why her mother would not change to past. She admired her Papi for having a big heart, and for taking children who were not biologically his, and loving them no different then he did her. She hoped he would be that loving and understanding when she came out to him.

The chocolate cake and several batches of regular sugar cookies baked as Santana got lost recounting the story in her mind. Not once in all those time, had either of them mentioned Mr. Berry. "Does Papi know about Mr. Berry?" She finally asked, freighting her Mama who was washing a bowl.

Anna looked at her daughter weirdly. "Yes your Papi knows all about Hiram. He's been trying for years to get me to patch things up with him."

"Why haven't you?" Santana asked.

"Pride, mostly, and fear. I'm afraid that Hiram won't accept me back into his life. I pretty much threw our friendship away over a guy."

"So Papi's okay with Mr. Berry being gay?" Santana asked, and then added, "Are you both okay with gay people in general?"

"Of course he is, Mija," Anna said to her daughter. "Have your Papi and I ever given you the impression that were not okay with gay people?"

"I guess not. You and Papi have never really talked about gay people. I guess I just assumed that since you've never talked about that particular subject, that you weren't okay with it," Santana replied meekly.

"Mija, I'm sorry if your Papi and I every gave you that impression. I honestly have no idea why this subject has been brought up before," Anna replied.

The timer for the next batch of cookie dinged, which gave Santana a perfect excuse to think, not that she needed one. It was a perfect opportunity to see if her Mama and Papi would be okay with her sexuality. The subject had been raised for the first time. However, she knew her mother well. She would ask why Santana wanted to know. It was risky, but it was a risk she had to take. There was no questioning it now. She knew she is gay, and she would have to tell her parents at some point. This will give an idea of how it will go. IT will tell her weather to wait for a while or tell them soon. Maybe if her Mama made it clear that she was fine with it she would tell her today.

"So," She said, slowly as she put the next batch of cookies into the oven. "If one of us told you and Papi that we're gay, would you be okay with it?"

"Of course we would be," Anne answered without hesitation. "We love you all so much, and nothing will change that. Sexuality is something you can not choose, so why be mad about it." Santana managed to keep the relief she was feeling from showing, but Mrs. Lopez was no fool. "Santana is there something you want to tell me?"

There it was. The question she knew was coming, but it still manage to throw her off. One of the timers dinged, but Santana made no move to check the ovens. Instead, she sat quietly, watched as her mother check the ovens, and panicked. This was it. She could lie, say no and keep hiding that part of her, or she could tell her the truth. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to tell her mother that she is a lesbian. It was right there on the tip of her tongue.

She wanted to say it, but the tightening in her chest stopped her. Her mouth was rapidly becoming dry, and she was feeling nauseous. She could feel and hear her heart beating loudly in her chest. She knew that all of this could go away if she just says the words. Just like when she told Brittany. She had felt better after that. She had felt free.

It was just two little words, but this was not Brittany. This was not her telling best friend and former lover, that she's gay. This was her telling her Mama, and it made it real. Telling her mother changes everything. She wanted to say the words. They were right there on the tip of her tongue.

Then they weren't.

"I'm gay." The words rolled off her tongue as if it was the most natural thing in the world. They were softly spoken, but full of confident.

She felt a brief moment of relief, before shear panic set back in. She had just told her mother that she's gay, and she could take those words back. She was afraid that her mother lied to her. Afraid that when she looked up at her, she would find disgust written on her face.

She did not.

Her mother was looking at heart her with a soft smile. She looked genuinely happy. Relief flooded her entire body. Tears sprang to her eyes, and Anne walked to her daughter, and wrapped her in a big hug.

Happiness replaced relief. This was even better then when she told Brittany. She could do this. If she got over the initial fear of telling people, it wouldn't feel so bad.

"Mija?" asked a deep male voice, breaking the silence. One single word, and the panic and fear returned ten times worse then before. Both women turned toward the kitchen door. Standing there, with a bag of food, stood her Papi. His face was unreadable, except for the tears in his eyes.


Rachel bounced through her front door a little after seven. "Dads, I'm home," she yelled, as she hung her scarf and coat in the closet.

"In the kitchen, sweetie," her Daddy Leroy yelled, five seconds before his excite daughter bounced into the room, and over to the table where he was sitting.

"Hi Daddy!" she exclaimed happily, right before him a kiss on cheek. "Where's Dad?" she asked, not giving him a chance to return the hello.

"Right behind you," Hiram said, and then joined them at the table.

"Hi Dad," she said, and the turned toward him to give him a kiss as well.

"Somebody's happy today," Hiram noted.

"You didn't get back together with that Finn character again did you?" Leroy asked, fearfully.

"No. Please Daddy. Give me a little more credit then that. I have a better chance of meeting Barbra herself, then getting back together with Finn."

"Good," Leroy said, patting his chest in relief. "Don't get me wrong. Finn is a nice boy, but he is not boyfriend material. Especially if the girlfriend is my little girl."

"Daddy," Rachel whined. "I'm not your little girl anymore."

"You'll always be our little girl, Pumpkin," Hiram said. "So what does have you in such a splendid mood?" A look of panic, and terror crossed his face suddenly. "You didn't have sex did you? It wasn't the punk Puckerman was it?" He fired off and then grabbed his chest. "Oh my god! You let that punk defile you."

"Dad," Rachel squealed. "I can assure you that I did not have sexual relations of any kind with Noah. We are merely friends. Oddly enough it is Santana who has made me so happy."

"Santana Lopez! You let the girl who insults you every chance she gets, defile you like that," Hiram said, even more panicked then before.

Rachel was silently berating herself for not wording that better. "I did not have sexual relations with Santana, or anybody else, and I am insulted that you do not trust me enough to decide when I am ready to take that step with somebody."

"You're right, Pumpkin," Leroy said. "Your dad is sorry. Aren't you dear?"

Leroy gave his husband a look. "Yes, yes, of course. I am sorry dear. I was having a dad panic attack. I am sure it will pass in a moment. Please tell us why Miss Lopez has you so happy," Hiram said.

"Santana has invited me to a sleepover this weekend. Well she didn't really give me a choice, but I'm still excited by the prospects of this weekend," Rachel said, her happiness bubbling to the surface once again.

"Let me get this straight," Leroy started to say, and the paused for a brief moment when his husband scoffed at him. He sent a playful glare towards the tall man, before turning back to his daughter. "One of the girls, who has spent ninety percent of her time making sure that your school life is a living hell, wants you to come to a sleepover. Begs the question, why? How do you know this isn't a setup?"

Rachel was unusually quiet. Her father's had every right to question Santana's motives. They both knew all about the verbal and slushy attacks she endured on a daily basis. She refused to let her classmates see her pain, but she relished in the comfort her fathers provide at home, while she cried away the pain.

The possibility of a setup had crossed her mind, but Santana's intentions seemed innocent. It was no secret that Santana would do anything for the tall blonde. Brittany was the reason she knew that there was no setup.

"Daddy. I thought about that already, and I do not think it is. Brittany is the one who wants me to join them for the weekend. As I already explained, Brittany would never wish ill will on anyone intentionally. I am really looking forward to it. You know the only one I have ever had was with Mercedes and Kurt, and our friendship is rocky at best. If this weekend goes really well then I could have three new friends. Please let me go."

She did it. She pulled out the one card that was sure to get them to agree without having to make a lengthy power point presentation. Normally she would already had one prepared for when she told them about the invitation, but due to the lateness of said invitation, she had not had time to prepare one.

"Fine Pumpkin, You may go, but I want this girl's number so that we can call her parents," Leroy said.

"But Daddy," Rachel whined. "Is that really necessary? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course we trust you, Angel. We just want to make sure that you will be safe. That's all," Hiram said.

"While I see your perspective. I feel that it is unnecessary for you to contact Santana's parents. She seems very honest with the invitation and the reasons behind it."

"Pumpkin. This is not up for discussion. Either you give us the number or you do not go. The choice is yours," Leroy sternly, but gently said.

"Fine," Rachel replied, as she pulled out her phone out of her skirt pocket, and scrolled though her contacts. She had all of the clubs cell and home numbers. She had only used the Latina's number a few times and each time had been Glee related. She placed her phone on the table, and then said, "I'm going to gather my stuff for the weekend. I ate before I came home, so after that I'm finished packing, I'm going to proceed with my nightly routine."

"Okay Pumpkin," Leroy said, as she kissed each of them again.

"Make sure you pack your feminine products. It's almost that time of the month again and you wouldn't want to be unprepared," Hiram said, as she reached to kitchen door.

"Dad," She squealed, and then mumbled, "I need more girls around me." She ran out of the room and up the steps before either of her fathers could embarrass her further.

"Must you do that?" Leroy asked, rhetorically. "You know she hates it when you bring up her feminine heath."

"Because it's funny. As you well know," Hiram answered.

"Yeah it is," Leroy agreed. "It also proves a point in Rachel's favor. Her only friends are a gay boy, and a rival diva. Both of who have already proven that what they want is more important then that friendship. She needs more female friends. Ones who will not let petty rivalry get in the way. If that happens this weekend then I will be a happy man, because our daughter will be happy. That being said, you have a phone call to make."

"Me. Why me? You are more then capable of calling that girls parents," Hiram said, his voice reaching a higher octave then normal.

"One of Santana's parents just happens to be your former best-friend, and it is time for you two to talk about it and patch things up," Leroy told his husband, holding him Rachel's phone. "We both know how much you miss her, so don't even try and deny it, Hiram. Call Anna, make sure our baby girl will be safe there for the weekend and then talk to her."

Hiram looked hesitant for a moment, before taking the offered phone, and dialing the number.


The fear was back, and it was worse then before. She could not quite read the look on her Papi's face. Anger, disappointment, disgust, or just plain sadness? Tears prang to her eye's to match those in her Papi's.

"Papi," she said quietly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

She knew it was impossible to truly take back the words, but in her panicked state, she did not care. She could not handle it if her Papi rejected her. She was suffocating in the overwhelming feelings, that she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. She should have just trusted what she had told herself an hour ago. That she wasn't ready to tell anybody else. She made a rash decision, and now she was facing the consequences.

"Mija," Felix said, as he walked over to her, stopping briefly to deposit the food on the counter. As he wrapped his arms around his daughter, he said, "Mija. It's all right. There is no reason to be sorry. You have done nothing wrong. Te amo. That will never change. I am so proud of you."

"You are?" Santana question through heavy tears.

"Of course I am Mija," he replied, pulling away from her, and looking into her eyes. "Don't ever be afraid to be who you are. I am very proud that you are able to share that part of yourself with your mother and I."

"Then why did you start crying?" she asked, as she wiped tears off her face with her sleeve.

"Because the…" He was cut off by a loud ringing.

"I better get that. It might be Hiram," Anna said and then dashed out of the room.

"Hiram Berry?" Felix asked, looking back to his daughter. "Did I miss something?"

"Yeah, Britts made me invite Rachel for the weekend. I figured one of her dads would be calling to make sure she is safe here with me."

"Why would she not be safe with you?"

"No reason," Santana said nonchalantly.

"Okay. I hope it is Hiram on the phone. I've been telling Anna to for years to reconnect with him."

"Papi. What were you saying before the phone rang?" Santana asked.

Felix sat down on a stool next to Santana. "I'm upset because I realized that my baby girl isn't my baby anymore. Coming to terms with your sexual orientation is not always easy to do so young. To share that part of you with other people is so mature. Many people are not able to admit it to themselves until late in life. Hearing you tell your mother that you are gay was a shock. I felt very proud of you, and I was slightly jealous that you told your Mama before me. It was a lot to take in all at once, hence the tears."

"So you're okay with me being… this way?" Santana asked in a meek voice.

"Well I have to admit it might take some time to adjust, but I am perfectly fine with it," Felix said, and then sniffed the air. "Do you smell something burning?"

A look of horror crossed Santana's features. "Shit, the cookies," she yelled, as she jumped off the stool, and ran to the ovens. "Mama must have put more in. Damn it."

"Language, Mija," Felix scolded. "They don't look so bad. Just brush of the bottoms and you're good to go."

"Yeah, I guess," Santana said.

"I'm starving," Felix suddenly said. "I'll help you with next batch, and then we can eat while they're baking. Sound good?"

"Yeah Papi," Santana said. They were silent as they worked on the cookies, but she didn't mind. It gave her head a chance to catch up to her heart. This was good for her. She felt better, freer, just like she had when she told Brittany, only better. She was relieved that it had not been a mistake.

Felix pulled three plates out, and started dishing food out onto two of them. "So you and Brittany?"

"Huh?" Santana asked, as she shoved chicken into her mouth.

"Are you and Brittany together?" Felix asked.

Santana nearly choked on her food. She had not expected to hear her Papi question girlfriends already so openly. "Umm… no, I mean we used to… you know…um... fool around, but she wanted to be more exclusive and I wasn't ready for that. She actually was the one who made come to terms with it."

"She had one of her insightful moments," Felix chuckled.

"Yeah, a mean moment meshed with it," Santana grumbled.

Felix went to say something, but was interrupted when Anna reappeared behind them. "Santana? What is this I'm hearing about you bulling Rachel Berry?"

"Shit,"Santana thought. "Of course her dads would know about that. The midget tells them everything." Aloud she said nothing. Just looked over her shoulder at her Mama with a guilt look on her face. "Crap. I'm in trouble."


A/N: Let me know what you think. If ya'll like what I have so far, I'll get to writing more.