Spoilers through 4.08 - Thanksgiving

"What is this? Hmm? And don't tell me it is because the cafeteria food binds you up."

"Those are from, like, months ago. I forgot they were even in there."

Santana leveled a stare at Marley. The hasty excuse struck a chord in her. With a sigh she grabbed Marley by the wrist and pulled her away from the drifting notes of Gangnam Style backstage into the anonymity of the black curtains. Marley tripped along behind her, struggling to keep up with the fast clip of Santana's heels.

"I've heard that excuse before," Santana hissed out as she swung Marley by the arm to face her. "In fact, I was the one giving it."

Marley's face crumpled as her mentor's words sunk in.

"Oh please. I was head cheerleader on a nationally ranked team with a coach as crazy as Courtney Love on a good day. The amount of pressure I had on my shoulders on a daily basis would make your Dickens-esque pauper head spin," Santana said with a dismissive flick of her wrist.

Grey eyes darted nervously to the floor and the younger girl fidgeted in front of her. Santana's hand twitched at her side. Comfort wasn't really her thing (especially if the intended recipient lacked blond hair and startling blue eyes), but she had a job to do here. If she was going to be a mentor for this 'New Rachel' then she was going to be the best damn mentor there ever was.
At least a hell of a lot better of a mentor than Fabray to her psycho spawn.

Santana shifted awkwardly and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Look I don't really do this often, okay?" Santana whispered gruffly. "So I'm gonna need you to listen up 'cause you are only gonna hear this once, alright?"
"I know how it feels to be under pressure. To feel that the eyes of the whole world are on you, judging you. It sucks, but when you have innate, jaw dropping talent it is something that you have to just accept."

Marley blinked at the undisguised compliment to her abilities. Santana threw a hand up to stop any more acknowledgments of what she had just said.

"And sometimes you are gonna break and cave to demands. No matter what song or idiotic theme man boobs over there comes up with, we aren't all superheroes," Santana said quietly. "But, if we are lucky, we have our own Lois Lane to back us up when we feel weak."

Blonde hair and blue eyes sprung to mind and Santana can picture the tears that were swimming in them when she pulled Santana's collection of diet pills out of her bag.

"You just need that one person to be able to lean on," Santana continues encircling herself once more. "I was lucky enough to have a best friend I could depend on with my life. And in the end that weakness made me come out stronger: as this fucking flawless woman before you."

Marley bit her lip unsurely and glanced at the stage again, toeing the floor nervously while she eyed the black curtains enclosing them.

"Um...wasn't your best friend Brittany? I thought you two were dating? Does that mean you and me-"

Santana's eyes widened and her hands shot up in between them.

"Whoa there Oliver Twist, you have to be at least eighteen to ride this. And you are missing the point here."

Santana walked behind her mentee and put her hand on Marley's lower back to push her towards a break in the curtains. In front of them the other glee members pranced around on the stage in an embarrassing version of PSY's style.

"You don't need a Lois Lane, Copperfield," Santana tilted her head towards the glee club. "You've got a whole Justice League out there backing you up."

A small grin crept onto Marley's face as she let Santana push her out from the curtains and back into the lights of the auditorium stage.

"Um Santana," Marley asked quietly, unsure if this was a point in their heart to heart when questions would be allowed.

"Yeah?"

"Did you learn your Superman references from Sam?"

"Just shut up and learn your fucking horse dance."