Author notes: This is a redo of season two, and an eventual Pezberry. Based on a rp between myself and Foxchaos. Cowritten by Foxchaos, who controls all Rachel parts.

Most of the time, Santana tried to tell herself that Rachel Berry didn't exist.

It was easier to ignore her than to let herself admit, even to only herself, that she was jealous of the girl. How could someone like Santana Lopez, former Cheerio, one of the Unholy Trinity, the three hottest girls in the school and the only one of the two who had neither given birth nor still believed in fairies and Santa Claus, actually be JEALOUS of a little Jewish leprechaun loser like RACHEL BERRY?

Okay, so maybe Rachel had a voice that could send chills down Santana's spine if she caught herself listening to it without bracing herself first not to react. Maybe Rachel actually had a pretty decent body, ALMOST as good as Santana's had been pre-boob-job; definitely Santana had to win over on her post-boobs, or at least she damn well hoped so, or she might as well kill herself right here and now. Maybe Rachel wasn't a total dog, lookswise, even if she did dress like a cross between a neurotic kindergartener and a senile grandmother. And maybe the fact that she managed to attract the attention of not one but TWO boys Santana herself had slept with did sort of raise Santana's hackles, even if she herself didn't care or feel attraction towards either of them, what with the entire lesbian issue she still hadn't figured out yet how to deal with.

But still, it was Rachel. Rachel, more commonly known by Santana as Hobbit, Dwarf, Midget, and any other variation of sneering nicknames that Santana could conjure to mind. How could she possibly be jealous of RACHEL?

She couldn't be, was the only possible answer, so Santana hastened every time she felt the smallest stirring of envy or wistfulness towards her to cover it up for herself as much as for anyone else, forcing herself to spit out a spiteful or sarcastic comment or to at the very least show boredom. If the girl ever actually knew that Santana saw her as remotely equal to her in anything…well, that just couldn't happen.

Bad enough that Santana herself had been single now for most of the year, and worst, hadn't even really WANTED to have sex with anyone…at least, anyone with male parts. Bad enough that not too many guys were even offering, as though they could somehow subconsciously sense that her real interests were otherwise. Bad enough that she was slowly coming to understand that she loved her best friend, and that once she had finally mustered up the courage to tell her, that Brittany had, though as nicely and in as Brittany-ish a fashion as possible, rejected her.

On top of all of that, all the pain and confusion and insecurity, all the hiding and hating herself of this year, Santana couldn't stand to acknowledge too that Rachel Berry might be better at her in some way, somehow. That was entirely too much. And so each time a thought came to her in that direction, she immediately diverted its focus, and a resentment towards Rachel began to build.

She was dying to find something to use against Rachel, some way to pay her back, even if Rachel had no idea that Santana resented her, and when she got that chance, she seized upon it with eagerness.

It was fairly typical for the girls of Glee to dress and undress together for performances. Usually this took place in the small dressing stalls behind the auditorium, with the guys using two of the small curtained areas, the girls using the other two, and half the girls would go into one together, the other half in the other. Generally Santana, Brittany, and Quinn would go together into one, with the others in the other, but on that particular day, somehow Rachel ended up in the changing area with her, Quinn, and Tina.

Santana was used to undressing in front of girls, having been on the Cheerios squad for so long. If she grew too interested or too uncomfortable, she had two choices- to avert her eyes and get through it quickly, or to boldly look right at them, make comments, and talk, making sure to show them how very comfortable she was. She hadn't ever really been interested in watching Rachel before, so this dilemma had never came up.

But as she talked deliberately with Quinn while changing, in order to keep her eyes off of Brittany's body, she noticed out the perimeter of her vision that Rachel was standing nearby, and that her eyes were on Santana. More specifically, on Santana's mostly unclad body.

Santana's eyes moved to Rachel quickly, and though she said nothing, she held her gaze for a few seconds, disbelieving and more than a little thrilled when Rachel reacted. No way…no friggin' way had Rachel Berry been staring at HER…with THAT sort of look in her eyes.

Santana was a lot of things, including insecure, hypocritical, and judgmental, but she knew one thing for sure, and that was that she knew what someone checking her out looked like. And she was pretty damn positive that Rachel Berry had been checking her out.

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This was a freakin' jackpot.

Rachel couldn't believe she had let herself get caught.

The moment Santana met her eyes the younger girl knew she was in trouble. Because the idea of Rachel Berry being anything but straight simple wasn't something that was allowed to happen. It was a fact of her life in Lima; she was slushied, her dads were gay, she was the star of Glee club, and she was straight.

Completely, and without question, straight. Like an arrow.

Except… Well… She had, in the past year or so, come to realize that maybe she wasn't… quite as straight as she had always hoped.

Maybe she was… a little not-straight. Not… Not gay, or anything. But… just… She could appreciate other women. With her eyes. And the rest of her body. At least in her head, when she actually let herself think about, which was rare, because such thoughts were dangerous.

Very, very dangerous.

And really, dressing with the other girls had never been an issue. Sometimes her eyes would stray for a second or two, but usually nothing more than a passing glance at their legs or maybe even a bare stomach or something.

She hadn't meant to actually stare at Santana Lopez, arguably the most dangerous girl in the school, right up there with Quinn Fabray and much more aggressive about showing it. But she hadn't been able to stop herself. She had just pulled on her dress for their rehearsal number and there was Santana's body, just over a foot away, with long tan legs, nearly perfectly toned abs, and she just-

Rachel hadn't even realized she had been openly looking until her eyes went up to Santana's face, and saw her looking straight at her.

Without hesitating Rachel turned away, hiding her flushed face, and quickly grabbed her shoes. She left the changing room to head to the wings of the stage, and pray to all that was good and full of music that Santana wouldn't know, or would never mention, what had happened.

Friday of that same week, two days had passed and Rachel hadn't noticed anything abnormal about Santana's interaction with her.

It should have made her feel safer, but it didn't. Instead, she got the distinct feeling that something was very wrong, and that the ex-Cheerio was definitely planning something.

Still, it was the end of the day, no Glee practice, and hopefully over the weekend she could figure some things out and calm down. As she made her way to the choir room to practice on her own, she let out a little sigh. Beyond an extra slushy, courtesy of Santana herself, and some of the usual glares, everything had been normal since The Incident, as Rachel was prone to call it in her head.

And, as she sat down at the piano and began to organize her sheet music, she didn't notice the door clicking shut behind her.

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Of course, Santana didn't put her plan into action right away.

That would lessen her enjoyment of her ace in the hole considerably, to pounce on Rachel while she was actually half expecting it. Sure, she might have enjoyed embarrassing her in the dressing room, where Quinn and Tina would hear, or even better, she could have waited until they finished up their number and were already on the stage in front of the entire group, where Rachel's little star could really get dragged down into the ground. But still, that seemed too direct, too anticlimactic, neither which was Santana's star. If she REALLY wanted to make Rachel squirm, and benefit herself in the long run, well, she had to do this in a slower timing.

So she deliberately gave it several days, days in which she watched Rachel subtly, when the girl didn't seem to notice and Santana could be fairly sure that no one else did either. Several other times she saw Rachel's eyes linger a little too long on other girls in passing for Santana's sharpened gaydar to be able to shrug away, and by day two she could hardly believe she hadn't noticed it before. Berry wasn't cracking no ruler straight yardstick, that much she was sure of, and she couldn't help but be thrilled by it.

Not that she CARED, of course, other than because it gave her leverage for tormenting her. Of course it's not like Rachel Berry and her fantasies were any concern whatsoever of Santana's….although somehow it was sort of nice to know that she wasn't the only one out there who was hiding, even if the only other person who was, was a loser like Berry. Which on second thought, wasn't really all that comforting.

She waited until the end of the school day on the day she had finalized her decision before feigning leaving something in the choir room, certain that as usual, Rachel could be found there getting in very much unneeded extra practice time. When the girl looked up as she threw open the door, Santana took her time in crossing the room, then sat astride the piano, leaning in close to Rachel's face as she smirked down at her.

"Well, well, who would've thought Berry's rainbow-colored freak flag was gonna burst out of the closet and start flying high? Or at least at half mast with a feeble wave?"

Rachel couldn't move as Santana strode in, door closing behind her ominously. As the taller girl jumped up to sit on the piano, making her even taller than usual as she leaned down in close to Rachel, her jaw immediately set at the girl's words, and her eyes hardened even as her face went flush from the proximity.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Santana. I've always been a supporter of human rights. I thought I had made that clear," she replied back, force firm but hands clenching into the fabric of her skirt.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, and Rachel was positive that had she not been so prideful she would have already ran.

But also, Santana's gaze had her locked in place, and that smirk was doing things to her body and composure that she would never, ever admit— not even to herself.

"What do you want, Santana? I've a strict schedule to keep to, and you're cutting into my practice time."

"Yeah, you're always running your mouth over something, usually I don't really bother to register much other than that your lips are moving, and that's my cue to turn up my Ipod to highest volume," Santana tossed out, her eyes sliding up and down Rachel's seated form and noting with satisfaction her skirt being twisted in her hands.

Whatever she might say, the girl was obviously intimidated, and she took this as her cue to slide closer, deliberately letting one leg graze Rachel's side. She was almost close enough that if she leaned forward a bit more, she could kiss her- not that she wanted to, of course, but it was fun to make Rachel squirm and think she might, anyway.

"We talking wants now? I know what YOU want," she let her voice drop down low, eyes still on Rachel's as she deliberately slid a hand over her own recently surgically enhanced chest, hoping that Rachel's eyes would follow them involuntarily. "I saw you watching me, Berry, with your tongue practically hanging down to your own tits. And strangely enough I haven't heard you marching around talking about your very own human rights to ogle other girls in the dressing room."

Rachel lost control of her eyes the moment Santana leaned in closer, eyes zeroing in on the other girl's lips, then down to Santana's chest, heart-rate speeding up as she swallowed thickly.

In a flash she was off the piano seat, putting distance between herself and Santana and taking a subtle breath and try and calm herself down. "You're disgustingly vulgar," she hissed, a slight tremor in her voice as she began to realize that Santana knew at least something of what Rachel had tried so desperately to hide.

She took another step away from the girl, hands clenching tightly into fists at her side as she squared her shoulders and straightened up in defiance. "I'll ask again, what do you want, Santana Lopez?"

Santana can't keep herself from breaking into a smile, albeit one that is rather absent of genuine joy as she watches Rachel's reaction with amusement. Slowly, she slips off the piano and stretches her arms over her head, watching Rachel to see if she would again look down at her emphasized chest before she takes two slow steps towards her, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm thinking what I want is a slave at my beck and call. Not the bedroom kind, you're not gonna get THAT dream come true…but you like doing homework for yourself enough, you might as well up your SAT score potential by doing mine too. Whenever Glee solos come around, I think you'll probably want to perform the songs I suggest and champion me doing the solos if I want them. I think you'll probably agree that boobs like this make your back hurt after a long day, so you'll probably want to carry my books and buy my lunch and carry the tray for that too, since it could make my back give out or something. And I'm pretty sure that Finn would probably be really fascinated to know that you probably pretty much was interested in him just because he has man titties almost rivaling mine, so I think you'll probably want to help me out all you can so I don't get so exhausted I let my guard slip and end up telling him all about it."

Eyes widening and nerves rattling with every word that left Santana's mouth, Rachel backed herself up against the wall, jaw tight and throat working as she swallowed audibly, trembling both in anger and shame.

Her breathing was a little irregular, and by the time Santana stopped speaking, Rachel had to close her eyes and fight to keep herself from lashing out. Because she was so, so angry with Santana now. She had never felt this- this- She didn't even know how to describe it. Enraged, embarrassed, maybe even disappointed. Though she shouldn't have bothered with the last, because Glee club or not Santana had made it clear she couldn't stand Rachel.

But this was just… A new level, she supposed.

With a deep breath, forcing back tears as she had so many times before, Rachel opened her eyes and glared fiercely at the other girl. "I wish I could say I'm surprised that you could sink so low. But honestly? I'm not. But I refuse to pay for your lunch. And really, what will people say if I'm always around you? There's no point in blackmailing me if it's obvious you've got something on me," she tried to argue. "If people are going to find out one way or the other, I'd rather they do it on their own than subject myself to you."

It was pretty interesting to Santana to watch Rachel's face shift color several times, from white to red to a paler pink, to see the girl's expression move from horrified to frightened to angry and defiant. She had to give her that, Berry had some spunk, anyway.

She moved several steps closer, the better to make her uncomfortable. "See, Berry, that's your problem to work through and not mine. It's on you to figure out a way to serve my every need without anyone figuring out exactly what's going on or even if that you're doing it at all. And the less people can visibly figure it out, well, the less I have to be actively around you, and the less I might slip up and let people in on your dirty little secret I happened to be subjected to."

After a few moments, she added with false thoughtfulness, "You know, Berry, that's called sexual harassment, what you did. Lying about your sexual orientation just so you can perve around undressing in front of the other girls and get your jollies off? Ever heard of the penalties against voyeurism? I could probably get you registered as a sex offender, and I'm pretty sure prestigious colleges and Broadway aren't really into that."

Fists tightening all the more, Rachel's reply was sharp. "I'd like to point out that I have never stated my sexual orientation. Not once. To another person." She pressed herself closer to the wall behind her, hating the effect Santana had, the power that the girl held over her.

"Also, having to hide one's sexual preferences when one's safety could be at stake is completely normal. Especially for a town such as Lima." Glaring harder, she went on. "You may never have noticed, or perhaps have even been a part of some of it, but I distinctly remember every single word and action anyone here has said against my fathers, including slashed tires and the words 'devil spawn' spray painted on our doors on more than one occasion. And that is the only reason I am agreeing to this."

Working up some courage, Rachel stepped right up into Santana's personal space, looking up to meet her eyes. "I refuse to give people any more reason to attack my family simply because of whom my fathers love. So fine. I'll do as you demand. But when this all falls through, and I am certain it somehow will, I hope you can still be proud of yourself, Santana Lopez, at your new, all time low that you have successfully reached."

Ohhh, she was not letting that hit a mark. She was not, she was not, she was NOT letting Rachel Berry strike a nerve, whether of guilt or of personal pain, and if she did let her she was NOT letting her see it.

Rachel was right, Santana herself had actively participated in harassing Kurt for his homosexuality, and calling into question others' sexuality as well. She was always among the first to laugh at or make sarcastic comments about him, and although she hadn't gone so far as to harass Rachel's dads, more than a few kids, Kurt included, had gotten Slushee-ed by Santana purely for being gay.

She knew she was a hypocrite, and she knew that what she was doing was below the belt. And Rachel's words about safety and family and loyalty towards them was making her rather uncomfortable, though she did all she could not to let it show in her expression.

Santana too was worried about her safety, if she ever let anyone see how she really felt about Brittany, how she really didn't feel about guys. What would happen if the same people she had mocked for being gay found out that she was too? Would they actually try to hurt her? What would happen to her reputation, how fast would she be kicked off Cheerios? People would laugh at her and yell names at her as they passed her in the hall, they would push her into lockers and it would be a daily Slushee, not just once in a while…no one would fear her any more, or respect her or lust over her, because she would become a target.

And her family. What would happen to her father if everyone found out the doctor's daughter was gay? Her abuela would be furious beyond anything Santana could imagine….

Realizing that her heart was pounding audibly, that she may have temporarily lost control of her expression, Santana straightened, looking back at Rachel with a sneer. She didn't care. This was Rachel, not her. She didn't care, and she wouldn't feel bad. She wouldn't.

"I haven't reached the low I bet you wish I have, Berry. So we have a deal then? You're my slave girl and I keep my mouth shut as long as you…satisfy me?"

Rachel wasn't sure why Santana's expression had changed for a moment, but it did. Except before she could really look at it, and figure out why it had changed so suddenly, it was back to the sneer she knew all too well, and Santana's dark eyes were once again cold and amused.

Taking a shuddering breath, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from crying, or screaming, she wasn't sure which, Rachel nodded. "I am not a slave, Santana," she replied sharply, completely ignoring the sudden wave of heat that coiled in her stomach at the girl's words. "But yes. We have… we have a deal. Just…" She closed her eyes tightly, looking down at the ground. "Just please. Don't tell anyone."

If this was any clue as how she was going to be feeling from now on; powerless, humiliated, disgusted with herself… Then Rachel suddenly was looking forward to school even less than she had previously.

"Are we down? Can you please leave now? I have music to practice." And a lot of emotions to let out while she still had the chance, it seemed.

She should be completely thrilled. She was getting exactly what she wanted here, the exact reaction she hoped for. Rachel was embarrassed and at least partly demoralized, feeling helpless and under Santana's thumb. Rachel would have to do like she wanted and asked for now…then why did Santana feel so strangely empty inside, to the point of physical aching?

She knew she should get in one more parting shot at Rachel, or at least give hers orders for tomorrow. But her mind was blank, and instead she backed away, shrugging.

"Yeah, whatever. Come ready tomorrow."

She knew once her back was turned and she was walking away that her expression had changed again, no longer entirely controlled, but she knew as well that Rachel couldn't see. Right now, that was what could only nod stiffly, waiting for Santana to exit the choir room and the door to close behind her before she shakily made her way back to the piano bench, sitting down with trembling hands and releasing a tight, shuddering breath.

Her mind was racing, trying catch up with what had just happened.

Santana knew she wasn't quite straight.

Santana was blackmailing her.

Santana was going to reap every single benefit she possibly could for as long as she could and Rachel, if she wanted to protect herself and her family, couldn't do anything about it.

A few tears managed to escape from the corners of her eyes, but she ignored them, straighten her back and returning her focus as best as she could to her sheet music. She was strong. And she could handle this. Santana Lopez was not going to break Rachel Berry.