A/N: Hi, this is my first fic so please be patient with me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything having do with it.
It was the Monday morning, just before senior year started. Rachel and Santana were sitting in the kitchen and writing a list about the stuff they'd need to get from the grocery store later.
"Quinn, when are you going to be home today?" Rachel asked curiously as she looked up from the list and at the blonde girl sitting across from her.
"Between 6.30 and 7 o'clock. I could pick up dinner if you don't want to cook today." Quinn said as she played with her phone.
"I will text you later, bye Quinn!" Rachel said with a smile, returning her attention to the list.
"Bye Q!" Santana added with a small smile. The blonde rushed out the door because she didn't want to be late.
"Rach, we should go to the store soon because I know that you don't like it if there are a lot of people." Santana said as they finally finished the list. She looked at Rachel, who nodded and stood up.
"Let me get my purse and we can go. You ready?"
"Yes." Santana said as she stood up as well.
Twenty minutes later they were parking their car in the parking lot in front of the grocery store.
"San, look there is a little girl sitting in front of the store!" Rachel said as she spotted the small girl sitting there, looking lonely.
"She looks a little lost. I think her mom just went to another store and will pick her up soon Rach, don't worry so much!" Santana said as she took Rachel's hand and walked into the store.
Almost two hours later, they were finally finished. When they got home and unpacked the groceries, Santana noticed something was missing.
"Rach, where is the coffee? I can't find it."
"I thought you put it in the cart." Rachel said as her eyes swept over their purchases, searching for the familiar package of their much beloved beverage.
"I thought you did it." Santana said with a deep sigh, realizing what had happened.
"Ok, I'll go later to the store again because we can't live without coffee." Rachel said, shuddering slightly at the thought of not having coffee in the morning.
"Thanks Rach! Did we forget anything else?"
Rachel shrugged her petite shoulders. "I don't know but we could put all the things that we bought away and the see what else we forgot to buy."
As Rachel went to the store later, she saw that the little girl was still there, sitting in the same place as if she'd been sitting there all day. Before she went into the store she called Santana. Rachel didn't have to wait long before Santana picked the phone up.
"Hey Rach, is something wrong?" Santana sounded curious and slightly worried.
"Hi San, no I'm fine. Do you remember that little girl that was sitting in front of the store earlier?" Rachel said as she kept her eyes focused on the little girl wondering what had happened to her.
"Yes of course I do Rach, why?"
"Well she is sitting there again and I..."
"Rach calm down okay. Just go to the store and buy the things that we forgot and if the girl is still sitting there when you leave, you can ask her if she knows where her parents are. If she doesn't know or says that they are not coming back, ask her if she wants to come back to the house. Can you do that for me?" Santana said that with calm, reasoning voice. Rachel took a deep breath and nodded to herself.
"Ok, I will talk to her, Bye San."
After Rachel bought the groceries and left the shore, she saw that the girl was still sitting there, lonely as ever. Frowning deeply, she shifted the bags in her hands so she was more comfortable carrying them and walked up the small girl.
"Hi, I saw you sitting here earlier; do you know where your parents are?" She asked in a gentle voice, careful not to scare the girl.
"They said that I should find somewhere to live because they don't want me anymore." The girl said quietly, looking down at her hands as she said this. She could never make any eye contact with people older than her. It wasn't very polite and Lisa didn't like girls who had no manners.
What? She thought. How could her parents just leave her? She didn't understand. Who would do such thing? But she had no time to think about that now because she noticed the girl was shivering slightly. "Do you want to go to my house? I live there with my girlfriend Santana and my best friend Quinn, you must be freezing. Our house is warm, I promise."
The girl looked hesitant for a moment but then she nodded. "Thank you." She said shyly.
As they walked towards Rachel's car, Rachel looked down at the girl and smiled at her.
"What is your name?"
"My name is Ava and I'm 5 years old."Rachel smiled.
"Ava is a beautiful name, and I'm called Rachel."
They soon reached Rachel's car and got in. Rachel made sure Ava was secure, with her seatbelt buckled in and everything, before she started the car. The car ride to her house wasn't very long and it was spent mostly in silence.
"Rach, is that you back from the store?" Santana asked as she walked into the living room.
"Yes, and is it ok if Ava stays with us for a while?" Rachel asked, and as if on cue, Ava walked in the living room, a small smile on her face.
"Your house is really nice." She said timidly as she looked around curiously.
The living room was spacious, with warm dark beige walls and white gleaming floor. The furniture was in the same color as the walls but in a few shades lighter. There was a flat TV and dark wooden cabinets with their fronts painted beige. Despite the big size, the room managed to provide a sense of coziness and warmth. The kitchen was on the left side of the living room, and it all white cupboards with polished wooden surfaces.
After Rachel put the groceries in the kitchen, she walked back into the living room area, with Ava by her side. Santana was on the couch watching some TV. She gave her a peck on the lips and sat beside her.
"Ava, come over here and meet Santana. Quinn isn't home yet but she is coming home later."
Ava walked up to her and Rachel offered her to sit on her lap. Ava agreed and Rachel smiled as the girl settled and she wrapped her arms around her. They already had a special closeness with each other.
"What would you like to eat for dinner?" Santana asked Ava with a reassuring smile.
She looked like she thought Santana was kidding because her parents never asked her what she wanted to eat. They gave her a piece of toast in the morning and some rice or pasta in the evening so she didn't know how to answer that question. She looked up to Santana and pocked her fingers together.
"I don't know. Lisa never asked me what I wanted to eat." She said as she looked to the ground.
"Well, what did you get to eat?" Santana asked curiously.
"I got a piece of toast in the morning and some pasta or rice in the evening for my dinner."
Santana frowned deeply at that. "Okay sweetie, what do you thing about pizza?"
Ava nodded, her face brightening a little as she smiled. "I've never had pizza before but I've smelled it and that was really nice! I would have loved to try it sometime but Lisa never let me do much."
Santana tried to hide the negative emotions she felt and instead smiled at the girl.
"Rach, we will have pizza if that's okay? And where is Q?"
Rachel checked the time on her phone."Q texted me and said she will be back in twenty minutes and pizza sounds good. Are you going to call?"
"Yes, you want the same as always?"
Rachel nodded. "Of course Santana. What else would we get?"
"Sweetie, do you want a pizza for yourself or do you want to eat a bit from each of us?" Rachel asked as she looked at the girl, who shook her head.
"I never eat much so I will try from each a little piece if that's okay with you?"
"It's okay; we never eat everything so there will be enough for you to try some." Rachel smiled as she ran her hand through the girl's hair.
Twenty minutes later Quinn came home with the pizza and was surprised to find a little girl in the living room.
"San, Rach, I'm home!" She announced as she walked in the living room.
They came into the living room and Rach told her everything about Ava. Quinn was shocked to say the least. She didn't know how she felt about having another person, a five year old to be exact, living in their house. She couldn't say no, especially when she looked at that little, angelic face.
Since they all decided they were hungry, they started eating the pizza. Ava enjoyed it immensely and ate a lot, much to surprise to the three other girls.
"Was your first taste of pizza as good as you thought it was going to be?" Santana asked the little girl, who nodded enthusiastically in return.
"Where is Ava going to sleep?" Quinn asked after she swallowed the last piece of her pizza and dusted off her hands above her plate.
"She could sleep in the big room if she feels comfortable there or in the guest room downstairs." Rachel answered as she did the same. "Come on, Ava, I'll show you where you're going to sleep." She said as she stood up and took Ava's hand in hers.
They reached the big room, which was as the name suggested, really big. It had green wallpaper with a large bed with soft green bedding that matched the wallpaper. It was pushed against the middle of the wall directly across from the door. There was a painting above the bed, and two white bedsides tables on either side of the bed. There was another painting on the left wall and a leather bench at the foot of the bed. It was very nice, and Ava looked around with wide eyes.
Rachel smiled. "What do you think? Would you like to sleep here? Or I could show you the other room if you want?"
"It looks amazing and the bed looks comfy like a cloud. I like it, but where are Quinn, San and you going to sleep?" Ava asked as she walked further inside the bedroom and climbed up on the bed. She tested it softness and was pleasantly surprised by how much softer it actually was than what she slept on before.
"Santana and I always sleep in my room, which is across the hallway, and Quinn sleepes in the room at the end of the hallway. Do you want to see it?"
Ava nodded, so Rachel took her hand and brought her to her room.
It had soft pink walls and light hardwood floor. The bed was king sized so it could fit her and Santana. There was a door leading to a large closet on the right side, and a door on the left that led to the en-suite bathroom. There was a flat screen TV, a desk and a dresser, the basic necessities for a room. There was also a white carpet in front of the bed, which they sometimes used as a sitting area, with a dark pink plush armchair settled next to it for when they wanted to read a book or just relax.
Next came the guest room, which had brown wallpaper and light, carpeted floor. The bed was huge like the others; the bedding a mixture of warm, classic brown and light, soft blue. There was an ornate mirror above the bed and a comfortable armchair by the window, with a tall lamp positioned strategically next to it.
And the last room was Quinns room, it was smaler then the others and had light yellow walls. On one side of the bed was a huge bookshelf with a lot of books and on the other side was a light brown closet.
"You have a really great house." Ava said as they finished the tour and returned to the living room.
Rachel smiled, glad Ava liked it. "Thank you, we have a nice backyard with a trampoline, I could show it to you tomorrow because it is dark outside now."
"I would like that" Ava answered, smiling happily.
"Little one, I think it is time for you to go to bed." Quinn said as she checked the time. "Do you have any other clothes or I could see if I could find something that would fit you?"
Ava bit her lip. "There are only two dresses in my backpack that Lisa gave me. It would be nice if I could wear something different to sleep."
"Don't worry; I'll see what I can find." Quinn said as she offered the girl her hand; Ava took it and both walked upstairs together to Rachel's bedroom. Since Rachel was the smallest out of all of them, Quinn searched through her stuff until she found a small shirt and sweatpants that wouldn't be awfully big on Ava.
"Here you are little one." She said as she handed the clothes to Ava. "The bathroom is on the left and I'll bring you a toothbrush soon, do you need anything else?"
"No, thank you for letting me stay here," Ava shook her head. She felt that they had been too good and generous enough already.
Quinn smiled softly. "It's nothing. We'll come back up to tell you goodnight in a bit, okay?"
Ava nodded and smiled at the thought as she walked in the bathroom to change.
Meanwhile, Rachel and Santana were talking about Ava downstairs in the living room.
"The girl is really sweet Rach; do you think we can keep her?" Santana asked, brightening at the prospect of having a little girl among them.
"I don't know. We would have to ask her first." Rachel said, but it was clear she wanted to keep her as well. "We could take her shopping tomorrow because she doesn't have many clothes and I need something from the mall anyway."
"Q doesn't have to work tomorrow; I hope she can come with us."
"Of course I will go to the mall with you and Ava; she is so sweet and innocent." Quinn said as she walked in the living room and took a seat on the couch.
"Did you find some clothes for her?" Rachel asked curiously as she stretched; tired from the day's events.
"I did and I told her that we would all tuck her in. That's okay right? I think she'll be in bed soon."
"Sure." Santana said as she stood up to go upstairs. The other two followed her. Ava was lying in the bed, thinking about her day and how nice the three girls had been to her. In comparison to Lisa, they were angels sent from heaven to look after her.
The door opened slowly and the three girls walked in. They all smiled collectively when they noticed how happy Ava was to see them.
"Sweetie, are you okay? Are you feeling comfortable enough?" Santana asked as she sat down on the bed.
Ava smiled and nodded. Everything was so pretty and warm and comfortable. "Yes, it's really nice to be here with you, Rachel and Quinn."
Santana brushed some hair out of her face and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight sweetie, sleep well, see you tomorrow."
Rachel and Quinn followed her and both kissed her on the forehead, wishing her goodnight and a good night's sleep. After that, they turned off the lights and left the room quietly.
The next morning Rachel was the first one to wake up. She walked silently to the kitchen to prepare coffee and breakfast. As she was finished with the bacon for Quinn and the eggs for Santana she walked upstairs to check on Ava in her dads' old bedroom. As she opened the door slowly she saw that Ava was just waking up and sat down next to the girl.
"Good morning Ava, how did you sleep?"
Ava looked a little confused but after she remembered that she was at Rachel's house she was happy once again. This was the best night's sleep she had gotten in months!
"Really great! The bed is really comfy!" Ava said happily as she patted it fondly.
Rachel couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. The girl was just adorable. "I just made breakfast for Quinn, San and me but I don't know what you want to eat." She paused. "But what do you think? You can come downstairs with me and then we can find you something to eat. Then I will wake Q and San and they can come down here so we all can eat breakfast together?"
"That sounds good." Ava said as she jumped out of bed.
After Ava was finished getting dresses, she and Rachel went downstairs and into the kitchen.
"What would you like to eat? We have some bacon and eggs, fruit or cereal?" Rachel asked as she returned to the stove.
"Could I try a bit of everything?" Ava asked as she settled on the table. Rachel had already set it already so she only had to serve the food.
"Sure, why don't you watch some cartoons until the others are downstairs?" Rachel said as she turned on the TV and headed upstairs to wake up Quinn and Santana.
In the her bedroom Santana woke up alone and was wondering where Rachel was, the othere side of the bed was cold so she thought that she made breakfast for everyone.
Rachel appeared on the doorway and spoke. "Hey, I made breakfast and Ava is downstairs, waiting for you and Quinn so we could eat breakfast together."
"Do you like the food, Ava?" Santana asked as she ate her delicious eggs. Rachel was really good at making them the way she liked them.
"Yes, it all tastes really good." Ava said cheerfully. Her tummy was full with the most delicious food she had ever eaten.
"What was your favorite?" Santana asked curiously, smiling at the girl.
"I really liked the eggs and the fruit salad is really good too!" Ava answered as she stabbed a few different fruits with her fork.
"You didn't like the bacon?" Quinn asked, sounding surprised. Bacon was her favourite food in the whole world.
Ava hesitated, not wanting to make Quinn mad or to disappoint her with her answer. "I-it was good too; but the other things are my new favorites."
Rachel smiled gently at the girl to tell her it was all okay; she could relax. "We thought that we would take you to the mall today Ava, because you didn't have that many clothes and San and Q love shopping. What do you think about that?"
Ava's eyes shined. "Really? I've never been to a mall before! Lisa gave me clothes before but they were always clothes she found somewhere; they never looked new."
"This is the perfect opportunity to show her how awesome it is there." Quinn added, excited at the prospect of shopping and this time not only for her, but for a little girl as well!
"But please don't take the whole day!" Rachel begged, knowing the two girls' obsession with shopping. "I want to show her the backyard and more things in the house. Are we clear?" She said the last part mock-sternly, making Ava giggle slightly.
Santana smirked. "Yes, Miss! Of course Miss" Santana said joining in with Rachel's joke. "We are only going to be there a couple of hours."
Once they were finished with breakfast and put everything away, they headed for Quinn and Santana's favorite place.