Prologue
Santana Lopez really didn't like kids.
It wasn't that she despised their existence or anything. They were cute enough from afar, but she wanted nothing to do with them when it came to her own life. It was why she had moved away from her hometown of Lima, OH, away from her high school friends that were settling down and popping out babies left and right. In New York City, the world was young, and no one was looking at Santana like they were waiting for her to pop a belly and set up a nursery.
So when the first cries interrupted her study session, the sound carrying from across the hall, under her door and into the quiet sanctuary of her apartment, the scowl that spread across her face could have been considered deadly. She had midterms coming up, and the last thing she needed was some kid interrupting her late night read.
Must be the new neighbor, she thought to herself as she stood from her desk, deciding to use the interruption as an excuse to make a cup of coffee and take a break. She'd seen a young woman moving boxes in and out only a few days before, but there hadn't been any sign of a baby. Santana had certainly checked – when someone new moves in across the hall in a building where the space was so cramped you might as well be living in the same apartment, scoping out your new neighbor was vital for safety.
Stretching her arms above her head, she walked across her small space, digging around in the cabinets for a clean mug. Her movements were almost instinctual, the familiarity coming from countless repetitions of the same motions as she fixed her coffee. At only 20 years old, Santana had long ago grown accustomed to late nights fueled solely by caffeine and a drive to pass her classes with flying colors. The first in her family to even attend college, Santana had taken on a double major and a minor, determined as always to prove herself as capable of handling anything, even if it meant biting off far more than she should be able to chew.
Taking a sip of the steaming liquid, she closed her eyes, glancing towards the stack of textbooks on her desk with a look of distaste. She loved being in school, really she did, but there was only so many times she could study the functions of the human brain before she thought her own might explode.
Speaking of exploding brains, she thought to herself as the cries from across the hall only increased in volume, a soft sigh leaving Santana's lips when she realized she wasn't going to get any studying done.
Just as well, she supposed as she checked the time on her phone, brow furrowing when she realized it was already past 1 in the morning. She had class at 8, and there was no way she could afford to be late again. Her professor, known around the campus as one of the harshest graders and stuffiest lecturers, had a nasty policy of locking the door the second the clock hit 8:01, and Santana would be damned if she'd drag herself all the way into Manhattan just to get locked out in a hallway.
Gathering her things from her desk and shoving them haphazardly into her bag, she stripped down to just a t-shirt and underwear, doing a quick sweep of her apartment to make sure the windows and doors were locked before heading towards her bedroom. Her father had been insistent that he "safety proof" her apartment before she moved in, terrified at the idea of his only daughter living alone in such a dangerous city. Santana had reluctantly agreed, knowing that her father's mind would be at ease, even if it meant the extra annoyance of covering his safety precautions every night before she went to sleep.
With one last glance around the space, Santana closed the door to her bedroom, feet shuffling across the floor until she flopped ungracefully onto the bed. She could still hear the cries from across the hall, though the added layer of wall certainly quieted the sound somewhat, and with a disgruntled sigh, yanked her pillow over her head, doing her best to muffle out the sound.
She really, really didn't like kids.
A/N: Hey all! This is something that's been in my head for quite some time now, so I decided to go ahead and share it with all of you. Any feedback you have is greatly appreciated!
