Protecting the Heart

Santana is a detective in New York but after a gunshot wound and having her cover blown in a big undercover operation she is forced into Witness Protection, only there's a twist. Will she be able to live with all the changes in her life or will it all drive her mad.

Disclaimers: I do not own any part of Glee or its characters. This is purely for pleasure I get nothing else for this. Want to give a special thanks to Niekie for helping proof read this story for me. She's all kinds of awesome and an amazing author herself. Check out her Glee fic too.

Chapter 1

Santana sat in the chair in her hospital room staring out of the window watching the busy streets of New York pass by. She was going to be discharged today and was sporting this wonderful sling on her arm after receiving a gunshot to the shoulder during an undercover operation gone bad. She's still not sure how she was made and she was determined to find out. Unfortunately a leak in the prescient was the only thing that made sense even though it bothered her to even think it.

She shook off the thought and started thinking about how she got to this point in her life. After high school she tried her hand at college in Kentucky. That was a flop so she decided to give New York a try. She crashed with two of her old classmates for a while. She wouldn't exactly call them BFF's but she did consider them friends and kind of like family. You know, the ones you pretend didn't exist but cared for anyway. Yeah, that was Rachel and Kurt.

That only lasted so long because Rachel's boyfriend at the time was playing her and she tried to help only to be thrown out on her ass. That didn't stop her from still exposing the creep to protect the little diva but after that she didn't go back. They obviously still didn't trust her after all the time they had been a team so she moved on. After this she decided that she just wanted to cut all ties with high school and her old life and just start fresh so she didn't keep in touch with anyone from that time in her life except her parents of course.

She had found a good friend in a girl she worked with and when the girl found out she was sleeping in her car she offered her a place to stay and Santana snapped up the offer. The girl's name was Angel and she was one badass woman. She worked out every day and was constantly talking about the police force and wanting to get into the academy. That was her main goal in life. Santana started working out with her and after some time offered to help her seriously train for it and in the end decided to try out for it too.

They both started taking some classes in criminal law at a community college in the Bronx close to where they lived and after a year of planning, school and training had their certificates in Criminal Justice and they were both accepted into the Academy. They busted ass and were the top two in their class Santana only beating Angel by 2 points to take the top spot herself.

They were both offered positions at the same prescient taking the jobs and were eventually partners a year or so later. After they started on the beat they both continued on with school and earned their Bachelors in Criminal Justice and Santana added a minor in Criminal psychology. Angel shook her head when she told her of the extra classes saying that she just wanted to bust the perps, Santana was free to analyze why they did what they did all she wanted.

Now 6 years after high school and 5 years after meeting Angel they were both two of the youngest and best detectives New York had to offer. She could honestly say that she was truly proud of the way her life had turned out. She took a scared, sad, in the closet bully and turned her into so much more.

She looked up as Angel came into the room. "Well Lopez I must say you look better then you did when they brought you in. Sorry I didn't get here this morning to pick you up. Cap had me working the case."

Santana waved her off. "You've been here constantly with me. Its fine, I'm fine. They haven't even been in to talk to me about going home yet anyway so you're cool. So, what's the verdict? Is the evidence I brought in going to be enough?"

She sat across from her and sighed. "I hope so. Cap is still in meetings with the DA. I think they have another witness or something. I guess we'll find out in a bit. How are you feeling, you look pale?"

Shrugging her good shoulder she gingerly sat back. "Hurts like a bitch and I'll be glad to make it home and get some rest. The hospital is the last place you want to be to get a goodnight's sleep. Those bitches kept checking my vitals and shit every 5 damn minutes. I will be so happy to be discharged today."

Angel started laughing. "You're just mad that all those pretty ladies were waking you up all night and not giving you any lovin'."

Santana smirked leaning back in her chair. "Damn straight. You would have been too. I had a few pretty boy nurses too."

She nudged her foot and glared at her in exasperation. "Bitch you could have called me or at least got me some numbers."

They both laugh some more and look up as their Captain, James Simmons comes in. "I see you are getting a lot of work done Rodriguez all while Lopez is lounging around."

They shared a look and laughed again. "You know how Lopez is Cap, always lying down on the job. I was just taking a break from all of my hard work to get her home."

James just smiles at the smirking pair, "Whatever woman, give us a minute would ya? Lopez and I need to have a talk."

Angel nodded getting up and moves to Santana kissing her forehead. "Finish up your talk with Cap and we'll get you home to get some rest."

Santana smiled giving her hand a squeeze and watched as her friend left the room then looked at James. "What's up Cap? Is the evidence going to be enough?"

He sighed sitting in the chair Angel just vacated. "I think it should be but the DA wants more to make damn sure we put them all away for good. We have another man on the inside that is close to getting the information about the other part of the family's dealings so she wants to wait for that."

Taking a deep breath he sits back. "Also during the same time as the cluster fuck that happened with you the other night we had a different murder by one of the main family members. It was witnessed by a woman who is at the station for the time being for more questioning. We have been keeping her in protective custody because the killer saw her."

"That's a bum rap. She wasn't hurt was she?"

"No but she has reason to still be worried. She was in a relationship with the man a few years ago and had a baby by him. They broke up before she knew she was pregnant and didn't know how to contact him to let him know. She didn't know who the boy was or who his family was. She met back up with him eight months ago and he was overjoyed to find out about the boy and they have been together since. Then she walked in on him shooting another man in the head in their den. She grabbed their son and ran."

Santana shook her head. "Damn it, if only she hadn't met back up with the scum. He didn't know about the kid but now that he does she's not going to have an easy time of keeping him safe. How did she get away?"

"She hit him with a lamp knocking him out then grabbed the boy and came straight to us."

"What are we going to do with her now? Keep her in custody with protection or what?"

James nodded, "This is where witness protection comes in."

She just sighed "Witness protection only works about half the time. These people are ruthless and if a child that belongs to one of them is involved they will find her. Hell we already know we probably have a damn leak." She hissed the last sentence, still highly pissed that one of their own was helping this scum and got her shot.

"I know that San that's why I am sending you with her."

To say she was shocked would have been the understatement of the century. She just stared at him for a few and shook her head trying to clear it. "Can you repeat that Cap?"

He sat forward and looked her dead in the eye. "Look, you have been made and are now enemy number one for them. They will be looking for you too. As it is I wasn't going to be letting you go to your apartment tonight. You need to go into protection too and what better person to look out for her and that kid than you?"

Santana scoffed. "What are you going to have us do? Is she Latina and we can clam she's my sister or something?"

He just smirked. "Nope, she will be your wife."

She stood and started pacing. "No, it won't work. I can't do that. I can't be someone's wife Cap or someone's mami. I'm working with one wing here too. How am I supposed to protect them?"

James stood and walked to her stopping her movement. "San I need you to do this. There is no better way. You have to be protected as well as that woman and her kids. This is an order not a request. Please don't fight me on this. It shouldn't be for that long and you'll be back to bustin heads with Rodriguez out there."

Santana sighed looking down in defeat then something he said caught her attention and her head shot up. "You just said kids but said she only had a son."

"She's pregnant San and the father doesn't know that. She just found out that day and was going to tell him that night."

Raising her face to the sky she wanted to scream. She's been undercover for almost the last year and now she was going to be in fucking witness protection with a hormonal woman who couldn't pick a decent man and a little boy who would probably hate her. Growling in frustration she looked back down at him. "Fine, do we have a plan or what?"

He nodded his head and laid it all out for her. She didn't like this, she didn't like this one bit but she didn't have a choice. This was happening.

In the hall Angel stood waiting for their Captain to come out so she could get ready to take Santana home when he started yelling for help. Running back in the room she found him on the ground giving Santana CPR. "What the fuck happened?!"

"Get help, she just jerked and stopped breathing." He said after taking a breath for her.

Angel ran down the hall calling for help and 2 nurses and a Doctor ran to her room. They made her stand outside and a few minutes later James came out in tears. "She's gone. They think it was a clot that went to her heart."

Angel hit her knees and wailed out her heartache while James knelt beside her holding her close. Eventually the doctor let them in to say goodbye and then they left. Angel with a renewed sense of making sure the bastards that did this were behind bars and the Captain hoping he could rein this woman in now that this case just got more personal.

It had been three weeks since the incident in the hospital. Nineteen days since the funeral and seventeen days since she'd been sitting in this damn tiny apartment in Virginia of all places waiting for her orders. She had a prepaid Visa for anything she needed and food and stuff was brought to her by a little old woman that never spoke just handed her a bag every two or three days and left.

She was already going crazy and could only hope that this assignment would be a short one and she could get home quickly to Angel and her parents. Santana hated that they had to put them through that but it wouldn't have been believable any other way. It just broke her heart to know that the woman she considered a sister, and her own mami and papi were all hurting right now thinking she was dead.

As she sat looking out the window to the quiet street below she thought back to the days leading up to her coming here. She didn't get to see her captain again but she knew that was just part of it. They had given her some kind of drug that slowed down her breathing and heartrate making her look dead because there was no way that Angel would have just taken their word for it.

Once she came out of the effects of the drug she woke to an agent that explained what was going to happen next. She was briefed on the woman and boy a little more. They were still trying to figure out a way to get them out of the city and hidden. Turns out that the woman was a well know actress and it wouldn't be easy to just make her disappear without causing a huge man hunt.

That was pretty much all she was told then she was taken to a hotel in small town outside of the city for a few days than brought here where she was bored out of her mind and just wanted to get this show on the road so she could at least pretend to live a normal life and not feel like a prisoner. She just hoped that she and this woman could get along and that the kid wasn't a terror.

She was pulled out of her musings by a knock on the door. She stood grabbing her gun putting it in her waistband moving toward the door. The grocery lady was there the day before so if this wasn't the agent she was working with it might not be a good thing.

After checking through the peep hole she sighed in relief and opened the door to Agent Michael Donavon. "Hey, how's it going?" She asks as she lets him in.

He just smiles and takes a seat in the recliner she motions him too. "It's going. Ok I have some good news and some that you might not like a whole lot."

Santana sighs sitting on the couch. "Just give it to me straight Mike."

"The good news is that we were able to get her out and she should be here shortly with the agent she's been dealing with. Agent Martha Carlson has been working with her. The bad is that only reason they were able to get her out is because of a botched hit. One of their goons was supposed to take out the woman and snatch the boy but they screwed up and ended up hitting them both with his car."

Santana stood shaking with rage. "What do you mean they hit them both? Where the hell was her protection? Are they ok and what about the baby."

Mike shook his head. "That is a good question that Carlson is working on too. The baby is fine and mostly it was just bumps and bruises. She dove out of the way pretty quickly so it barely clipped her bag. The fall itself hurt more that the car. The officers that were supposed to be with her didn't show up for shift change and the other set left without them there or they left after the first shift was gone. She didn't know they weren't following her like they had been. We have them all in custody trying to figure it out. Best guess though is the leak in the prescient is getting bigger. The only good that came out of it was that they now think that they are both dead so we were able to get them out. No one but you and I, and her agent know what is going on and where you are. After she is brought here with you, you will all be moved again to another location to get to know each other and to get the kid used to you and being called a different name. He's only 4 and will have to get used to you being his parent."

She sighed as she sat back in her seat. "This poor kid is going to be so screwed up when this is over."

"I'm sure his mother has talked to him."

Santana scoffed. "He's 4 not 40. He's not going to understand all of this."

"That's why we are giving you a month or two with them before we put you in your permanent placement." He pulls out a Filofax and hands it to her. "Here are your new ID's and things you will need. We were able to use the names you requested, umm… Anita, Maria, and Tony. You're full name will be Anita Christine Sanchez. In there is also your marriage papers that are dated 6 years ago and the birth certificate for the boy. There is also your new degree and other odd and end papers you'll need. We'll get into more detail on that when she arrives."

Santana nodded looking at her new driver's license and they both looked up to the door when someone knocks. Agent Donavon gets up checking the peep hole and re-holsters his gun before opening the door and letting them in. Santana stood and turned fully to the door as a woman in a hoody holding a small boy was ushered in by a very severe looking woman.

When the woman removed the hood on the cutest little boy she'd ever seen she just smiled at him but when she took the hood off herself Santana's jaw hit the floor. "Rachel?"

A/N: Here's a new one. Let me know what you think