AN: Let me start by saying: Brittana=OTP. But, I find Quinn and Santana's friendship fascinating. Quinn and Santana are both character's that haven't really been explored on the show. For reference, in this collection of one shots, the Lucy thing? Never happened.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters therein. Sad day for me.
One-Shot #1: Takes Place after Season 2, Episode One "Audition"
I Could Never Hate You
Santana sat on the curb, freezing her ass off and forcing herself to pretend like she didn't care. She pretended not to notice the sound of a car pulling up and stopping, or the thunk of a person settling in next to her. She couldn't help but voice her protest though when said person reached out, took her cigarette, and threw it on the ground. "Fuck Fabray, what the hell did you do that for?"
"Saving you, and me, from getting cancer," Quinn answered back easily, pulling her coat closer around her. "Your dad's a doctor, shouldn't you know this already?"
"Step dad," Santana corrected bitterly, pulling out another cig and her lighter. "Want a light? One every once and a while won't kill you. Besides, I'm going to be smoking anyway, so you might as well."
Quinn hesitated for a moment before shrugging and accepting the cigarette offered to her. For a few moments, silence engulfed the two girls, the only sound being their exhales after a long drag. Finally, Quinn broke the silence, "Why did you call me?"
Santana stalled for a few minutes, taking a long drag from her ciggie (she preferred cigars, but she didn't exactly have the money to be buying cubans). Eventually, Santana replied out with a low mutter, "Didn't know who else to call."
"You could've called Brittany," Quinn easily replied, staring off into the distance and not the girl next to her. Santana chanced a glance at her, hearing the unspoken agreement that she didn't exactly have people lining up to pick her up at 2 in the morning.
"No I couldn't," Santana muttered, returning her glance to the street lamp across the street.
"Are you guys fighting or something?" Quinn questioned, brow furrowed slightly as she thought. A Santana without a Brittany was just...wrong. When only silence met her inquery, Quinn dropped the topic, knowing Santana would talk when she was ready. For 20 minutes, they sat together, pretending the cold didn't bother them as they smoked.
"Look...I'm sorry I was a bitch to you earlier this week. I was just...angry. All that hard work...for nothing. It was my own fault though... threw it away for my "summer surgery". I shouldn't have brought up Beth," Santana quietly spoke. Quinn's eyes widened slightly as she took in what the Latina said. Santana almost never apologized. Even with the niceness of the apology, Quinn couldn't help but feel her heart break slightly at the mention of her daughter's name. She had spent all summer rebuilding herself, pretending that it didn't hurt every day to be away from her baby girl.
"I still can't believe you did that." Pausing for a moment, Quinn tried to collect her thoughts in regards to the person she used to believe was one of her closest friends. "I thought something about us had finally broken...I thought you hated me," Quinn admitted, keeping her voice emotionless and indifferent.
Santana sighed, "I don't think I could ever actually hate you, Q. We have our ups and downs. Last year..." Santana trailed off, allowing them both to remember what a bitch she had been to Quinn during her pregnancy.
"Well, I mean, in your defense, I did sleep with your boyfriend. And I would have done the same thing. Plus after what happened in freshmen year..." Quinn trailed off, feeling the girl next to her tense. She had gone too far. "I know your sensitive about...that stuff."
Silence once again became the girls' company, filling up the void that the conversation had left. Ever the leader, Quinn was the first to break the silence. "What happened to us? I mean, we've always had our fights but beneath all of that...we used to be friends." Receiving no response,she continued. "S...I want to be friends again."
Santana took a deep, shuttering breath before breathing out, "Me too, Q." She didn't mean to, but her voice broke, betraying the emotions she was keeping under lock. Trying to pretend she hadn't just been emotional, she chuckled out, "That doesn't mean I'm not pissed about being at the bottom of the pyramid. I mean, really Quinn? Also, this whole we're-frenemies-leaning-towards-enemies thing will continue at school. I didn't spend all of last year being a bitch to people for nothing. Got it?"
Quinn couldn't help the smirk that came to her lips. "Got it, bitch."
"Thanks whore." Yeah, ok, so maybe their friendship wasn't the most conventional, but they had been friends since sixth grade when their equal amounts of respect and hunger for power threw the two of them at the top of the social hierarchy. A place which they continued to fight for over their entire friendship.
"So...remind me again why I have the pleasure of picking you up instead of sleeping?" Quinn spat out sarcastically. During the entire conversation they did not make eye contact. Heart to hearts weren't exactly their forte.
"Like I said, I didn't know who else to call. I didn't want to call Britt in the middle of the night...not for this. She'd worry too much," Santana replied. It was then that Quinn noticed the bruises and a red mark marring on her friend's face, barely visible in the dull lighting of the street lamp. Sights that were unfortunately a common occurence that were never, ever spoken of.
Unable to think of how to respond to that, the closest Santana had ever come to talking about it with her, she asked, "Where's your car?"
"Mom took it 'cause her car's in the shop," Santana muttered, not angrily, more...sadly.
"Well...come on," Quinn commanded, snubbing out her cigarette and getting to her feet. She offered her hand to Santana (which the darker girl promptly refused) and pretended not to notice her wincing as she got to her feet. "I'm surprised you're not drunk." Quinn blurted out, immediately flushing. While it's true she was wondering why her friend wasn't intoxicated, she hadn't meant to just put it out there.
Santana chuckled bitterly. "Well fuck Q, I never expected you to be promoting drinking your sorrows away."
"I wasn't...I don't...I was just surprised is all," Quinn managed to stutter out, silently cursing Santana for making her lose her confidence. "Usually when I have to pick up you, I have to half carry your drunken ass and listen to you cry. Shit, I would never think drinking is a good solution. You've met my parents right?" The last comment Quinn said, she spat out. She would never forgive her parents entirely. She just...couldn't.
Santana smirked slightly. Getting Quinn to curse was not an easy task. "Well Q, as much as I have loved this talk, can you open up your car? I'm freezing my ass off. And my ass is too hot to lose." Quinn rolled her eyes, but unlocked her car, both girls' throwing themselves in. Putting her keys in the ignition, Quinn cranked up the heat. Both cheerleaders let out a sigh of relief when the cold disappated and they were immersed in warmth. Quinn pulled away from her parking spot and drove away from Santana's street; chancing a glance back at the brunette's house that appeared so normal from the outside.
"So...where to Satan?" Quinn quipped, looking quickly at her silent companion who stayed looking out the window. Santana bit her lip as she thought, but as always her thoughts were only of...
"Brittany." She spoke, not even really aware of it. Quinn nodded; she knew about them, okay? And, contrary to what Santana would say if she knew Quinn knew, she didn't care. Her religion wasn't too thrilled with gay people, sure, but that didn't mean Quinn wouldn't accept them. She saw how Santana looked at Brittany when she thought no one was looking; she had witnessed whispered exchanges that were too precious to ever be considered disgusting. Maybe she should just tell Santana she accepts her? Nah, San would freak if she thought she knew.
The car ride was silent, both girls lost in their own thoughts. Santana was surprised when they pulled up in front of Brittany's house. She put her hand on the door handle, the thought of Brittany making her stomach flip and making her want to be up there already. "San..." Quinn murmered. Santana turned and looked Quinn in the eye for the first time all night. Quinn saw the hurt and emptiness is Santana's; Santana saw the caring in Quinn's.
Not one to be too caught up in emotions (at least, when it didn't involve a certain blonde hair, blue eyed dancer), Santana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, me too you big softie. Now go and get your beauty sleep. You need it." She smirked slightly and gave the blonde girl a wink before climbing out. Quinn couldn't help but laugh as she watched her friend climb a tree before safely entering what she knew to be Brittany's bedroom. Shaking her head, Quinn began to drive home.
The next day, to everyone else, nothing had changed between their resident HBIC and her former second in command. They didn't notice the soft smile on Quinn's face when she saw Brittany and Santana talking by their lockers, or the smirk and wink Santana shot Quinn before changing her smirk into a scowl. And only Brittany noticed with a happy smile when the two cheerleaders sat next to each other in Glee without uttering a word to one another.