AN: Hey everyone. This is Santana's back story so far. I might add more to it later. There is a poll up for after you read this for if you think I should do something for Quinn and Brittany as well. Oh. Song Sticking with You by Addison Road. LISTEN to it! Iz AWESOME.

Santana had been sitting in her room, staring at her arm, when Quinn and Brittany managed to burst in on the only part of her life that Santana had been able to keep truly private.

The two blondes had stared at her for minutes before snapping out of their stupor and trying to help. Hugs ensued along with whispered words of encouragement.

Santana knew Quinn and Brittany meant well, but as they tended her arm, doctoring the red lines that marred her tan skin, all Santana could think was that she DID NOT need help.

She was Santana fucking Lopez for Christ's sake! She took care of everyone else, or at least everyone that mattered.

As she watched Brittany and Quinn cover the red lines that were spilling her life blood, Santana felt a small sliver of doubt about her invincibility invade her mind. That was quickly stomped into dust.

Once the blondes were done wrapping her arm Santana stood, creating some space between her and the other two. She plastered her 'everything is all right' smile, that she had used countless times on well meaning people that decided to stick their noses in her business, and spoke.

"Sooo. What's the plan? Practice or park?" Santana asked, forcing the tone of her voice to become upbeat and happy, hoping that her friends would let it drop and forget about what they had seen.

One look at Quinn and Brittany's faces told her that they were not going to buy that line of BS this time.

Santana's somewhat cocky grin quickly morphed into a shaky smile as the silence stretched and the blondes just stared at her.

Quinn had her arms crossed and a determined look on her face, while Brittany looked like someone had just shot her cat in front of her. Both had horror and sadness evident on their features, but the love they felt for Santana shone through twice as bright.

"You want to tell us what's going on?"

Quinn took the lead as Santana did not look like she was going to offer anything, and Brittany was still in shock and did not know what to say.

"No." Santana's answer left her mouth almost before she had processed the question.

"Ok. But we're here when you want to talk."

Santana nodded, surprised at Quinn's easy acceptance of her refusal to talk.

The day went on, they went to the spa, and spent a few days reconnecting and hanging out, just the three of them. Santana had relaxed by the end of their respite and thought that Quinn and Brittany had forgotten, or at least were ignoring, what they had walked in on.

When Santana showed up at Quinn's house for "extra practice" a week later, she realized that she had been let off the hook earlier.

Brittany and Quinn were seated on Quinn's bed, waiting for Santana to show up, their eyes boring into the doorway, and then Santana, as the Latina walked into the room.

Santana sighed and closed the door before leaning up against it. Might as well get this over with.

A calm conversation quickly turned into a twenty minute shouting match.

Santana was shouting that she did not have a problem, arguing with Quinn, while muttering occasionally in Spanish. Quinn was yelling about how Santana did have a problem and they just wanted to help. Brittany watched everything deteriorate with a frown on her face.

As the two combatants paused to catch their breath, Brittany stepped in.

"Quinn, calm down, this isn't helping." She switched her gaze to Santana. "Santana, we just want to help you, please let us."

Quinn sat down on the bed with a huff, scowl firmly in place, as Santana continued to stand with her arms crossed, glaring into space.

Brittany moved closer to Santana and laid her hands on the Latina's shoulders.

"Please let us help you S. We care about you and it hurts us to see you like this."

Santana looked into Brittany's eyes and saw that she was serious. She also saw an abundance of love that she did not dare hope was for her.

Santana fucking Lopez, the badass, the protector, the strong woman, broke down.

Brittany tried to stop Santana as she fell, but they ended up in a tangled mess on the floor anyway.

Santana was sobbing and hiccupping as Brittany pulled her closer and into an awkward hug from their prone position. Brittany rubbed symbols into Santana's back, trying to comfort her, while whispering soothing phrases into the brunette's hair.

Quinn watched from the bed, shocked and trying to figure out how Santana had gone from angry to crying in less than a minute.

Santana slowly regained control of her emotions as the blondes came to the same conclusion and exchanged a look.

This was not going to be easy.

#S#

The rest of the summer was spent with the three girls joined at the hip; they did pretty much everything together.

Santana went through a breakdown or an explosion at least once a week, and it was not unusual for sobbing to turn into angry shouting, or shouting to turn into waterfalls of despair.

But eventually things evened out and returned to 'normal'.

Quinn and Brittany learned to not baby Santana while still keeping an eye on her. Santana realized that Brittany and Quinn were only trying to help, and admitted she might have self-esteem issues. Maybe.

Santana did not stop cutting, but she did not cut as often and other things began to take the place of cutting. Her outlet switched from self-harm to other, more socially acceptable outlets.

All three girls took self-defense classes, and Santana took up boxing, which fed her need for pain. The three girls ended up talking a lot more, and Santana would come to Quinn and/or Brittany when she felt the need to cut. That usually ended with her feeling better, and the razor blades going back to where they belonged while Santana did something physical to bleed off the itch to cut.

And when the feeling was overwhelming, and red lines took up residence on her skin, she told Brittany and Quinn about them, instead of hiding them.

Quinn and Brittany were always there to patch her up. They whispered words of encouragement and called Santana their fierce fighter, never making her feel like a failure for giving into her dark urges. Their faces never held contempt, it was always sadness, and love that was overwhelmingly present, and a proud glint shone from their eyes.

It was not a perfect system, but it worked.

School started and everything was as it should be. Santana Lopez was a badass, and everyone knew it.

After weeks of monologues, conversations, kisses and gifts, Quinn and Brittany finally managed to convince Santana that they were serious about dating her. And soon after football season ended they became official.

It was not until the end of freshman year that Santana actually believed Brittany and Quinn when they said, "I love you." But it only took three seconds for her to say it back to both of them, and mean it with the entirety of her heart.

Santana Lopez may not be perfect, she might have been broken, but with a little tape and a lot of love, two blondes knew that she was better then she had been before.

And she was all theirs.