A/N: This chapter and the ones after it will mention Santana training for a marathon. I know absolutely nothing about this, but I love the idea of it and I wanted to include it in this story. If you find any information that isn't true regarding that, please don't hesitate to let me know. I always love to learn something new.

...

It was just after seven when Santana walked back into the house after her finishing stretch, dripping with her sweat and breathing finally under a decent amount of control. She drank heavily from her camelbak and quietly climbed the stairs and walked in to her room, closing the door behind her. Stripping herself of all her clothing and the water pack she had on her back, Santana walked into the en suite and turned on the shower to cold before stepping in.

"That's better. So fucking hot here." The marathon she was training for wasn't even until October, and it wouldn't really even be June until tomorrow, but she was all about working hard to be prepared for something like this. When she had told Sue about her plans to run the Columbus marathon the coach told her that she was, dare the Latina say it, proud. Sue went on to say that since she'd be training, Santana could still be on the squad but didn't have to participate in practices or any competitions until regionals. It meant handing over her captain's spot to Quinn, but she was happy to do so. And god knows Quinn was happy to receive it.

The year before she'd run the half and before that she had run a 10k for breast cancer research and one for autism awareness. Plus while still in Florida, there were a few 5k's and 10ks she found that she could run. Plus the 10k's and halfs she'd found back in Ohio. She felt like she would be ready by the time it came around to run those long miles.

A few moments later, she stepped out of the shower and dried herself off before walking back into the room to pull on underwear and a bra, pull her hair up into a bun, then slip a pair of basketball shorts and a tee shirt. Once she was downstairs she quickly ate two bananas with some peanut butter and then headed out the back door where she saw Rachel swimming laps in the pool. The other girl pulled herself up on the side of the pool to drink from her water just as Santana leaned down to pick up the basketball at her feet.

"Good morning, Santana! Just waking up?" Santana shook her head, dribbling the ball between her legs a few times as she approached the bikini-clad girl.

"No. Been up since five. I came back an hour ago from running a little more than seven miles. Why, how long have you been awake?" Santana pulled off her Nikes and socks, slipping her feet in the water next to Rachel.

"Half an hour. It took you two hours to run seven miles?" Santana shook her head, laughing.

"I'm training for distance running application. I'm not doing speed training just yet, so I have to take my time running these distances, because I can't just like rush myself through a half marathon and definitely not through the full one I'm running in October. Plus you know, stretching and cool down are really important."

"Wait you're running a marathon in October? You run marathons?" She looked surprised and more than that, impressed.

"I guess, technically yes. This is my first one. Why, is that hard to believe? Despite whatever people choose to believe about me, I work hard. Especially for something like this." Rachel frowned. She hadn't meant to offend her. She watched as the Latina stood and grabbed a town off of the stack on the table to wipe her feet then slipped her socks and basketball shoes back on.

"Wait, i'm sorry. I'm just curious. What do you mean by especially something like this?"

"The Columbus marathon benefits nationwide children's hospital. It's really cool, actually. There's like a story...a kid, for each mile that you run. Additional motivation as if I needed any."

"That sounds highly admirable, are their other distances to run? I don't think I'm in shape for a marathon." Of their own accord, Santana's eyes traced over Rachel's body in the white bikini that she had on. She wanted to disagree.

"Yea there's a half marathon which is just a bit longer than thirteen miles. But it's still the type of thing you have to be committed to. It's not the type of thing you just pick up and decide you're gonna jump into. Anyway, I'm gonna go ball a little bit before we have to be ready."

"Santana, are you alright? Last night... we were talking about Quinn and you just kind of...you shut down and walked away. Was it something I said?" The Latina leaned against the short fence between the court and pool and sighed heavily. She wanted to forget about the entire conversation. Forget what Rachel had said and forget the way it made her heart ache.

"No...no. More like something I did. I don't want to talk about it." She stood up and turned away to head to the court, sprinting towards the rim to slide up a finger rolled layup. Retrieving her own rebound, she dribbled back to half court before bringing the ball up, running a play in her head and on her own with Rachel still frowning and watching her.

The bikini-clad girl wants to insist she talk about it, wants her to explain what she means. The curiosity weighs on her mind for the next twenty minutes as she watches her...friend? Play basketball skillfully but alone. Eventually though, she resolves to ask about it again when it seems like the right time, diving into the pool.

Five hours later found the parents playing doubles a few courts over while Rachel breathed heavily against the fence. Santana chuckled, stretching out her hamstrings gently and then standing.

"It isn't funny. I don't understand how it is you seem to be so good at every sport I've seen you play!" Rachel pouted once she caught her breath, sipping heavily from her water bottle.

"Wait till you see me play golf tomorrow. And the only reason you probably didn't know is because I don't like to brag about it. I mean, why should I. My performance speaks for itself, right?"

"Was that a dig at me?" Santana shook her head.

"No. Though you do seem to love telling all of us how much better you are than us vocally and otherwise sometimes, which hurts...and is generally not cool. I was just explaining why you didn't know. Athleticism is my talent, Rachel. Performance, musical or otherwise, is yours. I suggest we leave it at that." The slight pain in her voice was detected but not commented on. Instead, the singer watched as she walked away, the bottom of her white tennis dress swinging around her hips. She came back five minutes later, bouncing a ball on her racket.

"Come on." The shorter girl scrambled up, grabbing her racket and following.

"Were are we going?"

"Figured you might wanna go paddle boarding with me instead of standing around watching mi mami and uncle Hiram destroy my dad and uncle Leroy at tennis. Was there something else you'd rather do? They have jet skis, water bikes, and kayaks at the other place. Would you rather do that?" Rachel shook her head.

"Ooh, kayaking sounds fun! But I do not think I'm wearing the proper attire for that, Santana. We'll have to return to the house." The taller girl just walked to her car and popped her trunk, Reaching to grab her board shorts and handed a pair to Rachel along with a bikini.

"Just put the bikini on, then the board shorts. That's all i'm wearing." Rachel's eyes grew wide as she watched her friend pull off her dress to reveal the black bikini underneath, soon covering up the bottoms with her own pair of colorful board shorts.

"There's a locker room over there. Change and then just bring your stuff back here, I'll put it in my car."

"Why did you drive your car down here? Didn't you just get your licence? Thirteen hours is a long drive for a new driver, right?" Santana hopped up on her trunk and swung her feet off of her blue suburu wrx.

"I'm a great driver, and it was a great way to test that for myself. My uncle Luciano drives Indy in Italy and he taught me a lot. Why don't you go ahead and change, i'll be right here." Rachel nodded and walked away, Santana watching her as she went. She came back five or so minutes later, her olive-skinned abdomen visible. Santana glared at the group of guys who walked by talking among themselves about the two of them. She hurried to put away Rachel's clothes and tennis gear in the car then gently grabbed her hand, holding it in her own as they walked to the rental place.

Within ten minutes they were pushing off, the taller girl leading them out into the park of the bay safe for them to be in.

"You've done this before?"

"Yea, with Q and B in Vancouver last summer. My papi had a thing to go to up there, so they said I could bring two friends. I thought about asking you, honestly...but I guess you had been crying or something about how the two of us fell apart because of me. I went to your house and knocked on the door but Hiram, he saw me, hugged me...and sent me away. So I just asked Quinn to come in your place. I came back after the trip and he just shook his head at me and closed the door. I kept coming back over the summer and your dad's kept sending me away. I figured you were still just as broken up about it as I was, and they didn't want me to make it worse. Or that maybe you had decided that you didn't want anything to do with me anymore." She reached down to run her hands through the water, her hurt over the whole thing written all over the face that Rachel couldn't even see.

"I was angry, in pain, frustrated...I couldn't understand why you didn't want to be my best friend anymore. We were already at McKinley by the time I did. I was always crying and just barely functioning really. I would yell and curse and throw fits about you and expect them to agree, but they would always try to tell me that you were trying, that you still cared about me. I guess it's because they saw you trying so much, when I never did." She wondered if now was the time to ask about the night before.

"You can ask me about it, Rachel. But if I decide I'm done explaining myself, then I'm done." She slid her paddle into the slots on the side of the kayak and turned in her seat, sitting on her knees.

"Ok."

"I'm serious, if I'm done, I'm done."

"I get it, Santana. I know Quinn's your friend, Santana...and I didn't really mean to insult her by what I said. I was just being honest. I really can't see myself with her or anyone who's ever treated me the way she has. But it doesn't matter anyway. Even if she is interested in me romantically, I highly doubt she has any intention of ever revealing that to me or anyone else for a long time if ever." Rachel used her paddle to turn them to the left as they reached the corner of their safe area, keeping them inside it and sending them gently back towards the shore.

"It wasn't about that. Quinn chose the wrong way to deal with her feelings. That's her fuck up, and she'll deal with the repercussions herself. I just couldn't help but feel like if you can't even imagine being with someone who hasn't treated you right, how could you ever trust me again? I mean, if you can't, it hurts...I'll admit. But I deserve it, right?" She said, the half truth falling from her lips with too much ease. Santana barely understood the fullness of her issue with what Rachel had said herself, so she kept it close to her chest. Turning back around in her seat, she pulled her paddle off the clips and started pulling her own weight again.

"You don't deserve it, and I'm sorry I didn't think about how what I was saying could affect you, Santi. You know I don't ever intend to hurt you."

"I do deserve it...I do. I've stood there and let her say and do the most fucked up things to you, Rachel. Not to even mention the times I joined in because I was mad at you about you wanting pyramid nipples for whatever reason. You can't tell me I deserve any of this!" She had turned around, and now waved her hand between them.

"What do you mean you were angry with me about Finn? Why would you be angry about that?" Santana turned back around and started paddling, pushing them as quickly as she could towards the shore.

"I'm done talking about this right now." Rachel seriously didn't understand at all. What about her pining after Finn would've made her frustrated enough to lash out the way she had? Regardless of her lack of understanding, she let it go.

"Listen, I'm sorry okay. I'll leave it alone for now. Don't be angry with me ok? Let's not let it ruin the day." Santana looked over towards the wetlands to her right, biting down into her full lower lip.

"Yea. Ok. Let's get back though. I need to eat something." She said as she opened and bit into a nutrition bar.

"Yea, you're right, daddy just texted me. They're headed back to the house for lunch."

"I think maybe we should head to the grocery store to pick up stuff. There are some things I need to pick up for the next few days." A few minutes later, they pulled up on the shore, greeting the girl who came over to put their kayak and paddles away. Santana handed Rachel a tank to go over her bikini top and put one on herself once they were in the car.

"Like what things do you need?"

"Sweet potatoes, low fat yogurt, black beans, any kind of leafy greens, whole grain pasta and cereal, frozen berries and stuff like that. Nutrient dense foods." Rachel thought about it, the nutritional plan it seemed her friend was on made her worry less about how small and lithe she was.

"Its good to know, honestly. My fathers were momentarily concerned over how thin you are."

"I eat plenty ok. Your dads were checking to make sure I was actually eating this morning and it was pissing me off. I guess I get it though. We're family right? They're allowed. I would worry too if you were like this without the appropriate diet and obvious reason. I worry anyway, you know that." Rachel nodded, thinking heavily.

"Are we family still?"

"Of course we are. We promised each other remember? That no matter what happened we would be family somehow in some way. Despite how horrible I've been...despite me maybe making you think it isn't true Rachel, we'll always be family. I'll always love you." She parked the car and pulled the keys out, turning in her seat to slide her hands over the soft olive skin of Rachel's cheeks.

"Always okay? I'll find another way to make sure you, Kurt, and Britt are safe. I don't want you to have to wonder about whether we're still family, whether I still love you as my best friend anymore, Bella." Rachel leaned in to the gentle strength of her hands, closing her eyes. Santana leaned their heads together, closing her own eyes.

"Okay."