August 2015, New York City
Union Square, Surrounded by Fiction
Despite the fact that she knew there was no stopping her girlfriend from adding yet another brick of bound pages to their ever growing collection, Santana decided that she really wanted to give her shit for it. When she had asked Quinn to move in with her a little over a month ago, she knew that as an English major she'd have a decent collection of books, she didn't think she'd have to go to Ikea, buy and then assemble TWO bookcases to put them all in. There was no way those milk crates that Quinn was keeping them in were making their way into the apartment. No way.
Of course, coming to the Strand was Santana's idea and she should have known that Quinn was going to want a book. She did know that an attack on Quinn's book collection would spark some witty banter, which she loved. What better way to celebrate the year anniversary of their lucky reunion than with some clever dialogue and a visit to the place where it all re-started?
"You love this place," Santana heard as her hip was bumped by the blonde next to her.
"Right, I love this place," Santana said making sure she specified, "I would not love for our home to turn into it, though. I'm really hoping that I'm not in love with a hoarder," she added knowing that Quinn is actually the queen of throwing things away... except for books.
With a book being waved in her face, Santana heard Quinn say, "I'm getting this one."
'There's no stopping her' "Whatever you want," Santana said with a smile and an eye roll she hoped Quinn didn't see and turned to walk out of the section.
At least she thought she was going to walk out of the section.
The instant she saw the unmistakable hair from Hades lingering in the Classics section, Santana retreated back into the cove she and Quinn had been lingering in.
"Ow!"
"Holy shit!" Santana gulped out, only vaguely realizing that she'd accidentally stepped on Quinn in her effort to hide from her bat-shit-crazy ex that hadn't even seen her.
"We did that already and ow," Quinn said as she pointed to her foot.
"I know," Santana responded and actually realized what she'd done. Shaking away as much of her shock as she could, she said to Quinn, "I'm sorry, Babe. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think amputation can be avoided," Quinn said with a smile. Santana knew that she was joking and usually she'd be laughing at her girlfriend's sarcastic remark, but right in this moment, all she could do was try her best suppress the panic rising in her chest. "S, what's wrong?" Quinn asked without the smile she had before. Clearly, Santana wasn't doing such a good job at hiding the anxiety.
She realized Quinn had every right to know why her foot was crushed. "Look beyond the book case and to the left, in the Classics section," she said switching their positions so that Quinn could see the cause of her fear.
After only looking for about a half a second, Quinn returned from the end of the book case and with a skeptical look said, "What are you talking about, all I see is a red... head..." Quinn's sentence trailed off and Santana could practically see the light bulb floating over her head, "Mackenzie."
"Uh huh. The actual devil reincarnate. You know, I'm positive that when no one's looking, those ginger curls turn into flames, like Ghost Rider and Hades from Hercules, flames," Santana said still slowly backing away from the end of the section.
Taking Santana's hand, Quinn began to say, "Okay, I know that she's like, this crazy, super bitch, but we do need to leave the store and we have to pass that section to do that."
"I know, but couldn't we just like, camp out here for a little," she looked to her left and reached up, grabbing a random book off of the nearest shelf, "look, we have plenty of entertainment!"
"She could easily walk over to this section," Quinn deadpanned as she crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her right leg.
Santana hated how right Quinn was. If they stayed where they were and Mackenzie approached them, she'd have the upper hand, but if they were the ones moving they would have it. And it would be two against one. Well, probably more like, one and half against one. Santana wasn't really sure how useful she'd be in an altercation. Actually, she was really hoping that they'd be able to avoid Bitchface all together.
"Okay, let's go," Santana said, trying to sound defiant, "I promised you a celebratory muffin."
"Ahh, there's my tough, badass girlfriend," Quinn said with a wink.
"You're right, I am badass! I'm from Lima Heights Adjacent!" Santana said, this time with actual defiance.
"Yeah!" Quinn agreed as Santana took her hand.
After they had rounded the bookcase and made it about halfway to the Classics section where Mackenzie was still loitering, Lima Heights Adjacent Santana slowly disappeared, "Maybe we could, like, cut through the creepy section..."
"We're almost there," Quinn said, leaning into Santana's shoulder and squeezing her hand, "I have your back."
Santana turned her head to look at her girlfriend's beautiful, smiling face. She smiled back as a sense of invincibility spread through her. With the smile still on her face, she turned to look forward again, just in time to make eye contact with the very person she'd been hoping to avoid.
"Oh my stars, if it isn't Santana Lopez," the thin, copper-topped demon said with a disgusting pageant smile and a southern dialect.
"It sure is," Santana heard a voice say from her left. She knew very well that it was Quinn, but this was not a happy Quinn. It wasn't even an angry Quinn. This was a Quinn that Santana had never experienced before.
"And you are...?" the voice scratched away at Santana's ear drums as the words were drawn out in that heinous southern drawl. It actually seemed like the sound hung in the air for a few seconds even after her mouth was closed.
"Quinn," the blonde said with a slight step forward and a tightening of the grip she had on Santana's hand, "Quinn Fabray."
This was Possessive Quinn. This wasn't something that Santana was used to, at all. Usually, she was the one that got all possessive, it was just in her nature. Seeing Quinn take her usual position, was really something else. Something that she couldn't really do anything about in the middle of a bookstore.
"My girlfriend," Santana finally said, finding her voice.
"I couldn't tell," the devil said looking down at the girls' hands. "Well," she started back up again doing that phony sweet smile all of the snobby southern belles do in the movies, "good luck, Quinn." She turned her head slightly to look Santana in the eyes and with the same fake smile said, "I hope she makes time in her busy life for you."
"Puta loca," Santana mumbled under breath.
She heard Quinn breathe out a tiny laugh and felt her step forward once more, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Mostly because I'm not a selfish bitch who understands that my girlfriend can't spend every waking second with me-"
"Excuse m-"
"Just because you say 'excuse me,' it does not mean that you can interrupt me."
Both Santana and Quinn waited for Mackenzie to respond.
Nothing.
"Come on, S, we have a date to finish," Quinn said nudging Santana towards the front of the store.
"That's it," Mackenzie drawled out, "you jumped all over me and have nothing else to say. Well, aren't you verbose."
'Oh no she didn't' Santana thought to herself.
Letting go of Santana's hand, Quinn stepped right up to Mackenzie and in the quietest, most terrifying voice, Santana had ever heard come out of her girlfriend's mouth, she said, "I am plenty loquacious, but you aren't nearly worth the effort. I suggest you walk very far away from us. Now."
Santana watched as her demon-spawn ex backed up and walked away from her too many words that mean amazing girlfriend. As Quinn watched Mackenzie walk away, Santana watched Quinn. Her mouth was wide open as she tried to process what had just happened.
Turning back and looking obviously satisfied with herself, Quinn chuckled when she met Santana's eyes, "Keep your pants on Lopez, we're still in public."
Shaking off the lust on her face, Santana returned, "It's not my pants you should be worried about."
"Wanna skip the muffin?" Quinn asked with slight jerk of her head towards the exit and subtle nibble on her bottom lip.
"Oh hells yes!"
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