Santana couldn't help but feel a little foolish and a lot paranoid, but it was a fact that she really didn't want anything to do with the people in those three trucks. It was also a fact that she thought she heard the barking of dogs, soon after their conversation, so she was moving as fast as she could through the untamed brush with Rachel right behind her, grasping her free hand as her hatchet-holding one knocked branches aside to clear the way.
It had been a terribly long night, and she was absolutely ready to flop onto the next comfortable looking patch of leaves and slip into a sleep coma for a week, but she knew that wasn't exactly an option, whether they were being followed or not. She had other responsibilities now.
One of which was making sure Rachel didn't go catatonic, run off like a terrified woodland creature, or have a life-ending panic attack. Santana had been doing her best to keep the girl as off-balance as she could, hoping that the less the girl could focus on her situation, the better. This meant she'd actually worked hard to talk with the tiny diva, distract her with stories, jokes and the odd touch. Which, to her surprise, wasn't all that fucking difficult or dreadful. She hadn't been one hundred percent successful in her endeavours, though, and while she wasn't really most people's first nominee for the role, she did try to comfort the girl with the fact that she'd been through something similar before, and that she'd be kept safe. Santana knew Rachel Berry was nothing if not thoroughly prepared for most occasions, but when she was caught off-guard in things that didn't involve music, it often seemed to take her a while to reboot and adapt. At least, from what Santana had witnessed in the past, she figured it was true. So her strategy of humour, distraction and support seemed like a good one, and it was initially, but as she pushed quickly through the dark, wet forest, she knew her ability to keep Rachel calm was weakening. Though off-balance Berry has been pretty alright to deal with…way less ranting and rambling, and not nearly as overbearing…but she's been kind of really weepy, about as bad as when I've downed a half bottle of tequila, but not as bad as that one time when me and Britt saw that fucking car run over that family of ducks two years ago. She was inconsolable for like, two weeks. But Berry's been kinda rough too, I just hope it stops soon enough…
Rachel had, of course, just ran closely behind her through the forest for about the first forty five minutes, but it was clear she had little gas left in her tank, and that meant Santana was going to have to make some difficult calls. She did NOT want to entertain the possibility of a piggyback ride. She hadn't even given one to Britt since freshman year, so there was no way Berry was getting all up on her, literally. Yet, they hadn't come across any decent spots to make camp, and they were both about as exhausted as Mercedes after 5 minutes of dance practice. Which was why she was holding Berry's hand and pulling her along; for guidance and support and whatever. Also didn't hurt that it brought back the ghosts of camaraderie she'd had the previous year with Britt and Lise, so no wonder she was feeling a little invigorated and excited despite the constant full body ache. Maybe she could chalk it up to adrenaline too. Either way, despite their situation and the pain coursing through her tired body, she wasn't having the absolute worst time as she pushed through the forest, considering her options.
The smaller girl's hand slipped from hers just as they neared a small pond, prompting Santana's body into action, her legs moving on their own; before she could think clearly, she was right in front of a downtrodden, grimy Rachel Berry, slipping the heavy backpack off of her shoulders and onto a nearby rock. She offered the diva an apologetic smile as the brunette sighed in relief, slumping down on a fallen tree trunk. Well, here's as good a place as any… she thought, sliding her own backpack to the ground and quickly unzipping its many pockets, laying out her tarp as flat as she could manage before emptying the pack's contents onto it. Swapping her hatchet for a flashlight, she sorted through the items, blindly tossing Rachel a bottle of water and a bag of trail mix as she began deciding what could stay, and what would be left behind.
"Are we setting up camp here?" she heard Berry ask quietly, the girl's voice so weary and hopeful that she wished she could just put the girl to sleep right then and there. The knowledge that they still had some ways to go before she could set up camp only deepened the ache in her chest. Just because she was a bit of a masochist and a glutton for punishment didn't mean that she expected others to be.
"No, I'm just deciding what to keep and what to toss. We won't need all of this bulk for what we're planning, and we're mostly carrying identical sets, if the ginger cleaning fairie's OCD has anything to say about it." She noted calmly, putting a surprising six steel coffee travel mugs into the discard pile alongside some other relatively useless equipment. Figures Schue would take a bunch of electronic shit on a camping trip. What the hell do I need a universal laptop charger for? Or walkie-talkies that don't work on trucker frequencies? Electric air pumps? Fuck…
Santana started at the sound of Rachel springing to her feet, the cheerleader's ears focusing intently on their surrounding area for whatever tipped the diva off.
"Santana! You…you can't just…you can't throw away all of this equipment!" Rachel pleaded loudly, pointing a shaky, angry finger at her. "This is a wholesome forest, we can't litter like that." The girl finished sternly, crossing her arms with a huff, glaring down at her.
Santana just shook her head and let out an amused laugh, returning her focus back to her pile. "Look, we're both sore from the crash, and from all this craziness, and I don't want you to strain anything, short stack. So you're going to put this aside for now." She stated firmly in response, bringing her challenging gaze back up to the smaller girl. "So long as we keep the necessities, we should be fine. The weight we're lugging around is more important."
She watched as Rachel slowly, slightly unsteadily, moved forward. "Did you even listen to me?" the girl asked, more than a hint of frustration in her voice as she went to pull her own as-of-yet unopened backpack out of Santana's reach. The cheerleader quickly grabbed hold of the baggage and pulled it free of Rachel's grip.
"You can talk my ear off about it after, and I'll even donate some coin to the WWF or WSPCA, or Michigan parks or whatever you want. Maybe we can track this stuff down after we hit up the town, if it'll make you feel that much better. But we can't carry all of this the whole way, I'm sorry." Santana said, trying not to sound mean about it, as she knew wildlife preservation and environmentalism seemed to be pretty high up on Rachel's political issue list. The girl gave a huff and averted her gaze off toward the pond, clearly upset about Santana's decision. Deciding to be slightly diplomatic, she temporarily abandoned her sorting spree and moved over to Rachel, lightly taking hold of the girl's chin and angling it toward her own face. She knew that each time she touched the small diva in any way that was nearly intimate, it flustered the girl, which was something she found both fortunate, but also slightly depressing. She liked that she was able to keep the girl out of her comfort zone, solidifying her own leadership position within the duo, but she couldn't help but think that the girl should be used to that kind of thing. She was well aware of Rachel's on again off again relationship with Finn, at the very least, and couldn't imagine the idiotic puffball of a boy not at the very least being gentle in some way with Berry. Not that she was comparing herself and her current role to Finn's previous one. There was no way in hell that she'd ever be into Rachel goddamn Berry. She just figured that even if she maybe kind of hated the diva, the girl was bound to be famous, and did deserve some nice things in life.
"Look, Rachel, my dad's a doctor. And every year, he deals with dozens of people who get in car accidents, and a lot of them feel their worst the next day, because it takes the body a while to register what damage was done. I just…I just don't want you to be overworked any more than you need to be, because I know next morning's going to be hell, alright? We can't function like that." She explained, hoping it would get through to the stubborn vegan. The girl, however, seemed intent on ignoring her, and went to duck her head, forcing Santana to apply a little more resistance, coaxing the girl's attention back. If there were two things that she knew the diva was, it was that she was a good actress and that she was empathetic enough to spot a lie eighty-percent of the time, so she figured that just letting out a bit of truth would be fine, so long as it was gift wrapped in a big, blazing warning label. "Look…fuck, if you tell anyone, I'll deny it, but I don't want you to get hurt, or uncomfortable or worried, alright?"
She watched Rachel's mouth gape open at her while the girl's dark brown eyes, slightly lidded from exhaustion, stared at her questioningly. Uncomfortable under the smaller girl's gaze, she let go of Rachel's chin and rubbed at the back of her own neck, letting out a nervous laugh, not used to shooting straight about topics like that with anyone but Britt or Quinn. "Hey, I'm just saying, you're not going to be able to pull off some complex tap-dancing jazz routine anytime soon if you don't give your body a break, and lord knows your woodland creature relatives out here could use a show to liven things up. Not their fault they're stuck in Michigan."
Santana smiled internally as she spotted a hint of an upward curl on the girl's lips, followed by a relieving tired sigh, signaling she'd made her point. "I'm just…I'm trying to hold onto some form of normalcy, Santana. These past few hours have been so far from my normal life that it's dizzying just to comprehend a fraction of it all."
"I get it, it's a big shock. But…glee club's a family right? I mean, it's a big, grumpy, incestuous, unstable family…but it's a family. And we all get our occasional moments of bonding over tribute weeks, or high school drama, or Finnept's suspiciously custard-filled nipples, or whatever, right? And family looks after each other right?" Santana asked, adding a bit of snark to try and make the girl feel more at ease. Which, hell, was fine and dandy for Santana. Any time she could be snarky and it be welcomed, she was on cloud nine. Rachel merely gave a small nod, appearing slightly unsure as to where her rant was going. Admittedly, she knew she should stop talking so much, she didn't want to catch permanent verbal diarrhea from Berry, but she needed to make a point that seemingly went over the diva's head. "And we're kind of bonding right? Like, through shared hardship and whatever."
Rachel paused for a few moments as Santana held her breath, hoping the diva was catching on. It was when that ghost of a smile turned into a small, shy one that she cheered internally. "So the only way to make this more normal is for you to go off on one of your long-winded, four paragraph long rants, and maybe sing a solo."
At that, the girl swatted playfully at her, neither of them seeming to have the energy to do anything but lethargic movements. "Just…can I close my eyes while you get this over with?" the smaller girl asked as she turned away and covered her eyes, drawing an unnecessary nod from Santana. She'd hoped that Rachel would be able to help, but she likely wouldn't be as fast at the process anyway.
"Sure thing, short stack." Santana called out to the girl as she worked through both bags as fast as possible. She'd whittled both down to the necessities and the odd luxury, loading her own bag up slightly heavier than Rachel's. She'd done long hikes with full backpacks in the dead of winter before, back when Coach Sue was convinced they'd have to perform in blizzard conditions the previous year. It didn't matter that she was worried about a blizzard during nationals, and that it was a stupid fear to have, but she supposed Coach had her reasons, and no one was grievously wounded in the process.
Satisfied with her packing job, she slipped on her much lighter pack after hiding all the excess equipment in a bush, and went over to the tree where Rachel had taken up residence, offering her hand to the smaller, sitting girl.
Rachel just looked up at her with big, pleading doe eyes that just didn't seem entirely fair, silently begging Santana to make camp there. It was an alluring option for a few moments, before her logical side kicked in and sadly shook her head, knowing it would be a terrible place to make camp, and they'd hate themselves in the morning for it if they remained. "Just a while longer, Rach. I promise."
Rachel was certain she'd never been so tired in her life, and she'd gladly delay her 2nd Tony award by a year if it meant that she'd never have to feel so sore and exhausted in her life. She was pretty sure that everything in her body was aching terribly, and that it was only by sheer willpower for her future on Broadway that she managed to make it the final leg of their trek. Santana had dragged her along for what seemed like hours, even with the reduced weight; something she felt terribly guilty about, but considering Santana was the one who did the dirty work, she'd decided to give the girl a bit of a cold shoulder. "I don't see why we couldn't have camped at that pond. No, the great Indiana Lopez had to keep up her death march..." she muttered as she prepared the sleeping arrangements inside of their tiny little tent, letting out a tired sigh. "At the very least, this event will likely be a popular chapter of my memoirs. Always look for the silver lining, Rachel."
In truth, while she did hold something of a grudge toward the cheerleader for making her walk even further, she did appreciate that the girl singlehandedly cleared the area with her hatchet and set up camp while Rachel was allowed to rest nearby. She had at least offered that kindness, so Rachel couldn't loathe her too tremendously, even if her body groaned at any slight movement. She let the cheerleader deal with making sure their little secret campground hidden behind a bevy of bushes and a rock wall was properly assembled and tied down while she finished her work; the tent wasn't very wide, so the both of their sleeping bags were as far apart as possible, yet just a few inches apart. Rachel slipped silently into her bag and rolled up an extra blanket; she'd always been something of an awkward sleeper, and often found herself near the foot of her bed, head on her mattress, arms clutching her pillow. Being somewhat swaddled in a sleeping bag, she knew it would be impossible, but hoped that holding something would help her sleep easier, given her circumstances. Her body was entirely ready for sleep, desperate for it even. Her mind, though, was a different story altogether.
She couldn't help but replay the entire evening in her mind, now that she'd had time to lay there and just think, and she felt the growing bubble of stress and fear building inside of her yet again. I'm in the middle of a forest with a girl who probably hates me, and who had tormented me, and we're running from some potentially homicidal, belligerent locals! This is probably some plot commonly found within the horror film genre, and not only that, I have bears and wolves and maybe snakes and poisonous insects so worry about! This is an absolute disaster, and we're so far from home and glee, and there's no clear escape…I need to escape, I need…
Her hurried, frantic thoughts were interrupted by Santana, crouching as she moved into their tent. Rachel turned away, trying not to pay the girl any attention as the cheerleader took off her boots and jacket, pushing them to the foot of her sleeping area.
"I'm sorry, I just had to do some last minute checks, to make sure everything's perfectly clear." Santana noted with a yawn, Rachel listening to the girl zip herself into her own sleeping bag before turning the lantern off and casting the both of them into darkness. Rachel's eyes immediately widened in fear as she clutched the hem of her sleeping bag and balled up blanket tightly out of instinct, her ears intent on listening for any signs of a ravenous, teenage-girl-eating bear. With how her night had gotten progressively worse, it only made sense for them to be attacked in the night by a ferocious beast; Rachel was a vegan, but it didn't mean she loved all of nature's creatures. She just had moral and ethical positions against the need to eat animals, and wished that bears would offer the same courtesy in kind.
Try as she might, Rachel laid there for close to ten minutes, nothing but bears of all kinds on her mind. She wondered what kinds of bears were around their area, and why she hadn't done proper research beforehand. She hoped there weren't any kodiak bears, or grizzlies, as they frightened her the most. After minutes of dangerous, carnivorous animals haunting her imagination, she couldn't help but break her temporary vow of silence with the cheerleader.
"Santana?" she called out quietly, earning a grumble that sounded as if the other girl was having close to as much difficulty as she was in her sleep-based endeavours. "What happens if animals find us?"
The tent was silent for a short while, aside from the slight sound of wind through the trees outside, and the sound of the night-time insect population. Eventually, she heard the other girl turn over, or at least shift substantially, in her sleeping bag, the lantern flicking on to a low light setting that eased Rachel's worries slightly by itself. "Are you that worried about it?"
The question from the cheerleader was simple, and her answer was incredibly simple, it being a resoundingly obvious 'yes'. But ultimately, it was more than that. She didn't want to be vulnerable anymore; she was used to being a fortress at school and around town, only letting her guard down in her home. However, out there in the wilderness, there was too much danger, too many new experiences and unknowns for her to not be entirely rattled and panic-stricken at the thought of falling asleep and being easy prey for whatever or whoever found them. She wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep, with those thoughts filtering through her mind. "I…I'm just scared, I guess. Sorry for bothering you Santana, go back to sleep." She noted quietly, wishing she could be as composed as Santana. The girl didn't seem to show any fear or stress through the night, meanwhile she was panicking and floundering at every opportunity. It was tiresome.
A few moments later, she heard another shift beside her, and then a slow sound of a zipper, the cheerleader moving quietly within the tent, piquing Rachel's interest slightly. As she peeked her head over her shoulder, she could make out Santana leaning up against her rolled up sleeping bag, using a match to light a torch before placing it in a small holster just outside the entrance of the tent.
It took her mind a few seconds to catch up to the quick shift in situation, but even with it caught up, she didn't understand. "What are you doing, Santana?" she asked softly, hoping the torch wouldn't draw any unwanted attention from large, beastly woodland creatures.
"I'm on watch duty." The girl noted nonchalantly, Rachel's jaw dropping at the admission. She'd merely made mention that she was scared of the potential local wildlife, something she had no knowledge about local prevalence to justify her fears, and the cheerleader had simply stopped trying to sleep, and instead started holding a watch. What is going on? "Look, it's no biggie, just go back to sleep. I slept in today until like, mid-afternoon, so I can go a while longer without sleep. You, though, have that freakishly early morning routine, so you need it right now. Just maybe, if I feel confident we're still in the clear when morning comes, maybe you can sit watch while I take a quick nap for an hour or two."
Rachel felt herself shaking her head before she even finished hearing the girl's words. "Santana…I may be scared, but we both need sleep, and I will not allow you to only have one or two hours of sleep tomorrow." She insisted, earning herself a cocked eyebrow from Santana as well as an amused smirk, both of which she was still intimidated by, but also growing slightly more comfortable with.
"It's pretty clear that if I don't stand watch, neither of us will sleep. You'll be too scared, and I won't be able to seep knowing you'll be a zombie tomorrow and that I could have done something to keep that from happening. I can't carry both bags AND you at the same time, you know…at least, not with me covering any real distance." Santana added, Rachel's mind going over the girl's word choice in spots; she wasn't sure if she was reading into things, but it seemed that the girl might not entirely hate her. She seemed to be worrying about her to a considerably larger degree than she'd expected.
"But you'll be so tired." Rachel whined, wanting to spare the cheerleader the trouble as she wished that they could both be at home and away from their stupid campsite.
She watched Santana shrug her left shoulder as she pondered for a moment. "Eh, cranky Santana is about the same as normal Santana, really. So nothing special there. No worries."
Rachel wasn't entirely sure, though, WHAT normal Santana was anymore. She'd initially thought she knew, from all her time in McKinley and glee, but in the past few hours she'd seen a nicer side, a different side of her that was almost always hidden away, only basically owned by Brittany when the blonde needed it. She's spent most of the night dogging me to keep going, but…she's just trying to motivate me, right? Keep my body from locking up? She's been putting my needs in front of hers all night long and I just…this can't be an elaborate prank…but…is she sincere? She's been making my mind go away from all of tonight's crap, and she's tried to make me…wait…she said she didn't like me hurt or worried, right? I think I remember that…her eyes were just so expressive right then…
Rachel's thoughts were once again interrupted by the cheerleader, who rolled her over gently in the sleeping bag, using a pair of soft digits to brush a few loose strands from her face.
"Sleep, Rach. You're safe, just sleep." She heard the girl whisper softly in her ear, and she decided she could trust the girl enough to comply. She'd just have to wait until morning to figure out if giving her trust to Santana was worth it.
The warm glow of dawn peeked through the forest around Santana as she sat idly by her small campfire, watching another day begin anew. She wasn't exactly a morning person; if she had her way, school would start closer to noon so that she could sleep in and wake to the mid-day sun overhead, but she couldn't help but enjoy the sight of the odd sunrise. It was a rare sight for her, so she took in as much of it as possible, even if she would prefer to sleep. In truth, there weren't very many things that could keep Santana from her precious sleep, and she figured she'd definitely need a nap if she were to make it through the rest of the day. With the sky as blood red as it was, she knew there would be a storm later in the day, and sleeping in the wild during a rainstorm was never very pleasant. Trying while her body ached like seven hells would just make it more difficult, so she was glad Rachel would be waking soon enough. It was common knowledge that the girl woke at six every morning, so she figured that even without an alarm, her body would be enough, given its established circadian rhythm.
What she wasn't sure about was whether Rachel was a morning person or not, though given the girl's incessantly chipper attitude on most days, she felt it was healthy to guess she was. She just hoped they wouldn't be out in the wild for too many days, knowing that the girl's attitude would eventually rub her the wrong way; Santana was arguably one of the worst morning people in all of Lima, if not Ohio. Especially if I haven't got a good night's sleep…which is why I was such a hardcore bitch head cheerleader last year…stupid 5AM practices…
"Well, at least I spent all night keeping watch against the hordes of ferocious animals I'm sure only exist in Berry's imagination." She grumbled, feeling a little bad about it, knowing her morning moodiness and sleep-deprived crankiness kicking in. No animals had come close to the tent at all through the night, though she was certain she spotted a few deer creeping through the woods. And I'm sure some small woodland creatures not of the Rachel Berry variety scurried around too… I guess I should just be thankful that, despite the odds in our favour, nothing dangerous came near us. Though maybe I could freak her out and say there was a bear, or a grue, or something, just lurking in the dark…I'm too tired to do this again this evening for her, though, so maybe not…
That night, as Santana had initially gotten into her sleeping bag, it was almost as if she had this wonderfully slow spell being cast upon her, easing her aches and gradually lulling her into a peaceful sleep coma that she deserved. When Berry had spoken up, she'd been somewhat perturbed, but not entirely, considering she'd assumed she wouldn't have to leave her comfy sleeping bag for the rest of the night. Yet, when Santana had seen her body shaking in her sleeping bag, and the hints of terror in her voice, she knew that she couldn't ignore the frustrating situation. She had to offer Rachel some reassurance that she'd live 'til morning, and that meant remaining a stable presence as a protector, a role she'd held for the latter half of the night since the crash. Santana, at the time, just hoped she wouldn't regret the decision too much, and that the girl would at least get a wonderful sleep to make up for the one she herself was missing out on. Not that she cared too much, but she didn't need both of them to be entirely hobbled, and she didn't want to carry Berry around all day, right?
Santana's initial concerns of the next day's labouring faded quickly as hours passed though, replaced by ones over the diva's wellbeing. As time passed, the girl kept slipping in and out of nightmares, her usually powerful, overbearing voice reduced to a barely audible whimper that wrenched at Santana's heart as the girl tossed and turned. She wasn't entirely sure when her stubborn side kicked the bucket, but eventually she'd shifted closer to the brunette, finding herself doing what she used to back when she was younger, sleeping over at Britt's with her and Quinn. The head cheerleader was an enigma to most people in McKinley, an ice queen who even her boyfriends didn't know and couldn't predict. To Santana though, she was still the artsy goofball who yelled at her for dog-earing the books she'd borrow from the blonde, who still keeps lemonade juice boxes hidden in her lockers, and who would get nightmares frequently, with the odd night terror popping up once or twice a year.
Britt had always slept like a rock, while Santana was a light sleeper, and would always promptly wake to find her friend in distress; years of practice in comforting her Captain had quickly returned freshly into Santana's mind as she tended to Rachel throughout the night. She'd absentmindedly stroke the girl's cheek when she'd toss and turn, softly sing her mother's Spanish lullabies when she'd whimper, and would gently hold her still the odd time Rachel would reach out and frown, returning to her post only when the girl had slipped back into a peaceful state again. The girl's fits never lasted all that long, and Santana was pleased to know Berry was a deep sleeper, her ministrations seemingly going unnoticed; not that it would be difficult to explain away any of them with logic, after all, it just would have been more awkward having to explain that she wasn't helping Rachel because she was in distress, but because she wanted an easier time the next morning, and because she reminded her of a friend, of course. It's not like she took any real joy or anything in specifically helping the diva out, she just missed that sort of connection. It had been a while since anyone but Britt had relied on her in any way, and that felt kind of good. It's not like Berry's special for getting the patented Santana dream-weaver treatment…though I guess I wouldn't give it to Finn…or Puck, or Zizes…or Artie…or Sam, he drools too much…and I probably wouldn't help Chang Squared…or Kurt, though Blaine seems pretty chill enough, so maybe…I guess yeah, it'd just be Britt, Quinn, Berry and distantly maybe Warbler or Stutters…but still, not special or anything. She mused as she stirred the package of vegan soup Rachel had packed, figuring the girl could use a warm meal after such a trying night, as their granola, trail mix and other dry foods weren't going anywhere.
Besides, campfires at night? Bad idea, given their circumstances, but daytime campfires were great ideas, especially in the morning. It gave Santana some well needed warmth on that cool morning, her tired body's temperature having dropped in anticipation of sleep long ago. Santana halted her stirring momentarily as a small whine sounded from within the tent, only to be followed up moments later by Rachel Berry crawling out of the tent and walking over toward the improvised log seating she'd set up that morning while the diva was asleep. Yep…definitely a morning person…and she's not moving too stiffly, so I guess the rest really helped her out… she mused to herself as she eyed the girl over. She still looked a bit tired, and it was clear that some movements made her wince, but it was about as good as she had hoped for when she'd decided to take watch and let the girl sleep. Besides, her bedhead was about as funny and adorable as Quinn's usually was.
Santana offered the girl a smile and kept stirring, gesturing for Rachel to take a seat. "On a scale from zero to agony, how are you feeling this morning?" she asked with a smirk, returning her focus to the campfire. She knew the girl liked to talk, and was eager to see if Berry was still too off-balance to be her blabbermouth self, or if she felt comfortable enough to take the bait and speak about herself.
"I would rank it as a moderately uncomfortable condition, I suppose. It's a bit better than yesterday, thankfully. My head isn't pounding either…but I'm still really sore and achy, and I hope that with a bit of stretching, exercise, and rest, it'll wear off a little by the end of the day." Rachel spoke, her voice not exactly happy, but words were certainly spilling freely from her mouth, something Santana found some comfort in. Not that she liked Rachel's rants, it was just a sign of her feeling more normal, is all. It's not like she cared enough to cross the distance and try to make the girl's body feel better or anything, like with a massage or something. Even if she did feel a slight urge to. It would make the traveling easier.
Ultimately, she decided that she'd helped Berry enough, and her own tired, sore body wasn't going to remain awake much longer, so her strength would thus be saved for sleeping instead. Not that Rachel seemed to notice a hint of her concern, the girl's soft brown eyes too busy stealing greedy glances into the contents of the pot. Santana watched her, amused at how transparent the diva's hunger was, though when Rachel went to get up and return to the tent, she couldn't help but call out. "Where are you going?" she asked simply, her voice causing Rachel to flinch, apparently in surprise, before the girl turned around just before the tent's opening.
"To get some food of my own." Rachel noted quietly, ducking her head away, her brow furrowed and a look of annoyance spread across her features. Santana couldn't help but let out a laugh at the diva, though she supposed she could understand her.
"Rachel, I don't eat right before bed. This is your soup mix you packed, and I figured you could use a warm breakfast. I mean, I don't know how long those weird vegan homemade soup packs would last you before they went bad, so I just made one up for you." She noted with amusement both at the girl being annoyed that she'd supposedly decided to dig into the vegan's food supply, and at the growing blush on the girl's cheeks.
Rachel just nodded and sat back down, eyeing up the soup, her stomach's grumbling audible from Santana's seat, which meant that both Berry's personality and body were impatient when it came to things they wanted.
"So, I'm going to go take a short nap. I'm pretty sure we weren't followed and won't be, and we'll be good to leave camp around nine thirty or ten, which means I need to wake up at eight thirty or nine." She spoke, earning a relieved nod from the smaller girl. "So, to get us moving more quickly, I'm going to run you through clean-up, alright?"
"I'll agree only on the condition that sometime today, before we make camp again, you finish obtaining the same five and a half total hours of sleep that I managed to get. Which means you'll take a small nap sometime in the afternoon." Rachel spoke firmly, and Santana couldn't help but admire the girl's brass ovaries for demanding Santana motherfucking Lopez do as the smaller girl said. She was too tired though to get into a lengthy disagreement anyway, so she just nodded stiffly, shooting the girl a quick glare, before bringing her gaze back to the soup.
"So anyway, wake me up if you see or hear anything suspicious at all, and especially if you hear voices. We're well hidden, but I don't want us taking risks. Put out the camp fire when you're done with it, and disperse the evidence. I'll have a granola bar and some jerky when I get up, or something. It's light out, so just sit at the entrance of the tent and keep watch. Bring a blanket out with you, it's cool this morning." She listed off, as she got to her feet, handing Rachel the bowl and utensils she'd set aside for the girl.
Rachel decided at that moment, of all moments, to grab out at Santana's wrist, the sleepy girl pushing aside the temptation to close her eyes and fall asleep standing. "Thank you for what you did last night, Santana." The diva spoke quietly, offering a wide smile that Santana softly returned.
"Least I could do…anyway, get to eating, and don't forget what I told you. I'll see you in a bit short stack." she said with a yawn, earning an absolutely ridiculous, yet slightly adorable salute from Rachel Berry. She couldn't help but laugh at the smaller girl a bit, before making her way into the tent and into her seductive, incredibly alluring sleeping bag. Santana's body quickly reacted to the welcome sign of rest and her mind promptly followed suit, sending her into a restful slumber.
Rachel lifted her head as she finished rolling up the tarp, somewhat disgruntled that her persistent shaking of it hadn't gotten much of the dirt off of it. She hadn't been tremendously pleased at the notion of packing it back up into one of their backpacks and soiling other supplies, so Santana had offered to attach it to the outside of hers with some bungee cords. She'd agreed to the girl's terms, though couldn't help but be entirely puzzled at the mostly trivial issue, and that the cheerleader had compromised so easily. Rachel, of course, had wanted to carry it until it could be washed, but Santana had made note that it would rain later anyway, so there would be little point.
Ultimately, it was much less of a compromise as an appeasement, in her eyes. It had been odd, but understandable that the other girl had coddled her the previous day; the night's events had shaken her and she'd found herself quite terrified and in need of some aid. With the both of them a few hours into the morning already, she'd had time to think over the previous twelve or so hours and all of the events that had led them to their current predicament. She still didn't feel entirely comfortable in their situation, considering her outright lack of experience in most related matters, but she had at least allowed the danger of the men from the night before to dissipate partially, and after an uneventful night, her fear of ruthless bear attacks had shrunk as well. Not to mention that her body was feeling a little better after stretching, and the both of them seemed in better spirits, all things considered.
She was just unnerved a bit, was all. Rachel wasn't used to the fairly uncharacteristic behavior from Santana, and had assumed it would have ended that morning, given she'd had enough time to process and rationalize their situation. It was hard enough to comprehend why Santana held watch all night for her, but preparing a warm breakfast for her, and appeasing her over trivial things just didn't seem in character, and Rachel was nothing if not curious.
"Hey, you ready to head out? I want to get as much distance covered today as we can before the storm hits. We might not be so lucky tomorrow with weather." Santana called out, slipping on her backpack, which was easily carrying three quarters of their equipment, not to mention the tent and tarp strapped to it. Rachel had tried complaining and pestering the girl to let her carry more, but the cheerleader wasn't having any of her rather valid and persistent protestations. I'll simply wait until either our next break, or when she's appearing tired, to take the opportunity to carry more. I'm hardly an invalid, and I know I got much more sleep than she did… she thought to herself, knowing the day would be difficult on both of their weary bodies, though even harder on the cheerleader after the short nap. Rachel considered herself somewhat athletic due to her daily exercise regimen, and although she felt much better than the previous night, she was still sore and exhausted. She couldn't imagine how tired Santana was. She certainly wasn't surprised when the girl fell asleep practically immediately. Her vigilant watch while the cheerleader slept was entirely uneventful, and she felt fortunate that Santana didn't snore like she did.
Though, on nights when she was a little more restless, and her sleep wasn't quite as deep, it would generally only be intermittent snoring. And that probably just annoyed Santana even more, not being able to ignore my snoring as a steady white noise in the background. I really should apologize sometime soon…and certainly thank her as well… she mused, thinking back to hazy memories of her steady supply of vague nightmares surrounding the previous night's incidents, and the highly dramatized imaginary events that perhaps could have taken place had they been more unlucky. However, one memory kept sifting back to the forefront; all of her dreams had taken place in their general forest area or the road they'd traveled, but one hazy memory was somewhere dark, where she couldn't see the trees or the sky. It had been disconcerting at first, but the soft lull of a song in a foreign language had put her at ease, and a simple, gentle touch had stripped her of the prior nightmares' tension.
She'd spent some time that morning by the campfire, thinking over that dream, rationalizing that it was her subconscious telling her that despite all the uncertainty and scary business they'd been involved in, she indeed was safe was the cheerleader by her side. And it doesn't matter if it was just a dream…or more unlikely, some partial memory of last night in a half-conscious state, I suppose it fits… she thought as she gave a happy grin to the tired girl before her. She knew that she'd seen, and likely would continue to see the protective streak of Santana Lopez, even if it was in a different environment than she was used to seeing it. At school, it was fairly obvious now that the girl had a hand in calling off slushies meant for the glee club since regionals in their sophomore year, at least to a significant degree. Her verbal barbs and insults had also strayed from the venomous soul-crushing one-liners and rants to more playful jabs in recent months, which had made club meetings much less exhausting and hostile. Yet, in the wild, in a real-life-crisis, the girl just seemed to scale up her actions and behaviour to meet the context and situation they were in.
"Yes. Although we have many hours of daylight ahead of us, it is pertinent that we make effective use of them, and take well spaced out breaks accordingly." She responded with a wide grin, trying to show that she was feeling more like her usual self that day, something she hoped would relieve the cheerleader, if only to show she wasn't a fragile, broken mess of a girl like she'd been the previous night. In a way, she couldn't help but envy Brittany, who'd been protected by Santana fiercely for as long as she could remember. Maybe that's why she's always so happy and carefree…she's free to do or say what she wishes and not worry about anyone lashing out…I can't imagine what having a friend like Santana would be like. I know there's more to her than the guard dog persona…and while I can't imagine she was at all genuine with her support and comfort last night, it did help me see that she's more than pent-up aggression and fangs. She's smart…she made sure I was focused more on her or anything else but what we were going through last night, when she could help it. And when she wasn't there to help at the end, she'd offered to stay up…and even if she didn't sincerely care about me, it did make me feel safer. Which I suppose she's done for me at school too, to a lesser degree, so it might not be entirely out of character…even if it feels like it… she noted internally, feeling a little confused still about the girl walking two or three paces ahead of her. Rachel still didn't know entirely what to make of Santana Lopez, but she did know that she was happy the girl was by her side instead of being stranded alone, or left with a useless partner like Kurt or Mercedes. After the previous night, she was convinced that if she were to be stuck in another similar situation, she'd want Santana, Brittany or Quinn with her, or Puck perhaps. While she felt bad that the girls had been subjected to Coach Sylvester's absurd antics and methods, she had to be thankful that they had been, knowing Santana had been her rock through it all so far, with much credit to the Cheerios coach. She just wished she wouldn't have to be for the whole rest of the way.
Feeling a spark of determination, Rachel felt her lips curl into a small, excited grin. She might have been my rock so far, but I'm not an invalid, I'm not helpless! I…I can learn, I can help, and make things easier…I watched her disassemble the tent, so I could put that together if I needed to, even if took a few minutes longer…and I think I might be able to get a camp-fire going…maybe… she mused, smirking as she looked around her. I'm not about to feel caged here. This is a prime learning experience! With an excellent, though perhaps reluctant, mentor! So I'll watch, I'll listen, and I'll do what she needs. I'll show her I'm not useless. If I can prove I can be of help…maybe she can rely on ME for once!
With a vague plan in place, she allowed herself to split her focus between Santana, and on looking for learning opportunities. Which lasted all of five and a half minutes before her foot caught in a muddy section of ground, sending her falling face-first to the dirt.
Well, everyone starts somewhere… she muttered internally as Santana strolled back to her fallen form with an amused smirk on her face, pulling her gently to her feet. While her plan had faltered upon take-off, she couldn't help but smile sheepishly and laugh along with the cheerleader as the other girl used a cloth to wipe her face clean. Between her own determination, and Santana lacking hostility, she knew she could do it. She just needed a little time and practice.
A/N: Third chapter down! I'd hoped to get a chapter out Saturday, but considerable real life complications from Friday through most of Sunday, as well as the Game of Thrones finale on Sunday, made this goal of mine unattainable. Still, I managed to get the rest of this chapter done Monday(and finished proofing today), which is still alright. Still fighting my writer's block a bit, but it's getting a little easier.
Anywho, thank you all so, so much for your wonderful support, I can't say enough how much I appreciate all the views, review, etc. It's just good knowing I'm providing some free entertainment, really. :) I'm just happy you all took the time out of your day to read (and review, to those who did that too…I admit, I love reviews), really.
Guest Reviews (in chronological order):
-ParmenideKN: I'm happy you liked San helping Rachel, she's not as hard as she likes to make herself out to be. Glad you liked the chapter!
-guest: Glad the length's not an issue. And yeah, I really do enjoy the contrast between the two characters, it makes for fun writing :) I'm glad my dabbles in humour and action have been good enough, I'm going to try to keep some humour throughout the fic, some chapters offering more than others of course. And yeah, there's a chance that Rachel will snap out of her funk and decide that she wants to channel her inner Lara Croft :P And Santana would be a perfect tutor…
-Guest: Haha, I'm glad you liked San's hatchet skills, and her affectionate side. I'll be delving into both a bit more as the fic progresses :)
-Guest: Glad you enjoyed it, I'll try to update as much as I can, but writer's block and real life might restrict me to once a week at times.
-red: :3 I'm happy to hear I have you hooked. Though I should probably watch my back, Santana might steal my fishing pole and end up freaking a certain vegan diva out over catching live fish. :P