Rachel woke up the next morning in her bed, Quinn was on one side with Brittany on the other. Santana however was missing, something that seemed odd to the diva. Climbing down the middle of the bed so she wouldn't wake the two blondes, Rachel made her way to the bathroom to get dressed and brush her teeth. Oddly enough, she was feeling a bit better today. Being surrounded by people, new friends, was comforting.
As Rachel finished in the bathroom and made her way to the stairs, the smell of something burning caught her senses, sending the girl running to the kitchen. What she found actually drew a small smile onto her face. In the kitchen, the one and only Santana Lopez was trying, and failing, at making pancakes.
"Dammit!" Santana cried out, as another pancake burned. "Stupid pancakes."
"Santana?" Rachel called out, announcing her presence to the Latina.
"What Berry?" Santana all but growled, turning to face the smaller girl. "Your house isn't burning down, I promise. Scouts honor or whatever."
"I am not worried about that, I was just wondering what you were doing?" Rachel replied her head cocked to one side in question.
Santana immediately looked uncomfortable as she started shifting around. Rachel was getting more amused by the second at the obvious discomfort of the girl standing before her.
"When I am upset my mom makes me pancakes." Santana grumbled out. "I thought they may cheer you up a little or some shit like that."
"You are making me breakfast?" Rachel asked, caught completely off guard.
"Well technically I am making everyone breakfast, but yea, you are included…or the reason, whatever it's not like a big deal and obviously I suck at it." Santana rambled out, suddenly Santana didn't seem as frightening to Rachel.
"I could help if you want?" Rachel offered, trying to make the girl feel more comfortable.
"Yea, ok." Santana relented, offering Rachel a spatula.
For the next half hour the two girls silently made the rest of the pancakes. Rachel had remained silent, letting Santana tell her what has been going on in Glee club while they cooked. It surprised Rachel at how soft spoken the other girl could be when no one was around for her to put up her badass attitude in order to hide her true self. Most people would agree that Santana was an ass, and she was no doubt about that, but Rachel was seeing maybe there was more then meets the eye with Santana Lopez.
"…So then Kurt wanted the solo, but Mercedes wanted it too, so Shue was going to have another diva off. It was like whatever, they both kind of sucked." Santana said as she finished telling Rachel about a past rehearsal.
"What was the song?" Rachel asked, speaking for the first time since they started cooking.
"Oh, um The Only Exception. Shue thought we needed more people able to perform ballads." Santana replied. "They just didn't sound right, like Mercedes tried to change it to a more jazzy feel, and Kurt he just didn't have the right emotion."
"I see." Rachel whispered.
"It wasn't like, if you sang it. We all agreed you should be the one up on stage if the song was picked for sectionals." Santana replied. "You are coming back, right?"
Rachel cocked an eyebrow at the girl, Santana seemed like a whole new person today. Take her away from the hierarchy of school and away from her peers, well the girl became pleasant.
"I plan to, yes." Rachel affirmed, easing the other girl's fears. "You know, yesterday you were not…this nice at all."
"I don't do emotional stuff, it's not my thing. Whenever someone was upset B or Q took care of it. I guess, I always just made snide remarks in the background cause I didn't want to treat the person any different, show any pity. People usually don't want pity when something bad happens." Santana explained softly. "But then last night after everyone fell asleep I started thinking, you lost the two most important people in your life, and I am not saying this to make you upset so please don't get upset. Anyway, that left you completely alone, and that was partially my fault. If I hadn't made fun of you all these years you would have had friends surrounding you right now. I started thinking what if I were in your situation? I would have Quinn and Britt with me for sure…but you had no one. That really made me mad, people should be friends with you, we are in Glee, but because of me people are afraid to be friends with you, shitty social hierarchy. So I made the decision that I was going to be your friend and everyone else could go to hell."
Rachel looked at the girl in shock. She never once thought that Santana would lay everything out in the open like she just did. The girl had just declared herself a friend, and sort of apologized for everything she had done. Things must be bad for that to have happened.
"Well, thank you." Rachel whispered.
"Don't mention it." Santana replied. "Like for real, don't mention this conversation, ever."
"Rachel?" Quinn called out from upstairs.
"Down here Q!" Santana yelled.
Quinn and Brittany came running down the steps in their haste to make sure Rachel was still standing after being alone for the Latina.
"Are you ok?" Quinn asked, checking the brunette over while looking at Santana curiously.
"She's fine, we were just talkin and makin some pancakes." Santana answered for the diva, motioning over to the food on the counter.
"Oooh! Pancakes!" Brittany cheered. "Where are the plates?"
Rachel motioned to a cabinet while Brittany nodded and headed over to grab the things they needed. Santana went to the refregitor and opened it up, finding it almost bare. Suddenly Santana wondered how well Rachel had been taking care of herself. Hell the only reason Santana was able to make pancakes was that she had found a shake and pour in the pantry. Besides that though, the place was bare.
"Yo, Berry when is the last time you went food shopping?" Santana called out.
Quinn glanced up from helping Brittany to look at what Santana was talking about. When she saw the empty refrigerator Quinn got up to start looking around the kitchen.
"Rach, this place is like empty." Quinn said as she walked out of the pantry.
"Yea…I guess I have just been preoccupied. I haven't really left the house much." Rachel replied, looking embarrassed.
"When was the last time you had a real meal?" Quinn asked, worried for the girl.
"Oh um…I don't remember." Rachel admitted honestly, deciding there was no point in lying.
"Rachel, sweetie, you have to take care of yourself." Brittany admonished, looking up from her food to look at the diva. Brittany suddenly realized how worn and tired the girl looked.
"I know, I just…didn't see the point." Rachel whispered.
"The point in what?" Santana asked, while Quinn walked up to wrap Rachel into a hug.
"Living." Rachel softly said into Quinn's shoulder so only she could hear.
For some reason, and Rachel didn't know what this reason was, but Quinn provided a feeling of safety that Rachel hadn't felt since her dads' died. She knew there was a chance Quinn could turn around and pull a big practical joke, but she trusted the blonde.
"Living? Rachel were planning on killing yourself?" Quinn asked, lifting her chin to connect their eyes while Brittany and Santana gasped.
"I don't know, maybe? I was, am, just confused I guess I didn't see the point in living if no one cared about me." Rachel explained.
"Well that shit ends today Berry, you have the three of us now." Santana gruffly replied while Brittany and Quinn nodded their heads in agreement.
"We are going to be here for you Rachel. Through it all." Quinn offered, pulling the now crying brunette back into her arms.
As Quinn held the girl she prayed to God that they would all have the strength to get through this tough time.
