Chapter Four:

Meet the Parents

Santana woke before the sun on Saturday. Her dreams left her with a feeling of anxious dread that filled her belly. She leaned over the side of her lacquer bed and dug around underneath until she found what she had been looking for. Despite her father's mandate on femininity she managed to find ways to hide the things she really liked; in this case Iron Man comics. Santana flipped through the pages admiring the colorful designs and action packed plots. She connected with Tony Stark in subtle ways. They both were outsiders despite their prestige and shockingly good looks. At school there were people who would kill to have Santana look their way let alone talk to them, but she knew better than anyone what it was like to put on a front the way Stark did.

Santana read her fill of the latest issues before sliding them back under her bed where no one could find them. The sun was starting to peak over the tree tops when she decided to get up. Standing in front of the full length mirror she lifted her shirt over her abdomen and mentally appraised her own appearance. 'It could be worse, but I shouldn't have eaten that ice cream or toast the other day' she thought miserably. Santana couldn't help, but nit-pick at herself when she felt stressed. Her guidance councilor had once told her not to be so hard on herself all the time, but she simply scoffed it away. How could she not be hard on herself when everyone else around her expected so much? She let her sleep shirt fall back down before she turned to find her yoga mat. '100 crunches will make up for it all.' She thought as she laid down and began her first rep.

She finished her reps and moved on to a set of thigh toning work outs when there was a knock on her door. Reluctantly she bid them entrance. Roman stood in her door way with an odd quark in his eyebrow.

"Mom says that you need to get up and eat so we can star cleaning the house for everyone tonight." He scrunched his nose and added " You might also want to shower. I can smell you from here"

Santana fought the urge to roll her eyes and failed. She brushed back her hair that was sticky from early morning sweat.

"Fine whatever. If tonight turns out to be a flop then you owe me big time. " Roman waved her off and left for breakfast.

It was eleven by the time Santana was dressed and ready to eat breakfast. She pulled a bowl from the top shelf of a kitchen cabinet. Just as she was pouring the cereal out Maria Lopez emerged from the front room. It was clear by her sour look and the abundant stench of alcohol which radiated from her pores that she had fought with Santana's father the night before.

"You don't have time for that. If you wanted to eat you should have been down sooner. " Maria picked up the bowl and dumped its contents into the trash, before violently tossing it into the sink. "You can start with the downstairs bathroom. Your brother is working on the den. I expect this house to be spotless. I wont have house guests over with this place in shambles."

Santana gave her hung over mother a bitchy sneer as she gave a soft whatever and pushed by the women. 'She makes it sound as though this place were a sty' she thought bitterly. The truth was the Lopez house was almost always impeccably clean. They had a maid who cleaned every Tuesday and Thursday, not to mention they had learned very early on to keep the house clean or risk having a shoe tossed at your head.

The frustrated teen kicked the leg of a chair on her way to the bathroom just to emphasize her frustration that much more.

"You better cut the attitude Santana and if you wake your father you'll be having dinner alone in your room tonight."

Santana paid little attention to her mother's empty threats. The older woman would never chance embarrassment over something as stupid as punishment. Roman stood by the bathroom door waiting for her. She found that her patience for today was growing finer and finer with each interaction. Why couldn't anyone just leave her be?

"Jeeze San. What did you do?" he asked with a small frown. Santana ignored him and pushed into the bathroom, pulling out the things she needed from under the sink.

"I didn't do anything. Maria is the one acting like a crazy bitch this morning..." Santana sprayed the counters down and began to wash away the invisable grime that hadn't accumulated anywhere in sight.

"She's just on edge about tonight and I think she got into a fight with papi last night over what abuelita said after church.

"That doesn't give her an excuse to drink a Forty and act like a bitch the next morning."

Roman was at a loss. He didn't know how to comfort his sister so he just stayed quietly hanging in the door frame as she wiped down the mirrors.

"So who did you end up inviting over tonight?" a slight playful smile tugging at his lips. Santana eyed her brother warily. She knew that look all too well and didn't like what it meant.

" One of the guys from the football team, why?" She asked suspiciously.

"It wasn't the one you were mack'n face with the other night after the game was it, because he couldn't catch a ball to save his life."

Santana's face turned beat red though she had thought it was impossible.

"I-I..wait..you saw?! Were you creeping on me!" She asked smacking her brother in the arm. Roman flinched and laughed.

"No! Not intentionally. I took my girl to the football game. We hung around the stadium waiting for the crowed to clear and that's when I saw you call over number twenty for a quick make out. I've got to be honest I had to fight the urge to go kick that guys ass for touching my baby sister, but then I remember how much you probably needed to get some." He tossed her a small wink. "I was starting to wonder if you played for the other team." Roman teased.

Santana felt her mouth go dry, but her instincts told her to hit her brother harder in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You're such an ass. I'm-I'm not gay dick head. If you knew half the losers at my school you'd know they're not even remotely worth the level of hot that I'm pack'n and unlike the other stupid sluts at my school, I have no interest in getting knocked up at eighteen only to marry my baby daddy." She hit him again.

"It was just a joke. Calm down San. I was kidding. God."

From over their shoulder they could hear their mother shout.

"For the last time keep it down your father is taking a nap!" Santana rolled her eyes and began putting away the cleaning supplies.

"She's the one who's going to wake the dead" She muttered under her breath.

"Hey San, can I ask you one last thing and then I'll leave you alone?" Roman's voiced dropped into a more serious tone.

"Haven't you asked a lot from me already this week? You owe me like a hundred different things." Santana snapped back at him.

"Yea, but I'm your brother so you're obligated" He ignored his sister's scoff. " Can you at the very least try to be nice to my girlfriend tonight? She's a little—quirky. I already know she's going to feel awkward with mom and dad, but I don't need you giving her shit just because. So, even if you don't like her can you try to pretend that you do?" Roman asked biting the inside of his cheek.

Santana gave a low sigh and looked away, being nice to losers was not something she was good at and her patients was nearly at a breaking point and it was barely noon. However, this girl had her best friend's heart wrapped up and tied down in so many ways she was didn't even want to begin to think about it. Is that what love meant? She could hardly picture herself so in love with another girl that she would beg for mercy from her sibling. That kind of happiness seemed far too allusive for her to ever truly reach.

"Fine. Whatever." Santana begrudgingly agreed as she pushed past her brother to finish the rest of her chores.


Santana paced around her room trying to shake the little monsters that racked her insides. She stopped to look at herself in the mirror one last time. She had chosen to wear a simple black dress with her hair falling over her shoulders in waves. Her matching heals gave the outfit an extra kick of class that she needed. Most would see her outfit as a little to fancy for a dinner date at home, but after years of fashion lessons grilled into her by her family Santana couldn't bring herself to wear anything less.

The unmistakable chirp of the door bell caused the young girl to jump out of her skin. From downstairs she could hear her name being called. Santana adjusted her dress once more, wiped away a stray bit of gloss with her fourth finger, and made a face in the mirror before she was finally satisfied with her appearance. She reached the top landing which over looked the open sitting room where Puck stood by the door talking with Santana's mother. One look at him made her want to roll over and die.

Noah wore a pair of slacks two sizes too big for him with a dress shirt that was missing a button and a tie that hung loosely askew. Santana fought back a groan as she slowly walked down the stairs. Each step her anxiety grew. The night was already a long one and it was about to get a whole lot longer.

"Oh Santana, your –erm—boyfriend is here. We were just talking about football. Noah says he plays for McKinley. " Her mother shot her an unreadable look.

" 'Sup babe?" Noah asked pulling her in close and giving her a chapped kiss on the cheek. Santana smiled weakly. Awkward hung in the room like a thick cloud of smoke as they stood around gaping at each other. Santana opened her mouth to speak, but thankfully her brother's loud footsteps broke the silence.

"Britt is outside. She says she can't find parking because some jerk with a truck took up two spaces." Roman called as he rushed down the stairs and out the door. Unlike her date, Santana's brother was dressed very nicely with a well-tailored outfit and a nice tie. She shot Puck an annoyed look knowing it was his truck that was double parked.

"Why don't you two have a seat at the table." Her mother said ushering them toward the dinning room. Puck clumsily held out Santana's chair for her as she sat which she found annoying, but she graciously accepted. He then took the seat next to her and put his arm around the back of her chair.

"So how am I doing so far Lopez?" His eyes told her that he felt pretty proud of himself so far. She was willing to bet that Puck had never been so 'courteous' to a girl in his life, which made her feel even stupider for inviting him over. She could already tell tonight was about to be a train wreck.

"So far? You're failing. Who taught you how to put on a tie Puckerman? You look like you just left the trailer park. " She hissed. " Just eat your food and answer yes or no sir to anything your asked. Keep it short and simple. Got it?"

The light behind Noah's eyes dimmed a little as he removed his arm from around her chair back. Santana reached over and straightened his tie until it hung where it was supposed to. Mrs. Lopez bustled through the dinning room and into the kitchen , muttering a small "your father's coming" into Santana's ear as a warning. Navarro rounded the corner quietly with his usual displeased look hanging over his taut features. He stood behind the chair which sat at the head of the table waiting silently. Santana gave Noah a sharp jab to the ribs with her elbow.

"Stand and shake his hand." She grunted in his ear.

Noah quickly stood up and extended his hand to Santana's father, who begrudgingly took it.

"Erm—Good evening sir. I'm Noah Puckerman."

"Good evening Noah." Her father took his seat while her mother began bringing dishes out to the table. Santana was surprised she could function giving her state earlier that morning. "So Puckerman—That's a Jewish name if I'm not mistaken. " Santana clenched her teeth. 'Fuck' she had completely forgotten that Puck was Jewish. Not that there was anything wrong with that it simply meant that her supposed boyfriend wasn't catholic.

Santana gave and audible groan. Thankfully the click of the front door closing distracted her father from further interrogation of her date. She took a mental note to kill her brother later.

"That would be Roman. Have you met are oldest Noah?" Her mother asked in a sickening sweet voice.

"Sorry about that everyone. We got distracted out side." Roman called as he walked though the front sitting room into the dinning room. Santana kept her eyes trained on the stakes that sat in the center of the table or else she might kill her kin with a death glare. Next to her she could feel Noah stand along with her father. Santana huffed and stood secretly hoping Roman's girlfriend was as big of a flop as her date was.

"Hey what's up man! I'm Noah." Puck said reaching out his hand for Roman to take. "Can I just say you are a legend at McKinley. I would kill to have half your skill." Santana rolled her eyes. The last thing her brother needed was a bigger head. Her eyes finally came to rest on her father's back. He was shaking the hand of some girl, but obscuring her from view.

"Good evening and welcome. " Her father mused politely bending over and kissing the girl's hand . Santana would have balked at her father's old fashion manners had she not caught a glimpse of who he had bowed to. There standing in her kitchen merely feet away was the blonde from the locker room. Her pale cheeks blushed a soft shade of red as Navarro's lips pressed to her hand. Her bright smile turned Santana's blood to ice only to have it shatter and melt all over again when the girl's dazzling azul eyes caught her own watching. Santana could feel her own cheeks drain of all color as flashes of the dirty thoughts she had entertained in the last week danced through her mind. Her skin felt fevered and suddenly the room seemed to be spinning.

"I'm Brittany. Nice to meet you sir. You have a very nice home" Brittany smiled to Santana's father before moving past and stretching her hand out to Santana. Santana stood there for a long moment just looking at the girl's hand, unable to move or think. She could still feel Brittany's warm breath down her neck and the way her perfect tits sat in a ducky bra.

"I—I, um, Santana. I'm Santana." Santana snapped to taking Brittany's soft hand into her own with a small short shake. She was going to be sick.

"Noah. 'sup" Puck said somewhere in the distance. His tone a little too chipper to be considered friendly.

Santana felt as though the room was closing in around her as Brittany took a seat across from her at the dinner table. Roman and Puck both sat closest to her father while she and Brittany sat near Santana's mother. Santana could feel the girl's eyeing her, there was no doubt that she had recognized her from the locker room.

"Well now that everyone is here, let us bow our heads and say grace. You do know how to say grace don't you Noah?" Her father taunted.

"Yes sir."

"Wonderful. Why don't you start us off"

'Fuck' Santana thought privately.

Puck looked to Santana, who offered no sort of help what so ever. She simply gave him a look that said 'Don't fuck this up'

"Okay so, dear god" Puck mumbled folding his hands and bowing his head like he had seen in movies and everyone else followed " Thanks for...being really awesome and stuff. Thanks for Mrs. Lopez's great looking grub. Thanks for Santana's killer legs. Thanks for –erm- "

"Jesus Christ" Santana whispered to herself.

"Thank you for this wonderful table full of family and friend. Thank you for bringing Roman and his beautiful family into my life. Thank you for Noah and his charming way with words. We ask that you guide the Titans to a victory in their next match and keep the players safe because they get hit really hard sometimes. Also if it's not too much trouble we'd like to ask that you take care of Mr. Mathews who lives behind Breadstix at the mall."

The room sat quietly, all eyes were now on Brittany who looked up from having her head bowed.

"Oh, right. Amen!" She said with a cheery smile. The room gave an echoed 'Amen' as they all crossed themselves.

"That was very nicely done Brittany. Is your family religious as well?" Navarro asked as he picked up a stake from the plate and passed it around to Noah.

"Not at all actually. My mother thinks church is a little pointless, but sometimes I go with friends. I learned how to pray from one of them."

"And what does your father say about that?" he asked almost incredulously.

"He's not really in my life, so I wouldn't know." Brittany said with a shrug. It was clear she didn't want to go into much detail on the subject.

"And what of your father Noah?" Mrs. Lopez asked trying to sway the focus.

"Not around ether ma'am. He walked out on my mom when I was a kid, but I know I have a half-black brother. He's a pretty cool dude. He's a freshmen now, but he's not really into sports or things like that." Santana could tell that nether of her parents were impressed. It was hard to tell who they approved of least. It seemed that Puck was currently the top choice.

Santana stared down at her plate pushing her peas and mashed potatoes around. For someone who hadn't eaten all day she was undoubtedly not hungry. Her body vibrated from the close proximity of the girl across from her, causing her stomach to somersault. She was more beautiful than Santana had remembered or fantasized. 'She's Roman's girlfriend. God why am I such a fucking idiot! Stupid fucking Roman and his hot fucking girlfriend—making me go to this stupid dinner', Santana ranted in her head. From the corner of her eye she could make out Brittany's soft floral pink dress and the way it fit her tall athletic figure perfectly. Uncomfortably she crossed her legs under the table only to be surprised by how slick they had become from a pool that had secretly gathered. 'Fucking fuck'

"So what do you like to do in your free time Brittany?" Her mother asked in the hopes of preventing yet another awkward silence.

"Well I cheer..." Brittany mentioned as she took a bite from her plate. "I actually met Santana the other night when our teams played each other." Santana's eyes darted up in fear. She wouldn't say anything would she? Her heart stopped for a moment as she caught the girl's glass eyes studying her carefully. A wily smile was hidden by an innocent expression " She lent me some body spray because I was so smelly after cheering all night. At the time I had no idea she was Rome's sister. I was a little surprised when I saw her tonight." This girl was dangerous.

"Oh? What a small little world, isn't it Santana?" her mother gave a fake laugh and took a sip from her wine glass.

"What about you Noah? How did you meet my sister?" Roman asked trying to contribute to the flow thinking he was doing Santana a favor.

"Who me? I uh-" Noah began dumbly.

" We met in homeroom- well I mean I've known Noah for years, but we really didn't notice each other until homeroom this year. He likes everyone to think he's a bad boy, but secretly he's a romantic. Isn't that right baby?" Santana wanted to vomit on her own words. " He bought me flowers and left them in each of my classes before he asked me out." Noah gave her a queer look, but rolled with her little story.

"Yea totally did." He mumbled taking a large bite of steak.

"That's so sweet!" Brittany swooned in the corner. " Roman tossed his game football at me and yelled across the room that he was taking me out. I didn't have much of a choice, but it turned out to be worth it." Brittany giggled and gave Santana's brother a peck on the cheek. Santana glared at the stunning blonde. How dare she walk in here looking the way she did and flaunt herself around like some kind of prize. Santana could see in her sneaky gaze that she knew exactly what she was doing Santana and the small latina wanted to hate her for it.

Dinner went on in much of the same fashion. Santana's parents asked questions, Puck would answer, and Brittany would up-stage him at every turn. She seemed too good to be true and Santana wanted nothing more than for this awful dinner to conclude, so she could go upstairs and take a very long cold shower.

"Oh babe! Tell Santana what you told me outside." Santana rolled her eyes indirectly at her brother and let her gaze fall on Brittany with an uninterested expression despite the fact that she clung to every word that had fallen from the girl's lips thus far.

"Rome—I don't know—it's not a for sure thing yet." Brittany said hesitantly as she looked between Santana and her brother.

"Come on. She'll love it. Wont you San?"

Santana offered a small 'mhm' though it wasn't very convincing. Unless the news was that Brittany was actually a raging lesbian Santana didn't want to hear it at all.

"Um—well. I might be moving to Lima soon from Oakwood, which means I'll be transferring to McKinley. It's not set in stone yet because my cheer team really needs me and I'd hate to let them down." Brittany mumbled. This time it was her turn to look down. It seemed as though Santana's abrasive gaze was having an effect. 'Good. That's what she gets' from across the table she could see Roman giving her a look that said 'You promised to play nice.'

"That sounds –erm—great. I could maybe talk to Quinn about having you on our team. I am co-captain after all..." Santana internally kicked her self 'What the fuck Lopez! She comes over to your house just to torture you with her stunning good looks and sexy personality and you offer her a spot on the team? She's your brother's girlfriend. There is no winning here for you. You are not into masochism '

"Really? You would do that?" Brittany instantly perked up with the brightest smile Santana had ever seen. It made her heart do a series of small back flips and her stomach fill with a flurry of nerves.

"Sure. If you're any good." Santana muttered under her breath.

"Oh she's good. I saw her during that game I tripped in. Actually she's the reason I tripped." Puck chimed in only to get a collective dirty look from everyone.

"Thanks Santana." Brittany said softly giving Santana her first genuine smile of the night.

Santana's mother insisted on cleaning the table herself while Navarro sulked back to his office. Apparently he had several important messages which needed replies leaving the kids standing near the front door saying their goodbyes.

" It was nice meeting you bro. Thanks for saving my sister's butt tonight." Roman said clapping Puck on the back.

"Naw. It's no problem. She's totally worth it." Santana shifted uncomfortably as Puck put his arm around her shoulders. He still looked as though he had come from a trailer park, but now he smelled like it as well.

" It was nice meeting you Noah." Brittany said stepping forward to give him a hug.

"Please call me Puck. Everyone else does. Hopefully I'll see you around school." Santana gave him another sharp jab to the ribs. Brittany laughed as her eyes turned to Santana, who tried to look away.

"It was nice finally putting a name to a face, Santana. I hope I get to see you again sometime soon." Brittany chimed sweetly stepping far inside Santana's personal space bubble then was comfortable.

Santana clenched her teeth and braced her self as Brittany wrapped her arms around her in a gentle embrace. She could smell the delightful aroma of 'Sweet Pea and Peaches' that clung to Brittany's hair. Her heart pounded so fast that she thought it might explode or cause her to pass out. Santana's mind struggled to memorize ever subtle detail of the girl's body; like the way her breasts felt pushed against her own, how her hands delicately held Santana's shoulder blades, the way Brittany's knee pushed just barely between Santana's legs, or like the way her nose grazed the inside of the smaller girl's neck sending shivers to quake Santana's body. Unfortunately there were thousands of details that were missed because the hug lasted only a fraction of a second, but it was enough to send Santana's head spinning.

"Yea, nice meeting you to Britt-" Santana was cut off as Puck pulled her aside.

"So I'm out of here, but I wanted to give my favorite girl a proper goodbye because I'm a romantic or somethin'" Puck said with a smirk.

"That's not nessi-" unable to protest further, Santana fought the urge to knee Noah in the balls as he pressed his lips into hers. She could feel her brother and Brittany trying their very best not to watch. The kiss was awkward and uncomfortable for anyone close by. This was clearly pay back, so she went along with it hoping it would end soon. When it did Noah offered a short 'later babe' and walked out the door .

Santana stood facing her brother, who was trying his best not to laugh. Brittany rubbed his arm softly trying to help. There was a small look of pity for Santana in her eyes which pissed the hot-headed latina off to no end.

"I'm going to bed." She announced and stormed her way up the stairs. She slammed the door with a loud thud that echoed through the house. By the time she kicked off her heals, her temper had calmed. She pulled back her hair and re-emerged from her room to give a proper goodbye. She reached the balcony which over looked the stairs, front door and living room areas of her house. She opened her mouth to make her presence known only to be halted by what she saw.

Brittany and Roman held each other close softly whispering over some private joke shared between the two of them. His hands were locked together around her back while her hands sat drawing shapes on his perfectly sculpted chest. Roman must have said something cute because Brittany giggled, blushed, and looked away shyly. Santana watched as her brother placed soft kisses along her neck just the way she had dreamed of doing. Brittany's body rocked into his on instinct before turning her head to find his lips. Unlike her kiss with Puck, nothing between them was forced. Roman's kissed seemed to leave the blonde utterly breathless.

Santana couldn't bring herself to look away from such a private moment between the two even though she knew it was wrong to look. As the kiss grew deeper Santana could feel her temperature rise. She longed to be the one holding Brittany the way he was. She wanted to be the one to run her fingers through the girl's thick blonde hair and whisper secretes in her ear. She watched the two make out for a moment longer, but just as she was about to turn away Brittany's eyes opened mid kiss. The bright simmering blue found Santana rich chocolate-brown instantly. Santana's breath caught in her throat as Brittany watched her while kissing her brother. There was something totally unreadable in the blondes expression. She looked in pain or maybe just the opposite; aroused.

Santana gave a small gasp before turning on her heel and swiftly returning to her room. She didn't stick around to see Brittany break off the kiss or the way Roman proudly walked his girlfriend out to the car for the night, unaware of anything that had just passed between the two most important girl's in his life.

Santana slid down the back of her door and sat against the floor, pulling her knees into her chest as she closed her eyes and replayed the last several moment over and over again in her mind. The look Brittany had given her made her legs quiver and her chest flutter. How was it that one girl could have so much power over her? It didn't make sense. Santana remained rooted to the spot until she fell into another restless sleep against the carpet. Her dreams were once again filled with Brittany and the bright blue eyes which seemed to shatter everything Santana had ever known.


A/N- Sorry for the wait! Please review and let me know what you think! A lot has happened in this chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who's read my stuff so far. You guys are the best!