Santana had never been a huge fan of planes. She wasn't when they took off initially to New York, and she certainly hadn't warmed up to the form of travel by the time Sunday evening rolled around. That they'd be going to school on Monday just made it all that much worse; she would have preferred a day to relax. Not that it was traumatizing, but it always put her on edge, and when she was put on edge, she tended to drink, which tended to cause hangovers. Though, as it turned out, Rachel had promised to call her later that night so long as Santana held up her end of the deal and kept herself from drinking; she hoped she'd be able to do it, and Berry's confidence in her really made her think that for once, she could.
Not that she'd been on many flights, certainly no more than fourteen in total, but it tended to be fourteen too many. The flight to New York had been lucky, with no alcohol nearby, an evening spent with Britt and Quinn keeping her company, and a distraught Rachel Berry distracting her later on. Her father would likely be asleep by the time she arrived in Lima that night, which meant it would purely be her own willpower keeping her from slamming back a bottle of tequila.
"Jeez, stop fidgeting, S. I know you're desperate to get man-hands' stench off you after spending all week with her, but dial it back a bit." Quinn snarked, leading Santana to realize that she was clutching the armrests for dear life. They'd already taken off and been in the air for a while, but she supposed her body was still suffering some anxiety from lift-off.
Promptly, she forced her hands to her lap and tried to just stay calm; she really wasn't in the mood to argue with Q on an enclosed space that happened to be thousands of meters in the air or whatever. Then again, it could maybe help distract me from that whole 'thousands of meters' thing…
"Q, the only filth I need to wash off me is the stench of Finn's failure." Santana griped, giving her friend a suspicious glare. "You didn't even try to find a broadsword, did you?" Honestly, they were in New York, a city with thousands of specialty shops, and Quinn, as resourceful as she was, clearly hadn't even made the effort to track one down. It was disappointing.
"You know me, Santana, always leaving the dirty work for my minions." Quinn responded in kind, a hint of a smirk on her lips.
Santana let herself chuckle a little bit. "You just know I'd be envious of you forever if you ran him through with a sword before I did." She noted, still stuck on the fantasy of re-enacting Highlander on the lumbering oaf. It was pretty damn appealing, really, aside from the whole maximum security prison visit she'd have afterward. But hey, it didn't hurt to dream. "I figured with him practically dry humping you all trip, you could have used the opportunity, just saying."
"I realized he's a jerk. Besides, he got more action with Berry than he did with me, go ask her." Quinn said with a shrug, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Though, YOU spent a lot of time with her this week, too, S. Some might ask questions."
It was Santana's turn to shrug, which seemed to catch Quinn entirely off guard, the blonde's mouth dropping open instantly. "She's a pacifist, and we spent most of the week writing and producing and choreographing all the shit we did on Saturday that Finn ruined for us." She retorted, ignoring the initial sexual insinuation and the raised eyebrow Quinn was sporting. She knew it was a bit suspicious, but Santana figured she'd have to play the conversation out properly and tactfully. She had to care about what she said to Quinn. "And believe it or not…she's actually pretty chill when she's not in glee trying to prove herself. I think I talked more than she did this whole trip, which is kind of scary, but whatever."
"I'll believe it when I see it…and S, I really don't want to see it. You almost sound as if you'll miss hanging out with RuPaul." Quinn scoffed, shaking her head, but after a few moments of silence from Santana, who was struggling to think up the right selection of words, Quinn gave her a nervous look. "You…you won't, right?"
"This morning, B let slip to Rachel about how I am on planes and shit…" Santana started, and Quinn watched on intently, her scrutinizing gaze as unrelenting as usual. "You know, she's the first person to care that I drink myself into oblivion over this fucking stupid anxiety? And don't, Q, you just laugh at me the next day and occasionally make loud noises and flash bright lights in my eyes to piss me off. And I'm cool with that, it's how we work. I know you know I'd do that to you if you ever got blackout drunk on wine coolers again, but she's not us. She's honestly just trying to help, so she's good in my books after that and everything this week."
Quinn sat in her seat facing forward with an expression of sheer disbelief stuck on her face for a few minutes, which was enough for Santana to know that her friend was formulating contingency plans. "What do you want from me, S?" Quinn asked eventually, giving her a tired look. "Just get it over with while I'm in a good enough mood to revel in the fact that you've gone soft."
Santana decided to ignore the assertion that she wasn't a total badass, and instead just answered her friend's question. "Don't be as much of a bitch to her. Cut the nicknames, alright? I'm not saying you have to be her friend…but she fucking worked her ass off trying to make you feel welcome in glee last year after babygate. I'm pretty sure she told Mercedes about how you were faring at Puck's, which probably helped convince Mercedes to take you in. She gave her underwear up to help, and it wasn't just because she wanted to help Finn out. We would have won this year because of her if it wasn't for Frankenteen." Santana rambled, almost cursing herself for sounding like Berry. She quickly dialed herself in. "Just don't give her shit unless it's about glee shit."
"If she gets in the way of my prom campaign next year…" Quinn started, causing Santana to laugh. After the previous night, as relatively chaste and short as it all was in Santana's books, she had a feeling that Rachel wouldn't exactly be an obstacle in Quinn's path. At least, Santana hoped Berry wouldn't. It didn't seem likely that the diva would pine after Finn, and she hadn't really shown any interest in Sam so far.
"I'm pretty sure she's stepping back from Finn, after everything that happened. He blew Rachel's shot at showcasing herself in New York and winning a nationals title, with a 'dramatic' kiss that left her damn disappointed. That, coming from a girl who swoons at, like, ninety percent of dramatically romantic gestures. He blew it, so if you want to use Finnept and his custard nipples, I doubt she'd care, even if I would. UNLESS you use him and then decapitate him when he least expects it, like when he's accepting his crown at prom." Santana noted, smiling at the final sentence as she looked hopefully to Quinn, who simply rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Whatever. I guess I do owe you, so it's done. I don't understand, but I'll be nicer to Berry." Quinn said reluctantly, and Santana knew it was a major victory, so she gave the blonde a quick hug. She knew her friend had a weakness for them, being starved for affection at home, so Santana would often help her out in that regard whenever the blonde made her happy. She felt Quinn lean into it for a few moments, before pulling back with a grateful smile. Santana just ruffled the blonde's hair and grinned.
"Now, find a way to distract me until we land, Q."
Rachel had walked the halls of McKinley that Monday morning in a bit of a haze, her mind still cluttered by recent events. The first was that they returned to Lima without even making the cut for the nationals showcase. They had spent the whole school year working and growing together, only to misstep at the end and tumble to a twelfth place finish. And Santana had been right, it kept her from displaying her talents in front of the New York media and music lovers. Which, truly, was regrettable.
The second thing on her mind was the fact that Santana Lopez had been her rock throughout the week. Rachel recalled her early freak-outs, and how Santana fought to try and calm her, eventually helping her the next morning so she could have a nice day with Kurt. It had been the start of a surprisingly wonderful few days, and a few miserable nights that they had weathered together. For the first time in her life, she had someone other than her fathers to lean on, and Rachel was confident in saying that she'd made a new, very close friend. It was still a negative that Santana had found out her secret, because despite her words, she knew that the girl DID see her differently than other girls. She had to. Still, though, the former cheerleader had been sweet, and had really opened Rachel's eyes to the person Santana truly was. While she could have rage issues, and have a sharp tongue as well as a bit of a mean streak, she was also a thoughtful, caring person.
Which made for the third point on her list. Santana Lopez had started an excavation mission into her heart; Rachel had felt tingles and more than a little attraction out on their walk on the High Line. Also, while she was certain that the former cheerleader was playing to her dramatic side and using well-established sensual skills to make her feel better during her doubtful periods Saturday night, Santana had also peppered her with kisses and revealed that she'd had a minor crush on her back in freshman year.
Sure, it was most certainly an exaggeration, as she was pretty sure the girl tended to use sex like Rachel used her acting to get people to see things her way during difficult times. So ultimately, she didn't dare to put too much stock into that night's events, though that first kiss HAD been glorious. And Santana HAD angled into that last little chaste kiss before they'd started the movie.
So there was some hope, even if it likely wouldn't last. Santana was stuck in Lima, and wanted some form of tender loving care, and could potentially find it in her, someone she felt a modicum of attraction toward. Once graduation rolled around, Santana would be out in the world, and would have her freedom to find someone better. This chemistry, whatever it happened to be, was simply a stop gap. So Rachel would value the coming months, and she'd see where their friendship led, even if it wouldn't likely change; she had no illusions about the possibility of romance, and that even if something did happen, it'd likely fail like the rest. Still, though, Rachel kind of didn't want that tiny little chaste bit of lip locking to be the last kiss they ever shared.
Especially after enduring the fourth thing rushing through her mind, Santana's incident the previous night. Rachel saw the girl as a friend, so she wasn't doing it to pay Santana back for helping her all those nights, but instead had been truly worried for her. Once Brittany had spilled the beans that Santana was a nervous wreck during and after flights, Rachel had promptly went off to ensure her newest friend that she would be there for her. She'd pleaded with her not to drink, and Santana had indeed avoided dipping into alcohol, aside from a small drink or two, but the girl was a nervous wreck for a few hours late last night.
Surprisingly, the hardest thing about the ordeal hadn't been convincing Santana to keep from doing anything bad, even if she hadn't been a hundred percent successful at getting her to abstain from alcohol. It was the knowledge that Santana was aware that she shouldn't have been feeling like she did, a few short hours after the trip, and that the girl was miserable about not being able to make herself feel relaxed and do away with her anxiety. She could relate to a degree, and it hurt not to be able to see her or hug her. It hurt that she was stuck at home, a mile and a half away from Santana, and couldn't be there in person to help her. Rachel was at least happy that the girl fell asleep around two in the morning, but the amount of anxiety and frustration of Santana's that she'd had to experience over the phone was a little depressing.
On top of all of those topics, the reality that Santana hadn't replied to her text that morning had also made her nervous. Most of all, Rachel wanted to hug her friend as soon as she saw her, but she hadn't seen her yet, and knew she likely wouldn't until lunch. It all made for a juggernaut of boring classes that she'd already finished exam preparations for, where her eyes mostly remained fixed on the clocks inside the room, waiting for the bell to ring.
It was why she was staring at the one in Mr. Dobson's geography class, counting down the remaining seventeen minutes until lunch period. Each passed with agonizing sluggishness as her teacher droned on about study habits; as if anyone who didn't know how to study well in their junior year had a chance of getting a quality grade at this point in the semester.
Eventually the bell rung, and Rachel surprised herself by being up and out of her seat so quickly. Within seconds she was walking down the hall toward her locker; she planned on emptying her bag of her textbooks, only putting a delightful fiction novel and her lunch in it, and then scouring the school for her newest friend. It seemed like a good idea. At least, until she was walking near the gym, and happened to spot Azimio walking in her direction, holding both a slushie in his hand and eye contact with her.
She cursed herself internally for not taking a change of clothes with her on her search, and decided to simply stand her ground, not wanting to show any fear around the linebacker. Being a star was all about not being intimidated about opposition, and being proud of yourself in the face of criticism, after all. Or, at least, it was certainly a major part of it.
As he approached, she willed herself to glare at him, even if it only had him smiling wider. "Special delivery for the captain of the freaks!" The boy bellowed out, gathering the attention of the swarm of students still roaming the halls. Rachel almost asked how it was that he was aware she was captain, but decided it didn't matter in the least, even if it was sort of a curious detail. The crowds of her peers parted as he approached her, Rachel holding eye contact the entire way, challenging him with her defiance.
Azimio got within about five or six feet of Rachel before everything started moving slowly; she saw his eyes bulge before a loud slur laced with shock and disbelief erupted from his mouth. The slushie was in his hands one moment, and gone the next as he stumbled and hopped a little on his left foot.
"Thanks, but I can take it from here, Fat Albert." Santana quipped, suddenly in front of her and in possession of the slushie he'd been holding. As the girl used her free hand to open her bag, the boy recovered, stomping over to her.
"What are you now, her guard dog, Satan?" he asked, clearly attempting to goad Santana, but the girl didn't seem fazed at all, finally pulling out a large straw from her bag after a few seconds of struggling.
"I happen to be one of those glee freaks like Thumbelina here, so I'll take your crappy gift." Santana noted with a wry smirk before drinking some of the slushie through her straw. The ex-cheerleader didn't seem too impressed, though, quickly pulling the straw out and shooting a little of the icy mixture into the boy's eyes. "A little reminder, dough boy… strawberry-kiwi sucks. Maybe if you'd gotten us something better you'd know the REAL reason why people call us freaks." Santana practically purred her disdain as the wincing linebacker frantically rubbed at his eyes.
Rachel, deciding not to make any larger of a scene, took Santana's hand and pulled the girl away; it didn't take long before she realized what she'd done, and she couldn't help but be surprised that the taller girl hadn't pulled away. Thankful that it wasn't an issue, she led her friend through the hall to her favourite washroom on the main floor. It had a lock, and it wasn't large, so it always felt like a little sanctuary.
Rachel quickly locked the door behind them after checking the rest of the stalls and then slumped down against it, feeling entirely relieved that she was still able to wear the clothing she had started the school-day in. "Thank you, Santana." She said, smiling at the girl who stood in front of her, sipping away at the icy drink.
However, her smile faded slightly as she noticed the clear signs of fatigue written on the girl's face, especially how drooped Santana's eyelids were. "No prob, Rach. Saw him coming and I didn't want you to get all covered in this. 'Sides, I was thirsty." The girl mumbled her sleepy words out as she stifled a yawn, leaning up against the nearby wall and setting the drink down beside the sink. Santana just sounded so tired, and she wasn't sure what to do about it. "Nice stare-down, by the way. Points for that, cap'n."
"Can I redeem those points?" she asked quietly, looking shyly up at the ex-cheerleader; it was still odd to think that Santana was her friend, her confidant of sorts, at least within the walls of McKinley. Rachel was pretty sure that it would take a while to get used to that, and to stop being intimidated by her mere presence in school.
"Uh…sure, I guess." Santana sounded more confused than anything as her eyes strained to focus on the diva, the girl blinking rapidly in a stubborn attempt to remain awake. It was kind of ridiculous how cute and beautiful Santana looked even as she was clearly fatigued and half-asleep. A nagging part of her ego said it was unfair, but she shoved that off into some empty corner of her mind, knowing envy was the wrong thing to focus on.
Rachel patted the spot beside her, deciding to ignore the potential germs that were now covering her hand. "Come here." It was a simple request that resulted in a simple response, Santana promptly sitting down directly beside her. Deciding to be a little adventurous in hopes of helping the girl, Rachel gently took hold of Santana's head and leaned it against her shoulder. "Get some rest, San. We have lunch and free period back to back."
"But I haven't seen you all day." Santana mumbled sleepily, which only served to make her heart flip a little with joy that the girl had missed her to some degree. Never in her high school career had anyone told her something like that, and it was a little staggering, even if it was wonderful.
"I know, but I'll be here to wake you up at the end of our free period, and we have AP English together before Glee." She noted, wrapping an arm around the tired girl's waist and pulling her against her side. It might not have been the comfiest position, but she thought it was okay for the both of them. At least, until Santana shifted away momentarily, only to lie on her side, resting her head on Rachel's lap.
Now, Rachel wasn't the type to complain when someone felt comfortable around her; she certainly hadn't that one day when Santana had napped up against her. So the new position was, of course, a rather nice gesture of affection and trust in her mind, perhaps even something of a guilty pleasure. It was with great fervor that she thanked god for her body not betraying her, given their rather physically tricky position, where a little bit of blood flow to the wrong place could disturb the newly slumbering girl.
So she sat there against the washroom door for most of her free time, one hand idly stroking through Santana's hair while the other handled the task of eating lunch. It really did end up being a fairly wonderful break, despite the lack of verbal interaction; just knowing she was the one watching over Santana for a change was rewarding enough. Even if it was just for about an hour and a bit.
Rachel had long since finished lunch and was a few pages into one of the books she had picked out for summer reading when she felt Santana start moving around on her lap. She bookmarked her page and promptly set the novel aside as Santana moved to kneel beside her, still looking a little dazed and tired.
"Are you feeling alright? You still have eleven minutes, I don't mind you resting on my lap, Santana." Rachel noted, smiling at the bleary-eyed girl and the cute yawn she let out.
"I'm good. Thanks for…" Santana started, before giving Rachel a long, appraising look, her tired eyes just starting to regain focus. It was with little notice that she soon found herself pulled into a hug by the taller girl, Santana's hair tickling her face. "Thanks for last night. And for letting me nap."
Rachel wasn't sure how to respond to the utter intimacy in the girl's voice, so she let out a nervous chuckle, hoping to diffuse the situation with some humour. "Well, not like you need beauty sleep, but…but I'm always happy to help you if you need me." Rachel wasn't entirely sure why the somewhat flirty comment poured out of her, but it was out there for her to deal with. She felt the girl's arms tighten around her waist momentarily before Santana pulled away, mussing up the diva's hair. She didn't understand the girl's love for messing up her hairstyle on a seemingly daily basis, but she supposed everyone had annoying quirks to them; Rachel would endure the girl's hair-related behaviour if it meant that she'd be able to spend time with her newest friend.
"Come on, let's go walk off the rest of our free period." Santana noted with a playful smile, unlocking the washroom door and, with faux-chivalry, opening it while comically gesturing for Rachel to slip out first. She couldn't keep the amused grin off her face even as she tried to tidy her hair up, and felt kind of wonderful when the other girl caught up with her, walking directly beside her with barely an inch between them. Rachel was pretty sure that if she moved her hand out an inch and a half, she could grab hold of Santana's. She just wasn't sure that she wanted to try for that yet. Or, really, if it would be accepted by Santana. New York was different than Lima, after all.
As they neared Rachel's next class, a thought popped into her mind, one that quickly evolved into something perhaps resembling a need. "Santana, are you free tonight?"
The girl looked over at her with an inquisitive expression written on her face, dark brown eyes scanning her own for intent. "Yeah, it's a weeknight, I don't have much planned."
"Then come over for dinner tonight. And if your parents are around, invite them as well." Rachel knew her request was a bit abrupt, and perhaps forward, but she really did want to introduce her parents to Santana; meeting the girl's parents would be icing on the cake.
Santana's eyes rolled up a little as she seemed to consider the proposal, but the hesitation only lasted a few seconds. "Eh, why not? Just text me when you want me over, and I'll let you know if my dad can come with."
Rachel smiled brightly at the answer, feeling hopeful that after that night, maybe two more people will be brought formally into the Berry family circle of trust, and maybe they could help her fathers feel more comfortable with her transition as well as the thought of dealing with all the legal aspects.
Ultimately, while she would have preferred talking with Santana a bit more that lunch period, she knew there would be plenty of time for that later. She just had to deal with that excitement until dinnertime.
Santana gazed stonily out the passenger seat window, watching Lima's uniform suburbia breeze by as her father drove them toward the Berry household. She was tired, grumpy, a little cranky, and damn hungry; at least, her tiredness and hunger caused the other two, but each of her issues didn't have her in the greatest of moods. Additionally, Finn tried to pass off the blame in glee to Rachel, saying she leaned up and kissed him first, which totes wasn't how it went down, considering she was basically standing right behind them. Even though the rest of glee hadn't bought it, it had made for a tense session, and had only really made her that much more determined to get her hands on a greatsword. There would be a quest this summer to find a suitable one, and then a naming ritual of course.
So when she got home and asked her dad if he'd like to go to a friend's for dinner, and he'd initially joked and said she must have been in trouble if Ms. Pierce or Fabray wanted to talk to him, let's just say it didn't help. Still, thankfully, he agreed to go, but had been drilling her with questions ever since. It had already been something of a miracle that he'd currently gone a little over two minutes without asking, but she knew her reprieve wouldn't last, and she was getting tired of giving him the silent treatment for assuming she did something wrong. It just wasn't cool, he was supposed to have her back and stuff. Like, she was his baby girl and everything, and it was like rule 73 in the father handbook to not make bad assumptions about her or something. Sure, Santana knew he'd been joking, but still, she hadn't been in the best mood to start with and she was pretty sensitive about him criticizing her. She always had been.
"So…am I going to at least know the names of the people I'll be meeting in a few short minutes?" Her father asked, and she didn't even need to look his way to know he was smiling. He was always a pretty happy guy, and fairly easy going about most things, but he rarely stopped smiling on Mondays. Santana wasn't sure how her father was able to keep in such high spirits, and didn't know enough about the specifics of his job, but he usually got some paperwork from a bunch of labs on Mondays, and I guess it always at least brought some good news for someone. Unlike her, he always looked for the silver lining; it was something that she admired him for, just like she admired Rachel for it.
"Rachel Berry. You remember at regionals? Tiny little faerie girl that sang the opening solo?" She answered, deciding to cut him a break; just because she was crabby and a bitch didn't mean he deserved to be blindsided or anything.
"Oh, of course, the one with the big voice. You told me before that the club was doing original songs…I take it you got to know each other a little better when you collaborated for the competition?" He asked, to which she had to work to figure out a decent answer, because it was hard to explain. Yeah, working together got them on the same wavelength and made communicating with the diva a hell of a lot easier; it gave them something in common, or at least it revealed that. But there was a lot more to it than that.
"Something like that, I guess. But it was a little more complicated…we were roommates for a week, basically, and I learned a lot about her." She added, finally sparing him a glance as they pulled to a stop at an intersection. She could see the gears turning in her father's head and didn't like it, not one bit.
Especially when that devious little grin spread across his lips. Santana certainly didn't get her mischievousness from her mother, that's for sure. "I'm sure a week confined in a room with a pretty girl like her was 'complicated' indeed. Does my little Tana Banana have a crush?"
Santana went red at the ridiculously dumb nickname; he'd been calling her that since she was six, and hadn't stopped since. She was a little pipsqueak and she'd had the tiniest little phase where she was enamored with Pikachu and everything yellow, and had refused to eat anything but yellow food for nearly a week. Which, really, was mostly bananas. Whatever, it didn't mean that it was cool for that little period of childhood insanity to haunt her.
"Dad!" She exclaimed, hoping he'd go back on his assertion and realize he'd crossed a line. Much like her, however, he rarely let up if he caught the scent of something interesting. And ever since she'd come out to him earlier in the year after her Valentine's Day fiasco, he'd been both ridiculously accepting and determined to tease her at every opportunity.
"What? Can't a father be excited for his little girl finding someone in her tender teenage years?" He asked with mock concern, a hand held to his chest dramatically. He really was a goofball, which made it hard to stay annoyed or mad at him.
She let out a long sigh and slumped back in her seat, knowing they didn't have much time until they reached their destination, and she couldn't let him continue his line of thought over there. "Look, she's just a friend, okay? That's it. We're not dating…if I was dating her I would have told you and, like, asked you to make your celebratory enchiladas. We're friends." She insisted, earning a slow, unconvinced nod from him as the light went green again. It didn't take long to realize that she'd just insinuated that she'd like to date Rachel, which surely only fueled her father's curiosity. "Look, remember that time back in freshman year when you sat me down and beat me over the head with your anti-bullying stick?"
Immediately, his posture stiffened, and the playfulness left his face, replaced with a serious expression she rarely ever saw. "I remember that evening well, Santana. And I trust you didn't forget it."
"I didn't. Rachel…she's the girl we'd been talking about on the phone back then." Santana clarified quickly, the lack of a nod from her father prompting her to continue her explanation. "We roomed up all week, and I dreaded it going in, but she's actually really cool. She's a great person, and she invited us over…mom too, but it's not like she can fly in just for a dinner at a friend's house, you know?"
He finally nodded as they neared Rachel's street, his mouth quirked slightly to the side in thought, the gears once again working in his mind. "I suppose a week is a good amount of time to settle differences. You apologized properly, I hope?"
"You know I did, dad. She wouldn't have asked us if I hadn't, okay? Just…look. She and her family are private people, Rachel doesn't have a lot of friends, and I want to be one. So just…try to behave. I talked you up a bit as an awesome dad, and I'm sure the Berrys would be disillusioned if you spoke nothing but puns like the first time I had Brittany over." She stated firmly, hoping her father would just take the dinner seriously and keep from embarrassing her. Sure, she loved her dad's puns, but it really wasn't the time and place, or the best way to make a good first impression.
Santana let out a long breath as she pointed out the Berry family's driveway, her father quickly pulling in and stopping the car. "I promise to be on my best behaviour, mija. Now why don't you lead me up so I can meet this friend of yours."
Santana nodded stiffly and got out of the car, absentmindedly closing the door, realizing this would be her first time meeting the Berry men. I guess there'll be a lot of introductions all around, then…fun…
The walk up the stone pathway was brief and a bit nerve-wracking, but the fact that the house looked very much like a home helped a little. They had a small garden of flowers by the porch, which had a wooden swing on it of all things, and there were little plants at each side of the door. The family certainly tended to their front yard, and it made the place a little more welcoming. Enough so that she only briefly hesitated before ringing the doorbell.
"I'll get it!" Santana heard Rachel yell loudly from inside the home, the girl clearly not having an 'indoor' voice even in her own home. It was kind of amusing, if she were to be honest.
Within seconds the door was open with Rachel standing there smiling brightly at her. And then the diva was crashing into her with a hug. "Hello, Santana!" And before she could even think to reciprocate, Rachel separated from her, giving her father a shy smile. "Hello, I'm Rachel Berry! I'm going to hug you hello now, Mr. Lopez, if that's alright."
Santana watched her dad chuckle a little before gesturing the girl in, giving her a good squeeze before they parted. "Please call me Juan, Rachel. The formal titles just make me feel old." He noted happily, a smile on his face that Rachel reciprocated before grabbing Santana's hand and leading them both inside, babbling on about how happy she was that they accepted her family's invitation, and that they made sure not to include anything with peanuts due to Juan's allergy that Santana had mentioned earlier.
It was never a dull moment when Rachel was in 'Hurricane Berry' mode, all hyperactive and energetic, so it was interesting that one of the diva's fathers' voices brought the girl back down to earth almost immediately. "Rachel, why don't you take a moment to breathe so that our guests can maybe respond to you." A tall bespectacled man noted with an amused grin, standing in the doorway to what appeared to be the living room. He flicked his attention from his now sheepish looking daughter to Santana and her father. "Welcome to our home, I'm Hiram, and my husband LeRoy is just in the backyard finishing up the food. You must be Santana and Mr. Lopez."
Santana gave the man a smile, trying to read his expression to see if he was at all uncomfortable with her there; she had, after all, bullied Rachel extensively in the past. It wasn't something she figured the man would be pleased about, especially inviting the former bully to dinner. Still, he seemed genuinely happy to have them over, so she extended her hand, giving him a firm enough handshake before he moved on to her father, who gave the same spiel about his name to Hiram. Santana wasn't sure where exactly to go from there in the conversation, not really used to meeting parents, but a yell from the backyard thankfully provided some direction.
"Hiram, can you come out here and handle the steaks? I know how you get when I try and cook them." A voice called out from what sounded like the back yard, most likely LeRoy, given the circumstances.
Hiram turned to her father and gestured with his head toward the back door. "Hey, why don't I introduce you to LeRoy? I'm sure the girls won't get into too much trouble while we're out of sight." The man noted with a grin that looked a little nervous and excited; it was odd, but she watched the two men walk down the hall toward the back yard. Rachel, who was still holding Santana's hand, pulled her into the living room and plopped the both of them down on the couch.
"Don't mind him, he's just excited that I have a new friend." Rachel explained, as if the diva had been using her supposed sixth sense psychic abilities to tap into the former cheerleader's mind. Though she hadn't really been censoring her facial expressions, so Santana was pretty sure she'd been a little obvious with her confusion. "My daddy is a bit of a social butterfly, and he's always wanted me to have friends. He sort of orchestrated that party we had here earlier in the year." Berry continued, her legs kicking out playfully, as her feet just barely didn't reach the ground. It was pretty cute.
Santana nodded at Rachel's words, figuring it made sense; she knew her father wanted her to get more friends as well, but she was generally happy with her small handful, which would occasionally grow when the opportunity arose. "To be honest, I thought he would want to tear me apart. You know, because of how I've been to you in the past and whatever." She stated, earning a confused tilt of the head from the diva beside her, who just shuffled closer to her, their knees touching now.
"Santana, I don't come home and tell my parents every little detail of my day. They know the cheerleaders bullied me, until early this year in glee. That's about it, at least in regards to you. And you're not a cheerleader anymore, you're in glee, so he'd have no reason to have ill will toward you." Rachel's voice was soothing as she spoke, but the words just felt wrong; it wasn't right that she'd gotten away with it, so to speak. It wasn't right. Santana was never one for apologies, but she'd figure something out to clear her ledger down the line.
"And I'm guessing you don't want me to tell them about that tonight." Santana said, quirking her eyebrow for clarification that came in the form of Berry shaking her head. "Okay then. So you invite me and my papi over to meet you and your family…I take it you have a plan of action in mind instead of this just being super casual?"
"You haven't told him? About…about me?" Rachel asked, thankfully not looking shocked, just curious; she wasn't sure if she could have stomached shock, given how much trust the diva had earned from her, and what she and Berry had gone through the past week.
Santana shook her head tiredly, that crankiness from earlier bleeding out just a little. "Rach, I'd never do that without your consent."
"I didn't think you would, but I'm cautious, San. Just making sure. Anyway, I planned on coming out to him, I guess, then. Seeing as you know, and your father is a doctor, I sort of wanted to both gain him as an ally in this, and make sure you had someone to talk to about this, without fear of outing me." The diva made sense, Santana knowing it would be a lot easier talking to her father about things if she wasn't always wrapping it up in some hypothetical bullshit. And she knew her dad would be a steadfast ally for the girl and her family.
"That sounds good enough, and I'm sure my papi will be totes supportive. But if you ask him for advice, he'll probably just tell you to go to your doctor for it…you're not his patient or anything, you know?" She explained, hoping Rachel hadn't held sky-high expectations about her papi; he was a great guy, but he was pretty by the book when it came to all that doctor-patient privacy stuff, and over respecting his colleagues.
Rachel sidled up even closer, the smaller girl's body pressing into her side as Berry's weird little head rested on her shoulder. It was crazy how warm Rachel was, and even with it being the summer, and the Berry house's air conditioning not being up too high, she really did just want to curl up with the diva and soak in that glorious heat. "I don't expect him to be forthcoming about everything…but…would it be weird if I kind of maybe was considering switching to Team Lopez when it came to my healthcare?" Rachel asked, surprising the fuck out of her, because the girl hadn't given much indication that she was unhappy with her current doc.
Sensing Santana's conflict, most likely, Rachel hastily continued. "It's not just because I know you, and I'm not using you or anything, I promise, it's just that I'm hitting something of a wall with Doctor Weatherall, and I feel it's important to consider all my options."
Santana wasn't sure what Rachel meant by 'hitting a wall', but it didn't sound all that positive, so she figured it was worth a shot. "Okay, then. Look…my advice? If you really want to do this tonight?" Santana started, earning a quick nod against her shoulder. "Bring it up right away, as soon as dinner starts. Any time he ever tells me something serious, or any time something's going down, he always brings it up right at the start of dinner, so it gets out of the way. He always expects the same from me. It's just that I'll have to be all quiet on the western front with this…if I step in, he'll tell you to make an appointment to discuss the issue with him later. It has to be you and your fathers running the show… I can't be a part of this at all."
"This is all sounding rather intimidating." Rachel noted with a sigh, cuddling up closer to her ever so slightly. And it was true enough; her father was a goof, but he was pure business about his work, and he was very stubborn about etiquette when it came to that. It wouldn't likely be a discussion that lacked a sort of intensity.
"Look, I like you, which means he likes you, alright?" Santana asked, earning another small nod, spurring her onward. "He just needs to know you're serious, and that no one is calling the shots for you…like me, for instance. You show him respect by being professional about it, and he'll consider it. Having copies of your paperwork handy would probably help, too. But if you have it, and he asks, offer to show it after dinner."
Rachel shifted against her a little, somewhat pushing Santana further against a throw pillow nearby, before Berry got comfortable again and leaning back up against her. "I'm sorry for mixing my medical needs with this, San. I've just been frustrated for the past year, and I feel I might have another option, now. I didn't just invite you two for that, I promise…it's just…I like inviting friends over for dinner, even if I rarely have the opportunity."
Santana felt as if her heart clenched a little at the offhand remark, knowing Rachel truly deserved more friends than she currently had. She made the mental decision to pop by Berry's place more often, and invite the girl over more often as well. Maybe not every day, but often enough to get the diva used to having that sort of thing, because having guests over shouldn't be some twice annual celebration or whatever.
"Well, how about next time, I cook?" She asked, hoping that Rachel would see by her casual remark that she planned on making it a regular thing. Friends spent time together, it was pretty much a rule. Even when she kind of loathed Quinn for a little, they still hung out two or three times a week at the park or the Lima Bean; neutral territory was important back then. Not so much with Berry.
Rachel's head left her shoulder, the girl's soft brown hair draping against it instead. "Next time?" Rachel asked in a hushed voice, sounding painfully hopeful that there would indeed be another occasion.
"Yeah, like, maybe Friday? It'd be the end of the week or whatever. Or Saturday morning we could do breakfast or something? Whatever works." She noted with a shrug, giving her baffled host an amused smile. One that was ever so slowly returned, its brightness being entirely satisfying. "I mean, we don't have many classes together until the semester ends, so we should find time to hang out. Usually I just call people up randomly, but I know you like schedules and everything, and break each day down into 30 minute timeslots."
The telltale blush on Berry's cheeks made it obvious that's she'd guessed correctly that the girl was crazy organized. Santana was pretty sure she'd end up driving the diva crazy through their friendship with her impulsivity, but it'd be worth it. "I'll give you copies of my calendars for the next two months so that you'll know when I'm available, and to help schedule time for hanging out in advance?" Rachel asked, giving Santana big puppy dog eyes; it was about as close to cat calendars as she was probably comfortable with, and she wasn't about to just accept that deal as it was.
"Sure, but if I see a free time slot, I won't always give you notice. I might just pop by, seeing as it'll be summer break soon. You'll have to deal with the fact that when I get bored, I get impulsive." Santana remarked with a smirk, enjoying the conflicted intensity on Rachel's face as the diva was mentally going over the pros and cons in her head. As if it was such a major decision to make.
"I think I can agree to those terms." Rachel eventually stated, a bright smile and a nod following the words up as Berry gained confidence in her answer. The girl was admittedly a weirdo, but she was more than a little endearing, and Santana could admit that she liked the diva's craziness a teensy bit. She had ever since she'd seen the girl singing and dancing in the hallways back in freshman year.
"Girls! Dinner's ready." Hiram called from the kitchen, grabbing both of their attention momentarily. At least, enough for Santana to muss up Rachel's hair and pop off the couch, shooting the diva a cheeky grin. It was always fun to make her flustered, as the rosy blush was more than worth the annoyed huff she always got.
She ignored the perturbed scowl on Rachel's face and walked into the kitchen, finding the other Berry man there, the other two notably absent and probably in the backyard again.
"Hi…LeRoy, right?" She asked, gaining the man's attention. He nodded with a smile and bypassed Santana's outstretched hand, giving her a quick, tight hug instead.
"You must be Santana! Rachel told us you were roommates during the trip, thanks so much for keeping our little star company." He stated cheerfully, patting her on the shoulder in a way that revealed that the man probably didn't know his own strength, but she'd dealt with more forceful greetings before. Brittany had most certainly learned how to hug from her father, and that man was practically a kodiak bear.
"It wasn't any trouble, really. Once I got to know her, things went pretty smoothly, and even though we lost nationals, I think we had a lot of fun." She noted politely, wanting to make a good impression, and not wanting to delve into too much detail, considering she wasn't sure what Rachel had told her fathers. But it was true, she did end up having fun in the city, and a lot of that was because of the little diva. "And thank you for having us over. I know Rachel probably spammed you with texts after lunch, and came in like a hurricane when she got home, making sure everything was ready, so I appreciate it."
LeRoy chuckled at that, giving her another hard shoulder pat. "She's a bit of a firecracker sometimes, but Hiram's the same way. I decided long ago to just go with the flow and let them do their thing."
Santana knew well enough from how Rachel was at school and in glee that the girl was a bit of a whirlwind when she had a plan mapped out in her head; the group prep for nationals was almost fully run by the diva rather than Schuester because Rachel kept suggesting changes to choreography throughout to ensure everything worked fluidly.
LeRoy went to intercept the other men as they came in carrying a ridiculous amount of food, so she found an open seat at the table. She patted the one beside her when Rachel came into the room, the girl still trying to tidy her newly unruly hair. Berry huffed and rolled her eyes, but still took the offered seat, which she appreciated; Santana didn't want the girl going through the talk alone. While she couldn't speak for the first little while, she wanted to at least show some support in some way, even if it was just physical proximity.
And while she was pretty sure dinner would go well, she knew Rachel would be delving into some serious material, and that had her a little on edge, hoping everything would be okay. She really, really didn't want their first get together to go down badly.
***03/03/14:
I know I haven't updated this story in a while. Sadly, I won't be in a position to write for a while and while I know I'll finish this story, I'm not sure when I'll next be able to sit down and open up MS word with writing in mind. Details in my profile for anyone interested. Sorry.
A/N: And that's chapter 6! Wheee! Getting back to the Lima portion of the fic after jump-starting it in NYC. I know this chapter jumped around a bunch, but the next one will be a little more centred. This chapter was kind of necessary to start the next arc of sorts, so if it seems a little jumbled and messy…it's because I'm pretty sure I was having difficulties with it back when I wrote it.
Welp, I'm officially on my reading week for school (a school-free week where we catch up on projects, do readings, study for midterms, write papers, etc.), and while I'm likely to be busy with family and work for much of it, I have already found time to write, and I'm hopeful that I can arrange for my first significant block of time for writing since early December. Should happen Tuesday, if my plans go well :)
Anywho, thanks so much for taking the time to read and review, I'm so glad to hear so many of you are enjoying the story so far! I'm not sure when the next update for this will be, as all I have left is an outline and a half a chapter of written material. This story was initially published as a sort of stopgap, to give you something to read while I slaved away at school. Chances are I'll be updating other stories before this one, so I hope you've enjoyed this so far. As with all my major stories, I will finish it. Anything I put to written word and publish is something I feel passionate enough to finish eventually, once I have time. So while updates may be few and far between, the story will not be discontinued.
So yeah, thanks so much for taking the time to read, and for giving this story a chance. I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend!