Santana stood at the stove, quietly stirring around some scrambled eggs. Her ears perked up when she finally heard mumbled voices coming from Rachel's room; she was glad that Quinn had apparently slept late and, more importantly, gotten through the night without any terrifying dreams. With a pleased smile, she turned off the burner and grabbed the frying pan off of the stove, still jabbing at the cooked eggs as she headed over to Rachel's room. If Quinn was up, she definitely wanted her to eat some more, and this time her breakfast would be chock-full of nutrition- almost like their old days with the Cheerios, but without the voice of one Coach Sue Sylvester echoing in their heads.
In true Santana fashion, she pushed the door open without knocking, about to yell that breakfast was ready, when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her jaw dropped to the floor as she watched her two longtime friends sharing what looked to be a passionate kiss. Her heart fluttered with shock and jealousy at the sight.
When she finally came to her senses, she backed up as quickly and quietly as she could to avoid disturbing them, then headed back to the kitchen, placing the pan back on the stove and restarting the burner. She was now very glad that Kurt and Blaine had left earlier before to buy coffee for all of them, grateful that no one was around to see the torn look on her face.
Putting aside the scrambled eggs, she began to throw some bacon into the frying pan. She knew Rachel hated the smell, but she wanted Quinn to eat all she could after everything she'd gone through for so long. The cooking was a welcome distraction from everything going on...or so she thought, anyway.
She watched as the bacon spit and splattered, dazed and more than a little confused, trying to stop her mind from wandering. Yet her brain kept replaying what she had just seen seconds ago in Rachel's bedroom, her stomach twisting into an uncomfortable knot of jealousy. But she wasn't even sure who she was jealous of - did she envy Rachel, or Quinn, or…both?
She had been living with Rachel for so long that she had grown to actually enjoy her company; and if she dared to be truthful with herself, she might even have maybe kinda sorta developed some sort of romantic feelings for her. Maybe it had started when Dani had broken up with her and she wasn't even bothered by it because Rachel had been so sweet, staying up all night with her watching horror movies and eating way too much ice cream. She recalled the feeling of those stupid romantic butterflies nestling comfortably in her gut when Rachel had curled up into her, pushing Dani quickly out of her thoughts and right into the past.
And then again, obviously, she would never be able to forget the drunken Valentine's Day drunken hook-up she and Quinn had shared, and she couldn't help but wonder: if she had claimed the blonde then, would there ever have been an ex-boyfriend like the one whose clutches she had just escaped?
"Too late now," Santana mumbled to herself. She shook her head, attempting to clear it of the memories playing in her head like a movie, and reminded herself that now was not the time to be feeling sorry for herself over that lost opportunity. Now was the time to be there for Quinn, to protect and save her from the awful situation in which she'd become trapped.
When the few strips of bacon were done, she glanced at her phone. Kurt's name popped up: he'd sent a text message to let her know that he and Blaine were on their way back with the coffee.
"Really, Santana, it doesn't hurt to open a window when you cook that stuff," Rachel announced as she emerged through the curtain of her bedroom. Santana turned to see her roommate tying the belt of her robe around her waist as she headed over to one of the windows, opening it up even though it was chilly and raining outside.
"It's bacon," Santana replied, returning her attention back to the pan, turning the strips over and over again with a pair of tongs. "Sorry, not sorry."
"Smells good," Quinn said in her adorably sleepy voice, coming over to where Santana stood to inhale the scent as deeply as she possibly could.
Her hair was a tousled (but still gorgeous) mess, and the pajamas she'd borrowed from Santana were a tad too small on her, yet she couldn't hide the happiness that radiated from her, or the jubilant smile that spread across her face. Clearly, whatever she and Rachel had shared together had put her in the best mood Santana had seen from the blonde since her arrival.
"I'm glad you like it, because I was going to make you eat it anyway. You didn't have any nightmares last night?"
Quinn shook her head no as she sat herself down at the small kitchen table and answered, "No nightmares."
She looked over at Rachel, who had finally come back from where she'd been looking out the window at the traffic on the street below, and felt a sudden wave of giddiness washing over her. She wanted to say she was pain free too, thanks to a certain Broadway starlet who gave the most amazing massages, but instead she chose to watch Rachel help Santana in the kitchen.
"I got this," Santana protested, gently pushing Rachel out of the way. "I've been up cooking for a while already, so you can just go - go do your morning routine or something."
"I'm only trying to be helpful, Santana."
Rachel was a little taken aback by the edge in her roommate's voice; she hadn't experienced this side of Santana in a while, not since Kurt had moved out to be with Blaine and it became just the two of them living in the loft. She sighed, dismissing it as Santana just being agitated about Quinn's situation and disguising her distress as something else - the classic Santana coping mechanism.
Looking around the empty apartment, Quinn asked, "Where are Kurt and Blaine?"
"Coffee run. They should be back any minute now," Santana answered shortly.
Rachel looked at her, trying to read her expression. "Santana, are you all – "
Her question was cut off when there came a loud pounding at the door. Quinn instantly froze in place with the terrified expression they had sadly come to recognize all too well. Rachel flew to her side as Santana rushed over to the door, ready to take action; the bat she'd taken to keeping close by was already in her hand.
"Who is it?"
"It's us," came Sam's voice from the other side. "Sam and Mike," he clarified unnecessarily.
Santana rolled her eyes as she unlocked the door, then slid it open. She glared at them as they entered. "I told you idiots to text me when you were here. Apparently you two still listen about as well as you did when we were in Glee Club."
"Nice to see you too, Santana," Mike responded with a sly smile. He pulled her into a hug as Sam followed him in.
"When you see Quinn, you'll understand why I gave you that instruction, genius," Santana growled, stepping out of his arms to let Sam hug her next. "Hey, Trouty Mouth."
"We brought donuts," Mike said, holding up the large box that Sam had handed to him so that he could hug Santana. Laughing, Santana gestured towards the kitchen. "Put 'em over there, and go say hi to Quinn and Rachel."
She turned back to the door when she heard Kurt and Blaine walking down the hallway, chattering amongst themselves. Santana waited until the two of them entered before shutting and locking the door again.
"I can't believe you two came all the way from Chicago," Quinn exclaimed with a broad grin as she stood up to wrap her arms around the both of the newcomers, reveling in their strong, secure presence. "It's been too long."
"It's really good to see you," Mike replied, trying not to let his gaze linger too long on the bruises he saw on her face and arms, the puffiness around one of her eyes.
Sam, on the other hand, had to be distracted by Rachel's insistent tug on his arm, so appalled was he at what he saw.
"Well, now that it's a party," Santana began as she returned to the now crowded kitchen area, "Rachel, you can take over here - because I know you're dying to anyway - and the rest of you can keep Quinn company. Help yourselves to the eggs and bacon. There's plenty." Then she turned and headed towards her bedroom.
"Santana?" Quinn pulled out of her embrace with Sam, suddenly feeling alarmed at the idea of Santana not being around. "Are you leaving?"
Santana stopped at her bedroom door, nodding. "I need to go to the gym." Her eyes focused on the four guys and then on Rachel, who was clearly gazing at her with a disapproving eye. "Hey, it takes work to look this good. And besides, you've got a small army camped out here, Q. You'll be fine without me for a while."
"I, um…okay, I guess." Quinn pursed her lips as Santana disappeared into her bedroom. "Don't be long." She locked eyes with Rachel, and the two of them shrugged in confusion at the the other girl's sudden mood swing.
"I think she needs to let out some frustration," Kurt opined. "It must be eating her alive not to go after – " He paused, not wanting to bring up the obvious. "Well, I mean – come on, you remember when she fought Lauren Zizes, right?"
No one wanted to point out how that had gone, and so the observation passed without further comment.
"Okay, how about everyone grab a plate?" Rachel clapped her hands, expertly diverting everyone's attention. "It looks like there's enough food here for all of us - especially you, Quinn. Eggs are a great source of protein!"
Santana was grateful for the distraction, silently thanking Rachel for stealing the spotlight. She slipped into her coat and out the door without anyone noticing.