Rachel stood nervously in the middle of Santana's bedroom in her bra and panties. Santana was slowly walking around her, muttering under her breath in Spanish. Unfortunately, Rachel had taken French so she wasn't sure what Santana was saying. She went into her closet and started pulling things out. She made a couple separate piles and then held various things up against Rachel. Finally she sighed.

"You don't have my tits. We need to find something that won't hang off you. Wait!" She dove into the closet again and came out a second later with a shout of triumph. It was some kind of piece of black fabric. When she was done, Rachel had on skintight black leather pants with stiletto heel black boots. Her "top" was basically strategically arranged strips of black fabric. Santana did her make-up and hair. She stared at herself in the mirror. She looked bad ass and hot. Wow. Santana grinned at her.

The party really was a rager. It was in an abandoned warehouse. The DJ was quite good Rachel thought to herself. It was mostly techno-electronica with some hip-hop/dance thrown in, but Rachel actually loved to dance to that kind of music. The only option for drinks was what one boy called "jungle juice." Rachel was a little nervous. She'd never gotten drunk before. She didn't really go to a lot of parties. Puck and Finn wouldn't take her to the questionable ones because they were afraid of beating the crap out of some drunk idiot who upset Rachel. This was unlike anything she'd ever seen. Santana grabbed them each a cup of jungle juice. She knocked hers back like it was kool-aid.

"C'mon let's dance!" Rachel looked around her, shrugged and knocked back hers as well. Bad idea. It burned down her throat and she ended up having a coughing fit. Santana pounded on her back.

"You okay?" Rach gave a thumbs up sign and then Santana was dragging her out on the floor.

*glee*

Around midnight, Kurt decided to call Rachel. This was a fairly common occurrence on Friday nights. She was usually in bed that late, but she and Kurt would talk for an hour or so. Kurt happened to be calling Rachel from the living room because Finn had mentioned he was worried about her. Finn was watching a movie, but Kurt knew he'd shamelessly eavesdrop.

The phone rang for longer than usual. When Rachel picked up he could hear what sounded like a party.

"Hello?"

"Rachel?"

"Um, I think so. I was when I got here. Hey, am I still me? Okay. Yup. I'm still me."

"Are you drunk?" Finn stared at Kurt like he was crazy. Kurt put the phone on speaker. Party music blasted. And then came Rachel's voice, which sounded very drunk.

"I don't think so, Kurtie-poo. I have been very, very careful. You don't think I'm drunk do you?" Then they heard a guy's voice.

"No honey, you're not drunk yet. Have another."

"Rachel! Where are you?" Kurt was horrified. Rachel was always so careful. What on earth was she thinking? She could totally be roofied or something! Finn's face was turning purple.

"Um…at home?"

"With some strange guy hitting on you? What the hell would Puck or Finn say?"

"Okay…maybe not at home. Puck and Finn would definitely not like that." Kurt sighed and closed his eyes. He counted to ten.

"Rachel? Where are you?"

"Not sure, akshully." She giggled. "A warehouse? Near where my boys fight. They are soooo schmexy. I wish they were here right now." Kurt looked at Finn who looked faintly apoplectic.

"Okay, Rachel, honey. Please be careful. I'm going to send your boys to you, would you like that?" She squealed into the phone.

"Oh yes, Kurtie-poo. I miss my boys. Maybe they would dance with me? And also, some these boys don't take no for an answer. I've had to get quite fierce with a couple of them." Finn was trying to breath deeply, in and out. He kept clenching his fists.

Kurt called Puck himself.

"You're go for Puck."

"Finn's house. Now. Emergency."

"I'm there. Gimme 5 minutes." That was the cool thing about Puck. If you were his friend, he didn't give a rip what was going down—he was there, and he had your back. He was true to his word. He showed up within 5 minutes. He looked at Finn who was sort of shaking with rage and then looked at Kurt.

"Rachel's at a party. She's drunk off her ass, strange guys are hitting on her, and apparently they don't take no as an answer." Kurt decided that short and to the point was probably best. Puck looked shocked.

"What, by herself? That's just stupid. Rachel would never do that." Rachel was smart, he knew that. Smart girls did not go to parties by themselves, it was too dangerous. They needed back up, just in case. He didn't care if it was a bunch of girls, as long as there was someone to watch her back.

"I heard her. She is at a party and she's drunk off her ass." Puck looked at Finn who was furious. He nodded once. He'd heard her, too.

"That makes no sense! Rach, just wouldn't do that."

"I don't know what she's doing. I just know what I heard." Finn's voice was a low growl.

"Dude, I'm not disputing what you heard. I'm just saying let's go see what's going on. There's gotta be more to it." Puck was confused and Finn was pissed the fuck off as they left his house.

Puck drove around the warehouse area where they had their fights until they found the one with the party. It wasn't that hard. The blaring music was a big clue.

Puck and Finn looked like the very last two guys you would ever want to fuck with. They were both big, muscled, and they glowered at everyone. It was a huge party. There were probably a couple hundred people here. Great. Just great. Puck was irritated as hell. Finn looked like he might start punching random people. He started skirting the outer edge, Finn following him. They were both constantly scanning, looking for her. Puck spotted Santana dancing with a girl up by the DJ. The girls were grinding against each other to the music. It was the hottest fucking thing he'd ever seen. They were surrounded by guys, but the girls ignored them.

"Look, it's Santana," Puck hollered at Finn. "Maybe she's here with Rachel?" Finn gave a short nod. That would make them both feel better. At least somebody was watching her back. Puck wove closer, Finn still following him. Santana saw them and grinned. They could only see the back of the girl dancing with Santana. She had black leather pants that looked like they'd been painted on. Scraps of black fabric were strategically arranged to cover her breasts. Santana waved at them and then poked the girl she was dancing with. The girl turned and when she saw them her face lit up. It was Rachel. The totally smoking hot girl dancing with Santana was Rachel. She flung herself at them. She turned her face up and grinned at them both.

"You founded me! I am soooo happy to see you both. I misseded you." Finn looked at Puck. How could he be pissed off when she was so fucking cute? Puck shrugged. How the hell should he know? He wanted to take her in a dark corner and peel those leather pants off her. She was purring at both of them. Santana came up behind her.

"Oh! I have to go dance with my girl! If I don't, creepy boys hit on her, which is just yucky."

Rachel went off to grind on Santana some more. Seriously? This might just kill me, Puck thought to himself. He glared at the guys who tried to dance on Rachel and Santana. He moved up behind her. When she glanced over her shoulder and saw that it was him she moved so that she was dancing with him and Santana. Finn looked slightly less pissed off. That was good. Then Puck just gave himself up to the feeling of Rachel's ass grinding against him. He closed his eyes and just let her go. She was having fun, and now that Finn was here and could see that she was safe—he was better. Puck figured that meant they could play, right? He made Finn go out and dance with Rachel. Finn threw him a panicked glance, and Puck nodded at him. Finn knew what that meant. Everything was fine, he should just enjoy it. He didn't have to do much, Rachel basically shimmied up and down him. The boys kept a sharp eye on their girl. They danced with her, and they let her dance with Santana. No one else dared to go near her. A couple of really stupid, drunk guys did and they got a fierce glare and both boys flexing their pecs and arms. The drunk guys moved off. Around 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. the boys encouraged Rachel to go home. They dragged her off the dance floor. Santana followed, for which they were grateful because they did not want to leave her alone, either.

"Noah?" Her voice was breathy. So not fair.

"Yeah, baby girl?"

"Are we taking S-Lo, home?"

"Yeah."

"Oh good. She's my friend, you know." Rachel said this brightly. Santana grinned at her.

"Course I am, Rachel. You get me, you know? That' s why you are so, so awesome."

"No, S-Lo. You are really awesome." Puck rolled his eyes at Finn, who shrugged. The girls told each other how awesome they were until they got to Santana's house. Rachel planted one on Santana. Puck wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Love you, girl. See you on Monday." Santana staggered up to her door.

"Love you!" Rachel sang out the window. Puck frowned at Finn, who pulled Rachel back in and sat her down.

"Rach, honey, how'd you get out on Shabbat?" That was the thing that Puck kept coming back to…that Rachel had gone out on Shabbat.

"I snucked out, but shhhh. You can not tell my dads. They will be so mad at me."

"What about Puck and Finn? Are they gonna be mad at you?" Finn raised a brown at Puck. They were Puck and Finn. What the hell was he doing?

"Oh, gosh, I hope not. I want to have friends that are girls. They can't be mad about that, right?" Rachel looked worried.

"Well, Finn and Puck might care about boys rubbing up on you…"

"Ew! That's just gross. I like dancing with Santana, though."

"That's fine, shorty. I don't think Puck or Finn mind that." Puck encouraged her.

"Oh good! I love them you know."

"Yeah, shorty. We know." Puck muttered at her.

"They are my boys," she murmured up at Finn. "I love them soooo much. I don't think they know how much. I fall apart without them. I'm just not whole." Finn looked down into those eyes.

"I think they know that, Rach. They love you, too." Finn's voice was husky.

"I know they do." She smiled up at Finn.

"What are we supposed to do with her?" Finn asked in desperation.

"Sneak her back in. It's late enough, that I hope to god her dads are sleeping. If not, they like us well enough to not kill us."

A drunk Rachel was fairly docile, so they managed to sneak her into her room. She was also a little horny and pouted when they tried to leave. Finn and Puck couldn't really leave her when she was like that. They stayed with her, but they mostly just kissed her and mollified her until she passed out, which didn't take a long time.

Rachel woke up late on Saturday morning. She was by herself, which didn't seem quite right. She specifically remembered Finn and Puck being with her. She got up, staggered to the bathroom and took a shower. She went to temple with her dads. She came home and just sort of hung out. When Finn showed up at sundown he didn't look particularly happy. They ended up hanging out in Rachel's room. He just sort of laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Finn? What's wrong?" He frowned at her.

"Why would you go out like that on a Friday night, without a little more backup, Rach? Those kinds of parties can be dangerous." She blinked at him.

"I had Santana…you were okay with her at Sam's party…" Rachel looked genuinely confused.

"That was a much smaller party, Rach, and all the people there were people we know—people we all go to school with. There were a bunch of glee people there. Sam would've had your back if we hadn't been there. That other party…it was huge and we didn't see anyone we knew. Santana can usually hold her own, but I really don't like those kinds of odds. Sometimes stuff happens at parties like that. You know…to girls." Rachel frowned. He was right.

"I suppose more back up would have been better." Rachel looked at her hands and then looked back at Finn. "I guess I could have been hurt. So…if I promise to take more back up next time, you won't have an apoplectic fit in your living room?" Finn gave an irritated sort of growl.

"What, did Kurt call you?"

"To yell at me for scaring everyone? Yes. I got a two hour lecture at 7 a.m. I'm sure it would have gone on longer, but I had to go to temple." Rachel sighed.

"You know, I love him and all, but sometimes he can be a little overbearing." Finn had thrown an arm over his face.

"Hey! Kurt is my boy! He's been there for me, Finn. Through everything. If he wants to yell at me for scaring him and Noah and you…maybe I deserved it." He understood what she meant. Kurt was the only one who knew everything, and he had been Rachel's only confidant for a lot of things.

"Fine. I guess I just have to live with my every move being reported to you." Rachel started laughing so hard she ended falling off the bed. Finn gave her a harassed frown.

"Why is that so funny?"

"Kurt's been telling me absolutely everything ever since he moved in with you." Finn growled again. Rachel sat up on the floor and really looked at him. He was upset, but she wasn't sure why. His jaw was clenched. He had growled at her several times. She had thought it was kind of cute at first, and hadn't realized that it meant he was upset. She put her hand on his chest. He laid back on the bed and closed his eyes. He was fighting the natural reaction of his body to relax when she touched him. Rachel's eyes grew wide in surprise.

"Finn…what is wrong with you?" Rachel's voice was quiet, but her frustration bled through in her tone. Finn put an arm over his eyes again.

"Why did you kiss Santana?" His voice was low. Rachel was very confused now.

"What are you talking about?" Finn moved his arm to peek at Rachel. She had her hand on her hips and was looking at him as though he was insane.

"Santana. You kissed her. Last night. In front of Puck and me. And you told her you loved her."

"I did no such thing!" Rachel said indignantly.

"Yeah, Rach. You did." Rachel was filled with consternation. She had kissed Santana? When did she do that? She frowned trying to remember the end of last night. Wait…when they dropped Santana off at home…had she kissed her then? Wait…she kind of remembered something. Oh. Oh! She started blushing. She looked at Finn who was watching her carefully. He was starting to look really upset.

"I guess I did." Finn closed his eyes and took a couple breaths.

"So, did you mean it?" His voice sounded strained.

"Baby, there's something you need to understand. Santana, she's in love with Brittany. I'm the only person at McKinley who knows, really. Well, except for Santana and Brittany, of course. She…she doesn't want anybody to know about it. We are kind of in similar positions. I really feel for her, you know? I was drunk and I just wanted her to know that I'm there for her. If I had been sober, I'm sure I would have found a much better way to express myself. However, if alcohol had not been involved Santana probably would have blown me off. I do not love her, the way I love you and the way I love Puck. I love her like I love Kurt." Finn snorted.

"You don't go around kissing Kurt," he grumbled. He felt a little better, but he still was not happy.

"Actually, I do kiss Kurt," she argued, "admittedly they're mostly air kisses. I have kissed him on the cheek once or twice. I think he's kissed me on the forehead. Usually when you've done something spectacularly stupid."

"Wait just a minute! You kiss my brother?" Finn sounded surprised.

"Well, of course I do. I love him. Kisses are commonly accepted as ways to express affection. For heaven's sake, Finn are you going to have a fit when I kiss my dads on their cheeks, too?" Finn did not like where this was headed. He was moving from moral high ground to getting in trouble. He hated how quickly that seemed to happen. A guy just couldn't win. Even when he was right, he was wrong.

"Well, no."

"I promise to try to restrain myself in the future. Next time, I won't use tongue."

"What? You used tongue!" Finn was incensed again. Rachel was giggling at him, which actually just irritated him.

"No. I didn't." Rachel looked at him seriously. "Baby. Finn, I love you. And I love Puck. You two are it. God knows I have a hard enough time balancing the two of you. How am I supposed to handle any more than that?" Finn grunted in annoyance, but he let Rachel snuggle against him, and he began to relax under her small hand stroking his chest and shoulder.

"I suppose that's okay, then." He muttered. She hugged him to her and kissed his shoulder. Soon, he was too distracted by her wandering tiny hands to be upset. It really wasn't fair that she could do that.

*glee*

Mercedes and Kurt were both glaring at Rachel across the table at the coffee shop. She fidgeted in her seat. Did they really have to look at her like that? She wasn't doing anything wrong. She had nothing to feel guilty about.

"Really, Rachel? Santana?" Kurt's voice dripped disappointment. That hurt. It hurt quite a bit. She raised her chin a little.

"She's not that bad," Rachel muttered.

"Not that bad? Are we even talking about the same person? Santana Lopez?" Mercedes was stunned.

"You guys don't understand. You are both popular. People like you. We all know that is not true in my case. I just…I wanted…I like having friends—people liking me. I feel like I live in a plastic bubble. Finn and Puck are almost too protective. I think they may scare people off. I have you two, which I love. I love being part of the diva squad, but Kurt you're at Dalton and I never see you. I don't like dumping on Mercedes all the time because she has a life and other friends. And Santana…she kind of needs me. It feels good to be needed, to know that I can help someone."

Mercedes was the first to crack. Her shoulders slumped slightly and her eyes went soft. She knew Rachel was in a pretty isolated little world. It was not that Puck and Finn had purposefully coordinated it that way. It had more ended up that way. First, there had been the Jesse thing, which had taken the little drama queen a little while to get over. Then, there had been the realization that the three of them were in some kind of relationship. They had to keep things quiet, and they had to isolate themselves a little because of it. The latest had been the attack by ben Israel, Puck and Finn had gone a little overboard. No one was going to come anywhere near their girl, no one would ever hurt her again. All of those things had contributed to the current situation. Kurt and Mercedes, and the rest of glee to a lesser extent, were able to break into her world, but they were the only ones. Mercedes could understand why Rachel would be eager to make any friends she could.

Kurt was irritated. He didn't want to feel badly for Rachel, he wanted to be able to yell at her. However, he knew he couldn't do that to her. She was right. Damn it! Why did she have to be right? He knew that Finn was too overprotective. Puck wasn't quite as bad, but he had his moments. They were so worried about Rachel being hurt or injured, they didn't realize they were insulating her a little too much. He was too far away to be fully effective. Sometimes, he really hated the distance that kept him away from his diva squad. Santana might be just the cure for Rachel's growing isolation. I can not believe I'm agreeing with her. I should have my head checked.

"Fine, but if she hurts you," Kurt threatened. Rachel just laughed at them.

"Then you'll have to stand in line behind my boys," her tone was smug. Kurt and Mercedes both rolled their eyes at her, which just made her laugh again because they had done it at the exact same time—like they'd planned it or something.

"Whatever," Mercedes shrugged, "If Kurt and I happen to be closer we might just get her first." Then she high fived Kurt.

"Mercedes! Kurt! You guys need to trust me."

"Oh, honey, we do. We don't trust her." Kurt looked completely serious.

*glee*

The only person who hadn't complained, or read her the riot act was Puck. She was surprised because Puck was not at all shy about expressing himself. Usually loudly, with hands waving and veins bulging in his neck. He actually seemed totally cool with everything, which Rachel had to admit in the inner recesses of her soul seemed a little out of character for him.

It was Sunday afternoon and they were tangled together in her sheets. She was sprawled across the massive wall of muscle that made up his torso. She traced lazy circles with her fingertip across his skin and peeked up at him through the curtain of her hair. He was gently stroking her lower back down to the curve of her ass.

"What is it, shorty?"

"You haven't yelled at me, yet," she murmured against his skin.

"Don't plan on it if you keep up what you're doing."

"I mean, about the party. About Santana." Puck stilled under her and she peeked at him again. He was watching her.

"What about Santana," he asked warily.

"I think she and I are friends now," she whispered trying to gauge his reaction. He got the broody look he usually wore when he was considering something seriously.

"Why would I yell at you for that?" Puck seemed genuinely surprised.

"Kurt…and Finn are worried she might hurt me." Puck's arm tightened around her, pulling her to him so he could place a gentle kiss on her brow.

"Not gonna happen." He was so calm.

"How can you be sure? I mean, I was a little nervous I must admit."

"Baby girl, do you know who came and told me you were…in trouble?"

"Santana?"

"Yeah. She hunted me down and told me to focus on you, that you were all that mattered. She cares about you, Rachel. She'd never hurt you." Rachel thought about that for a few minutes.

"What about the party? You haven't yelled at me for that, either." Puck rolled over and flipped Rachel so that she was on her back under him. He nudged her thighs open and pressed against her.

"It was a dumbass thing to do. You were okay. You won't do it again. If I spend all my time yelling at you, I don't get to do anything else." He pressed against her again to emphasize his point. "I'd rather spend my time doing anything else."

She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.