I present to you...TWO new chapters!
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."
"Do you want me to turn around?"
"We're five minutes away. You can't turn around."
Santana checked her rearview mirror and pulled the car to the side of the road. She turned as far as her seatbelt would allow her in her seat to look at Quinn. The blonde gazed at Santana with a bewildered expression and an arched eyebrow.
"What are you doing?"
"Do you want me to turn around?" Santana repeated.
"No, of course I don't want you to turn around," Quinn answered with a sigh. "I haven't seen half of the people from glee club in years."
"What's the problem then?" Santana asked as she stared at Quinn intently.
"I didn't anticipate returning to Lima anytime soon," Quinn told her in a quiet voice.
"Do you regret coming back?"
"No," Quinn said, shaking her head slowly. "I'm serious when I say you're right; I did need to come back. It's just very…"
"Weird?" Santana supplied and Quinn nodded.
"Yes. But I am glad I came with you."
"Good. I'm glad you're glad. Because, umm, not to sort of change the subject or anything, but what's your take on telling everyone about us?" Santana asked her hesitantly. "I already warned the other four not to say anything and to leave the final decision up to us."
"I was under the impression we were planning on letting them know," Quinn responded, smiling faintly.
"You're okay with that? I mean, I know not everyone from glee club is aware that you now openly date women."
"Of course I'm okay with it, Santana. You're not my dirty little secret or something. I would gladly profess my love for you at the top of my lungs from rooftops if you let me." Quinn was full-on grinning by the end of her statement, and Santana couldn't help by smile in return.
"You're so lame," Santana said, laughing. "So we'll tell them."
"We'll tell them," Quinn confirmed. "Though, I should probably give you a forewarning: Finn already does know about us."
"Wait, I'm sorry, what? Frankenteen knows about us?" Santana exclaimed.
"Well, I told you he and I are friends still. He's the one I talked to after we ran in to each other on the train a few months ago. And have been talking to ever since," Quinn explained.
"You talk to Finn Hudson about us?" Santana couldn't wrap her mind around it. "You do remember what he did to me, don't you?"
"Yes," Quinn told her firmly. "I know he basically shoved you out of the closet back in high school; I am in no way condoning that. It was a douche move, but you have to admit, he did stand behind you after it all. You being outed may have been his fault, but his support for you never wavered or faltered."
"Maybe, but-"
"I get why you have your reservations about him, I really do, Santana. Like I said, he was a dick to you," Quinn interjected. "But he's not a horrible guy. Honestly, he was the only person I felt like I could talk to about everything. Except for you, obviously. But I couldn't exactly talk about you with you. I needed someone to help me sort through all of my thoughts and feelings."
"And you chose Finn to be that someone? You couldn't have picked anyone else in this entire universe? He never even apologized for that oh so wonderful premature outing he put me through."
"He and I have history!" Quinn defended. "Sure, maybe we were romantically doomed from the moment we started going out sophomore year, but we did genuinely care about each other, despite what almost everyone said. We still do." Quinn stared at Santana earnestly, begging for her to understand. "I'm sorry he didn't apologize. I kind of assumed he did at some point in time."
"He didn't," Santana muttered.
"Okay, well then he has just lost some credibility in my book. And I am sorry." Quinn adopted her best puppy dog eyes as she gazed at Santana.
Santana sighed in surrender. "Alright, alright. I don't necessarily agree with your choice of confidant, but I do understand what it's like to need someone to talk to. And if he helped you figure things out, I guess I owe him somewhat." She smiled at Quinn, who breathed a sigh of relief.
"So you're done being pissed about it?" Quinn asked with a grin.
Santana shoved her shoulder playfully. "I wasn't pissed! Just…surprised. That's all."
Quinn nodded. "Mhmm, sure. Whatever you say, dear."
"Alright, fine. I was pissed."
"That's what I thought," Quinn answered knowingly.
"Okay, let's get to Breadstix. It's my favorite part of coming back to Lima," Santana said as she faced forward again and pulled back onto the road.
Five minutes later Santana parked the car and walked around to open Quinn's door, reaching for the girl's hand as soon as she got out of the vehicle. They walked into the restaurant and were instantly greeted by shouts and cries from their high school friends. Santana begrudgingly dropped Quinn's hand, not wanting to draw attention to their relationship just yet.
"There they are!"
"Damn, it's about time y'all showed up!"
Santana and Quinn both grinned and waved as they made their way over to everyone, seemingly the last ones to arrive. They were all there: Rachel, Kurt, Brittany, and Sam were there, of course; but Finn, Puck, Mercedes, Tina, Mike, Artie, and Kitty sat around the three pushed-together tables, as well. Finn jumped up and pulled the two girls into a tight, bone-crushing hug, grinning his dorky grin at them. Mike followed suit, but wasn't as excitable as Finn. Tina finally got up from her seat and flung herself into Santana and Quinn's arms, and Santana wouldn't have been surprised if the girl had started crying. Once the greetings were done, Santana and Quinn sat down next to each other at the middle of the group, in between Finn and Rachel.
"Finally!" Finn announced loudly. "Everyone is back together! It's been such a long time, guys."
"Yeah, yeah," Puck interrupted, waving away Finn's sentiments. "It's been a long ass time since we've all been together. Don't start crying on us, Finn. That's just embarrassing."
"Whatever, dude," Finn returned affably.
"Okay, that's enough between you two bros," Mercedes jumped in quickly. "Santana, Quinn," she continued, looking at the two girls, "we took the time waiting for you to show up to catch up with each other, but we've been informed you both are currently living in New York?" They nodded in response. "How's that life treating you?"
Santana and Quinn glanced at each other, and the latter nodded, telling Santana to go first.
"It's good," Santana answered. "Really, really good. I'm enrolled at NYU now, working towards a degree in Advertising. I work as a bartender a few nights a week. Nothing too special." She threw a knowing smirk in Quinn's direction and received a kick under the table in return.
"But you're enjoying yourself?" Tina asked. "I can't really picture you anywhere other than New York."
Santana grinned and nodded. "So people say. And yes, I am enjoying myself. I'm very happy with life at the moment."
"Good for you, girl," Mercedes praised. "How about you, Quinn? What happened to Yale?"
"Oh, umm, I graduated early," Quinn said casually, eliciting jaw drops and widening eyes from half of the people around the table.
"Wait, really?" Tina inquired looking awestruck.
"Damn, girl!" Artie hollered as he fist pumped, and Kitty smiled admiringly at Quinn. Santana recalled Kitty's strange fascination with Quinn upon their first meeting and wondered if it had worn out yet, after all these years. Apparently not.
Quinn nodded sheepishly. "Yep. Now I'm at Columbia for the next three years."
"Quinn, that's amazing!" Mike told her, while Finn reached behind Santana to pat the blonde on the back proudly.
A small blush started to creep into Quinn's cheeks from the compliments and impressed nods directed at her. "Thanks guys," she murmured quietly. Smiling to herself, Santana made a mental reminder to give the girl hell later for being so humble and shy.
"And do you also enjoy New York?" Mercedes asked.
"Definitely," Quinn replied with another nod. "I think it's a relatively good fit for me."
"New York is just the place to be in general," Rachel chipped in, grinning broadly.
Mercedes shook her head. "No way. LA's where it's at. Sunshine almost on a daily basis, movie stars, you can't get much better than that."
"Well, Chicago's pretty cool…" Artie added in an attempt to defend the city where he lived.
"Yeah," Mike helped out, "It's not LA or New York, but Chicago's pretty cool as far as cities go." Tina nodded earnestly at his side.
"Finn," Kitty drawled suddenly, "how's life in Lima?" If she was trying to get a rise out of Finn, she failed miserably; he lit up at the question and didn't hesitate in his response.
"Honestly, it's great. I think I would feel lost in the city. It'd make me feel small and insignificant. Lima's more my speed. And I love my job, so almost everything's fallen into place."
"'Almost' everything?" Kitty asked scathingly.
Everyone around the table didn't fail to notice how Finn's eyes flicked to Rachel quickly, before returning downcast. "Yeah," he answered. "Almost everything."
"You people are boring me with your stories about nothing. Let's talk about who's getting some action around here," Puck said as he clapped his hands together. "Finn? Take any nice ladies out recently?" Finn shook his head and said nothing, so Puck moved on. "How about you, Berry? What's life like on the love home front?"
Rachel cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I've been very busy with making a name for myself on Broadway. I haven't really had time to date."
Puck rolled his eyes. "Lame. Mercedes, please redeem this conversation."
Mercedes grinned and nodded. "I've actually been playing the field recently. California boys really know how to show you a good time." Puck looked impressed with her, but she turned the attention elsewhere. "So, Tina and Mike, are you two officially back together?"
"Yeah, seriously," Sam added, "your relationship kind of confuses me. It's like every time we see you guys it's different."
Tina and Mike exchanged a glance before replying. "Yes," Tina said, "we are officially dating. Again. Being in Chicago together has definitely done good things for us."
"Aww, yay!" Kurt cheered with a clap of his hands. "You two are so good together."
"Thanks, Kurt," Mike said appreciatively. "We're in a good place. We've had our ups and downs, but you know what they say. Hard with Tina is better than easy with anyone else." He grinned at Tina and intertwined their hands.
"Wanky," Santana chimed in, earning herself another kick from Quinn.
"What about you, Quinn?" Tina wondered suddenly, leaning forward in her seat. "Anyone special?"
Santana noticed Quinn's eyes widen in shock and grinned. She clasped her hands on the table and turned to Quinn with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Yes, Quinn, is there someone special in your life at the moment?" Santana saw Brittany fail to stifle a snigger at the end of the table. Quinn glared at her and opened her mouth to respond, but was spared the agony by the arrival of the waiter who had come to take their orders.
An hour later, after everyone had cleaned their plates, the group fell into casual, easygoing conversation. Santana was listening to Puck describe to Finn his adventures in California—all of which seemed either made up or exaggerated—when she felt Quinn's foot lightly running up and down her calf, sending a stroke of lightning through her body. She jumped slightly in her seat, not expecting it, and snapped her head around to stare at the girl. Quinn didn't break her conversation with Rachel, Tina, and Mercedes, but Santana saw a coy smile playing on the blonde's lips.
Two can play this game, Santana thought. She turned back to Puck and Finn, and slowly and discreetly placed her hand on Quinn's thigh. They were sitting close enough that it wasn't obvious where Santana's hand and arm were. Santana felt Quinn squirm slightly at the touch and grinned to herself. She began to inch her way up Quinn's leg and underneath the bottom hem of her dress, tracing circles on the skin. Santana glanced at Quinn and was pleased to see the girl was biting her lip and doing her best to keep her attention on whatever Tina was saying.
"Okay, everybody!" Puck's voice cut through Santana's concentration on what she was doing; she swiftly removed her hand from Quinn's thigh and looked at him. Puck stood up to address the group. "As fun as this has been, what do you say we move this party to Chez Puckerman?" He looked around at everyone and grinned when he saw smiles and nods of agreement.
Santana glimpsed at Quinn again, knowing now was the time to make their announcement. Quinn nodded and smiled in encouragement and Santana cleared her throat.
"Hold on," she said loudly, and everyone turned their attention to her. "As per usual, I am hijacking the direction in which the conversation goes, so Puck, sit down." She waited until he obliged before continuing. "Right, well, there's also one more thing you should all be aware of." They all looked at her expectantly, and Santana took a deep breath. "Quinn and I are…well, we're…we are…" The words fell short of her mouth. Smooth, Lopez.
"We're dating," Quinn helped out. "Articulate as always," she added in a whisper, covertly to Santana, smiling. The people who were already informed of the fact grinned and nodded happily; there was a moment of silence as the rest of the people processed the words before they all erupted with questions.
"I'm sorry, what?" Tina asked with her mouth hanging open.
"We—that is, Quinn and I—are dating," Santana reiterated, her brain finally connecting with her mouth.
"What do you mean 'dating'?" Mercedes inquired slowly and Santana rolled her eyes.
"It means exactly what you think it means."
"Is this, like, a joke?" Kitty said as she narrowed her eyes. "Because this isn't even believable. There's no way in hell you two are dating each other." Her voice was tinged with heavy skepticism and she was looking at Quinn like the girl was some sort of mutant.
Santana clenched her hands into fists in her lap under the table and was fully prepared to go Lima Heights Adjacent on the girl when Quinn placed her own hand over Santana's. Santana looked up and saw Quinn had on a small smile.
"Kitty," she said sweetly, turning her head to look at the other blonde, "I'm trying to imagine you as something other than a bitch, but I think it's a pointless task, because apparently that's all you are. No offense, Artie," Quinn added as she glanced at the boy. He didn't appear to have heard a word either Quinn or his girlfriend had said; he was still staring open-mouthed between Quinn and Santana.
Kitty was about to give a snarky response but Puck cut her off.
"Wait," he said, gesturing between Santana and Quinn, "you're dating? Are you serious?"
Santana rolled her eyes again. "Will you all stop being so dim? Yes, we are serious. Jesus Christ. This isn't a joke, this isn't some sort of prank or whatever the hell you may think it is. Quinn and I are seriously, openly, genuinely dating. Anyone who has a problem with it can keep their mouth shut or risk getting their ass kicked by yours truly." She glared around the table, causing Tina to recoil in her seat.
"But…you guys are both so hot," Puck said disappointedly, and Santana grinned at him.
"Yep. Which makes us the best looking couple around," she responded as Quinn chortled beside her.
"Didn't you two hate each other in high school?" Kitty asked, shutting Quinn up and wiping the grin off Santana's face.
"We didn't hate each other," Quinn retorted. "We were just…very competitive with one another."
"That's an understatement," Mercedes muttered.
"If you would have told me back in high school that Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray would eventually date one another, I think I would have laughed until I cried," Tina admitted with an embarrassed smile. "I know the glee club dated pretty incestuously, but I'm fairly certain the thought of you two together never even crossed anyone's mind."
"Well, someone had to be the tone of surprise in this group, might as well have been Santana and myself," Quinn said lightly, stealing a look at Santana, who nodded in agreement.
"How long has this been going on?" Mike asked.
"Officially?" Quinn answered. "Only three months."
"What exactly does 'officially' mean?" Artie spoke up.
Santana glanced at Quinn, who ducked her head in shyness. Unsure of what to say, Santana opened her mouth but no words came out, so Rachel jumped in.
"Oh, they've been in love with each other for quite some time now. But neither of them was brave enough to admit it or say something about it until a few months ago," she announced to the whole group.
"Rachel!" Santana and Quinn hissed at her simultaneously, agitated at her candor. Rachel looked at them and rolled her eyes.
"Well, that's what happened!" she defended.
Mercedes still gaped at the two girls being interrogated as though she didn't believe what she was hearing. "Let me get this straight. The two of you—Santana and Quinn—are dating…each other?" she asked, and if one more person posed the same question Santana wasn't above hitting someone she considered to be a friend.
"Yes," Quinn confirmed for what seemed like the hundredth time with a nod.
"Oh, sweet baby Jesus," Mercedes said, bringing a hand to her heart. "This is it. This is the end."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Santana challenged as she quirked an eyebrow.
"It's just, you are basically the two scariest people I think any of us have ever met," Tina explained. "The thought of you dating each other is very, very terrifying."
"That's what I said when I first found out!" Kurt exclaimed.
"What do you think we're going to do?" Quinn scoffed. "Assassinate someone? Take over the world?"
"Yes," four people responded in unison.
"This is ridiculous," Quinn told them.
"You're all overreacting," Santana interjected at the same time, irritated.
"Seriously, come on," Finn said as he threw an arm around Santana's shoulders. "We should all be happy for these two!"
"Thanks, Finn," Santana told him, shrugging out from under his arm. "But that's enough. The point is this: Quinn and I are dating. Like it, don't like it, I really don't care. But please, for the love of God, please stop asking us a million questions and commenting on our relationship." Quinn reached over to gently press her fingers into Santana's forearm, and Santana calmed at the touch.
"Well," Tina started as she looked between the two girls, "I guess you two do kind of make sense with each other. Once you get over the initial shock of it all, of course. Santana has the anger and temper thing going, and Quinn is calm, cool, and collected. It's a good balance."
"Also what I said," Kurt mumbled to no one in particular.
"Thank you, Tina," Quinn said quickly before Santana could say something sarcastic.
"Okay, okay," Puck called out. "Look, I love talking about woman-on-woman action as much as the next person, but let's get out of this joint." Everyone nodded and began to stand up and put on their coats. Santana and Quinn brought up the rear of the group as they made their way out of Breadstix.
"You know," Quinn said to Santana, interlacing their fingers with each other's, "you really do have a way with words." Her eyes sparkled brightly as she bit her lip to stop a laugh from coming out.
Santana bumped her shoulder into Quinn's, pouting. "Shut up. You know I don't do well with expressing or explaining things."
"All you had to do was tell them we're dating," Quinn replied through an escaped giggle.
"Hey, you could've been the one to tell them!"
"Technically, I was," Quinn reminded Santana with a grin.
"Yeah, only because my stupid brain couldn't process what I was trying to say," Santana told her. "It usually happens whenever I'm attempting to say something important."
"I think it's cute," Quinn said.
"Santana Lopez doesn't do cute."
"You need to stop saying that," Quinn responded. "Because you, Santana Lopez, are the cutest." She leaned over and kissed Santana on the cheek.
"Quinn," Santana whined, "you're going to ruin the reputation I have worked so hard to maintain if you keep up the 'cute' thing."
"That is something I'm willing to risk," Quinn said pleasantly. "Hey." She stopped walking and pulled Santana to a halt.
"Yes?" Santana asked, turning to face the blonde.
Quinn stared at her for a moment before the words came tumbling out of her mouth. "Kitty's a bitch and I love you."
Santana knit her eyebrows together in confusion. "So…is this your way of telling me you only love me because Kitty's a bitch?"
"No. But when she asked about us hating each other in high school, I don't know, it kind of just reminded me of how we were with each other back then. And how much time we lost trying to one up and beat the other. I also just wanted to remind you that I love you," Quinn stated.
Santana nodded in understanding. "Knowing what I do now, I'd do high school over again in a heartbeat. Except, I'd do it much differently, of course. I would," she continued, dropping Quinn's hand to wind her arms around the blonde's waist, "not be such an idiot and push away my feelings. I would confess my undying love for a certain, very special someone."
"Mr. Schue?" Quinn asked as she nodded and tilted her head to the side with a grin.
"How'd you know?" Santana answered with a laugh. "No, but my point is, yes, we were incredibly competitive with each other in high school. And yes, we did lose a good amount of time in which we could have been dating—it would just be plain ignorance to say anything else. However, the way I see it, we have a whole lot of time in front of us. So I say we focus on that, and give the world hell with just how awesome we are."
"I think that is the best idea I have ever heard," Quinn answered. "Though, I'm not sure if the world can handle all of our awesomeness."
"We are pretty awesome, huh?" Santana said. "I love you, too." She pulled Quinn in for a quick kiss. "But our dear friends are probably wondering where we are by now, come on." Santana reached for Quinn's hand again and led them towards the front door of the restaurant.
"I would definitely do high school differently, too," Quinn said thoughtfully.
"Oh yeah? And what would you do differently?"
"Not sleep with Puck, for one thing," she answered, laughing. "Don't get me wrong; I don't resent Beth for a second, but a lot of stress and pain could have been avoided if I had never involved myself with Puck in the first place." She paused a second to think something over. "I probably wouldn't dye my hair pink-"
"That was really hot, actually," Santana told her with a grin.
Quinn rolled her eyes. "I'm glad someone appreciated it then. But, most importantly, I would've told you how I felt. I would've laid it all out there and not have chickened out."
"And just what exactly would you have said to me?" Santana asked interestedly. They pushed the doors open and walked out into the night air, slowly heading for their group of friends who were crowded around Puck's truck in the middle of the parking lot.
"That I loved you," Quinn responded smoothly. "That I was in love with you. That I was pretty sure nobody could ever compare to you."
"I need to check just one thing," Santana said seriously. When Quinn raised a questioning eyebrow, she went on, "That's still how you feel, right?" Santana grinned when Quinn giggled in response.
"No, that's not still how I feel," Quinn remarked and Santana's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Because," Quinn pushed on, "I'm more in love with you now than I ever have been. And now, I am absolutely certain there is no one in this world who can even hold a candle to you."
"Aww," Santana replied, feeling her face heat up. "You're such a sap."
"Whatever, Lopez."
"I love you. More than you know."
"I love you, too."
"No, I'm serious, Quinn," Santana returned. "I know I'm not good with words and everything like you are, so I can't always express exactly what I'm feeling or what's going on in my mind. But I love you. Like, I don't think there are even enough words in the English language to cover it, so I guess it doesn't really matter if I'm good with them or not."
"Who's the sap now?" Quinn teased. "Hey, I'm not good with expressing myself either. I thought we already established that a while back. I'm just doing the best I can."
"Well, you're doing a damn good job."
"As are you," Quinn told Santana.
They reached the group to a clamor of whoops and hollers, while Mercedes and Tina cheered in delight.
"Look at you two, being all couple-y!" Mercedes squealed, staring at Santana and Quinn's linked hands.
"You guys really are cute together," Tina told them earnestly.
"Mmm," Santana responded with a nod, "thanks for your approval, Tina."
Everyone began to disperse and clamber into their own cars to go to Puck's house. As Santana and Quinn started towards the car Puck stopped them.
"Hey," he said excitedly, "next time you two foxy ladies get it on, can I watch?" He wiggled is eyebrows impishly.
Wordlessly, Quinn raised a threatening eyebrow and sharply smacked him across the back of the head, while Santana gave him a swift kick in the shin, before turning around and leaving him cowering in pain.