DarknessRules558 - I won't lie, that thought did cross my mind haha
Pahke - haha they definitely will have a hand in that. And I do, too. No worries she's coming back. Enjoy!
Gleebrittanafan - thank you! I do, too. Hope you like the update :]
Drumgirlvaleska - aww thank you! Ohh yes, that's a huge step. All will be addressed soon. Thanks and enjoy!
Misscorylynn - thank you! Glad you did :]
Annalucindaberry - awww, yay! I'm back :D…glad you liked it! But ah, that's incest but the mashup name is adorable ahaha. Hope you like the update ;]
Intreeged - thank you! And yes, there will be more about that soon. Nope, never. Like I said I was just away and having some trouble finding new ideas but it's all good now.
Gleekedoutonbrittana - hahaha, exactly. If there's no drama, then why not. Yeah, I like when Brittany is like that and especially when she isn't like her character on the show. But don't get me wrong I do love her on the show of course. Ohhhh yes, it would be ;] and nope I won't…all will be addressed. Yes, but also Santana and Adrienne didn't sleep together so Kelsey will be in trouble aha. Aw, so glad you got excited. Hope you like the update and thanks! :]
Blueskkies - no, the Quintana is over and done with. No worries. Haha enjoy!
Dolphins'R'GaySharks - aww yes, that would be super cute and just read and see ;]
Anonymous - Yay! :] aw, so glad to hear that. Haha it totally is. Yeah, unexpected but totally understandable. Haha yes, she was. Hope you enjoy the update and yes, I hope they do, too ;]
Thieee - thank you! And enjoy the update :]
Wkgreen - haha yes, she does. Enjoy the update ! :D
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It had been about 5 days since the whole Lopez family reunion bombshell. Santana had been busy at work. She and Brittany weren't on the best of terms still but she promised Brittany that she meet with her sister and mother and that they'd have a date night. So here she was on her way back out to Long Island. As for the date night, that was occurring tomorrow night at Santana's apartment.
She pulled up to her sister's home and saw that her mother's car was already there. They decided to meet at a time when Crystal's kids were at school and Greg was at work. It was better that there were no witnesses other than the three Lopez women.
Santana knocked on the door and Crystal answered almost immediately.
"Were you just standing by the door waiting for me or something?" Santana teased as she hugged her sister.
"No, but I happened to notice an extra car in my driveway so I sort of put two and two together." She said back.
"So where is she?" Santana asked addressing the elephant in the room.
"On the porch."
"Okay, let's get this over with." She huffed as she followed her sister towards the porch.
"So what made you decide to come here?"
"More like who. The same who who made me meet up with mom after she showed up to my apartment with you."
Crystal figured that Brittany was the reason and she then insisted on making whipping noises towards her younger sister with a playful smile.
"Shut up." She said with a smile and that was soon replaced with a serious look as she saw her mother outside.
"Santana, it's really nice to see you." Her mother perked up as she saw her daughters walking through the door.
"Can't say that same about you especially after some things I've been hearing." She said looking directly at her mother with no emotion in her face.
"Okay, I understand where you are coming from." She said and Santana rolled her eyes. "But if you would let me explain…."
"Explain what? You obviously have your mind made up. The same mind that he's fucking brainwashed. So go back to him and get your ass beat day in and day out. I don't care just stay out of my life and stop guilt tripping Crystal back into yours."
Crystal had always been the mediator when it came to her mother and Santana. She tried desperately to convince her mom and step dad to let Santana back into the house all those years ago and she was always cast as the role of the messenger. But after hearing what her mother had done just days before, Crystal let it be known that she was done as well. So as Santana let her mother have it, Crystal stayed quiet hoping that Santana's honesty and directness would hit her mother unlike her methods of persuasion.
"Santana, just listen. When you love someone, you sometimes have to forgive them when they make mistakes because everyone makes mistakes. I would imagine that if Brittany did something to you that with time you'd be able to forgive her."
"Don't drag her into this…." Santana warned.
"Okay, but it's true isn't it? It's been several months since I left Richard and in those months he's gotten help. Time heals everything and love is the glue that helps time fix."
Santana and Crystal exchanged looks before they started busting out laughing.
"You're joking, right? I mean tell me we are being punked or something." Crystal said.
"Yeah, really. Since when did you start writing for Hallmark. In fact, since when do you know anything about love."
"I love the both of you. And I love Richard. I know that both of you are in love and would be feeling the same exact way I do if those people put you in this type of decision."
"See that's where you are wrong. We'd be in this position if the person we loved cheated on us or lied to us but the issue would be thrown out once they raised their hand to us. No amount of love in the world could make us stay." Crystal said honestly as Santana nodded in agreement.
"I stayed out of fear. When I finally left, I had no intentions of ever going back. He sought me out and changed for me."
"You seem to have your mind made up." Crystal said bitterly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Obviously, Richard can do no wrong in your eyes. I mean I'd understand if he was actually a good father figure to your children but he sucked as a father and a husband. God, I am fucking glad the Fabray's raised me because I wouldn't want to inherit your twisted idea of love."
"Obviously, their version of love involves getting pregnant and abandoning their child." She muttered and Crystal immediately turned to her sister ready to get up to stop her from going after their mother.
"How fucking dare you?" She said getting up and inching closer to her mother's seat.
"San…" Her sister warned.
"You have no idea how much it took for her to give up that girl. And if you knew anything about my life, you'd know that I was the reason why she got pregnant in the first place. She's in fucking Los Angeles right now trying to build a relationship with her daughter in an effort to actual have a relationship with her and right her wrongs. We loved each other and still do. She's just as much of a sister to me as Crystal is and don't you fucking talk about her ever again."
"Santana, I…..I'm sorry. I just….I kept you." Her mother said and Santana calmed down a bit as she tried to process what her mother said. "When I found out I was pregnant with you, I panicked. I mean we were already struggling just to support Crystal and your father wasn't working…so naturally we figured I'd just get an abortion. But I couldn't live with myself if I did that. So then we thought adoption and maybe getting money from giving you away. As the days drew closer to your birth, I couldn't and once I held you, I knew that if we went through with that that I'd never forgive myself."
"So what..a baby's too vulnerable for you to give up on but once they become teenagers and aren't who you expect them to be it's okay?"
"I was scared and finding out about you was overwhelming. With time, I was able to except it. I except you, Santana."
"Well, Jesus Christ, thank God. I mean I've been living day in and day out hoping that those words would come out of your mouth. All is forgiven." Santana said. The whole statement clearly dripping with sarcasm.
"Mom, this isn't even about that." Crystal interrupted and tried to bring the conversation back on track. "The underlying theme to everything is Richard. He forced you to throw Santana out, he's the one who hit you constantly, now he's the one that is what is making you lose your children all over again."
"He's not making me lose anything. You two aren't seeing this situation from a different perspective."
"How can we, mom? Our perspective will always be biased because all we can see is the shitty things he's done." Crystal said genuinely frustrated at her mother.
"I understand. You girls need time. Perhaps, Richard can prove himself to you two directly. I mean Santana I've even told him about your relationship with Brittany and he was genuinely happy for you."
"I said leave her out of it. And don't you fucking dare mention anything about me or my relationship with her to him."
"I think you should leave, mom." Crystal said realizing that this conversation was going nowhere. She took a deep breathe realizing that this could possibly be one of the last times she and Santana actually see their mother.
"Okay." She just said in response. "I promise that you'll see that he's changed. We'll be living a couple of towns over so when this all blows over I'll still be close."
"It's not going to blow over so long as he's involved. And don't call me when you need a lawyer for domestic violence or some other shit he's going to pull." Santana said as her mother got up and nodded. She offered a weak goodbye to her daughters and headed out the door to her car.
"I guess I'm not surprised that that wasn't productive. When I spoke to her a couple of days ago, she kept telling me I was overreacting and it wasn't a big deal."
"I guess that's what 'love' does to a person." Santana said using air quotes over the term love in an effort to stress her mother's twisted concept of it.
"Well, if that's the case, then I guess I'm not in love with Greg and you're not with Brittany." Crystal said with a slight smile. "Speaking of, how is she? Teresa keeps talking about her and asking when she'll be back."
"Well, I haven't seen her since the other day after we came back from being here. We had a little fight but I'm seeing her tomorrow night."
"A fight about what?" Her sister asked a little concerned.
"About my reaction to your news about mom. I didn't really want to talk about the reason why we left so quickly and then I tried my usual defense mechanism and she wouldn't fall for it."
"You tried to sleep with her and she stopped it?" Crystal asked knowing full well how Santana sometimes handled things. Santana nodded in response. "Wow."
"Yeah, she saw straight through my shit. The only problem was then she wanted to talk and I wouldn't. And to top it off, her own family was having some problems and I brushed it off like it was nothing important."
"What problems are they having?"
"Nothing serious or anything. It's just that Britt's youngest sister has been acting out a bit and her mother was worried. A couple of hours after Brittany left after our fight, that same sister called me for advice because she realized she's in love with a girl."
"Ah, wow." Crystal said taking in the information and not really knowing what to do with it. "I'm honestly never surprised at how much goes on in your life." She teased.
"Oh laugh it up. And Quinn's coming home either today or tomorrow so yeah. My life; it's never a dull moment."
"Well, I guess it could be worse." Crystal offered and Santana shrugged. "On the plus side, through all of this shit these past couple of months, I am glad that we've become closer."
"I am, too." Santana said back with a genuine smile as she reached across the table to grab her sister's hand. She gave it a light squeeze before continuing. "I am going to head out now. I have some paperwork to finish for work tomorrow."
"Okay. Well thanks for coming and thanks for not murdering her."
"It took a lot of willpower for me not to. Trust me." Santana said half serious and half jokingly.
"Oh, I can imagine cause even I felt like it, too. But have fun tomorrow night. I hope whatever is going on with you and Brittany is resolved. Oh and one of these days I want to have you and everyone over for dinner or something. You know after the whole tension with Quinn and Rachel and everyone settles down."
"Yeah, sure. That sounds good. I'll keep you updated on that front. And I'll be sure to visit a few more times before I head out to Ohio next month."
"Ohhhh, that's right I forgot about that trip. And you better because then I'll have to listen to my kids ask constantly about you and it drives me crazy." She laughed.
"Well, do you blame them? I'm obviously a hot commodity so people can't get enough."
"Oh, of course. Silly me. Text me when you get home, okay?" Crystal said as she hugged Santana goodbye.
"Will do. Bye, love you."
Santana walked to her car and checked her phone.
Two New Text Messages:
Kurt: the eagle has landed…well not really an eagle more like a dove or a robin. Ohh well needless to say, Quinn is back a day early. Sh it's supposed to be a secret. Part of Operation Faberry reunion.
Katie: Casey and I actually had a full conversation! :D
Santana laughed a Kurt's love for the use of the term Faberry and for Katie's fan girl reaction over just one conversation. She answered the two back and started to drive home. Once she got back to her apartment, she continued the conversations with the two and she also texted Brittany making sure they were still on for the following night. She was satisfied with the response and then decided to busy herself with paperwork so that she wouldn't have to do it tomorrow.
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Just a couple of blocks up from Santana's apartment, Rachel found herself backstage after another performance of RENT. There was only a couple of more weeks left with the Off Broadway run and the show was getting more and more buzz as it prepared for it's run on actual Broadway.
Blaine and Sam approached her backstage mentioning something about getting drinks and she politely declined. She wasn't being antisocial or depressed or anything because every other time they asked she went. She just truly didn't feel like doing anything that night especially since tomorrow was a well-needed day off. The boys understood and went towards the stage door with pens and markers in hand in preparation to sign some autographs for waiting fans.
One by one the other cast members say their goodbyes to Rachel as they leave for the night. The girl who plays Mimi lingers for a bit longer. Her name is Jessica Reyes. Fresh out of college and a rookie to the professional stage. In the weeks following she and Quinn's split or breakup or whatever occurred between them, Jessica had always seem overly interested. Rachel assumed that she had a thing for her but could never bring herself to caring. Jessica made her way up to Rachel and smiled while complimenting her on a great performance. It was basically the same routine on a different day and Rachel sighed as she watched the girl exit the theatre. She was frustrated and upset and confused and lonely.
She managed to drag herself outside where she saw a group of fans still hanging around. There wasn't a huge crowd because it was a weeknight and it was a bit rainy so it only took her about 20 minutes to interact and sign everything.
"Would you mind signing this?" She heard a familiar voice ask her as she was heading away from the theatre.
She turned around and was facing Quinn. She was honestly shocked and experienced a rare moment where she was actually speechless. Quinn just kind of smiled at her for a moment before handed her the Playbill. Rachel signed it with her mouth still hanging open from shock.
"Here…." She said handing it back. "I uh…I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow."
"That was the original plan but I found a flight cheaper for this afternoon and it worked out better for Kurt who picked me up."
"Oh." Rachel said as she nodded her head in understanding. The situation was extremely awkward. Quinn had genuinely thought it'd be a great way to surprise Rachel but she was increasingly becoming aware of the fact that it probably wasn't such a great idea so soon.
"Also, I uh….I wanted to surprise. And I guess I did since you seem like you just saw a ghost or something." She said trying to ease the tension.
"No, no I am surprised. I mean in a good way but I guess in an overwhelming way, too."
"I understand….this probably wasn't the greatest of ideas…."
"No, I'm sorry….it was a good idea. It was a sweet idea, Quinn. You didn't have to wait for me in this weather though. We could have just seen each other at our apartment."
"No, but I wanted to, Rachel. And we couldn't do that because I am not going to be at the apartment anytime soon. I'm staying at a hotel for however long it takes me to fix things between us. This was only step one and there are plenty more to come."
Rachel really still didn't know what to say. She felt like she was looking at a completely new person yet the same one. It was a weird feeling but she just knew that she had to trust what Quinn had in mind and was trying to prove.
"So why the autograph?" Rachel asked curiously not really understanding why Quinn would actually need one of hers.
"Well, my daughter out in California has become a huge Rachel Berry fan over the past weeks and I know she'd die for one of these." She said proudly holding up the signed Playbill.
Rachel smiled and looked at Quinn. She leaned into the girl and pulled her into a tight hug. Rachel was overcome with pride and excitement over the fact that Quinn had finally contacted Beth. She knew it took a lot out of her especially given the circumstances surrounding her going to Los Angeles in the first place.
"God, I missed you, Rachel." Quinn whispered into her ear as she held on tightly.
Rachel pulled away and Quinn looked into her eyes and knew that Rachel missed her just as much without the girl having to say so.
"You saw her?" Rachel finally voiced the question.
"Yeah, I did. I needed to fix that part of me in order to fix myself completely. But this is a story for another day. You are off tomorrow right?" Rachel nodded in response. "Would you mind spending the day with me? You don't have to if you don't want to but I have some things in mind."
"Sure, Quinn. I'd like that a lot." Rachel said and Quinn beamed after hearing the response. She hugged Rachel once more before the two girls decided to hail a cab together. Quinn was dropped off at her hotel first and for the first time in a couple of weeks the two girls wore genuine smiles as they entered their respective rooms.
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Okay, so I'm going to leave it here. I know some things still need to be cleared up so next chapter will have the Brittana date night and the decision on the fate of Faberry. Also, coming up will be the Ohio visit and some other things. Again suggestions, comments, criticisms, ideas are all very welcomed! Hope you guys enjoy :]