"I can't even put it into words Santana, how amazing it is. I can't thank you enough," Rachel gushed as she helped her stepsister set the table. "I mean, all it took was a small bite, and yeah I was sick for days but Quinn took care of me, every single day. I mean we're closer than ever before."
Santana gritted her teeth slightly and glanced over at Charlie who was currently in the kitchen helping her mother. Having Thanksgiving dinner with Charlie and her family had seemed like a good idea at the time, no-one had said anything about Rachel being present. She hadn't seen Rachel since her turn. "Good for you," she mumbled glancing over at Charlie, she knew Charlie could hear the conversation.
"Like she just knows. Everything, all my emotions, she knows when I'm feeling distressed even when we're not in the same room. When I was worried about my audition, she knew even though she was a state away. I mean I was iffy at first about turning, but I barely have a scar. I know that Charlie's just gotten back to school, but I think the sooner you do it the better."
Santana glances back at Charlie for a moment who turns to look at her, and bites her lip trying not to laugh out loud. Charlie's mouth was currently filled to the brim with bacon. "You're going to choke you do know, that right?"
Charlie slowly chews and shivers before swallowing, and flashes Santana a huge grin. "Then I'd die happy, with a belly full of bacon. What more can anyone ask for?" Charlie asks seriously.
Santana rolled her eyes at the statement. "Your bacon obsession is weird," Santana mutters under her breath, groaning when all the Fabray's gasp in shock and horror. "Weirdos." She pauses for a moment and glances over at Rachel, she hadn't seen any of Rachel's weird vegan crap. "What are you going to eat?"
"I'm a wolf now Santana, we're carnivorous, aren't you a vet? Shouldn't you know that?" Rachel asks seriously.
Santana blinked twice, "You tried to feed Charlie vegetables when we were teenagers, and you insisted, that wolves could survive on a diet of rabbit food. And now you're perfectly fine with tearing into the flesh of a dead animal?"
Rachel flushed and shot Quinn an annoyed look when Quinn snorted. "I was wrong. I know better now," she mumbled in embarrassment.
"Uhuh," Santana rolled her eyes again and turned to look at Charlie who was staring at the massive turkey. Immediately she breaks away from Rachel and moves to wrap her arms around her girlfriend tightly before she decided to steal the turkey and go and hide somewhere and finish it. It was also a convenient excuse to get away from Rachel. The last thing she needed to do was have her bragging about how great her life was and demanding to know when she was going to make the turn. "Charlie, no."
Charlie puffs out her cheeks and turns to look at Santana frowning slightly for a moment, and glancing at Rachel. She reaches down and takes Santana's hand before looking at her mother, "I'm going to show Santana my room."
"Is that code for sex?" Judy asked, crinkling her nose. "I know you're both adults but dinner will be ready soon."
Santana turned a bright red and tried to tug her hand out of Charlie's hand, but Charlie's grip was tight. She didn't want Judy to think that they were going to disrespect her like that.
"We're not going to have sex mom, who do you think I am? Quinn and Rachel?"
"At least I'm having sex," Quinn snaps at her sister. "Besides we're trying to have pups."
Judy's eyes widened at the statement and she turns on her oldest daughter, "You're trying to have children?"
Santana stiffens at this announcement stunned. Rachel had just made the change about six months ago, how could they even think about having children now? She barely registers Charlie tugging her along until she trips over the stairs. She looks up at Charlie who is looking at her expectantly. "Sorry, it's just a bit of a shock is all, they're trying to have kids."
"You're not done with vet school, I'm just halfway through my first semester of second year. Who cares what Rachel and Quinn are doing with their lives," Charlie says gently as she opens the door to her room and pulls Santana inside, closing the door behind her.
Santana shakes her head, "I know, but pups. It's just a lot to take in. I didn't think Rachel would be the type of person to forget who she was. Being vegan, I mean according to Shelby she used to cry when eggs were cracked. She also didn't want kids till after she had won one of the major awards. But just because Quinn thinks it's a good idea—"
"Quinn is an alpha, I can see how Rachel could get swept away. It's supposed to be very intense the first few months, and she just turned so everything is probably turned up to an eleven right now. Her emotions, her senses, everything she's feeling magnified by twenty." Charlie shrugged. "It's not our life."
"Really? So, in a few months Rachel's going to go back to vegan eating?"
"Well if Rachel gets pregnant expect whatever this is times forty," Charlie said with a shrug, before grinning. "Quinn's going to be miserable. Good thing they live so far away, we don't have to get involved in that shit-show."
Santana smirks, trust Charlie to find the silver lining. "We also don't have to babysit their little demon children."
"Please, as if Quinn would let me watch over her hell spawn," Charlie smiles and leans in to kiss Santana gently. "We've talked about this Santana," Charlie reminds her gently.
"I know, but Rachel is being Rachel and it's just annoying. She's probably not going to stop asking, and trying to help me. Like I'm some lost cause or I don't know what I'm missing." Santana grumbles trying to brush Charlie's concern aside.
"That's just Rachel. Whether she's a regular old human or a wolf like me, she's just annoying," Charlie points out. "I mean she tried to feed me vegetables."
"I'm trying to feed you vegetables," Santana reminded her. Charlie couldn't just live on her unbalanced diet.
"Yes, and I've told you that my wolf and I agree that you are evil," Charlie smiles and kisses Santana again. She shoots Santana an amused grin and nods towards to her bed. "Since we're here." She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.
Santana follows Charlie's gaze and then takes a step away from her mate. "Nope."
"Santana!" It's a whine and she doesn't care.
"We're in your childhood home, and your parents are just downstairs and they have super hearing and smell. Why the hell would I say yes to that?" Santana asks.
"So, if I got rid of them—"
"No," Santana interrupts, hoping that puts a stop to that train of thought. She didn't want Charlie fighting for dominance over something silly like trying to fuck her in her childhood bedroom. "It's Thanksgiving, no fighting."
"I can't promise that Santana. What if Quinn tries to steal my food?"
"Fine stab Quinn in the hand but no brawling," Santana sighed and rolled her eyes when Charlie smiles pleased with the idea.
"Okay, I promise not to brawl with Quinn if you promise not to let Rachel get to you," Charlie says nuzzling her. "Unless of course she bursts out into song. Then I say we just steal the turkey and leave."
Santana bit her lip, "You get the turkey, I'll grab the desserts."
"Deal," Charlie says shaking Santana's hand and smiling at her. She quickly pulls Santana into a hug, making sure to give her a small squeeze. She didn't quite know how to assure Santana that she was happy with their relationship. Were there parts of her relationship she wished she could share with Santana that she simply couldn't? Of course, there were, but all she needed to do was convince Santana to go camping with her and she could watch from afar as she took down a stag all by herself. Santana would be so impressed that—
"I already said no," Santana reminded her pinching Charlie's side. She didn't want to know what Charlie was thinking about that got her so worked up. They were in her parent's house, in her childhood bedroom. "I don't care if you fantasized about taking your mate up in your childhood bed, it's not happening here."
"Huh—shit," Charlie said pulling away and trying to think of the unsexiest thing she could. She wasn't going to go to dinner with a massive hardon.
~O~
"I think Rachel is ready for her first hunt," Quinn informed her parents rubbing the stab wound in her hand and trying not to glare at Charlie.
Charlie pushed more food onto Santana's plate, making sure that she had more food on her plate than on Rachel's plate. "Is that enough?" Charlie asked.
Santana crinkled her nose slightly there was no way that she could finish all the food, "It is, promise," she mumbled and smiled at Charlie.
Charlie nods happily and grabs the mashed potatoes and dumps the rest of them onto her plate before slathering it with gravy. She also takes the huge turkey leg and glances around the table before piling her plate up with stuffing.
"Have enough?" Santana asked teasing Charlie who looks over at her.
"This is just the first plate, I would get more if the plates were bigger, but mom says that we can't use those when we have guests," Charlie explains.
"Charlie!" Judy said mortified.
Russell rolled his eyes and turned to look over at Rachel for a moment, he had to admit that Charlie had chosen an interesting mate for herself. The idea that they no longer had to maul potential partners? It was knowledge that the council was debating, he hadn't informed Santana that she would be asked to speak in front of them but that was something for later. "If you want to take her hunting then I suppose we could all go down to the cabin and do some hunting," he shrugged his shoulders.
Charlie's head whipped up she hadn't been there in ages, it was perfect. There was no way in hell that she was going to convince Santana to get into a tent with her. "Can Santana come?"
Santana's eyes widened at this and flushed when Judy and Russell turned to look at her, "Camping's not my thing," she says quickly hoping that puts an end to Charlie's attempts to get her into nature. The closest she got was taking Fuzzbutt to the park and watching her crash into trees trying to get at the squirrels.
"This isn't camping," Charlie said with her mouth filled with food.
"Chew. Swallow," Santana sighs trying not to smile.
"There's a flushable toilet," Charlie says after she swallows.
Judy sighed, Charlie couldn't sell this even if she wanted to. "You're quite welcome to join us Santana, even though they say it's a cabin in the woods it has internet and modern conveniences, we aren't savages. It'll be lovely."
Santana hesitates for a moment and turns to glare at Charlie who was ignoring her on purpose. "That sounds lovely," she says reaching over and pinching Charlie's hip hard.
Charlie flashes her a grin, "You said you wouldn't go camping with me if it didn't have flushable toilets, this solves that problem. Everyone wins."
"Really? That's what you're going with?"
"Yes. You'll have fun, there's a fireplace, it's very romantic," Charlie wiggled her eyebrows.
"No."
"But—"
"No."
"Come on!"
"No."
Quinn glanced between the two of them for a moment before rolling her eyes, Charlie had already said that she wasn't going to turn Santana but she didn't understand why. There was nothing like a complete bond. She watches as Charlie moves to put more food on Santana's plate, only for Santana to shovel some of that food onto Charlie's own. It was nauseating in a way. But Rachel was working on it for Charlie and Santana's own good. Going to the cabin would be the perfect time to get Santana on board.
