For clarification, Sam joined school the same time as Brittany, Rachel, and Puck. Though Santana was already at the school, she only had enough credits to be considered a freshman. I made that adjustment in the other chapters as well.
D19
Santana wished she was with Rachel. If only because she didn't want to deal with slobbering college students and arrogant frat boys. She turned around when she felt someone come up behind her. Drew, the son of her father's supervisor, had set his eyes on her the moment she walked into the home. Her father wanted to stay close by, but he was called away to talk to his co-workers. Santana immediately ran off into the kitchen. She filled her plate with sausage rolls and lettuce wraps. Drew's eyes followed her the entire time until he gathered the nerve to approach her. And naturally the first thing he said was, "Well, well, well, if it isn't Baby Lopez."
"And you are?" she said.
"Come on, it's me. Drew?"
Santana knew exactly who it was, but she frowned and said, "No. Sorry."
Drew laughed it off. "That's fine. So. You're a senior, right?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Got a boyfriend I should be worried about?"
"No."
"Wow. That's shocking. A girl like you should be fighting off men." Drew looked her up and down. "Especially with a body like that."
Santana was suddenly regretting the green dress she'd put on. It had a lace top and showed off a bit more skin that she wanted Drew to see. She smiled tightly and walked away. She immediately pulled out her phone, ignoring the eyes glued to her ass. The first thing she saw was Puck's text.
Puckerman: Yo. Im on guard duty tonite. Txt if u need me.
Me: What happened with Rae?
Puckerman: No idea wat ur talkin' about.
Santana hesitated then texted: Can you come and hang with me now? There's a creep here and he's giving me weird vibes.
Puckerman: Say less. Txt the address.
Santana sent him the address and relaxed.
"Hey."
She groaned inwardly and turned around. Drew stood there against the threshold. He smiled at her and held out a drink.
"Not interested," she deadpanned.
"It's just a drink."
"Answer's still no."
"Okay. Hard to get. I like that."
Santana rolled her eyes and walked away. She needed Puck to get there sooner rather than later.
Outside of the empty bottle of Jack sitting on the table, the room was as she'd left it almost a year ago. With whiskey in her system, Rachel was floating between the past and the present. As she stared out of the window, her mind was halfway across the world. Russia was her home, it was her first love, and her connections to it ran deeper than people knew. The ring on her hand, resting comfortably on her left middle finger, boasted the crest of the Krayevsky family; it symbolized loyalty and honor, a stark contrast to the mobsters, murderers, and thieves that bore the Krayevsky name. Like Olezka. Her Uncle was a vicious, cruel man. But he respected family. She never had a bad experience with him, which was why she was trying to understand why he sent gunmen to her home.
The picture hanging on the wall caught her eye, and she smiled, albeit with a hint of annoyance. The custom-made painting of a Royal Flush, the highest hand in most poker games, stood out in the stark white room. Her Dad thought it would be funny to display her one poker win for the whole world to see while simultaneously mocking her, teasing her, because she could never win another after that. Her nickname 'Ace' originated because she stole the card once the game was over. She still had it, tucked under her mattress and safe from the world. Everything else just fell in place. Sam, her King, always by her side and ready to fight with her should the need arise. Brittany, her Ten, always one step behind her and ready to catch her if she ever fell. And it'd always been the three of them, aware the Queen would join eventually, hopefully, but there was never an intent to add another to their group.
Until she met Puck.
Rachel was going to make Puck one of her guards, not a part of her main group, but then she started to spend time with him. Interact with him, and she concluded he was more than what the outside implied. He was like the antithesis of Sam, but still as loyal and trustworthy.
Someone cleared their throat behind her. She looked over her shoulder. Sam had a serious look on his face.
"They're waiting for you." He picked up the empty bottle of Jack. "You ready?" he asked.
"It was only to calm my nerves."
"Okay." He stepped back and gestured to the exit. "After you then."
The backyard wasn't the best place for what she wanted to do, but grass was her best choice, and she didn't want to get blood on the patio. Rachel walked out with Sam behind her. Brittany met her at the door. The other five guards stayed off to the side, guns aimed on the intruders. Rachel put her hands in her pocket and stopped in front of them. One gunman, with a red beard, stepped forward. He kept his hands in sight.
"Who are you?" he asked, his English better than most native speakers.
"Rachel Krayevsky," she answered. "And you?"
"Anton. I apologize for our behavior, but we were sent by-
"Olezka," she finished. "What does he want?"
"You are in line to inherit the family business, yes?" he asked.
"Last I heard."
"Then you must prove yourself. These five men behind me were sent to test you. I am to watch and relay the information to your Uncle. Once satisfied, he will add his seal to the paperwork. If you fail, you will lose the Krayevsky name and fortune. Has that been made clear?" he asked.
Rachel groaned. "You guys couldn't have done this at another time?" she sighed.
"Have the rules been made clear?" he repeated.
Rachel took off her blazer and passed it to Brittany. "Yes," she said.
"No one will intervene. You have my word."
"You have my word as well." Rachel waved off the guards and they lowered their weapons. "Come on then."
"No guns, no blades. Hands only," Anton shouted to his men.
The five stripped off their weapons until they were bare. The first one stepped forward and bowed to her.
"Vladimir," he said.
"Hello. Sorry about this, by the way," she said.
Vladimir took a stance. Rachel shook out her arms and exhaled.
Santana nearly cried in relief when Puck texted that he was outside. She ran to her father, whispered in his ear, and he nodded.
"When will you be home again?" he asked.
"Tomorrow," she said.
"Be safe."
Santana kissed his cheek and practically ran out of the house. She was halfway down the driveway when she heard her name being called. Drew jogged out after her. She shot Puck a look and he turned off the car. He got out and walked around the hood. Drew paused when he saw Puck.
"Who's he? Your bodyguard?" he spat.
"Something like that. What do you want?" she huffed.
"I'll be in town for a bit. Was wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner?"
"No. I told you I'm not interested."
"Come on, let me show you a good time."
"She said no, buddy," Puck huffed.
Drew ignored him. "Please? I promise I'll be the perfect gentleman. Until you ask for something else," he said, licking his lips.
Puck stepped forward and moved Santana behind his back. "Get. Lost," he growled. "Or I'll knock those pretty teeth of yours out of your mouth."
Drew scowled, but backed down. He looked over Puck's shoulder and said to Santana, "Later, Baby Lopez. Maybe when your bodyguard isn't around."
Drew went back into the house. Puck scoffed and shook his head. He wrapped his arm around Santana and led her to the car.
"Tell me the truth," Santana said. "Why isn't Rachel here?"
Puck opened the door. "I think you and me should drive around for a bit until Brittany calls," he said.
Rachel stood in the middle of her backyard, covered in blood, and sporting a few bruises. Her shirt was ripped and her wig was somewhere behind her. She trembled at the bodies at her feet. Some had snapped necks. Others had their faces mangled and were unrecognizable. She glanced at Anton, exhausted, and he stepped forward.
"You took less time than I expected," he said.
"Is this all?" she growled.
"Yes. I'm sure you can handle the bodies."
Rachel twitched. She walked up to him and slammed her head into his. The motion didn't even faze her. Anton groaned and grabbed his nose. Rachel swiped at his legs. He landed on his back and Rachel held out her hand. She took the gun that was given to her.
"What are you doing?" he asked. "You can't-
Rachel emptied the clip into Anton's face. She turned around and passed the gun back to whoever who gave it to her.
"Clean this up, please. And send a message to my Uncle. Tell him he better put his fucking seal on the paperwork or I'll remove his spine with my bare hand!" she shouted, going back into the house.
Brittany glanced at the dead bodies and then at Sam. "You think she's sexually frustrated?" she asked.
"I really don't want to have this conversation with you."
"So you agree."
"Oh yeah. She's wrapped tight."
"Thought so. Come on. She's not going to be happy if this is still a thing when Santana gets here."
Puck hummed under his breath as they hung out on the bleachers. The moon was high in the sky and it was actually kind of nice. Santana huddled further into Puck's Letterman jacket. No matter how many times she asked him, he refused to tell her what was going on. All he kept saying was he had to wait on Brittany's call. She tried texting Rachel, but her messages went ignored. Brittany and Sam yielded the same result. Letting out another sigh, Santana leaned over and Puck wrapped his arm around her.
"We can always get back in the car," he suggested.
"Hell no. It smells like Finn," she grumbled.
Puck barked out a laugh and shook his head. Santana grinned and closed her eyes. When Puck's phone went off, Santana hadn't even noticed she'd fallen asleep. She rubbed at her eyes and sat up straight. Puck answered the phone.
"Hello?... Yeah, she's with me… We're at the football field… What? No. She has on a fucking coat. I'm not… yes, I know. God, I know, Brittany. Jesus. Yes. Yes. Fine. See y'all soon."
Puck hung up and rolled his eyes. He stood and helped her to her feet. "You've been summoned," he said.
"Sounded like more than a summons," she said.
"Brittany was getting on me about having you out here. She doesn't want you to get sick."
"Ah." Santana made her way down the bleachers. "Well, if there was anybody perfect for you, it's her."
"Who?" he asked.
"Brittany."
Puck stumbled down the last step and flushed when Santana turned and looked back at him. He rubbed the back of his head. "How did you know?" he sighed.
"Dude. It's so obvious."
They walked down the track together at a slow pace, not really in a rush. Puck shoved his hands in his pocket. "You think I have a chance?" he asked softly.
"With her? Absolutely."
"Yeah?"
"I think you should tell her over the break."
"What if she says no?" he asked.
They arrived at the car. Santana turned and faced Puck directly. She put her hands on his chest and waited until she had his attention. "Look, you and I have a weird history. Everyone assumed we slept together and I thought you were this immature jerk. But," she paused, "I'm glad to say I was wrong. Over these last few weeks, I've learned that you're one of the sweetest, most genuine boys I've ever met. You are good for her. She needs someone strong and stable. Someone who will make the effort with her. And I think you're the type to do that."
Puck opened up his arms. "Aww. Come here," he said.
"No."
Puck rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her off the ground and swung her around. Her shouts turned to laughter and he put her down.
"Come on. I want to see my future girlfriend."
Puck's smile faltered. "About that," he said. "There's something I need to tell you."
Santana stormed into the house barefoot with her heels in hand. She narrowed her eyes at Sam, who pointed up the stairs. She ran up two at a time until she used her memory to get to Rachel's room. She didn't bother knocking. She walked in on Rachel fresh out of the shower. Rachel froze when she saw her. Santana closed the door and dropped her heels on the floor. She took in the busted lip, the black eye, the scratch marks on her shoulder and the bruises on her legs.
"Explain. Now."
Rachel gulped.
Puck entered the kitchen and found Sam sitting at the island with a glass of chocolate milk.
"What's up, man? How was your night?"
"Pretty boring until I went to pick up Tana. Some dick was giving her a hard time, so I picked her up early."
"He put his hands on her?"
"Not that I know of. He was just pushy." Puck sat down. "Plus, dude would've been in the ICU if he ever put his hands on her."
"From you or her?"
"Definitely her."
Sam laughed and gestured to his glass. "Want some?"
"Nah. I would like some water though."
"Sure thing." Sam hopped up and did a little jog to the refrigerator. He pulled out a bottle and handed it to Puck. "Brittany was taking a shower, but she should be down soon. We're supposed to be planning out the break."
"Oh, okay. I'll just-
"Stay and help us figure out where we're going?" Sam interrupted. "Yeah, I agree."
"What?"
"You didn't think we'd leave you out of things, did you?"
Puck shrugged. "I mean, I'm not exactly in the inner group," he said.
"Bullshit. Rachel's shit with stuff like this. You, and your Dad, have earned her trust. She's just a little slow with making sure people know that."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Noah, you belong here. Anytime you want to come by. This place is too big for her to be alone," Brittany said from behind him.
Puck turned and found Brittany leaning against the threshold. He took in the sight of her in nothing but a tiny pair of shorts and a tank top. He blinked and cleared his throat. "If you're sure, then yeah, I'll stay. I just need to call my Dad so he can call someone to help him lock up."
"Elyssa's there," Sam said. "And my Dad."
"Guess you guys have this all planned out."
"We usually do."
Brittany walked over and snagged Sam's chocolate milk before she sat down. Sam glared at her.
"Why do you always take my shit?" he asked.
"Because how else am I supposed to annoy you? Plus, you make good chocolate milk."
Puck smiled as they started to argue. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get Santana's words out of his head nor could he look away from Brittany. He had it bad.
Later that night, Santana ran her fingers through Rachel's hair. She sat up against the headboard with Rachel stretched out over her and Brittany. Once she understood what happened, she spent half the time threatening Rachel that if she ever kept her out of the dark again she would hold out for the next six months. The other half was fussing over Rachel's injuries and making sure they were properly cleaned and taken care of. An hour later, the others came knocking and Santana warned them that Rachel was a little tired. That didn't deter them. They came in and made themselves comfortable. Sam was on the floor with Puck was sprawled out in the chair near the bathroom. The door was closed and locked, and the guards were on high alert. Santana could hear them coming up and down the stairs.
"Your uncle called," Brittany said.
"What did he say?" Rachel asked, fidgeting because Santana kept poking her to keep her awake.
"He'll see you next Thanksgiving."
"Of course he did."
"Enough business talk," Sam groaned. "It's our winter break. What are we going to do?"
"Obviously, capture the flag," Rachel said.
"And the Christmas party," Sam added.
"We should go to Bora Bora," Brittany suggested.
"Bora Bora?" Santana said. "Why there?"
"We can get those fancy solo houses on the water. And I've always wanted to go."
"Fine. Look it up. We can leave Wednesday and come back the day before Christmas," Rachel murmured.
"Everyone?"
"Whoever can come."
"Yes," Brittany cheered, pulling out her phone.
Sam nudged Puck. "Hey man, did you know Jason got Milan pregnant?" he asked.
"No way. How far is she?"
"Ten weeks. He's freaking out."
"Why is he freaking out?" Santana asked. "Milan's a good girl."
"Because he's dating Cheyenne," Puck said. "Dude's going to get his ass kicked."
"Cheyenne?" Brittany said. "The redhead with the big boobs?"
"I guess."
"You guess?"
"Cheyenne's not my type."
"Oh yeah? And what's your type?"
"Blondes."
Santana subtly gave him a thumbs up. Puck grinned. Their silence was broken by a large gasp from Brittany.
"Oh my god," she said.
"What?" Rachel asked.
"My Mom just texted me," she said, holding up her phone. "There's a bounty out on Eva Krayevsky."
Rachel sat up straight. Both Sam and Puck stood up to surround the bed. Santana leaned over Rachel's shoulder. They all tried to look at the phone.
"Five million," Sam read. "Holy hell that's a lot for a ghost."
"Even ghosts get hunted," Rachel muttered.
"No last location or physical descriptions, but a name is a hell of a good place to start," Puck said.
"But I don't understand. Five million?" Rachel exclaimed. "For what?"
"The reason why isn't listed. Just that the person who set the bounty wants it taken care of ASAP."
"What's the name attached?"
"The Royal Decapitator."
"I wonder which Royal he's talking about," Rachel said wryly.
"What makes you think it's a guy?"
"No woman would ever call herself that. It's stupid and too on the nose."
"I'm not even sure you're worth five million," Sam pointed out.
"Gee, thanks," Rachel said sarcastically.
"It's the truth," he protested. "You barely have an email."
"Eva barely has an email," she corrected.
"You are Eva!" they all replied simultaneously.
Rachel hid her face in her pillows, and Santana could feel the anger building. She tucked a stray hair behind Rachel's ear.
"Baby, what's really bothering you?" she said.
Rachel sighed. "I grew up in this world. It hurts to entertain the idea one of them wants me dead."
"Now that's just stupid," Puck said. "You and I both know sentimentality in this world is only as good as the price tag attached to it."
Rachel glared at him, but it had no heat behind it. He was right. "I just wanted to enjoy my sixty days without worrying about this shit," she confessed.
"Yeah, well, I don't want my brother and mother buried in the Lima cemetery," Santana said.
"I want to see my Mom again," Sam added.
"I want to be able to always protect my Dad at the bar," Puck chimed in.
"I want to be the real me at school and not the ditzy blonde who follows Santana around like a lost puppy," Brittany muttered.
"You're more like a leech," Santana deadpanned.
"Bitch."
"Moving on," Rachel cut in quickly. "I understand what you're trying to do. Doesn't make this any easier."
"It wasn't supposed too. We just wanted you to see that we all want something, but we can't always have what we want. You need to be prepared. We can still do Aruba and have these events, but you have to understand now that any and everyone outside of the family probably want you dead," Sam said.
"Also you need to be prepared because you have your whole life to live and I doubt your fathers would want you to die before you can achieve your dreams. And because I just got you and I don't want to lose you," Santana said.
Rachel hid her face back into the pillows and screamed out in frustration. Santana rubbed her back, mindful of the bruising, and kissed her on the shoulder. The muscles in Rachel's back relaxed.
"I hate all of you," Rachel muttered.
"Love you too," Brittany said. "Now, we're going to get out of your hair so you can sleep. We'll take the weekend to make some plans and come Monday, it's time for capture the flag."