Pairing: Rachel/Santana

Synopsis: (4 of 8) Santana's aggressors have been nullified for now. With a little less pressure on the pair, maybe they can get around to enjoying one another's time.

Author's Note: Lyrics credit to Esperanza Spalding's "Precious." So this is becoming a favorite. That's all.

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FOUR

Now it's no nice excuse but all the magic was used
Up on trying to uphold
Some kind of tame, flattering persona
That soon enough was getting real old.

###

It took Santana a decent amount of time before she could recover from the beating Squeaks had given her as a parting gift. The aggressor had been expelled and as far as Santana knew, charges had been pressed for both the stabbing and the beating. Her life was really starting to look like a regular soap opera. Her abuela had been sick with worry during the recovery, but in her older age she found it harder to care for her granddaughter.

The Latina had received a fractured arm and a bruised rib, and unfortunately this meant it was almost impossible to take a bath unassisted. She was off balance and unable to climb in and out without further injuring herself. Normally her nana was there to help her with it, but it was late one night and abuela had gone to one of the cousin's house a town away for some family business.

I have a weird favor to ask. – S

Anything. – R*

Please just come over. Too embarrassing to text. – S

So Santana chomped at the bit and waited downstairs, listening for any indication that Rachel had arrived. It was about 15 minutes before she heard the knock at the door. When the brunette came in, it took a large amount of courage before she could even ask Rachel what she needed to.

"I'm sorry. Abuela is out of town and I don't have anyone else. I can't .. I can't get in and out of the bathtub without hurting myself. We don't have a shower-head, just one of those claw tubs and I –"

Rachel, realizing what she was being asked, simply waved a hand and motioned in front of Santana. "Lead the way."

Santana did her best not to die from embarrassment, because dear dios this was a girl she found physically attractive and a friend and the only friend she had left, and she was asking her to help her in and out of the bath. Granted, she could take care of the bathing part but she couldn't climb in and out of anything right now. Her mind was full of chatter as she grabbed a towel and rag, stiffly closed the closet door, and headed into the bathroom. She was trying to figure out how to get by without letting Rachel see her totally nude but she decided that really wasn't going to happen quite the way she hoped. One way or another, Rachel would get an eyeful, especially since it was kind of hard to get her shirt off without a significant amount of pain.

"Tell me what I need to do."

Santana bit her bottom lip, expression a bit dark and troubled. "I don't –"

Rachel, seeming to sense the hesitation, stepped forward and touched Santana's waist, drawing the dark gaze to her own. "Hey, you can trust me. We'll make it as easy as possible, and I promise I won't look more than I can help," she murmured quietly. The former Untouchable noticed now that the bathroom door was closed and damn if this room didn't have some close quarters. Santana shifted, nodding a little.

"I need help with my shirt and stuff. My rib is cracked," she informed Rachel, using her good arm to start pulling her shirt up. She felt like maybe she should've turned around because being face to face with a very attractive Cheerio made this all the more embarrassing. She felt Rachel's fingers catch the fabric of her shirt, and as if afraid to break her, the Cheerio's process of removing Santana's shirt went slowly. Once that was done, Santana ignored the concentration and the mixed expression on Rachel's face and turned around. She felt her bra straps slip off – swearing to herself that if she got goosebumps at any point she was going to blame it on the air conditioning – and felt her bareness in full. She covered her breasts with her arm, slipped off her bottoms and tried not to think about Rachel's eyes on her.

She felt an arm loop around her back and support her evenly as she got into the warm water (it had been hot when she ran it but the time for Rachel to arrive and the time to get her clothes off had sapped some of the heat). After this, Rachel slipped out of the bathroom quietly. Santana took a little bit of time to soak after bathing, closing her eyes and breathing through the weird fluttering of nerves in her stomach when she thought about Rachel's hands on her skin.

All this just because of her decision to do better in school.

Getting out of the tub was a little more awkward. Luckily, when Rachel came in she helped Santana stand (eyes averted from meeting one another) and wrapped a towel around her. For just a moment, Rachel's warm body was pressed against Santana's and Santana swore she felt her breath hitch in her throat.

Santana was grateful that a week later, she was back to being able to get out of the bath by herself.

###

The Untouchable's assimilation from troubled student to unnoticed student was surprisingly quick. By the time Santana had gotten back (with her gang disassembled due to their expulsion), even Sylvester was leaving her alone for the most part. Granted, the older woman sometimes motioned to her eyes and glared at Santana but that was a lot better than her dragging the Latina to the office every day. Her detentions dropped, her grades were slowly getting better, and Santana even got quite a few surprised compliments from teachers. Typically they'd hand her back a report and with a mixture of suspicion and pride would say, "This is better than anything I've seen from you before."

The best part was thatAbuela was happy. She worried less and that really was the point of it all. It'd taken a bit of struggle to get there but she'd managed to make things work out.

Santana worried now, despite all reassurances, that she'd no longer have reason to continue spending time with Rachel Berry. And she had to admit, she really had a crush on the girl. Maybe it had started some time ago, but now it was all that stronger because she knew who Rachel really was now. They'd spent just enough time together to open up, to be vulnerable. That alone should have reassured her, but for someone who had struggled with self-worth issues, she felt no comfort.

"You're coming over tonight, right?" Rachel's voice greeted her at the end of the day. The Cheerio was absent her usual crowd, and her eyes shone especially bright at the sight of Santana.

"If you want me to," Santana smirked, mostly to hide her elation.

Rachel simply gave her a look that communicated what Santana should have known.

"I mean my grades are better now so it's not like you have to keep tutoring me," Santana mumbled into her locker as she gathered her things.

"Oh," Rachel's disappointment was thick. "I mean if you don't –"

"I do!" Santana barked a little too eagerly. Her hand had reached out and caught Rachel's, and both girls looked at the connection in surprise. "Sorry," she let her hand go, gently, "I mean, I just … "

Always the perceptive one, Rachel reached forward and took Santana's hand. The Untouchable glanced around, seeing no onlookers, and cast her eyes to their hands. It felt nice. Even though the affection was still slightly unfamiliar, Santana swallowed the butterflies fluttering at the base of her throat and squeezed Rachel's fingers gently. They met gazes and it held for more than a moment. "Just because you don't need me as a tutor it doesn't mean you've gotten rid of me," there was something heady and husky in her voice that made Santana ache low in her stomach.

"If you say so," the black-haired girl answered with a smirk and tried to hide her nerves. She locked her things up and threw her bag over her shoulder.

"What time will you come?"

"Probably 7. I have to eat supper with Abuela first."

Rachel nodded. As they started to part ways, she felt Rachel tug her back and felt an answering embrace as soon as she was going to ask what Rachel wanted. Rachel seemed to be lingering, and Santana found herself resting her head near Rachel's ear.

"You okay?"

"I'm glad you're back."

###

When Santana arrived, she saw neither of the Berry men parked in the drive-way. She knocked lightly on the door, hands later tucked into her pockets as she waited. Rachel answered a couple moments later, and Santana saw why. Rachel's hair was still damp from the shower and the brunette was only wearing a bathrobe.

"I'm so sorry," Rachel's words tumbled out. She was busily tying her robe shut. "I took a nap after school and just woke up, I wanted to shower and clean up before you got here."

"Don't apologize," Santana wanted to add you've seen me naked but she didn't feel like being embarrassed right now. She let Rachel pass and followed her up the stairs, guided by the trail of scented shampoo and perfume that followed the shorter brunette.

Rachel busied herself with getting dressed – shielded by her door – but just the thought of that bare olive skin made Santana feel things she shouldn't be feeling for friends. Normally she'd be all over that but there was something about Rachel that made her more important than some quick fuck. Santana wanted to do things with her that she didn't want to do with anyone else much less admit to anyone else. She wanted to cuddle with Rachel. The thought alone made Santana scold herself for being an unbearable wuss. "I'm really glad you came over."

"I kinda wanted to talk to you," Santana had realized over the course of the afternoon that honesty was the way to get what she wanted. She'd spent enough time before brooding about things, and the only way Rachel would know that Santana wanted her true friendship, her lasting friendship, was if she asked for it.

Rachel stepped out in boyshorts and a t-shirt, hair still damp (and sexy as fuck), and had a look of concern on her face. She looked like she was about to be let down or broken up with.

"It's nothing bad," Santana corrected quickly. "I just, I want us to be friends. I don't need a tutor anymore but – " I don't think I can go a day without seeing you, she thought, "I don't want to stop spending time with you. I don't know why and I guess I don't have to explain myself but look – I don't want to lose you. Or… your friendship I mean."

Rachel's expression softened, an answering smile, "Do you really think you have to ask me?"

You make me feel insecure, Santana wanted to say, but only glanced up to meet that understanding gaze.

"Santana," Rachel moved forward, her soft, warm hands encompassing Santana's face just long enough to draw her gaze directly. The brunette kneeled in front of Santana – a surprisingly intimate gesture – and was somehow positioned between her legs. Rachel's hands moved over Santana's neck, down her arms, and tangled with Santana's fingers in one natural, cascading motion. "Maybe I'm not being clear with you. Maybe I haven't been honest enough, I don't know."

Santana felt her heart fluttering nervously against her ribs, and squeezed Rachel's hands to stop Rachel from noticing that her hands were trembling. She wasn't used to all this sentimentality.

"You're my friend. And when I say you're my friend, I mean that in all the most important ways possible. I want you around as much as possible, whenever possible. You're beyond important –"

"Why?"

"Why am I important to you?"

Their mutual gazes spoke for them. It was obvious there was a magnetic draw that neither could control or understand right at the moment.

"I'm kind of happy that you and I get to spend time together outside of tutoring because that means we don't have to waste time on things we don't want to talk about," Rachel's smile was kind of secretive, her gaze enticing. Santana couldn't help but notice how intimately close Rachel was settled between her thighs.

She really wanted to kiss Rachel. A heady silence fell between them and slowly Rachel stood, her touch lingering for a few moments longer before the blushing brunette cleared her throat and let go of Santana's hands.

"So my point is," Rachel's voice seemed like it was fighting its low, aroused tones, "you're stuck with me."

Santana smirked a little bit. She remembered her threats early on in their relationship about putting her up against a wall and right now that seemed like a really hot idea, but despite her loins, she resisted and watched her with a quiet gaze.

"So, movie time?"

"You know it."