A/N: If you liked my other story, Breaking Girl Code, this is a sort of spiritual successor to that with a similar dynamic between the siblings. I'm not sure why the idea of Santana meeting hot ski instructor Britt is so appealing to me but I've been really interested in writing a fic like this for a while. Admittedly, Cory Monteith's love for winter sports kind of inspired this. It's very easy to imagine both Britt and Finn being winter sports people.
Also thought it would be interesting to write a fic where Santana never had a girlfriend before and Britt is the older, more experienced woman (also Britt being like that is so hot oof). Rating will probably change in later chapters.
The characters' ages are as follows:
Britt- 26
Finn -24
Santana - 21
Rachel - 19
tumblr: sohemotional
Also posted on AO3: sarcasticscully
A/N: I do not own Glee or anything associated with Glee. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no profit is being made.
Pls let me know what you think. I'll continue posting here if people want to see more of this story.
Spending her winter vacation with her annoying little sister was the last thing Santana wanted to do, especially in the middle of nowhere with several feet of snow around them for miles everywhere she looked. Their parents had insisted on planning this elaborate winter vacation and begged Santana to "watch over" their precious little Rachel.
"I told you we should have gone somewhere tropical. It's way too fucking cold out here." Santana grumbled, rocking on her heels and shivering slightly as they surveyed the mountain area through the high glass walls.
"There's no need for that kind of language but I agree. It wasn't exactly my first choice, if you remember correctly." Rachel retorted with furrowed brows, her teeth chattering.
Rachel, as Santana expected, was bundled up in about a million layers of winter clothes with a big, ridiculous hat on her head. Her jacket was bright yellow and covered in fur, while of course the sweater underneath it was black with gold stars. She was wearing her gold necklace with the star pendant their father had given her as she always did.
Santana on the other hand, was just wearing tight jeans and a leather jacket over a black sweater, a black beanie on her head, leather gloves and Doc Martens to complete her rakish look. Her attractively messy, straight black hair fell to her shoulders.
"You girls have fun today! Mom and I will be up in the hotel room for a while if you need anything!"
The girls' adoptive father, Will Schuester, was a tall, good-natured man with curly brown hair and a cleft chin. He held the hand of Emma, their mother, a small red-haired woman and waved to the sisters after they had checked in at the front desk, a bellboy rushing to help the couple take their suitcases up to the expensive suites. They needed three trolleys for all the heavy luggage Rachel had packed alone.
Santana snorted at that, her arms still crossed over her chest. She tried to keep as much distance from her parents and little sister as she could, ignoring them and scuffing her boot on the wooden floor while Rachel waved enthusiastically back at them.
Although she was twenty-one, Santana looked every inch the angsty teen girl with her black eyeliner and grumpy expression. Rachel was only two years younger but in Santana's eyes, her sheltered sister still acted like a scared twelve year-old.
"Geez, Rachel, you think you could have packed a little lighter? Pretty sure you don't need a year's supply of reindeer sweaters to get you through a three week holiday, Miss Diva… "
Rachel puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, just as her sister expected she would. Rachel was so predictable.
"You're one to talk! You spent so many hours fixing your hair and makeup this morning that we almost missed our flight. Dad was getting worried that we would have to make last minute arrangements to take the private jet instead of first class."
"Whatever. Let's go to that café, Nerd. I'm gonna need some caffeine to put up with babysitting you." Santana shrugged, swaggering over in the direction of the fancy looking indoor coffee shop that was close to the front desk and not caring if Rachel followed her or not. She considered herself an expert in ignoring Rachel Berry tantrums.
Slippery Slopes - seriously, what was up with that name? - was one of the most high-end ski resorts in the country. Even Santana couldn't help but marvel at how massive the place was.
While she usually could care less about things like that, she had to admit the rustic, dark hardwood floors, fireplaces, and chandeliers everywhere they looked were impressive, creating an upscale but cozy atmosphere. It was early in the day but there were already so many hotel guests crowding the café area, which made Santana more annoyed as she lined up with Rachel.
"What should we do?" Rachel asked, looking over at Santana expectantly when she was halfway through her ridiculously expensive coffee drink. Everything the place offered was extremely pricey, taking advantage of the rich tourists who stayed there. The siblings had been sitting in silence for the past five minutes.
Santana sipped her own drink disinterestedly, rubbing the tip of her finger distractedly over the rim of the cup and staring off into the distance with a bored expression on her face. The shorter brunette sister was already getting a little anxious about them not having any set plan for their vacation.
They had never been to this kind of resort before. She didn't know what guests were expected to do at a ski resort other than the obvious, which she didn't want to do, and Santana wasn't being very helpful.
"Who says I want to hang out with you, Tweety ?" Santana muttered, eyeing the girl's bright outfit disdainfully. Rachel groaned slightly, rolling her eyes.
"What else would you do? Dad says we have to stay together so you can't just run off and abandon me this time, Santana."
"I don't want to hang out with you," Santana stuck out her tongue childishly and Rachel just huffed, ignoring her. Then Santana's face adopted a scary expression, a mischievous look in her dark eyes that Rachel really didn't like because she knew what that look usually meant. "Fine, whatever. If it's so important for you to do everything at once today… let's go skiing."
"Skiing? Already? I - I don't know, Santana. I'm not prepared. I haven't even -"
"C'mon, Rachel, don't get your big girl Barbie underwear in a twist. You're seriously gonna come all the way here and not even try it once? It'll be easy as fuck, you'll see. I know everything about this."
Rachel just nodded skeptically, narrowing her eyes. She knew this was going to be a bad idea but Santana seemed so confident about it. Maybe Santana knew something about ski resorts after all.
"Aren't you going to finish that? I just paid like a million bucks for your stupid, fancy, fairy drink, so you better."
"It was only what, like thirty dollars? That can't be that expensive for one drink, right?"
"Just drink the damn thing so we can get out of here, Paris Hilton."
Rachel rolled her eyes again, ignoring her quip but did as Santana said and followed her out of the café after Santana finished her own black coffee. They began walking towards some hills at the back of the resort where many other guests were heading. Rachel trembled, moving closer to Santana, who had her arms crossed over her chest. It was cold enough that they could see their breaths.
"Why do we have to do what you want?" Rachel complained, pouting as Santana came out of a rental shop and shoved a pair of skis at her, along with some ski boots while keeping the others for herself. Rachel struggled to carry them and barely kept up with Santana's fast pace as they hobbled through thick, powdery snow. "I seriously have to wear these? They're… they're not very attractive!"
"I'm older so that means whatever I say goes. Put on the stupid, ugly boots." Santana just shrugged, ignoring Rachel's grumpy expression and whiny tone as they trekked along through the blanket of snow.
"These boots are too big for me!" Rachel added, still struggling to keep up with the taller girl when she had finally got them on. "We don't even have a map!"
The short brunette gulped, her face turning pale as she looked around at the mountainous, rugged terrain, covered in pine trees. Rachel and Santana weren't exactly outdoorsy people and this was all so uncomfortable for the shorter girl.
There were a bunch of different symbols on the ski marker up ahead and the two stopped to stare at them for a moment, deciding which trail they should go on first. It was completely confusing and the brunette didn't know where to start. Rachel became more flustered, hastily pulling out her phone and looking up information about skiing.
"I- I don't know. Will I be okay?"
"Don't panic just yet. Of course you'll be fine, Rachel. You have the coolest big sister on the face of the planet with you." Santana told her confidently with a smug grin.
"No. This is silly. I'm not skiing with you!" Rachel finally shook her head after a while, annoyed with Santana's ego and nonchalance. "And you're not cool!"
"Fine, whatever. Your loss. You can just watch me, if you're going to be such a scaredy cat about it."
"We're not even dressed properly for this activity! This guide says you need a helmet, winter pants, goggles…"
"As if I need all that lame stuff. I'm the Santana Lopez, and those rules are for losers. It'll be fine," Santana declared, ignoring Rachel as she pointed at a black diamond on the ski map. "Let's do this one."
"I- I don't know! That's way too advanced, Santana are you sure-"
Santana just walked ahead, ignoring Rachel then finally looked over her shoulder when she realized the other girl was still sitting in the snow cross-legged, in silence, looking rather pathetic and pouting up at her with her skis lying next to her.
"Fine, I'll help you with your stupid skis."
She grunted in irritation, realizing that the brunette didn't know how to get her skis on and just crouched down to help her put them on so that they wouldn't waste anymore time.
"Come along, Big Bird. We haven't got all day." Santana muttered, marching ahead to the ski lift as Rachel continued to throw her hands up and her panicked voice got louder.
"Don't boss me around! I'm - you know that I'm very small and I can't do anything that requires excessive muscular strength or hand eye coordination!"
"Yeah, yeah everyone knows you suck at sports. Don't worry, a pro will teach you how." Santana boasted, getting into the lift and Rachel reluctantly took a seat next to her at the glare Santana was giving her.
"Last time I checked, you weren't exactly the best at athletics either and from what I'm reading here, the black diamond will be highly difficult for a beginner…"
Santana pointedly ignored her, saying nothing as Rachel rambled on.
She jabbed Rachel lightly with the ski pole and Rachel was outraged. Her jaw dropped and she jabbed the black-haired girl back in response. They continued to jab each other until Rachel got bored and crossed her arms.
"This is highly immature." She sniffed as Santana laughed at her.
When they finally made it to the trail, Santana jumped down from the lift brashly, not even looking behind her. Rachel was scared to even get off of the lift so Santana had to practically pull her off of it with force. As they lined up behind other skiers, Rachel gulped, her eyes widening in fear and her hands went up to cover her mouth as she realized just how high up they were.
The massive, steep slope seemed so treacherous and there were all these ramps. The shorter brunette fell back on her butt on the top of the slope, earning some glares from fellow skiers lined up behind her while Santana just sped past her.
"Watch this!" She yelled at Rachel with a cocky grin. "Meet me at the bottom!"
Everything went well at first and Rachel was somewhat impressed by how Santana was managing to keep up with the others. Then Rachel watched in horror as Santana began to slip halfway down the slope and didn't stop, falling face first and rolling the rest of the way down on her side as her skis flew off. At one point, she hit into a tree. She heard Santana yelp loudly as this all happened.
"Oh my God! She's not even wearing a helmet! What am I going to tell Mom and Dad?!" The tiny brown-haired girl gasped, not knowing how to handle this situation.
She tried her best to walk down the slope while wearing the skis but it was immensely difficult as she had never learned how. Eventually she sort of side stepped slowly like a crab and the other skiers kept giving her strange looks, shaking their heads at the girl who was very slowly and cautiously stepping down the slope.
These contraptions she had strapped to her legs were making it such a challenge and she didn't know how to get them off either. Rachel eventually slipped, falling on her butt and screamed as she rolled down the hill. It was painful but at least it got her to where Santana was much faster.
Rachel gasped at the sight of the snow turning red beside Santana as the girl kept groaning quietly. One of her legs was twisted and there were cuts and scrapes all over her. They were in what seemed like a deserted area to the side of the trail, surrounded by a dense covering of pine trees.
Santana wasn't moving, just lying on her side and Rachel yelled a few times with her powerful lungs for help from anyone who might be nearby but so far, no one had come to them. Santana winced at Rachel's voice.
"You okay?" She rasped in a weak voice, opening one eye as Rachel skidded down beside her.
The shorter girl nodded, wincing. Santana would have teased her for the dramatic, scared look on her face if it weren't for the fact that okay… maybe she too was a little shaken up by her ordeal.
"Guess your feathers must have cushioned the fall," Santana chuckled at her joke and then groaned at the discomfort caused by her laughter. Her entire body was in pain. "At least I'll get you back to Will and Emma in one piece."
Rachel was outraged at how irresponsible Santana was being.
"Am I okay? Look at you! Look at the state you're in! What were you thinking?! You just - I knew this was a terrible idea Santana, we should have never even attempted this! You could have - I don't even want to say it."
"Aww Rachie's scared. You were worried about me?"
"No, I was not!" The brunette insisted but looked like she was on the verge of crying, her face turning a shade of red. Santana sighed.
"Alright, fine, fine. Maybe I… miscalculated a little. Don't blow your top. I just couldn't see anything and all that falling snow blinded me."
As the minutes wore on, Rachel debated somehow making her way back up to the top and maybe flagging someone down for help but she could barely move and she didn't want to leave Santana on her own.
"You clearly need medical assistance, Santana."
"It's no big deal," Santana grumbled but yelped when Rachel tried to touch her leg, asking her if it hurt.
This was totally embarrassing. She had just fallen in such a ridiculous way while trying to look all impressive in front of the pretty tourist girls at the ski resort. A bunch of slim, attractive young women wearing ski masks who were gracefully zipping down the slope had all screamed when they witnessed Santana's dramatic fall and she was pretty certain she had eaten about ten mouthfuls of snow.
"I don't need a fucking doctor, okay? Just leave me alone." She hissed as her sister continued to make a big deal out of her injuries.
Rachel crossed her arms in annoyance. It was becoming clear that they would be stuck out here for a while unless by some miraculous chance someone found them.
"This is so lame." Santana grumbled.
"Hey, what was that?" Rachel whispered in a panicky tone as they heard heavy footsteps and rustling. Santana rolled her eyes.
"It's probably just the Yeti."
"It is not the - the Yeti! You're making that up to scare me!"
"Oh, I think it is, Rachel. Or maybe it's a bear."
"It is not a bear!"
"How do you know? Maybe it's a bear looking for a snack. You might be looking pretty tasty to it, Rachie."
Rachel threw a snowball at her lightly, scoffing at the nickname.
"Ow, okay what the fuck? You're attacking an injured person?"
"Well I'm cold, you need to go to a hospital, I broke three nails, and I lost my phone on the way down that mountain, I really have to go to the bathroom and I'm scared we're going to be eaten by bears!" Rachel whimpered. "Not to mention my outfit is completely ruined now. This day is a complete disaster!"
"Rachel Berry, do not start crying right now." Santana held up her hands warningly with the last of her strength as she saw the telltale signs of Rachel's scrunched up crying face, tears already sliding down her cheeks as her lip wobbled.
"You're crying too!"
"I'm not… it's just snow in my eye." Santana sniffled, wiping away a tear.
The two huddled together reluctantly, thinking about how awful it felt to be so cold with snow falling heavily now, all alone in this deserted area. They probably made a pathetic sight, Santana thought, weeping and whimpering about their injuries every so often. Soon, they heard footsteps again and looked up hopefully.
"Hi girls!" A friendly, booming male voice could be heard. They both jumped, thinking about the Yeti. Santana frowned when what could only be described as a Sasquatch came into view. Or maybe a big, gray abominable snowman. He was gigantic, especially from their view lying on the ground, and he was covered almost completely in snow, his body protected by furry, gray layers and wearing skis, along with all the recommended equipment. He shook himself off like one of those massive huskies.
"Told ya it was Yeti." Santana mumbled tauntingly in Rachel's direction.
"Hi!" Rachel squeaked at the man shyly, wringing her hands. Santana narrowed her eyes. She knew that tone of voice and that look. Of course boy crazy Rachel would be practically fainting over the first guy who talked to her.
He pushed back the hood on his jacket and all Rachel could focus on was his boyishly handsome looks from what she could see of them. He looked young to her, maybe in his mid-twenties if she had to guess with messy, short brown hair along with some stubble and he was smiling gently at Rachel. Santana groaned, completely uninterested and beyond grossed out.
"What are you two girls doing all the way out here?" He tilted his head to the side in confusion then he saw the blood all over Santana and pointed to her. "Hey, are you okay? I heard screaming out here and some girls told me someone may have got hurt… "
"Well you see, Kind Sir, I'm so sorry but my sister and I just accidentally fell and I think she broke her leg. If you could kindly help us get back, we would appreciate that." Rachel told him, fluttering her eyelashes while the guy just blinked at her.
Santana could not be less interested in any of this and listening to her sister attempt to flirt with Bigfoot while she was lying there freezing to death was the last thing she wanted. She nudged Rachel with her uninjured shoulder, grumbling under her breath.
"You're seriously making big googly eyes at the first sasquatch who comes our way?"
"The girl who had every Victoria's Secret catalogue saved since she was twelve should be the last one to talk!" Rachel hissed back at her savagely, "I know you were thinking inappropriate things when you looked at them!"
Santana felt heat rise to her face. Rachel definitely had some embarrassing secrets she could blackmail her with and the black-haired girl hated that. The guy just blinked at them again in confusion.
"Um, should I call for medical attention?" He asked while Rachel just gazed up at him in adoration, clutching her chest.
"I don't need any help, you know. Wasn't really a big fall," Santana mumbled, rolling her eyes at Rachel acting like she was seeing one of her favourite Disney princes come to life. "No big deal at all."
"Really?" A soft, girlish voice answered in a teasing tone. Santana instantly perked up as the figure of a woman came into view. She was wearing shades of bright pink all over and a fuzzy, lilac pom-pom hat.
Santana almost forgot how to speak when the woman took off her goggles and all she saw were the prettiest, crystal clear blue eyes and petal pink lips as the woman giggled softly. Her skin was so pale white and stunning. With the snow falling around her, the girl was mesmerizing. She was like some kind of angel. Santana felt better already in the presence of this Nordic goddess. She sure was a sight for sore eyes.
"Yeah," Santana lied, trying to act casual even though she was inwardly groaning at how sore her back and arms and everything else felt. "It- it was nothing. Just a little trip and I can totally handle it. Really."
"Really, really?" The woman tilted her head to the side playfully and gave her a goofy smile. Santana's scowl slipped and she found herself smiling back at her because she couldn't help it.
Brittany thought it was amusing how arrogant this scrawny woman in the leather jacket was acting, though it was nothing she hadn't seen before from beginner skiers. When the woman leaned in to inspect her, Santana yelped in pain and surprise. She touched her arm, then her leg, making Santana jerk each time.
"Um, not that we aren't grateful for the assistance and you certainly look prepared for this subzero weather but who exactly are you two?" Rachel piped up. "Father always says it isn't a good idea to trust strangers."
The woman and man just chuckled at the innocent, slightly odd way Rachel spoke.
"Oh yeah, I forgot… we work here. I'm Brittany. That's Brittany S. Pierce - not Britney Spears - and this big gray guy is Finn Hudson. We're ski instructors here at the resort."
That explained a lot… Brittany S. Pierce…why did that name sound so familiar? Oh yeah…
Santana felt herself blushing deeply, remembering pictures of an insanely hot, tall blonde woman in the snow wearing nothing but ski boots and panties. And when she said nothing else she literally meant nothing else. The February edition of Sports Illustrated. Santana had been way too obsessed with that particular photoshoot and it had maybe awakened something in her.
Now that she was standing in front of her, Santana could only think of the fact that she had seen Brittany virtually naked. May God forgive me for these indecent thoughts…
It didn't help that Brittany winked at her when Santana got flustered, as if she knew exactly where the black-haired girl's mind was going and she didn't seem to object.
Wait a minute… that meant… this was Brittany S. Pierce, as in the sort of famous skier who won all those competitions.
"Oh, that makes sense and it explains why you're out here. I'm Rachel Berry and that's my sister, Santana Lopez. It's very nice to meet you, Finn and Brittany." Rachel said politely to both of them, accepting this explanation.
Santana just stared at Brittany, awestruck and desperately trying to keep her cool. She was right next to a woman who could only be described as every teenage boy's wet dream come to life and okay, maybe Santana's as well.
"Same," Finn nodded and continued to speak in a calm, professional voice, shaking Rachel's hand. "We spend most of our days out on the slopes helping people learn. Um, did you two realize that you were on one of the most dangerous trails despite being total beginners? It also really isn't a good idea for you to not wear helmets. In fact, it looks like you're not wearing any of the proper gear today, you guys. Today just wasn't your day."
"I'm not some loser beginner. I know what to do." Santana insisted, her scowl returning as she argued. Finn narrowed his eyes skeptically at this while Brittany kneeled down and leaned in closer, making Santana shiver but not from the cold.
"Um, I'm just saying… it doesn't look that way because you could have killed yourself and your sister as well," Finn responded in a serious tone, annoyed with Santana's cockiness. "No offence but you two are incredibly lucky that nothing worse happened to you today when you wiped out, especially in this not so great weather. I've seen this happen to new people a lot out here."
"That's exactly what I've been trying to tell her. She's so stubborn!" Rachel added in agreement.
Santana used the last of her strength to sit up, about to argue but the frown slipped away again and she was completely flustered as Brittany kneeled over in the snow and cupped her cheek, looking directly into her eyes with those searing blues. She examined the scrapes Santana had on her face with concern then glanced over at Rachel, who was also visibly upset and shaken.
"Aw, have you two been crying? You're really cold and hurting, huh?" Brittany whispered in her gentle, comforting voice, wiping a tear from Santana's cheek with the tip of her thumb. "You're like little crying baby kittens. Don't you two worry, we'll help you get back home."
Santana's heart skipped a beat and her stomach fluttered, even though she was furious at herself for acting so pathetically. She felt comforted but at the same time, so very shy and bashful at this gorgeous ice maiden talking to her.
"Oh thank you, thank you! We've been out here for a million years." Rachel whined, oblivious to Santana's internal struggle. Santana groaned at how desperate and uncool Rachel was making them sound, giving her a sharp look. "We've never faced anything like this before. We're hot weather, indoor people."
Brittany and Finn giggled. Santana's pride was bruised and she didn't want the gorgeous, tall viking goddess to think she was helpless. She attempted to stand up on shaky legs and nearly toppled over after two steps.
"Don't worry, I'll help you." Santana shuddered as Brittany moved easily through the powdery snow and effortlessly lifted her, supporting her weight against her body. She was a few inches taller than Santana and seemingly very strong. Santana would normally protest at being carried by anyone but for some reason, it was different with this girl.
It was like Brittany read her like a book and knew Santana wouldn't put up with being carried so she just supported as much of the black-haired girl's weight as she would allow her to.
Santana clung to her slim body, wrapping her arms around Brittany's shoulders and the blonde held her up so her feet didn't touch the ground. Her heart was beating wildly at being pressed up so close to Brittany. "Good. You're able to use your legs and arms pretty normally. At least it doesn't seem like any of your bones are broken."
"It- it's okay you don't need to -" Brittany gave Santana a knowing look with those calm, sweet blue eyes and she forgot what she was trying to argue. Instead, she just held on to the blonde, relishing the warmth and softness as Brittany's other arm was wrapped around her thighs just under her butt, squeaking as the tall girl hoisted her up a little higher. "I - nevermind."
"Which part of you hurts the most?" The blonde woman asked quietly. Santana forced herself to look away from her lips and tried to remember how to speak.
"Um, my arm…my back, and my face…and…my lips even… "
"Maybe I should kiss it better?" Brittany batted her eyelashes and then laughed softly, adjusting her hold on her in her arms. Santana blinked, her cheeks flaming and her heart skipped a beat again as Brittany's arm circled her waist. She wondered if she was imagining this gorgeous creature flirting with her. Brittany was so smooth.
"Can you walk?" Finn asked Rachel, noticing that the small brunette wasn't attempting to move. The small girl shook her head with a blush and Santana inwardly groaned, realizing Rachel just wanted to get carried by Finn. The boy bent over and took Rachel into his arms, easily holding her in a bridal style carry with one arm under her thighs.
Rachel began to panic as he lifted her and grabbed onto his jacket tightly as Finn just gave her a half smile she found so charming. She glanced up at Finn shyly, not knowing how to respond to being carried by a boy, especially in such a romantic style. This was one of her secret fantasies but she never thought it would ever happen to her.
"We can't thank you enough, really. We wouldn't have survived without you." Rachel spoke dramatically.
"It's no trouble at all," Finn responded, glancing at Rachel nervously. She kept staring at him so interestedly and this never usually happened to him. He knew Rachel and Santana's types - incredibly rich girls who would spend weeks at the resort without ever so much as looking at ordinary workers like Finn, far less making conversation with them. "Santana, if it's alright I'm going to take your sister back to her hotel room, if she doesn't have any major injuries."
"Thanks." Santana mumbled, still distracted by Brittany and wiping fluffy snow out of her eyes. Finn worked for the resort after all and there was no reason not to trust him with taking care of Rachel. It wasn't like if Santana was in any shape to look after either of them right now. She tried to make some quip about Finn taking Rachel back to his igloo but she couldn't bring herself to say it. She could feel all of Brittany's curves pressed into her and it was making her completely tongue tied.
"I know how to help you. Finn and I treat injured skiers all the time. I'll take you back to my cabin, Santana." Brittany informed her with a cheerful smile.
"Oh…okay." Santana practically squeaked, not knowing what to say. Being held by Brittany alone was enough to fluster her this much and the thought of Brittany taking her back to her cabin was overwhelming. Her winter vacation was suddenly becoming a lot more interesting…
To be continued