A.N.: Santana comes clean and Rachel comes out!
Disclaimer: Ryan's too preoccupied with AHS to be paying attention. We strike a dawn.
Dinner with the Berry's went as smoothly as Rachel tried to convince Santana it would. The two men were warm, welcoming, and forgiving just as the tiny diva said they would be. Of course Santana wouldn't have been okay parading around the family's house without telling Rachel's dads about her role in the glee star's bullying.
So she told them the story from start to finish. Obviously she left out the part where she slept with Finn knowing he still wasn't over Rachel. She hoped Rachel didn't see her tear up when she spoke on her less than empowering speech when the shorter girl was considering getting a nose job. She was in a very rough spot with Brittany and she couldn't be bothered with anyone else's problems at the time. Mr. Hiram and Mr. LeRoy, as they insisted on being called to lessen any confusion, listened to Santana's story without interrupting and when it was over they both rose to give the young athlete a strong, comforting hug. Rachel only looked on with a small smile.
"Santana, you guys are kids. We expect you to make mistakes, make friends, make enemies. That's what high school is about, but we respect you coming to us with the truth. We can already see that you're incredibly sorry about everything that went down with Rachel." LeRoy started.
"We can also see the way she's been smiling and getting out of the house more. I have enough common sense to attribute this recent behavior to you since we haven't seen that Hudson boy around lately. I'm glad though, there's still some marks on the doorways where his forehead connected that I need to get fixed." Hiram finished.
"Daddy! Finn never hit his head on the doorframes! Please don't exaggerate for Santana's sake." Rachel admonished. Santana couldn't help but take a jab at Finn as well.
"He definitely hit his head on something." Everyone around the table laughed in agreement on behalf of the dopey football player. While everyone finished their meal and fell into easy conversation, Sanatana couldn't help but be in awe of the girl that was completely relaxed and in her own element. It made Santana think.
He had to have hit his head to mess up all of this.
When the pair was in the car, Santana had joked that Rachel got her humor and dramatics from Mr. Hiram and her passion and determination from Mr. LeRoy. Rachel was quick to agree since the former spent all night making jokes at Rachel's expense with Santana and the latter spent all day learning how to make a separate meat inclusive meal for his little diva's new carnivorous friend.
"Hey! I did not ask him to do that! I would've been completely fine eating whatever rabbit food you guys usually eat."
"First of all, it's not 'rabbit food', and secondly Dad is the only one that isn't vegan so he will use any excuse to cook meat for someone besides himself."
"Make sure you tell him I appreciate it. Seriously, that stuffed chicken was awesome!" Rachel smiled at Santana's enjoyment of the recipe that was actually hers.
"I think he already knows from the amount of times you've thanked him. Well, here we are." The tiny diva rolled into Santana's driveway and put the car in park.
"I really had fun tonight, thanks for inviting me over, Rach." Santana got a weird look in response.
"What?"
"You called me Rach." Santana didn't see the big deal.
"Yeah, all my friends have nicknames. Who do you think started calling Puckerman 'Puck'?"
"I definitely wouldn't be so quick to take credit for that one if I were you. I guess I just realized Finn's the only person that ever really called me Rach." Santana didn't like that at all and suddenly had a bad taste in her mouth.
"Okay, well then how about Tiny? Ya know, cause you're tiny." Rachel just looked annoyed.
"Santana, you're barely three inches taller than me." The taller girl snorted her laughter.
"Hey! Three inches can mean a lot!"
"That's what he said." Santana paused in the middle of grabbing her belongings from the backseat of Rachel's car.
"Did you just- yeah we've definitely been hanging out too much."
"I think we've been hanging out just the right amount." The Jewish girl argued, flashing a dazzling smile in the cheerleader's direction.
"Listen, Rachel, about what you said earlier. This isn't some prank or clever ruse to get your guard down and then humiliate you by way of egging. I really like hanging out with you and it's super cool that you're being forgiving about everything and allowing me to be your friend. I'm a bitch most of the time, but my intentions are not to hurt you." Santana looked up from where she had been fiddling with her nails to see that same intense stare from earlier.
"I believe you." Santana was immediately taken back to their sophomore year when Rachel had said the same thing after finding out that Santana was not involved in leaking the Glee Club's setlist to Sue at Sectionals.
Not many people tended to have faith in the short tempered Latina outside of Brittany and her immediate family. Santana didn't really understand how the girl she used to torment daily was slowly becoming a fixture in her life. All she knew was that she liked it and she wasn't letting go of it because it was something she realized she needed in her life. Rachel was someone she wanted in her life.
"I know about some of the stuff with you and Brittany and I know that can't be easy. I know it can be hard to not feel comfortable enough to live your truth and I just want you to know I'm here for you. Everyone deserves to feel loved and accepted, Santana, even you."
"Thank you. Is this your way of telling me you've been an honorary member of the Rainbow Brigade this whole time, Tiny?"
"Well, truth be told I have always found women just as beautiful as men. I think I was just afraid to admit that out of fear of being a stereotype." Santana looked confused at how Rachel came to that train of thought.
"Gay dads, gay child? The whole gays breed gays rhetoric?" Santana found the sentiment amusing.
"Unless Shelby has something else she wants to tell you, I don't think you're giving that stereotype any merit. Even if you were, who cares? Every stereotype has some minute bit of truth to it, anyways. That's how they catch on so well."
"I guess I never thought of it like that. You know you're not as bitchy as you pretend to be, Ms. Lopez." Santana paused halfway through disconnecting her seatbelt.
"Pretend? I'm a certified HBIC and badass. I ran Puck's football shorts up the flagpole at the age of six! Just one of these finely plucked eyebrows causes the masses to scatter like sewer rats."
"That's hilarious and somehow I'm sure six year old Noah deserved it. I'm just lucky to have your badassery on my side now."
"Damn right you are. I'll see you Saturday for coffee?" Santana asked, leaning in the passenger window after she got out and closed the door.
"Damn right you will." With that, Rachel peeled out of the driveway back in the direction of her own house. Santana stood in her driveway in disbelief. Did Rachel just swear jokingly and why was it the hottest thing she had ever seen? In the distance she could hear her kid brother.
"Yeah, it's her, Ma. She looks fine, I don't know why she's just standing there. Maybe she got a kiss on her date or something." Javier screamed from the front door.
"Shut up, Javi. It was not a date." Santana said, closing the door behind her and taking one last look at the spot where Rachel's car was before heading up to bed.
A.N.: Would it be a glee story without an epic party chapter? I don't think so. R&R!
