Author's Note: Been a while since I updated so I wanted to give you guys something for being so patient and awesome! I'm working on Chapter Fourteen in my notebook, so I'll have to type it up soon, which I'm not looking forward to. But I've been away from my laptop so much that hand writing it has been my only option. Although that does also mean I don't currently know how much I have written for the chapter, it looks like a lot in my A5 notebook but it's probably only like 4 bloody pages on Word DX
Feel like I haven't stopped for ages. When I'm not working, I'm recovering from work, or I'm dealing with adult stuff or Uni stuff or car stuff or family shit. I'm so fucking glad I've got this weekend off. I need a fucking four day nap! Also my car fucked up again last thursday and it's taking them forever to figure out what's wrong with it so I still don't know or have it back and I live fifteen miles from where I work now with no easy/direct bus route so I'm relying on £20 taxis and the kindness of lovely people to get me to and from. I'm so fucking skint right now DX
Urgh. Life.
Also. I uh may be taking it out on the poor Unholy Trinity and poor Rachel soooo... just be warned for the next chapter =S it ain't pretty!
Thank you so, so much for all the badass and supportive reviews and to everyone who has favourited the story! You guys are brilliant and I love each and every one of you! Shout out to malexfaith for all your kind words and encouragement! You make my day with your reviews and you're so polite XD I love it! You're awesome. I hope you continue to enjoy the story =)
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing, except the awesome decorative skulls I bought in the Halloween section in TK Maxx the other day! One is made to look like it's made of playing cards and another has roses on it, and I got a black cat dressed like a skeleton XD it's so awesome! My aesthetic really is nerd crossed with serial killer =D
Content Warning: Brief mentions of murder and violence, a scene of the work up to s*x but not the act itself, depictions of mental health issues.
Chapter Thirteen
Santana's eyes widened, eyebrows shooting up. "Errrrr..." She had not even had this conversation with her family, never mind with Rachel, so what the fuck was she supposed to tell the suddenly loomingly tall man before her?
Before she could form coherent thought or come up with an answer of any kind for LeRoy, Rachel's voice rang out through the kitchen.
"Daddy!"
LeRoy visibly stiffened, his face paling at having been caught by his daughter. Even so, he shook himself and doubled down, determined to get an answer. "I am sorry, Rachel but I need to know you are going to be safe with these girls. I would not be doing my fatherly duty if I did not ask these questions!"
Rachel crossed to them and planted herself in front of Santana, glaring up at her father. "You do not have to answer anything, Santana. My father is being incredibly inappropriate and rude right now."
LeRoy's mouth fell open and he spluttered. Santana couldn't help the smirk that tugged at her mouth – she had missed this firecracker of a diva very much, especially now it wasn't being aimed at her.
"But, sweetheart!" LeRoy flailed helplessly, sounding more like the scolded child now. "I was only trying to-"
"I don't care what you were trying to do, daddy, you cannot ambush my friends like this. Especially not when they are guests in our house and have been so incredibly kind and patient today." Rachel shook her head in disappointment at her father. "And you should know better than anyone how much pain and discomfort Santana is in right now, how much she has been through this week! She does not deserve to be cornered and interrogated in our kitchen."
By now the rest of the household had arrived in the kitchen, having been drawn by the raised voices. Hiram sighed quietly, a little upset with his husband even though he knew he had meant well. Brittany and Quinn watched tensely – they expected Santana to bolt at any moment, just 'nope' the fuck out and shut herself down. To their surprise, and genuine pride, Santana did not do that.
The Latina put a gentle hand on the diva's shoulder. "Rach, it's okay-"
"No it is not, Santana. You have been so supportive and so lovely all day, even when you have been in such awful pain and would have been well within your rights to tell everyone to leave you alone." Rachel still stood glaring up at her shrinking father, arms crossed defiantly over her chest. "You have put yourself, your health and your own family at risk just to be here for me. And not just today either." The diva finally looked over her shoulder at Santana, her face softening. "I know daddy means well, he's trying to look after me, but this is inappropriate. Especially considering we have not even had that conversation ourselves yet."
Santana chuckled. "I know. I wish we would've had it before this happened too but you can't always get what you want, huh? Sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches." She saw Rachel stiffen. "Metaphorically speaking, Rach." Santana pressed a kiss to the diva's cheek, her hand lingering on Rachel's waist as she straightened and looked LeRoy dead in the eye.
The man blinked in surprise, apologies about to spill from him but Santana beat him to it.
"I'm sorry, Doctor Berry, I don't have a perfect answer for you. Maybe not even one you want to hear, but it's going to be the truth."
LeRoy gulped but nodded for Santana to go on.
The Latina smiled faintly, drew in a breath and exhaled around the sudden lump in her throat. "I can only speak for myself but… I like your daughter. Very much. I'm still getting to know her but I enjoy being with her; I love listening to her sing and talk so passionately about music. I want to keep her safe," Santana shrugged, eyes lingering on the tiny diva in front of her for a moment. "I want her to know she has someone to lean on when she needs it, I want to prove that I'm not the same person I was last year and I will try my fucking hardest not to hurt her. I also want her to know I'm not scared, and I'm not like any of those douchebags who couldn't handle her star-power or her big heart."
Rachel turned to stare at Santana, her eyes wide and mouth curving slowly into a smile – such a look of pure happiness on her face that the Latina couldn't help but take her hands and speak directly to her then.
"I'm not perfect, Rach. Nowhere near it, actually. But I'm trying, and I'm gonna keep trying so that I don't hurt my family… so I don't hurt you anymore. And I know we aren't exactly the standard operating system," Santana glanced over at her little family with a fond smile as they stood watching her cautiously. "I know our relationship, our family might not make sense to you, or might not be what you want in the future, and that's totally cool! There's no pressure, no strings, nothing. What I'm trying to say, Rach, is… I just want-"
Brittany cleared her throat pointedly, gesturing at herself and Quinn when Santana looked over at her. Santana raised an eyebrow at the shorter blonde, who hesitated for a split second before giving her a firm nod.
The Latina's face split into a smile as she turned back to Rachel. "We just want you in our lives. In whatever way you will have us-"
Rachel's excited squeal cut Santana off as the diva threw her arms around the Latina's neck and kissed her hard on the lips. Santana wrapped her own arms around the girl, lifting her off her feet as she grinned into the embrace. LeRoy coughed awkwardly but Rachel did not care. She pressed kiss after kiss to Santana's mouth, cheeks, forehead, jaw, before finally releasing her and diving at the two blondes. They caught her and held her close, one of her arms around each of their necks, as she peppered their cheeks with kisses too.
The Unholy Trinity all looked a little dazed when Rachel finally ended her onslaught and turned back to her blushing, smiling fathers. Rachel's eyes bulged and her face reddened too as she suddenly realised what she had done in front of the men.
"Well…" She swallowed hard, smoothing out her clothing before purposefully meeting LeRoy's eyes. "I hope that answers your question and alleviates whatever concerns you both may have about my- these wonderful girls." Rachel blushed even harder at her slip but powered on. "For future reference, fathers, please direct all questions about my relationships to yours truly instead of ambushing people in our kitchen at 3am. If you could do that, I would greatly appreciate it."
Both men nodded in unison, identical looks of wonder and disbelief on their faces. If these three girls could elicit such a passionate and animated response from the girl who had been so lost and withdrawn for the past half a year then the Berry men were more than happy to have them in their daughter's life.
The tension in the kitchen was rather awkward and no one quite knew what to say after all that. Santana stood rubbing the back of her neck, a little uncomfortable about having Rachel's dads watch them mackin'. Rachel was still blushing furiously, her sudden rush of confidence all but spent now.
"So…" Brittany looked back and forth between everyone, a hopeful gleam in her eyes as she bounced giddily, tugging on Quinn and Rachel's hands. "Someone said there was dessert?"
The sky was just starting to turn from black to a dark grey outside when LeRoy returned. He closed the front door silently behind himself and locked it before creeping upstairs. He stopped outside Rachel's room and slowly opened the door. His eyes fell on the sleeping girls in his daughter's bed and his heart swelled – they looked so goddamn cute and content laid there together. Santana on the far side, sprawled out, with Quinn on her chest, and Rachel sandwiched between the two blondes, Brittany's arm thrown across all three of them.
LeRoy edged around the room, stepping carefully over the shoes and jackets spread across the floor haphazardly – a sight he had never seen before in his ridiculously organised and neat daughter's bedroom – until he reached the other side of the bed. He put the paper bag he had been carrying on the nightstand, along with the keys he took from his pocket. He paused as he turned to leave, his gaze on Santana. A deep sadness threatened to overwhelm him, just as it had done when he had gotten to the Latina's house and found neither of her parents at home nor any sign that they had even realised she was not there. He could not fathom how anyone with the incredible fortune and privilege to have the title of 'parent' bestowed on them could be so unconcerned and cold when it came to their child! His eyes flickered to Quinn. Or how a father could be so cruel and unyielding when it came to his daughter's mistakes and her future happiness…
LeRoy's lip curled and he shook his head. Those parents did not deserve to have such kind, loving, brave daughters. He was just thankful he had never heard anything bad about the Pierce family. At least they had one loving set of parents to look after them. A smile slipped onto the man's face then. Now they had two sets and LeRoy would be damned if he was going to let anything else happen to these girls on his watch! He turned, with a determined glint in his eye and a lightness to his heart, and left the room, pulling the door shut gently behind him.
LeRoy finished up in the bathroom and was headed back to bed, more than ready to fall asleep with his husband in his arms. He opened the bathroom door and froze. Santana stood there, leant against the opposite wall, her tired eyes locked on him as if she had been waiting for him… which she must have been…
"Santana… my apologies if I woke you."
"I needed to take my meds anyway." She shrugged. "Thanks, by the way. You didn't have to." The Latina held up the paper bag, before stepping around LeRoy and emptying the contents onto the vanity in the bathroom.
LeRoy watched her sort through the medication and take the correct dose from each pill bottle. "I did have to. I have a duty of care, firstly. And secondly, Rachel was right."
"Don't let her hear you say that! You'll never hear the end of it otherwise," Santana pointed out, swallowing her medication with a few mouthfuls of water. "But I get it, Doc, she's your daughter. You were only trying to do what you thought was right to keep her safe."
LeRoy chuckled. "True. But even so, I shouldn't have done it like that."
"No… there were probably better times and places, but we live and learn," Santana mused, packing her medication back into the paper bag.
LeRoy nodded thoughtfully. Santana stared at him, waiting for him to ask the question she knew he must have been dying to ask since she told them she had reported Finn to Figgins. When he finally focused back in on the girl, LeRoy recognised the look in her eyes and the words spilled from him before he could stop them.
"What are we going to do about the boy?"
Santana smirked dangerously. There it was.
"I know you've already reported him to the school but we have to do more. I cannot have him anywhere near Rachel ever again. I will not hesitate…" He trailed off, a deep frown on his face as he tried to calm his anger.
"To kill him? Me either."
LeRoy's eyes widened at the anger and disgust he noted in the girl. Was that what he looked like right then too? God. That wasn't good - not for his family, not for the girls, not for anyone.
"But," Santana shook herself out of it, taking a few calming breaths before meeting the man's gaze again. "As much as I want him to suffer – and I want it so fucking much – I'm trying this new thing right now where I think before I act and actually consider how my actions might hurt my family so… that leaves us with the non-murdery options instead."
LeRoy found himself very proud of the girl in that moment. She was more mature than he had realised, and genuinely seemed to have the best interests of her little family at heart. His fatherly instincts seemed to relax a little towards her.
"Which are…?" Santana raised her eyebrows at the man, waiting for his input.
"Which are: reporting all this to the Police, getting a restraining order against the boy, speaking to his parents and letting them take the lead or sitting down with him and having a mediation between everyone involved-"
"Well that last one ain't happenin'!" Santana snorted, folding her arms across her chest as she lent back against the vanity. "I still haven't punched the motherfucker, let's not tempt fate by putting me in an enclosed space with him, okay? I've already pissed Quinn off enough for one lifetime." She mumbled the last part, flexing her injured hand as she did.
"Well then, while we wait for your Principal to get things moving at the school, I propose we have a conversation with the Hudson-Hummels and then see where to go from there. What do you think?" LeRoy observed Santana carefully.
The Latina pursed her lips, thinking it over carefully. "You and me?"
"Hiram too. He is the lawyer amongst us after all."
Santana nodded slowly. "Okay, the three of us. When?"
"I will call the family later today to arrange it for Sunday."
"Good. I'll let Britt and Q know so they can stay with Rach that day. I don't want any of them closer to that prick than they have to be," Santana growled, making LeRoy blink and a wistful smile appear on his face.
He enjoyed that he and Santana were on the same page about the whole thing. Perhaps, between the two of them, they could get through this and protect their families from any more pain. But Sunday would be the deciding factor on how far they would have to go to achieve that goal…
"But first… sleep," Santana mumbled, rubbing her face with both hands. The fire was gone from her eyes, exhaustion weighing her entire body down.
LeRoy couldn't agree more. He was certain if he felt half as bad as Santana looked right then he wouldn't even be vertical. He stepped out of the way, sweeping his arm towards the door.
"Night, Doc." The Latina picked up her meds and shuffled past LeRoy.
"Goodnight, Santana." He waited until he heard the door to Rachel's bedroom open and close before returning gratefully to his own room and sinking into bed beside Hiram.
"Everything okay, love?" Hiram rolled over, eyes closed and threw an arm over his husband, cuddling into his side.
"Of course. And… we have a plan," LeRoy smiled into Hiram's hair, pressing a kiss to his head.
Saturday was gone in the blink of an eye – out of the six in the Berry house only two made it downstairs before dinner. And that was only because Brittany smelled Hiram making pancakes late afternoon and could not resist. She traipsed down the stairs, following her nose, until she stood, bare foot, in the Berry kitchen. Her eyes transfixed on the man by the stove, his back to her as he cooked, humming to himself. Hiram added pancakes to the already full plate beside him.
Brittany sat herself down at the kitchen island and waited patiently. She observed him with a cocked head and bright blue eyes - eyes that never missed a thing. At first she hadn't been able to make out what it was that he had been humming, her ears straining until she finally picked out the melody and joined in with the words.
"What a shame we all became such fragile broken things, a memory remains, just a tiny spark. I give it all my oxygen so let the flames begin. So let the flames begin, oh glory!"
Hiram whipped around, hand over his heart as Brittany beamed at him, holding the last note. Relief washed over him at the sight of the girl but he brandished the spatula at her anyway. "You shouldn't sneak up on people while they're stood over a hot stove, Brittany!"
"I smelled food." The dancer shrugged.
Hiram's mouth opened and closed for a few moments before he gave up and just shook his head with a smile. "Grab a plate and help yourself." He pointed to a cupboard where the plates were kept before going back to cooking.
Brittany wasted no time in doing just that and returned to the island, plateful of pancakes in one hand and a knife and fork in the other. Hiram nudged the butter and syrup towards her and received a huge grin in return. He watched her smother the pancakes in syrup and tuck in, a fond smile finding its way onto his face.
"So…" Brittany shoved a forkful into her mouth as she scrutinized the man. "I thought you didn't know Paramore. How come you were humming it?"
Hiram blushed and went back to the stove to try and hide it. "Santana raved about them a fair bit last night, she had me intrigued so I listened to a few of their songs." He shrugged in an attempted to be nonchalant but Brittany's giggle told him he had failed. "How do you know them? They don't really seem up your alley."
"They're San's favourite band." Brittany shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I know every song by P!nk, Avril Lavigne, Halestorm, Evanescence and Skillet too. Quinn and San love them. Oh and Panic! At the Disco. Quinn says the songs make her feel a little saner because they're so lyrically insane."
Hiram stared at her. "Wow… you memorised all those songs because your girlfriends like them?"
"I wanted to understand them better. Quinn especially. Because of everything last year we… we lost her for a while and when we got her back I wanted to make it as easy as possible for her." Brittany took another huge bite of pancake and chewed in silence. Once she had swallowed she continued. "She doesn't trust easily, neither of them do. And they don't always know the right words… so to help, I listened to their playlists and learned the songs so that if they ever need to say something but can't, all they have to do is choose a song and I'll understand. No words needed." She nodded so seriously, eyes on her plate, brow furrowed.
"Brittany…"
Suddenly Brittany's face lit up and she met Hiram's concerned gaze. "I really love Ke$ha, and Katy Perry right now. But I'll listen to anything I can dance to, I mean, I haven't actually found a type of music I can't dance to yet so…" the dancer mused. She tapped her fork to her chin thoughtfully.
Hiram's eyebrows had not come down from his hairline yet as he waited for the next incredulous thing to come out of the blonde's mouth.
Brittany noticed Hiram's eyes fixed to her and mistook it for concern. "Don't worry, Mr. Berry, I've already started learning Rachel's favourite songs too!"
Hiram's mouth dropped open and his heart swelled. "You have?"
"Mmhm." Brittany replied around a mouthful of pancake. "I know Rach usually likes to talk a lot and she's pretty good at getting what she wants so even if I don't use it for that reason, I'll still get to know her better and maybe we can duet sometime. That would be so awesome!"
Before he knew what he was doing, Hiram was around the other side of the kitchen island and had Brittany in a bone crushing hug. It was the knife and fork clattering onto the plate that snapped him out of it but before he could even think to get embarrassed about his actions, Brittany was hugging him back just as hard.
"I am so happy my little girl has someone like you in her life, Brittany. It does my heart so much good to know." Hiram gave the dancer another firm squeeze before letting her go.
He met her gaze and held it. Something passed between them - an understanding… a promise... It made Brittany's already bright smile grow even wider as Hiram returned it before hurrying back to tend to his pancakes before they burned.
When Quinn had eventually awoken it had been to find Santana dozing, spread out on the bed, toned abs exposed where her shirt had ridden up in the night. She couldn't help herself as she slid her hand across the girl's stomach, fingernails grazing the muscles there. Her mouth had followed a second later, soft, exploratory kisses turning wet and hot when a soft moan reached her ears and Santana's fingers found their way into her hair. Quinn unbuttoned her girlfriend's shirt and dragged her tongue from her belly button up to the hollow of her throat.
A quiet laugh told her Santana was fully awake now; the Latina propped herself up on her elbows to look at the blonde. Before she could say a word, Quinn pushed Santana back onto the bed and crushed their mouths together. The knowing chuckle that slipped from Santana quickly turned to a moan as the blonde's tongue traced her lips but refused to go further even when the Latina opened up to her. Quinn tugged at Santana's lower lip with her teeth, nipping at it and making the other girl's fingers tighten on her waist. Santana let Quinn take charge – even though she longed to pull the girl flush against her, one hand dying to bury itself in that silky blonde hair and the other longing to slide down and palm her ass… She shook herself out of it and immersed herself in the feel of her girlfriend kissing her so slow and deep, making her whole body shiver.
"I need you to touch me, S," Quinn's voice came out husky and quiet, a little self-consciousness creeping in so she couldn't make eye contact with Santana.
A rush of heat flooded Santana at the words. She bit her lip hard and managed to pull herself together enough to take Quinn's face in her hands and bring their gazes together. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Please."
"Where?"
"I don't care, I just need your hands on me."
Santana, holding Quinn's eyes still, slipped her hand under the blonde's t-shirt and allowed her fingers to glide up her back before dragging her fingernails back down again. Quinn shuddered and pressed herself into Santana.
"More."
The Latina's hand moved around to Quinn's taut stomach, the backs of her fingers grazing the warm skin there briefly before she flattened her palm on the girl's abs and kissed her deeply.
"More, S…" Quinn growled. She broke the kiss, grabbed Santana's hesitant hand and guided it up until it cupped her breast through her bra.
When Santana's thumb ghosted over her bra-covered nipple a long, low moan crawled up Quinn's throat and the Latina felt herself throb. She had wanted to do this for so many years, long before they became romantically involved. Quinn was incredibly beautiful – with her alabaster skin, her silky hair that shone like the sun, her intelligent, intense hazel eyes and sexy fucking eyebrow/smirk combination. It all drove Santana to distraction, especially when that smirk and perfectly sculpted eyebrow were aimed at her… God, there were times when she felt like she would explode from the raw sexiness that was Quinn Fabray.
And now, here she was, in Rachel Berry's room – the diva curled up asleep on the other side of the bed – with Quinn breathless and horny on top of her, one hand on the girl's perfect breast… fuck… she hardly dare move in case she did something wrong and ruined the moment.
"Ssssss…" Quinn's hiss brought Santana back into the moment as she realised her other hand had a mind of its own and had snuck beneath the blonde's jeans, digging its fingers into the firmness of Quinn's bare ass.
"Fuck, I'm sorry, Q. I shouldn't have-"
Before she could even finish her sentence or remove her hand, Quinn's own hand had found its way onto Santana's ass and groped her, pulling their bodies even closer. "Don't you dare move your hand, S," the blonde panted, her eyes fluttering closed at the feeling of her girlfriend's hand cupping, squeezing her ass. "Kiss me…"
With a grin on her face, Santana did as she was told; capturing the girl's lips, tongues finally meeting and sending sparks of electricity through them both. Carefully, slowly, Santana let her hands explore Quinn's body, giving the girl every opportunity to speak up if she needed them to stop or if something was too much. But Quinn only arched into Santana when the Latina's fingers snuck into her bra and bare skin met bare skin. Her nipple hardened quickly under Santana's skilled fingers, gentle tugs and tweaks making the blonde gasp and jerk her hips against her.
Suddenly the bed dipped beside them and Brittany's mouth latched onto Santana's neck, her hand joining the Latina's own on Quinn's ass. The loud, appreciative moan that came from Quinn told them it was more than okay so Brittany threw a leg over theirs and scooted until she was flush against both of her girlfriends. The dancer had barely managed to leave a mark on Santana's neck next to the one Quinn had left the day before, had barely started to explore the way her other girlfriend's supple ass felt in her hand before Hiram shouted 'Pancakes!' from right outside the door making Rachel jerk awake.
The diva rolled over to find the Unholy Trinity locked together, hungrily devouring each other, noises of pleasure leaking from them. Her eyes widened comically but when her brain actually took a second to process what she was seeing a wave of arousal surged through her body. A small guttural noise ripped from her throat. Santana's eyes locked onto her over Brittany's head and Rachel felt herself get wet just from the pure lust she saw. Quinn moved to claim Santana's mouth again and a profound sense of loss, and a generous dollop of jealousy, took over the diva. Her whole body was suddenly aching to be touched, to be kissed, to be ravished.
There came a knocking at the door and Hiram's voice followed it. "Come on, sleepy heads! I made enough for everyone, so come and get them!"
Rachel heard a whimper come from one of the girls but couldn't pin point who until…
"Don't stop, S, please!" Quinn ground herself down onto Santana, holding the Latina's hand in place on her breast.
"We haven't done this in forever, San, I've missed you so much." Brittany kissed her way down from Santana's shoulder, stopping at the swell of her cleavage to suck a mark into existence.
"It's only been eight days, Britt," Santana managed to gasp out as she clutched at the two beautiful blondes on top of her. They were quickly taking over her senses and making it impossible to think but they had to stop. "But we need to press pause, okay?"
Both blondes groaned loudly at the thought of stopping anything that they were doing. It felt so fucking good and they needed this so badly after all the bullshit and anxiety and pain of the week. They needed a release.
Santana chucked throatily. Which she realised quickly was a mistake when Quinn crushed their mouths back together with a lusty growl. "Q, baby, not here. We have an audience…" she trailed off, hoping the blonde would get the message.
Quinn stiffened on top of Santana. She pulled away just a fraction of an inch and turned to find Rachel, red-faced and lust-darkened eyes, staring at them from the opposite side of the bed. "Fuck." She grumbled and collapsed onto the Latina, burying her face in the girl's neck to catch her breath.
Brittany sighed sadly when she realised things weren't going to go any further – she removed her hand from Quinn's ass and threw it over the girl's waist instead, settling against her girlfriends, burying her face in the other side of Santana's neck.
"You okay, Rach?"
Rachel could only blink at Santana. She swallowed thickly a few times as she tried to regain her composure. Eventually the aching between her legs subsided enough for her to send the Latina a nod and actually meet her gaze.
"Sorry. We shouldn't have…" Santana grimaced up at the diva, seeing how the girl squirmed uncomfortably. "It won't happen again. We promise."
Disappointment punched Rachel in the gut and she had to fight heroically to keep it from showing on her face. "N-No. No need to apologise. I-I want you all to feel comfortable and at home here."
Santana raised an eyebrow at her.
"I-In fact, I should be the one apologising! I shouldn't have been staring. It was incredibly rude and disrespectful of me!"
"Disrespectful?" Santana laughed in disbelief. "Rach, you were probably like a minute away from seeing a live sex show in your own bed. It never should have gotten that far and I'm sorry that we made you uncomfortable." The Latina felt Quinn laugh and shake her head into her shoulder, muttering something that sounded like 'oblivious dumbasses'.
Rachel could only stare at the girls where they lay flush against each other, hands still laying claim to skin. A fire still burned at her core, her skin ached to be touched, her lips begged to be kissed… her heart longed to love and be loved as completely as the three girls before her loved each other. She wanted them – physically, emotionally, mentally - so badly that she thought if she couldn't have them that way, then the very least they could do for her was let her see that live sex show! The thought made her blush furiously and clench her thighs together, desperate for any sort of friction.
Sure, last night Santana had said all those wonderful things to her, and the little family had extended their hands to her in friendship or… or whatever she wanted. And she wanted, God, she wanted! But there was still that grey area, those blurred lines between friendship and something so much more. Rachel had come to think of the Unholy Trinity as a unit not to be sold separately. And thus she had sub-consciously decided that if she couldn't have all of them, she couldn't have any of them. Perhaps that was wrong and selfish of her. Perhaps it would mean she would never get to have them at all. Perhaps then all she would have was her memories to keep her warm and satisfy her needs at night. But she couldn't help it.
She wanted all of them. But not all of them wanted her… her eyes flickered to Quinn and she had to bite back a sigh. It was entirely possible that the other two didn't even want her in that way anyway, so her wooing Quinn would be pointless. She had only shared a kiss or two with Brittany and Santana was… complicated. Sometimes she was sure she saw want in the Latina's eyes that rivaled her own, but then it was gone a split second later and Rachel was convinced she had imagined it in the state of constant horniness the dark-haired, dark-eyed girl always had her in.
"Rach?" Santana's gentle voice brought Rachel out of her tormented train of thoughts.
"I think I shall go and get some of those pancakes. Dad always makes the best vegan ones!" The diva smiled brightly and got off the bed. She turned her back to the girls as she put her hair up in a ponytail, using it as cover to take a few deep, calming breaths to steady herself. "I shall endeavour to save you all some but once daddy gets down there all bets are off!" She told them as she reached the door.
"That's okay, Rach, I already had a few stacks so I'm good!" Brittany rolled over briefly to flash her a satisfied grin and pat her stomach.
Rachel nodded. "Good. Then I shall save some for Quinn and Santana." Rachel hesitated with one hand on the door handle.
Santana frowned when she didn't leave right away. "Rach-"
"You didn't make me uncomfortable, Santana." The diva glanced back over her shoulder at the confused Latina. "Before, when you all were… you didn't make me uncomfortable. Okay?"
Santana swallowed, nodding quickly. A ghost of a smile appeared on Rachel's face before she had the door open and was gone.
Quinn sighed loudly and raised her head to look at Santana, annoyed. "Would you just fuck her already, S? This is getting harder and harder to watch!"
Santana scowled at her girlfriend, smacking her ass lightly with her hand. "I'm trying to prove to Rachel that I'm not the same douchebag I was last year, remember? She deserves respect and romance and patience-"
"True, but she also deserves to know her feelings aren't unrequited and right now, you being all knight-in-shining-armour and gentlemanly is making her think you don't want her that way," Quinn explained. "When you obviously fucking do!"
Santana moved to argue but Quinn clamped a hand over the girl's mouth, stare serious.
"It's not up to you to decide what Rachel wants or needs right now. That's her job," the blonde softened. She took her hand from Santana's mouth and traced the girl's jaw with her finger tips. "I know you're trying to protect her, S, because you care about her. But unless you know it's what she wants, you could be doing more harm than good. So talk to her. Okay?"
Santana's scowl deepened but she couldn't keep it up and rolled her eyes as she gave the blonde an affectionate smile. "Fucking smartass."
Quinn shot her a wink and lent in for kiss. "Well think of it this way, the sooner you talk to her the sooner she figures out what she wants. The sooner she figures out what she wants the sooner we can figure out where to go from here!"
"Communication is important, San," Brittany chirped up, turning to look at her girlfriends, her head still on Santana's shoulder.
Santana rolled her eyes. "I know, I know! And I'm trying to get better at it, I promise. It's just harder than I thought…" she trailed off, sighing deeply.
The blondes exchanged a worried glance and tightened their holds on the frustrated Latina.
"We know you are, baby," Quinn dropped butterfly kisses along Santana's chest and up her throat to her lips.
"And we're so proud of you for it, beautiful," Brittany nuzzled into Santana's neck, placing a kiss behind her ear, making her girlfriend's lips curl up into a small smile.
"Hmm. But speaking of communication…" Santana gave both blondes a squeeze until they pulled back to look at her. "Rachel's dads are going to see the Hudson-Hummels tomorrow and… I'm going with them."
"What?" The word came out sharp, like a jab to the stomach. Quinn went rigid on top of Santana.
"This isn't up for debate, Q-"
"Like fuck it's not!" Quinn shoved herself off of Santana, anger coursing through her but it was quickly overshadowed by overwhelming fear and anxiety at the thought of Santana being anywhere near Finn. "If you're going, so am I."
Santana shifted Brittany off her gently and sat up, sliding off the bed towards the agitated blonde. "Q, no-"
"What did I just fucking say about making decisions for other people, you fucking asshole? No," Quinn shook her head defiantly, holding up a hand to keep Santana at arm's length. "No, I can't just fucking sit here again doing nothing. If you insist on this then the only way it's happening is with Britt and I stood between you and him. Do you understand me, Santana?"
Santana's heart clenched at the desperation in her girlfriend's voice, the worry in her eyes. "Mi amor, listen to me, please-"
"I will not let him hurt you again, S, I won't!" Quinn felt her throat start to close from the panic, her lungs seizing up. "I won't…" She was in Santana's arms before she could blink, sobbing into the Latina's still-unbuttoned shirt, hands balled into fists as she clutched the girl tight.
"Shh, mi amor, I'm here. I got you," Santana buried her face into the blonde's hair and whispered gentle reassurances to her.
Brittany's arms enveloped them both not a moment later. "I don't want you to go either, San," the dancer murmured sadly. "I love you too much to just stand by and let you get hurt by him again."
Santana freed an arm and looped it around Brittany's neck, holding her tight too. "Listen to me, mi amors, I will not be going anywhere near that motherfucker, I promise you that. I'll be with Rachel's dads the whole time and even Hudson isn't dumb enough to try something in front of his own mom and step-dad!"
"But what if he does?" Brittany met Santana's gaze.
Santana cupped the back of the dancer's neck until their foreheads rested together. "Then I'll turn and run as fast as I can. I won't stop until I'm back in your arms again, okay?"
Brittany brought their mouths together, nodding furiously. They only broke the kiss when Quinn shifted in Santana's arms to wrap herself completely around the Latina and bite her hard on the shoulder.
Santana let out a hiss. "Not that I don't enjoy when you're rough with me, Q, but what was that for?"
"For being a stubborn dumbass," the reply was a little muffled since Quinn still had her teeth sunk into Santana. "And 'cuz I needed to…"
The Latina chuckled and kissed the blonde's cheek, understanding the meaning behind her words – she would much rather Quinn hurt her than herself. "Okay, mi feroz león, you do whatever you gotta to feel better, I won't stop you. So long as you listen to me. Both of you!"
Brittany nudged Quinn with her head before settling her chin against the blonde's shoulder, eyes on Santana.
"I know you're both scared and anxious. I am too. But this is something I gotta do. Not just for Rach and her dads, but for you two as well," Santana gave the girls a loving squeeze. "You're my world. And if there's a chance to get through to Hudson and stop him from trying to hurt our family, then I gotta try." She felt Quinn loosen her jaw a little and hum in agreement, Brittany gave a small nod. "Everything is gonna be fine and I'll be back before you know it. I just need you both to look after Rach while we're gone. This is gonna be difficult for her, but her dads want to keep her out of it as much as they can. And I agree. So knowing you guys are here with her, that you'll all be safe, will make me feel better about the whole thing."
"What about you, S?" Quinn finally released the Latina's shoulder and looked up at her. "You matter too. You don't deserve to be dragged into all this shit any more than Rachel does."
"Maybe. But if I hadn't been such a fucking moron and hadn't let my pride get the better of me then he never woulda had the chance to hurt her in the first place," Santana revealed, her voice cracking. "I gotta do something, Q. Or else the guilt's gonna kill me."
Quinn felt her soul, her very being ache painfully for the girl in her arms as she guided Santana's head down into her own neck and breathed out a shaky sigh. She knew the sooner all this shit was over and Finn was out of their lives the better. But it didn't stop her wishing with everything she had that Santana was as far away from all of this as possible. All she wanted to do was protect her girls, her family… but that included Rachel now so if this was what they needed to do to protect her too then Quinn would do everything she could to make it happen.
Even if that meant the nightmares might come back and she might have panic attacks again anytime the girls were out of her sight… She knew Santana was paying a price too – it was carved deeply, bloodily on her body and soul - so was Brittany unfortunately, if the dancer's insane anxiety levels and frequent lone dance sessions were any indication. She just hoped Rachel would see and understand, and know just how badly they wanted her to be a part of them.
Rachel stood frozen outside her own bedroom, in the exact same position she had been in for the past few minutes - one hand raised to grasp the handle, the other hand holding a plateful of pancakes covered in syrup. A single tear wound its way down her cheek.
She should be mad that her fathers were conspiring and attempting to go behind her back. She was more pissed that they were dragging Santana back into all this. She should have been concerned how far all this was going to go, how much this was going to affect her life, her future, her mental health… but she was more concerned that once again she was causing problems and hurting the three girls she adored.
She had to put a stop to this. She had to stop being so selfish. She cared too much for the girls to let them keep taking the hits for her. First chance she got she was going to tell Santana this was over... tell all of them this couldn't continue.
Rachel heart felt like it was being torn to pieces in her chest at the thought of it going back to the way it had been before Brittany had invited her to Breadstix all those Fridays ago now. She just... wanted to have a few more hours with them first. Wanted to fall asleep in their arms one last time. Then... then she would do it.
AN: Soooooo much angst! I do apologise for it, and for the bit of a sad ending there too =S I suck, I know, but I had to do it. We need something to get these idiots actually talking to each other and finally being honest about their feelings otherwise they're gonna drive us all nuts.
I hope you guys are still enjoying the story, I look forward to hearing from you and I'm hoping to have the next chapter typed up and finished next week sometime so wish me luck!
Much love,
Maxx