Twice The Trouble

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Glee or any of it characters. I don't have a beta so all mistakes are mine.

Chapter 6

Once she made it home Santana hung her keys on the rack setting her bag by the stairs before making her way into the living room. When she rounded the corner she found her little brother sitting at the coffee table doing his homework and the baby sitter next to him helping him spell a word.

They both looked up as she came fully into the room. "Hey Mrs. Ramirez how was he today?"

Her brother Mateo jumped up and ran to her hugging her tightly. "I was good. I have homework on the first day. My stupid teacher wants us to write a paper about what we did during the summer and it's due tomorrow."

Mrs. Ramirez stood and collected her things. "He was an angel as always. He has most of the report done so it shouldn't take him much longer. I put a casserole on so dinner will be ready for you guys in about a half an hour."

Santana sighs and smiles at her. "You didn't need to do that I could have cooked for us but thank you."

She just waved her off. "Nonsense, it was no trouble and I'm sure you had a long day too. I'll see you tomorrow."

They waved bye from the porch then headed back in and Santana guided Mateo back into the living room. "Finish up with your paper while I go change out of my uniform then I'll set the table and we can eat dinner."

He nodded and sat back down. Santana grabbed her bag and went up to her room. She took out all of her dirty workout clothes and threw them in the hamper replacing them with another set for tomorrow and set it aside. She then grabbed some sweats and a tank throwing them on and headed back downstairs.

After sticking her head into check on her brother she moved to the kitchen and started setting the table. Checking the schedule on the Refrigerator door she confirmed that her mother was working until 3:00 in the morning so they wouldn't be seeing her tonight.

Ever since her father died the summer before, her mother has been running herself ragged. He father had been a doctor but he liked the finer things in life and when her passed her mother found out that they were in sever debt and all the money that was saved had to go to paying off his debts. By the time all was said and done they lost their house and were broke.

Their mother, who had been a nurse in their father's office was forced to go back to working at the hospital with a pay cut and worked a lot of double shifts. She mostly worked second and third shifts so it was up to Santana to care for her brother after school. It's been just over a year and they were finally breaking even and starting to save again.

They moved into the house next door to her Abuela in Lima Heights Adjacent a few months after he passed since the rent was cheaper. Two days a week her Abuela watched Mateo and two to three days a week Mrs. Ramirez did. Santana watched him on the weekends and in the evening after Cheerios or glee.

On game nights or during competitions if their mother wasn't home Mateo stayed with their Abuela as well. Her Abuela didn't like her being in the extracurricular activities but Maribel Lopez refused to take that away from her daughter along with everything else so they made it work.

After the talk with Brittany at the beginning of summer Santana had thought about telling her mother about being a lesbian but she was still afraid. She knew that it wouldn't be ok with her Abuela at all but she was unsure how her mother would react. She was afraid of being kicked out. Where would she go? What would happen to Mateo without her there? The poor little guy was so dependent on her she just didn't know. So for now she decided to just let sleeping dogs lie. It wasn't like she had a girlfriend or would any time soon. She would just continue on as she had been until it became an issue.

As she finished setting the table and pulling the casserole out of the oven she called for Mateo to go eat. They sat and told each other about their day. Mateo had overheard she and Quinn talking trying to figure out who the two people on the bikes were so and had asked her every day since the previous week if she had figured it out. It was a fun game to him so when she told him she figured it out he was excited.

He bounced in his seat. "Who was is Santi, did you know her? Did you know the boy?"

Santana chuckled at his enthusiasm. "I actually did know the girl but not the boy. Do you remember when you came to my glee competition last year?"

He nodded vigourously. "Well the girls who sang that you liked a lot. It was her and her brother that I hadn't met yet. She had sunglasses or a helmet on so I couldn't tell until before school today when she took them off."

He squealed happily, "Oh the angel girl, she sings so pretty. Did you ever ask her if she can come sing for me for my birthday?"

She smiled indulgently at him. "Why would she want to come to a little kid's birthday buddy?"

He stopped bouncing and looked down. "Well, I don't know but I have my savings in my piggy bank. Maybe I can pay her."

She sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll ask her baby but if she can't you can't be upset. Your birthday is in less than a month and she may have made other plans. Ok?"

He nodded happily and finished the milk in his glass. "I'm done."

Santana finished herself and sat back. "How about your homework Teo, did you finish?"

"Yep all done and ready for you to check it for me."

She stood and started clearing the table. "Ok run and get it for me then I'll run your bath and you can get ready for bed. We'll watch a movie after. It's your night to choose."

He fist pumped yelling yes and ran out of the room. As she finished putting the dishes in the washer and the leftovers in the fridge he came back in and they sat down at the table to go over his report then he put it away. After his bath Santana started the movie, his favorite Beauty and the Beast. No matter how many thousands of times they watched it he always wanted more but made her promise not to tell his friend 'cause they said it was a girl's cartoon. He loved all the music and thought the talking clock and candle were funny.

She sat with him curled into her side mouthing all the words but she wasn't watching. She was trying to figure out how to ask Rachel to come to her brother's birthday party and sing for him. How did you ask a girl that you were kind of maybe friends with that you use to torment, to come and sing for your brother? She had no idea but she couldn't take the booboo lip he had given and had promised that she would ask so she was stuck now.

When she noticed that is was too quiet she looked down and smiled at her sleeping brother. Carefully she lifted him thanking her workouts with Sue that she still could with as big as he was getting and took him to his room. Once she tucked him in she headed to her own room to do her homework then went to bed herself.

As she lay there she thought of all that she had found out today about Rachel. It seems that she is not at all the person she thought she was and she was intrigued to find out more about her. With her in volleyball it should be easier to talk to her and get to know her better and be friends. She hoped that the offer of friendship was still on the table with her and she hadn't waited too long to get her head out of her own ass. It was senior year and she wanted to at least enjoy the year spending time with the people that mattered to her the most.

On top of just wanting an epic senior year she was looking to the future as well. She had already started putting in applications for some scholarships for college next year and would be looking for more. She wanted out and wanted a good education. Her biggest fear to leaving though was her mother and brother. She knew with her gone that things would be harder for her mami and that her brother would miss her. She wanted to be there for her and help but she also needed out and she wanted to make something of herself outside of this small minded town.

She saw how the Berry men were treated and how Rachel had been treated since they moved here and she'd be damned if she lived that way or forced her own children into that life. She felt truly awful about her own hand in tormenting Rachel and she vowed to make up for it this year as her friend then get out of this place and try and be happier herself.

With that thought finalized in her mind rolled to her side and snuggled in to get some sleep. She could worry tomorrow about how to approach Rachel for the party and to start a real friendship. She was out before she knew it.

She woke the next morning, showered and changed then got Mateo up as well. She went down to start breakfast but was shocked to see her mother up and cooking. "Mami, you should be sleeping. What are you doing up? You don't have to go back in this early do you."

Marisol looked up and smiled. "No mija, I just got off an hour ago and I don't work again until tomorrow so I thought I'd cook breakfast this morning before I went to bed. I haven't seen you guys much in the last a few days and I just wanted to eat with you before you head to school."

Santana's shock left her and her smile grew. "Well I will gladly take a mami breakfast and I'm sure Mateo will too."

Marisol chuckled and turned back to her cooking. When he came down a few minutes later Mateo was excited to see her up and cooking for them. "Mami! I missed you."

He flew into her arms and she just held him close. "I missed you too mijo that's why I'm cooking. Now, go help Santi set the table so you two can eat before you leave for school."

He nodded and headed off to do as he was asked. They sat and waited while Marisol finished cooking and set it all out for them. They excitedly dug in and ate. She made them pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs.

Marisol sat back watching them and sipped on her coffee. "So, how was your first day back to school?"

Santana shrugged. "Same as always, school is school. I did find a new player for the volleyball team that looks like she is right on skill set with Quinn and I. She may even be better than us. I was afraid we wouldn't get enough good new players to have a decent team this year but it looks like we will do just fine."

She smiled and looked to Mateo who was finishing the last of his sausage. "I had homework but school was fun. Santi also figured out who the motorcycle people are."

Marisol looked back to Santana for clarification and Santana blushed slightly. "The girls and I kept seeing this girl and guy on these awesome motorcycles all over town this last week before school started and couldn't figure out who they were. I found out at school yesterday morning who they were though."

"Anyone you know. I'm not sure how I feel about motorcycles."

"It was Rachel Berry from Glee club and her brother that used to live out of state. She's also the girl I was talking about in volleyball."

Marisol looked shocked. "Really? I'm surprised such a little girl could handle a motorcycle."

Santana just smile. "She handles it like a pro, just as well as she plays ball." She looked up at the clock and jumped up. "Crap, I have to go. I'm meeting my new co-captain at my locker this morning so we can go talk to coach. I can't be late."

With that she kissed her mother and brother, leaving him to wait for their grandmother to take him to school and was out the door.

A/N: There's some more background on Santana and her family. We'll learn more as we go. Up next dealing with school and volleyball.