Chapter Fifteen


Day One

Santana could see her mom and sister waving her goodbye through her rear-view mirror. She smiled in return despite them not being able to see. Quinn, however, was leaning out the window and doing enough waving for the both of them.

Quinn plopped back into her seat with a soft thump.

Her hair was windswept from hanging out of the window and she had a cowlick that no matter how much Quinn patted or flattened it, it just wouldn't stay stuck down. Santana bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at Quinn's growing frustration.

"Watch the road," Quinn admonished.

Caught, Santana returned her gaze to the road in front of her, her mouth still upturned in amusement.

A growl from her right tempted her to look once more but she daren't push her luck so early on into their very long drive.

"Why?" Quinn whined. Out of the corner of her eye, Santana saw her pouring a small puddle of water from one of their many bottles of water into the palm of her hand to dampen the unruly spot of hair.

A flick of water landed on Santana's cheek and an aggravated groan followed. Okay, she couldn't resist. She took a quick glance and saw the hair was now wet and miserable as well as defiant.

Hazel eyes snapped toward her and Santana's eyes widened, her breath shortening from resisting the urge to laugh and the intensity of the glare.

"Don't," Quinn uttered through her teeth.

"What?" She asked, feigning innocence.

Quinn squinted at her and sat back in a huff.

"Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Santana said under her breath, though purposely loud enough for Quinn to clearly hear.

"I couldn't sleep. I just kept tossing and turning the whole night."

"Yes, I'm aware." Santana raised an eyebrow at Quinn.

If Santana was hoping to get some remorse out of Quinn she was out of luck. "Yeah, well I was too hot."

"You sure it wasn't sharing a bed with me that had you all hot and bothered?"

"No." Quinn was not amused.

"Oh," Santana passed Quinn her aux to connect her phone, "well until you figure out what has your panties in a twist how about you bang on my road trip playlist."

Quinn took Santana's phone before pausing, "You don't have a road trip playlist."

Santana clicked her tongue, "Well that, Quinn, is where you're mistaken."

Flicking through Santana's music Quinn came upon the playlist in question, "Let me guess. Is it 'driving Quinny crazy'? When'd you make this?"

"Like two days ago. If we were going to prep we had to go all out, right? So your girl has sorted us both out and blessed us with music taste." Santana emphasised the last word so much so it had a comical effect, it was kind of what she was going for to get Quinn out of her bad-hair-day funk. "Take a look. See anything in particular that picks your fancy?"

Santana continued to focus on the road as she let Quinn peruse her superb music selection when she heard a scoffed laugh she snuck a look at her girlfriend. The grin on Quinn's face made her own appear.

"Find it?"

Quinn looked at her then, all shy smile and cute. Santana actually wished for once in her life for traffic so she could lean over and kiss the girl she loved.

The familiar intro to Yes Sir began to play and Santana swayed in her seat, exaggeratedly singing along.

Quinn groaned in embarrassment, especially when Santana had begun to turn it up. Her breaking point came when they'd pulled up to a red light and the people in the car next to them peered over. She covered her face and could hear the laughter slipping through the lyrics as Santana continued to sing.

She'd have denied it in the moment due to raging embarrassment, but Quinn kind of loved that Santana had gone so far to prepare music for their adventure, especially since it was a big thing for Santana. The way Santana so easily included her in all of her plans frightened her sometimes, but it made her feel loved in a way she'd never been loved before.

They'd been driving for a good seven hours when they came to their first stop in St. Louis, or somewhere very near if the signs were right. This is where they'd stop over and enjoy a decent meal that wasn't granola bars that got shit everywhere and had Santana whining about how messy Quinn was when eating.

"It's not my fault!"

"It's not my fault," Santana mocked as she stood in one of the countless gas station's they'd driven passed parking lot and wiped crumbs off the passenger seat onto the ground outside.

"Don't mock me," Quinn said through a laugh.

"Quinn, how did you do this? Did you eat any of it or did you want me to get rats on purpose?"

Now that had Quinn fully laughing, "Rats? Santana, I don't think rats are going to break into your car anytime soon."

"Laugh it up, 'cause when we have to bum it in here and you wake up in the middle of the night without a nose don't come to me crying about it."

"What? The rats eat living people now?"

"Yes."

Santana, fully having given up on tidying out the last few bits of granola, stood straight with her hands on her hips.

Quinn unconsciously matched her stance and they stared each other down.

"You'd seriously not help me if a rat ate my face?"

Santana crossed her arms and gasped, "I didn't say that. I said don't come crying, I'd still take you to the emergency room. And y'know," she relaxed her posture a little and leaned against her car, "I'd at least try and find the bastard who ate your nose."

Call her crazy, but Quinn thought that was quite chivalrous of Santana to say.

"Thanks," Quinn gave her a coy smile and shrugged a shoulder.

"C'mon, let's keep moving."

And they did.

Between that gas station and St Louis there was singing and blaring music, shared smiles and hands held. By the time they'd gotten back from their meal at a diner they came across in their meandering around town to the hotel they were staying at they were bone tired. Santana wasn't used to driving for longer than an hour at a time and Quinn was still a little grouchy for not having slept the night before. With a semi-comfortable place to sleep, once they reached their room they quickly disrobed and climbed under the covers of the double bed in the centre of the room.

"Night, San," Quinn murmured against Santana's neck from where she was tucked up against her body.

"Night, Q," Santana responded with a soft kiss to the top of Quinn's head.

Lay in the dark, Quinn already asleep on top of her, Santana smiled to herself.

Day Two

With a start, Santana shot up from her sleep. The unfamiliar surroundings making her heart drop before she remembered where she was and what she was doing.

"Yshou okshay?" Quinn's head popped out of the bathroom's open door, a toothbrush in her mouth.

"Yeah," she replied, her voice still groggy with sleep.

They'd soon gotten ready and were hitting the road, Quinn offering to drive this time and Santana readily agreeing so that she could sleep some more.

When she awakened, Quinn was humming along to the radio so she pretended to be asleep for a little longer so she could just listen.

"I know you're awake."

Santana ignored her and kept her eyes shut until she felt Quinn's hand find its way to her thigh to poke it.

"I'm not awake," she whined.

Quinn scoffed a laugh and continued to drive, her eyes flicking to Santana every now and then to see if she'd give up her act.

It wasn't long until Santana was messing with the buttons in the car and making Quinn wish she was actually back asleep, pretend or not.

"Can you not touch something for five minutes?"

"I don't know, can I?"

"What does that even mean?"

Santana pursed her lips in a moment of thought, "I'm not too sure."

Quinn rolled her eyes and spotted their turn-off. They would be slumming it in the car that evening, something that was a part of the road trip experience, or so Santana had gushed when they were planning their little trip.

The reality was Santana fidgeting the whole night because she couldn't get comfortable and Quinn almost crying because she didn't want to go to the bathroom outside. The missing creature comforts of home and the lack of having an actual bed were taking a toll and resulted in an argument and eventually, some make-up cuddles because "I'm not having sex at the side of a road, Santana."

Day Three

The third day into their trip started out with a few aches and pains, but soon they were laughing and singing along to the playlist Santana had made. They'd found a roadside diner and had a huge shared breakfast and coffee to make up for the not-so-great sleep.

Quinn shook her head in amused disapproval as Santana loaded hers with a shit tonne of sugar. A habit Quinn couldn't quite wrap her head around, especially since they were on the Cheerios and even looking at a candy bar was warrant enough for two laps around the track.

"What?" Santana asked as she glanced up from stirring her piping hot mug with a spoon.

"You know what," Quinn emphasised her point by looking pointedly at Santana's drink.

"We should do something fun tonight."

"Oh, yeah? What are you thinking?"

A mischievous smile graced Santana's lips, "I'm thinking we go to a club. An actual club that's not just a bar where old dudes gather and reminisce their glory days as high school hall monitor."

Quinn's eyebrow quirked in intrigue, "I'm liking the sound of this, do you have your ID?"

"Pfft? Do I? Of course, I always come prepared."

And prepared she was, they'd parked Santana's car in a 24-hour parking lot and did their best to tidy up and put on the best clothes they could be bothered to search around their bags for. They picked the first club they could find in the city that they couldn't remember the name of.

The bouncer definitely gave them a second-glance and a third, but seemed to shrug it off and let them in any way. They'd drank a few and were trying to enjoy themselves, but the older crowd and half-dead leers were enough to have them glancing in each other's direction and getting out of there.

"Fuck it," Santana had said, "let's get some shit wine and go get drunk in a field or something."

"What?" Quinn had laughed.

"I'm being serious, let's just go get fucked up."

"But what about driving tomorrow?"

"What about it?" Santana gave her a smile she couldn't resist and held out her hand.

"Fine," Quinn had sighed, but she wouldn't have had it any other way.

Two boxes of wine and a run-in with another travelling group later, Santana and Quinn were sat around a fire, the car parked under the cover of trees next to a camper that Harry, Evan and Lily were using to make their way to Florida.

"Blegh," Santana spat as she took another swig of the wine in her hand - still in the bag it came in, the box long since kicked into the fire. "It tastes like piss."

"Yes, as you've said ten times already," Quinn jibed, leaning into her girlfriend when she huffed, taking the wine off of her hands as she did.

"I can't believe you guys are only eighteen," Evan said between drags of his cigarette, "I'd be sleeping all summer, never mind driving across the country."

"You're what? Twenty-one? Not that much older," Quinn replied.

"Fuck do I feel it," he looked to his friends then and chuckled.

Even Quinn and Santana joined in, not totally sure why they were laughing but deciding feeling good after a shitty day or two was enough to have them giggling by firelight.

"So, Santana," Lily began, causing Quinn to eye her carefully, "you're going to be a?" She left the sentence open for Santana to fill.

"Lawyer. One day, hopefully," Santana's answer was surprisingly bashful and spurred Quinn to encourage her.

"Whatever you become you're going to be amazing," Quinn murmured against Santana's cheek as she pressed a kiss there.

The shy smile Santana gave her in return made her want to kiss her, but she didn't want to give the other three a show. So she settled for a soft touch to her leg – a soft touch that had Santana's gaze slipping into something as warm as the fire in front of them.

"Hyuck," Harry hiccupped, "I don't feel so hot, imma…" He began to stand but fell back into the camping chair he'd been sitting in.

"Woah," Evan commented, standing up to pull Harry back up. "Let's get you to bed."

"I'll give you a hand," Quinn offered, seeming how Harry had a few inches and pounds on Evan.

"Thanks, he's usually not such a lightweight, but driving takes it out of him."

Pushing Harry into the back of the van lay on his side with blanket tossed over him, and a bucket near his head, Evan gave Quinn a pat on the back that had her jerking forward and him apologising.

"Whoops," he chuckled.

Quinn gave him a funny look and he tapped the breast pocket on his jean jacket before wiggling his fingers into it to pull out a bag of weed.

"Want some?"

"No, I'm good."

Quinn almost laughed, she wondered if drugs would always be so easy to come by for her, then shook her head at the drunk thought.

"Suit yourself," he said as he made his way back to the girls.

Quinn's amusement soon dried up when she spotted Lily making herself comfortable with Santana, grazing her arm, patting her leg, touching her hair.

Santana seemed oblivious to it all, laughing along to whatever Lily was talking about, throwing small sticks into the fire.

How could she not see? Quinn fumed internally.

Her strides were quick and held purpose, but she didn't want to come off as crazy. No. She'd be subtle but nonetheless clear with this.

"Hey, S," she said before sliding herself between Lily and her girlfriend, near enough budging the other girl out of the way.

"Q, you just knocked Lily on her ass."

"What? No I," Quinn looked behind her to find Lily on the ground, "oh. Sorry."

Santana eyed her sceptically but Quinn only shrugged in response and played none the wiser. As for Lily, she got up and excused herself.

"What was that?" Santana prodded, shifting even closer to Quinn.

"What?"

"You're telling me you don't know what I'm talking about?"

"I honestly don't," Quinn took the small twig out of Santana's hand and tossed it into the fire.

Santana shook her head and laid her head on Quinn's shoulder, the smell of smoke having embedded itself into her clothes.

"You stink."

"You stink too."

"Good one," Santana drawled.

Quinn then stood and Santana went to protest the loss of her resting post, but a hand being held out towards her halted her words.

"Come with me?"

And she did. Quinn led her away from the fire and over to the car, holding the door open for Santana to climb in the back first. Inside, Santana struggled to get comfortable, a belt buckle stabbing into her back and pieces of their luggage strew across the backseat. She swiftly shoved them onto the floor and beckoned Quinn to follow, the door shutting with a solid click as the other girl settled next to her.

"I might ask my mom for a bigger car. Do you think I could guilt it out of her?"

Quinn laughed and kissed Santana then. Her smile only leaving her lips when Santana slid a hand down between them. The movement captured Quinn by surprise and served to stoke the fire inside of her while the one outside slowly died.

Day Four

"It's too bright, I have a migraine."

"Then close your eyes."

"Quinn, closing my eyes won't help. It's that bright."

"Here," Quinn slung her arm behind her to feel for a blanket, a jacket, an anything to shove in Santana's direction to shut her up for two seconds about the fact she had a headache. A headache that was self-inflicted Quinn might add. With one arm rooting through the back Quinn's driving took a decline and earned her a horn blasting at her before being very aggressively taken over.

"Quinn!" Santana yelped when the car swerved again. "Stop, I'll get it."

Quinn slammed her hand down on the horn and pumped her arm to wind the driver side window down. With a "Fuck you!" the car wobbled once more and Santana grabbed a hold of the steering wheel. "What a fucking asshole." Quinn fumed.

"Yeah, a real asshole," Santana cautioned as Quinn reclaimed control and took a deep breath. "I thought I'd be the one with the road rage."

"I do not have road rage."

"Erm."

"Don't."

Santana weighed her options to best navigate her way around this, tensions were running high and being on the road was not as fun as she pictured it. Being with Quinn was great. The lack of running water, hot meals and a comfy bed not so much. She needed to come up with something that would let them decompress a little, but with the pressure between her eyes being a solid distraction to any productive thought, she put it on the back burner and covered her head with one of Quinn's sweatshirts.

The warmth from the sun, complete darkness and smell of Quinn was a sure way to have her melting into the car seat and slipping into a light doze.

Day Five

They'd made some serious tracks since the day before and despite yet another shitty sleep, were suddenly feeling quite excited that they were so close to being done with the drive. Only that excitement was severely shot when the car began sputtering along the highway.

"Did you put gas in on our last stop?"

"Yes. I am not stupid, Santana."

"Did I call you stupid?"

"You didn't have to."

The heat was getting to them. They hadn't had a good night sleep in days. Every little thing wore on their patience and fuck! They were so close. This could not be happening.

Santana pulled the car up on the hard shoulder and jumped out to look under the hood. She stood there for a solid fifteen minutes before Quinn begrudgingly joined her, arms crossed and face impassive.

"What's wrong with it?"

"I- I don't know. Maybe this?" Santana went to touch a steaming piece of metal but her hand was stopped by Quinn slapping it down.

"San, that's hot!" Quinn regarded Santana then with a steely gaze that had Santana shifting on the spot. "Do you even know anything about cars?"

"What do you think, Quinn?" Santana kicked a tire in a huff. Only when she heard laughter from behind her did Santana turn around and glare at her girlfriend. "What about this is funny?"

"I- I," Quinn can barely get a word out for laughing, tears already blurring her vision.

"What?" Santana's sour tone had suddenly softened as she watched Quinn fall apart in one of the best ways possible. The humour of the situation was becoming more apparent to her and she felt the workings of her own laughter humming in the hollow of her chest.

It was only when Quinn literally fell on the floor did Santana join her in boisterous laughter. Her own sides now aching and vision impaired by tears.

When a car pulled up behind theirs to ask them if they needed a hand, they only found themselves set off again, much to the friendly stranger's confusion. Eventually, they settled down some and could explain that the car was a "piece of shit" - Santana's words, not Quinn's. And after half an hour of tinkering away they were back on the road. Santana having given the kind woman, who they found out was called Jill, twenty-three bucks for the trouble. She would have given more if she'd thought to take any more cash out, but Jill had brushed off the offer a good five times before accepting so she didn't feel too awful for the amount.

"I love you," Quinn said to Santana as they headed into the suburb Santana's father lived.

Santana turned to her, heart full and fluttering, and replied, "I love you too." Quinn was still covered in dust and dirt from falling to the ground, her hair was a mess and she had the beginning of freckles along the bridge of her nose. Santana was so stupidly in love with her. There was nobody on Earth who she'd have preferred to take this trip with.

"Oh, San!" Quinn's excited shout took her by surprise. "We're here!"

"We're here?" You look to the house and yep, that's the same house her dad had sent her in a message a couple months back. "Oh shit. We're here. Fuck, Quinn. Fuck."

"San, don't be scared. I'm with you all the way, remember."

Santana took a calming breath and nodded for herself just as much as she nodded for Quinn.

They both climbed out of the car and braved the path leading up to a cosy house with a sea-blue door that Santana would have made comment on if she weren't so twisted up inside.

"Shall I?" Quinn offered and Santana nodded, too scared to speak for fear of being sick right on her dad's doorstep.

When Quinn knocked, Santana's grip on her girlfriend's hand had Quinn almost pitying Puck during the birth of Beth. Almost. But not quite.

And then, the door opened and Quinn held back a gasp. She'd seen photos of Santana's father, one's that he'd recently sent to Santana in preparation for her trip. But to see him up close. The resemblance was striking. The eyes were what rocked her the most. They were her Santana's eyes. The depth, the warmth, the softness.

"Santana," he had uttered before bursting into tears, tears that were soon shared by Santana as he took her in her arms.

Quinn watched as father hugged daughter at last and her heart had felt as though it would burst. Tears filled her own eyes at the sight.

Unadulterated happiness consumed her. To see Santana embraced and loved, it made the bitterness within her wither - though not completely. The pain she felt for her own broken relationship with her own father was still there, but it didn't hurt her as much as normally would have.

Nothing could ruin this moment.

They'd finally made it.