As much as I would like to own them, all the characters of Glee belong to Fox – I own nothing. All the characters of The Fast and the Furious belong to Universal Studios, I'm just borrowing some of them. All writing belongs to me.
Here's the third chapter, I hope you all enjoy!
The crew all had smiles on their faces as they exited their cars, Quinn's Skyline pulling up onto the last part of the driveway behind Tina's 350Z.
"That was one hell of a race!" Tina grinned, shutting the door of her car as Marley walked around it and wrapped an arm around the brunette's waist.
Her girlfriend grinned. "Damn right, it was amazing"
"I've never seen someone cross the finish line that way" Mia smiled, wrapping an arm around Letty's waist as the Latina wrapped her arm around her shoulders.
"It was cool, I'll admit" Quinn said as she followed Letty and Mia into the house, Rachel close behind.
"I could do that" Dani said with a wave of her hand as she entered the house.
"Really? I'd like to see you try" Quinn responded as they entered the kitchen.
"I could"
"Yeah, really"
Dani was about to bite back when Letty cut in from her place leaning up against the counter. "Enough you two. I'm sure Dani could do it but Santana did it in the middle of a race and around a corner and reversed over the line."
Quinn smirked over at the shorter blonde who just huffed and leaned up against the wall next to Brittany.
"What about Puck?" Marley asked.
Letty shrugged as Mia handed her a beer. "What about him?"
"Isn't he going to be a problem? We both need new racers"
"I'm very aware of that"
"What about Santana? Surely with that stunt she pulled tonight he's gonna be on her case. It's not everyday we get racers who do that on their first race" Rachel said.
"I know but I'm one of those people who jump in at one race."
"Yes, which is exactly why you need to break that bad habit just this once" Mia said as she moved to stand in between Letty's legs, the Latina's free arm wrapping around her waist.
"Why's that? Give me one reason why she's worth me going back to watch her again?"
"For once I think you should just trust our instincts as a crew" The woman in her arms replied as she took a sip of her drink.
"Yeah, not to offend you but you kind of always avoid picking up new racers." Rachel said, looking over at her adoptive older sister.
"That's true" Quinn agree from beside the brunette, taking a gulp of beer in the process.
"I have to agree, you seem to have this thing against expanding our crew" Marley added.
Tina nodded. "Yeah, we're good as we are now, probably one of the best, but we really need someone new to shake things up."
Letty glanced over at Dani and Brittany who nodded and then back at the woman who was resting in her arms. "I just like keeping people close. We're like family and I don't want somebody new coming in, we've been this way for years. I like it the way it is" She shrugged.
Mia sighed. "But babe, maybe this is an exception"
"Why?"
"Because she drove good. Who knows, she might pull something just like that in her next race. We have to take some chances or we're never gonna win in a few months time against Puck. I can guarantee he will be there the next time she races and if she ends up with him who knows what she could do to us. Puck will be unstoppable. We could end up needing her and we won't know until we see her race again"
The crew leader took a few moments to think about her girlfriend's reasons for why she should pay attention to Santana. Sighing she took another gulp of her drink. "Fine. We'll go to the next race but don't expect me to go back after that if she's nothing special."
The crew cheered as she agreed to take a risk. Mia smiled as she turned her head to glance up at her girlfriend. "Thank you"
"This had better be worth it"
The shorter woman's grin grew even wider. "It will be" She whispered before craning her head up for a kiss which Letty happily returned.
"The things you make me do" She whispered against her lips as she rolled her eyes, her arm tightening around her waist.
"Now we have decided that, who wants to play against me on the Playstation?" Quinn asked.
"You're so on!" Dani replied, the others laughing as they followed behind the competitive pair towards the living room.
Letty rolled her eyes once more as Mia pulled away and gripped her hand in her own before dragging her into the living room after them.
A few days had passed since her first win and Cassandra had shown Santana a place where she could work on her car, a small garage just big enough for only her and the car to fit inside with a few parts along the sides. It wasn't ideal but it was enough to be able to work on her ride if it needed it.
Hip-hop music pumped out of Santana's iPod dock as she worked under the Supra making tweaks, the Latina not hearing someone pull up outside. Cassandra stood at the open entrance of the small garage and saw a pair of overall-clad legs sticking out from under the front of the propped up car.
"Santana?"
Moments later said woman rolled out from under the car on a beat up roller board that had been in the garage prior to her arriving.
"Hey" She greeted, sitting up and pulling out a rag from her pocket where the top half of her overalls were pulled down to and wrapped around her waist.
"Hi, working hard I see."
She glanced behind herself at the car and then back up at the tall blonde. "Yeah...or at least I'm trying too"
"Why, what's wrong?"
Santana stood up and finished wiping off her hands, stuffing the dirty rag back into her back pocket. "This car is good and I've always wanted a Supra but the thing is the driver before me only had basic mods on it and even then they weren't put in very well. They only worked well enough to win me the race barely but if I'm gonna keep winning I'm gonna need better mods and a better garage"
"I'm sure if you keep up the good work you'll be on a crew in no time. You impressed both Letty and Puck the other night and it was pure luck that they both showed up to the same race. Even though Puck's our target keep impressing Letty and she might let you join. Are your winnings not enough to improve it?"
"No. They can buy me basic stuff like a new pair of seats and a new set of rims, maybe even a whole new body kit but it's useless for performance parts, they're expensive and right now 15k isn't getting me anywhere"
"What can you do in the meantime?" Cassandra asked as she walked around the car, her 5 inch heels clicking on the dirty concrete the entire time.
Santana shrugged in response to her question. "Not much. The only thing I can do is tweak the current modifications up to the proper potential in the hopes that it will give me some kind of small boost in the next race. If there's one thing I know how to do is tweak and I guess that's what I'll be doing until I can afford some better parts"
The blonde nodded. "Yes, when I did my research I heard you were one of the bets fine tuners out of everybody. Maybe you could work your magic here and win the next race, which brings me to why I am here"
"Yeah, well let's hope it works. What did you want to talk about?" The Latina asked, walking over to her dock and pressing pause on her iPod.
"I have the details on your next race. A few more and you move up a level. The race is starting from a similar location as last time. Here's the details" She handed her a piece of paper with the address on it. "Head over to this location and you know the rest. Just make sure you win or else the crew bosses will lose interest in you and that's our in. Good luck Santana"
"Yeah, thanks" She replied, watching the blonde walk out of the garage and towards her car, a matte black Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series with a red interior.
Shaking her head at the fancy car Santana turned back to her own and smiled as she heard the loud roar of an engine and Cassandra speeding away. "Don't worry, I'm gonna make you the best damn tuner in the whole of Lima, even if it kills me"
Santana strapped herself into the race harness of her seat and fired up her car, the sun just setting over the city and disappearing over the horizon. She plugged in her iPod and drove to the location that Cassandra had provided her with assuming that she was repeating the process she went through with her first race. Luckily it wasn't far from where her small garage was located. It wasn't long before she had pulled into a similar alley to the industrial district like last time, except this one was a lot more quieter than the other districts of the city.
When she pulled in she found a space next to a navy blue Porsche 977 GT3 RS. Once she had turned off her iPod and stepped out of her car she was greeted with the sight of the guy she remembered as Blaine from before.
"Oh, Santana! Hi!"
"Hey"
"This your car?" She asked, motioning to the Porsche.
"Yeah, it's my baby"
"Nice paint job" She smiled, admiring the burgundy accents.
When she looked up a toothy grin was plastered across his face. "Thanks! It's a custom job by my boyfriend"
"He does paint work?"
"Yeah, you need something done?"
She shook her head. "Nah, I was just curious. My cars fine for now but I might need him later, I don't know"
"Well, if you ever need to get hold of him here's his business card. Here's mine too, I work at a local parts shop. Actually it belongs to a friend of Letty's. You should drop by sometime and I can hook you up. I'm sure the more you progress you'll need better parts."
"Yeah, thanks" She smiled, taking the two cards from him.
"We're also race organizers by night so you can always find us here. That's Kurt over there"
Santana followed his gaze over to where he was pointing and she got a better look at the man he had walked towards the other night. Nodding she smiled.
"I'll make sure to call either of you if I need anything" She said, walking around to the other side of the car to place the business cards in her wallet which was safely in her glove box.
"Phew, it's cold tonight" He said whilst rubbing his hands together. Once she had re-emerged from her car at the mention of the cold weather it was as if she suddenly realised just how cold it really was, seeing puffs of cold white air coming from his mouth as he talked.
"Yeah, I guess it is" She agreed, zipping up her hooded jacket at little more.
"We're not gonna have to wait long. Here's Letty and her crew. Puck should be here soon. I heard they were both impressed after your first race and them both being here for a second time in a row means they're interested. I'm not surprised after what you pulled, so good luck"
"Thanks" She smiled shyly, her cheeks tinting a little red even in the current cold weather.
She watched on patiently as Letty's Plymouth pulled into the middle of the road followed by Quinn's Skyline, a dark purple Honda S2000, Tina's Nissan 350Z and Dani's Ford. Curious as to who's car was the Honda's she watched on from a distance before Rachel stepped out along with Brittany. Dani stepped out of her own car and Tina and Marley were next to step out of the 350Z. The last to exit were Letty and Mia out of her Plymouth, Santana briefly wondering what kind of car Mia drove. She was broken out of her thoughts by the arrival of Puck and his crew and that's when she knew things were getting under way.
"Ok, so with the cold weather tonight I'm gonna keep this short. The road outside of this alleyway is the finish line and the racers will go through the same procedure as last time. Mia's holding the race winnings again today and you need to hand over your pink slips for camera's. 15K win like last time. Let's move!"
The crowd dispersed, some already moving towards the race start a few blocks away whilst some stayed where they were. Mia smiled as Letty handed her the money collected for the racers which made up the race winnings.
"Looks like she showed, I told you she would"
Letty glanced backwards to see Santana before turning back to her girlfriend. "That you did. This had better be worth it"
Mia studied her frown and rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it will be. You can't resist my persuasion though"
The Latina chuckled. "That I can't" She stepped closer and opened up her arms. "Come here"
Mia wrapped her arms around her neck and as they started kissing an arrogant laugh came from behind them, pulling them apart. "Keep it in your pants Ortiz"
Mia watched her girlfriend roll her eyes before turning around. "What do you want Puckerman?" She asked, watching the other crew leader with his arms around two blonde race girls shoulders.
"Nothing much. Just to tell you that we're mixing things up"
"What do you mean by that?" She asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
He grinned. "My boy Brody's racing tonight. Maybe if we put a good racer in we can see if this kid Santana is really worth our time. What do you say?"
Letty pondered the idea for a few moments, Mia stepping up closer and whispering in her ear. "Fine. Do what you want but I'm not gonna be held responsible when he loses and his pink slips are in my hand for the winner."
Before he could reply she had already turned around and walked over to her crew. "What does she mean lose my pink slips?" Brody asked as they watched her walk away.
"It means you're playing by her rules. You'd better not lose your ride, that thing cost me mega bucks that I'm not spending again. The next time you need a car you're on your own. Let's go guys"
Five minutes later and everybody was ready, the racers already on their way to the start line. Quinn handed the pink slips to Letty. "You sure this Brody thing is a good idea?"
"I'm completely sure. I wouldn't have let Puck have his way otherwise."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Quinn, you know as well as I do that muscle cars don't handle corners very well and that's coming from a woman who is strictly all muscle. You know Santana has the advantage with the Supra, it's made for technical tracks like these. Brody's Corvette will be all over the place"
"Yeah, and with any luck it will crash" Rachel grinned from her place leaning up against the hood of her car next to Brittany.
Letty laughed at the woman she considered as her little sister. "You hit the nail on the head hermana."
"Don't you think it's better that we enter one of us?" Marley suggested.
"Why do you say that?" The Latina asked, the entire crew's gaze looking over at the skinny brunette stood next to Tina.
"Maybe it's better to balance things out. Maybe putting one of us in will increase the skill level and make it harder. Think of it as a test. This way we can see if she really has what it takes to go up against members of actual crews"
"I have to admit, she has a point" Rachel agreed.
"Ok, let's vote. All for putting one of us in?" The entire crew's hands shot up, Letty smiling. "You guys really think she's something huh?"
"There's no harm in putting her to the test" Tina shrugged.
"Fine, who wants to race tonight?"
Everybody pointed to either Quinn or Dani. "Why do we always get picked for these races?" Quinn asked as she looked over at Dani who just shrugged.
"It stands to reason. Quinn, you have a car that's made for races like this and you love precision and Dani can handle any track thrown at her, meaning that she can handle a track like this better than anybody" Mia reasoned from where she was lent up against the front of Letty's Plymouth.
"Couldn't have said it better. What do we think?" A few moments later and she had her answer, a tie. "Ok, we'll flip a coin. And the racer is, Quinn. Get a camera on your dashboard and get your ass over to the start line Fabray. The race is gonna start soon."
Quinn huffed as she handed over her pink slip and walked over to her car. "I'll radio Kurt and tell him to stall but I heard the cops are on high alert tonight" Mia said, her hand brushing over her girlfriend's jacket-clad bicep as she headed over to where Blaine was stood by the spray painted finish line.
The crew watched Quinn back out of the alleyway a few moments later before speeding off, Kurt already stalling. Meanwhile, at the start line the other racers were growing antsy at the possibility of the cops showing up at any second. Kurt was trying his best to keep them calm.
"Everybody stay calm. We have another racer last minute. Once they arrive you can start"
Santana shook her head as she glanced to her left, the large bay painted in midnight blues as the water lapped gently at the wall that wasn't very far from the road. When she turned her gaze away from the water she glanced to her right where Brody was smirking at her from behind the window of his Corvette. Shaking her head she turned back to the road in front of her as she waited for the final racer to arrive. She was surprised when Quinn came to a quick stop at the other end of the line. Shrugging she gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as she mentally prepared herself. The stakes just got a lot higher.
"This is your chance to prove yourself. You win this and we're in" Cassandra said, speaking up for the first time into her ear piece.
Meanwhile at the finish line Mia had just got off the radio with Kurt. "Quinn just arrived. You think Santana can do it?"
"She had better. You're the ones who seemed to believe she was worth coming to watch." Letty said as she crossed her arms over her chest, Mia resting up against the hood next to her and letting her head fall onto her shoulder.
"Stop being grouchy"
Letty sighed. "Sorry, I'm cold"
It was then that the small brunette slipped her arm under her jacket and around her waist, pulling the taller woman closer. "Is that better?"
The crew leader smiled as she felt her girlfriends warmth start to melt into her. "Yes"
Mia smiled victoriously as Tina came over with her iPad, stopping next to the couple cuddled together against the hood of one of their cars. Marley soon joined her girlfriend and Rachel, Dani and Brittany following, all ready to watch the race.
Back at the start line Kurt was getting ready to drop the flag for the four racers plus Quinn and Brody. Quinn watched as Kurt finished talking on his radio and a few moments later he was making sure they were ready. With a nod to the race starter Santana started up her music and it wasn't long before he dropped the flag, the six racers speeding off the line.
Santana watched as Brody shot off the line, Quinn not far behind. Shaking her head she knew his speed would mean nothing with the race course they had been given. She managed the first corner at ease in third place behind the experienced racers and Brody started pulling ahead on the short stretch of straight road before they came to a wide turn. They seemed to manage it easily with it being so wide but the large hairpin turn threw Quinn into first and Santana into second.
Brody groaned in frustration as he was forced back when they took a larger hairpin turn once again. A 90 degree turn threw them onto another straight road and Santana pushed her car as much as she could without the use of Nos to catch up with Quinn, just managing to get behind her, however the blonde was unrelenting in letting her past.
Santana growled as she was forced to stay behind the racer in first place, Quinn managing to block her every attempt to pass. Without realising it Brody had caught up and to take her attention away from Quinn and the battle for first place he rammed into the side of her as they turned around the next corner to the left which was heading towards the nearby high school.
The Latina tried as hard as she could to gain control as they were confronted by another wide hairpin turn, Quinn easily passing it with the precision her car provided. Brody pulled out in front as Santana nearly came into contact with an oncoming pick up truck as she followed the two experienced racers around the next left turn but she wasn't giving up that easily, managing to stay extremely close to them even with a less modified car like hers.
At the finish line the crowd were electric as they watched the race on their various devices through the racers dashboard cams.
"That's my girl in front! That's why no one ever beats her, she doesn't let them past!" Letty smiled, watching as Quinn handled yet another turn with ease.
"It's like she has a sixth sense" Tina replied, her gaze fixed on the iPad in her hands.
"Brody's in second though" Dani said as she peered over Marley's shoulder.
"Yeah but Santana's keeping her pace, she's right behind Brody and these turns will kill him with his car." Mia said as she stood huddled next to Tina.
They watched through the dashboard cams as they continued to race by the university, the twists and turns of the road a true test of control and speed which some were handling better than others. A nearby car's horn beeped loudly as Santana narrowly passed in her pursuit to overtake Brody and retake second place. In mere moments he had disappeared through a sudden right turn of a short cut after Quinn and she was forced to take the long way around.
"Go Quinn! I knew she would remember the short cut I told her about!" Tina grinned as they continued to watch their crew member dominate in first place.
Santana growled in frustration as she watched both Quinn and Brody a long way ahead of her. Knowing she wasn't far from the finish line she knew she had to pull this out of the bag if she was going to win and keep Letty's attention. Handling the next corner, the last hard turn of the course, she sped ahead and everybody watched through her camera as she slammed her car into a drift around the next corner, immediately turning her steering wheel in the opposite direction and snapping herself into the next turn.
The crowd cheered as they watched her slowly gain on Brody and Quinn, using her Nos to overtake the Corvette who had lost his gain on Quinn with the hard corners of the road behind them. Brody watched on in surprise as the Latina overtook him and gained quickly on Quinn. Glancing at her GPS she knew she had four turns left before the end and in that time she had to claim first place.
She watched as Quinn handled the next two turns with ease, both extremely close together. Santana managed to handle them the best she could but the blonde kept ahead around the next corner. Knowing this was her last chance to win this race the Latina pushed her foot down on the pedal completely and just as Quinn was turning the last corner she kept her car close to the inside as the blonde went wide, a large blue flame bursting out the back of her Supra's exhaust as she hit the Nos hard as she drifted. She had never been more grateful for her fine tuning in the garage for the entire past week.
Quinn and everybody watched on in awe as she sped around and snapped her car back into a forward motion speeding across the line and winning. When her car came to a stop Quinn's did not too far behind, the crowd cheering and yelling as they surrounded the Latina who had once again came up victorious. As she shook hands with the surrounding people Brody stormed over to her.
"Hey!" She looked up to see him coming towards her at an alarming rate.
Before he could reach her Puck had stepped in and pushed him back. "Calm your shit" He hissed, holding the defeated racer back with a fist to his chest. Then he turned to Santana. "Nice race."
"Thanks" She smiled awkwardly as Letty and her crew approached the winner, Quinn next to their leader.
"Good work" Letty grinned. "Not just anyone can beat my girl Quinn like that at the last second"
"Yeah, you beat me fair and square though. Good job" The blonde smiled, holding out a hand and Santana shaking in response.
"Thanks."
"Mia, the winnings"
The woman in question stepped closer and handed Santana the race winnings. "Take your pick" Letty said, holding out the pink slips to which Santana shook her head. "You really don't want any of these rides?"
"No, I like the one I've got thanks"
Letty nodded as she handed the slips back to their respectful owners, Brody huffing in frustration before storming off.
"Talk about sore loser" Tina grinned, watching as Puck pushed him towards his Corvette.
The members of Letty's crew laughed along with the Asian woman as they watch them walk further away. It was then that Blaine ran towards them.
"COPS!"
The whole crowd sprung into a flurry of action and panic as they dashed towards their cars to disperse. Letty looked at Santana. "I'll see you around"
Santana jumped back into her car and strapped herself in before firing it up and speeding off. She dodged other cars of people from the crowd as she pulled away as fast as she could.
Meanwhile Letty's crew had just reached their own rides when they heard the first sound of police sirens. Mia caught her girlfriends gaze as the rest of the crew jumped into their cars.
"Letty..."
"Go, now!"
Mia took one last worried glance at her girlfriend before jumping into the passenger side of Dani's Ford GT. Letty watched as the blonde Latina wasted no time in pulling out and speeding off to try and escape trouble.
Letty jumped into her own car and sped off towards her cooldown spot to try and lose some of the heat she no doubt now had on her back. She sped through various streets and around turns constantly until she reached her storage garage not far from where the finish line was located. She parked her car and locked it up before pulling her jacket tighter around herself as she stepped into the cool night air of the city.
She had just made it down to the end of the block when a police car approached from behind. "Ortiz! Stop right there!"
Instead of doing as she was told the Latina did the opposite and started running. The police car followed as she ran for her life around the next corner and up into an alley. Moments later she was stopped in her tracks as Santana raced down the alley from the other end and pulled to a stop in front of her, throwing the car door open.
"Get in!"
The older Latina wasted no time in doing as she was told and jumped into the Supra as the police car that tried to stop her entered the alley from where she had entered moments before. Santana sped forwards and out of the alley and onto the road, her car skidding and leaving tire marks as she made a hard turn to the right and then to the left. Letty glanced over her shoulder out the back window and sighed in relief as she saw no flashing lights, Santana continuing to speed along the road as if they were still being chased.
As if having a sixth sense that they were finally out of trouble Santana slowed down a little so that Letty could breathe easy and strap herself into the harness of the passenger seat.
"What was that back there?" She asked once she had finished strapping herself in.
Santana smiled. "Trying to get into your good books?"
"How did you know where I would be?"
"I didn't. I juts happened to see you run and I went to the opposite end of the next alley. I figured if I just left you you'd be caught and this way I'm in your good graces."
Letty shook her head. "Well, you definitely are but that doesn't mean I'm gonna invite you to be part of my crew. You're gonna have to work for that. That is assuming you want to be part of my crew?"
"Surprisingly I don't think I really want to be part of Puck's. You guys seem much more fair and if it wasn't for Puck Brody would have beat my face in."
"That's true. Brody is kind of a loose canon. He once punched Quinn because she beat him like you did her tonight. It's good to know you're interested in the better crew though. Mine seem to think you're something special but until you prove it to me keep working at it. Tonight was a big test and if you keep it up you never know what could happen."
"Thanks. I will keep that in mind, both the Brody thing and working on the racing. Where do you want me to drop you off?"
"Good. Um, our house isn't far from here. We're having a party of you're interested?"
"Yeah, I'm down for that."
20 Minutes later and Santana had pulled up behind Quinn's Skyline outside of the house that they called home. Letty then led her inside where the alcohol was flowing freely and people were playing on the Playstation with hip-hop music pumping out of the speakers of their stereo system. The crew was alerted when their leader was followed in by none other than the winner of tonight's race.
"Letty!" Mia cried, running towards her girlfriend and engulfing her in a hug. "I thought you were caught"
"So did I. Why didn't anybody call me or check on me?" The Latina asked, frustration clear in her voice as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.
"We knew you could look after yourself." Quinn said, a beer in her hand.
Letty sighed. "Fine. You guys enjoy yourself. I'm going upstairs"
"You're not gonna join the party?" Tina asked.
The Latina looked down at Mia and then back up at her crew. "Nah, I think I'm gonna spend some quality time with this beautiful woman in my arms."
They all watched as the couple trudged up the stairs, Letty's arm around Mia's shoulders. "Oh, and Santana?"
The younger Latina looked up at the sound of her name. "Yeah?"
"Feel free to stay and drink some beer. Think of it as a reward for saving me tonight" She smiled, pulling Mia up the rest of the stairs.
Santana nodded and turned back to the rest of Letty's crew, Quinn the closest person to her. "Here, have mine. I'll go get another" She said, wiping the top of the bottle with her shirt before handing it to the tanned woman.
"Thanks" She said awkwardly, watching as Quinn disappeared towards what she assumed was the kitchen.
"Come and drink with us" Rachel smiled, motioning with her hand for her to come and sit with them.
The Latina did as she was told and sat down on the empty space of the couch next to the small brunette, taking in the rest of the crew. Tina was sat in one of the nearby armchairs with Marley in her lap and a beer in hand whilst Dani was sat on one nearby, Brittany perched on the floor. Quinn soon came back and rested up against the door frame as all eyes fell to the Latina.
"That was pretty cool tonight. I don't think I've ever seen someone drift past someone on the last corner. You seem to have a way of performing amazing finishes"
Santana nodded at Rachel as she talked. "Thanks. I guess I just needed to win and that was my last chance"
"You say it as if it's nothing. None of us have pulled anything like that off before" Tina said.
"That's because it's everyday for me."
"I've never seen somebody drift like that before though, especially with Nos." Brittany added as she took a sip of her own drink.
"Neither have I. Most of the racers in this city don't drift well, if even at all. You would think they would with all the canyons" Quinn said from her place in the doorway.
Santana just shrugged, prompting Marley to ask the next question. "Where are you from?"
"Here actually" She replied, picking at the label of her beer. "I left when I was eighteen for personal reasons and I got into town about a week ago, a few days before my first race"
"Already?" Rachel questioned.
"Yeah. I race all the time."
"How come your cars so, not to offend you, but..."
"Crap?" She laughed. "It's ok, I know. I totalled my last one where I used to live and I came back here after I got set up with a new car. Unfortunately buying it second hand it only had basic mods and I haven't had the cash to upgrade it since." She answered, telling them the cover-up reason as to why she didn't have her previous car.
"And you managed to beat Quinn and Brody with it? Even I have to admit that's pretty cool" Marley grinned, taking a sip of her beer as she felt Tina's free hand come up to rest on her thigh.
The Latina just shrugged in response. "I guess my tuning made it go that extra mile tonight. I guess now that I have more money I can start upgrading it. I've always wanted a Supra though."
"When did you start racing?" Quinn asked.
"Since before I got my licence" She laughed, the crew laughing along with her.
"I think that's true for nearly everyone in this room" The blonde replied, the rest of the crew nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, I've been racing ever since and haven't looked back once."
A few moments later Tina spoke up. "Enough about your past, let's talk about what you did for Letty!"
Santana woke up on the couch the next morning, Rachel passed out next to her. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes she saw Brittany lying on the floor and Dani in the same chair as last night. Marley was curled into Tina in the chair in the corner and Quinn was nowhere to be seen, the Latina assuming she had gone upstairs to sleep.
She then stood, picking up her jacket and heading out of the living room. She had just made it to the door when Mia emerged from what she assumed was the kitchen.
"Oh, hey Santana. You're leaving?"
"Yeah, I think I need to go and sleep for a week"
Mia smiled as she held the tray in her hands. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for breakfast?"
The Latina nodded. "I'm pretty sure if I'm like this the others are not gonna want any breakfast either so I'm gonna head back to my comfy motel room."
"Ok, well Letty's upstairs asleep but I'll tell her that you left when she wakes up"
Santana nodded. "Thanks"
Mia nodded and watched as the racer exited the house, clicking the door shut softly behind her. As soon as the sunlight hit her face she winced, feeling a headache coming on. Strapping herself into her car and pulling onto the road she wanted nothing more than to sleep forever. Last night she had joked about with the crew and told them how she had saved Letty after everybody had split up. They seemed to like her but only time would tell. For now all she cared about was recovering after her late night of alcohol and talk.
It wasn't long before she pulled into her motel and trudged upstairs, collapsing on her bed. She was just dozing off when her cellphone rung on the night stand.
"Hello?" She answered sleepily.
"Santana, I didn't get a chance to talk to you last night. Are you ok?" Cassandra asked, much more awake than the Latina.
"Yeah. I saved Letty and ended up passing out on their couch after too many beers. I'm back at the motel and was just about to sleep it off"
"Oh, then I will let you do that. Nice work, Miss Lopez. Call me when you're feeling much better"
"Will do"
Before Cassandra could even reply Santana had hung up the phone and passed out.
The crew hadn't fared much better either. All apart from Letty and Mia of course, they had spent their time doing 'other things' than drinking the night away like the rest. Letty grinned from her place up against one of the counters as Mia cooked breakfast for the others once they had awoken.
Quinn was the first to emerge and sat up at the breakfast bar. "Hey"
"Hey to you too. You drink as much as they did?" Letty smirked, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Yeah but I slept upstairs."
"I slept on the couch. Where's Santana?" Rachel asked as she sat next to the blonde.
"She left early before you all got up. She went back to her motel to sleep it off. Me and Letty have been up ever since." Mia said as she flipped a pancake before placing it on another plate, handing Rachel and Quinn a plate each.
"God, my fucking head hurts" Dani groaned as she sat next to Rachel, Mia handing her a plate and a black coffee. "Thanks" She replied as she rubbed her forehead.
"Last night was crazy" Marley yawned as Tina and Brittany followed her completing the group.
"I can see that" Mia grinned, handing them all plates. "I'm glad me and Letty went upstairs"
Said woman walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, kissing the back of her neck. "So am I" She mumbled against her skin.
"Eww, gross you guys. You're making us all feel sick" Quinn groaned.
Both women laughed. "We're going back upstairs. You guys have my permission to take the day off" Letty grinned, leading her girlfriend out of the room and the crew to recover from their massive hangovers.
A few days later and Santana had called up Blaine. She needed new parts and she needed them before her next race which she had already received the details for from Mia. If she was going to do this her car in it's current state would definitely not win, nor would it ever and she was pretty sure her opponent would have upgraded since their last meeting.
Grabbing a pair of sunglasses she made sure she had everything she needed; her phone, her list of needed parts, her wallet, and had set out. Glad she had put her hair up into a ponytail she was assaulted with the heat of midday sun as soon as she stepped out of her motel room. She made her way down and threw on the air conditioning as she slipped into her sun-heated car. Deciding to make a pit stop at her small garage she parked up outside and pulled off the removable section of the roof and placed it carefully inside before locking up and setting out. She had never been more grateful for her car having a roof she could take off in this weather.
She typed in the directions to her GPS and she was soon on her way to the parts shop where Blaine worked. When she arrived there were various modified cars parked outside in the diagonal parking spaces including a blue Mazda RX8 parked next to what she recognized as Rachel's Honda S2000 and Dani's Ford GT along with a red Mistubishi Eclipse, a light silver Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and a black Dodge Ram SRT 10. Parking next to the Mazda she stepped out and looked up seeing the name of the place; 'The Racers Edge' in large red writing with a model car placed next to it with various manufacturers stickers all over it. Smiling she headed inside and almost moaned aloud when she felt the cool rush of air from the air conditioning wash over her as she stepped in the door.
Restraining herself she continued her journey over to the front desk where Blaine was standing ready to serve the next customer. His face lit up when he saw the Latina.
"Santana! Hi!"
"Hey" She grinned back, taking of her sunglasses and hooking them in the left pocket of her jeans.
"You finally decided to upgrade?"
"Yeah. I finally have the cash to make some improvements"
"Ok then, let's get you started."
"I have a list of the things I need the most..."
"Hey! Look who it is!" Rachel said, pulling down her sunglasses and hitting Dani on the bicep to make her look up from where she was inspecting various racing seat harnesses.
"Is that Santana?" Brittany asked excitedly as she bounced over to them.
"Geez, a little too excited there Britt" Dani said, her voice void of any emotion.
Rachel shook her head and slapped Dani on the arm who faked hurt at the action. Rachel rolled her eyes as Brittany continued to watch as Blaine and Santana discussed the list of parts she had brought in.
"You think she's finally upgrading?" Rachel asked.
Dani shrugged and went back to what she was doing leaving Rachel and Brittany to watch the Latina across the extremely large room.
"Yeah. Should we tell Letty?"
"Since when did you care about telling Letty stuff?" Rachel questioned, looking over at Brittany who's gaze never left Santana's movements.
Shaking her head she looked at Rachel and shrugged. "I'm not a true member of the crew but I still care. And I'm sure Letty and the other's will care if we let them know Santana's upgrading for her next race."
"Really?"
"Yeah, that way we all know she's at least improving her ride as well as driving really well"
The small brunette turned her gaze back to where Blaine was leading Santana over to the large selection of Nos bottles. "Good point. We'll tell her when we get back to the garage. Come on, let's go. I need to get some new harnesses and we can leave"
Brittany just nodded as she watched Blaine and Santana laugh as they picked out two large Nitrous Oxide bottles.
Rachel and the other two had arrived back at the garage 20 minutes later armed with various parts to fit into their rides. Letty smiled when she saw her adoptive sister park and get out of her car.
"Hey, how's Holly?"
"She's good" Rachel smiled. "She wants to see us more though."
"I can't help that, we don't need to upgrade that often. What did you get?"
"Some various stuff but you'll never guess who we saw with a list of required parts"
"Who?" Mia asked, walking out of the office and Quinn sliding out from under the car she and Letty were working on.
"Santana" Rachel grinned.
"What was she doing there?" Letty asked, taking the rag Mia had offered and wiping her hands on it.
"As I said, buying parts. Me and Brittany thought you should know ahead of her next race that she's finally upgrading."
"Yeah, the first thing she did was buy two killer Nos bottles, enough to blow herself up" Dani said as she started getting ready to work on the same car as Letty and Quinn.
"When we left she was looking at Sparco t-shirts" Brittany grinned, her hands full of parts for her own car.
Letty nodded. "Thanks for telling me guys. We can worry about how well she uses those parts on the day but right now we have a car to work on. Let's move now or else Burt won't be happy that we're behind on this project."
When Santana arrived back at her small garage she backed her car into it and prepared herself to work on it. She had a wealth of new engine parts and if she was gonna be ready for her next race in a couple of days time she needed to start now. Luckily she was in that special frame of mind where all she wanted to do was work non-stop.
As she worked on installing the parts she reminisced over the other night when she had spent ages talking to the crew about racing and God knows what and she smiled to herself, actually genuinely liking them as opposed to just putting up with them like Cassandra seemed to think was necessary. She just hoped that she could continue to impress them and eventually become a part of their crew. That's when things would really get started.
TBC