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.
Santana was just adjusting the wires of her stereo, having cleaned the dust out of it when her phone alerted her to the fact that it was time to race. She finished up and cleaned everything away, making sure it worked before pulling out and locking up. She then slipped back into the car and pulled onto the road in the direction of the race start.
When she arrived on the highway she travelled for about a minute before seeing Blaine's Porsche parked behind Quinn's Skyline. She pulled up behind it and it wasn't long before her opponent had pulled up behind her. Staying in her car she watched as Blaine got out and walked over to her and wound down the window.
"Hey Blaine"
"Hey Santana. You ready?"
"Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be"
"Good. Take this radio and I'll let you know when the race is going to begin. Quinn will bring over the dash board camera. Can I have your pink slip?"
Santana nodded and leaned over to her glove box. She retrieved the required piece of paper and then handed it to Blaine.
"Thanks. Quinn will put the camera in now. Good luck Santana"
"Thanks"
He then stepped away and walked over to the car parked behind her. Quinn then opened her passenger side door and slipped in. "Hey."
"Hi"
"You ever done a race like this before?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't this formal. We just went for it. I like this though"
"Good. Just know that the crew are waiting nearby. There aren't as many people watching but know this is important. Both Letty and Puck are watching though. There, all done. This radio is for when Blaine says the race is starting and Kurt is waiting at the finish line with Mia. Good luck Santana"
"Thanks"
Quinn shot her a small smile before exiting the car and shutting the door behind her. Santana just breathed in deeply as she waited for Blaine's go ahead to start driving. A few minutes later she watched as Quinn hopped into her Skyline, Blaine walking past and sending her a thumbs up.
Once he was in his car Quinn pulled out and he followed, the two racers doing the same. They followed behind them along the highway for about a minute, Santana's nervousness nearly getting the better of her. She had done highway races before and she hated the fact that it was in broad daylight. The cops could easily spot you at this time of the day and the risk of being caught made the race that much more intense. Looking ahead she watched Blaine and Quinn separate to either side of the road and Blaine's voice filled the radio.
"Go!"
Moments later and they wasted no time shifting up gears, the two racers shooting off into the distance as Quinn and Blaine turned around to head to where Letty and the others were waiting. Meanwhile Santana saw a noticeable difference in the performance of the Skyline, the newly modified car pulling ahead slightly.
They raced around a wide bend before they were put on a straight and when she pushed down the pedal not only her but the people watching could see that she had the better car. She had just nosed in front of her opponent when they were forced to swerve to either side of a large flat bed truck carrying multiple logs as it's cargo.
The truck sounded it's horn loudly as the to racers sped by and continued weaving through traffic. As they continued to move at a rapid pace it wasn't long before they heard police sirens and flashing lights in their rear view mirrors. Looks like highway patrol had finally caught the message.
Although the fear of getting caught was very real Santana smirked knowing that not very long ago she had gone up against these guys before and won with the only true casualties being a police ram and her tires. She only lost because she hit a set of spike strips. This time was similar, the only difference being that she was in a race and in a different car than the one before.
Knowing she had experience in this type of situation she used that to her advantage as she dodged an oncoming car, the police car behind her swerving and regaining his control at the last minute. Smiling she pushed on ahead and caught up with her opponent who had managed to pull in front of her a little. She was just about to overtake him when she felt her car lurch forward. When she looked back in her rear view mirror she just caught sight of a police car before it rammed her up the back again, the Latina trying her hardest to keep control as she was lurched forward.
Thankful for her race harness she tried to remain calm as the police cruiser gained on her once again, this time positioning itself for a pit manoeuvre. But before it could perform it's desired action she swerved her car sharply to the right at the last minute, her timing being everything. She watched as the cruiser swerved violently to the left to avoid traffic and remain in control only to fail, it's front bumper clipping the central reserves and throwing it up into the air. The car flew a few feet as the momentum of it's speed carried it before gravity took hold and pulled it to the ground, the vehicle and it's passenger being rolled about six times before skidding to a stop and holding up traffic.
Santana took a few moments to enjoy her successful cop take down before focusing back on the race, the Skyline much further ahead than she realized. Even with this setback she pressed down on the pedal as hard as she could to try and catch up time. Oncoming traffic zoomed past her and in front as she dodged, some sounding their horns in frustration as the racer caused trouble for not only them but anybody in their way as the cops continued to chase them.
The crew and anyone who was watching from the dashboard cams saw Santana pull up next to the Skyline as they entered a tunnel. The other driver glanced over at the Latina in confusion, Santana just smirking as she inched ahead once more. Knowing that the other car was more or less matched with hers performance wise she knew that only one thing would set them apart: who was actually better at driving. She pressed on both of the Nos buttons on her steering wheel and sped ahead, the crowd cheering at their screens as they watched the clear favourite take the lead.
Santana smiled as her car was thrown far ahead of her opponent, careful to maintain her focus as she was assaulted by oncoming traffic. Glancing down at the GPS next to her she could see that she didn't have long until the finish line so keeping the pedal as far down to the floor as she could she pushed ahead.
It wasn't until the last leg of the race when another highway patrol car joined the pursuit, both racers having thought they had shook them further back down the highway. She knew she had to finish the race so ignored it until something clipped the back bumper sending her spinning. Everybody watching held their breath as the cop pulled a successful pit manoeuvre on her car. Some gasped as she spun but inside the car she was still keeping control.
Mia and Kurt watched from a distance as she used it to her advantage, Santana pulling hard on the handbrake and drifting a little bit as her tires burnt rubber along the highway. The Latina glanced up and saw how far away she was from the finish line and then glanced to her left to see the Skyline and cop car approaching her at an alarmingly fast rate.
Those few seconds seemed to blur as she used all the skill she had to keep control of her car, her heart beating loudly in her ears as her blood pumped through her veins rapidly in a rush of pure adrenaline. Pressing down on the accelerator she used the handbrake to spin the car until it was facing backwards, the Skyline now a few feet away from her.
The crowd held their breath as they watched through their devices as she hit down hard on both Nos buttons on her steering wheel, propelling the car backwards faster as she hit reverse. Mia and Kurt watched as closely as they could as to anybody else it looked like the two racers crossed the line at the same time.
Santana then used her momentum as the Skyline pulled away to throw her car into a 90 degree angle to the left so she was blocking the center of the highway. She held her breath as the police cruiser neared and just as it was about to slam into the right side of her she pressed down on the accelerator and used her handbrake to spin the car in another 90 degree angle, now facing backwards to the finish line once more. By the grace of God the car seemed to roll over the front left side of her and fly into the nearby wall.
Everybody cheered as the car was disabled and Santana, Mia and Kurt took that as their cue to get out of there when Blaine and Quinn caught up. A few tense moments later and a yellow Skyline appeared next to a navy blue Porsche, both Kurt and Mia sighing in relief. Mia jumped in next to Quinn and as soon as Kurt was in Blaine's car Santana led the pack back to where they were supposed to be meeting the rest of the crews, Mia using Quinn's radio to give her the directions.
When they arrived at the meeting point where the crew were waiting the air seemed to be buzzing with excitement but also nerves. Even though both racers had survived the pursuit and both crossed the line, nobody but Kurt and Mia knew who had actually won.
When Santana pulled up into the center of the highway underpass where everybody was waiting all heads seemed to turn to her. Getting out of the car she caught sight of the Skyline and it's driver before Letty and Puck demanded to know who won.
"Ok guys, settle down" Mia yelled, the crowd calming down considerably into a low whisper. "Me and Kurt caught it on tape and the racer who won was Santana."
The crowd cheered as they congratulated her, Letty walking over and shaking the younger Latina's hand. "Good work, that was close but you somehow pulled it off. Keep it up. Oh, and Santana..."
She looked up from where she was now holding her winnings worth 20k. "Yeah?"
"Nice police disables. I know who to call if I ever need help taking out the heat"
"Thanks" She smiled, Quinn walking over to her.
"That last move was reckless"
"How did you see?"
"I have all the dashboard cams tuned into my Skyline screen. I watched it head towards you. It was reckless but you pulled it off. Here's your pink slips."
Santana nodded and watched the blonde walk over to Letty. Santana was brought out of her thoughts when somebody called her name. "Huh?"
Brittany smiled. "Nice race, that was cool. I'll see you next time"
She just nodded mutely as she watched the tall blonde walk away, Dani joining her. Shaking her head she was just about to get back in her car when Blaine walked over.
"Wow, that was intense" He grinned. "Kurt just told me that if you need your paint fixing up he'd be happy to do it for you. Just give him a call and he'll set you up"
"Oh, thanks."
"No problem. I guess I'll see you in a few days for new parts?"
The Latina smiled and nodded. "You bet"
Blaine just nodded as she slipped back into her car, placing the bundle of cash and her pink slip into the glove compartment before driving off. Letty watched as she left and turned back to Mia.
"So, did that change your mind?"
She shook her head, crossing her arms as she lent up against her Plymouth. "She's still not quite there yet"
"But today was crazy! You saw how she crossed the line and then she took out a cruiser head on. Come on, I was right there!"
"I'm not saying she's not good Mia, but I want to take my time with her and make sure she's really worth the time and effort of recruiting. Just give it a few more races and I'll decide, ok?"
The smaller woman pouted for a few moments before relenting and nodding, letting her girlfriend pull her in for a hug with a kiss to the forehead.
Rachel smiled. "I know you guys look really cute right now but we'd better get moving before the cops show up and Shelby isn't gonna be happy if we turn up at the diner for lunch late"
"Yeah, I suppose so. Let's move out guys"
The next day Cassandra called Santana and told her that she needed to see her, hence for the first time the Latina was seeing her hotel room and base of operations. When she entered the luxurious suite Cassandra was laid out on an expensive looking lounge chair in a short black silk robe that ended halfway up her thighs and fitted as if it was painted on her skin. She was just glad it wasn't see through. That would have been exceptionally awkward.
The blonde looked up at the sound of her door opening and smiled when she saw Santana rubbing her hands together nervously as she looked around the large room. Smiling she stood up and placed the sheets of information she had been over-viewing in the place she'd just vacated.
"Santana, hi"
The Latina looked up and tried to ignore the fact that the blonde was dressed in next to nothing. "Hi" She replied nervously.
"Come over here. We have things to discuss"
Santana did as she was told and made her way across the expensive carpeting and into the area where Cassandra was running their whole operation.
"Take a seat" Once Santana had sat down on the armchair by the window she began. "This is where I've been watching you. Your last few races have been impressive, worthy enough at best but we need to keep up the winning streak or else we're not going to be on a crew any time soon. This computer set up is where I've been watching your driving"
Santana watched her walk over to a large set up of three large screens, a laptop on the desk with a headset she assumed was a microphone as well as various pieces of paper and post-it notes. To the right by the window there was a large whiteboard with pictures of Letty and Puck along with all their crew members and even a picture of herself in the center.
"How?"
"I've been tapping into your dashboard cams through the same channel as the crowd and the crews. I'll give it to Quinn she's smart, but she's not smart enough. That channel was hard to crack without a password but once I solved it I got in. Racers only" She stated, looking back at Santana who nodded in acknowledgement. "Anyway, enough about how I'm watching you, I called you here for different reasons"
"The important reason why I'm here and not in my garage working on my car before my next race?"
"That's actually why I called you here"
"Ok, what for?"
"I have information on Puck that you may find useful in preparation for your next race."
"Enlighten me"
Cassandra turned back to her screens and clicked a few times before on the far right screen appeared a picture of Rory from the first night she raced. "This is Rory Flanagan, who I assume you remember from your first race?"
"Yeah, something about the runt of the crew"
"Yes, well it seems as if Puck lost a bet to Letty when they last raced and word on the street is that her conditions were that when the race trials next began, which is what you're competing in now, that when it comes to the last few races the best racer of the group would go up against only members of his crew. Miss Ortiz wanted her crew safe and she played it smart meaning that they now run every legit race in this city. That's why Puck wants control and they hardly ever turn up to the same races."
"And this helps me how?"
"It's information that you need to remember when you finally join Letty's crew. You're about to go deep undercover and you need to know what you're up against. Puck's a loose canon, Miss Lopez, and you need to be aware of this before you get yourself hurt or killed."
Santana frowned as she sat forward in her chair. "I understand that but what's all this got to do with Rory Flanagan?"
"He's your next opponent. Once you go up against him you will more or less have a choice of who you want to join. This is our next big break and you need to know your competition. In the meantime while you wait for the race I have a few of his races for you to watch. I understand Mia is going to send you the information about where you need to be?"
"Yeah, I got a text from Blaine and he said Mia would be calling me in a few days with the location and the time"
"Good. These races are strictly under close wraps to Letty and Puck and you won't know what you're doing until you arrive. While you wait see if you can't edge your way closer to them and start improving your ride a little more"
"I'm actually going to see Blaine tomorrow to get some new parts"
"Good, then start there. Good luck Santana"
The Latina stood up and nodded, taking the offered disk of information before heading towards the door. As soon as she was in the elevator and the doors closed she breathed a deep sigh of relief. She definitely had to make sure she didn't lose this. This was the race that could change everything.
No pressure.
It was mid afternoon the next day when Letty decided to call a crew meeting, glad that they were all at the garage working.
"Ok, crew meeting!" She clapped, her tone all business and leaving no room for argument. They all gathered around and sat on various items and tool boxes, some leaning up against things as they waited for her to begin. "I've been thinking about something"
"Oh God..." Quinn groaned, making some of the others chuckle, even Mia.
Rolling her eyes the crew leader continued. "Anyway, as I was saying...I've been thinking about something important. Santana actually. I know that she's been proving herself but I just wanted to get your opinions on what I should do. Rachel"
The brunette lowered her hand. "I know we've been saying that she's really good and after getting to know her she seems really cool but when I think about it in the long run I think that we should wait a little longer until we actually think about adding her to our crew, if she even chooses us that is. I mean, we're like a family. Do we really want to bring in someone we don't know anything about, all driving skills aside?"
"I agree with Rachel, I think we should wait" Dani said.
Letty nodded. "Anyone else want to add anything?"
Tina put her hand up. "I think she's already good enough. I mean, how many rookies out of this city could pull off some of the moves she's pulled off in her first few races?"
"That may be but it was reckless what she did with that police cruiser" Quinn argued from her place leaning up against the garage door next to Brittany.
"Yeah but that could come in handy later on. Besides from me how many people are actually willing to put their car on the line to take out the police to protect the rest of us?" Marley added.
"Shelby" Mia suggested.
Marley nodded whilst still maintaining her frown. "Yeah but she's not an official member of the crew though"
"Yeah, she only ever helps out if we really need her" Rachel agreed.
"Back to the point, all in favour of waiting to add Santana raise your hands." Quinn, Dani, Rachel, and Letty all held up their hands. "Ok, all in favour of adding Santana now?" Tina, Marley, Brittany, and Mia all held up their hands. "Draw. Ok, hold on. Kurt's in the office. Kurt!"
"Yeah?!"
"We're tied about adding Santana to the crew. What do you think?"
"Wait!"
"I guess that settles it. Sorry guys but I think it's best if we wait until she's at least finished the next race. It's really important."
"Why?" Brittany asked.
"You'll find it out on the night"
It was then that Burt came out of the office to find his entire workforce sitting around talking. "Uh guys, you have a car to finish by the end of the week. I would appreciate it if we could actually get it finished before the deadline instead of sitting around and talking all the time. Get to work! What do you think I'm paying you for?"
Letty grinned as she stood up. "You love us really Burt"
"Yeah yeah, just get this car finished" He sighed, rolling his eyes as he tried to contain a smile as he walked away.
"Then let's get back to work. Fabray, Harper, you're with me. We need to head over to The Racer's Edge and pick up the last few parts for the interior. Let's go"
Meanwhile, across town Santana was in that very shop laughing with Blaine as he tallied up her order on the computer.
"Yeah, Brody's a sore loser. Next time he'll be a lot less welcoming when you race him. Just be careful, he loves to trade paint much to Puck's dismay"
Santana felt her laughter die down enough to answer. "I will, he just seems like such a tool though"
"I know-" Blaine was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder and when he turned around he smiled. "Oh hey Holly."
"Hey, have you got Letty's order in?"
"Yeah, I'm just waiting for her to come and pick it up"
"Cool. She just text me to say she's on her way over"
"Ok, I'll get it ready once I've finished serving Santana"
"The Santana?" She asked, looking over at the Latina on the other side of the counter.
"That's me" She replied back nervously.
"Hi, I'm Holly Holiday." She grinned, offering her hand.
"Hi, I'm Santana Lopez"
"I know, I've heard a lot about you"
"You have?"
"Yes. I hear you're quite the racer. I might have to come and watch you sometime"
"That's really not necessary"
The blonde just smiled, playfully punching her in the shoulder across the counter. "Nonsense. I've seen some of your dashboard camera footage and I can say I'm impressed."
"Really?"
Her grin seemed to grow impossibly wider. "Yeah. You rock dude. Tell you what, because you're Blaine's friend and seem to be making an impression on my girlfriend's adoptive daughter for the first time in like, forever, if you put this order through I'll make sure you get a 20 percent discount on each one of your future parts."
"Oh, wow. Are you sure about that?"
"Hell yeah! It's on the house. Blaine, make sure you add her to my tab."
"Right away" He smiled.
"Thanks"
Holly just waved her hand. "It's my pleasure. I own this place so I can do what I want and I want to award you"
"But you only just met me"
"Pfft, like that matters. What matters is you're making an impression on Letty and that's something no one has ever done before"
"That's true" Blaine agreed as he continued typing up Santana's order.
"How do you know her?"
"I'm dating her adoptive mom, Rachel's real mom"
"Oh, cool"
"Yeah. Hey, you should drop by the diner sometime. It's down on Fortuna Street, you can't miss it"
"I think I might do that"
"Good. Now how is that order coming along Blaine?"
"Done"
"Before you complete it add the discount"
"Ok, done. That's $15,550. How are you paying?"
"Cash as always"
Outside Letty and two other cars pulled up in front of the shop. "Look who's here" Quinn said, stepping out of her car and looking over at the mint green Supra parked a few spaces away next to Blaine's Porsche and Holly's truck.
"Speak of the devil. Let's go" Letty said, slipping on her sunglasses and heading for the door.
On the way in they passed Santana with a large box in her arms. "Hey Santana" The older Latina greeted.
"Hey. Hey guys"
The two blondes nodded in acknowledgement as she walked past them towards the door they had just come through.
"Hey Letty, Dani, Quinn. Here for the order?" Holly asked from her place behind the desk next to Blaine.
The crew leader nodded. "Yep."
"Cool. Blaine can you bring it up and sort it out?"
"I'm already on it."
Holly grinned. "Good man. Now Letty, about Miss Lopez"
"I guess she's cool."
"Oh, come on! You honestly don't think she's just cool do you?"
Letty shrugged. "I guess not. She's better than most rookies"
"From what I've seen she's in another league. Plus she's doing all this mod work by herself."
"I know but the team aren't convinced"
"How so?"
"That last race. The manoeuvre she pulled at the end with the cop car. Us three think it's better if we wait and give her more time"
"It was reckless" Quinn said as she lent up against the counter.
"Seriously guys, how is that not a good thing? She put herself in front of a cop car. Who else is willing to do that?!"
"Marley said that" Letty sighed.
"Look, wait all you like but you have to admit she's a good driver, probably the best that's gonna come your way in a long time, if at all. You don't want to give that advantage to Puck. Tell you what, I'll come to her next race and I'll try and convince Shelby too. I want to see her for myself."
"Really?"
"Yeah, she's a voice of reason and if anyone can see potential it's her. Let me talk to her and I'll see what I can do"
"Thanks"
"No problem. Anyway, when is the next race?"
"She won't tell us, she's keeping it to herself" Quinn cut in.
"Oh, it's that kind of race. I see...I'll try and talk to Shelby as soon as I can. You finished with the order Blaine?"
"Yeah. Follow me guys"
The next morning Santana had worked hard on fitting all her new parts. She didn't know when she'd be called for the race so she was trying her hardest to get everything fitted as soon as possible so she wasn't caught with only half of her new upgrades installed. When her phone alarm went off signalling lunch she decided that her car wasn't ready to drive anywhere until she finished so she decided to just walk to the place Holly had suggested the day before.
She wiped her hands off and made sure they were completely clean before grabbing her wallet and sunglasses, throwing on her snapback baseball cap to complete her look of a simple t-shirt and jeans with black and white converses. Once she had locked up she slipped her keys into her pocket and started her journey.
10 Minutes later she arrived at Shelby's Diner, noting the various modified cars parked up diagonally along the front. She sighed in relief as she stepped out of the hot midday sun and into the cool air conditioned diner, taking off her sunglasses and hat as she was seated at a window booth on the far end of the room.
Rachel tapped Brittany on the shoulder when she didn't respond. "Britt!"
"What?"
"Mia wants to know what you want to eat?"
"Oh, just get me a burger and fries"
Rachel rolled her eyes and turned back to Mia who was seated next to her at the front counter. Brittany however never moved her gaze from the woman who had just come into the diner to eat. She watched as a waitress took her order and then left, the Latina gazing out of the window as she waited for her food to be delivered.
"Britt, you ok?" Rachel asked.
The blonde turned back to the small brunette sat next to her. "Yeah"
Rachel lent back in her seat and glanced to where Brittany was staring seeing Santana sat at a booth waiting for food. The brunette sat forwards once more and grinned. "You like her don't you?" She smiled, taking a sip of her drink and avoiding Brittany's gaze.
"No!"
"Who likes who?" Mia jumped in, Letty looking up when her girlfriend joined another conversation.
"Brittany likes Santana"
"You do?"
Brittany turned to her two best friends, the both of them grinning mischievously. "No, I don't"
"Brittany likes who?" Shelby asked, walking up and serving the small group their food.
"Brittany likes the new girl" Mia smiled, her girlfriend rolling her eyes next to her at the mention of the 'new girl'.
"Who's that?" The tall brunette asked as she wiped the empty parts of the counter.
"The woman in the last booth" Letty sighed as she started eating.
Shelby looked up and saw a woman sitting in the booth at the far end. "The Latina?"
"That's the one" Rachel grinned excitedly.
"She's cute. You like her Brittany?"
"No!"
"Yes you do, I can see it. Don't deny it Miss Pierce!"
The others just smiled victoriously as Brittany decided to ignore them and eat. "Oh, Letty, I had an interesting talk with Holly this morning when we woke up in bed."
"Too much information" The Latina replied, wincing at the thought of the two women in bed together.
"Not that kind of way!" She objected, hitting the crew leader over the head with her dishcloth. "She told me that she wants me to come to her next race and it's one of you and Puck's top secret races. Is that true?"
"Yeah but that's not the whole story"
"Oh? And what might the whole story be?"
"She thought it might be a good idea that we bring you along as you can see potential better than anybody else. We need your judgement"
"Really? You're finally including me?" She joked.
Letty rolled her eyes. "Call it what you want but we need you"
"Fine, I'll come the race. Let me know when it is"
"Will do"
"In the meantime, who has any gossip to share?" She asked excitedly, Letty rolling her eyes as Rachel and Mia both lit up at the question.
Santana pulled up at the location of the first race that very night somewhere in the industrial district. She was extremely lucky she had finished all of her part installations or else she would have had to cancel and this race was important. As she parked up and exited her car she found Letty and Puck already arguing, their crews trying but failing to stop them.
"She has the right to choose!"
"And what makes you think you have the right to more or less draft her to your crew already Ortiz?!"
"Shut up Puck! I'm not drafting her"
"Like hell you are!"
"She has the right to choose what crew she becomes a part of but now I hope she sees your true ugly ass and does choose me just to spite you!"
Santana had watched a white Jaguar XKR-S GT pull up and just as Puck was about to lunge at Letty Holly had stepped in between them.
"Hey, cut the crap you guys! Let Santana choose for herself!" She growled, looking over at Santana when she mentioned her. "For God sakes let the woman choose for herself! Now, are we both cool?"
Letty nodded and took a step back, Puck doing the same. "Good, now let's get this race under way. Blaine?"
The man in question joined his bosses side. "Yep. Santana tonight you're facing Rory" He said, looking up from his clipboard as Rory walked up to Santana.
The Latina knew the drill and pulled out her pink slip from her back pocket, handing it over to the race leader. She then led Quinn over to her car who placed the camera on her dashboard.
"Rules are simple, there aren't any. The first race is a drag and when you've completed it you'll face off in another race. Me and Kurt will be at the finish line to see who wins so good luck. Let's start this. Oh, and it's 25k today due to how important the race is."
Santana glanced over at Rory who was letting Quinn install the camera and then turned back to her own car. As she slid in she gulped as hard as she could to try and rid her throat of the horrible lump she knew was forming. Taking a moment to breathe to herself she let her head fall back against her seat. She had easily won drag races before but as this wasn't her best car, aka her Nissan that had been confiscated until further notice, she knew against a muscle car like Rory's she wasn't gonna win. That much was clear to her before she'd even pulled up to the start line.
Trying to ignore the nervousness that was slowly making itself known in the form of shaking hands she strapped herself in and waited to be called to the start line. After what felt like minutes when it was only mere moments Mia called the two racers over. Santana pulled up in front of the small brunette, Rory to her right.
"Ok guys, just hold on until we've marked out the start line and we can start"
The two just nodded and Santana took these few moments to try and prepare herself. Despite having upgraded her car it wasn't good enough to win a race like this just yet. Trying to occupy her mind she reached over and pressed her GPS screen a few times, a heavy Angel Haze song from her connected iPod pumping through her speakers moments later. She then reached behind her and unscrewed the nozzle of the Nos bottle that sat between her two front seats.
Now that her system was ready to go she reached over to her glove compartment and grabbed the blue and orange energy drink bottle, smiling at the Nos logo and unscrewing the lid that looked much like the one she had just unscrewed. Taking a few more sips she wiped her mouth and re-sealed the cap before sliding it back into where she had got it from.
When she looked up she saw Rory looking over at her from inside his money green Mustang, the newer car than hers looking too bulky and slow. But she knew that wasn't the case. That engine packed a hell of a lot more than hers and she knew that if she didn't win the next race to tie she was screwed, there was so much riding on tonight's events. She briefly considered the fact that she was already telling herself she wouldn't win, knowing it was wrong, but her racer mind knew her car couldn't handle the type of race, at least not until she put more mods on it. Even with the Nos in her car she knew she wouldn't win.
Rory smirked at her again causing her to roll her eyes before he lent out of his window and looked over to where Brittany was stood with the rest of Letty's crew.
"Hey, Brittany!"
The blonde rolled her eyes and walked over to him with her arms crossed firmly over her chest. "Yes, Rory?"
"How's about a kiss for good luck?" He grinned, glancing over at Sam and Mercedes who were smiling at him encouragingly before looking back at Brittany.
The blonde sighed. "Why should I kiss you Rory?"
"Because we both know I'm gonna win this race"
"Hmm, that's funny because you just asked for one for good luck. I don't like somebody who changes their mind all the time, plus you just got cocky when I gave you no signs at all that I was even going to give you what you wanted. Instead, I think I might just go and do the opposite of what you asked."
"But Britta-"
She cut him off with a shake of her head before moving around Santana's Supra to the driver's side where the Latina was watching her intently. Before Santana could react the blonde had lent in through her open window and placed a kiss on her cheek.
"Don't worry, I know"
Santana blushed deep red as the tall blonde whispered huskily in her ear before walking back over to Letty's crew. The others watched as the Latina continued to sit in complete shock before rolling up her window. Santana could barely think, not knowing how to interpret what the beautiful blonde had just said. Did she know she was undercover? No, that didn't make sense. Did she know she was into girls? Did that race girl tell her after she had rejected her at the first race? No, that really wasn't a good excuse. Did she knew she had sort of a crush on her? Maybe, but let's not think about it. I have to race.
Brittany grinned at her over her shoulder one last time before looking back at the people in front of her, not even caring to look at the shocked Irish boy who was sat in his Mustang with a serious case of lockjaw.
"Why'd you do that?" Mia asked.
Brittany shrugged. "I think she deserved it more than Rory. Plus he was being cocky"
"So you cock-blocked him to kiss the new girl on the cheek and make him jealous?" Dani asked as she lent up against the hood of her Ford GT.
The other blonde frowned, Rachel jumping in. "I think it was sweet. I mean, Santana blushed tomato red! She's definitely in to you"
Brittany smiled and stuck her tongue out at Dani who shot the action right back at her, Rachel shaking her head as Mia decided it was time to start.
"Come on, we've tortured her enough" She smiled. "Let's start this before Rory gets any more cocky."
She was just about to move to start the race when Brittany placed her hand on her arm. "Can I do it?"
"Really?" The shorter woman asked.
Brittany nodded in response. "Yeah. I think after what just happened..."
Mia smiled, handing her the flag and her radio. "Go ahead"
"Yay!"
The rest of the crew watched as the blonde hurriedly walked to where she had been a few moments ago, this time with the flag in her hand. The small crowd (only the two crews and their leaders plus Holly, Shelby, Blaine and Kurt) picked up in noise as they cheered for the two racers and when Blaine radioed to tell Brittany he was ready at the finish line the blonde focused on the two cars in front of her.
She looked over to Rory and nodded, the Irish boy revving his powerful engine in acknowledgement that he was ready. He smirked over at Santana who just shook her head and looked forward, Brittany looking over to her for confirmation. The Latina nodded and revved her own engine, a small flame rushing out the back of her exhaust pipe as her engine processed her Nos. Brittany nodded back and winked before smiling as she held up the flag, both cars revving.
A few moments later and the blonde grinned as she dropped to the floor, spinning on her heels as she watched the two cars take off down the road. A shiver ran through her body as she felt the rush of cold air mixed with engine fumes and the slightly sweet tint of Nos, the smell setting her nerves alight as she watched the two racers get further and further away.
Everybody watched through the dashboard cams as Santana's car slowly pulled behind Rory's Mustang, Letty's crew knowing that her car wasn't as powerful as it should be to beat a muscle at this kind of race. The race was over as fast as it began when Santana crossed the line, her head falling back in her seat as she closed her eyes in defeat.
Rory had beaten her before they'd even left the start line and she knew it was a losing battle but it still hurt when she lost for the first time since she'd been back. Taking in a deep breath she knew that losing the next race wasn't an option. She watched on as Puck's crew surrounded Rory's car and celebrated his win. Shaking her head she turned away and waited for the next race.
Quinn walked over to her car, knocking on the window until she wound it down. "Hey, I think we all knew how unfair that race was with his type of car but each leader picked one of the two races. I think you can guess who picked this one?" She asked as she held herself up with a hand on the Latina's roof.
Santana scoffed. "Puck?"
"Exactly. Look, the next race is picked by Letty and if I know her when she picked it she talked to Mia and they came up with a track suited to you and your car, not his" She said, her nose wrinkling up in disgust as she looked over to Rory who had a smirk on his face.
"Thanks, what happens if we tie?"
Quinn shrugged. "That's between Letty and Puck so I don't actually know. It surprised me that they actually set this up considering just how much they hate each other. Can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah, go ahead"
"You do know you choose which crew you want to be on right?"
"Yeah, I know. They're not forcing me into anything but I kind of already know" She smiled.
"You do?"
"Is it really that hard?"
"Oh..." Quinn smiled, knowing exactly what she meant.
"Yeah, I kind of have my mind made up. I don't like racing with cocky racers"
"Gotcha. Here's the location of the next race. Put it in and I'll meet you there"
"Cool, thanks" Santana replied, taking the small piece of paper with the directions on it to the next race start.
"No problem. I supposed I'd better go and give these to the 'race winner'. Good luck Santana"
"Thanks"
She had just typed in the directions to her GPS when she heard a commotion. She looked up to see Rory harassing Brittany. Not really knowing what came over her her blood seemed to boil at the sight of the boy trying to force himself onto the blonde.
She unbuckled her harness in record time and jumped out of her car, rushing over to where Brittany was trying to fight off the Irish boy. She jumped in and before Rory could reach out and even touch the blonde she had punched him in the face. He winced as he reached his hands up to his nose, blood covering his fingers.
"Don't you dare touch her!"
The sight of his own blood enraged him and he lunged forward, gripping Santana's shirt and throwing her up against his car as the rest of his crew jumped backwards, some even cheering for them to keep going.
"She's not yours!" He yelled, his hands moving up to wrap around her neck.
Luckily she ducked at just the right time and he just missed giving her the upper hand. She surged forward and football tackled him into the car with a sickening thump.
"She's not yours either!" When she righted herself she gripped hold of his shirt and punched him multiple times before he kicked her in the stomach.
As Rory pushed her down to the floor Brittany caught sight of a large scar that extended from her wrist to her elbow on her left arm. She didn't have time to ponder it as Letty and Holly had already stepped in, Holly grabbing hold of Rory and tearing him off of the Latina beneath him.
Letty helped Santana up before looking over to Rory who was still being held back by Holly. "Now both of you quit the fucking crap! We have races to finish and we don't need people going to the hospital instead. Rory cool your shit, Santana come with me"
Santana followed the crew leader over to where her car was parked next to Quinn's Skyline and looked over at Mia who Letty was ordering to help her.
"Hey, lean up against this" Before she could protest Mia had gently pushed her up against the hood of Quinn's car. "This is gonna hurt."
Seconds later the brunette had held up an antiseptic wipe to her eyebrow, the Latina wincing at the sudden pain before she released it, wiping away the excess blood.
"It's not gonna need stitches so you should be fine. Just keep some ice on it later on and the swelling should go down in no time. In the meantime I'll put a band-aid over it so you can race"
"How are you so good at this?" She winced as the smaller woman started placing the band-aid over the cut.
"I was training to be a nurse before I joined Letty's crew. I gave it up when I was offered a job at the garage Kurt's dad owns. It's also where we do all of our cars"
"Cool. Thanks"
"No problem. You're lucky you're on Letty's good side or else you'd be like Rory and not treated at all. Good luck Santana."
"Thanks"
Quinn walked over. "Hey, nice fight, not that I'm condoning it or anything. It's just that no ones ever fought on Brittany's behalf before"
"Why?" She asked, watching as Rachel hugged her in the distance.
"Because most people think she's not as bright as everybody else."
"They think she's stupid?"
"Yeah"
"But how's that? She seems pretty smart to me"
"Other people don't see her that way."
"Do you stand up for her?"
"Of course. She's not an official member of the crew but she's still close to us. Plus no one's ever started a fight over Rory harassing her before so we've never had to physically protect her. Anyway, you ok to race?"
"Yeah. Let's go" She said, standing up and heading back over to her car.
Quinn watched on as she sped away, shaking her head she slid into her own car and followed her.
15 Minutes later and Santana had arrived at Copper Ridge, the location of the next race. Sitting patiently for everybody else to arrive she didn't even have time to think about what had happened with Rory when Cassandra was calling her. Retrieving her phone from her jean pocket she slid it open to answer.
"Hello?"
"Santana?"
"Yeah?"
"I saw the race. You lost?"
"Yeah, but I have another one where I can tie it. If that happens I guess it goes to another race where if I win I'm two up and I've won completely." She then hesitated telling her the rest but decided it was better if she told her handler everything, even if it was bad.
"Santana?"
"I got into a fight"
"With who?"
"Rory Flanagan"
"Why?"
"Because he was harassing Brittany"
"Santana, may I remind you what we're here to do? You can't get attached to people, especially non-essential people like Brittany. Just don't let it happen again. Are you hurt?"
"I'm good to race"
"Good, just make sure that you win or our operation may be over before it's even began"
Before Santana could respond the blonde had already hung up. Sighing she slid her phone back into her pocket and grabbed her drink out of her glove compartment. She took a deep gulp of the energy drink as she rested her head on her hand. Her face was slightly in pain and her stomach hurt from Rory's knee but she was ok to race. She had to be. Taking the few minutes she had to herself whilst she waited for everybody else to arrive she thought about exactly what had happened.
Maybe she had overreacted and jumped in when she shouldn't have. Brittany wasn't anybody's to claim but something inside her made her want to defend her, especially from a person like Rory who couldn't take no for an answer. What didn't help was that he'd just beat her and was acting cockier than was necessary. Knowing she shouldn't have done what she did she also knew that she couldn't help it and despite what Cassandra wanted her to do these were real people with real feelings and she wasn't about to go and disregard that. If anything it helped her get deeper and it was building their trust. To anybody else it would have seemed fake but she was genuinely concerned for Brittany and she wasn't about to stand back and watch a beautiful woman like that get disrespected by a man.
She was broken out of her thoughts when Quinn's Skyline pulled up. Rory trailed not far behind and as Quinn drove past her she jerked her head in an action that told her to follow her. Assuming that she was leading them to the start line she screwed the lid back onto her drink and tossed it onto her passenger seat before pulling out and following the blonde up the road. Checking her rear view mirror Rory wasn't far behind.
When Rachel parked up her car at the finish line Brittany had sort of hoped the Latina who had defended her honour would be there so she could say thank you but she was nowhere in sight. Knowing that Quinn had probably led the two racers up the canyon to the start line she sighed as she rested up against her best friends hood and crossed her arms.
"You ok Britt?" Rachel asked, placing a comforting hand on the blonde's bicep.
"Yeah. I just wanted to say thank you to Santana but I guess she already followed Quinn up the canyon"
"Don't worry Britt, you can say thank you when she gets back down here"
"Yeah, I hope so"
A way up the canyon and Quinn had stopped. She marked out a line with a can of red spray paint and then signalled for the two racers to turn around and drive up to it. Then she stood in the middle of them she clutched a radio tightly within her hand. "Ok, so this is a canyon race. The first person to make it down to the bottom wins. There's no rules, just make it down alive. This is all out and you do whatever it takes to win. Good luck" She then brought the radio up to her mouth. "Blaine, we're all ready up here"
"Ok, give me a minute"
Santana took those few moments to shove her drink back into the glove compartment and mentally prepare herself. Judging from what she had seen on the way up this race was full of violent twists and turns downhill to see who could really stand up to the true test of such an intricate choice of track. Smiling she knew Letty had picked this place purely for the fact that her car was better made for this kind of race and she was the better driver on this terrain. She knew she had the upper hand and she knew she would win this to tie and force them to go to a tiebreaker that would decide who won this completely.
"Ok Quinn, you're good to go"
Quinn raised her arms and both racers revved their engines. Seconds later she threw them down and they shot off the start line. It wasn't long before they came across the first turn and even after Rory had accelerated into the lead faster than the Latina she had better control and as he struggled to make it she had already overtaken him.
Her Supra handled the corners with what looked like complete ease as she used all of her precision driving skills to navigate the twisting terrain they had been given to race on. The lights of the city twinkled in the distance as she zoomed around a wide turn, her car slightly drifting until she straightened it out. It was then that she was forced with the most difficult turn on the course and it took all the control she had to keep herself balanced at the speed she was going.
The crews watching through her dashboard cam saw her slam her handbrake as she kept her foot down on the accelerator resulting in a perfectly executed drift.
"Damn!" Tina grinned, watching as Santana pulled out of the turn and speed onto the next one.
Brittany smiled at the Latina's actions as she watched her tackle the next one which was very similar but a little smaller.
As Santana sped into what seemed like a 90 degree left hand turn Rory was only just coming out of the hardest turn. The crowds murmurs grew as she sped around the next turn and into the widest and largest of the race. Easily keeping a balance of speed and control she shot around it and it wasn't long before she realised the next few turns were her last.
Despite the fact that her and everybody else knew she was going to win her heart beat fast in her chest. She'd already lost once to Rory, she didn't want to do so again. Luckily for her she saw the crowd in the distance and pressed her pedal right down to the floor as she saw Rory appear in the rear view mirror. Everybody cheered as she shot across the finish line with Rory's green mustang following shortly after along with Quinn close behind.
As she came to a stop Letty's crew surrounded her cheering and congratulating. Brittany barely had time to even get to the Latina before Letty reached her and started talking.
"Now things are tied we're going to a tiebreaker. Each of you will do this course again individually but to decide the winner it will be who reaches the bottom in the fastest time. The rules include no Nos and to make sure you're not using it you're both gonna have a person in the car with you. Blaine you're with Rory. Quinn you're with Santana. Lopez, heads or tails?"
"Tails" She replied as she lent up against the side of her car.
Letty flipped a quarter. "Tails it is. First or second?"
"Second"
"Flanagan looks like you're up first. Assigned second crew members join the racers and we'll see you at the finish line."
Blaine and Quinn nodded and joined the racers. "Hey" The blonde grinned. "I knew you would win"
Santana smiled but winced when her eyebrow stung. "Don't make me smile, it hurts. Thanks though"
"You got it. Let's go"
"Cool"
Santana looked up and glanced over at Brittany who was looking at her and then got into her car, Quinn following. She strapped herself into her harness and waited for Quinn to finish doing the same before following Rory back up the canyon behind Blaine's Porsche which was driven by Kurt who was starting the race in the place of his boyfriend.
Once they had made it up to the top Santana parked a little way back from the start line as Rory went first. Knowing that Blaine would be timing the first driver Kurt got out of his boyfriend's car and made his way a few feet away from the Mustang. He then let Rory rev his car before lowering his arms, the Irish boy shooting off the line.
When Santana pulled up at the start line ready for her turn Quinn took the time they had whilst waiting to give her a pep talk.
"Santana?"
"Yeah?"
"The day you went to Blaine for parts and Me, Letty and Dani arrived we had a team meeting at the garage just before"
"Oh?"
"We talked about what we wanted to do with you. Letty asked us for our opinions and with just the crew alone tied. Some of us, me included, wanted to wait for you to prove yourself a little more after your reckless stunt with the highway patrol car. The rest wanted you to join right away. In the end we decided to wait but after seeing you tonight losing and taking it so well, defending Brittany and then decimating him up here in the canyon I've changed my mind."
"Really?"
The blonde nodded as she clutched the stopwatch Letty had gave her tightly in her hands. "Yeah. It was reckless what you did but you proved to me tonight that you can take losing, even if it wasn't to me" They both chuckled. "Anyway, I just want you to know you're good in my books and when you head off the line in a minute I want you to know that you can do this. If you do, I think Letty might just recruit you as a part-time member. If that's what you want that is"
"Yeah. You know, I told you earlier. I kind of have my mind made up and after tonight I'm definitely gonna take her up on the offer if she gives it to me. Thanks Quinn"
"No problem. Oh, and if you do become a part-time member you know you're gonna have to seriously start upgrading this car don't you?"
Santana laughed. "That I do"
"Good. When you want bodywork done come to me, I'm the best kit builder in the city"
"I will keep that in mind"
Quinn smiled and lent back in her seat as the Latina reached over into her glove compartment, pulling out a bright blue and orange bottle of Nos energy drink in the shape of an actual bottle of Nos. Santana unscrewed the lid and took a large gulp before replacing the lid and sliding it back into her little storage space.
"You like that stuff?"
"Yeah, I needed it tonight. The hot weather earlier today really took it out of me"
"I love it too" The blonde added randomly before they fell into a comfortable silence.
A few minutes later and Kurt stood up straight and stepped forward holding up his hands. Santana and Quinn were alerted to this and the Latina started up her car, the twin turbo engine roaring to life. Quinn readied her stopwatch and it wasn't long before they were off the line.
At the bottom Rory had just arrived and Mia was already radioing Kurt to let Santana go. They all waited anxiously as Mia read out the results, writing them down on her clipboard.
"4:15"
All they had to do now was wait for Santana to make her way down. Meanwhile as said Latina raced down as fast as she could Quinn was amazed at how well she kept control over her car whilst going over a hundred mph. It was like she had this insane focus that couldn't be broken. She briefly wondered if this was the look on her face when they had raced each other the night the cops arrived.
Breaking her gaze she focused on the road ahead and she felt her heart rate pick up as Santana drifted around the last corner at a speed that would have put any other racer into the wall but as demonstrated before she kept an almost perfect grip on the car as she straightened up and raced towards the end. As soon as she was across the line Quinn stopped the stopwatch and waited until the car came to a complete stop, smiling over over at the driver.
"That was crazy! I never knew how intense it would to be in the car with you! That was awesome!"
Santana laughed as they both unbuckled the harnesses of the race seats and then got out of the car, Mia walking up to them.
"Hold on"
Santana nodded and watched as the blonde ran and met Mia halfway. She whispered into her ear and both crews waited anxiously as the brunette scribbled it down next to Rory's time. With a nod Quinn was given the go-ahead to announce the winner.
"4:05. Santana wins!"
Letty's crew surrounded her and cheered and clapped before Letty walked over to Shelby.
"What do you think?"
"She certainly has skills. I like her"
Letty nodded at her adoptive mother and walked back over to Santana and stood next to Puck, as much as she hated every second of it.
"So, who are you gonna choose?" Puck asked, smirking when he knew she could possibly be on his team.
Santana took a few moments to keep them in suspense, despite the fact she'd made her mind up quite some time ago. Even if she wasn't undercover she would have picked them. A smile broke onto her lips as she stood up straight. "Letty"
Letty's crew congratulated her and pulled her in for endless hugs as Puck frowned. "Hey!" She looked back at him. "You made the wrong choice. You're gonna regret that decision"
They just watched as he stormed off, his crew following and it wasn't long before he was peeling off in his Charger with his crew and a defeated Rory not far behind.
Santana just shrugged as she accepted the congratulations from the various members of Letty's crew including Holly. Shelby kept her distance as the others seemed to beam at the information that they had finally found a good driver to add to their crew.
Holly whistled to get everybody's attention. "First round of drinks at Kitty's is on me!"
TBC