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.
"First round of drinks at Kitty's is on me!"
20 Minutes later Santana found herself entering a bar named 'Kitty's' at the insistence of her new crew and their leader. Holly walked up to the bar and dragged Santana with her.
"Santana, this is Kitty"
The woman behind the bar was a petite blonde with her hair up in a tight flawless ponytail dressed in a pair of skin-tight jeans and a blue shirt with the bar's logo on the left breast pocket, 'Owner' embroidered on the right side opposite.
"Hi, and you are?"
"Oh, um, I'm Santana"
"She won tonight's race and is officially a part-time crew member" Holly jumped in.
Kitty eyed her suspiciously before putting down the glass she'd been cleaning. "Well, I'm Kitty the owner of this bar." She said, offering her hand to Santana.
The Latina shook it back. "Cool, it's nice to meet you"
"You too. All I need to know is who's buying?"
"A round of drinks on me" Holly grinned.
"I'll put it on your tab. Plus I'll get you some ice for your face"
Santana nodded and watched as Kitty started retrieving bottles of beer from the nearby fridge for the crew, then handing her one along with a bag of ice. "Keep that on there and if it melts come back and ask for a new one"
Holly then led Santana up to where the crew were sat in the seats surrounding a pool table. As soon as the Latina had sat down Letty stood up. "I know we wanted to wait to add her as a crew member, but tonight I would like to make a toast to Santana. She proved tonight she could pull it back and the track was tough but she did it anyway. Here's to Santana picking the right crew and I can't wait to see what she does to become a full crew member. To Santana!"
"To Santana!" Everybody replied, the woman in question blushing as she thanked them.
She sat back as she watched the crew interact and when she felt the ice pack more or less melted she stood up painfully, the fight from earlier finally catching up to her. Taking a deep breath she started to walk and looked around the bar to try and take her mind off of the pain.
It was small but rustic and had a cosy feeling to it. There weren't many people there other than them and it felt a little like a biker bar, probably because it looked like one from outside, but it was for street racers instead. Pictures of Letty and Mia along with the others were on the wall behind the bar as Santana rested up against it waiting to be served. She was broken out of her thoughts by a voice calling her name.
"Santana?"
When she looked up Brittany was stood in a similar shirt to Kitty's from earlier. "You work here?"
The blonde nodded. "Part-time"
"Nice"
"Can I get you something?"
"Oh, yeah. My ice pack melted." She grinned stupidly, holding up the mentioned item.
"Want me to replace it?"
"Please"
Brittany took the bag and tried to ignore the sharp tingle that ran up her entire arm when their hands brushed. She disappeared into the back and returned a minute later with a fresh bag, smiling as she handed it over to the other woman.
"Thanks" She replied, immediately holding it up to her eyebrow.
"Why did you do that tonight?"
"What? Defend you?"
"Yeah"
"No woman deserves to be harassed, especially by a tool like Rory. I don't really know what came over me. You seemed really uncomfortable."
"I didn't get a chance to say thank you for that by the way. I wanted to but when we arrived at the canyon you were already on your way up."
"Sorry"
Brittany waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, but thank you for what you did. No one's ever done something for me like that before."
"No problem"
"So, are you gonna be hanging with the crew now?" She asked, deciding to change the subject.
"Maybe"
"It will be nice to see someone else around other than the crew. I think we needed someone to shake things up"
"What about you?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, how do you fit into all of this?"
"You really wanna know?" Santana nodded as Brittany handed her a fresh beer. "Well, I'm not an official member of the crew but I hang around with them all the time."
"So I can expect to see you at their garage when I start upgrading my car?"
Brittany smiled as she wiped the bar down. "Yes, you definitely can."
Santana just smiled as she took another sip of her beer, Quinn walking over. "New girl, game of pool?"
"You're on"
Brittany just smiled as they walked away back to where the crew were still celebrating. Three games later and Santana had just lent her pool cue up against the wall when she decided to lay off the alcohol, not that she'd had very many anyway. In her condition she didn't want to push it so she made her way over to the bar where Brittany and Kitty were serving drinks.
"Another beer?" Brittany asked as she cleaned a glass.
"Nah. I'm gonna lay off the alcohol for the rest of the night. I don't really want to have a hangover in my condition. Plus I know how much you and the others drink"
Brittany laughed. "I know how you feel there. The morning after was crazy. We missed you when we found out you were gone early. Anyway, what do you want to drink instead?"
"You got Dr. Pepper?"
"We sure do. Hang on"
Santana nodded and watched as the blonde walked over to the fridge to get her drink. It was then that she turned her head to the left to see Dani and Kitty arguing whilst the rest of the crew just laughed.
"What's with them?" She asked as Brittany handed her her drink, reaching into her pocket to pay for it.
Waving her hand the bartender smiled. "It's on me"
"Really?"
"Yeah, for being much more sensible than the others. To answer your question Dani and Kitty are always like that."
"Always?"
"Yeah, they argue all the time. It's like their way of communicating with each other."
Santana nodded as she turned around to watch the two women argue.
"Stop being lazy"
"What do you care?" Dani argued back.
"Who's gonna drive you home again? Me?"
"You always do"
Kitty sighed. "You're so frustrating!"
Dani shrugged in response. "What do you care?"
The owner seemed to growl before storming off making Brittany grin as she joined her behind the bar once again.
"Are you ok?" The taller blonde asked.
Kitty sighed. "She's so frustrating!"
"Let me guess, she's being lazy and drinking way more than she should when she needs to drive home?"
"Exactly, every time! One day she's gonna crash her car and it costs way too much for one single mistake where she's had one more drink than she should have!"
Brittany tried not to smile as Kitty stormed into the back room, both her and Santana giggling as soon as she was out of sight.
"They're like that all the time?"
"Oh yeah, all the time!"
The next day Santana pulled up to Burt's garage thanks to a call from Letty. Knowing she had pleased Cassandra with winning last night and becoming a part-time member of the crew she was free to finally get to hang out with them. When she pulled up at the garage she saw all of the crews cars including a Nissan Silvia. Pulling up by the gate near the Silvia she turned the car off and got out.
Letty smiled when she saw the younger Latina and walked out over to her whilst wiping her dirty hands on a rag she kept in her back pocket. "Santana, hey"
"Hey"
"Now you're sort of a part of our crew we need to start upgrading your car if you're really gonna race with us. We don't want you losing another drag race do we?"
"No, definitely not"
"No, we don't. Come on, everybody's inside. I want to introduce you to everybody properly so you know who the people behind the scenes are if you're gonna be working on your car here. A few rules though."
"Ok"
"You pay for all of your performance parts, as does everybody else and we all help each other out. We all have our individual talents that help make the cars we work on. Once we finish this car in the garage now Burt said that the next project is yours. In the meantime I want you to meet some people."
"Cool"
Letty smiled as they walked into the cool shade of the garage. The crew was dotted around the large room and when she caught Brittany's bright blue eyes the blonde smiled at her making her blush a little.
"Obviously you know who all of these guys are. This is Burt, the owner of the garage and Kurt's dad"
A stocky man in a pair of dirty navy blue overalls wiped his forehead with the back of his hand whilst holding his hat, revealing a very bold head underneath before holding out his hand.
"You must be the famous Santana"
"I wouldn't really say famous" She replied, shaking his hand.
"Nonsense" He grinned. "I've seen some stuff of your races and if my son's constant rambling about you is anything to go on you're well worth the time. I can't wait to see what you do with your car. If you ever need me I'm always out here in the main garage or in the office. Mia handles all the business with me. Now, if you ladies will excuse me I have some stuff to look over"
With a grin he patted Santana on the back and disappeared into the office at the back of the main garage.
"Obviously you know who Kurt is and what he does and in the back is Shelby and Holly. They want to talk to you"
"Ok"
She was then led towards the back of the garage to find Holly cooking up burgers in a small grill whilst Shelby and Rachel sat at a small table.
"Santana, this is Shelby Cocoran, me and Rachel's mom."
"You're sisters?"
Letty smiled and shook her head. "No. Shelby's like an adoptive mom to me"
"Oh" She smiled awkwardly and turned back to Shelby who had stood up. "Hi, I'm Santana" She said, holding out her hand.
Shelby took it and smiled back warmly. "Hi, I'm Shelby. Have a seat, I've heard a lot about you"
"And with that I'm gonna go and find my girlfriend"
Santana watched Letty walk away before sitting down in one of the empty seats at the table, Holly glancing over her shoulder. "Hey Santana!"
"Hey Holly"
"So, Santana. I was at the race last night"
"You were?"
The older brunette nodded. "Yes, and despite your fight with Rory I though you handled your loss very well. Quinn told me about when Rory was setting his time and you were at the top of the canyon in the car together. She didn't give me the complete details on what you talked about but she said no one has ever been more focused than you were. She says that being in the car with you whilst you raced was intense"
"I was just really wanted to win"
Shelby laughed, Rachel grinning. "Somehow I don't believe that. I think you were truly focused on nothing else and that's what I like in a racer. I only wish I could have seen your face on the way down. Watching through your dashboard camera wasn't as good but I can see you have skill, you just need to upgrade right?"
"Definitely. I just wanna focus on upgrading the actual car right now"
"Smart girl. What first?"
"Engine"
"Even smarter" Shelby grinned back. "Holly was right about you. I'm glad to have met you face to face finally. Hopefully I will see you in the diner a lot more now that you're a part-time member of the crew"
"Sure"
"How about this. The next time you come in your meals on me."
"Really?"
"Yes, you deserve it after what you did last night"
"Lunch is up!" Holly smiled, turning around and placing a plate of freshly cooked burgers down in the middle of the table. Santana smiled when she saw her apron which read; 'Queen of the Grill'. "You want something to eat Santana?"
"Nah, I'm good. I ate before I arrived"
"More for me!" The blonde grinned, taking one of the burgers as she sat down in the empty chair.
It was then that Mia emerged from the garage and smiled at Santana. "Letty and Burt are dealing with a customer so she said that I could finish your tour. You ready to go?"
"Yeah, sure." Santana replied, standing up and sliding her chair under the table politely. "It was nice meeting you Shelby."
"You too Santana" The brunette grinned back hauntingly like Rachel.
"I'll see you at the shop Holly."
"See you later dude"
"I'll see you later Rachel"
"Bye Santana"
When Mia had given her the complete full tour of the garage she said that she could wander whilst she waited for Letty so that's what she did. Glad to be out of the intense heat she walked around taking in every inch of the garage before she found Brittany working in the corner. It was then that she recognized the car as the one that was parked at The Racer's Edge when she had first gone in to get parts just after her second race.
"Brittany?"
The blonde turned around and smiled. "Santana, hi"
Santana gulped as she rubbed at the scar on her arm nervously. "Hey"
"Did Mia finish your tour?"
"Yeah, she said I could wander whilst I waited for Letty to finish. Is this your car?"
Brittany glanced at the car in front of her before turning back to Santana. "Yeah. You like?"
"Yeah, I just didn't think you'd be into tuners"
"Why?"
Santana shrugged. "I didn't think you were a serious racer that's all. No offence"
Brittany smiled as she wiped her hands with a rag. "None taken. I don't race like the others, which is why I'm not an official member. I like to do it for fun."
"You mind if I take a look?"
"Go ahead"
Brittany watched as Santana slowly made her way around the car. "What model is this?"
"Uh, a 2009 R3 RX8"
"It's nice. I heard this model has a tonne of stock extras"
"You are correct there" The blonde replied as she watched Santana look inside.
"Veilside SE3P VSD1-GT bodykit?" She asked as she walked around to the front.
Brittany smiled in appreciation of the Latina's specific knowledge. "Yeah, how did you know?"
"It's too sleek to be anything but."
"You know your way around a car don't you?"
"I have to. I'll make an exception for yours"
"Pardon?"
Santana grinned. "I made a comment not too long ago when I picked out my car that an RX8 was 'too girly' for me"
"You said that?"
"Yeah, it's just not my kind of car"
"Then what about you? You don't strike me as a tuner girl. I see you as more of a muscle girl, like a Dodge Charger like Puck"
"I get that a lot. Just because I'm a Latina they automatically assume that I'm a muscle lover"
"And you're not?"
"Nope. I've been driving tuner cars ever since I got my licence."
Brittany regarded her closely as she had taken to leaning up against the side of her car, her arms crossed over her chest. Looking over at the Latina so casually resting up against a Japanese car she realised for the first time that Santana was indeed more suited to that kind of car. At first glance to anyone her choice of car would look out of place but if you really looked and actually talked to her she seemed to be right at home driving a tuner rather than a typical muscle. Now she really did understand the saying of don't judge a book by it's cover.
"So you don't like things girly?"
Santana laughed and shook her head. "No, definitely not. I've always been a tomboy as long as I can remember. I used to hang with all the local street racers who were guys and I've never cared for girly stuff, hence the reason why all I'm wearing right now is a pair jeans, Converses and a Sparco shirt"
Brittany studied her clothes and realised that she really was a tomboy. Shaking her head she didn't really care. "How's your injuries from yesterday?" She asked, deciding to change the subject.
"They're ok I guess"
"What about your eyebrow?"
"It still hurts but it should be fine"
Brittany nodded and just as she was about to say something Rachel rushed over to them. "Santana!"
"Rachel?"
"Marley's gonna be back in a minute!"
"Ok?"
"Uh oh...I think I know what's coming" Brittany trailed off, Santana glancing over at the blonde lent up on the car next to her before looking back at Rachel for an explanation.
"We can start designing your car!"
"Not just yet little sister!" Letty said as she walked up to the small brunette from behind and placed her hands on both her shoulders.
"But why?!"
"Because she has only just become a part-time crew member!"
"You're no fun!"
"No, I'm being smart. I'm sure Santana, if she's as smart as she seems to be, will agree that it's strictly performance only before anything else, right?"
"Definitely. I just want to do performance upgrades for now"
"Don't worry, we can start as soon as the current project is finished."
Santana nodded. "What's Marley got to do with the designing?"
"She's the artist of the group. She helps Kurt out" Rachel explained just as an orange and black accented Chevrolet Camaro SS pulled up into the large space in front of the garage followed by Tina's Nissan 350Z.
"Hey Santana" Marley greeted as her and Tina walked over to where everybody seemed to be gathered.
"Hey guys"
Burt then came out of his office. "Santana!" He called.
"Yeah?"
Letty moved to the side to make room for Kurt's dad. "Here" He said, throwing her a navy blue work shirt with the garage's logo and her name embroidered on it.
"What's this for?" She asked, looking back up at him.
"You now work for me. As part of the crew you work here on whatever project it is we're working on. The next one is yours. I hope to see you here bright and early at eight tomorrow morning"
"Sure"
Letty smiled as he walked off, Marley placing a hand on Santana's shoulder and grinning. "Welcome to the team Santana"
"Santana?"
"Cassandra, hi"
"What are you doing?"
"I'm on my way out"
"To where?"
"Burt gave me a job. It's my first day working at the garage where the crew do all their car work."
"Hmm, good work. I know we haven't talked since the other night when you won but I'm happy to say police chief Washington is satisfied with our progress so far. We advanced much quicker than she thought we would. Keep up the good work and make sure you check in regularly. I'm going to be watching."
"Noted. Is there anything else?"
"Just get closer"
Santana raised an eyebrow as the blonde hung up. Shaking her head she pulled on her new garage shirt over a black Sparco shirt and headed out the door of her motel room.
When Letty came into the garage at 7:45am that morning she found Santana already at work. Smiling she took a sip of her coffee and headed straight for the office.
"When did she get in?" She asked as placed her bag down on Burt's small worn out couch.
The mechanic scratched his head. "Fifteen minutes ago. She showed up with her bag of tools ready to work on anything I gave her. I heard she's into precision tuning so I asked her to take a look at the suspension of our current project. She's a keeper that one, the rest of your crew never turn up this early and get to work, not even my son" He chuckled from behind his desk.
"What are you saying?"
He shrugged. "Nothing, just that I think we're gonna finish this project quicker with her now on-board"
Letty grinned as she watched Santana from the doorway of the office before making her way across the small room to sit in the chair opposite him. "Yeah, just remember she's not a full crew member yet. She still has a way to go before she's a permanent addition"
"Yeah, yeah. Just lighten up a little Ortiz, I think she's a good one."
When the crew finally made it to the garage that morning at 8:30am usual time they found Santana already hard at work.
"Hey new girl, that desperate to get us to work on your car?" Quinn smiled, placing her backpack down near the main door.
Santana rolled out from under the car to see everybody looking at her. "Not quite. I was here at half seven this morning and Burt told me to work on the suspension as I'm into precision tuning"
"Works for me, I hate doing suspension" Tina said, walking past her and over to a nearby toolbox.
Quinn just shook her head and pulled her garage shirt on, Rachel following her lead. Mia smiled down at Santana as she made her way past to meet her girlfriend in the office and as soon as the other members had passed her Brittany was the only one left. Santana sat up and saw that she had a work shirt on like the rest of the crew.
"You work here too?"
Brittany nodded. "Yeah, I work here during the day and at Kitty's during the evening. Anyway, why are you here so early?"
The Latina shrugged. "I'm always up this early working on my car. Otherwise it wouldn't be the best."
Brittany chuckled at the other woman's goofy smile. "'The best'?"
"Yep, nothing less."
"Well then, you had better get to work so we can start working on that amazing car of yours"
They both laughed before Brittany moved towards the back of the garage where the rest of the crew were getting ready. The last thing Brittany saw as she glanced back was Santana sliding back under the car.
A few days later Santana had been turning up every day at 7:30 on the dot. It wasn't like she minded, it was normal to her but to everybody else they were impressed she pulled herself up out of bed to got to work every morning half an hour early.
It was on her third day of working that they had finished the car earlier than expected. As the customer drove his car out of the front gate Burt turned to Santana.
"You ready?"
"For what?"
"To start on your car?"
"Really?"
"Yeah! Your car is next so let's start right now!"
"Thanks"
"No problem. Good work on that last car guys, plus Santana for helping, so let's get started on our next one! Go and get your stuff kid, you're moving in here"
Santana nodded and pulled her keys out of her pocket just as Letty tapped her on the shoulder. "Take Quinn and Dani with you. They both need to get out and Dani needs to get off her ass."
Santana smiled. "You sure?"
The older Latina nodded. "Yeah. They're not working right now so go and get everything you need from wherever it is you've been working and let's get started"
Santana then started to make her way out of the garage, passing Brittany who smiled at her on the way. Trying to hide her blush she moved over to her car and waited for Quinn to make her way over to her own car. As she clipped her harness on and waited patiently she saw Letty hand Dani a set of keys and a few moments later she was pulling herself up into a black Dodge Ram SRT-10, exactly the same as Holly's but in black and with Burt's logo on the side.
Quinn followed and got into her car, leaning out the window. "Lead the way and we'll follow"
Santana nodded and started up her car, pulling out the front gate with Quinn and then Dani in tow.
10 Minutes later and the three women had pulled up outside of Santana's little makeshift garage.
"Have you been working here all this time?" Quinn asked as the Latina lifted up the door.
"Yep. I've been upgrading it here by myself"
"That's cool. This place is tiny though, I'm amazed you got anything done at all in this space"
"So am I but I did and it got me to where I am now"
"True, so where do you want to start?"
"Uh, let's load up the main parts I still haven't installed into boxes and then gather up everything else"
"Then let's get started. Come on D"
Half an hour later they had packed up everything into boxes and spread the amount over their three cars, Dani fitting the big stuff into the back of the truck whilst Quinn and Santana took the smaller items. When they arrived back at the garage the rest of the crew were there waiting to get started.
"Is that everything?" Letty asked.
Santana nodded. "Yep."
"Ok then. Unload your car and drive it into the center of the garage and we can start seriously upgrading your ride"
Quinn helped her unload the items and boxes she had put into her car and then everybody watched as she reversed it into the center of the garage. When she got out Letty grinned.
"Where do you wanna start?"
"Let's strip the engine"
It had been a week since they had started working on her car and having time to think to herself whilst working she knew she had to ask Letty for permission about something.
She had originally come back to Lima to see her grandmother but after being pulled into Cassandra's operation and told to join a crew she hadn't had a chance to take the time to do what she really wanted. She knew this from having called Cassandra the day before.
"Cassandra?"
"Santana? What can I help you with?"
"I just wanted to ask you something"
"Go ahead"
"The reason I came back to Lima was to see my grandmother. I was just wondering if I could take a day off from all of this and go and see her?"
"This isn't good for our operation"
"Why?"
"Because somebody could see you and this could get much more personal than we had intended it to be"
"So you're saying that I can't go and see her?"
"No, I'm sorry Santana"
That was the first time she had felt insecure whilst talking to the blonde. Sure, it was on the phone but it didn't mean she didn't feel talked down to and being the stubborn Latina she was she wasn't taking no for an answer. She'd gone five years without talking to the woman who had basically raised her and even though she had disowned her, her reason for leaving, didn't mean that she didn't want to see her.
So now she was hoping she could ask Letty for the afternoon off so that she could take some time for herself. In Cassandra's eyes it was being selfish but right now she had done everything she had told her too and she wanted some separation from this double life she was living.
Whilst half the crew were out on a parts run Santana made her way into the office where she knew Letty was working on something alone.
"Letty?" She called, knocking on the door.
"Come in" She looked up and saw Santana nervously stood in front of her. "Santana, what can I help you with?"
"I was just wondering if I could ask you something"
"Go ahead" She said, motioning to the chair opposite the desk.
Once Santana was sat down she took a deep breath. "Um, ever since I got back to Lima I haven't had time to go and visit my grandmother."
"And you want time off?"
"I know it's selfish but I would really appreciate it if I could go and see her before my next race"
"Go ahead"
"Just like that?"
"Yeah. Santana, we all have family and family is exceptionally important to me. The work isn't on a dead line so you can take an afternoon off. When do you want it?"
"Tomorrow?"
"That's fine with me. Oh, and in the meantime take these" Santana watched as the crew leader reached into the first draw of the desk. "Here" She threw her a set of keys for a Skyline.
"What are these for? You're not giving me the keys to Quinn's car are you?"
"No" She laughed. "As your car isn't gonna be in any shape to drive tomorrow I want you to take these and drive this car in the mean time. Think of it as a loaner until you get yours back"
"Thanks, I don't know what to say"
"Nothing, it's on the house. Whenever the crew has major work done it's the car they use in the mean time. Go and take a look and get back to work"
"Thank you so much Letty"
"You're welcome" She smiled, leaning back in her chair as she watched the younger woman close the door softly behind her.
Santana then made her way outside and soon found the car she had been temporarily given. She grinned when she saw an all-black Nissan R34 GT-R Skyline parked in the corner of the large open space by the gate. She took a few moments to study it carefully before pocketing the keys and moving back into the garage to continue working.
The next afternoon was exceptionally hot and as Santana pulled out of the garage in her loaner car Letty pulled Dani to the side.
"What do you need?" The blonde asked.
"For you to come with me"
"Why?"
"Because we're going on a little trip Downtown"
Santana paused as she pulled up outside her grandmothers house, gulping as her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. The last time she saw this house had been when she was kicked out. She had finally admitted not only to herself that she liked girls but to the one person who had raised her ever since her mother had left. That was the night that sent her on a downward spiral. No matter how hard she tried what happened that night always seemed to be fresh in her mind.
An 18 year old Santana had just driven over to her grandmother's house with every intention of telling her something she had held in for way too long. She just couldn't keep it in any longer and she knew she had to finally tell somebody the truth about the way she felt. She could think of no other person than the one closest to her, her abuela.
Jogging up the front steps she smiled when the old woman answered the door.
"Santana, mija, come in"
Alma Lopez closed the door behind her and directed her granddaughter to the kitchen. "Can I get you anything?"
"No, thanks" She replied, sitting down at the kitchen table.
"So, did you want to talk about anything?"
"Yeah, I did actually"
"Ok, go ahead"
Santana nodded and gulped, taking a few moments to mentally prepare herself. "I have to tell you a secret. I love girls...the way that I'm supposed to feel about boys. I-it's just something that's always been inside of me and I really wanna share it with you because I love you so much. I want you to know me, who I really am. And I've tried so hard to push this feeling away and keep it locked inside but everyday just feels like a war and I walk around so mad at the world but I'm really just fighting with myself. I Don't wanna fight any more. I'm just too tired. I have to just be me. Say something...please."
"Everyone has secrets, Santana. They're called secrets for a reason. I want you to leave this house. I never want to see you again."
"Abuela-"
"Go, now"
"I'm the same person I was a minute ago!"
"You've made your choice and now I've made mine"
"Why?"
"It's selfish of you to make me uncomfortable. The sin isn't in the thing, it's in the scandal when people talk about it out loud"
"So you're saying it would have been better if I kept this a secret?"
She didn't get an answer as the older woman got up out of her seat and started walking away, barely catching her granddaughter whisper out her name as she left.
"Abuela..."
Tears rolled down Santana's face as she felt the rejection of the woman who had raised her wash over her entire body. She let out a choked sob as she stood up, another as she wondered what the hell she was going to do next. Rushing upstairs she packed everything she owned in a duffel bag and rushed out of the house without looking back.
Throwing the bag onto the passenger seat she slipped into her Nissan and sped off heading straight for the expressway that led out of the city.
Now she was back at the request of her grandmother, hoping that she had truly called her back here to tell her she was ok with who she was. Ever since that night she had dreamed of the day that she would tell her she loved her but it had taken eight whole years in which a lot had happened to her since she had left, the scar on her left arm one of the results of her anger towards the only woman she had ever truly respected but that was a story for another day.
She had gotten a letter a week before she had arrived back in town from her abuela telling her that she had regretted throwing her out every single day. She had prayed and prayed to understand and it wasn't until recently that she finally did, knowing that she had to make things right with her granddaughter. She had no intentions to die alone and she wanted Santana by her side and to have forgiven her when it finally came to that. So she had swallowed her pride and invited her back.
She had cried upon reading it and wondered if this was some cruel joke somebody was playing on her but when she realised it wasn't she let herself believe this was actually happening. Whatever intentions Cassandra had for her were on hold for the rest of the day. All she wanted to do was get back to being the Santana no one knew about.
Turning off the car she got out and locked it. Taking a deep breath she slowly made her way up to the porch and pressed the doorbell, her hands nervously balling into fists in her pockets. After a few seconds she was confronted with the woman she had thought she'd never see again. The world seemed to freeze around them and silence took over and choked the air. Alma was the first one to speak.
"Santana?"
It came out in a bare whisper, one that reminded them both of when Santana whispered her name before they parted ways. Tears welled in both women's eyes before Santana felt herself being pulled into a familiar warmth she hadn't realised she had been craving for so long.
She let out a strangled sob as she was cradled in the older woman's arms, tears running down Alma's face at how much damage she had caused. When they pulled away Santana sniffled and wiped at her eyes, her grandmother catching the large scar that took up her entire left forearm from top to bottom.
"Come inside mija"
Santana wanted to cry at the sound of her old term of endearment, managing to hold herself together as she was led into the foyer of the house she once lived in. She followed the older woman into the living room and sat down on the sofa opposite her grandmother's chair, the same one she had remembered her sitting in her entire life. There was an awkward silence for a few moments before she spoke up, neither of them knowing just how to start.
"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I kinda had some stuff to take care of"
"It's ok. I understand, you have a life now"
"So..."
"Santana, you know I'm not one for dancing around things so I think I may just say it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for that night. I was angry and I acted before I really thought things through. I never knew you would leave town"
"I didn't either but I couldn't stay here. It was too painful"
"Where did you go?
"Somewhere that wasn't here. I ended up in another city and I did things that I'm not proud of. I changed a lot in those eight years"
"And I'm sorry that I forced you out and it lead to those things"
"Don't...don't apologise because they made me better. I'm here now so that's all that matters"
"I truly am sorry, mija. I was mad. I thought I was mad at you but it turns out I was mad at myself for not realising it sooner. When I realised that I had made a terrible mistake I prayed that I could have your forgiveness. I never wanted to cast you out Santana, I thought I was protecting you but I was wrong. I'm sorry. Te quiero niña."
"I'm sorry too abuela"
Alma stood up and moved in front of her granddaughter, pulling her in for a hug. Both sobbing they let their emotions run free as they finally reconnected with each other.
"Can I ask for your forgiveness?" The old woman asked softly, Santana feeling her warm hands caress her face and wipe away the tears.
The younger Latina nodded and sniffled. "Yes." She was pulled into another hug in which she accepted gratefully, her arms wrapping tightly around the woman she had missed for the past three years. "I've waited for this day for so long"
Alma smiled before pulling away, kissing her on the forehead. "I promise to make it up to you mija, I promise. Juro"
Santana just nodded as she let herself be pulled into another hug, finally letting herself truly breathe for the first time since that night all those years ago. They had a long way to go but after today she knew that not only her but her abuela was willing to put the work in to make things better between them.
Whilst Santana was out Letty drove Dani down to the local donut shop, a known cop hangout.
"What are we doing?"
"Putting Santana's initiation into motion."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" The blonde asked, watching as an officer got out of his car and entered the shop.
"Yes, now get your ass out of my car and get over there. We need a police car"
"You're actually letting me steal one?"
Letty nodded. "Just this once. When we have it safely at the garage I'll fill everybody in. For now I need you to do the impossible once again. You're the only one I can trust to get away from the cops without fucking up the entire car. Trading paintwork is fine, I just need the on-board computer inside"
"You want me to loose them and get back to the garage with no heat on my ass?"
The older Latina nodded. "Yep, now get over there. I'll see you back at the garage"
Dani nodded and got out of the car, Letty watching her cross the road and then driving off. Now on her own Dani knew she would have no back up if things went wrong, not that she would need it but that was besides the point. Pretending to wait for someone she surveyed the lot outside, looking for her best and easiest way out. Spotting the car at the end she could see that it would be a straight line onto the road. Looking around for any nearby cops outside she made her way casually into the lot.
Swiftly making her way over to her targeted car she had to duck fast to avoid being spotted by a cop exiting the shop. When she was sure he was gone she had to hurriedly figure out a way to actually get into the car. Looking around she spotted a large, jagged looking rock the size of her hand in the nearby flowerbed. Once she had grabbed it and it was gripped tightly in her hand she boldly smashed the window of the drivers side door. She reached inside through the broken glass and opened the door, safely wiping the seat of stray shards of smashed window before sliding in and getting her bearings. Moments later she was already hot-wiring the vehicle, the engine sparking to life with a loud roar along with it's alarm.
"Shit!" She cursed, slamming the door shut and buckling herself in.
Seconds later the first cop had exited the shop and spotted her, Dani never more thankful Letty had told her to wear sunglasses and her hair up in a ponytail.
"Unknown assailant stealing one of the cruisers! I repeat, unknown assailant stealing one of the cruisers! Please respond!" He shouted into his radio, his hand then reaching for his gun. Before he could even think about shooting she was peeling out of the lot.
Dani breathed a sigh of relief but it was short lived when two cars pulled up behind her with their sirens blaring. She had to think quickly and threw the car into a sudden left turn, the rear sliding as it lost grip in the speed and quickness of the action.
Regaining control she mashed the accelerator pedal down as far as it would go, the car speeding through traffic. Glancing at the flashing lights in the rear-view mirror she was glad she had picked up the Dodge Charger. Thank God for the cops upgrading their cars.
She fast approached the intersection and was faced with two cars waiting at the stop light. Swerving to the left she had to take a hard right onto the next street to avoid being hit by an oncoming minivan. The car slid across the tarmac as she fought to keep control and she was once again faced with oncoming traffic. She had a split second to dodge an approaching car and watched in her rear view as one of her pursuers crashed into it instead of her. Seconds later the remaining cop was already calling for back up.
"Unit down, requesting back up!"
Dani shook her head as she gripped the wheel tightly and keeping her foot down on the accelerator she continued up a steep incline. The engine roared as it was pushed to it's limits and as she reached the top of the hill she temporarily left the tarmac. Seeing two more cruisers heading straight for her she swerved to the left when she finally hit the ground, narrowly missing two collisions from advancing traffic.
Three lanes of commuter traffic on each side gave her more space to evade them but the stream of cars had grown in size making it harder to easily weave in and out of. Speeding down the road she quickly glanced around the cabin of the car and thought what the hell and flicked on the sirens, grinning when cars in front of her started moving out of the way.
As the flow of vehicles in front of her started splitting she pressed down harder on the accelerator, her foot hitting the clutch and quickly switching up a gear as she heard the loud roar of the cars turbo charged engine. However, her enjoyment was short lived when a cruiser had joined her on her right ready to box her in and take her out.
It gradually edged her in next to a large flat-bed truck carrying a large amount of logs as it's cargo and she felt it ram into the side of her. Gritting her teeth she didn't have long to think about her next move before she was really taken out and she sure as hell wasn't about to let that happen any time soon. Her eyes flickering from the truck on her left to the cop car on her right she made a split second decision to try and attempt to do something she'd only ever seen Letty do.
Swerving her car to the right to create some room she then immediately swerved to the left and drove under the truck, lucky that it was high enough for her to fit under. Not caring that she had ruined the lights mounted on the roof she didn't have time to think before she was thrown into the next obstacle.
She had nowhere to go when she emerged and found herself flying down a steep flight of stairs that led to the lower road, a noticeable difference between the heights of the two sides. Trying to keep control she only took minor damage to the front bumper as she swerved from one side of the stairs to the other. She steered to the right as she finally cleared them and found herself on the lower road with the traffic coming towards her. Narrowly missing an oncoming bus she had just managed to gain control when she saw one of her pursuers start driving down the stairs she had just cleared.
Not caring that it had taken damage with it's front bumper now barely hanging on it swerved up next to her on the right. Glancing over at it she had a good idea of what was about to happen but before it could make good on her prediction they had to steer in different directions to miss another oncoming vehicle. Now by a huge plaza the traffic was heavier and when they both finally came to a gap the cop wasted no time in swerving out and then in suddenly ramming her in the side.
"Fuck!" Dani cursed, trying her hardest to keep control as her car swerved at the force of the other cruiser.
She had barley recovered before it hit her again, this time more powerful than the last. Just gaining control she had a split second to think before it would hit her again. Her foot hit the brake pedal, instantly slowing her down and as the cop made to ram her he didn't hit anything, swerving over to her left side. Now that they had switched places when she looked at the mirror to her left it was gone, probably lost earlier along the way. Not caring she looked back to the road but when she glanced to her right she noticed a huge shotgun behind the center console that she hadn't realised was there before.
Grinning she grabbed it and checked the barrel. Switching it over to her left hand she held the wheel tightly before hanging it out the window. The cop in the cruiser next to hers eyes grew wide at the sight of the gun and before he could react Dani had fired, the front right tire popping and sending him out of control. She threw the gun over onto the passenger side seat and gripped hold of her steering wheel with both hands as she watched the cop car flip over.
Grinning she shifted up a gear, dodging more oncoming traffic. Before she could think about being free she saw a cruiser speeding towards her on the opposite side of the road, both high and low roads now having merged together. The cop in the passenger seat lent out of the window armed with a similar shotgun to hers and fired shooting out her sirens, not that they worked anyway after her under-truck move not too long ago.
"Hey! That's not fair! They don't work but that's not the point!" She yelled to herself, gritting her teeth.
Knowing she had to somehow get rid of him before he passed her she swerved onto his side of the road and drove directly towards him. At the last moment he swerved to her left and lost control, the car flipping over and crashing into the cruiser she had shot the front tire of.
Grinning she continued up a slight hill and heard the police scanner.
"We have road blocks on either side of the road. They have nowhere to go"
Knowing that stopping wasn't an option she thought about where she was and she knew there was only one way she would ever get out – keep going forward.
When she saw the roadblocks she muttered. "I hope this works"
The cops watched from either side as she kept speeding, showing no signs of stopping at all. Pressing down on the accelerator and shifting up another gear she put the engine to the test as she fast approached the barrier that kept anyone from driving off a cliff, literally. Seeing the highway not too far away Dani prayed to every God she could think of as she sped towards the barrier.
The cops watched on in awe as she smashed through it, her car being thrown into the air. Under the highway a ratty looking homeless man in an old tattered top hat with a battered looking shopping cart screamed for his life as he watched the stolen cruiser seemingly fly through the air. For fear of actually being hit he hurriedly pushed his shopping cart behind one of the large highway supports.
Dani yelled excitedly as adrenaline rushed through her veins. She felt the whole car move with her before she reached the other side, the front bumper taking major damage as she hit the road. Swerving to keep control she accelerated onto the right side of the road through one of the breaks in the central reserves, the front bumper now barely hanging on.
Glancing into the rear view mirror she saw a cruiser that had been following her try and pull off the same move but it crashed into the central reserve instead. Shaking her head she gathered that she had finally lost them and shifted up a gear, heading back towards the garage to deliver the car to her crew leader.
Letty was talking with Kitty and Mia when a battered Dodge police cruiser pulled up in the middle of the yard outside the garage.
"One sec" She excused herself and made her way over to the car, oily rag in hand.
Mia and Kitty were joined by everybody else as they watched Dani step out. Kitty rolled her eyes when she saw the smirk on the other blonde's face directed her way.
"Good work. You actually made it back in one piece"
"I nearly got caught!"
"I knew you'd escape, why do you think I asked you to do it?"
Dani shook her head as Burt walked up to them. "Whatever it is that you're planning, maybe you'd like to do it somewhere where people can't see you? They're probably still looking for this thing so get it inside"
There were no words said as Dani stepped back into the car, firing it up and driving it carefully into the garage and parking it up next to Santana's Supra which was still having work done to it, the Latina in question nowhere in sight. Once she got out of the car again the crew now surrounded it.
"How did you get your hands on this?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I stole it, genius" Dani bit back, motioning to the broken window.
"As if that's not obvious. I meant-" Quinn was cut short by a slap to the shoulder by Rachel. "Hey! What was that for?"
"Stop it"
"Thank you" Letty grinned.
"No problem" Rachel beamed.
"Would someone please explain to me why I have a stolen cop car in the middle of my garage?" Burt stated, motioning to the Dodge.
"I needed the computer system in it"
"Couldn't you just go and buy one?"
"I could have but I wanted a police-specific one. They're gonna be looking for this car, more specifically it's on-board computer. The rest of the car doesn't matter"
"But why do we need it in the first place?" Tina asked from her place beside Marley.
"I needed it to install in Santana's Supra"
"Why?" Marley asked.
"I'm putting Santana's initiation into motion. You all had your own, it's only right that if Santana is gonna join completely she go through the initiation. The on-board computer is gonna be tracked and when they find it it will be in Santana's car and we'll tip off the cops. Tomorrow we're heading down state and once we're in the tri-city area we're gonna tip them off and leave. If she escapes she's finally one of us, if she doesn't she won't be a part of the crew any longer."
Brittany glanced over at Tina and Marley who both had similar looks of helplessness on their faces.
"Now, before Santana gets back let's get the computer out and into her car without her knowing."
As the crew started splitting up Brittany couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of guilt settle heavily in the pit of her gut. She had a bad feeling about this.
TBC