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.
Ok guys, here's the next update. Sorry for the long wait but as you know I took a week off and as a result I'm super excited to let you guys read this. It's a little longer than usual but I think it self-explains itself so without further ado, enjoy the chapter!
(P.S. The car designs are nearly finished so I will have them ready for you ASAP.)
Thanks to everybody adding to faves and alerts and reviewing, I appreciate the love and go Team Brittana!
When Santana slowly woke up the morning after her date with Brittany it wasn't long before she realised that she was somewhere unfamiliar. As her eyes regained their focus and she woke up a little more she became conscious to the fact that she was definitely not in her motel room but a much brighter and more homey space but before she could comprehend it fully she felt something shift close to her. She mentally scolded herself for not realising earlier that she was not only in a strange room but she was exceptionally close to another person, more importantly that person seemed to be none other than Brittany.
Looking down at their position she was the big spoon, her front flush to Brittany's back as her left arm rested under the blonde's head and her free arm was tightly clutched around the other woman's waist. That's when she remembered that the night before they had gotten in late and had gone straight up to bed and passed out. Apparently that included her cuddling Brittany like they had been doing this for years beforehand. Strangely she was a little alarmed at the idea but on the other hand the fact that it felt right outweighed any other conflicting doubts she may have had.
Suddenly becoming aware to the fact that Brittany was exceptionally warm she snuggled closer, allowing herself the pleasure of nuzzling her nose into the back of the blonde's neck. Taking in a deep pull of Brittany's unique scent, a fruity concoction of what seemed to be mango and lilies, her grin grew even wider when the woman in her arms mumbled as she slowly started to wake up.
A few quite and content moments later the blonde stirred in her arms a little more before her hand came to rest on the one covering her stomach and squeezed. When she felt Santana snuggle into her impossibly closer she knew she wouldn't be getting back to sleep any time soon, she was too excited by the thoughts that were slowly making their way into her brain about what had happened the night before.
Just as Santana placed a kiss to the base of Brittany's neck the blonde spoke up. "Good morning"
"Good morning" The Latina husked back, craning her head further forward to place a kiss to the side of her neck.
Brittany squirmed in her hold with a wide grin across her face, enjoying the attention she was receiving. Before Santana could place another kiss to her neck she had turned around in her arms so that she was facing her.
"Hi"
Santana smiled back as both her arms wrapped tightly around the other woman. "Hi"
Brittany lent forward and pressed their lips together sweetly, her hand resting on the Latina's jaw gently as she felt the arms around her waist tighten at the action. When she made to pull away Santana followed and with a quick breath their lips were sealed together once again in another kiss, this time filled with a little more fervour than before.
As Santana's hands clenched at her waist it wasn't long before they were taking it to the next level, Brittany moving so that she was situated on top of Santana's legs straddling her and that's just how Mia found them when she opened the door.
Knowing that Brittany had gotten home late the night before she wanted to make sure that she was up the same time as everybody else so they could get started on her car make-over. What she didn't expect to see though was her friend straddling their newest crew member and locked in a seriously heated make-out session that looked like it wasn't gonna be ending any time soon.
"O-oh" She stuttered, not quite sure whether to leave and come back later or stand her ground and wait until they pulled apart from each other.
Brittany immediately stopped at the sound of Mia's voice and froze in place. Santana blushed a bright red under her and hoped to God she hadn't scarred Mia for life.
"U-Uh, breakfast is ready. We're then gonna head over to the garage when we're done"
"Cool"
Brittany nodded in agreement with the Latina under her, making no move to pull herself from her lap. "Yeah, cool. We'll be down in a minute"
Mia nodded and smirked as she closed the door, over the initial shock of finding them in such an awkward position and now considering the fact that she had something to tease Brittany with. Meanwhile back in the bedroom Santana grinned back up at said blonde.
"At least we're fully clothed" She shrugged.
Brittany rolled her eyes, smacking the other woman across the stomach. "That may be true but you know she's not gonna let that go now, don't you?"
"Probably but it's not like you weren't enjoying the attention"
Brittany rolled her eyes once more and smiled before pulling herself off of the Latina's lap. "That's not the point"
Just as she had stood up Santana's hand gripped her wrist firmly, pulling her back. She pressed a soft kiss to the blonde's lips before pulling away. Sharing a smile they both then proceeded to get changed, all Santana needing to do was pull her shirt on over her t-shirt. As soon as her Converses were on and laced up she decided she was presentable enough to go downstairs and have breakfast with everybody else.
Brittany led them down into the kitchen where everybody was seemingly waiting for them to appear.
"Is it true?"
Brittany looked at Rachel. "Is what true?"
"You two?"
The blonde turned to Santana who shrugged. "What exactly are you talking about?"
"Come on, did you really think Mia wouldn't tell us?"
Brittany turned to the other brunette who was serving up breakfast. "You told them?!"
Mia shrugged, a smile on her face. "Come on, it's not that big of a deal"
As her and Brittany playfully argued, Brittany glaring at the crew leader's girlfriend, Quinn slid up beside Santana holding up a fist. As soon as Santana fist bumped the blonde Quinn smiled.
"Congrats"
"On what?"
"Last night. Come on, you got lucky right?"
"Nope"
"Really?"
"Yeah, no funny business"
"Whatever. I'm still happy for you"
Just as Quinn playfully shoved her shoulder Brittany turned back to her with two plates in her hands, offering one to the Latina. "Here, let's eat and I'll drop you back at your motel and we can drive to the garage together"
When Santana had arrived back at her motel room she had quickly showered, changed into her work clothes and made sure she had everything for a long day's work. Meanwhile Brittany had waited the entire time in her RX8 for her, taking the time to ponder exactly what the crew had been told about them that morning.
After they had arrived home last night they had gone straight to bed, both content to fall asleep together rather than commit to something as big as actually sleeping together. They both weren't ready for that and for now she just wanted to enjoy the beginning stages of what she hoped would be something more with Santana. She liked how things had taken their time to slowly develop between them both but she couldn't deny the pull between the two of them that had been there since the moment they had laid eyes on each other.
Despite what the crew thought of her she was determined not to let what they thought of them and their teasing get the better of her. Today was a day she wanted to enjoy. Even though she didn't know what her and Santana exactly where she didn't care, she was content to just let things develop and happen at their own pace and she was pretty sure that neither her or Santana were ready to put a label on what exactly was between them just yet. It had only just started and they both didn't want to rush things, especially something like this.
Speaking of the Latina she watched as she exited her motel room and made her way down to the Skyline that she was parked next to. She watched as she threw her backpack onto the passenger side seat before turning around to face her, giving her the opportunity to ask her what had been brewing in her mind since they had left the house and the rest of the crew.
"Santana?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you know how we..."
"Kissed?"
"Yeah. I know we're not putting labels on stuff just yet but can I still kiss you whenever I want?"
Santana pondered the question in detail for a few moments, thinking about what exactly this would mean for the both of them. She was pretty sure that neither of them could go back after what they had started the night before but she was also pretty sure that she didn't want to. She was enjoying herself too much and despite the fact that she was the center of a major undercover operation she couldn't help the way that she was feeling which meant she wasn't about to tell Cassandra what she was doing. She liked the way she felt when she was Brittany and she wasn't about to let the complexities of her other life meddle in something that she actually wanted to be real. She knew that she would have to take things slower and not rush major decisions so she decided to let things happen as they were meant to, meaning that she was ok with letting this play out without putting labels on it.
Deciding not to keep the blonde waiting she smiled. "I guess so"
"Really?"
Santana grinned at Brittany's excitement and shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
"Can I now?"
Not wanting to deny the blonde she lent down to the blonde's open window and connected their lips together, lingering for a few moments before pulling away. She then slid into her car, buckled herself into her seat and fired up the engine. Glancing over at Brittany through her own open window she smiled.
"I'll see you at the garage?" Brittany grinned evilly. "Uh oh, I don't like that look. What are you up to?"
"Race"
Before Santana could react the blue RX8 was already pulling away and skidding onto the road at high speed. The Latina shook her head but quickly threw her car into gear and raced to catch up with the blonde.
10 Minutes later at the garage the crew were alerted when they heard the loud roar of oncoming cars. When they looked up at the approaching sound they saw Brittany drift into the center of the large front yard, narrowly stopping in front of Rachel's Honda. The blonde's perfect drift and stop was followed by Santana pulling into the yard behind her moments later. When the Latina's car had stopped she turned it off and stepped out, smiling over at Brittany who was already out of her car and waiting for her.
"That wasn't fair, you drifted around each corner!"
Brittany shrugged. "I can't help you let me have a head start"
"You took off before I even put my foot down on the accelerator!"
Brittany shrugged again, watching as Santana slung her backpack over her shoulder and made her way over to her. "I still won. I can't help you never caught up with me"
Santana rolled her eyes but continued to walk up to her. "Yeah, yeah. I guess you won fair and square"
Brittany smiled. "That's what I thought"
The crew watched from a distance as Brittany pulled Santana into a quick peck on the lips before pulling away. When the blonde turned towards the garage where everybody was waiting she grinned.
"Where do we start?"
After the night before and that morning Santana spent the entire day pondering over what she really wanted with Brittany. When she glanced over at the blonde chatting with Rachel she immediately felt eyes on her and shot Santana a smile before resuming her conversation. Santana blushed and looked back down at what she was working on. With Letty having given her the opportunity to take her time and fine tune Brittany's RX8 completely it had given her the necessary time to think about some things.
The night before had to be one of the best nights she had had in a long time, especially on a date. She'd tried to date whilst she was away but none of the relationships she'd tried lasted past the first date or the rare one-night stand. It had become tiring and she'd given up hope that she'd ever find a girl she'd want to be more than friends with. Until Brittany. As she watched the blonde joke about with Rachel she couldn't help but think that ever since the moment she'd laid eyes on her she'd fallen hard.
She knew it was wrong, especially with everything that had been going on with Cassandra and the operation but she couldn't help the way she felt about her. Something about the other street racer pulled her in and she couldn't resist it. From her bubbly and sometimes strange personality to the way her face lit up when she got excited, everything seemed to just entrance the Latina and as much as she wanted to fight it for the good of both her and Brittany in the long run she couldn't help herself.
In any other circumstance if this wasn't a 'front' as Cassandra called it, she would have already kissed her and asked her to be her girlfriend by now, already feeling that strongly about her. But, as reality would have it she wasn't afforded that luxury. In her current position she had to make sure she played out her relationships carefully and make sure she didn't slip up, making sure that the crew, all of them, trusted her completely not only as a driver but as a friend and it wasn't easy.
That being said, with what Cassandra had warned her about she couldn't help but feel like she wanted this for herself and not for the operation. Everything she had done so far was for Cassandra and the case against Puck but right now, as she watched Brittany smile over something Rachel had said she wanted nothing more than to be selfish at least once. She wanted the pleasure of dating Brittany but what held her back was the fact that in the end, when they found out who she really was, she would want nothing to do with her and with Dani's earlier threat about breaking her neck if she broke her heart she didn't want to test that threat out for real.
But she couldn't go back.
She'd already been on a date with her and she'd already kissed her, more than once, and she'd agreed to let Brittany kiss her whenever she wanted without the complexity of labels. Shaking her head of her thoughts she decided to stop thinking so hard about it and let things happen as they did. She'd never liked branding something and right now all she wanted was to let nature do the work for her. Easier said than done.
Rachel smiled as she glanced over at Santana who was fitting a brand new nitrous system in Brittany's car.
"So, what's going on?"
"What do you mean, 'what's going on'?" Brittany frowned, watching as Santana concentrated on fitting some wiring correctly.
Rachel rolled her eyes and playfully punched the blonde in the arm. "Come on, you know what I mean! What's going on with you and Santana? According to Mia you bot seemed very happy this morning when she walked in on you"
Brittany sighed. "She didn't walk in on us, well, she did but it's not what you think. We were just making out."
The brunette frowned unimpressed. "Making out?"
"It's true! We were just making out"
"Clothes on or off?"
"Eww, on!"
"Are you telling me the truth?"
"Rach, you've known me since high school when we were in Glee club together and we've been best friends ever since. I'm pretty sure you should know if I'm lying by now"
"Ok, ok. I believe you! But really, is she a good kisser?" She looked at Brittany expectantly, knowing that her friend was close to spilling.
"Fine" Brittany sighed, finally cracking under intense look Rachel was giving her. "She's a good kisser"
"So are you two together now?" She inquired, glancing over at Santana as she took a sip of water.
Brittany stole the bottle off of the small brunette and took a sip before handing it back to her. "Wouldn't you like to know"
"You can't just say that. Tell me!"
"God you're so persistent!"
Rachel grinned. "You know me so well"
"No, we're not dating. We're just seeing where it takes us"
"Yeah, like that's exactly what it is"
Before Brittany could reply Letty walked past. "Leave the poor girl alone Rach, it's none of your business"
Brittany smirked as she watched Rachel give way under her adoptive sister's glare. "Fine, but you are so together already no matter how much you deny it"
That evening as Santana finished up on Brittany's car said blonde approached her.
"Hey, are you finished?"
"No, I think your car is gonna have to stay here tonight so I can finish it on Monday"
"It's really gonna be that long?" She frowned.
Santana shrugged. "I guess I could stay here tonight and work on it. It's a long process though"
"How long?"
"It's hard to say but I could get it finished if I stay over night"
"You've got the loaner car so I kinda need my car"
Santana nodded and crossed her arms. "How about I drive you around?"
"You would do that?"
The tanned woman shrugged. "Fine with me, I'm the one offering anyway."
"You're sure?"
Santana nodded. "Yep"
Before she could react Brittany was pinning her up against the side of the Mazda, her kiss nothing short of intense. When she pulled away, her hands still gripping Santana's garage shirt, she smiled.
"What was that for? Not that I'm complaining."
Brittany grinned and pressed a quick peck to her lips before pulling away completely. She never verbally replied but left Santana standing there with a wink thrown her way as she left the garage and made her way towards the Skyline Santana had been driving whilst her main car was being worked on.
When Santana realised what had just happened she shook her head, smiling as she grabbed her backpack and made her way outside. She found Brittany leaning up against her Skyline and smiled at the sight. She fished the keys out of her pocket and threw her backpack of tools into the trunk before moving to the driver's side and getting in. As soon as they were both strapped into the racing seats Santana fired up the car.
"So, where do you wanna go?"
"The crew are having movie night. Do you wanna go back to your motel and shower and then head over to the house?"
"Sounds good to me"
It wasn't until three days later that they finally got Santana's car back, Marley and Kurt having finished their precision work on painting it to the best of their abilities. The day it was coming back Santana was on her phone to Cassandra.
"So, you're close to completing it?"
"You could say that. We'll just need to put the parts in and it should be finished and road worthy in about a week"
"Good, we can then start the real work of bringing down Puck's crew properly"
Santana looked up at the sight of a flat-bed truck approaching. "I've gotta go, they're dropping off the car now"
"Then I will let you get back to work. I'll talk soon"
"Cool. Bye"
She slipped the phone back into her pocket and looked up as Kurt backed the truck into the open yard. Brittany walked up to her and lent up against the side of her Skyline.
"It's finally coming back"
Santana nodded from her place next to her. "Yep. Then I can finally get this thing on the road and challenge you to a race"
Brittany raised an eyebrow at the Latina. "Excuse me?"
Santana shrugged, a smirk on her face as she stood up. "You heard me. I think we need to race each other"
"Oh, it's so on Lopez"
The tanned woman laughed as she started walking towards the truck. "You know it is"
Brittany rolled her eyes but stood up and followed her anyway, the entire crew surrounding the truck that had a tarp covered car on the back.
"You guys ready to see the finish?" Kurt grinned, clapping his hands together.
Letty smiled. "Yeah, get this thing off so we can finally see this thing"
Kurt looked up at Marley who was already stood up on the back and nodded, the brunette taking that as her cue to remove the cover. As she pulled it away they finally saw the car for the first time since they had sent it off to be painted, the sun catching it in just the right way. Santana smiled as she admired the ice blue paint job, the colour scheme matching the body kit and making the car look even better than she thought it would.
"So, Santana, do you like?" Kurt asked, the man literally close to wetting himself with excitement.
All eyes turned to the woman in question. "It's amazing. Thank you" She smiled, pulling him into a hug. "Better than I ever thought it would be"
With another hug, this time with Marley, Santana was ready to get back to work but Letty beat her to the punch. "Ok, let's get this thing off the truck and get this thing in the shop so we can get to work on it. I need to get Lopez racing again"
With a wink to the younger Latina Letty made her way towards the truck to start helping with removing the Supra to get it into the shop. When the car was finally back in the center of the open garage and on the scissor lift how it had been in the first place Letty walked up to Santana who was standing and looking at it.
"Don't stare too long, I need you to get working so you can start racing again"
Santana laughed. "Sure thing boss. I'll get right to it"
"Good. Brittany, get your car in here and we can sort out that interior of yours"
With a nod to Santana Letty made her way over to where Rachel and Tina were discussing what would go into the car first. Santana continued to smile at the car in front of her and felt a hand come to rest on her lower shirt-clad back. She didn't even need to know who it was when a head rested on her shoulder.
"You ready for this?"
Santana nodded. "Definitely. I guess we'd better get to work though"
"I guess so"
With a kiss to the side of Santana's head the blonde made her way back out into the yard and slipped into her car, pulling it in next to Santana's Supra. Now with both cars in the garage side by side they were finally ready to start work on getting them up to full crew standards.
Later that day as Santana worked on fitting some of the extra gauges to the dashboard of her Supra, Brittany helping with some of it as she was quite adapt at things involving the dash, they were both alerted when they heard someone yelling.
Santana glanced over at Brittany who shrugged and when they looked back they saw both Rachel and Quinn arguing over something. The two women got out of the car and as soon as Brittany was stood by Santana's side they heard the two other women get louder.
"Rach, I need time on the Supra!"
"So do I!"
"I need to work on the roll-bar!"
"Can't you just buy one instead of wasting my time?"
"No, I have to make one and I need time to measure it so I can go and make it!"
"I need time there too!"
"You need to wait, it's better because then I can make it without worrying about messing up your work!"
"I need to have space so I can take measurements too!"
Santana decided that it was time to step in, usually letting Letty take control in these kinds of situations but as she was out for lunch with everybody else other than the four of them she had to take matters into her own hands, with the help of Brittany of course.
Stepping in between the both of them she held her hands up to stop them from lunging at each other. "Cool it guys! You can both work on it, now calm down!"
"You know what? Whatever"
Santana watched as Quinn waved her hands dismissively and made her way over to her black and yellow Skyline, firing it up and driving off. Turning back to Brittany the blonde had an arm wrapped around Rachel.
"Follow after her. I'll stay with Rachel"
Santana nodded and pressed a quick kiss to Brittany's cheek before running to her own Skyline and jumping in, rushing to make sure she could keep up with Quinn who was probably already four or five blocks away by now.
Peeling out of the yard she was glad she had seen which way the blonde had gone, desperately pressing her foot down on the accelerator to catch up with her. Catching sight of the uniquely designed Skyline she followed her around various twists and turns across the city, some of it reminding her of her second race where she had faced not only her but Brody and had been introduced to how good of a driver she really was. Considering that she was her crew-mate now she didn't think she'd have to play catch up with her but as she followed her across town she was starting to think the other street race was doing it on purpose. Taking the challenge Santana followed her until she finally stopped at the docks, pulling up beside her and turning off her car.
Taking a few moments to let the other woman make the first move as soon as she was out of the car Santana also exited her own, walking over to her. She knew right now the blonde was fuming, she could tell by her face, but she could also tell that she really couldn't push things with Quinn. You had to take things slowly and that's exactly what she was going to do.
She joined her on the hood of her car and let the silence take over the both of them, content to just let Quinn take her time in answering. About five minutes later her patience paid off and the blonde started talking.
"Thanks for being here"
"No problem"
"It's just that she's so annoying"
"Have you butted heads like this before?"
"Sometimes but never on this scale"
"What made you walk out?"
"I'd had enough"
"Enough? Of what?" Quinn sighed. "Don't worry, you don't have to tell me"
"No, it's just that I've had enough of being around her"
"You've had enough of being around her? What do you mean?"
"I can't keep pretending like everything's ok"
"You can tell me Q, it's ok"
The blonde scanned Santana's face to see if she was telling the truth and satisfied knowing that the two of them could trust each other with anything she faced back to the water. "I like Rachel. I have for some time now but everyday at work I just can't keep pretending like I don't. It's getting harder and harder for me"
"Why haven't you told her?"
"Because I'm scared she'll reject me. What if she finds out and hates me?"
"She won't hate you Quinn. You never know, you may be surprised. Look at me and Britt"
"Yeah, but you're not dating"
"We're not dating but we're also not not dating, if that makes any sense. Point is, we liked each other and we're going wherever things take us. Maybe it's not such a bad thing telling her how you feel. What's the worst thing that could happen?"
"She hates me?"
Santana chuckled and punched the blonde in the arm playfully. "Come on, she won't hate you. It may be a little awkward but it'll get easier. It's not healthy for you to keep this all bottled in, it'll just continue to eat you up inside. For example, when I realised I was gay I kept it inside in the hopes that it would go away and I would be normal like everybody else but it stayed and the feelings inside kept growing and growing until I started acting out at people. I was fighting something that I knew I couldn't win against but I kept doing it anyway, over and over again until I finally gave up. I got tired and I gave in, finally admitting to what I was feeling. When I did that I felt so much better when I told people who I really was. Now, I don't know the exact reasons why you keep these feelings inside and it's none of my business but one thing I do know is that you need to tell her how you feel. You've already started by telling me and now it's probably best if you tell her how you've felt about her all this time"
A few moments of silence followed her speech as Quinn pondered what she had told her. She knew that she probably hadn't told many people that story and she was honoured that Santana considered her close enough to tell her something so personal, which made her consider the possibility that it was finally time to tell Rachel how she felt.
Instead of answering she pulled the Latina into a hug, squeezing tightly as she thanked God for finally giving her a best friend to talk to. "Thanks"
"No problem, just helping"
"Can I ask for a favour?"
Santana nodded as they pulled away. "Sure, go ahead"
"Will you be my best friend?"
Santana grinned, this time the one to initiate the hug. "Of course!"
Meanwhile, back at the garage Brittany was talking with Rachel trying to calm her best friend down.
"Rach, calm down!"
"Why? I'm not the one who's wrong!"
"You're both wrong"
The pacing brunette stopped to look at the other racer. "What do you mean?"
"You were both fighting over something when you could have easily took turns. I know we haven't worked on a car from start to finish in a while but come on, you both took it way out of proportion."
"Who was right?"
"From a logical point of view Quinn was. She needs to start work before you do so she doesn't mess up the good job we all know you're gonna do anyway"
"So you're taking sides?"
"No, I'm not taking sides I'm just stating the facts. I'm sensing this is about a lot more than fighting over car work time"
Rachel sighed, knowing that Brittany would have asked sooner or later. She knew it was probably time to come clean with her best friend.
"Rach?"
Brittany watched as she visibly deflated, sitting down next to her on a tool box. Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder she waited for her to start talking.
"I don't know if I can do it any more Britt"
"Do what any more?"
"Pretend like I don't have feelings for her"
"You like Quinn?"
"Yeah, I do. I guess I've just been trying to try and ignore it but I can't any more and with everything going on adding you and Santana to the crew it's made me think that maybe these feelings I have for her are never going to go away"
"I wondered when you were finally going to admit it"
"What do you mean?" She asked, frowning over at her blonde best friend.
Brittany shrugged. "That you like her. We've all known for a while we just didn't know if you were ever gonna admit it out loud"
"You've known all this time?"
"Yeah, I'm your best friend Rach. I'm not stupid, I know when you like someone. The only other time I saw you act this way was in high school with Finn. You have that same twinkle in your eye when you look at Quinn so of course I've known all along"
"You did?"
"Uh huh"
"But what do I do?"
"I don't know, I can't make that decision for you but what I can tell you is that Finn would have wanted you to be happy Rach. I know what happened was bad and no one should have ever had to have gone through what you did but I think we all know that he would want you to be happy and if that's with Quinn, one of his best friends, I think it's pretty obvious what your choice should be. Honestly we've known it all along and when you both became a part of the same crew it's been building up to this. I mean, even Santana noticed it."
"She did?"
"Yep. Remember the night when we went to Kitty's to celebrate after her winning against Rory?"
"Yeah"
"When I joined her at the bar she mentioned it. She kind of guessed it straight away, we were just waiting to see if you two would actually realise it"
Rachel chuckled. "Everybody seemed to know but us"
Brittany nodded and rubbed her shoulder soothingly. "Pretty much, yeah."
"I bet Santana's talking to Quinn right now like you are here with me"
"Probably, though I wouldn't expect anything less. They're like best friends already"
The brunette looked over at her best friend and sniffled, leaning over and letting her head rest on her shoulder. "You're lucky, you know that right?"
"Why's that?" Brittany quested, wrapping an arm around Rachel's shoulders.
"Because you found Santana. You two seem really happy already"
"That's because we're not rushing it and we're letting it take us where it wants"
"No labels?"
"No labels. Anyway, you should probably talk to Quinn and tell her how you feel. I don't think after today what you've been doing is gonna work any more. You need to get this out in the open"
"What if she doesn't want anything to do with me? You know Quinn"
"I do, but I have a feeling that she might just feel the same way."
The two of them fell into silence, Brittany embracing her friend in a comforting hug as they simply enjoyed the stillness of an empty garage. When Brittany felt a buzzing in her pocket she pulled out her phone with her free hand to see she had a text from Santana.
-Santana-
Talked with Quinn. On our way back to the garage now.
Brittany smiled and managed to type out a text with only one hand before sliding her phone back into her pocket and resuming her best friend hug with Rachel.
To:
-Santana-
Had a talk with Rachel. See you when you get back.
It wasn't long before they heard the roar of two cars and the both watched as Santana pulled in behind Quinn's Skyline, the two women getting out and instantly spotting the two friends hugging. Santana clapped a hand on Quinn's shoulder as they watched them.
"Go for it. Remember, what's the worst that could happen?"
Quinn nodded and started making her way towards the workshop, Brittany standing up and smiling at Rachel before making her way out. She smiled encouragingly at Quinn and continued until she stopped in front of Santana.
"How did it go?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder to see Quinn talking to Rachel.
Santana crossed her arms. "Ok. She admitted that she liked her and after a pep talk I convinced her that telling her how she felt wasn't a bad idea. We then came back here. How did it go with Rachel?"
"She admitted the same thing. I convinced her to tell her how she felt so now all we can do is wait and see what happens"
"I guess so"
Brittany smiled and pressed a quick kiss to Santana's lips. "Come on, let's give them some privacy"
Quinn watched as Santana linked her and Brittany's hands together before walking out of the yard and away from the garage, making a mental note to thank her new best friend for giving her space to talk to the woman she had slowly fallen for. Turning back to Rachel she sat down in the seat that Brittany had vacated only minutes before, nervous on how to exactly start.
"So..."
Rachel smiled shyly. "So..."
"Rach, I can't do this any more. I can't keep pretending"
"Neither can I"
The blonde looked up in surprise. "Really? What do you mean?"
Rachel shrugged. "I like you Quinn. I haven't liked anybody since Finn and after what happened to him I didn't think I would ever like anybody in the same way but when we became crew-mates I kind of started falling for you and it's just got harder and harder to keep this all inside especially with Santana and Brittany becoming full-time crew members and them starting to date. It's made me think more and more about what I want"
"I like you too Rach"
"You do?"
The blonde nodded. "Yeah. I know Finn was your first love but I really like you, more than anybody I have ever liked before. I just needed that final push to admit it out loud. I guess I have Santana to thank for that."
After a few moments of silence Rachel couldn't wait any more. "So what do we do now?"
Instead of answering Quinn took a deep breath and leant forward, giving Rachel plenty of opportunity to back out. When she didn't she kept leaning forward until their lips finally met and as soon as they did they both seemed to melt into it, Rachel finally kissing back as her hand came up to rest on the back of Quinn's neck to keep her in place.
Years of built up pining and tension dissipated as they moved in sync, the two women finally letting themselves admit their feelings for each other. After what had happened to her first and only boyfriend Finn Rachel had never thought she could ever feel the way she did again but as she kissed Quinn for the first time after pining for her for so long she couldn't help but smile against her lips, finally feeling that spark ignite deep within her soul. After spending so long without someone and a massive hole in her heart it was finally filling as she let herself go.
Quinn felt the same way. She'd never really felt anything the way she did with Rachel and when her best friend had perished she had seen the brunette literally fall apart. If it wasn't for Letty starting the crew she was sure after Finn Rachel would have died. Luckily she had seen her survive but she had never dated anybody since and she new this was a big step for her, letting someone else in after it had been so long. But here in the moment kissing the brunette just felt so right and she felt herself letting go for the first time. Sure, she'd dated before but nothing was ever really serious but right now here with the other racer she was pretty sure this was the way it was supposed to feel. She'd been afraid for so long but now that fear was dissolving as if it had never existed and she thanked God for bringing Santana into her life at the perfect time, eternally thankful for the push she had given her to admit her feelings.
When they pulled apart, resting their heads together, they both smiled. "That was...wow" The blonde exhaled, not quite knowing how to put into words how it really felt to kiss the brunette for the first time.
Rachel smiled right back, her eyes closed as she kept her hand resting on the back of Quinn's neck. "I know...wow"
Quinn chuckled at the similar response and lent in, pressing another kiss to her lips just because she could. When she pulled away she exhaled. "What does this mean?"
Rachel shrugged. "What do you want it to mean?"
"We can't go back can we?"
The shorter racer shook her head and laughed. "Probably not. What do you want to do?"
"It's your choice too, not just mine but if you're asking I don't just want to be friends with you. I don't think I could go back to that after that kiss"
"Neither can I. Do you want to try this?"
Quinn nodded. "Yeah. Do you?"
Rachel also nodded and pulled her in for another kiss just as the crew returned from lunch and a quick parts run to Holly's. Mia smiled as she exited her girlfriend's Plymouth, the others watching both Quinn and Rachel continue to kiss oblivious to their arrival.
"About time" Letty grinned, walking up next to her girlfriend.
"Yeah, I was wondering when they would finally admit they liked each other" Marley stated, joining her crew leader.
"Finally" Dani exhaled, smiling from her place beside Tina and high fiving the Asian woman.
When both Quinn and Rachel looked up they saw the rest of the crew looking at them with smiles on their faces. Santana and Brittany arrived back and joined in. Quinn then turned back to Rachel. "I guess the cats out of the bag, huh?"
Rachel chuckled and nodded. "I guess so"
The next day Santana was at Shelby's enjoying a quiet lunch to herself to think about some things when Shelby slid into her booth.
"Hey Santana"
"Oh, hey Shelby. Can I help you with something?"
"No, I just wanted to talk. I saw you were all alone. Where's the rest of your crew?"
"Holly's cooking barbecue over at her shop but I just wanted some time to myself"
"I understand. Crew life can get hectic sometimes, huh?"
"You can say that again" Santana chuckled. "It does get crazy, I just needed to get out for a bit"
The older brunette nodded. "I know how you feel"
"You do?"
"Yeah. I used to be in a crew"
"You did?"
"Yeah, it was how me and Holly met but you probably don't want to hear about my boring life"
"No, go ahead. I like the company"
Shelby studied the younger woman for a few moments and realised that she was genuinely interested. "You wanna know?"
"Yeah. Tell me"
"Well then, I met Holly back when she first started racing. She came to town one day and ever since we met she hasn't left. We started driving together, we got together, and then we met Schue"
"Schue?"
"Letty hasn't told you?"
"No, not yet. Who are they?"
"Will Schuester is one of the best racer's too have ever graced the Lima race scene and he always will be. We started racing with him and we became part of his crew, just the three of us"
"What happened?"
Shelby shrugged, stealing one of Santana's fries. "Things got intense real fast when one of the other racers started threatening us. Eventually it put his life in danger and to save us the trouble of the situation he left. After that we kinda just got on with our lives and racing took a back seat. I got Rachel a year later and Holly finally opened her shop and I opened my diner. It was as if we suddenly didn't have time for racing any more."
Deciding to ignore the comment about Rachel Santana focused on the other information. "So you and this Schue guy used to race?"
"Yeah, we were the best crew in the city. I guess Letty kind of took our place and she built your crew from the ground up, much bigger than what ours had ever been."
"Did she do a good job?"
The diner owner smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm proud of her. She did the three of us proud. Schue always said she had it in her to be a crew leader and I guess he was right. He had an eye for that kind of thing anyway"
"Who was he?"
"Will was this guy who lived for racing. He's a lot like Letty in the way that he did everything legitimate and structured. He always kept things running and most of all he just loved to race. That's why me and Holly got on so well with him, we all loved to race."
"So you don't race any more?"
Shelby smirked. "I didn't say I didn't race any more"
Santana shook her head as she took a bite of her burger. "So you do?"
"Let's just say that whenever me and Holly aren't working or with you and the crew we're out doing what we love"
The younger driver grinned as she took a sip of her drink. "What car do you run? I know Holly has a Jag but what about you?"
"I run a Chevrolet Camaro."
"What model?"
"2012 ZL1"
"Nice. I'm not into muscle but I know that's one hot car"
"You're not?"
"No, I'm a tuner girl. I always have been"
"Funny. You and Letty are so alike but she's muscle for life. You strike me as a classic American fan"
"Yeah, I get that a lot. People always look at me and are like 'she's a Latina, she must drive a muscle' but I've always had a soft spot for tuners and Japanese cars."
"Fair enough. Has Letty clued you in on Race Wars?"
"Yeah, enough to know that they needed an extra wheelman to compete or else Puck would win"
"Well, I guess it's my job to tell you what it's all about. Before Schue left he set up a set of races called Race Wars. Those races pit the best crews of the city up against each other in hopes to win and take home a prize car."
"Like Dani's?"
"Yeah, like Dani's but they deserved it. They worked really hard that year. Anyway, I think we all knew that the crew needed a new member and they started looking. I think you came along at the perfect time. Letty was starting to think they'd never find anybody good enough. She's picky when it comes to good driver's, hence the reason why she hasn't added anyone in years. Even though Schue isn't here any more he still puts a prize car up for the first place winners and I help organize."
"What's this years prize?"
"Ah, that's the whole point. You don't find out until the first day"
"Really?"
"Yeah, it keeps up the mystery of the tournament"
"And it's legit?"
"Yeah, we have sponsors and everything. Nothings illegal."
"Will you be going?"
"Yep, both me and Holly will be there to support the crew. Holly's sponsoring you guys so she has to be there anyway"
Santana nodded. "It sounds cool"
"It does, that's why you have to get that car of yours out of the shop and racing so you can start getting ready for it."
"Yeah, Letty said that she needs to get me racing again so she can make some money off my ass"
Shelby laughed. "That sounds like her. You know what?"
"What?"
"Finish up your food and meet me in the parking lot. We're gonna go for a drive. Oh, and Santana"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for what you did for Rachel and Quinn. I never thought Rachel would recover after Finn"
Santana shrugged, deciding not to press the issue of this guy named Finn and let Rachel tell her in her own time. "I was just helping. Quinn's like the best friend I never had growing up"
Shelby smiled. "Good. She needs someone like you to keep her head in the game. Just know that I'm grateful for you and Brittany helping them see the light. Matter of fact, the next time you two come in here to eat the meal's on me. Now finish up and meet me out front"
When Santana had finished eating she paid and made her way outside to her car and waited. She was leaning up against it when she heard a loud and unmistakable roar of a muscle car engine. Moments later a light silver and blue accented Camaro pulled up next to her. She whistled as she admired the car.
"Wow, this car is amazing"
Shelby smiled. "Glad you think so. Get in your car and we'll take a drive"
She did as she was told and as soon as she was secure in her seat she followed Shelby out of the diner parking lot and onto the road, the older racer already picking up speed. Santana didn't mind as she played catch up to the older woman, admiring how she kept perfect control and sped along the city streets like she owned them. She had never guessed how much of a good driver she really was but watching as Shelby let loose on the streets of Lima she guessed this really was what she loved to do, much like her and the other members of Letty's crew.
It sort of felt like an honour to be granted the permission to race with her and as she caught up to the impressive looking Camaro she shifted up a gear, pulling off a perfectly timed drift to slide around it and around a corner at the same time. Shelby smiled at the skill of the young racer and appreciated how she weaved in and out of oncoming traffic as if it was nothing. Shifting up another gear and pressing all the way down on the accelerator she put her engine's full power to use and pulled up beside her, the two cars battling for dominance as they raced down a crowded street of Lima's downtown district.
When Shelby finally led them into the yard of Burt's garage she grinned at the Latina as they both exited their cars. Santana was the first one to speak.
"You're amazing"
"Nah, just doing what I love. I tell you what, when your car over there is finished call me up and we'll race for real. See how good you really are in your own car"
"Speaking of own car are you keeping one of my crew members from working?" Letty asked, exiting the garage and walking towards them.
"I take full responsibility. I asked her to take a drive with me after she finished her lunch at the diner. She can go back to work now"
Letty nodded and grinned as Santana started walking towards her. "Cool. That's good with me. Tell me when you wanna race and I'll let Kurt and Blaine know"
"Fine by me. I've gotta go but I'll see you guys soon"
"Yeah, have a good one Shelby"
"Bye Shelby" Santana said from her place beside her crew leader.
The veteran street racer smiled and got back into her car, the two women watching as she raced out of the yard and back onto the road. When she was gone Letty turned to Santana.
"Now you've had a little fun and finally seen how one of the legend's drives let's get back to work. We need to get you up and running soon"
Santana nodded and watched as the older Latina made her way back into the garage, Brittany passing her on her way out. The blonde smiled sweetly as she approached the woman she was sort of dating and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
"Did you have fun?"
Santana nodded and kissed the blonde back, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I did. You ready to get back to work?"
Brittany smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Of course"
For the next week as the crew worked to get Santana's Supra finished everybody was growing closer, including Quinn and Rachel.
Santana and Brittany watched from their place at the front of the garage as Quinn worked on the roll bar, Rachel coming up behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist. Quinn momentarily stopped and glanced over her shoulder, smiling at the brunette as she pressed a kiss to the taller woman's shoulder. In the distance Brittany and Santana high fived as they celebrated on a job well done, knowing that the both of them were responsible for their best friends getting together.
As for them they were just enjoying the feeling of no labels on what they were. In the roles reversed Quinn and Rachel watched from where they were working on some of the interior for the Supra as Santana and Brittany sat inside the car fitting various things into the trunk.
Santana smiled as she helped Brittany secure the two large blue Nos tanks into their brackets in the specially made trunk space just behind where the seats would go. When Brittany had secured the tank on the right Santana pressed a kiss to the side of her head as a well done gesture, Brittany immediately pulling her back to her by the back of the neck into a proper kiss. Santana chuckled against the blonde's lips as they enjoyed the feeling of kissing each other, her body relaxing immediately.
When Brittany pulled back she pressed a quick kiss to the Latina's cheek and got back to work, encouraging her to do the same. Quinn looked back at Rachel and smiled, letting herself lean in to kiss her new girlfriend's lips as they enjoyed the feeling of everybody coming together. Things were definitely looking up.
"I know but we can't keep losing! My guys hate it when they lose! Ok, fine. Just let me know when this shit is gonna end"
Puck hung up the phone and let himself recline back into his seat, his feet resting up on his desk. He barely had any time to think to himself before one of his crew members was barging into his office. He looked up to see that it was Sam.
"What do you want?"
"Someone just texted Mike. Letty's crew are racing tonight"
"Which ones?"
Sam shrugged. "We don't know"
"Ok, get everybody into the garage"
The blonde man nodded and made his way out of his crew leaders office and towards the garage where most of the crew were gathered anyway. When he had managed to find his girlfriend and Rory it was then that Puck appeared pulling on his signature black leather jacket.
"Listen up, tonight we're racing"
"Can't we just watch?" Mercedes asked as she felt Sam placing an arm around her shoulders.
Puck just shook his head. "No. From now on and up until Race Wars we're putting the pressure on them. We need to show them that we're serious about winning"
"What about Santana?" Rory asked.
"Doesn't matter" He replied, shaking his head.
"But-"
"No buts. I don't care about stupid little rivalries you may have, all I care about is us showing not only them but the rest of the city who's the best crew. That starts tonight. Whether you like it or not I'm boss and what I say goes, everything from who's racing and when. Tonight I want you out there challenging because we can't keep losing to these sucker's. Now go, we have a race to get to."
That night the crew were out celebrating Brittany's car being completed, which in their terms meant racing. With a call to Blaine and Kurt the race had already been set up, they just needed drivers. Everybody taking their own cars they pulled up first and Brittany parked next to the Latina on the end. Her car was close to being completed but it still had a few days more worth of work left on it if it was going to be the best it could be so for now she was still borrowing the loaner Skyline.
As they all exited their cars it wasn't long before they heard a familiar roar and saw Puck's Charger pulling up into the meet location followed by the rest of his crew.
"Can't they ever just let us have a night to ourselves?" Tina asked as she watched them park up.
Letty shook her head. "Somehow I don't think they're gonna be giving us any alone time any time soon"
"Neither do I" Quinn agreed as she watched Puck exit his car.
He then walked up to them, his drivers close behind him. As Rory tagged along at the back he glared at Santana when he saw her hand resting on Brittany's lower back, something having obviously changed between them. Puck smirked when he came to a stop in front of his rival.
"Ortiz, who's racing tonight?"
Letty shrugged. "We're just here to celebrate"
"Celebrate what?"
"Our new crew member"
Puck glanced over at Santana. "But she hasn't even got her own car"
"Not that crew member, another one" He raised an eyebrow. "Brittany you idiot"
He turned his attentions to the blonde in question. "You're a crew member?"
"I raced Mike to become one. Got a problem with it?"
A little taken aback by Brittany's confident tone he shook his head and looked back at Letty. "Whatever, let's race. Two of mine against two of yours"
"You sure you wanna do that?"
He shrugged. "Higher stakes."
"Fine, who wants to race?"
Brittany stuck her hand up. "Ok, as your the one celebrating tonight who do you wanna race with?
The blonde's answer was immediate. "Santana"
"S, you ok with that?" The younger Latina nodded. "Cool. Choose your drivers Puckerman"
The male crew leader turned to his drivers and took a few moments to consider before pointing at Sam and Mercedes. "You're in"
"Ok, tag-team race tonight. One lap, then the other driver takes the next lap. Rules are pretty simple, whoever crosses the finish line first wins. Let's go"
As everybody started dispersing Santana turned to Brittany. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"
The blonde nodded. "More than anything, we're like the most awesomest drifter's in this whole city! Now come on, we have a race to win"
Santana smiled as Brittany placed a kiss to her cheek and walked over to her newly designed RX8, the other driver getting into the car and strapping herself in. Santana did the same and as soon as Brittany was convinced that she was ready she fired up her car and led them both to the start line.
To make things easier, whenever they had a tag-team race the two starter drivers pulled into the center of the row whilst the second lap drivers stayed on the edges. When it was chosen who would be starting the race it was simply a case of organising the starting positions. In this particular situation Mercedes and Brittany were the ones to go first so as soon as they were ready Santana and Sam pulled up on either side of them.
Brittany glanced over at Santana and watched as she unscrewed the valve on her silver Nos tank which was settled between the two front seats. When she looked up and saw Brittany staring at her she smiled, letting herself rest back into the racing seat she was buckled into. Brittany smiled back and when all of her own checks were done she was also ready, excited to be driving in a proper race with Santana for the first time.
Marley watched her crew-mates from the sidelines, also watching as Mercedes and Sam smirked at each other on the other side of the road. "You think they can do it?" She asked.
Tina nodded from her place lent up against her Nissan. "Brittany's the Drift Queen and Santana's one of the best at pulling off epic driving moves. I'm pretty sure they can handle it" She said, pulling her girlfriend towards her by the waist and in between her legs. Marley smiled and let herself relax as they waited for the race to start.
When the race finally did start it was clear who was the better driver but Mercedes was having none of it. As they handled the first few corners and Brittany took off in the lead the other woman was keeping the pressure on her, pushing her Mercedes (pun intended) to the limit as she battled to keep up so that her boyfriend had a chance in the next lap. However, Brittany wasn't giving up her lead that easy.
Drifting around another corner at high speed she just managed to dodge an oncoming taxi, watching in the rearview mirror as Mercedes swerved her car around with barely any control to avoid it in her attempts to keep up with the blonde. Brittany didn't have to worry until she approached the last few corners, Mercedes making it exceptionally hard for her to drift around the turns as she kept her car close to hers.
When she felt her car being nudged she glanced to her right to see the diva smirking at her, veering her car out wide before immediately swerving it back into the side. When she didn't hit anything she frowned and before she new it Brittany had pulled on the handbrake, her car skidding to a stop behind her. Shifting up a gear the blonde immediately pressed her foot all the way down on the accelerator pedal to take off past the purple Mercedes and into the lead once more.
She handled the last few turns perfectly, this time able to pull off her signature drifting without having to worry about Mercedes ramming into the side of her. At the start line Santana was waiting patiently and as if knowing what was coming she fired up her car, getting ready for her sort-of girlfriend to appear and give her the green light to take over. When she heard another engine she turned to her right to see Sam grinning at her. Rolling her eyes the Latina turned back to the road and gripped the steering wheel tightly in anticipation.
She had no doubt Brittany was owning the course and not knowing what Mercedes was like as a driver she didn't have much to go on, just that the blonde driver was probably killing it with her drifts.
As if on cue she saw the familiar front lights of her blue RX8 appear in her rearview mirror and watched as the car effortlessly drifted around the final corner at high speed. As soon as Brittany approached her radio flared to life on her passenger seat, Blaine telling her to go.
In seconds she was off the line and already shifting up gears quickly, her high powered car expanding her and Brittany's lead tenfold. About half a minute later Mercedes made it across the line and Sam was off on his catch up to Santana, his Aston Martin DB9 roaring as he put his foot down.
Santana handled the first few corners perfectly before she came to a particularly large hairpin turn. She slowed down considerably to avoid crashing but it had cost her and Brittany's well-earned lead considerably as when she had shifted up a gear to speed away from it she saw the lights of Sam's yellow DB9 appear in her rear-view.
People watched anxiously from the finish line through both racers dashboard camera's as she sped up with Sam hot on her tail. He never let up as she pushed around the last few corners and Brittany crossed her fingers and hoped and prayed that the Latina made it across the line in first place. Just as they reached the last turn Sam had decided to take one last shot at gaining first place.
As Santana pulled into the turn that led to the finish line he clipped the back bumper of her Skyline on purpose and sent her spinning. Everybody's breaths caught in their throats as they watched the Latina lose nearly all of the control she had on the car, the black car spinning around.
Determined that she wasn't going to let him win she knew there was only one way she would win this. Flashes of her first few races came into her mind and she knew what she had to do. The entire crowd watched as she threw the car into reverse and started speeding backwards. A signature of hers they thought she was going to just speed towards the line but she knew that wasn't enough. Sam's car was powerful and she knew she'd never win at the speed she was going so using her slight advantage as he recovered from steering around her she pressed down on both the accelerator pedal and the two Nos buttons in the center of her steering wheel.
Everybody watched on in awe as she sped across the line well ahead of the yellow DB9 and as she slowed down she used her momentum to drift around so that she was facing the right way. A loud cheer erupted around her in awe of what she had just pulled off. Slipping out of her harness and the car all together she braced herself for the oncoming onslaught of congratulations destined for her.
Brittany hardly had chance to congratulate her but when Santana stopped people from hugging her and pushed through the crowd she couldn't help the grin that plastered it's way across her face at the sight of the Latina making her way towards her. As soon as she was close enough Brittany jumped into her arms, Santana spinning her around as they both squealed.
"You won!" She cried, wrapping her arms tightly around Santana's neck.
Santana grinned at the blonde's happiness. "No, WE won" She corrected, her arms tightening around the other woman's waist.
Before she could react Brittany had lent in and pressed their lips together, not caring who saw. The world around them slowed down as they got lost in each other and when Santana pulled away breathless to see crystal eyes of blue staring straight back at her she knew this was the moment she had been waiting for.
"Be my girlfriend"
For a few moments everything slowed down tenfold and for a few split seconds she was scared she was about to be rejected but Brittany replied with a kiss to her lips.
"Is that a yes?"
Brittany nodded, smiling so sweetly Santana could see her dimples. "Yes" She whispered back.
The Latina let out an exasperated chuckle before pulling the other woman in impossibly closer and kissing her as if nothing else on the planet mattered, which it didn't. In that moment she didn't care about anything or anyone else but Brittany. She was all she could see.
TBC