Fast Lane Chapter 29: First Race Back, a glee fanfic

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 so here's the new chapter guys, and happy Valentine's Day! I hope you enjoy and I'm really sorry for not updating last week. was down and I needed an extra week to make this chapter extra good (which is probably why it's so much longer than usual). Anyway, as always, enjoy and I will see you next week! :)

Thank you to my loyal reviewers, people following, and everything else in between, it means a lot :D

(btw - songs are at the bottom of the chapter and be prepared for some lady on lady lovin')

Brittany moaned as lips attacked her neck with avidity, her hands gripping hold of a leather jacket as Santana kicked the door to the motel room closed behind them. The sound she had elicited only motivated her more, kissing her way down to the other woman's pulse point where she nibbled the skin over the steadily beating vein, Brittany feeling her heart rate pick up the second Santana's lips hit the sweet spot. They stayed there, by the door in the darkened room, as Brittany forced their lips together once more, already missing Santana's expert kissing skills. A few short minutes that felt like hours were spent languidly kissing, the lust still there but now a dull throb as they enjoyed a few moments of simple contact that served as a way to quickly reassure that they loved one another.

But soon they both grew restless, knowing that on this particular occasion there was a raw fire burning deep within both of them that was begging to be sated giving them no space to take the care and time that they would have normally taken when they made love. Tonight was different. There was a hunger clawing it's way to the surface that had them pushing and pulling at one another, Santana pushing forward before being pushed back moments later. It was a tug of war as they stayed glued to the spot where they were standing, neither one willing to let the other take control just yet.

Whether they liked to admit it or not, making love was one of their favourite things to do together but when things got a little rough the normal passion they had for each other intensified, things became energetic and fervent and they were consumed by each other. Now was no different. That intensive roughness had Brittany's knuckles turning whiter with every second that passed, her hands holding on Santana's jacket for dear life. Her breath came out in ragged pants as they parted for air, feeling Santana's hands cup her rear end only squeeze hard. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what she wanted and Brittany was only to happy to oblige, jumping up and wrapping her legs around a jean-clad waist. She moaned aloud when their clothed centres met, the feeling leaving her wanting more when she realized that they were still fully clothed. But Santana didn't disappoint. She knew what Brittany was thinking, knew too that they were both way too clothed right now when they should have been completely naked.

That's why she set the ball rolling with a tug of her hand, Brittany's legs still wrapped tightly around her waist as she pulled on the blonde's t-shirt. Brittany, although desperate to move things rapidly along, was scared to remove her legs from around the other woman's legs. She wanted to feel Santana's skin upon her own more desperately than anything else but what stopped her was the idea that it just felt so damn good to be so close to the other woman, seeing Santana positioned between her legs the hottest thing she had ever seen, clothed or not.

Alas she had a saviour. Santana had a pretty good idea of what they both needed, speed and time being of the essence. They were desperate and hungry for each other and nothing could come quick enough. That's why she barely gave Brittany time to sit up before she was pulling the blonde's hoodie and shirt up over her head, mindlessly throwing the items of clothing over her shoulder where they connected with the old motel wall next to the TV. It didn't bother her though as Brittany was already propping herself up on her elbows, giving Santana enough indication to get her to back up a bit. Her legs never once faltered from around her waist, her lips incessantly and restlessly smothering Santana's own. Not that the Latina seemed to mind, she was too caught up in the feel of the other woman, feeling Brittany's hands slip under her hooded jacket slowly and up to her shoulders where she proceeded to slip it off until it dropped to the floor below. Now she was jacket-less Brittany pushed it one step further and let her hands drift down to the hem of her t-shirt, tugging at her to lift her arms up. Doing so she felt a brief ache in her left shoulder but ignored it and focused back on her lover, the both of them now in an equal state of dress once more.

Santana pushed the blonde back down to the bed, meeting no resistance to the action as she locked their mouths together again. She felt deft but soft hands trail over the exposed skin of her back as they kissed, a thumb and index finger slipping just under the hem of her sports bra. The fingers lingered for a few silent moments as they continued to kiss, Brittany temporarily lost in the feel of the other woman kissing her lips in that unique Santana Lopez way of hers. When she was finally able to pull away, not wanting to but needing air, she let her other hand come up to cup Santana's neck.

"This needs to come off" She panted, emphasizing her words by tugging on the bottom of her bra.

Santana nodded and pulled back so that she was once again knelt up on her knees. Brittany watched hungrily from her place below her whilst biting and licking her lips. The smooth stretch of skin that was her torso seemed to glow in the moonlight that had peaked it's way through the crack in the curtains, a single bead of sweat reminding Brittany of how hot it had gotten between them. Outside it was practically freezing this late at night, another reminder of just how much fire they were capable of creating with one another. She only seemed to grow hotter though as she watched Santana reach her arm back behind her, the smooth expanse of her abs-laden stomach stretching with her and making Brittany feel even hungrier than before. And it was killing her. The need to touch her became too great, too hard to resist, and when she did she let her fingers brush over the Latina's stomach whilst she discarded her bra somewhere on the floor behind her. Brittany smiled at the sight of the half naked woman above her, very aware that her legs were still wrapped tightly around her waist, and trailed her fingertips to the right, Santana knowing without even having to look at the fingers of Brittany for that matter to know where she was going. Her eyes fluttered closed when she felt them connect with the significant spot on her otherwise near-perfect unmarked skin. They lingered, slowly tracing and brushing over the contrasting bump of scar tissue that reminded them both how close she had actually come to dying. Non-killing shot or not it still didn't change the fact that she now had a physical reminder of what she had been through, what she had done.

Luckily for her though the touches ceased and in it's place she felt a soft wetness. Opening her eyes and looking down she saw Brittany's combined index and middle finger resting over the top of it, Santana not even having to ask her to know she was pressing a kiss to it in the only way she could given their current positions. The sentimental moment didn't last for very long though, Brittany's eyes drifting up to the other gunshot scar that rested in the center of her shoulder that was clear as day even in the darkened room. Seconds later Santana brought her back to reality when she felt hands on her thighs and she smiled as the other woman's hands slid teasingly slow up her jean-clad legs towards her center.

Grinning Santana pulled Brittany upwards after slipping her hands around her to her lower back, slightly calloused hands gravitating towards the one piece of clothing that remained on Brittany before they would be equal again. Resuming their earlier kiss Santana proceeded to unclasp the center of her bra, hooking her fingers in the straps and pulling towards her. Soon enough the lacy pink piece of material was joining her own bra on the motel room floor, the two woman now completely half naked.

Staying where she was Brittany let her arms wrap around Santana's neck, their bare chests now connecting with one another, flesh on flesh the feeling they had been waiting so long to feel again. And it only served to fuel the need for more, their lust for one another now back in full force through the rushed back and forth of their kisses. Soon Santana had had enough of where she was, the first one of them pushing things forward. She needed more of Brittany, more of the intoxicating feeling that she was provoking deep inside of her. The need became rushed and as much as she hated it she unhooked the other woman's legs from around her waist, her hands quickly flying to the button above the zipper. In a matter of mere moments Brittany's jeans were unclasped and unzipped, Santana already making light work of the boots that she had been wearing. They fell to the floor at the foot of the bed with a soft thump whilst her hands took hold of her jeans, pulling insistently until they started moving. Brittany helped with the rising of her hips, making Santana's job easier as she tugged them off until she was left with just the lower half of her underwear remaining.

Their lips met again and Santana was pulled forward. Long slender cream coloured legs made to wrap themselves around her waist once more but Brittany knew that if she let herself wrap around her lover again she probably wouldn't want to let go and if there was one thing she needed right now it was for Santana to be pant-less. She needed her in a hungry way and there wasn't a chance she could proceed with what she wanted if they weren't both naked. That's why she pushed the other woman so that she was knelt back up again, this time going with her, and she batted her hands away as she made light work of her belt buckle, her long and slender fingers turning Santana on as she watched them unbutton and unzip her jeans. At the sight of her boxers Brittany couldn't get her jeans off quick enough. Luckily Santana had noticed just how desperate she was and as soon as she freed her feet of her Jordan's she slipped them off as fast as she could, when in reality it wasn't really all but a few seconds. But a few seconds were enough and soon she was back on top of Brittany as if she had never been off.

Their kisses grew more rapid as they rushed to pull the last pieces of clothing off of their bodies, soon joining the rest of their clothes strewn about the entire space of the motel room. Call it cliché but right now their only focus was connecting in a way they knew both of them would enjoy greatly as well as reassuring how they felt about each other.

Thoughts didn't last long though as soon they were both moaning, Brittany more than Santana as she felt kiss swollen lips attach themselves back to her pulse point, firm hands kneading the skin of her hips and thighs. It was much like a happy cat in a way, Brittany reminded of the feline way they would clench and unclench their paws to show how happy they were – but Santana wasn't a cat. She was a very real, very sexy human being that right now was putting to shame everybody in the history of the Earth just how to make someone nearly come by just kissing their neck. It was a skill that she possessed that blew Brittany's mind every time, always catching her by surprise but then doing it so good she nearly passed out and now was no different. She was sucking and nibbling and kissing at that one special spot that no one else had ever seemed to hit, never seemed to quite discover, and it was making her tense. Tense enough to know that if she didn't touch her soon she was sure she would explode from the anticipation she was drawing from her.

It wasn't long to wait. Santana also had a knack for knowing when enough was enough, when Brittany was at just the right point for her to initiate the next phase, the one she had been looking forward since the first moment their lips had met hungrily outside on the balcony. The Latina's lips pressed themselves to hers once again and she moaned into them, Santana swallowing the moan as she let herself enjoy the simple action of kissing the woman she loved. The woman she was hungry for.

The hunger within her made itself known in the form of a ripple in the pit of her stomach, that all too familiar feeling of anticipation of what was to come – and she wanted it bad. Her hand trailed from the hollow of Brittany's neck and down unhurriedly and bit by bit until it reached her bellybutton. Brittany felt her fingers lightly dip into the just-there crevice before they met the barely-there bumps of where her jeans had been pressing at her skin minutes before. They didn't linger though, not that she had expected them too, and before she knew it they were slipping through her folds and her hands flew up to cup the back of her head, Santana not in the least bit minding the rough way in which slender fingers grasped at her hair.

Brittany moaned at the feeling of finally being touched, it was the feeling that she longed for, the roughness of her hands gripping Santana's scalp whilst her fingers started massaging her in a fashion that bordered on almost criminal. It felt wrong, how good Santana was touching her, but at the same time she couldn't resist or deny it. It felt too damn good to tell her no and despite the slow pace it was clear that Santana was just as desperate as she was, that fervour bubbling just below both of their skin, nipping and hungering to be set free, to allow them to let go and bare the passion they bore for each other for the world to see. Or at least, the dark motel room they had chosen to meet at.

The feeling of malnourished need became too much for Brittany, her tugs and scrapes at Santana scalp obviously not enough to push the other woman into understanding what she needed. Instead she pulled her lips away from hers and stared up at her, her chest heaving as she panted for air she had so willingly given up in favour of Santana's lips. "Santana"

It was barely a whisper but she heard it, her eyes dilated but searching Brittany's own for an answer. "Is everything ok?" She husked back, her head dipping to the blonde's neck beneath her.

Brittany moaned involuntarily, Santana's lips now ravishing the other side of her neck. Feeling her nip and then suck it took her a few moments to regain a small shred of her composure to reply. She took a quick breath before pulling Santana's ear to the same height as her mouth, her hands gripping tightly in between the waves of her inky black hair.

"Fuck me Santana"

Without even needing to be further prompting the Latina did just that, her fingers plunging inside of the woman beneath her. Brittany moaned again albeit this time much louder than before and felt her entire body arch up from the bed as Santana brought on that feeling she knew had been building since they first entered the room. She heard the world around her go silent, no passing cars outside, no constant buzz from the neon sign, no rattling air conditioning. Santana and she knew that this was far from making love, this was raw primal need that had been building for way too long a time. Her leg hooked up around Santana's waist. Making sure that she could continue she felt her movements only grow and intensify tenfold. It was a feeling that she hadn't really touched before, not with anybody, and Santana seemed to be the only person who had been capable of pushing and even touching that limit. It was enticing, knowing that the other woman was the only person to have this effect on her, and she made sure to enjoy every single moment of it despite feeling her body slowly slipping further and further into Santana's touch.

It wasn't until a few quick but powerful thrusts of her fingers later that she felt that familiar coil settle itself in the pit of her stomach, rapidly growing the harder Santana went. Her vision blurred, or at least she knew it would, but just like every other time they had been together she had them screwed shut, a sure shot way she knew to disconnect everything else around her in favour of the feeling. Santana continued to push though, lost in the sounds of Brittany's moans and gasps. It was overwhelming but she wouldn't trade it for the world. Knowing that she was the one causing this only urged her on and soon she knew just how close Brittany was. So she kept going. She kept going and going, every thrust harder and more urgent until the last second when she heard Brittany let out a loud groan not caring who would hear. It was only for Santana and they both knew it, Brittany feeling herself tip off the edge of the proverbial cliff. Her hands scratched at Santana's back and scalp as a white light engulfed her vision, the high taking her and engulfing everything that she was. She wanted to scream-

Brittany gasped as she shot up in bed, her back ramrod straight, her breathing erratic. Her vision was blurred from her deep sleep but it didn't take long to clear when she started to recognize her surroundings. The room was dark but she could make out the familiar objects and furniture of her childhood bedroom. That's when she realised that what she had just conjured up was a dream. Her and Santana hadn't met at a motel on the edge of town and they certainly hadn't gotten intimate with each other. The fact that this wasn't real didn't serve to calm her completely but only leave her with more questions, like why was she dreaming about this in the first place?

Throwing her sweat soaked sheets to the side she slipped out of bed and entered her small bathroom, flipping on the light and running the faucet. Soon enough she was able to splash cold water on her face to wake herself up even more. She couldn't describe it as she gripped the edges of the sink tightly in her hands but there was this kind of haze on her brain. There was deep confusion as to why she had dreamt of her and Santana together but there was also the question of why she wasn't offended by it. Surely after what Santana had put her through, what they went through as a couple, that now after they were broken up she wouldn't have dreams like this. Apparently her subconscious had other ideas. She had no control over her dreams, she knew that, but she also knew that someone had mentioned a long time ago that your dreams were related to things you don't think about actively, they reflected what you wanted, what you desired. Did that mean that somewhere deep down inside of her that she still wanted Santana even when she had broken her heart? Maybe it was the fact that she'd come to her parents house this weekend to try and ignore the fact that she'd be the only member of the crew alone on valentines day, or maybe she was unconsciously longing for something she didn't know she wanted.

Whatever the answer to the question was she was sure she wasn't going to find it tonight. Not when images of Santana kissing her body were flashing through her mind over and over, taunting her and enticing her at the same time. They would be answered in the light of day when she had time to think after being awake for a few hours but right now all she wanted to do was get back into bed. There was a fear, a very strong one at that, that this surely wouldn't be the last one but nevertheless she ignored it in favour of resting. She needed to. She didn't think that she could comprehend any of the thoughts her brain would throw at her if she stayed awake so it was a risk she was willing to take.

Sighing she padded back over to her bed, sliding under the covers but not laying down. Rubbing at her temples she shook her head trying to forget everything that had just happened. Most dreams she forgot within a few minutes of waking up but she had a feeling that this one wouldn't be leaving so quickly. Laying back down and turning the light off she curled up and closed her eyes hoping that her brain would shut up long enough to let her fall back to sleep, at least for a few hours.

Santana's heart paced rapidly as her eyes flew open, the first thing she saw being the white ceiling of her small garage. Sitting up a few moments later she swung her feet around until they were hanging off of the couch, her sneaker-clad feet hitting the cold grey concrete floor. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and let her head fall into her hands, running them along her face before she rubbed at her tired eyes. She yawned as her body started waking up and after stretching she checked the time on her phone. 1:15am. Her nap had lasted longer that she had anticipated and by the looks of it her body had been much more tired that she'd realised. Enough to put her into a deep enough sleep that she dreamt of her and Brittany.

It wasn't a rare occurrence but it wasn't exactly common either. Ever since she'd gotten out of hospital her nightmares and intense dreams had gradually lessened and they only came at random times, now being one of them. She'd dreamt of Brittany before but it hadn't been this vivid, hadn't been enough to make her sweat and her heart race. It was so intense that it almost felt real, as if she had really been touching her, kissing her. Shaking her head she stretched before she could let the thoughts take root. She knew that once they did that, once they planted those first few seeds, that wherever she looked everything would remind her of the woman she loved and had broken the heart of. She didn't want that. At least not again. She'd only just started getting over her.

Standing up and letting out another yawn she rubbed at her scar on her arm as she tried to ignore the pain in her shoulder and abdomen from sleeping on such an awkward surface. It was her own fault but she guessed she needed the wake up call after the dream she had just had. She should probably get back too. She'd been here since the morning of the day before pushing herself to get her car back up to racing spec ready for her first race. She wouldn't admit to anyone else but herself that it was for much more than that. She had locked herself away from the world for two days straight trying to ignore the fact that she'd fucked up the only one good relationship she'd ever had and broke the other woman's heart. She'd thrown herself into her work to mask the pain of knowing she wouldn't be spending such an important day with her and telling her how much she loved her. It was her own fault, she knew that, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

Groaning at the pain from her gunshot abrasions she stretched one last time before yawning again and grabbing her keys and jacket. Pulling on said jacket she locked up the garage and eyed the bus stop down the street. She guessed tonight that by the state of her car she wouldn't be driving anywhere.

It was a bright sunny Monday morning two days later when Shelby pulled up in the center of the yard of Burt's Garage. Holly's Jag wasn't far behind and soon they were both stepping out into the bright morning sun.

"Miss Ortiz, I have some news"

Letty looked up from where she had been discussing something with Mia. "Only good news I hope?"

Shelby smiled. "You bet"

"Then spit it out"

"Round up your crew and I will"

"Whatever you say Corcoran"

Shelby smiled and watched as the crew leader placed a kiss to her girlfriend's forehead before turning to the garage. "Everybody listen up! Shelby has some news so gather round"

It didn't take long for the various crew members to pause what they were doing and head towards the front of the garage where their crew leader was stood. When they had all situated themselves in a semi circle Letty turned to Shelby. "Go ahead"

She nodded in appreciation and clapped her hands together. "Ok so I know after what happened last year you guys are a little tense and I don't blame you. I still am but I wanted you guys to be the first to know that me and Schue have been talking and we've set a date for this years Race Wars!"

There were a few murmurs but at least some of them were smiling. "But what about the prize?"

The older woman smiled over at her daughter who had her arms crossed stood next to Quinn. "I'm glad you asked. We've partnered up with a few dealerships in the area and we're giving away a car of the winners choice."

"So we get to pick?" Quinn inquired.

"Of course. We have a few dealerships on board already and we're waiting on a few more for their reply. In the mean time we wanted to tell you that we set a date"

Letty raised an eyebrow as she lent up against the garage door. "So when is it?"

"June the twenty sixth"

"So we're doing a summer one this year?"

"Yes and before you know it it will be here, but I figure five months is plenty of time for you guys to start getting ready?"

"Of course. We'll be ready"

"Good. You'll need to be if you're going to beat Puck this year"

"We'll do more than beat him, I promise you"

"Keep that fire, you're all gonna need it"

"It's not going out that easy. In the meantime I think that it's time for some celebratory racing tonight! Who's in?" There were a chorus of me's and I am's in response. Letty smiled and clapped her hands together. "Ok then, tonight it is. Everybody back to work and we'll celebrate tonight." Once the crew had dispersed again back to what they were doing before Letty turned to Shelby. "So are you guys coming tonight?"

"We'll be there"

"Yeah man, of course" Holly added with a smile.

"Well ok then. I'll see you tonight?"

"Yes. We'll see you at the meet"

Santana admired her car as she wiped her hands clean of residue grease. It was ready and she was ready. Tonight was the night she'd finally get back into what she loved to do, which is race. But first she had some things she needed to take care of. Throwing the rag down onto the counter against the back wall she walked over to the duffel back that was on one side of the couch. She unzipped it and then pulled her garage shirt and under-shirt off, exchanging them for the blue and white OBEY baseball raglan inside the bag. She then grabbed her jacket and pulled it on before swapping her Converses for the pair of grey DC's, slipping them on and picking out a grey beanie. She zipped up the bag, put on her hat and then grabbed her keys. Sliding into the Nissan she smiled as she fired it up, the fine tuning presenting itself in the form of a perfect purr that you could get only from a tuner engine. Pulling out she stopped and grabbed the small remote from the empty passenger seat, clicking on the button and watching in her rear-view as the door closed automatically. Another little thing she had worked on in between tuning and practising. Now she was ready to go.

She pulled up at the race meet ten minutes later, the location familiar, and watched from a distance as the throng of people bustled about checking out each others cars. It was only then as she watched the scene she hadn't been a part of for so long that she noticed the familiar group of cars all lined up on one side of the road. Letty's crew.

She'd had no idea that tonight they would be here tonight, let alone all of them. It must have been important if they all had their individual cars, something that wasn't a usual occurrence but Santana knew that it was a risk she had to take. She was dipping back into the scene and she was bound to come into contact with them at some point or another. Luckily for her the only contact she had had with them was from afar, the day that she and Matt had been practising at the docks and they had driven to the meet together before she left. Now though she knew that there wasn't any turning back and she had to do this. She had to get back into racing, rivalries or not. Luckily for her though she spotted Matt's car parked not far away next to somebody else and she pulled up and reversed up next to him. Getting out of the car she pocketed the keys and smiled over at him.

"Matt!"

"Santana!"

From the other side of the road the crew were discussing who would be racing when Tina spotted a gold Nissan pulling up into the meet. She couldn't see the driver in between the masses of people and the tinted windows but she recognized the car.

"Hey guys, isn't that the car we saw not too long ago?"

Letty looked up and followed Tina's gaze. "Yeah, I think it is"

"You think they're racing tonight?" Quinn asked, just as curious as Tina.

Letty shrugged. "If they have the balls"

"That's true" Marley added as they all watched the car pull up and park next to Matt. What they didn't expect though was the person who stepped out of it. "What the-?"

"Fuck"

"Fuck no!"

Letty caught Dani just in time. "Chill Harper!"

"But the bitch had the nerve to show up! You know she's racing!"

"I'm not stupid Dani but I'm not going to let you go and beat her lights out. At least not until we find out what she's doing here"

"But-"

"I said no"

"Baby, calm down"

Dani sighed as her shoulders deflated, the anger still very much clear in her expression ad body language. Turning to Kitty she nodded. "Fine"

Rachel turned to her best friend, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "Britt, you ok?"

"I don't know"

"Do you wanna leave?"

The question snapped the blonde out of her gaze causing her to turn to Rachel and shake her head. "No, I have to be here"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course"

Nodding Rachel decided to leave it alone. She knew better than to push Brittany, especially on the subject of Santana.

Across the road Santana pulled away from Matt. "So are you finally ready to do this?"

"Yep. As ready as I'll ever be"

"What about the car?"

Santana smiled as she looked back at her 350. "As ready as she'll ever be. She's at peak performance, or at least what she was the day I got taken in"

"So in other words ready to crush your competition?"

"Hell yeah" She laughed.

"Does Roz know you're back?"

"Yeah, I text her this afternoon. She told me to be careful"

"You're gonna need it. Puck's coming tonight"

"So both crews are gonna be here?"

"Yeah. You do know you still have a chance to back out right?"

"I know but this needs to get done. I need to do this at some point. Better now than later. Cassandra gonna be here?"

He nodded. "Likely. The whole of his crew will be. Shelby announced the new date for Race Wars today"

"She did?"

"Yep. June twenty sixth. That's why Letty has the full fleet out tonight. You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just itching to get back behind the wheel."

"Then let's head over there."

Nodding she rubbed at her jacket-clad scarred forearm as she followed him over to where Blaine was signing up competitors. She took a deep breath as she pushed past people, eventually coming to the center where all of the main hierarchy were located. Seeing Letty, Puck, Blaine, Shelby, Holly and the crew all stood around waiting for things to get under way she knew she was once part of this sacred inner circle. An inner circle that you could only be a part of if you proved yourself behind the wheel and in the garage. Unfortunately for her she'd squandered any chance of ever being a part of it again so instead she just pushed it to the back of her mind as she focused back on the crowd. Everybody gasped as she came into sight and to a stop next to Matt. Everybody was in shock but by the looks on her former crews faces they were much more than simply shocked that she was there.

A familiar but chilling voice cut the thick tension engulfing the crowd. "Santana Lopez. Good to see you didn't die"

Santana found Cassandra and shook her head. "No thanks to you"

"Keep that lovely underwear of yours in check Miss Lopez. I simply helped you along"

"Whatever"

"Back to what we were discussing beforehand. Everybody who wants to race better speak up now. Anybody?"

"Brody and Sam are racing tonight"

Blaine nodded over at Puck and then over at Letty. "Letty?"

"Quinn and Dani"

"Good. Anybody else?"

"Me"

Blaine looked at Santana. "No, you're not welcome"

"I might not be welcome but I have the cash to buy-in and the pink slips to my car"

Blaine looked over at Shelby who as an icon on the local scene and had even higher authority than he did. She sent him a barely-there nod before he turned back to look at Santana. "Fine, you're in but I want your cash and slips now"

"Done"

"Everybody line up your cars and we'll go"

Santana handed over a roll of money and her pink slips, Blaine adding it to the prize pot before she turned and made her way over to where she had parked her car. She slipped in and started it it up before parking right on the end of the line next to Quinn. She buckled herself into her harness and took a look at her go-pro mounted on the dashboard, adjusting it slightly. It was a new addition but a welcome one, something she had done primarily to learn from whilst she had been practising with Matt. Now however she planned to use it to see how this race turned out and what to do next if she lost. Tonight was a high stakes race considering her opponents but she wasn't going to ignore the idea that she might just lose this, whether it be from her still-recovering injuries or her lack of experience since. Whatever it may be she was going to make sure she learnt from it to come back better the next time around. That's why she grabbed the small device from her glove compartment and hooked up the camera to set it to the usual race frequency courtesy of Matt. Now tuned in on the off chance anybody wanted to watch her (mainly for Matt's sake and Roz later on) she reached over the console in the middle and unscrewed the valve that was connected all the way back to the large Nos tank sitting in the middle of the custom made trunk space at the back of the car (another one of her inventions but this one she had conjured up in her time away from Lima). When she heard the signature pressure release she checked the digital bottle gauge to her left up along the line of the window, then the manual signature Nos one before flipping a few switches that were located on the center console to arm the bottle completely. Pressing a few buttons on the touch screen of the entertainment system above it she let herself relax as music started to fill her car.

Beats that'll make you break dancers party

As the music filled the cabin of the car Santana took the moment of brief reprieve to stare out of her window. She found Puck to the left parked up next to Cassandra's Mercedes with the blonde all over his lap in a skin tight dress that barely covered the bottom of her butt, her signature black high heels rubbing up and down the crew leaders legs. A chill went up her spine and she felt a brief ache of pain in her shoulder and abdomen at the sight and thought of the other woman, knowing that she had nearly killed her on purpose and now she was just stood there as if she belonged to be where she was, as if she had earned it when in reality she had done all the work, had gotten her hands dirty and scarred so that she could walk away a free woman. It wasn't fair but it wasn't her focus. Tonight she had to win this race. The challenge was definitely big enough but it was enough for her to prove that she was worthy to be back in this scene. That didn't mean that one day she wouldn't call the blonde out – she just had to wait for the right time.

Across from Puck and his crew were the rest of Letty's, the Latina crew leader chatting with Mia, Shelby and Holly. Next to them Tina and Marley were stood discussing something with Rachel and Brittany. There was no question what it was they were talking about – her. She didn't blame them though. They had every right to be shocked that she'd turned up out of the blue wanting to race again. That didn't make it easier though, she couldn't keep her eyes on Brittany for more than a few split seconds before she blushed and had to look at something else, especially when it only reminded her and flashed images of her dream the other night in her mind. It seemed to be popping up at the most inappropriate moments but now seeing Brittany in the flesh only made it worse. It made it worse because not only was she dreaming out them being together intimately but she also knew that she'd caused the pain she was seeing on her face as she stood and tried to ignore the Latina's presence.

But it was true. Brittany couldn't ignore the fact that Santana was not that far away, that she had turned up out of nowhere to race again. She didn't know what to do with herself. She should have left whilst she had the chance but she didn't. Instead she stayed and she didn't know why. It was confusing and it was starting to make her head hurt. She latched onto that fact and focused back onto what Rachel was saying. She couldn't deal with this right now. She really wanted to forget and she'd take anything she could get.

Back in her car Santana watched as Brittany averted her gaze back to Rachel and she sighed as she let her head fall back into her bucket seat, turning her own gaze more to her right to the person next to her. Quinn noticed her eyes on her and she shook her head with a frown before turning back to the road in front of her. Looking past her to Dani she felt a chill run down her spine when the blonde mimicked slitting her throat. Ignoring the threat that she knew Dani would very much follow through on if she had the chance she watched as Blaine made his way over to the center, or at least the nearest center considering there wasn't an equal number of them racing. Now stood in between Dani and Brody he nodded at all of them to check they were ready, intentionally missing Santana, and raised his arms.

"Three...two...one...go!"

A rush of flames spat out of the exhausts of all five cars as they sped off the line, already getting the race under way. The race track was simple enough – across town and back again. On any given day she would have laughed at how easily she could breeze through it but simply put those days were behind her, at least for now they were. Instead she had to think about not only being ahead of the pack but getting past Quinn, Brody, Dani and Sam to get there as well as being careful enough to not put too much stress on her body. She had a funny feeling with the way Dani had threatened her and Quinn's look of disgust she'd have her work cut out for her. It wasn't going to be easy.

Back on the start line the crew watched the dashboard cameras, huddled around two iPads as they watched Quinn speed past Sam into third and Dani take an early lead ahead of Brody. Tina frowned when she noticed something.

"Hold on guys" A few seconds later and an extra screen was added, no question in any ones minds who it belonged to. "There. The signal was telling me I had another screen logged into the server."

"But didn't we change it?" Rachel asked from where she was huddled around the second iPad with Brittany, Kitty, Shelby and Holly.

The Asian woman nodded and averted her gaze back to the tablet she was holding. "We did but she must have found a way in. I made sure to make it so that everybody had the new access code to get in after Race Wars."

"I gave her the access" Everybody's attentions were momentarily lifted from the two digital screens to Matt who was stood watching on his phone. He shrugged over at them. "She was racing, everybody deserved a fair shot at recording their race. I won't say anything else other than she wanted it for practice and I wanted to watch her"

Letty shook her head and looked back down at the screen. "Whatever the hell she's thinking isn't any of our business any more. Let's just focus back on what Quinn and Dani are doing."

Matt sighed as the last pair of questioning eyes, which belonged to Rachel, left him to focus back on the race. They could hate him all they wanted but the simple fact of the matter was that Santana knew how important this race was even if she did lose. She wanted physical evidence so that she could learn from it and get better. He didn't question it, just gave her the key to open the door.

Back on the roads weaving through traffic Santana was having a hard time passing Sam. Her car wasn't the issue, she knew she could beat him in a heartbeat, but he wasn't letting her past and it was starting to piss her off. She needed to get ahead if she was even going to have a slither of a chance at overtaking both Quinn and Dani for first place on the trip back. That meant stepping it up a gear but Sam wasn't relenting, he was just making her life a lot harder than it had to be.

She took a momentary breath of air as she focused on the back lights of his car, his new car. Obviously to replace his DB9 that she had won prior Cassandra had upgraded him to a golden pearlescent Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, which presented another problem to her. Well, it was rather a small annoyance. It was classed as a super car which meant he was getting off on the power he now thought he held over her as he yet again denied her his place. They came up to another bend in the road and Santana narrowly avoided oncoming traffic as she swerved to get back on the side of the road where the traffic was at least going in the same direction ahead of her. Sam laughed as he watched her through his rear-view mirror, knowing that he was making her sweat. All he cared about was the fact that she was in last place where she belonged.

"Suck on this Lopez" He smirked before pressing down on one of the Nos buttons in the center of his steering wheel.

All of a sudden a blue flame burst from the exhaust pipe and Santana watched on helplessly as he was thrown forwards, leaving her to deal with the aftermath of his traffic disruption. Other drivers honked and beeped at her as she struggled to weave in and out of them whilst keeping speed, the Latina groaning as she only just avoided a mini van whilst turning her body too far to right. Her side ached in sudden pain but she had little time to think about it as she caught sight of his lights once again up ahead. They were coming up to the last few turns before they came upon the second half of the race – the sprint back to the start/finish line. She had to take him over now or she had no chance. Her hands tightening around the wheel her vision focused to the rear lights of the Ferrari, everything else around her blurring. All she saw was his car, her target, and she had it locked on. Sam wasn't finishing above her, not in that typical rich boy car.

She shifted up into fifth gear quickly, the signature sound of the gear stick music to her ears and the whiz of the gear change was enough to throw her ahead, her car's power showing just what it was capable of. She weaved in and out of traffic, Sam's disruption causing drivers ahead of her to turn across the road and weave into the other lane of traffic. Her focus didn't waver though, only strengthened as she saw Quinn's Skyline up ahead. That was her true target, Sam was just in the way. She swerved from left to right and saw the hairpin turn coming up, Quinn just about to enter it. It was now or never. Seeing the only opening she took it, letting her car slide slightly as she suddenly slipped through a gap between oncoming traffic heading towards her and going the same way. Sam and Quinn never saw it coming, watching as she then snapped the back end of the car to the right to avoid another car and then suddenly back to the left into the turn. One hand on the handbrake and the other on the wheel she used all of her drifting skill and knowledge to keep the slide tight and as close to the inside of the turn as possible. She'd taken a risk throwing herself into it, no margin for error as hitting both Quinn and Sam was a very real problem. She could have hit either one of them if she hadn't been fast enough in her speed and timing and ended her chances there, her car and theirs equally in need of repair. Luckily for her though she'd made it and she snapped the car back into a straight line as she began the second leg of the race in third place.

It didn't come without a price though. Having used one arm to control the direction of the car had lit a barely-there throb into a serious issue, the pain radiating with every passing second even with two hands now back controlling the wheel. It wasn't very good but she wasn't about to let it stop her. She was ahead of Quinn and Sam, she only had Brody and Dani standing between her and her first win back on the scene and she was damned if she was going to let a little pain stop her from reclaiming at least a little but of her dignity and credibility. But it wasn't going to be that easy.

Letty swore as she watched Santana drift close to the inside line of the turn taking over both Sam and Quinn. "Fuck" She groaned, a hand coming up to her forehead. "Get it back Quinn"

"She needs to do this!" Tina added, everybody's demeanour instantly shifting to tat in annoyance as Santana overtook one of their best drivers as well as a car that was clearly of a higher class than her Nissan, no matter who was behind the wheel. What they didn't know was how good that car really was.

That's what Matt was thinking as he glanced back from them to the iPhone in his hands, watching as the camera swerved in an all too familiar way. He knew the others wouldn't pick up on the slight sway of the picture but he'd been training with Santana too intensely to have missed it. She was in pain, he knew that much. He'd seen it a lot when she started driving again, watching from the sideline as she sped past, her pain clearly showing in the movements of the car. He knew enough to know that if it was any other car anybody would miss it if they weren't looking hard enough. Most other cars weren't as light as Santana's car. This 350Z was the lightest one he'd ever seen and it was a true testament to Santana's tuning abilities. That still didn't change the fact that she was already struggling though. This ability to see Santana's slightest moments was a gift and a curse for the woman behind the wheel, showing that she was clearly in pain and unable to keep up her newly gained lead. He watched helplessly as he watched both Quinn and her camera's as the blonde overtook and regained third place putting her just ahead of Sam.

"Go Fabray!" Marley cheered, Matt rolling his eyes but never once leaving Santana's dashboard cam.

"Come on Santana, I know you can catch it back. You did it enough with me in practice. Pull it back S" He whispered under his breath, praying to God that the Latina could get it back before it was too late. She had just one chance to show that she was serious about being back in this scene.

Santana knew this too as she watched Quinn get further ahead of her, Sam about two car lengths behind her. Now she had to worry about two things. She was now in the role of keeping the other back, not giving him an inch to pass by her. If he did that she knew her chances of winning were lost but she knew in addition if she didn't claw back that place from Quinn her chances would be dead in the water by the next few turns. That's why she shook her head of any doubts that she would lose and any residual pain in favour of proving herself. She'd done it before and she'd do it again. This resulted in throwing her car into a higher gear, pulling further ahead of Sam and closer to Quinn. She watched as the blonde weaved in and out of the traffic, her signature rear lights Santana's soul focus as she stuck to her like glue. That was the only way she was going to get her chance, she just had to stay on her and wait for the moment the other woman gave her the inch she needed to overtake her.

She knew the Skyline about three cars in front of her, her time spent with the other woman racing against one another giving her enough knowledge to know both what the car was capable of and what the driver behind the wheel would do. As expected Quinn put her signature precision into play and Santana saw her chance as her next song kicked into action through her speakers.

Push it to the limit

Port of Miami (uhh), I'm importin' the candy (uhh)
Ain't got nuttin to lose, we supportin' the family
Never traffic for fun, only traffic for funds
All I seen is the struggle, it's like I'm trapped in the slums
Workers were barely paid, no water, we barely bathe
There better be better days on the way that's on my daddy grave
I'm pushin it hard, I'm pushin it soft
If he pushin a line, he pushin for Ross
I waited and waited, I done ran out of patience
They hated and hated, left him slow dancin' with Satan
Fresh in my white tee, Mac-11, swear to God
I bought my first block, broke it down and tore the block apart

Pressing her foot flat to the floor she let her car do the rest and with one slight rotation of the steering wheel to the left her car moved as if it was gliding through water, the car's power roaring as she let it gain speed. The engine strained and begged for more power, begged for her to shift expertly into the highest gear but she knew there was time for it and it wasn't quite time. Not yet. Instead she let herself come up right beside Quinn, the blonde frowning over at her quickly as she thought she had left her long behind her. Instead she was wrong and she was unsure of what to do. Santana's gaze was that signature calm, that signature determination and she knew that she was the one that she was focused on. All she had to do was move her arm and she was ahead.

Quinn knew this, knew how Santana would do this and she wasn't sure what to do. Santana was aware of the bad blood between them, the tension, but as she avoided an oncoming car to rejoin Quinn she knew her window was running out. She didn't want to cause any more anger between the two of them but she had to take her shot at winning and unfortunately her former best friend was in the way. Her focus back on the road and already mapping out her route she shifted up into that final gear, not even needing to touch the Nos as she threw her car ahead, Quinn stunned at the pure speed it possessed. She'd definitely underestimated just how good the Latina's former car was and she paid the price in the form of watching her pull ahead into oncoming traffic.

I push and I push, I ride and I ride
Trying to survive on 95
Put it all on the line every drop of a dime
I be pushin' them whips, yep, three at time
I'm pushin' it, I'm pushin' it
I'm pushin' it, I gotta (push it to the limit)
II'm pushin' it, I'm pushin' it
I'm pushin' it, I gotta (push it to the limit)

Santana quickly ignored the thoughts of her former friend thought as she focused on her next target, Brody, who was a ways ahead of her. She had catching up to do and it wasn't going to be easy. Brody didn't exactly have an easy car to overtake. As she had done with Sam Cassandra had upgraded Puck's second-in-command in style and given him way to much power that he didn't deserve. In a yellow Koenigsegg Agrera R super car he was sliding around every corner as if he was a bat out of hell, Brody not caring for anybody else on the road as he battled back and forth with Dani for first place. Santana made sure to keep each turn tight as she hit each one at high speed, her wheelman (or wheelwoman in her case) brain putting the pain from her abdomen and shoulder to the back of her mind, the mission at hand much more important than the distress signals that her body was sending to her head. She had to do this and she couldn't worry about anything other than the idiot in front of her that thought he owned the road in his brand new rich boy car.

She watched carefully overtook Dani and then as she overtook him about a turn later. Her time wasn't now, she had time before the end of the race and she had to make sure that she didn't crash if she wasn't going to try to overtake them in such powerful cars. Dani was a stickler for ruthlessness and winning at all costs, her style a mix of both Marley's reckless regard and Quinn's pinpoint precision, this expertise a definite asset to Letty's crew, but it wasn't enough to keep Brody off her back. With the way he was driving, the way he had driven against her in their previous race moths before was amplified ten times by stupidity and a false sense of power. That made for an explosive mix that any street racer knew would cost them their current place or even their life if they weren't careful. Brody was teetering on that very thin edge and Santana had to exploit it in just the right way if she was going to have a chance at taking out Dani.

The Koenigsegg swerved suddenly to the left, tires screeching as smoke bellowed from the tires in protest. He struggled to keep control as he snapped the powerful car suddenly to the right to avoid crashing again and Dani laughed from her rear-view mirror as she pulled ahead slightly and expanded her new lead. Santana was left to deal with the aftermath of his careless driving as she narrowly avoided crashing into an approaching mini cooper. She gasped and groaned in sudden pain as her stomach twisted the wrong way, her body then being thrown in the exact opposite direction moments later as she avoided a bus. Clearing the large vehicle she caught sight of Brody and momentarily checked her map. She didn't have as much time as she thought she did.

I handle dope like a vandal off the banana boat
Bananas in our rifles, no cyphers, I'm just the man to know
I paid dues, my moves done made news
I'm smooth, my suede shoes they new like...
Nobody used to speak, now e'rybody wave
You duck your momma house, you set your sister straight
I'm buildin' a dream, with elevators in it

She was running out of track and even though Quinn was momentarily set back by the traffic she'd just avoided she knew that it wouldn't be long before the other woman and Sam caught up with her to reclaim their places. The pain now too noticeable to force to the back of her mind but she knew she had to keep going. She had to win even if it killed her. It was this mindset that she used whilst she grit her teeth, willing the pain away as she applied the same technique she had used to overtake Quinn not that long before.

Up ahead the unique rear end of Brody's Agrera slid back and forth as he battled with both the power of the car and the feather-light steering that it possessed. He'd obviously not practised with it enough to know how to handle at least a fraction of it's power to handling ratio and she was going to exploit this to gain his place. She just had to wait until he was in the perfect position mid-slide to do it. Her eyes flickered between impending traffic heading her way and her target car, watching as it changed as he sped up the road at high speed. Her time was running out and she had to do something or else her chances at battling Dani were over for good and she couldn't let that happen. She needed to force it and it wasn't a smart idea but she didn't have any other options. It was this or nothing.

Tailor made the linen, no gators got on my hater-vision
I see ya, I see ya suckers, I see ya clear
I know you see me in that Phantom whiter than veneers
Allergic to broke, determined to blow
On the boat we hid the work in detergent and soap
We ship it from Haiti, baby I'm whippin them babies
Let it dry, let it dry, try to whip a Mercedes
Arrangin' my Range, here to rain ya parade
You gotta push it to the limit you wanna be paid

The music pumping through her veins she took the risk of forcing Brody's hand and shifted up another gear, her car quickly gaining ground on the super car up ahead. This was when the other driver first noticed that she was actually behind him, Brody lost in the feeling of adrenaline and power enough to not realise that she had gained two places since the start of the race. He thought for sure she'd still be in last place until the end of the race. That being said though he was wasn't about to let her win, not when she'd humiliated him twice before. Those days were over and he was sure his new car wouldn't let him down even if he still wasn't a hundred percent behind the wheel of it yet. Santana watched him carefully, their eyes meeting in his rear-view mirror as they approached the next turn. He smirked and she couldn't have missed it even if she wanted to. The difference was though she was heading into this turn smart and he wasn't. He had way too much power under the hood and he made the first mistake you should never make when entering a particularly technical corner. He went in fast and stupid.

She on the other hand smirked back at him and as soon as he activated his Nos button, his car flying into the turn at high speed, she pulled onto the handbrake and slid in smoothly, her car tight on the inside line. The Agrera squealed and struggled under the pressure and lack of control as speed won out, throwing his ability to keep the car in line out the window. The super car slid too far to the right, too much power winning out and allowing Santana the opening she needed. She took it and snapped the car to the left to handle the second part of the 'S' turn, immediately hitting Nos as soon as she reached the exit of the turn. She watched as Brody fell behind, still struggling to keep control of his car as she pressed her foot down to the floor and shifted up a gear to make up the space Dani had previously put behind her. Santana now had one last obstacle to overcome and Dani wasn't going to make it easy, not when she was clearly so close to winning and showing her that she didn't think she belonged back in this scene.

We started minute, the money matured
My money's secured, I got bundles in Europe
My bubble be pure, it cost like a hundred a pull
The world is yours, hundred million or more
Now I run the streets, they all mine
12 years overdue, call it due time

Santana was out to prove her wrong though and she was going to do it even if it was by the skin of her teeth. She made a mental image of the quick glance at her map to her right and figured how long she had left before the finish line. Three turns was cutting it close, especially with the space between her and the woman in first place but she wasn't going to let it phase her. She had much more to lose, Dani didn't. She'd paid a cash buy-in too but Santana had her car on the line and she was damned if on her first race back she was going to let anybody take it from her, it was her baby. She's worked long and hard for too many years to get it to where it was today, to make it one of the best, and it was the one last thing she owned that truly reminded her of her past and present. Who knows what Puck or Letty would do to it if they go their hands on it and she wasn't willing to find out. That's why she knew she had to kill Dani's chances at winning before she crossed the line before her.

I told you never roll on the soul of a soldier
You never know that dishwasher may be your beholder
Whoever thought that fat girl would grow into Oprah
Or that boy Rick Ross would be mouldin' the culture
I push and push, we breakin' the mould
We push and we push, we rake in the hoes

Quinn wasn't far behind, she knew that, Brody's slip up came with major consequences and now Santana was sandwiched between both of Letty's crew members fighting for first place in an impossibly close race and Dani and Quinn weren't going to make it easy for her, not by a long shot. That's why she had to pull this out of her ass but she needed to be smart about it if she was going to trick Dani into winning. She just had to catch up with her first. The other woman was fast, she'd admit it given her car and where it had come from but her 350Z was just as capable as hers, just as good and powerful enough to keep up. She'd beaten Sam's Ferrari and Brody's Koenigsegg, she could do this.

That's why she used all of her remaining control and the last remnants of strength in her injured arm to stay relatively fast without crashing through the next few turns to claw back space as Dani slowed down to take them easier. Santana predicted this, she had sustained the knowledge of how Dani drove, or at least enough to predict some of her movements. Catching sight of the familiar black and white rear end of Dani's Ford GT and it's huge rear spoiler she had one last chance to challenge her for the top spot. Seeing Quinn gaining in her own rear-view mirror she determinedly pounded her foot to the floor, the engine growling as it was fed with the horsepower it craved. Her eyes darting between the road ahead and the final turn Santana took a deep breath and gripped the wheel before pressing down on the second Nos button in the center. The car slid at high speed as she counter-steered until she was in as tightly as she could go.

Dani was already claiming the inside line so she had little to work with and she was at greater risk of a collision but she couldn't let that stop her, not now. Not when she was so close. Her Nos enhanced the slide to a point where any other driver wouldn't be able to handle it but Santana had done this before. She'd practised and pulled this move off multiple times but despite the fact that it gave her the upper hand in that moment her body wasn't happy about it. She hadn't done it for a while, at least not since before 'that day' and she was paying the price for the reckless move as she slid out of the turn. Dani watched and growled as she temporarily took the lead, the Nissan continuing to drift past traffic. She took her chance as Santana snapped the car back into a straight line and her lead didn't last for long as the blonde was already slipping past her before she had chance to snap fully back into place. Growling Santana shifted up a gear to pull back the speed she'd lost from the drift and Dani laughed as she took her rightful place in first.

Santana wasn't letting her go that easily. The music evoked something deep within her and she used it to take the last opportunity she had before she lost. All the pain her body was feeling melted into the background as she pulled up beside the Ford, the two women now on a level playing field. The road ahead was surprisingly clear as they battled for first, one car pulling ahead and then the other doing the same back and forth. The people up ahead at the finish line all retreated to the sidelines as they fast approached from the fear that at the speed they were going would most likely cause them to crash keeping them at a distance. It was a risk they weren't willing to take especially with how close Dani was pushing it in terms of staying glued to Santana's side. She wasn't going to let her win this easily.

Oncoming traffic forced them to pull apart briefly but it was enough to give Dani the confidence to press down on one of her Nos buttons for the first time in the race, the car lurching forward and closer to the finish line. Feeling as if she was in a drag race Santana could see that her time and the road was rapidly running out so without a seconds glance to the other woman she shifted up to the highest gear and threw her foot down to the floor, the pedal mashed as she used whatever was left in her Nos tanks by pressing down on both buttons. She hadn't expected it to work, not by a long shot, but it did and it slingshot her right back next to Dani and with one last prayer of faith in her cars abilities she felt her Nissan push itself to it's true limits as they approached the finish line. It was unclear who was going to win to the people watching in the distance but Dani knew if she didn't do something she'd lose for sure and she couldn't let that happen.

Pushing her own car to it's limit wasn't enough, she had to do something else so with one last flash of faith she grit her teeth and turned her car slightly to the left. It didn't seem all that much to anybody watching but it was enough to throw Santana's control off. The pain of her arm and stomach was enough to make her want to cry but she used the momentum to slam back into Dani's Ford, her hit more violent than the blonde's. Both cars swerved and the crowd cried as they jumped as far as they possibly could out of the way, both cars hurtling towards the finish line. In a blur of pure luck and control Santana was able to regain that last shred of discipline that Dani could never reach. She felt her injured arm pull in the wrong direction too far as she slid back and forth, Dani narrowly missing her as she too tried to avoid crashing. Both cars slowly lost speed but it wasn't until a ways past the finish line that they did finally come to a stop, smoke bellowing up from the burning rubber of their tires.

Santana just sat there in complete and total shock, her chest heaving heavily as she panted for air and her hands gripped tightly at the wheel. Her mind was blank at what had just happened, sure her life would have flashed in front of her eyes if Dani had pushed her even further. It hadn't been a smart move hitting her back but she would have lost and that wasn't an option. Luckily she'd come to a stop without hitting anything or anyone but she knew what could have happened and that's what brought her back to reality. The pain set in as her breathing returned to some semblance of normal, not quite sure if she had actually won. It had been so close and she wasn't sure if anyone had actually saw who crossed the line first. Looking to her left she saw the crowd and the two main crews now approaching her car.

"Shit" She cursed under her breath, unbuckling her harness with her good arm and sliding out.

Her right hand clutched at her bicep to try and stem the pain that was now radiating down from her shoulder to her scar and finally her hand. She tried to will it to calm down internally to focus on the onslaught she was she was about to endure from an approaching Dani. To say the blonde woman looked pissed was an understatement, more like she was about to explode from so much anger and rage and tear Santana limb from limb. She knew that this hatred and emotion was directed solely at her, she kind of deserved it, but that didn't change the fact that Dani looked terrifying with that rage burning unmistakably clear in her eyes.

"What the fuck! You could have killed me!" She was expecting a response but in all honestly Santana didn't know how to reply and Dani didn't take to the silence well. "Come on, say something you fucking coward!"

It was then that Santana had enough, snapping as both the pain in her arm and stomach finally got to her. "What can I say? You hit me first!"

"Doesn't mean you had to hit me back, bitch! You could have killed us both and everybody watching!"

It was an exaggeration of course, but Santana knew the risks involved when she made the decision to hit her back, crew and car damage alike. Luckily for her though she didn't have to explain herself for Letty cut in before Dani could lunge at her. "Dani, enough! Back off!" She commanded, the blonde Latina huffing in frustration but still eyeing Santana carefully with an eagle eye just as Kitty and the others finally joined them and the rest of the gathered crowd.

"It's true, she could have killed us if she hadn't ended up here" Rachel protested.

"Yeah, who knows what could have happened if she hit Dani harder than she did!" Marley added, the others murmuring in agreement.

"Everybody enough! She didn't kill anyone and that's end of it! Blaine, who won?"

"According to the line camera Santana did"

There was another eruption of murmurs that surged through the crowd just as Matt joined Santana's side, sending her a sympathetic look that Letty didn't miss. "Well then, she's the winner fair and square. Hand over the cash and her pink slips"

"Are you sure about that?" Cassandra piped up, her and Puck making their way to the front of the crowd.

Letty sighed, crossing her arms as she rolled her eyes. "She won, she gets the money and her pink slips back. No beef, a winner's a winner"

"Yeah but how did she beat my guys?"

"Well, maybe you need to get better drivers Puckerman. They were all over the place in those cereal box toys you put them in"

"Hey, those cars are some of the best in the world!"

"So how come she managed to beat you in that car of hers that's supposedly 'lower class' huh?"

"She most probably cheated. It wouldn't surprise me"

"Me either" Cassandra added, her gaze diverting onto said woman. "She probably did"

Santana sighed having had enough of this night, the pain and all their bickering. "I'm stood right here! For your information, all of you, this car," She emphasized, pointing to the golden coloured Nissan she was stood in front of. "Is one of the best damn cars in the entire state and I damn well didn't cheat!"

"No need to get snappy Miss Lopez, I was stating a simple fact"

Santana internally rolled her eyes at the use of her old nickname. She couldn't stay here any longer, not when this was the first time she'd seen the blonde woman since the day she shot her and left her for dead. "Look, I didn't cheat, I won fair and square and if you don't like it then next time you could actually get behind the wheel and see for yourself rather than sitting on the sidelines basically dry humping Puckerman. Right now I want my winnings so I can leave"

Cassandra wisely shut up, everybody else not quite knowing how to react to Santana's unusual outburst, her façade always having been calm before. As for the woman herself Santana didn't care what they thought of her. She was too much in pain to care for their thoughts and opinions on whether she cheated or not and all she wanted to do was go home and knock herself out on pain meds. Luckily for her Blaine handed her her winnings, her pink slips included, and even in her anger she didn't miss the hesitancy in his body language. She took it all as best she could and then opened her car door.

"Santana..."

"No Matt, I'm done talking about it"

The police officer was unable to stop her as she slipped into her car, buckling the race harness before starting up the engine. The crowd around it all pulled back to give her room to move and soon they were watching as the gold Nissan sped off and turned sharply onto another street out of sight.

Letty sighed and turned back to everybody else. "Come on guys, round of drinks at Kitty's on me"

Letty yawned and rubbed at her eyes as she sat on the arm of the couch near the garage entrance. When she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder she smiled when she looked up, seeing Mia stood with a coffee to-go cup in hand. Handing it to the Latina she smiled back and lent down to place a kiss to the top of her head. Letty sighed appreciatively as she took her first sip of coffee and reached up her free hand to cover the more petite one covering her shoulder.

"Thanks"

"No problem love"

Feeling Mia slide her other hand onto her opposite shoulder Letty let herself lean back into her touch as she watched the rest of the crew pull up into the garage yard. They parked up as neatly as they could and as soon as they were ready they all approached their crew leader and her girlfriend. Placing various backpacks and duffel bags of their personal tools down on the concrete floor of the garage they all made themselves comfortable in various positions and on various objects and focused on Letty.

"So, you wanted us to be here for a crew meeting before we started work?" Quinn asked, taking a sip of her own coffee as Rachel got herself settled next to her.

Letty nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to know where you were all at"

"This is about last night isn't it?" Marley asked, already sipping at her routine early morning energy drink.

She nodded, her gaze snapping from one crew member to the next as she tried to gauge their emotions, or at least some semblance of how they felt. "Yeah. Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I'm guessing we don't have a choice even if we don't, do we?"

Letty shook her head at Tina. "Nope. You don't have to say much I just wanted to ask you something"

"Go ahead" Rachel prompted, speaking up for the first time since she had arrived.

"Ok. I just wanted to know how you all felt about Santana being back again after all that happened. I wanted to know if you were all on some similarity of the same page or if you were going to be distracted from your job. I guess what I'm trying to do is find out if we have any issues and if we are ok with her being back or if we should ban her from racing after she won last night. Anyone wanna start?"

"Why don't we go from left to right?" Mia suggested, looking over at Dani who was the one closest to Letty's left side.

The blonde nodded in acknowledgement. She didn't want to speak but she knew for Letty's sake and how she reacted last night she had to. "Ok, well, last night I nearly won but she played dirty at the end"

"To be honest you did hit her first to put her off" Quinn cut in.

"Whatever. She hit me back and we nearly crashed. How in the hell did she get to second place anyway? That car can't be that good. It's nowhere near as powerful as my car let alone a Ferrari or a Koenigsegg. She had to have cheated"

"According to Matt it's the real deal" Mia shrugged.

"Oh please, how can we trust him? He's been helping the bitch since the moment Cassandra shot her. Can we really trust him on something like this?"

Letty sighed. "Matt's been a good guy ever since he introduced himself and he's kept us from getting arrested more times than I can count. I still trust him, even of he has been working with her. That's why I believe him when I trust him not to get us caught"

Mia nodded along with her girlfriend. "No matter who we trust now we all saw what happened last night when she drove. I'm in no way justifying what she did to us but that car packed a bigger punch than we expected which is why we can't deny that she had what she needed to challenge both Quinn and Dani"

"Whatever's under that fucking hood it's probably not legal and the next time the bitch wants to race me I'm taking it out from under her without mercy and I'm going to rip it apart. I'm fucking done talking"

Knowing that Dani was being true to what she said Letty turned her attentions to the woman stood closest to the blonde. "Marley?"

"I don't know. If you ask me Dani's right about the whole car thing, it can't be legal. That's why I want a chance to rip it from her. The traitor needs to lose everything after what she did to us, starting with that car of hers. As for the whole scene thing, at least let us all have a chance at taking her down"

"Ok, Tina?"

"Same as Marley. She needs to pay for lying to us, whatever you may choose her punishment to be"

"Rachel?"

"The only thing I can say is that she doesn't deserve our time. She already wasted enough of it last year for us to never be able to get it back. I say we take the car and make her suffer even more for what she did."

"Yeah, and for what she did to us personally. She cost us Race Wars and now Puck and Cassandra think they own the scene like they're the best damn fucking drivers on the planet. Now we have them and their new cars to compete with let alone what they'll pull at this years Race Wars. I agree that the car needs to go, it's the least compensation we can get after what she did." Quinn agreed, her anger for the Latina woman boiling up once again.

Nodding Letty looked over at Brittany who had been quiet and looking detached ever since the moment she had arrived and sat down. "And Britt?"

She looked up as if waking up out of her daze, trying to figure out where she was and who was talking to her but before she could reply the sound of a highly tuned engine turned all of their attentions to a familiar yet unwelcome car as it pulled up nearer the entrance to the yard. They all stood up immediately, high on alert as they watched Santana unbuckle herself and get out of her car with a manilla folder and a leather portfolio under her right arm, the other free and in a very visible shoulder brace – the result of last nights damage done whilst trying to win the race.

Santana ignored their accusatory glances and death stares as she approached the main door where they were all stood.

"What do you want?" Letty asked, watching from the corner of her eye as Quinn already moved to hold Dani back.

"I have a plan that you might be interested in"

Songs used: Digital Assassin's – 'Lock It Down' / Rick Ross – 'Push It'

TBC