As much as I would like to own them, all the characters of Glee belong to Fox – I own nothing. All the characters of The Fast and the Furious belong to Universal Studios, I'm just borrowing some of them. All writing belongs to me.
Here you go! Short update but it's now ready for next week which is going to be so exciting! I hope you delight in this update and I will see you when I post the next chapter!
IMPORTANT: I would just like to point something out that has been bothering me for a while now – guest reviews. I reply to every single review I get, no word of a lie, so when you send me guest reviews I can't reply (which annoys me beyond belief). While I get that me knowing who you are for some people is not for everybody (I respect that you would like to remain anonymous which is completely your choice), please don't send me detailed and long winded unsigned review and expect me to reply as I can't (and I won't keep putting replies in my author's notes any more – it's annoying for everybody else). I already put a notice up on my profile about this problem a short while ago and I wanted to bring it up here. That being said if you want to stay anonymous please send me an anon message over on my Tumblr: shinodafan94, and I will reply that way.
Thank you again to people still following and reading and faving, you know it means a lot and welcome to all my new readers, enjoy the rest of the ride :D
(P.S. – Remember, songs are always noted at the bottom of the chapter)
Santana waited nervously in the yard of Burt's garage. She had just gotten there but had decided to let the crew come to her. That's why she was now lent up against the side of her car playing with the hem of her old garage shirt, the one that she had gotten in the city she had spent the past eight years of her life. Not that that mattered now though. What mattered right now was that it was decision time, a decision that could make or break her plan of getting back at Cassandra for what she had done to her. Looking up she watched as the crew glanced at her every now and again as Letty talked to them. Each time their eyes would meet, which ever crew member it was, Santana would avert her gaze, instead trying to focus on something that would keep her nerves in check. Luckily though she wasn't kept waiting and it wasn't long before Letty was making her way over to her, everybody else lingering by the door as she made her way towards her by herself. Immediately she stood up from her car and gulped. This was it.
"Good morning"
"Hey" She replied back nervously.
There were a few fleeting moments of silence as Letty eyed her carefully before she spoke, the air tense around the two them. "The answer's yes"
Her head snapping up Santana couldn't believe her ears. She had braced herself for a certain and definite no. "What?"
"You heard me – yes, we'll go along with your plan"
"You will?"
Letty nodded. "Yes, but if you double cross us in any way again I will be first in line to kick your ass, am I clear?"
"Of course"
"Good, now when can we meet this police chief?"
"Uh, tonight?"
"Ok, where?"
"Uh, I'll text you the address once I've talked to her"
"Good enough for me. Your plan is somewhat solid Santana and I'm putting what very little trust I have left in you to make this work and not get my crew killed in the process."
"I hear you loud and clear. No harm will come to them, I promise"
"I will hold you to that"
"I know you will, I wouldn't have expected anything less."
"Yeah, well, just make sure this meeting goes ahead. I'll be waiting for your text."
"Duly noted"
Letty turned to leave but then turned back quickly to add something. "Oh, and Santana?"
"Yeah?"
Without giving the younger Latina much time to realise what was happening Letty was pulling her into a bro-hug. "I'm going to tell you something Rachel told me and I want you to remember it: I don't trust you but I trust in your plan. That should be enough." She whispered before pulling away, winking at her and turning to leave back towards the entrance of the garage where all of the others were waiting for her.
Internally jumping for joy Santana got back into her car, strapping herself in as she started it up and pulled out of the yard. Santana one, Cassandra zero.
Alma frowned as she looked over to see Santana's plate of rice and beans hardly touched.
"Santana?"
Looking up at the sound of her name it was clear she was being broken from being deep in thought. "Huh?"
"What's wrong with your food? You've hardly touched your rice and beans since I put the plates on the table."
"I know, I just..."
"Santana"
"What?"
"Out with it mija. What's wrong?"
Sighing Santana put down her fork and let her shoulders deflate in defeat. "I guess I'm just nervous"
"About what?"
"Tonight."
"Disparates. You have nothing to be nervous about."
"You can say that again"
"Why? You don't. You can't possibly have anything to worry about, they already said yes"
"I know but I guess I'm just still waiting for the other shoe to drop and have them turn around and say they changed their minds. They said yes but what if they change their minds after the first few cars?"
Shaking her head the older Latina reached across the table, her hand covering Santana's. "They won't"
"But how do you know?"
"I do" She chuckled, coaxing a smile out of her granddaughter. "You did it Santana, you worked hard and you gave them something that they couldn't refuse. I'm proud of you for that and I'm proud that you convinced them to help you. I just wish you wouldn't injure yourself so much in the process" She smiled, her hand reaching up to cup the side of her face.
Santana's covered the older woman's hand and smiled over at her. "I know and thank you. It's hard not to be nervous you know, I've been planning this for so long"
"I know but just remember to take it easy ok? You may have got them to agree but you still aren't fully healed."
"I know that, I learned it the hard way"
"That you did but I would rather you not have to go back to physical therapy, I had only just finished paying off your mandatory sessions"
"I'm sorry"
"I know you are mija"
By the tone in her voice Alma knew that Santana was apologizing for a lot more than added physio sessions. The thing that she was really saying sorry for was the fact that she had paid for all of her medical bills the moment they got the first one right up until her last therapy session, or at least what they thought was the last one. Alma knew that her granddaughter was mad about it, she would get angry with the subject every time they brought it up, but this was her way of apologizing for kicking her out all those years ago. Santana knew this but she couldn't help but voice her thoughts on the matter, something that Alma had come to expect. Well, she was her granddaughter after all and that was why she hadn't expected anything less than for Santana to speak on it now.
"But I just feel so bad that you are having to pay for all my bills. I'm twenty seven, I should be able to pay for all my own bills"
"I know you can but I want to, you know that"
"I do but it doesn't make me any less angry that you want to do it all by yourself"
"I wouldn't expect anything less from my granddaughter and as much as my inner Latina would love to bite back and forth with you I think that right now is not the time to be discussing it. Instead why don't you eat up that food I prepared for you especially and then you go up and change and get ready to blow them out of the water with police chief Washington"
Santana couldn't help but smile at her grandmother's sentiment and clutched her weathered hand in her own. Squeezing tightly in reassurance she nodded and looked back down at her plate with a renewed sense of hunger. Who knew a few words of subtle encouragement could go such a long way? She could do this tonight, she just had to have someone other than herself believe that she could.
Santana fidgeted nervously with the collar of her shirt, Roz watching from where she was organizing files.
"You know it's going to be fine right?"
Santana looked up to see Roz's attention on the box that she currently had on the table in front of her. "I know"
"Then stop worrying. They said yes"
"I know they did"
"But you're worried they're going to back out"
"Of course. The way they've acted around me, I don't blame them but it worries me that they'll decide that it's not worth it or they can't trust me and they'll back out and all we'll have is just us on this"
"But they're not because they already said yes. If there's anything that I've learned since the day Cassandra opened the case and brought you in it's that Letty doesn't go back on her word. You just have to have a little faith in them like they are for you."
"I know, I know."
"But it's not just about them is it?"
"What do you mean?"
Roz smiled as she stood up and stretched. "It's never been just about them, has it?"
"I'm still not following."
The police chief laughed as she walked over to where the Latina was stood looking out of the window at the view of the city in the distance. "You know. That night when you finally came in after Puck was taken into custody. You got into it with Cassandra and went outside and I brought it up. Brittany, Santana. You know it's always been about her. I know for a fact that this isn't just about the team either even though it's the second time around – it never has been. We both know that we need the crew and their skills to pull this off but I think a little part of you wanted her more than anything."
"How do you know that's how I feel though?" She asked, nervously curling her fists into balls in her pockets.
"Because of the way you act. I wouldn't be police chief if I wasn't able to read people Santana and as much as I admit that I try my hardest against what they call 'profiling' both of my closest friends, you and Matt, I can just see it in you. You never got over her after you were shot and I think we both know it"
Santana sighed and averted her gaze back to the view in front of her so that she could avoid eye contact. "It's just that I can't help it"
"When we're in love we never can"
"What makes you think I'm in love?"
"I didn't say you were in love but you still love her Santana, even I can see that."
"But I don't know what to do. She hates me"
"She doesn't hate you she's just hurting, which wouldn't surprise me or anybody for that matter. What you've got to remember though is that it isn't your fault. Cassandra's the one to blame"
"I know that but Brittany is the one thing I did for myself. I chose to be with her, Cassandra didn't force me to do it. That's why I know I'm to blame for it."
"Whatever you may think Santana, you're not to blame. I will give you one piece of advice though"
"What?"
"Don't mess it up. I know that this is probably the only chance Letty and her crew will give you but if you choose differently this time, make sure it's not the wrong one. Brittany won't wait forever"
And that's when it hit her. Brittany wouldn't wait forever. She knew one day the blonde would move on and if Roz was correct she couldn't mess this second chance up. Not when she had been given it only just barely. Deciding to change the subject due to the fact that she was a little uncomfortable talking about these confusing emotions she still had inside of her she checked her watch.
"When's Matt gonna be here?"
"About five minutes. Oh, and that reminds me"
"Oh?"
"I had a talk to my superiors and we all agreed that instead of re-purposing this place we're gonna let you run it as our base of operations"
"Me – run this?"
"Hmm, yes." She hummed in agreement. "We figured that after everything Cassandra put you through it was the least we could do to help you get on your feet with this plan to bring her in. That being said you can also stay here as well. I know you're still living with your abuela but I thought that maybe you'd want to get away from it all, even your garage, especially when you start work on the cars. This place is a nice quiet escape"
"Are you sure about that?"
"Of course. You can have the keys the moment the crew all leaves. This is the base of operations. I know that Letty and the others won't want to meet at the police station for obvious reasons so when we have a case meeting I'll meet them halfway here. Sound good to you?"
"Hell yeah"
Roz was unable to hide the smile at the Latina's enthusiasm. That's when Matt came through the door. "Hey guys"
"Hey Matt" Santana greeted, a huge grin on her face.
"What's that smile for?" He asked as he hugged Roz.
"I just told Santana that she'll have the keys to this place by the end of the night"
"Sweet, sort of like your own crib"
"I like that idea" Santana said, continuing to smile as Matt hugged her next.
"Oh, how's the arm?" He asked as he pulled away.
Santana shrugged and moved it around a little bit, only a small ache in place of the pain she had been feeling the week before. "Good enough that I'm back to wearing an under-shirt brace which I've got on right now"
"Good"
"I know, I started physio again on Saturday"
"That's great news" He smiled. "So, who's coming tonight?"
"Everybody"
"Everybody?"
"Yeah. Letty, Mia, Rachel, Quinn, Tina, Marley, Dani, Kitty, Brittany, Kurt, Blaine, Shelby and Holly."
"The whole enchilada then"
Santana shrugged. "Pretty much"
"When are they arriving?"
Before Santana could answer they all heard the sounds of powerful yet familiar engines pull up into the driveway as if on cue. All three of them shared a look with each other before Santana excused herself to go and greet them. Rubbing at her forearm scar she hurriedly made her way towards the gate that led to the driveway, almost running over the small bridge that was constructed over the top of it in quickened anticipation. She pulled back the door-like gate to see that they had all managed to fit in said driveway and Letty was already making her way over to her.
"This the place?" She asked, adjusting her leather jacket.
Santana nodded. "Yep. If you guys wanna follow me Roz and Matt are already waiting."
Letty dipped her head in an indication of yes and spinning on her heels Santana led the entirety of the crew and it's tag-alongs into the large living room area where everything was set up ready for the meeting.
"Welcome" Roz greeted with a smile, clutching her hands neatly in front of her. "Feel free to take any seat you want and we'll get started."
The crew remained silent as they did just that, all of them getting comfortable before Letty signalled for them to start. "So, what's the first part of the plan now that I've said yes?"
Santana held up the manilla folder that she had had before when she'd pitched the plan – the case file. "You all get one of these"
"Are you sure that's legal? Haven't we got to be cops or something for that?" Rachel asked from her place beside Quinn.
"Technically Santana's not a cop but as she's had the most experience with Cassandra my superiors are granting her temporary access until the case is over" Roz cut in, explaining.
"But where does that leave us?" Marley asked.
"You're temporarily allowed access too, the exact same as Santana. When Santana pitched the plan my superiors knew that if you said yes then you would all need to be on a level playing field. That means that you have as much access to this case as we do. We bring down Cassandra you all get to walk away freely with no strings attached."
"What about Cassandra? How will you bring her down?" Shelby asked, a manilla folder of her own now placed in her lap after Matt had just handed every one else their own.
"We know about the information in the car"
"You do, but how?" She asked, frowning over at the police chief only to be answered by Santana instead.
"When Cassandra shot me she told me there was information in that car could end a six year investigation that could bring her down. Before that day she told me there was sensitive information in the car but she never specified what the information was, we just needed to get our hands on the actual car – i.e. me behind the wheel. If what she said is true about taking her down then we need to find that car and we'll be able to bring her down. What we also know is that we're running every possible line of investigation."
"What are you getting at?"
Roz cut in once again. "What she means is that we're trying absolutely everything in our power to try and track that car down. We know you and Schue have back ups, we'd be stupid to think that you don't, but it's a last resort"
"So you're just going to sit there whilst I could be sitting on that information?"
"We know you are, but we're not going to push it. Chances are Cassandra has a copy of that information stored somewhere but until we find the car we'll keep you out of the crossfire."
"But why?"
This time Santana spoke up. "Because right now more than anything you need to trust me, as much as I know that's hard to do considering everything that's happened but we won't unnecessarily drag you into something until we've exhausted every possible lead we could think of."
There was a few moments of tense silence throughout the room, Shelby unable to believe what she had just heard. Luckily for her though she didn't have to respond though as Letty decided to speak up. "Now that we've established how we're going to take down that bitch Cassandra what is the first part of the plan? I know you told us Mia's was the first car we needed to get"
Santana nodded. "Of course. The train arrives next week..."
"You know, if you stare at that too long you might fall in"
Brittany's stupor was broken by the sound of Santana's voice. She'd been staring at the small pool for a little over five minutes whilst they took a break from planning. Everybody had been assigned their roles for the heist next week and whilst they all took a time out Brittany had come out here to clear her head. What she didn't know was that Santana had been stood in the same spot just months before.
Looking up she smiled weakly. "I didn't know how long I'd been out here. I guess I just needed time to think"
Santana held up a hand as she came to a stop on the top step. "Don't worry, you don't have to explain it to me"
Brittany shrugged as she turned to look back at the water. "It's nothing really"
"Britt-I mean Brittany, I know that voice"
Sighing the blonde knew she had her caught, letting Santana's small slip up of her name slide. As Santana came to a stop on the bottom step next to her, her hands slipping into her pockets, she rubbed at her forehead.
"It's nothing"
"Brittany"
Brittany rolled her eyes but relented anyway. Not caring about where they had left things the last time they had talked she decided that talking right now was better than nothing. "Fine, it's just about the job next week"
"Oh, are you not happy with it 'cause I can change what but you're doing if you want me to?"
"No, it's not that. The plan is perfect it's just that I can't believe this is happening"
"Can I ask why? If not you don't have to answer"
Glancing over at the nervous Latina she shook her head. "No, it's fine. I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed. I'm shocked Letty even said yes but I've got her back which means I've got yours too. It's just a lot to take in right now, especially after the other day..."
As much as she was happy that Brittany had off-handedly mentioned that she had her back Santana knew that now was the time to get something off her chest. It had been bugging her ever since that day at the beach. "Yeah, about that..."
"What?"
Her shoulders deflating she retracted one of her hands from her pockets to come up and run through the waves of her hair. "Britt, I know I shouldn't have kissed you. It was totally out of line and we'd hardly even talked before that day and I just barged back into your life and I took advantage of you whilst you were really emotional. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry. I know those same two words are the last thing you want to hear over again but it's the truth – I really am sorry. I should have never followed you there-"
Before she could continue Brittany surged upwards, pressing her lips against hers. So shocked by the action she barely noticed the way the blonde's hand came up to rest upon her jaw, her thumb stroking back and forth as she slowly let herself relax into the motions between them. Her own hand came to rest lightly and delicately on her waist, feeling Brittany's body gravitate towards her own as the heat between them quickly grew from a warm flicker to a hot flame. She was surprised that Brittany had even initiated the kiss, considering that she was the one who had overstepped the line the week before and watched her leave as if the air between them had been choking her. It was also confusing considering everything Brittany had said, all the pain clear in her voice as she told her exactly how she felt. She was so sure Brittany hated her yet here she was kissing her. That's why when the blonde did finally pull away from her she had a frown etched across her face, however Brittany's hand never left her jaw as they stayed in close proximity with each other, neither woman wanting to move for fear of breaking the fragile moment.
Brittany's eyes remained closed as she let her forehead bump into Santana's, not willing to pull away from the warmth and the surprisingly comforting silence that had settled between them like a soft blanket of reassurance. They weren't quite sure what that reassurance was right now but they were willing to just enjoy it for what it was. Not caring that the crew could see them a few feet away from inside the house the two of them stayed wrapped up in one another, Santana's hand on Brittany's waist keeping her close. But they couldn't wait forever, Santana was itching to know what the blonde's intentions had been.
"Britt...what was that for?"
She had expected this question and even so she didn't have an answer for it. These were the emotions she had been battling with, the emotions she had told Santana about that day at the beach, and they had yet again taken control of her actions and now she was the one who hadn't thought before acting. She was now in Santana's shoes, not quite sure how to verbally answer when she had no reason why in her brain or her heart for that matter. Her gaze flickering up her eyes met Santana's for the first time, the first real time since she had told the truth. The deep brown of her eyes glinted and shimmered as they reflected both the moonlight and the pool beside them, Brittany unable to tear her own away from the other woman. Everything silenced around them as she almost lost her breath, the sincerity and raw emotion that Santana held within her shone through right at her. If she wasn't at a loss for words before she definitely was now. Nevertheless she couldn't force herself to pull away. She was too wrapped up in everything that she was feeling, everything that was washing over her. It was as if her brain had lost the function to form words and all she could do was just stare, just gaze into the eyes she had once come to love. She was thankful though, thankful that Santana wasn't pushing her to say something. She was giving her time that she so desperately needed to regain most of the senses she had lost within the space of a few seconds like she had always done with the other woman. It was this realisation that gave her back the ability to at least form a few words so that she could finally give her an answer to her question. It was so commonplace, so frequently used in moments like this yet it spoke volumes to what she had done. She couldn't blame Santana for asking it though.
Taking a deep breath she let her hand cling to and clench slightly at the Latina's jaw as she prepared herself to speak aloud for the first time in what felt like hours. "Now we're even" She replied shakily, her breath coming out ragged as her nerves started taking over. Luckily she felt the hand at her waist clinch in reassurance.
"It's ok"
Nodding Brittany still couldn't find it in her heart to pull away, not yet. "I know that we'll be seeing each other a lot more now, especially now that we have our first job planned out but I just wanted to let you know that I don't think I know what I'm doing either"
Looking down into Brittany's eyes, the blue sparkling even brighter than ever before, Santana understood. A hand coming up to brush a stray strand of hair out of Brittany's face she simpered with affection. "Well, that makes two of us"
Brittany was unable to suppress the breathless chortle as she let a strange feeling relief wash over to her. She heard Santana join in and the two of them laughed together, feeling a strange urge to just let it out. There was underlying pain, there always would be, but right now in this particular moment they both chose to ignore it in favour of something else. They didn't know what that something else was, not everything completely clear to them, but they were willing to take that over the hurt between them any day, or at least for tonight.
"What now?" Brittany asked quietly, not quite sure what she was doing considering her emotions had been all over the place lately. She should hate Santana right now but all she could feel was something else. It wasn't love but it certainly wasn't hate and it only served to make her even more confused than before.
There was a pregnant pause between them, Santana taking a moment to figure out how to answer her question. "I don't know, what do you want to happen?"
She felt something radiate from her chest and she couldn't stop herself from blurting it out. "A clean slate"
Santana's eyes widened as she looked at the other woman, seeing the seriousness behind Brittany's gaze. It may have been spur of the moment but it meant much more than a simple blurted comment and she didn't know how to respond, or at least it took her a while to arrange the words in her head to do so. Her heart had initially skipped a beat but she didn't want to jump to conclusions if Brittany wasn't sure so she asked her. "Are you sure?"
The blonde shrugged in her embrace. "I don't know what I'm doing Santana, I have all these conflicting emotions inside and one part of me is telling me to back away and run and never trust you again but another is giving me all of these feelings that I don't completely understand. I once loved you, I won't deny it, but I think that if we're going to get along now that you're back I think it's better if we clear the air."
"Ok, so how do you suggest we do that?"
Brittany took a deep breath. "It's exactly as I said, a clean slate. I miss my old life, but I can't go back, I know that now, last week was what I needed to realise it. We may not be what we once were but I can't deny that I want you in my life. I have things I still need to work out and understand but I guess what I'm trying to suggest is that we start things off as friends again?"
Considering her offer it wasn't a surprise that Santana jumped at the chance. "I would like that. Friends, that is."
Brittany smiled as her thumb stroked back and forth at the other woman's jaw, her eyes flickering downwards and back up again to meet the other woman's gaze. "I would like that too. Friends."
Letting a grin take over her features Santana couldn't help herself and pulled Brittany into a tight hug, the other street racer quickly returning it as she wrapped her arms around her shoulders to hold the Latina closer. Relieved chuckles sprung free from both of their mouths as relief flooded over them and when they pulled apart they couldn't stopping grinning from ear to ear at each other. Taking a deep cleansing breath Santana pulled away from Brittany to head back inside, holding out her hand.
"You wanna know something?"
"What?"
"Right before everything went downhill I stood in that same exact spot as you and Roz gave me a choice. She knew that night and she knew when she asked me what family I would choose. She told me there were all kinds of family, it was a choice I had to make"
"And what did you do?" Brittany asked, taking the offered hand.
Santana shrugged as they headed back towards the door that led into the house and held it open for the other woman. "I didn't have to say anything, she already knew my choice"
Brittany paused in the doorway to look at the other woman and even with all of her knowledge of what had happened that day three months ago she knew by the one look on Santana's face just who the Latina had chosen and it changed everything.
It was currently date night as both Quinn and Rachel sat and watched the slow setting of the sun somewhere on the distant horizon that stretched far beyond the coast. The two women had decided to get out of the house and enjoy a little time to themselves as a couple and had chosen one of their favourite spots where they knew it would be quiet, at least from the buzz of the crew – The Blue Anchor. Along with the fact that it was date night Rachel also had a craving for shrimp and this was the best place to get it.
Placing one into her mouth she looked across the table to the other woman who was gazing out at the sea not that far away from them. "Quinn?" She coaxed, using the hand she hadn't been eating with to cover her girlfriend's which was resting on the sun-warmed wood of the rustic picnic table they were sat at at the front of the café. When she got no response she frowned. "Baby, what's wrong?"
As if all of a sudden Quinn snapped from her daze to turn to look her. "Huh?"
Letting a small smile cut across her lips Rachel's thumb started soothing from left to right over her knuckles. "I asked you what was wrong. You've been distracted since we got here."
There were a few moments where she watched Quinn's gaze flicker from her to their cars which were parked a few feet away from them next to each other and then back to her. "Sorry" She sighed, looking back at her food before grabbing Rachel's hand and bringing it to her lips. "I guess I am just distracted"
Deciding that she now had her attention and it was ok to go back to eating her food Rachel grabbed another shrimp from her small card box on her tray. "It's about next week isn't it?"
"How did you know?"
Rachel shrugged. "It's not hard to guess, I think we're all a little on edge. It's all been on our minds since the meeting at the start of this week. I know you said no the day before and I know it's been bugging you. I may not have been your girlfriend very long but I could tell it was on your mind. You know you can speak to me right?"
"I know, it's just hard" She replied, her shoulders slumping as she placed some shrimp of her own in her mouth.
"Wanna tell me?"
"You sure you wanna hear?" When she looked up she saw that look Rachel was giving her, somewhat enough to tell her that she was unimpressed. "Sorry babe" She chuckled before taking a few moments to collect her thoughts. "I guess I just think it's risky"
"Of course it is, we're stealing a car Quinn!" She exclaimed, watching skeptically as people passed their table, making sure that they didn't overhear her.
"Yeah, but a train Rach? How are we gonna pull this off?"
"Like we always do – as a crew"
"But what about Santana? She's not a part of the crew"
"I know that but for this we have to act like she is regardless of whether some of us like it or not. I know it's risky babe but think – both of us are going to be together the entire time"
"Yeah, but I worry"
"I know you do and that's why Letty thinks so highly of you. Just think about it this way, because I want to change the subject instead of ruining our date night, we're all getting new cars that are suited to us, she's doing all the work for us to exactly what we want and we'll have something to beat Puck. Getting these cars won't be easy and I know you're skeptical because of the fact that you two were so close and she helped get us together but just go along with it, please? Just have a little faith in her and us that we can get the job done."
Her eyes flicking upwards they met with Rachel's brown ones, the passion behind them unable to stop her from smiling. "You know you're amazing right?"
Rachel shrugged as her lips curled up in a full beam of a smile. "What can I say? It's one of my many talents"
"That it is" Quinn bounced back, a breathless chuckle leaving her lips. She sat up a little in her seat and lent across the table, Rachel meeting her half way. She pecked her lips with her girlfriend's and then pulled away to sit back down. "I love you you know?"
"I do know that for a fact. I also love you too Quinn Fabray"
"Good. Now what do you say we finish up here and then get out on the road?"
"Why, are you challenging me Fabray?"
The blonde shrugged innocently. "Maybe"
Rolling her eyes Rachel still nodded in agreement before a mischievous smile graced her features. "Then you're definitely on"
Dani crossed her arms over her chest as she lent up against the side of her Ford GT. She was currently waiting for her girlfriend as they had made plans to finally put Kitty's TT to the test. What that meant was them deciding to drive like lunatics on the road instead of doing what every other couple in their group of friends were doing – celebrating date night. Not that Dani was upset over it. She'd rather be driving like a madwoman anyway and she was thankful that Kitty was willing to give up what was considered the norm in favour of doing something crazy. That's why they were together. Smiling at the thought of her girlfriend she looked up to see said woman walking through the bar and towards the front door. Usually as it was a Friday night it would have been buzzing with people letting loose after a tough week at work etc. but Kitty had decided to close early to spend time with Dani. Call it stupid as she could have made a hell of a lot of money but she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to drive her car properly for the first time since it had been finished (due to the fact that she hadn't really had time to get away from the bar to do so).
Stepping outside and locking up she then turned to the other blonde woman who smiled at her. "Hey babe."
Kitty nodded and smiled back as she walked over to her whilst replying. "Hi"
Dani's hands went to her hips as they kissed, Kitty leaning into the embrace and simply enjoying the fact that Dani was comfortable enough with them and their relationship to kiss her on the side of the street without caring who was around to see it. When she pulled away she smiled up at the other woman, her eyes fluttering closed at the feeling of Dani pressing a kiss to the top of her head. The sentiment and the quiet moment lasted for a comfortable minute before Dani eventually pulled back, her hand coming up to brush away a stray strand of hair that has come loose from her usually perfect high ponytail.
"You ready to go?"
"Of course" She pulled away after she brushed her lips against her cheek, a smirk passing over her features. "Here" She said, accentuating her point by pulling her car keys from her back pocket. "You wanna start?"
"You sure?" Kitty nodded, resulting in Dani taking the keys. "Then what are we waiting for?!" She exclaimed, pecking Kitty on the lips lone last time before standing up and heading to the car that was parked in front of hers.
"On one condition" Kitty called out, causing Dani to stop as she was just about to get into the car.
"And what's that?"
"You sleep over tonight"
Dani saw the wink and couldn't help but grin mischievously. She pretended to ponder the offer for a few short moments but Kitty already knew what her answer would be. "How could I refuse? Do you even need to ask me?"
Shaking her head and laughing Kitty made her way around to the passenger side and got in, mirroring her girlfriend and strapping herself into one of the brand new racing bucket seats that had been installed. She wasn't too sure about all of the flashy upgrades at first but she had let the crew go to town on it and she had to admit, whether aloud or not, that the whole idea of having a race-like car was growing on her. Everything from all the dials to the harnesses, to the new seats, to the new entertainment system and to the massive Nos bottle located in between the two back seats made her feel different. She couldn't quite understand it yet but what she did know was that she liked it. Maybe she'd take Dani up on those driving lessons sometime...
Looking over at said girlfriend she could just tell in her body language that she was itching to go. Although not quiet as fast as her Ford GT Dani wouldn't actually admit to anyone aloud, other than Kitty that is, that she was dying to see what it could do on the tarmac. That being said it was if fire had been ignited under her seat and she was just waiting for Kitty's go ahead to get the show on the road and really burn some rubber. Knowing that this was what the older blonde wanted Kitty turned to her and smiled with a barely-there nod.
Her hand on the gear shift Dani grinned something entirely unadulterated and already had the car's engine purring and ready to go. Before Kitty could brace herself the car was already swerving out of it's parking spot and sliding onto the road at speed. She really hoped they even made it back breathing to have a sleepover.
It's not me and you, it's not me it's you
You're reckless and you know it, they don't love you like I do
Say you're moving on, well, I guess that's just the motion
I guess that's just the motion
I don't have a fuck to give, I've been moving state to state
In my leather and my Timbs like it's 1998
And my dog Chubby Chub, that's my nigga from the way
On the Eastside of the city, that's where everybody stay
Seem like everybody calling cause they want me on their song
It's like every time I touch it I could never do no wrong
When they need a favor from your man, they don't leave you alone
But I guess that's just the motion, yeah...
Santana ran a hand through her hair as she dropped down to the bed, dropping her phone down next to her after having text her grandmother. Now having the safehouse to stay at she had decided to spend the weekend before the job to herself to use some time to think about stuff and prepare herself mentally. She was ready, she just needed some space to make sure that both her mind and body were on the same page. As a result she was taking advantage of the fact that she could play her music as loud as she wanted without having to worry about disturbing both her grandmother and the neighbours next door.
Then that phone doesn't ring
When they got everything, that's the motion
Oh-oh, I guess that's just the motion
She took a deep breath in as she closed her eyes, letting the Drake song seep into her veins and start provoking her thoughts. She felt a small ache of pain in her shoulder and reminded herself why that was one of the reasons she was here. She'd already been back in physio for about a week now and she was already feeling the benefits. It had gotten less painful the more she worked to get it better and she had found herself taking less and less painkillers but it was also a reminder that she couldn't push herself next week on the job. As much as she wanted to be on the same page with the crew her health came first, she knew that now, and if she messed up her shoulder again she would probably do permanent damage this time around. What she had planned didn't help her case but it had to be done. Not only would she probably do permanent damage but she'd probably make her grandmother mad and that would make herself mad as a result. She couldn't do that, not when everything was all of a sudden going to plan.
That brought her to the crew. Her plan was now in motion and they were ready to get their first car and she was on the same page as Brittany which she had never expected in a million years. It seemed as if the blonde had at least done some thinking since the week before and come back more smarter than ever which was something she didn't doubt for a minute. It was one of the reasons why she had fallen in love with her in the first place. Roz's words from the night of the meeting rattled around in her brain asking questions to the bigger picture but she was sure that even if she didn't have a definitive answer right now she at least had a chance to make things right with Brittany, had a chance to do over her mistake and she wasn't going to give that up for anything. That's why right in that moment she decided that she'd try her very hardest not to disappoint the blonde. They finally had a clean slate to work things over and they were starting out as friends. That was a start. She didn't know where it would lead but she was going to take it in her stride for as long as Brittany would allow her to and see where it went. She was done planning things, now she just wanted to sit back and let life take control. She'd learnt that she couldn't control everything in her life, no one could, and when it came to Brittany she was going to let the blonde take the wheel. She wasn't going to push her.
Letting her thoughts drift somewhere else she had decided that now that she and Brittany were at least at the same place, a comfortable place, she was happy to move on and think about something else. Her eyes staring out in front of her she slipped on her glasses and enjoyed the view. She could see the entire skyline of the city staring back at her, night finally setting in as the sun conclusively settled to welcome both it and end the day. She took a deep breath in as she clenched her hands over her sweatpants, letting the feeling of somewhere she could call her own settle into her skin and her being. Even in her eight years away from Lima she hadn't physically lived somewhere on her own and it was surprisingly freeing. She had somewhere she could get away to, a place to be herself and take a moment to breathe. Most people would have expected her small garage to be that special place she needed and to an extent it was but where did she go after that? She loved her abuela dearly and loved the fact that they were finally getting much better but she had ultimately needed a place where she could go and be alone, a place she could sleep off all her worries and wake up the next day refreshed. She just couldn't get that anywhere else. She made a mental note to get something for Roz to say thank you.
Speaking of sleeping she was also thankful that the police chief had the sense to get a new bed installed. As simple as that had sounded to anyone else Santana was thankful because she didn't think that she could sleep on the same bed that Cassandra had slept on, not after what she had done to her. She probably would have ended up on the expensive couch in the living room. Luckily for her that wasn't the case and she had a place where she could just let everything out, like now. Music continued to pump through the speakers as her eyes drifted down to the visible gunshot scar that hadn't fully healed on her shoulder. The bullet that had entered there had come out the front, clean through, but it had left an ugly scar that would remind her of everything that happened for the rest of her life, like her forearm of that very same arm. She now had two defining marks that she couldn't get rid of and as much as she told people out loud that it didn't bother her it was brief moments like these when she was completely on her own that she sometimes hated them. They reminded her of times in her life when it wasn't the best, that the dark truth about what other people could do to one another was brought into the light. They were times she didn't want to remember but she had to. Reaching down she pulled up on the hem of her wifebeater to look at the still-healing scar located on her abdomen. That bullet hadn't be as lucky and had lodged itself just beneath the surface requiring the doctors to cut it out. It would have been to risky to try and pull it all the way from the front back to where it had originally entered. That meant that not only did she have two scars on the back of her body but she now had two covering the front. She will admit that she had been offered very recently just before the end of her mandatory physio to have treatment to reduce the look of them, to make them less visible, but in the moment she had chosen not to. It wasn't that she was tired of all the medical white noise that she had endured for three whole months, it was that she knew she already had a scar that she had learned to live with and even though she'd rather forget what had happened with Cassandra she knew that she wanted physical proof that she had survived what she had put her through, mentally and physically. That's why the moment of self loathing didn't last long.
Things were finally looking up and she wasn't going to let her self esteem get her down. These wounds and scars reminded her that even though sometimes they might bleed (emotionally) she could do this, she was living proof that Cassandra couldn't win – and she wouldn't. Standing up she took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, letting it cleanse her of everything. She was ready and she wasn't going to stop until the job got done.
Yeah, looking back on it at least my pride is intact
Cause we said no strings attached and I still got tied up in that
Everything that I write is either for her or about her
So I'm with her even when I'm here without her and she know it
The girl that I wanna save is like a danger to my health
Try being with somebody that wanna be somebody else
I always thought she was perfect when she was being herself
Don't even know how to help, but I guess that's just the motion, yeah
She'll probably come around
Soon as I settle down, that's the motion
Oh-oh, I guess that's just the motion
Nothing less and nothing more
I hear your heart hit the floor
Talking to you is not enough
I guess that's just the motion
Songs used: Drake – 'The Motion'
TBC