Disclaimer: Still Don't Own...All Errors are still all mine...Still Hoping You Enjoy...

Hard brown eyes softened for a moment as the owner thought about what the young woman in front of her was enduring. She knew from experience that it was hard to lose a loved one, worse two at the same time. If that wasn't hard enough, to be thrust into this role of responsibility for a young child; anyone would be overwhelmed, but that didn't negate the fact that she had to do what was best for Mateo and she wasn't all together convinced that that Santana Lopez was it.

"Miss Lopez, I understand that it was your parent's wishes that Mateo stay in your custody, but have you truly thought of the realities of raising a child?" Rita Jenkins, the caseworker for the Lopezes leaned back in her chair and tried to get an accurate read on the young Latina.

"All I know is that Matty is my little brother, I've always been there for him, I promised I always would be there for him. He's probably freaking out being in a strange place with a bunch of strangers. He's my family and it's what my parents wanted." Santana tried unsuccessfully to reign in her anger and frustration.

"And what about what Mateo wants?"

"I'm sure that he like me wants his mami and papi."

"Okay...then what about what he needs? Do you think that he needs someone that goes out drinking all the time..." Ms. Jenkins pulled off her glasses and set them on the desk between them.

"It's not all the time..."

" Who fights with cops, gets arrested? Who can't seem to stay out of trouble? Your brother needs stability, right now more than ever..."

"I am stable...don't I even get a chance to..."

Ms. Jenkins interrupted Santana again. "You have a chance right now to do the right thing."

Santana slumped down in the hard plastic chair and sighed. She didn't want to keep believing that she wasn't the best thing for her little brother, but the fucking case worker was really getting to her. What if she was right? What if Matty would be better off raised by some nice little suburban family? She was about to open her mouth when she heard a ruckus from the doorway, then Rachel stormed into the room with Ms. Jenkins' frantic secretary following her repeating that she couldn't be in the office.

"Berry...?" Santana whispered furrowing her brow at the smaller woman.

"I'm sorry Ms. Jenkins, I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen..."

"Um...it's okay Karen. Can I help you...?"

"Rachel...Rachel Berry," Rachel presented a small hand for the social worker to shake, "I'm Santana's fiancee..." Two pairs of brown eyes turned to the Latina, one quizzical the other pleading.

"Uh...Darling, what are you doing here?" Santana recovered quickly wiping all the confusion she was feeling from her voice.

"I knew you had this meeting today and I wanted to be here for you..." Rachel began earnestly.

"I'm going to give you two a moment and then we'll continue this conversation." Ms. Jenkins glanced suspiciously at both women and then left them alone.

"What the fuck, Berry? Just because we stumbled into bed doesn't make us affianced!" Santana screeched once the door closed.

"I know..."

"Then, what. The. Fuck?"

"Are you going to let me finish this time? It's very rude to keep interrupting me." She sat next to Santana and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Go ahead, it better be good, Berry."

"After last night I figured I could help you. I don't want you to lose your brother or make a rash decision that you will regret. I know that your recent behavior is less than impeccable, but with me pretending to be your significant other, with my more than stellar record, well there's no way that they wouldn't at least give us...you a chance to prove yourself..."

"And then what, Rachel? Fiancee means marriage, what happens when they're waiting for a marriage?"

"By then you will have proven how responsible you really are, you won't even need me...Please, you have to admit it's as good a plan as any right?"

Santana sighed. She knew the diva had a point, but there was no way in hell that she was admitting it. Despite how everyone had treated the girl in high school, she had to say that she did have a reputation of being a "good girl". She had a great background and was pretty well know for her outreach since she'd moved to New York. The songstress' plan could work, if only she thought that they could make themselves not only look convincing as a couple, but as a soon to be married couple.

"I know that you think we can't, but we can do this Santana." Rachel turned her small body towards the other woman. "With my burgeoning acting skills and your ability to lie and manipulate so easily there's no way this can't work and I feel I would be remiss in my dutys as your friend if I didn't help you. Please, let me help you..." She reached across the gap between their chairs and tentatively grasped Santana's slender fingers.

Santana looked down at their joined hands and then back up to wide, brown eyes. Fighting a small smile she sneered at the smaller woman and pulled her hand away. "Whatever, Berry. This better work."

"It will, I promise." Rachel replied smiling brightly as the the door behind them opened and Ms. Jenkins re-entered.

Pezberry

An hour later Santana held her younger brother close to her chest, although at five he was too old for her to be holding him she was so happy that Rachel's planned seemed to be working that she didn't care; she just wanted be close to him. She ran lithe fingers through his thick black hair and he curled into her touch.

He'd already asked for their parents and she didn't know how she was going to break the news to him. She glanced over at Rachel walking beside her and wondered if she would do it...she really didn't think she would be able. With the way that the smaller woman spoke she'd probably confuse the boy so much he wouldn't remember what he'd asked her.

"Santana...?" Rachel's timid voice broke her thoughts as they reached her car, a cobalt blue charger her father had gotten her as a graduation gift.

She arched a thin eyebrow at her companion urging her to continue. "...we need to talk. About this..." She indicated them both "...last night...um...everything."

"Last night was a fluke, every leprechaun eventually stumbles on a pot of gold...don't count on it happening again."

Rachel frowned and dropped her gaze. "I wasn't...I'm not..."

"Good." A curt nod and she was one-handedly unlocking the back passenger side door.

"For this to work you have to be nicer to me, not just nice: convincingly in love. No more midget, leprechaun, no more disparaging comments about my height, period. I know it may be difficult to pretend you don't despise me, but you have to try for Mateo."

"I know what's at stake Berry, just chill it was a joke, you're freakishly short, not my fault...deal with it." Santana snapped her still sleeping brother into his booster seat and gently closed the door. She wasn't trying to antagonize Rachel, but something about the diva brought it out of her, always had.

"I don't know why I agreed to this. Another instance of Rachel Barbra Berry being an idiot I guess." Rachel huffed crossing her arms.

"Agreed to this? You insisted, it was your idea! I still haven't figured out what's in it for you." She whirled to face the singer making her take a few unsteady steps in the opposite direction.

Rachel frowned again and looked up her big brown eyes watering slightly. "Nothing...believe it or not, I just want to help you..."

"Yeah, right, Rachel Berry , my savior." Santana glared walking to the driver's door.

Rachel sighed and ran fingers through her brown mane.

"Whatever Berry, just meet me at my house later and we'll figure out how we're gonna pull this off." Santana opened the door, slid behind the wheel and sped off leaving the diva standing alone.

I have one more story in me definitely; it's Faberry (And at least 3x's sadder than this one...), but I wanna get a few more chapters of this and that written first...

Until Next Time...

Ink