Flashback: 13 years ago

For a long time now, they hadn't had a set place to call home. Home was always shifting; they went wherever the best tidings brought them. Once an area was picked clean of jobs and sympathy, they moved on. For a few days at each place, they set up a small fair of sorts to draw in a bit of extra cash. People called them street-performers, others called them gypsies, yet more called them beggars. It wasn't much of a life in way of living, but it was what they were used to and so far, none of the children were complaining. This life was all they knew, and most of them were still young and idealistic enough to consider it an adventure. The idea of being stuck in one place all the time made them scrunch up their noses and frown- Sometimes cry, should the adults use it as a threat.

Despite the less than stellar lifestyle, they were happy enough. Those without anywhere to go, orphans, beggars- They were all welcomed in, provided that they could pull their own weight. Adult freeloaders were not acceptable, and children were expected to keep up with studies. Sue Sylvester, the unanimous leader of their little group (McKinley's Stragglers, as Sue had named them), demanded it. Most of the adults were usually torn between being utterly terrified of Sue, to having a great amount of respect for her. The latter usually worn out though, for despite the woman's quick tongue and quicker temper, she usually had her head on straight. It had been her who had found and thus taken in the first wayward child- A youngster by the name of Kurt, whom she had found swaddled in blankets and abandoned-, and it had been her example that the other families followed. Two years ago Noah Puckerman had found Finn looting (clumsily, but nonetheless) through the contents of their meagre food hall after the adults had retreated back to their caravans for the night. Finn had blackened the smaller boy's eye, but a well placed fist to the taller male's solar plexus had given Noah the upper hand. From then on, the two were inseparable, and the Puckermans had another boy. Another example worth mentioning was that of Mike and Matt- Mike had simply appeared one day with a rather silent Matt in tow five years ago, and the Changs had good-naturedly taken the quiet boy under their wing.

Since it'd been Brittany who had first laid eyes on Santana; thus, it was unspoken agreement that the dark haired girl was her family's to watch, and teach.

While her father had been dazzling tired, life-beaten adults with families consisting of young, over-exuberant children with classic sleight of hand and card tricks, Brittany had spotted the tanned teenager sneaking in to watch a free show- Or so she thought. The young blonde had moved stealthily after the older girl, intent on blowing her cover and getting her tossed out, when she saw the Latina quietly lift the wallet of a man who had leaned forward to whack his noisy kid about the head, and pocket it before beating a slow, inconspicuous escape. Like any ten year old, Brittany had watched with a gaped jaw before scuttling after the other girl, grabbing on to her wrist before she was even aware of her blonde shadow.

The girl didn't seem as though she had any qualms in beating Brittany's face in for that stunt, but the looming appearance of a menacing Noah and a gigantic but not-quite-as-murderous Finn had made her think better about the fist she had raised.

"That's not yours," Brittany had said rather indignantly, gesturing towards the lump the stolen wallet made in the older girl's jacket.

"Yeah? Well tough luck Blondie, I say he deserves it for trying to fuck up his kid's ears. Besides, I'd have better use for this cash than he ever would." Dark brown eyes drifted to where the two boys stood, before she shoved her hands into her pockets. She knew how to pick her fights, and this wasn't one she could win should she go through with her plan to smack the blonde girl.

Still suspicious, Brittany had peered intently up at her, before asking slowly, "So you're like Robin Hood?" At the other's roll of the eyes, she cocked her head to the side and announced with firm finality, "After my papa's done, you're going to talk to him. He can help you, and you can stay with us if you've nowhere to go."

The girl spluttered before trying to make a hasty escape, but Noah shoved the other boy to the side, and she ended up running right into the hard lump that was Finn. She tried to dart back and around, but Noah had seized one of her arms in a firm grip, easily dodging all her punches. She decided that the best thing to do was probably just stop fighting. A hasty escape could always be attempted again later.

Apparently, the girl went by the name of Santana Lopez, and she was very much on her own at fourteen years of age. As she had grudgingly shared with Sue Sylvester and Jordan Pierce, she had no family to speak of and haven't had anyone for the past seven months. She would've just gone, if Sue hadn't browbeat her into promising to stick around- Not that she planned on keeping her word, but Sue was wily and had assigned Brittany, Noah and Finn to keep an eye on the surly Latina. Brittany, aged eleven, had been rather excited that she now had a new sister- Albeit an older one. Finn and Noah, aged fifteen and fourteen respectively, adored the sometimes ditzy blonde as though she were their younger annoying pest of a sibling, and had therefore not put up much of a fuss. They were, after all, intrigued by this newest addition.

After the two adults were done interrogating the thoroughly unhelpful and sulky girl (they'd taken the wallet away from her to try to return it to the rightful owner), they bade the children to 'run along to dinner'. Brittany thought Santana ate like someone who wasn't accustomed to it. To the younger girl, Santana seemed like a lion who had been starved for too long- Or maybe a famished racoon. Yeah, that fit better, she decided, since the older girl even had the eyebags.

The children of the troop had all gathered, and were watching Santana plow through her second helping of potatoes and meat stew. At first that had made her falter, but ultimately she had placed food as the higher priority and proceeded to ignore everyone's inquisitive stares and questioning looks. When she silently fetched a third helping, Noah had cracked a smile and looked to Finn, and the two boys then rejoined the eating- Seemingly trying to outdo Santana who, oddly, seemed to welcome that kind of camaraderie. By the end of it, she was even talking to them in more than one-word sentences. Most of the other children had dispersed, whether to their own places to quietly talk, or had been called away by their parents. Brittany remained, face propped up on two palms as she watched Santana eat in fascination.

"You're too skinny," She suddenly decided aloud, causing Santana to choke and shoot her a sideways glare. "So I guess it's okay that you eat as much as Finn. Maybe then you'll grow as fat as him, which would make you look better."

With that backhanded compliment, she bounced off towards her parents, leaving Santana spluttering about 'damn kids', and Finn asking Noah if he was that fat, while the mohawk'd boy hid a grin.

Of the children in the group, there were Brittany, Mercedes, Sam, Tina, Artie and Kurt, who were all eleven; Rachel, who was thirteen; Quinn, Matt and Puck, fourteen; Mike and Finn, who were fifteen. Then now there was Santana, fourteen. The newest girl was with Brittany's family, Finn with Puck's, Matt with Mike's, Mercedes with Rachel's, Quinn and Sam (who were siblings) with Tina's, and Kurt with Sue, who had once wryly called them a 'rainbow tent of misbegotten children whose biological parents should have used birth control'. However, she had had a gleam of affection and laughter in her eyes when she said it, so no one took any offense.

Most of them got along very well, but Santana was beginning to consider this her own living hell. Like any normal younger sister, Brittany had latched on to the older girl and proceeded to annoy the shit out of her. Worse of all, she couldn't raise her hand to her or Noah would come along all glowering, nor could she yell at the blonde because then Brittany's blue blue eyes would well with tears, and then Noah would want to beat the tanned girl up. God, she couldn't win!

Not to mention that whenever Brittany's eyes glimmered with tears (which wasn't often), Santana felt like an ass whose job was to kick sleeping puppies.

The best she could do was foist Brittany off to the others her own age, and skip off to clumsily flirt with the older boys- Or pick fights with Quinn. Almost instantly, she and the hazel-eyed girl had struck up a rapport. In the mornings, one would throw the first insult, then the other would fire one right back, and the day continued on like so, with the two of them grinningly punching the other on the arm before retiring for the night. Whereas Santana was as vulgar as a seaman, Quinn was oddly cultured and well mannered, despite their lifestyle. Santana could see Quinn being decked out in pretty dresses with well polished shoes or something, if she had another life. As for the Latina, Quinn thought she was better off in a boat with smelly guys who spoke like her- Something that she informed the brunette of almost everyday. Except that she added in that Santana should be shipped off to Antarctica or something.

As time went on, though, Santana began to get settled in. She helped set up stalls for the fair, sometimes being assigned to buy supplies with the older boys and Quinn. Life with the McKinley Stragglers wasn't so bad- Except for when she was forced to do her reading and writing, but other than that, she was content. It sure beat the hell out of stealing and being fingered by dirty perverts, as she'd once told Brittany. Her relationship with the younger blonde improved to the point where she could tolerate Brittany's disjointed ramblings and odd one-liners, where she actually held a conversation with her in spite of it.

Brittany, Santana decided one day, was fucking adorable. And life was pretty fucking ace.

Until they reached Lima, Ohio, a year and a half after Santana joined them. Then Sue decided that this was the place to finally put down their roots and cease their travelling ways. This was the place for their children to get a proper education now that between the families, they had amassed enough to settle down.

Settling down, Santana concluded, was a fucking load of bull.