Disclaimer: I do not own Glee
AN: I want to thank everybody who reviewed, alerted, and added this to their favorites. They mean a lot to me. This chapter was going to be much longer but I decided to end it early so that I could get a new chapter out. Several people have asked if this was going to be pezberry endgame. Yes it is. Please let me know what you think.
Chapter 2: Snow Day
The following morning Rachel walked into the choir room for an early morning Glee meeting, and was attacked by a squealing blonde-haired blur. She found herself off the ground and in a giant bear hug, causing her to drop her duffle bag.
"I'm so glad you said yes!" Brittany exclaimed, hugging Rachel harder. "We're going to have so much fun."
"I am sure we will," She gasped. "Brittany you are very strong."
"Artie tells me that every time I put him in bed," Brittany said, as she placed Rachel back on the floor. "I keep telling him that if I wasn't, then we'd have to have sexy times in his chair, and it's not very comfortable we do it like that."
"Britt," Santana said, making Rachel jump. She had not realized that she was in the room with them. "I don't think the hobbit wants to hear about your sexy times with Wheels."
"But S, its fun making her change colors," Brittany said cheekily, making Santana laugh.
Rachel scoffed, "I can assure you that I do not change colors."
"Are you sure about that, Midget?" Santana teased.
"Yes. I am quite sure of it," She replied. "You are here early."
"Britt wanted to talk to you before Glee, and I wanted to make sure you followed rule three," Santana explained, looking Rachel over. Santana gave the girl props. She actually looked like a teenager for once. She was wearing a pair of jeans, and a Wicked t-shirt. It was simple, but Santana really liked how it showed off her assets. "Glad to see you listened to me. You actually look kinda hot, Midget."
"Thank you Santana. I appreciate the complement, despite the crassness of it, and I can assure you that I followed your rule number three," Rachel said.
"I'll be the judge of that," Santana said, and then scooped up Rachel's duffle bag. "I didn't peg you for a duffle bag kinda girl. Though for sure that you'd show up with a bedazzled pink suitcase of wheels."
"I do have a bedazzled pink suitcase on wheels that I use for long trips, but since I need clothing for this weekend I decided on just my duffle."
"And tampons apparently," Santana said, holding up a box of regular tampons. "I hope you're not going to be moody all weekend."
"No I will not be moody all weekend. My dad must have put them in there after I went to bed last night. He thinks it is nearly that time," Rachel explained irritation clear in her voice.
"Your daddies know about your lady issues?" Brittany whispered, clearly shocked.
Instead of answering verbally, Rachel nodded her head yes, because to she did not know how to say it without possibly hurting her feeling. She turned back to Santana, who was still inspecting her bag, and asked, "Is that really necessary?"
"Yes it is," Quinn said from out of nowhere, making Rachel jump for the second time that morning.
"Quinn! When did you get here?" Rachel asked.
"I've been sitting here the entire time. You really should pay more attention to your surroundings," She answered, sounding almost sincere. Almost. "Anything good in there, S?"
"Yeah. Midget actually has some decent clothing. There isn't a single thing with animals on it," Santana replied. Then wistfully said, "No skirts though. I don't really mind them. It's just the animal sweaters and all the damn argyle that drives me crazy."
"I like her animal sweaters," Brittany said. "Especially the one with the kitty who looks like Lord Tubbington. Hey, can I borrow it sometime, Rachy?"
Rachel looked dumbfounded, while the former cheerleaders looked at their friend with matching horrified expressions on their faces.
"Um… sure Brittany," Rachel answered.
"Cool," Brittany said. "Hey, aren't we supposed to have a Glee meeting? Where is everybody else?"
"It's only six now B. We still have fifteen minutes before it starts. They'll start showing up soon," Santana said.
"Rachy, are you going to sing today?" Brittany asked.
"I had not planned on it," Rachel replied.
"That's too bad, because I like it when you sing. It sounds like angels," Brittany said, and then whispered, "Are you an angel, Rachy?"
Rachel was thrown, by the off-handed complement. "No, I am not an angel, but thank you for the compliment.
"You're welcome," Brittany told her. "I'm really excited about this weekend."
"So am I," Rachel said. "I must admit that I was a little skeptical of the invitation, but Santana made a very convincing argument."
"God, man-hands," Quinn said. "It is barely six in the damn morning. I am too tired to listen to you talk in paragraphs."
"Q," Santana yelled. "I said no more mean nick-names."
"What the hell, S? You've called her midget and hobbit like five times since we've been here," Quinn countered.
"Yeah, but those are like terms of endearment."
"I don't know why you care all of a sudden. You called her treasure-trail just yesterday," Quinn said.
"Yeah, well that was yesterday. ," Santana said and then snapped. "Look, I don't need to explain myself. No more mean names," Santana snapped.
Quinn looked irritated. "Why are we even here? We rarely have before school Glee meetings."
"Because Regional's are in a few weeks, and we need as much practice as we can possible get, if we are going to persevere to Nationals."
"Persevere? Really?" Quinn asked rhetorically.
"Quinn," Santana said in a warning tone.
"What? I didn't call her a name," Quinn argued.
"You're being a bitch today. More so then usual," Santana said.
Rachel and Brittany were watching the two of them bickering back and forth quietly, Brittany's phone vibrated in her pocket. She read the text, and then showed her phone to Rachel.
"Hey S," Brittany said, bringing the still bickering girl's attention to her. "Artie just sent me a weird text. He wants to know if I want to hang out today, before our sleepover."
"How is that weird, Britt?" Santana asked.
"Because he knows I'm going with you right after school," Brittany answered.
"Also, he wants her to go over to his house at nine," Rachel added.
"So, he just wants you to skip with him," Santana said.
"But Artie never skips," Brittany said. She was starting to get frustrated.
"Alright Britt, chill out. Text Wheels and ask him about school," Santana said.
After a minute, Brittany's phone buzzed again. "He said that there's no school. How can there be no school, Sanny? We're in it right now."
"I think he means that school was cancelled for the day. Like a snow day," Rachel explained.
"Oh, that makes more sense. Why didn't he just say that? How can we have a snow day without any snow?" Brittany asked.
"It was snowing lightly when I came in, but I don't think it was enough to cancel school," Rachel answered.
"Apparently we all should have checked the news this morning, because there's a storm moving in," Quinn said, and then handed her phone to Rachel.
"Mama didn't say anything last night. Papi and her are supposed to be leaving in a few hours," Santana said.
"How much are we supposed to get?" Brittany asked.
"Nine to twelve," Rachel answered. "It says the storm made an unexpected shift southern last night," Rachel told them, and then off-handedly said, "Stupid ass weather men can never predict the weather right."
Santana, Brittany, and Quinn looked at Rachel in shock. She had just swore. Rachel looked up and noticed their looks. "What? I do not like the weather people. They are paid a ridicules amount of money to lie to us daily. It is a bunch of bull."
Santana could not believe Rachel was getting so upset over the weather people. Sure, she did a diva storm out nearly weekly, but she was usually so calm about everything else. "Britt," she said sounding slightly distracted. "Text your boy-toy, and tell him we're starting the sleepover now, and you can't hang."
"Okay S," Brittany said, happily.
"Midget, did you drive?" Santana asked.
"No. I had Daddy drop me off on his way to work," Rachel answered.
"Good lets go," Santana said. She grabbed Rachel's duffle bag on the way out the door.
Santana silently thanked whatever God was looking out for them, as the four of them trudged through the front door. An inch of snow had fallen in the half-an-hour Rachel had been in the school.
"Mija, is that you?" Anna called from the kitchen.
"Yeah Mama," Santana called, as the girls took their coats off, and hung them up in the hall closet.
"I thought you were still in bed," Anna said as Santana walked into the kitchen, with the other three girls following closely behind.
"Hi Mama," Brittany greeted happily, and then skipped over and gave her a hug. "It snowing, and we don't have school."
Good morning dear," Anna said, accepting the hug from the tall blonde. "I know it's snowing. Did you sneak over again last night?"
"No Mama. Sanny picked me and Q up before school, but then it was cancelled. So we came back here with Rachy," Brittany answered as she searched through the fridge.
It was then that Anna noticed the Quinn and Rachel standing by the door. "Hello girls."
"Hi, Anna," Quinn said, as she sat down on the stool next to Santana.
"Hello Mrs. Lopez," Rachel said as she walked further into the kitchen, and then extended her right hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Hello dear. Please call me Anna. Mrs. Lopez is my mother-in-law," Anna said taking the offered hand. "It is a pleasure to finally get to meet you. My dear, you have Hiram's eyes."
"You know my father?" Rachel questioned, visibly confused.
Anna did not have a chance to answer the question, because Santana beat her to it. She snorted and then said, "Apparently our parents were besties in high school. They even dated for a while. At least until you dad came out to her, and then they just pretended to date."
Rachel looked stunned for a moment, and then started chuckling.
"Yeah. That was my reaction too," Santana said.
"My father never mentioned it," Rachel said.
"I understand why not," Anna said. "Until last night I hadn't told Santana either. Hiram and I did not leave on the best of terms. I'm hoping that dinner on Thursday with help mend the rifted between us."
"Dinner?" Rachel asked.
"You and your dads are coming here on Thursday," Santana said, and then looked to her Mama. "Are you still leaving today?"
"Possibly tonight, if the snow lets up and the roads are clear, but I doubt that will happen. Definitely in the morning thought," Anna replied.
"Cool. Will you make us breakfast?" Santana asked her mother.
"Sure. Go get the recipes that we printed out last night. There on my desk in the study."
Santana left the room, and then returned a minute later with a thick stack of printouts. Rachel was amazed at the amount of vegan recipes that Anna and Santana had printed out. She also found it oddly endearing.
"How did you come to the decision to be a vegan?" Anna asked.
"When I was younger my dads would take me on educational outings, and one of them was a farm. While we were there, I saw the farmer's son cut of a chicken's head. After that, I refused to eat any meat. I started researching, and the more researched the less I liked what I read. When I started ninth grade I decided that I could not eat anything that was came from animals."
While her mother was listening closely to what Rachel was saying, Santana was only pretending to listen. She had unintentionally over-heard Rachel telling Finn the story a few months ago at lunch. Normally she would not even bother putting on the show, but she was in enough trouble with her Mama over how she treated Rachel. She did not need to dig the hole any deeper. She really wished that Quinn would stop blatantly ignoring her. She did not know it yet, but she was in a boatload of trouble too.
Anna asked if there were nutritional benefits to being vegan. Which of course sent Rachel into a long-winded explanation about all the benefits, and cons to her life choice?
Brittany had found the cookies that Anna and Santana baked the previous night, and had started paying attention to the conversation. She was thrilled that Rachel was there but the girl was making her head go wonky so she shoved a cookie into her mouth and then said, "Rachy, you use too many big words. They make my head feel all weird." Unfortunately, she had the misfortune of leaning over the counter next to Anna, who gave her a sharp swat on her butt.
"Ow. Mama that hurt," Brittany whined, as she rubbed her bottom.
"It's supposed to hurt," Anna stated. "That was mean Brittany. Apologize right now."
"Sorry Rachy," Brittany said meekly, and then looked sharply to Quinn who was snickering under her breath.
"I accept your apology," Rachel said, and then looked to the snickering blonde.
"Quinn," Anna said sharply. "You are in no position to be snickering about this."
"What did I do?" Quinn asked once she had stopped snickering.
"Quinn don't," Santana warned, quietly. "We're in enough trouble as it is. Please don't make it worse."
"What did we do?" Quinn asked, genuinely confused.
"She talked to Berry's dad, and knows about the crap we did to her," Santana explained.
"Yes, and after this weekend is over I will be speaking to Judy," Anna said. Quinn did not say anything, but she looked angry. "Britt, I've already talked to Joan, and while you didn't actually do anything, you didn't stop it either."
"How mad is Mom?" Brittany asked.
"She's not. I am not either. We are however very disappointed in you girls," Anna said. "Why don't you girls go upstairs and relax. I'll call you when breakfast is done."
"Yeah alright Mama," Santana said. "Come on guys lets go."
They grabbed their bags on their way up the stairs. Quinn barely made it through Santana's bedroom door, before she said, "Thanks a lot Berry."
"Quinn, it ain't her fault. Lay off," Santana said.
"No I won't," Quinn said. "I don't even know why she's here. Don't we put up with her big mouth enough at school?"
"Quinn, stop it now. This is not her fault. It's ours," Santana said.
"The only reason you're being nice to her is because you don't want a red ass," Quinn snarled.
Santana could not believe that Quinn had just said that in front of Rachel and Brittany, let alone how she was acting period. Sure, she was bitchy and mean, but she was rarely like that when they were outside of school. She did not understand why she was acting like this, but she did know it was more then just Rachel being there.
Rachel was stunned by Quinn's insults, and even more so by her implications. Is that really the only reason Santana was being relatively nice to her; because her mother would spank her if she was not. She should have just listen to her gut yesterday, and stayed at home. They did not want her there, she was sure of it, especially now that she had inadvertently gotten them in trouble. She had the overwhelming feeling that this had just been another one of their stunts. Lore her in, and then crush her. She had to go. She could not stay there any longer. Not with people who hated her.
Brittany was watching the scene un-fold in front of her, un-sure of what to do. This is what had gotten her into trouble. Yes, she had never stopped them. She felt like crap for it, but sometimes she really did not know what to do. That is partly why she wanted Rachel to come Santana's sleepover. To try to get her best friends to see past the diva's hard exterior, and to see what was inside of her.
Brittany directed her attention from the arguing girls, to the tiny brunette just in time to see the tearful girl dart out of the room. "Rachy wait," She yelled.
Santana looked over to her door to see a flash of brown hair running down the stairs. "Shit. Damn it Q," Santana said, and ran out of the room after Rachel. She caught her just as she flung the front door open. "Rachel, wait. Please don't go," She said, as she grabbed her arm.
"No, this was a bad idea, Santana," Rachel said trying to stifle a sob, but allowed Santana to pull her back in the house. "I never should have agreed to come. I knew it was a bad idea."
"No, please stay. Quinn's just being a bitch," Santana pleaded, as she moved her hand down Rachel's arm and gripped her hand. It was that moment that she realized how much the bulling they did, truly affected Rachel. It was the first time she had ever seen the girl cry, and the sight of the tears running down her face broke Santana's heart. Tears welled in her own eyes as she said, "I am really sorry. Do not listen to Quinn. She's just being a bitch."
"Santana," Anna sternly said form behind them. "Go back upstairs."
Santana briefly thought that she was in trouble again. "Mama this isn't…"
"Mija, it's alright," Anna said calmly. "Go upstairs and calm Brittany down, before she hurts Quinn. I could hear her yelling at her from the kitchen." Santana did not want to go until she knew Rachel was going to stay, but she listened to her mother and disappeared up the stairs.
Anna wrapped her arm around the crying girl and said, "Come help me with breakfast sweetie."
Anna had not been joking. Santana could hear Brittany yelling at Quinn as soon as she reached the landing, and she froze in shock because of it. Brittany rarely yelled at anybody. She hardly ever told anybody off either, and even when she did, she was so calm about it. She approached her bedroom door softly, and listened to Brittany yell for a minute.
"I am so pist off right now. You had no right to say that to Santana at all, let alone in front of Rachel. What happens between her and Mama is their business not ours. You're just mad because you're going to have to start doing what your mom says again. As for Rachel, I wanted her to come. Rachy always looks so lonely, so whatever you damn problem with her is get over it. I will not let you ruin this weekend."
In spite of the situation, Santana chuckled at the shocked but guilty look Quinn was giving Brittany, but she was also sympathetic. If she had been in Quinn's place, she probably would be shitting herself at the scary look the angry blonde was giving her. Her eyes widened however when the angry blonde yell, "God Quinn you're such a bitch."
Quinn looked like Brittany had just punched her, and then she suddenly looked angry. "That's funny coming from somebody who follows the queen bitch herself around like a puppy."
'Oh hell no,' Santana thought and then rushed into her room, before Brittany had a chance to attack Quinn. "Q, back off," She said, and then pushed Brittany onto her bed. She quietly said, "You need to calm down, Britt."
"But S," Brittany whined and then started to cry. "She made Rachy leave."
"No she didn't. Rachel's downstairs with Mama, and she can hear everything you are yelling at Quinn," she said, hoping that it would calm her down.
"You got her to stay?" Brittany asked hopefully, as she wiped the tears off her face.
"No, but hopefully Mama will be able to," Santana said, and then turned around to face Quinn. "What's your malfunction Q?"
"I don't have one, but apparently you two do," Quinn answered calmly.
"What the hell does that mean?" Santana asked.
"It means that all of a sudden Brittany wants to be friends with Man-hands freaking Berry," Quinn said. "She wants that loud mouth conceded diva to come to our sleepover, and she has you so damn whipped that you agreed to it despite the fact that you hate the midget. Then seemingly over night, you suddenly want us to be nice to her, and here the real reason is that your mom made you. Not to mention, that the damn dwarf has gotten us all into trouble. That's my problem."
Santana was trying hard to keep her anger in check, because she knew that Rachel could hear them. She took a deep breath and then calmly said, "Your right. The only reason I agreed to let Berry come was because Brittany wanted it, and the only reason I was trying to be nice to her was because I would get into more trouble with Mama if she found out I was still being mean to her."
Santana had to pause, because she suddenly felt chocked up. She took a deep breath, and then continued, "None of that matters right now Quinn. I just saw how we make Rachel feel every time we are mean to her. I saw Rachel crying and honestly, it sucked. I talked with Mama for two damn hours last night, and it still did not register in my head how much it affected her. How much we affected her. Until now, and the worst part is that I do not even know why. We treated her like crap for no reason at all other then we could."
Tears were leaking out of Santana's eyes, as she spoke. Quinn had seen Santana cry before, mostly when she was drunk, but this was the first time it had made her want to cry as well. She collapsed into Santana's beanbag chair and covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt her feeling. I was just mad because she got us into trouble."
"She didn't get us into trouble Q," Brittany said. "We got us into trouble."
"No, Britt. Me and Quinn got us into trouble," Santana said.
"Mama was right San. I never stopped you from doing it," Brittany said.
"Damn it. It doesn't matter whose fault it is," Santana said. "The fact is we did it, and now we have to fix it."
"How?" Quinn asked.
"For starters, you need to go downstairs and apologize to her, and convince her to stay," Santana said and then got a sly grin on her face. "Then we'll show her a good time this weekend, and make her forget all the shitty things we did to her."
Helping Anna with breakfast was apparently code for Rachel to sit and drink a cup of mint tea as she calmed down, while Anna prepared the food. The kitchen was silent except for the muffled voices from upstairs coming from upstairs, the occasional sniffle from Rachel, and the bustling sounds of Anna's cooking.
Rachel appreciated being able to sit in silence, but what she really wanted was to go home. She had been so optimistic for the weekend, and all of that optimism had been squashed in less then an hour. She felt that it might have been fine if her fathers had not told Anna about any of it. She did not know why they had to say anything at all. Both of them had promised her (against their better judgment) that they would not a big deal of what the girls were doing to her. Rachel had rationalized that it would make her a better woman and actor because of it. Sure, it hurt like hell every time she was teased, tripped, given a slushy facial, or called a mean name, but she tried to see the upside of it.
At that moment, she was feeling so much worse then any other time. As much as she rationalized that it would make her a stronger, she always felt like an emotional wreak afterwards. This time however was different they had dangled the possibility of friends in front of her like a piece of vegan candy, only to have it ripped away just as she reached it.
As Rachel gathered herself, Anna collected her own thoughts. It was one thing for her to know that her daughter and her friends were making life hell for a classmate, but it was another thing entirely for her to see the damage first hand.
She could not believe that her baby girl had ever made anybody feel like crap. When she had gone into the kitchen the previous night to confront Santana, she had been hoping that she would tell her that it was all a big misunderstanding. Boy had she been wrong. Anna replayed that conversation over in her head again.
"Santana, what is this I am hearing about you bulling Rachel Berry?" Anna said from the doorway.
Felix looked between his guilty looking daughter and his stern looking wife with confusion. "What is your Mama talking about Santana?" he asked softly.
"Look, it's not as bad as it sounds," Santana said, jumping directly into defense mode.
Felix did not like the sound of that. "What isn't as bad as it sounds?" he asked sternly.
When Santana did not elaborate for herself, Anna did it for her. "Apparently Santana and Quinn have been bulling Rachel, among others," she said. "What I want to know is how and why?"
Santana looked down at her food, and tried desperately not to look into her Papi's eyes. She could not handle the disappointment she was sure she would find there. She picked up her chopsticks and started to shove as much food into her mouth that could fit.
"That won't work Santana. You are going to have to us soon or later ," Anna said, and then sat down next to the teenager.
"What? I'm just hungry," Santana unconvincingly said, around a mouth full of food.
"Oh good. You can talk to us with your mouth full," Felix said sardonically. "That means you can eat and explain what your Mama is talking about."
Santana's shoulders slumped and she started to push her food around her plate. She knew that any she played it she was going to be in trouble, but if she came clean then she could possible lessen the punishment and prevent future punishment if they found out she had lied.
"It really isn't as bad as it sounds," Santana said nonchalantly, and then popped a piece of General Tso chicken into her mouth.
"Do you really believe that?" Felix asked sadly. He did not know what was going on, but he really did not like her attitude towards it. Bulling was bulling no matter how small and simple it may seem. It all hurt the exact same way.
The disappointed tone in her Papi's voice, made Santana falter for a moment. She felt like it really was not that big of a deal, but she also realized that she was on thin ice and had to play her cards right. Her parents were usually fair when it came to handing out punishments, but she did not want to give them a reason to come down hard on her. She really did not want that.
"Yeah I really do believe that it isn't as bad as you are thinking," Santana replied confidently.
"Then let us be the judge of that," Anna said, "Tell us what you've done."
"I'm sure Rachel's dad told you all about it," Santana said snidely.
Anna ignored the snide remark, and said, "Hiram told me what he knew, but I want to hear it from you."
"And I just want to know what is going on period," Felix added, and then sternly said, "Now Santana."
"Fine alright," Santana snapped. "We made up a few names, and started a few rumors."
"Like what?" Felix asked.
"Like man-hands, tranny, dwarf, treasure trail, and we have started a rumor that Rachel has a penis, among other things," Santana replied quietly.
Felix pinched the bridge of his nose. "Barely an hour ago you informed us of your sexual orientation, and now you're telling us that you tease and make up rumors about somebody's sexual identity. How could you do that Mija?"
"I don't know Papi," Santana lied. In all honesty, she did know the reason why she did the things that she did. To protect her and Brittany from the same scrutiny that they put Rachel through.
There's more Santana," Anna stated. "What else have you done to Rachel."
Santana knew exactly what her mother was asking about, and it sent her defense mode into full gear. "Look, the slushy attacks weren't me. I never took part in them. That was all Quinn. I would much rather punch somebody then throw something that could splash back on me."
"But you never stopped her, and that is just as bad as if you had thrown the slushy yourself," Anna replied.
"Look you don't know what that place is like," Santana snapped, suddenly becoming very frustrated with them. "I do it to survive. If you think what Q and I have done is bad then you don't want to know what to hear about the rest of the school."
"I'm sure it isn't as bad as your making it seem," Anna mimicked Santana's previous statement.
"It is," Santana yelled. "From our first day of middle school we heard horror stories about McKinley. The slushy wars, and how if you were not on top you got a slushy facial daily. That's why I joined the cheerleading squad. Being on the middle school squad was a sure fire way to get onto the Cheerios. I hate cheerleading. I only did it to protect Brittany."
"Why is the first we're hearing about this? I'm sure if it is as bad as your making it seem then your brother and sisters would have told us about it," Felix inquired.
"I don't know," Santana said. "You'll have to ask Sammy, Laya, and Lex why they never told you. Maybe it wasn't like that when they went to school."
"Why Rachel?" Anna asked.
"Because Rachel's a freaking weeble wobble. No matter what we did or said to her she always gets back up stronger then before, it doesn't faze her."
Santana finished her feeble explanation and then visibly cringed at the almost identical looks that were being pointed in her direction. They were a cross between anger and disappointment. It was not a look that she had gotten often, but it was a look she was sure she would never forget. Shit. She was in more trouble then she thought.
A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She understood why her parents were angry with her. She knew she probably should not have done all of that shit to Rachel, but she felt like it really was not as bad as it seemed. Rachel took it all in stride, and it did not seem to affect her. No harm, no foul. Right?
Wrong.
"If you truly believe that then you are sadly mistaken," Felix said. His words were spoken calmly, but his voice spoke volumes. It mirrored his facial features. Angry and disappointed.
"Are you going to make me cancel the sleepover?" Santana asked.
"No," Anna replied.
A glimmer of hope shined in Santana's eyes. "So I'm not in trouble?"
"Nice try," Anna replied. "If it was just going to you, Quinn, and Brittany then I would make you cancel it, but because Rachel is coming I won't. Your father and I need to talk privately about this, so we are going into the study. Finish your dinner, and then start the next batch of cookies. I want to talk to you some more before bed."
"Fine," Santana grumbled, and then stuffed some cold rice into her mouth.
Her husband calling her name from the staircase brought Anna out of the memory. "In the kitchen Felix," She replied.
"Honey, what happened to make Brittany yell like that. It's kind of scary," he said as he walked into the kitchen, and then noticed Rachel sitting at the island. "Hello. You must be Rachel."
"Yes sir," Rachel said as she hastily wiped away any leftover tears from her face. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine young lady," Felix said to her and then gave his wife a good morning kiss. "Why is Brittany yelling?"
"Because Quinn was upset about being in trouble and took her anger out on poor Rachel," Anna answered. "Brittany got upset when Rachel tried to leave. Hence the yelling."
"I see said the blind man," Felix quipped, and then turned back around to address Rachel. "You must mean a lot to Brittany if she is yelling at Quinn like that."
"Do you really think so, sir," Rachel said hopeful.
"I do," Felix said as she took a seat next to her. "I've known Brittany since the day she was born. There has only been a few times that I have heard her raise her voice in anger, and each time it was because Santana's older siblings were picking on her. Hell she even kicked Felix Jr. in the cojones the one because he stole all of Santana's dolls and refused to return them.
"Of course what he isn't telling you is how much trouble Britt got into when her mother found out about it," Anna said.
"Yes well, that's not the point," Felix said. "The point is that that Brittany rarely gets angry, but when she does it because of somebody she cares for."
A hopeful smile formed on Rachel's face. "That does not seem very Brittany like, but I am looking forward to getting to know her. I just wish Quinn would give me a chance.
"Yes I would hope so too, as well as my daughter," Felix said. "I would like to apologize to you for my daughter's behavior. It was uncalled for, and I can assure you that she is being punished for it."
"That really isn't necessary sir," Rachel said. Yes, she did not like what they had done to her, but she also did not want to see them in trouble either. "While I admit that what they have done to me has hurt me very much, but I don't want to see them in trouble over it. I understand that if they did not do then it would be happening to them. Quinn took a lot of ridicule last year, and now that none of them has the protection that comes with the Cheerio uniform, it is going to be the same. So I believe that they have suffered enough, however as I already said I just wish Quinn would give me a chance."
"That is very noble of you," Felix said. "Let me ask you this. Have any of the girls been mean or degrading toward you or anybody else since that has happened?"
Rachel sat quietly. She did not want to get them into any more trouble by saying yes, but she did not want to lie either. The choice was taken out of her hands when Felix said, "Silence speaks volumes my dear. Santana is being punished, because she has a lesson to learn. A very important lesson."
"A lesson I believe Santana is already learning," Anna added.
"It does not make them any less angry with me," Rachel said sadly.
"That's not true," Quinn said from the doorway. "Can we talk, Berry?"
Rachel looked hesitant but nodded her head yes. She slipped off the stool and followed Quinn into the living room. She had barely sat down on the couch when she hastily said, "I'm sorry I got you into trouble."
"Don't be. It wasn't your fault," Quinn said. "I'm sorry that I said that about you. It was wrong of me."
The tone in Quinn's voice was almost unreadable. Rachel was not sure, if she actually meant the apology or if she was just saying it to get her to stay. Since she was un-able to tell if it was a genuine apology or not she opted to not out right accept it. Instead, she sadly said, "Thank you for your apology. It means a lot to me, however I still feel like I should return home. I do not want to cause anymore trouble."
The sadness portrayed in Rachel's voice pulled at Quinn's heartstrings. She suddenly realized what Santana had been talking about. Rachel sounded so sad and lost, and it was because of what they had done to her. This lost girl had offered her friendship to her so many times since the previous year, and she had thrown them back in her face. Damn she had really screwed up.
"I wasn't finished Rachel," Quinn said softly. The surprise written on Rachel's face, at the use of her real name did not go un-noticed by the blonde. She had to stop and think if she had ever used it before. "I also wanted to apologize for all of the crap I threw your way. You didn't deserve that. Despite being offered your friendship, I never once tried to see past your awful clothing and obnoxious diva ways to see the real you. I also didn't allow myself to see how all that crap was effecting you. For that I am truly sorry."
Rachel's lips curled into a soft smile. She had no trouble believing that Quinn meant that apology, and it made her very happy to hear it. Maybe things would not be so bad now. If she could just show them that she that there is more to her then her clothing and 'obnoxious diva ways' then maybe her life will be much better and happier. She suddenly felt a new determination. Rachel Berry was strong, focused, and driven. She did not quit; she persevered. She went there for a reason, to put the past behind them, to show them that they were wrong about her, to make friends, and damn it she was not going to leave until her task was complete. "I accept you apology."
"So that means you're going to stay?" Quinn asked, hopeful.
"Yes. I have decided to stay," Rachel replied.
"Good, cause you know there's like a foot of snow out there, so the only way you were getting home was to walk," Quinn joked, making Rachel laugh.
Felix watched the girls retreating forms disappear, and then turned to his wife. "I hope we're doing the right thing. I really don't want this to backfire on us."
"It won't dear. It's a good plan," Anna replied.
Felix was not so sure. Yes, the plan had been his idea, but if Quinn's mother did not get on board with it then would wind up causing more problems between the girls. He looked out the kitchen window at the falling snow. "I hope the snow lets up soon. Maybe it is a sign."
"A sign for what dear?" Anna asked as she placed the last batch of blueberry vegan pancakes onto the platter.
"A sign that we are not suppose to leave them home alone this weekend," Felix replied.
"Maybe it is, but before you go cancelling all of our plans lets see how today goes," Anna said.
"You're right, as always," Felix said fondly.
"And don't you ever forget it," Anna said, and then gave him a chaste kiss. "Will you please go tell San and Britt that breakfast is ready."
"Sure," Felix said and then walked out of the kitchen. He passed the living room on his way upstairs, and saw that Rachel and Quinn were talking peacefully, which made him very happy. His smile dropped however, when he entered Santana's bedroom and saw her lying on her bed with Brittany in what he considered a lover's cuddle.
They were lying on their sides in the center of the bed. Brittany had her face buried into Santana's chest, with Santana's chin resting on her head. Their arms were wrapped around each other with their legs entwined, and he was sure that there was not a single inch between the two of them.
Felix suddenly became very confused and angry. Santana had told him barley twelve hours before that there was nothing going on between the two of them. Had she lied to him? Before last night he would had said no without a second thought, but now he was not so sure.
He cleared his throat to get their attention and then said, "Breakfast is ready. Brittany why don't you go help Anna set the table?"
"Okay Papi," Brittany said, not missing the seriousness in his tone.
Once Brittany had disappeared down the stairs Santana asked, "What's wrong Papi?"
Felix was not sure where he could begin without potentially upsetting his daughter. He decided on the playing it cool method. "You and Brittany seemed very close lying there when I came in."
Santana realized immediately what her Papi's un-spoken words were. "Papi, I told you last night that nothing is going on between Britts and me."
"The two of you were cuddling like lovers Mija," Felix insisted.
"Papi," Santana said, drawling out his name in irritation. "I already told you that we were, you know, lovers, but were not anymore. Brittany is with Artie now, and besides that's how we always cuddle. She'll cuddle like that with everybody if you let her."
Felix had to admit that there was no reason for her to lie about it. "Alright I believe you, but when your mother and I return home on Monday we are going to sit down and have a long talk."
"About what?" Santana asked. She really did not like how that had sounded.
"About everything we learned last," Felix said. He could see that Santana had something to say, but he did not want to get into it with heart that moment. He put his hand up and said, "Monday Mija. Right now let's go and eat."
"Fine," Santana grumbled as she followed her father down the stairs.
Breakfast was eaten in silence, except for Brittany's mindless ramblings, occasional witty comments, and not so subtle jabs, like 'Lord Tubbington is angry at Quinn because she mad Rachy cry' and 'now Lord Tubbington won't talk to me for a week because I didn't stop Q from being a booby-head' directed at Quinn, much to the table's amusement.
During their highly amusing meal, Rachel noticed that Anna was cutting up Brittany's pancakes for her. She thought it was odd for Brittany to have an adult cut her food for her, but chose not to question it.
Once they were all finished eating, the girls helped to wash the dishes. Rachel noticed that anytime Brittany got near a knife, Santana would pull it away from her before she had a chance to touch it. She could not understand why Brittany was not allowed to touch a butter knife. She decided to ask Santana about it at a latter time.
After all of the dishes were cleaned, dried, and put away, Brittany dragged them all upstairs and tried to convince them to go outside and play in the snow. Rachel was more then eager to play with her, but it took a little more convincing on Santana and Quinn's part. In the end, Brittany got her way, and then disappeared into Santana's large walk-in-closet and produced four snowsuits. Each of them magically fitting the person she handed it to.
Santana saw Rachel's quizzical look, and answered her un-spoken question. "The one you have is my old one. I am not sure why it is still in there, but once November rolls around Brittany makes us keep our winter gear handy in my closet.
"Oh, for a second there, I thought Brittany might be a witch," Rachel joked with a soft chuckle.
A true and genuine smile from the diva was not something Santana saw very often, and it was never directed at her. A pang of guilt settled in her chest at the realization that she was partly the reason for that. She did not want to dwell on that fact however. Instead, she decided that she would never again be the reason why Rachel wasn't wearing one.
Rachel noticed that a soft smile had formed on Santana's face as well. While Santana had rarely seen a smile from the diva, Rachel had only seen a real smile from Santana once. It was something so small, but it helped calm Rachel's insecurities in a big way. She was happy that Santana was giving her a chance, even if the girl had originally been forced into doing it.
They finished dressing in silence, and then twenty minutes later they were on their way into the backyard. Rachel was amazed by the Lopez's yard. There was a large wooden swing set with an attached playhouse of to the left, situated a quarter of the way down the long two acre yard. Woods lined the left side of the property, just behind the swing set. Off to the right was an in-ground pool, enclosed by a glass that was attached between the main house, and the pool house.
She could make out a small pond of the left, just a few feet from the porch. Heavy wet snow blanketed everything, making it nearly impossible to tell the rest of the yard features. She was silently hoping that she would be here when spring rolled around, so she could see the full effect of the yard. She was sure it would be an amazing site.
Santana lead them around the back of the pool house, where a medium sized shed was sitting. Her and Brittany disappeared into the shed and returned a minute later caring four round sleds, and four snowboards. Brittany handed them each a sled, while Santana handed them each a snowboard.
Rachel eyed the snowboard wearily, unsure if she want to attempt to use it, of if she wanted to pass on that experience.
"Come on Midget. You'll have a lot of fun on it. Just give it a chance," Santana insisted.
Rachel took the offered snowboard from Santana and started to follow in Brittany and Quinn direction. During the short walk to the back of the yard, Rachel mused about Santana's nickname for her. It was not a new one, but the tone behind it was new. She felt like she should be insulted by jab at her height, especially considering that she was not much shorter then Santana, however the way Santana said it made her heart flutter. It was weird, and she could not figure out why it was happening. The only other times she had felt like that was when she had been with Finn, Jessie, and even Puck during their brief courtship. She immediately dismissed the idea that romantic feelings were the reason for her fluttery heart. She was straight after all, and as far as she knew, Santana was definitely into guys. No, that is how friends make you feel, she declared to herself.
She was brought out of her musing when they reached the end of the yard, which was at the top of a gradual hill. It was just steep enough to create a nice speed as they went down.
Brittany was already making it up the hill with her purple sled, and Quinn had just reached the bottom of the long hill with her baby blue sled. Santana was strapping her booted feet into her snowboard. "Come on Midge, strap your feet in, and I'll go down with you."
Rachel's heart fluttered again at the shorten use of Santana's nickname. Maybe it was just that she was happy to have Santana speaking to her in a kind was that was making her heart flutter like that. Whatever the reason, Rachel liked the feeling, and did not want it to stop.
Brittany watched the two of them interact as she climbed back up the hill. Over the last few months, she had caught Santana staring at Rachel. At first she had just thought that it was because of her distaste for the diva, but the more she caught her doing it, the more she began to realize that Santana might have a crush on the girl. It had confused her at first because Santana was being just as mean to Rachel, but then she thought that maybe Santana didn't even know that she was crushing on Rachel. That is the second reason for this weekend. She knew it was a long shot, but she hoped that if they could all became friends then Santana would realize her crush on Rachel, and then make the girl fall in love with her. Of course if she was wrong and it was all in her head (which she knew was a very real possibility), then at least they made it right with Rachel.
As she neared the top of the hill, she noticed the soft smile grace Rachel's lips when Santana called her Midge. When Rachel started strapping her feet into the snowboard at Santana's insistence, she knew that she had been right. Now if she could just get Quinn to chill out a little bit more, and really give Rachel a chance then her plan would work perfectly.
Quinn wasn't completely thrilled with Rachel being there, but she had softened a little bit after their little talk in the living room. She was willing to give Rachel a chance, as long as Rachel didn't do anything to irritate her.
After Rachel went down the hill with Santana she was eager to do it again, and soon all four of them were seeing who could go down the hill the fastest. The drama that had happened a few hours before were quickly forgotten, and after awhile they lost count of who had the most races.
After they had grown tired of snowboarding, they made their way back up the yard to build a snowwoman. Which had turned into a snowball fight when Santana tossed a snowball at Brittany, who in return tossed one a Quinn, who then threw one at Rachel. Before they knew, it snowballs where flying in every direction.
Their laughter was heard all the way into the house where Anna and Felix stood watching the scene unfold through the kitchen window, relishing in the sweet sound.
"See, it's working out for the best," Anna said. "And look the snows slowing down. We should be able to leave early in the morning, and still be able to make our seven o'clock appointment."
"That sounds great, but do you really think leaving them here alone is a good idea?" Felix asked.
"I think we need to give them a chance to bond without hovering parents watching to make sure there acting appropriate," Anna said. "Come on dear. Let's start making lunch for them."