The next day, Santana opened her front door to find Rachel Berry standing on the other side of it. "Rachel! Oh my god... Look, you should know that I feel terrible about what happ-" she was cut off as Rachel pushed past her and entered the large, empty house. Confused, Santana closed the door behind her.
"Shut up, Santana. You should feel terrible about what happened. But you don't get to be pathetic and stay at home because you didn't want to face me. Brittany informed everyone that you were sick, but I knew exactly why you were absent." Rachel said. Santana looked down.
"Why are you here?" she asked softly.
"Because Brittany also took it upon herself to inform Mr. Schuester that we were rehearsing a duet and he has now made it an assignment. You and I were paired up. He said he 'didn't want to disrupt any progress we had already made.' Everyone else was chosen from a hat." Rachel answered.
"So... we have to perform now?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.
"But just know that I'm only here because I have to perform with you. Outside of this assignment, I don't want to talk to you." Rachel said. Santana nodded.
"Rachel... I really am sorry."
"I heard you. But what you did was wrong, Santana. This is almost as bad as you sleeping with Finn and then throwing it in my face during rehearsals. Can we please just get this done?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded again. "Okay. Now I think it'd be better if-"
"Actually no. I'd rather we talk about this. Otherwise this is just going to be really awkward and we're going to suck." Santana said. Rachel sighed. "And Santana Lopez doesn't suck."
"Not from what I hear." Rachel muttered.
"What was that, Berry?" Santana snapped. Rachel looked up innocently.
"Well, I just heard that you might not be as good as you think you are." Rachel said. Santana glared.
"Damn it, Berry..." Santana growled as she surged forward, successfully pinning the diva to the wall.
"What are you doing?" Rachel asked, not resisting at all.
"Just proving to you that I am as good as I know I am and that Finn is the reason that the sex between us wasn't any good." Santana said before kissing the smaller brunette. Rachel attempted to protest, but Santana didn't fail to notice that she wasn't putting up a good fight. "Just give into it Berry. I can tell you want it as much as you're denying it." Santana whispered.
"I hate you, Santana." Rachel said, kissing the Latina. Santana smirked as she kissed back.
"Yea... I can really tell." Santana whispered. Rachel sighed as Santana kissed her neck. "Just remember, you baited me into this." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes, but smirked internally. She knew exactly what she was doing. She wasn't sure why she was doing it, but she knew what she was doing. Suddenly, Santana picked her up and carried her to the couch. Santana quickly took off Rachel's sweater and allowed the diva to pull off her tshirt. Soon, both girls were left in only tank tops and their panties. All of a sudden, Santana stopped.
"What? I thought you said you had something to prove." Rachel said.
"I'm not going to prove it to a virgin. You've always said you want your first time to be special." Santana said. Rachel smiled softly.
"You listen to me when I talk?" Santana blushed.
"I mean... you seem like the kind of girl who would want their first time to be special." Santana said. Rachel nodded.
"Wasn't your first time special?" she asked. Santana looked over with a raised eyebrow.
"My first time was in a closet. At thirteen. With Puckerman. What do you think?" Santana asked. Rachel looked down.
"Sorry... I shouldn't have asked that." Rachel said. Santana shrugged.
"Why are you being nice to me now? Before you were in here all pissed off... rightfully pissed off, that is... anyway, you were pissed off and yelling at me. Now I'm getting soft smiles and apologies. What gives?" Santana asked. Rachel shrugged.
"I don't know... I'm extremely angry with you, don't get me wrong, but... I don't know. Something about you actually taking my feelings into consideration did something. Thank you." Rachel said. Santana nodded.
"I know what I did was wrong. And I know you probably won't forgive me. You shouldn't forgive me. Just let me know... is there any chance that you will?" Santana asked. Rachel looked down.
"I don't know Santana. I certainly didn't come here with the intention of ending up in this position." Rachel said, gesturing to what they were - or more specifically, what they weren't - wearing. She really hadn't. "But... I don't know." she repeated softly. Santana looked over at the diva and felt her heart swell... she realized now why she had chosen to break up Finn and Rachel out of all the couples in the Glee Club. 'I've been denying my feelings for her since Nationals... I don't wanna deny them anymore. Even if she won't reciprocate.' she thought.
"Rachel, I need to tell you something, but before I do, I need to show you something." Santana said. She got up and walked across the large living room to the staircase. "Just stay there. I'll be right back." Soon, she returned with something in her hand.
"What's that?" Rachel asked. Santana smiled sheepishly.
"After you and Finn kissed during our performance at Nationals and Jesse convinced us that that's why we lost, I made a Rachel Berry voodoo doll. I thought I was making it because I was angry, but I don't think that's why I made it anymore." Santana said. Rachel looked over with interest.
"Why'd you make it?"
"I wasn't lying when I told you that I like you... and I really liked it when you called me Tana when I kissed you. I think that I made this because I was upset that even after all the shit that Finn put you through last year, you still went back to him... Rachel you deserve so much more than Finn Hudson. Don't let him talk you into staying in Lima after graduation, because you deserve to go to New York and live out your dream." Santana said. Rachel nodded.
"Santana, you've never once even indicated that you have feelings for me."
"I know. I've been denying them to myself until now." Santana said. Rachel took the doll from Santana's hands.
"Did you ever try it?" she asked warily. Santana shook her head and Rachel set the doll down on the coffee table. "So do you wan-" she was cut off by Santana softly kissing her. It was unlike any other kiss they'd shared. Before, they'd been full of unknown want and need, or something to prove. Now, it was full of emotion and care. Santana started to gently push Rachel down on the couch, but the diva stopped her.
"I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried that." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.
"Its not that. Its just really creepy to have that doll in here while I'm half-dressed and kissing someone." Rachel said. Santana smiled and tossed the doll over the side of the couch.
"Consider it gone." she whispered as she kissed Rachel, the diva pulling her down on top. They stayed in that position for awhile, neither girl asking for more, before Santana pulled away. "Wait. Stop. We can't... I can't do this. This isn't right." Santana said.
"Tana..." Santana felt her heart swell and she almost smiled, but stopped herself.
"No. You're with Finn. Right now, that's who you should be with. And you shouldn't cheat on him." Santana insisted. Rachel bit her lip.
"What if that's not what I want?"
"Well that's how it should be!" Santana said.
"What about what I want?" Rachel asked. Santana looked away. "Maybe I want you."
"I don't deserve you." Santana said. Rachel gently placed a hand on Santana's cheek. "No... stop. Please. I think you should go. We can rehearse tomorrow... in the choir room." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.
"I'm not leaving until we talk about this." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow.
"Then looks like you just got invited to a sleepover. You can sleep in the guest room." Santana said. Rachel frowned.
"Santana, I allowed you to say what was on your mind. Can't you give me the same?" Rachel asked. Santana closed her eyes.
"Okay."
"I think that your feelings are true. I'd like the chance to explore those feelings and the ones that I seem to be having for you as well." Rachel said.
"Rach, I'm no good for you." Santana said.
"That's for me to decide." Rachel replied. Santana avoided eye contact with the diva.
"I won't let you break up with Finn."
"Again, my decision. Maybe we could start off as being friends. We can get to know each other." Rachel said. Santana nodded.
"I'd like that, Rachel... but what about Finn?" she asked. Rachel smiled.
"You know, I'm starting to think that Finn's the one you want." Rachel teased. Santana shook her head.
"I want you." Santana whispered.
"Then why won't you kiss me?" Rachel asked.
"Because I want you to be happy!"
"Well, I'm not! Finn can't make up his damn mind. FIrst he wants Quinn. Then he wants me. Then Quinn, then me. And now he's back to Quinn. The look on his face when he drew Quinn's name out of that hat... it was undeniable." Rachel said.
"Finn's an ass who doesn't realize what he has." Santana said. Rachel smiled.
"Let me be with you. Or at least let us be friends for now." Rachel said.
"Are you going to stay with Finn?" Santana asked.
"Probably not, regardless of your decision." Rachel said. Santana nodded.
"Can we just be friends for now? I don't wanna be a rebound, because I want to be so much more than that." Santana said. Rachel nodded with a smile.
"Thank you, Tana." Santana smiled widely and tossed the diva her clothes.
"Most friends don't hang out in their underwear, so you might wanna get dressed so we can rehearse." Santana said. Rachel laughed.