SANTANA'S POV
"Calm down there drama queen" I snap on instinct feeling Rachels body flinch at the loud bang of the door. I can barely get the words out of my mouth because I can feel her starting to cry in my arms. Then like a gift from heaven above she stops but my joy is short lived when I hear the drastic change in her breathing
Rachel starts to sound like Zizes doing coach's wind sprints. Holy sweet christ she's going to have a panic attack. I move quickly to stand beside the hyperventilating diva ignoring the pain of my full bladder.
"Berry listen to me, you need to take some deep breaths for me." I'm not sure if she heard me or if she's flat out ignoring me. I swallow the bubble of rage I feel at the thought of that. "Rachel listen to Satan" I start to rub up and down her back to calm her down. I'm not sure if it was the use of the girls real name or the fact I let it be known I'd heard her Satan slip up a few moments ago, but Rachels eyes glanced sideways at me as she nodded her head.
"Good girl, come on... in and out... in ...and out. There you go." I finished as I heard her breaths start to even out. She turned suddenly to face me causing my hand to fall off her back.
"What...what are you doing?"
"Whats it look like? I can't have you passing out and ruining my evening"
What was that? Hurt flash in her eyes? Oh no please God don't let the midget start crying. If there was one thing I'm a complete sucker for ...it when girls cry. The maternal reaction it springs in me I'm horrified to report is not specific to the girl doing the crying either...unfortunately. Ugh for all that is Holy please tell me those are not tears in her eyes. And then as my hearts swelling with all these emotions she has to go and take a cheap shot at me. This is why Santana doesn't do this shit. The roller coaster ride of one second their crying...then suddenly their angry and yelling at me..then crying again...makes my head hurt and my stomach do flips...and not in a good way. Fucking women. It appears Berry's landed in the "angry" stage of this wild ride. Oh goodie.
"Just say it Santana! Get it out of your system then let me go" she shrieks at me. Of all the nerve. I'm telling you if her voice hadn't cracked on that last word I'd have opened up the door and shoved her dramatic ass out. She must know she's playing a dangerous game here because before I can decide which answer to go with she shrinks back leaning against the wall and I hear her breathing get ragged again.
"Okay calm down before you start hyperventilating, again. For the record and because there are no witnesses to hear me say this, I wasn't going to say anything nasty to you Berry, but if I were you I'd stop pushing my buttons...like now. Stop cowering like I'm gonna hurt you, I'm not. Sure I gave ya a gentle not so friendly nudge on your shoulder for keeping me waiting when I gots to pee but I woudln't have done that had I known you were injured. Now back to the injury part...what the fuck happened to you?" I asked as my eyes moved down to see her still gingerly holding her arm. "Rachel look at me." Her head shoots up so fast I'm waiting to hear a snap. I've called her by her first name twice ever, and both times happen to be within the past ten minutes. I'm sure she's beginning to wonder if someone slipped me something in my drink or if she's in the middle of a dream; but, no this is all becasue of those fucking tears I can see she's fighting to keep from spilling over her puffy eyelids. I'm tellin you the do something weird to me it's like my fucking Kryptonite. "What happened to your arm?" I try again rephrasing to only ask about her arm. Baby steps.
"Why do you care?" she huffs.
And here we've come full circle again and her attitude's resurfaced. I decide to do something uncharacteristic and swallow the urge to show her some of my own attitude because I know sure as shit any second those damn eyes will be glistening again. "Like it or not we're teamates. If someone hurts you I'm obligated to beat the shit out of them. Got it? Now tell Auntie Snix what happened please." Rachel seemed to be thinking this over. I lean back against the sink a few feet from where she's pressed against the wall crossing my arms with increasing inpatience waiting for a responce. Just as I see her mouth open to answer me someone pounds on the door loudly causing both of us to jump.
"Open the fucking door or I'll break it down. I gotta pee maaaan." I just finish an eye roll upon hearing Karofskys booming voice when suddenly it feels like I've been hit by a small bus. Rachel has launched herself into my arms burrying her head into the crook of my neck.
"Holy shit girl" I stop suddenly when I feel her breath tickling my neck.
"Please, please Santana don't let him hurt me. I'll..i'll do anything...please please anything San just ..i can't survive this agian."
"Shhh, hey you're okay. Santana's here nobody's going to hurt you, that oaf isn't going to actually break down the ...holds the phone...you can't survive what again?" I feel her start to shake in my arms as she starts to sob. God damnit. "You needs to calm down Berry, this is not a good place for a break down."
"Can't. Stop."
"Yes you can mama, lets pretend..umm... we're acting in a play, k? Cut! Crying scene over for now, were moving onto when Santana takes you home where you tell auntie Snix all about what happened to you then you can cry. And get this, I'll even hold you and take care of you cause..well because something not many people know about me is i'm a big fat sucker when girls cry. I can't ...I can't handle it... Rach please honey you got to stop crying right now so we can go." Alright thats like two terms of endearment that have rolled off my tounge in the last twenty seconds..towards Rachel fucking Berry of all people. Get a grip Santana! In a ridiculous attempt to save some face I add, "If you tell anyone any of this I will end you..you get that right?" I pull back to hold the broken girl at arms length so I can look her in the eyes. I feel my lips frown of their own accord upon seeing the state of the normally strong diva.
"Jesus christ girl what happened to you?" I ask searching her eyes.
Karofsky bangs at the door again and all the progress I had just made getting her to almost be able to hold back the tears goes to hell in a handbasket. As if no time had passed she's back in my arms crying for me to protect her. Suddenly it was like the lightbulb went on in my head. Yeah yeah took me a while but give me a break, all these emotions are fogging up my head.
"Holy Mary mother of God! Rachel Berry is it Karofsky? Did he do this to you? What did he do? I'm gonna kill him!" I growl not needing to hear the diva confirm anything. I move to pull out of Rachels grasp but apparently Berry's not having it as I feel her grip get so tight around me she damn near deprives me of oxygen. "Holy hell midget you're freakishly strong. Baby girl you gotta let go and let auntie Snix free." I try to squirm free.
"Please. Please don't leave me! He's stronger than you..and he'll ...no please!" she cried.
I try to take a few calming breaths but I can feel the rage still pumping through me. "Rachel I don't think I can walk past him now without doing some serious damage."
Rachel pulled back looking helplessly into my eyes. "I didn't even tell you what happened yet. I don't even know if I will..I just wanna go home. Were you serious before?" she asks in a quiet voice I don't recognize.
"About what baby girl I said alota things tonight"
"Would you take me outta here and not drop me off at a crack den or a dark corner somewhere?" I whince at the scared sound that comes out of her mouth.
"God, I'm not heartless Rach, not all the time at least, k? I told you something funky happens when girls cry. And besides I may be nasty but this is way beyond some teasing you're holding your arm, sobbing to someone you hate and pratically shaking with fear. You're not gonna be as much fun to tease if you're broken and you can't fire them back at me." I say trying to get her to smile.
"I don't hate you." she says so quietly I wonder if that was just in my head.
"What?"
"You heard me. I don't hate you Santana"
"Well, I don't hate you either, midget. Now chin up. Hold onto my hand and don't you let you do you hear me? I'm going first past this dead jock walkin', k? So you stay behind me." She nods wiping away the tears on her face and lets me take her hand.
I take one last deep breath closing my eyes momentarily trying to keep Snix at bay. Alright I can do this. I can walk passed Dave and not gut him like a fish and I also can walk out of this party hand in hand with the midget. I yank the door open to reveal a completely plastered Karofsky. His discusting mouth shifts into an evil snear when I see his eyes fix on Rachel. I send up a silent prayer that the girls looking at her feet or anywhere but Dave or else theres no fucking way I'm gonna get out here without her sobbing. Snix takes control for a brief moment as I reach back with my free arm and land a deadly blow to his groin. "Don't you fucking look at her you son of a bitch or I'll slit your throat with my razor blades do you hear me?"
He nods as he falls to the floor tears in his eyes and hands to his manhood. I feel Rachel crash into my side, both hands clinging to my left arm.
"Come on let's bounce." I say prying my arm out of her deadly grip. Before she can think I did that out of embarrasment I quickly throw an arm around her shoulders pulling her tight into my side and lead her through the maze of people. Shocked faces look up and quickly people move out of my way like Moses and the Red Sea. Good to see I'm still feared even with little Berry on my arm.
I lead her out to my Range Rover and even open the door for her before walking around and climbing into the drivers side. "Thank you." she mutters as she put her seatbelt on.
"Don't mention it."
"Are you okay to drive?" she asks suddenly paniced.
I can't help but smile. "I had two wine coolers. I have cheer practice at sunrise I'll be puking all morning without a hangover. No way i'm gonna make it worse being hungover."
"Oh. If you need to go home to bed I'll be fine" she says sounding a little more broken. She looks down when she feels my hand on her bare thigh.
"Stop it. If I didn't want to be here with you, you have to know by now I wouldn't be. And i swear on my Cheerios uniform this is not some evil scheme, okay? Like I said something really horrible has happened to you. I don't know what yet but I want to. This goes way behond the hurtful banter we usually engage in, this is serious and Santana is not down for this type of bullying. Not the kind that destroys lives and breaks souls. Okay? Thats the last time I wanna hear anything like that come outta your little mouth. Shit sorry" I add quickly yanking my hand off her thigh when I feel her leg trembling slightly.
"It's..okay..i'm sorry"
"Shut up." Rachel looks up surprised. "Shut up ...as in stop apologizing. Add that to the list too of things that are not allowed to come outta your mouth, got it?" Rachel nodded.
"Santana?"
"yep?" I say turning the car on and pulling out onto the street.
"I...nevermind"
"Spill it"
"I don't want to go back to my house."
"Well thats good or else you'd probally think I was kidnapping you"
"Huh?" she asks confused.
"I wasn't planning on taking you to your house, silly. I told you I gots practice at sunrise and my uniforms at my house. You're staying with me tonight."
"Santana are you su.."
"Shut it before you break a rule berry." She nodds turning her head to lean against the cool glass of the window and closes her eyes for the remainder of the ride back to my house. Fucking girls and their crying! If you'd told me at the begininng of the night I'd be driving Berry back to my place I'd have broken your face.