I'll Defend You If You'll Defend Me?

12

Summary: Becky Jackson is trying to survive high school the best that she can. While Santana Lopez is struggling to accept herself and be proud of the person she has become. Can these two people become friends and help each other succeed?

Pairings: Santana Lopez and Becky Jackson. Other pairings: Rachel Berry and Santana Lopez. Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez. Quinn Fabray and Brittany Pierce. Also other characters have small parts.

It's important to note, that I do not have Down syndrome, but I am "different". I know what it feels like to feel unworthy at time and like no matter what I try to do it's useless.

I hope you enjoy!

~ Santana ~

I had been anxiously awaiting the Berry's arrival as I paced across the living room.

Where is she? She's never late? Did she have second thoughts about dinner? About everything?

"Mija, calm down!" my Mom yelled and laughed.

"She's never late!" I yelled back. I had stopped pacing and threw my hands onto my hips.

"I bet she's…" my Mom started to say, but was interrupted by the heavenly sound of the doorbell.

Ding dong!

I ran to the door and flung it open. All three Berry's jumped at the loud sound.

"Oh thank God," I said, smiled brightly, and pulled Rachel into my arms.

She giggled nervously and said, "Santana, did you miss me?"

"More than life itself," I replied. Then I kissed her cheek and regained my composure.

"Um, Santana, these are my fathers, Hiram," Rachel said as she pointed to a tall, gangly man, with big black rimmed glasses, who extended his hand and I shook it.

"And Leroy," Rachel finished the introduction. Leroy was a short, black man with an Army like haircut. I extended my hand, but he brushed it away. Instead he pulled me in for a tight hug.

"Hello, Santana, nice to finally put a beautiful face to the name! We hear about you constantly," he said chipper. He released me from the hug.

"Daddy!" Rachel yelled shyly.

"Am I wrong?"

"Um, nope!" she said with a wide smile.

"Haha! Thank you for coming…" I said. I motioned for all of them to enter the house.

"Mom," I yelled softly as she walked over to the group.

"Hiram and Leroy, this is my mother, Maribel," I introduced. She extended her hand to both of the men with a bright, Lopez smile.

"Very nice to meet you both, finally," she said. She ushered them into the living room.

I noticed Rachel's overnight bag and took it from her. "Allow me," I said as I grabbed it from her and placed it on the staircase.

"So…tonight we're having Vegan pizza, I hope that's alright?" my Mom offered as we all sat down.

"Wonderful," Hiram said.

"Yes, thank you," Leroy seconded.

"Ok, great. Santana, would you get our guests something to drink while I go check on that pizza?"

"Of course! You're helping," I volunteered and pulled Rachel up with me from the couch. She laughed, but followed me into the kitchen.

We follow my Mom into the kitchen where I pulled Rachel into my body and kissed her passionately.

"Hmm, Santana," Rachel said as soon as the kiss ended, "You're mother is standing right there. You do know that?"

"Yes, I do. She's cool. She likes to see get my mack on," Santana said proudly.

"Oh yeah, it's the highlight of my week!" my Mom said sarcastically.

We all laughed. Then I poured some Diet Coke into glasses and Rachel grabbed the glasses. As she walked back to the living room, my Mom instructed, "Rachel, call your Dads to the table…Santana help me with this."

We did as told and pretty soon we were all seated at the table. Hiram and Leroy were at the heads of the table. My Mom sat on one side. Rachel and I sat on the other side. I grabbed her hand under the table and she squeezed it and sideways smiled at me.

"This looks delicious, Maribel," Hiram commented as he gave himself a slice.

"It is, honey," Leroy said to his husband with some food in his mouth.

"Great! This was the first time with making Vegan pizza, but I love to try to experiment with new recipes," my Mom commented with a smile.

"So," Hiram started, "How's school, girls?"

"Quiet," I replied as I knew where he wanted to take the conversation.

"No, more incidents with Mister Hudson," he asked hopeful.

"No, Dad, nothing," Rachel told him.

"Wonderful," Leroy said.

"In fact…" I said happily, "It seems that Brittany, his ex, and Quinn Fabray are getting together."

"Really?" my Mom said and then added, "But when you came out to me at dinner that night, she told me she wasn't…"

"For me, I guess," I answered, "I'm not her type!"

She grinned. "Good for her! I bet cha that puts a sour taste in Hudson's mouth!" She chuckled in satisfaction.

I gave her my signature evil grin. She nodded and smiled back as she totally understood my meaning.

"So. Enough about Hudson, tell us more about you two," Leroy asked with a starry look in his eyes.

"Um, Daddy, what do you wanna know?"

"Um I don't know. Scratch that! I got a question. How does it feel when you're together," he asked.

"Well, sir, to be honest we haven't gotten 'together' yet, but as for being in each other's company, for me, it's magical!" I answered first.

He looked at me and smiled. "And you, Rach?"

"Well, it's difficult to justly describe it, but when we're hanging out she has this talent of making me feel like I'm the only one in the room. Like she only has eyes for me. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, Pumpkin, it sure does," Hiram said and looked lovingly at Leroy.

"Where did you two meet," my Mom asked Rachel's parents.

"In college, we both auditioned for the same role," he answered.

"Who got the part?" my Mom asked.

"Neither of us," Leroy chimed in as he laughed.

"The director wanted to take the character in another direction," Hiram said.

"I never knew you auditioned for a play, Dad," Rachel said to Hiram.

"Why not?" I asked to I get myself into the conversation.

"Because my Dad went to college for law, not theater," Rachel told me.

"Yeah, I was going insane with my studies and I wanted something to get my mind off of them."

"Mission accomplished," Leroy said and smiled.

"You have no idea. As soon as I saw this one over there," he said and pointed at Leroy, "I was smitten."

Leroy smiled cheekily. "So Santana, when did you know that Rachel was 'the one' for you?"

"Daddy!" Rachel yelled.

"No, Rachel, that's a great question," I insisted and then continued, "I've always been watching Rachel…Uh, not stalker-ish!"

The table laughed.

I continued, "I've always admired her and her persistence to have goals and know that she'll most likely get outta Lima. Rachel, to me, is my greatest dream. She's who I wanted to be like for a long time: successful, passionate, determined, and the list goes on and on. Then I thought about it...I didn't want to be like her. I wanted to be with her..."

My Mom interjected, "Last night when I asked about having you two over for dinner, I overheard them saying that they are each other's forever. I just thought it was the sentiment, but now I know it's the truth. Santana was made for Rachel, and Rachel was made for Santana." She took her napkin and wiped away a tear from her eye.

"Aww, Mom," I said as I saw my Mom getting emotional. I reached across the table to rub her hand that was on the table until she smiled at me to tell me she was okay.

"You bring up a good point and, I guess, another question. What will happen if Rachel 'gets outta Lima,' like you put it," Hiram asked.

I saw Rachel tense and I knew that she thought about this. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"When Rachel gets outta here, I will support her 110%. We are creating something that is stronger than anything else in this world. She doesn't have to worry about leaving me behind. I'd go anywhere to be with her. New York. California. Outer space. It doesn't matter," I said and chuckled.

The table chuckled as well.

"I hope I illustrated my point, sirs, that no matter what happens in our future and wherever life takes us, we're going to go together. As long as it's okay with my Mom," I said and looked over at her shyly.

"Santana, I'd never get in your way. I love seeing you passionate about something other than the Cheerios. It's like I'm looking at a changed daughter…and I couldn't be prouder," my Mom said emotionally.

"You definitely are, Mom. Rachel is changing me every day," I revealed.

All of a sudden, Rachel catapulted from her seat and ran into the kitchen. We were all flabbergasted, but I excused myself from the table and ran after her.

~ Rachel ~

OMG. I needed to get outta there and collect my thoughts. She really does care about me. Can it be? Is it too good to be true?

"Rachel," I heard her call for me.

"Santana, I need a minute to rationalize," I admitted.

When she reached me, she smiled at me and kissed my forehead. "As long as I didn't do anything wrong or overstep my boundaries…"

"Oh Barbra, not at all. You've said everything right! But…"

"But what?" she asked.

"Is that how you truly feel?"

"Darn tooting!" she replied with a small smile.

I looked at her, chuckled a little, and then smiled.

"But seriously, you're really ready to rearrange your life to be with me," I asked as I looked deeply into her eyes.

"Rachel Barbra Berry, you are my life!" she said simply.

"But what about your friends?" I asked.

"It's not like we'd move to Antarctica, right?" she asked with a wink.

"Well, the acting community in Antarctica is stellar…." I started to joke.

Her mouth dropped open in shock.

"Haha! C'mon, baby, we're not living in Antarctica," I said, laughed, and pulled her into my body.

She let out a sigh that I bet she didn't know she was holding in. She smiled at the closeness.

"I'd have moved there just to be with you, though." Santana said and smiled.

Then I leaned up slightly and kissed her on her lips. It shocked her, but she enjoyed it. She feigned shocked though. "I am shocked, Rachel Berry."

"Well, just you wait," I teased.

"Uhm, okay. We good?" she said as she separated from me and extended her hand to me.

"Beyond!" I beamed.

Then she pulled me back to the table.

"I'm sorry for my rude departure," I said as we sat back down.

"You okay?" my Daddy asked.

"Yes, my emotions overtook me…"

"Happens all the time," he joked. I laughed.

"So did I pass the test?" she asked.

"SANTANA!" both her Mom and I yelled in unison.

"What?" she asked as she threw up her hands.

Hiram leaned back in his chair, scratched his goatee, half smiled, and said, "You've already passed. When you told us about your incident with Hudson and the way you described it…that you weren't concerned for yourself, but for Rachel. We knew she's in good hands with you…"

"Whew!" she said and brushed her hand against her forehead in a dramatic fashion.

I smiled and pinched her side.

"Um, ow, that hurt," she teased and did the same to me.

They all smiled at our cuteness.

The rest of the dinner flew by quickly.

My fathers offered to assist Mrs. Lopez with clearing the table, but shooed them away. "The girls can help," she said.

With that I collected Santana's dish, cutlery, and glass.

"Thank you, Baby," she said and then got up herself.

I just smiled. Then it hit me…the feeling of all of this being very domestic. I liked it, but it was so new. I envisioned my life with Santana.

She must have noticed this because she said, "When we have our own place, in the future, it'll be fifty-fifty, okay?"

"Definitely," I replied and kissed her cheek.

After we cleaned up we all sat and talked for awhile. Soon it was ten o'clock and my fathers started to get ready to leave.

My Dad said, "Maribel, Santana, it was very nice to finally meet you. Next time dinner will be at our house."

"Sounds good," Mrs. Lopez said.

"Have fun this weekend girls," my Daddy said and winked.

"Daddy," I teased. He smiled.

"Goodnight, Hiram," Santana said and extended her hand for a handshake. My Dad brushed it aside and pulled her into a hug which was rare for him.

"You must be special, Santana," Daddy said.

"Why?" Santana said still in the hug.

"He doesn't do that with just anyone," I answered.

"I'm touched," she replied.

"Alright, alright," Dad said and let go of my girlfriend.

"Good night, Leroy," Santana said, but this time she extended her arms for a hug.

My Daddy hesitated.

"Don't keep me hanging," she kidded.

"Ok," Daddy said as he walked into Santana's hug.

"There it is," Santana said as she quickly wrapped her arms around him.

They separated after a few seconds and I said my good-byes.

After they left I asked, "Mrs. Lopez, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Just one thing," she started.

I ran to her eager to help. "Of course…"

"Call me 'Maribel' from now on," her Mom finished her statement.

I stopped short and almost fell over. "Whoa! I think I can do that." I smiled.

Santana walked up to her Mom, wrapped her arms around her body, squeezed and said, "Thank you, Mom. I know you know that I truly care about her."

"Yes, mija, I do. I think you should tell her about your Dad now," she said and hugged her daughter back.

"Yes, tonight," Santana said as she broke the hug. She turned around and walked toward me as she extended her hand to me. "Upstairs."

~ Santana ~

Hand in hand we climbed the stairs to my room. I carried her overnight bag with my free hand. Once inside I shut the door and locked it. Then I placed the bag on the floor.

"Um, Rachel," I started, "I need to tell you something…"

Rachel saw the nervousness on my face and guided me to my bed. She gently pushed me down so I would sit on the mattress. She moved to the other side and sat down next to me. We switched hands, but never broke our hand holding.

"You're probably thinking, 'why wasn't Santana's Dad at dinner tonight?'"

"Something along those lines. Where was he?" she asked.

"My Mom and Dad separated when I was ten. They were having trouble with their marriage and I always thought it was my fault," I started.

Rachel let go of my hand and pulled me into a hug. With one hand she combed my hair with her fingers and with her other hand she massaged my back.

"Oh Santana, I'm sorry," she whispered into my ear.

"I was always told it wasn't my fault, but I truly never got over the loss of my father not being around. Me and my Mom have a great thing now and we love each other dearly," I said.

"I see that every time I'm in your presence," Rachel said still in my arms.

"His leaving taught me one thing..."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"You'll never have to worry that I'll leave you," I said.

"Oh, San…"

I broke the hug, grabbed her hands, and looked deeply into her eyes. Then I said, "No, Rachel, I want you to know that…I. will. never. leave. you. Understand?"

She nodded.

"No matter what happens in our future, I am yours totally. Even if we have disagreements and need time…I will always come back. I care for you too much to stay away too long," I said, "Got me?"

She softly laughed, but said, "Santana, I never doubted that. I hear ya and totally care about you too."

I stood up and asked, "Stand up?" She grabbed my extended hands and I pulled her up. Then I naturally enveloped her in a tight, tight hug.

"Santana," she gasped in the hug. I knew I had surprised her.

"Rachel," I softly moaned in the hug.

Then I guided her backwards until she sat down on the mattress. She didn't really sit down. It was more of a plop than a ladylike sit.

"Rachel Barbra Berry, I never you knew you plopped!"

"I have many more 'tricks'," she said a little shyly and a little sexily.

"Oh boy!" I said and grinned.

She laughed. I then pushed her back onto the mattress. I straddled her hips.

"Santana," she said in surprised.

"Don't worry…we're not doing that right now. I just want to feel your lips on my own," I said as I hovered above her.

To my utter surprise, she leaned up and connected our lips. I wasn't ready. "Wow!" I said in her kiss. Then my lips got into a solid rhythm with hers. We kissed for awhile. Then she pulled me onto of her. Again I was shocked.

I kind of fell on top of her. "Ow!" she yelled.

"Shit, Rachel, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" I asked apologetically as I brushed her hair out of her eyes.

She didn't answer. Instead she leaned up a little and captured my lips again. She kissed me hard and passionately. I let out a moan and she took advantage of this and slipped her tongue into my mouth. We went back and forth for a long, blissful time. When air became a necessity, I broke the kiss and said, "Damn, I love kissing you!"

"I love kissing you too Santana," Rachel said with a lustful smile.

I removed myself from atop of her. She was surprised so she asked, "Why'd you move?"

"Baby, I need to catch my breath and I wanna hold you," I said honestly.

She turned on her side and I pulled her back against my front. She extended her arm and I grabbed her hand. Then we rested our joined hands on her side.

"I love being just like this…ya know? In your arms without a care in the world," Rachel told me.

"I know I love it too," I said.

"Santana…"

"Yes, Rachel," I replied with a little yawn.

"I heard you tell my Dad that we haven't been 'together' yet…"

"Yes?"

"Um, when, um, do you think," she hesitated. I knew she was trying to come up with a tactful way of saying when are we going to make love.

"When are we going to…take out the garbage?"

"Hmph, no," she said and smiled.

"Feed the dog?" I teased again.

"No…wait. You have a dog?"

I laughed hysterically. This made her break free my embrace, turn over onto her other side, and look me in the eyes. "When are we going to give ourselves to each other?"

"Emotionally? I have been giving you me. There's just one more thing I need to say, but we aren't quite there yet. I don't think."

"Well, there's that…But I was referring to when we are going to give ourselves to each other…physically?"

"Rachel, do you mean have sex?" I gulped.

"I prefer to think of it as making love, but yes," she said.

"Well, I haven't really thought about that…" I started.

She stopped me. "You, Santana Lopez, haven't thought about seeing my berries?" she said and poked me playfully.

"No, no, I'm dying to see your berries, but when you are ready to, my love," I replied.

"C'mon Santana, cut the chivalrous crap. Every red blooded, American girl wants to have sex for the first time," she said.

"Rachel," I said sternly. A little sternly for my liking.

"Yes?" she said. She sounded startled.

"I'm sorry, but I wanted you to know that I can wait until you're ready…."

"You truly can?"

"Yes, baby, cuz I don't want your first time to be a mistake to you," I said and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome…"

"You won't wait long, I promise," Rachel said with certainty.

Second Author's Note: The part about Mr. Lopez is obviously made up. He's never around the show so I thought I'd give a reason why in my story.

I hope you enjoy it.

Please review!