Ever since Santana had gotten in her car with Rachel in the parking lot of the Lima Airport and drove back to the Berry house, there had been a nagging voice in her head saying, 'If you do this, you don't give a damn about her or her dream.' and 'This is totally a Finnocence move. You're allowing her to give up something she wants just to please you. Do you really want to be as bad as that jackass? Look how well it turned out for them!' and 'Don't be such a bitch, Lopez. Don't let her do this. Stop the damn car and demand that she get her ass on the next flight to New York.' But Santana, wanting to be selfish, kept driving. However, when she saw Rachel look longingly at the Julliard pamphlet that she still had before she went upstairs, Santana felt like a total bitch. When Rachel went upstairs to freshen up and put her suitcase away before they were going to leave, Santana looked through the pamphlet. "Jackpot!" she said as she found what she was looking for. She quickly pulled out her phone and typed in the phone number for the Julliard program that was on the pamphlet. Hearing Rachel come down the stairs, she quickly put the brochure back on the coffee table and stood up.
"Ready to go, San?" Rachel asked. Santana quickly tried to think of an excuse.
"You know, actually, can you give me, like, an hour to go home and drop my bag off?" Santana asked. Rachel's brow furrowed. "Its just... I don't want to leave it in the car while we're eating or in the movie. You know how the people in Lima are." Santana said. Rachel looked suspicious, but nodded.
"Sure. Go ahead." Rachel said. Santana smiled.
"Thanks, babe. I'll be back to pick you up at five." Santana said. Rachel nodded suspiciously.
"Bye, San." Rachel said, kissing Santana before the girl practically ran out of her house. The moment she was back in her room and lying on her bed, she pulled out her phone and dialed the recently added number. 'Please pick up.' she repeatedly said in her head as the phone rang. While waiting for someone to pick up, she grabbed the framed photo of her and Rachel in New York. 'That's where she belongs right now. I'm not going to hold her back. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get her to her dream. Even if that means-' her thoughts where interrupted when a person finally answered the phone.
"How may I help you?" the person on the other end of the conversation said. It took Santana a moment to recover from her thoughts. "Hello?"
"Hi. Yea... is this Julliard?" Santana asked.
"Yes it is. This is Rita. How may I help you?" the person said.
"Uh... my name's Santana Lopez. My friend Rachel Berry was accepted into the summer program that started today as one of the ten people that recieved a scholarship. She was supposed to arrive in New York today, but due to a... family emergency, she couldn't make it for registration. Is there anyway she can sign in tomorrow?" Santana asked.
"Well, we generally don't allow that..." Rita said.
"Please, ma'am. Rachel's an amazing performer. She can sing, she can dance, and she can act. She's everything you could want in someone who was attending the summer program at Julliard. Just give her a chance to show that." Santana said.
"You said she was one of the scholarship acceptees?" Rita asked.
"Yes, she was." Santana replied.
"Tell you what. If Rachel can be here by eight tomorrow morning, we'll let her register. That's an hour before the orientation begins. But if she has to miss this one, we won't be able to allow her another chance to register." Rita said. Santana's face split into a smile.
"Oh my god. Thank you so much. I'll make sure she gets on the plane. Thank you so much." Santana said.
"You're welcome. I look forward to meeting her." Rita said. Santana hung up the phone and got her computer. Pulling out her credit card, she quickly bought Rachel a plane ticket to New York. She didn't know how she was going to explain to her father why she felt that it was her responsibility to pay for Rachel's ticket, but she didn't care. After she printed out Rachel's ticket, she got back in her car and drove to Rachel's house. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Rachel answered quickly.
"Hey you're back early." Rachel said, leaning up for a kiss. Santana turned away. "What's wrong?" Rachel asked.
"Can we talk?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.
"Yea sure. Let's go to my room." Rachel said. The two girls made their way up to Rachel's room and closed the door. "What's up, San?" Rachel asked.
"So.. I spoke to the Julliard people and they said if you can get there by eight tomorrow morning, you can register." Santana said. Rachel looked at her with wide eyes.
"Why did you do that?" Rachel asked quietly.
"Because that's where you belong." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.
"I want to be here, with you. I want to spend the summer with you. You're my girlfriend." Rachel said.
"That's another thing. I'm breaking up with you." Santana said. Rachel looked up.
"What? Why? Did I... did I do something wrong?" Rachel asked. Santana quickly shook her head. "Then why are you breaking up with me?" Rachel asked.
"Because this way there's nothing holding you back. There's nothing keeping you from going after your dream." Santana said. Rachel looked down.
"If I were to go to New York, I wouldn't go unless I knew everything was all right between us. And I'm pretty sure a break up doesn't count as all right." Rachel said.
"So if everything's all right between us, you'll go?" Santana asked. Rachel tried to think of an excuse.
"I don't have a plane ticket." Rachel said. Santana handed her the piece of paper. "You bought me a plane ticket. San, you're the most thoughtful, kind, and generous person I've ever dated. Puck would have dumped me the moment he realized he wouldn't have anyone to make out with. Jesse would have found a way to impersonate me so he got to be the one to go to the program. Finn would have been a complete ass about it and if we were in this particular situation, he would never have called Julliard and got me another chance to go to New York." Rachel said. Santana smiled softly.
"That's because I love you and I want to see you succeed. I never should have even let you leave the airport. I feel like a total bitch, but worse? I feel like a terrible girlfriend. I want you to be all that you can be and if that means we can't spend the summer together, then so be it. I promise to come visit you like every other weekend or something But babe, you have to go." Santana said. Rachel looked at the ticket.
"You really want this for me?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.
"Of course I do, sweetie. I want everything for you." Santana said. Rachel smiled softly and nodded.
"Okay." she whispered. Santana raised an eyebrow.
"Okay?" she asked, searching for the real answer in Rachel's eyes. She couldn't find one, but nevertheless, Rachel nodded.
"Okay." Rachel repeated
"Okay, your flight leaves at seven, so we better get you to the airport so you can get through security." Santana said. Rachel nodded and went to explain to her fathers what was going on, and then Santana grabbed the girl's suitcase and put in her car. Santana held Rachel's hand the entire drive to the airport and Rachel didn't say a word the entire drive. Santana walked Rachel into the lobby and went as far as she could go. "Babe... I can't go any farther without a ticket." Santana said. Rachel looked at Santana and grabbed her hand tighter. "I should go." Santana said.
"No!" Rachel protested.
"Baby, the longer I stay, the harder it will be for me to leave and for you to get on the plane. Call me when you get to New York so I know you're safe." Santana said. Rachel threw herself into Santana's arms. "I love you, Rach." Santana whispered.
"I know. I know you do." Rachel said. She smiled up at Santana. "I love you too." Rachel continued. Santana hugged Rachel closer to her before kissing her.
"Go do your thing, Rachel Berry." Santana said, smiling. She noticed Rachel was crying when she pulled back. "Babe, don't cry. This is going to be so good for you, I swear." Santana said. Rachel attempted to stop the tears.
"I love you, San." Rachel said. Santana smiled softly.
"I love you too Rae." Santana said. She gently pushed Rachel in the direction of the security station and turned away before Rachel could see her crying. 'Grow up Lopez. It's not like she's moving to Siberia! She's just going to New York. She'll have access to her iPhone 4, which means we can text, call, she has access to Facebook and we can FaceTime each other. She's not disappearing off the face of the Earth. Just because you love her doesn't mean you have to cry every time you say goodbye-' a voice calling her name pulled her back into reality. She turned around and saw Rachel still standing where she'd left her. Slowly, Santana walked back to her. "What's wrong?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head, crying.
"I can't." Rachel said.
"Rae, you have to." Santana said.
"No. I can't. I won't." Rachel said.
"I should have brought your dads along. They could have helped me get you on that plane." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.
"I love you for doing this for me, but no one can convince me that I need to be anywhere else but in your arms." Rachel said. Santana shook her head, finally letting her tears fall freely.
"No. No, you belong in New York. You belong at Julliard." Santana said.
"I belong with you." Rachel said. Santana closed her eyes.
"I don't deserve you." Santana whispered.
"What?" Rachel asked. Santana opened her eyes.
"You're too good for me. You're too good to me." Santana said. Rachel's brow furrowed in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked.
"How can someone I've treated so horribly her entire life want to be with me?" Santana asked. Rachel reached out and grabbed her girlfriend's hand.
"Because I see the real you. The one who is behind the girl that you pretend to be when you walk in to McKinley. I see the you that isn't from Lima Heights Adjacent." Rachel said, earning a small laugh from Santana. "I see the you that loves me." Rachel whispered. Santana looked up.
"Rachel, every word you say makes it harder for me to leave you here. Please... let me leave." Santana said.
"I don't want you to leave me here. I don't want to go to New York. What I've learned from this relationship is that there's more to life than just me. I'm not the only one my decisions effect anymore. They have an impact on you. That is why I'm not going to New York." Rachel said. Santana shook her head.
"This could jumpstart your career. I'm not getting in the way of that. I already bought your ticket, Rae. Just get on the plane." Santana said.
"I'll pay you back for the ticket." Rachel said.
"I don't care about the damn money, Rachel! I care about you and your future. And your future is New York and Julliard and-" Santana was interrupted by Rachel kissing her.
"And you." Rachel whispered against Santana's lips. Santana shook her head.
"Go to New York." Santana said.
"Then come with me." Rachel said hopefully. Santana shook her head again.
"I can't come with you to New York, Rachel." Santana said.
"Why not?" Rachel asked.
"Where would I stay?" Santana asked.
"You could stay with me." Rachel said.
"In the hotel room set aside for the Julliard people? I don't think that's gonna fly, Rae." Santana said.
"You could try to get into the Julliard thing." Rachel said.
"That wouldn't even work. The only reason they're letting you go late is because you were already accepted." Santana said.
"Santana, if I was meant to be at the Julliard program, I would be there. I'm here with you. That's where I'm supposed to be. I'll go to New York when the time is right and you can be there with me. Not before then." Rachel said. Santana shook her head.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you taking a gamble and possibly throwing away your future just to be with me?" Santana asked.
"Because I want you, Santana." Rachel said.
"Well, I don't want you." Santana said. Rachel's jaw slightly dropped.
"Wha... why?" Rachel said. Santana looked down. "Please tell me you aren't serious." Rachel said. Santana, still looking down, shook her head while crying. "Then why did you say that?" Rachel asked.
"I figured if I said that, you'd run off and get on the plane. But it didn't work." Santana said. Rachel lifted her hand to Santana's cheek. "I just want you to be happy, Rach. That's all I want for you." Santana whispered.
"You make me happier than I've ever felt." Rachel whispered back.
"We shouldn't work." Santana said. Rachel forced Santana to make eye contact with her. "...but we do." Santana continued. Rachel nodded.
"Yea, we do." she said.
"So what do we do now?" Santana asked.
"We go home. This is the third time I've been in the Lima Airport today. I'm tired of this place. I want to go home and prepare to spend the summer with my hot badass, yet incredibly sweet girlfriend." Rachel said. Santana looked up.
"Your dads are going to kill me." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.
"No. Its not like they paid for the program and they know how much you mean to me." Rachel said. Santana looked down from the ceiling of the airport.
"I really can't say that I agree with this. I don't like the idea of you giving up your dream for me. But I love you so much and I don't like the idea of having to go three months without you." Santana said. Rachel kissed Santana softly.
"You don't have to. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to call the Julliard people first thing tomorrow morning and tell them that due to extenuating circumstances, I can no longer attend the summer program." Rachel said. Santana leaned down and rested her forehead on the other girl's shoulder. "Come on. I'll take you to Breadstix. Let me call my dads real quick." Rachel said, pulling out her phone.
"Hi... daddy?... yes, I have been crying... uh... no... I didn't trip on the escalator in the airport. Daddy, that would most likely kill me!... anyway... well, if you'd stop interrupting me, I could tell you why I've been crying... thank you. Anyway, I've been crying because... I can't do it, Daddy. I can't go... no Santana isn't on board with this... yes, she's crying too... No! No one fell down the damn escalator! God! That's really weird, Daddy... wait. You saw someone fall down an escalator in the airport before?... anyway, I'm taking Santana to Breadstix. Do you guys want anything?... okay, just text me your orders and I'll get them. I'll give you the full story tonight when I get home... Love you too. Bye." Rachel said. Santana looked up from Rachel's shoulder with a raised eyebrow.
"I think your dad wants us to fall down an escalator." Santana said. Rachel smiled.
"What can I say? They're my parents." Rachel said. Santana kissed Rachel. "I love you, San." Rachel said.
"I love you, too Rachel." Santana said.
"Thank you so much for all you did. Really, I'll pay you back for the ticket." Rachel said. Santana shook her head.
"Don't worry about it. By the way, I told the Julliard people you had a family emergency, so..." Santana trailed off. Rachel reached up to wipe away a few stray tears.
"Let's go to Breadstix." Rachel whispered. Santana nodded and the two walked out of the Lima Airport.