Standard disclaimer I don't own Glee or any of its characters.
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Santana was emotionally and physically exhausted. She just wanted today to be done, she had all in just the space of a few hours, in not so many words called her best friend a slut, found out that wasn't true and that said friend had in fact been raped, gone to the rapist's house and beat the shit out of him and then found out that she had left her best friend with the impression that she hated her. And to top it all off, she had left her girlfriend to deal with the fallout.
Her initial reaction, leaving and beating up Puck, while feeling good had been the wrong way to handle the situation. When she had made her way back to Quinn, the girl had begged Santana for forgiveness and each apology that the blond girl had given her had felt like the twist of a knife to her heart, and no matter how much she tried to convince the girl that she hadn't done anything wrong, Quinn wouldn't stop apologizing. And when Santana had tried to apologize for her own actions Quinn wouldn't hear it. Her friend was determined to take all of the blame in this situation and it made Santana sick.
She was raped, and for the past eight weeks she had been dealing with it all on her own. When Santana had tried to bring up, what happened with Quinn, the blond girl would clam up and shake her head no, refusing to acknowledge what had happened, determined to take the blame for what was done to her. Neither Santana nor Brittany knew what to do, so they temporarily agreed to just accept the apologies, reassure their friend just how much they loved her and when she finally calmed down, talk to her about this.
It was also silently agreed between both Santana and Brittany that Puck wasn't going to get away with this. For the rest of the day, the two girls stayed in Brittany's room with Quinn, skipping dinner, because neither Santana or Brittany felt like eating and Quinn was in no condition to do anything. She was terrified that they were going to abandon her. Not a chance in hell of that happening, but Santana was ashamed to admit that she hadn't exactly done anything to inspire any confidence of that in this situation. So they just lay with their friend until she ran out of tears and then kept the conversation light and to a minimum before calling it an early night early. Quinn once again spending the night so she wouldn't have to go home and face her parents.
In addition to being exhausted, Santana felt guilty. A horrible, soul consuming guilt that was gnawing at every fiber of her being. Her ex-boyfriend had raped her best friend, and Quinn had been too scared, too worried about her reaction that she hadn't even come to her. And the worst part was, she had essentially proved the girl right, when Santana had found out that Puck was the father of Quinn's baby it had been a punch to the gut.
Dating Puck had been… fun, he was fun. He had been attentive and passionate and it was a kind of whirlwind that helped dull the ache that had been there as she was trying to deal with and come to terms with her feelings for Brittany. But as much as it had been fun, it had been humiliating as well, she knew at least three people who she used to call friends, who had slept with Puck, two of them had tried to keep it a secret from her, 'Probably raped them too.' Santana thinks viciously, a lot of her previous anger at the two of them disappearing, but the other one had taunted her about it. It had been a petty, vicious, high school drama bullshit popularity contest kind of fight, but it had brought about an end to a friendship that had lasted for five years. And then take into account the numerous other girls; the ones she both knew about and didn't know about and Santana's self-esteem had taken quite a hit.
She had stayed with Puck because it had been convenient, because facing her feelings for Brittany had been too scary of a concept, and it was easier to deal with Puck's infidelity and the fallout of that than to actually admit that she was gay.
Santana had been stuck in this place where she was too scared to commit to Brittany but being with Puck was slowly draining her and so she had done nothing. Rather than make a decision she had strung Brittany along and allowed herself to stay with someone who didn't love her. It wasn't until the confrontation in the car, where she had finally gained the courage to do what was right for her. And it was partially because of Quinn.
She and Brittany had argued back and forth for what seemed like an eternity. Brittany was sick of feeling like she was being used for sex and Santana was trying to explain that it wasn't like that. And then Santana got angry at Brittany for forcing her to do something she wasn't ready to, with Brittany arguing that she wasn't forcing her to do anything she just wanted a sign that she was more than just a good lay. And it continued on and on like that in her car, until finally Brittany pushed the issue. She had just asked flat out.
"Are we together or not, because I can't keep doing this, I need to know if we're together or if I need to move on. Because I can't take this anymore, I love you but it kills me every time I see you with him and I can't do it anymore. So are we together or not?"
And Santana froze. She couldn't answer; she knew what she wanted to say. She wanted to tell the girl that she loved her, that she was the only one for her, that of course she chose her over Puck. But she was scared. Scared of what would happen if she did say that, terrified of how people would react and what they would do if they found out that she loved another girl, and not just other people, her parents and her grandmother and the rest of her family, how would they react when they found out that she was a lesbian.
And it was as she was looking around trying to figure out what to say to Brittany, how to answer her that she looked over and saw Quinn. Quinn was just sitting there staring at her phone, doing her best to give them privacy. And as Santana studied her friend it really hit her that the girl already knew, she knew and she didn't care, supported her even. She knew that Quinn knew about them but it hadn't really hit her until that moment. Her biggest fear of coming out was losing all of the people that she cared about, that they would stop loving her, and seeing Quinn, and realizing how she felt about it made her realize that she wouldn't. She wouldn't lose everyone, she knew realistically that not everyone would be okay with it, but the ones that mattered and the ones that were good for her, wouldn't care and then Quinn's last words to her came to mind.
"You're braver than you think."
And Santana chuckled, she wasn't very brave, not really, but she had definitely found enough courage to finally be honest about herself to herself, to Brittany and to Quinn. The look of confusion on Brittany's face when she heard the laugh had been adorable and it cemented for Santana that this was who she wanted to be with and so Santana had reached over, filled with a new found confidence, and took Brittany's hand and then chose her.
Quinn had helped Santana overcome one of the toughest decisions she had ever faced in her life and she hadn't even realized it, she had just been there and supported her. And Santana couldn't even be bothered to notice the pain her friend was in and now she was in serious trouble. She had been raped and was now pregnant because of it, and she had felt like she had no one to turn to and nowhere to go. She was terrified to go home and face her parents, and she had tried to keep her friends at a distance because she was afraid of how they would react.
"San?" Brittany's whispered voice cuts through the silence.
"Yeah B?"
Both girls were lying on Britt's bed with Quinn between them, her slow and heavy breathing indicating that she was sleeping.
"What are we going to do about Puck?"
Santana takes a moment to calm herself down, just thinking about him brought her rage to a boiling point. "I'm going to talk to my mom about it, see what she thinks the best options are. He doesn't get to walk away from this."
"I agree, should I talk to daddy as well?" Brittany asks.
"Yes, definitely, but I want to talk to my mom before you do, I want to make sure that when this happens, that Quinn is taken care of…" Santana trails off as she makes another decision, one that she should have done a long time ago.
"What's up San?" Brittany asks sitting up and staring at her.
Santana sits up to meet her gaze and steels herself. "I'm also going to tell my mom about Q's home situation. I know I promised not to, but it was a stupid promise and I don't care anymore. I didn't see this coming B. I didn't notice what was happening with Q, she has been acting so different lately and I thought it had to do with Finn and I couldn't have been more wrong, I mean this was huge, how did I miss it? How could I have missed this, and I find myself thinking what else could I have missed? How can I trust myself to watch out for her home life when I wasn't even able to see…. I should have said something the moment I suspected something was wrong and when I saw that bruise, I really should have said something, but I didn't. She's my friend and I have to protect her, Puck will never hurt her again and neither will her parents."
"I agree." Brittany says softly. "And it wasn't just you who missed it, I did too. So we're both agreed, we do what's right for Quinn… even if she hates us for it."
Santana stands up and looks at her girlfriend. "Well then there is no point in waiting."
"Don't you think it would be better to wake Quinn up and talk to her about what we're going to do?"
"Normally yes, but Quinn's entire mode of operation has been to keep this all to herself and handle it alone. And I'm scared that if we do talk to her first, that's what she'll ask us to do, leave it alone and I don't know that I could say no to her right now. Maybe it's wrong to do this behind her back, but… it still needs to be done."
Brittany nods and then gets up and meets her on the other side of the bed, she then pulls Santana into a soft but deep kiss. "Let me know how it goes and then get back here okay."
"Sure thing, if Q wakes up just tell her I'll be back and that I had to run home real quick, not exactly a lie."
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xXx-Scene Break-xXx
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It was 12:30 when she unlocked the door to her house and went inside. Both of her parents would be sleeping right now and Santana hated to wake them for such a heavy discussion but it was too important to wait. She quietly made her way into their room and went over to her mother's side of the bed.
"Mom, mami, I need you to wake up." Santana says softly as she gently shakes her mother awake.
"Mmmmfrmm…" Maribel's eyes open slowly. "Santana? Mija, what are you doing here, I thought you were sleeping over at Brittany's?" She then notices the look on her daughters face, and it wakes her right up.
"What's wrong baby? Are you okay?" She asks as she sits up, she then turns and slaps her husband's arm to wake him up. "Aiden, wake up."
"Gah! Wha, whas…" Aiden slowly sits up and coughs to clear his throat. He looks around blearily while trying to get his bearings, when he finally notices his daughter. "Santana what are you doing here? What's going on?" He asks looking to his wife.
"Mom, dad… I need to talk to you guys."
"What's going on?" Maribel asks again.
"Can… can we take this to the kitchen, I… need to talk to "lawyer" you." Santana says softly.
Both of Santana's parents exchange worried looks before getting out of bed.
The three of them make their ways into the kitchen and Aiden sit's Santana down at the table while Maribel makes them up some tea. After all three of them are sitting down, Maribel and Aiden wait patiently for their daughter to talk to them. She was always so independent and they knew that sometimes she just needed a moment before she could talk to them.
However a minute passes and Santana just continues to stare into her drink until finally Maribel takes her daughters hand and squeezes it affectionately. "Mija, what's going on?"
"It…" Santana takes a second to find her resolve. She's nervous about telling her parents, but it's the only way she can to think of to help Quinn.
"It's… I have this friend and… and she's pregnant."
Both Maribel and Aiden stare at Santana in shock and then at each other and then back to Santana again. "Are you pregnant?" Aiden asks worried, because when has the phrase "a friend," meant anything other than "me"?
"What!? No! It's… It's not me, it's Quinn… she's pregnant."
"That poor girl…" Maribel says, shocked, before she notices the dark look that crosses her daughters face as does Aiden.
"What else is it princessa?" Aiden asks, beginning to realize just how serious this is.
Santana looks up at her father and there are tears in her eyes. "She was raped daddy." Her voice breaking at the end.
Both Maribel and Aiden felt like their hearts had stopped. Quinn had become an almost permanent fixture in their lives when Santana and Brittany had befriended the girl back when they were twelve and they had both come to love her dearly. She had been quiet and a little shy at first but once she had gotten used to them and had started coming over more often she had been a delight to have around. Always so polite, but still warm, and she had a sharp sense of humor. And she was smart, a good friend for their daughter to have.
Aiden abruptly stands up, Santana was his daughter, but he considered both Quinn and Brittany to be his girl's too, they were both over here often enough, and to hear that, to hear that one of his girls was raped, it was a gut wrenching. He had to pace back and forth, he needed to be doing something, he needed to find out who did this and make sure they never did it again!
"Who?" Was the question he asked, his voice a forced calm.
"Aiden, sit down, mi amor." Maribel says, her voice steady and clipped, she then turns her attention back to her daughter. "Santana, mija, this is very important, I need you to tell me everything you can about what you know. When did it happen, what do you know, everything you can remember, and I'll need to speak to Quinn."
On the outside Maribel was a picture of cool. She was a lawyer and she had prosecuted some of the sickest people that this state had to offer, people who did deplorable things just to get a rise out of you, and she had perfected her stony persona. On the inside, however, it was an entirely different story; inside she was a raging volcano. Someone had hurt one of her girls and she was going to make sure there was hell to pay. It always made her laugh when people said that Santana got her temper from Aiden. Her husband, God she loved him, could bluster and seethe with the best of them, but he was all talk. Santana was a lot like she had been, when they got angry, they acted, the difference was Maribel had learned to direct her anger into something productive. Usually putting scum behind bars, Santana was still working on finding her effective outlet.
"That last part might be a problem." Santana tells her mother.
"Why?"
"Quinn won't admit that she was raped and… she doesn't know I'm here talking to you."
Maribel closes her eyes in concentration, okay, denial was a fairly common reaction, it was a defense mechanism. "Okay let's start with the who, mija, tell me everything you know."
"It was Puck."
"Did he ever hurt you!?" Aiden says angrily, as soon as he heard her say that Puck was the one who did it, that his baby's ex-boyfriend had hurt Quinn, he was suddenly terrified that his little girl had been a victim too.
"No! No… he never," Santana looks down, suddenly ashamed. "It was… it was always consensual… with us." When Santana looked up again, she expected to see looks of disgust or at least disappointment on her parent's faces, but to her surprise there was nothing there but relief.
"You… you aren't mad at me?" She questions them hesitantly.
Maribel leans forward and kisses her forehead. "I do want to talk about it later, but no mija, we aren't mad at you."
Her father ruffles her hair affectionately before sitting back down. "Go on baby, tell us what happened."
"Okay… I, I just heard the full story today." And so Santana goes into the details of what she knows, which is admittedly not much. She tells them it happened about 8 or 9 weeks ago and that he had gotten her drunk, lied about having protection, then after he raped her he then kicked her out onto the street to drunkenly stumble home. She tells them about how she found out and what she did when she found out, and finishes up with letting them know that Quinn is currently at Brittany's house asleep. The situation felt so huge and overwhelming that it was a little amazing to Santana that it took her under ten minutes to tell the story.
"It was a mistake to go after Puck like that. You know that right?" Aiden says sternly.
Santana looks down ashamed. "I know." She startles and then suddenly turns and stares at her mother imploringly. "Please tell me that it won't affect the case!" She begs.
"Don't worry about that mija, the case isn't why going there was a mistake, you do realize that he could have hurt you right? That you put yourself in danger when you went there? That is why it was a mistake to go there." Maribel tells her daughter.
Santana looks completely gob-smacked, because she hadn't even considered that, it hadn't even entered her mind. She had just wanted to cause him pain; she hadn't even considered the risks involved.
Santana is silent for a minute as she digests what her parents had just said, before finally asking, "So, what happens now?"
Maribel takes a calming breath, she can't stop imagining Quinn stumbling home drunk, confused and scared, after being violated, but instead of making it home she just disappears, and it makes her physically ill. But she pushes it back, right now she needs to be the adult and be strong for her daughter, she can cry about it later.
"First thing we need to do is get Quinn to come and talk to either myself or even Ben and get her to press charges. Without that, unless another girl comes forward, there isn't much I can do. At least nothing that any, halfway decent, defense lawyer won't get dropped."
"So there's nothing we can do!?" Santana yells angrily.
"I didn't say that, I can get the ball rolling on my end, but ultimately I do need to talk to Quinn."
"We also need to let her parents know, Quinn will need all of the support she can get. " Aiden throws in.
"No! No you can't tell them!"
Both of her parents look at her weirdly. "San, baby, if something ever happened to you we would want to know about it." Aiden says. "As parents there is nothing more important to us than our children and Quinn's going to need their help, especially since she is pregnant."
"There… there…" Santana takes a steading breath. "There is something else I need to tell you guys as well. Something I should have told you guys a while ago, but I promised I wouldn't, but … but I should have anyway… and… and she made me promise not to, but I… I can't say nothing can I, especially not with what she has just gone through and is going through?"
"Mija, you're babbling, take your time, what else do we need to know?" Maribel soothes her daughter.
"She is going to be so pissed at me." Santana groans under her breath. "Quinn's parents are abusing her."
Both of Santana's parents look startled at this revelation. While neither of them were fans of her parents, they were amiable enough in that, "Yes we will condescend to talk to you, how lucky for you" kind of way. They definitely had that I am better than you air around them, but they would have never guessed that they were abusing the girl.
"Are you sure mija?" Aiden asks seriously.
Santana nods her head meekly. "I don't think her mom ever gets physical with her, but I can't say that for sure. But I do know for a fact that her father does."
"I'll kill them, I'll fucking kill them." Aiden says as he abruptly stands up. His own childhood had been far from fun with how his father had been, and as a doctor he had also seen the type of damage that abuse could do if left unchecked. Abuse was a real trigger for him, and after finding out that she had been raped, Aiden was definitely in the mood to exact some personal justice for Quinn, first on that lowlife Puck, and then on her bastard parents.
"No you won't, and sit down; this needs to be handled correctly. We need to make sure that we act in Quinn's best interest, not what would make us feel better." Maribel scolds him, though she would like nothing better than to pay Puck and the Fabray's a visit herself.
"Now mija, are you absolutely sure that her parents are hurting her." Maribel asks Santana.
"Yes, like I said, I don't know if her mom ever gets physical, but I've seen a bruise that her father left on her… it was pretty bad."
"Why didn't you tell someone sooner?" Maribel asks.
"Quinn made me and Britt promise not to tell anyone, she said that if we did then she would lie and say that they weren't, that we wouldn't have any proof, that telling someone only made it harder for her. I guess she told someone when she was little and it never changed."
"Little?" Aiden questions, dreading what he's about to hear.
"She says that it's been happening for as long as she can remember."
"Fuck." Aiden growls under his breath, he's a fucking doctor, he is trained to watch for these kinds of things and he didn't even notice that it was happening to someone close to him. Maribel doesn't bother to scold him because she's thinking the same thing.
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A.N. So a bit of a Santana-centric chapter, a little insight to what she thinks and how she feels. For the most part I'll keep to Quinn's point of view, mostly because I find it the easiest to write lol, but I do think it's fun and interesting to switch it up every now and then. So I hope you liked it. Also, and this is extremely important, please note that my knowledge of the American justice system, it's laws, it's procedures, basically anything to do with it at all, stems from Law & Order reruns, so please just go with me whenever some sort of law thing comes up. I'm not going so much for accuracy as I am for story. Thank you for reading and the next chapter will be up next Friday.