Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

Chapter 10: It's like a loop

Rachel and Santana were standing still in front of the saloon; the night breeze blowing around them. They looked at each other as realisation hit them both: they couldn't leave town.

Santana opened her mouth and closed it, not knowing what to say after what had happened. It was all so confusing… As she noticed the tears on Rachel's face, she stepped closer but stopped when she heard voices coming their way. She grabbed the diva's hand and led her toward the back alley.

The girls halted at the same time when they spotted Santiago's horse and their belonging in the middle of the alley. "What the fuck happened? Time travelling is one thing but then there is this curse with Santiago and Michelle and now that?" She pointed at the innocent looking horse and their bags. "Teleportation or whatever… I mean…"

"I don't understand…" Rachel murmured as she looked in front of her confused.

The Latina sighed tiredly. "Welcome to the club…"

"What are we doing now?" The diva asked, finally tearing her eyes away from the horse to look at her friend.

"It's late. Since we can't really go anywhere or in your case, you can't just barge into Michelle's house like nothing happened; we should go to the barn for the rest of the night." The raven-haired girl offered. "Once we'll get there, we'll try to come up with a new plan."

"What's the point, Santana?" The brunette said downcast. "We can't leave this town and we disappeared for 24 hours. We can't just go back to our lives here as if it didn't happen. People will talk and Abigail…" She stopped when her voice broke.

"I know…" The tan girl squeezed the diva's shoulder in support. "Come on, let's get on the horse and leave, I don't want anyone to see us."

Soon, both girls were riding the horse in direction of the barn, silently hoping they would find a way to fix their situation.

Once in the barn and after reviewing all their possibilities, Rachel and Santana quickly came up with the conclusion that they had to play along with their roles until the fire at the saloon.

If they wanted to stay alive, all they had to do was steer clear of the saloon and stay in the barn the night of the fire and just leave with the rest of the survivors after.

All they could do was wait and hope for the best. They still had a few weeks before the fire and they would have to deal with people whispering and Michelle and Santiago's family interfering. Santana had to admit she was more worried about Rachel's situation then hers. Ricardo had kicked her out and she was 'free' to do as she pleased while living with Mary but Michelle's mother and Cole were another story. If Mrs Bercoran was getting angry at her 'daughter's behaviour', Rachel would have to leave the house. They wouldn't both be able to stay with Dr Quinn; it would get the girl in trouble more than she already was, so they would have to find a safe place. She was ready to leave town every day at sun rise, even if they would be back by midnight if it meant keeping the diva and herself safe.

As Rachel fell asleep in the corner of the barn, Santana couldn't help but think about when the brunette's wellbeing really started to matter. She had never really hated the girl, she just had the power to get on her nerves so easily that it was better for everyone if she just stayed away. But since they arrived, they had grown closer, maybe it was because they had no one else here or because adversity brings people closer together, in any case, spending all those nights at the barn gave her the opportunity to know the girl and she wasn't so bad after all.

The Latina was still confused about the way she woke up, all cuddled up with Rachel. It was so wrong, in many ways, but at the same time, it felt so nice and right. She shook her head, it was ridiculous and it was better to just forget about it.

Santana sighed as she settled in the other corner of the barn. She needed to get some sleep too; they were supposed to go at Mary's place early in the morning and she had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

After a few hours of sleep, Rachel and Santana made their way to Mary's house, knowing they would have to explain why they were back in town. They had decided they would stay vague, claiming troubles with the horse and a lack of money to go where they wanted to go. After all, it wasn't like they could talk about time travelling or the curse preventing them from leaving town, or even their impending doom in a fire just a few weeks from now.

Luckily, Dr Quinn was already awake when they arrived. As expected, the girl greeted them with a surprised look on her and quickly asked what they were doing here.

Rachel smiled sadly as she sat next to Quinn in the kitchen. "Some things didn't go as planned and we had to come back in Glesswood in a hurry."

"What happened? Are you okay?" The blonde asked concerned.

"Trust me, the less you know the better." Santana answered, dropping their bags on the floor. "I'm gonna go change. I'll be right back." She grabbed her bag and made her way toward the bedroom, leaving Rachel with Mary.

"Can I offer you something to drink or eat? I have some bread left." Dr Quinn stood up and started putting food on the table, without waiting for the diva's answer.

"That's really nice of you, thank you." The brunette reached for a plate and some bread but stopped when she heard Mary gasp. She looked at the girl confused, wondering if she had done something wrong. "Is everything okay?"

"Did you leave town to get married?" Mary reached out and grabbed Rachel's hand, inspecting the ring she had on her finger.

The diva's eyes went wide at the realisation. She had completely forgotten to remove the ring when they left the barn. She hastily pulled her hand away. "No, that's not what you think. Santiago's mother gave him the ring and…"

"You could have told me that was your plan all along." The doctor cut her off. "There was no reason to lie."

The petite girl removed the ring and put it on the table. "We didn't lie, we didn't get married…"

"It's okay." The blonde interrupted her again, completely ignoring the girl's words. "If you want my advice, you shouldn't wear it right now, or say anything. Wait here…" She squeezed the diva's shoulder before leaving the room.

"Sweet Barbra, this is getting out of hand…" Rachel mumbled to herself as she ate some bread.

Mary came back a couple minutes later with a little necklace chain in her hand. "You should wear it around you neck. You will still have it close to your heart but no one will see." She took the little brunette's hand and put the chain on her palm.

"I can't, this it too much." The Jewish girl exclaimed, staring at the piece of jewellery in her hand. "It's yours."

"A patient gave it to me because she didn't have any other way to pay me and I have no use for it." Dr Quinn explained, grabbing the ring off the table and slipping it around the necklace. "So please, take it. See it has a wedding gift."

Rachel didn't even have the time to react before Mary clasped the chain around her neck. "But we didn't…"

"Is everything okay?" Santana questioned as she stepped inside the room.

"Yes, I was just asking Michelle what you were planning to do now." The blonde said innocently.

"I was thinking about going to the saloon to know if people are talking about us while Ra… Michelle will go see her mother." The Latina declared. "I know it's a lot to ask and you can say no but if she can't stay with Abigail, can she stay here with us while we figure out something else?"

"I have to think about it." Mary turned her attention toward Rachel. "I think we can say we are friends now but Mrs Bercoran has some influence in town and…"

The brunette stood up. "Don't worry, I understand. You already did a lot for us." She smiled gratefully. "I'm sure we'll find something else." She looked sadly at Santana before saying. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to change too so I can go see my mother."

Rachel really wanted to cry but she couldn't have a breakdown right now, she needed to be strong to face Abigail. She thought things couldn't get worse but after the past few days, she guessed she was wrong about that…

Later that day, Santana was sipping a drink in the Saloon, listening to the people whisper about her, well Santiago from her table in the corner.

The Latina was trying to follow the conversation that two of Cole's friends were having when someone approached her table. She raised her head and tried to keep her composure when Ricardo sat in front of her.

Mr Cruz cleared his throat. "People are talking about you son, and by extension, me." He paused to stare at the girl. "It would be better for you to come home and behave before the situation gets out of hand."

The Latina raised her eyebrow, leaning forward on her chair. "I thought I wasn't supposed to come back until I'm a decent man?"

Santiago's dad sighed wearily. "I need you at the ranch… Don't make this more difficult than it is."

The raven-haired girl shook head, she was starting to get tired of these people and acting all the time. She was born in the late 20th century, she wasn't meant to live according to the laws and rules of this era. "So because you need me now it's okay for me to come back?" She chuckled bitterly, remembering how he punched her in the guts, leaving her breathless on the ground. "No thank you, I'm good where I am."

"And where is it exactly?" The man questioned coldly. "At this doctor's house?"

Santana leaned back into her chair, glaring at him. "Why do you care?"

"I told you to show me some respect." Ricardo gritted through his teeth. "Dr Quinn has been a good friend to you, Santiago. By preying on her kindness and staying with her you are not only jeopardising your own reputation but hers as well. Think about that before you give in to your pride. I'm willing to forgive you if you come back home but I will only ask you once. If you're not at the ranch by midnight, than you are no longer my son and I forbid you to come near the house." He stated with a hint of anger. "You want to act like a man, then learn to live with the consequences of your acts."

"And what about yours?" The Latina fired back, trying not to raise her voice and catch attention. "Because I still have bruises from the punch you gave me." She finished the rest of her drink in one gulp before standing up quickly.

Mr Cruz grabbed her arm to stop her. "I am your father."

Santana glared at him as she pulled her arm away from his grip. "It doesn't make it okay." She shook her head before storming out of the saloon.

Rachel was resting in her room, going over what happened with Michelle's mother. To her surprise, Abigail had been more worried than mad when she disappeared the day before. As soon as she stepped inside the house, the woman broke down in tears and hugged her tight, telling her how sorry she was. She already lost her husband and didn't want to lose her daughter too.

Mrs Bercoran was regretting the fight they had and knew the minute she couldn't find her daughter that she had made a mistake. All day, when people had asked her where her daughter was, she had lied and said she was sick, hoping she would come back soon.

The woman wanted to know where she had gone but Rachel gave her some short and vague answers, not having expected this reaction. After a while, Abigail had to go to her shop and asked her to stay and rest.

The diva sighed tiredly, at least she had a place to stay but for how long. She couldn't be sure Michelle's mother wouldn't push her to see Cole and prevent her from seeing Santana once the joy of having her daughter back faded.

As she slowly fell asleep, the brunette's last thought was to find plans and contingency plans so they could save Michelle and Santiago and finally go home…