A/N: Sorry, I know I'm a few days late! I was going to post this earlier today, but I started watching old episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and that ended up being a huge distraction. Anyway! Here's the latest update!
unexpected sabotage: My lips are sealed! Thank you again for taking the time to review! :)
TobiasFangor92: Just wait until the next few chapters for some lovely Quinn/Santana drama. I hope you had a great birthday!
Kaylah: Aww, thank you! Unfortunately, this story is going to end around chapter 50 or 51, but there is most definitely going to be a sequel that I hope y'all will enjoy as much as this story!
Enjoy! :)
~Chapter 42~
Hermione was walking past the main office a few days later when she saw Mr. Hummel talking to the principal.
"Hello, Mr. Hummel, Principal Figgins, is everything alright?" She inquired brightly, approaching the two men.
"Oh, hello, Hermione," Burt greeted the girl with a smile. "I think everything's ok. It looks like my son might be transferring back."
"Really?" The British girl asked, her eyes lighting up. Her friend's father chuckled and nodded his head. "But, wait, what about Karofsky?"
"If he does one thing to Kurt or any other student, he will be expelled immediately," Principal Figgins informed her seriously.
"I believe that's fair. Hopefully, he takes that warning to heart and ceases his bullying." She paused as the door to the office opened and squealed as Kurt walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Are you really coming back?" She questioned excitedly as he lifted her up.
"Looks that way, darling. I mean, I couldn't miss the Born This Way number, now could I?" He told her with a wink.
"Why, Mr. Hummel, I'm hurt. Here I thought you were coming back because you miss seeing me every day."
"Well, that too. I am officially back at McKinley tomorrow at noon. Don't let anyone know, ok? I wanna make a grand entrance."
"Of course, love. It was great seeing you again, Mr. Hummel. Kurt, I'll see you tomorrow," Hermione spoke with a kind smile before turning around to walk down the hallway.
"Wait, Hermione!" Burt called out causing the young witch to face him with a puzzled expression on her face. "Would you like to come to dinner tonight? It'll just be you, Carol, Kurt, and me. Finn's going out with Rachel or something," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh, I'd love to, Mr. Hummel!"
"Great! And please, call me Burt," the older man told her with a warm smile.
"Alright then," she laughed. "See you tonight, Burt!" She called out over her shoulder before she made her way towards Santana's locker. Suddenly, a force crashed into her almost knocking her to the ground.
"Quinn? Quinn? Quinn! What the bloody hell is going on?"
"S-s-someone found out some dirt about me and posted it all over the school to sabotage my campaign for prom queen," the hazel-eyed girl choked out as she threw her arms around the older girl.
"Wait, what? What did they find?" Hermione asked, while rubbing her back soothingly.
"Some pictures of what I used to look like," Quinn groaned miserably.
"Show me?" The blonde-haired girl grabbed Hermione's hand and led her to where one of the posters was hanging up. "Ok, first off, whoever did that really delivered a low blow. Secondly, you're beautiful, Q. Then and now. C'mon, I want to show you something." The British girl gently pulled her into Will's office and picked up a picture frame. "This is what I looked like when I was younger," the brown-eyed girl winced with a crooked grin. Quinn looked at the picture and gasped.
"Your hair looked alive and you had buckteeth?" The former head cheerleader inquired disbelievingly.
"Go ahead and laugh, Q. I know you want to," the brunette sighed good-naturedly as the blonde let out a giggle. "Quinn, I understand you more than you think. You are one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen and I know you think people only see that part of you, but I've seen the real you. The girl from that childhood picture. The girl who has a kind heart, but is afraid to let it show because she doesn't want to get hurt. The girl who gets joy out of art and photography, but doesn't want people to know that she loves to express herself. The girl who loves to read, but doesn't want people to think she's a bookworm. The girl who gets so upset whenever she sees a baby, but wants people to think that she just forgot about her pregnancy. The girl who is so afraid to be herself because she doesn't want to disappoint people. You're amazing, Quinn Fabray and you've just got to let people see that. I guarantee that it'll make you so much happier. Better yet, it'll set you free." Quinn looked up at her with tear-filled eyes and wrapped her arms around the older girl yet again.
"Thank you," she murmured. "Thank you so much." The two girls embraced for several moments before a loud commotion broke them apart.
"What the hell is going on?" Someone shrieked from the doorway.
"Nothing, Santana. We were just talking," Hermione answered with a roll of her eyes. "I was actually on my way to see you when I ran into Quinn."
"Run along then, Fabray," the Latina snarled at her former captain.
"Thanks again, Hermione. I'll talk to you later?" The British girl smiled and nodded. The blonde beamed at her before quickly placing a kiss on the older girl's cheek, smirking at Santana as she hurried away. The two brown-eyed girls watched her make her way down the hall before turning to face each other.
"Did you really have to slam all of your books onto the ground?" The former prefect deadpanned as she bent over to retrieve the fallen objects. "It's not like they ever did anything to you."
"Well, they may not have, but she sure has! She wants to be with you," Santana stated with a growl.
"Well, the person I want to be with is standing right in front of me, so relax, San. I was coming to bring you a shirt for the big number."
"Oh, what's it say?"
"Well, uh, it matches mine," the wavy-haired brunette muttered shyly as she unfolded it.
"Mia, you know I'm not going to wear that. People could see and—"
"Now this is what I don't understand. You say you love me, but you don't even really love yourself," Hermione stated with a frown. "You need to be able to be happy with yourself if there's any hope for our future. Take the shirt and think about it, ok?" The Latina hesitated before taking it and shoving it into her backpack.
"Fine, whatever, can we get outta here now?" The raven-haired girl stated uncomfortably. The taller girl nodded with a sigh and followed Santana out of the office.
Later that night, Hermione hurriedly got ready for her night with the Hummels. With one last glance in the mirror, she smiled and rushed out the door. She gazed at the parking garage with dread before deciding to walk to their household. Thankfully, her destination wasn't too far from their building. Several minutes later, she walked up the driveway and knocked on the door.
"Oh, hello, dear," Carol greeted her with a bright smile, ushering her in. "Did you walk here, Hermione?" She asked her worriedly.
"Oh yes, it's no big deal. It was only about a thirty minute walk. It's just such a beautiful night," Hermione responded, not wanting to give her real reason for walking. "Oh! These are for you," she said kindly, handing the older woman the bouquet of flowers she had brought with her.
"They're gorgeous, thank you. Kurt is in the living room. Please make yourself comfortable. Dinner will be ready shortly." Hermione returned her smile and approached her friend.
"Hey, honey!" The well-dressed boy called out happily upon seeing her.
"Long time, no see, love," she teased, quickly kissing him on the cheek and sitting down next to him.
"So, how have you been? A little bird told me there's a bit of tension between you and a certain Latina."
"Always one for gossip, eh, Kurt?"
"What can I say? The biggest drama I've faced at Dalton has been about neckties. It's all quite boring really. I can't wait to be walking down the very dramatic halls of McKinley once more."
"Oh, it is going to be great having you back!" The British girl said with a giggle. "I have missed your dry sense of humor."
"Oh yes, y'all would be crazy not to miss me. But enough about me, what's going on with Santana? Does it have to do with what happened the night of the benefit concert?"
"Um, yeah, pretty much. She just refuses to be open about our relationship with people outside of glee club and it hurts. I don't really want to have to go back into the closet," she informed him with a frown.
"Yes, I understand that. As much as I hate getting bullied by those imbeciles, being out is so much more freeing. You can't really force her to come out if she's not ready though, you know?"
"I know and I don't want to make her do something she doesn't feel comfortable with, but at the same time, I want to be able to walk down the hallway holding her hand. I'm being an ass, aren't I?"
"You just want to show off your sexy girlfriend, there's no harm in that," Kurt responded with a wink. "Don't be too hard on yourself. You've just got to be patient with her," he told her gently, wrapping his arms around her.
"Thanks, love," she murmured with a smile, sinking into his embrace.
"Kids, dinner's ready!" Carol called out. The two teenagers entered the dining room and sat down across from each other.
"This looks delicious, Mrs. Hummel," Hermione spoke up genuinely.
"Oh, thank you, dear. And please, call me Carol," the older woman responded with a smile. After dinner, the rest of the evening was filled with pleasant conversation, causing Hermione to feel a lot happier than she had in a while.
The next afternoon, the young witch ushered the New Directions to the quad and eagerly counted down the minutes until noon.
"Well, it's official!" The British girl exclaimed happily.
"What's official?"
"My transfer!" A familiar voice called out from the top of the stairs. "Kurt Hummel's back at McKinley!" The glee club members cheered loudly as the well-dressed boy hurried down the stairs to hug everyone. "Ok, let's get ready for Nationals."
"Not yet, love. There are some people who'd like to say goodbye to you," Hermione informed him as she gestured towards the far set of stairs. Kurt felt his heart well up with love as he noticed Blaine slowly walking down the stairs with Wes and David. As the Warblers sang Somewhere Only We Know, the wavy-haired brunette couldn't help but glance at Santana and wonder if she'd ever be comfortable enough with their relationship to perform such a heartfelt song for her in front of so many people.
A few days later, Hermione walked down the school hallways, proudly wearing her 'Like Girls' shirt and frowned when she noticed Santana wearing one that read, 'Bitch'. She didn't feel like approaching the other girl right now and instead headed towards Kurt's locker.
"Hey, Hermione, I love your shirt," the blue-eyed gushed while showing her his 'Likes Boys' one.
"Thanks. It was between this or 'Know-It-All'," she chuckled. "I like yours too. If only Santana had your confidence…"
"Still being stubborn?"
"Yes, but I'm trying to take your advice and let her come to terms with herself on her own," the British girl groaned as they walked to the auditorium to get ready for the big number. As the group gathered on the stage and showed off their t-shirts, it became evident that someone was missing.
"Hey, where's Santana?" Artie questioned curiously.
"Probably off sulking somewhere," grumbled the wavy-haired brunette.
"Well, I talked to her earlier and tried to get her to wear the shirt Hermy made her, but she got all mad at me and stormed off," Brittany said with a pout.
"It's not you, Brit. I'm the one pushing her too hard," sighed Hermione as she wrapped an arm around the saddened dancer.
"Well, it's her loss. Ok, guys, hit it!" Will called out as they got in their positions seconds before the music started playing.
As the group performed, no one noticed a miserable looking Santana sitting in the audience wearing the 'Likes Girls' shirt.
On Monday morning, Santana cautiously moved to the front of the room and whispered something to Mr. Schue who nodded and sat down next to his niece.
"I know I'm a little late, but I prepared something to sing in relation to last week's lesson. It doesn't fit perfectly, but hopefully it'll get my point across," she addressed them nervously before nodding to the band to begin playing. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth to sing.
"Darling, can't you see
What losing you has done to me?
I'm not the same girl I used to be.
Have a change of heart,
Don't leave me standing in the dark,
Don't let confusion keep us apart.
Come back to me and I'll guarantee
All the tenderness and love you'll ever need."
Once the Latina finished the first verse, she opened her eyes and gazed at Hermione as she sang the chorus.
"This time I'll be sweeter,
Our love will run deeper.
I won't mess around,
I won't let you down,
Have faith in me,
Have faith in me.
"Since you've been away,
I haven't seen the light of day.
I'm lost without you, can't find my way.
So won't you please be fair,
And let me show how much I care?
Say you'll be mine and answer my prayer.
Come back to me and I promise I'll be
Everything that's bright and new your whole life through.
"This time I'll be sweeter,
Our love will run deeper.
I won't mess around.
I won't let you down,
Have faith in me,
Have faith in me.
"This time I'll be sweeter,
Our love will run deeper.
I won't mess around,
I won't let you down,
Have faith in me,
Have faith in me."
After Santana finished her performance, she turned to meet the British girl's bewildered gaze. Ignoring everyone else, the former cheerleader started shuffling around apprehensively awaiting the older girl's reaction.
"Um, guys, I think I lost part of my weave in the auditorium. Come help me find it right this second!" Mercedes exclaimed, hoping her friends took the hint. The New Directions rushed out of the room with Rachel explaining to a confused looking Finn what they were doing. Mr. Schue followed his students out, making sure he closed the door behind him.
"What're you trying to say, San?" The young witch questioned wearily, running her hand through her hair.
"I know I'm a bitch to be with, but I don't want you to give up on me. I'm trying to be more comfortable with myself, but it's going to take a lot of time. I just need to know that you'll wait for me. I need to know that—"
"How many times have I told you that I'm not going anywhere?" Hermione interrupted with a frown. "You're the one who has to decide whether or not I'm worth it."
"You are so worth it. I know I'm being an idiot right now. You know I'm not good with feelings and opening myself up to people," the raven-haired girl whispered as a few tears trickled down her face. Hermione approached her and used her thumb to wipe away the tears as Santana sighed contentedly at the contact. "But you've changed me so much for the better and I don't want to go back to being the kind of person I was before. I just…miss you so much."
"Let me help you. As a friend, not your girlfriend." The Latina nodded as more tears fell from her eyes. "San, you have come so far in the time that I've known you and I'm so proud of you for that. You pretty much came out to the glee club and you're comfortable with our relationship in front of my friends from back home and I love you for that. I just don't understand why you want to stop there."
"I don't want my family to hate me for loving you. I mean, I doubt my parents would even care seeing as they're never around, but I can't lose my abuela. She's my idol, Mia," the former Cheerio choked out.
"I know, San, but I don't want you to continue going around being ashamed of me, our relationship, and most importantly, yourself. You're brilliant, love, and I want to show you off, but you won't let me."
"Just give me time. I promise I'll work on it," the younger girl pleaded.
"Ok, but I still think we need to remain on a break at least until you're more comfortable with us. Is that fair?" The young witch inquired as she rubbed the crying girl's back.
"I guess. At this point, I'll agree to anything. I just don't want you out of my life completely."
"Alright. I'll see you around, San," Hermione murmured as she turned around to open the door and exit the choir room.
"Wait," Santana called out softly while grabbing her wrist. "Call me tonight, ok? I can tell you haven't been sleeping well again," she frowned and placed a tentative kiss on the older girl's forehead. "You don't have to be afraid of waking me up or anything. I just want to be there for you, so please feel free to call me whenever you need to, alright?"
"I will," the wavy-haired brunette promised. "Thanks, love." As she moved out into the hallway, the raven-haired singer couldn't help but smile at the term of endearment.
"God, that girl has turned me into such a sap," the Latina chuckled to herself before gathering her things and heading to the auditorium to fetch her best friend and update her on what had just occurred. "Hopefully, this means things are starting to look up…"
A/N, part II: Song was Angela Bofill's version of "This Time I'll Be Sweeter".