Sorry for the wait, gross writers block.

On with the story.

"Hey," Santana looks at me the next morning, and automatically she knows something's up. "You okay, baby lion?" Her voice was teasing, as it usually was, but I couldn't shake the thoughts that I'd had last night. The ones that led me into saying I love you. The ones that refused to let me get any real sleep.

"I'm good," I said, careful not to say fine.

"You sure?" She could see right through me. She always has. "You can tell me, you know." She looked up at me, her legs crossed as she sat on the still unmade bed. "What's bothering you?"

"I'm just-" I know Maribel wants to be the one to tell her. I wasn't even supposed to know. "I'm upset with Rhys not being here, that's all."

Her lips curved into a loving smile, and she held out one hand to pull me closer. "I know," she purred. "He'll be back soon."

I sighed. I wanted to cry because she didn't realize what she said. She didn't know it, but the double entendre took a toll on me. "I know," I groaned.

"Whoa, I thought you wanted him to come back?"

"No, I do. You do. I- I think I need to be alone," Before I say something stupid. She looked at me with sleep scrunched eyebrows, and I wanted to laugh at how concerned and tired she looked. Her hair was almost all the way out of the ponytail she'd put it in, and it looked like she was putting some work into not closing her eyes again.

"Or you can just talk to me. Obviously you're keeping something from me."

"I love you," I said randomly. I couldn't help it. I was just looking at her and thinking, this person means so much to me. I'd do anything for her.

Her gaze softened, and the smile was back. "I love you too. Now fess up."

"I think maybe your mom should tell you-"

"You've been talking to my mom but not me?" She looked genuinely hurt, so I scooted closer and kissed her lips until the frown was gone.

"It isn't like that," I assured her. "I just… heard something that I wasn't meant to hear."

"And it's worrying you?"

"A little," I admitted.

"Then I'll talk to my mom, and-"

"No."

"No?"

"Let her come to you," I nodded. "Yeah, just let her tell you that your- whatever is going to happen. Okay?"

"You're kind of creeping me out," she said bluntly.

"Maybe we should head downstairs." I just want to get this over with. Rip it off, like a bandaid. She loves me. Her father's presence won't change that. "And Santana?"

"Yeah?"

"Your mom totally caught you in here last night."

Santana went downstairs before I did, because hey, we could at least try to play it off like we hadn't broken one of Maribel's rules. Technically, she did, but hey, who's asking. When I joined them, I saw that Santana was sitting on a counter, reading the back of a cereal box.

"Where are they?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Dunno. Her cars not in the garage."

"It's only 10," I mused.

"Well, I don't cook, so," she shook the box, "bon appetit."

I chuckled and took the box, which was Captain Crunch. "Lovely," I teased. I watched her tongue slip through her lips, and giggled at her childish antics. While I turned in search of a bowl, she hopped off of the counter and hooked her phone up to something.

There is no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard

No song that I could sing, but I can try for your heart

Our dreams, and they are made out of real things

Like a, shoebox of photographs

With sepia-toned loving

Love is the answer,

At least for most of the questions in my heart

Like why are we here? And where do we go?

I listened to her sing along while I poured our cereal, and couldn't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning. I gave her a chaste kiss on the lips before looking through the fridge, the frowned.

"No milk," I said dejectedly.

"We don't need it," she shrugged. She patted the space next to her, so I hopped up on the counter. We ate the cereal dry, and I listened to her hum the lyrics, occasionally, she would say a line out loud and look right at me. She had a way of putting butterflies in my stomach. Leo came into the kitchen holding grocery bags.

"You couldn't have waited?" He scrunched his eyebrows.

"What?"

"We were gonna make breakfast," he pouted.

"Chill out, in a few hours, we'll make lunch." Santana waved him off.

"No," Maribel's voice called. Soon, she came into sight. "Leonardo and I will be making breakfast. Maybe you should've been patient."

"Mom-"

"And don't think I don't know about last night," the older woman crossed her arms, and arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

"Sorry," Santana deadpanned. Anybody could see that she didn't mean it. Why do something if you're only going to be sorry in the end?

"Uh huh," Maribel clicked her tongue in thought, and slowly, her smile faded. "I'm taking you out. We have something to discuss- Quinn, would you mind watching over Leonardo?"

I swallowed. "Of course not."

"Thank you," she gave me a thin smile. She turned to Santana, who was eyeing her. Trying to figure out what she had to say. "So, we'll leave in an hour."

"Sounds good," Santana said.

"Good," Maribel said with a sigh. "Good."

Santana and I finished up our cereal in silence, and avoided being in the way of Maribel and Leo while they put away a few groceries. We both went upstairs. I sat on her bed while she rummaged through her closet and dresser.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about today?" She asked. I pursed my lips. "Is the news that bad?"

"Depends?"

"On what?"

"On you," I said honestly. This could be great news for her. Just not for me. Someones going to get hurt, that's inevitable. I'd rather it be me instead of her.

"That makes me feel better," she mumbled. "Could you give me a hint? Something to soften the blow?"

I thought about teasing her about how not-baddass that sounded, but decided against that. "Today might change the way you feel about...things."

"Like us?"

I shrugged. "Depends," I said again.

"Nothing will change that," she smiled charmingly. I grinned, and she threw several outfits on her bed. "Hey babe?"

"Hm?" I have to admit, I swooned.

"This doesn't have anything to do with what we talked about last night, does it?"

"Wha-"

"Because I'm serious about the birthday thing. Just… my gift could be you, if you know what I mean," she wiggled her eyebrows, and I chuckled nervously.

"Sure, San," I said. I wasn't going to answer the question.

When Santana and Maribel left, I let Leo pick a movie for us to watch. I got the popcorn ready, while he put the disk in. We sat in silence for while, until he broke it.

"I like you and San together," he mused out loud.

"Why?" I asked curiously. We were both quiet, and still facing the Tv. He'd chosen Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

"She doesn't smell funny anymore."

I choked back laughter, "Like smoke?"

"Yeah. She said it's cause you told her that you guys couldn't get your mack-"

"I didn't say that," I said. "Well, not with those particular words."

"Still," he shrugged. "Plus, she's nicer. To mom, I mean."

"What do you mean?"

"She used to not talk that much. She'd eat in her room, and go out all the time. Now she's nice and she asks about mom's day, and she stays here, 'cause you're here."

"I'm glad," I decided. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to respond to that. I'm glad that we have Leo's approval though- I'm pretty sure he's Santana's favorite person.

"Why do you think mom wanted to talk to her alone?"

I scrunched up my eyebrows and looked at him. His eyes, strikingly similar to Santana's, were staring right back at me. "Maybe she just wanted to spend time with her."

"I'm not stupid. I know when somethings up. And I know you know what it is."

"I don't," I lied.

He gave me a small smile. "You do."

"Leonardo-"

"Quinn," he mimicked me.

"You'll just have to wait," I rolled my eyes playfully.

"I don't like surprises."

I shrugged. "Hey, want to give Rhys a call?" The sooner I changed the subject, the better.

"Sure!"

"Grab your laptop, we'll see if he's online. He's probably bored out of his mind playing Minecraft," I mused. I didn't have to tell him twice. He ran up the stairs, and came back soon after, with his green Macbook in hand. He not-so-carefully tossed it on the couch, then sat up on his knees and opened it.

"He is!" He said excitedly.

"Well what are you waiting for?" I chuckled. He started the skype call, and waited for Rhys to pick up.

"Hi guys!" Rhys greeted. He didn't look all that happy.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Leo beat me to it.

"My momma says that grandpa wants me to get a haircut. He says it's like a little girl's," Rhys pouted. "She wants to take me today." She would. After I asked her to just let him have that one thing- she wouldn't let him do dance, or gymnastics, or anything remotely feminine. All she had to do was let him grow his hair.

"I'll talk to her about it," I said immediately. I looked at him with a reassuring smile. I'd try my best. His blue eyes were full of hope.

"I like my hair," he said. I liked it to. It was just a little past his shoulders now, but he had it in a ponytail, per usual.

"I'll tell you what," I learned a little closer to the screen. "Are you alone?" I asked, just in case. He nodded. "If momma cuts your hair, when you get back, we'll dye it. Any color that you want."

"Really?"

"Really," I grinned. His eyes lit up.

"Thanks Quinnie!"

Rhys told us that he could only talk for a little while. He was supposed to be getting ready for brunch. When we had to hang up, Leo was smiling cheekily. "What?" I questioned.

"Think you can convince my mom to let me get a mohawk?" he asked. "I really want my hair to be like Noah's. It's badass."

"Leo!" I held back a smile- he's only 10.

"What? Santana lets me say it," he shrugged.

"I don't think your mom would appreciate it," I shook my head, and tried my best to hold back a smile. Santana would be the type to let her brother speak like that- at least when it was just the two of them.

"She lets me say ass, and hell, and damn-"

"I get it," I stopped him. "Rhys doesn't.. does he?"

"No," he scoffed, "I wouldn't let Rhys swear. He's my little brother."

I almost remarked on the fact that he was Santana little brother, but chose to let it go. "I'll ask Maribel if it's okay."

"She might actually say yes to you," he nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer. About a half our of silence and paying attention to the movie, we heard the front door slam. Then it opened again. I assumed the second time, it was closed quietly. Santana stormed passed us without a word, and went straight for the stairs. Maribel greeted us, but it was hardly audible. She went towards the kitchen. "I'll go calm my mom down. She gets weird and quiet when she's upset."

"I'll go see what's up with Santana," I said. We parted ways, but something told me that we were sort of a team. That's odd. The only other kid that I was close to, was Rhys. I went up the stairs, and checked my rom first. She wasn't in there, which probably meant she didn't want to talk. Gently, I knocked on her door.

"Fuck off," came the immediate response.

"It's Quinn," I tried.

"Fuck. Off."

"Santana, please-"

"Not now, Quinn," she said harshly. I stared at the door for a few seconds, then decided that I'd give her a while to calm down. I went back down the stairs, and saw that Leo was sitting on the couch too. Alone.

"Didn't go well, huh?"

"Nope," I sighed.

"Same here. Mom's drinking."

"Santana's… Santana."

He nodded, he understood exactly what I meant. "Now will you tell me what happened? Mom won't. Santana probably won't."

"It really isn't my place, Leo. I'm not supposed to know-"

"Neither am I," he pointed. I smiled. This kid, I swear.

"You're not going to give it up, are you?"

"No," he smiled cheekily.

"How about.. I teach you how to do a back walkover, and you drop the questions."

He stared at me for a little, a slight squint on his eyes. Then, he cracked a smile. "Deal."

"Alright. Let's watch the rest, I think this is the part where his sister protects him from the principle." He eyed me oddly, but I shrugged. "Used to watch this all the time."

We watched the rest of the movie together, and pretty soon, an empty popcorn bowl sat between us. Then, it was on the floor, and his head rested on my shoulder. As the credits rolled, I found myself tired also, and Leo was exhausted, so I stayed. I wasn't sure how long I slept, but it must have been a while, because Maribel was waking us up for dinner.

It was just us three at the table. I was a little irritated from the nap, and Leo looked like he was ready to get right back into bed. We didn't speak much. We didn't ask how each other's days went. We didn't ask Santana to join us. When it was over, Leo, in a woken and somewhat excited state, asked if Maribel would need help doing the dishes. Before she answered, I smiled.

"We can do it," I said to Maribel. The lines under her eyes told me that she was exhausted, so did the thankful smile that graced her lips.

"You're heaven sent," she said as she rose from the table. "You have permission to go into Santana's room tonight- no curfew. No funny business," she smiled wearily.

I nodded. "Thank you," I mouthed. She hummed in response, then left the dining room. Leo carried his plate and glass to the kitchen, while I grabbed mine and Maribel's. Neither of us washed or dried, but he hopped up on the counter while I put them in the washer.

"Are you going to talk to Santana?" He asked curiously.

"Yes," I assured him.

"Can I come too?"

"You're a nosy kid, you know that?" I jested. He shrugged.

"I don't like surprises."

"Why does that not shock me?" I deadpanned. "I'll talk to her alone tonight, and let you know how that goes. Deal?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. Wanna have cookies tonight?"

"You look like you're about to pass out," I chuckled. "How about we try tomorrow?"

"Okay," he nodded. When we were finished in the kitchen, we made our way up the stairs. Before turning on his heel to head to his room, he hugged me quickly. "I'm glad you're here," he said. The hug ended almost as quickly as it started, but it still counted. Leo wasn't a very touchy person, come to think of it, I don't think I've seen him hug Maribel.

"Me too," I smiled. He gave me a cheeky grin, then started to his room. As I walked to Santana's room, I thought about how this was the first Saturday that I've ever slept through. Before, if I hadn't had plans, I'd study or workout or do something that made me feel better about myself. Today, I just lounged in my pajamas with Leo, watching a movie with fat free popcorn. Today was a good day. Now, I just had to end it that way. I knocked lightly on Santana's door, but got no response. I knocked again. "Baby?"

The door was pulled open, and the sight of her was enough to make my eyes sting with tears. There were bags under her slightly puffy eyes, that were nearly bloodshot from obvious crying. She was only wearing the same flannel that she'd left the house in, but no pants. She turned around, but left the door open. I followed, and shut it quietly. After a few seconds of silence, she crossed her arms and looked at me. There wasn't a glare. There was no emotion at all. "So you knew."

I nodded. "I did."

So, this chapter is on the short side, and is mainly to get the ball rolling. I will try to update quicker, but the wait wont be as long as this one was c:

Also... guys I loved writing the Quinn and Leo bit. And I wanna bring Rhys home ASAP bc he's my lil baby.

One last thing, I just realized that I'm updating on 9/11. My respect to those who lost their lives, to the family and friends, and all affected. I'm including racism and stereotypes that have come from this act of terrorism. Alright. I hope you guys all have a good night/or day, and I'll see you soon.