A.N. This story isn't really light and fluffy, so if that's the kind of Pezberry you're looking for, you might want to look elsewhere. This isn't so much a dark fic as it is a serious one…at least for now, so if that's not your cup of tea, keep looking.

This has been on my mind for a while and I've kind of been working on it off and on for a long time and I thought today would be the day to share.

XXX

Rachel was cursing Finn for what seemed like the fifty-seventh time that night. The two of them – well he – had been invited to a party at Azimio's house and it seemed as though Finn had made a beeline for the alcohol as soon as he'd been able to get his hands on a drink and was completely drunk.

Rachel caught Quinn's eye across the kitchen as Finn and Puck took to arm wrestling each other to pass the time and she smiled when Quinn watched them for a moment and rolled her eyes at her. She knew they were both thinking the same thing.

Guys.

She heard a familiar giggle to her left and she watched as Brittany was escorted upstairs by a senior who's name she didn't know and she met Quinn's eye again, both of them exchanging another look.

Rachel's nose wrinkled a moment later when she caught the scent of cigarette smoke and she frowned knowing what the smoke could do to her voice. She didn't bother telling Finn where she was going because she knew he wouldn't be listening in his state of mind so she stood up and headed for the front door to get some air.

The party had only seemed to spill out into the backyard so the porch was abandoned and Rachel took a seat on the porch swing and stared out into the quiet summer night.

"Britt?" a familiar voice called out from the yard next to the porch, causing Rachel to jump in surprise and she watched as the girl approached the front porch from the backyard.

She remained silent as the figure slowly made its way up the steps and even through the darkness Rachel could see something wasn't quite right with her fellow glee club member. Santana stopped and was standing rather awkwardly on the porch looking around in the dark.

"Santana?" Rachel called. She squinted into the darkness, thinking the dark was playing tricks with her eyes.

"Have you seen Brittany?" Santana asked.

Rachel frowned and nodded. She realized the other girl wouldn't be able to see her and she stood up and approached the other girl slowly. "She went upstairs with some senior a few minutes ago."

Rachel frowned deeper when a noise escaped the other girl that sounded too close to a sob for her to ignore. That's when she got close enough to notice Santana cradling her right arm against her body carefully. There was a cut that was bleeding rather heavily on Santana's forehead, one of her tank top straps was ripped and hanging haphazardly and one of her knees was bleeding leaving a dark trail of blood down one tanned leg.

"Oh my God," Rachel gasped. "Santana, who did this to you? Are you alright? We need to call the police!"

"Rachel, relax," Santana snapped. "We do not need to call the police." She moved to sit on the porch steps. Her movements were tight and seemed painful as she gingerly sat on the steps, barely able to bite back a whimper. "I just need Britt."

"You're not," Rachel insisted as she descended the steps swiftly and stood in front of the cheerleader.

Santana's eyes closed. "Rachel, can you please go get Brittany for me?"

Rachel blinked. She knew the other girl needed medical attention and probably did need to speak with the police but she reasoned that maybe Brittany could convince Santana to seek the help she needed. "Sure." She reached into her bag and found a small white handkerchief and handed it over to the other girl. "Here. Your face is bleeding."

Santana stared at the white folded piece of cloth and her eyes met the diva's for a moment before her hand reached out slowly to take the item. She stared at it again. "Thanks."

Rachel nodded and moved back into the house, heading upstairs. She knocked on the first door and rolled her eyes when she heard an unfamiliar voice telling her to go to hell. She was about to respond when she remembered her mission. She moved to the next door and knocked, not getting any answer. Her hand was on the knob until she heard a voice that was most definitely not Brittany moaning on the other side.

She reached the third door, finding it ajar. She peeked inside and found Brittany sound asleep on the bed, still fully clothed and she frowned. She bit her bottom lip for a moment, trying to figure out what to do and she headed back downstairs and back into the kitchen.

She caught sight of Quinn perched on a countertop across the room and her first instinct was to tell the blonde about Santana but she thought a passed out cheerleader in a room upstairs alone was more pressing so she squeezed through the bodies until Quinn was next to her.

"If this is all I missed when I was pregnant I don't feel so bad," Quinn told her, a bored expression on her face as she watched Finn and Puck having a seemingly deep conversation not that far from them.

"Um, that's nice." Rachel wasn't sure what else to say to that. "I should tell you that Brittany is upstairs in one of the bedrooms sound asleep. Or passed out. The Neanderthal to cheerleader ratio is slightly outbalanced here tonight so I thought it might be rather dangerous if she was left alone upstairs for too long."

Quinn opened her mouth before a soft expression slid over her features and she nodded, sliding off the counter. "I'll go check on her." She was gone without another word, but halfway across the kitchen she turned back to the diva and smiled. "Thanks, Rachel."

Rachel nodded, her own smile dimmed by the thought of the other cheerleader that she hoped was still out front.

She pushed the front door open and found Santana sitting exactly where she'd left her, the cheerleader looking up rather hopefully when the door opened, her face crumpling when she noticed the absence of her blonde best friend.

"I'm sorry," Rachel told her softly. "Brittany was passed out upstairs."

"Is she okay?" Santana asked, concern coloring her tone as she stood up, only to teeter drunkenly.

Rachel moved into her space quickly enough to keep the other brunette from toppling over and she backed up instantly when she realized her arms were wrapped around Santana's middle. "I apologize. Brittany is fine. I informed Quinn of her condition and she was headed upstairs to take care of her."

Santana slumped down almost instantly, her head propping in her hand. "I'm way too fucked up." She was suddenly biting back tears. "How the hell did this happen?"

Rachel's bottom lip slid between two perfect rows of teeth, not at all knowing what to say. "Would you like me to drive you home?"

Santana scoffed. "Yeah right. My dad would kick my ass if he saw me like this." She cringed when she realized what she said and she screwed her eyes shut, a tear squeezing out the corner of one eye. "Fuck. You didn't hear that."

Rachel watched her for a moment and gathered all her courage. "Santana, I don't want to overstep my bounds." She paused when the cheerleader snorted. "But there's obviously something going on with you tonight. If you like you can come to my house. My dads aren't home and you can sleep it off. Your dad never has to know."

Santana eyed her suspiciously. Like she was waiting to see if Rachel was planning some kind of epic payback for the slushies and name-calling. "Why would you possibly be nice to me?"

Rachel shrugged, like it was the simplest thing in the world. "We're teammates."

Santana opened her mouth to tell Rachel to leave her the hell alone or to call her Man Hands or some other horrible name, but instead she considered the offer for a moment. When Rachel extended a very non-manly hand to her a moment later she took it without really thinking and stood up gingerly, one hand still pressing the handkerchief to her forehead, and a few minutes later Rachel had her tucked safely into the passenger side of her car before taking off towards her house.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to let me take you to the hospital?" Rachel asked softly. "Your face looks like it might need stitches."

Santana shook her head, pressing the handkerchief to her forehead harder, willing it to stop bleeding to prove that she did not need to go to the hospital.

No way in hell that was happening.

"I just need to sleep it off."

Rachel opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it and nodded once. "Alright."

As Rachel drove, Santana tried desperately not to think about the events that had taken place earlier and tried to focus on the soft music filtering in through the speakers in Rachel's car and how nice it felt not having to be in control and having someone else take care of her. It was a feeling that was rather foreign.

Rachel pulled her car into the driveway and cut the car off, watching for a moment as Santana seemed to take a deep breath, as if preparing herself to move. As drunk as she was, Santana was still in impeccable shape and had proved to have lots of coordination, so getting out of the car really shouldn't have been so complicated.

But it appeared as though it was.

Rachel waited at the front of the car for the other girl to stagger over to her and she wasn't quite sure how to react when the taller girl leaned into her as they walked inside. Rachel instinctively wrapped an arm around the other girl's waist and held her gently as the two of them approached the house.

Santana stumbled in to the house once the door opened, leaning heavily against the wall while Rachel locked the door behind them. The diva was visibly nervous about having Santana in her house but her nerves disappeared when she flipped on a light in the hall and she was able to finally get a good look at her.

Santana flinched against the light, her eyes narrowing and hand rising to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness. Her face was swelling slightly on the left side and her lip and eyebrow were split. There were several rough red marks on the side of her neck and her shirt was ripped and hanging off her shoulder. Rachel could see several shallow cuts on her arms and legs and she also noticed the dirt stains on the cheerleader's shorts. Rachel also noticed for the first time that Santana appeared to have lost her shoes.

"Santana," she breathed out, her mouth falling open. She was literally rendered speechless at the sight of the cheerleader.

"Please." Santana refused to meet her eyes, her tongue running over the split in her lip, wincing slightly as she shifted her position. "Please don't ask."

It was then that Rachel noticed the subtle differences in the other girl. The way she had her arms wrapped around herself, the way she was standing so far away, the guarded look in her eyes. Something about it all sent alarm bells blaring off in Rachel's head.

"I won't," Rachel promised with a shake of her head. "I won't ask. But if you ever want to tell me, I'll listen.'

Santana opened her mouth immediately to snark a comment back, but when she caught the look on the other girl's face she nodded. It wasn't pity like she was expecting. It was compassion and for some reason it ignited something in her chest that caused tears to spring to her eyes. She swallowed hard, her eyes closing as a wave of pain washed over her. "Would you mind if I took a shower?"

Rachel shook her head. "I'll make some coffee while you do. My bedroom is at the top of the stairs. There are towels in the closet and you can wear anything you find that you deem appropriate."

Santana swallowed hard as she pushed off the wall. "Thanks, Rachel."

XX

Santana slid the bathroom door closed most of the way, leaving a crack open and she pulled her ruined tank top over her head, letting it fall to the floor. She slid her shorts down her legs, hissing when they came into contact with her knee. Her rush to get dressed coupled with the dark of the forest behind Azimio's house left her with only those two articles of clothing left.

She stepped into the steaming shower and sighed heavily as the hot water seared over her. She watched, her gaze transfixed on the pink water circling the drain, washing the blood from her body. She lathered her hair with shampoo and scrubbed at her skin until she felt satisfied that he was washed away from her skin.

It was only then that she allowed herself to think about what had happened earlier at the party. A sob escaped her lips as she remembered the way the football player's hands groped and grabbed at her.

She'd been so drunk that she could barely protest when he'd pulled her from the backyard and further into the woods. The sounds of the party died around them when he turned on her and pulled her into his body, kissing her roughly. She pulled out of his grasp, only to collapse drunkenly on the ground.

She'd been too drunk to push him off, too drunk to run, too drunk to resist. She had tried. When it finally registered what was about to happen all she could do was shut her mind off, one word dying on her lips.

No.

A sob escaped her lips as bile rose in her throat. She was barely able to shut the water off before she scrambled from the tub, dropping to her knees to empty the contents of her stomach in the toilet.

She gagged and heaved, her breath coming out in ragged gulps as she tried desperately to get herself under control. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself before rinsing her mouth out at the sink.

She cursed when she realized her brow was bleeding heavily again and she rifled through the medicine cabinet for a band-aid, hoping it would do the trick to stop the bleeding enough to keep Rachel off her back about going to the damn hospital.

She took a moment to compose herself before opening the door and stepping into Rachel's bedroom. She made her way to the closet praying she would be able to find something to wear that didn't have an animal face on the front and as she swept through the diva's clothes she found a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top.

Once she was dressed she made her way downstairs. As she went she took in the pictures on the walls of Rachel and her fathers, noting how happy the three of them looked in every photo.

Her own home was cold and devoid of any decoration that wasn't sleek and expensive. Her mother's taste would never allow candid photos of the three of them. It struck her in that moment how different hers and Rachel's lives were.

She followed the smell of fresh brewed coffee to the kitchen and found Rachel leaned against the counter sipping a glass of juice.

Rachel looked up when she heard footsteps and offered the cheerleader another timid smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Still way too drunk," Santana replied with a sigh as she dropped into a chair at the counter. "But better. Thanks." Her elbows dropped to the counter and she threaded the fingers from both hands through her hair, glancing up when a plate of plain toast was pushed in front of her.

"I thought it would help soak up some of the alcohol," Rachel offered with a shrug.

Santana glanced down at the toast and then back to the diva. "Thank you." She was caught completely off guard by this version of Rachel Berry. She was quiet and kind and thoughtful.

It was nice.

Rachel nodded and headed for a cupboard. "Would you like coffee or juice? We also have soda or water if you'd prefer."

"Coffee. Please," Santana replied as she took a timid bite of toast, willing it to stay down, and watched the shorter girl move around the kitchen, humming quietly to herself.

"Sugar and cream?"

"Sure, a little of both," Santana told her. Her lips twitched into a sort of sad half-smile when Rachel set the mug down in front of her a moment later. "Thanks…or whatever."

Rachel nodded. "Is there anything else you need?"

Santana honestly felt like she was asking too much, but one more thing would certainly help. "Do you have any aspirin?"

Rachel nodded and turned again immediately. "How many would you like?"

"Is five too many, you think?" Santana asked, only half-serious.

"Possibly," Rachel murmured as she read the side of the bottle. "Why don't you start with four? That's prescription strength."

Santana nodded and accepted the medicine with another half-smile. "Are you sure Brittany was okay?"

Rachel nodded. "Quinn will take good care of her."

"Thank you for looking out for her," Santana told her softly, her index finger tracing the rim of her mug.

"Of course," Rachel whispered.

The two were quiet for a few minutes until Rachel couldn't stand it any longer. "Santana…"

The cheerleader met her gaze and saw the questions in those eyes and she shook her head, her walls thrown up immediately. "No."

"Please," Rachel begged. "I can help you."

Santana felt the sting of tears again and her jaw clenched. "I can't."

Rachel searched her eyes for a moment and nodded. "Okay." She set her glass in the sink. "Should I show you the guestroom?"

Santana nodded and stood up, placing her mug in the sink and following the other girl up the stairs.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Rachel turned to be sure the other girl was still behind her and that's when she noticed the gash on Santana's knee was bleeding again.

"You're still bleeding," she pointed out with a frown.

Santana glanced down at it, flinching when she remembered how the gash had gotten there.

He grabbed her shirt roughly, grunting a little when the strap of her top ripped under his huge hands. He pulled her close and ran his tongue across her neck, laughing when she whimpered.

"Shut it, Lopez," he growled when she started to beg him to let her go. He howled in pain a moment later when she tried to knee him in the groin, hitting more of his thigh than his crotch due to her drunken state.

She took the opportunity to try to run when his hands cupped his groin but he was after her again, yanking on her ponytail and pulling her to a stop. He pulled her around to face him and she fell, her knee catching a small broken tree and slicing open painfully.

She could see his teeth glint in the moonlight as he grinned down at her, yanking at her cutoffs as he lowered himself on top of her.

"Santana," Rachel said softly, reaching out to the other girl and frowning when Santana flinched away violently, a sob escaping her lips. She pulled back instantly. "It's just me."

Santana's breathing was labored as she tried to recover from the impact of the flashback that had nearly knocked her off her feet and she shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry."

Rachel shook her head and it almost seemed as though she was putting pieces of the night together in her head. She reached for the cheerleader's hand and pulled her back into the bathroom. "Let me clean your knee up."

"I'm fine, Rachel," Santana insisted quietly.

Rachel gave her a stern look. "I will not have you ruining glee club's chances at winning nationals this year because you lost your leg to some unfortunate disease and can no longer dance and all because you were too stubborn to let me help you. Sit."

Santana raised an eyebrow at the tone of the girl's voice but again was overcome with the feeling of someone else taking care of her, so she slid up onto the counter top and waited for Rachel to return with the first aid kit.

Rachel set the kit on Santana's lap and opened it, the cheerleader holding it still as Rachel rummaged through it.

"Does Finn know you came home without him?" Santana wondered as she watched Rachel dip cotton balls into alcohol.

Rachel's eyes went wide suddenly. "I forgot all about him."

Santana allowed herself to grin at that. "Don't worry about it, he's probably passed out by now."

Rachel seemed to consider this for a moment and nodded, going about her previous task. She winced when Santana hissed in pain as she cleaned the deep cut on her knee. She pursed her lips and blew across the gash, hoping to ease the sting a little and she blushed when she caught Santana's eye. "Sorry."

Rachel straightened again and dug through the box for a bandage. Her touches were light and careful, such a stark difference from the groping and grabbing she'd been subject to an hour before.

Once the bandage on her knee was secure Santana made a move to get off the counter when Rachel stopped her again. "Are you sure I can't convince you to go to the emergency room? I think your eyebrow needs stitches."

Santana shook her head, her gaze steely. "Pass." She moved to get off the counter but a gentle hand on her wrist stopped her. She tugged her hand free, flinching back as she did, nearly toppling backwards off the counter in the process.

"I'm sorry," Rachel told her softly, pulling her hand back and studying Santana carefully for a moment. "I don't think the bandage you put on your eyebrow will stay while you're sleeping. I was just going to change it."

Santana exhaled a shaky breath and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry."

Rachel nodded again and dug through the first aid kit to locate a few butterfly bandages. She gently cleaned the wound and placed the bandages across the Latina's eyebrow delicately, trying to keep the cut from bursting open wider. She winced thinking about how painful it must be.

"You're all set," Rachel told her softly, offering a timid smile.

Santana's eyes welled with tears and she bit her lip in desperation to keep them from spilling down her cheeks but with a sniffle the dam broke and the tears fell. She swiped at them, angry with herself for falling apart in front of anyone.

Rachel found herself moving on instinct alone and she moved forward slowly and wrapped the cheerleader in a careful hug. She felt the taller girl stiffen the moment her arms wrapped around her, but she relaxed after a few moments and seemed to melt into the embrace.

Rachel rubbed her back softly and whispered that everything would be okay and it was all Santana could do not to break down completely in her arms. She could feel the other girl trembling in her arms as her tears tapered off.

"Come on, I'll show you to the guestroom," Rachel told her quietly as she pulled back, noticing how cold she suddenly felt.

Santana nodded and slid off the counter, grateful when the other girl didn't push. She was shocked when Rachel offered her hand a moment later, but not nearly as shocked as when she actually took it and allowed herself to be led to the guestroom.

Rachel released her hand to flip on the light in the guestroom and hovered in the doorway when Santana moved into the room and sat on the edge of the bed carefully. She ran a hand through her still damp hair and sighed, wincing slightly as she did.

"If you need anything, just let me know," Rachel told her. "My dads aren't expected back for a few days so you can stay as long as you need."

"Thanks," Santana whispered. She opened her mouth to say something. Anything to get the other girl to stay, but instead all that came out was, "Night."

"Good night," Rachel replied with one more soft smile before closing the door and heading back to her bedroom.

Santana clicked on a small lamp on the bedside table and turned the main light off before climbing into bed. She wasn't entirely uncomfortable sleeping in a bed that wasn't hers. She was used to it with Cheerios travel and staying at Brittany's house more than her own so it wasn't a horrible feeling to slide under the covers in a strange bed in a strange house. The fact that Rachel Berry was sleeping in the room next to hers surprisingly made her feel much more comfortable than it probably should have.

She tried to sleep. She tried deep breathing and even some meditation but nothing seemed to be able to lull her body into a sense of relaxation enough to let her sleep. She was entirely too keyed up and I didn't help that every time she closed her eyes she pictured his face hovering over hers, breathing on her neck and smiling down at her.

She finally flung the blankets aside and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She sighed heavily as she stood up and opened the door, peeking her head out into the hall she noticed a dim light coming from Rachel's room through the door that had been left open a crack and she contemplated her next move.

XX

A.N. So this is just the start of things. I'm not sure if anyone would want to read more. I have more but I wasn't sure what the reaction to this one would be so I left it here. Anyways, please let me know what you thought and if you would like to read more of this one and I'll post more.

Thanks for reading!