DISCLAIMERS: I do not own Glee

Here's next chapter! Hope you enjoy! If you review...I will love you so much *-*

First three periods went by quickly. Rachel hadn't had to suffer any more encounters with Cheerios or jocks. This surprised her, since Santana hadn't been able to take her to any of her classes due to their extremely different schedules.

Each hour, the tall girl sent the tiny brunette a text asking where she was and if she was ok. And, honestly, the small girl was fine with all that coddling. No, scratch that. She was blown away by it. She wasn't able to remember the last time someone had showed so much care for her, and she loved every second of it; even if it made her sound and feel a little bit selfish from time to time.

She could live with that.

Rummaging silently into her locker, Rachel tried to avoid as much attention as possible after that morning's incident. She didn't like being in the spotlight in a situation like that one.

Suddenly, two warm hands came out of nowhere and gently covered her eyes, making her breath hitch for just a second before a soft and raspy "Hi" made its way to her ears. Her 'o' shaped mouth slowly started morphing into a blinding smile, her hands coming up to take Santana's softly away from her eyes. Bowing her head, Rachel turned around just to lift her face a second later, letting the bottom lip that was being deliciously bitten on display.

"Hi."

Smiling like a fool, the Latina raised one hand to Rachel's face, softly caressing her cheekbone with her thumb, before she slowly leant forward and placed a soft kiss on the younger girl's forehead. When she tilted back, Rachel's smile had dimmed the tiniest bit, her eyes sparkling with undeniable affection.

Santana felt her throat dry in an instant, her eyes captivated by the beauty in front of her. Rachel's cheeks had turned a lovely shade of pink, and her long eyelashes had started fluttering madly in an innocent show of almost seduction.

However, her act dropped completely once she felt more than heard the soft murmurs and incredulous comments coming from everywhere around them. Her eyes moved nervously from left to right, trying to gauge how many humiliation she would have to cope with that day.

Santana followed the girl's gaze, and frowned when she finally noticed the little groups which had been starting to form for the entirety of the encounter; undoubtedly gossiping about them. Sensing Rachel's discomfort, Santana clenched her jaw, and shooting one last murderous glare to a giggling group of sophomores whose faces instantly turned into ones of almost terror and panic, she took Rachel's lunch – which consisted of a banana -, allowing her to close her locker before they took off towards the auditorium, hand in hand.

They weren't faced with any incidents on their way to the auditorium – weird looks aside -, and both of them were relieved thankful for that little improvement.

When they finally arrived to the enormous room, Santana opened the door for Rachel, making her blush and Santana grin and roll her eyes at the same time, trying to not show the reaction Rachel's adorableness produced on her.

Not too much, anyway.

Once the door closed behind them, both girls felt a sheet of complete darkness fall over them. Giggling like an idiot, Santana extracted her cell phone from the waistband of her Cheerio's skirt and projected a tiny ray of light into the room. Holding her hand tightly – Santana knew that it wasn't out of fear –, Rachel tugged at the other brunette's hand, pulling her to the nearest row of seats.

Santana sat down first, her phone shining in one hand; and before Rachel could sit down too, the Latina pulled hard at their joined hands on the opposite direction than the move should have been, making the Jewish girl fall on her lap with a surprised squeal.

Santana's head was thrown back in laughter, while Rachel was currently in the middle of an amusing and childish show of indignation with her bottom lip sticking out, her brows furrowed and her arms crossed along her chest; unable to move due to the tight grip Santana had around her waist.

After a couple minutes in which the raven haired girl recovered from her laughing fit, the tall girl unlocked her phone once again, lighting up the nearest space to them. Inspecting the other face, her wide smile turned into a closed mouth grin, her eyes shining with affection towards the small girl on her lap.

Rocking her lightly from side to side, the Latina frowned playfully when Rachel didn't react. Her phone's screen was upwards, bathing Rachel's face in a beautiful shade of white and blue, her features sharpener and edgier than they really were.

Mesmerized for a moment, Santana was pulled out of her reverie by something Rachel had murmured under her breath.

"What was that?" inquired the girl with an amused smile, not having heard clearly what Rachel had said. Apparently, it had been the wrong move, because Rachel's brow crinkled even more, and-

Fucking phone.

Oh, right. Light again. There was a cute little frown etched upon her features, and her eyes refused to move on her general direction.

"Oh, I see. You won't tell me." Playfully sing sang the taller girl, her fingers starting to stroke up and down the brunette's sides, eliciting a barely covered smile to blossom up on the beautiful Jewish woman on her lap. The more annoyed she wanted to look, the cuter she actually looked.

The thing went on for a minute or so, until, fucking finally, Rachel couldn't resist the touches anymore and doubled over in a fit of giggles, squishing Santana's phone and her lunch between them. The other girl just held her tightly, a pleased smirk on her face. She really loved those moments in which Rachel would let go of herself, would let herself act her age.

"I said you are mean" casually came the answer Santana had been looking for in the first place. The girl blinked a few times; she had forgotten what the question had been.

"Uuh?" Asked the Cheerio, earning herself a playful elbow to her ribs.

"See? You are mean." Pouted once again the brunette. Shaking her head to prevent a fit of laughter yet again, Santana buried her nose on the side of Rachel's neck, breathing in deeply and relishing on the sweet smell of the girl's silky locks.

Purring lightly, she felt her hands start moving on their own; her phone long ago forgotten on the Jewish brunette's skirt clad thighs. They danced along her sides, reaching the point where her shirt was tucked under her skirt and back up again, until she was able to feel the slight protuberance of a bra under her fingertips. Her mouth had opened, leaving wet small kissed all along the right side of Rachel's neck.

She didn't dare leaving a mark.

A couple of minutes tickled by, and it was enough for Rachel to have thrown her head back to rest on the other girl's left shoulder and her hands to have topped those of Santana, slowing down her movements but following the same pattern they originally did. The small kisses had evolved in little bites and sensual licks, always careful to not stay too much time in one specific part; to not provide too much pressure.

"Uugh… San, I'm-" started the girl with a strangled whimper, her nails almost clawing at the skin beneath her fingers.

"Yeah baby, I'm sorry." Was the answer she felt mumbled against her ear at the same time she felt her – lover's? – hands stop roaming her torso.

Her breath hitched, and her smile could have been spotted from a thousand miles away – if there had been any source of light in the auditorium, that's it.

"I was just going to say that I was hungry."

Rachel could feel the Latina smile against her cheek, and wondered if she would be able to tell the heavy blush that had fallen over her face with just the touch of her lips.

She thought so.

She hoped not.

"But?" Murmured the Cheerio in answer, not bothering to turn her phone on again, while she turned her head to the right, so that her cheek was pressed up against Rachel's.

After a second of hesitance, Rachel closed her eyes – an unnecessary task; there was nothing to be seen – and inhaled deeply, the corners of her lips turning up.

"Could you repeat it?" It had been so small and timid that the other girl would have missed it in any other circumstances, but not now. Not there, with her.

She wasn't being specific, and it could have been anything. But Santana knew exactly what Rachel was referring to.

Lifting one hand to softly move the hair away from Rachel's right ear, Santana breathed dramatically into the ear before a husky "Baby" escaped her lips purposefully, feeling the little girl's stomach surrounded by her other arm constrict in something that, to the Latina, looked a lot like pleasure.

The level of intimacy should have been a little overwhelming for Rachel, because they were two people who had already shared too much with each other, pressed up one against the other, in a tight and personal embrace. The smaller brunette – the two of them, really – could almost feel the aura of sexual tension floating around them, dying to get a hold of them. And, for Rachel it meant something beyond what was happening in that moment in the arms of her Santana.

All her life she had been moving from house to house, meeting strange people who were supposed to take care of her, to be her new family. She had never been given the opportunity to build any kind of bond with anyone; she had never felt a force pulling her near another person.

She had never been this close; felt this connected to anyone.

But Santana had swept in like a knight in shining armor and had made her realize that she was able to feel things; she had taken her time to get to know her – the girl had had to shush the laughing voice within her head that shouted 'Do you really think she knows you, princess?' –, and it had meant the world to Rachel.

It had made something click inside her; something she didn't even know existed.

So, no, in that moment, resting her head against the side of Santana's with her arms tightly wrapped around her midsection, she didn't feel overwhelmed in the slightest.

"Weren't you hungry two minutes ago?" grumbled the Latina, unlocking her phone once again to allow Rachel to take her banana. Opening her eyes, the smaller brunette blinked a few times to adequate her vision to the poorly lightened space and straightened up a little on the other girl's lap.

"Mmm, yeah." Came the groggy answer, making it seem like she had just waken up. "Thank you for reminding me." Continued the small girl, flashing Santana a toothy grin in thanks. "You aren't hungry?"

Smiling at the sheer cuteness of the action, Santana shook her head, and kept her phone on as Rachel carefully peeled the banana's skin off and started eating it.

The taller girl followed her every motion with rapt attention as her lips moved in sync with the other girl's, the incredible hotness of the act being too much for her to handle quietly.

"Damn baby" murmured the Cheerio, moving her phone so that the light would hit Rachel's mouth directly. "That's so fucking hot." She continued, as she squeezed the girl's stomach with her arm.

The other girl, for her part, started coughing profusely when she choked on a piece of the banana – not knowing with exactitude if it had been due to Santana's words or the subsequent squeeze of her stomach. Laughing like a mad woman, Santana started patting Rachel's upper back with her hand, shushing her softly.

When Rachel finally recovered, she turned her face to Santana's, who didn't see her reaction until she moved the phone once again.

"That was definitely not nice, Santana Lopez!" Stage whispered Rachel as if someone could hear in her voice the wrongness of the action, her head emphasizing every single word.

"Oh, but it was, dear Rachel. It definitely was." Argued Santana with a smirk before reaching with her hand and taking a spare piece of banana with her thumb off the corner of the petite brunette's mouth.

"You're incorrigible. Now I don't want the banana anymore." Stated Rachel with a pout, her amusement showing through her white and blue tinted brown orbs. Santana just shrugged, and casually eyed the neglected banana in Rachel's hand.

"You know," she started in a plotting tone, "maybe, that banana came from one of the best harvests in Spain. Maybe, some old and nice farmer took his time watering the tree; fertilizing the earth appropriately; maybe he poured all his love into that single banana, thinking about a nice and beautiful little girl who would eat it in the future. And, maybe, his love got into that banana for you to enjoy it."

Santana tilted her face to the left, facing Rachel's cheek. The girl had a pensive expression; her brow furrowed and her lips in a tight line as she observed the banana in her hand.

"Maybe I should eat it. Just, you know, in case." Murmured finally the girl.

Santana nodded her head against Rachel's cheek, biting the inside of it to prevent the fit of laughter bubbling in her chest to escape from her lips.

"I don't believe a word of what you just told me" clarified Rachel with a roll of her eyes, obviously annoyed that Santana had thought that such a childish tale would be believed and accepted by her brilliant mind. "You just softened my heart. That's all" sighed the petite girl dramatically before leading the banana to her mouth once more.

Two minutes later, Rachel had already finished munching the 'damn plátano', as Santana put it, and the smaller girl was relaxed once again, with her back tightly pressed to Santana's front.

"How much time do we have left?" murmured Rachel, not wanting to ruin the peacefulness of the moment. Groaning when she raised her hand, Santana unlocked her phone, eyeing it for a second before locking it again.

"Five minutes." Was the disheartening answer. After those five minutes, they would have to go their separate ways for the rest of the day.

A comfortable silence fell over them once again, the only thing breaking the perfection of the moment being the prospect of the end of lunch period.

"This was the first place where you noticed me."

The silence hadn't been broken; it had just been changed. Santana's eyes opened at the words; not caring that it was a useless action.

Tilting her head to the left, she let her breath hit Rachel's temple for a moment before she bowed her head and placed a small kiss to her cheek.

And another. And another. Rachel tilted her head upwards and to the right, allowing her lips to meet with the Cheerio's, who in turn cupped her jaw softly as she explored the girl's lips. First her top lip, then her fuller, plumper bottom one, her tongue making stroking motions against it as she felt herself being sucked within Rachel; all the way to her heart.

When she forced herself to pull back, her lips were glistening with Rachel, and she softly sucked them into her mouth, not letting anything related to her girl go away; wasted.

"You're wrong." Sighed the Latina against the other pair of wet lips. There wasn't almost time for any of this; for confessions, for more vulnerability. There was a big chance of them not being able to build their walls back up before they were forced to face the world.

But Santana knew that Rachel was bigger than that.

"This was the first place where you made me see."

The confession was sealed with a soft kiss, just as the bell rang.

Santana hurried out of her last of the day, wanting to arrive to her locker and to her as fast as possible, still not trusting the suspicious truce the Cheerios and jocks – and, well, the whole population of McKinley – were providing Rachel.

Once she left her books in the standard locker and filled her bag with the necessary ones, the girl took off to where she knew Rachel's was. Effectively, there was the petite brunette, doing the same task she had been going through mere seconds ago, but the Jewish girl looked over her shoulder nervously – and probably trying and failing to be subtle - each five seconds, always alert.

At this, a sad smile drew itself on Santana's face as she approached the girl, who spotted her before she reached her. A smile appearing on her own face, Rachel closed her locker and waited timidly in front of it for Santana to meet her with her folder clutched protectively to her chest.

"Hi" breathed out the Cheerio, repeating the lunchtime actions.

Rachel just stared at her, her face set in the dreamiest expression she had ever seen the girl use. That was the best greeting she could have gotten.

Her smile widening, Santana simply took Rachel's hand and guided her through the almost empty halls, and to the school's entrance. Their bubble of peacefulness and perfection from lunch period was surrounding them once again as they walked to Santana's car.

"Well, I should go." Blop. The bubble exploded.

"What?" Inquired an extremely confused looking Santana. Honestly, she thought that after the day events Rachel would trust her more than the day before. It seemed like she was wrong, though. "You're not coming with me?"

"You can't carry me home today, Santana." Explained softly the smaller girl, her voice getting smaller and smaller with every second she spent looking at Santana's pained black orbs.

"Is there a fucking reason why-?"

"Please." Begged the brunette, not wanting the perfection to end; the memory to be destroyed, just yet.

Santana tilted her head back, inhaling deeply with her eyes tightly closed; before she snapped them open and tilted her hear forward to its original position.

"I just want a reason." Said the Latina seriously in a tone that was painfully close to begging. Rachel just stared helplessly into those chocolate pools, feeling her shoulders dropping with each second that passed. Santana's eyes were so pleading, so filled with hurt and hope that she could do nothing aside from closing her eyes and softly nodding her head.

Inhaling deeply through her nose, Rachel avoided eye contact as she murmured a soft "Okay".

Santana's pleading face contorted almost instantly into one of plain, sheer happiness.

"Oh baby, thank you." Managed to murmur the girl before her hands were cupping Rachel's face and her lips were molding to Rachel's. The other girl could just kiss back, some of the desperation from before sagging her shoulders; just praying for everything to be okay.

Santana leaned back, and the smile she was sporting could compete with a little boy's on Christmas day. Rachel felt her lips curling lightly up in a sincere smile, loving the emotion pouring from Santana's eyes, as if she had done something, when in reality she had just accepted a ride back home.

Just a ride back home, right princess?

There was a reason she had accepted. Santana was the best thing that had happened to her, and she knew that she just wanted to protect her. And, even though she hadn't wanted Santana to accompany her to avoid problems, she wouldn't have been able to just walk away, knowing that Santana was left behind, with so much hurt in her eyes and uncertainty in her heart.

Even over such a stupid almost-argument, because she knew that for Santana it was so much more than a simple ride home.

It was trust.

So she just sucked it up and got in the car. It was better than having to tell Santana about things she wasn't ready to tell. Not yet, probably not ever.

The drive was eerily silent. No voice was heard; no indications were given. Rachel could almost feel her heart trying to literally cave a hole on her chest and break free, looking as subtly as she was able to through the window, praying for any god that would listen to her that no one was home.

When Santana got to her street, the lump on her throat had gotten almost unbearably thick. She felt the urge to just ask Santana to stop there, at the beginning of the street, but she didn't want another argument; she didn't want to lose those precious points she had been getting during the whole drive.

Once her house was close enough to inspect, the brunette almost cried out in relief when she didn't see a car waiting menacingly on the driveway.

Little did she know that Santana was having a similar thought; but with her neighbor's driveway instead.

Once they stopped at the same stop they did the first time, Rachel grabbed the door handle and pulled at it, her eyes widening when the door didn't move even the slightest bit.

Smiling amusedly from her position at the driver's seat, Santana rolled her eyes lightly. "I told you, you can't open that door from inside" she teased while she opened her own door, just to walk around the front of the car and open Rachel's door.

The girl, for her part, just smiled tightly and hastily got off the car, pretending to be more relaxed than she really was.

"See? It wasn't that bad, now, was it?" Inquired the Hispanic Cheerio with a mock smirk on her face; a playful seductive look on her eyes.

Rachel just smiled in response, her hands sweating against the straps of her bag. Nodding her head, the tiny brunette looked nervously at the end of the street, and when she didn't see a car coming, she quickly got on her tip toes and delivered a peck to Santana's lips. Coming back to her original height, she moved away from the Latina and started walking towards the front door of the white colored house, when a strong hand spun her gently around by her arm and Santana attacked her lips with her own.

The strong arms of the cheerleader wrapped themselves tightly around the tiny girl, obscuring her view of the rest of the world while her mouth devoured Rachel's. She just wanted to feel close to her before she had to go.

Rachel kissed back. It was a stupid thing to do, really. She was under pressure; she knew that, at any moment, their bubble could be burst forever. But the passion pouring from Santana's mouth didn't seem like a bye to her, so she just reciprocated, basking on the feeling of being wanted; being desired for once in her life. And by the person she desired back.

Their breaths were irregular, and they both would have to stop at any moment. They just didn't expect how.

A car was suddenly heard maneuvering into Rachel's driveway. Both girls parted as they saw in horror a blonde woman not bothering to even park adequately get out of the car and barrel towards them, her face set in the most feral face any of them had ever seen.

Santana was paralyzed. She didn't know who that woman was, nor if she was related to Rachel in any way. The only thing she was able to absorb in that moment was the look of utter panic on Rachel's face.

"Rachel!" The voice boomed all around the two teenagers, the woman almost having reached them. The girl, for her part, lifted her gaze for a fleeting second, meeting Santana's eyes with her own, letting her know that, please, don't do anything.

But Santana could only hear a scared fifteen year old girl asking for help; sobbing in her arms in desperation and sorrow.

As the woman took a hold of Rachel's arm and spun her around with a "What the fuck were you fucking thinking", Santana swept into action, moving quickly to intercept the two women. Her face looked determined, though her mind was gasping for air.

The blonde seething animal tightened her grip on Rachel's arm and looked back for a moment, gauging if someone was watching them; or simply passing by.

Santana met Rachel's quickly watering eyes at not having paid attention, afraid of what the consequences would be for her. The situation was bad enough as it was. She could barely get the air to enter and get out of her lungs, a ball of tears and fear etched deep in her throat; a begging sound escaping her lips.

"Santana…" the pleading edge of the simple word broke Santana's heart, who in an instant and without thinking leapt forward and, with an animalistic growl, ripped the woman's hand off Rachel's upper arm. She pulled at Rachel's hand, but she simply stayed where she was, a defeated expression marring her features. Santana looked back at Rachel in surprise, and her face turned into one of fear once again when the woman took a hold of Rachel's arm and pulled her towards the front door.

"Who the fuck are you!" bellowed the Cheerio, saliva escaping her mouth as she ran to Rachel once more, stopping in front of her and reaching out to cup her face.

But, instead of being met with Rachel's soft skin, a hand shot out and slapped hers. Hard. She met the blonde's eyes, and saw a confusion of emotions in them.

"Who the fuck do you think you are!" Shouted the woman in return.

Rachel stood in the middle, her eyes downcast as she mentally prepared herself for what was to come. Sniffling soundly, she turned her body to Amy and looked up at her conflicted eyes. Her eyes widening when she saw her other hand turning into a fist, Rachel finally reacted.

"Amy, please, let her go. She doesn't know-"

"Don't fucking tell me what to do!" Yelled Amy, still looking at Santana, who had just…deflated. Her eyes were fixated to the back of the brunette's head, her fist clenched to prevent the wave of sobs that were begging to break free to do so, and her jaw tightly squared.

She was aware, now, of the consequences of her acts. If she messed up some more, it would be Rachel who would pay.

And she would already have to pay enough on her behalf.

So, fighting against her will, her heart breaking every fucking single minute of it, the Latina reached out a hand to take Rachel's for a moment. She simply squeezed it; a meaningless action for the woman, but a promise for the other two.

Her vision was blurry when she let go of the delicate hand, but when she lifted her eyes to watch her Rachel get into the house, she could have swore that the woman had a glint of something akin of…understanding, sympathy on her eye. Rachel quickly turned her head, and her tear stained face made Santana's heart – what was left of it – shatter to the ground, breaking in a million, tiny, meaningless pieces.

Every little crack had hurt like a bitch.

The door had already closed, but Santana still stood there. Paralyzed. Her hand still tingling from the last squeeze of reassurance she had given Rachel. After a couple minutes, she felt herself doubling over in pain, clutching her stomach tightly.

This can't be happening.

This can't be fucking happening.

What the fuck did just happen.

Rachel…

Oh god.

As the last events caught up with her, Santana felt a dull pain on her naked knees when they hit the hard pavement below her. Not even her hands covering her face could do anything against the anguished wail that escaped her mouth, and her heart.