The Way To Each Other - Chapter Twenty-Five
Title: The Way To Each Other
Author: Sio & Maura
Rating: Hard NC-17
Length: Epic (230,271)
Spoilers: This is AU. Some mentions of Seasons 1 & 2 events though handled differently than in canon.
Pairing: Santana/Quinn
Summary: Santana's life is far harder than it appears to the average viewer. Her dad's in jail and her mom turns tricks in their old family home. Worst yet, Santana herself has to do the same to keep her mom alive and food in her belly. Can Quinn save her? Or will Quinn's domineering father ruin everything? For the Glee Bang
Warnings (highlight to read): talks of suicide, angst, language, graphic het and femslash sex, non-con, dub-con, oral, vaginal, anal, pedophilia, sex work, underage prostitution, abuse, violence sexual and non, minor character death, self-harm, drug use, disease - HIV
Chapter 25
The suit didn’t fit as well as it once had.
It was almost twenty years out of date and smelled faintly of mothballs, but it fit more or less and he was grateful for that much. He twitched the shoulders again, but the jacket was still loose. He’d lost weight over the years, burning off some muscle as well as fat in his years away. He sighed, not able to do anything about it with the money he had in his pocket.
He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and looked at it for what felt like the hundredth time that hour. His breath came in a soft shudder just as it did every time he looked at the address. It had been so long, he almost couldn’t believe it was finally happening.
Walking out of the gas station’s restroom and turning the key back in, he headed out to his small grey rental and got in. Pulling away from the station, he turned down the road the attendant had pointed out to him, beginning the last five miles that would take him to the one place he’d wanted to be for the last ten years. The one person he’d failed so terribly and wanted nothing more than to try and make it up to.
His baby girl.
It was a beautiful fall day. Clear, blue sky. Warm breeze and just warm enough to be able to forgo a jacket if you had long sleeves on. They’d spent the morning raking leaves in the large front yard of the Sleeping Fox Ranch, but the women had opted to go in to make sandwiches and the girls had gotten distracted by flinging pinecones and handfuls of leaves at each other.
“Hey!” Quinn squealed, squirming away from an attempt to stuff a handful down her flannel shirt, “No fair!”
Santana giggled and kept shoving leaves down her girlfriend’s shirt. She was wearing one of Cindy's old, long-sleeved tops with the logo of her alma mater under a pair of baggy overalls that shadowed her lean figure. She had her hair tied back in two long french braids that Quinn had spent forever on that morning. "Totally fair!" She giggled as she ran away from Quinn's flailing arms.
“Ugh!” Quinn shrieked, pawing prickly leaf bits out of her cleavage. “I am going to get you for that!” Scooping up a double armful from the nearest pile, she advanced towards Santana with a menacing smirk.
The girls were so caught up in their play, neither of them noticed the grey sedan pull into the drive. If they had, they likely would have assumed it was one of the clinic’s clients and ignored it anyway. The car parked near the clinic and was turned off.
A tall, dark skinned man in an ill-fitting suit that looked like it may have once been professionally tailored to someone slightly bigger than him once upon a time got out of the car. He closed the door to the car and turned to look up at the house only to stop, his jaw dropping slightly as he saw the dark haired girl playing in the leaves. He watched her with a look of longing, smiling when her happy laughter rang through the air.
“Excuse me, sir?” Cindy asked, coming out with a concerned expression as she noticed his attention on her girls, “Can I help you with something? Do you have an animal in need of assistance?”
“W-what?” Startled, he turned to the smaller woman, his voice tired but bore the remnants of what had once been a clean and smooth baritone, “Oh! No... no animals. I’m sorry. My name’s Ben.” He held out his hand with what he hoped was a warm smile, “Ben Lopez.”
"Ben Lopez... Huh I don't think Rebecca has a... Oh... Lopez." Cindy stumbled as she looked at the man who had much the same facial structure of her new daughter and she froze looking quickly over to the frolicking teenagers. "Um... Come over here?" She asked as she moved them out of the view of the girls. "What can I help you with Mr. Lopez?"
He took a deep breath and straightened his lapels in a nervous gestures. “I... I was hoping there might be a Cindy Maganix or Rebecca Fabray around that I might speak to about their,” his voice cracked, but he tightened his jaws and pushed through it, “their daughter.”
"I'm Cindy." She said as she held out her hand to shake the man's hand. "I can take you inside to speak to both my partner and I if you'd like." She spoke softly but crossed her arms. Cindy knew that this might happen someday, but she had hoped it would be longer. Santana had just gotten to a place where she was starting to do okay, and so had Quinn despite the fact she was very clingy to the other girl still. "I'd rather not talk outside at the moment."
“Oh, um,” he smiled weakly, “yes, of course. I understand entirely. Please, wherever you’d like. I know I don’t have any rights here, I’d just like to talk if that’s okay.”
"Come inside." She said as she led the man into the house. She motioned to the couch and quickly ran up the stairs to the back office where Rebecca was working. She knew her wife had a client so she quickly slipped in and said that she needed to talk to her as soon as she could before coming back down to the living room. "Would... Would you like coffee, Mr. Lopez?"
“No, Ms Maganix, that’s okay. Thank you for offering.” He looked over sized, sitting on the sofa with his bald head and hands dangling between his legs. “Thank you for speaking with me. I know you don’t have to. You have every right to turn me away without even giving me a moment of your time. I know that and I appreciate that you haven’t.”
Cindy watched him for a minute, "You gave me and my wife the greatest gift ever, a daughter, so I couldn't turn you away. That's not how we do things here.... If we did we would never have kept Santana or Quinn for that matter." She said, "You can call me Cindy."
He nodded, a worn smile briefly lighting up his face, “Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me. Please, call me Ben. Quinn?” he looked thoughtful for a moment then smiled softly, “I remember her. A sweet little blonde girl, right? Her and Tana were so close. They’re still friends?” He looked at Cindy hopefully.
Cindy chuckled, "Yes. They're very close... That's how Santana ended up getting here, and getting away from... her situation." She said softly, "Quinn's father took some issue with their friendship and sent her to live with Rebecca... Santana couldn't live without her and she ran away and found Quinn."
He chuckled softly, “That sounds like Tana. She always was a stubborn little thing.” He sobered, taking a deep breath, “And her situation... God, I was such a fool for thinking she’d be better with her mother. For thinking that woman could change for the better because of our baby girl. I failed her badly. So badly...”
"Quite honestly?" Cindy said softly, "Yes. But her mother failed her even more." She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "What can I do for you, Ben?"
He took a little while before he answered. “I... I want a chance to apologize.” His jaw tightened as he fought back the emotions, “I may have given her up to you and your wife, but,” he looked away, blinking quickly, “she’s still my baby girl. God, I promised I’d be good to her,” he whispered, “I promised I’d protect her from the bad things the first time I got to hold her. Her mother was worthless but I married her and brought her here so my Tana would have a mom...”
"I understand that." Cindy said, "I really do..." she looked out the window to the girls, "Santana is in a good place right now, she's relatively happy and we're keeping her as healthy as we can... I'm worried..." she swallowed nervously, "I'm worried about how being here and seeing you might affect her progress."
“Oh,” he whispered, taking a deep breath and tightening his jaw against the emotions that threatened to break his facade. “I understand.” He nodded, pushing to his feet, “That was her outside, right? With Quinn?” He smiled wistfully, “I’m glad I got to see her at least. She looks happy here. Could you,” he glanced at Cindy hopefully, “could you send me a picture every now and then? I’d really appreciate it if you could let me know she was still safe and happy, but I’ll understand if you can’t.”
"Ben..." Cindy sighed, "She's your child... But she's my daughter and I need you to understand that it will hurt her to see you again." She stood up, "But, I also think it might help her get out of some of anger if she sees you and hears why you took the fall for her mother..." She moved to the door and looked back, "I'll ask her if she'd be okay seeing you."
He looked hopeful for a moment, “Really? I... you can put any restrictions you want on me if I can just tell her how sorry I am and how much I regret not being the man she needed me to be...”
"Just... hold on okay?" She asked as she came out into the yard. "Hey, girls?" She asked as she walked outside and over to the girls. "Can I talk to you?"
Quinn struggled up out of a pile of leaves near Cindy’s feet where Santana had managed to bury her. Leaves and sticks were sticking every which way out of her hair and clothes. “Sure, Cindy. What’s up?”
Santana followed and stood behind her girlfriend, picking the leaves out of her hair. "Sorry, baby." She whispered as she giggled into her lover’s neck. "What's up?" Santana asked as she wrapped her arms around Quinn.
"Um, girls? There is someone here to see Santana," she said nervously. "San... You can say no, you can tell me you're not feeling good and you won’t have to talk to anyone."
"What did I do?" Santana asked nervously, "I didn't mean to do anything."
Quinn wrapped her arms protectively around Santana, glaring, “San didn’t do anything, Cindy. What’s going on? Who’s here to talk to her?” She watched the older woman, more familiar with her than Santana was and eventually something clicked and her eyes widened. “Wait, it’s not... is it? Is he out?”
Cindy nodded at Quinn.
"Who?" Santana pouted not understanding what was happening. "What's going on."
“Your dad,” Quinn breathed, her arms tightening around Santana as she stared wide eyed at Cindy. She swallowed, her voice getting a little louder, “Your dad’s out and... and he came here...”
Santana held onto her tightly, "Um.. Uh." She took deep breaths and tried to calm herself, "I... I don't... What does he want? He can't have me back, you said that he can't have me back, Cindy!"
"Santana, he's never going to have you back. You're ours and he gave up the right to have you as a daughter, but you are still his child..." She said weakly, "Santana, you don't have to see him if you don't want."
Quinn leaned in and kissed the side of Santana’s head, “He can’t take you from me, San. I won’t let him.” Her arms tightened in a brief squeeze again, reminding the panicking girl that she was right beside her.
"I don't... Quinn... He's here." She said on the verge of a panic attack, "He's here... why did he come? It's been ten years... why did he come?" She pleaded looking at Cindy.
"He wants to see if you're okay. To apologize, to rationalize what he did... I don't know baby, he just wants to see you." Cindy said taking Santana's hand. "Tell me to ask him to leave and I will."
“San,” Quinn licked her lips, not sure if she should push in this direction or not, “this is your chance. He’s here. You’re safe. Like hell I’m gonna be anywhere but right beside you... you can ask him yourself why he left you. You can get all that bad stuff out about your family right now and if he tries anything - anything,” she looked fierce and protective, straightening her back, “then I’ll stop him. I swear to God I will keep you safe, San.”
Santana swallowed and looked at her new mother with tears, "I'm scared." She whispered as she held onto Quinn's arm. Cindy just cupped the girl's face and pressed her forehead to the girl’s.
"That's okay. I just don't want you to regret never talking to him." She whispered back, "I know Megan thinks you need to get out some more aggression and this might help." She said as she stroked the girl’s head.
“Seriously, tear into him, San.” Quinn whispered, hugging Santana and trying to comfort her, “Let him know exactly how you feel. And then we can go upstairs and cuddle for the rest of the day. Okay?”
Santana nodded and took Quinn's hand and followed Cindy back into the house. She grasped Quinn's hand tightly when she laid eyes on her father.
"Ben?" Cindy said softly, "Santana agreed to meet you." she moved to the side to reveal the young girls.
Ben looked up from where he’d been contemplating his hands, having resumed his seat on the couch again. His eyes widened and a slow smile curled his lips. “Oh my God. You... you’ve gotten so big, Tana. Do you,” he swallowed, looking uncertain, “do you even remember me?”
"No." She said honestly, "I was five when you went to jail." She tried to look strong like she had acted for so long, "You left when I was five... and my name is Santana." She corrected him as she held tightly to Quinn.
Cindy watched silently as she moved to sit on the stairs to watch and make sure everything was okay.
He looked hurt but nodded, looking back down at the ground. “Right. You’re right. I don’t have the right to call you that anymore.” He sighed, “S-santana, I... I know you probably hate me, but I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I failed you. That I didn’t,” his voice cracked under the emotional pressure he was trying to restrain, “I didn’t protect you. You were my baby girl, my world, and I let you down so badly...”
Quinn wrapped an arm around Santana’s shoulders and led her to the loveseat across from the man. “You did a lot worse than just let her down, Mr. Lopez,” she growled, protective of her lover.
“I know,” he swallowed, his jaw working, “I know I have no right to anything...”
"You..." Santana choked as she looked at his face, "You left... You left me with her. You went to Jail!" She was slowly finding her voice, "You went to jail... and left me with a drug addict! You can't have been trying to protect me too hard because you left me with her. You left me with someone who was gonna hit me and forget to feed me or sign me up for kindergarten!" Santana yelled her face becoming redder and redder, "With... with someone who would bring people over who'd hit me and do drugs around me! Daddies don't let that happen!"
For a moment he looked like he wanted to protest, then he slumped down. "You're right, Santana." His jaw worked for a moment before he could continue, "I thought a little girl needed her mom more. I...I thought she'd change. That she'd be better for you. I was so wrong." He shook his head, "I don't deserve to be your father. I never did. I've done so wrong by you, Santana..."
"Do... Do you have any idea what she did to me?" Santana asked him, her eyes brimming with tears.
Quinn tightened her arm around Santana's shoulder, glaring at the man who only shook his head. "Only the vaguest idea. I...I heard stories, but by the time I realized what a mistake I'd made believing in her, the damage was done and I couldn't get out. I'm so sorry, Santana..."
"I was playing with dolls in a brothel by six, dad, babysitting the bastard children of the other hookers by eight, getting hit on by nine..." she looked at her father, "I had to suck my first dick at twelve, so she could buy drugs. I had an abortion when I was thirteen because no one was ever around to tell me about protection and my mom made more money off of people fucking a child with no protection. I got my ass kicked so many times... I got spat on, pissed on, kicked, punched and burned more times than I can remember." She crossed her arms protectively over her chest as she ranted at him, her voice growing shriller with each fact she slapped him across the chest with, "I almost died more than once from getting strangled, my fucking Spanish teacher from school almost killed me one night because I tried to refuse him." She didn't even stop the tears or the fact she was shaking as she spoke, "I had to make sure mami was always high and our house? Our house turned into a crack den so I slept outside for nearly half a year..."
Quinn froze when everything her girlfriend had gone through was brought into the light. Her nostrils flared as she tried to contain the rage bubbling up inside her at what Mr Schuester had done to her, what she'd had to endure. "You're right," she growled, low and angry, "you have no rights to call yourself her father. How could you? It's all your fault she had to go through that!"
"I know," he ground out trying not to cry, his entire body shaking as he fought to process everything that Santana had put on him. He couldn't stop it though as he thought of his baby girl - his princess, the girl he'd promised God to protect with his life - being treated like that, having to sell herself. Having to have an abortion when she was still such a little girl. A sob broke from his control, "My God... My God, I didn't know it'd be that bad, Santana. I swear I didn't know she would do that. I thought she was clean... I got her clean! She promised me she'd take care of you!"
"She gave me fucking AIDS, dad!" Santana screamed, causing Cindy to jump from her perch on the stairs. "Did you know she was sick? When you were fucking her... did you know she was sick?" Santana asked pleading for some clarification. "Did you know she was making me sick by having me! Why did you have a baby with a crack head!"
"S-she...you? Oh my God," he whispered, staring at Santana in shock. "S-she had AIDS? You have... I was told you only had HIV, that it hadn't progressed. Oh my God... I didn't...I didn't know." His head fell into his hands, nails dragging against his scalp as he stared wide eyed at the ground, "I didn't know she was infected, oh God..."
"Santana has HIV, but she's been infected since she was born..." Cindy piped up correcting her daughter.
"Sorry, been fucking poison for 16 years... but yeah I only have HIV so it doesn't suck that hard..." She rolled her eyes, "I almost fucking died, daddy. I crawled into Quinn's room with a broken pelvis and so broken I don't remember the week I was in the hospital. Then I got the pleasure of finding mommy dead. She was dead, decomposing in your bed, cum leaking out of her body still and she was covered in track marks. I burnt the fucking house down." Santana spat as she got up to her feet her hips stiff from the exertion of the morning. "I burned the house down and most of Lima Heights and then I fucking ran away when Quinn left because her dad was so ashamed and hateful that she could be friends with someone like me."
For a long moment, Ben was silent, tearing himself apart for not being there, for not protecting her from that. "Good," he finally whispered, looking up at her with red-rimmed eyes, "I wish you'd burnt that whole damn town to the ground. And I wish I could have stood in the middle of the house and burnt with it. It's my fault, it's all my fault. I thought I was protecting you when I married her. When I paid off her handler because he wouldn't let me take her away while she was pregnant with you. I thought I was protecting you when I stopped fighting the charges because she told me to so there wouldn't be a scandal. But I didn't. I failed. I failed in the worst possible way and that's why I gave you to these women. Because they can take care of you the way you deserve. Not like me..."
Santana's lips pursed together and fell into a thin line, "You... You bought her... You Bought me." Santana let out a cynical laugh and ran her hand through her hair which caused her braids to fall out. "You fucking... You started this, you bought her and you made it okay. You made it okay to put a price on me!" She laughed out of pure pain, "I don't care, I wish I could have killed her myself, burned her alive and watched her die." She paced back and forth with a slight limp, "I came here for Quinn... and I found a family, but it doesn't make up for being used for my entire life."
"I paid them to protect you!" Ben roared in anguish, "Everything I did was to try and keep you safe, Santana! You are the only thing good in my life, don't you understand that? I did everything I could to make damn sure you'd be born a US citizen! That you'd have the best chances! And that goddamn woman ruined everything!" He slumped back into the sofa with a broken sob, "She stole my baby girl and did horrible things. She lied to me. God, I'm so sorry. It was so messed up back then. If your coach hadn't found evidence that proved she'd been forging my name on prescription scripts, I'd still be prison now...never would have been able to get my license back. Never see you again..."
"I wish you never came here." Santana bit, she was out for blood, she was out to make someone else hurt as much as she did. If she could never have a normal life she didn't want him to. "I wish you were still in jail."
He just sat there, Santana's hateful words sinking in and cutting deep. Finally he took a shaky breath and nodded. "I understand. I agree. I don't deserve to see you again." He stood slowly looking far older than his forty years in that moment. "I promise that you won't see or hear from me again." He sounded defeated as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a couple of thick sheafs of paper, carefully setting them on the coffee table. "Here. These are yours. You can read them, burn them, throw them away, whatever, but I promised myself that one day I would give them to you." He looked at Santana, memorizing the lines of her face, the anger and pain in her eyes, his own eyes suspiciously bright, "For what it's worth, I don't blame you for hating me, Santana. But you're still the best thing that ever happened in my life and I love you more than anything or anyone in this whole Godforsaken world. I wish to God that I could have changed things. I would have given my life, sold my damn soul and beggared myself to keep this from happening to you."
He turned towards the door, trying his best to be something more than the broken shell of a man who'd let the only good thing he'd ever had be destroyed. "I'm glad I was able to see you one last time," he whispered, making his way across the room to the door, determined to keep this one promise to his baby girl even if he'd failed to keep all the others. "You've become such a beautiful young woman despite everything and I wish you nothing but happiness." He took a breath, his hand on the doorknob, "Goodbye, Santana. I won't darken your life any longer."
He opened the door and headed out, walking down the slope towards his rental car, not really sure of where to go next and not really caring either.
Santana broke into sobs as his back turned, she crumbled onto the floor as she watched her father walk out of her life. She knew she was mean, but she meant it. She meant everything she said to him. She hadn't lied at all and that's what hurt her the most.
Tears carved their way down his cheeks as he climbed into the car. He took out the carefully folded picture of a smiling little girl the way Santana had been when she was still his Tana and kissed it gently the way he had every night for the last ten years. "I'm sorry, Tana," he whispered, hooking it onto the dash so he could see it, "your daddy's worthless and he's gonna make sure he can't hurt you anymore, baby girl."
He slid the key into the ignition, taking a shaky breath as he turned it, spinning the engine to life.
Santana heard the engine turn over and she was up without even thinking. She ran out to the car despite her hips not letting her sprint as fast as she once would. She was sobbing and not gonna let someone else leave her and hurt her. She hated him but she knew now that he was her father and he loved her. "Papi!" She screamed as she ran towards the car.
Ben saw her come pelting down the hill when he'd turned to back out. Throwing the car in park, he ripped off the seatbelt and hurled himself from the car just in time to catch her as she tripped and started to fall. Tears still streaming down his face, he wrapped his long arms about her and held her tight. "Oh, Tana," he whispered, kissing the top of her head without thinking, "I'm so sorry I was a bad daddy. I'm so sorry I let everything get ruined..."
"Lo siento," she whispered, she clutched onto him and sobbed into his arms. She was half terrified - she hated men and she hadn't had to deal with one let alone be touched by one in months - and half relieved. She shook violently in his arms as she sobbed, "I'm sorry I was mean," she said her sobs making it come out in fragmented words.
He shook his head, just trying to do his best to comfort her, "No. No, baby girl, don't be sorry. I deserved it. I deserve all of it. I'm so sorry I let you be hurt like this." He was trembling with the force of his emotions, burying his face in her hair, "I let you down so badly, sweet girl. It's all my fault. All my fault."
Neither Lopez saw the blonde girl or her aunts standing half way up the slope watching the tearful scene protectively. Quinn was torn as she watched - part of her wanted to stay mad at him, but another part remembered how she'd encouraged San to give him a chance. Cindy felt like her heart had been ridden hard and put away wet as she leaned into the comfort of her wife's arms as she watched her daughter interact with her birth father. Rebecca just held her, having heard a lot of what Santana had yelled during their sessions, but it still hurt to see her in pain and she sighed as she rested her chin on Cindy's shoulder.
"I...I just want it all to go away." she whispered, her voice cracking under strain. "I just want it to go..." she sobbed into his shoulder her body jerking every time his hand touched her back.
"I can't take it away," he whispered, finally realizing he was hurting her by touching her and sitting down on the cold ground so she could hold onto him as much as she wanted with less contact by him, "but I promise you, Tana, I swear I will do everything I can, everything, to make your life better if you let me. I'm a doctor, remember? I've got to get my license back - and I will - but it's my job to make people better. Especially my baby girl. I hate seeing you hurting like this. It breaks this old man's heart..."
"Not old." She mumbled as she held onto him tightly, her tears still flowing. "I... I stayed alive for Quinn... I stayed alive because she told me something better would come. That I could be saved, but why.. Papi, why does God hate me so much? Why did this happen?" She looked at him with big wet, brown eyes and her pale pouting features, "Why did she hurt me?"
"I don't know," he shook his head, tears streaking his cheeks as he reached up to gently brush hers away, "Cause He's a capricious bastard that only punishes the good people I guess. But your mom," he tried not to sneer, but he loathed that woman more than anything, "God knows if I could have figured out a way to take you home and make sure no one could have come after you without bringing that miserable excuse for a woman with me I would have. It was a mistake, a drunk mistake, to sleep with her, but you came out of it so I can't regret that, Santana. But I dearly regret allowing her to stay in your life. I'm so sorry."
"She made me sick... I thought it was my fault for months... but I had been sick for always." she said softly, "I'm gonna die and it scares me and it makes Quinn sad. She cries every night when she thinks I'm asleep, Papi," Santana cried softly.
"That's because Quinn is a good, kind-hearted soul who loves you dearly. Baby, she's loved you and looked out for you since you were babies together. But you're not gonna die," he stated determinedly, "not until you're old and grey and definitely not from some damn virus. Your daddy is gonna do his damnedest to find the best treatments for you if not a cure. I'm going to give you your life or die trying. My little girl is not going to die from this, not with everyone around here fighting for you."
Santana tried to nod but she was too tired, it had taken all of her energy to keep up with her anger and she was falling weak fast. "Daddy, don't leave me again." She whimpered as she slumped onto the grass.
"Never, Tana," he whispered, scooping her up in his arms and getting to his feet, cradling her against his chest the way he did when she was a little girl. "I'm always going to be in your life even if I'm not living in the same house. You can call on me or ask me for anything. If you ever need me, I'll come. Not a damn thing will stop me this time. I swear to God, Santana, as long as I live I'll come for you."
She nodded weakly, "Tired," she whisperer, her head against his chest and her thumb in her mouth which was a newer tic that she had adopted over the last several months.
"Just sleep, little one. I've got you, you're safe and nothing can hurt you," he whispered, trudging up the hill only to be met half way by Quinn, closely followed by Cindy. He carefully passed his sleeping baby girl into Quinn's arms and she carefully shifted her grip to hold her close, "Take care of her," he glanced up at Cindy, "she might be your daughter now, but she's still my little girl and if you hurt her, I'll come down on you so hard..."
"Where are you going?" Rebecca asked bringing up the tail of the little group.
"Right now?" He smiled tiredly, "The nearest motel. I feel like I could sleep for a couple of weeks right now."
"And then?"
He paused, thinking about it. "I've got some cousins who live in Pennsylvania. They offered me a room while I get back on my feet and it's only a couple hours from here. If you don't mind, I think I'll take them up on the offer so I can be a little close to Santana."
Cindy breathed a soft sigh of relief that he was that far away, "Oh. I'm sure Santana would like having you so close, Ben."
He smiled and handed Cindy a card, "It's got my cellphone number on it in case she wants to talk. Once I get settled, I'll mail more information if she wants it."
Chapter Twenty-Six
Author: Sio & Maura
Rating: Hard NC-17
Length: Epic (230,271)
Spoilers: This is AU. Some mentions of Seasons 1 & 2 events though handled differently than in canon.
Pairing: Santana/Quinn
Summary: Santana's life is far harder than it appears to the average viewer. Her dad's in jail and her mom turns tricks in their old family home. Worst yet, Santana herself has to do the same to keep her mom alive and food in her belly. Can Quinn save her? Or will Quinn's domineering father ruin everything? For the Glee Bang
Warnings (highlight to read): talks of suicide, angst, language, graphic het and femslash sex, non-con, dub-con, oral, vaginal, anal, pedophilia, sex work, underage prostitution, abuse, violence sexual and non, minor character death, self-harm, drug use, disease - HIV
Chapter 25
The suit didn’t fit as well as it once had.
It was almost twenty years out of date and smelled faintly of mothballs, but it fit more or less and he was grateful for that much. He twitched the shoulders again, but the jacket was still loose. He’d lost weight over the years, burning off some muscle as well as fat in his years away. He sighed, not able to do anything about it with the money he had in his pocket.
He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and looked at it for what felt like the hundredth time that hour. His breath came in a soft shudder just as it did every time he looked at the address. It had been so long, he almost couldn’t believe it was finally happening.
Walking out of the gas station’s restroom and turning the key back in, he headed out to his small grey rental and got in. Pulling away from the station, he turned down the road the attendant had pointed out to him, beginning the last five miles that would take him to the one place he’d wanted to be for the last ten years. The one person he’d failed so terribly and wanted nothing more than to try and make it up to.
His baby girl.
It was a beautiful fall day. Clear, blue sky. Warm breeze and just warm enough to be able to forgo a jacket if you had long sleeves on. They’d spent the morning raking leaves in the large front yard of the Sleeping Fox Ranch, but the women had opted to go in to make sandwiches and the girls had gotten distracted by flinging pinecones and handfuls of leaves at each other.
“Hey!” Quinn squealed, squirming away from an attempt to stuff a handful down her flannel shirt, “No fair!”
Santana giggled and kept shoving leaves down her girlfriend’s shirt. She was wearing one of Cindy's old, long-sleeved tops with the logo of her alma mater under a pair of baggy overalls that shadowed her lean figure. She had her hair tied back in two long french braids that Quinn had spent forever on that morning. "Totally fair!" She giggled as she ran away from Quinn's flailing arms.
“Ugh!” Quinn shrieked, pawing prickly leaf bits out of her cleavage. “I am going to get you for that!” Scooping up a double armful from the nearest pile, she advanced towards Santana with a menacing smirk.
The girls were so caught up in their play, neither of them noticed the grey sedan pull into the drive. If they had, they likely would have assumed it was one of the clinic’s clients and ignored it anyway. The car parked near the clinic and was turned off.
A tall, dark skinned man in an ill-fitting suit that looked like it may have once been professionally tailored to someone slightly bigger than him once upon a time got out of the car. He closed the door to the car and turned to look up at the house only to stop, his jaw dropping slightly as he saw the dark haired girl playing in the leaves. He watched her with a look of longing, smiling when her happy laughter rang through the air.
“Excuse me, sir?” Cindy asked, coming out with a concerned expression as she noticed his attention on her girls, “Can I help you with something? Do you have an animal in need of assistance?”
“W-what?” Startled, he turned to the smaller woman, his voice tired but bore the remnants of what had once been a clean and smooth baritone, “Oh! No... no animals. I’m sorry. My name’s Ben.” He held out his hand with what he hoped was a warm smile, “Ben Lopez.”
"Ben Lopez... Huh I don't think Rebecca has a... Oh... Lopez." Cindy stumbled as she looked at the man who had much the same facial structure of her new daughter and she froze looking quickly over to the frolicking teenagers. "Um... Come over here?" She asked as she moved them out of the view of the girls. "What can I help you with Mr. Lopez?"
He took a deep breath and straightened his lapels in a nervous gestures. “I... I was hoping there might be a Cindy Maganix or Rebecca Fabray around that I might speak to about their,” his voice cracked, but he tightened his jaws and pushed through it, “their daughter.”
"I'm Cindy." She said as she held out her hand to shake the man's hand. "I can take you inside to speak to both my partner and I if you'd like." She spoke softly but crossed her arms. Cindy knew that this might happen someday, but she had hoped it would be longer. Santana had just gotten to a place where she was starting to do okay, and so had Quinn despite the fact she was very clingy to the other girl still. "I'd rather not talk outside at the moment."
“Oh, um,” he smiled weakly, “yes, of course. I understand entirely. Please, wherever you’d like. I know I don’t have any rights here, I’d just like to talk if that’s okay.”
"Come inside." She said as she led the man into the house. She motioned to the couch and quickly ran up the stairs to the back office where Rebecca was working. She knew her wife had a client so she quickly slipped in and said that she needed to talk to her as soon as she could before coming back down to the living room. "Would... Would you like coffee, Mr. Lopez?"
“No, Ms Maganix, that’s okay. Thank you for offering.” He looked over sized, sitting on the sofa with his bald head and hands dangling between his legs. “Thank you for speaking with me. I know you don’t have to. You have every right to turn me away without even giving me a moment of your time. I know that and I appreciate that you haven’t.”
Cindy watched him for a minute, "You gave me and my wife the greatest gift ever, a daughter, so I couldn't turn you away. That's not how we do things here.... If we did we would never have kept Santana or Quinn for that matter." She said, "You can call me Cindy."
He nodded, a worn smile briefly lighting up his face, “Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me. Please, call me Ben. Quinn?” he looked thoughtful for a moment then smiled softly, “I remember her. A sweet little blonde girl, right? Her and Tana were so close. They’re still friends?” He looked at Cindy hopefully.
Cindy chuckled, "Yes. They're very close... That's how Santana ended up getting here, and getting away from... her situation." She said softly, "Quinn's father took some issue with their friendship and sent her to live with Rebecca... Santana couldn't live without her and she ran away and found Quinn."
He chuckled softly, “That sounds like Tana. She always was a stubborn little thing.” He sobered, taking a deep breath, “And her situation... God, I was such a fool for thinking she’d be better with her mother. For thinking that woman could change for the better because of our baby girl. I failed her badly. So badly...”
"Quite honestly?" Cindy said softly, "Yes. But her mother failed her even more." She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "What can I do for you, Ben?"
He took a little while before he answered. “I... I want a chance to apologize.” His jaw tightened as he fought back the emotions, “I may have given her up to you and your wife, but,” he looked away, blinking quickly, “she’s still my baby girl. God, I promised I’d be good to her,” he whispered, “I promised I’d protect her from the bad things the first time I got to hold her. Her mother was worthless but I married her and brought her here so my Tana would have a mom...”
"I understand that." Cindy said, "I really do..." she looked out the window to the girls, "Santana is in a good place right now, she's relatively happy and we're keeping her as healthy as we can... I'm worried..." she swallowed nervously, "I'm worried about how being here and seeing you might affect her progress."
“Oh,” he whispered, taking a deep breath and tightening his jaw against the emotions that threatened to break his facade. “I understand.” He nodded, pushing to his feet, “That was her outside, right? With Quinn?” He smiled wistfully, “I’m glad I got to see her at least. She looks happy here. Could you,” he glanced at Cindy hopefully, “could you send me a picture every now and then? I’d really appreciate it if you could let me know she was still safe and happy, but I’ll understand if you can’t.”
"Ben..." Cindy sighed, "She's your child... But she's my daughter and I need you to understand that it will hurt her to see you again." She stood up, "But, I also think it might help her get out of some of anger if she sees you and hears why you took the fall for her mother..." She moved to the door and looked back, "I'll ask her if she'd be okay seeing you."
He looked hopeful for a moment, “Really? I... you can put any restrictions you want on me if I can just tell her how sorry I am and how much I regret not being the man she needed me to be...”
"Just... hold on okay?" She asked as she came out into the yard. "Hey, girls?" She asked as she walked outside and over to the girls. "Can I talk to you?"
Quinn struggled up out of a pile of leaves near Cindy’s feet where Santana had managed to bury her. Leaves and sticks were sticking every which way out of her hair and clothes. “Sure, Cindy. What’s up?”
Santana followed and stood behind her girlfriend, picking the leaves out of her hair. "Sorry, baby." She whispered as she giggled into her lover’s neck. "What's up?" Santana asked as she wrapped her arms around Quinn.
"Um, girls? There is someone here to see Santana," she said nervously. "San... You can say no, you can tell me you're not feeling good and you won’t have to talk to anyone."
"What did I do?" Santana asked nervously, "I didn't mean to do anything."
Quinn wrapped her arms protectively around Santana, glaring, “San didn’t do anything, Cindy. What’s going on? Who’s here to talk to her?” She watched the older woman, more familiar with her than Santana was and eventually something clicked and her eyes widened. “Wait, it’s not... is it? Is he out?”
Cindy nodded at Quinn.
"Who?" Santana pouted not understanding what was happening. "What's going on."
“Your dad,” Quinn breathed, her arms tightening around Santana as she stared wide eyed at Cindy. She swallowed, her voice getting a little louder, “Your dad’s out and... and he came here...”
Santana held onto her tightly, "Um.. Uh." She took deep breaths and tried to calm herself, "I... I don't... What does he want? He can't have me back, you said that he can't have me back, Cindy!"
"Santana, he's never going to have you back. You're ours and he gave up the right to have you as a daughter, but you are still his child..." She said weakly, "Santana, you don't have to see him if you don't want."
Quinn leaned in and kissed the side of Santana’s head, “He can’t take you from me, San. I won’t let him.” Her arms tightened in a brief squeeze again, reminding the panicking girl that she was right beside her.
"I don't... Quinn... He's here." She said on the verge of a panic attack, "He's here... why did he come? It's been ten years... why did he come?" She pleaded looking at Cindy.
"He wants to see if you're okay. To apologize, to rationalize what he did... I don't know baby, he just wants to see you." Cindy said taking Santana's hand. "Tell me to ask him to leave and I will."
“San,” Quinn licked her lips, not sure if she should push in this direction or not, “this is your chance. He’s here. You’re safe. Like hell I’m gonna be anywhere but right beside you... you can ask him yourself why he left you. You can get all that bad stuff out about your family right now and if he tries anything - anything,” she looked fierce and protective, straightening her back, “then I’ll stop him. I swear to God I will keep you safe, San.”
Santana swallowed and looked at her new mother with tears, "I'm scared." She whispered as she held onto Quinn's arm. Cindy just cupped the girl's face and pressed her forehead to the girl’s.
"That's okay. I just don't want you to regret never talking to him." She whispered back, "I know Megan thinks you need to get out some more aggression and this might help." She said as she stroked the girl’s head.
“Seriously, tear into him, San.” Quinn whispered, hugging Santana and trying to comfort her, “Let him know exactly how you feel. And then we can go upstairs and cuddle for the rest of the day. Okay?”
Santana nodded and took Quinn's hand and followed Cindy back into the house. She grasped Quinn's hand tightly when she laid eyes on her father.
"Ben?" Cindy said softly, "Santana agreed to meet you." she moved to the side to reveal the young girls.
Ben looked up from where he’d been contemplating his hands, having resumed his seat on the couch again. His eyes widened and a slow smile curled his lips. “Oh my God. You... you’ve gotten so big, Tana. Do you,” he swallowed, looking uncertain, “do you even remember me?”
"No." She said honestly, "I was five when you went to jail." She tried to look strong like she had acted for so long, "You left when I was five... and my name is Santana." She corrected him as she held tightly to Quinn.
Cindy watched silently as she moved to sit on the stairs to watch and make sure everything was okay.
He looked hurt but nodded, looking back down at the ground. “Right. You’re right. I don’t have the right to call you that anymore.” He sighed, “S-santana, I... I know you probably hate me, but I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I failed you. That I didn’t,” his voice cracked under the emotional pressure he was trying to restrain, “I didn’t protect you. You were my baby girl, my world, and I let you down so badly...”
Quinn wrapped an arm around Santana’s shoulders and led her to the loveseat across from the man. “You did a lot worse than just let her down, Mr. Lopez,” she growled, protective of her lover.
“I know,” he swallowed, his jaw working, “I know I have no right to anything...”
"You..." Santana choked as she looked at his face, "You left... You left me with her. You went to Jail!" She was slowly finding her voice, "You went to jail... and left me with a drug addict! You can't have been trying to protect me too hard because you left me with her. You left me with someone who was gonna hit me and forget to feed me or sign me up for kindergarten!" Santana yelled her face becoming redder and redder, "With... with someone who would bring people over who'd hit me and do drugs around me! Daddies don't let that happen!"
For a moment he looked like he wanted to protest, then he slumped down. "You're right, Santana." His jaw worked for a moment before he could continue, "I thought a little girl needed her mom more. I...I thought she'd change. That she'd be better for you. I was so wrong." He shook his head, "I don't deserve to be your father. I never did. I've done so wrong by you, Santana..."
"Do... Do you have any idea what she did to me?" Santana asked him, her eyes brimming with tears.
Quinn tightened her arm around Santana's shoulder, glaring at the man who only shook his head. "Only the vaguest idea. I...I heard stories, but by the time I realized what a mistake I'd made believing in her, the damage was done and I couldn't get out. I'm so sorry, Santana..."
"I was playing with dolls in a brothel by six, dad, babysitting the bastard children of the other hookers by eight, getting hit on by nine..." she looked at her father, "I had to suck my first dick at twelve, so she could buy drugs. I had an abortion when I was thirteen because no one was ever around to tell me about protection and my mom made more money off of people fucking a child with no protection. I got my ass kicked so many times... I got spat on, pissed on, kicked, punched and burned more times than I can remember." She crossed her arms protectively over her chest as she ranted at him, her voice growing shriller with each fact she slapped him across the chest with, "I almost died more than once from getting strangled, my fucking Spanish teacher from school almost killed me one night because I tried to refuse him." She didn't even stop the tears or the fact she was shaking as she spoke, "I had to make sure mami was always high and our house? Our house turned into a crack den so I slept outside for nearly half a year..."
Quinn froze when everything her girlfriend had gone through was brought into the light. Her nostrils flared as she tried to contain the rage bubbling up inside her at what Mr Schuester had done to her, what she'd had to endure. "You're right," she growled, low and angry, "you have no rights to call yourself her father. How could you? It's all your fault she had to go through that!"
"I know," he ground out trying not to cry, his entire body shaking as he fought to process everything that Santana had put on him. He couldn't stop it though as he thought of his baby girl - his princess, the girl he'd promised God to protect with his life - being treated like that, having to sell herself. Having to have an abortion when she was still such a little girl. A sob broke from his control, "My God... My God, I didn't know it'd be that bad, Santana. I swear I didn't know she would do that. I thought she was clean... I got her clean! She promised me she'd take care of you!"
"She gave me fucking AIDS, dad!" Santana screamed, causing Cindy to jump from her perch on the stairs. "Did you know she was sick? When you were fucking her... did you know she was sick?" Santana asked pleading for some clarification. "Did you know she was making me sick by having me! Why did you have a baby with a crack head!"
"S-she...you? Oh my God," he whispered, staring at Santana in shock. "S-she had AIDS? You have... I was told you only had HIV, that it hadn't progressed. Oh my God... I didn't...I didn't know." His head fell into his hands, nails dragging against his scalp as he stared wide eyed at the ground, "I didn't know she was infected, oh God..."
"Santana has HIV, but she's been infected since she was born..." Cindy piped up correcting her daughter.
"Sorry, been fucking poison for 16 years... but yeah I only have HIV so it doesn't suck that hard..." She rolled her eyes, "I almost fucking died, daddy. I crawled into Quinn's room with a broken pelvis and so broken I don't remember the week I was in the hospital. Then I got the pleasure of finding mommy dead. She was dead, decomposing in your bed, cum leaking out of her body still and she was covered in track marks. I burnt the fucking house down." Santana spat as she got up to her feet her hips stiff from the exertion of the morning. "I burned the house down and most of Lima Heights and then I fucking ran away when Quinn left because her dad was so ashamed and hateful that she could be friends with someone like me."
For a long moment, Ben was silent, tearing himself apart for not being there, for not protecting her from that. "Good," he finally whispered, looking up at her with red-rimmed eyes, "I wish you'd burnt that whole damn town to the ground. And I wish I could have stood in the middle of the house and burnt with it. It's my fault, it's all my fault. I thought I was protecting you when I married her. When I paid off her handler because he wouldn't let me take her away while she was pregnant with you. I thought I was protecting you when I stopped fighting the charges because she told me to so there wouldn't be a scandal. But I didn't. I failed. I failed in the worst possible way and that's why I gave you to these women. Because they can take care of you the way you deserve. Not like me..."
Santana's lips pursed together and fell into a thin line, "You... You bought her... You Bought me." Santana let out a cynical laugh and ran her hand through her hair which caused her braids to fall out. "You fucking... You started this, you bought her and you made it okay. You made it okay to put a price on me!" She laughed out of pure pain, "I don't care, I wish I could have killed her myself, burned her alive and watched her die." She paced back and forth with a slight limp, "I came here for Quinn... and I found a family, but it doesn't make up for being used for my entire life."
"I paid them to protect you!" Ben roared in anguish, "Everything I did was to try and keep you safe, Santana! You are the only thing good in my life, don't you understand that? I did everything I could to make damn sure you'd be born a US citizen! That you'd have the best chances! And that goddamn woman ruined everything!" He slumped back into the sofa with a broken sob, "She stole my baby girl and did horrible things. She lied to me. God, I'm so sorry. It was so messed up back then. If your coach hadn't found evidence that proved she'd been forging my name on prescription scripts, I'd still be prison now...never would have been able to get my license back. Never see you again..."
"I wish you never came here." Santana bit, she was out for blood, she was out to make someone else hurt as much as she did. If she could never have a normal life she didn't want him to. "I wish you were still in jail."
He just sat there, Santana's hateful words sinking in and cutting deep. Finally he took a shaky breath and nodded. "I understand. I agree. I don't deserve to see you again." He stood slowly looking far older than his forty years in that moment. "I promise that you won't see or hear from me again." He sounded defeated as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a couple of thick sheafs of paper, carefully setting them on the coffee table. "Here. These are yours. You can read them, burn them, throw them away, whatever, but I promised myself that one day I would give them to you." He looked at Santana, memorizing the lines of her face, the anger and pain in her eyes, his own eyes suspiciously bright, "For what it's worth, I don't blame you for hating me, Santana. But you're still the best thing that ever happened in my life and I love you more than anything or anyone in this whole Godforsaken world. I wish to God that I could have changed things. I would have given my life, sold my damn soul and beggared myself to keep this from happening to you."
He turned towards the door, trying his best to be something more than the broken shell of a man who'd let the only good thing he'd ever had be destroyed. "I'm glad I was able to see you one last time," he whispered, making his way across the room to the door, determined to keep this one promise to his baby girl even if he'd failed to keep all the others. "You've become such a beautiful young woman despite everything and I wish you nothing but happiness." He took a breath, his hand on the doorknob, "Goodbye, Santana. I won't darken your life any longer."
He opened the door and headed out, walking down the slope towards his rental car, not really sure of where to go next and not really caring either.
Santana broke into sobs as his back turned, she crumbled onto the floor as she watched her father walk out of her life. She knew she was mean, but she meant it. She meant everything she said to him. She hadn't lied at all and that's what hurt her the most.
Tears carved their way down his cheeks as he climbed into the car. He took out the carefully folded picture of a smiling little girl the way Santana had been when she was still his Tana and kissed it gently the way he had every night for the last ten years. "I'm sorry, Tana," he whispered, hooking it onto the dash so he could see it, "your daddy's worthless and he's gonna make sure he can't hurt you anymore, baby girl."
He slid the key into the ignition, taking a shaky breath as he turned it, spinning the engine to life.
Santana heard the engine turn over and she was up without even thinking. She ran out to the car despite her hips not letting her sprint as fast as she once would. She was sobbing and not gonna let someone else leave her and hurt her. She hated him but she knew now that he was her father and he loved her. "Papi!" She screamed as she ran towards the car.
Ben saw her come pelting down the hill when he'd turned to back out. Throwing the car in park, he ripped off the seatbelt and hurled himself from the car just in time to catch her as she tripped and started to fall. Tears still streaming down his face, he wrapped his long arms about her and held her tight. "Oh, Tana," he whispered, kissing the top of her head without thinking, "I'm so sorry I was a bad daddy. I'm so sorry I let everything get ruined..."
"Lo siento," she whispered, she clutched onto him and sobbed into his arms. She was half terrified - she hated men and she hadn't had to deal with one let alone be touched by one in months - and half relieved. She shook violently in his arms as she sobbed, "I'm sorry I was mean," she said her sobs making it come out in fragmented words.
He shook his head, just trying to do his best to comfort her, "No. No, baby girl, don't be sorry. I deserved it. I deserve all of it. I'm so sorry I let you be hurt like this." He was trembling with the force of his emotions, burying his face in her hair, "I let you down so badly, sweet girl. It's all my fault. All my fault."
Neither Lopez saw the blonde girl or her aunts standing half way up the slope watching the tearful scene protectively. Quinn was torn as she watched - part of her wanted to stay mad at him, but another part remembered how she'd encouraged San to give him a chance. Cindy felt like her heart had been ridden hard and put away wet as she leaned into the comfort of her wife's arms as she watched her daughter interact with her birth father. Rebecca just held her, having heard a lot of what Santana had yelled during their sessions, but it still hurt to see her in pain and she sighed as she rested her chin on Cindy's shoulder.
"I...I just want it all to go away." she whispered, her voice cracking under strain. "I just want it to go..." she sobbed into his shoulder her body jerking every time his hand touched her back.
"I can't take it away," he whispered, finally realizing he was hurting her by touching her and sitting down on the cold ground so she could hold onto him as much as she wanted with less contact by him, "but I promise you, Tana, I swear I will do everything I can, everything, to make your life better if you let me. I'm a doctor, remember? I've got to get my license back - and I will - but it's my job to make people better. Especially my baby girl. I hate seeing you hurting like this. It breaks this old man's heart..."
"Not old." She mumbled as she held onto him tightly, her tears still flowing. "I... I stayed alive for Quinn... I stayed alive because she told me something better would come. That I could be saved, but why.. Papi, why does God hate me so much? Why did this happen?" She looked at him with big wet, brown eyes and her pale pouting features, "Why did she hurt me?"
"I don't know," he shook his head, tears streaking his cheeks as he reached up to gently brush hers away, "Cause He's a capricious bastard that only punishes the good people I guess. But your mom," he tried not to sneer, but he loathed that woman more than anything, "God knows if I could have figured out a way to take you home and make sure no one could have come after you without bringing that miserable excuse for a woman with me I would have. It was a mistake, a drunk mistake, to sleep with her, but you came out of it so I can't regret that, Santana. But I dearly regret allowing her to stay in your life. I'm so sorry."
"She made me sick... I thought it was my fault for months... but I had been sick for always." she said softly, "I'm gonna die and it scares me and it makes Quinn sad. She cries every night when she thinks I'm asleep, Papi," Santana cried softly.
"That's because Quinn is a good, kind-hearted soul who loves you dearly. Baby, she's loved you and looked out for you since you were babies together. But you're not gonna die," he stated determinedly, "not until you're old and grey and definitely not from some damn virus. Your daddy is gonna do his damnedest to find the best treatments for you if not a cure. I'm going to give you your life or die trying. My little girl is not going to die from this, not with everyone around here fighting for you."
Santana tried to nod but she was too tired, it had taken all of her energy to keep up with her anger and she was falling weak fast. "Daddy, don't leave me again." She whimpered as she slumped onto the grass.
"Never, Tana," he whispered, scooping her up in his arms and getting to his feet, cradling her against his chest the way he did when she was a little girl. "I'm always going to be in your life even if I'm not living in the same house. You can call on me or ask me for anything. If you ever need me, I'll come. Not a damn thing will stop me this time. I swear to God, Santana, as long as I live I'll come for you."
She nodded weakly, "Tired," she whisperer, her head against his chest and her thumb in her mouth which was a newer tic that she had adopted over the last several months.
"Just sleep, little one. I've got you, you're safe and nothing can hurt you," he whispered, trudging up the hill only to be met half way by Quinn, closely followed by Cindy. He carefully passed his sleeping baby girl into Quinn's arms and she carefully shifted her grip to hold her close, "Take care of her," he glanced up at Cindy, "she might be your daughter now, but she's still my little girl and if you hurt her, I'll come down on you so hard..."
"Where are you going?" Rebecca asked bringing up the tail of the little group.
"Right now?" He smiled tiredly, "The nearest motel. I feel like I could sleep for a couple of weeks right now."
"And then?"
He paused, thinking about it. "I've got some cousins who live in Pennsylvania. They offered me a room while I get back on my feet and it's only a couple hours from here. If you don't mind, I think I'll take them up on the offer so I can be a little close to Santana."
Cindy breathed a soft sigh of relief that he was that far away, "Oh. I'm sure Santana would like having you so close, Ben."
He smiled and handed Cindy a card, "It's got my cellphone number on it in case she wants to talk. Once I get settled, I'll mail more information if she wants it."
Chapter Twenty-Six