Trusting You to Catch Me - Chapter Twenty
Title: Trusting You to Catch Me
Author: Sio & Maura
Rating: NC-17
Length: 116,421
Spoilers: Everything up to On My Way and then deviating from there with minor Big Brother references.
Pairing: Santana/Quinn, Brittany/Santana/Quinn/Rachel friendship, mentions of Brittany/Santana, some Finn/Rachel (not positive)
Summary: Following her accident, Quinn experiences the gamut of emotion: denial to acceptance to healing and everything in between. But through it all are her friends patiently helping her with caring and friendship and maybe more.
Warnings (highlight to read): eating disorders, severe accident recovery, graphic sex, verbal abuse, minor violence, family issues, cheating, body image issues
Chapter 20
When Quinn unlocked the door and pushed it open, she had a hold on Santana's tie. Turning to face her with a smirk, she tugged her inside the room via it. She may have been telling Santana to relax and ignore the other people around them, but she'd been very aware of the appreciative looks being cast her girlfriend's way. In a way, it excited her to be with someone so clearly wanted by others, but in another it just made her want to claim the smaller girl all the more.
"I want you." She growled low in her throat as she pulled the other girl towards the bed. "I want to make you mine, Santana Lopez. I want you to give me control tonight..."
Santana nodded. "You can have whatever you want, Quinn," she said softly, as she looked at her. "Baby, you can have me."
"Can I really?" she asked softly, pulling Santana to the bed and pushing her down on it before moving to straddle her hips and start undoing her tie. "I can have whatever I want? What if I want to strip you bare and have my way with you? Would you let me?"
She nodded and slid her hands up Quinn's thighs and up and under her dress. "You can do anything you'd like."
Quinn smiled at Santana, leaning down to kiss her as her fingers started working the girl's buttons free. "Good," she breathed against her lips, "because I want to feel you come around my fingers tonight, baby."
"Fuck," Santana whispered, her hands sliding around to Quinn's ass and pulled her closer. "Where did you learn to talk like that?"
She laughed, her nose wrinkling up slightly. "You might say I had a lot of free time to look things up when you weren't around to keep me company," she teased, leaning in to nip and suck at the girl's jawline as she pushed her shirt off her shoulders.
Santana leaned up and tossed the shirt off and looked up at Quinn. "You're a very resourceful girl." She smirked and pushed Quinn's dress up her hips. "Off?"
Quinn smirked at her before reaching to the hem of her dress and pulling it off her body in one smooth motion. "Only request you get tonight," she whispered, pushing Santana down on the bed before leaning down to bite gently at her collarbone. "I'm in charge here, not you."
She nodded and let her hands slide up Quinn's back and then back down to rest against her hips.
"I don't want to do things you don't want though," she breathed against her skin as she explored her nearly bare upper body with light caresses, "so if you don't want something, tell me to stop."
"I will." Santana sighed, enjoying the sensations Quinn was causing in her. "But, I trust you more than anyone else," she said as she ran her fingers through Quinn's hair.
"Good," she whispered, kissing down to run her tongue between her bra clad breasts as her hands drifted to the button of her jeans. "I like this," she murmured, tugging on the bra gently with her teeth as her fingers worked. "I like it a lot." When she glanced up at Santana as she ran her tongue over a lace covered nipple, her eyes were dark with want.
Santana shivered. "Quinn," she rasped, as she watched the blonde. "I bought it for you."
That stopped her for a moment and she looked up at Santana with a shy smile, licking her lips. "Did you? You chose well." She all but purred, looking over her body as she crawled off of her to pull her pants off. She swallowed as she took in the full effect of the lacy underwear keeping Santana from being fully nude, "Really well," she whispered, sliding her fingers lightly over Santana's inner thighs.
"I'm glad you like it..." She whimpered, her legs parting on their own accord. "I wanted to try to look good for you."
"You always look good." Quinn's voice deepened as she spoke, thick and raspy with want as she slid her fingertips lightly over the girl's lace covered core. "Now though," she shook her head, swallowing harshly, "God, Santana... you look amazing..."
Santana let a whimper fall off her lips as she arched into Quinn's hand. "Please, Quinn... Don't tease me tonight."
"No more requests," she breathed, reaching up to undo her bra and reveal her breasts. "Beautiful..." Leaning in, she carefully slid the tip of her tongue from the bottom swell of one breast up to lathe her nipple and blow on it gently. "I've always kind of wondered what it'd feel like to suck on these," she mused, bringing a hand up to toy with the mound gently. "Think I should?"
"Can I answer?" Santana raised her eyebrow, "You said no more requests..."
"That's not a request, Santana," she pointed out. "I asked you a question."
"Yes, you should suck my boobs," Santana replied quickly.
Quinn laughed softly before covering the peak with her mouth, teeth lightly scraping over her areola as she sucked. She moaned softly as her tongue lathed over and around the stiff bud, lashing it as she pinched and tugged on its twin.
Santana's hands sought out skin - Quinn's skin - as she felt herself getting worked up by her lover's mouth. She ran one hand over Quinn's ass then up to her hip as her back arched up to meet the blonde's lips.
She pulled away from the nipple she was working on, letting it slide from the grip she had with her teeth with a soft pop as she broke the thin line of saliva with her teeth. "Uh-uh," she murmured, pulling Santana's hands from her body to pin them gently to the bed with one hand over the other girl's head, "I go first and you're wearing too much." Saying that, she slid her free hand down to push beneath the lacy panties and start sliding them down over her hips.
The smaller girl wiggled her hips to get the lace off her and let Quinn pull them from her body. "You just prefer me naked," Santana replied as she looked at her lover and slid her thighs open so she'd be able to see just how much she wanted her.
"Maybe you're right." Quinn smirked, leaning down to run her tongue over Santana's collarbone. "I like you like this," she murmured, pressing down slightly on where she had the girl's wrists pinned above her head as she stroked along her body with her free hand. "Completely under my control..."
"Freak," Santana teased as she tried to reach Quinn, but settling to kiss her shoulder when it was all she could get.
"Maybe I'll let you see how much of a freak I can be after I'm done with you," she offered with a smirk as she slid her hand along her inner thigh to cup her core. "God, you're wet, baby..."
"You made me," she whimpered. "I've been wet since before we left tonight."
"Since before?" she asked curiously, allowing two fingers to slide between her dripping folds and stroke up from her entrance to brush over her clit - pressing just slightly against the nub before pulling away. She looked at the fluid slicking her fingers curiously. "I wonder how you taste," she mused, curious since reading about it.
Still pinning Santana to the bed, she slid her tongue out and carefully licked up her fingers before sliding them in her mouth and sucking them clean. "Mmm," she licked her lips as she pulled back out, "that is nice... I'll have to taste more directly next time." She smirked down at Santana before sliding her hand back down her body. "This time though... I want you like this." She leaned down to whisper in her ear as she slid her fingers back through her folds to pinch her clit lightly and press the pad of a single digit just inside her entrance. "With my fingers..."
Santana's eyes widened at the feeling. "You... you sure?" she asked, trying to keep herself in control. "You sure you want this?" She let her hips rock slightly and her eyes flutter closed at the feeling.
"I'm sure if you are," she whispered, nipping at her earlobe. "Do you want me to take you like this, San? Do you want me to make you ride my fingers until you come?"
"Yes," Santana gasped as she rolled her hips up into Quinn's hand. "Please..."
Quinn watched her as she slid a single finger into her core, whimpering softly at the feeling of slick heat surrounding her finger. She curled it slightly to draw along her wall as she carefully stroked. "How's that...?"
"Mo...more please," Santana groaned at the need to have more of her girlfriend's fingers inside her. She pulled her arms that Quinn still had pinned back. "Quinn!" She groaned, wanting to be able to hold onto her lover.
She nodded and slid a second finger in on the next stroke. "More?" she asked as she thrust in again, her voice thick with desire as she watched Santana writhe beneath her hands.
"Later." She grunted as she started to rock her hips with Quinn's thrusts. "Fuck," she said, trying to remember to keep her voice down.
Quinn watched her as she continued stroking in and out of her body. "So beautiful," she whispered.
Santana tried to keep her eyes open, but they soon fell closed when Quinn started to press her thumb against her clit. "Q," her voice trembled as she writhed against the bed.
"Look at me, baby," Quinn commanded, stroking faster and curling her fingers up with each pump inside. "I want to see you looking at me when you come. I want you to know I'm the one who made you feel like this. Me, San. No one else..."
"O-only you." She gasped as her hips came up off the bed. "Fuck.. Quinn... Harder."
"Open your eyes," she demanded, slowing slightly. "Open your eyes and I'll give you all you can take, baby."
Eyes that were nearly black as night fluttered open and locked with Quinn's. Her breath quickened as she started to thrust harder, causing her to gasp, then her body to vibrate with pleasure.
Quinn groaned deep in her throat with pleasure as she looked into Santana's eyes and thrust hard enough to rock her lover's body into the bed as she leaned over her. "You're mine," she growled as she fucked her, keeping her pinned to the bed with one hand as her other moved in and out between Santana's wantonly spread thighs with a wet smacking sound. "I won't let anyone take you from me, Santana. I want you with me forever. How long do you want me?"
"Forever," Santana squeaked as she wrapped her legs around Quinn's body, "Fuck... Gonna come."
"Let go," she moaned softly into her ear, nipping at it before leaning back to keep her gaze on Santana. "Let go for me, baby..."
Santana back arched up and she gasped, her hands pushing against Quinn's grip, but the feeling of being pinned just drove her body's reactions higher. She moaned loudly as her body clenched down onto Quinn's digits.
Quinn gasped at the suddenness of Santana's reaction, trying to keep pumping but having to slow from the force of the girl's climax. "That's it," she whispered, slowing her strokes to ease Santana down, "let go..."
"Fuck!" She cried out as her body shook and she slowly started to come down. Santana slumped back on the bed after a few moments, her body glistening with sweat and trembling from the force of her orgasm.
Quinn let go of her wrists to wrap her in her arms and hold her. She ignore the throbbing want in her own core to brush back Santana's sweaty hair. "That was beautiful, baby... So beautiful..."
"I think I broke," Santana panted as she opened her eyes lazily. "You broke me."
"Did I?" She laughed breathlessly, a blush coloring her cheeks. "Will you make it?"
"Uh-huh." Santana mumbled, her head rolling lazily to the side. "You're amazing, Q. You sure you've never done that before?"
"Never unless you count Puck." She smiled shyly, biting her lip. "And I don't. Are you sure you're okay with... All that?" she asked referring to her power play.
"Yes," Santana said, finally finding strength to sit up and run her hands over Quinn's shoulders and arms. "I like it... But, will you give up control long enough for me to make you feel good, too?"
"Yes." She shivered. "Just... Not inside please," she looked at Santana pleadingly. "I'm not ready for that yet." She looked away with a soft sigh. "I'm sorry..."
"It's fine, beautiful," Santana replied, "I have things I'm not ready for... it's okay." She leaned over and slid her hands around Quinn's back to unhook her bra and slide it off her. "We all have our boundaries."
"Tell me what to do," she whispered, lying back as her bra was removed and watching Santana with a mix of nervousness and trust.
"I don't want to hurt you," Santana whispered as she grabbed the pillows and slid to the end of the bed. "Sit on the end and lay back against these." She stated as she put the pillows down piled on each other.
"What are you going to do?" she asked softly, moving to sit where Santana wanted her to and lean back against the pillows.
"Would it be okay if I kissed you?" Santana asked as she moved to kneel between Quinn's thighs and tug on her panties. "Would that be okay?"
"Of course it would," she blinked in confusion, not really understanding as she reached down to run her fingers through Santana's hair.
Santana slipped Quinn's panties down her legs and sat back to look at her. "Holy shit... you're so beautiful..."
Quinn blushed and couldn't meet Santana's eyes. "Don't look at me like that," she whispered, trying to hide the still raw appearing scars on her stomach and legs. "I'm still messed up..."
"No, you're not. You're perfect to me... just like you don't think I'm still messed up even though you can practically see through me," she whispered. "Just let me be the person who thinks you're the sexiest woman alive." She leaned forward and kissed Quinn's thigh.
"I'll get better," she whispered, nervously pulling her hands away from her body with a shiver at the kiss. "I'll look better... I promise I will."
"We can get better together," she whispered. "Baby, you're perfect to me. Never doubt that," she whispered as she ran her hands up and down the girl's thighs. Santana smirked as she leaned in and kissed Quinn's hip bone, then down her thigh to her knee.
"What are you doing?" she whispered softly as she watched her.
"I was going to kiss you," Santana stated, "I was gonna see if I could make you feel as good as you made me."
Quinn licked her lips, swallowing nervously. "Be firm," she finally murmured, leaning back and spreading her legs slightly for Santana as she realized what she meant. "I still can't really feel light pressure."
"Let me know what you can feel," she whispered. She leaned down and pressed soft kisses up the girl's inner thigh. She got to the junction of Quinn's core and her hip and kissed it lightly before moving to the other side. She blew a breath of air over Quinn's heated folds and smiled. "You smell good."
"San... please don't talk like that. And... firmer," she whispered, running her fingers through Santana's hair as she watched her. "Tickles."
Santana nodded and leaned in and slid her tongue through Quinn's core. She moaned loudly at her girlfriend's taste, no longer caring what Rachel might be able to hear now that she was finally getting to taste to the other girl. She pulled back and lapped her tongue up and down her lover's heated flesh and circling the tip of her tongue over Quinn's clit when she reached it.
She gasped, her hips bucking slightly at the stimulation of her soaked core. "Fuck, San," she whimpered, her nails tightening in her hair.
"You feel that?" she asked before leaning forward and taking her lover's clit between her lips again and sucking on it gently.
"Yes," she whimpered, her hips bucking towards her as she tried to pull her closer. "God..."
She moved to suck harder, sucking on the sensitive nub with a steady rhythm as she ran her hands up and down Quinn's thighs. She ran her tongue over it, teasing it.
"San," Quinn whimpered, reaching for her hands to pull them up to her breasts. "I...I need more than just that, baby..."
Santana's hands moved up to Quinn's breasts and tugged on her nipples. She slid her mouth further down and let her tongue explore Quinn's folds and her tongue flicked against her opening.
Quinn whined and writhed under Santana's lashing tongue. "My...my breasts, baby... Please. Suck them? I wanna feel it..."
Santana chuckled and slithered up from between Quinn's legs. She maneuvered her body so her thigh was pressing against Quinn's clit and placed a kiss to Quinn's breast before capturing a nipple between her lips and sucking on it as she rocked her body against her lover's core.
She let out an inarticulate groan as she held Santana against her. Her breath came out in a thin, needy hiss from behind her clenched teeth as she rocked with her.
Santana let her fingers trace down Quinn's chest and sides before coming back up to tease the neglected nipple. She pulled away, panting slightly and leaned up to capture Quinn's lips in a searing kiss.
Quinn moaned into her mouth, not caring if Rachel could hear them. She held her close, wrapping a leg around her hips to put more pressure where she needed it most. "F-fuck," she hissed when she got a bit of breath.
"So sexy." Santana grunted, her hip rocking as she moved to press kisses down to Quinn's neck. She pulled the girl's earlobe in between her teeth and sucked on it while she ran Quinn's nipple between her fingers and tugged on it.
"S-San," she whispered, her voice trembling. "C-close..."
Santana moaned. "I wanna watch you come apart. I want you to come on my body, I want to see you fall apart because of me," she husked, pressing her forehead against Quinn's and watched her as she moved her hand back down to Quinn's core and rubbed her clit quickly while she was toying with her nipple.
Quinn whimpered, her muscles trembling on the edge of orgasm. "Kiss me," she whispered. It wasn't a command but a plea, begging for that last bit to send her over the edge.
Without a second thought, Santana kissed Quinn deeply. She put every last bit of emotion and energy she had into it to make Quinn feel as good and loved as she did.
She cried out into the kiss, her nails digging into Santana's shoulder and scalp as her body clenched hard. She spasmed under her, the point where their bodies met becoming slick with her release as she trembled through it.
Santana moaned as she held onto Quinn as she came down. She wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck and held her close as she felt her trembling in her arms. "Beautiful, so beautiful."
"Gonna hurt tomorrow," she whimpered when she finally got breath to talk, clinging to Santana, "but worth it."
"I'm glad," Santana said as she stood up and scooped Quinn up into her arms and moved her further up on the bed. She pulled the pillows up and worked on getting the sheets and blankets up over them. She went over and grabbed them both a bottle of water and then slid into bed. She took a sip of her water while Quinn drank hers, and smiled. "You're so amazing. Thank you," she whispered as she moved to cuddle with her girlfriend.
"You're lucky I consider us to have been together a lot longer than this one date," she whispered, cuddling close. "Because I'm not the kind of girl who has sex on the first date," she teased, resting her head on Santana's shoulder and letting her be her anchor for once.
"Baby, you let me get you off weeks ago," Santana teased. "Before we were dating." She wrapped her girl up in her arms. "But, thank you. I know this is a really big deal for you."
"Considering you're my second ever?" she chuckled nervously. "Yeah. Thanks, San. For caring enough to want to do this with me."
"Of course," Santana said, "you're amazing... But we should sleep, Rachel will be up soon."
"Oh God," she groaned, burying her face against Santana's neck, "don't remind me. I like her and all, but sometimes I think having her around must be what having a little kid around is like."
Santana chuckled. "True, it's preparing you for my little sister... I'm kinda thinking they might be the same person."
"You are not serious, are you?" She moaned. "Sleep now. I gotta recover if I'm gonna deal with her annoying perkiness in the morning."
"Night, baby," Santana whispered as she pressed her lips to Quinn's cheek.
"Night," she mumbled, falling asleep with her arm wrapped around the other girl's bare torso.
By ten in the morning the next day, Rachel had been up for four hours and was beginning to get antsy. In an attempt to control her fretting, she'd headed down to the hotel's gym for a brisk forty minute workout then indulged in a selection of fresh fruit from the Continental breakfast selection. Returning to her room with a copy of the local paper and Entertainment Weekly by half past seven, she'd set about tidying up her room and repacking her things for their inevitable departure later in the day - though that only managed to take approximately twenty minutes.
When there was still no sounds of movement from next door after she finished with her reading materials and securing a decorative bow to the gift for Santana she'd picked up yesterday after they'd gone out, she decided that the only recourse was to actually check on their well-being. So she'd carefully turned the knob to the door connecting their rooms and pushed it open, mildly surprised to find it still unlocked. Finding the pair entangled with each other and the bed's sheets in a state of significant undress, she blushed and turned around, feeling suddenly grateful for her decision to indulge in earplugs.
"You two owe me two dollars for the cost of earplugs," she announced to the door, her back to them to give them some measure of privacy.
"Go away," Santana mumbled, a pillow being ripped off the bed and chucked in the direction of the voice. "Sleeping," she said as she rolled into herself, her naked body becoming exposed.
Rachel stumbled forward a step as she was smacked in the back of the head with the pillow. "Santana Lopez, it is nearly noon and there is absolutely no cause for -" her words died off with a strangled sound of shock as she turned around and saw Santana's nude body before spinning around with a fiery blush on her cheeks. "Could you at least cover yourself?"
"No," Santana stated. "Q likes me naked," she mumbled.
"Truth," Quinn yawned as she put a blanket around herself and started to sit up.
At the sound of movement, Rachel glanced over her shoulder only to quickly look back and bury her red face in the pillow Santana had thrown at her. "Oh my God, are you both determined to cause me to have an aneurysm and die?"
"I'm covered," Quinn said as she rolled off the bed. "Sleeping beauty here," she smiled and smacked her lover's bare ass, "is just trashy."
"Ouch!" Santana yelped and rolled over and wrapped the sheet over her. "I'm covered!"
"Still, it is rapidly approaching noon and I would think that the two of you would have at least begun to get hungry as you've missed breakfast. Though," she pointed, still deliberately not facing them, "I did bring up a small selection of fruit for you earlier if you wish some light sustenance before lunch is upon us."
"I'm gonna shower," Quinn said as she limped into the bathroom.
Santana yawned and rubbed her eyes. "You can turn around, I'm covered."
"Are you sure?" Rachel asked uncertainly, "I don't wish to have your girlfriend murder me in my sleep and then hide my poor body under the bed in a seedy motel on this trip because I have dared to take too many liberties involving my eyes and your person."
"She's not that insecure," Santana said. "How was your night?"
"If I say noisy, will I have another simulated down filled missile launched at me?" she asked teasingly, holding up the pillow as she turned around.
"Yes," Santana mumbled as she made sure her breasts were covered by the sheet. She looked around at the articles of clothing strewn around the room, "Though, you're probably right... I'm not exactly known for being quiet."
"No, you're really not." She smiled, shaking her head as she came over to the bed to offer the banana she'd brought for her. "I think I actually heard the two of you through my earplugs, so perhaps I should congratulate you for being very accomplished in that area of your relationship?"
Santana blushed and took the banana. "I guess." She shrugged. "We're progressing, it's only like the third time we've been intimate like that so."
"Progress doesn't have to be fast," she pointed out with a smile. "And as long as the two of you are happy, then you have my full support. Though," she teased with a little smirk, "I think I may need to get more powerful hearing protection."
"We'll tone it down." Santana laughed as she stood up and wrapped the sheet around her body. She picked up the clothing off the floor and threw it onto the duffle bag on the table in the room. "Ready to head off today? Where do you wanna go next?"
"I'm not sure. I thought perhaps we could discuss it over lunch. I'd assume you'd like to shower before we go?" she asked curiously. "Not that your natural scent isn't alluring, Santana, but I would think you'd prefer to smell less like you'd spent the night engaging in wild intercourse with your girlfriend."
"I actually enjoy the smell of sex all over me," she teased. "But if I must." She sighed dramatically as Quinn came out of the bathroom and Santana slipped in to get showered.
"Sorry about the mess." Quinn blushed as she shoved the clothing Santana threw in the corner in one of the bags. She looked through her stuff and grabbed a pair of yoga pants and a shirt and undergarments. "And the sleeping so late," she added as she slipped her underwear up under the towel and sat on the bed and pulled a sports bra on.
"It's alright," Rachel reassured her. "Quinn? Could you perhaps do me a favor and arrange for Santana to be blindfolded for a short time? I... found a gift for her while you were out last night as a sort of combination thank you for bringing me along and the show as well as congratulations on graduating. If you don't think I'm overstepping of course..."
"I don't think blindfolding her would be good, but why don't you put it in your room and when we get dressed we can come get you? Would that work?"
"It's in my room already," she pointed out, standing. "Would you like to see? I... think I chose well, but I would truly like your opinion on the matter."
Quinn pulled on her clothing and nodded. "Yeah." She stood up on weak legs, leaning on the bed for support. "Ugh.. wheelchair day." She groaned, hating the days she was stuck in the chair.
"Would you care to lean on me?" Rachel offered, stepping close. "I'm fairly certain I can support you from here to my room and back and it would allow you to put it off a little longer as I am aware of how much you cannot abide by being stuck in your chair."
Quinn wrapped her arm around the girl's waist. "Thanks." She smiled, walking carefully with Rachel's help into the other room. "What did you get her?"
"This." She nodded at the black guitar case settled neatly on the smoothed out coverlet of her bed as she helped Quinn sit beside it. Taking care not to disturb the bow she'd placed on it, she unsnapped the latches to ease the cover open and display the deep red sunburst Ibanez guitar Santana had been playing the other day in the music shop. Biting her lip, she looked nervously at Quinn for a response. "Do you think she'll like it?" she asked softly.
"Holy crap, you bought her a guitar?" Quinn asked, her jaw dropping in relation to the gift. "That's amazing."
Rachel nodded nervously. "She just... she seemed so happy playing it," she murmured, tracing her fingers gently over the finish. "And likely anything that Noah gave her was in an unfortunate state of repair so... I thought she might enjoy having something like this. Do you think it's okay?"
"I think it's amazing." Quinn smiled, shaking her head. "She's gonna love it..."
"Good, because I admit, I'm nervous." She smiled wanly at Quinn. "If you'd like to rest, I can gather and repacking your things while Santana finishes her shower then bring her in here."
"Can I just lay on your bed? Mine smells like sex," she said as she moved and laid on the bed near the guitar. "She can come in here."
"Of course, Quinn." Rachel smiled at her. "We'll be over in little bit once things are packed and she's presentable. Alright?"
"Mmhmm." She smiled sleepily, settling into the bed. "You did good," she said as she started to close her eyes.
Santana had gotten dressed in a pair of jeans and a tshirt and was working on packing up their items when Rachel came in from the other room. "Q's still asleep?"
"She's resting in my room right now, yes," Rachel nodded, neatly folding clothing into Quinn's bag. "I think she'll need to use her chair primarily today so perhaps we should consider a destination where she'll be able to rest in the car for most of the day?"
"Yeah, I broke my lady with sex," Santana said with a pout as she looked at Rachel. "But she liked it," She teased and smirked before moving over to put the bags on the bed.
"Trust me," she remarked dryly. "I know. Now, if I may be so incredibly bold as to ask... would you be terribly offended if I were to ask you to close your eyes and allow me to lead you to my room for a surprise? Nothing bad, I assure you..."
"Uh... I guess." Santana shrugged as she looked over at her friend. "I don't know why you're being all awkward." She closed her eyes and handed Rachel her arm. "Lead me."
"Because I'm nervous that you won't like it," she admitted, taking Santana's arm and leading her in to stand before the once more closed guitar case. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves and smiled at Quinn as she woke up at the sound of them coming in. "Okay. You can open them." She bit her lip, worried that the gesture wouldn't be appreciated, "So... what do you think?"
Santana opened her eyes and looked at Quinn, then her eyes fell on the case. "Rach?" she asked softly, as she looked at the guitar case with a bow.
Quinn nodded at her with a little smile from where she was stretched out behind it. "Go ahead and open it before she worries herself to death," she teased. "She's probably at least half convinced you're going to hate it or something."
"I am not!" Rachel stomped her foot, pouting. "I just... am understandably worried that it won't be well received..."
She moved over and pulled the ribbon off it and she opened it carefully. "Wow... Rachel.. this is from the store yesterday, isn't it..."
She nodded, back to fidgeting slightly. "David at the shop gave me a very good deal on it after hearing you play and well... you looked happy playing it. I thought it might serve excellently as a graduation gift slash thank you very much for bringing me on this trip and for the show the other night... Do you like it?"
"I love it," Santana said, her voice was mildly awestruck. "You... You didn't have too. This must have been so expensive. It's a lot..."
"Not really," she shrugged. "Okay, maybe I'll have to take care with my discretionary expenditures for a little while, but it's entirely worth it to give you something you can appreciate and use, Santana. Especially if it makes you happy." She smiled shyly, "Besides that, you've been doing so well with your diet that I'd hate for you to fall back while we're all apart, so I thought perhaps something tangible to remind you that I'm not too terribly far away if you ever need something...?"
"That... this is amazing, Rachel," Santana breathed as she nearly hugged the guitar. "Quinn.. Look," she whispered as she showed her the instrument. "This is... no one has ever done this before."
"Pretty fancy, baby," Quinn murmured, sitting up and watching her handle the guitar for a moment before shooting a smile at Rachel. "Now you can play for us when we hang out, right?" she teased.
"David told me it was something called an," Rachel looked confused for a moment, "electroacoustic? It's sort of a... combination of both, I suppose?"
"Yeah, that means that I can play it with an amp or without," she said and smiled up. "Yeah I can totally play for you guys."
"Awesome." Quinn grinned, reaching up to pull Santana in for a kiss. "You happy, baby?"
Santana kissed quinn softly and then put the guitar down and grabbed Rachel into a hug. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome." Rachel smiled as she hugged her back. "I'm glad I could do something nice for you."
"It means... it means a lot," she whispered, "No, no one has ever really given me something like this before."
"You said Noah had given you a guitar before..." she trailed off uncertainly, glancing at Quinn in confusion.
"It was a sex gift," she said softly, "He took my virginity... I got a guitar, it was kinda broken, but yeah..."
"That..." Rachel looked appalled. "That is awful, Santana!" She shook her head, "I'm ashamed to call him my friend sometimes when I hear of him doing things like that." She stepped close and hugged Santana again. "You're worth far more than a broken musical instrument, Santana. Far more than anyone could possibly pay or trade for and if anyone ever suggests otherwise, I will be certain to lambast them in the harshest of manners."
"Assuming I don't get to them first," Quinn pointed out mildly. "No one gets to say my girlfriend can be bought. Screw the past. None of that matters, okay, San?"
"It's not a big deal, guys," Santana stated. "It's not really worth wigging out about. It was a long time ago and we were young and dumb. He was a good boyfriend, surprisingly."
"He's an ass," Quinn growled, "and didn't treat you like you're worth."
"He's my friend," Rachel shrugged, "but even I have to admit he can be a jerk. Still, it's in the past. Anyone who says anything from here out has to deal with us. Right?"
"It's not a big deal... can we just drop it? I have a pretty guitar now." Santana smiled, trying to stop the subject. "Plus, this is so much better since it's from Rachel."
"We can drop it if I get to burn the guitar he gave you if you ever get your hands on it again," Quinn offered with a smirk.
"Of course we can drop it. Now, where shall we go for lunch?"
Santana shrugged and put her new gift away. "Quinn's choice?"
"Oh, that's not an option," Quinn smirked, sliding to the edge of the bed so Santana could help her stand. "I don't think Berry will wait that long," she added, kissing Santana softly with a smirk.
"I most certainly will not," Rachel huffed. "We need to discuss the next leg of our journey so no more sex until after. May I suggest a salad bar style place with carnivorous options for Quinn?"
Santana blushed and got up. "Rach, do you wanna take Q down and I can throw some bags in the car and check us out?"
"I can certainly do that if Quinn would like my assistance." She nodded with a little smile for Quinn. "Shall I retrieve your chair? I'm afraid I lack the physical strength of your girlfriend after all."
"Yeah, that sounds good," Quinn said as she kissed Santana's shoulder. "You go and check out and meet us at the car. Okay, babe?"
"Sure, I'll bring the luggage down with me and we can go get some food then hit the road," Santana said as she pulled her hair into a ponytail. She got up and rolled her neck and gathered their bags and her new guitar case and started making trips down to the car.