***
"Santana?" Santana felt a hand on her shoulder and whirled around. She was standing in the choir room and Brittany was standing in front of her looking worried.
"You're never this quiet, you've been zoned out the entire rehearsal, you didn't tell Rachel to shut up once, and now you're crying. What's up?"
Santana lifted her hand to her face- it came away wet. She was indeed crying. "Just thinking."
"About what?" Brittany asked, gently wiping away Santana's tears.
Santana hesitated. "About...us. About what we used to be like." Here she smiled. "And the duck pond."
Brittany's face lit up at the mention of the duck pond. "Don't be sad, San. We can go to the duck pond just now. C'mon." Brittany excitedly pulled Santana from the room. Santana didn't have the herat to tell Brittany that wasn't why she was upset.
Mr Schue looked up from the shhet music he was studying at the piano. Brittany was right- it was very unusual for Santana to go an entire rehearsal being quiet. And Santana never cried, at least not in public. 'Something's up,' he concluded, but decided to let Santana be. He didn't want to intrude. If she needed help he would help her, but Brittany was there.
...
Santana watched as Brittany crouched at the side of the water trying to talk to the ducks, but the ducks wouldn't come near her.
"It's not working," Brittany huffed, walking back to Santana with her arms folded over her chest. "They don't like me anymore."
"Oh, honey." Santana hugged Brittany before she could cry. "They still love you, how couldn't they? I think maybe today they're just more occupied with eating the bread that you threw in. Why don't we leave them to eat their dinner and come back another day?"
"Okay," Brittany sniffed, and linked her pinky with Santana's. Santana smiled.
"Do you wanna sleep over at mine tonight?"
Brittany nodded, brightening up. She loved staying at Santana's. The girls ran home, arriving breathless at Santana's house. They met Santana's mum in the kitchen.
"Can Britt stay over tonight?" Santana asked.
Santana's mum shook her head and smiled. Those two were never apart. "Of course. You know Brittany's always welcome here. She's like my second daughter."
"Thanks!" Santana called as she and Brittany rushed up the stairs to Santana's room. The girls collapsed on the bed, giggling.
Brittany rolled onto her stomach, pulling out her phone to text her mum, letting her know she wouldn't be home that night. She turned to find Santana staring at her.
"What?" she asked, amused.
Santana looked away. "Nothing. What do you want to do?"
Brittany flopped onto her back. "Nothing. Lie here. But we have homework."
Santana sighed regretfully. She just wanted to lie with Brittany forever. Reluctantly she sat up, producing her homework from her bag. The two worked until Santana's mum called them for dinner.
...
Later on that night in bed, Santana and Brittany lay tangled together, gazing into one another's eyes. Santana traced patterns on Brittany's arm, and Brittany sighed contentedly.
"San? Why don't you tell anyone we're dating?" Brittany asked. "We wouldn't need to hide then, and I would be able hold your hand."
Santana sighed this time. "I can't Britt. I'm not ready for everyone to know. Not yet."
Brittany accepted the answer, and snuggled into Santana happily. "Night San."
Santana kissed Brittany's cheek. "Night Britt."
