Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 42nd cycle. Now cycle 43!

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** UPDATED WITH CYCLE 43 CHEAT SHEET ** Check it out to find out about shift days!

This is a shift day [see above]. There will be another upload this afternoon: The Long Aloha, chapter 7.

"Court Side"
Quinn, Brittany/Santana

She smiled, watching them… She had to. So long she'd watched those two, and this was the first time she'd seen them even try to own up to what they were feeling, publicly. She honestly just felt elated. This was right, this was as it should be.

It was easier for her to see them in a more intimate context, when neither of them was nearly so guarded around their feelings. Still she could feel sometimes that she had known where they were headed long before they had. Quinn knew Santana and Brittany belonged together.

Now sitting among her fellow Glee Clubbers, she watched the two girls, looking so much more like themselves now that they were stripped of their Cheerios uniforms and dressing as they wished, and she saw them in that way… stripped, exposed, at least emotionally. She hardly noticed Miss Holiday in between them, and they probably didn't either.

Brittany looked touched, and Quinn could see why. She remembered when she'd first met Santana Lopez, remembered the impression she got: the hard girl, the unflinching… It took one thing for Quinn to start believing maybe there was more to her than that exterior iron shell, and that was to see her around Brittany. After that, Quinn had started appreciating her on a whole other level. They butted heads, her and Santana, they always did, but then she'd see her with Brittany and she'd remember.

In some aspects she was almost sure she envied her, envied them both. It was hard to believe, knowing where they stood at the time. They were barely aware of what was happening with them, and if they did she didn't know how it would all play out, but… They had each other, and that was already precious, would stay that way. What they had was just the kind of thing they would all strive to find, just to be loved, unconditionally, like it was effortless.

She'd seen it all unfold before her, and now they were taking this step… Would it bring something good, would they accept it, or turn back scared?

For their sake she hoped it was the start of something good. They were great for one another. Santana believed in Brittany in ways the blonde needed. A lot of people would say things about her, call her stupid, but Santana would never let her pity herself, instead infusing her with strength. Quinn would see her smile again, and she knew only Santana could inspire that from her. On the flipside, Brittany released the sweeter side of Santana, aired out her insecurities, and like before, it was an eye opener. Brittany was in a class all by herself when it came to Santana, and Quinn had always seen that.

Sometimes she did feel like interfering, like telling them to just wake up and realize what was right in front of them, but it wouldn't have been right. They needed to get there on their own; she'd never believed anything more fervently, when it came to them. If they hadn't gotten there on their own by now, then trying to push them before they were ready wasn't going to fix a damn thing. Still, if they waited and waited then would they lose out?

Later she'd seen her – Santana – dashing down the hall. Their eyes had met for only a moment, because as soon as the other girl had realized Quinn had seen her, seen the tears in her eyes, she had hurried on her way. Quinn had paused, looking back after her, then turned toward the way she'd come from. She had a pretty good idea what it was about, and in walking back the way Santana had come, she had ended up in sight with Brittany, at her locker.

The blonde looked confused. That in and of itself wasn't something to concern oneself with, but to Quinn, there was a difference. Confusion wasn't a path from point A to point B. There was the obvious kind, the one where you had a problem to solve and the solution eluded you, but then there was also this… confusion by way of the heart. Quinn had been there herself, and she felt for her friend. She hesitated in doing it, but after a moment, seeing Brittany standing there, she couldn't just stay back. Caution, she'd warn herself.

"Hey," she came up to Brittany, who turned with the hope and deception of someone who'd wanted to see one and instead fond the other.

"Hey," she turned to her locker, touching at the door.

"Where are you headed, home?" Quinn asked, and Brittany nodded. "Alone, or is Artie going with you?"

"I…" she started, then paused, thinking, then closing her eyes. "No, not today," she shook her head.

"Alright, well then how about I come over? You know, it's been a while. I could help you with your Spanish homework," she offered. Again, Brittany considered.

"Sure, okay," she nodded, smiling.

"Okay, let's go," Quinn smiled back.

Later she'd find an in with Santana. Staying out of their business and letting them figure it out on their own, that was one thing, but it didn't mean she had to stand back and do nothing at all. Instead, she could still be there, if only for moral support. Give them a reason to smile again, and maybe they would remember no one made them smile more than each other, and they would soldier on.

She only hoped that there would be that day, one day, in the future, where she could stand back and say that she had seen it all happen, and that in the end all the difficulties and the ups and downs would have been worth it, because they had gone and made it work. Nothing came easy, least of all love… but without it then what were they?

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!