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 57th cycle. Now cycle 58!

This is a shift day. There are two updates today.

"How Deep Is Your Love"
Gen1!Rachel/Gen1!Santana
Berry-St series
(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)

Nothing made her nervous, in this world or any other, nothing, no one, except Santana Lopez. And seeing her sitting there, her face so serious and determined… it scared the life out of her. She'd never wanted her to have to know, and if everything had gone the way it was supposed to, with everyone going back where they belonged, then she wouldn't have had to. Instead she had to look forward to any number of months, trying to help four new people make their way home. Now with that, and after everything Santana had seen, there was just no way of keeping it hidden, not if she expected for the two of them to continue seeing each other, to get further than they already had, to someday walk down the halls, the streets, and not have to hide.

She'd walked up to Santana, held out her hands to help her up. She had led her along the side of the house, to go into the backyard, and there they sat on the steps to the porch. She had to find her breath before she ever found her voice, and even then she didn't know where to start. She had just finished telling it to four people, but it felt like a completely different tale when she had to tell it to her.

"I asked you before if you trusted me, and I know you do. That's good, because I know how what I'm about to tell you is going to sound. You believed me once, though, so I have to think you will again…" She looked back to Santana, finding her less stern now, more open, and that allowed her to breathe a little easier. "A few months ago, I was sent to… this other world, it was like… almost the same as this one, but it was different, like an alternate universe, you know? I was a student here, too, but from earlier, like I'd never gone to Carmel, I was always here. And Jesse, he was the one from Carmel. And… my fathers had never split up. After a while, I just never wanted to leave, because when I was over there… I was happier. I could remember what it felt like to love music the way I used to when I was little. And I had a family that was happy, too, not broken up. But then a few weeks ago, I was sent back here. I was angry at first, didn't want to be here. Eventually I started to help Jesse and Quinn, so they could go back to where they belonged, too. I did that because I was able to help my fathers here… and because of you."

She knew Santana was believing her; she knew what it looked like when Santana believed in her. Still before long the questions would start to come, when the facts she had already laid out would begin to spread out, because there was so much more to know. "So Jesse and Quinn, when we found them passed out earlier…"

"They were going back where they belong, and I thought we were going to get back the ones that belong here, have this whole thing be over, except that's not what happened. Instead we got this other Jesse and Quinn, from another new world. And they didn't come alone. Mike and Kurt were swapped, too, from that new world. This is even worse than before, and I… I don't know that I can do this," she admitted. "I want to help them, sure… I just got done helping the others, and I thought things would calm down now, get back to normal, and you and I could just…"

"Hey, I can help you," Santana had shrugged, and Rachel looked to her. "I do believe you," she promised, taking her hand, and Rachel smiled. "I mean, yeah, it sounds insane… but I'm not blind, I've seen… things. And right now, just looking at you…" she breathed. "I know you're telling the truth. So how do I help?" she asked, and Rachel moved up to hug her, pulled back and kissed her.

"You're doing it already." It was all going so well, and they were being honest… Looking at her, she knew she had to tell her everything, couldn't let her just figure it out, which could have made it look like she was trying to hide something. "When I was over there, in that other world, I made a friend. At first it was just me and Jesse who had gone into that other world, and we had Quinn to help us figure out what we had to know. But then she was swapped, too, and we needed a new ally… so I chose you, the other you. I didn't want to go back, and I needed our new ally to be someone who could help me achieve that. From what I knew of you, you were perfect for it." She paused, breathing out. "Spending time with her, with the other you, I felt… something, and I couldn't explain it, but I liked it a lot. When I was thrown back there, right before I lost consciousness, she told me to find you, that you would help me. I know she meant about my situation with my dads, and maybe getting back to the other side, something, I don't know… But you did something better, you…" Santana had pulled back. It was all of an inch or two, but it felt like more. "You helped me, you did…"

"Were the two of you…"

"We were friends, no more than that," she swore.

"But you liked her."

"She was exactly like you, looked the same, acted the same…"

"Yeah, so do twins," Santana shrugged.

"Nothing ever happened between us, I wasn't thinking about her like that…" Rachel promised, feeling like her insides were liquefying, seeing the way Santana looked at her.

"Ever?"

"Are you honestly asking me if there was ever a moment I didn't think you were hot?" she spoke the honest truth. She could see Santana still wanted to be upset, still was, but at the same time what she'd said had made her want to laugh, smile… Rachel took this opening, grasping both of the girl's hands. "If I had to look at the two of you together…"

"You'd want a threesome?" Santana joked, and Rachel ran along with it, giving a momentary 'faraway look' before she turned her eyes back toward her.

"If I had to look at the both of you, I wouldn't even give that other you a second thought. She's not the one I want to kiss, and hold, and… any of it… You're the only one I want." She kept looking at Santana, trying to read her face, waiting, hoping for a smile… When she got it, she'd never felt so relieved in her life. "Are we…"

"It's gonna take me a couple of days or something, to get used to… all of it… But yeah, we're okay," she assured her, and Rachel smiled back at her. "And I am going to help you with those guys. Not leaving you on your own to do this."

"Thank you," Rachel nodded, and then she remembered. "One more thing…"

"Here we go," Santana frowned.

"It's not a… a big problem, not really, just… well… This new Quinn, from the new world… she's kind of going out with me… the other, new… me," she explained.

"I feel like I need a chart…" Santana shook her head.

"Don't worry, confuses the hell out of me, too."

THE END