Title: This Time

Author: Alex Gold (Ryzlin)
Fandom: Glee
Pairings: Implied Brittana
Rating: Teen

Summery: Quinn's gone too far this time and Brittany doesn't want to be her friend anymore.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I would like to though.

Author's Note: Basically, I think Quinn is a horrible friend to Santana. I like her well enough, just not when it comes to her interactions with Santana

Brittany had taken Santana home after the fight with Quinn. They hadn't talked during the car ride, nor did they talk as Brittany guided Santana up the front steps and down the hallway to her bedroom. Neither of Santana's parents were home, they never were. They lay on Santana's bed, and Brittany knew that had it been anyone else, she would have been holding a crying teenage girl. As it was, Santana stared at her wall with Brittany wrapped around her, an arm pulling her against the blonde's body. Santana was a bitch, and she was mean, everyone knew that. But Brittany knew that Quinn was bitcher and meaner that Santana would ever be. Because, Brittany knew the truth. Santana was fragile, and Brittany had to protect her.

Santana didn't move until sunset had come and gone. She untangled herself from Brittany and hesitantly smiled at her.

"I'm going to go shower." Her voice cracked from not having been used for the last few hours.

Brittany sadly watched her walk away. Santana paused at the doorway that connected her bathroom and bedroom.

"You can join me if you want to."

That was how Brittany knew that everything would be okay. You could knock Santana down but she always got back up again. Stronger than before. Brittany smiled and got up to follow.

xxxxx

Quinn cornered Brittany at her locker before school the next day.

"Where's Santana? She better be at practice today, even if she's too ashamed to come to school after I took Head Cheerio back."

Brittany ignored her and pulled a notebook out of her locker before putting it back and pulling out another one.

"Brittany!"

"I'm not supposed to talk to you."

"Did Santana tell you that?"

"No. Well, kind of. She said that if I didn't want to be friends with someone anymore I shouldn't talk to them."

"What?"

"I don't want to be your friend anymore, Quinn. You're a bad friend and I don't want you to hurt me like you've hurt Sanny."

"San's a big girl."

Brittany stared at Quinn for a few second before looking away.

"Yeah, she is. But you shouldn't call her that. You're not her friend anymore, and she only lets her friends call her San."

Quinn clenched her jaw.

"Fine, if you don't want to be my friend then I won't be yours."

She stormed off.

xxxxx

Brittany sat next to Santana during glee.

"What's this I hear about telling Quinn you don't want to be her friend?"

Without either of them noticing Quinn had come into the choir room and seated herself behind them.

"She's mean, and I don't like it."

"She's always been mean, why now?"

"Cause now she's really mean."

Santana frowned slightly. "This isn't because of what she did yesterday, is it? Britt, I don't want you loosing a friend because of me."

"Her telling Coach about your summer surgery was just the straw that made the ant fall over."

"I think you mean 'the straw that broke the camel's back', B."

"Why would a straw break a camel's back? Camels are big. Ants are small."

"Good point, Britt. You must be right. When did you get so smart?"

It annoyed Quinn that Santana wasn't the one behind Brittany's choice to de-friend her, and there was definitely more to Brittany's reasoning than Quinn just being 'really mean'. There had to be.

xxxxx

It had been a week since Brittany had de-friended her, and Brittany still wasn't talking to her. Even when they had been paired together for a research project. Brittany had gone to the teacher at the end of the class and had her partner changed. No one said 'no' to Brittany.

xxxxx

It had been three weeks now, and Quinn had only just found out that that weekend, Brittany had thrown a party. Quinn hadn't been invited. She cornered Brittany after one of their classes together.

"You had a party last weekend. Why wasn't I invited?"

Brittany stared at her, and Quinn could tell she was debating whether to answer her or not. Eventually she did.

"You're not my friend anymore, so I don't have to invite you to my parties."

"I'm still the head cheerleader."

"Yeah, but it was a party for my friends. Which you're not."

Quinn huffed and left the class room.

xxxxx

It had been another week, and although Brittany wasn't giving her the silent treatment anymore, they still didn't talk. It was really starting to annoy Quinn. Everyone was Brittany's friend, even Jacob. Telling Sue about Santana's boob job wasn't even the worse thing she had done in her life. It wasn't mean, it was necessary. Brittany should understand that. Quinn lasted until Wednesday before she went looking for Brittany. She found her out on the bleachers, lying with her eyes closed. Quinn sat down next to her.

"I don't get it?"

Brittany opened her eyes and frowned in confusion at her.

"Get what?"

"Why now? Why, after everything that I've done in my life is it now that you choose to end our friendship?"

"Because after everything San did for you, you still stabbed her in the back. And it makes me wonder."

"Makes you wonder what?"

"What's going to stop you from doing it again, or from doing it to me? I haven't done nearly as much for you as San has, but that didn't stop you."

"She hasn't done anything for me!"

Brittany sighed. "That's where you're wrong. San's always supported you. We joined Glee club for you. Well, she did, I joined because San did. When San found out you were pregnant last year, she asked her parents if it would be alright if you moved in with them. Not that their agreement mattered, they're never home, and she could have hidden you. But she asked her parents for a favour, which you know she hates to do. They said 'yes', by the way. She was kind of disappointed when you stayed at Mercedes' house rather than asking her."

"And that's my fault? She could have offered if she wanted me to stay that much."

"That's not her way, you know it isn't."

"So what? I'm meant to be thankful that she was prepared to house me, but never actually did?"

"San started to put some of her allowance into a savings account so that you'd have the funds you needed, no matter what you decided. If you didn't want to keep Drizzle, she would have given you the money for the operation, if you had kept her, she would have given you the money to help support her."

Quinn wanted to believe that Brittany was lying. That she was just saying these things to make Quinn feel guilty, but the truth was that Brittany couldn't lie. She just didn't understand how to.

"I … I had no idea. Why would she do that?"

"Because she forgave you, and you were her friend."

"Forgave me for what?"

Brittany gave her a weird look, and Quinn felt like she had said something stupid.

"You slept with her boyfriend."

"Oh."

"Yeah. But you know what I really don't like?"

"What?"

"San didn't tell Coach when she found out you were pregnant, but you told Coach about her summer surgery. Which happens to be awesome, by the way."

Quinn sat next to Brittany silently. She felt like an ass.

"I kind of hate you, Quinn. You cause all this damage, and then just walk away, like it doesn't concern you and I'm left to pick up all the pieces. It's not easy and sometimes I just have to go home and cry for Santana because she won't. It hurts her, but she refuses to cry for you. We were the Unholy Trinity once, Quinn, and it was Santana or I that broke us apart."

Neither of them said anything for the rest of free period. Shortly after the bell rung Santana appeared at the bottom of the bleachers. She made her way up and held out a hand to pull Brittany up.

"Hey, B. Ready for Spanish?"

Brittany nodded and hummed happily as Santana pulled her up.

"I'm sorry?"

Santana's eyes snapped to Quinn. "What?"

"I'm sorry."

"You should be."

Quinn looked up at her and smiled shyly. "Forgive me?"

"No. Not this time."

Santana turned and walked down the bleachers, pinky linked with Brittany's.