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 34th cycle. Now cycle 35!

YEAR TWO ANNIVERSARY CYCLE! - Within days it will have been two years since I've started this Gleekathon, and like last year I'm dedicating the cycle to commemorating my 21 favorite one shots or chapter stories from year two (up to the point where I did the planning ;)) A number of those I was very attached to, but left sad to see may have fallen through the cracks, so it seems fair they should get a second shot ;)

Last year there were three categories, but this year I've added two new ones: Prequel, Sequel, POV Swap, and now Alternate Ending, and Additional Scenes. In no particular order... Today's story is a POV Swap on #399 "You Know All My Secrets" a Brittany/Santana + Sylvesters Series story originally posted on November 24th 2010. [Note: this year I decided to boost the POV Swaps with new bits of dialogue etc in the end... enjoy! ;)]

"We Have No Secrets"
Brittany/Santana
Sylvesters Series Extra

The silver charms dangling from the bracelet around her wrist were chiming as they clicked together, with that shine of being completely brand new… it felt magical. She couldn't stop looking at them after they left the store and walked toward the food court; the only times she did look away were when she'd look to her bracelet's twin, dangling from Santana's wrist. She was starting to feel it… something coming, in her mind, in her heart… From the first time they'd met, and they'd become friends, Santana had felt like something different than a friend. It wasn't just that she trusted her, it was more than that and she couldn't explain it. Her mother might have said trust involved a choice… She'd never chosen, never needed to… And then they'd decided to get the bracelets.

After leaving the store, they had gone to the food court, got lemonade and sat one across the other. She'd taken a few sips, but after a while she'd forgotten about it sitting there on the table because she was distracted. She was looking at her bracelet, but she wasn't looking at it as a physical object, not really. They had chosen the charms together, and it was like they both knew what the other was thinking… they both wanted the same ones, for the same reasons…

Then out of the blue, the thought popped into her head… Tell her… She could tell her…

It was scary. She had grown up knowing she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about her mother. It was drilled in her, the one answer, the only answer she was ever supposed to have, if anyone should ask. And all she'd ever wanted was to get to go and be part of the school where her mother worked, be part of those girls with the red skirts… Everyone always cheered when they danced… If a little secret keeping meant she could have that, then she was alright with it… It could be like an adventure.

She'd never met anyone that made her feel like she could break the silence she'd kept for… all this time… no one. She'd had other secrets before, and she'd think 'I could tell this person' or 'It's no big deal.' She'd never even felt the need or desire to tell someone; there was no volition, it was not even an issue, that was just how things were.

So now, to look at this bracelet around her wrist… sparkly and beautiful… that made her think of the girl sitting in front of her… to look at it and be hit by this thought that she could tell her the biggest secret in her life, it was too big for her head. She stared, and she stared, and then something snapped and she got on her feet, reached for the girl's arm, fingers brushing at the metal of her bracelet, and she tugged for her to follow. "Come with me," she heard herself say.

"Wait, hold on!" Santana had said, letting go for some reason Brittany wasn't really paying attention to, but then they were walking, she was following her.

It was crazy… insane, completely stupid… she heard that a lot more than she heard anything else spinning in her head, and suddenly she was terrified… What was she doing? If she wasn't careful then her mother would find out, and in trying to let this girl get closer, all she would do would be to guarantee she'd lose her… No, but she still wanted to go through with it, that was the right thing to do, just… not here, not in the open where anyone could see them and it could get back to her mother… They had to get out, out of the mall, out somewhere else… She locked into that mindset and started walking, searching out her path out of there with everything in her.

"Where are you going?" Santana had asked. "Britt, what…" she went on, but the blonde shook her head.

"Not here," she spoke, to Santana… to herself.

"'Not here' what?" Santana was still going, but Brittany kept going. "Not here," Santana repeated.

They'd made it out of the mall, finally, but it wasn't enough… Where could they go? How far would be far enough? She'd seen her mother when she was angry… 'not a safe place in the world' came to mind when that happened. But she was her daughter, so that was different, right? Further… had to go further… She could still sense Santana behind her, so that meant she was safe to carry on, yes… it was like her breath was calmer, whenever she was around. Further, just a little…

"Are we going to be near a bathroom? I'm going to bus a pipe here!" were the first words she heard from Santana since they'd left the mall, and then Brittany saw where they were… the park… Maybe that'd be enough… They went to the park all the time; that was normal, right? No one would think anything of it. So she veered into the park, searching out a spot. "I am not going on those," Santana said as they neared the swings… Brittany turned and headed in another direction. Finally there was a tree, and Brittany decided sitting under it she could feel okay to speak. So they sat, and at first her breath hesitated to deliver her words. "Is everything okay?" Santana asked, and it gave her the nudge she needed… She just had to go for it, and everything would be alright…

"Coach Sylvester's my mom," she spoke the words, and felt chills on the back of her neck – there, no backing away now. She looked to Santana, trying to let her see she wasn't kidding… she knew she'd have trouble believing it if the roles were reversed, and not just because the idea that Sue Sylvester and Santana Lopez could ever be related was even more far-fetched… But still Santana's initial reaction was to laugh.

"Okay, fine, so there's nothing wrong going on, but, come on… that's…" she would say, still trying to chase the laughter away, especially as she could see, hopefully, that Brittany wasn't kidding. "She's… seriously?" She nodded – there, now she was starting to believe her… thank goodness. "N-no, that's not…" Brittany felt brave enough to continue now.

"No one knows. It's a secret. You can't tell, okay? Not to anyone, not even her. I'm not supposed to tell, so just promise?" Brittany had seen it enough times, when people agreed on something they shook hands, so she presented hers, bracelet twinkling away. It took a moment, but then Santana looked in her eyes, and she shook her hand. Brittany smiled in relief.

"O… Oh my God," Santana was still living in a land of shock, but Brittany was already feeling herself relax again, now that it was out in the open. "My head could explode, right here…" Santana went on, and this reminded her of what she'd heard her say before.

"And your bladder," she pointed out, but Santana carried on.

"Why'd you tell me? If it's supposed to be a secret?" She wished she could put it all in words for her, all of it, but a lot of it was still too complicated for her mind to sort out, to express. "How many people know?" she asked then, and Brittany focused on that.

"I do, and Mom… and my grandfather… and now you," she was almost counting on her fingers, and it felt odd now that she could fit all those people on one hand and still have space… There was her aunt, but even she didn't know that Brittany was her niece, more than just a nice girl who'd visit a lot. "Does it freak you out?" she asked, looking to the girl who still looked in awe.

"Sue Sylvester as a mother? Little bit… Although it kind of explains some stuff."

"It's a family secret," Brittany told her, and it was the first time she understood that was where she'd fit Santana into the grand scheme of her things… family… That was a whole other kind of trust, reserved only for them…

"What's she like? When she's not at school? She doesn't use the bullhorn, does she?" Santana asked, curious. Brittany shrugged. She supposed no one really knew this other side of her mother.

"She's different. She said if I was going to go to McKinley, then I was going to be treated like anyone else." And that was what she'd wanted.

"Does she always wear… track suits?"

"Pyjamas, too," she nodded with a smirk, and it made Santana laugh. She had to head that off with one more warning though. "If she finds out you know, she could make me change schools," she looked into the girl's brown eyes, begging for understanding.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise," she told her, and that was good enough.

"Bathroom?" Brittany asked, apparently the only one who remembered at this time.

"Please!" Santana begged, and they hurried off.

The next few days would still be filled with concern… She knew she'd been right to trust Santana, that wasn't the problem… She just needed to see that they had gotten away with it, and that they could all still have their lives as they'd been, no disruption, just… more awareness on their parts, for one good reason… there was something else she'd always wanted to do but never could – she wanted to bring Santana home, to see where she lived, see her room… One week after telling her, that was what she'd done. Her mother wasn't going to be home for a while, they had time.

She'd shown her around, still fearful but at the same time excited. It had all led up to her room. She showed her pictures, even ones from when she was little, with her mother… The look on Santana's face was still priceless; even if this was becoming a reality set in stone for her, seeing this kind of proof was a shock. She was so glad she'd done this, she…

The moment she'd heard the door downstairs, she looked over to Santana and saw her staring back. The other girl started darting for the window, but Brittany pulled her toward the closet, nudged her inside and went with her, shutting the door and turning back to her, pressing her hand over her mouth, holding a finger to her own lips – quiet. Still they were very close, in the confined space, with clothes curtained around them… she saw all the details in those brown eyes, even in semi-darkness. Their hands had fallen away as they waited, and then… Later, many times, they would argue as to who had initiated it, but it happened. With panic and warmth and nearness fanning the flames, they kissed. It lasted just a moment, but for ten seconds it made the world disappear, until…

"Brittany, are you home?" the voice called, still distant but no doubt nearing, and they needed to act quick. They re-emerged, and Brittany led Santana to her first escape route, opening the window.

"Watch your step, it's not hard," she promised in a whisper. Santana looked back at her, flustered.

"Right, okay," she climbed out, scaled down. Brittany watched her go until she reached the ground and stared back up. Their eyes met, searching for understanding as to what was happening, what had just happened, and…

"Brittany?" her mother was calling.

"Go!" she mouthed to Santana, and the girl dashed away. Brittany closed the window, backpedalled until she landed seated on her bed, and she pressed her hand to her ramming heart… That was the first… They… Maybe it wasn't just family… What was beyond that, beyond friends and even beyond family?

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!