Pairing: Brittany/Santana; Quinn/Santana Friendship

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Up to and including 2.15 'Sexy'

She doesn't think anything has ever hurt like this before. She doesn't know what she was expecting, really, but right now she can't think straight from the ache of where she thinks her heart used to be.

If she thinks back, she swears she coud hear it, the blisteringly painful moment when her heart had shattered because she was for once going to be brave enough. Worse than lemon on a paper cut, Santana had taken a leap and ended up landing hard. Thoughts of pushing Artie off a cliff filter between her thoughts, but right now all she can really think about is how numb she feels.

Quinn comes over that evening when she wasn't in school for the third day straight; measles had been the weak excuse, glad when Figgins hadn't pushed the issue, either out of apathy or ignorance, she didn't care. Brittany had called and texted, but she never answered.

Quinn hadn't said much of anything, dressed in an oversized hoodie and sweats, only had brought a bag of popcorn and The Notebook. Santana was glad when Quinn didn't ask the words she had been dreading, and didn't say a word as she let Quinn in, settling on the couch as they passed the popcorn between them, tears streaming down her face.

She cried herself to a dreamless sleep that night, and Quinn tucked her in, kissing her forehead and whispering that it's going to be all right. Quinn ended up spending the night, curled tight against Santana's back, and in the morning Santana's heart rips open a little more when she wakes up to the wrong blonde hair.

On Monday she dresses slowly, dreading the impending moment, but Quinn drives by to pick her up, and as she's honking impatiently, never in her life has Santana felt better for having a crutch to lean against.

That day it takes Santana over an hour to reply to one of Brittany's texts, and the knots in her stomach and her throat are tightening as she's sending it with shaking fingers, but when she gets the reply promptly after, signed with a smile, she thinks that maybe the numbness is starting to ease a little, maybe into bitterness, she doesn't quite know, as Mike offers to take her our for some slushies.

"So long as Quinn can come along."

Mike smiles as if to say, "Of course," and Santana loops an exhausted arm through his as they make their way to the parking lot.