I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.

Set during 4X18 (Shooting star) Santana finds out about the gunshots on Twitter and reacts in the only way she knows how. Brittana. Oneshot.

R&R please.

It's been an hour since you read the tweets. You reacted without even thinking about it, and now you're impatiently waiting for the plane to take off. You can't believe this has happened, you never thought this would happen to anyone you know. The again, nobody ever does. You force yourself to ignore the fact that she hasn't tweeted. It doesn't mean it's bad news, she probably just lost her cell phone in the panic. She would text you if she had her cell phone on her, you know she would. You see it on the news all too often, people taking guns into schools or workplaces, or even just out on the street with them. You didn't ever once think that it would happen at Mckinley. You should have stayed. You shouldn't have let her tell you it was okay to leave, you could be there with her right now. She must be so scared. You check your cell phone once more before you turn it off, the message on the screen causing your heart to race.

She's in the bathroom. I can't get to her.

It's from Sam. You feel sick to your stomach. Someone has a gun and Brittany is alone. She shouldn't be alone. All you can think about as you turn your cell off is Brittany alone in the girls' bathroom, hiding from a shooter and fearing for her life. You fight the bile that rises in your throat and will the plane to take off. You need to be there. She's everything to you, and the worst possible scenario is happening all around her. You can't think of one single person at Mckinley who would do this, and you can't think of one damn reason of why they're doing it. Finally, the plane starts to move. Finally, you're on your way to her. As soon as the fasten seatbelt sign is turned off, you rip the belt from around your waist and rush to the bathroom. You empty your stomach into the toilet, your throat burning from the force of the retching and tears streaming from your eyes. You haven't prayed in a long time, since you were a young child at sunday school, but you're sure as hell praying now. All you want is for her to be okay, and for the friends that you left behind to be okay, too.

"Ma'am?" Someone is knocking on the bathroom door, most likely an air hostess, and you sigh heavily.

"I'm fine," you call back, hoping that they take the hint and leave you alone. They do. You lean over the tiny sink, rinsing out your mouth and splashing water on your face. Gazing into the mirror, you tell yourself to pull it together. If she gets out of there..no...when she gets out of there she'll need you to be strong. All you want to do is hold her in your arms and promise that everything is okay, that you won't ever let anyone hurt her. Not because she needs you to protect her, but because you want to. All those nights when you had cried yourself to sleep in her arms because you were scared to admit to being a lesbian..she held you, promised you the world...she was your rock. Now it's your turn to be hers. You're not sure you know how, though. This is so different than the things she helped you get through, this is a life and death situation. Brittany will be okay. You keep telling yourself this, and you pray that you're right. You don't know what you would do if she is hurt. You make your way back to your seat and slump heavily into it, willing the time to pass more quickly. You need to get to her. You need to.

...

You're on your feet as soon as the plane lands, and the first one out as soon as the doors are open. You don't even hear the people who grumble about you as you push passed them all, desperately searching for your mom. She pulls you into her arms for a bone crushing hug as soon as you reach her, and you hold on for dear life. The tears you've been fighting since you first saw the tweets finally trickle down your cheeks, your mother wiping them with her thumb and telling you that your father is outside with the car. She takes you by the hand and leads you outside and pulls you across the street, your father is parked down the block, the car quietly idling.

"No news yet," he mumbles to you as you slide into the car. You nod, not knowing what else to say or do. The car ride seems to last forever, when in reality it only takes fifteen minutes. There is a massive crowd surrounding the school when the car rolls to a stop, news vans surrounding the students and parents. A media circus. Your parents follow you out of the car but you lose them almost straight away due to the fact that you sprint into the crowd. You wildly search for someone that you know, you need to know as much as possible. You see Tina first and you grab her, hugging her tightly and begging for her to tell you what she knows.

"I don't know, they're not letting anyone in or out!" There's a desperation in her voice that you have never heard before, and her eyes are wide and terrified. "I've been out here for hours and nobody is telling me anything. Blaine is in there...everyone is in there." You're relieved that Tina is okay, and you tell her so, thank god she overslept this morning. "I'm sure she's okay. Nobody would want to hurt her." It doesn't reassure you as much as Tina wants it to, but you let her think that it does.

"I know." You watch as a random student sprints out of the building and, without thinking, you surge forward, desperate to get inside. "Brittany's in there!" Your voice is loud and shrill, and you don't make much sense as you scream at the people holding you back. It takes more men than anyone would expect to hold you back, but you still struggle against them. It isn't until you realise your father is one of the men holding you that you stop fighting them.

"There is nothing you can do. Not yet. You can't help her until she is outside," he murmurs into your ear, his strong arms wrapped around you. "Please, just wait. The police are going inside, let them save her. Please, mija." You relent and weaken in his arms, grateful that Tina hasn't left your side. You watch as the SWAT team enter the building, anxiety building inside of your chest and you breath coming out in short, frantic bursts. Time seems to stand still, your gaze never leaving the front entrance of the school. You don't see, or hear, anything that goes on around you. You don't hear your parents talking to you, you don't feel Tina's hand in yours. You just watch..and wait. The minutes pass by at an achingly slow pace and students start to slowly trickle out of the school, but none of them are her. Tina breaks into a sprint as soon as she sees Blaine and you take a step forward, watching for Brittany. You know she can't be far behind. Then, you see her. You break out of your father's arms and sprint through the crowd, pushing anyone and everyone out of your way. She sees you, you know this because she stops, frozen in position. Her eyes are red and swollen, the terror still written all over her face. You reach her and crash into her, your arms wrapping around her and you hold her as though she is the last thing holding you on this earth.

"Santana..." the rest of her words are swallowed by the sobs that shake her whole body, your own thankful sobs escaping from your throat.

"Thank god you're okay. I got here as soon as I could." You press a kiss to her jaw and hold her even tighter, just cradling her upper body as she sobs into your shoulder. "I love you so much." The sheer relief of seeing her in one piece almost overpowers you, and it takes every ounce of strength you have to stay on your feet. She's okay. Your world is okay.

"I love you, too," Brittany chokes out. "Please don't leave. Please, please don't leave."

"Never."

Thank you for reading. Please review.