Warning: Language and adult content
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or these characters. I would have a very nice car if I did. Le sigh.

It's three AM in the fucking morning and I can't even tell you why I'm awake. That's the thing about summer—you stay up late for no reason; just because you can. I can feel my eyelids starting to droop and I'm thinking that bed sounds pretty good right about now. I'm home alone because my parents are away on vacation for their 20th anniversary, so I'm taking advantage of the absence by camping out in the living room in front of the TV, huddled under a blanket with a tub of ice cream in my hands. The room is dark and the flashing lights of the picture coming from the TV are starting to hurt my eyes. I'm about to reach for the remote to turn it off when my phone rings.

Honestly, who has the nerve to call me at this hour of the morning? Actually, who even calls at all anymore? I hastily put the lid on the container of ice cream and set it down on the couch next to me. The phone's lying at my feet and I pick it up slowly, not really caring if I miss the call since I'm not in the mood to talk. I glance at the illuminated name on the screen and have to do a double take to make sure I'm seeing it right. What's Brittany doing calling me? Brittany never calls me. We always text each other. I mean, calls are so...outdated.

I fumble with the screen and slide it up clumsily as I try to catch it before it goes to voicemail. Brittany is my best friend after all, she actually deserves my time.

"Hey, B..." It's almost a question more than a greeting. There's no response from the other side so I continue. "It's like three in the morning, what's up?" I stifle a yawn as I check the clock.

From the other line I can just barely hear the sound of movement. She's walking or something, outside too. I hear a car drive by and wonder what she can possibly be doing outside. When she still hasn't said anything, I wonder if she's sleepwalking again. Although, going outside would be taking it to a whole new level of adorably creepy.

"Brittany...are you there?" I lower my voice as my annoyance grows.

It's quiet for a few more seconds until the sounds of muffled sobs are in my ear.

"San..." Her voice cracks and I wince at how small her voice sounds.

"I'm here." I say.

"C-can I come over?"

I press the phone hard against my ear to hear the quiet words that are even more obscured by the sounds of sniffling and heavy breathing. She sounds scared and that worries me.

"Of course, B. You know you're always welcome here. What's the matter, though. Are you alright?"

"I just," she stutters on the words, "d-don't know where to go right now."

The exasperation and sadness in her voice is making my adrenaline pump and I look down to notice my free hand has a death-grip on the couch.

"Is everything okay, B? Why don't you stay on the phone until you get here..." My voice trails off as I realize that the other end has gone quiet and I check the screen to see that the call has been ended.

Fuck. What is this all about? I anxiously tune back into the TV to distract myself from the possible shenanigans Brittany could have gotten herself into. Brittany is arguably the sole existence of my being and helps me keep my sanity, but sometimes she scares me. Let's face it, she's not the sharpest tool in the shed. But, she's my Brittany and I love her.

Twenty minutes go by and I don't hear from her. I'm done with the ice cream, so I get up and head into the kitchen to put it away before the rest melts. As I'm opening the freezer, the doorbell rings. My heart begins to pound rapidly in my chest and I carelessly throw the ice cream inside and slam the door shut.

I race to the front door and quickly peer through the peephole. I recognize Brittany's blonde hair and retract backwards, relaxing a little knowing that she's safe. Gripping the doorknob in my hand, I pull it open.

"B, you worried me—" My words were cut off by what I saw.

It certainly was Brittany in front of me, but not in a way I had ever seen her. The normally clean cut, well-manicured, happy-go-lucky blonde was replaced with a dirty, sulking, lifeless girl that I hardly even recognized. Her jeans were ripped at the knee—they definitely didn't come that way—and her tank top was covered in dirt. Actually, I stand corrected. Her whole body was dirt-covered; her jeans, arms, hands, even her face. Uncharacteristically, her usually flawless voluminous hair was tangled and knotted and seemed to lack it's normal glow and luster as it hung itself lifelessly over her face.

"The hell...?" I murmured.

"I wasn't sure of where else to go." She whispered with a twinge of sadness and confusion in her voice.

I shook my head furiously. "No, no. It's fine. Come in." I reached to grab her wrist to pull her inside but as my fingers grazed her arm she quickly whipped her hand away. I looked up at her in confusion and narrowed my eyes. Who was this Brittany? What happened to my Brittany?

"Oh...sorry." She apologized as she took in my face. With a brief flash of a fake smile she offered her dirty wrist to me and I grabbed it hesitantly.

We walked inside and I carefully sat her down on the couch in the living room. Flicking on the light, I squinted to adjust to the sudden brightness in the room. Once my vision adjusted, I blanched at the sight of my best friend just feet away from me. Not only was Brittany looking a mess, but her cheeks were red and tearstained and her eyes were puffy from crying. What scared me the most were the long angry scratches that ran down her right arm and the bruise that wrapped itself around her left wrist.

I swallowed slowly and my pulse quickened. No, no, no, no. Please don't be...

"What the fuck happened?" I tried to keep calm as I sat down next to the blonde. My words were quiet and sounded pained. Luckily, I knew Brittany would overlook that.

She looked down at her feet and the room grew silent. With me perfectly still in anticipation—not wanting to miss a single word or movement from the blonde—the only sound in the room came from the slow breathing of the girl next to me. Her breaths were ragged and heavy and it was clear that she was doing her best to control them.

"B..." When I had determined that I would get no answer, I shifted my position a little in an attempt to get her attention. Thinking back to my gesture in the doorway, I haphazardly extended a hand and rested it on her knee. She flinched a little but kept her composure and her stare remained fixated on the floor.

"Please talk to me."

"I couldn't go home..." She replied softly.

"That's fine. It's okay. Just tell me what's going on." I gave her knee a comforting squeeze.

"I-I can't." She leaned over and buried her face in her hands.

My free hand found it's way to her back and began rubbing small circles on it. "B, you know you can tell me anything." It felt odd to have to remind her. We had been best friends for as long as I could remember. Brittany had always been an open person—to me, at least. Communication had never been an issue. It bothered me to know that there was something she didn't want to tell me. Even if I had already guessed what that thing was, since the longer I sat here with her, the more apparent it became. I didn't want to think about it, though. It just didn't seem possible. But I also didn't want to assume—Brittany had gotten herself into some crazy shit before. And this certainly wasn't something I wanted to just throw out there. No, it's too much of a serious issue for that. I wanted to hear it from her.

She didn't respond to that so I kept talking. "Really, B. You can tell me. No one cares about you more than I do. Let me help you...please."

Slowly maneuvering her head out of her hands, she swallowed hard and sat up. Nodding her head slightly in response she inched closer to me so that our thighs were touching. "I know." She murmured, her voice barely audible.

"Please?" I pleaded again.

It was quiet for a few moments until she quietly said, "He hurt me, San."

And like that she was enclosed in my arms sobbing against my shoulder. I too found myself tearing up and fighting against the urge to cry along with my best friend. But I sucked it up. Brittany needed me, not some wallowing bitch.

Her cries pierced my heart like a needle against a balloon. It was so hard to see my best friend like this. And although I was usually quick to pull her out of bad moods and take her mind off whatever happened to be bothering her, I knew that there was nothing I could do this time. So I let her cry. And cry, she did. We probably didn't move for fifteen minutes straight. She just stayed pressed against my body with her face buried into my now soaked shoulder. My arms never left her and with each passing minute I did my best to hold her tighter than the previous.

Finally, I felt the heaving of her chest slow and halt itself as she regained her composure. Slowly, she backed herself away and leaned against the back of the couch. Wiping her eyes with her arm, she pouted at me.

"Sorry..." She whispered, gesturing at the puddle on my shoulder.

"That's okay," I reassured her with a smile. That's my Brittany. Always worried about the little things rather than the main issue at hand.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" I probed gently.

"I don't know..." She replied softly. "I just don't really understand..."

I sighed. This was not really something I wanted to explain to my best friend—particularly in this situation.

"What don't you understand?" I conceded.

She inched closer to me on the couch and laced her fingers with mine and rested our intertwined hands on my thigh.

"Well, I was just outside going for a walk. I wanted to go see the ducks at the pond—they're pretty. But, I forgot where the pond was and next thing I know I was by myself and it was dark. Then, I realized it was night time and I had to go home. So I was trying to find my way back and I was just about to find it—I really was, I just had that feeling, you know?—when next thing I know this guy grabbed me and started pulling me away. And I didn't know what was going on so I started to scream, but he covered my mouth so I couldn't."

I nodded to assure her that I was following her. Swallowing hard, I did my best to conceal how horribly uncomfortable and upset I was feeling.

"But then he was on top of me and taking my clothes off..." Her voice began to fade and I squeezed her hand lightly to tell her know that it was okay to keep going.

She swallowed and continued slowly. "And then he was hurting me, San. I don't get it. Like, we do that with boys, but it didn't feel like this. This felt different than that. And I just don't understand. I don't like how it felt...

Her eyes glossed over again as she fought back tears and I untwined our hands to pull her body against mine and wrap my hands around her lean figure. "I know. You're right, it was different. And it wasn't a good thing, B. I'm just so, so sorry that had to happen to you. Are you okay?" I would have to explain the rest later. I just couldn't handle that conversation right now.

She nodded her head ever so slightly, although I wasn't entirely confident enough to believe the gesture. "My legs hurt. And my arms." She said, motioning at the scrapes and the bruise. "I just want to forget it ever happened."

"I don't blame you." I concluded, hugging her tightly.

Neither of us said a word for five minutes while we each took comfort in the other's embrace. Finally, I spoke. "Here, you need to take a shower. C'mon." I stood up and locked my hand with hers, being careful not to hurt her fragile body.

I led her to my bathroom and sat her down on the toilet while I started up the water. She stared at the floor and I repeatedly stole glances at her while she wasn't looking. It broke my heart to see her so defeated and hunched over in sadness and confusion.

Once the water was comfortably warm I helped her up off of the toilet and probed her to take her shirt off. She did so nervously, but didn't protest. Then, I helped her remove her jeans. The sight of her bruised blue and purple thighs made my heart skip a beat and sent it into overdrive. I had to fight back tears and I looked up at her sadly. She just stared back into my eyes and nodded solemnly as if she was already aware of her own plight.

When she reached out her arms and threw them around my neck, I wasn't sure if she just needed my comfort or if she was actually comforting me. But either way I accepted the embrace and eagerly threw my arms around her scarcely clad back, not really even noticing the fact that the blonde was mostly naked.

"Thank you, Sanny." She whispered into my ear.

"Mhm." I nodded. I kissed her cheek lightly and then pressed her face to my chest. "I love you."

She too nodded and then pulled away. Turning around, she allowed me to unhook her bra and it fluttered to the floor. When I reached down to remove her underwear, my fingers lightly grasping the cotton material, she jumped back suddenly with a look of panic sprawled across her features.

I looked up at her frightened expression and quietly whispered, "You can trust me." She studied my face intently and stared mournfully into my eyes. With a final nod, she gave me permission and I finished undressing her.

Gently tangling our hands, I helped her into the shower and closed the curtain. I felt like crying and despite the strong protective and instinctive urge to stay with Brittany, I sort of felt like being alone and crying for my best friend. No one deserved this. Not criminals, terrorists, evil dictators, or even the always-obnoxious-granny-sweater-cladded Manhands. But most importantly, Brittany didn't deserve this. Not my Brittany. Honestly, what had she done to deserve this? Not even karma would stoop low enough to something of this level. It's not like Brittany's even that bad of person. Sure, she's a Cheerio who's basically made out with everyone at McKinley—but that doesn't mean anything. Not in terms of this. She's always been nice girl, if anything my bitchiness has tainted her. I'm the one to blame. But it's not even that bad. Dammit, who am I even kidding? That girl has the biggest heart I've ever seen. Karma was not behind this one, it couldn't have been. But it just isn't fair. She didn't deserve this. If anything it should have been me. And I swear if I ever figure out who did this to her I'll rip their throat out and send it through a paper-shredder, (but not before I've forcefully removed their reproductive organs without any form of local anesthesia aside from the ass-kicking I would give them prior.)

"Wait, Santana..."

"Huh?" I turned around as I was pulled from my thoughts to see that Brittany had her head poking out from the curtain and I was halfway out the door.

"Could you stay here?" Her voice was quiet against the pounding of the water on the shower floor but dripped with sorrow nonetheless, and I again fought back tears. Damn. I knew I should have gone with Coach Sylvester when she went to have her tear ducts removed.

"Oh, sure. Anything you want, B." I reassured gently, a little surprised by the question.

"Thanks." She replied meekly and stuck her head back inside.

I took a seat on the toilet and fixed my gaze on my feet. The room was quiet for a long time—almost uncomfortably so. Brittany had always been one to the sing in the shower, and it pained me not to hear her sweet voice. But then an idea struck me. It was pretty impromptu and random, but it felt right—so I went with it. Opening my mouth, I let my voice carry through the room.

"Let me be the one that can take you from all the things you've seen.

And if you trust in me then I can be there for anything you need.

Give it all to me, baby.

Don't you run from me, baby.

I'll give you every little piece of me.

No, I won't leave out a thing.

'Cuz I...

I know you've seen a lot of things in your life.

It got you feeling like this can't be right.

But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you, baby.

I know you've seen a lot of things in your life.

It got you feeling like this can't be right.

But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you, baby.

Let me show you, love can be easy.

If you just let it be.

Nothing is promised, but I believe it.

If you give it everything.

I'll give you everything that I've got.

I won't stop until you get it right.

All the trust, and all the love.

You know we got a lot, baby.

I know you've seen a lot of things in your life.

It got you feeling like this can't be right.

But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you, baby.

I know you've seen a lot of things in your life.

It got you feeling like this can't be right.

But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you, baby.

I trust you.

I love you.

I want you.

I need you.

Baby, I breathe you.

Never leave you.

Life wouldn't be the same without you.

I trust you.

And I love you.

And I want you.

And I need you.

Baby, I breathe you.

Never leave you.

Life wouldn't be the same without you.

I know you've seen a lot of things in your life.

It got you feeling like this can't be right.

But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you, baby.

I know you've seen a lot of things in your life.

It got you feeling like this can't be right.

But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you, baby."

It was nearly five in the morning and I was beyond exhausted, but I was calm knowing that Brittany was safe here with me. I had given her some comfy sweatpants and a t-shirt of mine and fed her and helped her dry her hair so that she didn't have to sleep with wet hair, and now I helped her up into my bed. Her body was beginning to feel the effects of the night's occurrence and her muscles tightened and she cringed against my hands as she climbed up onto the bed. I tucked her in on one side before I myself climbed in next to her on the other. I turned off the light on my nightstand and buried myself under the covers next to my best friend.

She slid herself over to me and I draped an arm across her body as she snuggled against my frame. I'm not going to lie, sometimes I dreamt about spooning with Brittany, but under entirely different circumstances. And tonight, there was nothing I wanted to do more than hold her in my arms, whisper in her ear that everything would be okay, and protect her against whatever forces of evil attempted to pry her from me.

"I love you, San." She whispered, "Thank you for everything. You always make things better."

I nodded and finally closed my eyes. "Of course." I replied quietly. "And I love you too—so incredibly much." I pressed my lips to her forehead before allowing my head to become one with my pillow.

I would have never imagined that anything like this could have possibly happened to either of us. And as much as I don't want to think about it, it's reality and I have to face it. Things are going to be tough and that's life. You can't just avoid what life throws at you, no matter how much you may hate it because what's happened happened and you can't change the past. But regardless of the circumstances, I'm happy now. Because all that matters is that I'm here and I've got my Brittany.

Well I hope you enjoyed! There are a lot of flaws with this and I got my tenses mixed up a lot but I don't really care particularly since the majority of my writing takes place during the wee hours of the night/morning. And I wasn't planning on including a song at first, but then I thought, 'How cute would it be if Santana sang to Brittany?' And that's that.

Please review if you like it. These two are my favorites so let me know if you'd like to see more about them. :)