Time Stands Still
"Hold on to this lullaby. Even when the music's gone."
"Brittany S. Pierce."
Time seemed to freeze in that moment. Brittany glanced around the area looking at each person, but none of them seemed to be moving. The room was quiet, so quiet that the sound of a leaf gracefully hitting the ground could be heard. Still no one moved.
Brittany began to tap her foot impatiently on the ground, waiting for the new selected tribute to go up on stage. The Capitol and the announcer didn't like to be kept waiting. The camera seemed to shift from person to person as if looking for the tribute. A few more moments of silence were all it took.
Time seemed to move again, and that's when Brittany realized who had been called. "Brittany S. Pierce." The woman called out in the microphone again. Noises began to become frantic. Every sound, every motion fell into place. Brittany felt Santana's grip on her hand slacken. She heard the brunette's breathing pick up, she could practically feel the girl shaking her head.
To make sure it was really her, Brittany looked around. She turned her head to see her mother, fresh tears glistening in her eyes. She looked over at her father to see him trying to remain stoic. She looked at Kay, poor, innocent Kay, looking so confused, she never understood these things. "Brittany S. Pierce, come on up dear." The woman said again, a little more impatient.
Brittany felt Santana become frantic. Shaking her head furiously, trying to desperately grip the blonde's arm.
Brittany watched the kids in front of her part like the oceans she used to see in the videos they showed her at school. Brittany took a step forward, her feet feeling like 100 pounds of flour. Another step soon followed. That's when she heard it. It was breathy and anybody else probably wouldn't have picked it up. A breathy no was released from her girlfriend's lips.
And soon followed another no, this one much louder. Another one, and then another one. Brittany had to bite her lip to prevent herself from turning around. She had to look strong in front of the cameras. If she shed a single tear she knew that she would be torn apart by the other viewing tributes later that night when they played the reapings.
Brittany reached the steps and looked at each of the peacekeepers as they turned to help her up. She could run, she could go and take Santana's hand and they could make a run for it. Live in the woods, or maybe find District 13. She realizes how ludicrous that is, she and Santana wouldn't make it a few feet without the peacekeepers getting them down.
As she got her foot up on one step, the woman gestured for Brittany to take her hand. As Brittany reached out for the green-haired woman's hand, all hell broke loose. "NO! NO!" Brittany turned around to see a crazed Santana at her wake. Pushing kid and peacekeeper to the side; no she was shoving them. "Brittany, no!" The peacekeepers tried to detain her, but that only made her shove them harder. "I volunteer! I volunteer!" She cried out. Brittany watched as tears streamed down her face, her hair flying all over. She watched as her girlfriend struggled in the crowds' grip.
The woman on the stage looked to Brittany, silently asking her. Brittany stopped she looked back at Santana. Then back up to the stage. She looked at the camera as it struggled to remain on her, or her girlfriend who continued to breakdown.
Brittany thought, and she hated herself for it. Santana acted like she was tough, but in reality she was all bark and no bite. When the girls first snuck out of the district and into the 'forbidden' woods, Santana wouldn't shoot any animal they came across. Brittany did, no matter how terrible she felt; she had a family to feed.
Santana would start up fights at school, starting with her vicious, vicious words. But once it got physical, Santana became their own personal rag doll. Santana wouldn't last a physical confrontation in the games, and that was pretty much what they were all about. Brittany was taller, stronger, and had great agility. Santana was quick, but was unable to use her strengths, too scared. That would cost her as soon as the countdown finished.
Brittany made her decision.
As she began to walk down the steps, Santana seemed to stop struggling as much. A smile began to form on her face as she thought that Brittany was letting her take her place. Brittany's heart broke. "Brittany." The girl breathed desperately.
Brittany bit her lip and looked away. And that's when Santana knew. "You can't do this for me." Brittany spoke quietly.
"Yes, yes I can." Santana reached her hand out and gripped Brittany's.
"You've protected me my whole life, it's my turn." Brittany stated strongly. She felt Santana's grip tighten, and watched as Santana shook her head.
"No, you can't do this Brittany. I need you." Santana started to become frantic again, her body shaking.
"Your family needs you. My family will need you. I was always the fighter Santana. I'm not smart enough to keep our families alive." Santana began to look like a child. A pout evident on her face, the shaking hadn't lessened, and tears streamed faster down her face.
"You're a genius Brittany." Brittany watched her desperation. "I can't lose you."
"And I can't lose you. Which is why I'm doing this. I was called, not you. You have to let me do this."
"No." Santana shook her head stubbornly. "Brittany, no." Brittany leaned forward and placed a kiss on her head. Inhaling sharply as she felt tears sting her eyes. Santana realized what was happening. "No. NO!" Santana tried to keep her strong hold on Brittany's hand, but Brittany pulled it away sharply. "NO, Brittany you can't do this! I need you! I need you, please!" Santana tried to push the peacekeepers away.
Brittany turned away and began to walk towards the steps, faster this time. She couldn't look back, if she did, she would run, she would run with Santana and she knew it. She heard Santana's sharp cries, begging for her to come back. Brittany did the best she could to shut herself off. As she reached the stage she took the woman's hand. Who looked more than relieved for that to have ended.
Brittany glanced back out into the crowd and watched gratefully as her father took Santana and slung her over his shoulder. Her cries only becoming louder, "Brittany, baby, don't! I love you please!"
The woman went back to the microphone and cleared her throat. Brittany looked on the stage and saw her soon-to-be mentor, Holly Holiday, throw her a glance. It was mixed with sympathy and bitterness, probably towards the Capitol. "Alright." The woman said, trying to gain the attention of the crowd. "That certainly hasn't ever happened before." The woman joked. The crowd remained quiet and pressed three fingers to their lips and raised them in the air. Brittany let a smile ghost her lips. A symbol of admiration, of goodbye.
The woman looked at the crowd confused, but continued the ceremony as it should. "Our next tribute is of course the males." The woman clicked her heels on the concrete and went over to the other glass bowl. Much like she had with the ladies she shifted her hand around, pretending to grab a slip, before moving her hand and grabbing one in the opposite side. The announcer took the slip of paper and held it in her hands, popping open the paper. She looked down her eyes scanning over the name.
"Samuel Evans." The woman spoke clearly. Brittany looked over to the seventeen year olds section and saw a blonde boy with his hair slicked back. Brittany instantly remembered him, fish lips. She couldn't help but let her heart ache for him. Samuel, better known as Sam, has two siblings, a brother and sister. He mostly cares for them while his family works, to get the food. Brittany doesn't know what they will do without their eldest child.
The boy bites his big lips and slowly makes his way towards the stage. There is a nervous glint in his eyes. He and Brittany share a look as he gets up the stairs. They were pretty good friends in school.
Both blondes had been deemed as dumb, which caused them to mostly drift together for classwork. Santana hadn't been a big fan of him then, but she has grown to tolerate the boy. As Brittany watches him stand next to her, she can't help but think that she could have to kill him.
No, she wouldn't do that. Somebody else will get to him. The careers, they'll take care of him. District 1 and 2 were practically trained at birth to kill. They'll take care of him. The woman clears her throat once more; she should really get that checked. "Go on then. Shake hands." A grin plastered on her face.
Sam stretches his hand out, and Brittany stares at it for a few seconds. She looks up at his eyes, frightened, but trusting. Brittany reaches her hand out and shakes his. She feels him give her a reassuring squeeze before releasing her hand. "Ladies and Gentlemen, our 74th Hunger Games, tributes!" The woman outstretches her hands to Sam and Brittany, the camera zooming in on their faces. Brittany does the only thing she can do, plaster on a fake smile. "May the odds be ever in their favor!" Brittany's smile falters as the woman leads them through the door.
"I'm Rachel Berry." The woman grins as they enter the cart, which will lead them to another set of rooms. "I will be a part of your team that helps to get you sponsors. Unlike your mentor, I will teach you manners and etiquette. That is usually what wins the sponsors over." Rachel grins. Brittany rolls her eyes and looks out the window. No, what gets you sponsors is by being brutal, ruthless, a killing machine. If you're weak you'll die before the first couple of days are up. Nobody wants a weakling to make it that far. Manners and etiquette only get you through dining with the tributes or with your district, nothing more.
"Now the first thing you will be doing is saying goodbye to your loved ones. You each get five minutes with them in your room, and then you bid them farewell." Rachel does a little wave and giggles. Brittany has the urge to wipe that grin off her face, but refrains. She takes a chance to look at Sam, and see tears streaming down his face. An occasional hiccup leaving his lips.
Brittany can't afford to do that. She knows for a fact that she isn't the strongest, or the smartest. If you come off as weak, it has to be a ploy. A few years back a woman named Johanna Mason, acted weak and fragile, only to brutally murder her opponents and win the games.
Rachel continues to ramble on, but Brittany stares out the window and watches as each building passes by.
Brittany leans up against the window and shifts her bottom on the ledge, staring out into the district. Kids can be seen ducking to see through cracks in the houses, some hiding in ditches. Their clothes matted and dirty. Brittany stares longingly out the window.
"It's beautiful up here." Brittany breathes, cuddling further into the person's embrace.
"Hmmm," The person hums, "not as beautiful as you."
"Santana," Brittany playfully shoves the girl. Brittany watches as a bird flies by, letting out a few tweets or a tune that it's carrying along. She looks around the meadow and smiles. "I wish we could stay here forever."
"Me too, love. But if we ever got caught out in the forest, I don't know what would happen." Santana strokes the golden locks that are splayed on her stomach.
"I don't want to know." Brittany shudders. She leans up and places a kiss under her girlfriend's chin. "I love you, you know."
She feels Santana grin. "I love you too." There is a brief pause. "We could do it." Brittany shifts under the other girl. "You and me, we could run."
Brittany snorts. "Of course we could Tana. But our families…"
"Would happily join us." She finishes with a smile, stroking some hair out of the blonde's face. Brittany leans into the touch, fantasizing a world without the Hunger Games. A world where Brittany and Santana would be married and have 3 kids, a beautiful home, like the ones in the Victor's Village. Santana would sing to her every night, and Brittany would dance for her every day.
"That would be nice." Brittany sighed. She feels Santana place a kiss on her head. She closes her eyes and goes back into her fantasy. They both soak in the silence, enjoying the embrace. "Tana?" Brittany whispers softly, careful not to disturb the peace.
"Yeah Britt?" She continues to stroke the blonde's hair.
"Can you sing for me?" Santana shifts so she can face her girlfriend.
"Any requests?" Santana teases; Brittany nudges her with her nose. Santana's nose scrunches slightly. "For you, there'll be no more crying. For you, the sun will be shining."
She's broken from her thoughts when the door bangs open. Brittany shoots up and looks at the intruder. "Brittany!" The little girl squeals. She rams into the blonde's legs and Brittany quickly leans down to hug her.
"Kay." Brittany breathes. She strokes some hair out of the tearful blonde's face. "I'm fine, everything's gonna be fine."
"No it's not! You have to go away! You might not come back!" The girl panics. Brittany glances up at her parents, who look like they're barely holding it together.
"I'll make it back fine, I promise." She strokes some more hair from the girl's face.
"You have to." Kay holds out her pinky, and Brittany gives her a watery smile before looping them together. "Tuck your tail in." She whispers. Brittany looks down at her dress and lets out a tearful laugh. She places a kiss against the smaller girl's forehead and stands up.
She slowly walks up to her parents. Unsure of how they will react. All three Pierces, stand and stare at each other. Augustan is the first to break the contest and embraces the blonde. "Brittany," He breathes, "Darling, you'll be fine." He whispers. And Brittany almost cries right there, because her dad knows her so damn well.
She feels another person embrace her. "Brittany," Her mother sobs. Brittany hugs her tightly and shushes her.
"Mama, it's fine, I'm going to be fine. You need to be fine okay? I can't come back to nothing, alright?" Her mother nods frantically, placing kisses on her forehead.
"Sweet, sweet Brittany, you don't deserve this sweetheart."
Brittany inhales sharply and thinks of Sam, "Nobody does." Brittany hears the door open and sees the peacekeepers nodding their heads to the door. The whole family embraces one more time, tears streaming down their faces, all but Brittany, and part from their eldest daughter and sister. Brittany waves. "I will win." She says determinedly. She watches as the door closes, and reaches to put her hand on the knob, maybe just maybe. As she turns the knob and looks out the creak she sees peacekeepers guarding the door. Maybe not.
Brittany closes the door, only to have it slammed open. Brittany thinks that maybe she set off the peacekeepers, but feels a pair of warm lips on hers. She quickly reciprocates and tangles her fingers in the raven-locks. The other girl slams Brittany against the wall, her kisses becoming desperate. That's when Brittany knows to pull away.
As she does, the lips become frantic, looking for a home. Desperate kisses are placed on any piece of skin they can find. "Santana." Brittany breathes.
"I love you." Is the only tearful response she gets. "I love you so much."
"I love you too." The lips get more frantic, more rushed. "Santana look at me." The lips continue. "Tana look at me." They begin to pull away.
Brittany finally sees Santana's face, and lets out a whimper. Her eyes are rimmed with red, and slowly becoming bloodshot. Tears stain her cheeks, and her lips are bruised from her kisses. Brittany reaches up and rubs the tears from her cheeks. Santana leans into her hand, craving her touch. "I can't live without you." Santana confesses quietly.
"I can't live without you either." Brittany returns. "But we're gonna learn how to." Santana shakes her head. "Just for now, just for a little while." Brittany reassures. "I'll be back, I'll win."
Santana nods, "You have to. I can't do this without you Brittany."
Brittany bites her lip, "Take care of them okay? It'll be practice alright?" Brittany strokes her cheek. "I'll be back, and when I come back, you and I, we'll have one of our own okay?"
Santana lets out a strangled sob, "I want it, I want it now."
"We can't have it now," Brittany chokes out, "but when I win, we will okay? A nice big one, in a beautiful house in the Victor's Village."
There are more tears, big, fat ones. "I love you so much; I'll love them so much." Brittany gives her a tearful smile.
"Sing to my family okay? Every night, sing to Kay and your brothers."
"I can't sing when you're not here. I can't sing when I don't have my dancer. What's the point in singing, if there's no one there to dance?" Santana sobs.
"I'm gonna be right here." Brittany says pointing to the brunette's heart. "Always."
"And forever." Santana finishes.
"We don't have much time, sing for me." Brittany whispers.
Santana nods frantically, pressing kisses to the blonde's exposed skin. "'Cause I feel that when I'm with you, it's alright, I know it's right. And the songbirds are singing, like they know the score." The peacekeepers come in. Santana grips onto the blonde pressing kisses on her lips as if they'll be her last. The guards begin to pull her out. Not before Santana gets out a few more lines. "And I love you, I love you, I love you." The door slams closed, and Brittany stares at it, feeling the tears she was trying to hide slip out.
"Like never before." Brittany finishes as she slides down the wall, and hits the floor.
A/N: Yay! This is technically the first chapter but trust me, once they get on the train, and things, the chapters will be LONGER! I was gonna update this on the weekend, but my sleeping schedule was fucked up, because I went to bed at 3 AM on Friday (which is pretty early for me), but didn't wake up until 5 PM on Saturday, so.
PSSOM is the next to be updated, holla!
Song: is obviously Songbird.
Disclaimer: I own neither the Hunger Games, nor Glee. If I did Glee would be 1000 times gayer/better.
