Hello, all. Thank you soooo much to answer that reviewed or even favorited or followed the first chapter! I'm sorry it took so long to update, but as I'm sure you can all understand, my hatred of anything Glee lately makes it hard to want to devote any time to it. So basically, this isn't the conclusion. This has turned into a three or possibly even four shot, depending on what I end up writing. I'm not going to label it as either, just go with the flow. This originally wasn't supposed to be so long, but it ended up being that way, and I knew it would take me ages to get to the rest of it, so I just kind of threw something extra in to finish this chapter off. Their isn't any actual Brittana interaction in this chapter, but lots of talk of one another, and it's mostly set up for their reunion next chapter, and touching on issues that needed to be addressed, in my opinion. So I hope you still like it and will leave a review to let me know if you do or not. Enjoy!


This time, it is different.

Santana thought it would be hard to be best friends with Brittany after everything, but it's been almost a month of daily phone calls, texts and Skyping, and it's actually been pretty great. It's a bit awkward to start, but they quickly find out which topics are safe and which ones need to be avoided, and they find their rhythm.

Brittany will text her during the day, with the name of a song, which person is singing it, and a one emoticon review of the performance. She'll call her at night and recite the insults Sue used in practice or whatever moronic lessons Finn tried to teach that day. And when they're able to Skype, Brittany will hold up a test or assignment she did well on, practice a song she wants to perform in Glee, or even make her talk to Lord Tubbington (who she'll never admit she misses).

Still, on the nights Brittany doesn't call her, she can't stop herself from wondering if it's because she's busy doing something with Sam. She always apologizes the next day and tells her that she had a lot of homework or studying to do. She always believes her, but every time it happens, it's a little reminder that things aren't totally the same as before, that the two of them could never really be just best friends. It's kind of painful, but it's also a little bit reassuring at the same time.

There are things she keeps from Brittany, too. She doesn't tell her about the time she bailed on open mic night at a local bar after the guy performing before her sang Landslide. Or when she may or may not have purposely spilled a drink on her co-worker's boyfriend after he introduced himself as Sam. She doesn't mention the blonde she got to third base with in the restroom of the first gay club she went to with Kurt, or the redhead she hooked up with at a NYADA party she got dragged to.

And she definitely doesn't tell her about how she changed shifts at the bar she works at to avoid the nice, pretty girl that comes in every night at the same time and flirts with her. Though, she does make the mistake of telling that one to Kurt and Rachel.

"I thought we told you to go for it!" Kurt screeches when he hears the news.

"You did," Santana confirms with a shrug. "But since when do I listen to the two of you?"

Rachel pats Kurt on the shoulder, signaling for him to let her handle this, and she takes a step closer to the other girl. "Now, Santana. I have seen this girl, and she is both attractive and interested in you. I understand that you still have feelings for a certain blonde back in Lima, but the fact of the matter is, you're not together anymore. You're single, and in New York, and it's time for you to experience new things, new relationships, much like Kurt and I have."

"I didn't ask for your advice, Berry," the taller girl snaps, brushing past her and walking over to the table, hoping to find something there that will make her look busy. "I'm not looking to date anybody, just drop it."

Rachel opens her mouth to try again, when Kurt raises his hand to stop her. "Santana, I know you're scared to move on. Brittany is all you've ever really known, and you think if you start dating someone else, the break up will feel more real. But the truth is, it's already real. Brittany is in another state, she's dating Sam. It's time for you to move on."

"Look, Ladyface," Santana starts, dropping the envelope she was holding and turning around to glare at the boy. "I don't remember forking over a grand to listen to your bullshit pop psychology, okay? You don't know anything about it, so keep it to yourself."

"But I do know," he argues, placing a hand to his chest dramatically. "Blaine was my first boyfriend too, my first everything, really. And I was heartbroken when we broke up, and was sure I would never love again. Yet here I am, in a new and exciting relationship with a cute new boy. I don't love him yet, but maybe I could someday. Maybe you could love the cute bar girl. Or some other girl, you don't know if you don't give her a chance. She could be the one!"

"She's not the one," she insists with all the conviction in the world. "Brittany's the one."

"I know you think that," Rachel interrupts, moving over to join her friends. "I thought Finn was the one, too. Maybe he is, but I'm starting to realize that he might not be, that there could be someone else out there for me. Someone that I might have bypassed had I still been tragically hung up on Finn. Obviously that wasn't Brody, but like they say, there are plenty of other fish in the sea."

Santana rolls her eyes, and crosses her arms over her chest. "You two think you're the experts on this, because why? Maybe Finn and Blaine aren't the ones for you, but that doesn't mean Brittany isn't the one for me. If you want to go fishing, have fun, but I'm fine the way things are."

"Didn't you tell us that Brittany encouraged you to date?" Kurt counters back, earning a nod of agreement from Rachel. He's going to try a different approach. "I know you two plan on getting back together after she graduates, but that's months away. What's wrong with just trying to date a nice girl that obviously likes you? You're not getting married to the girl."

"Kurt is right, Santana," Rachel agrees, turning around on her heel to follow Santana into the living room, when the girl lets out a huff and stalks over to throw herself down on the couch. "You're in an exciting new city, with new people! You're changing and growing up. You should be allowing yourself to be open to new relationships, as well. Not holding onto a high school one. That is not to say that you and Brittany will not one day be reunited in sapphic bliss, but what's the harm in getting out there in the meantime? You could learn and discover new things and grow as a person. What was it that you said Brittany told you? That she was just wasting time with Sam? Why not do the same? What are you afraid of?"

"Moving on," Kurt chimes in, acting like some wise gay relationship guru. Santana can't stand it. The guy has been in one real relationship in his life, and he thinks that just because he's dating some foreigner now, he suddenly knows everything about dating. "She's afraid of dating someone else and falling for them, and finding out that maybe her relationship with Brittany wasn't as special as she thought, that she can find happiness with someone else. That maybe Brittany isn't the one after all."

"Jesus, talk about projection," Santana responds with a glare. Her friends stare back at her, just waiting to hear what she has to say if she's going to reject Kurt's theory. She sighs, and grabs a pillow to hug to her chest. "Look, I'm not scared of anything. I know Britt's the one for me, but just because she is, that doesn't mean we're going to end up together. I don't have that same kind of faith in fate that she does. Shit happens. Everyone supposedly has a soul mate, but they don't always end up together, right? That hack Nicolas Sparks wouldn't have a career if they did. I'm not about to tempt fate by dating some random girl because I feel a bit lonely." She thinks back to what Brittany told her about her experience with waiting. She knows the blonde told her to discourage her from doing the same, but it had the opposite effect. "You know back in Junior year, the only reason she started dating Artie was because she got tired of waiting for me to figure my shit out? And when I did figure it out, and told her how I felt, it was too late, because she was with him, and didn't want to hurt him." She spent so long being angry at Brittany for that, but she thinks she gets it now, because looking back, she wasn't ready and Brittany knew that. "And the same thing happened with Sam. She was lonely and started dating him, and when I finally came to my senses, it was too late."

"Sam isn't the reason you guys didn't get back together, though," Kurt points out, knowing the conversation the girls had pretty well. It had taken some pushing, but Santana had eventually confided in them about her talk with Brittany.

"No, but he didn't help," she reasons with a shrug. "The point is, timing has always been a bitch to us, so I just don't see the point in dating some girl I don't even like and risking something like that happening when Brittany finally gets here. We've wasted enough time."

Kurt and Rachel share a look, not sure what to say. Kurt thinks they should just leave it at that, but of course Rachel has to open her mouth. "But isn't that a little unfair? How come you have to be the one to make that sacrifice, while Brittany is dating Sam? She gets to have him now, and then get back with you later, no questions asked?"

"I broke up with her and told her she could date other people," Santana reminds her friend. She hates the thought of Brittany with Sam, but knowing Brittany's feelings for him, softens the blow. "I know she told me the same thing, but I don't mind. Unlike you losers, I don't need to be in a relationship to feel fulfilled. Besides, it's not like I'm wearing a chastity belt. If I wants some, I gets some. So just mind your damn business and let me make my own decisions, kapeesh?"

The duo reluctantly nods and lets the topic drop, much to Santana's relief. She's learning to tolerate them, but she can still only take so much, especially when they try to butt into something they know nothing about. Brittany was right, she doesn't really believe in fate, but she does believe in Brittany, so she's trying really hard to trust in the universe to make everything right soon, but that doesn't mean she's going to test the bitch.


Mercedes' grandmother gets sick in March, so it's not really surprising when she comes home to spend her Spring Break in Lima with her family. McKinley's break isn't for another week, but she's able to make plans to get coffee with Brittany at the Lima Bean on the only day Brittany doesn't have any after school activities.

"Satan tells me you're doing great in school, on track to graduate," Mercedes comments, after they finish discussing which celebrities she's spotted since moving to LA. Brittany grins, her smile half proud, half bashful, and nods. "I'm so happy for you, Britt."

"Thank you," the blonde replies, not used to getting such sincere praise from someone that's not Santana. Mercedes has always been really nice to her, and she was super supportive of them during Santana's outing last year. Everyone in glee club was, really, but Mercedes and Sugar had been the nicest. "I don't think I've ever studied so hard in my life."

Mercedes hums in agreement, remembering how grueling school work can be. She's only taking a few classes at UCLA now, and they're all things she's interested in, so it's not too hard. "I don't miss that. But you've always been good at memorizing stuff if you were into it. All that cat disease and dinosaur junk."

"Yeah, I just have to find a way to make it fun somehow," Brittany explains, taking a sip of her coffee. "It probably helps that I don't have a super hot girlfriend distracting me this time around, too."

Mercedes laughs, remembering how obnoxiously in love her and Santana were last year. She surprised Santana even graduated. She thinks about asking why that doesn't apply to Sam as well, since as far as she knows, they're still together, but she thinks better of it. "Do you know what you're gonna do after graduation?"

"Not really," Brittany shrugs, not too worried about it. "I might try to do something with my dancing, or try to adapt Fondue for Two into a talk show for TV, or I might become a dog walker, I don't really know. I just know I'm going to New York."

"You could so do something in dance," she encourages with a friendly smile. She's been around enough artists in LA to know what managers and teams are looking for. "Your skills, with your blonde hair and pretty face? Not to mention your crazy personality? You'd be snatched up left and right for music videos and performances."

"You think so?" Brittany has always been into dance, having taken classes since she was young, but she never really thought of what kind of career she could make from it. It was always just something she did for fun, something she was actually good at. "I'm not sure if I want to go to school for it, though. Dancing has always just been fun for me, I don't want it to turn into something that's a chore, you know?"

Mercedes knows that feeling well. "I was the same way with singing. But Rachel and Kurt are basically doing that, and they seem to enjoy it. I guess it just depends on the person, or what the school is like." Brittany nods, considering it. "But you don't have to go to school like Mike is doing. You can always just put yourself out there, go on auditions, see what happens. It's what I'm doing."

"As long as I'm in New York, I'll be happy."

"What is it with you people and New York?" Mercedes questions, though in this case, she has a pretty good idea. "There are other places, you know? Why not come to LA? There's probably more dance opportunities there. You could stay with me, I've been looking for a roommate."

"Santana's in New York," Brittany admits, with a bashful shrug. She doesn't see the point in pretending when it's really obvious. "So that's where I wanna be."

"I know." Mercedes smiles at the girl and reaches over to give her hand a pat of reassurance. She pulls back and eyes the blonde, debating how to phrase her next question. "What about Sam?" Mercedes decides to keep it vague, because really, she's wondering about a lot of things. What are Sam's plans? Does Sam know Brittany is going to New York? Are they even still together? Is he even graduating?

The blonde pauses for a moment, not expecting the question. She knows it's kind of horrible, but she honestly hasn't really given much thought to how Sam would feel about her New York plans. She actually forgets she's even dating Sam half the time, since she's been so busy studying or talking to Santana and he always seems to be hanging out with Blaine. And when they do spend time together, it's nothing like it was when she was dating Santana, or even Artie for that matter. They mostly just sit around and watch movies or discuss random things that nobody else wants to talk to them about. The only reason they're even still together is because she's dreading having to break up with him and hurt his feelings. She still considers him a friend. "I don't know."

"Well, does he know you want to go to New York?" Brittany shrugs. "What are his plans?"

"I don't know," the blonde repeats, and starts picking at her muffin. "We don't really talk about stuff like that."

"Don't you think you maybe should?" She's not trying to attack or judge Brittany, she just doesn't want Sam to get hurt. They never quite could get it together, but she still cares about him and thinks he's a good guy. She thinks it was a little foolish of him to put himself in the middle of their relationship, that he should have known it would never work out in his favor, but he still doesn't deserve to be hurt. "If you're already checked out of the relationship and practically counting down the days until you can be with Santana, it's not really fair to keep stringing him along."

Brittany pouts and slumps down in her seat. She knows her friend is right. "It sounds so mean when you say it like that." Mercedes raises a challenging eyebrow. "But I know you're right. I do need to talk with him. I just don't like to hurt people. Especially after knowing how much it hurts to get dumped. I hate the idea of doing that to him. He's been really nice and sweet to me, and I know he really likes me, but…"

"But?"

"But I was never really into him like that," Brittany explains, frowning a bit at her own words. "I just really missed Santana, and thought maybe it would make me feel better, but I didn't know he liked me as much as does. I don't think I would have agreed to date him if I knew how he really felt." It's probably a weak excuse, because he did tell her he had had a thing for her for a while, but she didn't know he was that serious.

"Yeah, he moves pretty fast," Mercedes muses, remember how strong he came on last year when he first moved back. "Don't think about it too much. Remember how into Quinn he was? Or me? I'm not even sure if he remembers my name now. He's a big boy, he'll get over it soon enough and find some new girl to be the love of his life."

Brittany can't help but a crack a smile at that, because it's so true. Sam is a nice guy who always seems to get his heart broken, and she hates to add to that, but it's all for the best. It's not fair to keep dating him when she knows there's no chance of a future there. Sam deserves the chance to find some other girl that might appreciate his obsessive compulsive need to make love declarations and move way too fast. "I'll talk to him."

"Good." Mercedes sits back in her seat, pleased to have accomplished something in her visit back. She's actually missed the crazy glee club drama, and she can tell these idiots have obviously missed her advice. "Now that that's settled, please tell me this rumor I heard about Santana hooking up with Quinn isn't true." Brittany's face scrunches up in disgust and she fights the urge to gag at the reminder, and that's all the answer Mercedes needs. "Lord, I leave ya'll fools alone for a second and everything turns into a hot damn mess, I swear."


Brittany only manages to avoid Sam for a couple days before he corners her at her locker and invites himself over to her house that night to talk about something important, leaving her no choice but to agree. Ever since her talk with Mercedes, she's been feeling really guilty for everything. She always knew it was unfair to date him when she was in love with someone else, but recently she's just really started to feel bad about it anytime she sees him.

He arrives at her house right on time, and doesn't seem to notice anything is weird when she turns her head to avoid the kiss he tries to give her in greeting. He waves to her sister Ashley as they walk past her room, and he only gets a scowl in return. Brittany gives her a disapproving look, and follows Sam to her room.

When she enters, she finds that Sam has already made himself comfortable on her bed, so she makes it a point to sit in the chair she has set up in the corner. "I know you said you wanted to talk, but I actually wanted to talk to you about something, too."

"Sweet," he nods, repositioning himself to face her and flash her an excited smile. "But let me go first?" She doesn't think that's a good idea, but can't help but want to avoid hurting his feelings for as long as possible, so she just nods. "So, I don't really know what your plans are for break next week, but I'm hoping you don't have anything concrete, because I'm going to visit my family, and I wanted you to come with me, and meet them."

Brittany watches Sam practically bounce with excitement as she tries to process his words. "You want me to meet your family?"

"Yeah, in Kentucky," he explains, pulling a leg up underneath him. "I was talking to my mom about our plans and she asked what you were doing because she really wants to meet you, and then suggested I invite you along. And I thought about it, and she's totally right, because isn't that like a big step in a relationship sometimes? Meeting the family? I really want to take that next step with you, make us even stronger."

"Uh, I don't know," Brittany mumbles, not knowing what to say. Her eyes dart around her room, looking at anything but the boy who looks so out of place in front of her. "I don't really think that's a good idea."

"Come on, it'll be awesome," he insists, clearly missing just how uncomfortable she is at the suggestion. "I really want all the people I love to meet each other." He says it so casually, but Brittany almost swallows her tongue at the word. "Plus, I've really been thinking about what I'm gonna do after graduation, you know? And I think I might move back there to be with my family. I really miss them, and if I end up working, I think I could really help them out again." Brittany just nods her head mutely, silently panicking about how this is all just getting worse by the second. She already felt bad enough breaking up with him, but now he's talking about all of these plans and throwing the word 'love' around, and it's just making her feel worse for putting it off this long.

"Sam…"

"And I know we haven't talked about it yet," he continues, starting to sound a bit nervous. "But I was kind of hoping you might even consider coming with me?"

It takes Brittany a second to realize he doesn't mean for break this time. That he's asking her to move to another state with him after graduation. That what he's actually asking is for them to start planning a future together, when she's already planned out her future. With Santana. She can't put this off any longer. "Sam. That's… I'm really sorry, but that's not gonna happen."

"Why not?" he pouts, his shoulders deflating a bit, but not entirely. He clearly thinks he can talk her into this. "I know it sounds like a really big move, but I think it could be really great for us. There's some good community colleges there, if that's what we want to do, or we can work. It doesn't really matter, as long as we're together, right?"

"I'm going to New York," Brittany blurts out, not being able to handle his words anymore. When she sees his face fall, she immediately wants to take it back, to deliver the blow in a nicer way, but it's too late.

He waits a beat before speaking. "New York?" Brittany can hear something in his voice, but she can't figure out just what it is. She thinks it might be understanding, but not the kind where he's okay with what she's saying and agrees with it, but the kind where he gets what she's not saying and what her words really mean. He understands that when she says New York, what she really means is Santana.

Brittany has to look away as she nods and mumbles out her reply. "Yeah."

"But, why?" he asks, even though he knows the answer. He stares at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I mean, I know why. Santana, right?" This time, she can hear the anger and hurt in his voice and all she can do is nod again. "I don't get it. She broke up with you, she broke your heart. I was the one that took care of you. Fixed you."

Brittany bites the inside of her cheek. She doesn't like what he's saying or the way he's saying it. The way he's making himself sound like a superhero and Santana a villain. "You didn't fix me. If I was broken, Santana is the only one who could fix me, because she's the only one that makes me feel whole." Sam snarls at that. "You were a good friend to me, Sam. You were. You made me laugh when it hurt to smile, and I really like you for that. You've been sweet to me, but I'm sorry, I don't feel more than that and it's not fair for me to keep letting you think I do."

"But you picked me," he argues, desperately hoping that Brittany is just confused and that maybe he freaked her out with his talk about moving to Kentucky. "Santana came to get you back, she challenged me to a freaking duel, and you picked me."

"I did that for her," Brittany admits quietly. She wants to make him understand, but she feels like she's just going to make him more angry. "She was going to stay here to be with me, and she doesn't belong here. She was supposed to be in New York, I had to make sure she'd go there. And she wouldn't have if I picked her, or even made her think there was a chance we'd get back together."

"So you didn't pick me because you love me?" He remembers being so relieved and thrilled when she told him that Santana was leaving. Artie had tried to tell him that he should be worried, that he didn't stand a chance against Santana, but he had been confident then, and vindicated when Brittany picked him. Now, he feels like a fool.

Brittany takes a breath, and forces herself to look up at the boy when she shakes her head. She's lied to him for so long, he deserves to know the truth, even if it's painful. "I love Santana, I always have. You're really nice, and you were a good boyfriend, but she's Santana. I was always going to go back to her. She's my sea otter." She knows she's just hurting him more but she needs to make him understand why she's doing this. "You know that video, where the two otters are in the water and they grab hands and just float together? Santana showed that to me once, and told me it reminded her of us, cause I was her 'otter half'." Brittany feels her insides flutter at the memory, and she can't stop herself from smiling. "She said it like she was making fun of it, but I knew she meant it."

It hurts Sam to hear, and he doesn't know why she's telling him this. "Why did you even start dating me then? If you were always just going to go back to her? Why did you make me think I had a chance? You knew I loved you. I asked you to marry me! I called you my soul mate!"

"I'm sorry," is all Brittany can offer. Well, she could tell him the truth, that he was nothing more than a space filler while she waited impatiently for her days in Lima to be over, but even she knows that's not a good idea. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on like that. I just thought… I didn't think you really meant it."

"Why wouldn't I mean it?" he demands, raising a finger at her accusingly. "Unlike you, I'm honest about my feelings. I don't lie."

"I never lied," Brittany defends weakly. "I didn't. I never said any of that back to you." The boy scoffs at that, though he hates to admit that he can't argue with her, because it's true. It's not like he never noticed the most she'd say in return was that she liked his impressions, but he always just thought she was scared to love again, after being hurt by Santana. He thought that if he gave her time, she'd open up. "I didn't mean to say that you lied, I just meant… I didn't think you really meant it, because well, that's just how you are? Cause you basically proposed to Quinn when you were barely even officially dating. And then you were like stalking Mercedes after having a summer fling, and acting like she was your soul mate, but then you didn't even seem like you even cared about her leaving. I just figured you threw those kinds of words around without really meaning them. Or, maybe you thought you meant them, and you don't know that you don't."

Sam clenches his fist as he listens to her, growing more defensive as she continues. "I'm not stupid! I know what I feel."

"No," Brittany immediately agrees, shaking her head furiously. She knows from experience how much that word hurts and she'd never call someone that. She's really bad at this. She moves off the chair and carefully sits down on her bed behind Sam, but leaves a good distance between them. "No, I don't mean it like that. I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm saying, I've never broken up with someone before. Maybe it's different for other people, but I just know that what I feel for Santana, I could never feel for anyone else. But you seem to feel the same thing for everyone you date. Maybe you just really like the thought of being in love."

"Or maybe I am in love but girls keep screwing me over," he throws back at her, pulling his arm away when she tries to grab it. He pushes himself off her bed to put more distance between them. "I knew you were still sad about Santana when we first got together, but I thought you'd get over it. I was sad when Mercedes left, but I got over it and moved on. I just, I don't get why you can't just move on."

"Because we're meant to be together," she explains, like it's that simple. And to her, it is. "I don't think you can ever really move on when you love someone as much as I love Santana. I guess if you really have to, like if they die or something, but… Santana is in New York, and she still wants to be with me, and I still wanna be with her, so we're going to be together. And I'm really sorry that hurts your feelings, but that's what's going to happen, and you just have to accept it."

Sam shakes his head as he paces the room. He can't believe this is happening. He really thought he had already dodged this bullet when Santana came back before Valentine's Day, and now he has to find out that all his planning for the future was for nothing, because Brittany didn't even want to be with him in the present. "This is such bullshit. I can't believe you were just stringing me along, and you were never going to commit to me. If I didn't bring up Kentucky, would you have even broken up with me? Or were you just going to wait until after graduation and call me from the plane?"

"I was going to do it tonight," she tells him, bowing her head. She feels really bad that he's so upset, and this was the exact reason she had been putting it off for so long, but at the same time, she can't lie and say it doesn't feel freeing. "I didn't want to hurt you, but I knew I wasn't being fair, and Mercedes said-"

"Mercedes?" It hurt to know that anyone knew about this before him, but the fact that it was Mercedes made it worse. "Does everyone know about what a joke this relationship apparently was but me?"

"I'm sorry," Brittany repeats again, knowing it means nothing at this point. She really wishes he would just storm out now or something, and she could talk to him later, when he had time to calm down. She wasn't good with confrontation. "I'm sorry that I dated you when I was still in love with Santana, and I'm sorry I kept dating you for this long. But, there's still a couple months left of school! Maybe you can find someone else to date. Tina's looking for a boyfriend!"

Sam glares at her. "You think I can just move on that quickly? That you can just pawn me off on some other girl to make yourself feel better?"

Brittany shrugs helplessly, caught. She keeps trying to make him feel better, but it's just making it worse. She doesn't really know how to break up with someone. "I don't know, I just thought you liked having a girlfriend. And Tina seems to really miss having a boyfriend. So much so that she was willing to be in a sexless relationship with Blaine, which is basically what you have with Blaine now, isn't it? Seems like you guys might be perfect for each other."

"I can't be here right now." He looks at Brittany and all he can see in her eyes is guilt and pity, and he can't stand it. He shakes his head and stalks over to the door, pulling it open forcefully. "Don't come crying to me the next time Santana dumps you because some girl smiled at her."

Brittany winces as her door is slammed shut, and listens as the boy stomps down the stairs and out of her house. She sits in silence, biting her nails and feeling like crap until there's a soft knock at her door a few seconds later. "Come in."

The door opens and a tiny blonde sticks her head in, looking concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Ash," Brittany tells her sister, the tone in her voice betraying her.

"What was Fishface so mad about?"

The older girl glares at her for the name, having told her not to call him that several times. Most of the time she loves the influence Santana has had on her growing up, but sometimes it has its drawbacks. "We broke up."

"Really?" the little girl asks, her face lighting up at the news. Brittany rolls her eyes at the reaction and nods. "Finally! Lord Tubbington and I had a bet going on when you'd finally dump him, and I totally won."

"You're supposed to be making me feel better," Brittany tells her with a pout, crawling up her bed and pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Why?" Ashley asks, moving into the room and standing at the foot of the bed, her fingers running over the slits carved into the wood. "You've been wanting to break up with him for like a month. You didn't even like him."

"I did, too," Brittany argues, the feeling in her tummy getting worse the more her sister talks. "I like Sam, he's a nice person, I just didn't like him in that way. I still feel bad that I hurt him. I don't like to hurt people, you know that."

Ashley shifts in her spot, not knowing what to do. She doesn't like to see her big sister upset, but on the other hand, she's really glad that that Justin Bieber wannabe is finally gone. "Just remember it was the right thing to do and you would've hurt him more if you didn't do it now."

"I know." Mercedes told her that, and she's been telling herself that all week, so hearing her surprisingly wise ten year old sister repeat it, didn't give her much comfort, but she appreciates the gesture. "But it still makes my tummy hurt."

"I'm sorry, Britt," is all Ashley can offer the older girl. "I'll send Lord T in and leave you guys alone."

"Thanks, Ash." A moment later, Lord Tubbington waddles into the room and over to her bed. She reaches down and picks him up to cuddle. "I bet you're happy, huh? You're the only boy I'll ever need, anyways."

She hugs him tight, wishing he was someone else.


Santana is searching the internet for a good Facts of Life lesbian subtext blog when she gets a text. She absentmindedly grabs her phone, her attention still on her laptop screen until she reads the name of the sender. Ashley Pierce. Her man on the inside. She hurriedly clicks open the message, and the words immediately bring a huge grin to her face.

Jellybean to Snix! The Fish has left the building. I repeat, the Fish has left the building! The Unicorn is free! Over.

Santana can hardly contain her joy as she types out a quick thank you to her favorite kid in the world, her mind already going over a million different scenarios. She didn't doubt that Brittany would break up with him eventually, but she didn't think it would be this soon. Not having to think about how Trouty Mouth could be all over her girl at any point in the day was such a huge relief to her. She can't wait to tell her overbearing roommates the good news, so they can see that she made the right choice in waiting. Because they were one step closer now. This was really happening. Brittany is going to graduate, she's going to come to New York, and they're going to be together again.

Whatever that thing Brittany's always felt is, she can feel it now, too. She believes it.


I hope my Sam bias wasn't too strong with the break up scene. As much as I'm not a fan of his (I never really was, but he bothers me a lot this season, possibly irrationally, I don't know), and as much fun as it would've been to just make it as brutal as possible, I tried to refrain. He comes off angry here, but it's understandable, and given the way he handled his break up with Quinn (using Santana to get back at her) and the way he stormed out/away from Mercedes, I felt like he doesn't handle reject well (who does?), and well, he wasn't wrong in some of the things he said, imo. I've always thought he's in love with the idea of love, but hasn't actually been in it, because he doesn't seem to understand it with others. Like when he told Blaine he'd get over Kurt or whatever it was right after the break up. He likely views his relationships as seriously as Finchel, Klaine or Brittana do, when he's in them, and since he can move on so easily after, he doesn't understand why others can't, without realizing that maybe it's because his relationships weren't actually 'true love'. And I had a friend that said they felt Brittany was being kind of blunt and insensitive about talking about Santana to him, but that was kind of on purpose. She's never really broken up with someone (with Artie, he called her stupid, so she felt justified and not really bad, whereas here, Sam has done nothing wrong), she's not big on confrontation, and she can sometimes have trouble with tact and sensitivity to others feelings. And Ashley is Team Santana because if you've read my other Glee fics, I love Santana/Britt's little sister and I wanted to throw that in there. Anyway, just putting that out there to kind of explain my viewpoints on the subject and rationale for writing it that why because I was second guessing myself a bit after getting that feedback, but I ultimately didn't agree and well, am too lazy to change it even if I did. So if anyone felt the same, that's where I'm coming from.

I'd appreciate any reviews and promise to try not to take so long with the next part!