Chapter 3

3am the morning after the bombshell

"Muuuum wake up." Abbie, Brittany's seven year old sister whined as she shook her sleeping mother's arm.

"Hmm whasit?" Mrs Pierce said sleepily not opening her eyes.

"I can't sleep." Abbie said sadly and her mum blinked at her confused.

"Why, are you sick?" Mrs Pierce's voice was rough with worry and she reached her hand out to feel her youngest daughter's forehead.

"No Britt is banging stuff, I think she's crying too, like when she thought Lord Tubbington got run over." Abbie said worried for her big sister.

"Okay honey, go back to bed and I'll go see your sister now." Mrs Pierce said calmly while inconspicuously pinching her husband to wake him. Now that she was awake she too could hear loud noises coming from down the landing along with barely muffled sobs.

Abbie nodded and ran out of the room and back to her warm bed tucking the covers around herself just like she'd watched her big sister do every night. The little girl wondered what could have happened to make her happy go lucky big sister so upset when they had Disneyworld soon. She definitely didn't like the sounds she could hear now joined by her mother's warm tone.

Back at 1am Brittany had still been shaking gently, fat tears rolling down over her nose and lips as her mind replayed the heartbroken look on Santana's face as she left. Even though the Latina had tried to stay strong while they sat in the park staring at the starry sky Brittany had caught flashes of despair and loneliness in Santana's raspy voice.

They way the brave Latina had seemed to deflate as she walked towards her car made Brittany so angry at the whole world. Breathing heavily through her blocked nose she wiped her eyes and resolved to take Santana's one piece of advice. Her girlfriend's genuine smile and sad eyes played in front of her the image vivid and so real.

Flashback

The two girls were laid out in the park Santana's arms wrapped around Brittany with the blonde draped over her chest. What should have been a beautiful moment was tainted with the both of them trying to forget the last hours.

Brittany was still shuddering with sobs listening to Santana's heart beating steadily, it hurt so much that they had put so many hours into their plans only to have it all ripped out from under them only with only two days to go.

"B please don't let our stupid parent's ruin your dream, let yourself enjoy every second of it you can ring me all the time and tell me all about it." Santana's shaky voice interrupted the blonde's painful thoughts.

"San you dreamed it too." Brittany said sadly, unwittingly sending a jolt of hurt through her girlfriend.

"I know B but at least you get to go." Santana kept the hurt out of her voice as a tear fell out of the corner of her eye and ran to her ear.

"I don't want to go without you." Brittany replied almost petulantly.

"B please don't be like that, you will love it it's Disney for christsake." Santana said sounding annoyed. It dawned on Brittany that the situation they had found themselves in would be so much worse if she wasn't going to Disneyworld at all.

"Sorry San I'll love it, I'm just gonna miss you so bad." She gripped Santana's side tightly feeling bad for not being a more sensitive girlfriend, this was much worse for Santana.

End flashback

Looking up the tired blonde spotted the completely empty suitcase next to her bed. Determined not to wallow anymore she dragged herself out from under her warm duvet but froze when she spied a tiny bundle next to her bed.

Anguish welled up inside her and she covered her lips as all the air left her lungs in a harsh cry. Hot tears burnt her ruddy cheeks as they rolled heavily towards her jaw. A cold sensation erupted in her abdomen consuming her entire being with hate and despair. Despite all of her girlfriends strong words all Brittany wanted to do was punch the crap out of her duvet.

She shot up onto her feet and began to furiously pack her suitcase. Memories of Santana and her laughing together as she folded and the Latina organised the suitcase flew through her conscious as she chucked any and all items in the general direction of the gaping chasm that was her empty bag.

Books hit the floor, jeans smashed heavily into the wall above her desk followed swiftly by t shirts and shorts. Exhaustion overwhelmed Brittany and before she knew it her back had hit the wall. Hard. Her knees gave way and she convulsed under the pressure and anger. Head swimming she slid down to the floor her back broke out in goosebumps at the cold wall and her heart beat loudly in her ears, drowning out the sound of her own heartbroken sobs. The sound of the door handle hitting the wall wasn't enough to get through to the distraught blonde face hidden in her already soaked palms.

Mrs Pierce ran past her frozen husband, realising her daughter was hysterical she tried to wrap her arms around the younger blonde but was practically thrown off. She was shocked at her normally gentle daughter's actions but powered through.

"Brittany bee what's the matter?" Mrs Pierce asked, trying to be nonchalant but the look she got from her daughter bloodshot eyes told her she hadn't pulled it off.

"Y-You, t-took Ssan a-and now I uh have to pack again but I caaaan't." She couldn't seem to take in enough breath to get a whole word out and her parents exchanged pained looks at the state she was in.

"We'll help you pack Britt, don't worry." Mr Pierce said using the most calming tone he could muster over Brittany's loud sniffles. None of them noticed Brittany's phone buzzing insistently in the corner.

Santana's homecoming had been full of tension on silent glares that were meant to feel that a slap in the face to the recipient. But instead of the apologies and hugs that Santana had been naively hoping for all she got were cold stares and shrugs so she did the only thing she could and ignored them completely.

Her room seemed cold and dark without the presence of her bubbly blonde girlfriend but even Brittany was only a reminder of what she would be missing for three weeks. Three torturous weeks. Her heart skipped with fear just thinking about it, there are so many dangers in a place like Florida and so many ways her talented girlfriend could get taken advantage of.

Making a mental note to go over stranger danger material with Brittany, but not without an eye roll at how lame that was, Santana pulled out her phone and sent her usual goodnight text eagerly waiting for the phone call she always received in return.

"Brittany Susan Pierce, this behaviour is ridiculous!" Mrs Pierce shouted tiredly at her now shivering daughter.

Brittany had been trying to tell her parents how to pack all of her things properly but they never listened right. Every time she told them how Santana would do it they would simply ignore her and do it wrong. Anger had been welling up inside her heart and each and every time they ignored her words it was like they were ignoring Santana's kind words (which no one else gets to hear anyway). The dam in her heart kept bursting and the anger manifesting itself in the form of the blonde hurriedly emptying the suitcase.

"No it's not you can't pack right, Santa..." She never got to finish that her sentence because her Mother was letting out an aggravated roar.

"For godsake Brittany, Santana isn't here and the fact that you can't accept help from anyone but her proves Mr Lopez's point about the two of you!" Mrs Pierce exclaimed, her voice heavy with weariness.

"What point?" Brittany asked annoyed that she was confused again. She could feel her thought processes slowing down as the hour got earlier.

"The two of you are too co dependent." Mrs Pierce said.

Brittany scrunched her face up in thought as she tried to remember what Santana had told her about that word. Her eyes widened when she remembered and her mouth gaped as if to form words but her mind could not seem to supply them for her. She needed Santana with every fibre of her being and loved her with every inch of her heart and soul, but she just could not find a way to verbalise those feeling so her mother would understand.

"I..." She started but the sound of the doorbell ringing and a fist banging on the front door cut her off.

Glancing at the clock she was not surprised to find the numbers 2:30 glowing back at her. She felt the exhaustion all the way through her bones and all her normally strong muscles felt weak. But all of a sudden none of those aches seemed to matter when the worried tones of her girlfriend broke through the grogginess.

Phew, this took ages to write I hope it's alright, not up to usual standard though I don't think. I seem to have become a review whore, like seriously I cannot do without them it's worrying me.

Thank you again to all those who have reviewed or will, your the best!