Sorry I haven't updated in a while! It's been a long few weeks for me. With a lot of ups and downs, but I'm updating now! I hope you enjoy it, and thanks to everyone who left feedback.

…

Chapter 4 – The Road

"Mom? Dad? Where are you?" Santana called into the darkness. She strained to see through the black, endless space around her, but she couldn't see.

"We're here, mija," Her father's voice answered from no particular direction.

"Where? WHERE?" Santana screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Right next to you sweetie…" Her mother's voice came as an echo.

"I can't see you!" Santana was crying now as she turned left and right, reaching for her parents.

"That doesn't mean we aren't right here…" Her father's voice was fading.

"No, I need you! I can't do this on my own!"

"You are so loved, Santana. Be brave, sweetheart. Be strong…" Her mother was fading too. She wanted to chase after them but she couldn't moved.

"Don't leave me!" Santana took a step and screamed when her foot stepped into nothing but air. She was falling. Falling to her death.

Santana gasped as she shot awake, panting and covered in sweat. She swallowed hard and looked around. She was in the tent, it had been a nightmare. She looked over and saw Brittany, who was still lying down, staring at her. She blinked away the tears that had formed in her eyes, trying to hid them from the concerned blonde.

"You were making weird sounds…" Brittany said quietly.

"I uh, was just having a bad dream, that's all," Santana got up quickly and unzipped the tent before stepping out into the crisp morning air. Brittany followed her down to the small dock that was on the water. Santana was sitting on the edge, the soles of her shoes just barely grazing the surface of the water. Brittany sat next to her and tried to analyze the expression on Santana's face.

"You miss someone…" Brittany concluded.

Santana kept looking forward, "I don't wanna talk about it."

Brittany inched closer and looked down at their hands, which now sat next to one another on the old wood of the dock. She contemplated holding Santana's hand. Instead she decided on something different. She bit her lip and hesitantly slid her pinky over Santana's and hooked them together. Santana's eyes widened and she tensed, but didn't pull away.

"You can tell me, Santana," Brittany urged her.

Santana rolled her lips into her mouth, trying to hold back tears, "I had a dream about my parents."

"You mentioned your dad yesterday…where is he now?" Brittany asked.

Santana shrugged weakly, "I don't know. Dead, probably…"

"Santana, don't say that! You don't know for sure!" Brittany scolded.

"Brittany, he was the head doctor for the military, he got called to the worst spot. And in case you haven't heard, that place has been blown to oblivion." Santana didn't mean to snap at Brittany, but she couldn't stop herself.

Brittany looked meek under Santana's stare, "Wh-what about your mom?" The question was barely loud enough to hear.

Santana's answer was equally as small, "She was murdered 10 days ago. Killed by a gang. And now I'm sure they're after me."

"Oh my goodness…Santana, I'm so sorry…" Brittany covered her mouth with her free hand and shook her head.

"Don't be sorry. A lot of people have died because of this fucking war," Santana shrugged sadly.

"I think we should say something on her behalf," Brittany said, sounding stronger now.

"No, we don't have to-,"

"She needs a proper farewell! Here," Brittany unlinked their pinkies and opened her hand for Santana to hold. Santana looked hesitant at first, but slowly, she reached over and laced her fingers through Brittany's. The warmth sent a shock running through her body.

"What do we do now?" Santana asked, still feeling uptight.

"What was her name?" Brittany asked.

Santana paused yet again, looking up into Brittany's eyes for a moment, "Cassandra. Cassandra Lopez."

"Okay!" Brittany squeezed Santana's hand and had a moment of silence before speaking, "Dear God…if you're really up there…When you see Santana's mom, Cassandra, can you give her this message, please?" Brittany asked politely, and in a way that made Santana smile to herself. Brittany then looked at Santana to speak. "Well, go on…say something to your mom," the blonde encouraged.

Santana cleared her throat and nodded, "Uhm…H-hi, mom. I miss you. I'm so sorry for what happened. You didn't deserve to die that way, especially when I need you so much. I hope you are watching over us. I-I…I love you Mami," Santana said, getting choked up.

They sat in a moment of silence as Santana tried to wipe her silent tears. Brittany was still warmly holding her hand. It felt nice.

"That was beautiful, Santana," Brittany nodded softly. They seemed unusually close at the moment and it made Santana's heart race. She hadn't felt that in a long time. It scared her a little. Before Brittany could say anything else, Santana muttered something about needing to start getting ready to leave before getting up quickly and walking back to the tent leaving Brittany confused about the moment they had shared there on the dock, and wondered if it would happen again.

…

"BeeBee, why do we have to drive so much?" Adi asked from the backseat. They had left about two hours after they woke up. Santana was scared of Hugo's gang coming after her. She didn't know if they knew where she was going, but she didn't under estimate what they were capable of. And now that she had Brittany and Adi with her, she really needed to keep her eyes open.

"Because, honey, it's not safe here, we have to go away where we can be safe," Brittany explained gently.

"I wish my mommy and daddy were here too…I miss them," Adi said innocently.

"I know. I wish they were too. They loved you a lot Adi. But you know what?" Brittany asked sweetly.

"What?" Adi was crying now. Brittany turned around in her seat to look at the little girl.

"I love you a lot too. I'll never leave you," Brittany wiped the tears from the little girl's face.

"Pinky promise?" Adi held out her little pinky for Brittany to take. Santana's mind flashed back to that morning, when Brittany had linked pinkies with her.

Brittany linked pinkies and smiled, "Pinky promise."

She glanced at the gas meter for what seemed like the millionth time and saw that she had about a quarter of a tank left. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and bit her lip. This didn't go unnoticed by Brittany.

"What's wrong? Something is bothering you…" Brittany observed. Santana pursed her lips in dismay.

"We'll need gas soon. I hope we can make it to the next big city. I think we're close to Minneapolis." Santana had a plan formulated in her head, she just hoped it would work.

"Why can't we just stop at a gas station and check the pumps?" Brittany asked, as if it were obvious.

"I know for a fact that we won't be able to get any there, we have to find a city with a big parking garage that had a valet service pump. Those don't require money to use because they're kept for the valets to use," Santana said.

"Wow, I would have never known that! How did you know that?" Brittany asked.

- Flashback –

"So Santana, tell me why you're here again? I'm working," Puck asked, handing a set of car key's back to their wealthy owner.

"Because, I need gas. Quinn and I are taking a road trip to the lake, but my parents didn't give me gas money…now, can you hook me up or what?" Santana asked demandingly.

"I might be able to get you some…yeah," he wiggled his eyebrows, "What do I get in return, Lopez."

"Well, what do you want?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. He looked her up and down hungrily.

"You know what I want," He said.

"Puck, I've already told you, I don't play for your team," she whispered.

"Oh come on, Santana. A semester ago you were all over me trying to prove how straight you were and now you're as gay as they come? What the fuck?" He asked, amused.

"I am NOT as gay as they come," She hissed.

"Well, no sex, no gas for you and Quinn..." Puck teased.

"Throw in some booze and I'll do it," she bartered.

"You got yourself a deal, Lopez. Now, grab your car and follow me down under the parking garage," he nodded.

"I owe you one," she said.

"Yes you do!"

- End Flashback –

"A friend of mine used to work as a valet in the city at a casino. He would always hook me up with free gas," Santana explained. "Hey, look at the map in the glove box. Find Minneapolis," Santana instructed.

"Um, I don't really…know how to read a map..." Brittany muttered. Santana looked at her oddly for a moment before pulling over on the side of the deserted highway. She took the map from Brittany's hands and examined it for a moment, calculating the time it would take to reach Minneapolis.

"Do we have enough to make it?" Brittany asked nervously.

"We should, as long as we stay en route." Santana folded the map and placed it in the center console. "It'll be tight, but I think we can make it." She started the car up again and pulled away from the side of the road. Adi was asleep again as the afternoon rolled in. They had made more small talk, but Brittany was getting bored.

"Do you wanna play a game?" Brittany asked.

"A game?" Santana thought she was kidding. "The world is in a nuclear war…and you want to play a game?"

Brittany nodded and shrugged, "Why not?"

Santana sighed and rested her elbow on the window ledge to lean her head on her hand as she drove. "Fine, what game?"

"Well, I'll tell you a fact about myself and you have to guess if it's true or false. If you guess right, you get to ask me anything you want. If you guess wrong, I get to ask you anything. And we always have to be honest," Brittany explained. Santana tensed.

"I don't know…"

"Please? I promise I won't ask hard questions!" Brittany looked at her with those big blue eyes and she had to give in.

"Alright…fine."

"Yay! Okay…Um, what should I do first? Oh! I know! I have blonde hair."

Santana furrowed her brow, "True."

"See! It's easy. Now you get to ask me anything!" Brittany smiled.

"Um…How old are you?" Santana asked.

"I turned 18 last month!" Brittany smiled as if it were a huge life accomplishment, "Okay, um, I can't dance."

"…True?"

"False! Now I get to ask you something! Hmm…What's your favorite thing to do for fun?" Brittany asked curiously.

Santana thought for a moment. What did she like to do for fun? Fun seemed so far off nowadays. Everything seemed so skewed by the war that the idea of leisure was becoming more and more lost.

"Well…I guess I sing a lot. At least, I used to anyway." Santana missed singing. It was a release for her. It let her express herself in ways she didn't normally feel comfortable doing.

"Will you sing for me?" Brittany asked.

"Not a chance," Santana cuckled.

"Please? Oh, you don't have to sing a lot…just a little! It would be so nice to hear somebody sing…and I bet you're really good!" Brittany begged.

"I'll think about it."

"Okay! So, next fact, my favorite candy is Dots."

"True?"

"Yep! Now you get to ask me again," Brittany grinned happily. Santana was amazed at how easy it was to make Brittany happy.

"Okay…Who's your favorite singer?" Santana asked.

"Britney Spears!" Brittany answered quickly.

"Britney? She's your favorite?" Santana raised her brows.

"Mhm! Cause we have the same name," Brittany informed.

"Your last name is Pierce," Santana said, confused.

"Well, my middle name is Susan, my last name is Pierce. That makes me Brittany S. Pierce, Brittany Spierce," Brittany said slowly. Santana looked at her incredulously.

"What?"

"Britney totally wants to be me," Brittany was joking, but her expression read otherwise. Santana understood, though, and she laughed. She actually laughed. Brittany laughed to, because Santana was laughing. Santana didn't even know why the hell she was laughing so hard. Brittany was just funny. "I like your laugh," Brittany grinned, "It's really cute."

"I think it's kind of annoying."

Brittany shook her head. "No, it's not. It's just…real. I like it when you laugh," Brittany looked down, but Santana could've sworn she saw blush on the blondes cheek.

"Uhm…isn't it your turn to tell me another fact?" Santana diverted.

"Yeah…I'm straight."

"True," Santana said with semi confidence. If anyone had a good gay-dar, it was her. And Brittany did not come off gay.

"False."

Santana's head snapped over to look at her, her eyes wide, "False?"

"I'm into girls…and guys too. I'm bilingual," Brittany smiled.

"I think you mean bisexual," Santana corrected, "bilingual means you can speak two languages. Like me, I'm bilingual."

"Well, you lost, so I still get to ask you something!"

"Right."

"Are you straight?" Brittany asked casually.

Santana was quiet for a moment, "No."

"Oh! Then you must be bisexual like me!" Brittany clapped her hands.

"Actually…I only like girls," Santana admitted quietly.

"Ooh! I've never met a unicorn before!" Brittany grinned. "At least not a girl unicorn…"

Brittany got stranger every minute. "Unicorn?"

"Unicorn means that you like the same gender. Like I have a friend named Blaine who's a unicorn! He only likes other boys. You're a unicorn too, since you only like girls," Brittany said like it was congratulatory.

"O-kay…" Santana nodded.

"Don't worry…I love unicorns," Brittany smiled flirtatiously. Santana blushed and looked back at the road.

"Um, next fact."

…

When they rolled into Minneapolis the conversation they had been having faded out. The city was destroyed. Santana was in awe. Remains of buildings stood, halfway intact. Adi was awake now and staring out the window. Santana swallowed hard and scanned the buildings for any signs of a parking nice venue where a valet pump would be nearby to fill up the tank. The gas light was on now so she knew she only had about eight miles left before they would run out.

"Look for anything like a casino or a nightclub…any place near a parking garage," Santana told them.

"Santana?" Brittany asked, "What about a hotel?"

…

"Okay, now, we have to be very careful down here. Don't get out of the car unless I tell you to, keep Adi in your lap…we don't know if there's anyone down here," Santana said as they sat, parked in the entrance to the lower level of the pitch black parking garage.

Brittany gave her a thin-lipped smile and nodded, the only sign of fear residing in her eyes.

"I don't like it down here!" Adi buried her face into Brittany's neck.

"Shh, it's okay Ads…we're just getting some gas for the car and then we'll be back on the road. I promise," Brittany cooed, rubbing the child's back.

"Here we go," Santana took a breath and put the jeep in drive, pulling slowly into the darkness, the only light coming from her headlights.

They drove past most of the parking spaces, swerving around abandoned cars and debris, Santana finally saw it, a caged off area with a gas pump inside. And even better, there were several empty red gas cans, waiting to be filled.

Santana pulled up to the gate and parked the car. She started to get out, but then paused to grab her gun from the center. Brittany shot her a nervous glance as she checked the ammo and unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Stay put, okay? I'm going to see if the gate is open," Santana assured her. The blonde nodded and swallowed hard as she watched Santana get out and move cautiously to the front of the gate where it was, in fact, locked with a simple masterlock and chain. She surveyed the area again, listening past the hum of the jeep's engine for any signs of danger.

She knew she could pick the lock, she just wasn't sure if she had a lot of time. But the gas was far too valuable to give up. Going back to the car, she opened the rear hatch and fumbled around for a tool kit, which included a multi-tool. She shut the hatch, Brittany and Adi still watching her carefully, and returned to the lock. She drew the smallest of tools from the multi-tool and tried to slip the small barbed end into the lock, but it was too big. She hissed in frustration and thought for a moment. Then she had an idea.

In a hurry she reached up and pulled a bobby pin from her own hair, which was up in a pony tail at the moment, and brought it back down to slip into the lock. She had learned to pick locks from Puck, of course. At that moment, as much of an ass that Puck had been, she was grateful that she had known him.

- Flashback –

"Puck, where the fuck are you taking me?" Santana asked in a low whisper.

"Listen, do you want to get your girl back, or not?" He asked as he pulled her towards the school football stadium that spring night.

"Yes, but…"

"Then you need to follow me. I'm gonna get you into the stadium and you're going to call her and invite her here. There's a picnic in this basket," he handed her the container, "And a blanket, too. Set it up in the middle of the field and tell her to come around to the back fence. I'll be up in the booth, ready with romantic music on cue."

Santana stopped in her tracks, "Puck…why are you doing this?"

"Because, you're like, the only real chick I know. Sure, it sucks that you aren't straight, and I'm gonna miss the sex with you, but you're pretty cool. And you're kind of like…my friend," Puck said, pulling her towards the gate.

"It's locked!" Santana pointed out.

"Give me a bobby pin," He held out his hand. She furrowed her brow and pulled one from her hair. He handed her the flashlight he had and focused on the lock. "Now, the trick with masterlocks is to hit every pin just right, and when you feel it click, then you go to the next one…" Puck gently moved the pin in the lock until finally, with a twist of his wrist, the lock clicked open and he held the gate open for her.

"Puck.."

"Have fun babe," he winked. She just leaned up, kissed him gently on the cheek, and walked past him.

"Puck," she stopped and looked at the mohawked guy, "Thank you."

- End Flashback –

She had only practiced a couple of times, but with a couple of tries, she finally got it open. Brittany sighed in relief when she saw Santana pull the chain from the gate and slide the chain-link doors open. She hurried back and hopped in the jeep, pulling in and stopping by the pump.

"Alright," Santana smiled proudly, "Let's fill her up!"

…

Hope you liked the change of pace! Tell me what you think!