Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created in Glee. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is being intended. However, all original characters belong to me.

A/N: I couldn't stop my brain from working on overdrive, so another very quick update.

My original character is meant to be a more rounded and understanding female role than Emma, Holly, and Sue represent. As well as an adult, other than Will, that doesn't treat Brittany like she is a dumb blond. The last thing I want is to over use her like I feel Holly Holiday (I love Holly, but seriously one episode and she will be back, a little too quick for me) is slowly having happen to her, so criticism is welcome. You may notice something I haven't.

Alright, after this chapter, relationships with characters and situations should be considered AU unless something transpires in the show and I think it will work with my initial idea. I don't think Santana hates Artie, she is just very jealous of him.

Title: Broken

Rating: T – language

Summary: There is a new faculty member at McKinley High School, she says she is there to help the students, but will her being at the school expose a heavy secret that has been weighing on Brittany for quite some time?

Chapter 4

The bedroom was bright, crisp, and showed of very little use, but that was the role of the guest bedroom after all, used four maybe five times out of the year. After that the guestroom was meant to reek of posed Architectural Digest photographs. Brittany never enjoyed staying in this bedroom of her Aunt and Uncle's home. However, she was older, and the idea of sleeping in her cousin's bedroom was losing its appeal. So she digressed, and lived in the guestroom until her parents returned on Saturday.

"I can't believe we won, I mean, I knew we would the minute Rachel sang us her song, but to actually win It's amazing." Brittany lay across the double mattress. Her back resting atop a pile of throw pillows at the foot of the bed, she absentmindedly fiddled with his sockless foot.

Brittany and Bethany were staying with their Aunt and Uncle one more night. Her parents had to stay in Cleveland overnight. Their plane had engine had trouble and neither wanted to waist the money on a rental car. Once they had won regionals the group had all meet their parents outside the building. Everyone was ecstatic hugging whoever they could get their hands on. Brittany grinned wide, she hugged everyone, and even Santana before Santana had split apart from her quickly. Bethany rushed over jumping up and down in her hand was a discarded foam finger. Brittany pulled her sister into a hug before setting her down. She walked over to Cynthia and her Uncle. Artie couldn't hear the conversation. Brittany was visibly upset, nodded she walked back over to him and the others. "My mom couldn't make it. Plane was canceled."

"Brittany I –" Artie paused, he looked in the direction of the faintly opened bedroom door. It was much easier to talk at his house, his parents never cared about the door, but they also didn't know of Brittany's previous 'relationship' antics like Cynthia. "We really can't shut the door?"

She shook her head. "Nope, something about there being children in the house."

He shifted pulling himself up along the pillows he back rested against. Brittany's hand followed still playing with his foot. He smiled. The jester, though completely unnecessary, made him feel 'normal'. "Brittany, are you okay?" He watched her hand stop. "I mean, we haven't really talked since we saw Miss Holiday two weeks ago, and after we won you kind of drifted off into another place."

Brittany lifted herself, pulled her feet from under the pillow. "It's been crazy with my parents out of town."

Her parents being out of town had become her excuse for everything lately. Her behavior had started long before her parents' random vacation. Mike and Tina even become aware of her unusual antics after the song she had sung with Santana and Miss Holiday, asked him if there was something going on between the two of them. Artie, while confused by Brittany and Santana's actions, knew better this mysterious behavior had become worse following the song. But, it had slowly started to appear a few weeks after their Christmas vacation.

He fingered his glasses then pushed his bangs from his face. "You know you can talk to me. You've become really distant lately, and it's not because of a TV marathon or dance practice. Brittany, please just tell me what's going on. If it's something that has to do with Santana, you can tell me."

"Artie – I – it's really complicated. You don't know how much I wish I could talk with you about it. It's just she made me promised that I wouldn't," she interrupted with a stumbled of words.

This was one of the worst sorts of moments for someone with no ability to move their legs, he couldn't storm off. So he laid there, while Brittany sat atop the bed, in silence.

Santana Lopez maneuvered the contents of her locker. She needed that review packet for Chemistry. It wasn't in her binder, it wasn't in her backpack, and she knew it wasn't with Brittany anymore. She had asked for it back a few days ago. "Damn-it!' She quickly pulled herd her finger to her lips sucking, paper cut. The packet had been hidden by her enormous textbooks.

"Santana," asked Artie as he wheeled up behind her.

Santana clinched her teeth. She did not need this not now. "Yeah, Artie what's up?" She gave her best fake smile. He could see right through it.

"Look, do you know what's going on with Brittany," he had no tone of worry in his voice. Did Brittany tell him?

"You're her boyfriend. Isn't it your job to know what's going on with her?" She silently groaned. What did Brittany see in this guy?

"Yeah, well you're her best friend. So, she is going to tell you things that she won't tell anyone else," he countered back with irritation.

"Your point?" Santana stepped forward to start a faster stride, being in the hall even if it wasn't alone, made her uncomfortable. He wheeled in front of her, looked up in her direction no emotion crossing his face. "Move I need to get to class." She stepped beside him.

Artie groaned, it was useless, neither really got along, and he knew she only put up with him for Brittany. Therefore, what was the use? "Know what, fine. I just hope whatever problem you two are having is resolved, soon. Because there is something going on with Brittany that she isn't telling either of us." He rotated his chair in reverse turning to wheel himself down the opposite direction for his class before lunch. Artie did not see the look of confusion cross Santana's face or that she had turned back in his direction. He would find help from someone else.

ARTIE PICKED AT HIS SANDWITCH. He was never fond of the days he had to bring his lunch, or buy his lunch. Today though, today was just not a good day, and he had no appetite what so ever. He tossed Mike his lunch. Maybe he would eat some of it.

"Hey, Artie what's wrong," asked Tina.

He looked up from his food. "Huh? Oh it's Brittany." He began placing his food back in the paper bag. "She's been really down lately, and she won't tell me a thing."

"Have you asked Santana? They are normally attached at the hip," commented Quinn, she thought of herself as a close friend of Brittany's but ever since the summer before sophomore year it had always just been Brittany and Santana.

"I did, she wasn't any help but I wasn't expecting her to be." Artie groaned. "I can't put my finger on it, but there is something going on that she hasn't told either of us."

"Aright it's settled. We'll go with you over to Brittany's tonight say hi see if she wants to hang out. Then maybe she will tell us what is going on," stated Mercedes she placed her tray atop the others before sliding the pile across the table and into her arms. It was her turn to put the trays in on top of the trashcans.

A young girl of six sat at the wooden kitchen table. Her legs swung two and fro as she played the old clunky pink Nintendo DS. She laughed when ever Mario did something ridicules. Brittany was at the stove. If her friends could see her, she smiled, they would freak thinking she was about to burn the house down. Little did they know, other than dancing, cooking just happened to be something she was very good at the recipes may confuse her, but her mother's directions never did. She steered the peas as they steamed in the pot, and she pulled out the chicken from the oven, and began to make the dinner plates.

Brittany placed a plate filled with small portions of chicken, mashed potatoes and peas in front of her sister. "Mom said she would be home soon and this was what we had to eat. So, eat it." Bethany pushed at her plate. "Your six, don't act like your five." Brittany pushed it back. "Dad, dinner is ready!"

The doorbell rang.

"Doorbell," screamed out Bethany, she pushed out her chair. Brittany placed a foot behind the chair not allowing it to move.

"No, you are supposed to eat." The siblings stared at each other both daring the other too do what they were thinking. Bethany huffed, sitting back in her seat. She hated peas. Brittany set the final plate atop the cloth place-mat. Who would be stopping by now, she didn't need this not now. "Eat!" The sound of Bethany's chair stopped and the clanking of silver against porcelain began.

Brittany walked along the picture covered hallway to the front door of her home. "Whatever it is we don't – Artie," she asked taking in the group of teenagers who stood at her front door. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We noticed you haven't been yourself lately. So we came to cheer you up," said Tina with a smile along with her and Artie stood Mercedes, Mike, and Quinn.

She smiled, she smiled wide. Brittany loved her friends. "Can we do this anther time? I'm kinda busy. My Mom's not home yet. She had to work let setting up artwork for open house. I have to finish dinner. Bethany needs to eat." She heard the chair begin to move. "Mom, said you had to eat," Brittany yelled back to the Kitchen.

"Cyndi? What are you doing here? You didn't tell me you were stopping by," asked a voice. Brittany's father appeared from a distance he was walking towards the kitchen.

Brittany froze, she prayed no one heard. The looks on their faces said otherwise, her Dad had just been loud enough. She wanted to fling herself into a hole. "Look, I – I need to finish setting up dinner, and then my Mom will be home soon." She began to shut the door. "Artie, I'm sorry. I'll call you later, okay?" She mentally pleaded he would accept begged that he would.

Stunned by his girlfriend Artie could only say, "Okay."

She shut the door. There was no click. Mike stepped forward hand on the latch to pull it closed, he stopped. Everyone stood still motionless as they listened. "No Dad, Cyndi's your little sister. It's me Brittany, your daughter. You need to take those before you eat."

"I don't have to, I feel fine."

"The doctor said –" Brittany's voice was cut off. Mike had shut the door.

The group stood out on the front porch of Brittany's house, stunned.


I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think.