Santana stretched her limbs out and made a soft sound in the back of her throat as she felt herself slowing drifting into consciousness on Saturday morning. Her eyes were heavy and judging by the amount of sunlight seeping in through the gap in her heavy curtains, it was still quite early. Even though she couldn't remember exactly what she'd been dreaming about, she knew it was far too good to let go without a fight. Turning her face into the pillow, Santana allowed herself to float back into a semi-unconscious state.

Her mind existed somewhere in between reality and dreams. Her involuntary thoughts began to form images behind her eyes and sensations in her body. She let out a sharp breath as arms snaked their way around her hips and a pair of impossibly soft lips ghosted over the side of her neck. Her hands came up to tangle themselves in long, silky locks of hair, pulling the mouth further into her skin. She felt a jolt when teeth scraped lightly over her earlobe and arched her back into the body that seemed just out of reached.

I know you. Santana whispered, trying hard to see the face of the girl that was making her heart swell with intimacy.

I've been here the whole time. She heard the reply. But it wasn't out loud. It was in her thoughts.

Are you even real? Santana whined, feeling an irrational fear and sadness threatening to burst out of her. Her stomach jumped as a hand reached underneath her shirt to tickle at her lower back.

You're not asking the right questions. Again, the answer came from somewhere inside of herself. She felt the other body moving away from her own. It was cold and she shivered from the loss.

Who are you? She yelled. But the shadow was already gone. Her legs crumbled beneath her and she fell to the ground.

With an abrupt jolt, Santana kicked herself awake. Her face was twisted into a deep frown as if preparing itself for a violent onslaught of tears. She still couldn't comprehend exactly what she'd just been dreaming about but she knew it wasn't good anymore. With a low grumble, she sat up and ran her hands roughly through her hair.

Turning her attention to the clock, she noted that even though it was only 8am, it was time to get up. One bad dream always led to another… and feeling that familiar uneasiness in the pit of her stomach that always followed scary or upsetting dreams, she knew it was better to just stay awake at this point.

Throwing back the covers, Santana sauntered over to her wardrobe and grabbed some clean clothes and underwear before making her way to the bathroom. She yawned at her scruffy reflection in the mirror and poked out her tongue. She was definitely not a morning person. Turning to the large shower in the corner, she pulled open one of the frosted glass doors and played with the faucet until she found the right temperature. Then, swiftly ridding herself of clothing, Santana slipped into the hot spray of water and sighed in contentment.

She already had her day planned out in her head. After a nice long shower, she was going to go downstairs, grab some breakfast and watch some TV before heading back up to get room to get gussied up. Then, instead of driving like she usually did, she planned to take a leisurely walk down to the grocery store and innocently pick up a few essentials. Like some milk… and… stuff. If she happened to run into Brittany again… Well, that would just be a coincidence.

Santana smirked to herself. Yeah… You're not fooling anyone girl. Turning her back to the stream, she allowed the water to connect with her back, rolling her shoulders at the calming sensation.

So… Brittany's a dancer? I wonder what kind of dance she does… She thought idly.

Through closed eyes, Santana imagined just what the blonde might looking like dancing around her... Arms above her head… Hips swaying… The Latina felt a quiver run through her center and snapped her eyes back open.

Ugh! Stop it. Santana scolded internally. Brittany was certainly hot… and she was definitely attracted to her. But there was something a little bit creepy about thinking about the girl like that while she was naked… in the shower…

She wasn't sure if she should cross that line in her mind just yet.

After all, she still had no idea whether or not Brittany was the kind of girl that would even 'swing that way'.

A crease formed between Santana's eyebrows as she mulled that over. She hadn't really considered the possibility that Brittany might be straight. The blonde certainly hadn't given her that impression… well… she hadn't given her any impression really. She was friendly and warm… and seemed interested in their conversations when they spoke. But did she flirt? No. Not specifically.

Then again, Santana realized that she hadn't really done any obvious flirting herself. She'd always been a bit too nervous to be suave. Maybe if she put herself out there a bit more with the girl soon, she would be able to judge by Brittany's reactions whether she was into girls or not. Her gaydar was usually spot on... so with a few hints she'd know for sure.

Santana sighed as she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. She was still getting ahead of herself. The only thing she should be focusing on right now was getting to know Brittany… maybe developing a friendship with the girl. She had to remind herself of the fact that she didn't know a whole lot about the blonde. And she couldn't be sure of anything she felt until they were better acquainted.

With that thought in mind, she dried off and got ready for her day. Dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a cream, form fitting button up shirt, her hair and makeup done, cereal consumed, teeth brushed and ridiculous cartoons watched… Santana finally put on a pair of sunglasses, grabbed her bag and made the short walk down to the grocery store.

Unlike her other visits, this time the store was full of people. She glanced over to see that luckily Brittany was working.

Unfortunately though… she looked a bit more frazzled than usual as she tried to serve the long line of impatient customers passing through her register.

Her eyebrows lifted slightly in annoyance, Santana walked casually into the store and made her way to the cold storage section. It was then that she noticed a huge red sticker on the front of all the freezer doors. 10% off your shopping when you spend over $50! Saturday only!

She scoffed quietly at the sign. That was why it was so busy in here? Were people really that desperate? She shook her head in disbelief as she grabbed a carton of milk. She didn't really need it. Even after her cereal this morning, the milk they had in the fridge was still almost full. But she was sure that her mom wouldn't mind too much. It was always good to have extra.

Strolling back to the front of the store, she noticed that the lines had gone down a little. She moved to stand behind a few people waiting to go through Brittany's register. However, just when she was getting close and there were only two customers left ahead of her, Santana heard someone call out to her.

'Excuse me? Miss? This one's free.' From the register opposite them, a girl with reddish brown hair beckoned Santana over with a smile.

Hesitating, the Latina wondered whether she should just ignore the other girl and continue with her business. But she was staring and grinning so intently at her, Santana knew it would look weird. She ruefully walked over and handed the girl her milk.

As she waited for her item to be scanned, she couldn't help but risk a glance over her shoulder at Brittany. She was surprised to find the blonde now finished with her own customers, smiling back at her knowingly with laughter in her eyes. Santana felt the palms of her hands twitch and heat up. Did Brittany know she was only there to see her?

She turned back to the girl currently serving her, quickly paid for her shopping and made her way over to the blonde.

'Hey.' She breathed out, feeling embarrassed before even knowing whether she had been caught out or not.

'Hey there.' Brittany giggled and bit her bottom lip. Santana was sure it was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. 'Did you come here to see me?'

'Uh…' Santana swallowed hard. Fuck... I AM being too obvious. She thinks I'm a stalker. 'I ran out of milk.' She hastily lifted the carton up in front of her for proof, almost hiding behind it. Oh yeah. Real convincing.

Brittany smiled slowly. 'Well… I'm due for a break now anyways. Do you wanna go have lunch again?' She was already reaching beneath the counter to pull out her bag.

Santana's mouth was dry and she felt her heart instantly pick up its rhythm. Seriously Lopez? Chill the fuck out. She's going to think you're a total spaz if you don't get it together this time. Taking a deep breath, she plastered the signature confident smirk back onto her face. 'Sure. What did you have in mind?'

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Since Brittany didn't have that long for her lunch break, she suggested they return to the sandwich shop where they'd eaten together a few days ago.

As they made the short walk across the parking lot, Santana found her cheeks burning with nerves. But this time, she refused to give in. 'So… Tell me about yourself. What kinda stuff are you into?' Internally, she groaned. She sounded like she was trying way too hard.

Brittany just smiled gently and let out a soft laugh. 'Hmm… I don't know… Besides dancing… I guess I like reading… um… painting… going camping…' The blonde giggled. 'And playing video games.'

'Video games?' Santana repeated curiously, a little surprised by that admission.

'Yeah. Nothing too serious though.' Brittany shrugged. 'But I love Crash Bandicoot and Mario Brothers. Oh! And Nintendogs! They're so cute!'

Santana had to hold back a snigger… it was just so damn adorable. 'So no Call of Duty… or Skyrim?' She quipped.

Brittany made a face. 'No. Definitely not. I don't like the blood and guts.'

Santana nodded thoughtfully. 'I see… I take it you're also opposed to horror movies then?' Sitting down with a good scary movie was always one of the Latina's favorite things. She just couldn't get enough.

'Sorta... But that might be because I haven't seen very many. I always get too freaked out before the title even comes up.' Brittany admitted shyly.

Santana bit her bottom lip, fighting back a swoon as she watched the blonde's nose crinkle cutely. 'Maybe you're just not watching them with the right people. Horror movies can be really fun.'

There was a slight pause in conversation as the girls entered the sandwich shop and ordered their individual lunches, pulling up a few chairs at the same table they'd sat at last time.

'How so?' Brittany suddenly perked up, taking a bite of her sandwich.

'How so what?' Santana said slowly, not really knowing what the blonde was referring to.

'How can horror movies be fun?' Brittany asked curiously.

Santana twisted her lips a little in thought. 'Well… When I watch a scary movie with friends, we usually turn it into a drinking game.' She grinned mischievously. 'But if I'm watching one alone… And I get really freaked out… I just start thinking about how much the people in the movie would have laughed and mucked around while they were making it.'

Brittany's face lit up. 'Huh… I never thought about that.'

'Yeah.' Santana smiled, pleased with herself. 'Like if a chick is screaming her lungs out because some killer is chasing her down the road… I think to myself… Damn, I bet everyone on the set was laughing their heads off at how ridiculous she looks...' She shrugged. 'It's pretty funny. Almost all horror movies have a least one character acting stupid at some stage or another… I think that's kind of the point.'

Brittany laughed. 'Yeah… like if they weren't so dumb, they would never get themselves into that kinda situation in the first place.'

'Exactly.' Santana beamed before taking a quick bite of her lunch. 'So yeah… I think you should totally give them another go.'

'Hmm… Maybe I will.' Brittany nodded happily.

There was a comfortable pause in conversation as both girls continued to eat their respective lunches. Santana tried her best not to stare at the beautiful blonde sitting across from her. But Brittany was just so adorable; she couldn't help stealing a few subtle glances. She watched as the blonde shook some hair from her face and licked away a couple of crumbs from her lips. Her darting tongue was pink and teasing, forcing Santana's heart to skip a beat or two.

'So… did you end up getting that job?' Brittany suddenly asked in between chews.

Santana jumped a little as she focused back on the girl's bright blue eyes. Wow. She remembered. 'Uh… I'm not sure yet. Still waiting to hear back from them.'

Brittany nodded in response. 'What was it for?'

'A newspaper.' Santana said brightly, a small blush on her cheeks. 'I kinda want to get into journalism.'

'Oooh… That sounds cool. Are you a writer?' Brittany titled her head to the side curiously.

'Well… sort of. Maybe?... I think I want to be.' Santana smiled.

'Have you written anything lately?'

'Uh…' Santana stalled. Truth was she wrote all the time. But it was mostly just in her head. When she did put pen to paper, it was rarely anything cohesive. More like just random thoughts or ideas. Although that wasn't to say she hadn't written a short fiction or two in the past. 'A few things.'

'Stories?' Brittany straightened up a bit in her seat. She seemed excited by this prospect.

'Yeah.' Santana shrugged. 'I guess you could call them that.'

'What are they about?' The blonde leaned forward with interest.

'Um… All kinds of things really… Things I've felt… Things I've dreamt about… Things I've wished would happen…' Santana replied, getting a little lost in her thoughts. When she finished speaking, she wondered if maybe she'd revealed too much of herself and a prickling heat began creeping into her cheeks.

'Like fantasy?' Brittany asked quietly, a sparkle in her eye.

'Yeah…' Santana replied slowly, completely drawn in by the blonde's inquisitive gaze. Brittany had her elbows on the table, leaning forward, her ears perked up intently to their conversation. The Latina felt her throat dry up and suddenly it was difficult to swallow.

'Could I read one sometime? I really like fantasy stories.' Brittany smiled softly.

Before she could stop herself, Santana felt her head nodding in reply. 'Sure.' What are you doing you fucking idiot? You never let anyone read your writing! She suddenly realized she had to change the subject… and fast. 'But only if you show me some kick ass dance moves in return.'

Brittany laughed and finally leaned back into her seat.

'What kind of dancing do you do anyways?' Santana continued.

'Well… mostly contemporary. But I have dabbled in a bit of everything. Hip-hop, ballet, jazz…' Brittany grinned. 'I like it all… But contemporary's what I've had the most formal training in.'

Santana gave an appreciative nod. 'Contemporary huh? Can't say I know much about that… but when it comes to dancing, I pretty much just have one standard move… Hands up, wiggle your hips and hope for the best.'

Brittany giggled and lifted her elbow onto the table to lean her cheek against her fist. 'Oh yeah? And what's that move called?'

Santana smirked. 'Well I call it the Sexy Snix.'

This drew even more laughter from the blonde. 'The Sexy Snix? Why's that?'

'Because… it's all sexified…' Santana blushed. 'And that's my nickname... Snix.' She shrugged, a huge smile on her face.

There was a long pause as Brittany just grinned and slowly shook her head. 'You're a funny one.'

Santana furrowed her brow at the comment. 'Funny as in weird… Or… funny as in amusing?'

'Funny as in… sweet.' Brittany bit her bottom lip shyly. For a long moment, their eyes held together, neither girl moving as the air around them seemed to grow thick.

Santana felt the burn in her cheeks at the compliment but didn't dare say anything in return for fear of ruining the moment. She wasn't sure if the blonde was still just being friendly and kind… or if this was something more.

However, after a few long seconds, she was surprised when blue eyes abruptly left hers, staring out the window as they appeared to be taken over by a different emotion. What was it that suddenly passed through Brittany's mind? Fear? Guilt? Sadness? Regret? It was impossible to tell. But whatever it was… it wasn't a happy thought.

The blonde pointedly glanced down at her watch. 'Oh… Um… Looks like my break's over.' She frowned apologetically. 'Thanks for the company Santana.' She said politely, a tiny smile found her lips… but it didn't reach her eyes.

'Yeah… thanks.' Santana followed Brittany to stand as the girl collected the wrapper from her sandwich off the table. She was still trying to figure out how the mood had changed so suddenly from friendly banter and light flirtation to the somber, thoughtful gaze she had seen flash across the blonde's face.

'See you round.' Brittany offered her another small smile as she stepped away from the table and waved feebly as she left the shop.

Sitting back down in her seat, Santana wondered if she had said something wrong. No. That wasn't possible. She was almost positive she'd played it pretty smooth this time around. And besides, it was only after Brittany's own subtle compliment to her that the blonde's demeanor had shifted. Her lips twisted in thought. It was odd. Why would Brittany feel strangely after that? She was sure she'd given the girl every indication through her eyes that she appreciated the small gesture…

Santana finally shrugged her shoulders, allowing the thought to pass. Whatever it was, she was never going to figure it out by herself. And at this stage in their friendship, she certainly wasn't in the position to question Brittany on it. She just hoped the next time she saw the blonde; she was back to her cheerful, upbeat self.

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Sunday passed by relatively uneventful as Santana spent the day re-watching some of her reliable, feel-good DVDs and trying not to focus too hard on anything… especially the confusing turn in her latest conversation with Brittany and the call she was hoping to receive the following day from the newspaper. She didn't want to over think either situation. They were both out of her hands for the time being and it would only stress her out to continue torturing herself with what if's and maybes.

When Monday morning finally did arrive, Santana sat by the phone, ready for it to ring at any moment but not really expecting it to at the same time. Half of her was sure she'd got the internship. The other half was positive she'd screwed it up.

When the shrill sound of ringing pierced the air, she jumped and grabbed the receiver with shaky hands. A broad smile spread across her lips as the man on the other end informed her of her success and when she eventually hung up, Santana turned up the music and bounced around giddily for a solid ten minutes, even doing the 'Sexy Snix' in celebration. Even though she rarely showed it, the usually sarcastic, straight-faced brunette just enjoyed being silly sometimes.

As she danced around her bedroom, she realized that somehow landing this job had come to mean more to her than she'd known. It was her first big step into the 'adult world' and she finally felt like maybe she was ready for it.

What's more, Santana also began to feel that the simple appearance of this blonde stranger in her world was connected to everything… even though she barely knew girl. Like, if she hadn't met her on that fateful day not so long ago, she may still be brooding silently in her room, waiting for her life to arrive. But instead, she'd rediscovered her drive, landed herself a real job and reunited with someone who used to mean everything in the world to her.

Santana knew from the moment her eyes landed on Kurt in that office, their friendship would be rekindled. And he was just the kind of friend she had been longing for these past months… Just what she'd been missing…

She thought maybe, just maybe, she had been destined to meet this girl all along. That something in those sparkling blue eyes held the key to all of life's questions.

Santana laughed at herself and flopped down onto her bed. Now she was definitely getting carried away. All that spinning really must have gotten to her head. Destiny? Yeah right. Because Brittany was sent into her life by some magical, cosmic force that would change everything… I don't think so. She rolled her eyes.

It was one thing to feel inspired and be positive because your life took an interesting turn, it was quite another to get all sappy and spiritual about it. Santana had never been one for that sort of thing. She was always pretty realistic.

She's… just a girl. Santana rationalized with herself. She had needed to change her life for a long time and now finally, she'd found the spark inside of herself to do it. Meeting the blonde at the grocery store that day was just… incidental. A catalyst.

…Right?

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A/N: Guys thanks SO much for your reviews. They really mean a lot to me! Just knowing that someone out there is actually reading the stuff I write keeps me going so… yeah. Thanks!

Hope you enjoyed the Brittana interaction this chapter. Hmm… wonder what was up with Britt though? What do you guys think it is?

There's a BIG chapter up next. I'll try to get it out as quick as possible but I want it to be perfect so… I may be meticulous and also finicky. Just feed me some more reviews to prod me along lol They're like speed for my creativity.

(Side note: DAMN! Did you all see that picture of Brittana on Valentine's that Naya posted recently? *fangirl squeal* Just thought I'd share!)