A/N : Hello once again! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, alerts, and favorites! I appreciate every single one! I would like to apologize for the extremely long wait! I'm currently trying to manage school, a job, lacrosse, and all of my medical stuff, and it's kinda hard for a sophomore in high school. But anyways, here is the next chapter! A lot of musical inspiration was put into writing this one. I don't own anything!
Enjoy!
If there was one thing that Santana always knew, it was Brittany's love for animals. The blonde was literally the animal whisperer. Maybe they were attracted to her kind nature and loving heart or maybe Brittany was an animal in a past life. She probably would have been a cat.
Through all the years they've known each other, Brittany held them close to her heart. It was actually through a feisty little critter that she met and fell for Brittany.
So that was why when a large angry panther was walking across the river that separated her from the love of her life only to end her existence, she only remembered one memory.
-FLASHBACK-
"Santana, please don't wander too far. You father and I will be over by the picnic tables."
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and her father surprised the little 6-year-old girl by taking the day off from his hectic schedule. So it was decided that the Lopez family would spend a nice day in the park. To say Santana was happy was an understatement. They dressed Santana in a red dress with a matching headband and packed a picnic lunch and set off. Santana immediately ran to the playground while her parents set up their lunch at a nearby picnic table.
Reaching up, Santana grabbed the monkey bars and started swinging. Once she reached the end of the bars she climbed the nearby ladder to the highest slide. She looked up to see her parents pointing a camera at her and laughing. Santana smiled and sat down. She let out an excited squeal as she slid down the slide.
She expected to land perfectly on her feet in the sand, but instead was slammed into a soft body in front of her. The momentum sent both of them flying into the sand.
Santana heard a muttered, "Ouch." Santana picked herself up and stared at the girl lying in the sand. "What were you doing?" She said in an annoyed voice, wiping the sand off of her dress. She heard a muffled response, and walked over to her. Her annoyance was forgotten as she heard the other girl.
"Are you okay?" She kneeled next to the girl and helped her sit up. The girl looked to be around Santana's age. She had light blonde hair tied up into a ponytail, a few strands framing her face. She was wearing a white shirt with a small picture of a duck and orange shorts. Her arms were cradling a ball of fur that let out a tiny yelp.
The girl lifted her head up and gave a soft smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about making you fall."
"It's alright. What's that?" Santana pointed to the ball in the blonde's arms.
The blonde gave an excited smile and opened her arms, showing the tiny girl a small gray kitten. "This is my new kitty! My mom got him for me today!"
Santana flinched back a little bit. She had a couple bad experiences with cats, especially the one at her Abuela's house, some which resulted in some stinging scratches on her arms.
"What's the matter? Do you not like cats?" A confused look came across the taller girl's face.
"Not really..." Santana gave the kitten a scared look, making sure to keep away from the animal's paws.
"Oh well don't worry! Here," she took Santana's hand and lightly pulled it towards the kitten. "Wait, I don't know about this…"
"Trust me. He won't hurt you. Pinky promise!" She stretched out her right pinky and waited for the smaller girl. Santana bit her lip, but linked her left pinky with the blonde's.
The blonde gave Santana a reassuring smile and brought her hand to the kitten's back.
Santana immediately smiled at the kitten, stroking its soft fur. The claws she had expected never came and the kitten just let out soft purrs. "Wow!"
Brittany looked at the girl's smile and laughed. "I told you!" They both looked at each other, smiles gracing both of their faces.
Santana extended her left hand to the blonde, "My name's Santana."
The blonde gave an excited smile, showing off where one of her baby teeth had fallen out. The blonde shifted the kitten into her right arm, cradling it to her chest and took Santana's hand in her.
"My name's Brittany!"
-END FLASHBACK-
"Santana!" A voice shook her from the lovely memory and she was thrust back into reality.
She looked up only to see the black panther halfway through the river, its mouth open, showing off massive, sharp teeth.
Fear overtook her and she was frozen. Puck ran next to her and shook her by the shoulder. "Lopez, we've gotta run!" His voice was cracking, fear embedded into it.
"Britt…"
"She's on the other side of the river!" Puck grabbed her shoulder and spun her to face him. "If we don't run you will die and never see her again!"
That sentence snapped Santana. The brunette stared at the panther now out of the river, about 50 feet away, paws clawing at the dirt. She had to make up her mind; run and have a slight chance of living, but running from Brittany, or killing the beast and holding her love in her arms.
She clenched her fists and turned to Puck. "Run, I'll take care of this." She grabbed her gun and braced it against her shoulder.
Standing in front of her, wasn't an animal. It was an obstacle. An obstacle that kept her from Brittany. From her love. She swore to herself and to Brittany that she would protect her and this was her keeping that promise.
"Are you out of your mind?" Puck screamed at her.
"Run across the river and get Brittany. Make sure she's safe for me." She took her stance and waited for the animal to make its move. Her heartbeat was running a mile a minute. There was no noise surrounding her, just the loud beating of her heart. She gripped the handle of her gun and waited, her breath drawing out slowly.
The panther let out a loud growl at her and ran towards her.
"Santana, stop!"
As soon as the panther had reached halfway across the river, Brittany leapt into action. She couldn't let Santana get into any danger, not when she could've stopped it. And she couldn't let the mother of her new friend die.
She pulled the strap of her gun around her neck and ran into the water, leaving the cub standing alone on the edge of the water. Immediately, she was met with the cold sensation hitting her body, but she kept going.
The current was pulling at her body, almost throwing her off balance. The pressure was pushing her and pushing her, but she kept walking across. The water came up to her ribcage, once she reached halfway. She moved to take another step, but lost her footing for a moment, slipping on a rock. Her head went under, and water entered her lungs. Brittany put strength in her other leg to balance herself and raised her head out of the water. She coughed and gasped for air.
She raised her head and searched for Santana and Puck. She was met with the sight of her girlfriend pointing her gun at the mother who had now reached land. Puck was screaming at her, but Santana shrugged it off.
Brittany put all of her strength into her legs and treaded as fast as she could.
After what felt like an eternity, she felt the rising of the riverbank and crawled towards solid ground.
A loud growl sent shivers down her body. She looked up and saw the mother panther running at full speed towards Santana.
She had no idea what took over her body at that moment. All of her energy was drained from crossing the river and she was exhausted. Her arms and legs were burning and her head was throbbing in pain. But the moment she saw Santana standing her ground and not running, her body gave her a power she didn't know she possessed.
She picked herself off the ground and ran. The panther was about 20 feet away from Santana. She was almost there! She heard the sound of a gun getting cocked and saw Santana aim. The panther had its mouth open, teeth bared, ready to tear the girl limb from limb. A burning pain shot through her throat as she shouted.
She didn't even know who she was shouting to. She wanted to Santana to stop fighting and lower her gun. She wanted Puck to stop Santana. She wanted the mother to remember how nice people could be and stop running at her friends. The pain, hurt, loneliness, and emptiness, she just wanted everything to stop.
"Stop it!" Brittany let out in a yell as she stepped in between her girlfriend and the black panther. Then everything went black.
Brittany slowly opened her eyes. She tried lifting her head, but a sharp pain went through her head, making her groan. The cold air hit her body and sent her shivering. When she tried sitting up, she felt something soft and warm stir next to her. She turned her head and was met with a small ball of black fur. Soft purrs came from the cub and Brittany sighed in relief.
Suddenly all the memories of Santana and the mother panther rushed back to her. Where was she? Oh god, please don't let her be…
She sat up realized they were in a cave and saw a small fire lighting the stonewalls. She looked down at herself and was only wearing the gray shirt and shorts she started with. Next to the fire was her armor and gun, most likely drying from her diving into the water. On her other side was the mother panther, alive and asleep, warmth coming from her, keeping Brittany from the cold. But what did that mean for Santana and Puck.
Her breathing picked up at the thought of losing Santana. It wasn't possible. She couldn't die.
A loud snore broke her from her thoughts and she turned to see Puck lying down next to the cave wall, his gun leaning against the wall. He was alive! "Puck!"
Puck stirred, opening his eyes. "Britt, you're awake!"
The mother panther awoke, raising its head and breathed loud. Brittany met her eyes and smiled. Then the mother licked the blonde's face, making her smile. Brittany reached out and ran her hand through the panther's fur.
Puck crawled over to her, "How are you feeling?"
Brittany reached for her head, the lingering pain still there. "I've been better. Puck, where's Santana?"
Puck let out a sharp breath and looked away.
Brittany's stomach dropped. Her eyes widened and started to sting as tears began to creep out from the corners. Her worst fears were coming true.
A soft voice suddenly filled the cave, "Puck, is everything okay?" Brittany recognized that voice immediately. Brittany let out a shaky breath and stared at the opening of the cave.
Standing there was Santana carrying a pile of sticks in her arms. As soon as brown eyes met blue, Santana let out a breath. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Brittany stared at the woman she was in love with and for once, she couldn't speak to her. Out off all the years, they spent together, which was practically their whole lives, Santana was the one person she could speak to about anything; her worries, likes and dislikes, hopes, and dreams. But for this moment, she couldn't utter a single word to her. She couldn't even think. She acted on instinct.
She pulled herself up and ran to her. Santana dropped the pile of sticks and ran to Brittany. The blonde tackled the girl and threw her arms around her neck. Santana encircled her arms around Brittany's waist and held her. Brittany cried into the Santana's neck, tears streaming down her face. She tightened her grip on the Brittany and cried silently. Her heart hurt at the sound of her love crying, but she was still filled with happiness. She pulled away from her love, only to gently cup the blonde's face in her hands.
She stared at Brittany's face. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, a trail of tears on her face. Her hair was a little dirty from being on he ground. But her eyes… Her eyes said it all. They were shining, blue crystals staring at her. And in that moment, Santana realized that Brittany had never looked more beautiful.
She leaned in a touched her lips to Brittany's. Brittany pulled in Santana as close as she could, putting as much love as she could into the kiss. She whimpered as their lips continued to move against each other. Santana ended it and pressed her forehead to Brittany's and stroked her cheeks with her fingertips. The blonde continued to cry, tears falling from her eyes. "I love you so much Brittany."
"San!" The blonde cried, her voice shaking. She pulled her love into another hug and tightened the grip around her waist. "I've got you Britt."
They were together again, safe. They found each other and that was all that mattered.
A/N: Tear tear! I hope you all liked it! Again, I'm sorry for the wait. I'll try and get the next chapter up soon! Please review and let me know what you thought of the chapter! ^_^ Until next time! -Jess
