Your time in Lima is spent with your family and Brittany's family. Brittany's parents took you and your parents out Friday night and your parents host a cook out for most of Saturday where you're surrounded by people that love you. It was the perfect weekend to recharge. The only thing that would have made it better would be if Brittany was there.

On Sunday, Quinn comes to pick you up; her car is packed up with all the things she didn't take with her to New York the first time. Your parents hug you and give you some money to send you on your way. You thank them and wave from the passenger's seat of Quinn's car as she pulls away.

There are so many things you and Quinn could talk about on the way home, but you decide to avoid any heavy conversation. Instead you talk about Lima and music, things that don't matter. And when you get back to New York, Quinn drops you off in front of your apartment building.

You look up at the building and don't see the your apartment window lights on so you assume that you beat Brittany home. Your bag seems heavier than you know it is as you walk up the stairs onto the last landing to your apartment. You pull your keys out of your pocket and flip around the key ring for the key to the door.

Once it's unlocked and you open the door, you step inside and flip the light switch. Nothing happens. You sigh. However, you have been living here for a long time and have already experienced this kind of blackout. You know that in a few minutes, the landlady will arrive at your door, apologize and tell you that she's going to get it taken care of as quickly as possible.

So you make your way to the windows and push aside the curtains. It doesn't really help because the moon isn't out tonight, so you decide to break out the candles. You grab some candles out of the kitchen and light them with the lighter you have to use sometimes to get the stove working.

You place one of your few candles in the kitchen and take one to the living room. As you set the candle down on the coffee table, you spot Brittany on the couch. A smile graces your face because she's sound asleep. She has an open book across her chest.

The top right corner of the book is poking her in the sternum so you carefully remove it from her limp hands. As hard as you try to keep her asleep, her eyes flutter open. A shy smile takes over her face. "Hey."

"Hey. How long has the power been out?" you ask her and push her hair away from her face.

She shrugs, which you can barely see in the single candlelight. "It was like this when I got home." She wraps her arms around your neck and pulls you to her. You lay down on the couch next to her. She buries her face in your neck and asks as her arms tighten around you, "How was your trip?"

"It was great," you say. It was unremarkable, but relaxing. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," she echoes and kisses your cheek.

You kiss her gently on the lips. You can sense how exhausted she is. "How about you go get ready for bed and I'll answer the door when the landlady comes? Then I'll get in bed with you and you can tell me about your weekend."

"Okay," she says, but doesn't make a move to leave your arms.

You don't say anything. You just hold her in your arms until you hear the knock on the door. You slip out of Brittany's embrace and feel your way to the door. You open the door and see your kindly landlady at the door. She smiles widely at you, her graying hair starting to explain to you why people call them blue-haired ladies.

"I'm sorry about the electricity," she ruffles her old dress. "I'll try to get it back up as soon as I can. It might start getting cold so you girls let me know if you need some blankets or anything."

You smile back at her. "No problem. Do you need any help?"

"Nah, there's still a few hops in this old gal's step," she winks at you, the laugh lines on her face more pronounced.

"Thank you Mrs. Ewing," you lean on the doorframe.

"Not a problem for my best tenants," she grins.

You chuckle, "I bet you say that to all the tenants."

She lets out a hearty laugh, "Just the ones that always pay their rent on time."

You have no idea if you always pay the rent on time or not. Brittany always pays the rent. "Have a nice night."

"You girls get some sleep," she waves as she starts to walk off, "Don't worry. I'll have the electricity back on in time for you to blow dry your hair in the morning."

You close the door with a breathy laugh and make your way back to the couch. However, Brittany is gone. You figure she moved to the bed so you walk into the bedroom. You stop in the doorway because you can see Brittany. She's standing by the bed, peeling off her clothes in the candlelight.

You stay there and watch her strip down to her underwear and crawl into bed. She curls into her pillow, a soft smile on her face. She mumbles, "This isn't a free show."

You chuckle and make your way to the bed. Your clothes come off as well. She holds the blanket up so that you can slide under it and she drops her arm and the blanket around you after you've laid down. She kisses you and pulls your body against hers.

"How was your weekend?" you ask.

She sighs, "I stayed at work late on Friday and our producer took the director, writer, composer, and me out to dinner Saturday night. I wish you were there." You feel her fingers grasp at the small of your back. "It was so boring and I had to pretend it was fun because it was my boss."

"It'll be worth it though right?" you ask, kissing the curve of her shoulder.

You feel her nose graze your forehead as she answers. "I guess."

You have to hold on to the hope that it'll all be worth it. That someday you'll be able to be together without work or school or anything else getting in the way.

"I got you something," she says, drifting on the edge of sleep.

"Oh yeah?" you ask, yourself close to being lost to the euphoric sensations of your dreams.

"Mhmm," she barely gets out.

The rest of the conversation doesn't happen because one of you falls asleep first and the other is right behind.

The next few days are a blur. You have a test coming up and all you do is study. You also force yourself to stay up with Brittany when she gets home and wake up with her before work. You also study after she's asleep and you're running on less and less sleep.

On one particular morning, you're missing Brittany as you sit on the couch and read. You wish she was there on the one morning your professor cancels your first class of the day. As you're rounding third base in your study inning (that has kept your up all night), your phone rings.

It's Quinn so you answer it with something like a grunt.

She doesn't waste time on the pleasantries. "Rachel's sick and I need you to come over."

"I'm not a doctor," you throw yourself back on the couch with a huff.

It sounds like she's moving around her kitchen with the opening and closing of cabinets, "I'll tell you what to say. Just look thoughtful and regurgitate the information."

You put your arm over your eyes, "Can you not say regurgitate so early in the morning?"

You can hear her sigh, "Please S?"

You're going to go over there. You just need to know one thing, "Is there coffee?"

"Of course."

"Then I'll be over in ten." You hang up your phone and make your way to your bedroom to get dressed for the day. Well, dressed is a bit of an overstatement. You pull on some of Brittany's dance sweatpants, and a track jacket over the shirt you were already wearing. You slip on some of Brittany's high tops that are sitting by the closet door before grabbing your backpack and making your way out the door.

"Good morning," Quinn smiles at you and you immediately wonder how anyone could be so happy in the morning.

"I haven't been to bed yet," you mumble. Your head feels heavy with the lack of sleep and your brain is foggy.

She reaches forward and brushes some of your wild morning hair down, "Go tell Rachel that she just needs to stay in bed all day and she'll be fine. Then go lay down in my bed so I can make sure you at least get a couple of hours sleep."

"Yes mommy," you say, but immediately regret it. There were times a few months ago that Finn and Quinn's inability to conceive and your inappropriate mommy retorts caused her not to talk to you for days. However when she places her hand on your arm, you suppose that she's over it now.

She leads you to the bedroom where Rachel is dramatically splayed out on the bed. You motion for her to sit up which she does. You use the back of your hand to feel her forehead and then gently check her lymph nodes. They're a little swollen so you ask, "Have you had your tonsils out?"

"Hmm," you check her pulse by looking at your watch and watching the second hand tick around while counting her heartbeat. Normal. Then you look down her throat. There's some definite redness, but you can't see much without any kind of medical instrument. You decide that Quinn's right, "Just cool it today. Relax and let Q take care of you. You should be okay by this evening, but think about getting your tonsils looked at by a real doctor."

Rachel's eyes get huge. She looks to Quinn who hands her some soup and rubs her back. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

You nod, "It could just save you future sore throats if you get them out now."

"Never!" Rachel shoots you the ojo. You're a bit taken aback by her attack. Rachel sets the soup down next to her tea and launches into full on rant mode, "Julia Andrews got her throat operated on in 1997 and her singing voice just returned a few years ago! And that was after years of vocal therapy! I can't afford to lose my-"

"Rachel!" Quinn yells over the top of Rachel's high pitch railing, "You're getting yourself worked up about nothing. Santana is just suggesting a consultation. No surgical instruments will go anywhere near your throat. I promise." She seems apologetic and affectionately touches Rachel's shoulder.

You miss the way Brittany touches you like that and you drift off into your own head and miss an entire exchange between Quinn and Rachel until you hear Quinn end with, "I'm going to go put Santana to bed and then I'll come check on you in a few minutes."

Rachel flops back onto the bed and you quirk an eyebrow at Quinn. Who does she thinks she is, making you sleep? Of course, that does sound nice. Sleep.

You find yourself falling into bed without protest, which is sad because you had a great protest planned. Quinn's bed smells nice and she lays down next to you. She tells you to sleep before her arm slides around your waist. You reciprocate the gesture and close your eyes.

Maybe if you try hard enough and pretend well enough, it'll be like holding Brittany while you go to sleep.

When you wake up, you're alone. It takes a moment to realize that you're in Quinn's room. You stretch and look at the clock. It looks like you'll be missing all of your classes today. You take a deep breath and revel in the feeling of being more rested than you have been in weeks.

You slip Brittany's shoes back on and shuffle down the hallway. You hear the TV so you follow the noise. That's where you find Rachel sitting on the couch in her pajamas. Her knees are pulled up to her chest and a bowl of soup is balanced carefully on her knees as she watches Oprah interview someone you don't recognize.

"Is Quinn gone?" you ask softly.

Rachel looks up at you and nods. "Yes. She left some soup though if you'd like some."

You walk over to the couch and sit down at the opposite corner from Rachel. "No thanks." You lean back on the plush couch, which is so much more comfortable than the old couch you have. "How do you feel?"

"A lot better," Rachel nods with a smile, "Thank you for coming over so early. I'm afraid I was a bit of a drama queen."

"Well, I went to high school with you," you joke back with her, "I'm used to it."

She playfully rolls her eyes. "I wasn't that bad." After another sip of her soup, she leans her head back on the couch. "How are you, Santana? How's school? How's Brittany?"

"School is hard. Brittany is great," you lull your head over to look at her, "I'm chronically exhausted."

"It'll get better," she reaches over and pats your leg.

You don't really have a reply to that. It's basically what everyone tells you, but so hard it hasn't gotten better. You look at the tv and see a commercial come on. Your immediate thought is that the cat in the commercial looks like Lord Tubbington. He even rolls around on the floor like him. You kinda miss the large fur ball, but you can't move him with you to New York because he's really too old for that kind of transition. Plus, Brittany sister loves him too.

"Brittany needs a cat," you say out loud without really realizing it.

"She seems like an animal person," Rachel replies, taking a long sip of her soup.

You push back into the cushions and think about it. Brittany does love animals and a cat would be the only practical thing you could own in your apartment besides, like, a turtle or some fish. It would be a great surprise for her. You nod, your eyes still on the tv, "I'm gonna get Brittany a cat."

"Wonderful idea," Rachel looks at you and smiles. "Today?"

"As soon as I find the perfect cat," you meet Rachel's eyes.

She sets her bowl on the end table and leaned back on the couch. "What's a perfect cat?"

You think about it. You're not sure. "I'll know it when I see it."

You don't stay long after that. You're a little preoccupied with thinking about this cat that you're getting Brittany to stay with Rachel. She's nice now and all, and fairly quiet. It's just still kinda awkward around her without Quinn. You tell her you're going to study and tell her to thank Quinn for you.

You completely forgot that the next day was Brittany's day off until you get the email that says you need to attend a make up lab the next day for missing the one today. You're crestfallen. You wouldn't go if it wasn't worth ten percent of your grade.

"Hey, it's okay," Brittany crawls onto the bed where you're moping and wraps her arms around your waist. She rests her chin on your shoulder. "I'll hang out with Quinn for a while and then when you get home I can actually, actually, one hundred percent for sure take you out tomorrow night."

"I thought you were going to start surprising me," you turn your head to the side to look at her and she takes advantage of the closeness of your lips and kisses you.

"Surprise," she grins at her own joke. You can't help, but smile as well.

After your lab, you practically run home. Brittany is waiting for you and she may still be with Quinn, but you have so much time with her now. You sprint up the stairs and open the front door. As you walk in, you see Quinn and Brittany sitting on the couch. You don't even care that Quinn is here. You smile, "What's up?"

Brittany gets up and runs over to you. Her arm wrap across your back and her lips smash into yours in an excited kiss. Her bottom lip slides between your lips and you run your teeth over it. She lets out a tiny moan and pulls away with a huge smile and a quirked eyebrow.

You smile back and look over her shoulder at Quinn who is smiling at you. You blush slightly before Quinn answers, "Just discussing my travesty of a love life."

She stands up and you pull her into a hug. You're so happy right now. Hugs for everyone! You pull away and look at her. You're happy, but you're still you, "Your love life has been a travesty for a long time. Care to narrow it down?"

She looks at Brittany and you follow her gaze. You see Brittany's smile and know immediately that Brittany knows something you don't. Quinn mumbles something, but it's not an answer. You keep your eye on Brittany for the real answer.

Brittany is bouncing on the balls of her feet. Your eyes travel to her torso where her... Nope. No wanky thoughts right now. Focus. Brittany's face. God she's beautiful. Focus! Brittany finally asks, "Can I tell her?"

Quinn shrugs like it's no big deal.

"QuinnsinlovewithRachel," Brittany blurts out in a sentence that was just condensed into one long word. She takes a deep breath and smiles at you like she's relieved, "Yay."

"Yay-what-yay?" You turn around to look at Quinn, making sure this is for real. Quinn's face doesn't indicate some kind of joke so you have to ask, "Is this for real?"

She slowly nods.

You blink, "How long?"

Quinn sighs, "For like...ever." She leans back into the couch and you can see the vulnerability in her eyes. You know it's true and it's not a joke.

You think back to high school. All the things Quinn said, all the things she did, the only person she ever really did nice things for and then ... it clicked. It all makes sense now. How did you miss all that? "Well damn."

"Did you tell her?" Brittany asks. She steps up next to you and threads her fingers through yours.

"I'm going to tonight. She deserves to know. It'll explain all of high school. Plus, it feels wrong when she's in my bed and doesn't know how I feel." Quinn stands up and stares at the coffee table.

Hold. The. Phone. "You've slept together?"

Quinn's eyes whip to you and she has a slight smile on her face at your shock, "Yes, but actual sleep. She had some nightmares and got scared."

You roll your eyes and are about to snark off when Brittany squeezes your hand to stop you, and asks, "What do you think she's going to say?"

Quinn doesn't seem to be really worried, "I doubt she'll be mad or weird about it...but just in case she does - and I'm talking doomsday scenario here- can I live with you guys?"

"Of course," Brittany says what you were going to say before you said it. You nod in agreement. Quinn should know that she can come to you anytime.

"Thanks," she stand up, "Well I'm going to go start my 'I'm sorry I'm in love with you' dinner."

"Don't worry about it," Brittany breaks away from you to hug Quinn. "It'll be ok."

You take your turn to hug Quinn. "Yeah. Text me later and tell me how it goes."

Quinn grins. "Have fun on your date."

"Thanks," you get excited again. You're going on a date tonight and you're ecstatic.

After Quinn leaves, you hop in the shower to get ready for your date. Brittany decides to hop in with you. When you playfully ask her why she tells you that it saves time to shower together, but that has never been the case with the both of you and that is definitely not the case tonight. As soon as your back hits the cold shower wall, you know it's gonna be a long shower.

Brittany takes you out to a fun 50s themed restaurant where you share a giant milkshake, burger and fries. You love that Brittany can sense your moods and take you out accordingly. You're sure that she had an intimate, romantic place picked out along with this place.

"Anything else I can get you gals?" the waitress walks out to your booth in her 50s waitress uniform.

You look at Brittany and then down at the demolished food and almost empty milkshake then back to her. Brittany looks up at the waitress and smiles. "No I think we're ready for the check."

You quirk your head at her after she pays the check. "Our date is already over?"

Her hair ripples beautifully and she leans back against the red vinyl seat across the table from you. "Of course not."

You pick up your purse and put it over your shoulder. She does the same with hers and stands up. You wait for her to get out and she immediately takes your hand. Her fingers between yours feel great, like they belong. They always have.

You walk out of the restaurant and expect to get into a cab or go down to the subway, but Brittany's pulling you across the crosswalk. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," she grins. The sun is about to go down and the sun is falling down the horizon. It makes her skin glow. Her hair shines in the light under her braided head wrap.

"You're beautiful," you say before you realize you're speaking your thoughts.

She turns around and her lips smash into yours in the middle of the busy sidewalk. You love her so much and you love that she'll kiss you in the middle of a sidewalk.

The bright lights of Rockefeller Center meet you on the next corner. You grin as she pulls you to the line to rent skates.

Brittany is a much better ice skater than you, but you manage to keep up with her as she skates through the crowds. She's playing a game with you and you're not sure what the rules are, but you have to stop abruptly when a kid falls in front of you.

When you don't see a parent immediately, you help the little kid to his feet. He grins at you, missing a tooth and skates away. You chuckle as he almost falls four times, but keeps going.

Brittany skates up behind you and wraps her arms around you. You're lucky that you're close to the wall and grab onto it to keep you both on your skates. She giggles into your neck, "Sorry."

"It's okay," you manage to turn around. "Where did you go?"

"Well you were it so I skated away from you, but then I ran into some kids who recognized me," she shrugs like she doesn't care, but you know she does. Recognition for her work is something she's always loved, but never needed.

"So what now?" you ask. You're tired of skating. Brittany is way more athletic than you.

She puts her hands on the wall around you and pulls herself against your body. She dips her head down to whisper in your head. "I think we should go home." The tone and gradient of her voice makes your heart slam against your ribs. You know what she wants. It'll be shower time all over again. And you can't get there fast enough.