Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoy!


Shit.

Santana shifted in her chair on the dock and looked at Tom before looking back towards the beach.

"Shit" she muttered under her breath when she confirmed it was Brittany walking towards her. It would be hard to mistake the tall blonde with anyone else, but Santana had hoped she had made that error. Santana chewed on the whistle between her teeth and returned her gaze to the kids in the water. Focus, she reminded herself.

Focusing was easier said than done as she could still see the blonde walking towards her out of the corner of her eye. Santana had left Brittany in bed early that morning (after setting an alarm to ensure Brittany was up for breakfast), unable to stand the silence punctured only by the other girl's light snores. Brittany's arm had felt unbearably heavy resting over her stomach and Santana's mind had chased itself in circles, creating a panicky tornado of thoughts that drove her from bed.

Breakfast had been fine, mostly because Santana ate in record time, claiming she needed to get a head start on setting up the waterfront. She had barely looked at Brittany, and only made herself feel worse when she grabbed Tom, yanking him out of the dining hall and down to the lake for a quick make out session behind the boat shed. Seeking answers in his lips she would never find, Santana felt guilt and anger tug at her stomach. She had kissed him harder, pressed up against his body, still looking for a spark, or some cliché bullshit that would placate her. Instead, the memory of Brittany's lips on hers had flashed through her mind as she felt Tom hard against her thigh. Santana had pulled away then, mumbling something about needing to get ready for the day, leaving Tom to cool down before he joined her on the dock.

Now, as Brittany became impossible to ignore in more ways than one, Santana felt the guilt again. She looked at the small clock hanging on the wall of the boat shed and blew her whistle.

"Everyone out of the water! Don't forget to check out with your buddy at the bench!" She motioned to Tom, silently asking him to handle the check out. He nodded and got down from his post before heading over to the small crowd of campers.

Brittany was standing next to Santana's chair, waiting for the girl to come down. Santana felt like a soldier surrendering after being surrounded by enemy troops. She came down from her chair slowly, not sure what to expect from the blonde. She was met with the girl's typical smile.

"I got permission to leave camp tonight!" The blonde grinned wider. Santana only looked at her, confused.

"Want to come out with me? You know, out of camp," Brittany continued, her smile faltering for only a millisecond before continuing to beam at Santana.

The darker girl didn't miss the irony of the question and felt a dull pang in her gut. Deciding it wasn't done on purpose and that she was just reading too much into it, Santana pushed the thought aside. She glanced over towards the beach and saw Tom was watching them.

"What do you wanna do?" Santana asked cautiously, turning her attention back to Brittany.

"It's a surprise," the blonde winked at Santana.

She smiled despite herself and knew she was going, even though her adrenaline was racing. "I guess so," she conceded with a small shrug.

Brittany squealed and bounced up on her toes. "Awesome. And don't look so excited," she teased Santana before turning on her heel and practically bouncing off the dock in the direction of the cabins. Santana watched her go before shaking her head and joining Tom on the beach.

"What was that about?" He asked as she sat down on the bench next to him, waiting for their next group to arrive.

"Nothing; just some girl stuff," she said, the weight in her chest growing.

Shit.


Santana groaned as she stood in front of her dresser. Crumpled articles of clothing sat on her bed, the piles of still neatly stacked clothes on her shelves starting to dwindle. This isn't a fucking date, Santana. She ignored the other voice that responded, asking her so then why she was changing outfits so many times.

She finally settled on jeans and a nice scoop neck tee that revealed just enough. She styled her hair down since she spent most of her summer putting it in a ponytail. Santana was standing in front of the mirror putting some make-up on for her non-date when the door opened.

"Santana?"

Sam poked her head into the room before coming in, closing the door behind her. Santana quickly finished applying her lip gloss and greeted her friend.

"Hey Sam, what's up?"

Samantha looked her over, an eyebrow raising high on her forehead.

"Well look at you. What are you doing tonight, missy?"

Santana blushed under her friend's observation. "Going out," she replied vaguely, starting to fold up some discarded options on her bed.

"With Brittany, right?"

She was thankful she had her back to Sam as her eyes widened. It was stupid of her to think that Brittany wouldn't have mentioned it. Santana smoothed out a folded shirt and took a second to think about how she would play this.

"She told you?" Santana asked without turning around.

"Yeah, she's really excited; she told me all about it."

Shit.

Santana swallowed hard and wondered how it got so damn hot in her room. She turned to Sam who was watching her closely – God why does it feel like everyone's looking right into me – and gave her an eye roll and unconvincing smile.

"Are you coming with us? Want to tell me what we're doing? Brittany wouldn't say."

"It's just the two of you. And she made me swear to keep it a secret."

Shit.

There was an awkward silence between the friends. Santana put a shirt back on the shelf and Samantha sighed.

"Well, you look nice. Have fun."

She smiled at Santana, a sincere smile that made Santana wish she could just blurt out – well, she didn't know what – but she wished she could just talk to her friend. Santana smiled back.

"Thanks"


"It's a good thing you agreed to come with me; otherwise I'd have no way of getting there." Brittany smiled at Santana as they walked towards her car. Santana just rolled her eyes, a smirk on her lips as she slid into the driver's seat.

Brittany instructed Santana to drive towards town and that she'd give her directions when they got closer. They made small talk for the majority of the ride; any gaps in conversation filled with comfortable quiet or Brittany's soft humming. Brittany had Santana turn left before they got to town and they ended up at a small dock on a lake Santana had never been to. She parked the car and got out, locking it after Brittany got out. She watched Brittany walk over to a small boat and felt butterflies in her stomach, surprised with herself that she even got this far without freaking out.

Amidst her nerves Santana couldn't help but smile as she watched the blonde untie the boat from the dock, her brow furrowed with concentration. She stood by the last tie and brushed stray blond hairs from her face before calling Santana over. The darker girl hesitated before joining Brittany and stepping carefully onto the boat. She looked at the small vessel that had what looked like a small room in the middle.

"Do you know how to run this thing?"

Brittany smiled as she untied the last rope. "Nope!" She looked at Santana. "Of course I do, San." Santana smiled to herself at the nickname, which sounded really good coming off of Brittany's tongue. "Well, someone kind of taught me, and I've done it once before, and – we'll be fine" she finished with a grin.

The blonde showed Santana how to start the engine and she went to the front of the boat which had an old fashioned steering wheel. After about 15 minutes Santana killed the engine like Brittany had told her too, and Brittany came to the back of the boat to drop anchor. Santana looked around for the first time, now able to pay attention to where they were. The boat was rocking gently in the middle of the lake and Santana could see houses sprinkled along the shore. After the roar of the engine died, the only sounds on the water were the occasional bird and the waves lapping at the hull of the boat.

Santana could feel Brittany smiling at her and turned to face her.

"Nice lake, right?"

"Yeah, it's gorgeous."

Brittany walked down the two small steps leading into the boat's room and came out with a bag and a sheet. She spread the sheet out on the boat's small deck and sat down, patting a spot near her. Santana moved to join her and watched as she pulled out bread, peanut butter, and an assortment of jellies.

"It's not much, but –"

"I love PB&J" Santana cut in, helping open the tough twist caps on the jellies.

Brittany grinned even wider if possible. "There's ice cream for dessert"

The girls ate their sandwiches in silence, watching as the sun dropped lower in the sky, coloring it with shades of light pink and orange. Santana never got over how each sunset seemed to be just as beautiful as the last, if not more so. She glanced over at Brittany and nearly choked on her sandwich as the blonde sucked jelly off her fingers. The sunset easily forgotten, Santana cleared her throat and took a long sip from her water bottle.

"It doesn't matter if I go swimming right after I ate, does it?" Brittany asked, not waiting for the answer as she stood up and pulled her shirt over her head.

Santana looked away feeling her cheeks flush and just shook her head, mumbling that Brittany would be fine. Brittany slipped out of the shorts she was wearing and started climbing down a set of stairs hanging over the side of the boat. She jumped the rest of the way into water, surfacing with a small shout.

"It's so cold!"

The darker girl looked down at the blonde treading water next to the boat.

"Come in Santana!"

She laughed. "You just said it was freezing, why would I want to come in?"

Brittany pouted and Santana sighed, more at herself than at Brittany. What are you doing? She asked herself as she turned around to unbutton her pants. Thankful that she wasn't wearing such a fancy bra and underwear, Santana climbed over the side of the boat and joined Brittany in the lake.

The girls chased each other around the boat, laughing when one caught up to the other. Santana splashed at Brittany who whined and dove underwater. She thought about their last day off and how different this time off felt. Just the two of them, away from watchful eyes of friends at camp…it was freeing. Santana didn't know why, hadn't even realized how heavy it was, but the weight on her chest seemed to lighten slightly. She took a deep breath which turned into a shriek as Brittany came up from under her in the water, hitching dark legs over lean shoulders before tossing the Latina backwards into the water. Brittany laughed and swam back towards the boat. Santana spit water from her mouth and followed with a huff, even though she was smiling.

Back on the boat Brittany handed Santana a towel as she wrapped one around herself. Santana noted how differently a bra and underwear clung to skin than a bathing suit did before realizing what she was thinking about and who she was staring at. She pulled the towel tighter as a shiver ran through her body, torn between the heat growing in her stomach and the cold of the air against her wet skin. Brittany noticed her shiver.

"Here, it's warmer inside. Besides, the bugs are gonna be out in full force soon."

Santana followed Brittany into the small room which contained a kitchenette, a futon, a few shelves built into the walls, and a narrow door that led to what must have been the smallest bathroom ever. Brittany closed the door behind them.

"Whose boat is this?"

"The head dance instructor's. She lives around here and let me use it."

"That's awesome." Santana sat on the futon, still wrapped tightly in her towel.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Brittany pointed to a small TV with a VHS player next to it on one of the shelves.

Santana nodded and Brittany popped in a tape which turned out to be some cheesy rom-com. They spent most of it making fun of the characters and bad acting. At one point Santana tentatively threaded her pinky around Brittany's. Their hands rested like that between them on the futon for the rest of the movie.

The credits started rolling and Santana found herself tugging softly at Brittany's hand. Wanting to pull her closer, wanting to touch her. It's not like she hadn't wanted what happened the other night; she admitted to herself she had definitely wanted that. It was just that this time, she wanted to make Brittany feel as good as she had. Hopefully without the panic, but she was more confident in Brittany than in herself in that aspect.

Brittany turned towards Santana who leaned over, letting go of Brittany's pinky to bring her hand to her face. She cupped Brittany's cheek and kissed her gently. The kiss grew heated quickly and Santana pushed Brittany down onto the futon, her towel falling to the wayside as she straddled her. Brittany leaned back a little and Santana frowned, pulling up.

"Santana…"

Santana leaned back down, not liking the tone of the blonde's voice, knowing what it meant. She bit her lower lip, pressing her forehead against Brittany's. She felt anxiety threatening to rear its ugly head and made to kiss Brittany again but the girl shifted underneath her.

"Santana" she said more firmly.

The darker girl closed her eyes. "Did you bring me out on this boat in the middle of nowhere just to talk about this?" she asked, her frustration lacing the question with an angry bite. She opened her eyes as Brittany sat up a little more, forcing Santana to sit back.

"No I –"

"Then please, just…" Santana trailed off, the anger gone from her voice. Her eyes searched Brittany's in the dim glow coming from the TV. Even in the dark, Brittany could see, and hear Santana's plea. Santana moved closer again, bringing her lips to Brittany's.

"Let's talk later," she whispered against hesitant lips.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Brittany kissed Santana back, allowing herself to be lowered once again onto the couch. Santana felt Brittany shiver as she ran her hand up her stomach, dragging her nails lightly across her skin. Brittany broke the kiss and Santana feared more attempted conversation, but the blonde only moved to unhook her bra and toss it on the floor. Santana did the same and brought her lips back down on Brittany's, intensifying the kiss as her stomach tightened.

She cupped Brittany's breast with one hand and felt incredibly awkward, having never really done this before. Well, there was that one time in 9th grade on a dare but that didn't count. She hesitated before flicking her thumb over both nipples, encouraged and emboldened when Brittany moaned into her mouth. Santana continued teasing Brittany before slipping a hand under the hem of her panties, pulling them downwards. The blonde broke contact with Santana's mouth only to help wriggle out of her underwear before pulling her back in for an intense kiss.

Santana's hand hovered over Brittany, lightly grazing warm skin causing the girl to arch up eagerly into Santana's hand. It was Santana's turn to pull away from the kiss.

"I – I've never really done this before, with another person, or girl, or whatever" she mumbled sheepishly, angry with herself for being what felt like a world class idiot. Brittany smiled and cupped Santana's cheeks so that she was looking her straight in the eyes.

"I'll be sure to let you know you're doing the right thing."

Brittany took Santana's hand and guided it over her center, showing the girl just where to touch her, letting out small moans along the way. Santana kissed up Brittany's collar bone to her ear, taking her time lavishing Brittany's neck with wet kisses as her hand worked in between the girl's legs. Brittany's hands found their way into Santana's hair, pulling her towards her for a messy kiss as she rocked against Santana's fingers. She bit down on Santana's bottom lip, her breathes coming in shorter pants. Santana picked up the pace and nearly lost it when Brittany let out a breathy "Fuck" as she came.

Shit.

Santana drew her hand slowly from between Brittany's legs as her eyes fluttered open. Brittany sighed contentedly, causing Santana to squirm as the pressure in her lower abdomen seemed to grow even stronger. Brittany leaned up and kissed her before rolling over and pinning Santana underneath her. She started kissing down Santana's neck to her chest, reaching her abs, sinking lower –

"Wait"

Brittany looked up at Santana, her hands poised over Santana's dark purple panties.

"We should go back. It's getting late." Santana said, ignoring her body's screams to let Brittany continue. The blonde frowned.

"But, what about…?" She half pointed towards Santana's underwear.

Santana shook her head. "I'm fine." No you're not. "Really." She added when the blonde gave her a skeptical look. Santana couldn't let her – she didn't know why. Brittany shrugged and stood up, picking her shirt up and putting it on. Her demeanor towards Santana changed, far from cold, but changed nonetheless. Santana thought she seemed hurt, or slightly thrown off.

Santana put her bra on and found her shirt. Her pants were still on the deck of the boat and she pulled them on, somewhat uncomfortable with still damp – from swimming, among other reasons – underwear underneath. They cleaned up their picnic and rearranged the small pillows on the futon in strained silence.

Brittany found the switch that turned on the outer lights and asked Santana to turn on the engine again. She brought the boat back to the dock slowly and hopped off to tie it back down. They cleared their things one last time and were heading back to the car when Brittany stopped.

"The ice cream!"

She turned and jogged back to the boat, running into the room and coming back out with two ice cream bars.

"You still want yours, right?" She asked, holding one out to Santana.

"Of course," the darker girl smiled, taking the ice cream.

They ate their dessert on the hood of Santana's car, swatting the bugs that danced around their heads. Santana swallowed her last bite and looked over at Brittany. She laughed at the blonde and motioned to her mouth.

"You've got some, ah, ice cream. Right there." Brittany licked at the corners of her mouth but missed the small glob of vanilla. Santana laughed again and Brittany wrinkled her nose.

"Where?"

Impulsively Santana leaned over and kissed right above the corner of Brittany's mouth, sucking at the spot of ice cream. Brittany smiled and moved to meet Santana's lips in a soft kiss. After a moment Santana pulled back.

"I had fun tonight – thank you."

"Me too."

Santana slid off the hood of her car and walked to the driver's side. Brittany sat down in the passenger's seat and reclined it slightly. On the drive back she fell asleep, her pinky linked with Santana's, their hands laying on the armrest between them. Keeping one hand on the wheel and both eyes on the road, Santana replayed the evening over and over in her head, only stopping when she was back in camp, falling into a dreamless sleep in her bed.