Authors Note:

Okay so the response I got to continue with this story was crazy! Thank you all so much for sticking with me after all these years, I cant tell you how happy it made me seeing the reviews coming in! The story is pretty much picking up where we left off and like last time i'd love if you guys have any ideas for revenge that Brittany can play on Santana.

Anyway, I wont keep you any longer. After 5 long years, heres chapter 7


It was Saturday morning and so far all my attempts at winning Santana over, of gaining her trust, had failed. It was as though her walls would crumble for a moment only to be rebuilt just as quickly, ten times bigger than before.

I had learnt over the past week that not only did she dislike all of my roommates, but they also hated her just as much. Each time either of them tried to be polite or make an effort to be friendly to her they were shot down in a blaze of insults and quick barbs. I could only sit back and feel sorry for them, I had been in that position all to often myself and I knew how painful her words could be. But I needed to refrain from defending the guys too much, I needed to befriend Santana and that would be impossible if we were constantly clashing over her harsh words to everyone else.

It seemed that the only person who could stand her was Puck. I had no idea how, she was just as vicious to him as she was with everyone else, maybe even slightly more so. I couldn't figure out if he brushed it aside because he was sleeping with her or because he actually had real feelings for her. The latter gave me a sense of unease and I couldn't quite put my finger on why.

Besides the whole 'Santana ordeal' I was really starting to love New York. I had found some of the most beautiful places around the city on my daily walks and each one made me feel more and more at home. Finally I felt that I belonged somewhere.

My favourite spot was near a small lake in Central Park, the outskirts were dotted with wooden benches and on every walk I found myself perched upon one, watching as the ducks skated across the surface with ease. It made me feel at peace, if only for a short period each day, before I headed back to the madness.

Thats where I sat now, watching the various types of ducks go about their daily business. Occasionally my gaze would wonder up to watch the people of New York mill around on different errands. Coffee breaks, rushing to work, meeting with friends, walking the dog. Each and everyone one of them had a purpose, a reason they were here at that exact moment. It made me long for the beginning of my course at Juilliard, for the days when I too would be rushing to and fro around the city, in between classes and lectures.

I knew there was still a considerable amount of time before my classes started which made it even more crucial that I fill my time with another purpose until then. I already knew what that purpose was of course, the same thing I had been filling my time with since the day she walked back into my life. I needed to get my revenge. It was no longer just something that I wanted to do, I knew now that I truly needed this. I felt no other way I could possibly move forward with my life until I had inflicted the pain upon her that I had suffered for so many years. I just had no clue how to start, especially when she would not allow her guards down for long enough to allow me to become her 'friend'.

My inner ramblings were halted when I spotted a figure in my peripheral vision, turning to look at the face I noticed Artie smiling back at me from his wheelchair. I hadn't heard him approach at all, my thoughts must have seriously taken over.

I smiled back at him before my thoughts could overtake themselves again. As much as I needed to think my plan through I also needed to get to know my roommates better. After this whole revenge thing was over they would still be in my life and I already felt like we could all be really great friends.

"Hey Britt, I didn't see you here at first, I was just on my way to get coffee before I have to head back to class. Have you been out here long?'

His talking pulled me back into the present

"um… not too long, I don't think anyway, sometimes I completely lose track of time sitting here! It's just so peaceful. What classes do you have next? Are you in a rush to get back, because I could really use a cup of coffee too!"

His grin widened back at me as he motioned for me to come with him, I smiled my thanks back to him.

"I have 'History of film' next but it doesn't start until 2pm, so I have like half an hour to kill. I know this really great little coffee house a couple blocks away, unless you have somewhere else in mind?"

I nodded my head at his suggestion. New York was crammed with Starbucks on practically every street corner. I had never been a fan of large scale corporations, preferring to use small boutique places and family run businesses. I had discovered a handful of independent coffee houses on my jaunts around the city and each one was bursting with character. That was what I loved so much about places like that, each one was completely different to the last but all of them had a sense of home and family. It was comforting in such a large city like this, surrounded by millions of strangers.

"Yeah that sounds great, I always love trying new places so lead the way!" I responded back to him.

From the outside the coffee shop blended into its surroundings, hardly noticeable if you weren't looking for it. The only indicators that it was more than a regular building were the A-frame chalk board on the sidewalk and the large neon sign implying that the name of the shop was 'Fleetwood Macchiato'.

I followed Artie through the large glass door, edged with dark wood. The shop was adequate in size but held the appearance of a small and cozy space. Odd chairs and tables were placed mismatched around the floor and small booths lined the walls.

I smiled down to Artie who was looking up to me expectantly. This was definitely my kind of place.

I spotted a large sofa in the far corner of the coffee shop, placed neatly in front of a dark oak coffee table. Artie took my order and I headed towards the sofa to wait for him. This gave me plenty of time to gaze around at the beautiful musical artwork lining the walls, noticing also the grand piano in the opposite corner to where I sat. This place was extraordinary, I was definitely coming back, and soon.

My mind started to wonder if Santana would like it here. Was this her scene? Did she prefer small stores like this or did she go for the large corporations like Starbucks? From what I knew of her she appeared to be the kind of person who would prefer the impersonal aura of Starbucks. The ability to order your coffee and have it in your hands outside the store within 5 minutes, without so much as 5 words to the barista. That definitely seemed more like Santana's scene.

My forehead began to crease into a frown. Why was I thinking of Santana again? Why did I care what she would think of this place? Truthfully she would probably hate it here and there was no chance in hell I would come here with her, so did it really matter what she would think?

My mind felt fuzzy with the confusion and direction of my thoughts. I had obviously been too engrossed in my plan to hurt her over the last few days, that would explain why my mind kept unconsciously thinking of her and her opinions. Maybe I needed a break from all the scheming, to get myself back on track.

Once again Artie pulled me from my thoughts as he approached the table, coffee placed delicately in his lap as he wheeled himself towards the sofa. I took my coffee from him and he manoeuvred his wheelchair so that it was next to the sofa, facing the coffee table.

"So how are you finding New York? Have you gotten lost yet?" he asked with a smirk on his lips

I laughed at his question before responding "Oh my god, yes! My first couple days here, every time I left our apartment I would end up in the middle of nowhere! The first time I ventured out I couldn't remember our address for like 1 hour, I was just wondering around trying to spot something familiar!"

I continued to recount my first experiences of New York living to Artie and he told me about when he first moved here too. The conversation felt easy and light, I had missed having someone that I could talk with so freely without consequence of what might happen if I said or did something in particular. My friendship with Santana, if you could call it that, was so hard to maintain. I felt as though i needed to monitor everything I said or did around her for fear that she may end our friendship, ruining my plan completely.

Artie finished his drink just as a waitress headed towards our table.

"Hello, welcome to Fleetwood Macchiato. Is it your first time here? I haven't seen you around before." she rambled with a smile

Artie smiled back at her as he replied "I come here all the time, but its Brittany's first experience" he glanced over at me with a grin.

The waitress glanced towards me, her face friendly and inviting "Well may I offer you a warm welcome, we hope to see you back here again very soon! And may I also say what a lovely couple you two make, you are both just adorable!"

Artie's face flushed at her words and my jaw dropped slightly in shock. We both let out a nervous laugh as we glanced at each other.

"Oh no…no…um we're not…together. We're just friends…roommates…and friends" I rambled out, trying to ease the awkwardness of the situation and failing miserably.

The waitress' eyes bulged as the heat rose to her face in embarrassment "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't meant to imply anything, you two just looked very close and I assumed. I apologise, I do hope you aren't offended."

I shook my head at her and smiled "No, no don't worry, it's a funny situation really, right Artie?"

He looked up at us both with a small smile and nodded his head in agreement.

"Well, as I said, I do hope to see you both here again soon, and please do bring your friends by too, we love meeting new customers. My name is Rachel, Rachel Berry. Myself and my friend Kurt own this little place, it's our baby! He's right over there." I followed her arm as she pointed towards a small, pale, young man, probably around our age, as he cleaned a table in the centre of the room.

I nodded at Rachel "We'll definitely be back, it's wonderful in here. I absolutely love what you've done with the place. Does the piano get played? It would be an awful shame if it didn't, I wouldn't want it to feel neglected."

She looked at me like I had two heads "Um…no it gets played quite regularly. We actually have open mic nights here every Wednesday, and the piano is always available incase anyone ever fancies an impromptu song."

I grinned in approval at her words and bounced excitedly in my seat as I looked over to Artie "Oh my god, we have to come this Wednesday, open mic night would be so cool and we could invite Puck and Sam too!"

He smiled over to me and nodded in approval before glancing at his watch, his eyes widening in alarm. "Oh man, I really have to go Brittany, It's almost 2pm and my class is all the way across town."

I frowned at having to leave so soon but nodded towards him as I knew it wouldn't be long before I could return. The shop was only a few blocks from our apartment building so it was practically our local.

"Yeah okay, I'll head out with you, I probably should get back home and spend some time with Lord T before he starts up his smoking addiction again." I stood from the sofa as Rachel and Artie sent confused glances my way.

"Bye Rachel, it was nice to meet you, we'll see you on Wednesday" I threw over my shoulder as Artie and I headed for the doorway.

Once out on the sidewalk we said our goodbyes and Artie headed for the subway station, I hailed a cab to take me back towards our apartment as I was still slightly unsure of how to get home.

The cab pulled up to the apartment building and I paid the driver, plus tip, before heading towards our front door. The guys had me a key made so I let myself in and took the elevator to our floor before wondering down to our apartment and opening the door.

Pulling the door closed I noticed the sound of zen music filtering through the apartment while a stranger spoke

"and breath in 2, 3, 4, and out 2, 3, 4"

I rounded the corner to the living room and stopped dead in my track. The sofa had been pushed backwards to allow for more space in front of the fireplace and television, the coffee table moved completely to another area of the apartment. There in the space was Santana, going through the motions of one Yoga pose after another. She was currently in the middle of lowering into the splits, my mind felt hazy and foggy, much like it had earlier today only ten times worse. Unconsciously my eyes travelled over her body, a light sheen of sweat coating every inch of exposed skin, and hell there was a lot of exposed skin. She had chosen the shortest shorts imaginable and only wore a sports bra on her top half. As she bent forwards to reach her toes I could see the muscles flex in her back and along her slender arms.

By this time I was unsure how long I had been standing there, but my mind suddenly reminded itself that I was leering, I shook my head to clear the haze that had settled there and cleared my suddenly very dry throat.

Santana jumped at the noise, not having noticed that anyone had entered the apartment. She stared up at me like a deer in headlights, mouth open in a pant as she clutched at her chest where her heart would lie.

"Jesus christ, how long have you been standing there? You nearly gave me a heart attack! Fuck!" Her gaze turned into a glare as she looked back at me, waiting for my reply.

I opened my mouth to reply but the words appeared to be stuck in my throat. I couldn't tell her I had been standing there for an unnecessary amount of time, leering at her! That was weird and I'm certain Santana would think I was a huge creeper.

"I…uh… Just got home. I went to get coffee with Artie but he had to go back to class so I got a cab home. I… um… I didn't think anyone would be home yet. Sorry if i disturbed you." I realised I was stammering but it was the best I could do in this situation.

She continued to glare at me, her eyes searching my face for something I didn't understand. She nodded her head at me before leaning over to grab the remote. She shut off the TV and walked towards me.

"It's okay, I was finished anyway. I'm gonna grab some water, do you want anything?" She asked as she brushed past me, her arm sweeping past my own.

I felt a jolt rush through my skin and the scent of vanilla and honey mingled in my senses. What was happening? I felt off balance and my eyes closed to steady myself. I hadn't noticed her walk back towards me until I felt her hand on my arm. My eyes opened to warm pools of chocolate. Never in the whole time I had known her had I ever seen that look on her face, the compassion and concern emanating from her eyes. Her mouth was moving but I couldn't hear the words, I felt like I was floating underwater. Everything about this was unfamiliar. Why was I acting this way? Was I getting sick? I wrenched from my thoughts as I realised she was still trying to talk to me.

"Huh… what…?" I asked unsure

The concern on her face deepened "I said are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out. Have you eaten today? Are you getting sick? Oh god, tell me Stumbles mccripplepants did not hit on you?! That would be enough to make anyone ill."

She tried to joke and insult, but the worried look remained on her face. The insult was just a distraction from how she was really feeling. I could see that. Was that what it was every time? What was she trying to distract people from?

My head hurt from how conflicted my mind felt. I had no idea what was happening. I definitely felt like I was getting sick, but it was so much different to anything I had ever felt in my life. Maybe I had caught some strange New York City disease. Did that even exist?

"I… uh… don't feel so great. I don't know… maybe i'm coming down with something? Do New Yorkers get a different kind of sick, 'cause this feels like a New York kind of sick, not an Ohio kind of sick." I shook my head to emphasise my point my body swaying at the movement.

"Wait… you're from Ohio?! No freaking way! Which town? Maybe we have met before, I thought you looked kind of familiar but I couldn't figure out where we might have met!"

My face paled even further. Shit! What was I supposed to say? She wasn't supposed to find out where I was from, this could completely ruin my whole plan! Shit, Shit, Shit!. My head pounded, this was way too much to cope with in the space of 10 minutes.

"Um… Cleveland. Born and raised. I… uh… don't think we ever met. I mean… I would have remembered I think." I stuttered out, hopefully that would work.

She smirked slightly up at me, the worry on her face dissipating slightly. "You'd remember huh? Am I not something you might forget?" I could sense the teasing in her tone and it made my cheeks once again flush red. She laughed at me and shook her head.

"C'mon, I think you need to lie down, do you want to go to your bedroom?" She asked as she once again glanced up at me. My eyes widened in alarm and shock, was she implying what I thought she was. There was no way she could be. Even so I felt the hammering in my chest and the heat settling in my abdomen.

She saw the look on my face, confusion crossing her features before she let out a hearty and slightly embarrassed laugh.

"Oh my god, get your mind out of the gutter! I meant do you want to go lie down in your room, on your own, because you don't look so good. God! Is your mind always this filthy? I mean, just, wanky! And may I also remind you that I'm sleeping with your roommate… who's a guy!" She smirked at me, the slight embarrassment still evident in her features.

My face was a tomato, never in my life had I been so embarrassed. She laughed to try and clear the air and I mentally slapped myself. I needed to get my shit together, this was ridiculous.

I attempted to laugh with her, and glanced slightly towards her "Sorry, my mind works funny sometimes! Of course I know Puck is your boyfriend, and even if he wasn't, you're straight… and I am also straight. It just sounded funny the way you said it thats all."

She looked a little taken aback before she responded "First of all, Puck is not my boyfriend! He's just a warm body when I need him. Second, if I was actually proposing what you thought I was, it wouldn't be funny at all, it would be sexy as hell, and the last thing you would be doing is laughing." The devilish smirk was firmly back on her face as she looked up at me with the same mirth and mystery in her eyes.

Once again I flushed at her words, an embarrassed laugh flowing from my lips. I had no idea how to respond to that. "I… uh… I'm sure your propositioning is very… sexy. But like I said… I'm straight… so I don't think it would have the desired effect on me." I tried to explain away in the teasing tone she so often used.

The darkest in her eyes grew "uh huh, if you say so." and with that she turned from me, my mind slowly starting to clear without her in such close proximity. My mind tried to review everything that had just occurred but came up blank. Nothing made much sense these days.

"I'm getting some water now, do you want anything?" she asked over her shoulder as she retreated into the kitchen.

"I'm good thanks, i'm gonna go lie down for a while, i still feel a little… off." I looked up towards her as her trademark smirk landed on her lips once again.

"Okay, sweet dreams." She purred, her eye closing in a wink before she turned back towards the sink.

I felt my mind blur again and rushed towards my bedroom, flopping onto my bed. The only way to clear a head like this was music, and dancing.

I opened my phone and sent a group message to the guys:

From Brittany:

Hey guys, I really want to go out tonight, see what nightlife New York has to offer. Do you wanna join? We could go dancing :D xx

I placed my phone on my nightstand as I headed towards my dresser, pressing play on my iPod and letting the music settle over my body. A ding near the bed alerted me to a new message and I jumped on the bed to grab my phone, opening the screen as I went.

1 New Message From - Noah Puckerman

I'm totally in but I'm working tonight until 2am. Come by the bar, we have entertainment on tonight, and I'll totally give you free drinks. Then we can go dancing later ;) xx

I pondered Pucks offer. This could be exactly what I needed. Maybe it was time for me to let loose, drink and have fun with my friends.

From Brittany:

Sounds perfect! Meet you guys there at 9! xx

I have a feeling tonight is gonna be crazy, and I can't wait!