I'm such a bad author, person, thing or whatever you want to call me. I'm so sorry for the Mega late update. I had a small crisis of confidence about my writing and stupidly vowed to stop writing but I'm over myself and back to normal (well I've never been normal but yeah) and back writing woo.

So without further ado I present to you this long overdue chapter, short as it is but I wanted something up, the next chapter will be longer I promise. Thanks for your patience and to everyone who's still reading my stories you guys are seriously the best.

Disclaimer:- I don't own anything

(Present time)

Sue looked up at the burning building with a grim determination. Puck had just radioed in the progress of the rescue team. They had made little progress since the last check in and time was running out. Santana was in bad shape and Sue was getting worried form the lack of response she was getting from the Latina. She had been radioing Santana every 5 minutes to check up on her and it was taking her longer and longer for her to respond back which wasn't a good sign.

The crunching of snow alerted Sue to a presence behind her. Turning she met the concerned eyes of Captain Will Shuester from fire house 81.

"William I see you still can't fit that helmet on to that bird's nest you like to call hair" Sue snarled as the smaller man as he approached, his crew in tow.

"Sue always a pleasure" Will nodded, well used to the rivalry between the stations "We got a call saying that there was an emergency in your area and thought we could be of service"

Sue regarded the man in front of her biting back the witty comeback that was about to roll off her tongue. There was no time for being petty and refusing the help offered would definitely result in Santana's death and that was something she was determined not to let happen.

"I already have a team in there trying to get one of my guys out, it would be too dangerous to put more people in but we could do with more hoses putting the fire out" Sue said as she motioned with her head to the building that was still engulfed by flames, the streams of water from the hoses already there not making a dent on the inferno and the snow and wind were not helping any either.

Will shot Sue a disbelieving look, not expecting an answer without an insult attached. "Yes, sure I'll get my crew to line up the trucks." He said clearing his throat "Right Joe, Rory I want you manning the hoses, get the trucks stationed as close to the blaze as safely possible, everyone else I want you doing whatever you can to help out" Will turned to Sue after briefing his team and nodded once to her before leaving to get the trucks ready.

Sue turn back to face the building grabbing the radio "Puckerman what's your position?"

Puck grunted with effort as the sparks flew around him, cutting in to the structure was no easy feat. He heard the radio crackle and switched off the saw he was using.

"Captain?" Puck asked, as swiped at his brow trying to clear the sweat that was stinging his eyes.

"Puckerman how far are you in to the structure?"

"Not far, the buildings old so the structure is solid. We've got two saws going but the concrete is so thick it's blunting the blades quicker than we can change them." Puck said as he looked over at the Finn who was manning the other saw and making very little progress.

"Keep trying, I'll check to see if there is an alternate route that we've maybe missed. Fire house 81 is here to support so if push comes to shove we can rotate crews if you get tired. But Puckerman this is our teammate, our friend, we are going to get her out copy?"

"Yeah Capt loud and clear, we'll get our girl out, I'll make sure of it...I promise" Puck signed off and turned to look at the guys next to him "Right let's get our girl home and safe"

As he turned and watched his crewmates and friends, a new wave of determination passed through him. He was not losing Santana like he lost Dave; he would not lose another person he cared for so much. He pulled back on his mask and picked up the saw with a new purpose.

*Hold on Santana...Please just hold on*

(Flash Back)

Santana looked at herself in the mirror as she straightened her tie. Usually she was proud to wear her ceremonial uniform to show off that she was a fire fighter but today wearing the uniform held a different purpose, today she wished she didn't have to wear it.

"Santana you ready?" Tina's voice echoed through the stations bathroom.

"Yeah I'll be out in a sec" Santana hated the way her voice cracked as she said it. Her throat was raw from all the cry and sobbing she had been doing over the past week and she looked like hell. After Rachel had kissed her and left Santana was left confused. Part of her was ecstatic, Rachel Berry had kissed her, had actually kissed her full on the mouth but as soon as she had closed the door and had entered her living room and caught sight of a picture of her, Puck and Dave the grief had come flooding back. She had spent the rest of the week in her bed remembering all the good times they had together and crying about all the stuff they would now never get to do.

Tina gave a sad smile as she met her at the bathroom door "The guys are waiting for us" she said as she handed Santana her cap.

Santana returned the smile and accepted the cap mumbling a small thanks. Tina watched as Santana headed off down the corridor towards the mess area where all the guys were waiting for them. Tina followed the Latina down the corridor wishing she could say something that would comfort the Latina but no words came to her. She had never seen Santana like this before and she was at a loss of what to do. Sure she knew that Dave, Santana and Puck were as close a threesome as any, Santana and Puck hadn't just lost a friend, they lost a brother and it sucked that there was nothing Tina could do to comfort either of them.

Thankfully for Tina they reached the mess hall before she could think of anything to say. The minute they entered Puck moved across the room to Santana and engulfed her in to a big hug whispering something in her ear that Tina didn't quite make out.

They all moved to the dispatch room where a nominated fire truck and ambulance was waiting for them to take them to the church. All the fire fighters got in to the truck while Tina and Beiste got in to the ambulance.

On the ride over no one spoke until they got to the church, they sat waiting in the truck for all the other guests to go in.

"Is Rachel coming?" Puck asked as he noticed Quinn enter the church with Mercedes and Rachel's friend Kurt who had come to be there for Blaine.

"No she has an audition or something, but why would she come...I mean we're not exactly anything she just kissed me that's all." Santana said looking out of the window at the small mass of people heading in to the church.

Puck open his mouth to protest, to say that Rachel did care about her and that she had texted him when she wasn't getting a response from Santana, to check up on her, but their captain chose that moment to appear telling them to get in to position as the car carrying Dave's coffin had arrived. Santana, Puck, Finn, Mike, Artie and Sam, the coffin bearers moved over to the car while Sue got everyone else in to position before moving up to the front of the procession leading the coffin in.

Santana and Artie where at the foot of the coffin just behind Sue while Finn and Mike were at the head at the back with Puck and Sam in the middle, Beiste and Tina taking up the rear leading in Dave's family.

Santana clenched her jaw and willed herself not to cry as the weight of the coffin settled on her shoulders, she could feel Pucks eyes on her as they started their walk in to the church and that added to the weight on her shoulders. She took some satisfaction at the amount of people that came out to remember Dave and celebrate the life that he lived.

After settling the coffin at the front of the church they moved to sit in one of the pews designated just for them. Santana sat in a daze the priest spewed stuff about Dave being accepted in to gods kingdom and that god was taking away any pain that he felt and that he was now at peace.

Santana herself didn't believe in god even though she was raised a catholic by her parents and more importantly her grandmother who took her to church every Sunday but Santana had difficulty in believing in something that gave her family a reason to disown her.

She grabbed Pucks hand as the priest left the alter and Sue took his place. Santana hung her head trying desperately to bury her head in to her chest letting the tears fall as Sue's strong unwavering voice filled the room.

"Dave was an excellent fire fighter and he was an even better friend, he had passion and a determination that made easily one of the best fire fighters in my squad. He always came to work with smile and readiness to help anyone who needed it, which made him a great individual , a great man." As Sue stopped to collect herself, Santana looked over at the pew across from her to the sobbing and grieving parents and devastated husband that Dave was leaving behind. She felt her chest constrict at the sight of their loss and how their world was now much lonelier. Suddenly the room was to hot and too crowded.

She was vaguely aware of Sue talking again as she tried her best to focus on Pucks thumb that was rubbing across the back of her hand trying to sooth her but that wasn't helping her as breaths began to come in short gasps. A sob caught in her chest as she shuddered to take a breath.

"Hey it's ok just calm down...try to take deep breaths" Puck murmured rubbing her back.

She felt a hand on her shoulder as someone move in to the pew beside her. A small delicate hand pull one of hers out of Puck's much larger hands and she held on to it like it was her only life line.

"Try to calm down and take deep breaths" a voice whispered in her ear as the person gently rubbed her back.

The familiar voice made Santana's head shoot up and the tightness in her chest loosen a bit. " I thought you had an audition?"

Rachel gave a small smile and squeezed the hand that she held in her own. " I did but I had somewhere more important to be"

Santana lips twitched as she squeezed Rachel's hands back and she felt Puck squeeze her other one. He sent a smile down at her and kissed her temple.

As Finn and Mike took their place at the altar replacing Sue to read a passage on behalf of the team, Santana slowly felt her chest loosen and her breathing started to go back to normal despite the sobs.

It wasn't long after that, that the service was finished and everyone was to make their way to the grave yard for the formal burial.

The next Morning Santana woke up with a pounding headache and no memory of how she got home. She groaned and pulled the covers over her head as the sun peek through a gap in her curtains making her headache ten times worse. She snuggled back down fully intending on sleeping her hangover off for the rest of the day but just as she was on the cusp of sleep she heard something that alerted her to the fact that she was not the only person in her house.

Her eyes shot open, which she regretted immediately as she felt her brain explode with pain thanks to her hangover, at hearing her shower running. Wincing she looked down at the trail of clothes that lead to her bed and quickly pulled back the bed covers to inspect her nakedness but sighed with relief when she found herself in a tank top and boy shorts.

*But that doesn't mean you didn't do the nasty with someone nasty* a voice said at the back of her mind, filling her with dread again. She just prayed that Rachel wasn't around when she pulled whoever was in her shower.

The sound of the shower shutting off made Santana's heart stop as she desperately tried to piece last night events back together and figure out who she took home and guilt exploded in her chest at the fact that she did that at Dave's wake making her possibly the worse friend in the world.

The sound of soft footsteps approached the door and Santana closed her eyes as the person entered the room.

*Please be Puck...Please be Puck* Santana thought desperately.

"Oh good you're up, how's your head?" An angelic voice asked.

For the second time that morning Santana's eyes shot open but this time she didn't care about the pain in her head as she stared at a towel clad Rachel Berry.