Thank you to londra555 for writing such an amazing story and thank you all for reading it!

A special thank to my dear beta, ghostofmyheart!

I also wanted to suggest you a ff I'm betaing, it's called "Dream" : [ .net s/7908217/1/Dream] , check it out 'cause it's an amazing story!

Ok. Right. Enjoy!

Chapter X - Journey

Kurt walked out of his small cabin.

I will never get used to sleeping in a cabin, it's so tiny and uncomfortable, he thought.

He stretched his arms, looking around. He thought about how long they were going to stay on the ship before the end of their, so called, exile.

Suddenly, he heard a door open and he turned, thinking it was Santana. His eyes widened when he saw Brittany walking out of Santana's cabin. She looked at him and waved, sending him a wide smile.

Kurt smiled back at her and Brittany walked away. Kurt leant his back on the wall right next to Santana's door. He chuckled, amused.

Five minutes later, Santana's door burst open.

"Good morning!" Kurt exclaimed.

Santana jumped and turned to him, shocked.

"Shit! Are you crazy!?" She said, "For god's sake, Hummel!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

Santana squinted her eyes at Kurt's amused tone.

"What were you doing out here?!"

"Nothing." he said, "I came out of my room and your cabin door opened."

Santana rolled her eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes!" said Kurt, "Do you know who came out of your room?"

Santana lifted one eyebrow and turned her back to him. She started walking toward the stairs.

"Don't you want to know who came out of your cabin, Santana?"

Kurt's amused voice followed her even as she was trying to ignore it.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Kurt." She said.

Kurt sneered.

"I saw you finally found a toy all for yourself!"

Santana stopped and closed her eyes in frustration, before turning to Kurt. She opened her eyes again.

"Don't you dare call Brittany that!" She said, "She's not a toy!"

Kurt rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Isn't she? I know you, Lopez." He said.

"You know me but you don't know her. I won't let you call her something like that." Santana said, "She's the sweetest person I know, and if you say another word about her, I will throw you and your ridiculous Oscar de la Renta's shirt into the ocean!" She threatened.

Kurt's eyes widened. He looked shocked and suddenly worried, like he was about to cry.

"Okay, okay. You can leave the shirt on board. There's no need to cry." Santana mumbled.

"I can't believe it!" Kurt exclaimed, "We were all waiting for this to happen! I can't wait to tell the others!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Santana asked.

"Look at you! I'm so happy, San!" Kurt continued.

"Why? Cause I want to throw you into the ocean?"

Kurt sighed. "No! Because you're finally breaking your one-night-stand routine!"

"Wait…. You …?"

"Doesn't matter!" Kurt said, "I know I'm being repetitive here but… A woman!?"

Santana smiled and shook her head. Tears of joy began to fall from Kurt's eyes.

"I know. But she's…. Different."Santana confessed, "Different from everything and everyone I've ever experienced."

"I know she is." Kurt replied quickly.

Santana sighed.

"I was serious Kurt."

"I know." Kurt said, "What are you going to do?" Kurt smiled.

"For now, nothing… Listen, I know that it's complicated…" Santana began, "It's just that I have so many doubts and thoughts that I don't even know where to begin … I… I'm taking it as it comes"

"I think that's a good plan." Kurt shrugged.

"It's like living under a glass that separates me from the world, from my world."

"But you know that it will all end soon. In less than a month, we will be back in New York and you cannot escape from reality." Kurt said.

Santana bit her lip and nodded.

"I don't want to think about it. I have time to answer to at least some of my questions…" Santana said.

"It'll be all right, San." He said.

Santana looked up at Kurt.

"You think so?"

"I have no doubts about it." Kurt said, "You said that, San. She's different and you've changed. It will all be all right."

Santana smiled at Kurt and then remembered something.

"I left my notebook in the cabin! Be right back!" She said. She turned and went back to her cabin.

Kurt shook his head. "I bet your mind was elsewhere."

He started to climb the stairs and saw Blaine.

"Kurt, I was looking for you." He said, "Your boss is on the satellite phone."

"Sue Sylvester?" Kurt asked.

"Yes. You should know that we can't solve the problems with the data so we've decided to…" Blaine said.

"Yes, we will talk about it later. I have to speak to her. She's not famous for her patience." Kurt interrupted him. "She could still fire me even if I'm a million miles away from her!"

He ran toward the deck, passing by Brittany and Sam that were talking animatedly.

"Boss! It's a pleasure to finally talk to you!"

"Cut the cackle, Hummel! Your holidays are about to end. I want you in my office as soon as you land! No extra day off!"Sue said.

"With all due respect, I want to remind you that we are here to work and you asked us to …."

"You're talking too much, Hummel. The sea's air made you slightly rebellious!"

"It wasn't my intention. I was just stating the facts!" Kurt said.

"I stopped listening to you years ago, Hummel. As soon as you're back I want a special feature on fashion in New York"

Kurt lifted his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry but next week I'll still be here in the middle of nowhere." Kurt said, "Or do you have in mind to come and get me with a helicopter?"

"That was Puckerman and Fabray's idea. They thought Lopez would have gone crazy after a week. But there's no need. You're coming back to New York. You'll be here in 3 days." Sue informed him.

"Look, this is a mistake…" Kurt lifted his eyebrow but then met Blaine's gaze and understood everything. "Ok, ok I understand."

"Let Lopez know that I want her in my office as soon as she touches land. I need her." Sue said.

And with that Sue cut off the phone call.

"We're going back?" He asked the three biologists that were not standing in front of him. He couldn't suppress a smile.

"Yes, we need to take the robot in the lab. We can't repair it here." Blaine explained.

Kurt smiled widely. Then his gaze met Brittany's and the happiness was gone.

It was still too early.

"Let me in!"

"Go away, Kurt!" Santana said, "I have a headache."

Kurt sighed and continued to knock on Santana's door.

"Let me in!"

"Go away!"

"Damn you, San! Let me in or you'll have my shoulder on your conscience." Kurt said, "I'll count to three and then I'll burst in!"

"One…"

"Two…"

"Don't make me…" Kurt said.

He rolled his eyes and the door suddenly opened.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to ask you if you had any hair spray you could lend me…"

Santana looked at him, confused.

"What do you think I want?!" He exclaimed, "I want you to leave this cabin! You've been in here for two days!"

"I don't want to."

Kurt walked past Santana, entering the room. He sat down on the bed and elegantly crossed his legs. Santana sighed. She couldn't believe how Kurt could be this perfectly in order even under those circumstances.

"San, go and talk to her. She told me she tried but you told her that you were tired and that you didn't have the strength to get up!"

"It was true." She mumbled.

"And you think this is how you should behave around her!?"

"I don't wanna face her. Tomorrow we will dock and do you know what's going to happen?" she asked, "I will go back to my apartment and she'll go back to her scientific missions around the world."

"Don't you at least want to know what she has to say?"

"There's nothing to say." Santana said, "It was my fault. I let myself get carried into this situation."

"What you feel for Brittany is real, San!"

"Yes but it's impossible, too. We live in two different worlds."

"What about giving her a chance?"

Santana sat down on the bed next to Kurt and ran her hands thorough her dark wavy hair.

"Everything's wrong, Kurt. I've never been attracted to a woman, I never liked nature and I never looked up at the sunset. I'm work, asphalt and matter-of-factness. "

Kurt frowned.

"And your only solution to this is hiding in your cabin until we dock?"

"It doesn't look like it's a good plan, anymore." She said.

"It wasn't a very good plan, San!" exclaimed Kurt.

Santana looked down.

"Go to her. She's on the deck." Kurt said, "It's starting to get cold out there."

Kurt saw his friend sigh deeply. She walked out of the room, head down.

Brittany was outside on the deck, leaning into the handrail. The dark ocean under her was her only company. Suddenly, she heard steps coming toward her and she felt someone placing a jacket over her shoulders. She turned slowly and smiled.

"Are you feeling better, now?"

Santana looked away from her and set her gaze on the rippling surface of the ocean.

"I wasn't ill."

"I know."

"I was afraid to talk to you."

"I know that, too." Brittany said, "But why?"

Santana swallowed. Her throat was dry. Her stomach was in knots.

"Because tomorrow I'll go back to my life in New York and you'll stay here." Santana began, "You will leave soon and I can't just have you for short periods of time. I couldn't bear to see you get away from me."

"But I could always come back. For you."

"I don't think I could do it."

Brittany smiled sadly.

"You have already decided."

"There's no other solution."

Brittany turned toward her and took Santana's hands in hers.

"Stay with me."

"What?"

"Stay with me. Don't leave this ship, tomorrow. Stay here with me."

Santana gaped at her.

"I can't do what you are asking me to, Brittany." Santana said, "You know that."

"Why?"

"Because I can't do it. I can't leave everything. I love New York and my life there."

"You learned to love this place in such a short amount of time. And you know why?" Brittany asked, "Because what you think is essential in reality is only a shadow from the undefined outlines. I could give you the world."

"I can't. You know that."

Brittany closed her eyes and sighed.

She gathered all her thoughts. She opened her blue eyes again and fixed them on Santana's. The Latina thought she could see the sea in them.

"I promise you aurora borealis and infinite sunsets. I promise you nights that are so blue that you won't be able to see your fears. I promise you days, so bright that you will think death doesn't exist." She paused without breaking eye contact. "I ask you to leave your path, the one that is so wide and bright and that you are facing alone. Let it go and come with me, down the small path I offer you. I can promise you that if you choose it, you'll never be alone. I'll be there for you. Beside you."

"Britt, I…" Santana began.

"You'll never be alone…" Brittany interrupted her. "Because I love you."

Brittany's lips touched Santana's. It was the sweetest kiss either of them had ever experienced. They parted slowly.

"What's at the end of your path, Brittany?"

Brittany opened her eyes slowly and smiled sadly. She looked at the small tear, tracing Santana's cheek.

"I don't know."

"I'm sorry. I can't."

Then she turned and walked away from the blonde.

The following morning, at the harbor, Brittany was on the deck and saw Santana walking down the folding ladder. She was walking away from the ship and from her.