Chapter 11

"- sorry, I'm really late I know, I'm sorry"

Santana swept into the classroom, her sleek, straightened ponytail swinging behind her as she greeted the class with an apologetic smile. It was the last lesson of term and she had promised something fun before the Christmas break, a quiz or a video or something as they were already so far ahead of their work schedule and the class sat patiently waiting, the chatter dying away as she entered.

"Ok, I'm here now, we can get started..."

Her eyes flicked to the vintage Sekonda on her wrist and she noted that Will had made her 10 minutes late, although, unusually for her she couldn't summon even the slightest irritation. Instead she felt a small smile as she thought of their conversation, a happiness that she hadn't felt for months spreading through her.

She had been unwilling to stop at first when he had cornered her after break, with something so important it apparently just couldn't wait until lunch, but had allowed him to explain, warning him with impatient eyes to be quick.

"So...as you know" He began with a smile "The New Directions won their round at sectionals"

"...Uh..Yeah"

"Well it made me think, it's great that we've come this far...but we're going to need something really special to place at nationals"

She nodded briskly, encouraging him to speak faster "Ok"

"And I think the kids are up to it...but they are going to have to work really hard"

She stared at him with a faint frown "Is there a point to this story Will?"

He smiled, by now used to her impatience

"Yes, I'm just getting there...so yeah something good for nationals, Ok...so I have some ideas, some pretty good ones, but I need help..."

He took a breath and looked at her anxiously

"I'm just going to say it...I need a co-director"

Santana raised her eyebrows, her reply out of her mouth before he had even finished his sentence

"Ask Emma"

She had already started walking back down the hallway when he reached out, grabbing her arm and spinning her back to face him

"I would ask her but..well..I think the kids find her difficult to relate to, and she doesn't really dance or sing, which would make it easier...but you...they love you...you know a lot of them already and I just know they would work hard with you, I think you'll be a really good influence for them"

"I don't sing"

Will pulled a face

"Santana...come on.."

"What? I don't" She lied, trying to ignore the impulse telling her to say yes

"Maybe not loudly, but I've heard you sing along to the radio in the teacher's lounge...and that time you did karoeke at the Firehouse...it's pretty obvious you can carry a tune"

She didn't reply, faintly embarrassed he remembered her drunken rendition of The BeeGees 'Emotions' from a night out last month, so he spoke again

"Santana please...for a lot of them this is their last chance to win nationals, I need all the help I can get and I think they'd really love it if you joined us...please just think about it"

She had sighed, excuses as to why she couldn't do it filling her head, but the overwhelming feeling of flattery and intrigue knocking down the objections her logic raised.

She didn't have time?

Well after Christmas there would be a lot less essays to mark, and she could always move debate club to earlier in the week.

She hadn't sung or danced properly since she was in college?

That wouldn't matter, she was good, really good and it would come back to her soon enough once she started up again.

Brittany?

Santana swallowed. That one was a little harder to reason away.

But it didn't mean she shouldn't do it. She wanted to do it. She didn't really know why, but the whole thing seemed kind of fun and everyone had been so happy when the Glee kids had done well at regionals. She wanted to be part of that. She looked at Will, his brown eyes pleading silently with her and found herself nodding uncertainly, a reluctant smile on her lips.

"Ok...yeah...I'll give it a try, but if it doesn't work out then I think you should just ask Emma..and I'm late so we'll have to talk about this later"

He beamed, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around her in a quick hug.

"Thank you so much. We're going to have so much fun" he promised, turning away with a double thumbs up as Santana carried on up the hallway, surprised at how much she was now looking forward to coming back to work after the holiday break.

She reached her lesson and opened the classroom door, her hazel eyes immediately searching out bright blue. She had a sudden impulse to tell Brittany about her conversation with Will and almost found herself walking over to the girl's desk, before she realised what she was doing and quickly moved towards the board instead, her cheeks reddening slightly.

She chucked her bag under the desk and faced the students.

"Ok, last lesson of term...I promised something fun so it's up to you what we do today"

She walked round to sit on the edge of her desk, ignoring Rachel's hand which shot up immediately.

"We could play a game, we could do a quiz. I have all seven seasons of West Wing in the cupboard so you could watch that if you like.."

The girl's hand began to flutter in her eyeline, trying to get her attention and Santana turned her head deliberately to the other side of the class.

"I have some work to hand out so I could put it on in the background whilst we get that out of the way..."

Rachel's small frame was lifted slightly off her chair now, the extra height pushing her arm higher. She stared resolutely at Santana, not blinking as she tryed to catch her eye.

"And then I just need five minutes at the end of the lesson to give you a really short piece of research homework for over Christmas.."

The brunette quietly cleared her throat, her arm still held rigidly above her, desperate to speak and Santana gave in.

"Yes Rachel? Do you have something to add?"

The girl nodded at her teacher, ignoring the sharp tone and sat back in her chair, satisfied.

"I do Ms. Lopez." She smoothed her skirt over her knees and leant forward "I have been thinking about what we could do to mark the end of your first term here at McKinley, and I thought it might be fun..."

A dramatic pause

"To have a debate.."

The class groaned collectively as she carried on

"..You would participate, on the subject of your choosing...perhaps the Republican race for presidential nominee, or Obama's presidency..or maybe even something a little more controversial, abortion perhaps, or gay marriage"

Santana swallowed as Rachel leaned further over her desk and added delightedly

"We could both be team captains"

When the teacher didn't immediately respond, Puck took it upon himself to say what they were all thinking, earning a hurt frown from Rachel

"Berry that sucks, we aren't doing that"

The class agreed with him and Rachel's idea was quickly shouted down, the vote seeming to be in favour of watching a DVD. Santana knew they wouldn't pay attention to it, only using it as an excuse to get away with doing nothing for an hour, but frankly she would rather do almost anything than organise a debate which she would then have to argue against Rachel in.

So she obliged her students, putting the first episode of 'The West Wing' on the TV she'd had to wheel out from the cupboard and allowing to chat amongst themselves as she gave out bits of work.

As she passed the brunette she shot her a sympathetic smile

"Sorry Rachel...you're idea sounded really..fun. Maybe next time yeah?"

The petite singer nodded, a little downtrodden but fairly used to unenthusiastic responses to most things she suggested.

Santana went back to handing out the short essay questions they had done last week and she walked back to the board, congratulating Brittany on her way past for the highest mark in the class.

At the back of the room Dave Karofsky's face screwed up in annoyance.

"What!...How did the retard get a higher score than me? Can she even write her own name?"

Santana whipped round, her eyes dark with rage as she saw Brittany's face crumple in humiliation.

"Get out"

He tried to protest but she was next to him in an instant, her hand on his collar, yanking him forefully out of his chair.

"Get the fuck out of my classroom before I lose my job for killing you"

There was a small gasp around the other students at her words, but her anger was so consuming that she could only focus on the boy in front of her. Despite the significant height difference, she didn't seem to have any difficulty dragging him out of the room and pushing him roughly into the hallway.

"Go to Figgins right now. Tell him I swore at you, tell him I threw you out, tell him what you want - I don't care."

She had to clench her hands into tight fists by her side to stop herself from hitting him.

"Just make sure he knows that he better find a new class for you by next term, because I will not put up with your crap any longer Dave, I'm fucking sick of it...now just get the hell out of my sight"

She waited for him to leave, shock rendering him incapable of a reply, before turning on her heel and walking back into the classroom, the door slamming shut behind her.

...

"Brittany.."

The blonde girl looked up from packing her bag

"Could I have a quick word?"

She nodded silently, still visibly embarrassed from earlier, and made her way self consciously to the front of the room as the door shut behind Blaine and Kurt, leaving her alone with the teacher.

She came to a stop directly in front of Santana's desk, with her eyes low, refusing to meet the pitying expression she felt sure the woman wore. She could feel her own cheeks getting hot as she replayed in her mind what Karofsky had said, words she had heard so many times during her time at school but that seemed so much more painful when Santana had been there to witness it.

There was a moment of silence as the brunette agonised over what to say. The look on Brittany's face made her chest ache, and she tried desperately to think of something to reassure her, to make her feel better.

"Are you alright?" Santana finally asked, mentally kicking herself for such a stupid question. Of course she wasn't alright, that was the whole reason they were having this conversation.

"I'm ok"

"I hope you didn't take any notice of Karofksy earlier. He isn't coming back to this class next term, I'm going to find another elective for him to take"

The cheerleader shifted uneasily, catching her lip between her teeth

"You didn't have to do that"

"Yes I did Brittany. I would rather him go back to doing extra football practise than stay in this class. He's a bully, he should be excluded for what he said to you"

There was a silence as Brittany shrugged sadly "I'm kind of used to it"

Her words made Santana frown and she moved round her desk, perching on the edge and gently pulling Brittany to sit next to her. The girl allowed herself to be guided but still refused to look up, instead fixing her eyes on her hands as she fiddled nervously with the hem of her Cheerio's skirt.

"Brittany..please...Karofsky is an idiot..."

Santana bent her head so she could make eye contact

"and you're one of the best students I've ever taught"

Brittany made a quiet noise of disbelief and Santana continued, her voice firm

"Brittany I'm serious. Just because you don't ace every exam doesn't mean you aren't intelligient...you are. Last week in that class debate, you were amazing. You knew exactly what you were talking about, you were so eloquent...he could never have done that"

She wrapped a comforting arm around the girl's shoulders and Brittany couldn't help but lean into her, blonde hair falling against the collar of Santana's shirt.

"Please don't be upset...you're so smart Brittany..I mean it..you're smart and you're talented...and you're beaut-..you're great...and he is so not worth you getting upset"

Brittany's head was on her shoulder now and Santana barely even noticed her hand beginning to stroke the cheerleader's soft blonde hair, moving automatically in a slow, reassuring rythm as she spoke.

"...I mean, Jesus Christ, he's never even got so much as a pass for any of his work..."

Brittany tilted her head up, resting it more comfortably on her teacher's shoulder and sighed softly. Her leg was pressed firmly against Santana's thigh and as she exhaled she suddenly became very aware of how close they were. Her hands were resting to the right of her lap, inches away from Santana's leg and with her body pressed into the brunette's side, she could feel every breath the other woman took. She never wanted to move.

Without stopping to think about it she slid her left hand over, hesitating slightly before resting it lightly on Santana's thigh, which tensed immediately under her touch. She felt like maybe she had made a mistake but her hand remained where she had put it, innocently placed over the woman's skirt as butterflies collided, speeding around her stomach.

Dragging her gaze upwards she realised Santana had stopped talking, her concerned gaze becoming questioning as Brittany had edged closer. They stared at each other, faces inches apart, both unsure of what was happening as wary brown eyes met nervous blue. Santana had frozen, her lips slightly parted, confusion making her thoughts hazy and she swallowed, eyes flicking to the hand resting on her leg.

Was Brittany coming onto her? It definitely seemed that way. She wished she could freeze time for a second to work this out, but the seconds hurtled past as her mind raced. What did it mean? Was Brittany interested in her? She couldn't believe what was happening and she couldn't move, sitting rooted the spot until the blonde edged forward bravely to close the gap and she instantly recoiled backwards.

Santana stumbled off of the desk, clumsy in her hurry to get away from the girl. Her face had fallen in an expression of almost comical surprise, her brown eyes wide and questioning, her mouth round with of shock as she inhaled sharply, finding it difficult to catch her breath. After searching Brittany's face for a second, she turned dizzily to face the board, her hand flying anxiously to her forehead, unable to stare into the bewildering blue eyes any longer.

She floundered for something to say, agonising over the right kind of response to the utterly confusing situation she had been plunged into and came up with nothing. Had Brittany been about to kiss her? She was sure of it. How was she supposed to react? Should she tell her off?

Her thoughts raged silently as she thought about what to do, swallowing down the panic that tried to overcome her when she thought about how hard it had been to push herself away. She closed her eyes against that thought and didn't even bother trying to reason with herself, just pushing it to the back of her mind along with all the other feelings for Brittany she'd found difficult to explain away. She needed to focus right now. On how to deal with this.

After what seemed to both of them a painfully long silence, Santana spoke, her voice solemn but gentle.

"...Brittany"

The cheerleader stared blankly at her teacher's back, panic thundering in her ears as she contemplated running out of the classroom, sprinting away without an explanation to escape from this embarrassment. She had just tried to kiss a teacher. A female teacher. And she'd been rejected. Her face burned, the unspilled tears from earlier welling up and painfully pricking at her eyes as she realised what she'd done.

Santana turned her head slightly as she spoke again, looking at the ground by Brittany's feet, unable to force her gaze any higher.

"Brittany..I...I don't know what to say"

At her soft words, the blonde unfroze, pushing herself off of the desk and walking carefully over to her table to pick up her things. Her eyes were glazed, her vision cloudy, but she collected her bag and jacket quickly and silently. Santana heard her move and turned, her trembling hand curling tightly around the edge of her desk as though it were the only thing keeping her upright.

She swallowed audibly, her throat dry and uncomfortable as the girl approached the door and yanked it open.

"Wait.."

Brittany paused only for a fraction of a second before carrying on, hurrying out of the door without making eye contact, her mouth set in a controlled line which she held, clenched in place until she got away. The door shut loudly behind her, making Santana wince as it jarred against the dream like reality that had engulfed the classroom and she walked slowly over to sit down at her desk, resting her head in her hands with a heavy sigh that shook her whole body.

...

I'm really sorry this is late but things have been hectic. I had Christmas, and then it was my 19th birthday on sunday and yeah, so really busy.

I have another chapter almost finished so I promise that will be up really soon.

Anyway, hope it's ok, I know it isn't my best but I did it quite hurriedly and didn't really have time to check. Next chapter is way better, promise.

Hope you all had a good time over the holidays :)

x