Hey, guys. I am so sorry for the delay in this chapter getting out. The past few months have been hectic and crazy with the holidays and I've recently been trying to find a new job since my last one didn't work out and writing has been kinda pushed to the back of my to-do list. Or at least it was until recently. I managed to shell out some time between interviews and applications and some major writer's block to write this chapter.

I seriously hope you all like it. And after this chapter, I'm probably going to skip ahead in time to Regionals and the events leading up into Regionals. Just a heads up, I am going to be mentioning Karofsky's attempt at suicide in season 3. That story line plays into the fic well with Logan's backstory and I also felt it was too important and too emotional to skip over. I won't be going into any details about the actual attempt, but it will be mentioned. I'll place some warnings at the beginning of the chapter telling when that will happen, so if any of you want to skip over that you can.

For this chapter, it kinda goes over the course of a week or so, there's some time gaps in between the spots that I marked. Most of it is in Logan's POV, but I wanted to include a little more Logan/Santana stuff into this towards the end and I wanted the Christmas part to be told from one of the girl's perspective and as I was writing, Logan's just kinda of flowed out.

But besides that, things are going to start kicking into gear with the rest of the Gleek's Senior year and I've got some drama coming in to shake some things up. Let me know what you guys think! Read, review and watch your radar for more chapters to pop up. Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned this before or not, but I also posted this series on AO3. I'll be updating that as soon as I'm done here. Love you all! Always be brave, guys! ~BraveGirl

Ch:14

Rachel

"Good morning, sunshine!"

My sister let out a groan as she entered the kitchen, her blonde hair sprawled out in different directions and eyes squinting against the sun shining through the window. "What are you doing here? Specifically so early?"

I shrugged, turning towards the coffee machine as Logan slumped down at the table, pouring her a cup before taking my own seat at the table. The blonde's face lit up slightly as I slid the coffee cup towards her, causing me to smile slightly. "If you haven't forgotten, dear sister of mind, Christmas is in less than a week and I still have a few presents to buy. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come with me and Quinn? And before you protest having to be a third wheel, I've already called Santana and she's on her way over as we speak."

Logan eyed me for a few seconds, taking a sip from her cup. "What about-?"

"Quinn and I talked this over last night via a phone call. She wants to make up as much as you do, Logan. And I will tell you the exact same thing I told her last night, maybe this will be a perfect opportunity for you two to work things out."

After letting out a sigh, and letting her head fall to the table top with a thud, my sister mumbled out something that sounded like her agreeing to the shopping trip, causing me to smile victoriously. "Then let's not diddle-daddle, the mall opens in an hour. That should be plenty of time for you to get dressed and for me to retrieve Quinn from her room. Oh, and my car is being thoroughly cleaned so we're taking your car and you're driving."

Coffee cup still in hand, my sister let out another noise that resembled a grunt and began to make her way back upstairs, leaving me alone with my thoughts. It's been less than a week since Quinn was kicked out of her home, again, and it's been just as long since my sister and her have talked. I've spent most of my time here, mainly because I know my girlfriend doesn't need to be alone right now, and it's been torture seeing the two of them walk on eggshells around each other. It's the last thing I could have ever wanted to for either of the blondes, especially considering that one; it's our senior year and things are supposed to be exceptionally awesome, and two; both of them are still dealing with their own past emotional and physical problems.

The sound of the front door opening and closing pulled me out of my thoughts, and I leaned out of my chair to peer into the living room, where Santana was dusting snow off herself. "Sup, midget?"

Rolling my eyes, I re-positioned myself in my chair, taking another sip out of my coffee. "Is the reason why you never call me by my name is because it physically pains you, Santana?"

The Latina shrugged, strolling through the kitchen and taking the seat directly across from me, all the while smirking as she did so. "It kinda does, yeah. Did you manage to talk your sister into going today?"

"Yeah, she's upstairs getting dressed now. Do you really think they'll make up today?"

Santana shrugged, leaning back in her chair as she glanced around the room. "I hope so. I hate seeing both of them so freaking miserable. They both just need to pull their heads out of their asses and admit they're both pretty and move on."

Another eye roll later and my sister came bounding into the room, looking slightly more awake than she had the first time she'd came downstairs. Almost immediately though, she visibly brightened up as soon she realized Santana was here. It was a heartwarming sight, after everything the two had been through, to see them so happy with each other. With a quick kiss shared between the two, I sent them both out to warm up the car before going in search of my own blonde girlfriend.

Logan

"Cheer up, why don't you? You look like someone ran your cat over, babe."

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I looked over towards my girlfriend, frowning slightly as I did so. "Sorry."

The brunette raised an eyebrow, taking a seat on the bench next to me before looking around at the busy mall around us. It was certainly packed more because of the holiday season, and we'd been here for over two hours, with my sister heading into the last store on her list. "Why don't you just go talk to her?"

Shrugging a shoulder, I tore my eyes away from the store front and cast them down at my hands in my lap. "We've been here for hours now and she's not once even glanced my way. Rach said she spoke to her about today…"

"You both are way to stubborn for your own good. Just go talk to her, babe. Please."

Letting out a sigh, and after receiving a nudge from the cheerleader, I took off towards the shop and by extension, my sister and her girlfriend. I found the two relatively easily, at the jewelry counter looking at whatever it was Rach had mentioned she wanted to buy for my mothers. Luckily, because God most likely saved me from whatever embarrassing mess I was bound to make out of myself, my sister was the first to notice me, holding up a necklace in each hand as she smiled brightly.

"I was just about to send Quinn out to get you! What do you think of these for your mothers? They have your birthstone in them."

Shrugging, I nodded briefly, leaning against the jewelry counter next to the small diva as she handed me one of the necklaces. "I think they'll love whatever you get them, Rach, but these are nice."

The diva's smile brightened, if that was possible, and after the jewelry counter sales person pulled her away to the register, it left me and Quinn standing at the counter alone. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the blonde shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

"Your father is a jerk. I didn't get to tell you that the other night."

Quinn's shifting stopped almost immediately, and I tore my eyes away from the counter top towards the blonde. For a few seconds, we just held each other's gazes, until Quinn ultimately broke the staring contest and let out a sigh.

"I know."

A few more moments of silence passed before I simply shook my head, taking a step closer to the blonde. "Listen, I really, really hate not having my best friend. And I really, really miss you, Quinn. I understand that the other night was hard on you, and I'm so sorry that your parents don't realize how great of a person you've become, but I do. If you're still angry with me, that's okay. I just…I want you to know that nothing your father said was true."

Quinn grinned slightly, tucking a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "Well, it's a good thing I have someone like you on my side then, huh?"

Chuckling lightly, I took the last few remaining steps between us, wrapping my arms around the other blonde tightly. "Can we please promise to never do this again?"

She returned the hug just as tightly, lightly laughing herself. "Promise."

Logan

"You have my cell phone number and the number of the bank, but if something should happen, Logan, please don't hesitate to call your mothers. It's almost her nap time, so just put a Disney movie on and she should just knock out like a light. Oh and-."

Rolling my eyes, I gently pushed the woman towards the front door with one hand while I waved the stack of papers she's handed me a few moments earlier with the other hand. "Shelby, relax. This isn't my first rodeo. Beth will be fine with us for a few hours. I promise if something happens, I will call both you and my mothers. Just go."

The older brunette (that still scarily reminded me of my sister every time I saw her) nodded, flashing one brief smile of gratitude before walking out the front door. I waited until I heard the reassuring click of the lock, ensuring that Shelby was in fact leaving before letting out a light huff and walking back into the living room. Still sitting in the middle of hardwood floor was my best friend, who was making the tiny version of herself giggle with a stuffed fox.

"So, Q, the adult is officially gone. What do you say we bump this party from G rating to a PG with a special screening of…," I paused for dramatics, walking past the two blondes in the floor and playfully lunging at the smaller one, forcing a high-pitched squeal from her small body that caused me to smile as I popped a DVD in, "The Little Mermaid!"

Settling back on the couch with Beth sitting between us, Quinn and I let ourselves get lost into the movie, occasionally pulling out our phones to sneakily record the tiny human singing along the numerous songs playing from the flat screen. Soon enough, just as Shelby had predicted, the little girl was out like a light, lightly snoring as Quinn lifted her into her arms to place her in her toddler bed down the hall.

I was still lightly submerged in the movie playing when Quinn back in, retaking her seat on the couch next to me. The blonde let out a sigh, forcing my attention away from the singing crab. "Something bothering you, Q?"

Quinn shook her head, staring down at her hands for a few seconds before meeting my gaze. "I never got to tell you, but I really appreciate what you told my parents the other night. No one had ever stood up for me like that before."

Shrugging, I reached over to turn the volume down on the TV, partially because I didn't want the music to wake Beth up and partially because of the direction I could tell this conversation was going. "I've told you this before, Q. Your Dad is an ass and I will always stand by you. It's what best friends do."

The blonde smiled, taking my hand in hers. "I'm really glad we're not fighting anymore."

I returned the smile, squeezing the hand in my own. "Same."

"Oh! I forgot to tell you, but our applications for Columbia came in yesterday. Rach already sent in her NYADA one in. I figured after Christmas was over we'd mail them out. Has Santana sent hers out?"

Frowning slightly, I shook my head, trying to think back to any kind of conversation that the Latina and I had shared about college. Now that I think about it, I don't think we have ever held a conversation where future plans were involved, unless they were weekend plans. "Actually, we've not talked about college."

The blonde's eyebrows rose. "Oh. Well, maybe she's already applied. I'm sure it's all cool. Wanna finish the rest of the movie?"

Feeling a little off about the subject, I nodded, pressing the play button on the remote, trying and failing to pay attention to the rest of the movie playing on the TV. Worried thoughts circulated through my mind. Thoughts that I couldn't turn off even if I wanted to. Because I'd been so preoccupied with thoughts of the present that I hadn't given one single thought about the future. Or a lack thereof.

Logan

Winter had always been one of those seasons that I shared a love/hate relationship with. I hated ice. Mostly because I somehow always managed to find and slip on it. I hated the cold air that always seeped through even the warmest clothing, and how it would chill you to the bone. I hated the slush that always piled up on the sides of the roads, the snow tinted brown and ugly. And I hated the holiday spirit that came with the season. Sure, it was nice to spend time with family members and friends, after all this time brings out the best in people. But it also brings out the worst in them as well. That, I understood more than I would have liked to.

But there were also things that I loved about winter. Snow was probably my favorite thing about this season. Even as a little girl, I used to always wake up early after a snowfall and would spend hours on the front steps of our apartment building, watching the flakes fluttering through the wind before eventually landing somewhere. Sometimes they'd land and become a part of the blanket that covered mostly everything, others would land on people and melt away faster than one could blink. Snow was always poetic in the way that it landed.

This morning was no different than the other Christmas mornings I spent in Lima throughout the years. I would always wake up before anyone else, venture downstairs and sit outside on the front steps with a cup of coffee and watch the snow falling from the sky. It was so much more peaceful here than in the city. Like the whole world had stopped for a moment. It was perfect.

Eventually, I could hear the sounds of people stirring in the house, but I stayed put. They would find me at some point if they needed me, but my family members mostly left me alone for a while on this morning. And I was grateful for it. It gave me a chance to collect myself and my thoughts before the onslaught of the hectic day could begin.

This year, I had plenty to think about. Our Christmas celebration would be more than doubled this year. As usual, Rachel, Hiram and LeRoy were here. They would usually come over on Christmas Eve and we'd all sit around watching thousands of Christmas themed movies. This year, we added Quinn to the mix. Both set of parents adored the ex-cheerleader, and they'd pulled her into the traditions like she'd been doing so for years. It was a relief to see Q smile so much last night. We all knew this time of the year had to be hard on the girl, after everything that had happened with her parents. But the blonde was taking it all in strides and a head held high. Not that I expected anything different from Quinn Fabray.

Today, however, we would be altering the usual celebrations. Quinn wasn't the only one joining our families this year. Santana and her parents, plus Shelby and Beth would be cramming into our house to spend the holidays together. It was more than double what we were used to, but I don't think any of us really minded it. It was a welcomed thing, having everyone here. As a family. A huge, dysfunctional and completely insane family.

"Thought I'd find you out here. Still have all your fingers and toes?"

Smiling slightly, I nodded as my mother stepped out onto the porch, automatically opening the blanket that I'd pulled off the couch and waiting until she settled next to me before turning my attention back to the snow covered lawn. "Yeah, they're still attached. But I think if I sit out here any longer, they'll start dropping like flies."

My mother hummed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I instantly melted into her side, my head falling to rest on her shoulder. "You've been out here longer than normally. Something on your mind, babe?"

Shrugging awkwardly, due to the arm around me, I let my eyes close, taking in the warmth and sense of security that came with being close to either one of my parents. "Just…thinking."

"About…?"

"About the future. About college. The year's halfway over, and everyone's talking about and applying everywhere."

"And you're worried about what exactly? Not getting in to the college you want? Or does this extra long visit with Jack Frost have to do with a certain brunette?"

Knowing that I wouldn't have been able to hide anything from her, I let out a chuckle before nodding. "We haven't talked about plans after graduation. Or about college in general. I don't even know if she wants to go to college, or what's going to happen to us."

The arm that was wrapped around my shoulder squeezed slightly. "Have you talked to Santana about this? Told her what you're worried about?"

"Not yet. I hadn't even realized the lack of conversation until Q and I were babysitting the other day. I've not seen her since, so…"

The sound of car horn honking pulled my head up from my mother's shoulder, and we both turned our heads to see Tony's car pulling into the driveway. With one last squeeze, my mother stood up, letting the blanket fall back around my shoulders. "My advice to you is to just talk to her about it. Keeping your feelings and fears secret will only cause trouble later on, babe. Besides, even if things do need to change, you two will have the rest of the year to figure everything out. Things somehow always manage to turn out right in the end."

Nodding, I stood up on the bottom step, stretching slightly from sitting in the same place for too long before following my mother out to greet the newest arrivals. With one hand I held the blanket securely around my shoulders, and the other was used to return the hugs that Maribel and Tony both gave to me once I was within reach. I hesitated slightly when I rounded to the trunk of the car, where Santana was pulling out wrapped presents, watching the girl's movements for a few seconds before sliding up behind her, wrapping a single arm around her waist and resting my head in the space between her shoulder blades. "Merry Christmas."

The slightly taller girl turned, placing a kiss to my cheek before wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Hey. Merry Christmas."

Maybe the conversation could wait until later…

Logan

The clinking sound of a knife against a glass cut through the several conversations going on around the table, everyone's attention being pulled to the head of the table where one of my mothers had stood. "Okay, at the risk of sounding too cheesy, I just wanted to explain to everyone who's experiencing their first Christmas with us that at the end of dinner, we give thanks to the past year and the experiences we've had. I speak for myself and my family by saying that we certainly hadn't expected to be coming back to Lima so soon, but some persuasive force corrected that."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as my sister blushed slightly as she caught my mother's gaze, earning a collective round of laughs from the people around the table. Despite the dig, my mother smiled brightly at the diva before continuing. "Nevertheless, we are always eternally grateful for family and to be here with everyone today. As unconventional as we all are, we are a family. And I'm thankful that this year has brought you all of us."

Every face seated at the table held a smile on their face as everyone held up a glass to cheer with my mother's words. I took a tentative sip, glancing around as the conversations from earlier picked up where they had left off. All the adults were sat towards the head of the table, laughing every once in a while as they recounted several embarrassing stories of their children. Quinn and Rachel were next, entertaining Beth in her high chair, the little girl laughing loudly every once in a while when a funny face would be thrown her way. Santana was simply sitting next to me, a hand resting on my upper thigh as she joined me in watching the interactions around us. My mother's words had rang true, as dysfunctional and odd as we were, we were all still a family.

Not long after dinner had finished, and everyone had broke off to do their own things, I found myself standing back outside on the front porch. Instead of sitting on the front steps this time, staring out at the morning sun reflecting on the snow, I was leaning against the railing, straining my eyes to see the few spots of snow lit up by street lamps illuminating the otherwise dark night. And I wasn't alone. Perched next to me was my girlfriend, who had been surprisingly quiet throughout the whole day.

Suddenly a box was being shoved in my direction, and I pulled my eyes away from the area around me to look down at it. I slowly glanced between the Latina and the box with a blue bow settled around it. "What is this?"

Santana shrugged, smirking slightly as I cradled the box in my hands gently. "It's your gift. I know it's not a lot, you wouldn't let me go all out on gifts, but I hope you still like it."

Smiling, I wrapped my fingers around the box before leaning up to press a kiss to her cheek. "Would you hold it against me if I told you that the best gift I could have received this year was you?"

Laughing at the wince that came from the other girl, I quietly thanked her before carefully unwrapping the bow and sliding the box open. My breath caught in my throat as I was staring down at a ring, one that I had thought I'd seen before. Before I could speak, and the thousand of screaming voices in my head could cause me to panic at exactly what this could mean, Santana's voice pulled my gaze to her own. "Relax, it's not an engagement ring or anything. Not yet, at least. It matches mine."

Holding out her right hand, realization dawned on me at where I had seen the ring before. While Santana's was a series of branches and leaves woven together, the one still perched in the box was arrows wrapping around each other to form the band. "My grandfather gave me my ring when I started high school. For as long as he could remember, all the men in the family would give a ring to someone they cared about. Kind of like a promise ring, I guess, but it was always something that was really important to my family. His father gave his mother one. He gave my dad's mother one. My dad gave my mother one. And since I'm not a guy, my grandfather gave me this and told me, when the time was right, I would find someone that I could wear the ring for. So I figured I'd carry out with tradition and shit and I had this one made…for you…yeah…"

Now understanding why the girl had been quiet all day, because she had been nervous about giving me the ring, I chuckled lightly through the mist of tears that were clouding my vision. "Did the badass Santana Lopez just give me a promise ring for Christmas?"

Bumping my shoulder, and visibly relaxing, Santana smiled. I lifted the ring from the box, examining it for a few more seconds before handing it over to the other girl, raising an eyebrow. "I'm going to have to humiliate you further, babe. You gotta put it on me."

Rolling her eyes, the Latina slid the ring onto my right hand before clasping our fingers together. Silence passed over us as we watched the few visible flakes fall from the night sky. Eventually, after glancing down at the ring nestled perfectly on my finger, and the matching one on Santana's hand, I let go of her fingers to pull something out from the pocket of my jeans. I guess we both had some slight reservations to giving each other our gifts in front of everyone else. And I was thankful for the privacy of the moment.

Letting the chain dangle from my hand, I handed the necklace over to Santana, who frowned down at it. "Is this my necklace?"

Nodding, I watched as one of her hands automatically went up to fiddle with the chain that had been nonexistent for the past couple of weeks. The girl had been visibly upset when we'd searched the entire choir room and auditorium after the chain had broken halfway through practice. "Yes. And no. I managed to do a sweep of the auditorium and found the charm. But the chain was broken in a few different places. So I got a new one. I also added another charm to it."

Sure enough, dangling next to the usual heart pendant was a thin silver bar with a date etched into the metal. I waited for the inevitable smile that came across the girl's face. "This is the date of our first kiss, isn't it?"

Nodding again, I gently took the necklace from the girl and placed it around her neck, smiling as she fiddled with the charms for a few seconds before her head angled towards my own. "Thank you."

Letting on hand rest against the spot where her neck and shoulder met, I smiled into he kiss, feeling a little lighter than I had that morning. Just like the comment about our family, my mother had been right. Things would turn out right. I could feel it.