Sorrryyyyy for being late. This chapter has been done for days, but I didn't have internet to post it because I was out of town. :'(

Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, favorited, lurked, hit it and quit it, etc. 'Preciatecha!

I apologize for there not being much advancement of the exciting plot in this chapter. I was trying to do this weird thing called character development, perhaps you've heard of it? I know it's strange because Glee doesn't bother itself with it, but… pretty much every chapter after this one is going to be action-packed, so don't worry. (I'm sure you weren't. ;)

Okay, I'm shutting up.

Happy reading! :D~

"Wait- you guys actually managed to pull that off and escape without burning the whole place down?" Kurt asked, his eyebrow cocked in disbelief.

I shrugged. "Well, I don't know about the place not burning down…" I gave Quinn a sly look and we both laughed. We had just finished recounting our adventure, in all its glory, to Sam and Kurt. We were still on kind of a high, and it only made us more enthusiastic during the re-telling. Our positive mood was spreading to the boys, and it was nice to see everyone in such good spirits for a change.

Sam shook his head in disapproval, but he was smiling. "That could've turned out bad. Still- I'm glad you found an avatar, Quinn."

I patted her on the shoulder and she smiled, nodding her agreement with Sam's sentiment.

"Now that Quinn has an avatar, we need to figure out what's next for us," Sam continued. "We have the blue box."

"Yeah, and that's been our mission since the oatmeal days," Mercedes said wistfully.

Quinn opened her mouth, but I cut her off with, "Don't even ask." She closed her mouth and gave me a sarcastic look. I smirked at her.

"I'm all for lying low for a while," Kurt offered. "We've been running non-stop since Puck got captured."

"True," Sam agreed with a slow nod. "But the Yeerks aren't stopping. We have the blue box now, and we may be losing Sugar soon, so we need to get a new lead on something before we do."

"What about the above-ground Yeerk Pool?" I said. "That place has got to be close to being finished, right? I mean, it's been weeks. And let's face it; if that place goes up, it's going to be a lot harder to stop the Yeerks."

"Right," Quinn chimed in. "The way they have it set up, the Yeerks can literally infest every person who goes to the park."

"You know a lot about it?" Kurt asked disbelievingly.

Quinn shrugged. "Not a lot, but I heard bits and pieces. I haven't been there or anything."

"Do you remember anything else about any Yeerk plans?" Sam asked gently.

Quinn frowned. "No, I- I was only a host for a few days-" she paused, searching her thoughts. She shook her head back and forth slowly, her hazel eyes focused on something in the distance. Then she snapped her eyes back to Sam. "They did mention something about a plan to infest someone famous next week. Like, I guess there's a concert coming to town?"

"Shit, what if it's like, Justin Bieber or something?" I joked. "We're done for if they infest him!"

Everyone rolled their eyes.

[We should concentrate on the Pool, since that's the most pressing issue,] Brittany said softly in our minds. Sam nodded in agreement and I traced my eyes longingly over Brittany's features. Her expression gave nothing away and I had to remember to talk to her about Quinn once we were done making plans for our next mission.

I tuned back into the conversation and listened as Quinn made some suggestions.

"I think we should definitely scope the place out first, learn the layout."

"We can't go in there blind," Sam approved with a smile, obviously liking Quinn's strategy because let's be real, it was similar to what he would have done. "Quinn, you probably will be the most knowledgeable about the place, so I think you should go. And-"

"Santana can come with me," Quinn interjected with a smirk. I blinked in surprise, but shrugged. I guess that made sense.

"Sure, Q, I'll grace you with my companionship."

"Excellent. We can leave in the morning," Quinn said.

[I'll go, too,] Brittany said quickly.

Quinn looked at her with a critical expression. Her eyebrow was raised curiously, but she seemed more suspicious than anything. "Brittany, as grateful as I am to you for volunteering to come with us, I don't think having an Andalite tag along is exactly what we need. We're trying to stay low profile, here."

Did she just-

"Good point," Kurt agreed.

"So we'll just have to be extra careful, then," I said, raising my voice only slightly to show that I was not to be argued with. Brittany turned her stalk eye to me, but didn't say anything. Quinn looked like she wanted to argue, but thankfully, she didn't comment, and Sam, sensing the tension, admitted that the three of us would be good together because we would watch each other's backs.

After the mission talk, Burt came in to announce that dinner was ready, and we all scrambled into the kitchen. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I was scarfing down the pizza rolls that Burt had prepared. We all stood around eating off paper plates, talking and laughing. It felt kind of awesome. Everyone's spirits were lifted, and I wondered if it had to do with Quinn being around, or just the hope we all felt because we were finally succeeding in something. I mean- we had gotten the blue box. We'd saved Quinn, even though technically that was kind of a mini-failure because we'd really planned to save Puck. I wasn't resentful, though. Quinn was more than just my friend, and she was a strong addition to the team, regardless.

And that was another thing we'd succeeded in. We'd added a member to our team.

I wondered as I wolfed down macaroni and cheese if we would add more people. The more we had, the stronger we were, and the more we could hurt the Yeerks. The Yeerks had thousands- millions on their side, and we were just a handful of kids. Even still, as a handful we'd done some damage. And if we could add a few more, who knows what kind of damage we could do?

I got lost in my thoughts for a while, and when I finished eating, I refocused on the conversation, which had concluded with Kurt and Quinn arguing good-naturedly and Mercedes trekking to her room to get Apples to Apples to commence our first ever Battle of the Besties. We spilled out into the entertainment room and I quickly scanned the room looking for Brittany, but she somehow managed to slip away without me noticing. I bit my lip. I needed to find her.

I moved to the door, but Quinn caught my arm.

"And just where do you think you're going, S? I need you on my team so we can beat Kurt and Mercedes."

I smiled at her. "I was going to find Brittany."

"She'll be okay," Quinn reassured, waving her hand dismissively. "She's probably tired or something."

I chewed my lip nervously. Was that it? Was she just tired? I mean, we had been pretty busy lately, and she always ensured she was up earlier than I was so I'd wake up in her arms-

Guilt flooded my system. Brittany was always going out of her way to ensure I was comfortable. Was I depriving her of sleep? Was she really that tired? I took one last look towards the hallway, and made up my mind.

"Um, Sam, are you playing?" I asked awkwardly as I watched him stroll into the room, holding a bowl of pretzels. How could the guy still be hungry after dinner? I guess he needed more fuel to power that humongous mouth of his. I settled onto a loveseat, and Quinn plopped down beside me.

"Yeah, Esther and I are on a team!" he grinned, and Esther, who I hadn't even realized had come in, smiled shyly at me from the couch. Sam sat down beside her and nudged her with his elbow, and she giggled.

"Where's Brittany?" she asked, reaching for the pretzels and shoving one in her mouth.

"She's- sleeping," I said lamely, but it didn't sound right to my ears. Even if she was sleeping, I really, really wanted to go to her and hold her in my arms. Things had been weird between us all day, ever since Quinn woke up free, and whatever tension that was caused by her presence I wanted to clear up as soon as possible. I didn't like entertaining the idea that Brittany might be upset.

But once the game started, my mind focused on winning, and Quinn and I kicked everyone's asses because we were, in fact, the best Besties. After our scathing victory we changed teams, so that Quinn was with Mercedes and I was with Esther, and Sam and Kurt won. I was shocked at first, but then I was reminded of how much I missed Brittany. Quinn was my Bestie, of course, but Brittany was- she was everything. My heart ached.

I couldn't just leave abruptly, but after a few more games, I managed to escape because it was late. When I got to my room, Brittany was, in fact, sleeping. It was a weird thing to see, because her main eyes were closed, but her stalk eyes were open and looking around the room. I didn't know how she could sleep like that, but then, I also didn't know what having four eyes was like, or how they functioned with her brain, so I couldn't really judge.

Her stalk eyes scanned me disinterestedly, and I wondered if they were only for recognizing harmful threats. I didn't know if the Andalites had any natural predators on their home planet, since they had obviously adapted from prey animals. I guess they did.

I debated waking Brittany up, but if she hadn't noticed I was in the room (or worse, didn't care) then she must've been pretty tired after all. I quietly slipped into my nightclothes and crawled under my comforter. The sheets were cold, and as I curled up in the bed, I thought about how much my life had changed since falling in love with Brittany. I had never had a problem with falling asleep in an empty bed before- in fact, I had always preferred it that way.

But now, as I glanced over at Brittany's still sleeping form, I found myself, not for the first time, missing her presence. Her warmth. The scent of her skin, and the pressure of her arms around me. I hugged myself and tried not to think about it. Things would be better in the morning, right?

Still, I couldn't help whispering a soft, "Good night, Brittany," as I curled up into myself and closed my eyes.

And I didn't know what it meant when Brittany responded with a sad, [Good night, Santana.]

I woke up the next morning to Quinn shaking me. Not the best way to wake up, but it was ultimately better than Sugar's annoying presence.

I blinked sleepily, forgetting for a moment the sad state that I had fallen asleep in. Quinn was looking at me strangely, and I realized I was spooning my pillow. I let go of it and sat up, already irritated that she was judging me first thing in the morning. I could see her holding in her laugh.

"Q, I swear to God," I growled angrily, climbing out of bed.

"How long do you need before you're ready?" She asked instead, her smug grin still on her face. I glared at her and ignored her question, searching the room for Brittany, though it was obvious she wasn't there.

"Where's Brittany?" I asked, not giving two fucks at how my concern might sound. I was suddenly angry at Quinn. It was kind of her fault that Brittany and I weren't really on good terms- I guess that's an accurate way to describe it?- and I didn't want her influence making things worse. It was bad enough that I had kind of blown Brittany off the day before.

Because that's what I'd done, hadn't I? I had unintentionally excluded her in the circus mission, forgotten about her when I was at Quinn's bedside... And she wasn't actually tired at all, was she? She'd returned my good night, which meant she'd been awake. Maybe she'd wanted me to approach her, and she had every right to expect that considering I was the one that ignored her. I cringed at the thought of what must be going through her head. What if she thought I didn't want to be around her anymore? Worse- what if she thought I didn't love her anymore? Sure, she'd spent a lot of time on Earth observing humans, but how would she know that love didn't just end abruptly?

And she wasn't in my room when I woke up this morning. Oh, my God. I fucked up. I had to find Brittany. I had to find her and tell her-

"-tana. San-tan-a. SANTANA," Quinn said, annoyed, snapping me out of my panic.

"What?" I growled.

"I said, why would Brittany be in your room?"

"Huh?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. I could tell she was frustrated but I couldn't really bring myself to care. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I have to find Brittany," I muttered, standing up.

[No need,] Brittany said calmly, and I looked over to see her standing in the doorway. My heart broke at the dull look in her eyes.

"Britt," I breathed, ignoring Quinn. I stood up and walked to her, hurt that she was avoiding my gaze. She took a step back as I approached her, and I stopped, appalled. Was she-

"Does this mean you're ready, or what?" Quinn huffed.

I closed my eyes in anger, counting to five so I didn't turn around and throttle Quinn. She was my best friend and all but fuck, she was really trying me.

[Yes, we should go soon,] Brittany agreed, turning her main eyes to the darkened hallway.

I sighed and let my shoulders drop, defeated. I just didn't know what to say, so I said the only thing I could.

"Okay."

The place was huge.

Like, it was about five stories, and I was stunned at how fast the building had gone up.

[And they say construction is dead,] I mumbled darkly as we circled the building, looking for an inconspicuous place to enter. You know, like a shady side door or something.

[Definitely went up fast,] Quinn agreed.

After checking out the exterior, we found what we were looking for- there was a loading ramp near the back of the building. We stayed up high, observing for a while, trying to figure out if there was any kind of security on that back door.

[There has to be, this is a Yeerk Pool,] Quinn said.

[Well, I don't know, the entrances we've used before didn't have any security,] I pointed out.

[They do now. The Yeerks didn't need security until you breached the Pool, but now they know you can get in, so they've installed some kind of filter at all of the entrances.]

[Filter?] I asked disbelievingly.

[Yeah, it's like a Gleek or Gleep or-]

[A Gleet Bio-Filter,] Brittany said, her voice sounding slightly angered. [Stolen Andalite technology, of course.]

[Of course,] Quinn muttered. I ignored her sarcastic jab at Brittany- this time.

[What's it do?] I asked, hoping to shake Brittany out of whatever had been bothering her. I knew it wasn't going to be as simple as asking nice questions, but I figured it couldn't hurt to be nice, right?

Unfortunately, it didn't quite have the desired effect.

[It-]

[Exactly what it sounds like,] Quinn answered, cutting Brittany off. [It filters out any unwanted life forms that try to enter.]

[Thanks, Brittany,] I growled. What the fuck was Quinn's problem? Fuck, now I needed to talk to her, too. Neither of them were really helping me at the moment with their weird bestie rivalry. Shit, if I wanted to babysit, I would've stayed with Esther-

I sighed to myself and tried to let it go. [What do you mean, filter?]

Brittany waited, but when Quinn didn't answer (I guess I shut her up) she said, [It combines scanning and Andalite Shredder technology to dispose of any unauthorized life form not entered into its programming.]

[So it pretty much melts everything that's not on the VIP list?]

[Essentially.]

[And I doubt any animals are on that list,] Quinn added tightly.

We watched as a van slowly crept its way behind the building and toward the loading ramp. A Gleek Filter or whatever the fuck was kind of a huge problem. There was no way we could get into the building with one of those in place. Not unless we acquired-

And just like that, I had an idea.

[Wait- humans would be programmed, right?]

[Yes, but specific ones-]

[Yeah, but not every person they work with is a Controller, right? Like, the guys in that van down there, they probably aren't Controllers, are they?]

[I don't know, they could be. We really have no way of knowing.] Quinn said carefully, and I felt a crazy plan forming in my mind.

[We've gotta get inside. If those guys aren't Controllers, then the Yeerks must shut the Gleek Filters or whatever off to let normal, unauthorized humans inside the building to deliver stuff,] I said quickly.

[So what are you suggesting?] Quinn asked, totally shocked.

[I'm suggesting that we find out if Jasper and Horace down there are Controllers, and if they aren't, we just found our way into the Yeerk Pool.]

[Nice- but how do you intend to find that out?]

I grinned smugly to myself. [By showing them an Andalite.]

"Ja ne ponimaju, Svenn, chto mnogo ryby za mesto, kotoroe ne imeet kakih-libo akuly illi-"

"Vy idiot? Kto zabotitsja? Nam poschastlivilos' dazhe imejut rabotu, perestat' zhalovat'sja."

[What are they even saying?] I complained as we hid behind one of the rear wheels of the van, standing as birds on the pavement. We were waiting for the right time to jump the two delivery guys, who were speaking in Russian. I think?

[The first guy, his name is-]

[Irrelevant,] Quinn snapped, and I resisted the urge to go peck her fucking eyes out for interrupting Brittany.

[Not to me,] I snapped. Even though, okay, it was. But.

Brittany paused, then continued, […said it was strange that there were so many fish being delivered, and the second guy said that they were both lucky to have jobs.] I was impressed that Brittany's translator chip had Russian programmed in it, but I guess I wasn't too surprised. She never ceased to amaze me.

[Like I said, irrelevant,] Quinn muttered.

I sighed irritably. [The fuck, Q, can you stop being about as charming as a wet mop?]

[Someone's been watching too much Grease-]

[How about: fuck you.]

[Yeah, well, thanks, but not even if I was a Controller,] Quinn said with that smug voice that drove me nuts.

[When should we make our move?] Brittany asked timidly. [They are about to open the truck.]

Oh, right. I forgot she'd been listening. Quinn just got me so fired up. [Go ahead and transform,] I told her.

She didn't say anything, but I saw her duck form growing bigger.

Unfortunately, so did the two guys.

"Aaah! Chto proishodit?!"

"Monstr! Zapusk!"

Even I recognized that word; but it wasn't the usual loathing shriek of "Andalite!" and it told me all I needed to know. [Britt, don't let them escape,] I said as I focused on my own beautiful human self.

"Aaah!"

"AUGH!"

[They are not escaping,] Brittany said calmly.

[Did you kill them?] Quinn demanded.

[Would you chill?] I snapped in the same tone. [This isn't her first-] but I had crossed over the halfway mark and lost thought-speak capabilities, "-mission!"

"INOSTRANCEV!"

"MONSTRY!"

I rolled my eyes and sized up the situation. Brittany stood nearby, posed to fight. Her tail flicked in the air nervously. The two guys (both of them had creepy beards and mustaches) were sitting on the ground, planted on their asses as if they'd been pushed there. And they probably had been. I gave Brittany a sly look and she offered me a smile, the first genuine one I had received since the previous morning.

"So they're not Controllers," Quinn said, coming to stand behind me. She'd taken longer to transform, having less experience doing so than me.

I nodded absently as I watched the two guys quickly shed their hats and bright yellow coveralls, per Brittany's thought-speak requests. She stood towering over them, twitching her tail intimidatingly and instructing them on what to do. "Yep. So now we get rid of these guys and take their place."

Quinn was silent, so I looked at her. She had a doubtful, disbelieving expression on her face.

"What?" I asked.

"You're really serious," she said incredulously.

"Yup. That's how we work."

"Okay," Quinn said slowly. "So what's the plan?"

"Uh. We get rid of these guys and take their place… pretty sure I just said that."

Quinn crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, frustrated. "I get that. I meant, how do you want to get rid of them?"

[They've seen us,] Brittany pointed out as the guys finished undressing, sitting back down on the ground in long underwear that was actually pretty comical. [Which means we have to be very careful.]

"Well we can't just kill them," I said, exasperated. We couldn't kill them, right? Then the Yeerks would know we were there. This was supposed to be a quiet, secret mission, and- okay, yeah, maybe I should've thought this through better.

"Can't you wipe their memories or something?" Quinn asked Brittany, frowning.

"She's not a wizard, Quinn," I snapped. I scanned the parking lot. As usual, we didn't have a lot of time. The sun was rising higher and soon more people would begin to converge on this place. I made a quick decision. "Let's let them go. I mean, the guys don't even speak English. Who's going to believe them?"

[A Yeerk would,] Brittany said.

She had a point. "True," I acknowledged. I turned to look at the guys, who were still staring wide-eyed at Brittany. In their underwear. "All right, Igor Karkaroff, Viktor Krum- look this way," I said with an authoritative tone, snapping my fingers. Igor and Viktor, as I'd suddenly taken to calling them, looked at me, blinking. "You see my girl here?" I pointed sassily at Brittany, who did her best to look menacing. The way she squared her shoulders made me smile- inside, because I was busy being a feisty bitch on the outside at the moment- and I continued in a much more threatening voice. "Well, she's a Warrior Rapidash from a fierce band of Rapidash Warriors-"

"Is this seriously happening right now?" Quinn muttered.

"-and her tail? Well, it'll slice your head off if you even think about telling anyone what you saw. Got it?"

They blinked at me some more.

"They don't speak English, Santana," Quinn reminded flatly. I looked at her. She had her hand covering her eyes and an exasperated expression on her face.

"Oh yeah? I bet they'll understand this." I made a cutting motion across my throat with my finger. Then I pointed at Brittany, and made a zipping motion across my mouth. I shook my head, giving the two guys a penetrating, intimidating gaze. They nodded frantically, and I smiled, satisfied.

They got it.

But, just in case- "Britt, reiterate, please."

Brittany snapped her tail, making it crack threateningly. She glared at them. She leaned forward and lifted one of her front legs, bracing it against Igor's shoulder. He shook with fear, and I suddenly knew how they had ended up on their asses.

[Please do not speak of this to anyone, or I will be forced to harm you,] Brittany said politely.

"Oh, for the love of..." Quinn trailed off, covering her eyes again as Brittany told the guys to get the fuck out, but in a much more pleasant way.

I grinned as the two guys scrambled to their feet and took off down the road, leaving their van- and their outfits- behind. "Nice, Britt."

"What the fuck is- ugh," I groaned as I popped the back of the van open and nearly threw up at the overwhelming smell. "Fish?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Quinn snapped. "This is an aquarium- Brittany told you they were delivering fish. It even says fish on the van, for God's sakes."

I was surprised that Quinn had listened to Brittany, but I was even more surprised when I looked at the van, and, sure enough, it said Hitchens' Fishin's on the side of it. I felt stupid for a hot second for not noticing. "Whatever. Let's just deliver this fish-"

"You mean pretend to deliver this fish," Quinn corrected. "You do remember we're not really employees of Hitchens' Fishins, right?"

"Yes, Quinn, I'm not a goldfish," I snapped, reaching for a box that I assumed had fish in it.

"There's even an embroidered fish on the coveralls," Quinn muttered under her breath.

I fumed. "Q-"

"I hope Hitchens wasn't one of the guys we scared away," Brittany interrupted thoughtfully as she came around the side of the van and stood in front of me, pulling a hand truck behind her.

"Doubtful," Quinn responded as I eyed Brittany's outfit. We had found a spare jacket in the van that she'd zipped on over her normal clothes, and she wore the hat we'd taken from Igor. Quinn wore Viktor's hat, and between the three of us, we looked pretty wonky and special. Brittany's hair was up in a ponytail, held by a gritty rubberband we'd found in the van, and I smiled fondly at her, reaching to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.

"You look nice," I murmured, averting my eyes and smiling shyly at her. And also trying not to get carried away with a bazillion kinky Delivery Girl roleplay fantasies.

"You look home-schooled," Quinn amended, and I sighed, turning to her.

"We all look home-schooled," I said. "But it doesn't matter. We just have to get in. That's it." I grabbed the box of fish from the back of the van and set it on the ground, surprised by how heavy it was. And slimy. I inspected my hands as Brittany slid the hand-truck she'd taken off of the van under the box and the three of us made our way to the back door, one of the wheels of the hand truck squeaking repeatedly. I sighed. Of course it would.

We rang the doorbell and after a few long, tense moments where I panicked repeatedly in my head while imagining a zillion different scenarios, the door opened.

An older man with glasses and dressed in a snappy business suit with a polka-dotted bowtie stood behind it, glaring disdainfully at us. He adjusted his glasses and my eyes dropped to his shiny metal nametag that said "Dalton Rumba Manager" on it.

"Why are there three of you?" he asked loudly.

I shrugged. "Is how many boss sent?" I offered in a heavily accented tone.

Dalton Rumba Manager rolled his eyes. "Always foreigners," he muttered as he turned away, leaving space for us to follow. I glared at him, but dutifully fell into step behind him. Brittany came after me, tugging the dolly loaded with a whopping one box and a squeaky wheel behind her, and Quinn brought up the rear.

We stopped as we reached the end of the room and the door slid shut behind us. I swallowed nervously and held my breath. Would Dalton Rumba Manager turn on the Gleek (it's probably more than likely I'll be calling it that forever) Filter? Were we about to be incinerated into atoms?

Most importantly- would I die smelling like fish?

There were no flashing lights, strobe lights, spot lights, all of the lights- whatever, to indicate the Gleek Filter had been activated, so I hoped we were in the clear. I finally released the breath I'd been holding when Dalton Rumba Manager opened the door opposite from the one we entered, and led us into a brightly lit hallway.

He turned to us. "Do you know where to go?" he practically yelled.

I shook my head, playing the part of Clueless Foreigner.

He pointed down the hall. "Take this to the end, and make a right. The walk-in fridge is right there!" He shouted.

"Thank you," I said, accented.

"What?!"

"Thank y-"

"Listen, you're going to have to speak up!" Dalton Rumba Manager said at full volume. He pointed jerkily to his ear. "I'm partially deaf! Scarlet Fever!"

I blinked at him. I had no idea what he was talking about. Maybe I really was Clueless Foreigner.

"Thank you!" Quinn yelled, saving me from having to respond. He looked at her like she was crazy, and Quinn lowered her head a little, making sure the brim of her hat hid her features. The last thing we needed was for her to get recognized.

Dalton Rumba Manager watched as Quinn led the way down the hall, motioning for Brittany to follow her, which she did, towing the cart with the box behind her. It squeaked the whole way.

Once we made the turn towards the walk-in fridge, Brittany quickly set the dolly down and we huddled into the corner. I tried not to think about how close Brittany was and how badly I wanted to just hug her, and instead concentrated on what we were going to do next. And ignored the nauseating smell of rotten fish.

"Okay, we ditch the disguises," I said in a low voice.

"Then what?" Quinn demanded.

"We check this place out? I don't know. But I can't walk around for another minute smelling like fish," I growled. "I just can't."

Quinn cocked an eyebrow and looked as if she might say something, but I glared and shook my head, indicating that she shouldn't even think about whatever joke she was going to make. She smirked instead. "Okay, so we'll all jeopardize ourselves because you don't like fish," she said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Look, there's probably no one even around-"

"Honestly? I could care less," Quinn said as she tugged her hat off and began unsnapping the front of her coveralls. "Let's just do what we came to do." She kicked off Viktor's huge brown boots she had slipped onto her bare feet- since she hadn't learned how to transform with shoes yet- and looked down at herself, dressed in a black leotard.

Like, an actual fucking black leotard. I hadn't really noticed before because I'd been focused on Igor and Viktor, but when I saw her standing barefoot and awkward as I yanked off my own coveralls, I couldn't help but laugh.

"I look stupid," Quinn groused.

"Yep," I said, but at her glare I added, "Don't worry, though- B will help you."

Quinn looked at Brittany, who was dressed with her usual eccentric style, and raised a mocking eyebrow. "Like hers?"

I gazed at Brittany, saw her swallow- and I suddenly felt bad. "I like Brittany's style," I told Quinn defensively. "It's cute."

"Right," Quinn said, turning away. She crept to the corner and peeked around it, and while she was turned, I couldn't resist the impulse to grab Brittany's hand and squeeze it briefly. I wanted to reassure her that I did, in fact, like her style, and that I loved her, and that it was so, so hard for me to be so distant from her-

But then Brittany tried to lace our fingers together, to hold my hand fully, and I cringed, pulling my hand away awkwardly and following Quinn as she slid around the corner and moved across the hall.

Sorry, Britt.

We looked around for a few hours, somehow managing to avoid running into anyone. It was mostly deserted, and actually, the place seemed pretty normal- well, except the part where a moving sidewalk carried us down a glass tunnel through a gigantic aquarium tank and then turned a corner, only to end with a sharp stop in a humongous room that contained a Yeerk Pool. You know, other than that.

"Shit- how are we gonna destroy this place?" I hissed.

"Plow through it, maybe?" Quinn suggested in a whisper.

I looked at Brittany, but she was silent again. Fuck, fuck, fuck- why did I have to go and-

"Mercedes has an elephant, right? We could just smash through it," Quinn continued.

"That seems like our only option. Get in, transform, and then-"

"Hey! What're you kids doing here?" a deep male voice boomed from a doorway on the other side of the pool.

I jumped and turned. Shit. We were busted.

The man approached us. His nametag said "Rod Remington Publicity" on it. I gulped as he neared us, working his way around the edge of the Pool.

Quinn flashed him her most winning smile. "We're here for the park," she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes. "To swim."

Rod Remington Publicity looked confused for a moment, and Quinn gestured to her outfit for emphasis. I bit my lip, praying she wouldn't be recognized, as Rod Remington Publicity spoke. "We're not even- open- yet." I cringed. He had the weirdest way of speaking. It was like, William Shatner weird. Was this where the Yeerks sent all their crazy hosts, or? If so, why wasn't Sugar here? She'd fit right in with these-

"Oh, you're not? How silly of me," Quinn was saying, but I watched Rod Remington Publicity's face as he processed what was happening. It was interesting (read: terrifying); I could almost see the realization flash across his face as he figured out who Quinn was, and then he looked at me.

And then he took a hesitant step back, because he knew.

Shit.

"Britt," I said suddenly, and Brittany didn't falter as she transformed back to Andalite, then, within moments, had knocked Rod Remington Publicity unconscious with the flat of her tailblade.

"Well, that didn't turn out quite as well as I'd-"

"Cut the shit, Q," I barked. "Fuck. Okay." I wracked my brain for answers. Rod Remington Publicity had definitely seen us- definitely recognized us. We couldn't let him just walk away like Igor and Viktor- he was a Controller. He knew too much. If we let him walk away, he'd definitely alert the rest of the Yeerks to our presence, and we needed the element of surprise. It was hard enough getting into the building (I mean, we were pros and all, but still) without additional security being added. "We need to do something with this guy, at least until we can come back and smash this place up," I said, taking a deep, steady breath.

"Why don't we smash it now?" Quinn asked.

"And die?" I demanded. "If we break the glass, we'll drown. I don't have any water forms, Q, do you?"

Quinn slumped. "No."

[I do,] Brittany said. I smiled sadly at her, remembering her weird snailhorse form.

"B, I can't ask you to do that, not alone," I said softly. She shrugged, her body stiff and her expression stoic, and I sighed. There was nothing I could say- I deserved her indifference. I only hoped she'd give me a chance to explain once we got home.

"It doesn't matter anyway- how is she going to break the glass?" Quinn asked, bringing me back to the conversation.

"Britt's back legs can kick you apart," I said seriously- proudly. Quinn's eyebrows rose, and she glanced at Brittany's strong Andalite legs with a fraction more appreciation- wanky- and I didn't know whether to be happy or jealous. I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts.

"So she breaks the glass, then transforms… and we… peace out?"

"Pretty much," I sighed. "But we'll probably have to fight our way out, so we should definitely be prepared." I brightened. "This will be your first real fight."

Quinn released a breath. "Yeah. I saw what you did at Haverbrook Tower."

I didn't answer, only closed my eyes and focused on the cheetah- on speed.

Quinn took the hint and did the same, and soon we were two felines standing side by side.

[B.E.T.H.,] I laughed.

[B.E.T.H.,] she agreed, flicking her tail. She shook out her luxurious white mane and no sooner had I turned to Brittany to give her the go-ahead when the door that Rod Remington Publicity had entered from on the other side of the Pool re-opened and two Hork-Bajir strolled in casually. They spotted Brittany, then us, and immediately froze.

"Hruthin!" The first one yelled.

[The fuck does that mean?] I wondered as I sprang into action.

[It means Andalite,] Quinn said, loping along behind me.

[And how do you know that?] I asked casually as I pounced on the first one and, hissing, sank my teeth into his arm, ripping him to the ground viciously. The second Hork-Bajir had already turned to run, and Quinn crouched to follow him. [Let him go, we need to smash and dash,] I told her.

[Okay,] she relented, straightening up. Her tail flicked in agitation. [And I know because Ardnek 316- the Yeerk that had infested me- had a Hork-Bajir for a host at one point.]

[What does that have to do with anything?] I asked, pulling back from the Hork-Bajir beneath me, who was now unconscious. Quinn shrugged her powerful lion shoulders.

[When a Yeerk dies, pieces of their memories remain in their host,] Brittany explained solemnly from the glass tunnel. [Every host a Yeerk visits remains part of them; and the Yeerk, Ardnek 316- and its hosts- will remain part of Quinn.]

[Gross,] I said. Quinn's lion growled at me and I sauntered a few feet away, just in case she wanted to maul me or something.

[I'm ready to break this,] Brittany said tensely.

[Go for it,] Quinn said as she moved towards the door. [We'll catch up with you outside.]

[Brittany,] I said privately. [I love you. Be careful, okay?]

She hesitated for a moment before she sighed back, [I love you, too.]

My heart fluttered at her words, even though her tone was sad, and I leapt for the exit, wishing that Brittany didn't have to smash the glass alone. But I reassured myself that if anyone could transform under pressure, it was her. She would make it out okay- she still loved me- and we would be home to the Batcave in a matter of hours.

I guess things weren't as bad as I thought.

It took literally seconds for the entire place to flood once Brittany kicked the shit out of that glass tunnel. I was kind of grateful there weren't any animals in it yet, because they would've been on the ride of their lives, which would have ended directly after the ride did. Quinn and I made it out of the building safely, but couldn't say the same for a lot of the Controllers in the general vicinity. We ran into a few human-Controllers, but none of them attempted to stop us. Which, okay, they would've had to have been pretty damn stupid to try to halt a lion and a cheetah, anyways.

Quinn and I were in the air in bird form, and I was anxiously waiting on Brittany to join us. It was getting dark already- damn these winter months- as I scanned the outside of the building, looking for some sign of her duck form. The building hadn't crumbled or anything, which was unfortunate. It meant we would probably have to be back at some point, because the Yeerks surely weren't going to give up on their project due to a little water damage.

Quinn drifted in front of me, and I noticed how natural she was in her bald eagle form. I know flying, for me, had been hard to get used to at first. It's weird just floating in the air, you know?

[So patriotic, Q,] I commented as she did a loop in the air.

[You just noticed my form?] she asked dryly.

[Nah, I meant to say something last time, but I was far too busy patting myself on the back.]

[Good to know,] she muttered. Then, she said, [There's Brittany.]

[What? Where?] I asked, wheeling to look where she was pointed.

[Fighting those two Hork-Bajir,] Quinn said casually.

[Oh, God.] She was fighting? That meant the Yeerks had followed her out! That meant she'd gotten caught up, and-

Quinn dropped, folding her wings back and angling herself down like a bullet heading towards the ground. I watched as she aimed at the nearest Hork-Bajir, and then, at the last minute, she flared her wings, raked her talons forward, and the Hork-Bajir screamed in agony as she literally gouged his eyes out.

[Yah-haaaaaah!] Quinn crowed triumphantly, swooping back up into the sky, flapping hard to gain altitude. I was mildly shocked that she had just kind of helped Brittany- but also pretty pleased. Maybe someday they could actually get along- maybe my two besties could be besties.

[Fuck yeah, America,] I agreed, watching as Brittany's other opponent hit the pavement, and she rapidly began to sprout feathers. Within moments she was in the sky.

[Are you-]

[I'm fine,] she snapped tersely in response to the private question I had started to ask.

I was taken aback by her tone, but I dropped it, and the three of us flew back to the Motta Mansion in silence.

Sam smiled at me. "So, how did it-"

"Sleep first," I growled, brushing past him and following Brittany, who was in her human form, to my- our- room. Sam didn't say anything, but I heard Quinn's voice and knew she would take care of whatever questions he had.

I couldn't let this go on any longer. Whatever was bothering Brittany, we were going to take care of right now. I'd been putting it off all day, letting it fester, and it made me uneasy, made my stomach twist into knots. I hadn't exactly helped it by ignoring her and pushing away her affections, but I had to at least try and make amends.

"Brittany," I called softly.

She turned, her face a mask of indifference. It stung, but again, I deserved it. I knew that. I reached out to take her hand, but she pulled away. "Don't you have something to be doing with Quinn?" she asked sullenly, and I felt as if I'd been slapped.

"What?" I asked in utter disbelief. She opened the door to our room and entered, and I followed close behind her. "B, what is wrong with y-"

I was cut off by her lips pressing to mine- hard. Whatever I was going to say was muffled, forgotten and squashed by the bruising force of her kiss. Brittany pushed me back against the door roughly, and the force of my body slammed it closed as she moved forward, invading my space. She kissed me furiously, and I could practically taste her frustration. Despite the nearly overwhelming intensity, I found myself moaning as she moved her body between my legs, leaving zero distance between us. I hadn't been this close to her in days, and just feeling her toned body pressed flush to mine was making me unbelievably wet. I'd been craving her nearness, longing for intimacy. I'd been aching to kiss her, to feel her warm hands on my body-

I gasped into Brittany's searing mouth as her fingers drove into me harshly. No warning, just- My head fell back against the door as she slowly and steadily plunged into me over and over, taking me, though I gave myself to her freely; I tried to stifle my urge to cry out, to moan loudly- the door was thin, and the others could be out in the hallway- but it was hard to care with Brittany's fingers fucking me as relentlessly as they were. I bit my lip and raked my fingernails down Brittany's back in an attempt to remain quiet, but it only made her possessively hike my right thigh up around her waist and slam into me harder. She curled her fingers on every exit, pulling out slow, then driving back in deeply, quicker- it was driving me crazy.

It was difficult to remain standing, and I tightened my thigh around her. The force of her hand was pushing me back into the door and making an incessant, soft thumping noise. The sound only brought me closer to my release- and I was already close. I was close the second her fingers entered me, embarrassingly so.

Brittany was biting my neck, viciously sucking. She nipped just hard enough to not break my skin, but the pain combined with the intense pleasure from her torturing fingers had me right on the edge, and I was right there, and just, fuck, "Britt," I gasped. "Brittany, fuck- Brittany." She kissed me again, and I came with a muffled cry into her mouth, riding her still thrusting fingers as her tongue stroked me, and her fingers stroked me, and I felt myself slump against the door, holding her to me tightly as I convulsed against her, around her.

She held still for a moment, kissing me slowly, her tongue tangling with mine, caressing it, and my heartbeat didn't slow, my shivers didn't subside. I was literally putty in her hands as she kissed me. After long moments, she tried to pull away, but I tightened my arms, and my leg, which was still hooked around her hips, unwilling to let go.

"Don't," I mumbled against her lips, pecking them intermittently. My eyes were half-lidded and I felt completely satisfied pressed against the door.

Brittany turned her heated gaze away from me, and I felt a tremor run through her body. I reached up gingerly to cup her chin and turn her face back towards me, catching her eyes.

"Britt…"

She closed her eyes, anguished. Her hand came up to grasp mine, which was still holding her chin and part of her cheek. She took a deep breath that seemed to shudder through her, and opened her blue eyes, which were bright with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice wavering. I was so confused.

"For what?" I whispered back, unwilling to break the quiet spell we were in.

"I just- I had to, before… before-"

"Before what, B?" I asked gently, pressing more lingering pecks to her lips.

"Before you leave."

"Where am I going?"

Brittany swallowed and averted her eyes. And suddenly I figured out what she meant.

"Hold up," I said softly. "You think I'm leaving you?" She bit her lip, and I continued. "Why would I do that?"

Brittany took a deep breath, and I had a feeling this was going to be a lot more serious than I initially thought. I let my leg drop to the floor and carefully steered her to the bed. We laid on our sides, facing each other, our bodies touching, intimately invading each other's space. My thigh slipped between hers, our noses touched, my fingers delicately traced up and down her side; Her arm was draped over my waist, her other tucked under her head, and our hips were pressed together. Her blue eyes sparkled in the lamplight, and I gazed into them steadily as she revealed her fear to me.

"It's just that- you and Quinn-"

"Honey, I'd never leave you for Quinn," I reassured gently, kissing her nose.

"Maybe you should," she blurted in a tiny voice, and I stopped stroking her side to look at her.

"What are you saying?" I asked, trying not to let the hardness creep into my voice. "You want me to leave you?"

"No," she said quickly. "I just- w-what if- it's j-just that-"

She's stuttering. I cupped her face. "Breathe, Britt," I purred against her lips.

She took another deep breath. "What if you're better suited to your own kind?"

I paused to blink at her. "Is that what this is about? You think Quinn is better for me because she's human?"

Brittany swallowed bitterly. "You guys get along so well," she admitted in a sad whisper. "And I can't help but think that I'll never be as good as her, b-because she's h-human, and-"

I kissed her, shaking my head a little as I did so. "No," I mumbled. I kissed her again. "No." Kiss. "No, no, no." I kissed her forcefully, this time pushing her onto her back, dominating her and sliding my tongue into her mouth. My thigh pushed against her center and her hips canted upwards in response, and I felt the vibrations of her moan in my mouth.

"Santana," she panted as I moved to suck at her neck, "I just want you to be happy. And if Quinn is better-suited-" She let out a hiss as I bit her neck roughly.

"Brittany, no. No one is better-suited to me than you are. And even if they were, I wouldn't care. I love you. I'm not leaving you. So I think it would be best if you got that idea out of your head," I breathed into her ear before I teased it with my tongue. Her hips jerked in response, and I smiled.

"But-"

"Stop right there," I demanded as I pulled back. "I knew Quinn before you. If she was better suited for me, then I would've never met you. I would've probably stayed at that party with her instead of walking home through that construction site with Sam and the others." I paused as I thought about the revelation I had just made, furrowing my eyebrows at the horrifying thought. "But I did walk home through that construction site. I did meet you. And," I paused to take a deep breath- confessions were not my thing, but Brittany deserved to know the truth (even if that truth was about to be the cheesiest thing to ever leave my lips), "you're the best thing that's ever been- mine," I said, feeling slightly stupid at my unintentional use of Taylor Swift's lyrics. I inwardly rolled my eyes, but Brittany was smiling at me, and that was all that mattered.

"I love you," she murmured, "and I'm so yours. Proudly so-" She cut off as I quickly slid my left hand down her pants, pushing two fingers inside her. I moaned at how ready she was, at how she felt around my fingers, and I wasted no more time as I fucked her senseless, bringing her to orgasm faster than I ever had.

I kissed the side of her chin as she came down beneath me, trembling and holding me tightly, gasping for air. After a while, she spoke quietly. "Are you ashamed of me?"

"Britt," I breathed against her flushed neck, before gently pressing my lips there. "No. I just want Quinn to understand how much you mean to me before I tell her."

"She doesn't seem to like me very much," Brittany admitted sadly.

"She doesn't know you, yet. Q is always like that at first. But she'll come around, I promise. And if not, I'll rip her to shreds, that's all. I mean, it's not like I can't take down a lion," I joked, then cringed at the memory. Too soon?

Brittany stroked her fingers up and down my bare arm, holding me close. "Are you going to tell her soon?"

"Tomorrow," I promised. "I'll tell her tomorrow." I swallowed, feeling suddenly nervous about the huge commitment I had just made. But Brittany had made so many commitments to me, including forsaking her entire race and jeopardizing her career and everything else- was it really so hard for me to do this one thing for her so she wasn't sad?

"Okay," Brittany whispered, her voice tiny and hopeful. "I- I don't like feeling this way."

I nuzzled under her ear, breathing her in. "What way?"

"I feel- angry, and- like I don't-"

"Like what, B?"

"Like I don't want to share you with Quinn."

I laughed softly against her neck. Brittany was jealous. And she probably didn't even know what jealousy was. I smiled. "You don't have to share me. I'm yours, completely."

"But-"

"Shh," I said, moving to kiss her into silence. I kissed her for long moments until she was breathless again, and once she was squirming beneath me, I pulled back to smile at her. "Let me show you."

I quietly shut the door to my room, noting the late hour and the darkness of the hall. I had regretfully crawled out of bed to get some water, giving Brittany a kiss on the cheek and a promise that I would return shortly. I quickly made my way to the kitchen, eager to get back to Brittany's arms. It was dark, with just a small light above the stove on as I filled a cup with water from the fridge, taking a long drink, alone with my thoughts.

In the morning, I'd have to talk to Sam and the others about what had happened at the aquarium. Maybe we'd even have to finish destroying the building, but there really was no way around a Plan B when we did. We couldn't just leave the building there. We had to let the Yeerks know that they couldn't build an above-ground Yeerk Pool with no consequences. That was just crazy arrogant-

"Jesus fucking Christ, Santana," Quinn hissed from next to me, and I startled slightly, surprised that she had snuck up on me.

I glared at her. "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" I blurted, before I realized how awful that sounded. Shit.

Quinn glared back at me. "I used to before she became a slave," she muttered darkly.

I sighed. Whoops. "Why are you up?"

Quinn shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Got too much on my mind." She raised a challenging eyebrow and smirked. "I see you have that problem, too."

I gave her a confused look and she pointed to her neck.

Oh, shit.

I felt my cheeks heating up as I realized that I probably looked like I had been attacked by either leeches or vampires. I guess I couldn't really explain the marks away with a curling iron excuse-

"I knew you and Sam were back together. Why didn't you tell me? Was Cooper even real, or-"

"Woah, woah, woah, hold the fuck up," I said, putting my hand up to stop her. "I am not back with Sam. Sam is with Mercedes."

"Then who left those marks on your neck?" She demanded. Then her expression shifted to that of amusement. "Don't tell me it's Kurt."

I gave her a sarcastic look that said really? and rolled my eyes. Then I realized that this was it. I had to tell Quinn about Brittany. I took a deep breath. "Q, I'm gonna tell you something, and I don't want you to freak out, okay?"

She smirked. "You're not pregnant are you?"

I shot her a look and she laughed, then waited. I took another deep breath. And another. Okay, I was stalling, and-

"If this is about you and Brittany, I kind of already figured it out," Quinn mentioned.

"Wait. You did? How?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Quinn asked, rolling her eyes. "The way you two look at each other is kind of a dead giveaway and also a little revolting. Plus, you defended her from my insults- not a whole lot of people you would do that for."

I shrugged. She had a point. I guess I had told Quinn, in my own way, through clues. But still. "You knew it wasn't Sam."

"You just said yourself, Sam is with Mercedes. That's obvious."

"So… you're not mad, or disgusted or…?"

Quinn shrugged, mimicking me. "What do I care who you choose to spend your time with? Brittany seems nice, and yeah, okay, it's a lot weird that she's, like, an alien. Is she planning to stay human after the war?"

"Yes," I murmured, my thoughts drifting off fondly to our conversation about our future together.

"Have you guys been involved this whole time? Like, since you met?"

"Basically. I mean, I resisted, at first."

"Of course."

"But she's just so-" I paused, trying to think of a word to describe her. Beautiful, wonderful, perfect-

"-Brittany," Quinn finished with a smile.

I smiled back. "Yeah. We've been fighting this war for months, but I don't regret it, because without it I wouldn't have met her."

"That's lame as fuck, S."

I shoved Quinn's shoulder and growled. "Don't be jealous."

Her expression softened. "I am jealous. I hoped, someday, that Puck and I…" She sighed. "But now he's Visser Seven. If I'd have known he was fighting all this time- if you guys had just told me-"

"We couldn't, Q. Besides, we didn't have the blue box. It wouldn't have helped."

"It might have helped me cope with my parents," She answered. I bit my lip. I hadn't thought of that, but it was true. It didn't change the fact that we couldn't have told her, though. If she had been caught and infested, our secret would've been out much sooner. And she had a better chance of getting caught because she wouldn't have had the transforming power to aid in her escape. Not that it actually helped- Puck was a prime example.

"We'll get him back," I said firmly. "And when this war is over, you guys can start over."

Quinn smiled at me, but it was laced in sorrow. "You really think that?" She shook her head. "We'll never be the same. This war will change us. I only hope that when it's over, it hasn't completely changed me." She looked at me, her hazel eyes green and intense. "I was a slave for six days, Santana. And even in those six days, I changed. How long has Puck been a slave?"

"Too long," I breathed, dropping my eyes to the floor and thinking about what she said.

Because she was right- I had changed. I had fought, I had killed. It had never really bothered me, because I pushed it out of my mind. But I'd seen real horror, I'd felt real fear. I'd been close to death.

I'd even killed people I knew.

And it wasn't over. There was still more war- an unfathomable amount of it- to fight. I had no idea what the future held for me, or for any of us. I had no idea how different Puck would be once we freed him. What Quinn's parents, or Sam's parent's, or Kurt's step-mom- what any of them would be like. War affects everyone differently. It touched me in ways it hadn't touched Kurt or Mercedes. I briefly wondered how the war had affected Britt-

"San," Brittany's voice said gently from the door. I looked up, surprised, tracing my eyes over her body as an involuntary smile automatically grew on my face. She was wearing her sleep shirt and panties and her hair was tousled and messy, but she was the most beautiful person I'd ever laid eyes on. She returned my smile shyly, a faint pink staining her cheeks. "You were taking too long."

"Come here," I murmured, reaching my hand out to her. She moved closer unsurely, aware of Quinn's presence, and once her hand bashfully grasped mine I pulled her against me, planting a big, sloppy kiss on her lips- right in front of Quinn. Brittany giggled against my mouth and pulled back to look into my eyes, smiling, her eyes twinkling with happiness.

Yeah, I pretty much had no idea what I'd have to do next or who I'd have to kill. I only hoped I wouldn't ever lose sight of the things that were important to me. Because Brittany was important to me. Brittany wasn't just my bestie- she was my everything. And I was hers- proudly so.

I grinned at Brittany, sliding my arm around her waist and leaning my head against her shoulder. My heart was pounding, but I was so, so in love and happiness filled me up completely. I couldn't stop my smile from growing as I turned to Quinn, who was smiling back.

"Q, I'd like you to meet Brittany- my girlfriend."

The End. :')

Haha, just kidding. How fucked up would that be, though? XD

Sorry Quinn was such a bitch. She'll be better next chapter now that she's shipping Brittana with the rest of us.

Also, good news (or bad news, depending on what side of the coin you're on)- remember that time I said I'd finish this story by the end of the year? Yeeeeah well that probably won't happen. I have at least 5 more chapters planned out. I hope that's okay with you guys. ._.

Anyways, review if you feel like telling me about your feelings. If not, you know, it's okay.

See you next Monday, though, regardless.

**I'd like to apologize for not speaking Russian. If you speak Russian and I somehow managed to offend you through my very poor use of it, well, I think you need to make like cement and harden the fuck up, okay? It's not that serious. ;)