A.N. Thanks again to ghgfh, BiaSilveira and Thundering Ice for the reviews! :) And to elfypelfy, gg-lithium, XxPerfectlyPerfectAsIAmxX, kaitlyn9393, Alex Ryzlin Gold and runephoenix6769 for the messages :)

And, as always, thanks to my beta veiledgreyskies :)

Chapter 21

I blinked and tried to stretch a little, but the position I was laying in stopped me from doing so. Opening my eyes, I saw the sun shining through the open curtains of the living room, falling on the clock on the table in front of me; 11:05. I glanced up and noticed that I was laying on Brittany, my head on her chest and her arms wrapped around my waist, with the blanket still covering us.

I looked around, panicking. Where was Justin; had he seen us like this? Why hadn't we been kicked out already?

I moved Brittany's hands from around my waist and carefully stood up, taking longer to do so, to ensure that I wouldn't wake her. If he was waiting to talk to me about this, I didn't want her in the way, ready to hear the hurtful things he was likely to say. He loved my mother, after all; how could he be so loving and supportive when she is the exact opposite?

Once I was standing, I placed the blanket back over Brittany and stretched before padding into the kitchen, readying myself for the confrontation I was sure was about to happen.

There was no one in the kitchen, but a folded piece of paper was sat in the centre of the table. I approached it cautiously and picked it up, fiddling with it before straightening it out.

Santana,

I had to go out to attend to some business that just popped up. I don't know when I will be back, but I will be home in time for dinner; let me know if you have plans.

Justin.

I frowned. Why hadn't he said anything about seeing me and Brittany? It made me antsy and I shifted in place, trying to think of any reason he would have to not mention it. He was saving it 'til later; he had to be. Either that or he was going to ignore it. I sighed and put it back on the table, fixing two glasses of orange juices before making my way back into the living room.

Brittany was just sitting up as I entered, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, smiling when she saw me walking toward her. She accepted the glass I offered her and smiled thankfully, taking a sip before murmuring "good morning."

"Morning," I smiled, settling back into the sofa and kicking my feet up onto the table.

"We fell asleep," she stated looking around the room. I nodded and she continued "didn't your dad mind?"

I bit my lip and wondered what to say, but I had resolved not to lie to her. "I don't know; he wasn't here when I woke up. He's never said anything about it either way, so he might be fine with it."

She nodded, but the slight crinkle of her brow indicated that she may have caught on that I didn't think that that was the case.

I turned the TV on and flicked to Friends, content to just have a lazy day cuddling with Brittany. We had been watching it for a while when I heard her tentative voice ask "San?"

"Yeah?" I turned to look at her, noticing her worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. I moved my hands to graze her face, placing her chin in my palm and running my thumb over her lip, pulling on it gently until she released it. "What is it?"

"Why are you…" she sighed and shrugged. I placed my glass on the table and turned to face her more, my expression imploring her to continue. "Why do you push people away and…act like someone you're not?"

"Why am I a bitch?" I chuckled, but she didn't smile.

"You're not a bitch…but why do you act like one?"

I shrugged and looked away, studying the painting hanging on the wall across from me. She nudged my arm lightly, after I had been silent for a while. "It wasn't always so easy for me to control the memories that I got. Well, it's not now either," I shrugged, "but when I was younger I would get a lot from people that I knew. People that I was friends with. There was this one time; I was out with a bunch of friends in a park when I had a memory that came from my best friend. I was ten."

I shivered and Brittany ran her hands over my arms, trying to soothe away the goosebumps that had spread over me. "You don't have to tell me this if you don't want to."

"No, I want to," I shook my head. "It…my friend used to be abused by her uncle. He would do and say things that were just…" I shook my head, unable to describe it. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I looked to Brittany, seeing understanding in hers. I shrugged. "It wasn't only the things that he did and said that were horrible for me; usually I could somewhat remove myself from the memory, emotionally, but I was too invested in her. Our minds had this kind of connection, I guess, which made it harder to watch. I automatically knew who it was, but even if I didn't I would have known by the end. She saw herself in a mirror. After that, I swore that I wouldn't let myself become that vulnerable again. It hurt too much to see my friends in a way that no one should; to see them in the most vulnerable positions. So I backed away from everyone and kept myself free from feeling that again. It didn't only end up hurting me when I saw things like that; the way I acted around that person after I saw something hurt them too."

Brittany pulled me into her, rubbing my back as I rested my head in the crook of her neck. "Why did you stop doing that? You became friends with me. And Quinn," Brittany murmured into my hair, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"It's impossible to deny you what you want; have you tried saying no to you?" I looked up at her and grinned. "You were different. I…it's like we were connected before I even knew you. I saw memories of you and…it's like-" I blushed and looked away, stopping myself from saying any more.

"It's like what?" she grinned. I shook my head resolutely and she pouted, her lower lip sticking out exaggeratedly, trembling. "Please?"

I narrowed my eyes at her before looking up to the ceiling and muttering "it's like we were meant to be."

"Awwww," she cooed. "Who knew Santana was so cheesy?"

"I'm not cheesy!" I protested, looking back down at her.

"Yes you are, but don't worry; I love that about you," her eyes were twinkling and I grinned, leaning in to kiss her. When we pulled apart she said "you never really talk about your power; I never knew that it could be that bad."

I shrugged, "that's just what I put up with; there's nothing I can do about it, so I had to learn to live with it. It can be interesting. It's like...a chance to remember things that I never actually experienced. I've lived out so many different times and experiences through this. It can be a burden, but it's a chance to learn things and experience them first-hand. I feel like I'm incredibly lucky to know the truth about so many things that are skewered by time and the media."

"But doesn't it hurt that you can't do anything to change how people view things that happened; that past wars and others things have been twisted in a way that will never be righted because there's no one living that can tell the tale of it. No one would believe you if you told the truth, so every day you hear things that you know are lies."

"But I believe it and know what's true; that's like everything in the world. A lot of people believe that gay marriage is wrong, but I know that it's right, and that feeling is all that matters. It's the same thing."

"You think about gay marriage?" Brittany looked at me with a shy grin on her face.

"Well yeah, I guess." I looked away and she chuckled, grabbing my chin and bringing me in for a deep kiss.

She turned serious and I could tell that she wanted to ask me something.

"You don't need to worry about asking me anything; you couldn't hurt by doing that. The worst I could do is say no or refuse to tell you, but I can't imagine that would happen."

She nodded. "What you said before about receiving bad memories. Well…you totally don't have to answer this, because I know it's probably crossing a line and will bring it all back to you, but…what's the worst experience you've ever had?"

I hummed, thinking. "There's been a few," I chuckled, trying to break any tension that she felt, but she just frowned and gripped my hands. "Okay…it has to be one where I had been kidnapped and was being tortured. But it wasn't the pain I felt, or being away from the people that 'I' loved that that was the worst part, but the knowledge that 'I' deserved it.

Brittany shook her head, but I shushed her, squeezing her hands. "I don't think I've told you, but when I get memories I can hear their thoughts and it's like I am them; I've done what they've done. Well, this man didn't think that he deserved the torture; he thought that he was perfectly justified in what he had done, but I knew. While I was watching it, I had these two conflicting thoughts, and it was killing me to have to share a mind with someone like him."

"Why, what…had he done?" she asked softly. She looked torn between knowing the truth and not wanting to find out the details.

"They lived in like, Afghanistan and it was the war there. He pillaged little villages and then raped and killed women and children. Slowly. He took what he wanted and left, and then when he was caught, he refused to acknowledge that anything he did was wrong in the slightest. I had to experience the thoughts that he had; the beliefs that he had. It really fucked me over, once it was finished," I chuckled. "I stayed in my room and refused to leave it or talk to anyone. I felt like I needed to reaffirm who I was. I've never felt so trapped in my own mind."

Brittany's eyes were soft and she looked so sorry that she had asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"No, no, I want you to know everything. I trust you and I want to tell you everything that you want to know, it might help to explain who I am as well."

Her eyes softened greatly and she leaned in, resting our foreheads together and looking into my eyes. "Thank you, Santana. And I trust you too. I've had problems with trust in the past, as you know, but I really do believe in you. I feel so honoured that you've trusted me and told me so much, and I want you to know that I'd repay the favour; anything you want to know, and it's yours."

"I…what happened to you before, Britt? What happened that made you have trust issues?"

"Just the usual school stuff, really. I was really good friends with some girls and one day we all went exploring in some woods. They told me that I could be the leader and they giggled, but I thought nothing of it. We'd been walking for a while and I'd just been looking at all of the trees and nature and I turned around to point something out and they were gone. I tried to find my way back, but we'd taken so many twists and turns and random 'shortcuts' that I couldn't find my way back. I was lost overnight and my parents had to send a search party out. They eventually found me." She shrugged. "Other stuff happened before and after that, but that one instance was probably the most memorable."

"Is that why you moved?" I asked softly, running my thumbs over her hands.

"Yeah, my parents got fed up of people 'taking advantage of my innocent nature'. I told them that I would learn and wouldn't be as trusting, but I did kind of want to leave anyway; get a fresh start and not be the stupid little girl that everyone can push around."

"You've never been that girl, Brittany. Trusting someone doesn't make you stupid, it makes you human. And if you didn't trust me, we wouldn't be here now, would we?"

"I suppose not," she smiled and pulled me in for a hug, gripping onto me tightly.

I held her back just as firmly and we stayed like that for a while before she relaxed and sank into my side, settling back in to watch TV. Friends had finished and another show was on, one that I hadn't seen before, but Brittany seemed to be enjoying it, so I let her watch it while I stared at her, marking down each little reaction she had.

She looked up at me after a while and blushed when she saw that I had been watching her, her cheeks flushing a light pink. "What?" she asked shyly.

"You're perfect," I exhaled softly then froze for a second, feeling myself blush before I looked to the side.

"Nuh-uh; you are," she hummed, grabbing hold of my chin and making me face her before she kissed me softly.

I shook my head lightly and felt her smile against my lips. I couldn't help but smile too and she giggled, breaking off the kiss.

"I want to go out and watch a film," she suddenly announced, leaning back slightly to see my face more clearly.

"Sure," I nodded. "What do you want to see?"

"I don't know; whatever is playing."

I chuckled slightly, knowing that this was her way of testing the waters and seeing how I would feel about us going out together. "We can go get dinner after as well, if you want?" I asked.

She nodded, beaming at me, her eyes alight. I knew that I had done the right thing, but her expression fell as she glanced at the clock on the table beside us.

"I need to go home; my mom wanted to talk to me about something."

"Okay," I said, upset that she had to leave so soon, but content knowing that I would see her later. I stood up, offering her my hand and pulling her up, leading her to my bedroom to collect her bag. "I'll pick you up at six, if that's alright?"

"Yes," she smiled, "that's perfect."

We got to the door and she turned to me, looking slightly troubled. "What about your dad, though? Doesn't he want you to stay inside?"

"He'll be fine; he knows that I can't stay locked up forever. I need some kind of social life." She still looked a little troubled, so I added "if he says no, I'll call you and we can do something else, but I promise you he won't, okay?"

She smiled and leaned in, giving me a kiss before opening the door and walking out of it. I watched her go until she was out of sight, then shut it and leaned back against it, smiling broadly.

I ran my hand through my hair, for about the fiftieth time in the past minute. I was looking through my wardrobe, trying to find an outfit, yet failing miserably. Brittany hadn't made a big deal out of talking about it, and neither had I, but we both knew that it was a date, and I didn't want to turn up looking like a slob.

We acted like this a lot, it's what our relationship was like; we didn't need to verbalise things to know what was happening. Most of our relationship had been non-verbal, just natural and knowing what we needed to know. Going on a date was the same thing, but that didn't stop the nerves I felt when the time was drawing closer and I wasn't ready in the slightest.

I spread the clothes out in front of me again and took a deep breath, calming myself down. It wasn't a fancy date, which narrowed it down to about half of my clothes already. The cinema and then dinner; I'd done that enough times to know what to wear. I chose a pair of skinny jeans and a nice shirt, similar to what I was wearing the night of the party when Brittany and I had made out.

I got ready, making sure to only have light makeup on, with my hair falling in curls around my face. I had an hour until I had to leave and I hadn't seen Justin since yesterday. I didn't want to just leave without telling him, and knew that I had to ask his permission if I wanted to be allowed out again.

I sighed and grabbed my phone from the table, flicking through the numbers until I found his. My thumb hovered over his name, the tight feeling in my chest preventing me from pressing down on it. I looked at it for a few more seconds before pressing down, knowing that if he said no, I would have to tell Brittany and have enough time to figure out something else to do. I may have felt comfortable breaking the rules and not listening to what I was told while I lived with my mother, but things were more dangerous now, and I didn't want to ruin my relationship with a father I had only just found out about and met.

It rang a couple of times before he answered "hello?" My breath was caught in my throat as I tried to answer. "Santana?" he sounded panicked, so I cleared my throat and tried again.

"Hi. I was um…wondering if I could go out tonight?"

"Go out with whom?"

I looked up at the ceiling, having tried avoid telling him that. I didn't want him knowing who it was and having it affect his answer. "Brittany."

He was silent for a couple of seconds and I closed my eyes, dreading the answer. "When are you leaving and coming back?"

"Uh…I'll be leaving in under an hour, just before six. I'm not sure what time I'd be back; ten, maybe?"

"Okay, just try not to be back much later than that."

"I can go?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, you can go," he chuckled. "You and Brittany have fun. And don't forget to keep an eye out for any trouble, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see me. "Thank you!"

"It's no problem. See you later."

"Bye!" I chirped as I hung up, sending a text off to Brittany to let her know that I was allowed to go out.

Stopping the car outside her house, I took a deep breath and fiddled with the flowers in my hands. It was a purple aster surrounded by three camellias; red, pink, and white with a white bow holding them together. I saw the curtain twitch, so I stepped out and approached the door, keeping the flowers behind my back. I lifted my hand to knock, but it opened before I had the chance.

Brittany was grinning at me, bouncing up and down on the spot as she clasped her hands tightly in front of her.

"Hi," I murmured, pulling my hand out from behind my back to hold the flowers out for her. "These are for you," I said, then cursed myself after, knowing how stupid I sounded.

"Santana," she breathed, taking them gently from my hand and smiling bashfully. "They're beautiful; what are they?"

"An aster and camellias."

"I've never heard of them before," she furrowed her brow, and I simply shrugged. "Come in for a second while I put these in some water." She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside and I panicked, having not thought that far ahead.

Her parents didn't know that we were going out, at least from what I was aware of, and this would be more than obvious. I had only wanted to make this date perfect for Brittany and get her what she deserved, but I didn't think about what she would do with the flowers.

My thoughts were cut off when we entered the kitchen and her mom was in there, peeling potatoes at the sink. I looked down to our still clasped hands, but Brittany didn't notice, just continued to gently tug me.

She let go of me when she reached the sink, passing me the flowers as she nudged her mom to move out of the way, reaching into the cupboard underneath to pull out a vase. Her mom turned around as she wiped her hands on a towel and noticed me standing there.

"Santana!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly.

My eyes widened and I looked between her and the flowers in my hands before clearing my throat slightly. "Hello Su-Mrs…hi." I was stuck on what to call her; I had got used to calling her Susan when I lived there, but now that I was there as the girl who was dating her daughter, I didn't know if it would be common courtesy to address her formally.

"It's still Susan, dear," she laughed. "So, you're the person who is taking my daughter out on a date."

I saw Brittany look over her shoulder, a slight grin on her face, but she stayed silent, letting me sweat it out. "I…uhh." My eyes darted between them, and the similarities between the two were startling. The smirk on Susan's face made it easy to imagine what she looked like when she was a teenager, and matched the one Brittany was sporting as she stepped up next to her, holding the vase filled with water.

I cleared my throat and stood a little taller. "Yes, I am," I stated proudly, looking to Brittany for confirmation that I had done the right thing.

She swept over to my side and took the flowers out of my hands, placing them in the vase as her mom wandered over. "Camellias and an aster," she muttered, shooting me a knowing look. I shifted on the spot uneasily, but didn't say anything as she continued to stare at me. "Well, it's so lovely to see you; it feels like it's been forever. You really need to come over more. God knows that Emily hasn't stopped talking about you."

"I'll try to do that," I nodded, shooting her a smile. "Where is she now?"

"She's sleeping over at a friend's; she'll be upset that she missed you. Anyway, I won't hold you up any longer. Go have some fun."

"Thank you," I said as Brittany pulled me to the door and she walked us there. "Have a nice night."

"You too; bring her back by eleven. And it's only that time because I like you, Santana," she grinned.

"Thank you," I laughed. "I will."

Brittany kissed her mom on the cheek then we left, walking to the car. I held the door open for her and she smiled charmingly at me. I shut the door softly after her then quickly walked around and got in, buckling up and pulling away in no time.

"So, did your mom know that you were going on a date before this, or did everything I do just confirm it?" I asked, smiling at her.

"I didn't tell her, but I didn't need to; she just knew."

"How?" Brittany stayed silent, so I looked at her to see her biting her lip, looking a little embarrassed. I laughed. "Were you-"

"Don't laugh at me," Brittany whined. "Besides, I bet you were the same."

I concentrated on the road as I remembered the nerves running through me before I left, glad that no one was around to witness it. "Maybe," I grinned, side-eyeing her.

She nudged my shoulder with hers and I chuckled. I pulled into the cinema and found a parking space, getting out and walking around to the other side, frowning as Brittany stepped out and met me there.

"What?" she asked as we started walking.

"Nothing," I shrugged and shook my head.

She looked back to the car and then a look of comprehension dawned on her face "oh. I don't like just waiting there for someone to open the door for me. It feels like…I don't know, like they're waiting on me or something."

"So you didn't like it when I opened the door for you first of all?"

"Oh no, I did. It was really sweet" she assured me as she linked her arm through mine.

"Great," I smiled.

We walked into the cinema and looked at the list of films, arms still linked and leaning into each other. I didn't know what any of the films were, so Brittany chose and I paid for both of us. She protested a little, but I gave her a look and she silenced, smiling bashfully and leaning into my side even more.

I bought a tub of popcorn and a drink for us to share and then we made our way to the screen room, the trailers already playing. It was pretty busy, but there were still quite a few seats empty, so we chose the middle row, Brittany leading.

As soon as the film had started playing, Brittany had grabbed my hand, holding it lightly as they rested on the armrest between us. It was a children's animation, and I loved the sound of her laugh, and the way her face lit up. After a while, she rested her head on my shoulder, but kept shifting around, trying to get comfortable.

Pushing her back a little, I took the drink out of the holder and placed it in the one on the other side of me, lifting up the armrest in between us. She beamed and placed the popcorn on the floor at our feet, lifting her feet up on her chair and curling into my side. I rested my head on hers and wound my arm around her, not caring about any looks we may get. As long as Brittany was with me, I didn't care what anyone thought.

The film passed quickly and in no time the lights came back to life, startling people up from their seats and out of the cinema. Brittany slowly sat up, grinning at me as she asked "what did you think?"

I saw some people side eyeing us as they walked past the row we were on, but ignored them, focussing on Brittany's face. "It was amazing," I said sincerely and she nodded rapidly.

I stood up and she followed my direction, picking her bag up and handing me mine. We walked out of the cinema hand in hand, talking about the film on the way to the car, and then on the way to the restaurant, which was only a couple of minutes' drive from the cinema.

The restaurant wasn't posh, but the food was nice and the atmosphere was friendly. We ordered quickly and made small talk as we waited for our food, happy to just relax in the other's company.

Once it had arrived we ate it in silence, catching each other's eyes every now and then, grinning goofily at each other. I could see Brittany eyeing my plate, so I chuckled, taking a forkful and holding it out to her.

She looked at me questioningly, so I smiled "try it."

She leaned forward, letting her lips envelope the fork and kept eye contact. I swallowed, my throat feeling suddenly dry, and she pulled away, chewing the food in her mouth slowly, a grin curving the edges of her mouth.

"Nice?" I asked when she finished it, shifting slightly. She nodded and held out her fork to do the same, which I happily complied with, also throwing in a little moan to try and garner the reaction she instilled in me.

It looked to work and she blinked, pulling the fork out of my mouth and back onto her plate slowly. I chuckled and finished eating my meal, making sure to glance up at her every now and then to catch her eyes.

Once I had finished I leaned back in my seat, letting my arm rest on the table beside my plate, playing with the napkin underneath. Brittany's fingers brushed against mine gently, lightly running them over mine before she slipped them in between each other and clasped them together. I turned my hand over and grasped hers more firmly, squeezing gently and letting them rest on the table.

I could see the waitress walking up to us out of the corner of my eye. I frowned, noticing her looking at our hands with a look of distaste. I entered her mind, doing my best to put into practice what my dad had taught me, and listened in on her thoughts. She was going to say something.

I looked to Brittany, seeing how happy and oblivious she was and then back to our linked hands, knowing that if I pulled mine away it would make her upset, and if the woman said something she would be incredibly upset as well. I sighed and put my other hand on the table, nudging it against the glass until it fell onto the floor, smashing and spraying water everywhere.

Brittany jumped, her hand coming out of mine on instinct as she clutched at her chest in shock, and the waitress's eyes widened as she moved back to the bar, grabbing some things to clean it up with. I entered her mind again and found that her attention was firmly on cleaning up the spill. Perfect.

I found the memory where she was thinking of saying something to us and removed it, making sure to move her remaining memories around in a way that she wouldn't know she forgot something. This was the first time I was attempting it, since I had done so to Rico, but I had gone over the theory with Justin numerous times and understood what I was meant to do.

It went down without a hitch and she cleaned it up, not saying anything to us as she did so, other than to wave away my apology.

We ordered dessert, ate it and then asked for the bill, noticing that we didn't have too long until Brittany was due back.

I pulled out my purse and Brittany did the same and I frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Paying; what are you doing?"

I shook my head "I'm paying for this."

"No, you paid for the tickets and food at the cinema, so I'm paying for the meal."

"Brittany," I whined, "I want to pay for everything; you deserve it."

"But it was my idea," Brittany protested. "I should pay."

"Okay…how about you pay next time?" I asked, not ready to give up on this.

She thought about it and looked into my eyes noticing the resolve there. "Okay, fine. I will pay then though; there's no way you'll get around that."

I grinned and paid, content with winning, and rose from my seat and helping Brittany stand as well.

I drove back, holding her hand when I could, and we reached her house in no time. I stepped out of her car as she did the same and walked her up her pathway, stopping at the front door.

"Tonight was amazing, thank you," Brittany smiled.

"Thank you for coming with me," I grinned.

I looked down to Brittany's lips, wondering whether I was actually going to do the clichéd kiss on a doorstep, but then figured that I didn't care; I had followed the rule book so far, I may as well do the last thing on it.

Brittany caught my look, so she grinned and leaned down the same time I moved up, sealing our lips together. She moved her hand up my arm to cup the back of my neck, pulling me further into her and I placed one hand on her waist, the other moving up to grip the collar of her jacket.

She sighed into my mouth and then I parted, leaning our foreheads together and looking into her eyes, our breaths coating the other's lips.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked, pulling her in for another kiss.

She nodded, humming a "yes," against my lips.

I let go of her jacket and stepped back, smiling at her and then seeing the curtain twitch. I sent a wave to the curtains and Brittany groaned as Susan's face appeared, looking a little sheepish and waving.

I laughed as I stepped up to my car and opened the door. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," she nodded.

I stepped in and buckled up, sending a wave to her as I pulled away. I was surprised at how normal everything was whenever I was with Brittany. Even in the midst of the madness and danger, a night out with her felt like nothing I'd ever experienced, but it felt more right and normal than anything else at the same time.

I still wasn't sure what it was about Brittany that had made me want to find out more about her the first time I had met her, but I was so glad that it was there. It may have just been that I knew we would be together - something was pulling us together - but I would never be happier to have followed my gut as I was with that decision.

A.N. Thank you for reading! I'd love to get to 100 reviews by the end of the story, and I don't think that there's too long left now. Soo…please review? ^.^

Let me know if there's anything that you'd like to see, because I'm currently planning the rest of the story as well :)

I know that I previously stated in the story that Santana had never had a memory from a living person before Brittany. I need to go back to the chapters that she said it in and change it, so please bear with me as I do so :)