As Burt Hummel left the restaurant, Brittany's stomach churned and her chest burned. She didn't need a psychic connection with Quinn to know with certainty that it was her who had been arrested. Her fingers shook, as she cast furtive glances down at her phone on the counter to wait for Sam's text, but she tried to maintain an air of normalcy. She was sitting down with Santana's parents for the first time, and as much fear as she felt over what it would mean for them if her sickening feeling about Quinn was correct, it was matched by anger toward her.

Under the counter, Brittany felt a soft squeeze on her thigh from Santana. It jarred her back from the dark headspace she'd found herself spiraling into. A simple touch steadied her fingers, and the nearly imperceptible nod, which told Brittany that Santana understood without words exactly what she feared. Santana was careful to maintain her demeanor though, Brittany could see it, and with Santana's father's eyes boring into them, Brittany gently moved Santana's hand from her leg. The absence of it burned her, in that strange sort of way that their connection often did, but almost on cue, a warmth spread across her chest, radiating from her pendant.

"Warm pie, cold ice cream, and the hottest coffee west of the Mississippi." Santana's mother slid dishes across the counter.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lopez." Brittany forced a smile, though her enthusiasm for the pie had faded in light of Hummel's arrival. "This looks delicious."

"My husband's great-grandmother's recipe. We've been using the same ones in this restaurant as long as it's been around."

"That's nice to have such a long-lasting family tradition."

"That's why I'd like Santana to carry it on." Mr. Lopez interjected, and Brittany felt Santana cringe, both internally and externally.

"Papi, why does every conversation have to go back to this? You act like we're some kind of royal family, and I have to fulfil my birthright by serving hamburgers and pie for the rest of my life."

"And you act is if you're embarrassed by the idea." He snapped at her.

"What kind of father—"

"Mija." Maribel held up her hand, and shook her head at Javier. "Until you two can be civil to each other, I suggest you hold your tongues, especially in front of guests. Brittany, can I get you anything else?"

"No thank you, Mrs. Lopez." Brittany forked her way through the pie, stopping only to sip her coffee. "I can't stay much later, my parents will be expecting me home before eleven."

Nah, just got back from the movies with M. WHY? Brittany's phone lit up on the counter, and she took a deep breath, knowing it meant that she had to leave before she was ready.

"I'm actually really tired." Santana reached back over and squeezed Brittany's thigh again, feeling in her chest that Brittany was in a state of panic, and understanding exactly why. "If you don't mind, Britt, I'm going to call it an early night."

"No, no." Brittany patted the top of Santana's hand, trying to express her gratitude silently—despite knowing that Santana could already feel it. "You have practice in the morning, right?"

"Six-thirty am. You know Roz likes to start us early. I'll walk you out?"

"You don't have to."

"I know." Santana grinned, cocking her head over to her parents and avoiding all subtlety. "But I want to."

After quickly finishing her coffee, Brittany stood up from the stool at the bar, and waited for Santana to follow her to the door. Once they were on the opposite side of the glass, Santana leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Brittany's lips. Wanting to kiss Brittany made it easy to act the pretense of the end of a first date, but once she pulled back from the kiss, she leaned in again for a hug, mumbling into Brittany's ear.

"It's her, isn't it?"

"She talks about Sam and I putting us all at risk, but it seems like it's always her. I don't even need her phone call to know that she tried to break into the Ryans' house. I'm sorry I have to go, I just need to…"

"Do you want me to come with you?" Santana whispered, smiling as she did, so her parents would think she's having a soft and intimate conversation—the opposite of what she'd usually want them to witness.

"No, I'm going to have to wake my dad up to go down there, and it's just going to be a disaster. Go up to bed, and I'll try to sneak up there later, once I deal with this, if you want me to."

"I always want you to. Just be safe, okay? We just had our first date, and I really don't want to lose you."

"I promise you, Santana Lopez, I'll always come back to you."

"Well you've certainly proven that in the past. Just text me and keep me updated. I love you, Britt."

"I will, and I love you too."

Hopping into her car, Brittany sent a text to Sam, telling him she was on her way. The whole way back, Brittany was cautious to obey every single traffic law, coming to a full stop at each of the seven stop signs between the Intergalactic Diner. When she pulled into the driveway, Sam was standing on the front porch, pacing back and forth, holding his phone in his hands and scowling.

"She called me." He came down the stairs, face red and head shaking. "I wanted to wait for you before I woke up Dad. I told her we'd do whatever we could to get her out."

"Honestly, I have half a mind to leave her in there. She's completely out of control with her paranoia and irrationality. The school nurse, Sam. She broke into the school nurse's house, because she's lonely or something, and took a liking to Santana. I don't know if it's coded into her DNA to be absolutely insane, or what."

"Look, Britt, I don't know even a tenth of what you know about our past life, but it's obvious the two of you have some unresolved issues."

"Santana is my soulmate." Brittany clutched the pendant around her neck, squeezing hard. "But I'm not the one who has this weird jealousy thing about her. On Uecridis, Quinn, or Azar, I guess, was jealous of me because I came into their lives. Now here on Earth, any person who comes within ten feet of her is suddenly a suspect. She thinks it's my fault that Reyneva was killed, so she doesn't even trust me enough to let me in on whatever plans she has to fight these invisible enemies. We have reason to fear Hummel, he's made it clear that he thinks I'm a murderer, because of what Holly did, but what is she going to do next? Hunt down the cashier at Albertson's because she charged Santana for the green peppers instead of the red ones?"

"We can't leave her in jail, Brittany." Sam shook his head. "She's our family. And regardless of that, leaving her there puts all of us in danger, including Santana."

"I know." Brittany sighed, running her hands through her hair. "I wasn't really suggesting we leave her in there. I'm just…frustrated, I guess. Tonight I felt normal, I had the perfect date, Santana's mom invited me in for pie, and then, instead of sharing a semi-awkward goodnight kiss, because the diner is made of windows and I know her parents were watching, we were whispering about how I had to rush out because Quinn was in jail."

"I guess…we just have to accept that we're never going to be normal."

"Doesn't it feel good to pretend though?"

"So good, Britt. I'd say you don't even know, but I know that you do."

While Brittany went into the bathroom to wash the makeup off of her face, Sam agreed to go and wake their parents up. From behind the bathroom door, Brittany could hear her mother's concern, and her father's careful planning. At that, she was struck again with the gratitude she always had for her parents, knowing someone was there for her when she needed them most. Simultaneously, she was hit with a sense of pity for Quinn. Maybe her surliness wasn't an inter-life personality trait, but brought on by the lack of that. Maybe she was unfair to her, especially now, as she found a greater happiness than she'd ever thought possible.

"Honey." Susan knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you alright in here?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm just washing my face, I'll be out in a second." Brittany dried her face on the towel, and looked in the mirror, making sure her necklace was hidden, before she opened the door. "Where's Dad?"

"He's on the phone with Burt, seems like Quinn got herself into a bit of trouble. What's going on with her, Brittany?"

"I don't even know, Mom." Brittany sighed heavily, always hating the way she had to lie to her parents, to the people who gave her a home on Earth, to the people who loved her and Sam, despite how much they've hid for their whole human lives. "I think it's just home stuff causing her to act out. If I'm being honest, I think Judy just keeps her around for the monthly check, and I guess when people don't care about you, why would you care about yourself?"

"Oh, honey." Susan pulled her in for a tight hug.

"I have to blame myself a little." She confessed. "Things have been different since I started dating Santana, and I think, maybe, she's realizing that she's not super crazy about me."

"Brittany, sweetheart, you and Sammy have always been such good friends to her. Of course there will be other people who come in and out of your lives, but Quinn needs to understand that. I don't think you dating Santana is what caused her to go break into the Ryans' house."

Oh, Mom, if only you knew. Brittany bit her lip, and thought to herself.

"Don't worry though, your dad and Burt have had a good relationship since they were just boys. He'll get her out, and then we'll figure out if maybe our family can do something to help her."

"Yeah, okay. That sounds really good. Thank you, Mom." Brittany squeezed her a little together, feeling emotional over her mother's words. "Seriously, thank you so much."

"Honey, I haven't even done anything."

"Maybe not with this…" She shook her head. "But I mean, for everything. For adopting me and Sam, for always taking care of us…for not letting us get stuck somewhere with parents who don't care about us. I don't think I say it enough, but I really do appreciate you and Dad, and I know that Sam does too."

"Did I hear my name?" Sam poked his head out of his bedroom, grinning a little at Susan and Brittany. "Aw, man, lemme get in on this group hug."

"My good kids." Susan stroked both of their blonde heads affectionately. "Your father and I are so lucky that you came into our lives."

"Alright, kids." Evan Pierce emerged from his office, holding his phone in his hand. "I'm going to go on down to the police station and pick Quinn up. I told Burt I'd take full responsibility for her bail, and since nothing was stolen, I'm going to work on getting the Ryans to drop the charges against her. But I think it's for the best she stays here tonight, then I'll go over with her and talk to Judy Fabray in the morning."

"Dad." Brittany breathed, feeling heat radiate in her chest, a sign that Santana could feel her relief, and felt it in return. "Thank you."

While Evan went down to the station, Susan helped Brittany blow up the mattress for Quinn in her bedroom, and listened while she gushed over her date with Santana. It was strange for her, how normal talking about Santana felt, in light of everything else that had just transpired, but that was the thing about their relationship, and probably indicative of their bonded souls. The idea of Santana made Brittany feel grounded, rooted to something that she had never felt before—at least not in this life—and talking to her mom, Brittany wondered who Caderyna spoke to, when she was falling head over heels for the Queen of Uecridis. She wondered if Oskari would listen to her talk for hours on end, if he'd smile at her while she talked about the mundane little things, like how Reyneva grabbed her hand while waiting for dessert, or the way her stomach swooped when she leaned in close, and Caderyna could smell her. She wondered, and her smile widened at the thought of that happening.

"What's that smile for?" Susan asked, though both she and Brittany knew exactly the kind of look that was.

"Did you ever have such an intense feeling that someone was meant for you, Mom? Like…from the very beginning, you knew it was different."

"Those are awful strong feelings so early on in a relationship, aren't they?" Susan didn't sound like she was chastising, just wondering, and Brittany shook her head a little.

"Sometimes you just know. I had a crush on Santana for as long as I can remember, but I never imagined that if I were actually with her, it would feel the way it does, or I'd feel like…really complete."

"Maybe she's your soulmate." She winked, though Brittany flushed bright red, and more heat radiated from the pendant on her chest.

"Maybe…"

When Quinn got to the house, she was sullen and surly, stomping up to Brittany's room with barely an acknowledgement of Susan. It was to Brittany's perpetual irritation, how she didn't even have the common decency to respect her mother, but she couldn't be bothered to start that fight, not when a bigger one was on the horizon. So, instead, she sent Santana a text, letting her know she was stuck home for the night dealing with this, but that she'd pick her up in the morning, and waited until Quinn threw her backpack on the ground and unlaced her shoes before she began to get to the bottom of what the hell was actually wrong with her.

"Do you know how much danger you put yourself in?" Brittany spoke in an angry whisper. "Hummel is already onto us, and you go and get yourself arrested? Breaking into Terri and Bryan Ryan's house, because she talked to much to Santana? You've spent the last ten years talking about how Sam and I were putting us in danger, even when we were actual children, but then you pull this, with no backup?"

"Oh, right." Quinn sneered. "I'm the problem, not you, who trusts everyone we come in contact with, without even looking into their background. You should be thanking me for saving all of our asses, before your little girlfriend leaked too much information."

"You're not blaming this on Santana right now, all she's done is—"

"Shut up for two seconds of your life. Just because you married the Queen and were handed the role—"

"How can you possibly be pissed off at me for something you don't even remember? Is this going to be the rest of my life here, because if it is, then—"

"Shut. Up." Quinn hissed, pushing Brittany away from her as she got closer. "Just shut up. They're FBI agents, both of them."

"What?"

"Special Agent Terri DelMonico and Special Agent Bryan Ryan, with the FBI Special Unit."

"What?" Brittany gasped, shaking her head frantically.

"Yeah, just keep saying what, instead of admitting that I was right about them."

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm not an idiot, Brittany. You walk around like you're the only one who knows anything, but no one at that school gives two craps about any of us, and suddenly the school nurse is walking around obsessed with your girlfriend? Please. They've got files on every single one of us, and I'd say take one guess what the Special Unit is for?"

"The '47 crash."

"No shit. But we both know they're not here to give us a medal. They want to find us, experiment on us, and exterminate us." Quinn shook her head, glaring at Brittany. "I'd bet anything they'll play nice with your dad's little game to get me out of trouble, because they don't want their cover blown. But we are capital-S screwed, unless you're ready to kill them, before they kill us."

"Quinn! Who are you? We're not murderers. They might think we are, but that's not the truth."

"It's kill or be killed, Brittany. Maybe if you two would have taken out your people, back on our home planet, then we wouldn't be in this situation. But instead, they murdered the Queen, and tried to slaughter my people. Maybe it was your idea last time to let them live, maybe it's your fault Reyneva and your baby were killed."

Brittany stopped thinking. Quinn's words spurred something in her, and she lunged forward, shoving her against the wall. By nature, she wasn't violent, but the idea that she could have been at fault in the death of Santana…or…Reyneva touched a deep nerve, and she couldn't help but go after her. Her chest burned and throbbed as she held her by the shoulders against the wall, teeth clenched, and looking deep into Quinn's hollow eyes. It was in that moment where she sensed something dark in Quinn, something she couldn't reconcile with her childhood friend, and had Sam not come in and pulled her off, Brittany thought it was possible that she may have done some serious bodily harm to her.

"Brittany! What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just…nothing." She shook her head, wiping her hands on the side of her pants, and refusing to repeat what Quinn said to her. "Terri and Bryan are FBI agents. That's what Quinn found."

"What?" Sam gasped, echoing Brittany's own reaction. "What?"

"She thinks we should kill them, like somehow that'll take down their entire unit, and they won't send more." Brittany spit, narrowing her eyes at Quinn. "I'm done with you and your recklessness. You want to talk about getting people killed, maybe you should check yourself before you're the one responsible for it. Holly said to fly under the radar, and now they know we know who they are. Good job, excellent leadership skills, it's a wonder Reyneva didn't abdicate the throne for you."

"Maybe she should have, and she wouldn't have been—"

"Enough!" Sam stood in between them, holding both of his hands out. "None of this is helping."

"I'm leaving." Brittany hissed, grabbing her backpack from the floor. "There's nothing we can do tonight, and I don't want to be here with her. Sam, watch her, and don't let her commit a felony tonight, on top of her misdemeanor."

"Britt—"

"I'm tagging out. If I stay here, I'll be the next one locked up."

Though she knew it was irresponsible, and a huge can of worms had been opened by the events of the evening, Brittany left, shaking her head as she climbed out her window. There was never any sort of getting somewhere with Quinn, and perhaps it was coded in her DNA, but the only person she truly trusted to make decisions with at that point in time was Santana, her queen. It didn't take her long to sprint across town, fueled on anger and adrenaline, and when she arrived in the back of the diner, she recognized that hot tears had begun to stream down her face, the byproduct of Quinn's words, and her own anger over them.

Realizing she forgot her phone, and that she'd told Santana she wouldn't be there tonight, once Brittany climbed the balcony, she didn't let herself in the window. Instead, she knocked softly, waiting for Santana to appear before her. As she slid it open, Brittany saw how her hair was messed with sleep, and her face had a pillow crease across it. For just a moment, she felt terrible for waking her up, until a slow smile spread across Santana's face, and she offered a hand to help her in.

"I thought I was going to have to sleep alone tonight."

"I had to get out of there." Brittany bit her lip, and Santana noticed the tear streaks on her face.

"Britt, what's going on? Is Quinn okay?"

"She's fine. My dad took care of everything…but…Jeeze." She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to compose herself enough to tell Santana everything. "She was right about Terri."

"What?"

"They're FBI agents, with the Special Unit. The unit that—"

"Supposedly doesn't exist."

"Yeah." Brittany shakes her head from side to side, still completely flabbergasted and terrified by the whole situation, and not really sure how Santana actually knows what the Special Unit is, when she herself is still not entirely clear. "They have files on all of us. They know."

"What are we supposed to do?" Santana began pacing the room, wringing her hands in front of her. Watching her, Brittany sank down on the bed, scrubbing her face with her hands.

"I don't know, Santana…I really don't know. I'm supposed to know how to protect everyone, to protect you."

"The healer." Santana whispered, stopping in front of the bed.

"What?"

"You're the healer, remember what Holly said."

"The healer, the protector, and the warrior." Brittany recalled, rubbing the wrinkles from her brow. "Quinn is—She wants to kill them, Santana. That's her plan. She's so rash, and angry and…dangerous."

"You think Quinn is dangerous?"

"Yes? No? I don't even know." Brittany continued to shake her head, until Santana put both hands on the sides of her face, trying to steady her. "What if Holly is wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

Brittany took a minute before she answered that. It wasn't something easy for her to explain, just a strange sort of gut feeling, one that Quinn's reaction to her discovery sort of exacerbated. But it's not something she was really comfortable saying, even to Santana, who she felt comfortable telling nearly everything to. So, she took a breath, and just let it out in a sigh.

"It's nothing." Brittany told her. "It shouldn't even matter tonight, when we have way bigger things to deal with. I'm just…She just told me tonight that it's mine…or…Caderyna's fault that Reyneva died, and I shoved her against the wall."

"She said what? What basis does she even have to say that?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's a muscle memory or something."

"It's bullshit, is what it is." Santana removed her hands from Brittany's face, clenching her fists at her sides. "You feel it, Brittany, how much you love me, in both this life and the last. To fault Cadyrena for Reyneva's death is…just beyond my realm of comprehension."

"Cadyrena brought danger into Reyneva's palace and her homeland, not unlike the way I've brought danger into your life here."

"Brittany." Santana touched the pendant on Brittany's chest, refusing to pull her fingers back, even when the heat became too much for them to bear. "You say this as if we ever had a choice."

"The bind may be beyond the realm of choice, but the choice to be beside you and put you in the direct line of whoever threatens me is."

"I have a choice in this too." Santana huffed, unwilling to back away from Brittany, even as she put her hands up in front of her. "I'm bound to you, but I choose you too. If you kill them, if you run, if you hide away, my choice is to go with you, to be with you. I choose you over a normal life, over my own safety, over everything, because I love you, and because you always chose me first too."

"And what if I don't let you?"

"Ha." She let out a bitter laugh, clasping the pendant on her chest. "You say that like I won't find a way. You found me across universes, I'm pretty sure this'll lead me to you across a few states."

"I don't want you to get hurt, Santana. You're…human, and I'm not. You can't protect yourself from Terri, and Bryan, and whoever else is out there to get us."

"I trust you to protect me, protector or not." She took Brittany's hands again, laying them over her heart. "I want to try something. I want you to see that it wasn't your fault. I want to try and…I don't know, conjure up a memory of their last time together."

"Santana…"

"Trust me, Brittany."

"I trust you more than I'll ever trust anyone in any world."

Sitting beside Brittany on the edge of the bed, Santana pulled her down so that they were facing one another, nose to nose. She put her hands back on Brittany's face, looking into her eyes like they were just moments earlier. All she wanted was to force one of the visions upon them, to immerse themselves in their shared past in order to quell Brittany's fears that she—or her soul, at least, had been the cause of great death and devastation. But try as she might, it wasn't working, and she sighed heavily.

"Kiss me." Brittany whispered. "Kiss me and see."

Softly at first, Santana kissed Brittany's lips. Heat rose in her chest, and she hoped that it was the start of a vision. But as the intensity of her kiss increased, and she pressed closed into Brittany, the heat traveled down her body, settling between her legs. It was always a strange sort of feeling for her, the combination of utter reverence for Brittany, the experience of their past life coming to the forefront, and normal teenage arousal. Overcome, she wrapped her arms around Brittany's neck, pushing their fronts together, and let out a small gasp as Brittany cupped her sex over her shorts, kissing the side of her neck.

"We don't have to do this tonight if you're not in the mood." Santana breathed, reaching down to take Brittany's hand.

"Let me love you, Santana. Let me do what I was meant to do, across all time, across all universes."

With the consent of Santana's small nod, Brittany slid her hand inside Santana's sleep shorts, inhaling sharply at the heat that radiated from within her. Though she'd have loved to undress her now, and take in the sight of her naked body as she made love to her, Brittany was always cautious at Santana's when her parents were home, and she settled for letting her other hand explore the plane of Santana's stomach, up to her breasts. When her fingers brushed Santana's necklace, a spark jolted her, and she was nearly knocked back by the force of emotion that came from Santana.


It was with great hesitation that Caderyna entered their chambers to rouse Reyneva from her seemingly perpetual slumber. When she found herself inside, her eyes were immediately drawn to her mate, curled in the center of their bed, with her short arms encasing her robust midsection. A bright silver light emanated from where their child grew, illuminating Reyneva's form, and Caderyna paused, stricken by the force at which her devotion to the two lives hit her. It pained her then, how dressed she was, as Reyneva lay completely unclothed, and Caderyna lamented that she could not press her own nude form into her mate, to instill her with enough life force that she could walk the ground of the palace with her on that bright purple morning. But it could not be helped, the plans they'd made together, between Reyneva's long and frequent naps, needed to be executed, and as the second queen of Uecridis, there was no one but Caderyna who could carry it out.

"Beloved." Caderyna murmured, glassy hands mapping the expanse of Reyneva's body, and watching as the light in her midsection brightened with her touch. "Wake up. It's nearly sunrise, and I have to go."

"Kiss me first." Reyneva stretched her arms out, inviting Caderyna into them. "Hold me just for a moment."

"I'll hold you every moment." Caderyna took Reyneva into her arms, her expanse having widened even in the few hours Caderyna been gone making preparations. "Perhaps I can postpone the trip. It's only a few months more until you give birth."

"Cady, love. I wish more than anything that I didn't have to be apart from you at any time from here until eternity, but there is no one but you who can do this in my absence."

"If we were to tell Azar—"

"No." Reyneva's eyes grew impossibly darker. "Given the state of things with my sister, I would rather not involve her in these affairs. The technology they're working on is too crucial to the security of our people to be subject to the whims and moods of Azar. Please, my love, as much as you wish to stay, and as much as I wish for it to, I need you to go."

"Alright." Caderyna acquiesced. "You make decisions in a much more regal way than I find myself capable of."

"I've been queen a great many years longer than you, Cady. There will come a time where you find it less difficult. And perhaps I'm making it more challenging for you, naked and open." Reyneva laughed, a light, melodious sound that makes Caderyna smile.

"I do so love to show my undying love and affection for you, my queen." Caderyna pressed her mouth to Reyneva's head, then to her glowing abdomen. "But I understand the need for me to carry out our shared duty. I'm restless too about the growing quiet in the Fadelands, and I know this is necessary. I'll just miss you greatly."

"Sometimes I wonder how it's possible for me to go an hour without seeing you. But you'll be back by tomorrow evening, and perhaps I'll muster the strength to walk in the gardens with you."

"If you feel up to it, Neva, I'd love that."

"Let me kiss you once more before you go, Cady." Reyneva sat up and pressed her hand to the pendant set in the middle of the shimmering garments Caderyna wore and brought her mouth to meets hers. "I love you, come home safe to me."

"No danger in this trip, my love. I'll be back to you before you know I'm gone."


"Brittany." Santana gasped, clinging to her and realizing that she was both on the precipice of both a climax from touches she never felt, and tears from the sight of Caderyna's back as she left their chambers for the last time. "Brittany."

"I saw it too." She whispered against Santana's lips, unsure of whether she should keep up the circles she made with her fingertips against Santana's sex.

Before she could make a decision, she felt Santana's body tense, and a shuddering, sobbing orgasm overtake her. The sight of her engulfed by both passion and anguish terrified Brittany, and she quickly gathered her up in her arms, pushing aside her own sadness about Caderyna's goodbye to Reyneva to tend to Santana.

"I can't even…" Santana hiccupped. "Caderyna thought she'd see me...her…the next day, and then it was at six decades later. Every time I think of it, I feel sick, but now seeing it. I can still feel the press of her lips on mine. I feel such a very real sense of grief for them, even though they're us, and we found each other. She didn't want to leave, but Reyneva thought they were safe."

"I…" Brittany just stared blankly into space, envisioning how vulnerable Reyneva was, splayed out on the bed with her glowing belly. "I can't let anyone hurt you again, Santana. I need you to promise me, when they come for me, you won't put yourself at risk.''

"No. You can't ask me that, Brittany. You risked everything to save my life in the diner, and if you think I won't do the same for you…"

"Santana."

"Don't Santana me." Santana pulled away from Brittany, fixing her shorts as she sat up and crossed her arms over her chest. "It works both ways, and no matter what, I'll do whatever I have to do to protect you as much as you protect me."

"I don't know what to do." Brittany shook her head. "They're in our town, in our school, and it seems like there's no good answer as to where we should go from here."

"Do we go anywhere? You're not doing anything, except trying to get through senior year."

"You know it doesn't matter. Holly left a trail of bodies, and we can't shapeshift away from the accountability. And even if she didn't, do you really think the U.S. Government would miss its chance to get its hand on real, live aliens? And now they have to know we know, with Quinn breaking in there. Seriously, Santana, if I'm going to kill anyone this week, it's going to be her. I feel like a walking target right now, and instead of strategizing, all I want to do is hold you and feel like we're the only things in the universe."

"Britt, I think we're made to survive. You…or Cadyrena was born to kill the queen of Uecridis, and instead she was eternally bonded to her. You escaped a war on our planet after I was gone, your soul found mine in a faraway galaxy. I think…if you want my opinion on this—"

"I want your opinion more than anyone else's in the world."

"I think we prepare to fight, because the time is near, and I will never let them take you without killing me first."

"Santana."

"Brittany, my love, my mate, my life." Santana pulled Brittany down so they were laying nose to nose, hearts touching and hands clasped. "Just lay with me tonight, and tomorrow we'll meet Quinn and Sam and Mercedes before school, and we'll make plans to save all of our lives."