A/N: I'm so thrilled that the favorites, follows ad reviews mean that you're all enjoying this as much as I am writing it! I'm sorry for the cliff hanger wait that I've left you all with. Honestly, I did think about spacing things out to update one a week but I can't hold myself back from writing and finishing as the muse takes me.

Jaminica:Brittany definitely does use whatever she can to her advantage. Santana is incredible naïve to her own feelings. I don't want to give anything away, so I shall leave my response there!

Lala: Don't worry! This isn't one of those 'constantly bully one character' fics at all.

OkayBlueJay: Yes, a shoutout! I'm going to try and get to a few shoutout/review responses every chapter if I can. I like being able to properly read all the reviews and respond when appropriate. JBut Brittany is definitely a little slow burning stove.


Chapter 4: Nice Sprites

Time seemed to slip me by as the night went on, my head hazy from the brownies. My body tingled deliciously, humming with vibrations of ecstasy as the beer mixed with the batter in my stomach, warming me from head to toe. Joe was usually pretty darn good when it came to his edibles, but he had really outdone himself. If I was into sticking my head up people's asses, I would have perhaps complimented him.

I wasn't really aware how long I had been dancing for, but all I knew was that I didn't really want it to stop. My fingers duh into Santana's protruding hipbones as she moved against me, seemingly operating on the same celestial plane. She was a smart girl, and I had to assume she knew that she was high by now. Regardless, she seemed surging with a confidence I didn't know she had the ability to possess. For one, she wasn't cowering around me. It was quite the opposite.

The air between us was thick and clouded, her slender figure pressed up against my own. Small arms were looped around my neck, complimenting my hands holding her waist as we moved. With every curious movement of her fingers against the nape of my neck I shivered at the feeling of her nails playing amongst the tiny blonde baby fine hair.

The heat was almost stifling, faceless bodies bumping us on every side, but I didn't care. Personal space was quite the pet hate of mine, and more than once I had been known to start fights when other peoples' dancing got a little too close to me, but the thought of moving from my own personal bubble wasn't something I wanted to do.

Usually, the thought that some nerd was grinding up on me, and a girl at that, would have made me indescribably angry, I had a strange sense of being carefree. No one was paying us much attention, but I would have doubted I'd have been able to see if they were regardless.

I rarely felt such a gravitational pull while high, and I didn't want to release it from my grasp so soon.

Spinning Santana around in my arms, I pulled her hips back, flush against my own, as I buried my face into the side of her neck.

"I didn't know you could dance, Lopez," My voice came out as a purr against the shell of her ear and I felt Santana shiver against me, a sigh of a gasp leave her lips.

"Me neither," Her reply was nothing more than I whisper, but the vibration of her words trembled through her whole body and under my steady hands.

"I like you when you're high," I whispered, a chuckle rumbling low in my throat as my nose brushed against her neck.

"I like you all the time," She replied, her voice low and slurred as she slumped back against me. "My heart is beating really fast,"

Moving my hands from her hip to her stomach, I felt the heat of her skin through her shirt. She was abnormally heated, almost throbbing with how heavy her heart was pounding.

"I… I feel weird, Britt-Britt," She hummed before letting out a giggle. Her body felt heavier against mine and, though I had never really been worried about anyone else's well-being before, there was a first time for everything. I felt suddenly and strangely sober.

"What do you mean?" I asked, spinning the small girl around in my arms and supporting her frame. "Are you okay?"

The last thing I needed was to be responsible for someone being completely messed up.. Or even die. That would be a one-way ticket straight back to juvie.

I wanted Santana's eyes flicker between mine and her face lit up. Looping her arms around my neck, she dropped her weight onto me as she giggled. In her mind, it seemed as though there wasn't a problem in the world. This was exactly why amateurs got into trouble.

Holding Santana close to keep her up on her feet, I pulled my lip between her teeth with a harsh bite as the nerd girl groaned,, her head drooping into my chest

"What's happening to me?"

"Fuck," I cursed, my grip around her waist tightening as she continued to droop. The bodies around us continued to dance drunkenly, unaware of what was happening beside them. All the better, I thought. This was something that didn't need any unwanted attention.

I drugged the school nerd.

"Hold onto me," I instructed. There was rarely a time when I had to act mature aside from when it came to my work and paying rent. Even so, it would be a lie to say that this wasn't purely selfish. To save my own ass, I had to take care of Santana's. "Can you tell me where you live?"

"I don't know.. I don't what you're talking about," Her voice was slurred, burying herself further against my chest. I had been in her exact position before, and passing out was just around the corner. If she did that here.. If I left her here, it would be a police problem. Drug use, underage drinking.. It wasn't just going to be me who would get screwed up from this.

Prying her away from my chest, I gripped onto her face to take a closer look at her. Santana's cheeks were burning, borderline red from the heated temperature. Her eyes were dropping, hiding the whites of her eyes that I knew from experience were probably stained crimson. Though she looked relaxed, a goofy smile on her mouth, she was suffering.

I had to do something with Santana. Leaving her here would just be more trouble. The girl needed to sleep it off. Usually, Sugar let us stay over in her many spare bedrooms, but I didn't want her to know about this. Sugar was a loudmouth with no filter and quite frankly, I wasn't sure I could trust her.

"I feel sick," Her quiet groan was enough for me to make a decision.

"Fuck it,"

Grunting to myself, I ensured her arms were still looped around my neck and I lifted her clean off the floor. With one arm supporting her back and the other moving to scoop up her legs, I made my way towards the front door holding her bridal style. Santana was lucky she was so damn tiny and I worked out as much as I did. If she wasn't, I would have dragged her ass out of the house.

I felt her head move, her face turning into my neck as I carried her over the threshold and into the cold night air. It was impossible to tell exactly what the time was, but it was late. The streets seemed deserted and if it was possible to tune out the sounds of thumping music and talking teenagers, I was sure it would be deathly silent.

"You smell really good.." Santana breathed against the skin of my neck as she nuzzled into me. At least it meant she had yet to actually pass out on me.

"Okay, okay.. Keep it in your pants, Lil' Wayne," Though it came out as a gruff sigh, there was a small hint of a smile on my lips. I wasn't amused per se, but I couldn't lie and say it wasn't a little funny. Santana was probably feeling awful, dizzy and about to get knocked out, yet she was still fawning over me. Ridiculous.

When we finally reached my beaten up, old pickup truck, I fished in the pocket of my jeans for the keys. It was apparently a good decision on my part to come in the truck instead of my motorcycle. Riding home stoned with a passed out nerd on the back would have been impossible.

"I don't live far away.. So don't die before we get there, Lopez," I mumbled, opening the big passenger door while supporting Santana's body with one arm.

"Kay.."

It was easier than I thought to get her seated. Santana slumped down in her seat and lifted her arms a few inches to help me get her strapped in. I had never handled children in my life, preferring to just avoid them at all costs, but this was probably what it was like to deal with one.

Once satisfied she was secured, I pushed the door shut with a thump and jogged my way over to the drivers' side. I was still a little hazy, but I had driven in worse states before and ended up home in once piece.

When I climbed in, I felt Santana's' eyes on me as I started up the car, her head rolled to the side in my direction. She was grinning, looking a little like some creepy kid in a horror film. If I wasn't so sure she didn't have the balls for it, I would have been afraid she would have cut me open and stolen my kidneys before we got back to my place.

The drive was pretty silent, the lit windows of the neighborhood houses streaming passed us as we advanced. Every few moments, I stole a peek beside me to make sure the girl was at least still breathing. Her eyes shifted between being open and closed, but that meant that she was still functioning somewhat.

I bet Santana never imagined she would be in Brittany Pierce's car on the way to her apartment when she got ready to arrive at Sugars'. I sure didn't.

Pulling into the apartment building parking lot, I let out a low breath. The hard part was mostly over. Now all I had left was to carry Santana across the parking lot, up a flight of stairs and into my apartment. Great.

Getting her out was a little easier. As soon as I opened the door and unclipped her belt, she reached up for me to pick her up, her arms instantly finding their home around my neck. Satisfied I had her safety maneuvered, I kicked the door of my truck shut and proceeded to carry her up.

"Home sweet fucking home," I grumbled to myself when I finally managed to juggle Santana and my keys around to let us in. My apartment wasn't huge, but it did what it needed to. Not being a clean, tidy person with decorating or organization skills, I still managed to function here. With just an open plan living room with a cornered off kitchen and separate bedroom and bathroom, there wasn't too much space to mess up.

Carrying her through to my room, my arms hummed a sigh of relief when I finally managed to lay her down onto one side of my bed. Santana's eyes fluttered shut the moment she was finally settled, and I hovered where I stood. What was there to do now? Entertaining was most definitely not something I was good at, and this girl wasn't even my friend. Aside from knowing I had to get her somewhere to sleep; that was about it for my first aid training.

Moving to sit on the mattress, tucking one leg under myself, I stared at her unmoving form.

Watching her eyes flutter open, my eyes narrowed of their own accord as she sought me out, head rolling to get a better look at me.

"I'm sleepy," She breathed, her voice quiet and gentle, eyes starting to droop again.

"Go to sleep," I instructed her. "I'll be around…"

Rising to my feet, I walked around to the foot of my bed to where the comforter had fallen down – probably still from where I threw it when I had woken up in the morning, and dragged it up to cover Santana's small frame. She looked tiny in my bed, but that was perhaps because Puck was really the only other person who I had ever allowed to sleep there. She was small normally, but compared to my best friend, she was a borderline hobbit.

"Lay with me,"

Her soft request took me by surprise. Sure, she was high off her tits but surely she should have known that was the kind of thing I punched people in the face for daring to ask? I had half a mind to storm into the living room, slamming the door behind me.

But, as I carefully surveyed her pleading dark eyes staring up at me, my bitchy resolve was pretty quick to fade away. She in an awful position because of me, as stoned as a freaking Bob Marley wannabe and trusting me with her wellbeing.

God damn you, Santana fucking Lopez.

Sighing heavily, I dug into my pocket for my cigarettes, pulling one out and resting it between my lips. Climbing onto the bed beside her, I rested on top of the comforter, learning against the headboard and pillows.

"Just don't say I'm fucking nice,"

After turning to fish for my lighter on my bedside table, I turned back to find Santana moving closer to me on the bed. Though there was a comforter still between us, I could feel the heat of her body as she curled against me, her head finding the flat of my shoulder.

"But you are nice,"

Freezing with my lighter in hand, my eyes widened as I looked down at her with a bewildered expression. I didn't cuddle. I had never cuddled anyone before and never wanted to start, even if it killed me. But here I was, with Santana Lopez cuddling into me. I felt incredibly uncomfortable. Both from the fact she had forced me into a situation I didn't want at all, but also because I didn't push her away. I wanted to, but I was so frozen in shock, it never happened.

Deciding not to respond, I lit my cigarette, inhaling the much needed stress relief. Cigarette between my lips and my eyes on the ceiling, it was easy to pretend that none of this was actually happening.

To my horror, Santana sighed, her face burying further into my chest and her arm coming to loop around my waist. Taking in a sharp breath, my lungs burned as I coughed up the cigarette smoke I accidently gulped in shock. I should have pushed her away while I had the chance. Now, I was literally just stuck.

"Thank you for tonight. I had so much fun,"

Humming as a response, I took a further four long drags on my cigarette, careful to puff out the smoke away from Santana's form against my chest. I was pretty stumped as to what to say, but by the look of Santana contently snuggling into me, she didn't really need the conversation to get by.

Leaning forward a little to stub my cigarette out in the ash tray before relaxing back onto the bed. I was exhausted, but in no way comfortable to sleep at all. With my hand awkwardly squished between my body and the Santana-weighted comforter, it was impossible.

Groaning with the very thought of doing it, I stretched to free my arm, instead moving it to rest against Santana's back. How did people do this for fun? It was a little repulsive and awkward as hell.

"Go to sleep,"

It wasn't really a request, but Santana nodded against me regardless and nuzzled closer against me. It took just a minuet of feeling her breathing against me to know when she had finally settled enough to mean she had finally fallen asleep. Patting her back awkwardly, my head tilted up to allow me to continue my staring contest with the ceiling.

It was going to be a long night.


A/N: And there it is! Not so much of a bitch for once, Brittany. Let's hope it sticks for the morning ;)

Thank you, read and review! .ox