A/N: Sunday funday. Enjoy :)
"The forbidden forest?" Brittany hissed. "Are you insane?"
Santana continued to walk but glanced back at Brittany with an amused smile on her face.
"We aren't allowed to go in there Santana." Brittany attempted to reason. "The rules are legitimately in the name."
Santana halted abruptly on the winding stone path and looked back to Brittany, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Are you afraid?" Santana quirked an eyebrow.
Brittany scoffed.
"Afraid? No, of course not." Brittany huffed. "I'm just not one for breaking the rules." Brittany now matched Santana's stance, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.
Santana rolled her eyes and turned to continue her path toward the forbidden forest.
Brittany's jaw dropped.
"Santana! No, we're not going in there!" The blonde attempted to hold her ground.
Santana halted once more, turning toward Brittany so she could make herself clear.
"Well maybe we aren't going in. But I certainly am." Santana pointed out, turning on her heel to walk away from the stunned blonde.
Brittany's eyebrows shot to her hairline. It's clear that she didn't have any say-so with this girl. And with or without Brittany, Santana was going into that forest that much was clear. Now the only thing unsolved was if Brittany would be joining her.
"You're just gonna leave me here?" Brittany dropped her hands to her side, feeling defeated.
"Do yourself a favor Brittany." Brittany shuttered at the sound of Santana saying her name. "For once, be one for breaking the rules."
Shaking her from her thoughts, Brittany heard a whistle from the top of the hill by the groundskeepers hut. Brittany whipped her head around to see where the noise was coming from and saw Sam, standing on his tip toes, waving his arms frantically to get her attention. Once they locked eyes, Sam motioned for her to come back up the hill to where he was standing with a disturbed look on his face. Sam's expression was probably the product of seeing Brittany on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Brittany looked from Sam back to Santana, who was waiting for the blonde with a blank expression on her face, hands tucked in the pockets of her hoodie.
"Britt!" Brittany could hear Sam's faint call from a distance and looked back up to him with an apologetic shrug, causing his face to drop. The blonde shut her eyes and turned toward the red devil on her shoulder. Santana Lopez.
Santana's blank expression turned into a wicked grin and before turning to lead the way, she tossed a wink up to where Sam was looking down on them and a gentle flutter of her fingers to wave goodbye.
"Come on you." Santana rasped, finally breaking through the tree line and ducking under some tree branches in their path to do so.
Brittany took a deep breath and followed the raven haired girl reluctantly.
The two girls were walking for awhile in complete silence, stopping every so often for Santana to get her bearing.
"Do you know where you're going?" Brittany broke their silence.
Santana scoffed and continued walking.
"Well have you been here before?" Brittany questioned.
Santana turned her head back slightly, just over her shoulder and nodded once before diverting her eyes back to the path she walked.
"Well I know this is supposed to be an adventure," Brittany pointed out. "But it won't be very much fun if we avoid each other the entire time."
She was complaining now, and she knew she was complaining. But all Brittany wanted was to start to unveil the mystery that was Santana, and how was she supposed to do that in silence?
"Unless you just brought me out here to do something really mean." Brittany pouted. "I suppose that could be an option as well."
Now she was rambling.
Santana stopped short and turned, grabbing Brittany by the shoulders and holding her in place.
"Could you maybe," Santana paused and looked from left to right and then back to Brittany again. "Not ask so many questions?"
"But why?" Brittany mumbled.
Santana glared at the blonde, causing Brittany her to purse her lips.
"Sorry." Brittany whispered.
Santana locked eyes with Brittany and her expression immediately softened.
"Don't worry about it." Santana let her hands slip from Brittany's shoulders, and the blonde let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding.
Brittany stood with her arms at her sides, not really sure of what she should do.
Santana took in Brittany's posture, looking incredibly amused.
"I want to show you something." Santana spoke slowly. Her brow furrowed, as if she was unsure of how Brittany would react.
"You want to show me something?" Brittany asked curiously. "Okay.." She trailed off.
Santana watched her with an expression Brittany couldn't quite place, but suddenly Brittany felt as though she needed to offer a little encouragement.
"Well, where is this something?" Brittany questioned.
"Oh, ehm." Santana looked around. "We sort of have to climb that tree, just there." Santana outstretched her arm and pointed her finger toward an oak tree about 10 yards away.
"Climb a tree?" Brittany quirked an eyebrow. She wasn't quite sure, but she swore she could sense Santana get nervous in that moment.
The raven haired girl nodded her head slowly.
"Awesome!" Brittany chirped. "Let's go then." The blonde flipped around so quick that her pony tail nearly whipped Santana in the face.
Santana grinned and followed the eager girl.
"Do you need some help?" Santana called on to Brittany who was now hanging from the first branch of the tree, using her legs to walk up the trunk and swinging herself safely to the next branch.
"Oh please." Brittany bit her bottom lip as she continued to climb. "I was climbing trees before I could walk."
Santana stood back and watched on with her hands on her hips.
"Well, I'm impressed." She complimented, while watching the blonde climb the tree with ease.
"The real question is," Brittany huffed and ceased her climbing, looking down to Santana. "Do you need help?"
Santana's amused expression fell and she glared at the girl.
"No time for jokes Brittany, we're gonna miss it."
Brittany chuckled and watched while Santana pulled herself up into the tree.
Santana reached the branch parallel to the one Brittany was standing on and stopped. Brittany caught Santana's gaze and held it.
Santana's eyes were impossibly dark. They looked as though they had a thousand stories to tell. Brittany couldn't quite put her finger on the reason why, but she felt as though she wanted to hear all of Santana's stories.
"This is a good place to stop." Santana's raspy voice broke her from her thoughts.
"Huh?" Brittany shook her head. "Oh okay."
Brittany then followed Santana's lead and she took a seat on the branch opposite of her.
"So now what?" Brittany swung her dangling legs.
"Now, we wait." Santana shrugged
The two sat in silence staring on for a few moments before Santana spoke up.
"So what's your story Brittany?" Santana questioned, never making eye contact with the blonde.
"Well my name is Brittney S. Pierce.." Brittany started.
"S?" Santana questioned. "What does the S stand for?"
Brittany looked up to Santana who looked genuinely interested.
"Susan, it was my Grans name."
Santana just simply smiled and nodded, watching her feet as they swung.
"Ehm, I come from Ribble Valley, Lancashire. That's in England." Brittany chuckle nervously and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Obviously." She rolled her eyes at herself for how lame she thought she sounded.
"Never heard of it." Santana admitted.
Brittany bit the inside of her lip and nodded slowly while a blush crept up her cheeks.
"But please, keep going." Santana encouraged her.
"Well I live with my mum and my sister in our home on the river bank." Brittany picked at the bark peeling from the tree. "It's really quite lovely there."
"And what about your dad?"
Brittany froze. She always froze when this question presented itself.
Santana gazed up to Brittany at the sound of silence. She could clearly see the girl was in a state panic.
"Hey." Santana said in a hushed tone. "We don't have to talk about it." She reassured the blonde. "Besides, look who's here."
Brittany snapped her head up and beamed with a smile so bright, Santana broke into a toothy grin as well.
"Is that?" Brittany trailed off, while her eyes sparkled at the sight before her.
"Mhm." Santana nodded.
"It's so," Brittany tried to find her words, but found herself quickly at a loss for them. "But how did you know it was going to be here?"
"I believe the word you were looking for is beautiful, and I come here all the time, when I need to clear my mind." Santana shrugged. "It's my thinking tree."
"And a unicorn just happens to hangout around your thinking tree?" Brittany sat, mind still boggled.
"Mhm." Santana looked on to the creature and smiled. "Always around the same time too."
"Does he have a name?"
"Not yet, I haven't come up with one that fits just yet." Santana fidgeted with her fingers.
"Well how long have you been coming here?" Brittany questioned.
"Since our first year." The raven haired girl sighed.
"First year!" Brittany gasped. "Santana, that's a crime!"
"Yeah, you're probably right." Santana admitted.
"Could I help you?" Brittany nudged her shoulder into Santana's.
"Help me what?" Santana grimaced.
"Come up with a name silly!" Brittany chuckled.
"Gee, I don't know Britt. This is kind of a big deal." Santana played along.
Brittany and Santana both froze at the nickname.
Quick to change the subject, Santana cleared her throat.
"So ehm, what did you have in mind?"
"For a name?" Brittany asked.
Santana nodded subtly.
"Merlin." Brittany said confidently.
Santana's eyes bulged.
"Merlin?!" She shook her head. "Oh no no, that's a terrible name."
"Merlin's a magical name." Brittany pouted.
A twig snapped near the ground, breaking the girls out of their bubble. They both looked over to where the unicorn was standing; only he wasn't there anymore. He was now inching closer to the tree where the two girls sat.
Santana's eyes widened.
"He's never done this before."
"Never done what?" Brittany's eyes never left the majestic creature walking toward them.
"Approached me." Santana said breathlessly.
"Well he's not approaching you." Brittany flashed a wicked smirk or her own. "He's approaching us."
Santana tilted her head toward Brittany, unbelievingly.
"Ha-ha." Santana spoke flatly.
"Should we go to him?" Brittany wondered.
"That might scare him off honestly." Santana looked back to the creature.
The unicorn made his way slowly to the tree, when he stood in front of the oaks trunk he stopped and locked eyes with Santana.
Both girls gaped.
"He's looking at you." Brittany whispered.
"No shit Brittany." Santana sounded almost frightened.
"Don't be scared, go to him." Brittany put her hand on the small of Santana's back and encouraged her forward.
"I'm not going down there." Santana gripped the tree branch so tight, her knuckles turned white.
Brittany grinned at the girl next to her. She found this side of Santana to be endearing.
"When can you ever say in your lifetime that you got to touch a unicorn?" Brittany chuckled lightly.
"You're implying I touch him?!" Santana hissed.
"He's waiting for you, come on." Brittany slowly pushed herself from the spot she was currently sitting, and lowered herself onto the branch just below. She reached her hand up for Santana to grab. "Come on, just move slowly."
Santana looked down at Brittany's offered hand. Brittany figured she was seriously considering taking it but knew she was having an internal battle with herself not to.
The raven haired girl scoffed instead, causing Brittany to smile and roll her eyes.
"I think I can climb down a tree Brittany, thank you." The ever stubborn girl made her way slowly down the tree branches, nearing closer to the unicorn. "Good Merlin," She chanted. "nice Merlin." She said in a shaky voice.
Santana reached her trembling hand out and was near contact when a sudden throaty chuckle caused her to jump.
"What the hell!" She whispered back harshly to the blonde.
Brittany bit her lip to hold back another outburst.
"You called him Merlin."
:)