A/N: Finally got around to completing the third chapter. Sorry that it took so long for me to update, I promise I'll try and update sooner. This chapter is slightly longer than the previous ones, and I will be writing from Brittany's point of view from time to time. (I find it hard to write her so bear with me) Flashbacks will be in italics and bolded, just to be sure. Again, these characters do not belong to me whatsoever, they are property of Ryan Murphy and FOX.

Brittany loved to have her arms wrapped around Santana's waist. Smelling her hair of a sweet scent she could never really describe, flowing locks of hair resting on the pillow. The few times she awoke during the night, she smiled at the sound of Santana humming, sleeping soundly next to her. What was new to her was how she shivered, like she might be cold, or maybe a bad thought had invaded her dreams. When this happened, she pulled her even closer and kissed her shoulder softly. If kisses were good for the heart, maybe they could also drive bad thoughts away.

Because of that, it was really hard to slip her hands away from her girlfriend when morning came. Not that she worried about waking her, Santana's sleep was so heavy a meteor could fall in front of her house and she would not budge. But seeing her lying in bed like that was definitely one of Brittany's favorite things.

Feet bare, she felt the old wooden floor, stretching as her morning routine in front of the bed. Her hands moved gracefully to her legs and down to her feet. She felt each bone in her body come back into place, relaxing and preparing for the big number they had that day. As she moved quietly, with a stealth she had learned from Lord T himself, she gave a wrong footing and her hand thumped heavily on the bed.

"Crap!" she cursed and froze in a ridiculous pose, eyes wide and arms outstretched in front of her, looking at Santana and hoping she had not woken. Lucky for her, Santana sighed and curled into a ball, and from where Brittany was standing she looked so small, like a kitten. She looked at the clock on Santana's desk, blinking soundlessly in a green hue. 6:03am. Santana probably forgot to put the alarm as usual, or maybe she just expected Brittany to wake her up like she always did when she slept over. This had become more and more frequent from the day Santana finally realized they were actually dating. Silly.

"Hey sleepy head" Brittany whispered softly, kneeling at Santana's side of the bed as she brushed a lock of raven hair from her face, feeling warm skin with her fingertips. Santana frowned and opened one eye to catch Brittany looking at her, completely awake and expectant. She closed it again, burying her face on the pillow.

"Mm"

"Wakey wakey" Brittany moved her fingers to scratch her head, using tricks she had learned a while back.

"'Mbacktobed" Santana tied the words in a mumble, half awake, a part of her mind still dreaming of better times. Still, she had never been a morning person, her mind always taking too long to function.

"San"

"Nooo"

"Santana Lopez!" Brittany was forced to use her last resort, finding the silhouette of her girlfriend's waist among the bed sheet, and in an instant Santana was squirming with laughter. How it reminded her of the times when they were younger… fearless… and stupid. Brittany had always been one to experiment, especially when she was a kid, so she had no problem in asking Santana anything she might have been curious about. By that time however, they were inseparable.

"Hey San… are you ticklish?"

"Hm… I guess everyone is"

"I'm not"

"Oh don't be a liar Britt. EVERYONE is ticklish"

"Just try, I won't even smile"

In a succession of trial and error, Brittany turned out the winner. Santana… not so much. The slightest touch in the wrong spot would make her squeal and she would eventually start begging for mercy. Brittany knew this. She checked more than once, just to be sure.

"Okay I'm up! I'm up!" They may have grown out of many things, but Brittany was glad to know that some things still stay the same, nooks and crannies that only she knew about.

—

Brittany jumped in surprise as she heard her name pronounced loudly inside the bathroom. She was already ready, waiting and loitering around the room. She had found the dream catcher lying on the bedside table, and was playing with it, letting it dangle in the air. She knew what they were, and most importantly, she knew they were made of magic. Santana suddenly appeared, towel wrapped around her body and hair damp. Small droplets of water still hung on to the tanned skin, shining with the light that came in from the windows. Brittany traced her eyes from Santana's pointed finger to the side of her neck. A masterpiece.

"Brittany!"

Brittany couldn't contain her laughter, Santana staring incredulous and waiting for an explanation. "We've talked about this! I'm always careful with you and now I'm going to have this through all the freaking week. Christ if Puckerman or Trouty so much as glance at this I'm NEVER going to hear the end of it"

"Oops… sorry San it's just that… I couldn't help myself" Brittany pouted her lips and tried to look at Santana in sadness. Santana tried to glance away from the girl, but blue eyed locked with hers and she sighed deeply, keeping the towel from falling to the ground.

"No no, puppy eyes are out of the question. You have to promise to be more-"

"You just taste soo nice"

"Britt… uh- nevermind. You have to at least help me cover it up with makeup or something" Santana stammered out the words, remembering how Brittany had barged in and kissed her the night before. Why am I complaining again?

Brittany couldn't help but giggle at Santana, blushing profusely and a perfectly shaped hickey on her neck. "Yes ma'am" Brittany leaned quickly to kiss Santana on the lips, then placing another right on top of the dark spot.

"This isn't funny" Santana tried to keep a straight face, but seeing Brittany like that just made her giggle the anger away.

—

10:00am

"Well well, someone's been busy…" Santana would recognize that voice anywhere. It haunted her, like the plague. First and second period had been the slowest classes of her life, and she loved to take a breath from all the boredom when she went to her locker to pick up her books. Maybe not the locker itself, but Brittany, who never failed to give her back an ounce of happiness as they chatted lightly between classes. That made interruptions completely unacceptable.

"What on earth are you talking about Noah?"

Puck raised Santana's perfect ponytail, side-eyeing Brittany who was in the next locker taking her books out.

"No layers of makeup can fool the Puckmeister" He was especially cocky this morning, flicking a finger through Santana's neck and looking at the fresh matte powder on his thumb. "See?"

"Get off Puckerman" Santana was bewildered, cursing in her head at how stupid she had been in letting Brittany bite her that hard.

"Oh? We're not denying it are we?" Puck smiled wide and proud at his discovery. "I won't ask for names… for now" He winked at Brittany who was intently looking at the exchange between the two. "I'm just… sad is all. You never let me leave those on you" At that, Puck leaned close to Santana, who put her hand in front of her as a barrier.

"You're disgusting" Santana held her head up high, not afraid to challenge her extremely annoying… friend. She had to admit she appreciated his uncommon humor, even though sometimes she felt that her relationship with him was a double-edged dagger.

"I will have you reminded… you still dated me" Puck's grin grew wider, white teeth shown in pure triumph and amusement.

"Get off my case Noah… I'm not in mood" As Santana sighed, Puck tilted his head in confusion. He was expecting a full blown come back from the small girl, they always seemed to bright up his day. But somehow, he saw something different in her demeanor, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Okay, okay! Truce!" He backed off, turning his attention to Brittany.

"Hey B, how're you holding up with being a traitor and all?"

"Better now that I know we're going to win the mash-up!"

"Ha yeah yeah we'll have to see about that blondie" Puck made a move to leave.

"Ladies, it's always a pleasure" He bowed exuberantly, making Brittany giggle and Santana smile lightly, and left down the corridor in an overconfident style. Her classes might be running slowly, but the hours until they would have to perform Adele were coming in close, and Santana felt strangely insecure about it. Her hand enclosed over her locker door for support, as she let her mind drift from the hallway and everything else around her.

"We're gonna win this thing" Santana jumped a little, forgetting Brittany was still there next to her.

"Hey" Santana was forced to look over to blue honest eyes, as Brittany placed her hand over hers, gently rubbing her knuckles with her thumb.

"Yeah, I know" Santana whispered, but the words pronounced didn't make much difference. The fact was she didn't know. She didn't know a lot of things, and the pressure made her want to scream.

—

11:15am

"My Tots! Babies what have I done without you?" Mercedes' cry was audible around the cafeteria and Santana laughed beside her, leaning towards the healthier choice. She always found it hilarious that the salads and tots were always placed next to each other, leading some to temptation and leaving others guilty of choosing the deadly "food" Mercedes happened to love so much.

"Hold on Wheezy, those things aren't going anywhere! Or maybe they are, considering how much grease they have I bet they're alive" She shivered at the thought of it. Mercedes rolled her eyes at her, too happy in the return of her beloved tots. In all honesty, it's not that Santana didn't want the calories on her, but the taste that seemed to drive everyone insane just didn't cut it out for her. As she leaned in to reach for paper napkins, an arms shoved into her.

"Dyke"

The word was almost a whisper among the noise surrounding her, but she heard it loud and clear. A husky voice, bitter and challenging. Santana spun quickly to look around, but among the huge crowd she didn't see anyone who could've said it. She furrowed her brow, trying to recall what had happened seconds ago. Perhaps she was starting to imagine things, she could've easily misunderstood what she had heard. Or did she?

"San?"

"Hm? Wha?" Santana popped her head in the direction of her name. Brittany looked expectant.

"I said… my parents are gonna be gone for the weekend…" Brittany spoke slowly, making sure Santana understood every word of that sentence, frowning at her unusual state.

"They- they are?" Brittany was the only one who could take her mind off her increasing paranoid thoughts, placing her full attention on the girl in front of her.

"Yeah silly, what's up with you today?"

"Nothing… really. So parents are leaving my damsel all alone?"

"Yup! Tubbs and I get the house to ourselves" Brittany's face lighted up substantially, she wanted to be with Santana as much as she could.

Santana couldn't help but roll her eyes. Lord Tubbington might as well be Brittany's odd uncle, always rubbing his fat nose where he wasn't wanted. She would have to make plans to lock him in the basement so his paws remained completely out of reach from her girlfriend.

"Christ… why do I always forget the existence of that damn cat?"

"Oh San, promise you're gonna play nice" Brittany grabbed Santana's forearm with both her hands, closing in on her with a pleading grin.

"What? I… didn't realize I was invited" Santana feigned seriousness, playing a game with her eyes and finally both cheerleaders breaking out in a gasp of laughter. Santana would have done anything to stand on her toes and reach out for a simple kiss from Brittany. Instead, all she did was grab hold of her hand, if only for a moment.

"Hey you two! Let's get going, Sugar already found us a table" Mercedes waited for them, holding a tray filled to the top with tots and a bottle of water. She glanced for a second in the direction of their interlaced hands, breaking out in a small grin. Santana's eyes searched the jungle of people and spotted almost instantly a thin figure dressed in animal print and tight black pants jumping up and down, her eyes wide in excitement and signaling to the vacant chairs in front of her.

"Calm the fuck down Big Spender, you do know popping pills with alcohol is not the way to go right?" Santana said, as they made their way through the crowds of people and sat down in front of Sugar.

"I couldn't sleep at ALL last night! I was too nervous about the mash up so I had to drink like three Red Bulls this morning and now I feel way better and- "

"And you decided to fill my phone with a thousand voicemails?" Santana interrupted harshly, in an instant quieting Sugar.

"Hold up… you too?" Mercedes looked at Santana for reassurance, then letting her eyes land on Sugar. "Girl, having my number on your list of contacts is a privilege. Don't waste it." Sugar flinched, mouthing a silent "sorry" at both of them and letting her eyes fall to the food in front of her. She felt a gentle nudge on her foot and looked up to a smiling Brittany, who winked at her. "Forget about them, they're just as nervous as you" her words passed unnoticed by the other two, who were intently looking for the New Directions table among the crowd. Santana then caught a glimpse of Finn, standing in front of the others and giving what looked like a pep talk. She hated how he clenched his neck from time to time, and his ears were burning in determination. Her eyes wandered a little more to those of Quinn, who raised her hand and smiled at her friend, and Santana unconsciously returned the greeting, remembering the reasons they were eating at separate tables. She wanted, no… she needed to be a part of a group were she was treated equally. If it was bad enough under the strict regime of the Hobbit then it had just worsened since another came along, a gel loving nuisance who was committed in taking all the solos for himself. She was genuinely happy for Kurt, even a little jealous, but she just couldn't stand the fact that she was being overlooked. And not only her, but Mercedes, Quinn, Tina. She would never understand how the latter never complained about the Berry & Anderson show. Still, Santana looked at Quinn and the others, noticing the vacant chairs, and couldn't help but fill her mind with the idea of being back in the group.

As they finished their lunch, a short Cheerio passed by her right side, and she instantly recognized who it was. Alice Brennan, one of the few Cheerios who kept mainly to herself, and yet one of the best on the team. Sue had even considered her for the position of Team Captain at the end of the year, and had threatened to leave the team when she found out she hadn't been chosen. "You're just not good enough" was Sue's simple answer to the hurt girl, not a single muscle in her face moving in sympathy or even pity. And now, like the rest of the Cheerios, she was dancing in the Adele number to help with the choreography Miss Corcoran had come up with.

"Alice!" Santana called out to her before she could get away. The girl turned slowly and she had a genuine look of fear in her eyes, as she approached their table.

"Hey S-Santana" Alice averted her eyes, trying her best not to look in the direction of those penetrating brown orbs, catching a glance at Brittany and finally deciding to look down at her hands, shivers tracing her skin at the attention she was getting from the four girls.

"I need you to check that the others are ready for this afternoon, dresses, shoes, everything. Tell them that we're meeting in the auditorium just after sixth period" Santana looked expectant, waiting for an answer, when she felt Brittany give her a slight nudge on the elbow.

Santana cleared her throat. "Please, Alice" She gave a small smirk, which faded once Mercedes snorted, trying to contain her laughter. Sugar looked intently, her eyes darting from on cheerleader to another, the effects of the energizing drink still running through her bloodstream.

"Yeah, sure. I'll uh… see ya later" Alice scurried off quickly out of sight, Santana finally turning her attention to the girls sitting with her.

"San, did you notice how she was acting all weird?" It was Brittany's turn to look confused, she had always had the impression that Alice was confident and not the least shy.

"No, weird how?" Santana tried to avert the question. She had definitely noticed something was wrong, but there were too many weird things going on around her already.

"I dunno, just…" Brittany looked at the direction in which Alice had disappeared, a strong presentiment slowly pressing down on her chest.

"…Weird"

—

1:49pm

Brittany hated the feeling of being in silence as she grabbed her books for History from her locker. Santana still hadn't shown up, and they usually walked together to the last class of the day. As she rummaged through her bag, she noticed the assignment that was due that very day was not there, banging her head softly on her locker door, remembering she had left her homework at her house.

"Why, why do I always forget to bring my work to San's house?" Brittany mumbled to herself. "She's gonna kill me, she's gonna kill me, she is going. To. Kill. Me." She jumped as she heard rushed feet stomp right next to her and skillful hands meddled with the lock.

"Who's gonna kill you?" Santana was breathing hard, she never liked to be late for her classes. "Ugh I hate Mr Schue why does he always rant about things I really don't care about? I'm seriously gonna ask to skip that fucking class."

Brittany leaned on the lockers as she closed her own, closing her eyes and trying to find a good excuse to give the teacher.

"Miss Hill… I forgot to bring the homework! I left it right on top of my desk, but then I came over to your place and… ugh maybe I'll tell her Lord T ate it?"

"Again? Britt you should've sent me your homework when you left your house and we could've printed it at night…"

"Yeah well I didn't know if I was staying over or not. It doesn't matter, hurry up!"

Santana sighed. "Okay if Miss Hill says I'm late I'm going to kill her!" Brittany laughed at the exasperated look in her face as she pushed books in and tried to juggle the heavy history volumes in her hands. Her eyes wandered around the hallway and she saw Becky walking straight towards them, smiling brightly when she saw Brittany looking back at her.

"Hi Becky!"

Santana turned and gaped at the girl in front of her, squinting and expecting a snide remark. She never understood how Brittany tolerated her, perhaps the fact that she didn't have to share her post as captain with her made all the difference.

"Santana, Coach wants to see you in her office" Becky pronounced loudly, an evident reluctance in her face as she was ordered around by Sue to do anything and everything.

"What, now? Can't it wait?"

"She said it's urgent" With those last words, Santana sighed heavily, she didn't think she was in the mood for any of Sue Sylvester's rotten humor. This day was getting weirder by the hour. Becky didn't respond, and both girls knew that there was no changing her mind, if Sue wanted to see her at that moment she had to go.

"Can I come with?" Santana switched her attention to Brittany, smiling slightly at the girls' offer. Brittany on the other hand just wanted any excuse to delay getting yelled at by the history teacher, and in the process find a good excuse to get an extension.

"No no, you don't want Hill any more angry than she is going to be with you, just tell her I'm with Sue okay?" Brittany pleaded with her eyes, but Santana only grabbed her arm and squeezed in reassurance, offering a few sweet words before turning the other way in the direction of Sue's office. "See you in class"

On her way there, she built multiple scenarios in her head, not having the slightest idea what Sue might want from her. In all honesty, after four years under the command of the eccentric coach, she expected anything… but the sight of Sue, Mr. Schue and Burt Hummel all patiently waiting for her in that small room caught her by surprise.

"Um…" Santana was left speechless, not sure if she had to wait outside or if she even had heard Becky correctly. Sue's voice woke her up from her sudden trance and brought her back to what was happening. They all had a weird look on their faces, was it pity? Concern?

"Santana, please take a seat"