Chapter 12 – And At Once I Knew, I Was Not Magnificient.
I reopen my eyes a minute later, only to have Puck staring at me with all his muscles tense. I feel Brittany all around me and realize she caught me before my knees failed and is helping me stand.
"Why are they even looking for Quinn's car, Santana?"
"Dave." I looked around trying to find a way to explain the thing fast without freaking out again. Quinn. Abandoned car. Theatre. Blood. My best friend, Quinn. Perfect delicate Quinn suspended with a cut throat. NO. I look at him, he looks so lost. "After you said the thing about the last victim, about not having blue eyes, I had a fit in Dave's car because I thought Quinn might have been somehow caught in all this. She is a dancer now that she's part of Rachel's play. She didn't call us back, she didn't show up at school. Before I came here I went to her house. I sent a text to Dave about her not being home and he said he'd start a search party around the block of the theatre because she was supposed to meet Rachel in the morning. It just doesn't add up because she didn't even answer your calls yesterday but it was a start and now…now this…"
I started towards the door with him and then I remember Britt.
"BrittBritt?"
"Yeah?" Her voice is small like all of this is crushing her until she's as small as Rachel Berry.
"Come down to the squad with us. I can't leave you alone and I can't have dinner tonight."
"Of course, you can't have dinner. I can't believe this can happen to someone I know. But I can't go to the station. I don't want to be a load on you when you have already so much to worry." She grabs my hands and kisses my knuckles and for a split second I can close my eyes and pretend everything is going to be fine. But it won't if we don't act fast.
"Then stay at my parents, Laura is there. She's been worried about you since last night. I would know you would be safe."
"What if they don't like me San?"
"Who in the world would ever resist you?" I lean in and give her a soft kiss. I hear Puck's nervous hiss. I let go and she smiles and it's like the sun just launched a ray through a cloudy sky.
"Okay."
"Okay" I whisper and then turn to Puck and start walking again. "You go down the station, Dave and Blaine will fill you with the deets."
"There's more?" he yells.
"Yes, Blaine thinks Lauren might be in it."
"Who's Lauren?"
I stop as Brittany climbs in the car and I say over my door. "Your Lauren. The one you dumped, for Quinn." I watch his anger vanish to be replaced as what i can guess is guilt.
As I get ready to leave, I glance into Puck's car. I watch as he breaks down for the first time since we are partners. It breaks my heart even further, watching his head lean against the wheel and his sobs silent to me. I feel a knot on my throat get a little tighter until I feel a hand in my thigh. I look at Brittany and I know she's seen it too.
"We should go, San." She whispers and I start the car.
We make our trip to my parents house in silent, with her hand over mine at all times. It's not safe driving but I need it. I need to know not everything is falling apart. She's here, she's safe.
I take her pinkie has I walk up my parents' porch for the second time today.
My Dad comes to the door and he looks so surprised that it would be funny if my sense of humor wasn't so off. He looks at Brittany and our pinkie and she's blushing and HE is blushing and we are all awkwardly blushing at the door until my mom comes to the door. Not without yelling from the kitchen as she walks.
"Santana, why are you here so early? I thought you were getting your mack on with pretty Britt" She looks over my dad shoulder and sees Brittany standing there. She blushes but, as usual, recovers from it faster than all of us. "Oye Santana, did I not teach you any manners? Why are we all at the door? You really are your father's daughter."
"Is this my fault now, Maribel?" He seems to wake up from his stupor." Please Santana and Santana's friend…" He hints trying to make Santana introduce her company properly. He even wiggles his eyebrows and nods sideways trying to make Santana say something.
"IT'S BRITNEY like that singer Santanita used to love. Come in sweetheart, don't mind this savages. You are most welcomed in our house."
" Hi! It's so nice of you, Mrs Lopez. But it's not Britney, it's Brittany. Brittany Pierce. It's wonderful to finally meet you both." Brittany says elegantly as she pulls Santana inside the house with her.
"Yeah Brittany is my girlfriend, Dad. I need her to spend the night he-" I begin to say as I hear a door slam.
"BRITTANY" Laura comes in from the yard with Jose on her heels and throws herself on Britt's arms. A loud awww is heard and I notice I wasn't the only one to say it. My mom and pa are staring at those too with the most adorable smiles on their faces. My Dad gives me a thumbs up and a wink that I'm positive Brittany saw because she began to chuckle as she hugged Laura tight.
"Hey tiny 'Tana. How was your day?"
"It was great and I did awesome drawings and I'm going to be an artist and paint things and do pretty things and i'm going to give one to you. Do you want to see them." Brittany looks up and my mom nods to her. She follows my daughter up to her room, but just when she's in the middle of the stairs she asks Laura to hold a minute and she skips down the stairs to come and give me a hug.
"I hope you catch that bastard baby." She whispers in my ear and I can't believe it's happening in front of my folks but suddenly I realize I don't care. I tightened my hug around her waist and she speaks again. "Be safe, San. Come back to me."
With that she kisses my cheek and runs up the stairs after my kid. I think I'm melting into the carpet until my dad speaks.
"What is happening, darling?"
"It's a killer I've been investigating, I think he's got Quinn."
"Quinnie" My mom gasps. Nobody was happier when we started getting along. She got tired of pulling us apart to keep from clawing our eyes out. "My God, poor thing. Go, you have to bring her back safe please."
"If you need anything, ANYTHING. You don't hesitate to call. We'll take care of Brittany."
"She's family now, you don't have to worry about anything Santanita. We are really happy you trusted us with her."
Santana gives them a hug, she tells them she has to go and she leaves the house and sprints over to the station. It's starting to rain again like in some lame horror movie. She runs to the elevator and out of habit she checks her phone and there's two messages there. My heart warms with the first one from Brittany with a simple "I love you". I step out of my happy place to read the second one and it's from Puck.
- We got both of them. Come fast, so we can squeeze something out of these assholes and before I kill both with my bare hands. I think they are both in this together.-
The title of this chapter is from Bon Iver's Holocene.