Quinn busies herself straightening up Jeremy's apartment as she waits for him to get off work. Even though they made dinner plans for tonight, she has time to kill and the apartment is getting kind of stuffy. She groans as she plops down on the couch. She knows her thoughts will stray to Santana if she has too much time by herself.

It's been two days since they saw each other and Quinn starts to wonder if maybe the brunette just wasn't feeling it. At the end of the night, they had decided to exchange numbers but the blonde girl hadn't heard anything from her yet.

If she wasn't feeling it though then why did she smile at me like that? Am I supposed to text her first? You really are hopeless sometimes.

She laughs at herself. A part of her knows that getting involved with Santana is probably not the best idea not only because of her limited time in NY, but also because she can sense that the girl is going through some stuff. Another part of her, the biggest part, isn't ready to give up on her quite yet. Besides, it would be a shame to leave New York without at least getting a kiss. Having made what feels like a resolution, she decides to text her.

Hey, what are you up to?

She turns on the TV, deciding it's probably better than just sitting there waiting for a response. Some reality show is on but she can't distinguish which one it is. A few moments later, her phone buzzes.

Nm. You?

Without giving herself time to think about it, she texts back.

Bored. Rescue me?

The sound of people fighting onscreen causes her to look back up at the TV. Two people have broken noses and one is being sent to the hospital by the time she gets Santana's response.

Meet me at a Luvio's Coffee Shop around 5. I have a surprise for you. :)

Excitedly, Quinn gives out a small squeal before calming herself down. She checks the time. Hurriedly, she re-applies her make-up from this morning before grabbing her things and rushing out the front door.

[\\]

When she arrives at the coffee shop, there is already a pretty sizable crowd gathered. Most of the tables and chairs are taken and she doesn't see Santana anywhere so she decides to stand. She checks the time, realizing that she's late after getting lost on her way here. She pulls out her phone to text her when she's interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice.

"Hey everyone, thanks for coming out tonight. We really appreciate it. This is going to be our last song of the night, it's called Love is a Losing Game." A couple of people cheer and catcall. "I know, right? Who doesn't love some Amy Winehouse?"

Quinn stands rooted in place, trying to overcome her surprise and wrap her head around what's happening. She knows that voice. Santana's voice. The band has already breezed through the intro of the song when the smooth, velvet voice begins to sing.

"For you I was a flame,

Love is a losing game,

Five story fire as you came,

Love is a losing game."

The sound cuts through Quinn as she hears the emotion in her voice. She begins to push her way through the crowd so she can get a glimpse of the girl.

"Self-professed… profound,

Till the chips were down,

Know you're a gambling man,

Love is a losing game."

Quinn finally catches sight of the girl, sitting on a barstool at the front of the room. She looks like she belongs up there, sure of herself and the words that she sings. For some reason, the blonde girl feels like this is Santana's way of showing her a side of her not many people get to see. And it makes her feel special.

"Over futile odds,

And laughed at by the gods

And now the final frame…"

Santana's dark brown eyes meet Quinn's as she sings the final line and her lips break out into one of her killer smiles.

"Love is a losing game."

People clap and cheer as the song finishes.

"Thank you all for coming out. See you next week." Santana says as she jumps off the barstool, and within seconds is in front of Quinn. "Hey, you."

Quinn laughs, "Hey. You looked good up there."

"Looked good or sounded good?" The darker girl nudges her playfully.

"Both." They exchange a shy smile.

"Can I get you a beer? There's a pub on the corner."

"A beer sounds good. It's on me though. As a thank you."

Santana quirks her eyebrows. "For what?"

"For letting me hear you sing. You're amazing… I mean it." The darker haired girl touches Quinn's arm as a slight blush flushes her cheeks.

"Thanks… Let me say goodbye to the band and then we'll be on our way." The blonde girl nods and is surprised when she feels Santana pulling her along with her, gripping her firmly by the wrist. "Hey, guys. This is my friend Quinn. We're going to head out now."

Among the three guys on stage, the scruffy one with the curly blonde hair responds with a sly smile. "Nice catch, Lopez."

"Shut it, Jimmy. If you stare at her ass on the way out, I will be reporting you to your girlfriend."

He shakes his head and then turns his attention to Quinn. "Good luck with that one." He says teasingly. Quinn half laughs, half blushes in response. They say their final goodbyes and then head out into the night air, walking side by side.

"So what brings you to NY?" Santana asks, breaking the silence.

"I just want to have some fun while I can."

"Really, though?"

"I thought you weren't into this kind of stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"The kind of stuff that leads to relationships."

"I'm not."

"Well, then. Kiss me."

"What?"

Quinn reaches out to take the darker girl's hand before saying it again. "Kiss me."

Santana drags her into the alley nearby and pushes the blonde against the wall. She watches as the girl's breathing increases as she waits with anticipation. The Latina teases her by brushing her lips against hers before finally going in for the kiss. Pushing her body up against Quinn's, she deepens the kiss until she feels the girl's lips pull apart, allowing her tongue entrance. Gently, she traces the inside of her mouth, allowing herself to taste the girl. Before the blonde can release the soft moan building up inside her throat, Santana steals it with another kiss.

[\\]

The pair of them fall onto Santana's bed, breathing heavily. Quinn wiggles out of her jacket and removes her top with Santana's help. The brown-eyed girl takes a moment to appreciate the blonde's body before planting feverish kisses along her neck as she stops occasionally to suck on the places where she feels Quinn's body respond with pleasure. Santana lets her hands appreciate the warm skin underneath her as she brushes her fingertips over her stomach, up to her breasts.

The sound of Pound the Alarm interrupts them, the phone bouncing wildly in the pocket of Santana's jacket. She feels Quinn hesitate.

"Are you going to get that?"

"I don't want to," Santana breathes into her neck. The phone quiets itself. Sensing Quinn giving herself back over to her, she takes off her own jacket and throws it onto the floor. She goes back to preoccupying herself with the soft, inviting body underneath her when she hears Pound the Alarm shrieking at her once again. Frustrated, she lets out an exasperated sigh. "Sorry. If she's calling twice, it's probably important."

She crosses the room to retrieve her phone from her jacket.

"Hey Britt, what's up?"

Quinn watches from the bed, as the girl on the other end of the line seems to be trying to explain something to Santana that she isn't quite processing.

She hears a break in the darker girl's voice as she says, "What?" Even though Quinn can only see half of the girl's face, the pain that it wears is clear as day. The blonde girl picks her top up off the bed and gets redressed as she hears the conversation finishing up. "No… It's okay, Britt…" And something in her voice as she says her goodbye, betrays her both to Brittany and Quinn. "I'll be fine."

Santana stands like that for a while, forgetting the girl on the bed.

A few moments later though, her soft voice calls her back to the real world. "Is everything, ok?"

Santana shakes her head noncommittally as she sets the phone on the dresser. "My Abuela… my grandmother… she's dead." And something about saying it out loud causes Santana to panic.

Her body breaks out into a cold sweat. The room spins. Her stomach lurches, suddenly feeling as if everything inside of her is made of acid. It makes her gag, almost to the point of making her sick but she tries to hold it down. She runs to the bathroom before she finally releases it in the toilet. Her hands shake as she pulls herself up and makes her way over to the sink to rinse her mouth out. Only now as she looks into the mirror does she notice the tears that stream down her face.

And that's when it hits her. Her knees buckle underneath her weight and she falls to the floor. She lets the distressed sobs break from her body, coming out of her in waves. The cold ceramic against her skin only makes her feel the loneliness that much worse as she feels she's about to be sick again. Before she can get up, a delicate pair of arms wrap around Santana's body. The way she feels the heat radiate from them, she knows they belong to Quinn. She clings to them, her body suddenly feeling very fragile. The self-loathing that comes over Santana is immediate and sharp. She hates how vulnerable and small she feels in front of the girl right now. She wants desperately wants to run away but she fights the feeling with everything inside of her, finally giving herself over to her touch. Fingers and fists grab and pull on the blonde girl's clothes as they beg her for something that can't quite be put into words. As if the feeling of Quinn pressed against them is the only thing keeping the broken girl they belong to from losing herself completely.

They stay like this a very long time. Neither of them speaking a word. Santana's breathing eventually slows as she drifts off to sleep, her body overcome with exhaustion.

The blonde watches the girl sleep as she holds her in her arms, wishing more than anything, she could take away some of her pain. Seeing the girl in this state suddenly makes everything real. She realizes, sadly, that things will be different between them now.

Can't escape the real world for too long, can you? Silly girl.