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Back at Jamestown, it has been raining nonstop for the past three days. The once solid ground has turned into a mud pit for as far as the eye can see. The crew of The Susan Constant has been hard at work tearing down trees and using the trunks to create a thick fence. There is only one more piece of fence that needs to be put up for it to be completed.
"All right! This one's ready to hoist!" Finn yells, trying to be heard through the thick rain.
Quinn, Mike, Finn, Sam, and Brittany were the lucky five chosen to face the wrath of Mother Nature and complete the security fence.
Mike digs his heels into the mud while using his back to hold the piece of fence. "Two on each side," he says to Quinn, Finn, and Sam.
"Ready now, push! Watch it, it's slipping!" Sam says as the four try to straighten out the heavy piece of fence.
Even with the rain pounding down on them, Quinn can feel the sweat dripping down her flushed face. "Come on, lads, it's only a little picket fence," she struggles to say. Quinn gives Brittany a small yet grateful smile when she joins in to help push.
"Steady, steady!" Mike adds.
The last piece of fence finally locks into place. "There you go!" Finn says a toothy grin on his muddy face.
Patting the now secured fence twice, Sam turns his attention to Brittany. "That'll keep everything out, eh, Pierce?" Sam says. Brittany is keeping herself busy by packing up a few of the tools that lay scattered about, hoping to keep them from getting rusted. "Something wrong, Brittany?" Sam tries again when Brittany doesn't answer him.
"Sorry?" Brittany asks, finally turning around to face Sam.
Sam lifts his shoulders slightly in a shrug and nonchalantly says, "You've been awfully quiet the last few days." He would be lying if he said he weren't slightly taken with the beautiful Brittany Pierce. He was becoming concerned with how distracted she had seem these last couple days, not that any of friends needed to know about his little crush though.
Brittany opens her mouth to respond but quickly closes it again when she realizes she doesn't know how to respond. Trying to get her thoughts in order she opens her mouth again, but before any words can come out, Quinn interrupts. "Oh, she's just mad that she missed all the action," Quinn jokes while leaning an elbow on Brittany's shoulder, which looks a little funny considering the height difference between the two girls. Brittany offers her friend a lopsided grin, thanking her lucky stars Quinn cut in before she had to answer Sam's question.
Figuring this must be what's kept Brittany so uncharacteristically quiet these past few days, Sam gladly accepts Quinn's explanation. "Ah, don't worry, Britt. You'll get your chance to deal with the Indians," Sam offers.
Finn grabs a stick out of mud and holds it up to his face, pretending he's actually holding his musket. "Yeah, we'll take care of them like that we did last time, eh mates? We shot ourselves an injun. Or maybe two or three," Finn sing-songs.
"All right, you howling nutter, get to work!" Quinn rolls her eyes as she lifts a muddy boot and uses it to kick Finn in his butt as he walks past, stick still raised like a gun to his face.
Finally dropping the stick and rubbing his now sore bottom Finn looks at Quinn with a pout. "Come on, Quinn. It's just a little fun," he says. Glad to have friends to keep her mind off of Santana, Brittany just shakes her head and laughs at her friend's childish antics.
A flip seems to have been switched and where a minute ago Quinn seemed perfectly calm, she now looks like she is about to strangle a small, defenseless animal. "Oh sure, were having loads a fun," she begins, sarcasm radiating off of her words. "Right, look at us! No gold, no food, while Schuester sits up in his tent all day happy as a flippin' clam," Quinn yells, arms waving in the air and pointing over to the governor's tent. Having taken a few steps back during Quinn's rant, Sam, Finn, Mike and Brittany stare at her with their eyebrows raised up to their hairline and their mouths all slightly hanging open in question.
"Um, right then," Finn awkwardly says, shoving his hands in his pockets and turning to go and find protection from the now seething Quinn. Mike and Sam quickly follow Finn's lead whereas Brittany takes a few steps towards her friend. Brittany wraps a protective arm around her smaller friend's shoulders and feels Quinn lean into her embrace. Brittany lightly rests her chin on the top of Quinn's head and asks, "Is it that time of the month, Q?" Figuring it is the most logical explanation for Quinn's sudden outburst. Brittany feels Quinn nod her head yes so she pulls her head away to look her friend in the eye. Quinn and Brittany just giggle at Quinn's behavior and rolling her eyes Brittany leads her friend towards the safety of their small tent, all-the-while desperately trying to get the image of a certain tan brunette out of her mind.
Inside the governor's tent, Schuester is the exact opposite of "happy as a flippin' clam" as Quinn so eloquently put it. "I'm doomed," Schuester squeaks out, gripping a rumpled up map to his chest. "I should be wallowing in riches right now and I haven't seen so much as a speck! It's got to be here somewhere. Where could it be? I've mined the forests and the hills and swamps, and nothing! Why can't I find it? What am I overlooking?" He paces back and forth, worry clearly marring his features.
On the other side of his tent, Schuester's pug, Percy prepares to enjoy a large bowl of dog treats. Grabbing one out of his bowl, Percy turns to look up his master as he paces back and forth across the length of the tent. Percy finishes munching on his first treat and turns his attention back to his bowl, fully intending to grab another. Imagine his surprise when he turns around to find his bowl empty and face to face with an all too familiar raccoon. Meeko looks at the dog as he munches away on the bowl full of treats he just stole and quickly tries to make an escape. Percy begins to bark as ferociously as he can, which isn't saying much for a pug, and gives chase to the thieving raccoon.
An idea suddenly occurring to him, Schuester ignores his dog's barking and walks over to Kurt Hummel, who is checking his hair in a worn out hand mirror, and lifts him from the chair by his collar. "The Indians!" Schuester yells in Kurt's face. "Hummel, why do you think those insolent heathens attacked us?" He asks, although he already has an answer to his own question.
Finally being released from Will's grasp, Kurt straightens out his shirt and begins to count off reasons on his fingers. "Because we invaded their land, cut down their trees, and dug up their earth?" he asks.
"It's the gold! They have it and they don't want us to take it from them. Well, I'll just have to take it by force then, won't I?" Will says, turning to Kurt with a vicious looking smirk on his lips
Forcefully throwing back the flaps to his tent, Schuester stomps out and immediately begins looking for a headful of blonde hair. Not seeing her, Will crosses through the muddy dirt and makes his way over to the edge of the fence. As he gets closer, he spots a blonde, but upon closer inspection he realizes it is the wrong blonde. "You there," he says, startling Quinn, Finn and Mike who had been comfortably sitting in a partially dug hole. "Where's Brittany Pierce?" he asks the three.
Still trying to catch their breath from Schuester's startling appearance, the three try to locate their companion from where they are standing. Not being able to spot the usually present blonde, Mike finally looks Will in the eyes and just kind of shrugs. "Well, she's…gone," He hesitantly says, trying to figure out where his friend would run off to.
Quickly losing his patience, Will looks at them menacingly. "Well, then go get her, for heaven's sake!"
Gulping loudly Finn stutters out, "Wh…What if we run into the Indians?"
"That's what guns are for, now arm yourselves and get moving!" Schuester yells as he turns his back to them and makes his way back to his tent.
Looking at each other despairingly, Quinn, Mike and Finn climb out of the partially dug hole and make their way over to the gun rack.
A new day had begun for the Powhatan tribe and the sun is finally shining again. The sun is slowly making its way higher into the sky and two young women busy themselves in the corn field. Rachel finishes putting the last piece of corn into her already full basket and turns to look over at her friend. Santana has been sitting in the same position, in front of the same corn stalk for nearly two hours. Rachel picks up her basket and steps closer to her friend, preparing to say something. Before she can begin to ask Santana why she has been acting so distant these past few days, a figure emerges from between the corn stalks.
"Santana!" Chief Powhatan calls. "You should be inside the village," He lovingly chastises his precious daughter.
Finally standing, Santana picks her basket up and looks at her father. "We'll be alright…," she tries to convince her father, not really sure what else to say.
Sensing her friend is at a loss for words, 'how odd' Rachel thinks, she jumps in for Santana. "We're gathering food for when the warriors arrive," Rachel says, nodding towards her overflowing basket. Santana, forever grateful for Rachel, nods her head too and offers up her father a false smile.
Looking back and forth between his daughter and her life-long friend, Chief Powhatan just shakes his head. "Don't go far. Now is not the time to be running off," he warns the two young women.
"Yes, father," Santana says.
Turning to head back to the village, Powhatan stops and turns back to face his daughter. "When I see you wear that necklace, you look just like your mother," he says with a smile that can be seen in his eyes.
Lightly brushing her fingertips across the arrowhead Santana lowers her graze to the ground beneath her feet. "I miss her," she admits.
Smiling softly as her, Powhatan says, "But she is still with us. Whenever the wind blows through the trees, I feel her presence. Our people looked to her for wisdom and strength. Someday, they will look to you as well."
"I would be honored by that," Santana smiles when she looks at her father.
Finally beginning his walk back to the village, Powhatan calls over his shoulder to Santana and Rachel. "You shouldn't be out here alone. I'll send for Puck."
Once Powhatan is out of ear-shot, Rachel sets her basket on the ground, places her hands on her hips and confronts Santana. "All right, what is it?" she questions.
Knowing she doesn't want to lie to Rachel's face, Santana keeps her back to her fried and tries to play dumb. "What?" she casually asks.
Rachel has known Santana for way too long to fall for this trick so she grabs Santana by the shoulders and spins her around, "You're hiding something," she says.
Breaking away from Rachel's surprisingly firm grasp, Santana once again turns her back to her friend. "I'm not hiding anything," she says while picking corn.
Not willing to let this go, Rachel carefully places a hand on Santana's shoulder. "Santana, you can tell me," Santana turns to look at Rachel. "I promise I won't tell anyone—, "but before Rachel can finish that sentence, there is a rustling coming from the corn stalks to their right.
Having heard Santana's voice, along with one she doesn't recognize, Brittany pokes her head through the last of the corn stalks. Santana's back is to her so Brittany steps fully onto the path Santana is standing on only to stop when she meets the fearful gaze of a second Indian.
From over Santana's shoulder, Rachel watches as a pale skinned women appears out of the stalks of corn. Gasping, Rachel tightens her grip on Santana's shoulders and fiercely whispers to her friend, "Santana, look! It's one of them!" Santana turns around and finds herself standing only a few feet from a smiling Brittany. Santana feels her lips beginning to turn up in the form of a smile when Rachel suddenly pulls her hand away from Santana's shoulder. "I'm going to get—," Rachel starts to back away but before she can start running, Santana grabs Rachel and puts her hand over Rachel's mouth. Rachel tries to break away from Santana's vice like grip and looks at her with bewildered eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Santana asks Brittany, the surprise easy to hear in her voice.
"Mmm?" Rachel tries to mumble against Santana's hand.
Biting the inside of her bottom lip Brittany shrugs her shoulders. "I had to see you again," she honestly answers, taking one step closer to Santana…and her very small friend.
"Mmm!" Rachel again tries to mumbles against Santana's hand all the while looking back and forth between her friend and the strange woman as if they had both grown two heads.
Still out of sight, they all freeze when they hears Puck's voice calling out from down the path. "Santana!"
Rachel desperately tries to break away from Santana, but Santana looks at Rachel with pleading eyes.
"Santana," Puck calls again.
Brittany looks between Santana and from where the man's voice is coming from with wide eyes. Santana turns to fully face Rachel and quietly begs her friend. "Please, don't say anything," her eyes pleading for Rachel to understand. Rachel reluctantly nods her head yes and Santana quickly hugs Rachel. Turning to Brittany, Santana grabs her milky smooth hand and says, "Quick, this way," as she pulls Brittany back into the shadows of the corn stalks. "
Just as Brittany and Santana disappear, Puck appears. "Rachel, where is Santana?" he asks.
"I… I haven't seen her," Rachel lies and turns her attention to picking more corn.
Puck looks at Rachel and sees that there is no way she is going to tell him where Santana is. "Pocahontas can't keep running off," he sighs. "It's dangerous out there. Tell her that," he says to Rachel as he begins to turn around. "She listens to you," Rachel hears him mutter as he retreats back to the safety of the village.
Rolling her eyes, Rachel forcefully rips a piece of corn of its stalk. "Huh, sure she does," she sarcastically says, gathering her basket to make her way back to the village.
Hand in hand, Santana leads Brittany to the safety of Grandmother Willow's branches. Brittany looks around in amazement at her surroundings and just shakes her head. "This place is incredible," she breathes out in a voice that is barely above a whisper. "And to think, we came all this way just to dig it up for gold," she says with a hint of disapproval.
Santana finally sits down on the tree stump that she normally sits on when she visits Grandmother Willow and looks at Brittany questioningly. "Gold?" she asks not understanding the word.
From his hiding place high up among the branches, Meeko climbs down hoping to score some more food from Brittany. Giggling when the raccoon rubs himself up against her leg, Brittany reaches out and rubs his gray back. "Hey Meeko," she says.
"What's gold?" Brittany hears Santana ask.
Sitting do her knees are touching Santana's, Brittany tries to explain what gold is. "You know, it's… It's yellow, comes out of the ground, it's really valuable."
Her eyes widening in excitement and understanding Santana reaches into her small, deer-skin purse. "Oh, here, we've lots of it," she says while she pulls an ear of corn out of her purse. "Gold," she confidently says.
Laughing, Brittany shakes her head and reaches into the right pocket of her trousers. "No…Gold is this," she says, retrieving a small, gold coin from her pocket.
With Meeko sitting in her lap Santana carefully looks over the strange coin resting in Brittany's palm. With one eyebrow arched she says,"Hmm, there's nothing like that around here."
"No?" Brittany questions as she puts the small coin back into her pocket
"Not that I've seen," Santana responds.
Brittany laughs and moves so that she is now sitting on Santana's left. She lifts her hands behind her head and leans back so she is now lying on her back. "All this way for nothing; those guys are in for a big surprise."
"Will they leave?" Santana curiously asks Brittany.
Looking into the chocolate orbs of the beautiful woman beside her Brittany answers, "Some of them might."
Santana finds she is unable to tear her gaze away from Brittany's lips as she talks. Hearing Brittany's response, Santana furrows her brow and bites the inside of her bottom lip. Finally moving her gaze up to Brittany's ocean blue eyes Santana hesitantly asks, "Will you go home?" Though she is not sure she wants to hear the answer.
Thinking back to her life in London Brittany sits up so she is now face to face with Santana. "Well, it's not like I have much of a home to go back to," She truthfully answers. "I've never really belonged anywhere," she embarrassingly admits, staring intently at the wood grain of the tree stump.
Santana reaches her hand out and cups the other woman's cheek, willing Brittany to look up. "You could belong here," Santana whispers, her face mere inches away from Brittany's.
Brittany licks her dry lips, leaning in to once again taste the heaven that is Santana's full lips. Close enough so the two are breathing the same breath, Brittany swears she can hear something that sounds like singing coming from all different angles:
Ay ay ay na ay ay na…
Pulling away, Brittany crinkles her nose in confusion as she looks around her. Imagine her surprise when she thinks she sees a face appear in the bark of the willow tree. Eyes as wide as tea saucers Brittany leans back, her back now flush with Santana's chest. "What was that?" she hesitantly asks Santana.
Having seen Grandmother Willows face too, Santana smirks against Brittany's ear. "Did you see something?" She asks a very confused blonde.
Shaking her head furiously Brittany stutters out, "No… No, I just, uh… I… I didn't see anything." She can feel Santana's lips turn up in a smile since they are still pressed up against the outer shell of her ear. "Did I?" she finally asks.
Pressing a feather light kiss to her silky cheek, Santana whispers "Look again."
Grandmother Willow's face finally reappears as she lightly sings:
Let it break upon you
Like a wave upon the sand
"Hello, Brittany Pierce," Grandmother Willow offers Brittany a warm smile.
Not quite sure how to react Brittany once again leans back against Santana's chest and states the obvious. "Santana, the tree is talking to me."
Thanking the spirits that Brittany didn't jump up and run away, Santana giggles and presses another light kiss to the outer shell of Brittany's ear. "Then you should talk back."
"Umm…" Brittany starts out but then just shakes her head, not really knowing where to go from there.
"Don't be frightened, young lady. My bark is worse than my bite," Grandmother Willows jokingly interjects, easily sensing how confused the pale woman is.
Brittany has yet to move from her position against Santana, so Santana nudges Brittany's shoulder with her own. "Say something," Santana offers.
Not looking away from the face that has magically appeared, Brittany just lifts her shoulders and lets them drop back down again. "What do you say to a tree?" she logically asks the Native American she is leaning against for support.
Santana opens her mouth to respond, but quickly shuts it again as she thinks about the appropriate response to that question. "Anything you want," she finally answers.
Brittany finally sits up and tries to begin a conversation with the talking tree. "So,uh…" she clumsily begins.
"Come closer, Brittany Pierce," Grandmother Willow beckons. Brittany shakily stands up and walks to the edge of the tree stump so she is now only a foot or two away from Grandmother Willow's face. "She has a good soul. And she's quite beautiful, too," Grandmother Willow says as she looks Brittany squarely in the eye, sending Santana a look of approval.
Giggling and blushing, Brittany slightly turns her head so she can see Santana out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, I like her" Brittany says to Santana.
Standing up, Santana moves so she is behind Brittany's right shoulder. She gently places a hand on Brittany's shoulder and rests her chin on top of her hand. "I knew you would," she says to Brittany, smiling at Grandmother Willow.
"Pierce! Pierce! Where are ya, lass?" Brittany's and Santana's eyes widen in fear as Mike's voice slices through the air. Barely peaking past Grandmother Willow's trunk, Brittany can see Mike, Finn, and Quinn all making their way towards the Willow tree.
"We can't let them see us," Brittan says, turning her attention back to Santana.
Santana grabs onto Brittany's hand and leads her to an even more secluded area of Grandmother Willow's Branches. From their spot Brittany catches the tail end of her friends' conversation.
"This place gives me the creeps. Savages could be hiding anywhere," she hears Finn complain. She almost wants to laugh at her friend's cowardly ways but stops herself when she feels Santana stiffen against her at the mention of 'savages'.
Next, she hears Quinn jump in with, "Aye, well, if you spot one, don't ask questions. Just shoot."
Santana leans into Brittany's body, her head resting against Brittany's shoulder. Brittany protectively tightens her hold on Santana's body as her friends walk past them.
"We've been looking for hours. I'm heading back to camp," Mike says to Finn and Quinn as he turns and begins his trek back to Jamestown.
"But what about Brittany," Finn asks in mild disbelief.
Making her way past Finn, Quinn follows Mike's lead and says, "She's more than capable of taking care of herself."
Brittany listens as her friends move farther and farther away and she finally loosens her hold on Santana. Together, they walk back over to the big stump and Brittany takes Santana's hands in her own. She smiles at the woman in front of her, but frowns as she begrudgingly says, "I better get back before they send the whole camp out after me."
"When will I see you again?" Santana asks Brittany.
Brittany lets out a sigh of relief at Santana's question. She was worried that after almost being caught by her friends, Santana wouldn't want to take the risk of seeing her again. "Meet me tonight, right here," Brittany smiles and pulls Santana even closer against her body. For the first time in four days, Brittany leans down and captures Santana's lips in her own. Their kiss is quick yet full of passion and the promise of seeing each other soon. Brittany pulls away first and smiles when she sees Santana frown at the loss of contact. Once Santana opens her eyes, Brittany places one last kiss against her forehead and quickly disappears into the forest.
Santana looks out into the dense forest even after Brittany has disappeared, her lips still tingling from Brittany's kiss.
"Well, I haven't had this much excitement in 200 years," Grandmother Willow says, finally breaking the silence. Santana just ducks her head and giggles, but suddenly whips her head back up, a frantic look in her eyes.
"What am I doing? I shouldn't be seeing her again. I mean, I want to see her again—"Santana rushes to say, looking to Grandmother Willow for help.
Santana stops her rant and takes a deep, calming breath. "But still, something inside is telling me it's the right thing," she says with hope in her voice.
Offering up some guidance to the obviously confused young woman, Grandmother Willow says, "Perhaps it's your dream."
Startled by what she just heard, Santana takes a minute to think. "My dream? Do you think she's the one the spinning arrow was pointing to?" she asks.
Smiling, Grandmother Willow responds with "Mm-hmm!"
Santana brushes her fingertips against her smiling lips, thinking about the few hours she will have to wait until she gets to see her blonde again.
Back at the Powhatan village, the sun is beginning to set.
The entire tribe gathers at the edge of the riverbank, Chief Powhatan standing at the very front of everyone. A small smile graces his serious face when he sees the canoes appear in the distance. Raising his hands to halt the conversations amongst his people, Chief Powhatan turns to face his village. "The warriors are here," he points to the nearing canoes as his tribe begins to cheer for the arrival of their fellow warrior tribe.