Chapter 2: Temporary Light

"Ugh." Quinn groans. Her alarm clock is buzzing on her bedside table and for a while, the blonde mess contemplates on how to crush the thing. Finally resigning to her fate, she reaches out to press the snooze button at the same time getting up from her heaven that was her bed. She opens her phone, smiling as she reads the text there.

Good morning, gorgeous. See you girls for lunch? - Caleb

She types out a quick yes and sluggishly, she makes her way to the kitchen where she's hoping that breakfast is already waiting for her. But instead of seeing pancakes or waffles that she was accustomed to seeing, she is greeted by the sight of Santana, her head against the counter.

"San?" She calls out. The brunette lifts her head and looks at her with dark, bloodshot eyes. Quinn forgets that she is supposed to be sleepily and quickly rushes over to her friend.

"Morning, Q." Quinn ignores her.

"How bad?"

"Not that bad." Santana avoids her eyes.

"Santana."

"Thrice last night. Once this morning." Santana hesitates. "I – I could hear my sister." Quinn's eyes narrow, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"W – what did she say?" Santana closes her eyes, trying to block out the memories of what she saw. But the ringing in her ears continued. She could still hear her.

"She wasn't saying anything. She was just screaming." Santana's voice cracks and for a moment Quinn thinks that she's finally breaking. But then, she sees the Latina's fist clench and she knows that she's not ready yet.

"I'm calling you in sick, okay?" When Santana abruptly looks at her and opens her mouth to protest, Quinn quickly cuts her off. "No. It's either that or I'm dragging you to see someone."

"Fine." Santana concedes with a sigh that sounded too close to a sob. She was so tired and broken. She thinks that she'd rather she died in that fire than to continue living like this. No tears escape her eyes – there was no more. She feels Quinn put an arm around her shoulders and it takes her a few seconds before her brain cold process what she was saying. Her heart breaks a little more when she does.

"You're okay, S. You're okay. Shhhh." Quinn whispers soothingly against her ear. She looks down at her friend and hates the pain she sees on her face.

It takes a while but Santana gathers up what little energy she has left and finally manages to drag herself to the couch not wanting to be alone in her bedroom. Her eyelids feel like a ton but she manages to keep them open; she isn't about to go through hell a fifth time. She thinks that she might die if she goes through it again.

"Stay here, okay? I'm going to get your mom and sister. Wait for us. Okay?"

Keeping her eyes open doesn't make a difference. Memories she so wanted to bury are on parade and when she looks up at the white ceiling, all she could see is her dad. His face was half-burnt and there were tears in his eyes. He looked terrified but determined and she remembers wishing she was strong enough to push herself to follow him ; she wishes she was strong enough to help him.

Maybe they would have survived. Maybe they would still be here. If only she tried.

"So. How's my favorite choreographer?" Caleb asks to his guest. A blonde girl is sitting on the other side of his desk. She is lithe and graceful and when she walks it's as if she was dancing. Often, the room would cease to function and would stop to look at her when she enters the room. But despite the attention, Brittany Pierce stayed humble and modest and friendly and that was one of the reasons why Caleb was so fond of her.

"Good, actually. My mom asked me to go home on Sunday so I might take Monday off. Is that, okay?" Brittany says with a smile.

"Sure. After all, you're the reason why this company's happy." Brittany blushes an adorable shade of red and simply smiles wider at the man in front of her. Before either of them could say anything, Caleb's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his blazer pocket and flushed when he saw the name.

"Is it Quinn?" Caleb flushes even deeper and Brittany chuckles. "You should get that." He simply nods wondering why he was so obvious.

"Hey, Q."

"Hey. Do you mind coming over for lunch?" Caleb frowns, sensing the worry in her voice.

"Not that I don't want to but why?" Quinn sighs.

"I forced Santana to stay at home today. I don't think she got any sleep last night."

"That bad?"

"Too bad." Caleb's shoulders drop. Brittany notices the slight frown on his face. She mouths "are you okay?" Caleb nods giving her a tired smile.

"Okay, Q. I'll be there in 30 minutes? Oh and do you mind? I'm going to invite the choreographer I wouldn't shut up about for lunch. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay, bye."

"See you." Caleb hits the end call button and faces his companion.

"You're having lunch with us." Brittany laughs.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Well, you do. But I insist you come because I think that they think I'm delusional and you're just a piece of my imagination." Brittany shoots him a confused look.

"They?"

"Yep. Quinn and Satan. I mean, Santana." Caleb corrects himself with a cough.

"You are one big bully."

"I am not." He replies in a mock indignant voice. When all laughter subsided, Caleb puts on a serious look on his face.

"Santana's not really good with other people since something happened to her a year and a half ago. I'm sorry I can't tell you what happened. That's for her to decide if you should know. So be patient with her, okay? There is a reason why her nickname's Satan." Brittany nods solemnly. "She doesn't laugh much recently and she smiles even less. To be honest, I was thinking that maybe if she meets somebody new, she'd like feel safer or something."

"I'll be good, I promise." The blonde says. Caleb flashes her a smile, grateful that she understands.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The knock on the door scares Santana. She just got dressed for their lunch since Quinn told her that Caleb invited someone. Usually, something as trivial as that doesn't make her jump three feet in the air. Today is different. She knows that she's being hypersensitive. She knows that she's just being paranoid.

Since her life turned against her, Santana became wary around people she didn't know. Her mind would tell her that it's stupid and irrational but her instincts begged to differ. Often, she would isolate herself when being in the middle of a crowd was inevitable. She pushed away anyone that wasn't Quinn and Caleb. Her social life is suffering and she thinks that it's because she's not strong enough to rule over her own life.

Santana thinks that her life hates her too much.

"Hey!" Santana hears Caleb's hyperactive voice and she makes her way out of the bedroom to meet him and his guest. Just before she reaches the front door, Santana takes a deep breath, steadying herself and telling herself that Caleb trusts the guest. There's nothing to panic about. She tells herself that no one's going to hurt anyone. And she tries to convince herself that nothing will happen and that everything will be okay.

She tries unsuccessfully.

"Santana! They're here!" Quinn's voice snaps her out of her inner torture. She wills her feet to move and her face to produce as much of a friendly expression as it could muster. For Quinn, she thinks, and for Caleb.

Quinn's face appears out of nowhere and she steps back abruptly in surprise.

"Whoa, chill, Lopez." She says, reaching out to squeeze the Latina's shoulder.

"Bitch, you can't do that!" Santana says, clutching her frantic heart. Quinn laughs goodheartedly and slaps her on the back. As they round the corner, Caleb's face swim into view and she can't stop the smile on her face.

"Hi, torpe." She says teasingly. Caleb scowls at her, knowing little Spanish but knowing full well what Santana told him.

"Hi. Can you be nice? We have a guest." He says, replacing his scowl with a smile when Santana's face softened.

"You should thank your lucky stars."

"Whatever. Okay, Brittany?" A blonde head pokes her head behind Caleb's shoulder, a friendly smile on her face. Santana tries not to flee and plants her feet firmly on the ground. Quinn notices how her smile faltered just a tiny bit and gives Santana a reassuring smile.

"Hi!" The girl says, cheerful and bubbly. "I'm Brittany Pierce, nice to meet you." She sticks out her hand for Santana to shake. It takes a few seconds, but Santana manages to grasp the blonde's hand before she can turn against herself.

"Santana Lopez. Nice to meet you." She says and surprises herself at how light her tone was. She marvels at the soft skin beneath her hand and oddly enough, the touch pacifies her nerves and she finds herself returning Brittany's smile easily.

"So, Caleb has lucky stars?" Brittany asks curiously as soon as they let go of each other's hands. Santana chuckles, surprising both Quinn and Caleb. Brittany beams at the sound of Santana's small chuckle, she thinks that she's never heard anything that adorable before.

"Very few lucky stars." She replies, ignoring the shocked look on her friends' faces. She wasn't really sure why either, but she felt completely at ease and she wasn't about to let that feeling go. Not yet. "Quinn stop gawking like a stalker. Can we move? I'm sure it's about time to eat, right?"

Quinn snaps out of her daze and elbows Caleb in the ribs. He gives out a yelp of pain.

"Right, yeah okay. Eat." He mumbles. Santana shakes her head at their antics.

"You guys are perfect for each other. So why aren't you together?" Brittany asks innocently. The reaction was instant. Caleb splutters and chokes on nothing while Quinn flushes until her face looks like an apple. Santana grins, clearly enjoying this.

"I like you." She says, turning to Brittany. The words are out of her mouth before she can stop them and she watches as Brittany began to turn a weak shade of pink.

"Thanks! I like you too!" The blonde says, smiling like there's no tomorrow.

Santana's mind is giving her warnings and signals saying that this is wrong. She ignores logic and rationality and as she leads the way to the kitchen, warmth spreading in her entire being, she relishes in it and thinks that this time, she doesn't want to think. This time, she'd rather trust the positive feelings coursing in her rather than revolt against them. This time, she wants to make the most out of this moment.

Lunch ended without a glitch. There was a lot of laughter on Quinn, Caleb, and Brittany's part and Santana smiled more than she's ever had in a day since a year and a half ago. On more than one occasions, she'd let out a quiet chuckle and though she found it odd that Brittany would always beam at her when she did so, it doesn't stop the warmth and ease she's feeling.

Brittany thinks that this has got to be the best lunch she's ever had during the week and every time the mysterious girl beside Quinn let out a chuckle, she feels like she's floating. Caleb had warned her that she might get scary and brooding but honestly, she can't see anything of that on her face. Sure, Brittany could see sorrow in her eyes, but right now, the girl's smile mattered more to her than the sadness. She wasn't sure why, but there was something about Santana that makes her want the best for her. It's weird she admits to herself but it's not an enough reason for her stop wishing the best for her.

Unfortunately, all good things will have to come to an end. Quinn had to make a quick appearance at her office and Caleb still had some papers to attend to. An hour after lunch, Santana's already prepping herself to retreat back to her shell, knowing that when the bubbly blonde leaves their humble home, she'll take the good feelings with her. Nevertheless, she insisted on walking them to the front door. Perhaps it's an attempt to prolong Brittany's presence longer or perhaps it was simply her being courteous.

"Lunch was fun. Thanks Quinn, Santana." Brittany says, smiling her million-watt smile at them.

"You're welcome, Brittany. And if you like, you can come with us again. You're definitely making this one," Quinn gestures to Santana, who flushes like a teenager. "a lot less depressing." Caleb laughs heartily beside them and Brittany beams.

"I'm glad." She turns to Santana. "You know, you're beautiful when you smile. You should do it more often." She says honestly. Santana blushes deeper. She looks up to the most sincere pair of blue pools in front of her and something inside her melts.

"Thank you. It was nice meeting you." Her brown eyes are smiling and even though it only showed a little on her lips, Quinn and Caleb welcomed the image with open arms having watched Santana so broken far too much.

Brittany opens her arms and proceeds to hug Santana, effectively shocking the Latina. She lets go before Santana could react and then she hugs Quinn too. The two blondes are smiling at each other but Caleb sees the twinkle in Santana's eyes.

"You like her." He whispers quietly against her ear as their friends exchanged numbers. Santana steps on his foot, effectively changing the smirk on his face to an expression of pain.

"Ow." He hisses, getting the attention of Quinn and Brittany. Quinn glances at Santana's smug expression and Caleb's pained one. She crosses her arms in a motherly fashion and puts her bitch face on.

"Santana." She emphasizes her name and Santana scowls in response.

"He started it." She says indignantly.

"Did not!" Caleb manages to grind out.

"You remind me of my mom." The comment came out of nowhere that Santana just had to grin. Brittany's looking at Quinn with a submissive look on her face. Caleb begins to laugh when Quinn flushes in embarrassment. Santana only grins wider.

"Oh yes. She's definitely coming the next time we have lunch." She says. Quinn glares at her making Caleb laugh harder.

"Why are you laughing?" But Caleb's too caught up in his moment to answer.

Finally, when all laughter subsided, they said their goodbyes and exchanged numbers. Santana makes a mental note to thank Caleb later for bringing Brittany.

Unfortunately for Quinn, "a quick appearance" turned into a three-hour meeting and four hours of arguing over the phone with a demanding Rachel Berry and an irrational Jesse St. James. The traffic was hell and it was already 9 o' clock in the evening by the time she got home.

Quinn sighs as she tossed the heels to the shoe rack, reveling in the feeling of relief currently coursing through her exhausted feet.

"Oh, thank God." She mutters. Santana had left her dinner on the kitchen counter and she immediately digs in after she changed out of her work clothes.

Just as she was starting to enjoy her dinner, her ears pick up a small whimper. Quinn halts, spoon in mid-air. She wishes that it was only a piece of her imagination. But then, another slices through the air, this time a little louder. She is out of her seat and into the living room before she could comprehend what she is doing. Instincts took over and her eyes immediately land on Santana, who is laying, covered in cold sweat on the couch.

As Quinn moves cautiously over to her, she realizes that the brunette is saying something.

"Mom? No… Wait… Take… No… I want…" This is the first time that Santana is actually talking in her sleep and Quinn worries her soul out. She cups the brunette's cheek, grimacing at its lack of color and cold temperature. She almost wants to spit at the familiarity of it all.

"San." She says, clearly and firmly. Santana's eyes snap open and Quinn hates the panic in her eyes. She combs her fingers through rich, brown hair, waiting for Santana to come back. When she does, she surprises Quinn by the tears in her eyes and Quinn moves to take the terrified girl in her arms.

"Shh… It's okay… You're okay… You can cry." The last statement makes Santana shiver. And she clings desperately on Quinn's shirt, trying to ground herself back to reality.

"Q…" She whispers brokenly. She's not sobbing but Quinn feels the relief that Santana's at least letting some tears out.

"I'm here. You're here. It's okay." Quinn whispers.

As she feels the tears in her own eyes, Quinn wonders why of all people to be tortured like this, it had to be Santana. Sure, the brunette isn't perfect but she's not a bad person. She doesn't deserve this. Quinn feels her pull away slightly from her and feels the hot tears on her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" She rasps out.

"I'm crying because you won't. I'm crying because it's not fair." Santana smiles sadly, her eyes reflecting the abyss of pain she is currently lost in.

"Life isn't fair, Q."

A/N: Yo! Thank you for all the reviews for the first chapter and all those who put this story on their favorites. To those who put his story on alert, you are just as awesome. Thank you. Oh yeah, I'm sorry about how I made Santana a lawyer even though she's not supposed to be done with school yet. I was hoping no one would notice. ;) Let's just pretend Santana's a total genius, okay? Sorry. I hate math.

Tell me what you think? Reviews make me happy.

Brittana no matter what,

theangel1710