I just want to give a quick thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! I know I hit you guys with a lot of open ends, so I'm going to try and clear some of that up this chapter. Also, just so you know, this isn't a huge plot chapter, but we will have Britt's birthday, so I hope you enjoy it and keep giving me feedback, I love hearing what you guys think!

…

Sergio.

Santana's heart stopped as soon as she saw the caller ID and she hesitated to answer. She took a deep, calming breath, closing her eyes as she pressed answer on the screen and brought the phone up to her ear.

"H-hello?" Her voice was barely audible.

"Santana? Are you okay?" Sergio sounded confused.

"Um…yeah, what's going on Serg?" She took more deep breaths as she walked inside for some quiet, preparing herself from the worst.

She could tell that Sergio realized what she must be expecting, "Oh! I just called to wish you a happy Fourth of July…Mami and Papi, too…sorry if I scared you..."

Santana let out a huge sigh of relief, "Yeah, thanks." Now her mind was back to Brittany.

"San? Are you okay? You don't sound like you're having a good time."

"Oh, me and Britt just kinda had a fight…" She slumped onto the couch in the living room.

"Why? What happened?"

She hesitated a moment before replying, "I didn't tell her the truth about Rachel Berry."

"Oh, hermana…why did you lie in the first place? It's not that big of a deal is it?" He asked, sounding a little disappointed.

"I don't know…I guess I was scared that she would think I have feelings for her or something…" Santana shrugged, realizing that her lie was really pretty stupid.

"Are you going to talk to her about it?" He asked.

"If she'll let me…I just want to tell her that I was stupid to lie about something so insignificant and that I love her…She didn't deserve a lie and now I feel like shit," she sighed.

"She'll come around sis, don't worry. Anyway, I better go. I'll keep you updated on Ma, okay?" He tried to sound positive.

"Yeah…thanks. Bye Serg," she nodded.

"Bye San, love you."

"I love you too."

She hung up and let out another deep breath as she leaned back on the couch, relieved that her mother was still alive. She closed her eyes and tried to think of a way to talk to Brittany, hoping the blonde would forgive her dishonesty. Just then she heard someone clear their throat from the bottom of the stairs and she turned her head to see just the person on her mind.

"Britt…"

Stern blue eyes looked back at her as the taller girl stood with her arms crossed. "Why did you lie, Santana?"

Santana swallowed hard and chose her words carefully, "I was scared…scared of what you'd think of me and Rachel's past…"

Brittany looked at her curiously, her gaze still unyielding, "Why would I think any less of you?"

"I don't know…" Santana looked down.

"You don't ever have to lie to me San, you know that," Brittany chastised, sitting next to Santana on the couch. She could see the brunette holding something back, but she decided not to push it tonight.

"I know…" She nodded and bit her lip, "I'm sorry Britt."

"I understand…" Brittany gave a soft nod, deciding not to let whatever Santana wasn't saying bother her.

"I love you Britt. You know that right?" Santana asked.

"Of course I know that…I love you too…" Brittany nodded with a soft smile.

"And we're okay?" She looked hopeful with her dark, puppy-like eyes.

Brittany looked up, too, and smiled a little, reaching over to take Santana's hand. "We're okay now…and everything else will be okay too…" She brought Santana's hand up to her lips and kissed it softly.

"I love you…you know that?" Santana asked with a small smile. Brittany let a grin crack onto her face as she leaned over and kissed the corner of Santana's mouth, whispering, "I know. I love you too." Then she kissed Santana full on the lips, letting their mouths move slowly and in perfect harmony together. After a minute of lazily kissing, Brittany pulled back and stood up, offering her hand.

"C'mon, let's go watch the fireworks."

Santana smiled up at the leggy girl as she took the extended hand and stood up, lacing their fingers together. They made their way outside and saw all of their friends laying on the grass or sitting in lawn chairs all over the back yard. Kurt and Blaine were on the deck at the table, sipping their sodas and talking intimately as colors burst in the sky. Quinn and Rachel were laying on a blanket by in the middle of the grass, Quinn's arm was folded behind her head and Rachel's head rested on the hazel-eyed girl's bicep with their limbs tangled together. Mercedes and Sam were on chairs behind where Quinn and Rachel were, their hands linked between the chair. Puck and Sugar and Mike and Tina were all together on one big blanket just to the side of Sam and Mercedes.

"Nice of you ladies to Join us!" Kurt said smugly, giving them a teasing look as they walked past.

"Shut it, Hummel!" Santana barked, causing both him and Blain to chuckle as she continued. "Even for a flaming homosexual man you still manage to have a dirty mind."

Kurt gave a shrug and held up his hands as if to say, what can I say, "Well, Satan, I am a male. It's in my DNA…although, I think Puck just rubbed off on me tonight…" At this, he earned a smack from Blaine.

"Kurt!"

"Not like that!" Kurt said in defense. Santana watched the scene with an arched brow.

"See, exactly my point. Buncha' pervs. C'mon Britt, let's find a place to sit," she rolled her eyes at the bickering couple on the deck and pulled Brittany over to sit next to where Quinn and Rachel, about five feet away. Brittany sat first and spread her legs out in front of herself, patting the spot between them for Santana to sit. The brunette smiled and sat down, scooting back so her back rested against Brittany's chest. Brittany smiled and kissed Santana's cheek before casting her eyes up at the fireworks being shot off from all over the area.

"B?" Santana looked back at her.

"Hm?"

"Thank you for giving me a second chance. I'm not going to lie to you any more, okay?" Santana was still looking at her.

Brittany looked back down at her girlfriend and smiled adoringly, leaning down to kiss her, "I know you won't San…I know."

…

It was the night before Brittany's birthday when the blonde was woken up by the sound of small cries coming from Santana's room. She furrowed her brow and slipped out of bed, hurrying across the hall and into her girlfriend's room to check on her. Santana was writhing around and sweating a little as she mumbled things in her sleep. Brittany sat on the edge of the bed and tried to gently wake her.

"San?"

"Santana, I love you so much," a weak voice said faintly. Santana looked around in search of the familiar sound.

"Mami? Donde esta? Mami!"

"I'm so, so sorry mija…lo siento," the voice said again, getting fainter. Santana felt panic wash over her as she ran into the darkness ahead of her, not knowing which way was up, she was just going.

"Mami! No! Don't go!" Tears ran down her face as she reached into nothingness.

"Santana…" The voice was almost nonexistent now. And then there was silence. Santana let out a sob.

"N-no…no…don't go…" All of a sudden, as Santana fell to her knees, she started falling and she let out a scream.

"Santana!" A younger voice woke her from the nightmare. She shot up in a cold sweat, tears running down her face and she felt someone pull her into their arms. Brittany's arms. She couldn't help but let out a sob as she buried herself in Brittany's neck.

"Shh…it's okay San…it was just a dream…" Brittany cooed as she sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm here…don't be scared baby…" She closed her eyes as she rested her cheek atop Santana's hair.

Santana clung to her girlfriend as she cried, unable to conjure up words. Brittany just whispered little words of comfort and rubbed her back. "Sh-she…my mother…a-and I couldn't h-help her…"

"San…shh…it's not your fault sweetheart. She's still alive now okay? And sometimes, there's nothing we can do. All you can do now is make sure she knows you love her…" Brittany kissed her forehead and pulled back.

Santana sniffled and nodded, wiping her eyes. "I can't believe she's really going to…to..d-die, Britt…She's my mother…and soon…she won't be here anymore."

"San…she'll always be with you…even if you can't see her. Sometimes we have to accept that this happens in life…I know you'll miss her…" Brittany cooed. Santana only nodded and sniffled into her neck.

"C-can you stay in here tonight?" Santana looked up at her with puffy eyes.

"Of course…come here." Brittany scooted up under Santana's bed spread and pulled the smaller girl against her. Santana just cuddled into her and closed her eyes. "I love you Santana…" Brittany kissed her head, "No matter what happens."

Santana was already dozing off as she muttered back, "Mm..love you too…"

And then Brittany knew that no matter what, they would be okay.

…

"Brittany…time to wake up…" Santana nudged the girl who was still sprawled out in bed, tangled up in Santana's black sheets. She muttered something and rolled over, not wanting to leave her slumber. "Britt…c'mon birthday girl! I made you pancakes and bacon and fruit salad!"

At the mention of food, Brittany awoke and sat up, grinning at the tray of food in Santana's arms. "Chocolate chip?"

"You know it!" Santana laughed, placing the tray on Brittany's lap.

"I don't even know where to start!" Brittany picked up her fork and looked hungrily at the food as Santana crawled into bed with her.

"Eat whatever you want, it's your birthday! And eat it all because I have big plans for us tonight!" Santana gave a soft smile and kissed Brittany's cheek.

"Did you invite people over?" Brittany asked with a mouthful of pancake.

"With everything that's been going on, I didn't really have time…but I did plan something for just us two…which includes your parents' gift for you, too." Santana reached over and stole a strawberry from the small dish on the tray.

"Really? Can I have another hint?" Brittany asked, her eyes lighting up.

"No! Eat. You'll find out tonight, okay?" Santana chuckled and shook her head. Brittany jutted her lower lip out in an attempt to pout.

"Please tell me?"

"No! I can't ruin it! I'm going to go shower. You enjoy your meal, birthday girl!" Santana kissed her cheek again and slipped out of bed, grabbing fresh clothes for the day before walking out of the bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom.

…

"Mom, do you know what Santana has planned? She won't tell me!" Brittany walked into the kitchen with a pout later that afternoon. After spending all day with her family and Santana, she was already fairly satisfied with the way her birthday had gone. She got a new pair of dance shoes from her mom, a new iPod from her dad, and a mix CD from her brother, but Santana said her gift would come later on their date.

Susan chuckled as she did the dishes, "Sweetheart, you'll have to find out. I promised Santana I wouldn't spoil it for you! Now you better go get ready, she said to be ready to go at eight right? It's almost seven now!"

Brittany looked at the time and nodded, "Okay! Okay! Fine…" She trotted back upstairs and to her room, taking ten minutes to pick a simple white cotton dress that fell just above her knees. She pulled it on with a pair of strappy sandals and a blue headband with her hair down. By the time it was time to go, she went back downstairs and saw Santana waiting in the living room, wearing a black dress that hugged her form and was about mid thigh length. Brittany grinned as she reached the bottom of the stairs and Santana looked over, beaming.

"Hey…" She stood up from the couch and strode over to the taller girl, "You look amazing."

Brittany blushed and looked down, taking Santana's hand, "So do you…we kind of go together."

"Are you ready for your surprise?"

"I've been ready all day! Let's go, I can't wait any longer!" Brittany pleaded. Santana giggled, pressing a kiss to her cheek before grabbing her purse and leading her towards the door. When they got to Santana's mustang in the driveway, she opened Brittany's door for her and hurried to the other side.

"I hope you're hungry!" Santana grinned as they pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.

"We're going out to eat? What restaurant?" Brittany piped up.

"Can't say! But yes, dinner is involved!" She said mischievously. They drove for another ten minutes before Santana pulled up to the dance studio Susan had shown her earlier that week.

"San…what is this place…it's not a restaurant?" Brittany asked curiously as Santana walked around to the other side of the car and opened the door.

"It's your parents gift to you…" Santana beamed at her as she pulled out a set of keys and handed them to her girlfriend proudly.

"What?" Brittany looked at the keys in her hands and back to Santana, who was getting a picnic basket out of her trunk. "San…what are these for?"

"For your new dance studio," Santana said, pointing to the glass doors of the newly re-done space in the small strip mall.

Blue eyes went wide as she shook her head in disbelief. "What? This place is m-mine?"

"Yep!" Santana tugged her towards the doors, "Your parents want you to have a place to pursue your dream of dancing…so they bought you this place and turned it into a studio. Go ahead…unlock it and go on in!"

Brittany squealed in excitement and quickly used the keys to unlock the doors and run inside. Santana followed and flicked on one of the lights, revealing a studio with two mirrored walls and one brick wall. Complete with a perfect wood floor and ballet bar.

"Oh, and there's surround sound you can hook up to that system in the corner over there," she added, nodding towards the stereo in the far corner.

Brittany stood in the middle of the studio, awe on her face as she turned to face Santana. "This is so amazing…"

The older girl smiled softly and walked over to her, wrapping her arms around her waist and kissing her softly, "And you haven't even gotten my present yet!" With that she pulled away and went to the back room for a moment, bringing out a small table and two chairs. She placed them in the middle of the room and then went to her picnic basket, pulling out several candles and placing them all around the studio, including on the table. After lighting them, she plugged in her iPod to the stereo and started a playlist of soft R 'n B tracks in the background. Finally, she pulled out several containers consisting of spaghetti, salad, watermelon, and two bottles of tea.

As Santana went about preparing their dinner, Brittany could only watch in adoration at the effort and time Santana had obviously spent preparing. She grinned from ear to ear when finally, Santana finished putting their meal on two plates and setting the table and looked up at her. "Ready to eat Britt?"

"So ready! It looks amazing San…I don't know what to say!" Brittany grinned and sat down as Santana switched the lights so it was nice and dim in the room. "This is all so romantic…"

Santana smiled and sat down, reaching across to take Brittany's hand, "I just wanted to show you how special you are to me…"

A small blush crept up on Brittany's pale cheeks and she grinned like a fool, "Thank you..this looks delicious, by the way."

"I made it myself while you and your dad went out for lunch today. Your mom helped with the salad but I did the rest," she nodded, taking a bite. Brittany dug in as well and hummed at the taste.

"Amazing, as expected!" Brittany added after her first bite. They ate, making small talk and laughing and flirting, their minds at ease from the rest of the world as they spoke. It was always like this when they talked. So easy and free from all their issues. Santana couldn't remember ever feeling this at ease with someone.

They were just finishing up when Santana got up and went over to her purse to retrieve a small box she had hidden in there and bring it back to the table. "And now for my actual present…" She handed Brittany the flat, rectangular box and blushed, nervous as to what her reaction would be.

She took it from Santana with a soft grin and examined it before slowly opening it, revealing a sparkling necklace with a pair of diamond encrusted dancing shoes on it. Brittany let out a small gasp and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh…Santana…It's beautiful…" When she looked up, Santana was smiling lovingly back at her.

"I'm glad you like it," Santana said simply, standing up and moving around the table to stand behind her. She leaned down and took the necklace, their fingers brushing in the process, and clasped it around her neck. She then offered her hand with a smile as A Thousand Years by Christina Perri starts to play. "Will you dance with me?"

Brittany looked up with teary eyes and nodded quickly, standing up and wrapping her arms around Santana's waist, holding her close as Santana's arms did the same around her neck and they swayed to the music.

"Thank you so much, San…" She whispered into dark hair.

"Anything for you babe…" Santana leaned up and kissed her cheek.

"You know…this has been the best birthday ever…" She pulled back to look into Santana's eyes.

"That's because I love you…so much."

Brittany leaned closer and brushed their noses, "I love you too San.." They kissed softly and smiled against eachother's lips.

"Happy birthday."

…

Again, sort of a filler chapter! More sexytimes to come next update and some more on what Santana may STILL be hiding!