Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. If I did, it wouldn't have turned into a disaster the past few seasons.

AN: Oh God. This wasn't supposed to turn out this way. Apparently, I have some secret well of angst buried deep inside that itches to come out and play way too often. :( For those of you that read Kicked Out, I'm sorry I haven't updated in the last week. I'm working on it. I guess I just had to work this angst out of my system before I could write the happy in that story.

Based on the Alex & Sierra version of the song from X Factor.

I hope you enjoy this story.

"Santana, I can't keep doing this." Dani says exhaustedly.

"Can't keep doing what?" Santana asks anxiously.

"I can't keep trying and giving without anything in return all the time."

"What?" Santana says confused. "What do you mean?"

Dani shakes her head allowing a couple tears to fall. "I've given you everything, all of me. I can't keep doing that, when you keep holding back. If you're not fully in this, if you're not ready, I need to know now. I can't…I love you Santana, but I…it's wearing me down and I'm just tired."

Santana looks at Dani confused and bordering on panic. "I…Dani…I don't understand. I do love you. How am I holding back?"

"I told you about what happened with my parents and afterwards. You haven't said anything about coming out or your parents and family. The only thing you told me was that your ex-girlfriend is bisexual, which…I mean, that's not even about you! I just want to know about you." Dani says allowing the frustrating stream of tears to roll down her cheeks. She shakes her head. "I just want to know about you." She repeats brokenly.

Santana closes her eyes and allows a couple of her own tears to fall before opening her eyes and focusing on her girlfriend. "Dani." She whispers. "I…I'm sorry. I don't…" She shakes her head, closes her eyes once again, and takes a deep breath before looking at Dani. "In high school, I was…a bitch. I was angry all the time, trying to hide who I was. Then, at the beginning of senior year, one of the guys in glee club announced in the school hallway that I needed to just come out of the closet already." She closes her eyes and allows her tears to run free as she continues. "He pushed me out of the flannel closet. Then, because I was head cheerleader, one of the men running for governor…or something…used that knowledge from his niece in his ad campaign. So, I had to tell my family before they could see it on TV." She opens her eyes and looks at Dani with a sad puppy look. "My parents were okay. They didn't kick me out or hate me or anything. But…my abuela, the woman who, basically, raised me while my parents were working…I think she already knew, but because I didn't say anything it was fine. Secrets are okay Santana. But when I told her…she kicked me out and told me she never wanted to see me again." She drops her head to her hands and sobs.

Dani was watching Santana as she spoke, she saw her get lost in the memories and saw how vulnerable it made her. When Santana looked up and told her about her parents Dani started to smile, but then she heard the rest and her heart broke for the other girl. She went over to where her girlfriend was sitting, wrapped her arms around her, and tried to offer her as much comfort as she could.

"I'm so sorry." Dani whispers, her eyes and voice full of tears. "I didn't…I'm sorry." She just repeats I'm sorry over and over, until the worst of Santana's sobbing is over.

"Is that what you needed to hear?" Santana asks angrily. She's gotten over the sadness and moved on to anger. "Do you need to hear how after breaking up with Britt, because she was so damn sad all the time, that I went back to Lima to be with her after dropping out of college and she rejected me for my ex-boyfriend? Or about the time last year when Rachel and Kurt kicked me out of the loft over Rachel's gigolo boy toy and I had nowhere to go and no friends because I'd only been in New York for a month? After wandering around the city by myself on a cold February night, I found a hostel to stay in for a few days?" She shrugs and looks at Dani helplessly. "What do you need from me to believe that I'm all in, that I'm so in love with you?"

Dani just shakes her head, mouth opening and closing, unable to speak through her constricted throat and her tears.

Santana does too. "Look, I don't process and deal with things the way most people do. It's probably not the healthiest way to deal, but it works for me. I deal with it internally, barely showing anything outwardly. And I don't talk about things until I've fully processed and dealt with them. Otherwise, it just brings everything back and makes it all that much harder. I just told you everything I'm currently trying to process and deal with. I know it's been almost two years since I was pushed out, but that sort of thing is not something that I can just get over. No matter how much I act as if I have. And…being kicked out multiple times..." She closes her eyes, breathing. "It makes you start to think there's something wrong with you or else people wouldn't keep kicking you out." She shrugs with a resigned and defeated look.

Dani closes her eyes with a pained expression, tears still flowing down her cheeks in an endless cycle that she's given up on trying to stop. "I'm sorry." She whispers brokenly. "I didn't..." She shakes her head, trying to come up with the right words. "I'm so sorry. I…I shouldn't have pushed. I…sometimes I forget that people process things differently than I do, and they don't just get over things. That it takes more time. I'm sorry. I heard you say you love me, and I believed it. I just…it sort of felt as though you were indifferent. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry I yelled." Santana says softly. "I understand what you're saying though. I…I could have…there was lot of pain and disappointment in my life in a very short time that I'm still dealing with. So, I kind of…shut down. I could have told you that, but when I feel backed into a corner, I just…I react before thinking."

Dani shakes her head. "No. No, no. You have nothing to be sorry for, this is all on me."

Santana shakes her head. "It's okay. It's done and over with. Now you know. So, how about we just…drop it for now and go have dinner. If you have questions or whatever, I'll answer them." Santana says feeling a weight lift off her shoulders now that she isn't holding everything back anymore.

Dani looks at Santana. "A-are you sure?" She waits for Santana to nod and takes a deep breath. "Okay. What do you want to do for dinner?" She asks with a smile, her body releasing the tension from the conversation. She stands up and turns to help Santana up so they can get ready and leave, both more content and happier than before they had the conversation.

AN: Please let me know what you think. :)