Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the Glee characters.
AN: Sorry for the delay on this, but I haven't really plotted this out.
Chapter Two: The Call
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Tinkerbelle was a great name for a cat. At three years old, Brittany knew this as a fact. However, great awesome super cute names don't necessarily ensure that the cat wouldn't grow into a horrible monster.
Tinkerbelle was a beast of a cat. At more than twenty pounds and a ferocious appetite for small woodland creatures, without a pleasant bone in his body, Tinkerbelle was a street hardened tom cat. But all of this never deterred Brittany from attempting to cuddle the matted angry ball of fur.
It seemed that the half blind blood thirsty animal had a soft spot for the blonde headed girl, so the cuddle centric relationship worked pretty well. Kitten kisses were put on hold if Brittany witnessed a mouse murdering, or if Tinkerbelle ate too many small animals and had to empty his stomach.
Other than that, the odd pair were peas in a pod. The cat usually slept at the foot of the young girl's bed, keeping her company throughout the long dark scary nights.
Today, the last Saturday before the end of summer and the start of fourth grade, Tinkerbelle met his unfortunate death.
It was befitting for him, at least that's what her dad told her, along with a quick lecture on risk taking. Tinkerbelle choked on not just a singular mouse, but the cat had been attempting to swallow three at once. It goes without saying that Tinkerbelle had a weight problem.
Brittany tried to help her father dig the grave for her beloved monster, but the shuddering of her chest wouldn't stop long enough for her to sink the shovel into the soil. Her father suggested that she find something to bury Tinkerbelle in. With the help of her mother, Brittany found a box large enough for the cat. The plain brown cardboard proved too bland for Brittany's tastes and so crayons and craft paper were brought out to decorate the makeshift coffin.
The decorating took a little longer than expected, a combination of tears and creativeness. Around noon the decorating was paused because of a knock at the front door. Brittany's mother stood from the table to see who was at the door.
Brittany's tears renewed themselves at the thought of having to tell someone else what happened to Tinkerbelle. The reason that the cat wasn't scurrying about the house hissing at everyone.
"Hey Mrs. Pierce, can Brittany come and play?" Brittany heard Santana's loud voice and wiped at her face. Santana always made fun of Tinkerbelle. She'd probably be happy that he was dead.
"I don't know if she'd be up for it dear. Why don't you come and say hello." The door closed and her best friend and mother walked into the kitchen.
"Brittany, Santana's here. You two finish up and I'll check on your father." Her mother left the room, headed into the den rather than the patio where Brittany could see the stream of smoke from her father's pipe. Brittany figured out that her dad was less angry when he didn't have to talk to her mom, and vice versa.
"What's with the box?" Santana circled around the table eyeing the now colorful, large box, doing her best to ignore the wet cheeks of her friend.
"It's a coffin." Brittany picked up a piece of paper to tear at., dropping little leaflets on the glitter ridden table top.
"Oh. Who died?"
"Tinkerbelle."
"Ha, did your mom finally stomp him?" Santana poked the box and laughed, trying to cheer Brittany up a bit.
Brittany shot up from her seat and pulled Tink's coffin away from Santana's harsh words. "No! He committed suicide!"
"Well good ridda-"
"If you're just gonna be mean go away."
Brittany could feel the tears on her cheek, but Tinkerbelle's death had nothing to do with them.
She stared out the patio glass door, watching the smoke from her dad's pipe flow in the wind ignoring her friend taking a seat next to her. Ever since he started smoking he's been a lot nicer to her, but she could still hear her parents fight at night when they thought she was asleep. Usually she would have Tink to cuddle with, but now she'll have to go it alone.
A sigh from Santana and motion of the girl pulling her hair up into a ponytail finally brought Brittany's attention back to her friend.
"Where do you need glitter?" Maybe she could just stay with Santana.
"Around the edge."
Brittany let Santana pull the box closer to her, her friend's willingness to help was enough for Brittany to forgive her. Brittany just learned that friends could disappear quickly, and without reason, so she didn't want to push away what little time she had with Santana.
That and she knew how much Santana hated glitter. It had to mean something right?
Santana reached for the red tube, but Brittany handed her another. "Purple. Tinkerbelle loved purple ribbons."
"Yeah, like the kind that Asian girl wears." Santana smeared glue on the cardboard. "You remember when Tinkerbelle ate hers?"
Brittany started to laugh at the memory of her cat stealing the ribbon and sucking it down like a long spaghetti noodle, but halfway through it turned into a choking sob. She'd never be able to watch Santana chase Tinkerbelle around the house, never be able to cuddle into his smelly fur.
Santana moved around the table to sit close to her friend, letting Brittany rest her head on her shoulder.
Brittany instructed Santana with a horse voice. Telling her friend where to put a cut out heart or line of glitter. All the while Santana brought up funny stories of Tinkerbelle. Most ended with Santana being scratched or bit, but all of them made Brittany laugh.
After a few minutes Brittany's dad came inside, hanging around the kitchen munching on chips and adding to the stories.
"BB, I don't think you two can put much else on there."
"I think your dad's right Brittany." Santana sighed and tried her best to rub the glue and glitter from her hands. It was a mix of green and purple, and definitely not coming off of Santana's hands anytime soon.
"Yeah… I guess." Brittany wanted to make it the best coffin ever, Tink would be in this for the rest of ever.
"Alright girls, met me outside for the ceremony." Brittany watched her father carefully pick up the box and enter the garage. "Santana bring that incense with you guys."
Santana jumped up from her seat and pulled Brittany along with her. Their hands were both covered in glue. Brittany thought that they'd never be able to pull them apart, but Santana seemed not to care.
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Standing in the corner of her fenced in backyard, next to her dad's rose patch, Brittany watched her father lower Tinkerbelle into the hole. She was too tired from crying to do so anymore. She just leaned into her father's side and listened to his deep voice and watched the smoke stream from the incense in Santana's hand.
"Mighty cosmos, take our fellow traveler Tinkerbelle. May he never waver from his path, let him always find his way to happiness. Though we part in sorrow, we celebrate Tink's new adventure."
Santana shifted next to her, just like she did when she went to Mass with Santana's family.
Brittany broke away from her father to toss a fist full of dirt onto the coffin. The dirt had mixed with the glue and glitter on her hand, and when she turned around Santana was reaching out her hand. Brittany tried to avoid getting Santana dirty too, but the girl apparently didn't care. Her father started to cover Tinkerbelle with soil while humming an old song Brittany had always heard.
"Brittany you ok?"
"I'm just sad." Brittany stared at her father working on covering Tink.
The dirt echoed on the cardboard box with every shovel of dirt. Would they remember Tinkerbelle or would the roses just cover him. Her mom told her that Tinkerbelle would become the roses, but that would just be his body. The roses wouldn't really be like Tinkerbelle, they'd just be roses. Dumb flowers.
Santana stuck the incense in the ground as Brittany's father directed her to do. "Brett can I take Brittany to the park?" She was still rubbing the glitter from her hands, working some off in frustration.
"Go ahead girls, just be back for dinner. And watch for cars." Mr. Pierce continued shoveling as Santana dragged his daughter out of the yard to the park a few streets away.
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The walk was quiet, and Brittany didn't really want to be there. She just wanted to curl up in her bed and be sad for the rest of her life. She couldn't just turn around and leave her best friend alone in the park. Maybe Santana would come back home with her and watch cartoons with her.
Santana tugged on Brittany's hand towards their usual choice. The swing set seemed duller than usual. Brittany didn't know if it was because of Tinkerbelle or if the setting sun scared away all the pretty green.
"I don't feel like playing Santana."
"Well we can just sit on the swings." Santana shook her head and pulled Brittany to the empty swings, pushing her down into one.
"I don't want to swing." Brittany was tired from everything the day doweled out to her.
"What if I push you?"
That line usually worked on Brittany. If someone teased her about being too tall, Santana would push her on the swings. If Brittany's mom grounded her, Santana would push her on the swings. However today, the cool metal of the swing chains under her hands did nothing for Brittany.
"No."
Santana paid her no mind, Brittany could be stubborn and pouty sometimes, and Brittany felt her take hold of the seat and shove the swing into the air.
"Stop Santana."
"Not until you're happy again." Brittany felt herself fall backwards into Santana's grasp and into a hot breath of friend's words. "I'm going to push you until you smile again."
Brittany rolled her eyes, Santana was too stubborn to argue with. It was one of things she knew about her best friend. It was just easier to let her wear herself out. With that in mind, Brittany gripped the chains as Santana gave her all to push her higher into the air, tiny grunts popping from her mouth with every shove.
The swings were planted ontop of a hill, so the high Brittany flew, the more it seemed she was hovering over the Earth. Soon Brittany was high in the air, with a grin working its way onto her lips. Santana was pushing her and running under and around her as she fell through the air, making funny faces as Brittany flew past her.
"I wanta go faster." Brittany's request was met full force. She could hear Santana's doubled effort to push her faster.
"I bet you can beat your record jump going this fast Brittany." Brittany watched the ground fly past her. She had yet to make it past the railroad ties bordering the swing set, no matter how hard she tired. Though she never had Santana pushing her before.
"Alright, watch this."
Brittany readied herself on the back swing to launch out into the air. At the top of the swing she pushed away from the seat and chains and flew through the air with a yowl.
Santana was standing off to the side hopping up and down, and Brittany realized she cleared the tie. But then gravity caught up with her. The heels of her shoes slid from under her on the loose gravel and she saw the sky pass her, and finally she felt the back of her head met the hard wood of the railroad tie.
"Brittany!"
The pain surged from head into her eyes and down her back. Her hands flew to the back of her head where the flames of pain scorched. Brittany tried to curl into a ball, but something was stopping her. Cool hands were grabbing her wrists and pressing her face into a warm body. Brittany had her eyes screwed shut to escape the pain, but her nose told her that Santana had ahold of her.
Just before Britany was going to say something, she heard something strange.
Brittany could hear Santana crying out, that it was her fault, she shouldn't of told Brittany to jump.
Behind Santana's wails there was another voice, someone that sounded familiar.
A voice that sounded like Santana's, but not hers. Just as close, but not as loud. Brittany could hear the gentle voice alongside Santana's shouting. Brittany opened her eyes to find the second voice, only to see Santana's red cotton shirt.
Please, don't leave. Not yet, not again, not so soon.
Brittany's head reeled, the impact was a hot throb, but the voice stirred something else inside her. It was like panic, but not. More dizzying than the blow to her skull, Brittany clamped her hands over her ears to shut out the voices. Though it dampened Santana's tearful voice the second remained just as strong.
Nausea gripped Brittany, with little else of what to do and wanting to sooth both cries, Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana's waist. Immediately the other voice quieted, leaving a strumming feeling in Brittany's chest. Brittany looked up to Santana's face, finding the girl wiping tears from her eyes.
"Brittany are you ok? I'm so sorry, I shouldn't of told you to jump. I'm so stupid!" Brittany winced as one of Santana's hands ran over her bruised skull.
The touch caused Brittany to pull away, and the action elicited another cry from the distant voice.
"Santana calm down, I'm not going anywhere."
Santana scrunched her eyebrows together. "Is your head ok?"
"Yeah, I'm not leaving." Brittany pushed herself out of Santana's hold to stand. Her head had slowly dulled in its ache, though a quick kiss of fingers to the back of her skull showed that she was indeed bleeding a bit.
There was a curious look on Santana's face, but it was soon replaced with concern. Wasn't Santana worried about her leaving or something?
"You need to put ice on that. Let me walk you home." Brittany rubbed her head and nodded, letting Santana wrap an arm around her and escort her home through the twilight. The contact once again silenced the voice.
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The entire walk home Santana was apologizing and at the same time her other voice was mumbling. Brittany couldn't understand what Santana's other voice was saying, but it did make her feel better. Like a warm blanket on a cold night.
"Santana could you just talk once at a time?" All the cross talk was hurting Brittany's head more than the fall. And maybe she could understand what was being said.
"I think maybe you need to take a rest." Santana rubbed a small circle on Brittany's back and held open the front door for her.
Brittany was about to elaborate when her mother stomped across the living room. The tall blonde woman had reading glasses on as well as a cross look. Brittany wondered if she was fighting with dad again.
"Just where have you been young lady? What's wrong with your head?" Brittany's mother noticed her daughter cradling her head, and looked to Santana for answers.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Pierce I told her to jump off the swings and then she hit her head."
In a whirlwind of Oh My God's Brittany felt her mother take hold of her wrist and drag her towards the bathroom away from Santana.
Santana tried to follow, but Brittany heard her mom tell Santana to go home. To which Santana agreed to and at the same time disagreed.
"I'll see you later Brittany…" Santana turned quickly and ran out of the house before Brittany could say anything back.
Her mother jerked her chin away for Santana's retreating form and sat her on top of the counter in the bathroom. "Brittany how many times do I have to tell you not to do stupid things like jump off swings?"
"I'm fine." Brittany sighed and let her mom look her over. Her mother's fingers pushed and pulled at her hair around the small cut Brittany could now see in the bathroom's many mirrors.
"Well you're lucky you didn't break something. Go and get some ice and sit down for a while." She waved her off, and Brittany hopped down from the counter top.
The warm feeling had left Brittany, and now to replace it there was a strange sense of nausea again. Brittany thought that maybe she ate something to make her tummy feel funny. She figured it was better to keep it to herself than tell her mom, who was already angry at her.
In the kitchen she stood on her tippy-toes to steal ice cubes from the maker in the freezer. While putting ice cubes inside a baggy her dad walked in, searching for a cup of water.
"Hey BB, how's your head?"
"OK…" Brittany tied the bag close and pressed it against the back of her head, only for her father to take over. He lifted her to a stool next to the counter and gave her a once over.
"You sure? You look a little out of it honey." Brittany tried her best to hear her dad's second voice, but she couldn't. He just had the one, but how did Santana get two? And how did she just now notice this.
"Can people have two voices?"
"Whatda ya mean?" The hand cradling her face dropped from her head and picked up his mug of water.
"Like two voices, but one's a little different." Santana's other voice sounded funny, but like a good funny.
He scratched at the ever present stubble on his chin. "Sure BB, I guess. There's always more than one side to a person."
Brittany wasn't sure if her dad was answering her question, sometimes she confused him. But it was good enough for now. She'd have to ask Santana about it later. Santana usually always had an answer.
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TBC
AN: Let me know about things and stuff. The next chapter will fast forward to junior high school. I know it might seem like a huge jump since they're just kids, but... it'll work. Just trust me.