A/N: Your feedback from the last few chapters has been amazing! I really hope you all enjoy this chapter. It was difficult to write because I kept changing my mind, but I finally settled and I hope you like where it goes :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or it's characters.

We headed back into the bar and approached the table. My mom was twirling a straw in her drink and when she noticed us she grinned. "There you two are! Charlie and Scott are choosing a song for a duet and they want to battle you both."

Santana and me looked at each other and smirked. We high-fived and headed over to the stage. Charlie was strangling a microphone to death and Scott was going through the song list.

"I want some Beyonce!" Charlie whined. Scott ignored her and selected one that was definitely not Beyonce. They noticed us and squealed, handing us both microphones. People at the tables weren't paying attention, but a few people on the dance floor stopped and looked eagerly at us. I stood frozen, because I couldn't sing well and this song needed to be sung well. It was a classic. I suddenly felt fingers thread through my own and looked sideways at Santana. She sent me a soft smile then turned and faced the crowd. I guess she knew this song well too. Neither of us looked at the lyrics screen, while Charlie was a little drunk so she squinted at all the words.

The instrumental at the beginning of the song began to play and when it was our cue to sing, Santana surprised me by taking the lead. She squeezed my hand , urging me to sing with her. I decided I would harmonize in some parts.

And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
'Till the landslide brought me down

Santana then sung by herself,

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?

I joined in,

Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

I did not pay one bit of attention to Charlie, Scott or anyone in the bar apart from Santana. She looked like a natural up here.

Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too

I was so close to crying, not only because there were so many more people paying attention to us but Santana's voice just made me feel so much. I looked over to Charlie and Scott and saw that they had stopped singing and watch us both - well Santana mostly. She was pouring her heart into the song.

Well maybe
Well maybe
Well maybe the landslide will bring you down

Santana's voice drew out with the last note and I was speechless. Everybody was. She instantly grew red when she realised she has beat Charlie and Scott on her own and nudged me in the shoulder. I nudged her back and we walked back over to the booth.

After another 10 minutes we decided to tell everyone that I was feeling a little sick so Santana could drive me home. Charlie and Scott didn't question it, but my mom looked genuinely disappointed. I didn't like seeing that particular emotion on her face but Santana has been better to me than she has these last few months so I wanted to be with Santana.

The street lights were the only source of light out apart from the moon, so I only saw Santana's face every few seconds. When we arrived at my house Santana turned off the engine without saying anything. She just had this tiny smirk on her face and I knew why. I followed her to the front door and noticed it was open so my dad must not have gone out tonight. Santana walked in after me, holding the hem of my shirt because no lights were on. I paused suddenly when I heard a sniffle to my left.

I blindly felt around in front of me until I felt the light switch and flicked it on. There sitting hunched over on the sofa was my dad, crying in his hands. He wasn't even making sounds but his body was shaking so much that I felt so nervous. "D-Dad?" His head snapped up and his face was so sad that I instantly felt tears leave my eyes. He raised his hand to his mouth and shook his head, crying violently once again.

I felt Santana let go of my shirt but before I started walking I took her hand. She followed me to the sofa and sat beside me while I hugged my dad. His body made me shake, which made the sofa shake. I turned to Santana and saw her face full of empathy and I knew she wanted to do something but wasn't sure how to do it. I reached an arm around her and pulled her closer to me so I was hugging both of them. "What's wrong dad?"

"Oh Britt, I'm sorry I shouldn't be crying in front of you," He wept and wiped his nose. I loosened my grip around him to let him breathe.

"Please tell me what's wrong," I pleaded. He took a long breath before speaking.

"I just miss," He shook his head. "I miss how we all used to be. I miss your mom Britt," He said honeslty and turned to me. He laughed sadly and rubbed his forehead. "You have to promise me you will treasure whoever you fall in love with," He added firmly and I swear I felt Santana tense. She then broke our embrace and sat back. I wanted to ask her what was wrong but I couldn't look after my dad and her. I couldn't even look after myself.

"You have to tell mom," From the look on his face I knew I hit a nerve and I could almost feel his heart pinching tightly in agony. He was defeated and I knew how he felt, accept when I felt defeated I was in a completely different situation. So, this is the weak side of my dad that I never want to inherit. Of course, I cry and I know that is normal for people. But there's a certain way in which he's crying. Like he knows exactly why and he wishes he could stop but he purposely doesn't. I think I know why as well. I think he knows he is weak when it comes to his feelings for my mom and the tears are the result of realising he is weak.

"No, no, I can't," He says tiredly, as if he has been forcing himself to repeat those words to himself every night.

I don't really know why I want my dad and mom to get back together. Well I don't really. I just want my dad to be honest to her about how he feels, because I've come to learn how good it feels. Santana and me are getting so close to that point. "She doesn't deserve you anyway," I mumble into his shoulder. He sniffles and leans his head on mine.

"Promise me you'll treasure whoever you fall in love with Britty," He repeats and I immediately nod.

"I promise dad, come on," I whispered, helping him off the sofa. I lead him to the stairs and he said he'd be able to take it from here. He kissed my forehead and went upstairs. I then went back to the living room and saw Santana pacing around the room. "San?"

"Hey," She whispered and stopped. "How is he?"

"Fine, he's going to rest. Did you want to stay?" I asked hopefully. I really didn't want to be alone right now, but I understood if Santana had to go. I wouldn't tell her that I'd be sad if she left, because that would be far too clingy.

"Britt," She whispered, stepping closer to me. One of her hands slid from the top of my head down the side of my face. "I gotta go." I nodded, understanding fully why. She stepped passed me but before she opened the door she turned around and spoke. "Please don't give up on me."

I stared at her, nodding blankly and watched her leave. I would never.

I forgot how cold mornings were now that Santana hadn't slept over. Her warmth always surrounded me when I woke up, but now all that's here is an empty, unwelcoming space. My dad's words really got to Santana I think. Maybe it suddenly hit her that we were in high school, having some sort of fling and she realised that she needed to start thinking of relationships. Maybe she'll tell me we need to stop having sex because she wants to go find the woman of her dreams. I really hope she doesn't give up on me either.

Something about today was just unpleasant. Not because of the weather or the dark clouds hovering over every area I stood in. The vibe around school was just odd. Before I left the house I checked on my dad and found him hovering over his desk reading. I didn't disturb him though. I thought about calling Santana, wondering if she was going to pick me up for school but I didn't disturb her either.

I know how annoying disturbances can be. So I keep to myself, just like I did the first day of school. Nobody takes notice of me while I'm at my locker. Give or take a few jocks who remember Santana's stunt with me in this exact spot. They whistle and holler crude comments but I feel so drained today, like the world around me is just sucking the life right out of me.

"Hey." I slam my locker shut and hold my hand to my chest. Quinn's standing beside me with her eyes wide and mouth slightly 'o' shaped. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

I scoffed softly and hugged my books to my chest. "You think because you were nice to me once that I'll talk to you?" It was more of a rhetorical question but Quinn always has something to say.

"Ofcourse not, I just thought I'd say hey," She murmured, looking really vulnerable.

"Did Mr. Schue put you up to this? Is he getting every member of Glee club to make an effort with me now?" It came out of my mouth sharper than I planned but it seemed to provoke fear within Quinn.

"L-Like I said, I just wanted to say hey," Quinn mumbled. "That's all. I really do hope you're doing okay."

"I bet you do. Like that time you cared so much that you ordered Puck to slushie me? Or when you cared about me more than anybody else and got into that fight with Santana, my only friend," I spoke loudly, grabbing attention from a few surrounding students. "You know the consequences of your actions Quinn, but you still act like an asshole."

I side stepped her, walking towards my first class. I didn't want my first conversation with Quinn to be an argument, even though I could not hold my thoughts back. I knew with the mood I was in that a fist fight is probably what it would turn into. So really, I was doing her a favour walking away and leaving her alone. I was doing everyone a favour just keeping to myself.

I stood outside the Spanish room, observing my class mates. I don't even think one of them acknowledged what Mr. Schue was writing on the board. My eyes scanned the room further, landing on a familiar, beautiful girl in the back. She had her hair up in a high pony tail and the ends tickled her neck. Her lips were rubbing together in concentration as she traced something in her notebook. Her eyes lifted off the book, as if sensing someone was watching her. It all happened so slowly.

From this distance I couldn't tell if she wanted me to sit next to her. I assumed she did, so I stepped inside the classroom. But then she got up from her desk, her eyes still firmly piercing into mine. Her strides were elegant and with her body in full view now I could see she was wearing tight fitting jeans and black combat boots. When she was about a metre away from me she lifted her arms in the air, wrapping them around my neck. Her face buried into my chest and I instantly slid my arms around her waist pulling her so close against me. People in the room were so busy with what they were doing they didn't even notice our odd romantic moment.

Santana pulled back and stared at me in a different way now. Passion was lacking in her eyes and I think she only hugged me because it was one of those 'We normally see each other all the time and I miss you' moments. She cleared her throat and I frowned because I didn't want her to make this awkward. She turned away from me smoothly and walked back to her seat. It was almost like that embrace never happened. But it did and everything she makes me feel will never go away no matter how much she tries to avoid it and the problem is she never avoided it before. She was so sure.

I sat on the other side of the room. I actually did some work this class but I forgot most of the information by the end of it. I hadn't eaten breakfast this morning. I didn't want to do anything anymore if Santana wasn't there to share the moment with me. It's strange how accustomed I've grown to having her around. I think she's flickering away, but holding on for something. I just don't know what that something is. If it has anything to do with me, then I want her to be up front. It's almost like after one night she's changed her mind. I wonder if she'll go back to fucking cheerleaders tomorrow, or even tonight. I'm not even girlfriend material, or even friend material. She's probably already bored of me.

I looked over at her and she was intently watching me. She wasn't even trying to be subtle about it. I frowned and buried my face in my work again, but after a while I could still feel her eyes on me. So I joined in her game. I brushed my hair behind my ears so she could have a clear view of my face. I twisted my chair around slightly so I could face her better and she visibly shrunk. I don't even know what she's making me do or what she wants me to do and it's killing me. The pinching inside my chest grows tighter the more she avoids what we're doing and soon I feel like I'm going to lose it. She's opened up so much recently, I'd hate to give up on her before I know all of her.

Because Cheerios practice ran late I didn't get home until 6:30. I wish it had run even later, because as I approached my front door I heard screaming.

"You might not come back? You can't live there, what about our kids?"

"I'm doing this because of our kids!"

"That doesn't make any sense, you can't just up and leave!"

"Mom?" Both my parents heads turned towards me. "Where are you going?" I asked, observing the suitcases by her feet.

She wore a small smile, almost invisible. "I'm just going on a holiday Britt," She spoke, her voice cracking with each word.

"A permanent one?" I asked, confused.

"Britty, go upstairs," My dad spoke softly and I shook my head immediately.

"What? So you're going all Shirley Valentine on us?" I scoffed and ran my hands through my hair. I wish Charlie was home, she'd know how to deal with mom and her crazy impulses.

"I should go," My mom breathed, picking up her bags.

"No!" I screamed. "You're hardly here and now you're just going to leave? Please don't mom, please," I begged, tears threatening to fall.

"Brittany, I'm a mess." She dropped her bags and sat on the arm of the recliner.

I shot my dad a look signalling for him to give us some privacy. He sighed and nodded. "I'll be in the kitchen," He said reluctantly.

I stood in front of my mom, reaching up to wipe the tears under her eyes. The mascara was staining her cheeks but I'd get a tissue for her later.

"Do you love dad?" I asked firmly, containing the rest of my tears.

My mom breathed in and out through her nose and shook her head. "No. There was a time though, when I thought I did."

"I hope when I'm your age, I'll have someone that loves me as much as dad loves you." She smiled sadly at me and went to hug me but I stepped back and shook my head. "You know who has been there for me since I got out of the clinic?" She stared blankly at me, still offended that I rejected her hug. "Charlie, Dad, Scott and you'll never guess who else. Santana." Her eyes closed for a moment as she swallowed thickly. "Everyone but you."

"Brittany..."

"No. You're supposed to be the one taking care of me, asking how I am, how I'm recovering!" I was about to cry again, but I turned around and wiped my sleeve across my face.

I didn't want to say anything else, so I left. I was going to Santana to tell her I want her in every way possible and that she doesn't have to be scared of me for what ever reason. If I returned and my mom was gone then I know that I made the right choice and I did say everything I wanted too to her.

I didn't catch the bus this time, I just ran. I sped down every street and twenty minutes later I was standing outside Santana's front door. I knocked a few times but there was no answer. I really hope my dad didn't scare her off when he talked about love and the future.

The door suddenly opened and Scott stood there with a grin. "Hey wh-"

"Where's Santana?" I asked out of breath.

"Ugh, she said she was picking you up from cheerleading practise," Scott replied with a frown.

Crap. "Thanks!" I knew I couldn't run to school. I'd have a heart attack or something on the way. Luckily the bus only took a few minutes to arrive. I took out my phone and searched Santana's number, which I will have to learn to memorise if things go well with her. She doesn't answer. To pass the time I decide to just stare at her number, because I want everything domestic with her and it was a weird feeling because we are only in high school. It is our last year, but I wish Santana and me could be this young forever and I could back in time and tell her how wonderful she is and accept her crude suggestion of fucking like rabbits.

I laugh to myself in the bus and luckily there's only one other old woman sitting up the front. I don't know why I'm laughing, it was probably the rabbits thought. Or the fact that I've never done this before... I've never chased a girl, or a guy or anyone, unless we were playing tag. I'm actually taking time out of my existence to find Santana and tell her what she means to me. This is the funniest thing I've ever done.

Before I can amuse myself with my inner thoughts any longer, I notice we're almost at school and press the button. I thank the driver and rush over towards the entrance. I don't expect it to be open, but when it is I am so grateful. I'm slowly stepping down the hall because I'm sure there is someone other than Santana in here, unless she broke in...

Suddenly I see the janitor step out of his closet and walk in the opposite direction with a mop. I tip toe left down the hall and stop near the choir room. Inside it's empty and the door is locked. I knock just in case Santana stayed behind at school so late that she got locked in. When there is no answer I continue towards the cafeteria. The door is locked as well so I step in the direction of the gym. All that's lit are the pool lights which are barely making anything visible. I'm about to step out when I hear her.

"Looking for me?" She asks confidently.

I frown at her and shrug. I feel so drained and now that she's actually in front of me I just want to take her to bed and sleep.

"I rocked up at home and Scott said you were looking for me and that you would be here," She continues while I remain silent. I decide to speak after a few minutes, finding the frustration I used towards Quinn again.

"What is your problem? You've been completely cold to me and today was just weird. Was it because of what my dad said?" Her lips twitch up into a smile, an actual smile, even though I'm speaking completely serious to her. She walks towards me, the same pace she did in class. I want to open my mouth to say something but it's locked shut. I find the strength to step back but she keeps walking towards me and before I know it I'm falling backwards and grasping onto her shirt.

My vision is blurred underneath the water. I squint and she her face close to mine but her eyes are shut. We both surface and gasp. I cough and splutter water out of my mouth. Santana is rubbing her eyes and treading water in front of me. I turn and am about to swim to the ledge but she grabs my waist and pulls me against her. We float to the shallow end so we're both standing on our toes but she doesn't let go.

"Santana," I breathe.

"Britt, just let me hold you. I'll answer your questions if you let me hold you." I'm to tired to argue so I relax in her arms. "What your dad said made me scared but not in the way you think," She clears her throat and realise just how close her mouth is to my ear because she's taller than me. "I feel like I haven't treasured the person that means the most to me. I've tried, believe me. But I don't think it's going to be enough. I don't think I'm enough. I stuck up for you all those times because I could not stand the thought of you hurt. You scare me because... You made me fall in love with you before I even met you." I tense in her grip and feel my eyes burn with fresh tears. "When Charlie showed me that picture of you I started to believe in love at first sight. There was just something so pure and beautiful about your smile and your hair and your eyes. From that point on I promised myself that I would find a way to get to know you and be your friend," She sighed and laughed a little. "Then I actually met you and when I realised it was really you I was so nervous. I created this confidence in myself so I wouldn't be able to feel pain if you rejected me in any way. When you said you didn't want to be my friend the first time I..." She trails off and I feel my heart pinch. "I just wanted you in my life. I needed you in my life. I love you Brittany."

She loosens her grip on me and I turn to face her. We're both crying but you would only notice if you saw our eyes. We didn't make any sounds. All that left my mouth was a small whimper. She heard but she didn't move to comfort me. I silently thanked her for that and when I finally could speak, I said something that I didn't think I would ever say to her.

Thoughts? :)