Hi guys! So you'll notice almost immediately this chapter is different from the others. I hope you'll give it a chance, and please do let me know any comments to have to make my writing better. As per, I have no rights to the characters used.
Also, you'll note I've taken some liberties as to character backgrounds so bear with. Thanks for reading!

XIXIX

From Britt: I told them San, they don't mind. Come on over whenever you're ready, they want to see you. Love you! Xxxx

I looked at my phone in my left hand as it buzzed with the new message. It took only a moment for me to look over the letters, blurred though they were. My brain put the letters together to make words, the words to make sentences, causing tears to finally stream down my cheeks. I'd held it in as long as I could, but they rose like a river, flooding my face as gravity pulled them onward the earth.

I cranked my arm back, before unleashing the phone from my hand, against my dark wall. It cracked and shattered on impact as I sank to the floor. I could hear the banging coming from my door, but everything else had shut down. I was numb, cold, unfeeling.

I pulled my loose outerwear further around me, tugged the cardigan closer, as I felt sobs wrack my body. I allowed the tears to come, escape my body where I'd held them prisoner and fall to the floor, staining the otherwise clinically clear carpet.

Eventually silence reigned. The door stopped banging, shaking. My mind went quiet, and I fell asleep.

XIXIX

- The week prior -

It was the end of the week and school had gone SLOWLY. Britt I were in a delicate balance the whole time between wanting to touch, feel, see, but needing to keep it between us. whilst I'd hoped otherwise, Britt was still keen to tell our parents about our relationship. Thus far I'd managed to avoid that situation but I could feel her growing impatient, though she tried to hide it.

"I'm trying Britt, I really am but I don't think you're really appreciating what could happen if we tell them" I tried to put this conversation to bed before it really started, but I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. We were sat in my car at the end of the school day, waiting for the parking lot to clear before we left. Britt has family night tonight so not only can we not have date night but we have to get our 'cuddle' on here... If people would only hurry up and disappear, I thought, glancing out the windows.

"San, firstly it's when we tell them. We're not not telling them, so lets get that straight and (b) our parents are usually pretty cool about things. Like when we got caught skipping school a couple months back, they didn't really punish us or anything, they just forgave us." Britt tried to reason with me.

I huffed a laugh "B, your parents may have forgiven us, but mine didn't even care in the first place. They're never around to care, always at work, at this conference or that conference. They won't know anything is different with me, nothing will change if i don't tell my parents so what's the point?" I want to make her happy, I do, but why cause an issue when there's no need?

"The point is, Santana, that I love you, and you love me, and I want everyone to know it."

"Britt I want the same thi.."

"NO you don't" Britt was basically shouting now as she interrupted me. "'Cause see to me everyone includes my parents!"

Britt was definitely angry now, that's not want I wanted. "Britt..." I started, but didn't really know what to say next.

Not that it mattered. "You know what Santana, save it. Just, I dunno, just do whatever it is you want to do, see if I care!" And with that she got out the car. I scrambled in my seat belt to reach out with my left hand to pull her back but she was too fast, gone before I could pull her back.

"Eurhgg" I sighed. I didn't know if I should follow her or just let her be alone. It was a long walk home and she probably shouldn't do it by herself.

I watched as brittany twisted around mid step. Ah, she's coming back, I exhaled a sigh of relief thinking that we could go back to our originally scheduled programme.

Out of my peripheral I caught a flash of dirty blond hair. Quinn. I saw as she jogged into my field of vision and right up to Britt's side. Oh, she wasn't turning back for me then. I could see them talking, mouths moving quickly, before the girl with the dirty blond hair looked my way, a scowl clear as day evident on her face. I grimaced, what was brittany saying? I watched in silence as Q wrapped an arm around Britt's waist and led her to the shiny, ice blue Prius nearer the entrance to the parking lot. Not a minute later that same car left the lot.

She hadn't even looked back. Not once since she got out of my car.

XIXIX

"Oh Britt, don't be sad" Quinn implored from the driver's seat, she leant over and slid her palm into Brittany's that was resting on the centre console.

"Thanks for the ride Quinn, I just couldn't sit there any longer with her" Brittany replied.

"What's going on B? It seemed like things were good this week between you two"

Brittany bit her cheek, thinking. 'Santana probably wouldn't want her to tell Quinn, but this was Quinn, their best friend' brittany thought. "Quinn.." Brittany started.

A pause. "Britt.."

"Quinn, San and I are together. Like, we're boyfriend and girlfriend. Only girls. Girlfriend and girlfriend" brittany told Quinn, she felt like she just had to get it out, she didn't have anyone else she could talk to about these things.

Quinn for her part didn't look surprised, in fact she looked a little smug. "Finally" she mumbled under her breath. Brittany looked over at her, evidently hearing the word, and quirked an eyebrow in question. "I may or may not have cornered Santana and more or less told her to get her arse in gear before she made you both miserable with this ridiculous are we, aren't we game you've been playing all year. So you know, I kinda happy she finally did!" A smile broke its way over her face before she caught herself, and frowned. "Britt, if you're together now, why are you unhappy?"

By this point in time they were pulling into Brittany's road. Brittany sighed. "Because Q, San won't tell her parents about us"

Quinn came to a stop on the road outside Brittany's house and turned to her, not releasing the hand she'd held the ride's entirety "I'm sorry B" she said warmly "come out with me tomorrow, I'll cheer you up?"

Brittany smiled a small smile, the first since she got into the car earlier with Santana. "Okay" she replied to Quinn.

"Yay" Squealed Quinn. "Okay so I already have something planned so you can come with me. I'll be here at 11 to pick you up!"

Brittany leant over the console to hug Quinn before opening the door. Getting out, she turned and poked her head back into the car " bye Q, see ya tomorrow!" With a little waive she watched as Quinn sped off, down her road, in her little environmentally friendly car.

Game night, thought brittany, time spent with her family never failed to put a smile on her face. And that it did. The only thing that could have made it better were if Santana were there too enjoy it too.

XIXIX

11am on Saturday rolled around quickly and brittany found herself stood outside her house in jeans and a t shirt waiting for Quinn. She hadn't slept well, or much, last night, caught up in thoughts of her girlfriend. She hadn't heard from her, though she kind of expected too, and couldn't decide if she'd maybe pushed her too far this time.

Startled from her thoughts by a honk, she walked down the pathway and hopped into Quinn's car. "Hi Q" brittany said by way of greeting.

Quinn turned to hug the girl sat across from her, and felt the way she was slumped, resigned, in the embrace. "Hey B" she said softly "still not feeling so great today?" The answer written all over her face, Brittany's head shake wasn't all that necessary "well that's why your with me today Britt"

"We didn't break up Quinn. I can't be with you" brittany spoke up

"I just meant we're hanging out so we can make you happy again Britt" Quinn responded with a smile.

"Oh, cool. Thanks Q. Where are we going today?" Brittany asked a few minutes into their journey.

"To the mall first B" Britt got her answer and turned in her seat to watch as the world passed them by. A little while later they pulled into an open space, vacated the car and headed into the glass fronted mall.

Shops a plenty surrounded them on all sides. A sea of children, parents and grandparents provided the obstacles between the two girls and their destinations. A dance of sorts ensued, shuffling to the right, striding to the left, dodging a stray toddler before finding their first shop.

As 1 o'clock rolled around, both blonds felt themselves in need of some respite, and found their way to the eatery near the middle of the mall.

"Quinn, why are we here?" Brittany asked and the walked through the door, "there's a pizza place like right next door" pizza had always been their go to pick-me-up meal.

Quinn was distracted though and hadn't heard Brittany's question. "Ah, there she is" Quinn said after a moment of looking around the restaurant.

"Who.." Britt started and she followed Quinn's eye line, matching her stride for stride.

Quinn came to a stop and hugged the girl in front of her, before she stepped back and the brunettes' eyes fell on brittany.

"Hey Rachel" brittany said as she embraced the, much, shorter girl.

"Hi Brittany, how are you today?" Rachel asked as they broke free of each other.

"Yeh I'm good, what are you doing here?" Britt was confused, she hadn't really spent any time with Rachel alone outside of glee club.

"It's Saturday, the better question is what you're doing here brittany"

Brittany looked over to Quinn in question. "It's become a sort of thing I guess" Quinn started, "Rachel and I meet here for some lunch most Saturdays. It's good here, foods tasty, even though its vegan,(Rachel quirked an eyebrow) and one of Rachel's dads own the place, so we eat for free."

Brittany accepted the answer, never one to pass up a free meal. "Well thanks for letting me join" Britt said by way of a response.

They were seated immediately at Quinn and Rachel's usual table before ordering what they usually did. Quinn ordered for Brittany as she hasn't been there before. Quinn and Rachel caught up whilst Brittany sat in relative silence, not really understanding what was going on.

"Um Quinn" Brittany interrupted "am I missing something here?"

Quinn looked over to Brittany and explained, "at school yeh we bicker, we have to to keep social order, but we actually like each other, you know, outside of school." She sent a small smile over to Rachel. "The person we present to the world B isn't always the person we are."

The food arrived and Quinn dug in first, and the conversation slowed, focused mainly on how good what they were eating tasted! After the plates were cleared from their table,Rachel left the two blonds to say bye to her father in the office. "Wanna come back to mine Britt? We can ask Rachel too"

"Sure Q, sounds fun" brittany said in response.

When Rachel returned, it was agreed that the three would head back to Quinn 's to enjoy the afternoon sun by the pool.

All the girls used one of Quinn's bikinis to use by the pool, each disappearing individually to change. Quinn met Brittany out on one of the sun loungers by the pool and pulled one up for Rachel too.

"Wow rach, you're looking smoking" brittany said, smiling, as the noticed Rachel walk out onto the pool area. Quinn smiled too, her cheeks tinged a little pink as she turned back toward to pool, sunglasses over her eyes.

Rachel laughed, "thanks brittany".

Lazy chattered ensued, careless were the three girls as they relaxed In the afternoon sun. Eventually Rachel had to leave, citing her need to return to the restaurant where she helped out her dad in lieu of a part time job. Britt waived from the pool as she bobbed her head in and out of the water, she didn't notice as Quinn got up from her seat and hugged Rachel tightly to her bikini clad chest, "Bye Rach" she murmed to the other girl. "See you soon Quinn" Rachel replied with a smile as she stepped backwards and let herself out.

Quinn decided to hop into the pool with Britt, so threw herself under the water off the side, showering both Britt and a 5 foot radius in chlorine smelling pool water. Spluttering, she sidled up to brittany, having to tread water in the deep end where they swam.

"Hey B" Quinn chuckled, "did you have a good day?"

Brittany wrapped her arms around the smaller girls waist, pulling into her where she stood, tall enough to keep here her head above water. "Yeh, thanks Q" brittany nuzzled her nose into her shoulder.

"Any time B, any time."

A little while later, both girls were lounging in the tv room when Quinn's parents got back. "B, wanna stay here tonight?" Quinn turned to ask.

"Okay" brittany said in response, she hadn't anywhere else to be, silent was her phone as it had been all day. Still nothing from Santana, weird, Brittany thought as she glanced for any notifications. Quinn got up to speak with her parents before returning with take away her mum had picked up en route home. The two headed upstairs to Quinn's room before settling at the foot of the bed to eat.

3 movies later the two were sprawled out of the bed, lights dimmed and tv still on, fast asleep.

XIXIX

Sunday was a quiet affair for the two ladies. Without so much as a text from Santana, Brittany had started worrying and when she couldn't be distracted by food, films or fun anymore, Quinn dropped her home.

As Brittany stepped through the front door, she whipped off her cardigan from Quinn and headed straight for the lounge.

"Hey Em" said sighed as she lay her head in her lap on the sofa.

"Hey Britty" Emily replied. Sensing her sister's unhappiness, she started running her hand through soft blond locks. A few minutes later Emily tried to ask what was wrong but Brittany just said 'nothing' before getting off her lap and heading upstairs.

Once in her room, she changed and climbed into bed. It was a little early but with nothing else to do she was hoping a good sleep would put her in a better frame of mind to see Santana in the morning.

XIXIX

I hadn't done anything all weekend really, other than slump around the house avoiding my parents. I also avoided Britt. I knew she was upset and I didn't want to make her more sad or mad,so I thought staying away was probably better.

As I showered for school, I couldn't help but surmise what I'd been thinking this weekend.

Weak. Pathetic. Unworthy. Britt's right when she says we need to tell our parents. We can't really have a relationship that's healthy until we do. I guess I just have to bite the bullet eventually, so to speak, and then face whatever the outcome is. At least I won't be alone, I don't think.

After getting into bed, I submitted to the tiredness that seeped into my every bone.

XIXIX

Part 2 to follow, can you guess what's coming next, what caused the first paragraph? stay tuned!