So some quick notes before we start:
The first song is "My First Kiss" – 3OH!3 Feat. Ke-Dollar Sign-Ha (lol)

And the second one is "Right Round" – Flo Rida

Yeah. They're not new songs. But I like them so who cares! I don't usually put songs into my fics but I think it's more fun if you listen to them while you read about someone dancing. I find it easier to picture the scene that way. And in my opinion, it gives the party atmosphere. Get them prepped if you wanna listen while you read!

Now, on to the next installment!

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By the time the following weekend rolled around, Santana felt she had settled into her new job as well as could be expected. After finding out that she'd gotten the position, she spent the better part of Monday afternoon shopping for some more 'business-y' type outfits that she could wear to the office.

Her first day on Tuesday was a little nerve-racking and at times, she felt overwhelmed by the prospect of learning how to do so many new things… but thankfully Kurt was there to keep her level when they went on their lunch breaks together. He reminded her that every job was stressful at first and that once she'd been there for a couple of weeks, it would all be easy as pie.

And he was right. Each day everything got a little bit easier and she relaxed a little bit more. Her aunt also helped on occasion. She had a lot experience working at the newspaper and whenever Santana was embarrassed to ask her supervisor a question that she felt was too obvious or silly, she could always discreetly slip over to her aunt's desk for a quick chat.

Everything at the office was panning out almost better than she'd expected. And to make things even sweeter, her mom had been absolutely thrilled with her ever since she landed the job… so they'd been getting along famously and hadn't had one fight the whole week. It was a new record. Because even though they really loved each other, their personalities were just too similar not to clash every now and then.

The only downside to her week was that Santana hadn't realized just how tiring it was working a full-time job. When she got home at 6 each day, all she wanted to do was flop down onto her bed and go to sleep. She didn't even have enough energy to get on her laptop and troll the net. And that was pretty much one of her favorite things to do.

So on Friday night, when she left the office, she made sure to take full advantage of her relaxation time, knowing she needed to rest up for Kurt's friend's party the following day.

It had been quite a while since Santana last went to a real 'party'. And even though it wasn't really her thing anymore, she decided to make an exception for Kurt. He seemed pretty excited about it. And besides, how bad could it be? Probably just a bunch of pretentious actors and other far too fashionably dressed males of questionable sexuality… She mused. I can't really see that scenario getting out of hand.

Even though she expected the night to be a letdown, on Saturday afternoon, Santana spent a good 2 hours getting ready and tried on dozens of different outfits until she found something that was absolutely perfect. Regardless of how things turned out, she decided she wanted to look her best.

At about 9pm, Santana heard that distinctive knock on her front door and tugged it open to find Kurt immaculately dressed in a dark grey suit and thin lavender tie ensemble.

'Hey lady lips.' She smirked.

Kurt gaped at her in mock offense as he stepped inside. 'If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were insulting me.'

'Who says I'm not?' Santana quipped, a huge grin stretching her lips.

There was a slight pause as Kurt rolled his eyes at her and smiled before stepping back to appraise her outfit like he always did. 'Well aren't we looking lovely this evening? I see you haven't forgotten how to dress to your… um… assets.'

Santana felt a small blush creep into her cheeks as she looked down at herself and smoothed out her simple black dress. It wasn't anything too fancy, but the cut was very flattering and showed off her curves nicely. And when combined with some black leather boots and silver jewelry, she felt that it was fitting for their night out. 'Are you saying I look slutty?' Santana raised a challenging eyebrow at her friend.

'No. Why would I ever say a thing like that?' Kurt asked sarcastically and giggled as the brunette gave him a playful shove.

'Shut up. I look hot. You're just jealous.' Santana teased.

'Are you kidding? See this outfit?' Kurt did a little twirl in his suit. 'Cost me three weeks pay.' He grinned proudly. 'Suffice to say, I feel pretty damn fine myself tonight.'

Santana laughed but nodded her agreement anyways. 'How about we get going then stud… before we set this place on fire with our overwhelming hotness?'

'Lead the way sweet cheeks!' Kurt gestured with his arm and followed Santana back out to his car with a spring in his step.

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Even as they pulled up at the curb, Santana knew the party was going to be nothing like what she'd expected. The music was pounding. There were people everywhere. And someone was already passed out on the lawn in front of the house.

'Are you sure this is the right place?' Santana inquired as Kurt turned off the engine and opened his door.

'Yes… Why?' He asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.

'When you said we were going to your friend's party, I just thought it would be… I don't know… calmer? I thought there would be cocktails and smooth jazz music or something…' Santana moved around the car to follow her friend closely as he strolled up to the house.

Kurt shot her an amused expression. 'While I may possess impeccable taste and sophistication, not everyone can be as lucky. Even the uber-gay performing arts kids can throw keggers.'

Santana frowned as they stepped inside and almost immediately had to dodge a tall, bulky guy covering his nakedness as he bolted out the front door and began to streak down the road. 'Really? These are the so called artists of our generation?'

Kurt rolled his eyes and smiled. 'Come on San, lighten up.' He looked as if he was about to say something else to her but was interrupted by a heavy tap on the shoulder.

'Kurt! There you are!' A short guy with dark wavy hair and thick eyebrows came to stand next to him, a big grin on his face.

'Hey Blaine… How's it going?' Santana watched on with a smirk as Kurt blushed slightly and gave the boy a quick hug. 'Uh… This is my friend Santana.' Kurt took a step back and gestured towards the Latina as Blaine moved to shake her hand politely.

'Nice to meet you.' Blaine offered.

'A pleasure.' Santana replied as pleasantly as she could manage over the blaring music.

'So glad you guys could make it.' Blaine said a little too loudly, obviously already bordering on tipsy. 'Hey! I'm just about to get myself another drink. Come with me!'

Kurt smiled and took Santana's hand as he dragged them through the mass of people behind Blaine. When they reached a small bar set up in the corner of the living room, their host poured them each a shot of Irish cream and Butterscotch Schnapps.

And then another.

And then another…

Santana had never tried the combination before, but had to say she loved the drink from her first taste. It was sweet and burned her throat soothingly like all good alcohol should. They shared a laugh as Blaine poured them yet another round and when it was gone, Kurt held a hand over his glass in protest.

'Whoa. How bout we drop it back into second gear for a while? It's still early!' He laughed.

'Spoil sport.' Blaine grinned but put down the bottles anyway. 'Perhaps a beer instead?'

Santana shrugged, not really minding either way but Kurt shook his head and made a face. 'Not for me. Haven't you got anything more… girly?'

Blaine's face lit up and he reached back under the bar, pulling out some vodka and orange juice from the mini-fridge. 'Better?'

'Much.' Kurt smiled and watched as Blaine carefully measured out three identical drinks.

'Thanks.' Santana nodded gratefully as she took the stereotypical red plastic cup and had a taste.

'Mmmm.' Kurt hummed, also taking a swig. 'You sure do have a talent for mixing drinks. Ever considered switching professions?'

Blaine laughed. 'Now Kurt, you know my heart belongs to the stage.'

'Those shots we were doing before… What were they called?' Santana asked curiously.

'Oh... Cowboys…' Blaine smiled mischievously and hesitated for a second. 'Uh… Cowboy Cocksuckers… to be more precise.'

Upon hearing this Kurt's face instantly reddened and he began to choke on his drink. Santana just giggled at his embarrassment. She loved drinks that had dirty names. For some reason, they were always the nicest.

The three of them continued to drink and chat at the bar for a few more minutes, Santana watching on with growing amusement at Kurt's obvious fawning over the shorter guy. As the two boys began to talk animatedly about some Broadway star's latest autobiography though, she allowed herself to tune out of the conversation and take her first proper look around the party.

There were people everywhere. The crowd was so thick that there was barely enough room to move around. It reminded her of the parties she used to go to at college… except with less frat boys and sorority girls. This was certainly not what she'd pictured her night to be like. The group appeared to be a mix of everything – Gay, straight, male, female, over-dressed, under-dressed… and everything in between. However, Santana now realized that assuming all of Kurt's friends would be like little clones of him was a ridiculous concept and she chided herself for being so closed-minded.

Feeling the need to explore a bit further and knowing that Kurt and Blaine were more than entertained without her presence for the time being, Santana excused herself for a walk and wound her way through the throng of partygoers out of the living room and into the kitchen.

There were still quite a lot of people taking up the space even though it was slightly less crowded than the previous room. Santana looked on with interest as people talked and laughed around her… but upon hearing a familiar song blast through the house, she found herself gravitating towards the source of the music.

My first kiss went a little like this…

It was coming from the dining room. The table had been pushed up against the wall and was currently holding about a dozen half-empty bowls of chips, pretzels and other snack foods as well as being scattered with numerous red plastic cups. In the corner, Santana spotted a wannabe DJ set up with his own turntables and seriously expensive-looking set of oversized speakers. The people in this room were all dancing and jumping around… and she smiled to herself for a moment as she thought of Brittany.

And then her heart skipped a beat. A minute long beat.

Brittany?

Her eyes focused in on the dancer and she almost wondered if she'd dreamed the girl into existence. But the longer she stared, the more it became clear that this was real. It was definitely Brittany dancing effortlessly in the center of the room, putting everyone around her to shame. Although she certainly looked different out of her cashier's uniform… dressed in pair of jean short shorts, a very loose fitting t-shirt and boots. Not to mention her hair was down and much more tousled than usual.

This is getting fucking ridiculous. Santana shook her head in complete disbelief and blinked a few times. I mean, I know this is a small town but seriously? She's everywhere!

Glancing around a little desperately, Santana wondered what her best course of action was. There were pretty much only two ways this could go. She could walk straight up to Brittany and say hi. And look like a stalker. Or she could simply pretend that she hadn't seen the blonde and move to another room of the party with Brittany never the wiser. And right now that seemed like the more sensible option.

Because honestly… she worried that the girl really would begin to think that she followed her everywhere.

But as Santana's eyes continued to flicker over the ground near her feet while she weighed up her options, her decision was made for her.

'Santana?' There was a shout from the crowd in front of her.

The brunette didn't need to look up. She knew it was Brittany. She'd been spotted. Squeezing her eyes shut, she cursed herself for not just turning around and walking away the second she noticed the blonde.

'Santana?' She heard again, this time the voice wasn't as loud but it was much closer.

She finally turned her gaze upwards and caught sight of Brittany making her way over. Taking a deep breath, the Latina attempted to swallow her nerves and form a polite smile on her face.

'Uh hey Brittany. Didn't expect to see you here.' Santana tried her best to sound casual as the girl came to stand in front of her. 'How's it going?'

'Great! This party is awesome!' Brittany said excitedly. From the way she was grinning and bouncing around, Santana could tell that like Blaine, she'd obviously had a few drinks already tonight.

Santana giggled and then paused for a few seconds, not really sure what to say next. Luckily, she was saved from the sudden mental blank when a new song began pumping through the room and the blonde's face noticeably lit up in recognition. 'Oh! I love this song! Come dance with me!' Brittany beamed, grabbing Santana's hand and tugging her back towards the middle of the room.

You spin my head right round, right round when you go down... When you go down down…

Santana barely had enough time to get over her surprise at Brittany's suggestion before she found herself confined within the mass of people and the blonde lifting the hand she still held up above their heads and began dancing. Trying her hardest to suppress the uneasiness in her gut, Santana attempted to find the rhythm as her eyes focused on anything but the girl in front of her.

'Come on San! Don't just stand there!' Brittany laughed and Santana was forced to look up. Blue eyes smiled at her in amusement and she felt her cheeks burning when Brittany suddenly seized her other hand and took a step towards her, guiding the Latina's movements with her own.

Santana's mouth went dry. Not only was Brittany holding onto her but she was now far too close than seemed appropriate. Of course, she wasn't complaining. But it wasn't exactly helping in her quest to find the beat. Usually dancing was easy for her… but with Brittany's close proximity and the fact that she was worried about embarrassing herself in front of the obviously skilled dancer, she just couldn't seem to get into the song.

After another few moments of semi-awkward swaying, Brittany let go of Santana's hands with a giggle and leant in close to her ear so she could be heard over the music. 'Where's that Sexy Snix you were telling me about?'

Santana shivered at the blonde's hot breath on her ear and simply nodded. She closed her eyes, trying her best to pretend that Brittany wasn't there, and slowly began her practiced dance. A few long seconds passed and she bit her lip anxiously, sure that when she finally opened her eyes again, Brittany was going to be laughing at her… but when she looked up, she only saw a pleased grin on the girl's face.

'I like it.' Brittany said as she leant into her ear again. Instead of pulling back to dance on her own though, she turned her back to Santana, glancing over her shoulder seductively at the Latina before beginning a dance that was equally as sexy… if not more so.

Santana had to force herself not to gape at the blonde. She had no idea that the girl could be so… forward. Maybe it was the alcohol or even just the party atmosphere, but Brittany was certainly not shy about being flirty now. This new side of her caught Santana completely off guard…And to make things even worse, she felt the Cowboy shots she'd done before begin to take hold of her own inhibitions. Before she could even comprehend what she was doing, her hands had dropped from their position above her head and rested lightly on Brittany's hips as she moved.

The blonde smiled back at her and after a few moments, she turned around to face Santana, hanging her hands loosely on the Latina's neck.

Even over the impossibly loud music, Santana could have sworn she heard her heart pounding against her ribcage. The air must have been full of invisible sparks because every time Brittany's body moved against hers, she felt like a shock of electricity pulsed through her veins. Blue eyes remained locked on hers and she held her breath as she fought to look away.

It wasn't until the song changed again and Brittany let go of her and took a step back that Santana was finally able to shake herself from her stupor.

'Do you wanna go outside?' Brittany asked brightly, fanning herself with her hand. 'I need some fresh air.'

Santana agreed. It certainly was getting hot inside. 'Uh yeah… okay.' She nodded, surprised as the blonde took her hand again and led them through the crowd and out into the backyard.

There weren't many people outside. A small group stood near the back door smoking and from what she could see, only four or five others were scattered around the rest of the large space.

Paths traced through rows of flowers and a tall hedge lined the outskirts, obscuring the garden from the prying eyes of neighbors. There were a few benches placed around the obviously meticulously kept yard, with a small wooden gazebo in the middle and a little stone fountain off to the side.

Once they had stepped out into the cool night air and moved passed the smokers, Brittany pointed towards something behind the fountain. It was a chair swing.

She pulled Santana over and sat them down.

'Much better.' She sighed, taking in a deep breath and leaning her head back against the seat.

'Yeah.' Santana smiled. It was a perfect night. It wasn't too warm or too cold… And the moon was big and bright.

There was a long moment of silence before Santana finally spoke up again. 'So… um… how do you know Blaine?' It was a pretty lame question. But to be honest, she was genuinely interested to know how they had both ended up at the same party. And she wanted to get her focus on anything besides what had just happened inside.

'Through a friend.' Brittany replied vaguely with a lazy grin on her face. Santana raised an eyebrow but smiled. It was clear that the girl was more than a little tipsy.

'Cool.' Santana murmured, not really knowing what else to say.

Again, there was a long pause. It made the Latina nervous. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to say something or not. Brittany seemed quite happy to just sit there, swinging the chair back and forth gently, staring at the fountain with a big smile and half-closed eyes.

'You know what's a funny word?' The blonde suddenly broke through the quiet with a contemplative question. 'Water.'

Santana held back a laugh at Brittany's serious expression.

'Waaa-ter.' She continued, sounding the word out slowly on her tongue.

Biting her bottom lip to stop from sniggering, Santana turned towards Brittany. Even though she was feeling a tad light-headed herself from the alcohol, she hoped the blonde wasn't too far gone. 'Are you alright?'

The blonde continued to stare at the fountain for another few drawn out seconds before shaking her head and straightening up in her seat. 'Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?' She smiled brightly. 'Do you ever think about weird stuff like that? You know, why things are… what they… are?'

Santana titled her head to the side. 'I guess so?'

'I mean… just because somebody ages and ages ago said that this-' Brittany scooted forward and reached out to flick her fingers through the stream of water pouring from the fountain. 'Should be called water… Doesn't mean that's what it actually is. Like… maybe it's supposed to be called something else. How do we know?'

Santana wondered how much of what Brittany was trying to explain could be attributed to drunk logic... or if the girl really had a point. She knew that when she herself got really contemplative, she began to wonder 'why' about almost everything. Why is anything the way it is?

As the Latina pondered this question further though, she almost jumped out of her skin when Brittany's body shifted closer and her head came to rest on her shoulder. 'Do you mind?' She heard the blonde whisper quietly. 'My head was tired.'

Santana could only shake her head and try to control her breathing. She knew that it was most likely the alcohol. That had to be the reason why Brittany was acting so… comfortable around her. But it didn't stop the brunette from finding her behavior completely adorable at the same time. First the dancing and now this intimate gesture… Santana knew that spark of hope inside of her had increased tenfold. She had tried to keep it mostly smothered up until now… but in the last hour or so, Brittany had managed to toss a whole container of gasoline on it and the fire inside was now raging away mercilessly.

'I like you.' Brittany hummed.

Santana was glad the other girl wasn't facing her so she couldn't see her eyes bulging out of her head. Did that mean what she hoped it meant? Should she make a move? Is that why Brittany was getting all snuggly with her? Was it a hint? Her mind was racing and her heart was slamming around wildly inside her chest. She was terrified of misinterpreting things but… it seemed an awful lot like this tipsy, inhibition-less Brittany was dropping some very obvious suggestions.

Or was that just her wishful thinking and her own intoxicated reasoning?

Santana didn't have much time to question it further though when Brittany spoke again. 'You're cool. We should totally be friends.'

The Latina stopped mid-panic and felt her stomach drop. It wasn't a total rejection. But it certainly wasn't what she thought the blonde was implying earlier. 'Yeah… totally.' She replied solemnly.

Luckily, Brittany didn't seem to notice her disappointment. 'We should hang out and stuff.'

'Yeah.' Santana nodded, doing her best to smile.

'Gimme your number.' Brittany asked with a grin, slurring a bit as she lifted her head and pulled out her phone. She passed it to Santana and once the brunette had entered her digits and given it back, Brittany held out her hand expectantly.

Santana quirked an eyebrow at her.

'Well… don't you want mine too?' Brittany giggled.

'Oh... Right.' As lady-like as she could manage, Santana reached into her bra and pulled out her phone.

Brittany took it with a wide smirk. 'Do you always keep that in there?'

Santana blushed and looked down at her hands. 'No… I just don't have any pockets.' She shrugged.

Brittany let out a small chuckle and entered her number into the phone.

'Thanks.' Santana breathed, taking the device back and staring at the screen with Brittany's digits on it for a long moment.

'Maybe now we can hang out somewhere other than the grocery store or the sandwich shop.' The blonde grinned.

Santana couldn't help but smile back as she looked over at Brittany. It wasn't exactly what she'd hoped for… but it was still a step forward. It's not over yet. She thought, trying to be optimistic. I got her number. She wants to hang out more. So what if we move slowly? That's probably better anyways. Friends first, then maybe something more later…

Their short staring competition was interrupted though by a tall, slender guy with dark hair, who strode over to them from the house and placed a hand on Brittany's shoulder from behind.

'Hey there. Thought I'd lost you for a minute.' He said with a gentle smile.

Brittany spun around to acknowledge the boy. 'Oh hey.' Santana wasn't sure if she was reading into things too much, but she thought she saw Brittany tense up a little at his presence. 'This is my friend, Santana.' She offered, gesturing towards the Latina.

Santana held out her hand to the guy, nodding politely as he shook it.

'Santana… this is Mike.' Brittany murmured slowly. Her tone was strange. Indistinguishable.

Santana's eyebrows furrowed deeply. Even through the dim light, she saw the blonde's eyes flicker with something she'd only seen once before. That same odd expression she'd held for just a moment the last time they had lunch together at the sandwich shop…

'Her boyfriend.' The guy announced proudly.

And just like that, Santana's world crumbled around her.

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A/N: Oooooh. Surprise ending. Who saw that coming? What do you think will happen?

Oh and how bout that Klaine? Are you guys feeling it or do you want Sam to make another appearance in Kurt's life?

As always, thanks so much for all your reviews! Let me know what you think!

Side note: When I wrote 'stereotypical red plastic cup' all I could think was… "Red solo cup… I fill you up… Let's have a party!" = )

Also, in this chapter, Brittany is rocking something similar to the Ke$ha look from 'Blame it on the alcohol.' Just in case you were interested.