Santana was lying on her bed on Monday night, re-watching Poltergeist and wondering how anyone ever found it scary to begin with. She figured that the huge improvements made in special effects in recent years had probably desensitized her and now she just couldn't take some of the classics seriously. She had to admit, for its time, the movie was quite innovative and creepy. Not to mention, it was kinda interesting to note that real skeletons were used during the pool scene simply because it was cheaper than making props... and the whole real life back story with so many of the actors dropping dead after filming it was a little unsettling... but despite all that, she just couldn't stop the giggles that emerged during certain scenes.

Santana was mid-laugh when her phone rang, vibrating away on her bedside table. Grabbing the DVD remote, she hit the pause button and then scooped it up, her heart skipping a beat when she saw that Brittany was calling her.

'Hey.' She said quietly, trying to sound as casual as possible in spite of the fact that within her veins, the blood was pumping at an alarming rate.

'Hey.' Brittany's voice sounded gloomy and Santana immediately knew why.

'How are you?' She asked cautiously, not exactly sure what else to say considering the circumstances.

Santana heard Brittany's dejected sigh over the line and her heart fell for her. 'I'm okay, I guess.'

'What happened?' Santana ventured.

'I told him.'

'Mike?' Santana rolled her eyes at herself as the question came out. Who else would Brittany be talking about? Idiot.

'Yeah... I uh said that... I wasn't sure about our relationship... and that I'd felt for a while like things weren't really going anywhere.' Brittany explained. 'Then, I um... I told him about... us. I said that it was never my intention to hurt him... and I didn't plan it but... I fell for someone else... and I didn't think it was fair for us to keep dating when I knew I had feelings for another person.'

Santana did her best not to focus on the jump her stomach did when Brittany said she'd fallen for her and hummed in acknowledgement. 'Did you say who it was?'

'I wasn't going to... because I thought it might hurt him more but... he wanted to know and he pushed until I told him.' Brittany sighed again. 'He didn't take it well. He looked so hurt.'

'I'm so sorry Britt.' Santana whispered, feeling once again like she deserved much of the blame for this situation.

'I'd never seen him cry before...' Brittany mused solemnly. 'I mean, it wasn't like he got hysterical or anything... just a couple tears but... it was horrible. I felt so bad.'

Santana frowned deeply. 'How did you leave things? Like... is he really angry now or...?'

'No. He's not mad. He's just... really upset. He... he actually said that he had a feeling there was something going on with me... because I was acting kinda... distant. He told me that he didn't ask me about it before because he was afraid of the answer...' Brittany exhaled heavily. 'Honestly... now I wonder if he knew all along. He didn't seem surprised... just sad.'

'Yeah...' Santana wasn't sure what else she could say at that moment. She didn't know what would be crossing the line. So she decided to just let Brittany talk.

'It wasn't as messy as I'd expected. He didn't fight me on it... Just asked some questions about what exactly happened between us and then said that, if I was sure, he accepted my decision.' Santana could almost hear Brittany's defeated shrug through the phone. Knowing that Mike had been so respectful and generous with his acceptance of Brittany's feelings gave Santana a newfound sense of admiration for the guy. He obviously cared very deeply for the blonde and was willing to put her feelings before his own. She tried to disregard the rush of discomfort that came with the strange kinship she suddenly felt for Mike.

There were a few moments of silence as both girls contemplated their situation. Eventually though, Santana's curiosity got the better of her. 'So... does he like hate my guts now?'

'No... Mike's not like that... Besides, I explained that I chased you even when I knew there might be feelings involved.'

'Okay.' Santana breathed. She wondered whether Brittany had already told Mike that she was into girls at some point in their relationship or if the whole thing had come as a shock to him. She figured it didn't really matter in the end. If your girlfriend developed feelings for someone that wasn't you, the gender of that person was the last thing you had to worry about. And Mike seemed like a smart guy, so he probably would have realized that wasn't the reason any of this had happened.

'Anyways, I should probably go now. I just wanted to tell you that... yeah...' Brittany trailed off, obviously still feeling distressed and pretty down about it all.

'Okay... If you ever need to talk B, I'm here.'

'I know. Thanks Santana.'

'I'll uh... I'll talk to you again soon?' Santana tried not to sound too desperate but she felt her tone betraying her.

'Yeah. Soon.' Brittany replied gently. Santana could tell that it was genuine but the girl clearly needed time. Santana mused that even though Brittany had obviously decided it was the right thing to do, for both her and Mike, and wasn't going to back out of her decision, the girl still felt guilty for hurting someone she cared about and was probably quite distraught at the prospect of losing one of her closest friends. It was normal to grieve over a lost relationship, regardless of why it ended or who called it off. Santana understood that Brittany would need to deal with it in her own way and in her own time. 'Bye San.'

As Santana returned the pleasantry and ended the call, she hoped Brittany wasn't too distressed. It didn't feel right that someone who was usually so bright and upbeat had to suffer through such misery and remorse.

But she wasn't going to push. When Brittany was ready, she'd speak to her again. And Santana would be waiting with a compassionate ear and open arms, prepared to do anything in her power to make the girl feel better.

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'Drink?'

On Wednesday after work, Santana had gone home with Kurt. Over the past few days, he'd noticed that she was pretty wrapped up in her thoughts so he invited her over for dinner in an attempt to get her to open up.

'Yes please.' Santana nodded, slipping onto one of the stools lined up along the kitchen counter island. Even though it wasn't the first time she'd been there, Santana never got over how awesome Kurt's apartment was. The other times she'd been inside were quick, often before they headed out somewhere else. But now that she had the chance to look around properly, she couldn't help but marvel at the place. It had two large bedrooms, a beautiful open kitchen and living area, the furniture was sleek and modern, and the dark wooden floorboards looked very expensive. Kurt had decorated in stylish, yet neutral greys, whites and blacks, giving the space a simple elegance and all of the appliances were new and top-of-the-range. And of course, in terms of cleanliness, it was absolutely immaculate. She was sure there wasn't a speck of dust or dirt anywhere in the entire apartment. Kurt was just so damn finicky about that stuff.

'Red or white?' Kurt held up two bottles of chilled wine from his place behind the stainless steel fridge door.

'Whichever one's sweeter. I need something refreshing tonight.' Santana folded her arms and leaned them onto the dark, cool marble of the counter.

'White it is.' Kurt grinned and slid the other bottle back in the fridge before opening a drawer to search for a bottle opener.

'How do you even afford this place? It's huge and everything is just so... nice.' Santana wondered out loud, glancing up at the high ceilings and pristine light fixtures.

'My dad helps a bit. He knows how much I appreciate good taste and since his business has been doing so great lately, he offered to pay half my rent.' Kurt explained casually, pouring out two glasses of wine.

'Does he still own that garage?' Santana asked.

'Yeah. And about five others in the tri-state area. He made the business into a franchise... with a little help from me of course.' Kurt smirked.

'Oh yeah? What do you know about cars Kitty soft-paws?' Santana teased.

'Nothing. I just helped him design the logo and film the commercial.' Kurt answered smugly.

'I bet that was... interesting.' Santana rolled her eyes and giggled.

'Whatever. Success doesn't lie.' Kurt handed her a glass and moved over to another part of the kitchen to take out a steel pot, filling it with water and placing it on the stove. 'Anyways... I'm not sure I like him paying for my rent though. It makes me feel like I'm still a kid... ' Kurt turned back to Santana, giving her a pointed look. 'I've actually been thinking lately... maybe I should just get a roommate... and then he wouldn't have to cover the costs anymore.'

Santana lifted an eyebrow in question. 'Are you trying to ask me something Kurt?'

Kurt shrugged and gave her an impish smile. 'Maybe.'

She grinned and pretended to think for a moment, tapping a slender finger against her chin. 'Hmmm... I don't know if I could live here. I mean, you're not very clean.'

Kurt's mouth dropped open in shock. 'Are you kidding me? This place is spotless! There isn't a day that goes by where I don't-'

'Whoa. Calm down there Prancy. I was just messing with you.' Santana shook her head at him and laughed.

'You scared for me second.' Kurt huffed, holding a hand over his chest dramatically. 'Seriously though... will you think about it? I know you said you wanted to move out of your parent's place at some stage... and I'm not exactly partial to putting up advertisements looking for a new roommate who could turn out to be homophobe or a serial killer... or worse, uncultured.'

Santana let out a breathy giggle. 'Of course. This place is amazing and I'd be crazy not to consider it.'

'Yay!' Kurt squealed, moving around the counter to give her a quick squeeze.

'Okay okay. Don't get too excited. I still need to figure out all the money stuff first. Not to mention, decide whether or not we'd actually be able to get along as roommates or if we'd end up killing each other over use of the bathroom.' Santana warned jokingly.

Kurt just laughed and went back over to the pot of water which was now bubbling away on the stove. After throwing a large portion of rice into the boiling water, he began to prepare prawns, crab meat and muscles, mixing them into a frying pan with some chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, white wine and olive oil.

It all looked like a lot of work to Santana and she watched him fuss with the ingredients curiously for a while before speaking up again. 'Damn Kurt. Are you cooking or trying to find a cure for cancer over there?'

Kurt shot her a teasing look over his shoulder as he continued to work. 'You know, you don't have to sulk because you're jealous of my supreme culinary skills. You could always learn to cook yourself.'

'No thanks. Been there. Done that. Total disaster.' Santana surrendered, her palms up in defence. 'You should know. You were there.' Santana smirked at Kurt's knowing snicker. 'Besides, the way I see it, I'll just marry a girl who's an awesome chef and then she can make all my food for me.'

Kurt placed a lid on both the rice and the seafood mixture currently simmering away before he turned back to face Santana, arms folded. 'Speaking of girls... Are you going to tell me what's going on with you and Brittany lately? Not that long ago, I couldn't get you shut up about the girl and now... nothing. ' Kurt shrugged in confusion. 'I know something went down after your little coffee date on Friday. So come on. Spill.'

Santana sighed and ran a hand through her hair. 'First of all, it wasn't a date. And second... how could you possibly know something went down?'

'I just know okay?' Kurt replied taking a few steps over to her and leaning against the counter she was sitting at. 'Call it a... homosexual-drama related sixth sense.'

Santana rolled her eyes at him, half annoyed and half amused. 'Oh really?'

'No, not really!' Kurt groaned in exasperation. 'Just tell me already!' He whined. 'Watching you act all secretive and broody is almost worse than when you're going on and on about it... It's driving me crazy! You know I need my juicy gossip-fix.'

Santana rested her chin in the palm of her hand, uninterested. 'My love life isn't just some soap opera for your viewing pleasure you know.'

'Yes. I know.' Kurt relinquished, squirming impatiently. 'But I also know you want to tell me. So hurry up. Out with it.'

Santana shot her friend an amused half-glare, still amazed at how he always managed to read her so well. 'Ugh... Fine.' She sighed. 'Brittany... broke up with Mike.'

Kurt's eyes seemed to bulge out of his head and his jaw fell open in surprise. 'What?'

'Yeah.' Santana stared down at her hands, almost ashamed to reveal the information. She still felt some indirect responsibility for the break up and wondered if Kurt was about to tear into her for it.

'Wow...' Kurt mused. 'So... what's gonna happen now?'

Santana chewed on her bottom lip as she lifted her eyes back up to meet her friend's gaze. 'I have no idea.' She shrugged. 'I mean... I know Brittany has feelings for me... But... That doesn't mean that...' Santana trailed off, shaking her head slightly. 'I don't wanna rush anything. Not when she's just gone through a break up... And she's probably feeling really upset and...'

Kurt hummed quietly in acknowledgement.

'I wanna get this right... and make sure I give it every chance to work...' Santana nodded to herself. 'But I don't really know what to do... or how to act now... I've never been in this kinda situation before... and Brittany is... I've never felt this way about anyone before.'

Kurt smiled gently at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. 'I know.'

Just as Santana lifted her head to return his smile, there was a sharp knock on the door, breaking the calm silence.

Kurt gave Santana an apologetic grimace and moved to answer it.

'Hey Kurt. Uh... Can I come in?' Santana heard Blaine's voice, friendly yet definitely laced with a hint of sadness.

'Sure. What's up?' Kurt titled his head in thought as he stepped aside to let Blaine in. 'We didn't have plans tonight, did we?'

'No... I just wanted to talk to you about-' Blaine stopped short as his eyes landed on Santana. 'Oh...'

'Hey Blaine.' Santana waved, sensing the awkward tingle in the air.

'Hi Santana...' Blaine turned back to Kurt and examined him closely. 'I guess you already know...'

'What do you mean?' Kurt asked, obviously not catching on.

Blaine sighed and took off his jacket, placing it down across the kitchen counter where Santana was sitting. 'About Brittany and Mike?'

'Oh...' Kurt looked off to the side uncomfortably. 'Uh... yeah. I know.' He nodded slowly while he moved back over to the stove to check on his cooking, hoping the informal gesture would help to diffuse the tension.

Blaine furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, deep in thought, before letting out a small, ironic laugh as he glanced between Santana and Kurt. 'You knew the whole time, didn't you? You knew exactly what was going on.'

'I can explain-' Santana began, feeling her heartbeat shift up a notch or two.

'How could you do that?' Blaine snapped. 'You knew that they were dating. And you still-'

'Blaine, stop.' Kurt stepped in. 'It isn't her fault. She didn't chase her.'

Blaine eyed Santana suspiciously but appeared to accept the information. 'Do you have any idea how upset Mike is? I've never seen him so... so broken.' Blaine scoffed. 'He loved her.'

Santana felt her stomach fall at the revelation and a wave of nausea overtook her. The thought that Mike was in love with Brittany somehow made her feel even worse than she did before. 'Blaine...'

Blaine shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. 'This isn't right. They were happy together...'

'You can't know that.' Kurt sighed. 'Only the people in relationships understand what's truly going on inside them.'

'But-'

'Come on. You know this isn't the way.' Kurt approached Blaine and gently reached for his shoulder, sending him a look that somehow managed to be both warning and understanding.

A long moment of silence passed before Blaine's face eventually softened and he let out a heavy breath, relaxing his arms to his sides. 'Well... they'd always seemed happy.'

'I swear... I didn't plan for any of this. It just... happened.' Santana offered timidly, not daring to meet his eyes.

Blaine walked around and sat down beside her, rubbing at the back of his neck in thought. 'Look... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to snap. But... you have to know... Mike's really cut up about this. And when he told me what Britt said... about you and her... I just...' He sighed.

'It's okay. I get it.' Santana nodded.

'I still shouldn't have blamed you... Mike doesn't.' Blaine shrugged.

'He... he doesn't?' Santana asked with a glimmer of hope in her tone. Even though Brittany had assured her on the phone that Mike wasn't angry with her, Santana wondered if the girl had been twisting the truth slightly just to reassure her. And there was always the unlikely possibility that Mike had lied to Brittany and really did want to beat the living crap out of her.

'No. He knows it wasn't your fault. He's just hurt... and he feels betrayed.'

Santana felt her heart break for Mike. She had been a fool to doubt his intentions. He really was a good guy... great even. It was incredibly mature of him to accept Brittany's explanation of what had happened between them. But it didn't make the situation any less painful for him. She knew exactly how hard it was to be rejected by Brittany – someone so sweet and innocent and beautiful – regardless of the reason. She closed her eyes in resignation. 'I can imagine.'

'But anyways... I don't know what I was thinking. It's still not my place.' Blaine gave her a remorseful smile.

'Hey, if it was my friend, I would have done the same.' Santana offered. 'Actually, I would have done way worse.'

Blaine let out a soft laugh. 'Maybe if Kurt had explained it to me sooner...'

'Blaine... you know I couldn't.' Kurt raised his eyebrows as if to say Come on – Seriously? 'It wasn't my place either and... It's not like you would have taken it well.'

'Yeah I know.' Blaine smirked. 'I guess this whole situation was pretty complicated from the start.'

'Ain't that the truth.' Santana groaned but gave a small grin.

'Well... now that everyone's up to speed. Shall we eat?' Kurt gave them both a soft smile and went back to the stove, flicking off the heat and grabbing some plates out of the cupboard to serve up the food. 'Do you want to stay for dinner Blaine?'

'That depends...' Blaine turned to Santana. 'Are we good?'

'Yeah. We're good.' Santana nodded and returned his smile.

She couldn't blame Blaine for lashing out at her, even if Mike had told him the whole story and he had known all along that she wasn't really the cause for his friend's break-up. Santana knew very well that if it had been someone she cared about deeply, she would have done the exact same thing. And it was always easier to condemn the outsider in these sorts of situations.

She was just finding it so hard to believe that after all of this time, everything was finally out in the open. Would Blaine genuinely approve if she and Brittany began dating now? Or would his allegiance lie mostly with Mike? And if he didn't approve, what would that mean for Kurt? Santana knew Kurt was loyal to her... but she didn't want him to have to choose between their friendship and his budding relationship with Blaine.

Santana had always thought that if Brittany broke up with Mike, things would inevitably become less complicated. But instead, she felt the opposite. All of these new fears and worries were making the situation seem ten times worse. And she was scared that her actions could have a significant impact on not only her life and her relationship with Brittany, but also the lives and relationships of their friends.

Santana sensed that now, it was more important than ever that she got things right. She couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Too many people's feelings were in jeopardy.

And that was certainly an intimidating thought.

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A/N: Stepping into some unknown territory here. It could get a little weird =P

As always, let me know if you're feeling it.

Many thanks to my shiny new beta... Beta!Jay =D