A/N: In case you want to listen – there's another song at the end of this chapter. I know I know. But it's really appropriate I promise. As Lovers Go – by Dashboard Confessional.

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Soft blonde hair tickles at the sides of Santana's face as Brittany hovers over her. She can feel herself smile as their lips gently brush and her arms wrap tighter around Brittany's waist.

Santana sighs contentedly. Brittany still tastes and feels just as amazing as she remembers. After weeks of waiting, of longing, of flickering but intense memories... the blonde is finally in her arms again and she can't help but feel her heart soar at the sensation. It's been so long since she's had anyone this close and the weight of Brittany's body resting against hers feels incredible. She feels safe. She feels home. But she can't help wanting more.

She rolls them over so she can place tender kisses against the side of Brittany's neck and burrows her face into the soft skin, inhaling that heavenly scent that seems to have taken up permanent residence in her sub-conscious. Brittany giggles quietly above her and Santana raises her head to meet the most incredible blue eyes she's ever seen. The gaze swallows her whole and before she knows what's happening, their lips are connected again in a heated kiss.

Santana tries to swallow a low groan as Brittany's thigh shifts between her own. Even though they're both fully clothed, she can feel every movement the blonde makes, no matter how slight. Her skin burns hot and an overwhelming flush runs through her face, down her neck and chest, all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes. Santana runs her hand up Brittany's side, dipping underneath her t-shirt as their tongues dance gracefully in her mouth. She smirks against the blonde's lips at the sharp intake of breath from beneath her.

The moment is too perfect. Everything is happening too fast and too slow at the same time. There's a strong ache in her chest when Brittany whispers her name... and it's only mirrored by the twinge she feels between her legs when the girl slips a hand along the outside of her still clothed thigh. Her hips inadvertently press down against Brittany, searching for her touch.

And just as Brittany lifts her head to wrap her mouth around Santana's earlobe and drops a hand skilfully beneath the waistband of her underwear, the brunette shudders herself awake, feeling the telltale muscle quiver of a premature and less than satisfying release run through her entire core.

Ugh. Are you fucking kidding me?

Santana whimpered against her pillow when she found herself alone and trembling as her hips squirmed against the mattress. It was by far the most intense sex-dream she'd ever had... well, since last night's rendezvous with dream-Brittany anyways. By this point, she was almost positive her sanity couldn't take any more of these beautiful, teasing punishments. And with all the other important stuff that was going on right now, she couldn't help but feel guilty and ashamed that all she can think about is jumping Brittany the second she sees her again.

Even though Santana didn't want to admit it to herself, the kisses and brief moments of physical intimacy she'd shared with Brittany had left a more than manageable imprint on her senses and her desires. When she wasn't stressing about what she was supposed to do or how she was supposed to act around the girl now, she found herself fantasizing constantly about being physically close to Brittany again. After all, Santana had always been a highly sexual creature. And as much as she'd been trying to suppress that side of herself recently, she knew it was just about ready to break free of its cage and begin a full on rampage if she didn't at least indulge her thoughts about the blonde soon.

She had been consciously taking a break from her usual strategies for... lessening the urge and it was beginning to drive her crazy. During regular life, it was hard enough for Santana to abstain from all sexual activity for long, even if it was only her and her left hand, but since Brittany had come into the picture, the ache had grown ten times worse.

Somehow though, the presence of the blonde, while sparking her physical and emotional needs more than ever before, had caused her to restrain from acting out on her cravings. She figured it was probably something to do with wanting to feel less perverted and gutter-minded when Brittany was so damn innocent and sweet. It was like she had too much respect for the girl to let her become just another sweaty, depraved fantasy that would enable her to find release. And since Santana could think of nothing else but Brittany, she decided it was safer to just refrain from the activity entirely.

And now, she was a strung out ball of pent up sexual energy, crackling with want and having serious trouble controlling her own wandering mind and hands.

Santana bit into her pillow and shifted uncomfortably, doing her best to force away the tantalizing dream.

It had been around two weeks since Brittany had called to tell her about the break-up with Mike and since then, she'd only spoken to the blonde a couple of times on the phone and through a few short texts. Santana wanted to be absolutely sure not to rush things or push Brittany, so she tried to be patient and allow the girl to contact her in her own time.

Despite still being obviously sad over everything that had happened with Mike, Brittany mostly seemed to be doing okay and maintained that she had made the right decision. She'd explained to Santana that her friends at dance school had mixed reactions to the break-up, with some shunning her completely, others acting neutral and pretending like nothing had happened, and a few even being completely understanding and considerate of her feelings. Brittany admitted that it was hard and the atmosphere in some of her classes with Mike was incredibly tense... but she was positive that he would come around and things would get easier once some time had passed.

Santana felt for the blonde and tried to offer what little support she could considering they were speaking over the phone. She'd never been great with comforting words and in the past, often opted to just pat her friends on the shoulder or give them a reassuring hug when they were really down. But as Santana obviously couldn't do this for Brittany, she was in new territory when it came to encouragement and care.

The one thing that had made Santana exceedingly happy was that Blaine had taken it upon himself in the last few weeks to play model friend to both Brittany and Mike. Since their dinner at Kurt's, he hadn't been taking sides or favouring either one of them. It took a huge load off of her shoulder's to know that Brittany hadn't lost Blaine as a friend through all of this and the girl could count on his support.

Santana was impressed by his attitude and more than pleased at the job he was doing acting as mediator and impartial third-party. Internally, she vowed that when all of this was over, she was going to buy him a drink.

That was, if he was still just as approving and accepting of everything if her and Brittany started dating. Even though he'd proven that he wasn't going to stop being a friend to anyone, Santana still found herself doubting whether or not things would be as simple if her relationship with Brittany was taken up a notch.

She mused that it might be her own fears and insecurities saying this... but it was always better not to make assumptions and take things one step at a time.

For now, Blaine was doing his best and that was all that mattered. It was good for Brittany, it was good for Kurt and it was good for her.

Rolling onto her back, Santana swung her legs over the edge of the bed and brushed off the covers. With a quick glance at her phone to check the time, she closed her eyes again and crossed the room blindly before stepping out into the hallway and heading for the bathroom with a slight yawn. It was only 6am and she didn't need to be up for work for at least another hour... but the thought of even more torturous and teasing dreams was enough to send Santana straight into a lukewarm shower.

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The cool water had helped to ground Santana for a little while... but by the time she arrived at the office later that morning, her mind felt just as unfocused as ever.

'Hey.' She greeted Kurt, leaning her hip against his desk and crossing her arms.

'Well good morning Sunshine.' He grinned. 'How are we on this fine day?'

Santana shrugged. 'Okay.'

Kurt narrowed his eyes as he examined her carefully. 'I know you were never really a morning person but... I'm guessing this mope-y face is because you still haven't seen Brittany... Am I right?'

She shrugged again and sighed. 'Maybe.'

Kurt rolled his eyes at her. 'San... why don't you just ask her to hang out or something? It's been like two weeks...'

'Two weeks isn't very long Kurt. She just went through a breakup remember? It's too soon.' Santana bit her bottom lip as her hands began to fidget with a stapler on her friend's desk. 'Besides... I'm... I'm scared.' She said the word so quietly it might not have even reached Kurt's ears. 'I don't know what we are now. And I have no idea what she expects from me... I mean, am I supposed to pretend that we're just friends? Even though we both know it's more than that? Or is it just assumed now that the next time we hang out, it'll be like... a date? What if it's all really awkward?'

Kurt draped a hand over Santana's fiddling ones and gave her a reassuring smile. 'You're over-thinking it...'

'No I'm not.' Santana stared at him with insistence. 'I can't fuck this up Kurt!'

'You won't.' Kurt assured her firmly. 'I know things are complicated but... it's going to work out. I promise.'

'But when will it work out? How much longer am I supposed to wait?' Santana groaned. 'I have no idea what I'm doing...'

Kurt paused for a second to think, his eyes focused on something across the room. 'Listen... why don't we go out for lunch today? Somewhere fancy? It'll take your mind off things.'

Santana sighed but nodded. 'Sure. Why not.' She relented.

Santana knew that Kurt thought she should just go for it. But there was so much to lose and she felt like if anyone should be making a move, it should be Brittany. She was the one who needed time after all. She was the one who'd just gotten out of a relationship. She should be responsible for initiating things.

Right?

There were just so many things to consider, the constant buzzing of thought was slowly becoming too much.

'Meet me back here at 1?'

'Okay.' Santana nodded and smiled at her friend in thanks before moving towards her own desk. She realized Kurt was probably right. She could use a nice, relaxing lunch today, where the only conversation revolved around clothes or movies or something equally as shallow. It would be fun.

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When they arrived at the restaurant, Kurt announced their reservations to the hostess and they followed her towards the outside courtyard area.

'I hope you don't mind... but I invited Blaine to join us.' Kurt grinned back at Santana as they approached their table.

'That's cool.' Santana shrugged. She could have been pissed that Kurt had sprung their new guest on her at the last minute, but she was used to Blaine being around a lot these days. He and Kurt were obviously getting quite close and since the whole Brittany and Mike thing had been smoothed over, she felt pretty comfortable around the guy. Besides, it wasn't like they were out for lunch so they could have a serious chat. They were simply there to have a good time.

They took their seats and glanced over their menus in silence for a few minutes before a waitress came to take their drink orders.

'You were right. This place is very swanky.' Santana said thoughtfully when the waitress left and her eyes returned to the prices on the menu.

'Oh well.' Kurt replied with a tilt of his head and thin smile. 'Sometimes it's nice to splurge.'

'Hmmm.' Santana hummed. She wasn't opposed to letting loose with her money occasionally... but that sort of situation usually involved a particularly irresistible pair of shoes – not an overpriced steak.

After a few more minutes of perusing the specials, Blaine arrived, giving them both a big grin and Kurt a soft peck on the lips before taking his seat. As he took his own menu, he proceeded to blatantly hold Kurt's hand underneath the table whilst the two boys shot each other affectionate stares.

Santana made a face at the sickeningly adorable exchange but kept her mouth shut. She was in no position to tease anyone about being too sappy or acting whipped right now.

The boys chatted casually about work and the latest Hollywood gossip as the three sipped at their waters and continued to look over the menu. Santana had already picked out what she wanted a while ago but since she was trying hard to be a more considerate friend recently, she didn't interrupt their conversation by demanding they order straight away. The waitress came back with Kurt's fruity cocktail and Santana's rum and soda and Blaine took one look at Kurt's drink before he requested one of the same.

'So... Are we ready to order entrees?' The waitress asked politely after jotting down Blaine's drink order.

'Ye-' Santana began but was quickly cut off.

'Not yet. We're still waiting on one more.' Blaine interjected with a smile.

'Okay. I'll be back in a moment with your drink.' The girl nodded and hurried off.

Santana's eyebrows furrowed deeply at the exchange. 'Who else is coming?'

Kurt and Blaine shared a knowing look.

'Don't get angry San... We just wanted to-' Kurt began.

'Hi Blaine! Sorry I'm late! I got stuck in traffic.'

Santana's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat when she heard Brittany's voice behind her. She quickly spun around in her seat to watch the blonde striding over. When their eyes met, Brittany's surprised expression perfectly mirrored Santana's. Those sneaky little rainbow hugging bastards! They planned this!

'Hey Britt.' Blaine rose from his seat and walked over to where the girl had stopped dead in her tracks, her gaze fixed on Santana. He pulled her in for a brief hug and took her hand, leading her to the spare chair at their table. 'How's it going?'

'Uh... fine.' Brittany nodded as she sat down. 'Hey Santana.'

'H-hey.' Santana's cheeks prickled hot as she stuttered out her greeting, her heart fluttering away. Brittany was even more beautiful than she'd remembered. Santana figured the girl had probably just come from dance class since her hair was tied up in a ponytail and she was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and black leggings with running shoes. But she never ceased to look absolutely stunning. And the unexpected treat to her eyes was sending Santana into a nervous haze. 'I... uh... I didn't know you were going to be joining us.' Santana shot a pointed look at Kurt who simply shrugged and gave a faux innocent grin in return.

'Neither did I.' The corners of Brittany's lips twitched as she directed a similar stare at Blaine, before curling into a gentle smile as her eyes once again found Santana. 'But I'm glad you're here.'

Santana blushed even harder at the comment and forced her gaze back down to the menu in her hands. Even though it hadn't been that long since they'd last seen each other, everything suddenly felt so scary and new. The situation was different, their feelings were out in the open and there wasn't really anything holding them back anymore. They were suddenly allowed to flirt and make comments like that. Nobody would be hurt by it. There was nowhere to hide... and Santana had to stop herself from hyperventilating at the nerve-wracking situation that she had been thrust into. 'Yeah... me too.' She replied quietly.

The boys exchanged a smirk as Brittany and Santana both looked down at their menus and even though Santana didn't see it, she could feel their smug expressions in the air. She was totally going to punch Kurt in the arm later. Hard.

It wasn't that she minded seeing Brittany. In fact, the surprise was the most welcome one she could possibly imagine. And even though Santana was still a little unsure if it was the right time or if either of them were ready yet to take the next step, the thing that really bothered her was that she hadn't had the opportunity to think about what she was going to say. The shock of seeing Brittany again had left her fumbling and speechless and with nothing planned out, she felt like she was walking a tightrope without a safety net.

She just prayed she wouldn't panic, say the wrong thing and then come crashing to the ground.

As she finished that ominous thought, the waitress returned, finally taking their meal orders and collecting their menus, leaving Santana with nothing to detract from her staring over at Brittany.

They exchanged a few tentative pleasantries about work and weather but upon realizing just how awkward both girls were acting, Blaine and Kurt mercifully cut in with more shameless gayboy talk about the latest fashion.

Santana took a large gulp of her rum and soda and tried to even out her breathing. She hoped that their shared discomfort had something to do with the two sets of expectant eyes watching their every move. She wondered if things would be different if they were alone and free to say what they felt without fear of being scrutinized by their scheming friends.

Or maybe things would be even more awkward if it was just the two of them?

Santana shook her head to clear the overly presumptuous thoughts. She was going to make it through this lunch without fucking anything up. She swore it to herself. She just had to take a deep breath and go with the flow.

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By the time they'd finished eating and Santana and Kurt had to head back to work, Santana realized that she and Brittany had barely spoken to each other directly throughout the entire meal. There were a few words here and there, mostly joining in with whatever Kurt and Blaine were talking about, and of course, there were the constant glances and shy smiles that had her heart jumping around wildly in her chest, but that was pretty much it.

It hadn't exactly gone badly. But she couldn't say it was a complete success either. Santana had absolutely no idea what their sparse interaction meant and as she finished hugging Blaine and moved towards Brittany, her heart once again took off with nervous anticipation.

Brittany's bright blue eyes watched her carefully as she took a step closer and lifted her arms hesitantly. Santana felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room when the blonde willingly met her embrace and gave her a tight squeeze. The haunting smell of Brittany's shampoo and body lotion made her eyes flutter shut and sent a slight shiver through her stomach. She did her best not to reminisce about her dream from earlier that morning.

'I'll uh... I'll talk to you soon?' Santana croaked out, pulling away with a bashful grin.

Brittany nodded and chewed on her bottom lip cutely, waving at Santana and Kurt as they left the restaurant.

Once they were outside, Santana delivered Kurt the punch she had promised him earlier.

'Ow! What was that for?' He whined, rubbing at his bicep with a frown.

'That was not cool! I was completely unprepared for that Kurt!' Santana growled.

He just shrugged. 'I told you, you were over-thinking it. You needed a little shove and... I was happy to oblige.' Kurt smirked and folded his arms over his chest. 'Besides, it went well. Don't you think?'

'I don't know. I was too busy planning where I'm going to bury you to notice.' Santana snapped stubbornly.

Kurt rolled his eyes. 'Stop being such a drama queen. You and Brittany acted liked the most smitten kittens ever today. It was so cute, it was disgusting... I almost threw up.' He poked his tongue out jokingly. 'Honey, it's painfully obvious how much you both like each other... It's not like you can hide it.' Kurt emphasized. 'So I say, quit holding back and just go with it.'

Santana quirked an eyebrow at him. 'Why are you being so pushy now? Weren't you the one telling me off and making sure I was extra careful not to step out of line back when Brittany was dating Mike?'

'Mhmmm.' Kurt nodded. 'But now she's not dating him. And she's ready to... move on.'

'How do you know she's ready?' Santana challenged.

Kurt shrugged again and averted his eyes mischievously.

'Wait... what do you know?' Santana spun towards him and grabbed him roughly by the shoulders.

Kurt smirked and began tapping his chin in mock thought. 'I can't quite remember...' He teased.

'Kurt...' Santana warned.

'Let's just say... Blaine gave me a few helpful hints.'

Santana gaped at him. 'What?'

Kurt just laughed and shoved her away, skipping off down the sidewalk. 'Come Sanny. We're going to be late for work!' He called over his shoulder in a sing-song voice.

Santana gritted her teeth together and grudgingly followed him. She hated the fact that Kurt knew more about what Brittany was thinking than she did. She hated the fact that Blaine and Kurt were obviously using what they had been told in confidence to sneak around playing matchmaker. But more than anything, she hated how damn curious she was to find out what they knew.

And Kurt was never going to tell her. Santana knew that much. Blaine probably swore him to secrecy about whatever Brittany had said.

The next few hours at work were going to be torture.

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Santana was right. Kurt gave away nothing that afternoon about what he knew. And even though it was incredibly frustrating, she had to admire his restraint. Her constant texting and emails from across the office (which grew increasingly abusive as the day wore on) must have been pretty damn distracting and annoying. And when they parted ways at 5pm, Kurt gave her an innocent smile like nothing had happened.

As Santana made the short drive home, she mused that there were still a few good things to come out of the otherwise irritating situation. At least she didn't have to worry about Blaine not approving of her and Brittany dating anymore. It was clear from their little set up today - and the fact that he and Kurt had obviously been discussing their potential relationship in secret lately - that Blaine was definitely not against it.

It once again proved that he really was making an effort to be good a friend to Brittany. In fact, Blaine's enthusiastic support surprised Santana a little. Was it still considered impartial friendship if he supported them getting together? Or was he taking it too far? Would Mike hate him for encouraging Brittany to move on?

It was certainly a fine line. But Santana felt that his acceptance took at least some of the weight off her shoulders.

And another plus was that Kurt definitely hadn't made it seem like what he knew about Brittany's feelings was bad. If anything, it sounded quite positive.

Brittany was ready.

Brittany wanted to move on.

Santana couldn't help the smile forming on her lips as she strode into her bedroom and got changed out of her work clothes. Maybe I should just go for it. Blaine wouldn't have lied to Kurt. They're heaps close and totally into each other now. Besides, what reason would he have to make that shit up?

Maybe it really is time to make a move.

Santana flicked on her laptop and set her music to shuffle, lounging back onto her mattress with her hands behind her head as she stared up at the dark ceiling.

She said "I've gotta be honest,
You're wasting your time if you're fishing round here."
And I said "you must be mistaken,
I'm not fooling... this feeling is real."
She said "you gotta be crazy,
What do you take me for? Some kind of easy mark?"
"You've got wits, you've got looks,
You've got passion, but I swear that you've got me all wrong."

Santana laughed quietly to herself at the song that came on. She hadn't heard it in years, not since she was a young teen and used to sit around getting herself all worked up on Valentine's Day, wondering if she'd ever fall in love.

I'll be true, I'll be useful...
I'll be cavalier...I'll be yours my dear.
And I'll belong to you...
If you'll just let me through.
This is easy as lovers go,
So don't complicate it by hesitating.
And this is wonderful as loving goes,
This is tailor-made, what's the sense in waiting?

Santana's eyebrows scrunched together as the song continued. She'd always thought the lyrics were sweet, but she'd never felt them or understood them the way that she did now. It was almost as if the words had been written for this exact moment, for her ears only, to make her see what she couldn't before.

And I said "I've gotta be honest
I've been waiting for you all my life."
For so long I thought I was asylum bound,
But just seeing you makes me think twice.
And being with you here makes me sane,
I fear I'll go crazy if you leave my side.
You've got wits... you've got looks,
You've got passion but are you brave enough to leave with me tonight?"

That was all the convincing she needed. Santana reached over and snatched her phone from the bedside table, scrolling through her contacts to Brittany's number and preparing to hit call.

But it buzzed before she even had the chance. It was a message.

From Brittany.

'Hey. Lunch was really fun today =) Are you busy Saturday night? We should hang out again =P'

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A/N: And just because I like to tease - be aware... the next chapter is going to be veeeeery interesting (at least I hope so anyways! lol). Seriously, I can't wait to start it myself. I've been looking forward to writing it for weeks!

Again, thanks to my excellent Beta!Jay who catches all my mistakes!

Finally, I can't believe this story has over 200 reviews now! Thank you all so much for reading and alerting and favorite-ing and reviewing! It makes me so happy to know that people are interested in reading what I write and inspires me to keep going even when I have horrible bouts of writer's block = D So THANKS!