Summer came quickly like it always does. Usually in the summer, I'd try to work shifts at the pool as a lifeguard but I knew this summer would be too hectic to pick up any shifts so I reluctantly declined a position. I told them I'd sub if absolutely necessary. It's for the better though; my temper can only handle the idiotic kids for so long and I had money saved up. Really though, all I wanted to do this whole summer was swim and be with Brittany.

Brittany was also slowly decreasing her hours at the dance studio. She knew that it was inevitable and she had to start getting all of her stuff packed up. I knew that it was sad for her though. She loved the studio, she loved all the kids, all the instructors, she loved it all.

"If I'm not working or doing anything, what am I going to do all summer?" She asked me.

"Me," I said with a grin. She rolled her eyes and pulled me in close. "I mean be with me. We can go everywhere, we can do anything."

"There is a plus side to everything, isn't there?"

Brittany had found an apartment that she fell in love with. It was conveniently located in between her school and BHU. Her lease would start in August but her lease of her current apartment ended the beginning of September. Basically, she would have two apartments for a month. Which was fine with her, it would make the transition easier so she could do it gradually. Packing is not one of Brittany's strong suits.

We spent a lot of the summer working out together. It surprised me on how hard she worked out. She taught me how to play tennis, I was horrible at it and we just ended up laughing at me the whole time. I was gradually getting better though. Aside from practicing twice a day, I really just tried to spend most of my time with Brittany or with my other friends. It was my last summer here and I wanted to make it my best.

Brittany even hung out with my friends a few times and it was completely cool and it wasn't awkward. Honestly, the summer was going great. Everything was seemed perfect.

I had just come back from the U.S Championships, which was also trials for the World championships in July. It was in Indiana and I hadn't seen Brittany for a week. I grinned as I came into her apartment with a souvenir autograph from Ryan Lochte for her.

"Santana. Thanks," she said, pulling me in for a hug. "I'm sorry you didn't make the team for worlds championships."

I released her and shrugged. "I mean, it's not a big deal. I can't really compete with a lot of those college and professional swimmers, not yet anyway, and they only take the top two. It'll come around in another two years. Besides, that would mean more time away from you."

"Aww," she coos. "Well, I'm proud of you. I would hardly call you missing the team by a second and making finals in all your events a failure."

"I love you," I said kissing her.

She pushed her hips against mine and I knew that she missed me as much as I missed her. We were just lying there, both numb from our on "workout."

"I really have missed you," she drunkenly said into my ear. "I've missed your kisses, your chlorine smell, everything."

"I've missed you more," I insisted, gently kissing the tip of her nose.

The moment is broken by a loud vibration on her nightstand.

"Shit! That scared me!" She exclaimed, reaching for it. A frown formed across her face. "It's my mom." She answered the phone. "Hello, mom…No, I'm at my apartment right now…Mom, calm down, what's wrong?...No….When? How?" Her voice was trembling. "I can't, I have a rehearsal that I can't miss…Tomorrow, yeah….Love you too."

She slowly hung up the phone and stared blankly in front of her.

"Britt," I said, with caution in my voice. "What's wrong?"

Tears started to fall down her eyes. "Santana." She avoided my eyes. "My grandma just died." I felt her fall into my arms in a heap. I listened as she cried into me, her head in my lap, arms wrapped around me.

She sniffled and the tears kept coming down. I felt so helpless. It was honestly the worst feeling in the world, knowing that there wasn't anything I could do to make her feel better. I didn't care how many seconds, minutes, or hours passed by; as long as she needed me, I was going to stay here with her in my arms.

After what felt like several minutes, I wasn't completely sure, she finally lifted her head up, staying close to me in my arms. Her eyes were puffy and red, cheeks were tear stained. It took every ounce of strength within me not to cry with her, for her. I felt like I couldn't though, I wanted to be strong for her.

"She… She had a st—roke," Brittany said, choking on her words. "So unexpected." She tried to say something else but she couldn't.

"Shhh," I told her. "It's alright. I understand. I kissed the top of her head. "I'm here for you. Are you going to Canton today?"

"No, I have to go the freaking studio tomorrow, I can't get out of it. I'll drive over tomorrow when it's done."

"I am so sorry, Brittany. I'm so sorry," I softly said.

"Thank you. But I'm sorry, Santana, I need you to go. I need to be alone."

The words stung but I knew that I needed to do what she wanted me to. She walked me to the door and I told her if there was anything I could do that she needed to call me. She told me she knows and that she loved me.

I didn't do much of anything after I left, I hung out with Brooke, Colby, and Jenna but Brittany was constantly on my mind. I wondered how she was doing. If she was alright, all alone. She would have called me if she wasn't, surely she would have.

The next day, around 1, Brittany finally called me.

"Hi." Her voice was soft and low.

"Hi, sweetheart. How are you?"

"Doing a little better. I need a favor from you."

"Anything, Britt."

"Can you come with me to Canton for a few days? For the visitation and funeral and everything."

Despite the differences that I had with Brittany's mother, there was still no way that I would leave her hanging, not at a time like this.

"Of course. Do we need to leave now?" I asked, already starting to gather belonging for the trip.

"Oh, no. You have practice this afternoon, I can't pull you away from that."

"I would be fine. I've been swimming enough—"

"No," She interrupted. "We can go afterwards. Just… Can you drive my car?"

"Of course."

A few hours, a swim practice, and a huge argument with my parents later, we were both packed up into her car and on our way to Canton. We would be getting there pretty late but the visitation was tomorrow and I knew Brittany needed to be there tonight, to be with her family.

"H—Hi mom," Brittany said into her phone. "We're on our way….Santana and I… Because I asked her to…See you soon."

She hung up and I could tell she was upset.

"Sometimes she is just so rude, Santana."

"What'd she say?"

"She said 'Why is Santana with you?' and then I told her it was because I asked you to and she just scoffed into the phone. Whatever. I'm sorry if your parents are mad at you because of me."

"They're not mad, they're just… Concerned. It's going to be alright though. I'm here for you."

I sensed Brittany holding back tears "I know. You're the absolute best."

The rest of the drive was relatively quiet. Brittany needed the time to herself and she rested for awhile. When we got into Canton, she directed me back to her house. And then I saw her house and the astonishment of its beauty hit me again. She told me to pull past the drive and behind one of the garage doors. We walked in and were greeted by Brittany's parents in the front room with a person I didn't recognize.

Brittany immediately fell into her mom's arms, in another wave of tears. No matter how strained their relationship was, they loved each other like any other mother and daughter. After they both regrouped themselves, Brittany hugged her father and the stranger that stood up to greet Brittany.

"Hello, Santana," Jeff said, sincerely. "Thank you for coming over."

"Of course," I said. I smiled friendly at Renee and she tried to smile back at me.

"Oh, Santana," Brittany said, flicking away a stray tear. "This is my uncle Tim. Tim, this is Santana, my—"

"Brittany's friend," Renee interrupted. The man, Tim, nodded at me and shared a half smile. I knew he probably knew that I wasn't just Brittany's friend.

Any other day, I'm sure that Brittany would have corrected her mom, maybe even I would have but it wasn't the time or place. Emotions were already running high and we were all tired.

"We were just making plans for the funeral and everything," Renee said. "But it's late, I'm sure you two need some rest."

"Yeah," Brittany agreed. "We'll just head up and see you in the morning."

The next morning, around 10, my mom called me.

"Hola, Mami," I answered.

"Hola," she said flatly. "I'm on break and I only have 5 minutes left. How is everything?"

"It's fine. They're all with the funeral home right now, Brittany, Matt, and I stayed back. We're just kind of waiting."

"Alright. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Ma. I'm fine. I'm sorry at yelled at you last night."

"No, I understand. I just know that your last visit to the Pierce's didn't go too well and I was unsure about you going this time."

"No, I know what you mean. I'm a big girl though, I can handle it. I just need to be here for Brittany."

"I know. Just, keep me in the loop okay? How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"I'm not sure, I called Langley and told him that I had an emergency and I'd be out for a few days. He told me to take however long. But I called Greg and he said that I could practice with their Canton-based team if I could find the time. They had a practice this morning that I went to and I can probably go to their afternoon one tomorrow after the funeral."

"Okay, that's sounds alright." She sighed into the phone. "Well, I'll leave you be."

"Alright. Te quiero, Mami."

"Te quiero, Santana."

The next few days just a whirlwind. I tried to stay out of it and kept to myself. I was there for support for her family; this wasn't a time for my sarcasm or attitude. Sometimes it got to be too much and I had to leave, I went on a walk with Matt. Renee definitely was not expecting me nor wanted me around. It pained me to know that I couldn't say anything to her, not now at least. Jeff, at least he was sincere, he made it clear to me that he was very happy that I was here for Brittany. Every night that we were there, 3 nights total, I let Brittany curl up into me and I wrapped my arms around her, comforting her.

The visitation was gorgeous. The whole church was virtually illuminated with bountiful amounts of beautiful bouquets. It was very sad and I was able to remove myself from the whole situation and just sit and pray for the whole family. It was almost an out-of-body experience; I didn't feel exactly like myself. I felt calmer, I felt at peace.

I remember back during spring break when we saw Brittany's grandma, Brittany talked about how she was raised as Methodists which stemmed from Renee's devout upbringing so Gram's funeral was Methodist to a T. The funeral was similar to the few Catholic funerals that I'd been to, probably because Methodists and Catholics are few and far between. The funeral service was very moving. The whole church was packed. The pastor gave a very great message, expressing extreme gratitude to Brittany's grandma. Brittany's mom gave a tear jerking eulogy and I swear there truly wasn't a dry eye in the entire place. Afterwards, the body was placed in the ground with several prayers. Throughout the whole visitation and funeral, Brittany kept me close, not wanting me to leave her side. It was sweet and I liked knowing that I was the one that was able to comfort her when she needed it. There was a small reception after the burial itself and then all the family and friends parted ways.

That night, after I took a shower, I headed back downstairs because I didn't know where Brittany was. As I was rounding the corner to the living room, where I assumed that she was, I heard her mom talking.

"…I just wish you would have thought about bringing her first. I think she feels out of place."

I had tip-toed around Renee this whole time. Jeff embraced me as part of the family but Renee had basically made it clear that she would rather me not be here. I didn't want to be eavesdropping but I couldn't help it.

"Mom, she's absolutely fine. Fine. She's here for us, for all of us. You have been so rude to her this whole time and she's been nothing but kind to everyone. And trust me, that's hard for her."

"Oh, so it's hard for her to be kind? You've definitely got a keeper, Brittany."

"Mom! Would you stop that?! That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean then?" Renee asked with a condescending tone.

"Santana is a very honest person. She tells it like it is. I mean, she's polite but she's not a push-over. You know? She will say what is on her mind. But that's part of why I love her so much. She's so strong."

"So what are your intentions with her? Stay together until she gets too busy for you in college? Until she finds another girl or boy or whatever she thinks is better?"

"Well, I'm no predictor of the future but I would assume that we are both very much invested in this relationship," Brittany snapped back. "And maybe we're not meant for each other but right now, she's what I want and I'm what she wants."

Renee sighed.

Brittany continued, "The fact that you have basically ignored her and pushed her aside like she's nothing hurts me so much. When I was with Lindsay, you had no problem telling everyone that she was my girlfriend but now Santana is 'my friend'? I guarantee you she's a hell of a lot better than Lindsay ever was. I just don't understand you, mom. She wants you to like her. She tells me that all the time. Give her a freaking chance…"

I turned away before Renee could say anything back. I didn't want to hear anymore. This was all too familiar to the last time I was here. As much as I wanted to listen in and hear more of their conversation, I didn't want to at the same time. I knew that Brittany would stand up for me so I just went back upstairs to her room and waited for her.

She sighed heavily as soon as she walked into her room. "I…I cannot even…"

"Baby…" I said.

"My mother is just so…I don't even know. I don't understand her."

I shrugged. "Me either. I always thought I was a pretty charming person and I've tried to talk to her but she just cuts me short."

"I just don't know why she can't accept you." Brittany starts to change into a loose t shirt and sweatpants. "You know, I love you so much. So much."

"I love you too, Britt."

She laid down next to me on the bed and curls up against me. She kissed my temple.

"We'll go home tomorrow. I've kept you away from your family and friends long enough," she told me.

"It's never too long if you need me," I assured her.

Before we left the next morning, Renee tapped me on the shoulder.

"Santana, can I talk to you for a moment? In private?" She asked, indicating with her eyes that Matt, Jeff, a couple stray family members that stayed over, and Brittany were all present.

I nodded and followed her out of the living room and out the front door.

When she closed the front door behind her, she side-stepped until she was facing me. I watched as she licked her lips and took a breath. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior these past few days."

It took all my strength to not just say "Good, you should be." But I didn't. Instead I carefully choose my words so I wouldn't' say anything I would regret.

"No, Renee, it's understandable, considering the circumstances. You're mother passed away, it's not exactly the easiest time for you."

"But that doesn't give me an excuse to act like such a jerk to you."

"Look, if this is what Brittany said—"

"It's not. This is coming from me. I see it. I see it in both of you, you two are very much in love. In the beginning, I was more than shocked by your age but you are much wiser than your years show. The way you've stood by Brittany this whole time, it's honestly so admirable."

"I love her more than anything else in the world. Our relationship was never a phase or a game; it was always real. Of course I'd be here for her and her family during this time."

Renee smiled. "I was also afraid of Brittany getting in the way of your dreams and your future."

"Well, the thing is, I see Brittany in my future. I know this sounds so insane but I see her as part of it. So Brittany would never be getting in the way of my future. Brittany isn't going to be keeping me from my goals…"

"She's going to be helping you with them." Renee finishes my sentence.

"Honestly, Brittany has helped me so much already. On the days where I feel down and out, where I don't want to go to the pool, let alone swim, I call her. She never fails to put me in a better mood, to motivate me to do better."

Renee smiled. "Brittany is amazing and you are very lucky to have her."

"I am." I smiled.

"And she's so lucky to have you. It's going to take me awhile to be completely comfortable with this whole situation but I know she's in safe hands."

"I'll never hurt Brittany."

"I'm going to take your word for it."

Uncharacteristically, Renee extended her arms out and pulled me in for a hug. It wasn't a very firm hug and I sensed that she felt like it was somewhat forced but it was the thought that counted. I hugged her back but it didn't last too long.

She opened the front door to her home and before stepping in, she turned back to me and said, "Thank you again, Santana. And congratulations on World Champ Trials."

It took me a moment to realize that she knew, she kept up with swimming because of me and because of Brittany.

"Thank you so much," I said graciously.

Hey readers. I am so sorry it's been so long. Working, college, sorority, and everything else has caused my life to be so hectic and crazy and I honestly had to put this on the back burner for awhile. I think I will be able to have another chapter out before Thanksgiving break is over and then I probably won't be able to update until after finals but I hope to be able to finish this during my winter break.

Thanks so much for reading and sticking with me, I'm still here, and I will be until this is finished! :)