Brittany sighed happily when the mall's lights dimmed, signaling her to begin making her way to meet Santana. Since that first day the Latina played the piano, it became a tradition to meet one another on the nights surrounding Christmas day.

Each time they met the blonde felt tempted to tell her newfound friend about the piano but didn't because it was obvious Santana was still not ready. Each year Brittany would ask Santa the same thing; that the Latina would be ready to accept that something that was nestled deep within herself. Maybe Brittany couldn't place a precise name to what exactly it was, but she saw it and knew it was something worth loving.

'Love,' she thought with flushed cheeks. It was a word her mind danced around whenever she thought of the fiery brunette. Shaking her head, she picked up her backpack and walked through the near quiet halls of the mall, her elf shoes jingling with each step.

"Hey Britt-Britt," Santana greeted, a small but genuine smile on her lips. Just like every previous year, the Latina tried to subtly put away the special note card she found addressed specifically to her.

Brittany grinned and waved in response, skipping to the brunette's side. She dropped down gracefully to sit on the other side of the bench, leaning into her friend's side. Again, another yearly occurrence, Santana stiffened momentarily before relaxing and wrapping her arm around the lanky teen. The caramel skinned beauty learned rather quickly how touchy feely Brittany tended to be.

"How were the demon spawns today?" Santana asked with a chuckle. Another thing she learned early on was Brittany's patience and absolute adoration towards children.

"The kids were pretty good this year. Some of them couldn't stop talking about their time at the Build-a-Bear workshop with, and I quote 'the pretty elf girl'." Santana's laugh surrounded her, causing a bright smile to take residence on her face as she continued. "Even parents were talking about the pretty elf girl's voice. I wondered who it was. I mean, a pretty girl with a pretty voice? That's a very rare combination, don't you think so? Definitely someone worth swooning over, am I right?"

It was as the final words left her mouth that she realized Santana's laughter had died down and arm was pulled away. It was messing with the cheerio's mind yet again.

"San?" she implored gently, nudging the other girl with her shoulder. She felt the brunette shift so that her entire body was facing her. Brittany followed suit and was surprised to see the Latina's unyielding gaze.

"Why are you friends with the glee losers?" The question tumbled from Santana's lips awkwardly and she scrambled to rephrase it but Brittany rose her hand, halting the brunette's fumbled fix.

"Why'd you ask that?" She wasn't mad, like Santana originally thought, and she wasn't upset, well not too much, she was more… surprised. And maybe a little confused.

'Here goes nothing,' Santana thought with a sigh.
"You're so pretty," she blurted, slapping her hand over her mouth. 'Okay, what the fuck; not what I was going for.' Her cheeks burned as she stared at the fair skinned girl in front of her, gauging her reaction. Her heart fluttered when she saw a delicate blush flood the blonde's cheeks.

"So?"

With renewed courage, Santana took a deep breath and continued. "You're pretty and you dance like a pro. I've seen how strong you are in art, lifting up some of that crap without a struggle. And you're a genius."

Brittany continued to blush as she heard the sincerity behind Santana's words. Her heart beat strangely in her chest as she fiddled with her fingers in her lap. 'Wasn't I supposed to be mad or something?'

"And- and- and you could be so popular, a head cheerio!"

Just like that the warm fuzzies taking residence in the blonde's heart disappeared. 'Right, she called my friends losers.'

"I am popular. I'm popular with my friends which is what matters most." She tried, tried really, really hard to keep the bite from her words but frowned when she saw the head cheerio flinch. "I didn't mean it like-"

"It's okay," Santana interrupted. Her voice was softer and more vulnerable than Brittany had ever heard before. "I know what you meant and I know what you should have meant… I'm a bitch; I know."

Brittany's eyes widened in surprise as she watched tears roll down the Latina's tan cheeks. Without a second thought, she wrapped her pale arms around the crying girl, pulling her into a close embrace. Instead of the usual response to such a motion, Santana melted in Brittany's hug and sobbed.

'It broke.'

"It's okay, Santana, don't worry, I've got you," Brittany murmured into her hair. She alternated from rubbing small circles on the girl's back to running her fingers through her dark locks, trying to emulate the same comfort her mother did for her.

After a few long minutes, Santana regained some control and pulled away, wiping at her ruined makeup and tear stained cheeks. She couldn't face the piercing blue gaze that was focused on her as she took deep breaths.

"There's… there might be something wrong with me," the Latina whispered, keeping her eyes downcast. Her heart began to hammer wildly in her chest as she tried to continue but felt tears threatening to spill again.

Brittany's own heart went crazy as her mind filled with different types of illnesses Santana could have possibly contracted. 'What if it's something terminal? There are thousands of terminal illnesses!' Brittany shuddered at the thought and began to tear up. Her hand instinctively shot forward and pressed against the Latina's forehead.

"Britt!" Santana squeaked. The contact was so sudden and unexplained that she would have fallen off the bench if not for the blonde's quick reflexes. As a result, Santana was once again held in Brittany's embrace, this time pressed flush against her lithe body.

"What's wrong with you?" the blonde whispered. "You don't have a fever… it's not bad, is it?" Her bottom lip trembled as she waited for a response. 'I can't lose San too...'

"You- I- wait…" She searched Brittany's face for any signs of insincerity but only found unabashed honesty and fear reflected in her striking baby blues. "Britt, I-" she broke off and giggled softly, shaking her head.

"Why are you laughing at me?" Brittany demanded, pulling away from Santana once she was sure she wouldn't fall off. The brunette immediately missed the contact and hated herself for feeling that way.

"I'm not laughing at you. It's just… I'm not that kind of sick." She felt more in control of what she wanted to say but still dreaded the words that rattled around in her head. 'Brittany's different… she's innocent and funny and sweet and understanding and beautiful… Britt's just Brittany...'

"San?" Again the blonde gently prodded her friend to continue, not following the turn of events.

"Brittany," she began with a sigh. 'Santana Lopez doesn't get scared, damn it!' "I think… I might-" she cleared her throat and stood up, wiping her sweaty palms on the jeans she'd changed into before the friends' rendezvous.
She avoided eye contact as she began to pace, unable to keep still. "I think I might like girls."

"So? I like girls too."

Santana's eyes bugged out of their sockets as she began to choke on nothing but her own saliva and air. 'She's gay?!' Then she remembered how blissfully innocent the blonde was and talked down her suddenly over active imagination. Clearing her throat, she turned her back to Brittany and closed her eyes for a bit.

"No, Britt, I mean like, I might like girls the way I'm supposed to like like boys." The words were difficult to get out since not only did was she admitting it to Brittany but it was also the first time the Latina ever acknowledged her feelings out loud. Her heart weighed heavily in her chest as seconds ticked by without a single sound to pass between the two.

Unbeknownst to her, Brittany was mentally face palming herself for not correctly naming Santana's unicorn status. Of course she was a unicorn! Santana was so gentle and sweet and caring but afraid to show herself; how couldn't Brittany have known what it was? She was a frightened unicorn in the middle of a town full of normal, and at times mean, donkeys.

"Santana you're a-"

"Wait! I mean, I might not be… you know. I mean, I might actually like a guy."

Brittany frowned a little, trying to think of what guy the cheerio might have been talking about. She couldn't think of anyone from their school other than Puck or Finn but that was only because they were always around her. Either way, there was little to no chance of that being a possibility because Quinn was with Puck and Finn… well, Finn just didn't seem compatible.

"Who?" She worried her thin pink lips between her teeth, suddenly anxious for the girl's reply. There was a strange tight feeling in her chest which took her a while to identify as jealousy. Brittany Pierce was undoubtedly and painfully jealous.

"I don't know his name, but whoever he is makes me feel like everything's alright and nothing can go wrong. He knows me in a way that no one else really does."

A small smile managed its way onto Santana's lips as she thought of all the notecards she'd gotten from her mysterious piano player. The smile only grew as she continued to remember the different and beautiful duets they'd managed to share. It had to be a guy… right?

"Does he go to our school? When did you meet? How old is he? Do I know him? How does he know you… better than me?" The questions rolled off Brittany's tongue and grew quieter and quieter until the last one couldn't be heard.

"Well, he told me he goes to our school and I've never actually met him but I'm pretty sure he's around our age. Maybe you know him; he says he likes to dance and has even taken some classes. He got to know me through the piano thing I do, the same way you did." Santana spoke softly and shyly, slowly turning to look at her friend once more. It hurt seeing the blonde frown so deeply and look so troubled. What if Santana had been wrong? What if Brittany was just like every other close minded person in Lima and wouldn't accept her after all?

"I have to go," Brittany clipped out. Her insides were in turmoil, bursting with different and unfamiliar feelings of hurt and anger.

She jumped to her feet and rushed toward the nearest exit, ignoring Santana's soft pleas to stop.

It was just too much, and so strange. She couldn't ever recall feeling the way she did when she heard Santana talk about her mystery guy. The added fact that the guy discovered her inner beauty during one of their duets killed Brittany because that pretty much meant that she drove the Latina into the stranger's arms.

Santana slumped down onto the bench, cries choking her as she buried her face in her hands. She did it; she ruined everything she'd built with the only friend she ever felt truly comfortable around. Self hatred flooded her veins and bile filled her mouth as her body shook from the heart wrenching sobs that rocked her to her core. Her freakishness and stupid feelings pushed Brittany away, she was sure of it.

Alas, the sad irony was lost on the girls but somewhere far away, an angel smiled because he knew true love was bound to find its way.

A/N: So, shorter chapter and it's been a while since the last update but school, work, family and friends have been a distraction; a good one but still a distraction. Anyway, thanks for reading! The last part was super cheesy but it's specifically dedicated to a certain lady friend who will always have her angel.

Uh, yeah, so, thanks again! It's close to an end, so be expecting maybe three more chapters? Maybe more, maybe less; still unsure.

Anyhow, hope your days, nights and everything in between are awesome sauce (: