Author's note: Thank you so much for the reviews and the follows :) I was really blown away by the response and I'm glad that you want me to continue. So here you go chapter 2!

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter 2

Brittany's pov.

Brittany is glad to be out of her gear, washed up and relaxing in a comfortable atmosphere. After she left the scene she had gone back to the station with the rest of her team. Puck and Blaine chatted happily about how there had been no casualties and that it had been a pretty successful operation. They had discovered that the fire had started due to an electrical appliance being left on after the occupant of the apartment had gone out for the day. It was most likely a hair straightener or something else similar.

However, Brittany found that she couldn't join in like she normally would. Her mood was down but she also felt that the others were talking about her behind her back. When she walked into the canteen to grab a bite to eat before her shift ended Puck and Blaine very obviously dropped a conversation that they had been engaging it. It didn't bother her too much so she just continued on her way but as she passed Karofsky and Mike on her way out of the station they suddenly went silent too. Brittany figured that maybe they just knew she was in no mood to talk. That awareness of each other's moods and feelings develops when you work in such a tightly knit team and have to spend so much time with each other but right now Brittany didn't really appreciate feeling left out.

Brittany isn't too bothered to find out what it is right now though and just gets into her car and drives to the one place where she knows she can talk to someone.

…

Brittany sits at her regular booth and picks at the banana cream pie that she ordered. Normally she would devour it in about four bites but she just doesn't have the stomach for it this evening. Brittany looks over at her mom as she serves another customer at the counter.

Brittany's parents opened The Jolly Ranch Diner a couple years before she was born. These seats were where Brittany grew up colouring, doing her homework, studying for exams and eventually where she opened her acceptance letter into the academy. This was home and she still came here all the time to see her parents and get a slice of her famous banana cream pie. Brittany knew that if there was ever anything troubling her that she could talk to her mom and even though today's call out had been successful, Brittany still found herself feeling down and in need of some mother-daughter time.

Right now though there were a few customers and her mom couldn't sit down and talk right away so Brittany was just left with her thoughts. Santana was consuming all of her thoughts; she hadn't left her mind from the moment she had been driven away in that ambulance. Brittany couldn't help but feel that she had missed out on an opportunity. Santana was the first person in three months to make her forget about Sugar. They had been dating for two years and living together for one, until Brittany came home from a shift early one night and found Sugar in their bed with some guy. They broke up straight away, Brittany was pretty sure that Sugar wasn't even sorry. It was probably because she had been cheating for a while and was going to leave her for him anyway. Still, that didn't make it hurt any less.

Brittany had spent the following three months thinking about how she could have been a better girlfriend; she constantly berated herself and was convinced that it must have been something she had done to drive Sugar away. Brittany sometimes still thought all those things. Until today.

Brittany was just about to say her name when she heard it being uttered from the television set suspended in the corner of the diner. Brittany's head jerked up and her eyes fell on Santana on the screen. It was a news broadcast covering today's fire. Brittany's face scrunched up in confusion. Fires normally made the news but people were never singled out, especially when there were no casualties.

"…one of the residents of the building was none other than chart-topping, singing sensation, Santana Lopez. Lopez was at home in her 6th floor penthouse apartment when the blaze started and was trapped until fire-fighters quickly arrived on the scene. Lopez suffered minor injuries and was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital for further treatment. However, what we are sure fans are all wondering is, where will go now? With her apartment being burnt down Lopez is left with few options: Stay with her recent ex-boyfriend, turn to a friend or pick a hotel. We will be sure to keep you updated as news on this matter progresses. Fans will also be left wondering whether this will have an affect on her upcoming album that was due to be released this summer…"

Brittany drew her attention away from the television; she didn't want to see anymore. All they cared about was where they were going to be able to get their next picture of her. They already had some footage of her and Brittany coming down the ladder. Brittany was thankful that they hadn't been followed to the ambulance. Brittany was about to delve back into all her Santana related thoughts when the bell of the diner chimed.

Brittany's mouth dropped open in surprise to find a rain-soaked, frazzled looking Santana Lopez standing in the doorway.

…

Santana's pov.

Santana couldn't wait to get out of that God forsaken hospital. There was nothing else in the world she hated more than hospitals, well except for maybe her agent and her label. Having being looked at straight away and her leg bandaged up properly, Santana thought that she would be able to go home. The doctors had other ideas. They wanted to keep her in for observation overnight but she was having none of it. Eventually the old Lopez charm paid off and she convinced them that if she stayed for a few hours and she was feeling alright that they would let her go.

Santana had been hoping to get out of there before her agent showed up but she wasn't so lucky. Will showed up in all kinds of a fluster, demanding to know if she was ok. Not that he actually cared for her well-being; she was his income. He gave her a bag with some clothes to change into and a credit card so that she could check into a hotel somewhere.

When he saw Santana's leg though he nearly had an aneurysm.

"Santana, your leg!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah yeah look it's not that bad," she sighed.

"Not that bad? Santana this will take weeks to heal." He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to calm himself.

"Maybe it's a good thing," Santana told him, "I kind of need to take a break anyway. You guys have been working me to the bone. It was only a matter of time before I burned out anyway." Will's face cleared.

"Yeah, you're right; this could be good for you. The album wasn't going too well anyway, you need a clean break, you can…"

"Hold up," Santana cuts across quickly, "I meant have some time off, not leave permanently. I just need a few weeks and then I'll be right back at work."

"Look Santana, we've been thinking about this for a while, if the new album didn't sell well we were going to drop you anyway. The only reason we were keeping you around was because you look great and fans think you're hot but now with your leg being all scarred, you won't sell. I think it's time we took things in a new direction."

Santana started to panic, yeah she hated her label but she had never thought about actually leaving it.

"No, Will, no. It will heal! Please just give me one more chance. Give me this time off and I promise that it will heal and I will finish the album and it will be the best thing that the label has ever released. I promise you."

Will looked unsure but eventually gave in.

"Fine. You have a month to heal up and get your act together, ok?"

Santana sighed with relief.

"Yes. Thank you."

Santana still couldn't believe that they even threatened to drop her. She wasn't too worried though, she had plenty of time to heal, all she had to do now was figure out where she was going to stay.

First she wanted to go back to her apartment to see if there was anything that she could salvage, so she hailed the nearest taxi and went straight there.

It was clear to Santana when she arrived that there was no way in hell she was getting into that building. The police had the area blocked off from the public. When Santana stepped out of the taxi and looked up at her former home that she realised just how severe the whole situation was and how close she had come to actually dying. Her home was gone, along with everything that she owned. Tears pricked at her eyes as she knew that coming back here had been a lost cause. She had not been ready to see it yet and suddenly everything came pressing down on her. All she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and she couldn't even do that.

Where was she going to stay? A hotel would be the easiest option but she knew as soon as she checked in someone would reveal to the press where she was staying. Santana also didn't have many actual friends in the city that she would feel comfortable enough randomly calling up and asking to stay.

So Santana slumped her shoulders in defeat and began to wander aimlessly in one direction, hoping that inspiration would come to her eventually. Santana had only gotten about a block away when it started to lash rain but she couldn't even bring herself to care. Her day was already as bad as it could get, a little rain wasn't going to change that. Then her thoughts turned to the one ray of hope that had been in her day. She hadn't thought about her since she had arrived at the hospital, simply because she was too busy being checked out and thinking about what she was going to do but now that she was in her head Santana couldn't take her mind off her. Brittany.

It normally took Santana a long time to feel comfortable around people but Brittany just appeared in her personal bubble and wasn't going anywhere soon. Brittany had saved her life and had been chivalrous and modest about it the whole time. Brittany hadn't gotten annoyed at her when she refused to climb onto the dresser. Only now did Santana realise that she could have killed them both with her stubbornness. Santana couldn't even begin to understand why she had trusted Brittany so much and why she felt good when Brittany seemed genuinely worried about her leg. Santana didn't even go near thinking about the staring she had done when Brittany took her helmet off. That was going to be boxed away and analysed at a later time.

Then a wave of sadness washed over Santana when she remembered that she had no way of contacting Brittany. Hell, she didn't even know her last name.

With these sad thoughts Santana came to the conclusion that she should probably get in out of the rain. So when she came across a cosy looking diner that she could shelter in for a while she immediately took the opportunity to step inside.

…

Brittany's pov.

Brittany is up and out of her seat in a heart beat.

"Oh my god," she gasps at Santana as she swiftly makes her way over to her while shrugging out of her jacket, "are you ok?"

Santana looks at her wide eyed and trembling from the cold. Brittany was the last person she expected to see. Brittany puts her hands on her shoulders and slowly pulls Santana's saturated jacket off. She throws it back into the booth she had been sitting in and turns back to Santana. Brittany looks into Santana's eyes as she wraps her own jacket around the freezing Latina's shoulders, trying to gauge whether or not she is ok as she is yet to get a response from her.

Santana shudders as Brittany's hands begin to rub up and down her arms trying to generate some warmth. She lets Brittany guide her over to a booth and sits down quietly, completely dazed by what was going on. This is the second time in one day that this stranger has come to her rescue. She knows that this time around she is in a less dangerous situation but somehow she feels that emotionally Brittany just saved her from a lot.

Santana looks up and sees Brittany returning with two cups of coffee. Brittany places it in front of her and Santana wraps her hands around the cup gratefully, relishing in the warmth that seeps into her hands.

"Thank you," Santana finally croaks out.

"Finally," Brittany chuckles, "I thought you had gone mute on me there for a second. You had me worried." Santana smiles at the thought that Brittany was worried about her.

"Sorry, just a bit confused. I didn't think I would see you again so soon, or ever for that matter and as you can probably tell, I've been having a rough night." Santana smirks and gestures down at her drenched clothes.

"What were you doing walking around in the rain at this time of night anyway? Shouldn't you still be in the hospital?" Brittany asks her pensively, furrowing her eyebrows at her.

"I managed to make the doctors see things my way." Brittany quirks an eyebrow at her.

"Is that so?" Brittany asks cheekily.

"Mmhmm," Santana hums, "but I'm not telling you how I did it, that's my secret."

"I'm sure I'll think of some way of getting it out of you," Brittany murmurs as she brings her coffee up to her mouth to take a sip.

Santana laughs and shakes her head. How can this girl make her feel so much better so quickly? She has a thousand and one things to be worrying about and yet not one of them seems important now that she is with Brittany.

"So what are you doing here so late? I thought you would be at home resting after a long day of saving lives."

Brittany shrugs.

"Sometimes it can be hard to wind down after a day like today. So I like to come here for some chill out time and to hang with my mom." Brittany nods towards the counter where Brittany's mom is pouring coffee for a customer.

Santana smiles.

"This is your mom's place? That's great. I will have to stop by more often in the hopes of running into you. You have a knack for making my day go much better."

Brittany blushes; she was just thinking about how much better Santana had made her day.

Suddenly Brittany's mom walks over to their table and stands beside Brittany.

"Well now Brittany aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Brittany looks flustered for a second but quickly regains her cool.

"Yeah of course. Mom this is Santana. Santana this is my mom, Susan."

Santana smiles widely and holds her hand out for Susan to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Susan." Santana says politely. Susan waves a hand at Santana and scoops her up in a big bear hug.

"Oh please Santana, if you're a friend of Brittany's then you get a hug! None of this handshake nonsense."

Santana looks surprised but is quick to return the very loving and motherly hug she was receiving. It had been a long time since she had gotten one of those, so long that she had forgotten what they had even felt like.

Brittany sank down into her seat, slightly embarrassed by her mother smothering Santana but she knew nothing could be done about it; her mom had always been like this.

"So how do you two know each other?" Susan asks enthusiastically.

"Your daughter here saved my life just today." Santana stated proudly before Brittany could say anything.

Susan's head swivels to look at Brittany with incredulity.

"Did she now? Well that's my Britty, saving lives like it's nobody's business."

Brittany blushes with embarrassment.

"I hope everything is ok with you dear?" Susan continues, looking at Santana with sympathy.

"Not really," Santana shrugs, "my apartment is pretty much destroyed, along with all my belongings. I don't even know where I'm going to stay tonight." Santana laughs nervously, her predicament once again coming to the forefront of her mind.

"Well why don't you just stay with Brittany for a while?!" Susan suggests animatedly.

Brittany's mouth drops open in shock.

"Don't listen to her Santana. I'm sure there are plenty of places you are considering going to, please don't feel like you have to…"

"Ssh Brittany it's perfect!" Susan continues, completely oblivious to Brittany's obvious distress. "You have a spare room and everything!"

"Mom! Stop! Santana obviously has better places to go, stop making her uncomfortable." Brittany looks over to Santana, waiting for her to confirm what she is saying.

Santana is looking down at her hands as she fidgets with the handle on her cup. When she looks up Brittany realises that she has tears in her eyes.

"Actually I don't really have a plan at all. I don't really have anywhere to go. I was going to just check into a hotel but I really don't feel like being alone, today has just been so much that the thought of being around strangers right now is really overwhelming"

Brittany's heart breaks in two when she sees a tear slowly glide down Santana's cheek and drop down onto the table. Brittany instinctually reaches her hand out and places it on Santana's. Santana gasps and looks up at Brittany through glistening eyes.

"Please don't take this the wrong way Santana because I am perfectly ok with you staying with me for as long as you need but I am practically a stranger to you too." Brittany is saddened by it but it was true.

Santana turns her hand and holds onto Brittany's with a firm but gentle grip.

"I know but you don't feel like one." Santana says as she looks at Brittany pleadingly, hoping that Brittany feels the same way.

Brittany smiles warmly at Santana and nods in understanding.

"That's settled then," Susan says jovially with a little clap, "looks like you two are going to be roomies for a while!"

...

So there you have it and I hope you enjoyed it! :)