Santana ended up working all day Sunday. She would have had to cancel on Brittany anyway so she figured everything worked out for the best. She looked at the clock and saw that she still had a little over an hour before Brittany would be picking her up. "Fuck." Santana had found herself so distracted being around Brittany that she realize they had never exchanged contact information. Artie was still working on getting the personal files from the in-house cab drivers so it wasn't like she could look up the number. What if Brittany stood her up? What if she decided to spend the morning with her boyfriend instead?

Hanging out with her new friend was the only highlight of her week. She really needed to get out of this hotel for a few hours. She picked up her phone and called Artie but he didn't pick up. Santana just continued getting ready and at ten mintues to 9, she headed out to the taxi stand.

####

Brittany turned off the water in the kitchen sink and dried her hands. She had just finished washing the dishes while Jenny packed up her backpack for school. "Thanks for cooking breakfast, Jen."

"Sure, I mean I wanted to make sure you have enough energy on your date later," Jenny teased.

Brittany rolled her eyes. She had told her sister all about Santana yesterday and ever since then, her sister had been constantly teasing her. "It's not a date, we're just hanging out."

"I Goggled her last night," Jenny said with a mischievous smile, "She's like one of the top 25 professional lesbians."

"She's a professional lesbian?" Brittany asked, confused, "How does that work? Like, do they pay her to be gay or something?"

"No, you dork," Jenny said, "She's on some list of the top 25 professional women in the security field, and she just happens to be gay. So, I just thought you should know that your hot new friend plays for your team. Or I guess, you play for her team since you play on both? I'm still not quite sure how that saying works for bisexuals."

"You're totally confusing me but….oh, wait, Santana's gay?" Brittany felt her pulse quicken a bit.

"Yup and you should totally get in on that," Jenny chuckled, "If she's half as hot in person as she is in pictures, you'd be a loser not to try."

"If you think she's so hot you go out with her," Brittany shot back, "Wait, actually don't do that."

Jenny continued to look amused. "Sadly, I'm all heterosexual so she's all yours. Seriously Britt, you haven't been on a date since you went out with Roger like five months ago."

Brittany crossed her arms and leaned against the sink. "You need to stop. Santana just wants to be my friend, OK? She doesn't know anyone here and she wants to meet people. You need to stop worrying about my love life and focus on graduating."

"Can I meet her?"

"Santana? No way. You'd totally embarrass me."

"Fine." Jenny zipped up her bag and went over to Brittany to give her a hug. "All kidding aside, I just want you to have fun. You work too much."

"I'll have fun, I promise." Brittany pulled back from the hug. "Now go to school. I'll be here when you get home, OK?"

"OK," Jenny said, "And if you want to invite Santana to dinner, I wouldn't have any objections."

"Leave!" Brittany pointed to the door. With one last laugh, Jenny was gone.

Brittany loved her sister and they had had a great day yesterday but she wished Jenny wouldn't worry about her so much. Brittany was fine. She didn't need anyone. She didn't have time for a relationship and it was OK. All that mattered was getting her sister off to college. After that, Brittany would worry about herself. She looked at the clock and saw she had a little over an hour before meeting Santana and still had no idea where they were going.

She finished cleaning and getting ready before grabbing the keys to her scooter and heading to the hotel. She got to the hotel in record time and parked in taxi rest area where she ran into her friend Puck. "Hey, you're back from vacation!"

"Hey Britt!" Puck brought Brittany in for a bear hug and lifted her off the ground. "What's up nerd?"

Brittany and Puck had started the same day at the cab company and had gone through training together and she considered him like a brother. "Put me down! Why didn't you tell me you were back today?"

"I thought you'd be working. It is Monday. Why are you on your scooter?" Puck stepped back and looked Brittany up and down. "And why are you all dressed up looking fancy?"

Brittany had opted to wear grey shorts with black suspenders, boots, and a baby blue shirt. Nothing fancy. Well, maybe she did spend a little extra time putting on make up and putting her air up in a neat ponytail. "I'm off today and I'm not fancy."

"If you say so. So, if you're not working, why the hell are you here?"

"I'm meeting a friend," Brittany said.

"Artie?"

"Umm, no. A new friend."

"Who?" Puck asked again.

"BRITTANY!"

Santana had been sitting on a bench by the hotel entrance when she spotted Brittany talking to some guy with a mohawk. She felt relief wash over her at not being stood up and actual delight at seeing Brittany again. Delight? Really, Santana, she asked herself. As she got closer she got a better look at Brittany and she looked simply adorable. "Hey there."

Brittany looked past Puck at Santana and smiled. It was another hot day and Santana was wearing a lose fitting skirt and tank top that exposed her very muscular arms. Maybe she really could take down some bad guys, she thought. "Hi..hey Santana. I'm glad you were out here cause I just realized I don't have your number or anything."

"I came to the same conclusion," Santana said with a chuckle, "We have to fix that."

"I guess so," Brittany said feeling shy. Her sister's voice telling her Santana was gay suddenly popped in her mind.

"Ahem!"

Brittany turned to Puck. "Oh! Puck, this is Santana Lopez. She's the new security director at the hotel. Santana, this is Noah Puckerman, we work together at the cab company."

"This is your new friend?" Puck asked Brittany. He turned to Santana, "Nice to meet you. I heard about you."

"Nice to meet you," Santana said extending her hand, "Is The Dalton your home hotel?"

"Yup," Puck said, "Brittany hooked me up. I've actually been trying to apply for a security job at the hotel, but every time I've tried to talk to Will, he blows me off. But now that you're here…."

Brittany hit Puck in the arm. "Leave her alone. She's off the clock."

"It's OK, Brittany," Santana said, "I'll take a look at the application."

"Sweet!" Puck looked between both women. "So, where are you ladies off to?"

Santana turned to Brittany with a small smile. "I don't know. Where are we going Britt?"

"Uh…." Brittany still had no idea and hearing Santana now calling her by her nickname wasn't helping her think straight either. "I was going to drive her around so she could see the non-gambling parts of Las Vegas."

"Sounds…interesting." Puck looked less than thrilled with that news, almost as if we was expecting something more exciting. "Well, I'll leave you to, whatever. I have to get back to driving the tourists. Britt, I'll see you later. Santana, nice to meet you and thank you so much for looking into my application."

"Like I said, no problem." Santana was looking to hire more security for the hotel, but she already had her top candidates lined up but this guy was Brittany's friend and Santana felt like doing a favor for him was doing one for Brittany.

Brittany wasn't sure why she was nervous now. No, she knew why. She would now be alone with Santana all morning showing her around. What if Santana got bored? What if she got on Santana's nerves? Brittany took a breath. She wished her sister hadn't told her Santana was gay and kept teasing her about this being a date. Somehow that made Brittany even more nervous around her new friend. "Sorry about him. He's been trying to get a security job since the hotel opened. He's a great guy and super trustworthy."

"If he has your seal of approval, that's all I need." Santana told herself she needed to stop sounding like she was flitting with Brittany, because that's what she felt like she was doing. She needed to change the subject. "So umm, where's your cab?"

Brittany wiggled her eyebrows and began walking back to her light blue scooter. It was one of the many gifts her father had given her when he randomly strolled into her life and it was one of the few gifts he never took back. "No cab today."

Santana's eyes went wide when she saw Brittany stand beside a scooter and smile. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a scooter," Brittany said, "Don't they have scooters in New Jersey?"

"Yes, of course we do. Where's your cab?" Santana hoped that this was some sort of joke, that Brittany was not planning on driving her around busy city streets in something that only had two wheels. Two!

"At the cab company." Brittany opened the compartment in the back and took out Jenny's purple helmet and handed it to Santana. "Here, put this on."

Santana reached for the helmet and turned it around in her hands. "Why is your cab there? I mean, I thought you were going to give me a tour?"

"The cab isn't mine, Santana," Brittany said with a light chuckle, "I can't use it when I'm not working. I drive a scooter everywhere. After being in a cab all day the last thing I want to do is drive a car, so I drive my scooter." Brittany noticed the anxious look on Santana's face. "You don't have to be scared. I'm like an expert scooter driver."

"I hope so," Santana whispered. She put on the helmet, which was a tight fit, and began to walk to Brittany who was already on the scooter.

With her own pink helmet on, Brittany looked up and giggled at seeing Santana's cheeks squished under her helmets. "Does it fit oK?"

"A little tight, but good."

"Hop on!"

Right, hop on. Santana straddled the seat and settled herself behind Brittany and lightly placed her hands on Brittany's waist. She really wanted to press her body against Brittany and hold on as tight as possible, but Santana wasn't' sure if that was appropriate. But on the other hand if she didn't do that, she could fly off this damn thing.

"Santana, you have to get closer to me and really hold on, OK? It's like hugging, but from behind." Brittany grabbed both of Santana's hands and moved them to the center of her stomach, forcing Santana to hug her. "Hold on tight, OK?" Brittany smiled when she felt Santana hug her tighter.

Santana scooted as close to Brittany as possible and really wished she hadn't worn a skirt. "Umm, OK. I'm ready. Don't crash."

Brittany laughed as she turned on her scooter and drove off. She drove Santana down the whole strip, then to downtown Vegas and eventually she ventured off away from all the casinos and showed Santana the non-gambling-tourist parts of her home city. After about half an hour of driving, Brittany realized she needed gas and pulled up to a station.

"Sorry, I totally forgot to fill it up yesterday," Brittany said as she turned off the ignition, "You need to get off to so you don't tip over."

"Oh!" Santana got off and stood by the scooter while Brittany went to the back compartment to take out her wallet. "Stop. Gas is on me."

"What? No way!"

"I got this." Santana took out her card and quickly swiped it at the pumped. "Fill her up."

"Santana…"

"I won't hear it. You're driving me around town, it's the least I can do. And also buy you breakfast. Have you eaten?"

Brittany wasn't really hungry since she had eaten already but Santana had such a hopeful look on her face so she lied. "Nope. Haven't eaten."

"Great!" As much as Santana liked seeing the city and actually getting some fresh air, she wanted to talk to Brittany and find out more about her. That's what friends did, right? Know things about each other?

After the gas station, Brittany took them to one of her favorite diners. She liked it because it reminded her of those 1950s diners she saw in movies and it didn't have any slot machines and didn't have that Vegas feel.

"This is a cool place," Santana said. "I feel like we traveled back in time or something."

"That's why I love it! I come here and it's almost like my time machine worked."

"Your time machine?" Santana asked, incredulous.

"When I was in high school, I sort of built a time machine. And sometimes, it totally works."

Santana was at a loss for words. She would be positive Brittany was joking if it wasn't for the serious look on her face. Santana almost believed her. Brittany really was unlike anyone Santana had ever met. "Seriously?"

"Mmm, hmm. Maybe I'll show it to you some day." Brittany gave Santana a playful wink.

Santana wasn't sure why that wink made her face feel flush. "So, uh…" Luckily, the waitress for their table came to save her from anything embarrassing she was sure to say.

"Hey there Ms. Brittany!"

Brittany smiled up at her favorite waitress. "Hi Francine. How goes it today?"

"It goes. Trying to fight off all the perverts who flirt with me all day."

Francine had been working at the diner as long as Brittany could remember. The first time she came here was with her mother, before Jenny was born, and she had been here ever since. At first it was just her and her mom. Then it was her, her mom and Jenny. Now it was just her and Jenny and sometimes it was just her. It wasn't just the feeling of being back in time that made this place her favorite, it was also the fact that it reminded her of her mother.

Santana smiled as she watched Brittany joke around with the waitress. Francine had to be in her late 60s and 20 pounds overweight but the way she was taking she considered herself the sexiest woman in this place. There was an almost family vibe they were giving out and Santana was curious just how long these two had known each other.

"No Jenny today?" Francine asked, "I haven't seen her in ages."

"She just so busy," Brittany explained, "When I get home, I'll tell her you're super mad she hasn't stopped by to see you."

"You better!" Francine turned to Santana. "And who are you? Brittany only ever brings one girl in here with her and you're not her."

Santana was staring to wonder who this Jenny was. From the sound of things, Jenny was the one Brittany was living with and probably spent the whole day with yesterday. Maybe Brittany didn't have a boyfriend but…"I'm Santana. Santana Lopez."

"Santana is the new head of security at The Dalton," Brittany said proudly, "I'm giving her a tour of the city on my scooter."

Francine let out a belly laugh. "That's quite a way to see the city. How you liking Sin City so far?"

"It's…different," Santana said honestly, "In the week I've been here I've really only seen the strip but Brittany's been showing me more and I think I like it."

"Sweetheart, you're going to need more than a week to get used to this place," Francine said, "If you're lucky, you won't end up totally hating it."

Santana took a breath, suddenly feeling homesick. "I'll manage."

Brittany saw a sadness appear in Santana's eyes. "You'll be OK. You've got me as your friend so that's a great start."

Santana let out a small laugh. "It is."

Francine took their order. Brittany ordered her usual cheeseburger, fries and coke while Santana opted for the same but with a diet coke. When Francine was gone, Santana spoke.

"Who's Jenny?" She hoped she sounded casual and not like she was digging for information but she wasn't sure she pulled it off. "I'm assuming she was the one you spent the day with yesterday?"

Brittany was a bit taken aback at Santana's tone, like Brittany had done something wrong. "Yeah, Jenny and I spent the day together."

"And you two live together too?" Santana tried to smile. She really wasn't sure why she was interrogating Brittany. This was none of her business.

"Of course." Brittany was so confused right now. "I told you, didn't I?"

"No, you didn't," Santana said, "You just said you had to cancel. Look, it's none of my business. I just thought you had spent yesterday with your boyfriend…."

"Boyfriend?" Brittany really didn't know what was happening. "I don't have a boyfriend. I haven't had a boyfriend in like five months and he wasn't really a boyfriend. Jenny's my little sister. We had a sister day yesterday."

All Santana could say was, "Oh."

"I'm sorry, I thought I told you why I canceled," Brittany said. She hated to think Santana was mad at her.

Santana felt like a fool. "No," she said shaking her head, "Don't be sorry. I'm sorry. Sometimes work Santana takes over."

"It's OK. But work Santana doesn't need to come out with me. I don't lie. Well, not really. Like sometimes I do tell Quinn I like her outfit but I really don't. I don't want to hurt her feelings. But except for little things like that, I don't like lying."

"I didn't mean to imply you were lying." Santana felt like this conversation was going off in the wrong direction. "Look I'm sorry, can we just start over?"

Brittany nodded.

Luckily Francine saved Santana from further awkwardness yet again when she appeared with their food and drinks. "Enjoy ladies!"

Santana waited until Brittany had eaten a fry before asking her next question. "Who's Quinn?"

"She's my friend. She works at The Dalton too. She makes sure the big whales have everything they need."

"Fabray," Santana said, remembering, "Right, I met her. Do all your friends work at The Dalton?"

"Pretty much." She took a sip of her soda then ate another fry. "I spend so much time there, it's where I meet the most people."

"Makes sense." Santana took a bite of her burger. It was delicious. She would occasionally watch Brittany and had to force herself to look away before getting caught. She couldn't help it. There was no denying her new friend was gorgeous. And nice. And sweet. And…"So, you're not seeing anyone right now?"

Brittany swallowed the piece of burger she had been chewing. "Nope. Don't really have the time. Between work and looking after Jenny, I don't have time for a love life."

"You look after your sister? How old is she?"

"She's 17 and graduating high school soon." Brittany could talk about her sister all day. "She's like super smart and getting a full scholarship. I just have to make sure she has everything she needs until then."

The way Brittany's eyes lit up when talking about her sister made Santana smile. She didn't have any siblings of her own so she had missed out on having that bond. Hearing Brittany talk about Jenny made her wish she had had a brother or sister. "That's sweet. And your parents?"

"My mom died a couple years ago," Brittany said with a sad smile.

"I'm so sorry." Santana reached across the table and grabbed Brittany's hand. "I didn't mean to bring up any sad memories."

"You didn't know. It's fine." Brittany's eyes landed on Santana's hand on top of her own. She really liked the contrast of their skin tones. "My mom used to bring me and Jenny here all the time."

Santana caressed the back of Brittany's hand with her thumb. "Well, thank you for bringing me here."

Brittany couldn't take her eyes away from Santana's thumb as it moved back and forth and couldn't stop the tingling that was traveling through her chest at the touch. "Jenny said you are a professional lesbian." She snapped her eyes back to Santana and watched her pull away and lean back breaking contact.

"What?"

"Um, I told my sister about you and because she's a creeper, she Googled you." Brittany wished she could stop talking but Santana touching her had made her nervous.

Santana did feel a bit creeped out by hearing she had been Googled but at the same time she really liked hearing that Brittany had told her family about her. "And Google said I was a professional lesbian?"

Brittany felt the tip of her ears burn and was sure they were red. "You were on a list of the top professional women in security and the profile said you were a lesbian."

Santana couldn't help but laugh. "Oh right. I remember that. Well, then yes, I guess I am a professional lesbian."

"That's cool." Still feeling embarrassed, Brittany concentrated on her drink.

Santana's smile faded at seeing Brittany now looking uncomfortable. "Is…is that OK? That I'm gay?" She held her breath as she waited for an answer. She didn't now what she'd do if Brittany said she had a problem.

"What? Oh, no way! I love the gays! I love lesbians too!" Brittany said quickly. "I'm right there with you."

Santana leaned forward, her eyes wide. "You are? But you said you had a boyfriend."

"I'm a gay heterosexual," Brittany clarified.

"A what?" Santana was realizing just how quirky Brittany was and while she loved it, she needed complete clarification on this one thing.

Brittany shrugged her shoulders. "I like both."

"You're Bi." It wasn't a question anymore and the newfound knowledge that Brittany liked women too, made her smile.

"Is that OK?"

"It's more than OK," Santana said with a smile.

###

By the time they got back to the hotel, it was almost 2. After the diner, Brittany had driven Santana around some more and then had taken her to play some miniature golf followed by some arcade games. Santana had insisted on paying for everything, despite Brittany's protest.

Santana wasn't shy about wrapping her arms around Brittany's waist as they rode the scooter anymore. She could feel Brittany's abs and had to stop herself from trying to feel up Brittany. Yeah, she was definitely developing a crush on her friend and knowing that she may actually have a shot was not helping her in stopping it.

"Here we go!" Brittany parked the scooter in the taxi rest area and motioned Santana to get off. "I can't believe we were gone all day. Did you have fun?"

"This was the most fun I've had in a long time," Santana said as she took off her helmet, "Thank you."

Brittany took off her own helmet and placed it on the seat. She reached for Santana's and went to the back compartment to put it away. She put the helmet in and took out a gift bag. "I have a surprise for you."

"What do you have there?"

Brittany stepped closer and handed Santana the bag. "I felt bad about canceling yesterday and I saw this and I knew I had to get it for you."

"Brittany…" Santana sighed, "You didn't have to do that. You were with your sister." She took the bag and opened it when Brittany insisted. She pushed the gold tissue paper aside and her gift came into view. She laughed. "Oh my God!"

"Do you like it?"

Santana took out the a stuffed Elvis. It wasn't hot young Elvis, but the older, fatter Elvis. "This is amazing."

Brittany was just so happy Santana liked her gift. She had been worried Santana would think it was stupid. "I figured you should have one of the ultimate Las Vegas icons in your room. Press his belly."

Santana couldn't stop smiling. She pressed Elvis' belly and "Viva Las Vegas" started playing. "This is amazing! Thank you."

"You're welcome. This would be a good moment for one of those hugs."

Santana put the the Elvis back in the bag and went to hug Brittany. She put her arms around Brittany's neck and brought her closer. "Thank you."

Brittany buried her face in Santana's neck and hugged her around her waist. "You're welcome."

"How am I doing with this hug?" Santana moved her mouth closer to Brittany's ear.

Brittany felt herself shiver at feeling Santana's breath on her skin. "You get an A plus for the hug."

Santana didn't want to let go, she wanted to hug Brittany longer but she knew she shouldn't. Brittany felt too good. "I should get going." She stepped back and put some distance between them. "I have work tonight."

"I need to go to." Brittany cleared her throat. "Jenny's going to be home soon and I told her I'd be there when she got home."

"I'd like to meet her one day," Santana said.

"That'd be nice. Actually, she wanted me to invite you to dinner tonight."

"She did? Was this before or after she did a background check on me?" Santana teased.

"After."

"If I didn't have to work, I'd say yes. Maybe next time?"

"For sure." Brittany was in trouble. She wanted Santana to come to dinner, to meet her sister and spend more time with her. Yeah, she was definitely having more than just friends feelings right now.

"Bye Britt."

"Bye Santana."

###

Brittany got home twenty minutes before Jenny and she hadn't stopped smiling since leaving Santana. It had been a really fun day with her new friend.

"So you have fun on your date?" Jenny teased as she walked through the door.

Brittany had plopped herself on the couch as soon as she got home and sort of zoned off. She sat up when Jenny came in. "It wasn't a date. I was showing her around."

"Then why are you sitting on the couch with a goofy smile on your face," Jenny giggled.

Brittany hadn't even realized she was still smiling. She wiped that smile off. "I, I was thinking of a joke Artie told me."

"Suuuurrrree," Jenny stretched out the word, "Is she coming to dinner?"

"She had to work." Brittany had been both disappointed and relieved Santana couldn't make it. Brittany would have loved to spend more time with Santana but Brittany was sure Jenny would embarrass her all night. Plus, their apartment wasn't exactly a fancy suite at The Dalton. Luckily, Las Vegas' cost of living wasn't that crazy and Brittany could afford a small two bedroom, but it was just that, small.

"That sucks. I'd like to meet her though." Jenny threw her backpack on the kitchen table and went to sit next to Brittany. "I'm glad you had fun. You deserve a day off with your friends and not just hang out with me."

"Hey, I totally had fun on sister day," Brittany said, "You're my friend too, OK? Not just my sister."

Jenny put her arm around Brittany's shoulders and squeezed. "Same here." She pulled back and wiggled her eyebrows. "Did Santana like the gift you got her?"

Brittany's smile returned and she tried to look away from her sister. "She loved it."

"I knew it! Cheesy gifts are always the way to go. And going by how red your ears are getting, she must have thanked you in a good way."

Brittany playfully shoved her sister away. "Ugh, can you stop!" Brittany got up. She needed to get away from all this teasing. "Come on. Let's go out for ice cream or something."

"Seriously, though," Jenny went on, "How did she thank you?"

"Let's go!" Brittany got her bag and was out the door before her sister.

###

Santana sat in her office looking over the day's incident reports. Except for some drunken college guys getting into a fight near the Keno area, nothing had really happened.

She closed that file and opened up her activity report on the current whales in the casino. She rolled her eyes as she read just how demanding and mean Sue Sylvester had been to the staff earlier today. "What a bitch."

Sue had made her money in advertising and had more money than she knew what to do with. Santana had yet to meet her and had not desire to. She closed that file and turned to her monitors to do a quick sweep of the floor and soon found herself looking at the taxi stand cameras. Of course Brittany wouldn't be there, she was at home with her sister.

She smiled thinking of her fat Elvis waiting for her on her bed. That had been one of the best presents she had ever gotten. It was silly. It was just a mid-sized stuffed Elvis, a fat Elvis, that played a song when you squeezed his belly. She should have thought it dumb but she didn't. This morning had been exactly what she needed. Fun. Spending the day with Brittany made her forget all about work and for the first time since she got here, she didn't feel alone.

She thought of texting Brittany but wasn't sure what to say. Maybe 'Hi' or 'thanks for today'. It had only been a few hours since she last saw Brittany so maybe it was too soon. What Santana was trying really hard to bury in the back of her mind was the fact that Brittany was interested in women. Santana knew she needed to be careful. Brittany wanted to be friends and Santana wasn't about to ruin that with letting her tiny crush, because there was no way to deny that's what Santana had, grow into anything more. She had finally made a friend here and she was not going to mess it up.

"Hey, Santana?"

Santana quickly switched the camera so that she was looking at to the casino floor. She sat up feeling like she had been caught doing something wrong. She looked up at Artie standing in the doorway.

"What's up?" She quickly glanced at the screen to make sure the taxi stand was gone. This is ridiculous, Santana thought, I can look at any camera I like and besides he can't even see my screens because the entrance to my office is in front of me.

"Sue Sylvester wants to see you."

Santana groaned. "Fuck. And here I was thinking how glad I was she hadn't requested to meet me."

Artie gave her a sympathetic smile. "Sorry. She's waiting for you at The Elixir."

"I'll be right there."

"And I got the files for the taxi drivers," Artie said, "I just sent them to you."

"Thanks Artie." Once he was gone, Santana opened up the files on her computer and quickly scanned the names. "Brittany S. Pierce." There it was. Brittany's employee file but it would have to wait because the whale was waiting.

###

"How late are you working tomorrow?" Jenny asked

Brittany finished locking up her scooter in their reserved parking pace right next to their unit. "Midnight or so."

Jenny groaned. "How much longer are you going to work overtime, Britt? You already paid up my tuition for the rest of the school year."

Brittany carried her helmet in her hand and followed her sister to their front door. "You still need money for your senior trip and for the gown rental and pictures and…"

Jenny stopped walking and faced Brittany. "Let me worry about that OK? You've done enough."

"I'm going to worry about you forever," Brittany said.

Jenny smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I love you Britt."

"I love you too little sis." Brittany hooked her arm around Jenny's and continued to their front door. When they reached their door both of them stopped dead in their tracks. A man stood there knocking. A man they hadn't seen in almost two years. "Dad?"

Paul Pierce turned to face his daughters and smiled. "Girls! I was afraid I'd missed you!"

"What are you doing here?" Jenny asked, "I thought you were in Miami? I mean that's the last post card we got."

"Too humid. Now come here and give your dad a hug!" Paul lifted his arms to his daughters and waited.

Jenny was the first to go to her dad and give him a hug. "Hi dad."

"Hi sweetheart."

Brittany stood where she was and just watched as her dad hugged her sister and kissed the top of her head. She was glad to see her father and know that he was alive and looked to be in good health. Once the the initial relief and brief happiness at seeing her dad had passed, she let the familiar emotion usually associated with her father take over. Anger.

Paul let Jenny go and turned looked up at Brittany. "Hey Baby girl."

"What are you doing here?"

"Can I get a hug?"

"What are you doing here?" she repeated.

"I came to see my girls." Paul's smile disappeared "I see you're not going to hug me, and I get it. I was gone a long time."

"Gone?" Brittany practically shouted. "You left us! Mom died and you left us! And you show up years later and asking for a hug?"

Paul let out a breath. At least he had the decency to look ashamed. "Can we go inside?"

Brittany brushed past him and opened the door. Once inside she dropped her helmet, purse and keys on the kitchen table. "What are you really doing here, dad? If you need money to pay off what you lost at some poker table, we don't have any. I'm barely making enough to support me and Jenny."

"I'm not here to ask for money." Paul walked to the kitchen table and sat down. "I'm here to take care of my girls."

Brittany scoffed. "Where were you when mom had the accident? Where were you when we had to plan her funeral? Where were you when we almost got evicted cause we didn't have money for rent?"

"Britt…" Jenny began.

"No! He comes back after we get our lives back together to take care of us?"

"It's OK," Paul said and motioned for Brittany to sit down. "I'm sorry. I paid more attention to the poker table than I did you girls and I….I owed a lot of money to some bad people and the best thing for me to do was disappear."

"Whatever." Brittany crossed her arm and looked away. The next thing she heard a light thud on the table and looked to see what it was. There, in the middle of the table was a small wad of bills. "What's this?"

"It's not much. $1,500 for you and Jenny."

Brittany shook her head. "Did you hit a winning streak?"

"I have a job."

Jenny came to sit next to Brittany. "Dad that's great! What's the job?"

Brittany took in a sharp breath. Jenny always tried to see the best in their father even when he came home drunk and mad he had lost his paycheck.

"I'm working as a bodyguard for some billionaire rich kid," Paul said, "He's a spoiled brat but it's a job."

"That's great dad," Jenny said looking genuinely proud.

Paul pulled out a card from his picket and placed it next to the money. "This is my number and address. I'd like to be part of your lives again." He got up and went to stand behind his daughters. He leaned down and kissed the top of Jenny's head and gave Brittany's shoulder a squeeze. "You girls have grown up so much and I'm sorry I missed it. Brittany, you look just like your mother. Umm, OK. Well, I don't want to over stay my welcome. I hope you girls will give me a chance."

"OK," Jenny said while Brittany stayed quiet. It wasn't until Brittany heard the front door shut that she felt tears run down her cheeks. "Britt, it's OK."

Brittany wiped her tears away. "He can't just come back here like nothing happened."

Jenny went to hug Brittany. "I know."

Brittany looked at the money on the table. She didn't want take it but she'd be lying if she said they didn't need the money. She reached over and took the wad of bills. "I guess I don't have to work overtime tomorrow."

She took the money but left the card.

###

Santana walked into The Dalton's night club, The Elixir. In the six months it had opened, the club had turned into the hottest club in the city. The line to get in was always longer than any other club, the hottest DJs had been booked and it was easily the place celebrities wanted to be seen. Santana looked around and knew she'd never party here. Clubs were never her scene.

She spotted Sue sitting at the bar, bossing the bartender around. It was still hours before the club opened and only the staff were in the club setting up.

"Martini! Extra dry with three olives. Not two or four but three, you hear me you hair spray junkie."

Santana took a breath and took a seat next to the millionaire. "Ms. Sylvester. I'm Santana Lopez." She tuck out her hand but Sue ignored her.

"About time sand bags, what took you so long?"

Santana forced a smile and put her hand down. "Looking after a big casino is time consuming."

Sue took her martini and took a sip. "I know who you are. I did my homework. Santana Lopez, lesbian from New Jersey. Youngest female security director of a major Vegas casino. Dad's a doctor, mom's an architect…"

"Great, you know all about me," Santana interrupted, "Look, Ms. Sylvester, you don't have to worry about your security while at The Dalton, not while I'm here. "

"I should hope not." Sue finished her Martini and barked orders for another one, scaring the poor bartender. She turned to Santana. "Care for a drink? I get them free."

"No thanks," Santana sighed, "I'm working."

"It's a funny thing," Sue said, "When I was a nobody, I could barley get a free glass of water. Now, I can afford to buy all the alcohol behind that bar but I get it for free. Funny, right? The richer you are the more crap people just give you."

"If you'd like, I'd be glad to arrange for the hotel to charge you for everything," Santana suggested. She wasn't sure what the hell this woman was getting at and what this meeting was about.

"Don't be an idiot."

Santana clenched her jaw trying to keep her anger from rising. "Ms. Sylvester…."

"Sue."

"Sue. As much as I'd love to chat, I really need to get back to work. Is there something I can do for you?"

"I've decided to have my annual charity auction here at The Dalton and I need to to make sure security is as tight as that ass of yours."

Santana wasn't sure if she should be offended or flattered. "The Jean Sylvester Foundation. Helping low income families of children with Down's Syndrome.

"Guess you read my file too," Sue chuckled, "This year my agency created an amazing Tiffany's ad campaign and because I'm a rock star, they agreed to donate two diamond encrusted necklaces worth almost a million dollars each."

"Wow."

"My auction will be next month and the necklaces will arrive two days before the auction." Sue finished her second Martini but did not order another one. "I want you to head the security and make sure these necklaces are kept safe until the day of the auction. In the days I've been here, I've seen security greatly improve. Two months ago when I visited, a monkey could have broken into this place stolen all the bananas from the kitchen without anyone knowing."

"Uh, thanks?"

"It was a compliment," Sue went on, "I was all set to have this auction at The Venitian, but you've impressed me Santana. That doesn't happen often."

"I'm good at what I do."

"Excellent!" Sue got up and Santana saw the releif in the poor bartender's face. "I'll have my assistant Elaine contact you with details. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go play some Black Jack."

Santana watched Sue walk to the exit and disapear through the exit.

"Thank God!" the bartender said, "She was kinda scary."

Santana smiled and extended her hand, "I don't think I've met you yet. I'm Santana Lopez, head of security."

"Kurt Hummel," he said as he shook her hand, "I was off the day you came by to meet the staff. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Santana made a mental note to check out his file but from just meeting him, she knew he was trustworthy. "Don't worry about her. Something tells me that she's not much into the club scene."

"Man, I hope not!" Kurt loosened his black tie. All bartenders were required to hear a white dress shirt, black tie, vest and slacks. "If you want a drink, I won't tell anyone."

"I'm good Kurt, thanks." Santana looked Kurt over and smiled. He was nice and gayer than all the colors of the rainbow and that made her like him more. "So Kurt, do you like working here?"

"It's good money," Kurt said as he wiped the counter, "Most of my friends work here, so it's fun too."

Santana wondered. "Hey, do you know Brittany Pierce?"

"Brittany!" Kurt practically squealed, "That's my buddy right there. Yeah, I know here, why?"

"She gave me a tour of the city this morning and she said the same thing, that all her friends work here so I just wondered."

"I love that girl," Kurt went on, "Tell me, did she take you on her scooter?"

"She did," said with a laugh.

"The first time she gave me a ride on that thing I almost fainted."

"I kinda almost did too," Santana admitted, "She's a great driver though."

Kurt cocked his head to the side and smiled. "How did you guys meet? I mean, Brittany isn't an employee here."

"Oh, uh, she was my cab driver from the airport." Santana didn't really like the look on Kurt's face, like he knew a secret. She fidgeted in her seat and wished she hadn't mentioned Brittany.

"Hmm. Well, hopefully you guys become good friends, she's a keeper."

"She is." Santana realized she hadn't stopped smiling since they started talking about her new friend. She cleared her throat. "We'll, I should get back to work. It was nice meeting you Kurt."

"You too Santana," Kurt said, "Hey, maybe you, Brittany and I can get hang out or something some time."

Santana got up. "That sounds great."

"Fantastic! I guess I'll see you around."

Santana gave Kurt a small wave before leaving. Maybe Kurt could be her second friend here.

-tbc-