DJ Snowflake and Scrooge

December 20
?:? am

Hummel's Bed and Breakfast had fallen asleep to the sound of DJ Snowflake and Christmas music a long time ago. The snow flurries outside had picked up as predicted by the weather forecast for the weekend. The bed and breakfast was relatively quiet in the early morning. Kurt and Burt had dimmed the lights and closed down the common room.

It was quiet.

The quiet that demanded to be broken.

Santana tilted her head back. Her mouth half-opened. Her legs shifted and tangled with the disheveled sheets on the bed. Lips trailed wet lines down the side of her neck. Blonde hair caressed her face and found bare skin. Santana closed her eyes and leaned back further. Brittany took the opportunity to kiss down her collarbone. Her hands pushed Santana's collar over her shoulder. Santana gasped as Brittany continued to unclothe her. Every inch of skin Brittany exposed, she covered immediately with a hot kiss. Santana shivered- the cold, the heat, Brittany's lips...her tongue.

She couldn't remember the last time she had felt like this - the last time she had let someone in. The last time she had let someone fill her body so completely.

Santana arched back and moaned. "Brittany..."

She opened her eyes, but the bed shook and the walls echoed Brittany's name. Something wasn't right. Santana bolted straight up.

Brittany was gone. The bed was gone. She stood in the middle of nothing. Confused, Santana spun around, but could see nothing for miles. Everything was gray - black and white. She looked down, but she wasn't sure if she was floating or standing on more gray nothingness.

"What the fuck?" Santana grasped the material of her shirt to ensure she wasn't a ghost. The long sleeved button down shirt she had worn to bed had no color. It was another variation of gray. The red sweatpants Brittany had pulled down her legs were also gray. Why was everything black and white?

"Brittany?"

"No!" A voice that definitely didn't belong to Brittany answered. "I am certainly not Brittany. I would say you should know who I am since you are supposed to be here trying to find a way to preserve me forever. Instead you mire my master suite legacy with your dreams full of debauchery! I couldn't stand by idly and watch your dirty dreams any longer."

"What the fuck..." Santana repeated again.

"Santana Lopez!" The voice shouted from directly behind her head.

Santana jumped and flipped around so fast so lost her balance. Hovering above her in long green dress gown was a small woman pointing and throwing a fit. Santana had no idea what was going on. Confused, Santana glared at her even as she continued to yell.

"The audacity! How could you even think about having a dream like that in a room named after me!" She floated above Santana in an agitated circle. "The least you could have done was include me in the dream. I think I would have done a better job than blondie."

Santana only heard half of the words the woman said. Her eyes followed the green dress around in the air until it hit her.

She knew that dress.

Santana's head snapped up. Oh god. She knew that dress. "Holy fuck! Rachel Berry!" She shook her head violently. "This can't be real. This is a fucking nightmare. You're supposed to be old - you're supposed to be dead. I need to wake up. I need to get out of this fucking room. I need mental care. I need something."

"Finally! A little recognition." Rachel exclaimed. "I'm only mildly insulted you didn't recognize me immediately.

"Why is this happening?" Santana pinched her arm and slapped her thigh. She did not need to have a dream about Rachel Berry. "Did I die? Is this my hell?"

"Like you'd be so lucky to spend the afterlife with me?" Rachel moved around. "You're here because I don't think you're taking my legacy very seriously."

"What?"

A third voice, one Santana definitely knew, entered the dream.

"Welcome to another late night round of Rachel Berry: A Very Berry Trivia Show!" Brittany appeared standing behind a podium and next to a gameshow board like one that would be on Jeopardy. "Please meet out contestants for tonight show. Player One; our undefeated champion who is currently riding a winning streak of seventy-five games. The one - the only - RACHEL BERRY!"

A studio track of applause erupted around them.

Rachel smiled just like she did in all of her portraits and waved as if she was the queen of Midtown. She walked to the player one stage and stood behind her podium with the most obnoxious smile.

"Brittany?" Santana tried to get Brittany's attention. "What is happening?"

Brittany winked in her direction, but didn't have time to explain. "Player Two is a new comer to the A Very Berry Trivia Show, but already threatening to be a fearsome competitor. She is Midtown's newest addition, friend of Mercedes's Jones, current occupant of the Rachel Barbra Berry Master Suite, researching the great Christmas singer herself, and..." Brittany trailed off, but didn't mask her amused smile. "...participating in some very naughty dreams about your host - SANTANA LOPEZ!"

The studio track of applause erupted again.

Santana stood still. She might have been in the middle of a very vivid nightmare, but that didn't mean she was going to participate.

"Santana..." Brittany called her name softly away from the microphone. "You have to take your place."

"I just want to wake up."

Brittany shrugged. "Just play a round or two. I promise, I'll make it worth your while." She spoke away from the microphone. Santana could have sworn Brittany was talking just behind her ear. "If you play, next time I won't just kiss your neck. I want to kiss you much lower than that."

Santana blushed. Silently she reprimanded herself for allowing dream Brittany into manipulating her, but she still walked toward the stand.

"Great!" Brittany pulled out a stack of note cards. The gameshow board generated new categories.

A Very Berry Christmas

Duel of the Carols

Berry Ex-Lovers

Berry Significant Dates

Rachel clapped excitedly at the reveal of the categories. Santana's jaw dropped. She still couldn't believe she was participating in a dream gameshow against Rachel Berry or that she hadn't woken up yet. Santana glanced down the categories, but only one stuck out in her mind.

She needed to wake up before Berry Ex-Lovers.

"Alrighty, Rachel, since you are the defending champ, you get to pick the first category!"

"I don't wish to discourage my opponent too severely, so I won't destroy her with my intellect until the later rounds, Brittany. Let's start with Duel of the Carols."

Applause.

"YES! Great choice! This is a crowd favorite!" Brittany flipped through her note cards and pulled out the ones for this category. "First up we have Hark! The Herald Angels Sing."

Rachel smiled. "Classic. Excellent. Give me the mic."

A mic magically appeared in Rachel's hands. She smiled out into the gray abyss were Santana imaged the studio produced audience sat. Santana pinched her forearm harder.

"Okay! So here is how this game works! I will start spinning a track and you will have to sing the song until I yell switch. At that time, Santana, you will have to sing where Rachel left off."

Santana tried to pinch her arm once more, but a second microphone appeared in her hand. "How?"

"Not yet, Santana. I didn't say switch yet!" Brittany tsked at her for speaking in the mic before it was her turn.

"Now, ladies, remember you will be judged on poise, smiles, and actually singing the song – that's actually the only thing that matters."

Music blasted from behind their podium stands. Rachel Berry immediately started singing the opening words to the song.

Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king

"SWITCH!" Brittany yelled and nodded in Santana's direction. Santana hesitated, but lifted her mic.

Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconcile

Rachel leaned into her microphone and whispered over Santana's singing. "She got lucky she even knew the words. Lord knows she was a little sharp."

"A little sharp?" Santana stopped singing and glared across the podium. "You wish, old lady, I will out sing you on all your songs."

"Umm-" Brittany cringed and slowed the music track. "Ladies, trash talking in the middle of Duel of the Carols isn't allowed."

"Fine, I'll kick her ass singing. Play the song, Brittany." Santana grabbed her mic and approached Rachel.

Rachel understood a challenge had been issued and grabbed her own mic. They both started singing and circling around their stands. Brittany wasn't sure if the song had become a duet or if it was still a duel. All she could see was they were both very intent to glare and sing into each other's eyes.

The song ended, but they were still scowling at each other.

"Okay…that was intense…" Brittany cautiously said.

"Who won!?" Rachel demanded. "Who did better? I mean she lost the entire category for singing and she certainly doesn't know how smile. How could she have even come close to winning the poise section?"

"Oh come off, Berry." Santana rolled her eyes. "You weren't even close to me. You're so old, your lungs are full of dust."

"Well actually…" Brittany cut back in. "Neither of you followed the rules of the game, so you're both disqualified. Santana, it's your turn to pick a category."

A Very Berry Christmas

Berry Ex-Lovers

Berry Significant Dates

"This really is hell…" Santana stated. "How about Berry Significant Dates?"

"Great! Just buzz in when either of you know the answer." Brittany pulled out more notecards. "Okay…in what year did Rachel Berry record her first so-?"

Rachel hit the buzzer. "1949."

"Correct!" Brittany shouted. A point went on the board for Rachel. "What year did she change managers and received a big payout for a Christmas special on television?"

Rachel buzzed again. "1976."

"Correct again! You're on a roll, Rachel!"

Santana's face revealed all the disgust she felt. "How are these questions even fair if they are all about her?"

"Maybe you should have come better prepared, Santana." Rachel flipped her hair and readied for the next question.

"In what year did Rachel first-"

Rachel slammed her buzzer down. "1957!"

"Another answer correct!"

"Okay! Stop!" Santana waved her hands in the air. "I get it! This is one of those Charles Dickens dreams, right? Where the ghosts all appear and torment me so that I see the error of my ways? I make a big dramatic change and I start to like Christmas again! Right? Well! Ta-da! I like Christmas!" Santana pointed in Brittany's direction. "Well at least I like her. So can I wake the fuck up now?"

The dream Brittany smiled and waved back at Santana. Rachel, however, frowned. She pushed away her buzzer and podium stand. She floated above Santana and shook her head.

"Santana, this had nothing to do with you. This is a dream to remind you why you're in Midtown in the first place. It's me. I am the answer. You're here because of me and I don't think you're doing a very good job of immortalizing my legacy forever. In fact, all you've done is make yourself a bigger name this holiday season than my special edition Christmas collection album."

"Please wake up. Please wake up." Santana begged to no one in particular.

"Just remember, Santana, I'm watching and if you don't finish what you started, we'll start the next round of the A Very Berry Trivia Show. I'm watching, Santana, always watching, always."

Santana jolted from her bed. She clutched her chest to slow her beating heart.

"What the fuck!?" She looked down. Everything was dark, but she could see colors in the covers and on her clothes.

The portrait of Rachel Berry above the mantle hung there as if mocking her. Santana groaned loudly and rolled out of bed. She grabbed her cell phone and slipped into her moccasins.

Nope. She was done for the night. She needed to get out of this room before Rachel's portraits drove her crazy.

She opened the door to the room and walked out. She could fix herself a hot cup of tea or something. As she walked down the stairs, Santana felt her phone buzz in her hand.

It was a text message from Brittany:

Got held up at work. Can I see you tomorrow instead?

Santana almost felt relieved. Her dream had been so vivid that she wasn't quite sure what had just happened. Even if the dream hadn't been real, she still felt a strong sensation of guilt. She needed to give the Hummel's something to help their bed and breakfast before she returned to New York. Tomorrow she would spend her day trying to find something for Kurt and Burt.