Alright, here we go!

Chapter 12

XXXXXXXX

The camp was rounding on their last weekend before the big tournament. Everyone was getting fired up and doing as much work with their individual teams as possible. Santana was working everyone really hard, running practices whenever she could fit them into their down time or anytime another spot opened up for one of the fields.

The Riots were getting ready for a doubled group session, usually involving two teams for one lesson or just a friendly match. Puck was helping Santana work through some new strategies for their next practice before the other team and the coach arrived.

"Well, well, look who's here."

Santana turned around with a smile; she could pick out her girlfriends voice from anywhere.

"Hey babe, grouping with you guys today I see. Ready to get crushed?" Santana teased as she walked over and gave her a kiss.

"Oh you wish!"

Everyone did their usual greetings and started to chat amongst themselves when the Coach arrived.

"I see you all have gotten acquainted? I'm Coach Holliday but you can all call me Holly." The woman said as she approached the group.

Santana and Brittany stopped their conversation and turned toward the older looking blonde woman. She had her hair in a tight ponytail and was carrying her shield in one hand and an extra box of paintballs in the other.

"Alright so is everyone ready for a little game of Assassins?"

Everyone cheered. The entire time they have been here, none of the coaches have suggested they play it because in the past, people tend to cheat.

"Wait you're actually going to let us play that?" Puck asked, eyes wide and very much, excited.

"Why wouldn't I? This is a paintball game after all." Holly said. "Let's get this party started!"

Another round of cheers filled the air as everyone gathered around in a big circle.

"Alright, has anyone not played this game before?" Holly asked the group. When nobody spoke up, the coach nodded, even though there were a few people from each team who looked a little hesitant.

Holly smirked, "Well just for recaps sake, lets lay out the description and the rules. Basically this is a free-for-all. I'm going to assume that you all know each other so instead of descriptions of what you are all wearing, I'm going to give you a card and you will write your name on it. After, everyone is going to pass their card off to the person on your left and keep going until I tell you to stop. The point of the game is elimination. You seek out the person who's name is on your card and ONLY that person. Once you get the kill, you take the card from the person and hunt the next. You keep the cards of the people you eliminate and the person at the end of the game with the most cards collected, wins. Does everyone understand?" Everyone nodded with huge grins.

This whole set up worked out well for each of the teams. Competition with friends but not exactly favoring each team. Of course any game that they played together as their own teams was amazing and it was always great to win, but getting to know this other group of people and forming close friendships, put them off on an equal status. There was no, 'we will kick your ass,' between the groups, except in an obviously joking manner.

Holly grabbed a stack of index cards from her cargo pants and handed them to each of the teens. Once everyone had written their names down she continued on with the process.

"On the count of three, everyone will start passing their cards, when I tell you to reverse, switch directions, and then again until I'm sure the cards are nice and shuffled. One, two, three." Holly shouted to the group and a basic game of hot potato started around the circle, passing each index card off to the next person.

"Reverse." Holly said quickly. Everyone switched the direction and passed the cards back the way they came before the next command was given shortly after, again switching the flow of the cards in the original clockwise pattern.

"Ok, stop." Everyone halted their movements and looked down to the folded card in their hands.

"The person on the card is the first one you will seek. If you shoot a player but you don't have that persons name on your card, you are disqualified. I'm not going to put a time limit on this game, as we have three hours to kill. Everyone needs to find their own spot to start, play as if each person you see has your card, and remember," Holly said with a coy smile, "Trust No One!"

With that, everyone grabbed their gear and shot off in different directions of the roped off woodland area. All in all it added up to about six acres of playing space which was pretty big. The woods gave cover for the people smart enough to use the surroundings to their advantage and anyone who had played in this arena before knew all the little ins and outs of the makeshift bunkers that were sprawled out within it's confines.

As everyone was running about, trying desperately to get into position before Coach Holliday blew her whistle, Brittany and Santana walked hand in hand towards a secluded spot along the parameter of the giant field, masked resting on their heads with their paintball guns in hand. The noise of everyone else running a muck could be heard through the trees when Brittany stopped walking and pulled Santana into her body and wrapped her arm around the Latina's shoulder.

"So what happens when I get you?" Brittany asked as she nuzzled Santana's nose.

"What makes you so sure that you're gonna get me?" The brunette smirked. She was pretty sure Brittany didn't have her card but at the same time she wasn't afraid of a challenge.

"Cuz if it comes down to it, I really don't think you are gonna be able to pull the trigger."

"Oh you think so?" Santana questioned.

"Yup, I do." Brittany confirmed with a playful grin.

The Latina just giggled. "I guess we will find out then won't we?"

"That we will baby."

The whistle sounded to begin the match. Brittany leaned in to give Santana a kiss and she winked at her girlfriend before pulling her mask down and taking off into a section of bushes back towards the center of the field. Santana shook her head with a huge smile prying at her lips as she glanced down at her card. She gave a devilish grin and pulled her mask down before following in the direction that Brittany had gone only moments ago. First victim, Finn Hudson.

In most situations it would be easy to lose track of the person you were supposed to kill but in this instance, Santana could easily make out where Finn was with a quick glance of the field. She kept out of sight though, making sure not to notify the person that had her card of her position. She was easily disguised, wearing her camouflage BDU's. She crept quietly along the parameter, trying to get into a good position to catch the gangly looking boy off guard. He was situated behind a bunker, scoping the area before he popped off a few rounds towards Puck's position. With one final breath, Santana peered around the corner of the large tree she was squatting behind and opened fire. Finn arched forward slightly from the sting of the paintballs splattering across is lower back and crumpled to the ground with a hiss.

Santana glanced around before ducking low and sprinting towards the pile of wood he was crouched behind.

"Did you have to unload on me while you were that close?" Finn asked clutching his back.

"Oh stop being such a baby and give me your card. It didn't hurt that bad." Santana said with an eye role.

Finn started to get up to walk off the field until Santana shoved him back against the bunker.

"Sit your ass back down, you're gonna give away my position." Finn coward back and stayed quiet as Santana peeked around the bunker to find Puck.

"Don't move until I leave, do you understand?" Finn nodded and Santana crawled out from behind the bunker and over to a better set up. Puck had just taken out Artie and was making his way over to his bunker when Santana bolted towards both of them popping three rounds into Puck's leg.

"Fuck!" Puck shouted. "Finn didn't have shit on me, I thought he would be too scared to come after me."

"Guess that's what happens when you underestimate the person holding his card huh?" Santana chuckled.

"Artie, hand it over." Snapping her fingers towards her teammate, taking the card that was supposed to go to Puck and looking at it.

"Aw fuck, Quinn is gonna kill me!" Santana cursed as she glanced at the card.

"Maybe just shoot her once if you can get away with it?" Artie suggested.

"Who is it?" Santana showed Puck the card and he just started to laugh.

"You got short stack! That's priceless!"

"Priceless if you didn't just declare a truce with the girl a few days ago…" Santana muttered as she positioned herself to hop up and move to go find Rachel. She peeked her head around and spotted Rachel on the other side of the arena.

Santana sighed, "This is gonna suck."

Hoping and praying that Quinn didn't have her card, Santana maneuvered herself out of the playing field once again as to not be recognized. She made her way through the trees and over to the bunker directly adjacent to Rachel's. The shorter brunette caught sight of her though and started opening fire on Santana. Shit she has my card.

Basically it was going to come down to a stand off. Neither had to worry about other people shooting at them so it was a game of out-smarting the other. Santana had to give it to Rachel though, the girl was tiny but man did she know how to play some paintball.

Nobody really kept track of the time, but after about half an hour of Rachel and Santana going back and for and nobody winning, Holly finally called a tie between them. Both were matching each others movements and just wasting paintballs. Everyone else had been picked off already and were just watching the show down between the two.

Everyone gathered around to await the results of the card count, throwing in their input as Santana and Rachel walked up to shake hands on a well fought stand off.

"Well I must say Santana that that was without a doubt, the most challenging match I've been in. We will definitely have a good show to put on when the Riots and the Showstoppers go head to head." Rachel said with a smile.

Wait… what?"Come again?" Santana said taken aback by the statement.

Rachel took a deep breath before repeating herself. "I just said that going up against you was a challenge that I didn't expect and-"

"No not that part, the other part… about the teams." Santana insisted.

"That we are going to be putting on an amazing display when we play against you this weekend…"

Most people caught on to the conversation but were more concerned about the way Santana was reacting.

"You're on what team?"

"San, are you kidding?" Puck asked.

Santana wheeled around to Brittany who was talking with Quinn, completely ignoring Puck's interjection.

"The Showstoppers? You're captain of the Showstoppers?" She asked, angry, hurt, but most of all confused.

Brittany just looked at her girlfriend, glancing around to the rest of the people who were staring between the couple, before settling back to Santana, slightly confused as to why she was asking that and more importantly, why she was acting so upset about it.

"Uh, yeah? San what's wrong?"

Santana was fuming. "Was this a joke to you? Just some game that you could play and once you got to me you would dump me?"

Nothing the Latina was saying was making any sense to anyone, especially Brittany. "What are you talking about? Dump you? Where is this coming from?"

"Sure act like you don't know? I was just some fucking game to you wasn't I?"

"Santana what's going on?" Quinn jumped in, now more confused than ever.

"You knew didn't you? You knew and you didn't say anything!" Santana rounded on Quinn, now yelling.

"Knew what? I don't understand what you're talking about!" Quinn screamed right back, now walking over to her best friend.

"They are our rival team Quinn! What part of this isn't making any sense?"

"The fact that you're freaking out about it for one! What the hell is going on?" Quinn asked but then suddenly realized that Santana didn't know what team Brittany played for.

"Wait… this whole time… y-you didn't know?" Quinn asked.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Brittany asked, now stepping forward to walk up to her girlfriend. She tried to reach out to Santana's hand but the Latina pulled it away and glared at her. Santana stepped away and Brittany flinched at the action.

The brunette pulled off her mask and threw the rest of her gear on the ground without so much as a word before turning and walking of the field. Brittany went to follow, but Quinn pulled her back.

"Don't Britt, just let her go."

"Quinn what just happened? I don't understand what I did. Why did she just take off?" Brittany asked, almost on the verge of tears.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ahhh yes I know, cliff hanger! Shorter chapter but I've reached the turning point in the story so this is where I decided to fit it in. I wanted to give you all a little something for Christmas since I'm all by my lonesome this weekend. I'll get cracking on the next chapter tomorrow before I go back to work on Monday.

So based off the information you have so far, what all do you think is going on with Santana? Why did she freak out like that? Answers coming soon!

Merry Christmas everyone! =)