Summary: All Hallows' Eve - a time when the veil between the living and dead is at its thinnest. Brittany, a bubbly blonde with a Ouija board, falls in love with a lonely ghost she meets one Halloween night.

A/N: Happy Halloween! This is a one shot based on a tumblr prompt I received last year that I wanted to flesh out more. It's dedicated to my friend RAB, who has been so supportive and encouraging of this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything associated with Glee. This story is written for entertainment only.

"Do you believe in ghosts?"

Brittany had a white sheet over her head with two holes in it for her eyes and was shining a flashlight up into her face as she spoke in a "spooky" voice, waving her hands around when she came into the dimly lit room. Though most of her group of friends were more than accustomed to the eccentric blonde's silly ways by now, Rachel jumped back in alarm and clutched her chest as she wasn't expecting Brittany to do this.

Rachel, Tina, Finn, Mercedes and Mike were all staring at the girl weirdly as she took out her Ouija board, placed it on the floor of her apartment on Halloween night and sat down in front of it with her legs crossed. She eventually pulled the sheet off of her head and tossed it aside carelessly, grinning widely at her friends as she observed their bemused faces. They were all still in their costumes: Brittany as a Barbie doll, Tina and Mike as a vampire couple, Rachel as Fanny Brice, Finn as Frankenstein and Mercedes as one of her favourite divas, Whitney Houston.

"B-Brittany, are you sure that's a good idea?" Tina, her perpetually shy and nervous roommate stuttered, pointing at the spirit board Brittany had set out. "The last thing we need is for Casper the unfriendly demon to make an appearance."

Brittany just smiled calmly, shaking her head and rolling her eyes as Tina continued to panic while her other friends voiced their concerns as well.

"Relax, Guys. It's totally fine. I play with it all the time when I'm bored and like, it doesn't even work anyway. Nothing ever happens."

"What? All the time?! Brittany, you shouldn't just play with that thing!" Rachel yelped while Finn looked around awkwardly as the short, intense brunette grabbed his hand tightly and clung to him for dear life. Her dark brown eyes darted around the room nervously as if expecting to find ghosts lurking in the shadows. "Don't you know what that is? There could be… demons in here by now and we wouldn't even know!"

"Wait a minute, you said it never works. Brittany, what are you actually expecting it to do?" Mike asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "When you play with the board, I mean."

Brittany took a bite of a mini, ghost-shaped chocolate bar. They were almost out of candy, thanks to Finn, who had chocolate smeared all over his face after practically going through three boxes. Rachel sighed as the boy grinned at her, not realizing he had melted chocolate all over him.

"I dunno. Grant me three wishes?"

"That's a genie, Brittany and you'll get that with a magic lamp. You need a magic lamp for that," Rachel intoned in a flat voice, becoming more annoyed and impatient with her bimbo friend. "We've all seen Aladdin. Wait a minute, what am I saying? The main point is magic isn't real."

"I dunno. This old thing just kinda sucks," Brittany lamented, "Here, you try, Tina. You must know all about this stuff already, since you're - you know."

"Whoa, whoa, you know I'm all about the horror movie aesthetic but using an actual Ouija board is a little much, even for me, and these black candles you have all around here are seriously adding to the creepy vibe. Not to mention it's literally Halloween night. Not the best time to try this out."

"Fake goth." Mike muttered sarcastically under his breath, earning a growl from his girlfriend as he pretended to be disappointed. "If you can't even master Ouija boards, then when are you gonna move on to séances?"

"Hopefully never. You and Tina need to go to church. You too, Brittany. Especially you." Mercedes declared as Rachel nodded beside them. Brittany didn't pay any attention to them, unfazed as she began to show Tina how to use a Ouija board.

"Look, Tina, just let the pointy thing move around. It's easy. It's just like instant messaging but with a board game."

"Oh hell to the no. I'm leaving!" Mercedes announced, making the sign of the cross with her fingers. Finn ran away with her, giving a manly scream and Rachel took off after them, flabbergasted when the planchette began to move on its own. Tina gasped, frozen in place and stared at the board in awestruck silence. Mike was a little unnerved but he thought it would be too unmanly to just run away so he decided to wait around and see how this would play out.

"It's working! The pointer's spelling something!" Tina shouted in a mixture of fear and excitement. Lord Tubbington began yowling as the room suddenly felt colder. Brittany just shrugged, as if this was an everyday occurrence. Tina didn't even want to know what the blonde got up to with that board when she was alone in their apartment.

"Yeah. It's someone texting me through the board thingy again. I know all of them already and I guess they get lonely so they all wanna talk to me. Guess that makes me pretty popular with ghosts. One at a time please, Guys."

"Brittany?! Are you being serious? They talk to you all the time?"

"Yeah, like it's hard? I mean sometimes they give me the silent treatment but usually it's getting them to shut up that's the problem."

"Oh my God, oh my God" Tina shrieked as the words "B-O-O G-O-T-H" were spelt out, Mike reading out each of the letters helpfully as it moved to them quickly and smirking when he realized what it said.

"Rude!" Tina gasped in outrage, lightly punching her boyfriend in the shoulder when he just chuckled at her facial expression.

"H-A H-A H-A"

"Hello?" Brittany called out pretty loudly, as casually as if she was having a phone call with a friend. "Who is it?"

Your worst nightmare

"Oh yeah, sure, you're so mean and threatening!" Brittany rolled her eyes while Tina screamed.

I am

The planchette started moving again but in slow, laboured movements rather than the quick, erratic ones they had previously seen as another voice seemed to be speaking through the board.

Liar

Shut up

Go to hell

You first

"Oh my God! Ghosts are arguing with each other!" Tina gasped. Brittany just tilted her head to the side, not really noticing a problem and she thought of something.

"What are you wearing, Mean Ghost?" Brittany asked in boredom, laying on her back with her arms behind her head and stretching.

No sexting

"Sexting?" Mike read it aloud, both him and Tina arching an eyebrow. "That's part of their vocabulary? Must be a pretty modern ghost."

"Why no sexting? You sound cute." Brittany gushed, batting her eyelashes coyly with a soft giggle.

The planchette quivered on the board as if the ghost was unsure of how to answer that one. The entire room shook as if they were having a mini earthquake for a few seconds and Tina screamed again, Mike eventually slapping his hand over her mouth and hushing her.

"Are you seriously flirting with a ghost?" Tina deadpanned after her panic had worn off a little. "I can't believe you."

"Did you forget who you're talking to? She'd flirt with anyone. This is nothing, she'd literally flirt with an alien who came down to earth if she could." Mike snickered. He had been friends with Brittany, Tina and the others since high school but he knew Brittany even longer as the two had been childhood friends since they were both put into dance class together. The two had always got along quite well, though they weren't each other's types romantically.

"I did get probed that one time on a spaceship," The ditzy blonde replied in her usual dry monotone, unbothered, then turned to the board again and spoke up. "So like, are you a cute ghost?"

This time, the planchette leapt off of the board and the lights flickered a few times as Tina jumped into Mike's arms in fear. Then as soon as it came, everything was still once again and the crazy energy seemed to vanish.

Brittany couldn't deny she felt a little disappointed that her new ghost companion had apparently disappeared after her bold comments.

"I guess I must have scared him off. That's a shame, he was kind of interesting."

"Only you could scare away a ghost, I swear." Tina noted with a laugh as Brittany was quite proud of this feat, the sides of her lips curving upward.

Later that night when her friends had left, including Tina and Mike who had gone back to the man's flat for the night, Brittany was alone in her bedroom. She couldn't resist taking out the board again and trying to summon up the ghost.

She couldn't figure out why she felt so drawn to this one ethereal entity she had spoken to just once that night as she had never felt so compelled to talk to one of them in particular before but she wanted to talk to this one again.

"Hi, Cutie. I don't know if you're still here but I'm sorry I made you all flustered and scared you away."

There was no movement from the board for a few minutes and she was beginning to give up, pouting for a moment but then Brittany was elated, silently cheering when it moved across to the different letters to spell out a message to her. She was lying sideways across her bed in pajamas, Lord Tubbington curled up at her feet. His ears twitched and he meowed when they felt a ghostly energy appear. Brittany instantly had a gut feeling that it was the same bashful, mean ghost she talked to before who freaked out and left. She had a feeling the specter would speak to her more openly when her friends weren't around and she was right.

That's okay

"Will you come back to talk to me again?"

Yes

They continued talking back and forth until the early hours of the morning about anything and everything. No matter how weird or mundane Brittany's questions and responses were, the ghost always answered her sweetly.

"I'm so glad you're going to come back. I wish I didn't have to go but I really have to get some sleep now, sorry." Brittany apologized through a yawn, bleary-eyed as she suddenly realized how tired she was. "I wish I could see what you look like. Goodnight! Sweet dreams."

Goodnight Beautiful

Brittany smiled, her cheeks flushing as she felt elated that the ghost saw her that way. The blonde could swear she felt a pressure, as if someone was sitting on the edge of her bed and then the softest touch on her arm, as if someone was trailing their fingertips over her skin affectionately.

She smiled to herself and snuggled deeper into her pillow, feeling soothed by the ghost's presence as she had been ever since it entered her home. Rather than being afraid as many would be, Brittany only felt comforted, as if she was protected and no harm would come to her when the ghost was near. In her dreams, a dark-haired figure was holding her close in their embrace and humming a sweet song to her.

Brittany kept playing with the board whenever she had any free time and mostly ignoring any other ghost who tried to communicate with her except her special one. She began to notice small details about her undead friend, such as the distinctly earthy animal smell that always lingered when the spirit was around, the hazy voice she could almost hear in the wind if she listened closely enough, and the way her missing things would keep showing back up whenever she lost them. She noticed that the ghost liked watching TV with her or would appear whenever Brittany danced or sang.

Brittany had always been scatterbrained as everyone who knew her was aware but whenever she complained about losing a sock or a mitten, or a book or even her key, it would miraculously show up as if someone had brought them back to her. She would find daisies, roses and daffodils from the garden left out for her by her pillow and sometimes her bedroom window was left open after she swore she had closed it.

On the other hand, the ghost was always mean to Tina and Brittany's other friends so they weren't exactly so fond of it. The ghost didn't show up as much when the others were around, except to play tricks on them or attempt to scare them.

Rachel routinely shrieked and panicked when the candles or plates would levitate and fly around on their own whenever she came around or she would report feeling a presence suddenly jump out behind her and shout into her ear. The ghost especially hated when Rachel would sing, as they would make such a raucous by tossing things around, slamming doors or opening and closing drawers that the singer was forced to stop, scowling to herself and muttering about how rude their poltergeist was.

Next time the friends sat around together at the apartment to hang out, Artie, Brittany's nerdy ex-boyfriend was with them. He scoffed at the idea of a Ouija board, insisting that there was no scientific evidence to back it up. Of course, Brittany promptly ignored him.

"Hi, Everyone! I wanna talk now so like, move the planchette, okay?" Brittany ordered the imaginary people. Spirits. Demons? Whatever they were. She wasn't entirely sure.

Hi Britt The planchette spelled out.

"Hi, Hottie." Brittany murmured seductively, causing her friends to raise their eyebrows. There was only one ghost who used that nickname for her.

"Oh wow. I hope we're not interrupting anything here," Mike laughed, "Maybe we need to give you two some time alone."

The entire board flipped upside down, the lights flickering like crazy when they were flustered by Brittany's flirtatious comment. She set the board back up quickly.

"What's up, Mr. Shy Guy?"

The board was still for a long moment.

"Wow, you're pretty awkward."

Shy girl the planchette corrected, then Not shy

"Oops, sorry. So like, what do you want to talk about?"

Artie leaned over, putting his arm around Brittany casually at some point. Out of nowhere, a force knocked his arm right off of her shoulders. The boy yelped, looking around the room in confusion as he tried to figure out what could have happened.

HA HA HA

"Hey! That was not funny, you, you demon! Brittany, I think you have a poltergeist! The energy's getting weird in here, I'm going to leave." Artie groaned, suddenly no longer a skeptic when it came to ghosts. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper.

The planchette raced around super fast again as Artie wheeled away at full speed.

That's right

Don't come back Wheels

"Wow, you really don't like Artie, do you?" Brittany tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows darting upward as she thought about why the ghost was particularly annoyed by the presence of that boy in a way that she wasn't towards her other friends.

"I think you have a jealous ghost, Brittany." Tina joked.

"Maybe you're right."

Tina's theory was confirmed to be true as their ghostly visitor made their ire toward any date Brittany managed to bring back to the apartment clear. Her dates would suddenly become spooked and pale-faced when items would move on their own in the apartment, lights would flicker and a furious presence could be felt whenever any of them got too handsy with Brittany.

They'd make excuses about how they had to leave for a family emergency or a work commitment then practically dash out of the blonde's apartment. Somehow, even though it lost her those dates, this possessive behavior never deeply bothered Brittany as she secretly liked the ghost's company the best and if she was being honest, none of the others intrigued her as much.

Brittany boldly flirted, stripping off her dress when she got to her bedroom after she got back from a party and walking around in just skimpy, pink lingerie for as long as possible. She knew the ghost could see her, as evidenced by the startled gasp she faintly heard in the distance, followed by a flash of heat in the room and flickering lights.

"I know you're there. Like what you see?" Brittany smirked, posing for good measure and blowing a kiss as she finally pulled a towel around her and sashayed into the bathroom to shower and change.

The news reported an unexplained power outage in their area one night when the blonde had brazenly lay nude on her bed in a seductive pose.

Brittany tried to talk to the ghost again when she was alone. One night she lay on her bed, eating sweets and watching some silly teen drama series that the ghost seemed to enjoy watching with her. Maybe that was how the ghost knew so much about modern slang and culture, from watching TV with all of the previous occupants of the apartment.

The planchette instantly began to move and she could feel the ghost's comforting presence surrounding her like a soft breeze. A feeling of excitement came over the blonde. Her ghost tended to appear late at night or in the early morning hours.

"What's your actual name?"

Santana

"How old are you?"

Twenty-five

"Me too. Why do you stay here in this house?"

Lonely

"You can always talk to me if you're lonely, Santana."

You too

A long pause.

You are the most beautiful girl ever

"You're so romantic." Brittany sighed dreamily. If she could date a ghost, she had a feeling this Santana would be her soulmate. She had fantasies of what Santana might look like, somehow imagining her with dark eyes and hair whenever she thought of her, just like the figure she saw in her dreams. It just seemed to fit her somehow. Santana was silent for a long time, as if Brittany had flustered her again with her response.

"How long have you been trapped here, in this apartment?" The blonde asked when curiosity got the best of her.

Do not know

Feels like forever

"I can imagine time must feel weird when you're a ghost. Am I the first human you've spoken to since you've been in this apartment?"

Yes

You are the only one I want to talk to

"Aw, I'm flattered but how come?"

None of the others

Were as pretty as you

" Such a charmer. You're cute," Brittany drew her knees up to her chest as she took a deep breath. There was something else she really wanted to ask but she didn't want to offend Santana. "You don't have to answer this if it makes you uncomfortable but how did… How did you die?"

Can't tell you

You would hate me

"I wouldn't. There's nothing that could make me hate you."

Sometimes Brittany would hear a low, hazy voice singing a beautiful song, soothing her early in the morning or feel a gentle breeze, or a presence beside her when she was alone and her roommate, Tina was out.

She even woke up after feeling a pressure at the foot of her bed, a hand touching her arm to wake her up from a nightmare and fingertips wiping her tears away. She knew it was Santana. Brittany was never afraid of her. She kept calling for her to come back and she always did. When Brittany sang to herself in the shower or when she was moving around the house, she would hear Santana singing along with her.

Whenever she had a bad day or she couldn't sleep, Santana would appear in some form, letting Brittany know she was there and it would cheer her up. Perhaps it was strange to feel so strongly for this disembodied ghost but as the days passed Brittany felt sure she was falling in love. She was dying to know more about the mysterious entity who lived with her.

As Brittany became closer to her otherworldly roommate, her human roommate on the other hand, grew to despise the "demon" even more. Tina complained constantly about Santana's unusual habits and pranks. It was clear that the shorter girl wanted Santana gone from their apartment.

Brittany gasped when she came home one day to find a ring of salt encircling the living room, along with some guy in robes chanting something in Latin from a book and Tina burning some sage.

"No, no, Tina, what are you doing?!"

"I called an exorcist and got this stuff for good measure. Brittany, I'm sick of this ghost. That menace is constantly hiding my shoes, she jumps out at me at random times and I swear I heard laughter when I was looking at myself in the mirror. She even laughs at my singing! She has got to go. All of the knocked over vases she does just to annoy me… If this doesn't work, I'm calling Mike's mom to ask her to do an ancient spell."

"No wait, Tina, please don't scare her off, she's just bored and lonely. I'll talk to her!"

Tina walked over to the counter, picking up her laptop and turning it around to show Brittany something. She pointed to the screen and Brittany saw an old news article from close to forty years ago.

"I did some research and the only Santana Lopez I could find in this area who fits her description is some petty criminal who died in prison back in the 80s after a robbery. Pretty pathetic. Your Santana isn't a good person. In fact, she might be a danger to all of us."

"We don't know the full story. I can just tell that Santana isn't evil. I can feel it."

"You can't believe everything she tells you. You know she's a trickster."

Brittany rushed to get out her Ouija board, locking herself in her bedroom and setting it out on the floor.

"Please come back, Santana."

Tears came to her eyes as she kept asking for the girl and didn't get a response after a long time had passed. Just when Brittany had given up, a glimmer appeared before her.

Lord Tubbington began meowing at a high volume, circling the apartment at a high speed she hadn't seen him use in ages. Brittany gasped as an ethereal form appeared, translucent before her and a cold wind blew. She wasn't afraid, just fascinated with what she saw. It was the form of a beautiful woman with black hair, high cheekbones and dark, deep, penetrating eyes. She was the most stunning person Brittany had ever seen even in her misty, ethereal form and she couldn't look away. Santana was dressed in all black and somehow, gave Brittany the impression of a soldier. She had a faint dark red and black aura surrounding her.

"Brittany, I'm here," The ghost whispered in a soothing, low and raspy voice. Brittany would never forget her beautiful, distinctive voice. "Don't cry."

"Santana? How can I see you?

"I-I don't know."

"I thought you-" Brittany sobbed, tongue tied as she choked back tears and barely able to finish her sentence, "I thought you were gone forever. Is this really you?"

The ghost nodded and leaned in close, kissing her before she could say anything else. Brittany inhaled sharply, not expecting it but closed her eyes when she realized what the ghost was doing and instantly gave in. She felt the slightest soft pressure against her lips and leaned into it, wrapping her arms around where Santana's neck would be. It felt as intimate of a kiss as it would have been if Santana was standing before her in the flesh.

"I love you, Brittany." The ghost whispered when they finally separated for much needed breath, in Brittany's case.

"I love you too. Please don't ever leave me." She whispered and felt a hand touch her face.

"I'll always be there to protect you."

When she opened her eyes, Santana was gone. She found her M re-arranged in a heart-shaped pattern on her desk and smiled.

Brittany sighed, throwing down her handbag and shopping bags and she walked into the flat then kicking off her heels. Tina had just sent her a text earlier saying she was going to be staying over at Mike's and it was just as well as she didn't know if she could handle seeing her friend. She was relieved that day was over.

Although Brittany was normally cheerful and upbeat, she felt tears come to her eyes and her shoulders shook as she thought about her day at work. She had been through a string of jobs - a cashier at a fast food place, a bookstore clerk, a lingerie store shop assistant, a waitress, a receptionist - each not lasting very long and now she had been fired from her pizza delivery job. She felt so stupid and useless.

It was uncharacteristic of her but she poured herself a glass of wine and knocked it back, throwing herself bodily on the couch with a container of strawberry ice cream and a spoon in hand as she resisted the urge to cry as she flicked on the TV for a distraction. She didn't want to tell her parents and friends that she had lost another job.

"Santana? Are you home?"

All she wanted to do was sob but somehow, Santana's presence made her feel slightly better. Brittany just wanted nothing more than to talk to her and the way Santana had kissed her was now permanently ingrained in her memory, causing a warm flush to rise to her cheeks whenever she thought about it.

Just as Brittany was longing to hear, that familiar, raspy voice like warm honey answered her without her even needing to get out the Ouija board. Santana was concerned to see the state Brittany was in.

"I'm here. What happened? Are you hurt?"

"I just… had a terrible day. I got fired from my job. Why does this always happen to me? I feel so dumb." Brittany couldn't help but break down into sobs, feeling pathetic. She felt as if someone's cool arms were wrapped around her as she fell apart and realized the ghostly form of Santana was holding her in an embrace. An angry energy could be felt in the room as Santana boiled with rage at the thought of Brittany being treated in that way.

"It's not your fault. They're assholes," Santana raged, then she cupped Brittany's cheek, whispering gently to her. "It hurts me to see you cry, Love. What would make you feel better, Brittany? Tell me and I'll do anything for you."

Brittany thought about it for a moment and instinctively knew what she wanted.

"Will you kiss me? Please?"

Those dark, penetrating eyes met hers and Brittany saw the moment when they widened at Brittany's request. She heard the smallest intake of breath from Santana. Her heart began to beat faster as she closed her eyes and she felt those full lips against hers as Santana kissed her. This time it was deeper than before and Brittany lay back against the couch with Santana's translucent form on top of her pressing her down.

All Brittany could think about was how real and good Santana felt, as if she was just like any other human lover the blonde could have had but so much better. She wasn't sure if she was just imagining it but her ethereal form felt so much firmer against her than ever before. Santana's passionate kisses drowned out every bad thought she had and she whimpered, arching her back and baring her neck for the girl to kiss. Without even thinking about what she was doing, she spread her legs and pressed her hips upward against Santana's as she tried to move even closer to her.

"Please. I want you."

"Are you sure?" She whispered against the fairer girl's ear.

"Touch me," Brittany urged and Santana did so, sliding her hand up along the inside of her thigh and sinking deep into the quick of her as the blonde's breath hitched and she trembled. "Please, don't stop."

"Never. I've got you."

Santana was holding her when she came, tenderly kissing her lips to ease her down from the high as she stroked her face. She kissed Brittany's neck and nipped it gently, in a way that was sure to leave a mark. That night as Brittany lay in bed, she felt Santana's calming presence beside her. She wrapped her arm around the blonde tightly, spooning her from behind and Brittany leaned back against her contentedly.

As time went on, Brittany began to yearn for something more and deeper that she may not have ever been able to have; the living version of Santana. She just wanted to feel warm flesh against hers, feel Santana's heartbeat against her chest and have a girlfriend who could be her partner in every possible way in public as well.

She wanted to dance with her, to really touch heated skin and know what she actually felt like. She wanted to feel the weight of Santana's firm, angular body against hers, the warmth of her sweaty skin and run her fingers through her hair. Her ethereal form, though beautiful, wasn't exactly the same.

More than that, she had already turned twenty-six that February and she was afraid of outliving her lover who was perpetually twenty-five. She was afraid of voicing her deepest fear out loud but she could tell Santana sensed her nervousness lately.

The blonde was the third wheel on her friends' dates and they just couldn't understand why Brittany, who had always gone through boyfriends and girlfriends as quickly as she went through bras, was now always single. Only Tina, Mike and Rachel knew the truth about Brittany's unusual relationship with Santana.

Santana had lightened up on her bullying of the others lately now that she was more content with her undead state since she had Brittany and the tall blonde wasn't dating any others. Perhaps that was why Brittany's friends decided to help her learn more about her mysterious paramour, despite not being fans of the ghost.

With help from a long-suffering Tina and Rachel, Brittany began searching for any information she could find on Santana's previous life. They couldn't find much information at all on Santana Lopez, other than the one fragment Tina had discovered that portrayed her as a criminal.

"Maybe that's all she was. We don't exactly have much more to go on." Tina groaned as they finished looking back through yet another internet archive. Brittany frowned, dropping her face into her hands and rubbing her tired eyes.

"I just feel like there's more we don't know."

"Are you sure about this? I mean this whole interdimensional relationship you have with her isn't exactly…conventional. I don't even want to know what I walked in on you doing with her when you were floating around in your bedroom last weekend and as for those marks all over your neck… Wouldn't you rather be with someone who's I don't know, alive?"

Brittany shook her head. Tina and her other friends had been trying to matchmake her with other men and women but Brittany only ever wanted Santana. They didn't understand her, even though they tried to be supportive. Her sadness consumed her and she lay in bed with the lights off early that night, not even bothering to contact Santana as her gloomy, weary thoughts took over.

"I know you want to know what happened to me. I can tell you the truth. I think I'm ready."

Brittany sat up, slightly startled at the sound of a disembodied voice but instantly relaxed at the familiarity of it and the loving, protective presence that accompanied it. The ghost was standing before her, dark eyes softening and crinkling at the sides when she smiled gently at the blonde.

"Santana? I'm really sorry I didn't look for you tonight."

"It's alright. I can always tell when you're feeling sad or confused, Britt-Britt. I know what you really want to know about me and that's what you've been searching so hard for in all of those sites you go to. You haven't been sleeping well worrying about all of this, have you?"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable talking about your past. It doesn't matter."

"It does matter to you though, doesn't it?" Santana hovered beside her, sighing heavily as she began to explain everything. "Here we go. That whole story about how I was some lousy criminal? Totally fabricated. I was rich, the only child of the prestigious Lopez family, set to inherit millions. Long story short, spoiled brat teenager runs with the wrong crowd because she wants more attention from frigid mommy and daddy, then gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn't rob any houses but the girl who did looked like me. So guess who gets arrested? The secret government organization that took me in told everyone I was killed in prison at nineteen.

"Oh, Santana. That must have been terrifying. What happened to you?"

"This is going to sound crazy but I became a spy. An actual 007 type of deal, travelling all over the world, fighting, bedding all the hot girls and all that. It was the Cold War. Once they took me in I could never leave, never have contact with the outer world. I… I wasn't the best person, Britt. I had to kill so many people. Whatever it took, for the greater good or so they told me."

Santana looked away guiltily, as if she expected Brittany to be repulsed but the blonde cupped her cheek gently, holding her gaze as she tried to convey that she trusted the darker-haired woman.

"Hey, you didn't have a choice. You just did what you had to do and I know, you, Santana. I know the real you."

Santana's face softened slightly, her shoulders relaxing as she was relieved that Brittany wasn't rejecting her or judging her.

"Anyway, they sent me on one last mission. What I didn't realize was it was all part of her schemes."

"Her?"

"My boss. Sue Sylvester, the head of our organization. She was cold and as ruthless - as conniving as they come. She killed me because I found out her secret, that she was a double agent and then she framed me as the insubordinate operative with psychological issues who tried to kill her. Everyone believed her. I've resented her ever since and I guess that's why I can never leave this place where she shot me. So what do you know, vengeful ghosts are a thing after all."

Brittany was silent for a long moment, taking all of it in. Her heart ached at the thought of Santana being trapped in limbo for all of those decades and being hated or derided by the rest of the world.

"I'm so sorry. About all of it. I wish... I wish things could have been different for you. It hurts, doesn't it? You can never be fully happy when you're trapped like this. Not being able to really experience life, to really feel and taste the way you did before. Being stuck in the same place forever can't be easy."

Santana nodded, hanging her head sadly but then her eyes widened and she put her hands on Brittany's shoulders as she tried to reassure her.

"Britt, believe me, since I met you and have your love I've never been happier in my life… well, death, both really. I don't want you to think you're not enough for me and it's not your fault I got myself stuck like this."

"It's okay, San. I just know that your soul needs to be free and it's not fair what happened to you. I want to make things right for you."

"Thanks and I really appreciate the way you care so much about saving me, Love but even if there were a way of doing that, wouldn't that mean I would have to leave you? It's not worth it to be free if I can't exist with you."

"I know," Brittany felt tears fill her eyes and whimpered as she wrapped her arms around Santana's ghostly form. "I don't want to exist without you either."

Perhaps, Brittany thought, the way to fix everything in the future was to go back to the past. Mike Chang's mother, who was an expert on all things paranormal, was skeptical of the idea but gave in eventually after Brittany had tearfully begged for her help.

"You have to get back through the portal and take her with you, alive before it's too late." Julia Chang called out in warning, her voice echoing as Brittany ran through the tunnel the older woman had created by chanting a spell from one of her books. Tina and Rachel were going to be so done with her when they found out she was actually going through with this.

The time jumping spell seemed to work as when Brittany landed, it was in what seemed to be a dark, abandoned warehouse. There was someone moving stealthily toward her in combat gear and boots, holding a gun.

Brittany froze, mesmerized when she realized who the figure in all black was. She could tell who it was from the way they walked and the aura they gave off even before she became lost in familiar, haunting dark brown eyes that always burned with intensity, keeping Brittany locked under their spell.

"Santana?" She whispered before she could help it. The woman growled under her breath and was invading her personal space within a few seconds, a furious look on her face.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm not here to harm you. Please, you have to believe me. I'm from the future, I'm Brittany S. Pierce."

"I know what you are. You're one of them, aren't you, Lady? Who do you work for?" Santana grabbed her by the front of her shirt, pushing her up against the nearest wall. Brittany tried not to think any inappropriate thoughts about that. Now wasn't the best time to be getting turned on by how toned Santana's human body was from years of training as an operative.

"I'm not trying to hurt you. Santana, you have to trust me."

"Trust you? Why should I? Give me one reason."

"I know you. I know you better than anyone. I know you're born on August 9th, you love women, you didn't really rob anyone or die in that prison, you hate your boss, you love the beach, and your parents divorced when you were ten."

Santana was silent, astonished as she looked over her, scanning her face as if trying to find any sign that Brittany was lying to her. She tilted her head to the side, her brows drawing together and she had a confused frown on her face as she finally let go of the girl. Brittany continued to explain herself to an increasingly bewildered Santana who finally seemed to be taking her on a little more.

"Even if I did believe you… and I don't have the faintest idea why I do, other than the fact that you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen in my life," The blonde blushed, giggling as Santana said this, "Do you realize how strange all of this sounds to me?"

"You just have to trust me. Sylvester's going to try to kill you. We need to leave before that happens."

"Kill me? Why the hell would she-"

They were interrupted by the sound of movement nearby as a dozen other operatives surrounded them, shooting at them from every corner. Brittany's blood ran cold but she had no time to think.

"That's our cue to leave. Stay behind me. Show me this... time thing you speak of." Santana grunted as they were shot at and shielded Brittany with her body. The blonde's eyes grew wide as they were surrounded. She grabbed Santana's hand, pulling her back towards the space where she knew the portal was. Santana pulled out a gadget, sending a message to her team before she and Brittany were pulled into the swirling mist. The two witnessed a glimpse of Sue Sylvester's shocked face as she watched the two of them seemingly disappear into thin air just as she arrived on the scene.

"Everyone will know Sue is the double agent. I made sure of that." The Alive Santana smirked but then her face fell and she began to cough heavily, making Brittany concerned. The two barely made it through, both panting heavily when Santana collapsed against her and Brittany then noticed the blood that was drenching the woman's shirt as it appeared she had been shot after all.

"Oh no. This wasn't supposed to happen. Santana? Don't go, please don't go! Oh please, wake up." Tears rolled down Brittany's cheeks as she pulled Santana's wounded body close. All of her efforts seemed to have been in vain as she still was going to end up losing Santana. Maybe they were some things that fate made destined to happen and no one would be able to change them.

"Brittany?"

The ghostly form of the girl appeared, shocked when she looked upon a mirror image of herself and the living form of Santana gasped when she saw her doppelganger. Even though she wasn't entirely the same as her Ghost Santana, Brittany felt she needed to comfort the other Santana and held her in her arms, kissing her forehead one last time.

"I'm so sorry." Brittany whimpered.

The living Santana's voice was so small and weak as she struggled to speak that Brittany had to lean close to hear her.

"They say that seeing your double is a sign that your time on earth is up. Thank you for not letting me die alone, Brittany."

"No, no please. Don't go. Not now."

Brittany suddenly felt alarmed in her devastated state, wondering what all of this would mean. If Santana died again, would this mean that her ghost form would be gone forever? She couldn't bear the thought of it.

To both of their surprise, as Santana approached her now still body, there was a flood of blinding bright light and a whirlwind of energy as the two merged together. When Santana stood up, it was as if all of her wounds were healed and she was back in her physical prime again.

"Santana?" Brittany questioned. Her ghost form seemed to have disappeared.

"It's me. I don't know how this happened but I'm back in my old body."

Brittany pulled her into a tight embrace, amazed that she could now feel warm, smooth flesh and solid firmness against her. Santana was so real now and exactly how Brittany had imagined her being in her wildest dreams but inside, she was that same soul the blonde had fallen in love with.

"How does it feel to be alive again?"

"Might take a little while to get used to but there's something I really need to do right now," Santana drew closer to her, kissing her deeply and they both realized how much more magical it felt. "Actually, who am I kidding, it's amazing to be free. Oh, it feels so good to touch you like this, it's a million times better than I even thought possible. Thank you, Britt. This is all thanks to you. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"Brittany, who's your new lover girl? Wait a minute, is that who I think it is?" There were shrieks from Tina and Rachel when they seemed to realize who Brittany was with.

"What do you say we ditch these guys, Britt? I can think of some better things I'd love to do with you." Santana groaned into her neck, kissing the skin softly and then more firmly.

"Um, sorry Rachel and Tina. We have to go right now, I'll text you guys later, I promise!"

"Dayum, get it Girl!" Tina wolf-whistled while Rachel groaned, facepalming at the handsy couple.

Their kisses quickly escalated and it didn't take much for them to become tangled together, naked and breathless in Brittany's bed as the blonde kept running her hands all over Santana's frame, not wanting to take her eyes off of the woman and savoring every inch of her form now that they were finally together the way they should have been all along. Santana flipped them over and arched above her, smirking against the blonde's lips as she felt Brittany caressing every inch of her skin. Neither of them wanted to stop kissing each other.

Now that Santana and Brittany could officially be a couple in every sense of the word, the two decided to move out to give Tina her space and the short girl was relieved about this after complaining about having to put up with them making out on every available surface. Santana's name had been cleared and Sue Sylvester had been the one to be revealed as the traitor, so the two felt as if all was right with the world again. The gold and trinkets Santana had hidden away all those years in secret locations allowed the couple to be very rich and live in luxury from then on.