Santana reacts with utter joy, gratitude, and relief. Someone is finally going to help Brittany, she thinks. Nobody deserves it more than her. "I'm so proud of you for being so brave, baby," she says with a kiss to the blonde's cheek.

However, they still need to get through this semester's finals with decent grades, so if they aren't sleeping, eating, or in class, they're studying. At least studying pushes Brittany's anxieties about going home out of her head, as well as her anxieties about Christmas. She barely has any money, so she has no idea what gift to get Santana.

Later that week, when they're studying at the coffee shop, Santana brings it up. "Hey B. Can we talk about Christmas for a minute?"

"Sure."

"Do you want to celebrate before we leave or when you get to my house in January?"

"January, for sure."

"Thank God. I was hoping you'd say that."

Brittany is relieved that it seems like Santana doesn't have a gift for her yet either. "San, I don't have a lot of money."

"I know, B. That's fine. You could literally draw a heart on a post-it note, and I'd be happy."

"Well, I'm going to do more than that. But you can't spend a lot on me."

"But I—"

"San. I'll feel bad. Promise you won't."

"I'll do my best."

Finals go as well as can be expected. As predicted, Brittany totally aces her dance finals, and Santana does well on her piano practical exams. She isn't taking any voice classes this semester, and piano is pretty much the easiest thing in the world for her. To be honest, Santana is only nervous about Brittany's finals. While Brittany wouldn't say she breezed through them, she thinks she managed to do well enough to keep her scholarship.

Both of them finish finals Wednesday evening, so they have all of Thursday to spend together before Brittany leaves with Rachel Friday afternoon. Santana learned earlier in the week that Brittany has never been ice skating, so after they eat breakfast, she tells Brittany that they're going on a surprise date. The blonde jumps up and down in excitement. "Really?! I don't have anything here to wear, though. I'll have to go back to my room to change."

"Nope, you can wear that. You just need to be warm."

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. Put your shoes on, and grab some gloves and a scarf."

When they arrive at the ice skating rink, Brittany squeals and starts bouncing all over her seat. Santana laughs and hopes that the blonde's excitement won't translate to her falling every few seconds.

It doesn't. She should have known that Brittany, who manages to look graceful even when she's falling over the couch, would be an excellent ice skater. She manages to match Santana's skill level after about 30 minutes. While it's a slight hit to her pride, Santana's excited that she found another thing they both like.

After about two hours, they decide to call it quits and head to the coffee shop for some hot chocolate. On the way in, Brittany sees a flyer advertising an open mic night and points it out to Santana. "Yeah, I saw that. I don't know. They're probably looking for original songs, which I don't have a lot of right now. Also, I've never played or sung in this kind of setting. I don't even know who to talk to. Let's just go inside."

Despite Santana's protests, it sounds and looks like she wants to do it. While they drink their hot chocolate, Brittany decides this can be part of her Christmas gift: giving Santana the push she needs to play for others. It's clearly something she's thought about a lot. After they walk out the door, Brittany pretends that she left her phone inside and asks Santana to warm up the car while she runs back in to grab it. Then, she runs straight to the counter and asks the barista about open mic night. He says it's for anyone—they've had musicians, poets, comedians, and more perform—and they usually book a week or two in advance.

"I know it's super early, but would it be possible to book my girlfriend for January? I want it to be part of her Christmas gift. She's too nervous to set it up on her own, but I promise she's amazing. Is there anything I can do at all?"

"Just tell her to have a killer 15-minute set. Merry Christmas." Delighted, Brittany returns the sentiment, then runs out the door and into Santana's car. Now, she just needs to manage to not spill why she's so excited.

That night, however, the mood falls considerably as they're both faced with the reality that they'll have to spend the next few weeks apart. They hold each other close, sharing sweet kisses and trying to enjoy the time they have. Eventually, they fall asleep, which means the morning comes too soon.

Santana takes Brittany and Rachel to the bus station. While Brittany is pulling bags out of the trunk, Santana pulls Rachel aside to begin threatening her, but Rachel cuts her off. "It's okay, Santana. I know you're going to miss her a lot. I promise to keep her safe and make sure she has a great time. Have a good Christmas, Santana." Then, Rachel hugs her before going to help Brittany with the bags. Maybe Rachel isn't so bad, Santana thinks. She'll never say it out loud though.

Their goodbye is embarrassingly tearful (Rachel watches with rapt attention; the drama is beautiful), and Santana is so distraught that she won't see Brittany until January 2nd that she's not even concerned about crying in a very public place. They kiss a hundred times, or maybe a thousand, before Rachel tugs Brittany's sleeve and tells her they need to get inside or they'll miss the bus. With one last kiss and a promise to text and call every day, Brittany walks away from Santana and into the bus station.


As soon as she meets Rachel's dads, Brittany understands her even better. It's like the mannerisms of the two combined and made a Rachel. It's kind of awesome. Brittany is nervous to meet them, but Rachel assures her that they already like her. At first, Brittany doesn't understand how that can be true, but she quickly learns that Rachel is correct. As soon as they get into the bus station, two very loud, fabulous men run at them. While one hugs Rachel, the other exclaims, "You must be Brittany!" and sweeps her into a hug as well. Then, they switch. It's the strangest welcome she's ever received from an adult, but she kind of loves it. After the hugs, they introduce themselves, insisting that Brittany call them Leroy and Hiram.

Once they're in the car, Brittany texts Santana to let her know they've arrived.

To Santana: I'm here. Rachel's parents would make you laugh. They're just like her. They seem really nice.

She doesn't have to wait long for a response.

From Santana: Good. So you're safe? Happy? Everything is okay? I miss you already, Britt. Tons and tons.

Brittany can't stop herself from smiling. Santana worries too much. "Ohhh I see that smile, Miss Brittany. Texts from the girlfriend?" Hiram teases. His husband slaps his arm.

"I, uh, yeah. How did you know?"

"Rachel tells us pretty much everything," Leroy explains.

"I'm sorry, is it okay that I told them? I was just happy for you."

"No Rach, it's fine. I'm pretty happy about her too."

They stop to get some takeout for dinner, and Rachel's dads don't even give Brittany the option of paying for her own. She's touched by their generosity and also exhales a silent breath of relief. She only has $40, $20 of which she suspiciously "found" in a hoodie that she knew Santana had been wearing, but Santana swore it wasn't hers and insisted Brittany keep it.

Leroy and Hiram tell Brittany that they've prepared the guest room for her but to feel free to sleep anywhere. Briefly, Brittany imagines how funny it would be if they walked into the kitchen and found her sleeping on the floor, but of course, the guest bedroom is more comfortable than the floor.


Santana and Quinn leave later than intended, because packing sucks. Everything reminds her of Brittany. She's simultaneously cleaning and packing and has an entire basket full of Brittany's clothes. When they finally get on the road, Santana asks, "Hey Q. Do you want to go into the city on Monday?"

"Sure, why?"

"Christmas shopping."

"Oh, you mean Brittany shopping? Sure. Just let me know what time."

Santana is stuck on gift ideas. She knows she wants to buy Brittany something beautiful, something that says "this girl has somebody that loves her very much," something that Brittany can wear all the time. She wishes Brittany hadn't told her to not spend too much, because she has money, and she wants to spend it on her girl. However, she also wants to respect Brittany's wishes, so having Quinn there to reign in her spending will be helpful.

When they talk on the phone that night, they whisper good night, I miss you, and I love you a million times.

Santana mostly spends the weekend just moping around the house. She does get some good news when Gabe drives up to give her part of Brittany's birthday gift. He hangs out with her for a while and, as usual, checks her car for any issues. Other than that, she hangs out with her mami, plays video games, and spends a lot of time texting Brittany, who, thankfully, seems to be having a good time.

Brittany thinks Rachel's dads are awesome. They treat her just like they treat Rachel and request proper notification of any and all dance performances. On Saturday, they go from store to store, shopping for Hanukkah and Christmas. At one of the stores, Brittany sees a pretty dress that she thinks Santana would love on her. She eyes it for so long that Rachel suggests she try it on, just to see. To her delight—and dismay—it fits perfectly, but now she's even more sad that she can't afford it.

That night, they exchange gifts for Hanukkah, and Brittany is content to just be there, celebrating a holiday without fighting. Everyone is happy and loving, and Brittany hopes that she can build something like this with Santana in the future. Her thoughts are interrupted when a package is placed in her lap by a smiling Leroy. She looks at him in confusion. "It's for you. Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas."

Brittany carefully unties the bow, opens the box, and pulls the tissue paper off the top. She gasps when she sees the dress that she tried on at the store. After gently stroking the fabric, she looks up at the beaming Berrys. "I don't know what to say. Thank you so much." Tears in her eyes, she carefully sets the box on the ground, then stands up to hug each of them in turn. She saw the price tag on the dress; it wasn't cheap. Why would they do this? Her own parents never got her anything she actually wanted for Christmas. Instead, they got her things they thought she should have. She tries to keep her emotions in check, both extremely happy to have all these wonderful people in her life and terribly sad that she spent the first 18, nearly 19, years without them.

That night, she and Santana talk about their days, random topics, and nothing at all. She misses Santana terribly. She wants to share these wonderful things with her. After they hang up, Brittany falls asleep picturing what their future apartment will look like for Christmas.

The next morning, Rachel and Brittany are hanging out in her bedroom when Brittany brings up a topic she feels like Rachel has been avoiding. "Have you talked to Quinn since we left?"

"Oh. Yes, I have. Some texting. Why?"

"Just curious. Did you guys ever talk about the Halloween party?"

"Not really. I'm not really sure how to bring it up, to be honest with you."

"Do you like her?"

"Yes. I do. Again, though, I'm not really sure how to go forward with that. I don't know if she likes me."

"She definitely likes you, Rach. It's completely obvious."

"How do I get her to talk about it? She feels so closed off sometimes."

"She likes to read these super old romance books, with big, romantic gestures, you know? You could try that. Don't just tell her you're into her, show her."

"That is very Broadway."

"Sure." Brittany's already texting Santana.

To Santana: Rachel is def into Quinn. Just talked to her about it.

From Santana: Genius. I'm with Quinn. I'll talk to her about it. Matchmaking!

From Santana: I love you!

To Santana: Love you too.

"Hey Q," Santana says as she selects the next level on the game she and Quinn are playing. Quinn is absolutely terrible, but Santana appreciates the effort. "What's going on with you and Berry? Are you into that?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. After Halloween, we haven't really talked about it."

"Neither have Rachel and I."

"Well?"

"Of course I like her, Santana. She's amazing. Have you heard her sing?"

"Stop, I'm going to puke."

"Well, you deserve it, after everything I've put up with between you and Brittany."

"Whatever. You're jealous."

"A little."

"Tell her, Q. She likes you."

"She's going big places, Santana. She'll be a star on Broadway. I might teach English if I'm lucky. She deserves better."

"Maybe you should let her make that call."

"Whatever. You'd better start paying attention, or I might accidentally win this round."

To Brittany: Yeah. She's into Berry too.

From Brittany: Knew it.

On Monday, Santana and Quinn go into the city together. Luckily, Quinn suggests some areas that have a lot of small, independently-owned stores, because Santana has no idea where to go. All she knows is that she wants to get Brittany some type of jewelry that she can wear often. Although she sees a few things she likes, nothing stands out to her as perfect. After taking a break for lunch, they resume their search.

They walk into a store that, honestly, Santana would have passed if it weren't for Quinn insisting she wants to check it out. As Santana is admiring all the beautiful silver trinkets, she hears some noise towards the back of the shop. Looking over, she spots a man sitting there, working at a small station with a lot of little tools. "Hello, ma'am. Can I help you with anything?"

"I'm just looking around. Do you make all of these things?"

"Some of it, but not all of them. I have other artists that sell here, and my students sell some of their work here too."

"It's all really beautiful."

"Are you looking for something in particular? A special gift?"

"I am, actually. Something for my girlfriend."

"Come over here. Look at these." He grabs a cane that was hanging off his workbench and leads Santana over to a small case. "I make these bracelets. They're charm bracelets, and you can customize them with any of these little charms. I make all of the charms as well, so you'll never have two that are the exact same."

Immediately, Santana knows this is it. The bracelet and charms are so beautiful, so delicate, and she loves that it's one-of-a-kind—just like Brittany. Plus, she can keep buying new charms with new meanings. It's expensive, but she doesn't care. "I love it. Can I get a bracelet, that heart charm with the gem in it, and that little B?" She thinks about it for a second, then reconsiders. "Actually, no. The little S instead."

The old man winks at her as he pulls everything out of the case, carefully wraps them, places them in a small box, and hands it to her. After paying, thanking the man profusely, and promising she'll be back, she goes to find Quinn. "What's that? Did you find something?" Santana bites her bottom lip and nods, opening the box to show Quinn the contents. "San, that's beautiful. But how much did it cost?"

"Doesn't matter. It's not about the money. This is it."


It's the day before Brittany is scheduled to leave Ohio and head home to Pennsylvania. She doesn't want to leave, but she knows it's not polite to ask to stay. Plus, the sooner she leaves, the sooner she'll get to see Santana again. While waiting for Rachel's dads to get off work before Brittany's goodbye dinner, she and Rachel walk around the downtown area, chatting and window-shopping.

Brittany's searching for a picture frame. During one of their movie nights, Quinn sneakily took a picture of her and Santana wrapped together on the couch, Santana laying on her back, watching the movie, and Brittany laying on Santana's stomach, looking at Santana's face. The picture is sweet and very much them. She thinks it'll make a nice Christmas gift, but she needs to buy a frame, which is why she and Rachel are in yet another antique store.

"How about this one?"

"It's not very Santana." She's having a hard time finding something within her price range that the Latina will like. Suddenly, she spots exactly what she's looking for. It's silver, simple but complex, and absolutely beautiful. She picks it up as Rachel walks over.

"Oh, that one is gorgeous."

"It's perfect," Brittany responds as she flips over the frame to look at the price tag. $40, which is every penny she has. She needs to save some money to pay for a cab to the bus station after New Year's and to get the picture printed. Shaking her head, she places the frame back on the shelf, looks at it one more time, and walks away.

Rachel doesn't really understand why Brittany has no money. Her parents seem well-off enough, but for whatever reason, Brittany has very little. However, Rachel knows that this is the frame Brittany wants, so while Brittany's browsing the rest of the store, she quietly buys the frame and slips it into her own purse.


The next day, Santana is once again playing video games with Quinn, nervous because she knows Brittany is heading to the last place on earth Santana wants her to be. When she hears her phone ping, she pulls it out of her pocket with one hand, trying to continue playing the game with the other.

From Brittany: I miss orgasms.

Her dick twitches. "Holy shit," she says out loud.

"What?"

"Nothing."

To Brittany: I miss giving them to you. As soon as we can, baby.

When Brittany arrives at the bus stop in Pennsylvania, she grabs her bag and walks out to the parking lot, searching for her parents' or sister's car and seeing nothing.

To Santana: I'm here. Arrived safe.

From Santana: Everything okay so far?

To Santana: I think they forgot or something. Nobody is here. I'll text you when I get home.

First, she dials her mother's number. No answer. Then, her sister. No answer. Finally, her father. Still no answer. She waits a little while before trying all three again. Still no answer. Eventually, she gets a cab, which costs $18. That leaves her only $22 to buy a frame, print the picture, and get a cab after New Year's. Maybe she'll just walk; it's only a few miles.

Nobody's home when she gets back, so she brings her bag up to her room and starts to unpack. She's about halfway through taking everything out when she finds a bag in there that she knows she didn't pack. Opening it, she finds the frame she fell in love with at the antique store. Tears come to her eyes. She's constantly aware of the two very different kinds of people in her life.

To Rachel: Thank you. So much.

From Rachel: Anytime, Brittany. You know that.

When she hears the garage door open, she goes downstairs. Seeing Brittany, her mother says, "Oh, I forgot you were coming home today. Did your sister pick you up?"

"No. Took a cab."

"Okay. I've got to go back out. I won't be home until late. Order food, there's nothing here." She puts $20 on the counter and leaves.

Maybe if she keeps not being home for all of break, it won't be too bad, Brittany thinks as she pockets the $20, then looks in the pantry for food so she can save the money for Santana's gift. After eating some canned soup, she goes back to her room to call Santana.

The next day, when she goes downstairs, her mother is clearly on her way out again. Once again, she hands Brittany $20 and tells her to order something, then leaves. Now, Brittany has $40 and can buy Santana another Christmas gift. There's a store that sells really pretty journals, and the Latina's always pulling scraps of paper from everywhere to take notes or write down a song she's thinking about.

After eating canned soup again, she takes the bus to the shopping center and finds the store. The leather-bound notebooks are all lovely, but she finds one that's particularly beautiful. The pattern burnt into the leather reminds her of the picture frame. "I'd like to buy this, please."

"Good choice, I really like that one. You know these are reusable? You can just take the used notebook out and put in a new one of the same size. Pretty cool, huh? Want anything engraved into it?"

Of course she does, but she doesn't have the money. "That's okay. This is the most I can spend."

"On the house, kid. What do you want on it?"

Having something personal makes it so much better! However, Brittany isn't prepared, so she takes a few minutes to think about it. Then, pulling out her phone, she finds a poem and shows it to the clerk. "'Then love knew it was called love. And when I lifted my eyes to your name, suddenly your heart showed me my way.' Could you write that?"

"That's really pretty. Sure. It'll just take a few minutes."

"Oh, and could you put S+B under it?"

"Definitely." After he engraves the cover and lets it cool for a moment, he wraps it in tissue paper, puts it in a box, and hands the whole thing to Brittany. On her way home, she stops at a drug store to print the picture. By time she's back in her room, she's cold but extremely happy that she was able to get more for Santana than she originally thought.