This is a Dantana AU set in Lima during senior year. Sorry if anyone seems OOC. The title for this story came from the song I've Got You by McFly

'Cause I've got you to make me feel stronger, when the days are rough and an hour seems much longer: McFly- I've Got You

One

The last day of August had come around pretty fast, almost too fast and it had ended just as quickly. Now it was September first and was the last weekend of summer vacation, which everyone knew would be over all too soon, bringing the new school year around with it.

Outside, Lima, Ohio held the distinct smell of the summer. It smelled like the warm air tangled together in the smell of the freshly mown grass. That was a smell that Santana Lopez loved, even if it did play havoc with her allergies. Every time she was outside in the summer months, she couldn't help herself from breathing in the scent, she had always been the same way. Of course, as soon as she got back inside her own house, her complaining would begin. She'd complain about her scratchy throat and itchy, swollen eyes as well as her running nose. Her mom would always give her the same lecture on how she should start to use her common sense more and that she she should actually take her allergy medicine before she left the house. Still, Santana would never listen and the cycle would repeat itself.

The room was quiet, save for the sound of Santana gushing about how her vacation had been. She had been back since the very early hours of Wednesday morning, it was now Friday evening and since she was severely jet lagged, she was only just getting the chance to see her girlfriend, Brittany, since she had been back from her three weeks away.

Santana paced Brittany's room, talking animatedly about all of the things she and her elder sister, Carmen, had done. It had only been the two Lopez girls that had gone to Egypt on Vacation. It had been a present from their parents. The two girls hadn't really been able to see much of each other since Carmen had been studying Philosophy at Yale.

Which was a shame, given how close the two of them have always been. They skyped now, whenever they could and called each other when they found the time. They would send each other joking texts here and there and would usually send each other stupid pictures via Snapchat, but still, it wasn't the same. Because of this, their parents paid for them to both go to Egypt to allow them to have some catch up time, just the two of them.

Though, Carmen was still in Ohio, she would be leaving again soon in a couple of days, to get back to New Haven in time for the start of the new academic year. Santana was pleased that Carmen would be around for a little longer. Though they had just spent everyday with each other for the past three weeks and had threatened to kill each other more times than enough. She was thankful that she still had a couple of days left to spend with her sister.

She knew that once Carmen was back in Connecticut that it would be a while until she saw her again, she knew that the next time she saw her would probably be Thanks Giving, if she decided to come home for it (she hadn't the previous year). If not then Santana would have to wait until Christmas.

"Then, we rode on camels through the desert, seriously, Britt, Egypt is hot as balls." Santana said, she opened her mouth to continue her story before Brittany spoke up stopping her.

"San, just, take a breath. Please." She said with a small, weak smile playing on the corners of her mouth.

"Sorry." Santana said dryly, even though she wasn't sorry. Not even in the slightest bit. Egypt had been an amazing experience for her, the only down side to the trip had been that she had been away from Brittany for so long. "I know that I am probably boring you with this." Santana said bobbing her head slightly. "Have I been talking for too long now?"

"Only a little bit." She replied, "and while I am really happy that you and Carmen had a great time, that's not the reason why you're over here." The other girl continued. "Sit?" She phrased it more like a question than anything else.

"...Okay." Santana said, drawing out the word as she sat down on the bed beside Brittany.

The blonde grabbed the stuffed camel toy that Santana had brought back for her from Egypt. Brittany sighed and started playing with the tail of the stuffed animal nervously. "We need to talk."

As those four simple words registered into Santana's mind it felt like everything around her had stopped. A wave of sickness washed over her. Santana knew, from personal experience, that no good ever came from those words. At least, not when she was involved in the conversation anyway.

Every single time she had used those words on someone, or someone had used them on her, something bad happened. Usually, they resulted in her getting into a fight with some girl who had been confronting her over something- and sometimes someone- she hadn't actually done (not that any of the other girls ever believed her).

Other times, it was her using them on some boy as a way to end a relationship that hadn't actually meant anything to her. None of her relationships had even meant anything to her. At least, not until Brittany came along.

She had both used these words and had heard them countless times, but she dreaded the day when they would be spoken between her and Brittany. She had hoed that that day would never actually come.

"Why?" Santana asked, her voice cut through the silence that had fallen between them, she tried to look at the blonde but Brittany kept her head down, she still played with the tail of the stuffed camel, avoiding eye contact with the brunette.

Brittany took a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth, trying to calm herself down. If Santana hadn't been worried before, she mos certainly was now. "We have to break up." Her words came out in a rush, almost as if her body was rejecting them and needed them to be out in the open, rather than polluting her mind. But, no matter how fast they flew from her mouth, Santana had still heard the words as clear as day.

"Why?" Santana asked again, feeling more than a little stupid for her lack of words. She had never been one to lose the ability to speak. No matter what the situation was, she usually had something to fire back at the other person. A heavy silence fell between the two of them once more, all that could be heard were the faint sounds from outside, that filed in through Brittany's open window.

Santana's eyes followed the sound, she stared out of Brittany's window, watching what everyone else was doing. Wishing that in that moment she was anywhere other than Brittany's bedroom.

It was only 7:00 p.m. and it was still rather light outside, plus it was incredibly warm, even for the time of year. Santana had found the weather in Ohio to be quite chilly and a refreshing change to the Egyptian weather when she returned.

But the people of Lima were still walking around half naked until late at night. She could hear a lot of young children who still roamed the street, their loud voices could be hears above everything else. Snippets of conversation filtered into the bedroom as a couples and groups of teenagers walked by. A car honked somewhere in the distance, along with the sound of sirens from police cars.

She could hear fain music coming from one of the neighbouring houses on Brittany's street, as people were still enjoying the last days of summer vacation.

When Santana had had enough of the cutting silence, she took a deep breath that hitched in her chest, she looked back at the blonde, still waiting for her to answer. Santana could feel her jaw tense as she couldn't stand to be ignored for any longer.

"Why Birtt?"She asked again, her voice taking on a much more demanding tone as it broke through the calm, Lima evening air. It felt wrong to be loud there, in that moment. Santana didn't want to be acting like that. But it was far too easy for her to to her yelling place, she had rage issues, everyone knew that.

Everything else around her was calm, summer had that effect on people. It made everything seem just that little bit more relaxed. Santana couldn't find it within herself to take on the same demeanour, especially when she had had to repeat her question.

Brittany sighed, "Do you remember, how I said that that job offer came up for my mom, but it was all the way in Oakedales, in Washington?" Brittany asked, Santana nodded her head slowly, "and that, we thought her getting it was a long shot, so we all just tried to forget about it and push it to the back of our minds?" Again, all Santana could do was nod her head. She was positive that she knew where this was going. "Well, she got it." Brittany said. Santana watched as tears started to brim in the blonde girl's eyes. "So, we're moving away."

Santana breathed deeply, keeping herself as calm as she possibly could. She could feel her jaw aching from trying to hold back her anger as well as her tears. "When?" Santana asked, hoping that Brittany was only telling her this now as a warning for when the time came, and that they actually had more time left to be a couple. Months, maybe.

"Tomorrow morning." Brittany said slowly, she took a deep breath and started to explain, "I found out about this while you were on vacation. I wanted to call you right away and tell you. But, my mom told me not to, because she didn't want me to bother you or ruin your trip." She continued, "I wanted to tell you as soon as I could, so when I found out you were back, I went to your house, but your mom answered the door and said you were resting because of the jet lag."

Santana could feel the tears burning in the backs of her eyes and her jaw ache only intensified as she though about how people had kept this from her for so long. Only to be told the night before Brittany was set to depart. "You're leaving tomorrow?" Santana asked, "like, you have to leave tomorrow or you just are?" She asked, "there is no possible way you can stay longer?"

Brittany shook her head, "I really wish that I could," she said, "my dad is staying her until the middle of next wee, but I have to go tomorrow because school starts on Monday and there are still a few things that me and my mom need to sort out with the house." Brittany said, "I just really don't wanna go." Her voice was barely even a whisper.

Santana pulled Brittany into a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck, holding her as close to herself as she possibly could. Brittany's arms found their way around Santana's waist. She trailed her hand up and down Santana's back lightly. Something she knew had always soothed the girl. They stayed that way for a while. Cuddling each other in an easy silence.

Santana took a deep breath and spoke quietly, her mouth was only inches away from Brittany's ear. "What time are you leaving?" She asked, she moved away from Brittany to look at her. The blonde's eyes were red and bloodshot from her crying.

"My mom wants us to leave at 6:00 a.m," she said, "we have over a days drive to get there." She explained, my mom wanted to leave sooner but I said I wasn't leaving until I had had the chance to tell you." She continued, "tomorrow is the latest my mom is willing to leave."

"So, I won't be able to see you at all tomorrow?" Santana asked, her voice cracked as she tried to speak without crying.

Brittany shook her head, her expression was solemn, Santana couldn't help but notice the way Brittany's eyes looked. They were usually so bright and magnetic, but now she she spoke, they seemed lifeless and empty.

"That's why I am saying goodbye to you now." She explained. "I don't want to end this with you...But I feel like we have to." She said.

Santana nodded her head, still doing her best to fight against the tears that were brimming in her eyes. No matter how much this was hurting her. She wouldn't cry, not in front of Brittany. She fully intended to leave her tears for when she got home. "No. I get it." Santana lied, a small amount of bite creeping it's way into her tone of voice. "I mean, I'll be here and you'll be all the way in Oakesdale." She said, "no, no I understand. It wouldn't work anyway." Santana said. It was all lies though, and she knew that it was.

In all honesty, she didn't see why they could at least try and make this work. They'd still be able to contact each other. Santana was more than willing to try and have a long distance relationship with this girl. She loved Brittany, she was absolutely sure of it, and she was certain that Brittany had felt the same way.

Santana didn't want the relationship to end there, heck, she didn't want it to end at all.

Brittany was her forever, and she was Brittany's, or at least, that's what she had thought.

She had Brittany had been an item since the spring of their sophomore year. Their relationship had started out as nothing more than a friends with benefits situation, until feelings got in the way. When they decided to become a couple, they kept it a secret for a while, with Santana dating and sleeping with many boys, just to ensure that their relationship stayed under wraps.

Brittany had said that she understood that, she claimed that she didn't mind about the boys that Santana was seeing, even though it hurt her more than she cared to admit.

When they started their junior year of high school and they had been a couple for roughly five months, Santana decided that she wanted to be more open about things, Brittany had been ready from the beginning and had jumped at the chance to tell people she was Santana Lopez's girlfriend. Santana told her parents and they accepted her for it, she told her friends and they all accepted her, too. She had never had any doubt in her mind that the glee club would accept her for who she was, but still, it was nice knowing she had the support of them,

There were still some people who were in the dark about Santana being a lesbian, like her abuela.

Her abuela knew she was in a relationship, though the elder woman believed that she was dating a boy from Dalton high school named, Bradley.

Brittany, had been Santana's first girlfriend, well actually, Brittany had been more than that, she had been Santana's first legitimate relationship. All of the boys prior to Brittany had been nothing. They had just been tools to Santana, things that she could use at her disposal for status and popularity as well as keeping her biggest secret just that, a secret.

"San, it's not like that..." Brittany started she sighed and opened her mouth, starting to say something else. "I love you, really I do."

Santana leaned forwards and kissed Brittany with everything she had in her, hoping that without her having to say anything else, that Brittany would change her mind and would agree to continuing this relationship. "Can't we make this work?" Santana mumbled against Brittany's lips just before she pulled away from the blonde.

Brittany shook her head. "I don't think so." She replied, "distance would be no good for either of us." She explained.

"You mean you don't wanna be tied to somebody else while you're over there?" Santana asked, her voice only just audible.

"No. That's not what I mean." Brittany said, "honestly, I want to be with you. I just think that, a relationship needs closeness, we're not going to have that if I'm away." Brittany said.

"We'd manage it, Britt I know we would." Santana said, Brittany turned away from her, Santana knew that was the blonde's way of closing the argument. "I'm gonna miss you." Santana said.

Brittany sighed and said, "I'm gonna miss you, too." Brittany pursed her lips and looked at Santana, "we're gonna be okay, y'know?" She said.

"Promise me?" Santana said, she held up her pinkie finger, it didn't take long for Brittany to link it with hers.

"Promise." Brittany said, "I'll call whenever I get the time, and I'll text you, too." She said. "You're my best friend."

Santana smiled weakly and said, "I guess I'd better get going." Brittany nodded, "you've got an early start tomorrow and it looks like you still have stuff you need to do before then." She unlinked her finger from Brittany's and stood slowly, she smoothed out her dress and started to walk towards the door.

"I love you." Brittany said, Santana turned to her and smiled weakly.

"Me too." She replied, she left the room quickly before the blonde could say anything else to her.

Santana hated leaving it there, but there was nothing more she could do. Saying 'I love you, too' would have only made things harder on her. So, she settled for the colder two word reply. Something she had done in the past to deter people away from her.

She rushed out of the Pierce house hold and all but ran to her car. She started the engine and drove down the street. She willed herself not to look back at the large white house, as she reached the end of Brittany's street. She turned right to head to Lima Heights Adjacent and the tears started to free fall down her face.

So only a short chapter for my introduction, Dani will be in the next chapter, if you want another chapter. Should I continue this, yes? No? Please read and review.

P.S: My intention with this story is not to hate on Brittany, that's not what I want. That's why I had Santana and Brittany's relationship ended that way rather than them having a bed break-up.