A/N: Hey it's me again. So I was going to retire this whole Brittana FF thing but I found this story I had started months ago and forgot about it. I was going to just delete it but I figured I'd at least try to finish it. Let me know if it's something you're all up to giving a shot. :) If things progress that T rating will change.

Santana preferred the window seat. She always had. She loved seeing the plane speed through the runway and seeing the ground drop from under her. The best part was when the plane started breaking through the clouds and she was able to see them up close. When she was little, she thought clouds had were made of cotton candy and when she was old enough to learn the truth, she had been sorely disappointed.

As she grew up she realized the harsh reality that nothing was as pure and as simple as she thought it was. But that didn't matter anymore.

She looked out the small airplane window and saw the desert landscape below. She loved being on top of the world.

"Champagne?"

Santana turned from the window to the blue eyed flight attendant and smiled. One of the perks of flying first class. "Please." She reached for the glass and took a sip. "Thank You."

"You're welcome Ms. Lopez. If you need anything else, let me know. My name is David."

"Thank you David. I do have one question. How long until we land?"

"We'll be landing soon. Less than an hour."

"Thank you." Santana turned back to the window and looked out while she finished her champagne. Her new life was less than an hour away.

She finished her drink and gave the empty glass to David. It wouldn't be long now before they landed. The five hour flight from New Jersey had been a relaxing one. She had an excuse to turn off her phone and just let her mind rest for a few hours. She had dreaded that she'd end up sitting next to someone who wanted her be her flight BFF, but lady luck was on her side and she found she had the row to herself.

"Ladies and gentleman, we'll be landing in about 15 minutes so please make sure your seatbelt is buckled and turn off any electronic devices…"

Santana straightened her seat and smiled. As much as she had loved these quiet five hours, she was itching to get off this plane and stretch her legs.

"….local time is 2:23 p.m if you'd like to set your watches. The current temperature is 102 degrees…"

"Holy shit!" Santana cursed under her breath. She looked down at her full pantsuit and just hoped she didn't fry out there. "I should have worn a skit."

"…It's a great day to arrive. The flight attendants will be collecting any remaining trash and help secure passengers in their seats. Welcome to Las Vegas."

Santana took a deep breath. This was it. She had moved clear across the country to be the new security director for Vegas' newest major hotel and casino.

The Dalton.

It had only been open for six months and was in dire need of someone to head their security department. Santana still couldn't believe they had officially opened The Dalton without having a permanent head of security in place. A casino's number one priority was having tight, top notch security above all else.

The Dalton wasn't totally blind though, they had an acting director in place but he wasn't cutting it. William Shuester was not getting the job done and had already let two theft incidents slip through his watch. That was two too many.

Santana felt the plane slowly descend and felt the butterflies of nerves come alive in her stomach. She knew she could do this job, hell her bosses knew she could do this job. She had gone through an extensive interview process for almost a month before she got an official offer. However, no matter how qualified she was for this job, she still felt the feeling at the pit of her stomach that she would fuck it up somehow.

The plane touched down and Santana jerked forward as the plane leveled. She always hated this part. The plane slowed down and before she knew it, they were docked and the plane doors opened. Santana unbuckled her belt and reached to open the overhead compartment.

"Let me get that."

Santana turned and saw David pull down her bag. "Thanks."

"Enjoy your stay in Las Vegas, Miss. Maybe I'll see you when you fly back home."

Santana gave him a small smile. "I am home."

She was the third one off the plane, another benefit of first class, and as she walked through the boarding doors and out into McCarran International Airport the first thing she noticed were the slot machines. The sweet sound of ringing bells and people pushing those "Spin" buttons. This was a far cry from Atlantic City.

Santana had never been to Vegas. All she knew about the city that would now be her home, she had learned from TV and movies. The Dalton had arranged for her move and even provided her with her own suite in the hotel to live in as long as she was employed there. She didn't need to know about Vegas' communities or what the city had to offer besides legal gambling. She didn't care. She was here for the job.

She arrived at baggage claim and waited for the carousal to begin depositing the bags. As she waited she suddenly realized there was no one from the casino to met her. No one with a little white sign with "Santana Lopez" scrolled on it waiting to pick her up and help with her bags.

She sighed as she pulled out her phone and called Will. He picked up after two rings.

"Will Schuester."

"Hey, Will," Santana said in her best nice voice, "It's Santana."

"Santana! Hi. How are you?"

She rolled her eyes and tried not to snap. "Fine. Though, I'd be better if there was someone here to help me with my bags."

"Your bags?"

"Yes, my bags. I just landed and I thought The Dalton was sending a car to pick me up." She heard Will groan. This jerk forgot. "You didn't send a car, did you?"

"I…shit sorry," he stammered, "I thought you were coming in at 3 a.m."

"Why would I choose to arrive to a new city and job in the middle of the night?" Santana couldn't stop the sharpness in her tone. "Besides, I sent you my flight schedule."

"You did, you did…look, I'm sorry," he rambled, "I'll get a car out to you in like 20 minutes, OK?"

Santana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was too tired to be patient. "Don't. It's fine. I'll just take a cab."

"No, let me…"

"It's fine, Will," she repeated. The carousel turned on and bags started to come down the conveyer belt. She spotted her two black suitcases right away. "Look my bags are here and I don't want to wait 20 minutes for a car. I'll get a cab and just make sure to have someone meet me by the side entrance."

"You got." Will sounded relieved. "I am sorry. I'm just so swamped with getting everything ready for you to take over."

"I'll see you soon." She hung up before Will could respond. If this man couldn't organize a simple car pick up, how the hell had he managed to run security for a major casino for the last few months, she wondered.

Santana grabbed her first big suitcase and quickly grabbed the next one. Her whole life was in those two bags and they were heavier than she had expected. She mentally saluted herself for keeping up with her spinning and kick boxing classes to stay fit.

She managed to wheel her two big suitcases, her purse and carry-on bag easily out to the taxi stand. As she stepped outside, two things felt like a punch in the face. First, the blazing heat made her feel like she was going to burst into flames any moment. The second was seeing just how fucking long the line to get a taxi was. "Fuck you Will," she said under her breath.

She rolled her bags to the line and counted the number of people before her. 20. "Shit." She was already sweating and took off her blazer and unbuttoned the top two button on her white blouse. She felt a bit cooler, but not by much.

Now the first person in line was holding everyone up because their bag wouldn't fit or something. Santana was about to call Will again and tell him to send the damn car anyway when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Excuse me. You need a cab?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "No. I'm just standing in this line because I have nothing better to do." She turned around and was met with her own reflection. The woman standing behind her was wearing silver aviator glasses with a reflective lens. She also wore purple shorts, white sneakers with purple strips, a loose fitted shirt with a closeup picture of a cat on it and a beige flat cap with her hair tucked inside and strands of blond hair peaking out.

Brittany let our a small laugh. She had just dropped off a family when she saw this woman dragging her bags and looking like she was about to melt. "That's silly," she said with a laugh, "You're in Vegas and you wait in line for cabs for fun? You do know you can totally gamble here, right? And not to mention all the cool shows."

Santana opened her mouth to say something, one of her many snarky comebacks, but nothing came out. She just stared at this woman who was maybe making fun of her, but she couldn't really be sure. What she was sure about was that this strange woman had great legs. Santana shook her head to snap out of her daze. "I know where I am. Listen, if you think you can cut in front of me, forget it."

Brittany just cocked her head to the side and tried to understand this woman's logic. "You're last in line. If I wanted to cut in front of someone I'd try someone closer to the front."

Again, Santana wasn't sure what to say. She felt a bit like an idiot because, yes, what's the point of cutting the back of the line. "What do you want then?"

"You."

"Excuse me?" Santana was now the one who was confused.

Brittany laughed again. This lady was funny. "I'm a cab driver. My cab is back there, last in line too. I just dropped off my last fare and I saw you were last in line. And now so am I, so I figured, why should we wait. But if you totally want to wait in line for fun, that's cool. I'll just ask the guy in front of you."

As Santana tried to make sense of what this woman was saying, she saw the woman move around her and tap the shoulder of the man in front of her.

"Wait!" Santana stepped back from the line. "Yes, I want a cab."

Brittany knew that would do the trick. She apologized to the guy and went to grab the handle of both of Santana's big suitcases. "Sweet! Let's go before the other drivers see us."

Before she knew it, Santana saw the woman sprint to her cab dragging her suitcases behind her. She quickly followed the driver and within seconds, they were at her cab.

Brittany opened the trunk of her car and quickly shoved both suitcases inside and slammed the lid shut. "Get in!"

Santana quickly opened the door to the back seat and got inside and let the cold air of the air conditioner immediately cool her. Not a second sooner, the driver sped out of the line and into oncoming traffic.

"That was close!" Brittany laughed. "The other drivers hate it when I do that. But I just hate the airport line. Plus it looked like you were melting out there. Didn't you check the weather before you left today?"

Santana had been in her fair share of cabs. Every time she had been in New York, which was at least once a week, she used a cab. She had driven in cabs where the driver was rude, crazy, creepy and overly friendly. She had never been in a cab where the driver was this, well, kooky. And a woman.

"So?" Brittany glanced at her mirror at her passenger and waited for a response. There was no doubt this very beautiful woman was out of her element.

"What?" Santana had been preoccupied with trying to remember the last woman taxi driver she had come across and had apparently missed something.

"I asked you where we're going," Brittany said, "Unless your other thing to do for fun is just to drive around in a cab. I'm totally up to do that as long as you pay me."

Santana let out an involuntary chuckle. "The Dalton." This woman's kookiness was actually a bit endearing.

"Hey! That's my hotel!"

"Excuse me?"

"I work The Dalton. The hotel has a few taxi's that service it. Didn't you notice the huge Dalton ad at the top of the car? Or the big "The Dalton Casino" letters on the side of the doors?"

For the second time, this woman had made Santana feel like an idiot. "Sorry, I guess I was just too preoccupied with you rushing me into the cab."

Brittany giggled. "Well, when you get out, take a look. How long are you in town for?"

Santana looked out at the city streets and wondered if she had made the right choice in moving here. "A few years I guess."

"Whoa! That's a long vacation." Brittany couldn't imagine going on vacation for that long. The longest trip she'd taken was two weeks when her mom took her and her sister to San Francisco to visit her grandparents.

Santana knew she should feel annoyed, but instead she felt a small smile form. "I'm moving here. I took a job at The Dalton."

"Awesome!" Brittany weaved in and out of traffic and giggled when she saw the frightened look on her passenger's face through the rearview mirror. "It's a great hotel. Everything is super new. So what are you going to do there?"

"I…"

"Wait! Let me guess. Umm, you're dressed fancy so I don't think you're going to be a card dealer or maid."

"You got that right."

"You're the new security director, aren't you?"

Santana was surprised. "How did you know?"

"You've been the talk of the hotel," Brittany said as she turned into Las Vegas Boulevard and The Dalton Casino sign came into view. "It's weird you're taking a cab. Why didn't they send one of those fancy cars for you?"

"I was wondering the same thing." Santana stared out the window and saw the casino that would be her new home come closer and closer. She managed to tear her eyes away and look at the identification papers on the dashboard of the cab. It was usually the first thing she looked at when getting into a cab. She had been in security for years now and looking at details was pretty much second nature. Or it was before getting in this cab. "What kind of talk has there been about me, Brittany S. Pierce?"

"How did…oh,right. I keep forgetting that I.D is there," Brittany said, "Nothing bad. All people know is that a new director is coming and she is super mean." It really was all she'd heard about the new security director, not her name, where she used to work, nothing. Just that she was mean.

Santana let out a small laugh. "Good. I am super mean."

"You don't seem mean. So far you've been really nice."

Santana saw Brittany look in the rearview mirror but Santana couldn't see her eyes through those glasses. She quickly looked out the window again, suddenly not wanting the driver to see her face. "I am mean." When she saw Brittany drive to the main entrance she told Brittany to go to the side entrance.

"Yes, ma'am." Brittany made a sudden turn and soon they were at the side security entrance.

Santana saw a tall goofy looking man waiting there and was glad that Will hadn't fucked that up. The cab came to a stop and Brittany put it in park and got out. The tall man opened Santana's door and tried to help her out.

"Miss Lopez, my name is Finn Hudson. I'm here to get you settled in."

Santana ignored Finn's outstretched hand and got out on her own. "Why don't you help her getting those heavy bags out of the trunk instead of opening doors?"

"Oh right, sure." Finn went over to Brittany but she had already taken out both suitcases and placed them on the ground.

"Too late, Finn." Brittany closed the trunk and went over to Santana. "There you go Miss Lopez, all set."

"How did you get those out so fast, Brittany?" Finn asked.

"That's my job!" Brittany handed the bags to Finn and went to Santana.

Santana felt oddly disappointed that her ride had come to an end. "So, how much do I owe you?"

"Nothing," Brittany said with a smile, "I'll just bill the hotel. I mean, it's the least they can do for not sending you a fancy car."

Santana smiled again. "You're right. And while you're at it, give yourself a $40 tip."

"Thank you!" Brittany adjusted her glasses. "See, you're totally not mean."

"I am mean," Santana insisted and hated that she couldn't stop smiling. It wasn't helping her argument.

"Miss Lopez, right this way." Finn was already halfway to the door with her bags.

"Thanks for the ride, Brittany." Santana wiped her brow, she was already sweating. This damn heat was going to be tough to get used to. She saw her reflection in Brittany's glasses and her face was already flush from the heat.

"You're welcome." Brittany began walking back to her car. "Good luck with the job."

"Thanks!"

Santana watched Brittany get in her cab and drive away. The Dalton Casino ads prominently displayed on the car. "That was a weird ride."

Brittany took one last look in the rearview mirror and saw the new director watch her go. She didn't care what Miss Lopez said, she was totally nice.

-tbc-