Title: a way home

Author: zombie otep

Disclaimer: not mine obviously

Summery: when Brittany refuses a lift home it leads to revelations that wanted to be kept hidden. Based on a prompt I read somewhere age's ago

Author note: so I never thought I'd write fan fiction but here I am. The idea is based of a prompt on the glee angst meme I read ages ago. I decided to give this a shot as a way to help me with my dyslexia. I was unfortunately looked over in school and didn't get diagnosed till I was 17 so I'm using this as a medium to aid in my grammar and spelling. But seriously you should all be glad I have spell check, I have never seen so many red lines before in my life. Not beta'd and constructive critism appreciated. Enjoy

Brittany was in a hurry.

Glee club had run over time after Rachel, Mercedes, and Santana got into an argument over the female lead to the clubs latest song endeavor. Santana thought a smooth sultry voice would accompany Pucks voice better for the new duet in the club, while Rachel fought that her voice would convey the emotion and hit the notes better, while Mercedes thought a little soul was needed. And this caused glee to run fifteen minutes over while the club took a vote.

Brittany was really in a hurry.

She rushed out the door to William McKinley high school and started running towards the bus stop. As she ran towards her destination she saw the bus turn the corner and drive out of site. Defeated she came to a stop and realized she could either wait for the next bus or walk the long trek home. Deciding to just walk she headed of in the direction of home.

"Hey Britts, Santana not giving you a lift home?" Kurt called out the window as he came to a stop on the side of the road.

"No. I usually walk home from her house but she's hanging out with puck this afternoon." she shrugged and then continued walking.

"Wait Brittany, do want a lift with Finn and I?"

"Yeah, I mean it's totally on our way." Finn nodded from the passenger seat of Kurt's navigator. "Well at least I think it is, I don't think I even know where you live?"

Brittany scuffed her feet along the pavement and started to nervously chew her bottom lip. "That's okay I like the walk." and with that she headed off, not once making eye contact with either boy sitting in the car.

"Okay that was weird." Kurt mumbled to himself

"You know I've been to everyone in glee clubs house at least once, but I don't think I even know what street Brittany lives on" Finn scrunched his face up in confusion "don't you think that a bit weird? I mean even on her birthday last year we spent the day at the park."

"Yeah but this is Brittany we're talking about. She probably can't even remember where she lives."

"Yeah I guess." But Finn still couldn't shake this weird feeling that some thing was off.

For the rest of the afternoon Finn couldn't help but wonder about Brittany's home life. Not once can he recall Brittany ever mentioning anything about her family or her home life, so the next day he decided to go straight to the best source of all things Brittany.

"What do want finnocence?" Santana barked as he took a seat next to her in their geography class.

"I . . . I just wanted to ask you something."

"Well make it quick I've got a lot of filing to do" she made he point by taking her nail file out of her school bag

Finn nodded not wanting to piss of the fiery Latina. "I was just wondering if you've ever been to Brittany's place, or maybe met her family."

Santana stalled in her filing and turned towards Finn. "What's it to you frankenteen, thinking of stalking her or something? Do I have to remind you of the razor blades all up in this?" She motions to her hair.

"w-what no of course not, I'm with Rachel. It's just me and Kurt, we offered her a ride home the yesterday but she said no, and it just kinda got me thinking is all, I've never heard her talk about her family or anything."

Drawing her eyebrows together she shrugs "so what? She said they don't like having people over, and she likes walking home from mine coz she can cut through the park and see the ducks. There's nothing wrong with that"

Finn didn't look convinced but gave a slight smile towards Santana "yeah I guess, I mean if anyone would know it be you" with that he turned back towards the front of the class.

For the rest of the period Santana tried to focus on anything but the sinking feeling in a gut. 'Why wouldn't Brittany invite me over, I mean her parents can't be that bad if Brittany's always all smiles. Maybe she's ashamed of them? What if she's ashamed of me?' Deciding the only way to clear this was to talk to the girl herself Santana aimed to ask Brittany next chance she got.

Standing at her locker before glee, Brittany tried to remember what classes had given out home work and whether she should even taking any books with her. Deciding there was no point, she turned to the mirror in the door of her locker a started reapplying her lip gloss and making sure her pony tail was still immaculate.

"Hey B you ready for glee?" Santana came up and asked as Brittany was tucking her lip gloss away in her locker "why don't you ever take your lip glosses home with you?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Brittany closes her locker "I don't want it to get stolen"

"Who would steal it" Santana laughs

"I don't know." Shrugging her shoulders and chewing her bottom lip nervously "hey do you think principle figgens would be mad if I kept a pet fish in my locker?"

"Probably B" Walking to glee pinkies linked, Santana just could shake this sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach she'd had since her talk with Finn. "Hey Britt how's about we hang at yours after school instead?"

Stopping mid stride and letting go of the brunette's pinky, Brittany turned her face away from Santana. But the Latina didn't miss the blond chewing her bottom lip, a nervous habit she had ever since the two girls met the last year of middle school. "I don't think that's a good idea, I'm not really meant to have people over when my parents aren't home"

"Well how about I come over when they are home, maybe for dinner, I could turn on the charm"

"Um …. B-but they are really tired when they get home, and don't like to do much when they get home and won't like me having anyone over" Brittany said with what Santana was sure to be a smile that was a little to forced. "Besides we have more fun at yours. And your mum makes awesome tacos. Now come on we will be late for glee"

Retaking the blonds pinky and giving her a small smile "yeah okay, don't want berry's panties to get into a twist"

The sinking feeling in Santana's stomach only got worse.

"You wanna do what?" Quinn asked incredulously

Santana had called an emergency glee club meeting during lunch, and now all but one member of the club were standing around the piano. For the rest of the week the Latina couldn't get her mind off of her conversation with Brittany and just how off the situation made her feel, 'I mean what if her parents are abusive or neglectful? Or maybe her house is in the wrong neighborhood' were her main thoughts, either way she was determined to put her mind to rest. So she came to the best conclusion she could. "I want to follow Brittany home after school".

"Why exactly?" Mercedes asked "you two are already close surely you don't need to resort to stalking"

Rolling her eyes at the diva Santana went on to tell the group of her misgiving, from her conversation with Finn in geography to her talk with Brittany at the lockers. "Something just doesn't feel right, what if her parents are mean to her or something? I'd just feel a lot better knowing that she's okay" sighing she leaned forward rest her arm's on the smooth surface of the piano "please"

It was Finn who spoke up first "okay. I mean since the other day I haven't been able to think of a time were she mentioned anything much about her family, and if she is afraid to have people over because of her parents it's only right as her friends to make sure everything is alright. Right?"

"Finn's right, as a club it's our duty to lo…" Quinn cut Rachel of before she could really get started "what berry means is yes we will help you. For Brittany. But if this turns out to be a wild goose chase for nothing you so owe me" she finished with a glare.

So it was settled, that afternoon they would follow Brittany's bus, Santana claiming she couldn't hang out due to a family matter, so she would have to catch the bus. They split up into two cars, Kurt's navigator and Santana's B.M.W, and waited till Brittany got on the bus and it was on its way. They had been following it for almost half an hour. "How far away does she live?" Kurt asked irritably as he slowed to a stop as the bus approached another bus stop.

"I don't know but if we go much further out we won't be in the McKinley high school district" Tina supplied

"Maybe that's why she doesn't want us over her house" Rachel added "I mean it would make sense if McKinley is her preferred educational institution."

"Shhhh she just got off the bus" Kurt pointed to blond as she walked of the bus and started down the street. It wasn't the worst neighborhood, but it was in no way a great neighborhood either. They watched as she turned down a drive way half way down the street. As they pulled up they noticed it was a fairly large two story building, not the worst looking building but also not in top shape either. But that's not what pulled there attention, it was the sign out the front

East Lima children's home

Coming to a stop, Santana jumped out of her car behind Kurt's "this can't be right?" she said turning to the occupants of the first car "are you sure this is the right driveway?"

"Yeah we're sure" Tina nodded

"This can't be right. Can it"

"It is"

They all turned to see Brittany come down the steps of the building. She was chewing her lower lip nervously and wouldn't meet any of there eyes. "What are doing here?"

"We followed you" Quinn was the first to speak up "Santana was worried about you, we all were"

Brittany shifted uncomfortably "I didn't want anyone to know"

"Why not B" Santana moved forward and grabbed her hand "we're your friends"

"I didn't think you would be if you knew I didn't have a home"

None of the other kids knew what to say to that and just stood around awkwardly waiting for someone to break the silence. Eventually puck couldn't take it anymore. "Can't they give you like a foster family or whatever it is?"

"I'm getting too old. No one wants to foster a kid who is almost 18." Brittany shrugged

"What happens then?" Tina asked

"I don't know. I have to work things out for myself"

"What do you mean?" Finn drew his eyebrows in confusion

"she means that once she turns 18 she is no longer in the states care and has to fend for herself" Rachel answers for him as Brittany chews on her finger nails. "They won't be responsible for her anymore"

No one made a sound as they all let that information sink in. no one liked the thought of Brittany being kicked out and fending for herself, she was just too sweet and would never survive out there on her own. Just the thought alone was enough to send Santana and the rest of the glee club into a panic.

"When was the last time you were with a family?" Santana asked tugging on Brittany's hand to get her to look at her. She needed to know, Santana needed to know if her best friend had a chance.

"Before we first met" Brittany couldn't meet anyone's eyes but as her friends, the people she trusted most in this world, she figured they had a right to know. "I lived a few towns over with this couple. They weren't the worst family I've been with, but they weren't very nice either." Shifting uncomfortably she tried to pull her hand away from Santana's, but the brunette refused to let go of the blonds hand as she continued "they told the cops I was frustrating when the neighbors called them. The cops took me away that night. It took them a few days to find a place for me, but I eventually ended up here. A week later I transferred schools."

"That's when we met!" it was barely a whisper as Santana pulled Brittany into a bone crushing hug "I'm sorry B. I love you, you know that right"

"Mmhm I know. But it's okay san, it's not a big deal"

"It's a big deal to us Brittany" Mercedes stepped forward rubbing a comforting hand on the blonds back

"She's right. We're your friends and we love you, we're not going to let anything happen to you" Quinn added

"You can't promise that"

"Maybe not" puck took a hold of Brittany's shoulders and turned her to look at him "but I will do whatever I can to help you not end up on the streets. Okay?"

Nodding her head she gave a small smile at the rest of her friends. "Do you want to go to the park?"

"Sure B lets go" Santana smiled not once letting go of her hand. And like the rest of new directions, made a promise to herself to do whatever she can to make Brittany happy, to make sure she knew that she had a family within new directions.

AN okay so I'm 100% convinced on my writing skills but I do hope people enjoy this. I do have some ideas to continues this and if there is enough interest I will, even if there isn't I still might since I've got this idea in my head and doesn't seem to want to leave.