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"I'm telling you Noah, there's no way in hell you would've caught that guy if I wasn't there," Santana says to her partner.
"HA! I totally had everything under control, thank you very much," the Jewish boy retorts back. "I just let you think I needed you so that you could feel helpful."
"Whatever, Puckerman…" Santana says exasperated.
As the two best friends walk into their favorite diner and sit at their regular table, they're greeted by their favorite waitress.
"Happy Valentine's Day to my two favorite officers!" Their waitress greets them. "How's the night been treatin' ya?"
"Thanks, Mercedes… Happy Valentine's Day to you too!" Santana responds. "The night hasn't been too bad… just a bunch of women who were not too pleased with their significant others."
"I heard that girl," Mercedes replies. "I told my boo if I didn't see 12 long stem red roses and a box of chocolates waiting for me when I got home for work then he wasn't gettin' any for a month!"
"Damn Cedes… that's cold-blooded!" Puck responds. "But you know… if your man ain't gettin' the job done, then the Puckasaurus is always available," he says with a wink.
"And that's why you're single…" Santana says with an eye roll.
"Oh, c'mon… don't be like that San," Puck says with his hand over his heart as he feigns being hurt. "You know that if you were into dudes, you'd be all up on this," he states quite confidently while thrusting his hips and pointing down towards his manhood.
"I'd rather let my va jay jay dry up before I ever let Lil' Puckerman get near me," Santana replies without batting an eye.
"You two kill me," Mercedes says as she throws her head back in laughter. "This is why you two are my favorites!"
It's true.
Ever since Puck and Santana started working on the graveyard shift for Lima PD over 2 years ago, they made it a point to stop by the diner during their tour of duty. Every night, they'd take their seats towards the back of the diner where they could easily watch all of the patrons as they come and go. Mercedes had been their waitress that very first night they came in. Since then, whenever they stopped by, they made sure to request the loud diva.
"I don't know how you put up with him for 12 hours a day," Mercedes states as she shakes her head back and forth in amusement. "Anyways, what are you guys in the mood for tonight?"
Before either of the officers have a chance to answer, a loud crash from behind the counter catches their attention. As Santana strains her eyes to try and identify what the ruckus was, she sees a flash of blonde hair bob up and down.
"Oh, that must be Brittany… our new waitress," Mercedes casually states. "She's a bit clumsy, but super sweet."
Mercedes then briefly leaves Puck and Santana to help Brittany pick up the dishes she dropped.
"I'm sorry, Mercedes… I tripped over my shoe," the blonde replies as her face turns red with embarrassment.
"It's okay Britt… it happens," Mercedes assures her as she helps gather up the last dish from the floor. "C'mere for a sec… I want to introduce you to my favorite customers."
As Mercedes drags Brittany over to the table, Puck is the first to introduce himself.
"Well, hello there gorgeous… " he begins as he extends his hand. "Officer Noah Puckerman at your service, ma'am."
Santana makes a gagging noise while Mercedes tries desperately to hold back her laughter.
"You'll have to excuse my partner here…" Santana starts to say as she finally makes eye contact with Brittany. Any form of words that were ready to be said suddenly die on her lips as she digests the blonde's beauty. "Hi…"
As Santana raises her hand, Brittany meets hers in the middle in a soft handshake.
"Hi…" Brittany says back a little breathlessly. "I'm Brittany…"
At first, Santana doesn't say anything as she continues to lightly grasp the blonde's hand and moves it up and down.
"Lopez, snap out of it!" Puck says under the disguise of a cough while kicking his partner's shin underneath the table. Feeling the sudden sting against her shin, Santana finally breaks out of the trance she's in and responds back to Brittany.
"Lopez… I'm Santana Lopez," the Latina finally says back, still feeling a bit dazed.
"Smooth, Lopez… very smooth," Puck snickers.
"Uh, Santana… as much as I hate to break up this little love connection you've got going on here, Brittany does have some other tables to tend to," Mercedes interrupts with a smirk on her face.
Suddenly, Santana realizes that she's still holding the blonde's hand. Reluctantly, she releases it and looks down at her menu, feeling her face starting to heat up.
"Um, right… I should go check on my tables," Brittany quickly responds. "It was nice meeting you guys."
Before she walks away, Brittany catches Santana's eye one last time and offers her a bashful smile. Santana returns it before looking back at Puck, who has a very curious look on his face. After giving Mercedes their orders, Santana sits there silently, not daring to make eye contact with her partner again. Occasionally though, she looks up and steals a quick glance at Brittany.
"Uh oh… looks like somebody's got a little crush," Puck says teasingly as he catches Santana red-handed.
"What?! No, I don't… shut up, Puck!" Santana harshly replies, staring back down at the table.
"San, it's okay, ya know… maybe you should ask her out," he suggests.
"Yeah, right… and maybe after that I should go jump off of a bridge," Santana states condescendingly, looking very annoyed.
"Santana… look at me," Puck softly whispers. He waits until she does so before continuing. "It's been over 2 years… don't let her control you anymore."
As Santana let's her best friend's words sink in, she thinks about the her he's referring to.
Flashback – June 2011
After dating her high school girlfriend Jess for nearly 3 years, Santana was starting to think more about her future… and whether Jess would be a part of it. Jess was this beautiful brunette that had a Mila Kunis look about her. The two of them had been friends since their freshman year, but it wasn't until their senior year when they decided to become more. Although they were still fairly young – at the ripe age of 20 now – Santana knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Jess and was prepared to take the next step towards that goal.
At the time, Santana and Jess had just finished their sophomore year at Ohio State University. While the Latina was majoring in Music Education, her girlfriend was studying Art History. Before the new semester started, Santana toyed with the idea of getting her own place near campus, that way she didn't have to stay in a stuffy dorm room with a complete stranger. During this contemplation, the Latina considered asking Jess to move in with her. Santana felt that it would be cost-efficient and also the next logical step in their relationship.
However, it seemed that Jess was not at the same place in their relationship that Santana was.
"Dude, it's Friday night… shouldn't you have a tongue down your throat or something?" Puck crudely asks as he sits down on his couch, handing his best friend a soda.
"Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you," Santana says as she shakes her head at the Mohawk-haired boy. "Anyways... that was the plan, but Jess cancelled on me at the last minute."
"How come?"
"Apparently they're short-handed at her job again and she got called in," Santana casually replies.
"Damn… that's like the third time this month," Puck comments. "I mean, seriously… how many people does it take to run a freaking Walgreens?"
Santana just shrugs her shoulders in response.
Lately, Santana had wondered why it seemed like every time Walgreens was short-handed, it was her girlfriend who had to cover that particular shift for someone else. She knew that there were other people that could probably fill in as well, but Jess always seemed adamant about not wanting to 'let the team down'. It's not that Santana had a problem with her girlfriend's job; it just seemed like recently, Jess was always getting called in on their date nights and the two of them were spending less time with each other. It didn't help either that Jess also had become a little distant as of late.
This is why Santana thought that her and Jess living together would help fix some of these issues and re-establish their bond to each other.
"For someone that's such a ladies man, it doesn't seem like you had anything better to do on a Friday night than answer the door when I knocked," Santana retorts after a pregnant pause, attempting to change the subject.
"Hey… even Lil' Puck needs to take a break every once in a while," Noah playfully responds.
"You're disgusting."
"Anyways… what do you wanna do?" Puck questions. "Call of Duty?"
"Eh… maybe later," the Latina replies. "Oh! I know what we should do! We should go see the new X-Men movie."
"Oh yeah… I forgot that was out," Puck says excitedly as he gets up from the couch and starts putting on his shoes. "Wait… won't Jess get mad if you see it without her?"
"Naw... she's not really a big comic book fan," Santana says solemnly.
"Okay, I was just checking…" Puck begins. "Wouldn't want to get you into trouble with the old ball and chain," he teases.
"Trust me... she won't mind," the Latina said confidently. "In fact, she probably won't even see it when it comes out on DVD."
"Alrighty then… what are we waiting for?!"
Once Puck and Santana purchased their tickets, they made their way towards the snack bar to get their usual drinks, popcorn, and Sour Patch Kids. As they were attempting to enter the theater that was showing their selected cinematic adventure, Santana and Puck were nearly knocked down by the couple exiting, who couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Once the unaware couple felt that they had crashed into someone, they quickly broke apart to extend their apologies.
However… a simple 'sorry' was the least of their worries.
"Jess?" Santana is barely able to say as she drops her bucket of popcorn. Tears are starting to form in her eyes, but she's trying her damnest not to let them fall.
"Santana… I can explain," Jess lamely replies, taking a step towards her.
"Don't fucking touch me!" Santana sternly states. Jess takes the hint and moves back, giving the fiery Latina some space.
"Can we please talk about this?" Jess pleads.
"Sure… let's talk about how much of a fucking liar you are!" Santana shouts angrily.
"Can you lower your voice?!" Jess whispers harshly, getting embarrassed at all of the looks and murmurs that they were attracting.
"Why? Because you don't want all of these people to know that while I'm planning for our future and trying to figure out the most romantic way to ask you to move in with me, you're here… with your tongue down someone else's throat… seeing a movie that you don't even fucking like?!" Santana shouts in frustration.
"Look… I know that I'm an asshole for not having the balls to tell you that I don't wanna be with you anymore," Jess admits. "I'm sorry… I do care about you, Santana - although you probably don't believe me; you have no reason to now," she pauses. "It was never my intention to hurt you, but… we want different things."
"Different things… what are you even talking about?" Santana questions in a calmer tone. "We've always talked about getting married one day and having kids; do you not want that anymore?"
"I do… just not with you," Jess honestly states. Santana feels her heart break just a little bit more. "We've had a lot of fun over the past few years, but our relationship was only ever meant to be temporary. When I picture myself in the future, I have a husband… not a wife."
"Are you fucking kidding me right now?!" Santana asks incredulously. "Are you really gonna stand there and pretend like I was just some fucking experiment to you?"
"I'm sorry, Santana…" Jess apologizes again. "I'm just not gay."
"Really?!" The Latina says rhetorically. "Cause when you were eating me out like a 5-course meal the other day, you sure seemed pretty gay to me!"
Jess' eyes immediately become wide as she flushes with embarrassment. She looks at the guy she was just macking on, who just has a look of confusion. Jess then looks at Puck, who had been silent throughout this whole exchange. Usually, the Mohawk-haired boy would be sportin' a smug grin on his face anytime girl-on-girl action was mentioned; however… the current look on his face is just one of sadness and disbelief.
Jess then chances a look at Santana, seeing all of the hurt and pain that she just caused.
"How can you just stand there and treat me like some random hook-up or casual fling?" Santana croaks out.
"C'mon, San…" Noah finally says, stepping in to lead his best friend away from this monster. "She isn't worth it."
As the pair begins to walk away, Santana takes one last look at her former girlfriend through watery eyes. "Yeah… apparently I'm not either."
Once Puck safely got Santana back to his car, he drove them back to his house. The whole ride was silent, filled with nothing but the low hum of the radio as Santana just blankly stared out the window. After Puck pulled into his driveway and cut the engine off, Santana clung to him and finally let all of her tears fall. She cried for a solid 2 hours on her best friend's shoulder, but he never complained. Puck just sat there and hugged her tightly, letting her know that he would always be there for her.
The next few weeks were especially hard for Santana, given the fallout of her relationship with Jess. The other girl tried numerous times to contact her, but was always met with a voicemail or an unanswered text. Even when Jess tried to visit the Latina at her parents' house, she was blocked by Mrs. Lopez or Puck, who told her that although he had never hit a girl before, he'd be willing to make an exception in her case.
Once the new semester rolled around, Santana decided to take a break from her studies to re-evaluate some things in her life. It was at this point where Puck came up with the brilliant idea to apply at the Lima Police Department as soon as they turned 21. At first, the Latina was hesitant, seeing that she never really had any aspirations in being a cop. But now… she wouldn't trade it for the world. Joining the police force gave her a new sense of purpose and helped heal her fractured heart.
Because, seriously… who has time to be sad about a little heartache when you get to drive super-fast in a Dodge Charger, carry a gun, and take people to jail? Plus… the fact that she got to do all of these awesome things with her best friend was just an added bonus.
Back to present day…
"Puck… this has nothing to do with Jess," Santana argues once she finishes visiting memory lane.
"Okay then… ask Brittany out then," Puck challenges.
"I can't do that," the Latina responds discouragingly, offering no additional information.
"Why not?" Noah questions. "Give me one good reason."
"Uh… because she's a stranger," Santana retorts. "Besides, there's no way in hell that a girl that beautiful is single. Plus… even if she is, who's to say that she's even into girls... or me for that matter?"
"Y'know for a lesbian… your gaydar sucks!" Puck says back in disbelief. Santana pouts in response. "Blind people from space could see that she was totally checkin' you out."
"I doubt that…" she says as she looks back down at the table.
"This is why I will forever hate that bitch," Noah mumbles angrily under his breath. This catches Santana's attention and causes her to give her partner a questioning look. "Not only did she cheat on you, but she totally wrecked your confidence and your ability to have a simple conversation with a female."
"Well, I'm sorry if my mind isn't like yours and doesn't immediately focus on how I'm gonna get into the pants of every girl that I meet," Santana scoffs.
"I'm just gonna look passed that low blow you just tried to deliver, but only because you're my best friend," Puck replies. "But seriously, San… when's the last time you went on a date?"
Santana starts to open her mouth to respond, but quickly closes it once she realizes that she has no idea.
After the break-up with Jess, Santana basically became a hermit. Sure… she hung out with Puck when he wasn't too busy hooking up with his latest fling, but other than that, she kept to herself. Once she and Puck were hired by the police department, the Latina practically threw herself into the job. Whenever overtime was available, she took it, and whenever other shifts were short-handed, she filled in. For Santana, the more that she worked, the less time she had to mope about her failed relationship. Plus, working so much ultimately gave her an excuse as to why she didn't have the time to date.
It wasn't until Mrs. Lopez voiced her concern over her daughter's sudden workaholic habits – after Puck had brought it to her attention, of course. After a nice, long talk with her mother, Santana finally slowed down and went back to only working her regular shift. However, even though Santana wasn't working nearly as much, she still felt a lot of anxiety when it came to her love life.
In the past almost 3 years that Santana had been single, she had only gone out on maybe a handful of dates. It's not that she didn't want to move on… she just didn't know how. After putting everything she had into her relationship with Jess - only to watch it crash and burn - Santana was beyond befuddled on how to make a relationship successful. She had done everything right, yet that still didn't stop Jess from cheating on her and ultimately breaking her heart.
To say that Santana had trust issues would be an understatement; however, given what Jess had put her through, it was understandable. Since that day when Santana caught the supposed love of her life with someone else, she decided to just shut everyone else out – especially if you weren't on the tiny list of people whom she trusted. She lived on the philosophy that if she didn't give people an opportunity to let her down, then she could never be disappointed.
This philosophy worked great when it came to her job as a police officer. However, when it came to her social life, it just made her cold and distant.
"Have you come up with an answer yet or have you totally given up?" Noah questions smugly, already knowing the answer.
"Fine… it's been a long time, okay?" Santana huffs out exasperatedly.
"See… now was that so hard?" Puck says condescendingly, causing the Latina to roll her eyes. "Admitting you have a problem is the first step," he jokes.
"I forget why I'm friends with you," Santana says, seemingly deep in thought.
"Cuz I'm awesome!" Puck responds instantly. Santana rolls her eyes again while the Jewish man just laughs. "In all seriousness though… we're gonna get your confidence back."
"And how do you suggest we do that?" Santana asks skeptically.
"You're gonna talk to Brittany," he simply replies. Just as Santana opens her mouth to protest, Puck continues. "Now before you shoot me down, hear me out; think of it as a challenge."
"I'm listening…"
"We'll start simple…" Noah begins. "All I want you to do is go up to Blondie and start a conversation for like 5 minutes. It can be about anything."
"That's it?"
"Yep."
"Okay... what do I get if I complete my task?"
"If you complete it, breakfast is on me," Puck replies.
"In that case… order me a milkshake and some cheese sticks," Santana replies confidently
"Oh… is someone getting a little cocky over there?" Noah inquires with a grin on his face.
After knowing the Latina for so many years, he knew that the only way to finally break Santana out of this funk was to appeal to her competitive side. Why he didn't think about this 2 years ago is beyond him.
"Not cocky… just confident," the Latina replies.
"Alrighty then, what are you waiting for?"
Santana doesn't respond. Instead, she glances around the diner until she spots the blonde in question by the jukebox machine near the front entrance. As she gets up from the booth and makes her way towards Brittany, she gives herself a little mental pep talk.
"This is easy… you can do this. Just a simple chat," Santana repeats to herself, like a mantra. "You will not live in a world where Puck has outsmarted you."
As Santana gets closer to Brittany, she notices that the other girl appears to be deep in thought as she scrunches up her face and lightly taps her index finger against her chin. The Latina finds the sight extremely adorable, so much that she doesn't realize she's staring.
"Oh! Officer Lopez… I didn't see you there," Brittany says in a very chipper voice. "I can't seem to decide what song I wanna play."
"Umm... umm…" the Latina starts off but can't seem to form an actual sentence.
"If you're trying to meditate, I think the proper word is 'ohm'," the blonde states, hoping to be of some help.
"Umm… S-S-Santana…" she finally manages to say. When she receives a questioning look from the blonde, she continues. "Y-you can call me Santana."
"Oh, okay!" Brittany replies excitedly. "That's such a pretty name."
"T-thanks… yours too," Santana fumbles out. Although she sounds like a complete fool, the mega-watt smile that appears on Brittany's face was so worth it. However, now the Latina has no idea what to say.
"What's Santana doing?" Mercedes ponders as she brings out the officers' food to their table.
"She's supposed to be talking to Brittany," Puck responds, watching the scene play out in front of him.
"Oh, okay… why is she just standing there then? Awkward as hell too, might I add," Mercedes chuckles out.
"You got me Cedes," he replies.
After an awkward moment of silence, Brittany is the first to speak. "Santana, are you okay?"
"Yep! Sure am!" Santana replies back a little too eagerly. "Gotta go!"
Before the blonde even has a chance to respond, Santana turns on her heel and quickly walks back to her booth. As she sits down, she buries her face in her hands, not daring to look up and see the smug look that's probably plastered on her partner's face. She also misses the amused look on Brittany's face as she scurried away.
"Not gonna lie, partner… that was rough to watch," Noah comments on the train wreck he had just witnessed.
"I think that was worse than when I had to drag that 300 lb naked lady out of her bath tub," Santana mutters under her breath, shuddering at that particular memory. Puck tries his best to suppress his laughter. "Just tell me what my punishment is for failing my mission."
"I want you to finish the assignment and talk to Brittany for the remaining…" Puck pauses as he looks at the time he had set on his phone, "… 4 minutes and 17 seconds; that 13 seconds of dead silence doesn't count."
"What?! Are you serious?" Santana replies with a panic expression, finally looking at her partner again. "Do you not remember what just happened?"
"Oh, trust me… I do; it will forever be engraved in my memory," Noah teasingly replies. "As horrible as that was though, I still think you can do this."
"Fine… I'll do it after I eat," Santana concedes as she's about to cut into her Belgian waffle topped with strawberries and whipped cream.
"Uh uh…" Puck says as grabs Santana's plate away from her. "Not until you finish your chat with Brittany."
"Fuckerman… have you ever been bitten by a hungry Latina?!"
"If you stopped wasting time, you could be eating already," Noah replies, ignoring the possible bodily harm that his best friend was implying.
Santana just huffs as she roughly steps out of the booth again, mumbling 'I hate you' under her breath. Puck chuckles at how overly dramatic the Latina is being. Once she arrives back at the jukebox where Brittany was still standing, Santana takes a deep breath to calm her nerves before speaking.
"Hey…"
"Oh, hey… you're back," Brittany happily replies.
"Sorry about earlier," the Latina apologizes. "I… you know what, nevermind. How do you like working at the diner so far," Santana inquires, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"It's only my third day, but it's been good; the people here are really nice," Brittany starts off. "Although, I'm pretty sure my tips are gonna be in the negatives with all of the plates I've been breaking."
Santana can't but smile at how adorable and carefree the woman in front of her appears to be. "Well… I'm sure you're stunning personality makes up for it," Santana nonchalantly states, surprising herself at how flirty that sounded. However, she doesn't miss the tint of pink that is now present on the blonde's cheeks.
"So, umm… how do you like being a cop?" Brittany says once she clears her throat and feels her cheeks returning to their normal color.
"It's pretty badass…" the Latina states casually, causing the other girl to giggle. "Honestly, it's really cool though. I enjoy helping people and the fact that I get to do it with my best friend is pretty cool too… although he can be an ass sometimes."
"That's awesome, San!" Brittany exclaims. Santana instantly melts at the blonde's nickname for her, but she does her best to not let it show. "I love helping people. That's why I was so happy when I got this job cuz it's really flexible with my school schedule."
"Oh yeah… what are you going to school for?" Santana asks, excited to learn more about the fascinating blonde.
"Right now I'm just taking some classes at the community college. Once I finish that up and save up enough money, I'm hoping to get into nursing school," the waitress says as her smile widens. "My mom is a nurse so I think it would be totally cool to follow in her footsteps."
"Wow… you're kind of amazing," Santana mumbles out, speaking more to herself. "Where does your mom work at?"
"Lima Medical."
"Shut up!"
"Umm… okay?" Brittany replies questioningly.
"Sorry… I didn't mean for you to literally shut up," Santana explains. "I was just taken aback. My dad works there… Dr. Javier Lopez?"
"Your dad is Dr. Javi?! I love that guy!" Brittany exclaims. "He's always so friendly and gives me candy whenever I go visit my mom… Lynn Pierce?"
"Yeah… that sounds like my father; my mom limits his candy intake at home," Santana chuckles out. Brittany joins in. "I don't think I've ever met your mom though; hospitals kinda freak me out so I tend to keep my distance from them."
"That's completely understandable," Brittany sympathizes. "My mom just transferred there a few months ago when we moved here."
"I guess that would explain why you and I haven't met… or why my dad hasn't tried to set us up," the officer says as an afterthought. Once realization of what she just said hits her, Santana's eyes widen. "I didn't mean to imply that you were gay or that you would even be into me if you were. I just meant that… uhh… I should probably just stop talking now," she says as buries her face in her hands, feeling more embarrassed than she ever has in her life.
"You're cute when you're nervous," Brittany says after the Latina finishes her incessant rambling. She can't keep herself from smiling.
Hearing Brittany's words, Santana slowly looks up and sees the beaming smile illuminated on the waitress' face.
"Umm, anyways… I should probably get back before my food gets cold," Santana says bashfully.
"Yeah, my break is just about over anyways…" Brittany replies in the same manner.
"Oh… I'm sorry," the officer apologizes. "I didn't mean to keep you."
"You didn't… I rather enjoyed spending my break with you instead of just filling up the playlist on the jukebox," Brittany sincerely responds. "Hope you enjoy your meal."
"Thanks... bye Brittany," Santana says as she flashes a small smile and goes back to her table where Puck awaits with a genuine smile on his face. "If you're gonna say something that's gonna make me wanna punch you in the throat, then just save it," she warns, looking back one last time at the blonde. "Just let me have this moment… this rare and wonderful moment," she says softly as she sits down.
"I'm proud of you," is all that Noah says as he flags down Mercedes.
"Whatcha need hon?" Mercedes asks.
"An order of cheese sticks and a strawberry milkshake," he happily replies.
"You got it!"
Puck then looks back at his partner whom is silently enjoying her food, the smile never leaving her face. Once the duo finish their meals, they pay their bill, say their goodbyes to Mercedes, and head towards the exit. Just before they reach the door, a familiar song starts to echo throughout the diner. As Santana lets the lyrics of "Walking on Sunshine" flow through her ears, she catches Brittany's eye as she stands at the front register. Knowing that this must've been one of the blonde's selections, Santana flashes Brittany a small smile, reveling in the fact that the words of the song reflect her current mood. Brittany shoots her a wink as Santana leaves.
Brittany secretly can't wait until she sees the officer again. Little did she know, Santana felt the exact same way.
Over the next couple of weeks, Santana and Brittany developed a fast and flirty friendship. Whenever Santana and Puck made their nightly/early morning trip to the diner, Brittany would take her break around the same time so that she could chat with the Latina. Noah gladly made himself scarce and often conversed with Mercedes as they watched the girls become all giddy around each other. Anyone who had eyes could see the budding relationship between the officer and the waitress.
Over these little chat sessions, Santana learned that Brittany was 2 years younger than she was – making her 21 – and that she and her mother had moved to Lima to help with their financial situation after her father had passed away a year ago. Brittany had even left college and got a full-time job to help with the expenses, but it still was barely enough to get by. Once the opening at Lima Medical became available, Brittany and her mom packed up and found a reasonable size apartment. Although Brittany and her mom were no longer struggling with finances, the younger Pierce still wanted to contribute in some way. From there, Mrs. Pierce agreed that Brittany could get a part-time job if – and only if – her daughter went back to school. Brittany obliged and that's how she ended up at the diner.
Santana and Brittany also talked about lighter topics, such as favorite colors, movies, and hobbies. They even played specific songs on the jukebox to secretly dedicate to the other. Santana remembers the day she felt a little ballsy and played "Hold On, We're Going Home". The waitress was definitely not expecting that as she watched the Latina's fleeting figure leave the diner. But, Brittany responded back, playing simple, but meaning songs like "Beautiful Soul", "One Time", and "Faster". Santana definitely felt a spark between her and the waitress, but she wasn't quite sure what to do next.
Both girls enjoyed the other's company so much that they were often saddened when their time together was up. Even though they had each other's phone numbers and often exchanged cute texts throughout both of their shifts, they had never hung out outside of their jobs. They both wanted to, but it seemed like neither of the girls were willing to make the first move. Santana obviously had her reasons for being hesitant, but she didn't know what possible reasons the blonde might have. And to be quite honest… she was afraid to find out.
"When are you gonna ask Brittany out?" Puck finally asked one morning after they had left the diner.
"Why am I the one that has to ask her out?" Santana retorted. "If she likes me so much like you and Cedes keep claiming, then why hasn't she asked me out?"
"Because… maybe she has a lot on her plate at the moment," Puck suggests. "And maybe because… I told her not to…"
"You what?!"
"I told her not to ask you out?" Puck carefully says again, hoping that his partner wouldn't do anything rash while he was driving.
"Why would you do that?" Santana asked incredulously. "I thought you wanted me to move on and start dating again."
"I do… and that's why you have to be the one to ask her out," Noah explains. "You've already come so far by building up this friendship with Brittany. You guys flirt and gush over each other all the time," he says with a playful eye roll. "Seriously San… you're ready. All you have to do is ask her… and she'll say yes. Trust me, okay?"
"Oh, fine…" the Latina reluctantly replies.
And sure enough, at the end of her shift that morning, Santana went back to the diner and asked Brittany out on a date. And of course… the blonde said yes.
They've been together ever since.
1 year later…
As Brittany aimlessly wipes down her last table, she mentally counts down the minutes until the clock strikes 8 and she is officially off. This was her Friday and she couldn't wait to get home and start her weekend. Of course, she would need a 4-5 hour nap first, but after that, she couldn't wait to see her girlfriend again. Although she had just seen Santana a few hours ago when she and Puck had stopped by for their meal, this weekend was extra special for them. This weekend marked their 1 year anniversary and the blonde couldn't be more excited.
Truthfully, Brittany never expected to meet someone and instantly fall head-over-heels for them in a short period of time. To her surprise though, that's exactly what happened the day she met Santana. After her father passed away, she completely threw herself into working and taking care of her mom. Having a romantic relationship of her own was the furthest thing from her mind, especially after her mom had just lost the love of her life. For the most part, Brittany didn't have to worry about anyone pursuing her, which made things easier.
But as fate would have it… all that changed when the beautiful Latina cop walked into her diner.
Just thinking about her girlfriend put a dazzling smile on her face and made her wish that these last 5 minutes of her shift would go by faster. As the blonde finished wiping down the table and putting the salt and pepper shaker back in their respective homes, she misses the bell from the front door chime. As she takes one more look around the table to make sure she hasn't missed anything, she hears a familiar song emitting from the jukebox.
Forever can never be long enough for me
To feel like I've had long enough with you
"Aww… I love this song!" Brittany exclaims as her smile widens. As she turns around, her eyes are met with the most beautiful sight in the world.
"Hey Britt-Britt…" Santana shyly says as she stands by the jukebox, looking quite nervous.
"San… you look amazing," Brittany says breathlessly, taking in her girlfriend's attire as she takes a step forward. "What are you doing here… dress like that?" The blonde curiously ponders. "Not that I mind… just wow…"
As Brittany takes another few seconds to take in simple, but sexy royal blue dress donned by her girlfriend, she can't help think how lucky she is to have this amazing woman in her life.
Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way
"I have some news…" Santana starts off, breaking the waitress' blatant leering. "I made sergeant."
"Oh my God, San! Congratulations!" Brittany yells excitedly as she wraps her arms around the shorter girl. "I'm so proud of you baby! I knew you could do it," she says as she releases her grip and places a delicate kiss on the Latina's lips. "I'll get Mercedes to make you a shake before we head out of here."
As Brittany slightly turns around to find her co-worker, a light tug on her arm stops her. "It's okay, babe… I actually had something else to tell you."
"Oh, okay… what's up?"
Santana nervously fiddles with her fingers before taking a deep breath to gather her thoughts. "So… for the past couple of weeks, I've been wracking my brain on what would be the perfect way to celebrate our first year together. I had some decent ideas, but once I stopped over-thinking things so much, it finally hit me."
Together can never be close enough for me
To feel like I am close enough to you
"Originally, I was just gonna asked you to move in with me; but then I realized… that's not enough," Santana continues as Brittany's eyes light up at the revelation. "Living with you would definitely make me happy, but I want more. I want to be with you today, tomorrow, and every day after that… if you'll let me."
You wear white and I'll wear out the words "I love you"
And you're beautiful
"Brittany… after my relationship with Jess, I didn't think it was possible for me to find someone that made my heart beat again. In fact… I had kind of given up altogether and was perfectly content on just being married to the job…" Santana pauses as she looks deeply into the blonde's eyes. "But then… I met you. You've completely changed my world and have shown me what true love really is."
"San…"
Promise me
You'll always be
Happy by my side
"Wait… just let me get this out," the Latina pleads. As Brittany silently nods her head, Santana continues. "One of the main reasons why I wanted this promotion was so that I could provide a better life… for us." Brittany looks at her girlfriend with a confused expression, but allows her to continue her train of thought. "I know you love working here Britt, but… I don't want you to have to worry about how you're gonna pay your bills when you should be focused more on school and becoming the awesome nurse I know you're gonna be."
Brittany's eyes began to water as she thought about the implications of Santana's statement. Her and her mom were doing fine now and didn't have to struggle anymore like they did back in Cleveland. Mrs. Pierce begged her daughter to quit her job so that she could solely focus on her studies. However, just because they had a steady flow of income now, Brittany didn't want to get too comfortable and she definitely didn't want her mom to have to take care of her anymore. She was an adult so she felt it was only right that she continued to pay for half of the bills. Brittany knew that her mom could manage the bills on her own, but a part of her just felt guilty if she didn't help out.
I promise to
Sing to you
When all the music dies
"Brittany… I know that you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, but I'd like to take care of you too… if that's okay," Santana continues. "I wanna be the person you come home to every day and be the one you fall asleep with every night. I wanna share all of my goals and dreams with you and be there by your side when you reach yours. I want you to be my wife…"
Marry me
Today and every day
At this point, Brittany is full-on crying at every beautiful word that is coming out of her girlfriend's mouth. Santana is trying her best to not let her own tears fall, but that is becoming increasingly harder while staring at the angel in front of her.
"Every day that I live and breathe is better because you're in it. You made me believe in love again; you made me believe that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," Santana says and she takes both of Brittany's hands and bends down on one knee. "I know it took me an entire month before I finally asked you out," she starts again, but pauses when she hears the small giggle leave her girlfriend's lips, "but… I'm glad I did."
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this café
"I know that people might think I'm crazy or that this is happening super-fast, but I don't care. Even after just one date… I knew. I knew that you were the one that I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. That's why I bought this the very next day," Santana says as she releases one of Brittany's hands and looks behind her.
There, sitting in a booth adjacent to the front door, Puck sits, waiting for his queue. Once he receives it, he tosses the black velvet box that his partner had asked him to hold onto, seeing that she didn't have any pockets. As the blonde watches the action, she briefly recognizes some other familiar faces siting in the booth behind Noah.
"How did I not notice them before? " Brittany ponders as she sees the faces of her mom and the Lopezes smiling back at her, sitting in the booth behind Noah.
As Santana looks back at her girlfriend with a bewildered look plastered on her face, she opens the box, revealing a 1.5 carat diamond engagement ring. Brittany, unintentionally, pulls her hand away from Santana's in favor of using both of her hands to cover her mouth as she lets out a gasp.
"Brittany Susan Pierce… I love you with all of my heart. You are my best friend, my confidant, and the person that makes me feel whole again. Most importantly… you are my soulmate," Santana says, getting a little choked up. "And if you let me, I will spend every day showing you how grateful and blessed I am to have you in my life. So, Brittany… I guess what I'm trying to say here is… will you marry me?"
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Brittany feels her body start to tremble as more tears fall from her eyes. Very carefully, she kneels down so that she is eye level with the love of her life. "Like you even had to ask," the blonde mumbles as she as she grabs the sides of Santana's face and pulls her forward until their lips meet in a searing, passionate kiss. The sudden movement catches the Latina off-guard, but she is quick to reciprocate, wrapping her arms around the future nurse. Brittany gets lost in the moment, feeling Santana's luscious lips deliciously pressed against her as she re-positions her arms around her girlfriend's neck, bringing her impossibly closer.
Both women just enjoy being in each other's presence as their kisses become less intense, but still laced with the utter most love and affection.
"Uh guys…" Puck's voice interrupts, breaking the girls away from this plastic bubble that they were just in. "I know that you've probably forgotten that you're in the middle of a diner, but Britt… I'm pretty sure the parental units back there are gonna want to hear an actual answer."
Brittany leans back from Santana's embrace, just enough to see how her mom and Santana's parents are desperately hanging on to the edge of their seats.
"Actually, babe… I'd kinda like to hear your answer too," the Latina bashfully says as she wipes a few unruly tears from the blonde's cheeks.
Brittany looks back directly into Santana's eyes before responding. "Nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life with you, being your wife. So… yes, Santana… I will marry you!"
Santana's eyes buzz with excitement as she finally lets the tears she's been holding back fall. She has the biggest grin on her face before Brittany crashes her lips back onto hers. A roar applause erupts throughout the diner as all of the patrons – especially their parents – stand up and yell out their happiest thoughts and praises for the newly engaged couple.
"What are you waiting for, hija?! Put the ring on her!" Mrs. Lopez yells from behind her daughter.
"Of course… what was I thinking?" Santana sarcastically replies as she stands up, offering her hand to help Brittany up as well. Once both of their feet were planted on solid ground again, Santana grabs Brittany's left hand and slides the ring onto her ring finger. "There… now it's official."
"I love you so much, Santana…" Brittany sincerely states as her eyes begin to well up again.
"Not more than I love you," Santana replies, just as teary-eyed.
"I can't wait to marry you."
"I know the feeling."
"Oh my gosh! Can you two stop being so freaking adorable so we can come over there and congratulate you guys?!"
"Yes, mom! Geez… thanks for ruining the moment," Brittany playfully says towards her mother.
Almost immediately, the couple is engulfed by hugs and sloppy kisses to their cheeks by their family.
"I'm really proud of you, San…" Noah genuinely states as he brings his former partner into a tight embrace. "Don't think that just because you're a sergeant now that you can boss me around," he teasingly adds in.
"Whatever, Puck…" Santana replies as she playfully rolls her eyes. "Thank you for always having my back. I would've missed out on something truly amazing if you hadn't pushed me and got me out of the funk that I was in."
"That's what best friends are for," Noah simply replies.
"Best friends and best men…" Santana retorts.
"No shit?" Puck exclaims as his eyes light up.
"No shit…"
The two best friends embrace again as Brittany turns to receive a hug from Mercedes. "So…"
"I'm guessing you want to put your 2 weeks' notice in, huh?" Mercedes states knowingly.
"Yes…" Brittany replies regrettably. "I'm really gonna miss working with you, Cedes."
"Me too, Blondie…" Mercedes replies back. "And don't worry about it… I've already hired a new waitress. She starts tomorrow."
"So… I'm guessing you were in on this elaborate plan too, huh?"
"Of course… what better way to start your new life together than in the place where you both met?" Mercedes says rhetorically.
"Well, in that case… it would only make sense if you were my maid of honor."
"Hell to the yeah!" Mercedes exclaims.
Once both of the girls finish receiving all of the 'congrats' from everyone in the diner, they finally make their way outside, hand-in-hand.
"Do you want me to drop you off at your mom's so you can sleep a little? We can come pick up your car later." Santana asks her fiancé.
"Suddenly, I'm not so tired anymore," Brittany says in a low tone. "Besides… we need to celebrate."
"Okay… where do you wanna go?"
"How bout we go home?"
"I thought you didn't want to go back to your mom's?" Santana questions.
"No… I meant our home," Brittany clarifies.
"Our home… I like the sound of that," Santana says as she wraps her arms around Brittany's waist. "Happy Anniversary baby."
"Happy Anniversary, my beautiful fiancé," Brittany replies as she leans in and connects her lips with the woman that will be her wife in the near future.
What an amazing way to start what is sure to be a phenomenal weekend.
Author's Note:
Hey guys! So… I started writing this one-shot around Valentine's Day, but never finished it. Truthfully, I don't really care for that day because I think it's just a manufactured holiday that is perpetrated by the greeting card company and chocolate/candy companies. I believe that you should show the person you love every day how you feel about them and not just pour it into some extravagant plan for one day out of the year. And no… I don't say this because I'm bitter and alone. In fact, I'm happily married… that's just my opinion. In any sense, I don't look down on those of you that love this holiday and go all out. Because of this, that is why I decided to finish this story when I found it the other day. I hope you enjoyed. And for those of you waiting on another update for Quantico and 3rd & Lucky… I'm working on it. Thanks for being patient for your continued support!
-Kris
Songs Used:
Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves (honorable mention)
Hold On, We're Going Home by Drake (honorable mention)
Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney (honorable mention)
Faster by Matt Nathanson (honorable mention)
One Time by Justin Bieber (honorable mention)
Marry Me by Train
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Glee or any of its characters.