Author's Note: This is my first attempt at FanFiction. Since I've lately been caught up in Brittana, I figured I would give writing them a shot. Forgiveness is my trying to understand just how they went from the angsty ending in the Duets episode to dancing with intertwined pinkies by the end of Rocky Horror. Basically, this is me filling in the gaps of all the things we didn't see. Also, it was initially just going to be a one-shot, but I decided I had too much to fill in, so it's going to be broken up into chapters. Let me know what you think!
Chapter One
After the duets competition last week, Brittany wasn't sure how to feel when she walked up to the steps at school on Monday morning. Santana was in her usual spot at the base of the handrail, her arms crossed over her chest with her eyes fixed hard on the ground as Brittany approached her. She watched the brunette carefully. A flash of her in a black t-shirt, loose jeans, and a pocket chain suddenly sprang into her mind as she walked closer. Santana's body was working its way down the staircase outside, with Quinn behind her. As she replayed the three of them singing "New York" in her head Brittany couldn't help but smile. Santana had looked ridiculously good in that rehearsal. The pangs of last week managed to disappear briefly at the thought of it. She was even still smiling when she finally reached her friend.
"Hey," Santana said, breaking Brittany's thoughts. The blonde's smile quickly faded, and she felt herself blush at allowing herself to get carried away with thoughts of Santana singing. Again. She pulled herself up, readjusting the backpack strap. She was supposed to be upset.
"Hi," she eventually said, not making eye contact as Santana watched her carefully. Brittany could feel her friend's eyes boring into her.
"Your mom said you left early this morning when I came by to pick you up," Santana started, picking at the ground with the toe of her shoe. Brittany thought back to earlier. She hadn't known if she would be ready to see Santana so soon after last week. So she had gotten up an hour early and walked the two miles to school instead of waiting to be picked up by her friend. She had sat in the Cheerios locker room for half an hour. Sue had barged in and insisted she leave in order for every locker to be strip searched for extra-calorie snacks she believed some of them to be sneaking in. So she had left, and then walked to sit under a tree outside one of the foreign language classrooms. Then, once students had begun arriving, she wasn't sure where to go until the bell rang. Eventually she wandered over to the staircase outside the quad. Santana would wait for her there if she ever showed up late to school, or if she got lost between classes. And even though she didn't know what she would say when she saw her, Brittany couldn't help but be pulled to Santana before the start of the day.
Now, standing in front of her best friend, all she could do was shrug in response.
It was quiet between them for a second. Then Brittany watched Santana move closer, closing the gap between them as students hurried past.
"Hey, Britt. Are you still mad about all of that?" she asked, keeping her voice low.
Brittany kept her gaze down, refusing to look at Santana. She fingered the ends of her Cheerios skirt anxiously instead, still silent.
"Listen," her friend began. "I know how all of that looked. You just caught me off guard when you asked me to sing that duet with you for Glee club."
At this, Brittany picked her head up a little. "We've done a duet in class before."
"I know, but not to a song like that," Santana said.
Brittany let a loose string fall from her fingers. "It's just a song. Plus," she shrugged, "it's a really good one."
Santana gave a laugh. "I agree. You played it on a loop on your iPod that one trip to Regionals for Cheerios, remember? Till Coach Sylvester made you stop because she claimed it was filling the bus with too much estrogen."
Brittany felt her lips begin to curl up in a smile as her friend continued. "Look, I know I freaked and I shouldn't have run out on you like that." There was a small pause. Then, "I'm sorry."
Brittany's eyes shot up and met the steady gaze of Santana. It wasn't like her friend to apologize. Ever. To anyone. Though, Brittany had discovered over the course of their friendship that she was a pretty big exception to that rule. Still, an apology from Santana Lopez was hard to come by. She looked into her friend's dark brown eyes as they stared back, guilt evident in them. Finally, Brittany let herself grin.
"Well, I might be able to forgive you."
Santana eyed her, a smile sneaking across her face. "Good, because I want to help convince you that you should." She reached out a tan hand to grab hold of Brittany's opposite hers. "Besides, I've already forgiven you for attaching yourself to Wheels after the fact."
Brittany quickly snatched her hand away, her smile gone. "What?"
Santana looked around them, still keeping her voice low. "You know. When you left me high and dry to wheel around the cripple on Friday. Where did you two roll of two anyway? Wheel Chairs R'Us?"
Brittany narrowed her eyes. She knew what Santana was doing. She had done it before, when Brittany had danced with Mike one time for an extra hour after Glee rehearsal. She was jealous.
"Actually, I roller-bladed around my neighborhood while I pulled him along behind me on a rope," Brittany stated matter-of-factly, folding her arms across her chest. "It was fun."
Santana stared at her friend; attempting to wrap her mind around the image she had just been given. "Whatever, she said eventually, shaking her head.
"Besides, I only did that because you left me," Brittany added. She wanted to explain how hurt she had been by Santana's dismissal of her and their potential duet. But she knew it would be pointless. Santana was on a completely different level when it came to their relationship. But she couldn't bring herself to totally forgive her friend either. Maybe, Brittany thought, a week of keeping her distance would do them some good. Well, it would do Santana some good.
"And I told you I was sorry for that," Santana was saying, pulling Brittany from her thoughts. She moved another step closer to the blonde. Brittany could practically taste the coffee and mint combination on her friend's breath as she spoke. "Can we please just move on from this?"
Brittany listened, looking hard into the now soft eyes of Santana. It would be so easy to forgive her. Just move on. Pretend she hadn't been rejected by her best friend when she had tried to push the boundaries. Again.
Instead, Brittany dropped her gaze, shaking her head. "No," she whispered. "Not yet." She glanced up, finding a look of genuine surprise on her friend's face.
"B," Santana said. "Come on, please."
Brittany was going to make Santana feel what she had gone through. Even if it was just for a week. Or, she reasoned, feeling her heart ache at the sight of Santana so shocked, at least for a couple of days. As long as she could resist her, Brittany would try.
"I'll see you in Glee later today," she finally said, moving to turn away and head up the stairs into the school. She heard Santana start to speak.
"But, don't you need help getting to your first period? I know the science floor confuses you because of all the chemicals…they smell funny."
Brittany just kept walking. "I'll be fine," she replied over her shoulder. Then she climbed the rest of the stairs, leaving Santana behind her.