It was raining again. It had been raining for two weeks and it was really starting to get on Santana's nerves. It's not that she minded the actual act of raining; it was that she minded having to wear rain boots and a raincoat and carry an umbrella just to stay dry for the ten minute walk to and from the train everyday. So much effort for so little time.
She rebelled once. She walked out into the rain on her way to work, no coat, no boots, certainly no umbrella. She really hated umbrellas. They did nothing but break. And when it was windy, forget about it. All they did was make for colorful little weapons. She only walked out without her rain armor once. By time she got to the train she was soaked. Her white blouse see through, her hair matted and her minimal mascara, her one makeup concession, had exponentially grown to what she was sure amounted to a small can of paint running down her face.
It was raining again when Santana stopped into her favorite diner three short wet blocks from her apartment. It was empty, she had a late meeting and it was closing in on 11pm. Not many people go out to greasy spoon diners at 11pm during a rainstorm but here was Santana Lopez. Wet, alone, tired and hungry.
She had just ordered a veggie burger when she heard the door open and shut. Well mostly she felt the wet air coming in before she heard it, but either way she didn't look up from her place mat. She liked this diner because they had crayons on the tables. She never really fancied herself an artist but she liked to doodle and it took her mind off of stuff. When she felt the door open she was on her third version of a very fat, very pink cat. She was giving this incarnation little orange boots and a brown top hat with matching bow tie.
She reached for the purple crayon because maybe the cat needed a mouse friend, when she felt eyes on her. She fought the urge to look figuring it was probably someone feeling sorry for the lonely wet woman sitting by herself drawing on place mats in the middle of the night. Then she heard the cry, a baby's cry. Dammit, she thought. There goes my quiet dinner. She looked up to see where the cry was coming from and that's when she saw her.
Brittany was standing in the middle of the diner, Santana's diner, soaking wet from head to toe with a crying and equally wet baby strapped to her chest. Santana willed herself to say something but all she could concentrate on was the sound of the baby crying. It was getting so loud she couldn't focus on anything but that cry.
"Santana?" the sound of Brittany's speaking her name broke Santana out of her trance and after a few tense seconds managed to squeak out a forced "Hi."
Santana and Brittany hadn't seen each other in ten years. Ten years since graduating from High School as girlfriends and spending that last summer together. Doing nothing but swimming in Brittany's pool with Quinn and Puck. They never meant to break up, it just happened, as things tend to do. They swore their relationship would last the distance, but with Santana going to school in New York and Brittany in Arizona, it just didn't happen that way. Time and distance and life happened and now all those things had come together and spit them out in a dirty diner on a rainy night ten years later.
Santana was staring out into space when she was hit with the realization that Brittany was standing in front of her with a soaking wet baby. Her instincts kicked in and she stood up while ordering the bus boy to grab some clean towels. She silently ushered Brittany to the booth she was only recently occupying alone and motioned for her to sit down. Brittany was silent throughout the whole encounter, even when the bus boy handed her the clean dry towels she did nothing but stare at Santana. Santana unhooked the baby carrier and laid him, it's a boy she thought, down on her bench. She quickly stripped off his clothes and dried him. He has blond hair and blue eyes and fair skin. He looks just like her,Santana said under her breath. She gave his cheek a quick unnoticed caress.
"I think he has a dirty diaper, do you have an extra?" she asked while taking it upon herself to search through the wet diaper bag still hanging off of Brittany's shoulder. "Wipe your face and wring out your hair a bit, you'll catch a cold," she gently scolded while finally finding wipes and a clean diaper.
"Ok little man, my name is Santana Lopez and I am going to change your diaper. Do not, I repeat do not, piss on me." Santana made quick work of the dirty diaper, summoning over the very unlucky bus boy to dispose of it. She wrapped the baby in the last towel and held him up with a very accomplished look on her face. She finally noticed that Brittany had not moved a muscle since sitting down in the booth and became slightly alarmed.
"Britt?" oh wow, it feels good to say that,"Britt, are you ok? Are you hurt or sick? There's a hospital right around the corner do you need to go there?" She was trying not to panic, but in the twenty years she had known Brittany she had never seen her be this quiet or this still.
"What? No, no Santana I'm fine. I'm just in shock. I mean it's you right? You are really standing here?"
"Yeah, it's me Britt. I think the better question is what are you doing in roaming around the streets of New York with a baby?" The waiter came with Santana's veggie burger; he placed it down and asked Brittany if she wanted anything. "Get her whatever she wants; same bill, anything she wants, and the little guy also," Santana realized she was still holding a baby, Brittany's baby. Brittany ordered fries and a coke, nothing for the baby he was still breast feeding.
"So, is he yours? Like yours, yours?"
"Yes, he's eight months old," Brittany held her head down in what Santana could only read as shame and a wave of guilt crashed over her.
"Hey, hey, pick that head up. Look at this little guy, he's really cute and he seems to like me so he obviously has amazing taste. What's his name?"
"Max, his name is Max. It's not short for anything."
"Hiya Max, it's nice to formally meet you," Santana made a showing of shaking Max's hand which made Brittany smile for the first time that night. For the first time in awhile.
"So Max, what brings you to my neck of the woods? Huh? Job transfer? Oh yeah that happens. Especially in this economy." Brittany couldn't help but stare in amazement at the exchange happening in front of her. Santana Lopez, talking to a baby. Brittany's baby.
The waiter brought Brittany's fries and drink and the three of them sat together in silence eating their now midnight snacks.
"So do you have a place in the city?" Santana asked hoping Brittany hadn't been living in the city this whole time, right under her nose.
"Well, not really, we are kind of staying at a hotel up by the University. Have been for about three weeks," Brittany said sheepishly.
"Brittany you've been living a few blocks away from me for three weeks? Why here, why now?"
"I don't really want to talk about it right now San, I'm sorry," Brittany threw a fry in her mouth and looked away.
"No problem," Santana said looking at her now half eaten veggie burger thinking about how easily she and Brittany had falling back into rhythm. "So, do you want to stay over my place tonight? I would feel better. Making sure you and Max didn't get sick or anything from the rain or anything, you know." Brittany had to smile at Santana's sudden shyness. Apparently Max had an answer because just as Brittany was about to accept Max let out a big burp. "That means yes, Max says yes! It's settled. I like this little guy!"
Ten minutes later the bill was paid, a very generous tip was left for a very grateful bus boy and they were off to the hotel to pick up some dry clothes for both Brittany and Max. Santana strapped the baby carrier to her chest and stroked the back of a sleeping Max while she ran into the drug store next to the diner and bought the biggest umbrella she could find for the three of them to walk under.