The down side of spending her weekend with her father was that on Monday morning Brittany had to leave early and stop by her chilly apartment before getting to work. And it was empty again. In fact if the blonde didn't know any better she would guess no one lived there for a while. She wondered if Cassandra had stop by at all during the time she was away. She didn't have much time to delve on it though, so she hurried back to her truck with her duffel bag and went to work.

The first half of her shift was as boring as usual. Nothing happened excepted for her trying to make something out of the mess Finn Hudson had made with his reports during the weekend. After having to start the paperwork all over again because of Hudson's sloppiness, she ended up having to skip her morning round, just to finish all of it.

Lunch hour had finally arrived and Brittany sighed in relief. Her dad had made a real good lunch so she was not going to waste it. She went up to the employees lounge right next to their locker to heat up the homemade lasagna. Marmalade, the receptionist, was there talking to a few securities guards that the blonde hadn't seen before.

The nice receptionist beaconed Brittany to join them when she noticed the girl was alone. Brittany then introduced herself to her coworkers and made acquaintance. They mostly seemed nice. Even the intimating looking Karofsky, who was a large but fit guy with a frowny face. They all talked for a while and Brittany got along surprisingly well with him and a girl named Quinn; she was pretty and easy to talk to so it wasn't hard. David Karofsky on the other hand reminded her a bit of Puck back in the day; tough on the outside but with soft marshmallow on the inside. Though in Karofsky case, she was pretty sure it was rainbow marshmallow. And her gaydar was pretty accurate most times, but she didn't say anything to him either way.

After lunch, she was back at her station. Socializing wasn't so bad, but she had already gotten used to the quiet of her station. Brittany rattled her fingers on the wood of her desk in deep thought for a moment, before opening one of its drawers to see a book. Santana's book. Or better, the book Santana had given her.

She finished reading Peter and Wendy some time ago, but still hadn't touch Alice's Adventure in Wonderland; Santana's favorite. She wouldn't really be able to concentrate on reading even if she tried it. She knew that. Brittany would probably wonder off into her own wonderland thinking about Santana as she read it.

After minutes staring at the book and thinking about the girl who gave it to her, Brittany decided to just get her afternoon round over with. She got her flashlight and keys and stepped out of her station, checking car after car off her clipboard as she walked pass them.

As she stepped onto the second underground floor to finish off her list, she stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn't believe it. There it was. The black Avalon was back in its usual spot, parked meticulously as it had been for the last two weeks.

Her heart sped up. Did that mean Santana was back? Or was the annoying handsome fellow back in her place?

Tying her expectations to the ground was useless as they were already sky high. She hoped, she wished Santana was here today. At this point she was willing to wait until 7pm even if it hadn't been her shift. Brittany would just have to prepare for either delight or disappointment. She convinced herself that even if that man showed up today instead of the brunette, this time she would ask him about Santana no matter what. She would not waste the opportunity again.

Brittany was already impatience during the rush hour and ended up taking more time than usual. Her trembling hands fumbled with people's parking permit and she had to constantly apologize for it.

As the clock hit 7 pm, Brittany could feel her heart rate rising and how clammy her hands were getting. A few excruciating minutes later, she heard the sound. She wondered if she got so familiar with the car she already knew it by sound.

The Avalon showed up on the monitor's screen shortly after as it rode up the ramp. Soon the car was pulling up by Brittany's window.

Brittany held her breath as the window rolled down.

"Santana."

The name escaped her mouth in a relieved whisper before she could even register. Brittany wouldn't be able to hide her surprise and absolute joy even if she wanted to. There Santana was. In all her marvelous glory. Hair falling in loose curls and framing her beautiful face, which had just the right amount of make-up, she looked just as dazzling as the blonde remembered; perhaps even more in Brittany's opinion.

There was only one thing in Brittany's mind.

I missed you.

Santana smiled as if hearing it, but that was probably only in Brittany's head. There was something odd, though.

The first thing she wanted to say was how much she had missed Santana, but there wasn't really a way to say that without sounding really lame, since it had only been a few days. So Brittany brushed that thought aside. One thing that was concerning her at the moment was that something seemed off with the brunette. Her eyes, they looked different. Like the smile didn't reach her eyes this time. Brittany frowned in concern; it wasn't like Santana, not during their talks and time together.

"Are you okay?" She asked before anything else.

"Yeah." Santana stretched out the word. And Brittany didn't quite believe her.

She wanted to ask what happened, but she knew it wasn't appropriate. On the other hand, she already considered Santana her friend, and it was normal for one friend to be concerned by the other's absence, right? It was a totally plausible excuse.

"Were you…sick?" Brittany asked fumbling with her clammy hands, but keeping eye contact.

"Yeah. Sick." Santana nodded, agreeing with the blonde. But to Brittany something still didn't feel right.

She wanted to know more. She wanted to know everything about the brunette but she wouldn't force her if Santana didn't want to. So she changed tactics.

"How was your weekend?"

"Nothing much," Santana started averting her eyes. "Just you know, recovering."

The blonde nodded, that sounded a lot like deflecting to Brittany. It seemed she wasn't going to get much from the brunette. At least not today.

"You?" Santana asked, and she actually looked interested now that the conversation didn't focus on her.

"I hanged out with my Dad. I know it sounds lame, but it was pretty cool." Brittany responded truthfully.

"I bet it was."

There it was again. That smile. The smile that melted Brittany into a little puddle and the one that brightened up Santana's whole face.

Brittany must have got lost again in her Santana haze because before she knew it, Santana was scrunching up her face cutely.

"What's that smell?" She sniffed rather adorably for a few seconds before asking with a quirk of her brow "Maple Syrup?"

Brittany was confused for a second before realizing what she was talking about and couldn't help but laugh.

"Ohh, yeah." She picked up a brown little ornament she had hung near the window.

"I got this from Uncle Bobby. He works with Dad. He knows I love Maple Syrup so he gave me this for my car." She held tightly the black elastic connected to the round shaped ornament that read: Butter Maple Syrup Air Freshener.

Santana looked puzzled for a moment, and before she could ask Brittany was already answering.

"George doesn't like Maple Syrup, so I put in here." She shrugged matter-of-factually.

Santana laughed, and smile fondly at her. Brittany was glad she seemed to remember the name of the blonde's car and still thought it was amusing rather than weird. She was also glad that Santana didn't keep being distant and things seemed to be just fine between them.

"It smells great!" She complimented, sniffing around for good measure. "I'm getting hungry though."

Brittany laughed as well, and kind wished she could have dinner with Santana right now. Which gave her an idea…

"Oh, I'm gonna be late for dinner." Santana glanced worriedly at the clock on her dashboard.

Brittany was brought down by that statement; it kinda ruined her new plan to ask Santana to have dinner with her. She deflated, maybe it was too soon for that. She was also trying really hard to ignore the implication that for Santana to be late for dinner it meant the brunette had somewhere to be or someone to meet.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Britt."

And just like that Brittany was smiling again.

Santana called her Britt again. And Santana was coming back.


As promised, Santana returned on the following day to Brittany's delight, the blonde couldn't be happier.

She had gotten there later for her shift, but as she drove over she spotted some beautiful flowers at a shop. Her money was a little tight but she bought a single white oriental lily and kept it safely with her for the rest of the day.

When the time came and Santana stopped by after work, Brittany was more than happy to greet her with the flower.


Brittany came in earlier on Thursday for her extended shift. But this time when she got to the reception, Mr. Lynn was the first one she saw. He was chatting up with Myrle at the front desk of the building.

"Good morning, Mr. Lynn." She greeted her superior, smiling politely at him.

"Oh, Brittany! Good to see you!" He looked genuinely excited to see her. She would never tell him but the man really looked like a puppy dog most of the time. It marveled her how he was the head of the security officers, when the man was as intimating as a flock of kittens.

"And don't call me that! We are practically the same age. Call me Ryder." Ryder Lynn insisted, casually flipping his brown bieber hair to the side.

"In fact, I was just telling Marley how you were such a great addition to Aurea Enterprises." He told her with a bright smile, showing all his pearly white teeth. Brittany tried to hide her surprise at hearing the receptionist name. She had been calling her Matilda or something similar all along. Oh well.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about that." He gestured towards the door that lead to the employee's locker.

"Oh, okay." Brittany consented, waving at Marley as she followed the man to the lockers.

Brittany had just stuffed her duffel in her locker and started sorting out the things she would need for the day when Ryder spoke, catching her attention.

"I'm very pleased with your work so far." He started as he sat in one of the benches. "You have potential, Brittany."

Brittany didn't really see how he could notice that since nothing much had happened since she started but she didn't say anything or refute his compliments.

"I'm gonna start showing you the ropes around here for the rest of the week." Ryder looked very pleased with himself as he said it. "So after lunch hour, you can come up here and we'll start going through floors."

"I'll have someone fill in for you while you are out." He said as he got up and headed for the door with a brief wave of his hand.

Brittany should be happy, she was moving up on her new job already. But a part of her worried if she would see Santana during work hour again if the blonde didn't work on the parking lot. And she wanted to see the brunette today more than anything, but she wasn't sure how long her training with Ryder would take.

Santana didn't show up for lunch as usual. Brittany was already used to it, but something in her always made her look at the monitor just to make sure. This time she was extra hopeful because she didn't know if she would be there to see Santana off later today.

When she finished her meal at her station; a peanut butter sandwich, Brittany went to the lobby and Mr. Lynn was already there waiting for her.

"Brittany! Great! Let's get started." He pointed to the elevator nearby.

"Alright, Mr. Ly…I mean Ryder." She corrected her mistake when she noticed him making a face. Then he nodded in approval and they made their way to the elevator.

It wasn't that complicated to be honest. The layout of the floors were pretty much the same so once the person get used to one, they were familiar with the rest. Though, some of the protocols were a sort of a pain in the ass.

She went through most of the floors until Ryder called it a day at 6pm. He was very thoroughly showing her every security protocol during his instructions. He was nice. Nicer than she thought a boss would be.

She wondered how Puck knew him.

When they stood in the elevator as it went down back to the lobby Brittany risked that question.

"Ryder, how do you know Noah again?"

"Noah?" He stopped for a second, looking confused. "Oh, you mean Puck?" He answered absentminded. She nodded waiting for an answer. "He's related to Jake, I think. He's a cool guy."

Brittany continued to look puzzled as she leaned on the elevator's mirror before asking. "Who's Jake?"

"Oh sorry, Jake is my boyfriend." He fixed his hair in the mirror and turned back to her. "They are cousins, I think."

The ding of the elevator clicked, and Ryder was out in the next second.

Brittany stood there. She really needed to talk to Puck as soon as he called. She knew he didn't get along with his family in general, and she didn't remember him mentioning being close to a cousin. She was worried and hoped he didn't get into any trouble to help her get the job.

There was still two hours left of work for Brittany because of her extended shift, so she went back to her station by the gate. She would deal with Puck later. She had more important things to attend to. In other words, she still had time to meet Santana which just made her day a whole lot better.

She waited eagerly for Santana to show up, and as expected The Avalon rolled up at the usual time after seven.

"Hey, Britt." The brunette greeted from the car with a grin. She had her hair in a neat bun, with some sparkling earrings that looked both beautiful and adorable in her tiny ears. Brittany found that to her everything about Santana was like that.

Santana didn't even bother giving the Brittany her card. It was easy to fall back in their routine and soon she was asking about the blonde's day. It's not like there was anyone left working but Santana at this hour anyway. So they didn't have to worry about lines forming behind her.

Brittany excitedly told her all about Ryder and their afternoon activities. The possible change in her job's position wasn't confirmed so she thought it was best not to say anything for now.

After an hour of talking, Santana was just telling her about an obnoxious person she had to deal with as a client. And how she had laid down some truth on that lady.

Brittany still wasn't sure what Santana's job was, but from what the woman had told her, it definitely involved something high tec and computers. Maybe programs. Brittany wasn't good with computers so it all sounded so complicated and only made the blonde realized just how smart Santana was.

"Britt, I gotta go." She finally gave Brittany her parking permit and ID. The security guard picked it up and quickly checked her validation.

Santana got her things back, her hands lingering in Brittany's as usual. The soft touch welcomed by the blonde after the absence of it, and she held on to it longer than usual.

When Santana was pulling away Brittany stopped her.

"Wait!" She gripped a tanned wrist, firmly but not forcefully as she remembered something.

Santana looked up at her with curiosity and Brittany let go, suddenly becoming nervous. She bit her lip for a second; it might have been her imagination but Santana's eyes may have lowered to them. Brittany had almost forgotten her plan from days ago. She moved to open her desk drawer and searched for something, hoping that her plan would still work as Santana patiently waited in the car.

Brittany finally pulled out a package from the drawer and handed it to the brunette. Santana eyed it inquiringly, examining the colorful wrapping paper

"Two gifts in a couple of days? Totally winning at life." She laughed, as her face changed to a subtle shade of red. "But Britt, you really didn't have to get me anything." Santana smiled adoringly, reaching for the blonde's hand before Brittany pulled it completely away.

"No," Brittany shook her head reluctantly, silently enjoying Santana's hand on hers. "That's the condition I had for accepting your awesome gift." A mischievous smile taking over her features.

Santana still looked like she was going to protest but Brittany cut her off.

"Plus I wanted to, San." She admitted openly.

Brittany tried out the nickname. The ducks in her stomach might as well have exploded at this point. She was beyond anxious.

Santana's smile brightened at the name, and she squeezed the blonde's hand before letting it go. She carefully unwrapped the gift as if it was a precious object. Brittany really wanted to believe that for her, it was.

Brittany waited almost impatiently. She waited counting the seconds in her mind and then there it was again. The most melodic laugh in the world. It was music to Brittany's ears. She just loved to make Santana laugh in any way. She looked up at Brittany with a big smile.

"Britt…" Her eyes shone as she took a closer look at the Peter and Wendy hard copy in her hands.

It clearly wasn't as expensive as the copy Santana had gotten her, but it was the best Brittany could afford. She had set aside that little amount of money from her bills to buy Santana this book. She finally could finish her plan on giving Santana a gift. And by the looks of it, the brunette had liked it and the plan would be a success. But it wasn't over yet.

"Thank you." Santana said sincerely, she locked eyes with Brittany and held it for a while.

"It's amazing, Britt." She held the book close to her heart, and her smile showed her cute dimples.

Brittany was the happiest at that. She would give Santana a hundred books or gifts just to see her shine like that. All the money in the world couldn't pay for that. She wondered if now would be an appropriate time to ask the brunette out on a date or maybe dinner. The chances of Santana saying yes would be much higher if she was this happy.

"I have to go now." Brittany deflated at the words, the moment was lost, but she understood. The woman looked reluctant to leave but started the engine anyway. She put her book on the passage seat and smiled apologetically at Brittany. She probably had somewhere to be again.

The blonde was just as unhappy that Santana was leaving but at least they would see each other tomorrow. Maybe she would get another chance then.

Brittany waved as the car took off;

That night she lied in her bed. The weather was pleasant today so she didn't miss the lack of heating.

It was no surprise that she was thinking of Santana. She wondered if she would get another chance to ask her out soon. Brittany wasn't really sure if Santana had a boyfriend or girlfriend but the brunette had never mentioned or made any indication regarding it before. She just hoped that the guy from the previous week was no more than a friend at least. Santana never mentioned him before or after her absence. And Brittany was too awkward to ask her about it, because it wasn't really of her business.

She heard her phone ringing beside her. She had just picked it up when the front door slammed shut, startling her.

"Brittany, I'm here. Going to bed." Cassandra's way too loud voice filled the apartment.

"Okay!" Brittany yelled back and winced at how it echoed in her nearly empty room; to let Cassandra know the blonde was in the apartment as well. She wouldn't want her roommate thinking she was a burglar, or worst Puck.

Brittany remembered her phone and looked down at it, noticing she had a new text. It was from an unknown number.

It said:

'Hahaha found this phone number in a book. Hope it's yours, Britt. This is Santana ;-)'

Brittany felt lightheaded. She laughed out loud at how cute Santana was. The brunette knew it was Brittany's number as the blonde had put her name and a wink next to it as she wrote on the book's inside cover. She beamed as it seemed her plan had worked out almost perfectly.


Author's Note:

Disclamer: This is a work of fiction and not canon, like at all. And Brittana does not belong to me.

There you go! Some Brittana for y'all. But remember this is gonna be slow for a little while.

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for the amazing response! I'm overwhelmed by it and so happy! Please let me know if you liked this particular chapter.

All mistakes are mine, sorry about any of them.

Ducks.