Author's Note: I've changed the character of Frances (an OC) to Jane (Hayworth), just because she really fit, and also, Jane was my fave of the S6 newbies (a fact that you'll know because I include her in most of my fics, along with the originals. This has been updated across the fics, and won't change the story in any significant way. Thanks for reading!

Being the co-captains of the Cheerios meant that Santana and Brittany had a lot of extra responsibilities. For one, they had to make sure that the locker room was in good order at the end of every day, which meant that they had to stay late. Usually, this involved Santana yelling at underclassmen to get their 'butts in gear', but today she was in no mood to rush. So far, she'd had no luck in coming up with a plan for getting Brittany to her math competition, and keeping them both out of the gulag.

She was lost in her thoughts, and vaguely wondering where Brittany was (a state she seemed to be in more and more these days), when she heard shouting coming from the showers.

"I told you! This is a PUBLIC shower."

"Are you kidding? Wait until Sue finds you in here, then you're dead!"

"I'm not afraid of Sue."

Santana frowned. She wasn't sure she'd ever heard anyone who'd met Sue say that sentence before. She got up and walked towards the showers, nearly bumping into a girl in a swimsuit and goggles. She was staring down Quinn, who was wrapped in a towel and angrily pointing at the other girl.

"Santana, isn't it your job to deal with this? Get her out of here."

"Oh yeah? This skinny bitch is going to do anything about it? I could give a flying flip about Santana Lopez."

Santana gave the girl a hard stare. "What the hell? This is the Cheerios' locker room, Flipper. Take your hairless ass back to the regular showers."

The girl was probably a sophomore. She didn't look like fresh meat, but Santana had never seen her before. She had gumption, she'd have to give her that. She didn't back down, but advanced on Santana.

"There was a line rupture or something. And the main broke. There's no water in there and chlorine makes my hair dry out so we're using your showers."

She said it with a finality that brought a gasp from the other Cheerios. The girl was backed up by several of her swim teammates and they all shared a satisfied look on their faces as the girl made to brush past Santana.

"So, if you'll excuse me."

Santana gave a small grin as the girl walked past and in one fluid motion reached up and grabbed the ponytail that was hanging out of the girl's swimming cap.

The girl howled in pain as Santana used her other hand to grab the back of her swimsuit and drag her towards the locker room doors. One of her Cheerios ran towards the door, holding it open and Santana used the forward momentum to swing the girl out of the door, and into the hallway. She landed with a crash and kept on yelling.

Santana turned, barely breathing hard from the effort and brushed her hands together.

"Who's next?"

The other swimmers looked nervously at one another and edged out the door, shrieking when Santana made a move towards them. After a few moments there was a new cacophony in the hallway.

"She is the captain of my team, Sue, and you don't own these locker rooms."

Santana peeked out and saw Roz and Sue standing almost nose to nose in the hallway. The swimmers were holding up the girl Santana had thrown out and she still looked like she was in bad shape.

"How about this, Roz. You let me know when you win a national championship, and then call me when you win five more and I'll consider it."

Roz looked like she wanted to argue, but after a moment turned her back on Sue and skulked down the hall.

"Come on girls." She said over her shoulder.

Sue turned back towards her office without another word. Santana wasn't surprised. Sue had always hated Roz and-

Suddenly an idea popped into her head. It wasn't the best thing she'd ever thought of. That title belong to the idea that had almost gotten Brittany deported to the Netherlands, but this one wasn't far behind. And now that she was using her powers for good, instead of evil, she had the chance to help someone she really cared about.

"That was pretty hot." Said a voice at her elbow.

Santana jumped. "Brittany!"

She turned and Brittany was right in front of her. The commotion had cleared out the locker rooms and it seemed like they were the only two left.

"The way you threw that girl. Very nice form."

Santana tried not to look too embarrassed, and she made a muscle.

"I don't spend all that time on the pyramid for nothing."

Brittany reached up, gripping Santana's bicep tightly and running a single finger towards her shoulder. The movement made Santana's breath hitch. Which was what Brittany had hoped for, of course.

"I can tell." She purred, continuing her finger's trail down Santana's shoulder, between her breasts and down her stomach. Santana's breath hitched again.

Santana took a step back, bumping into a locker behind her. All of the bravado that had carried the day when she threw the girl out of the locker room disappeared, and she felt suddenly nervous. There was something predatory in the toothy grin that Brittany was sending her way, so she turned, moving towards her locker, shuffling through the things inside, and chattering away.

"I've come up with an idea that might work for Saturday."

Brittany's demeanor changed immediately, and she practically skipped over to Santana's locker, leaning against the side. "Really? I knew you'd come up with something, Santana. What is it?"

"Well, it won't be easy. And we'll need some help, but I think we still have a couple people we can count on."

There was a bitter note in her voice, and Brittany frowned. Had Santana still not talked to Mike? She made a mental note to look into it later. She wasn't sure what she could do to help, but she figured she probably couldn't make the situation any worse.

"We can ask Jane! Depending on what you want to do." Brittany volunteered.

The question was evident on Santana's face. "Who?"

Brittany had a feeling Santana knew exactly she was talking about. They hadn't spent any time talking about Jane, but had both found their own ways to make her feel more welcome in the squad. Santana would rather have someone think she was being mean than show her squishy center. Brittany knew that Santana liked Jane as much as she did, but didn't want her feeling self conscious. She played along.

"She's the Cheerio we ran with a couple of times. I think she's a cool kid."

Santana thought for a moment. "Maybe, that could be good. Yeah, actually that will be perfect. Why didn't I think of that? See, this is why we work well together. You handle all of the mushy people stuff, and I get to do all the betrayal."

Brittany looked proud for a moment and then frowned. "There's going to be betrayal?"

"Well, only a bit. Just enough to grease the wheels."

Brittany didn't look convinced, but Santana slammed her locker closed and grabbed her duffle. "Let's go, we'll talk about it on the way home."

It didn't take Santana very long to lay out her plan for Brittany, and once it was done, it all made perfect sense. For the most part.

"We'll work out the kinks this week." Santana said reassuringly. "Now that you know what we have to do, you can try to think of any holes in the plan. We are two of McKinley High's most devious minds. There's no way we can't craft this into perfection."

Brittany nodded from her place in the passenger seat, as they sat parked in front of Santana's house. They were hanging out in Santana's car mostly to stay away from the prying eyes of Brittany's siblings, but also her parents. Whitney and Pierce still weren't quite used to Santana being around, and weren't used to the idea of not having to protect Brittany from her.

But in the car they felt safe. At least until Mr. and Mrs. Pierce started peeking out of the front windows, trying their best to be inconspicuous. But that hadn't happened yet, so Santana and Brittany sat for few minutes in silence, listening to the low thrum of Toni Braxton playing through Santana's iPod. Their flour baby sat on the dash, turned towards the windshield so she could, according to Brittany, see everything that was going on. They were both lost in their own thoughts, thinking about their role in what would happen, and how perfect everything would have to go for them to get away with it. Only a few things were left up to chance, but that was true of any great plan.

Brittany had pulled Santana's hand in her lap, using her hands to curl and uncurl the other girl's fingers. It was strangely intimate, and Santana had pulled her hand back twice only to have Brittany grab it again, so she'd given up, and had fallen into a sort of rhythm that relaxed her.

Brittany stopped suddenly. "Are we still not telling anybody about us?"

Santana froze, her fingers in Brittany's lap curling into a fist. "Huh?"

"Are we still not telling people about us? You and me, I mean."

Santana balked. "W-wwhat do you mean, us?"

"I mean, you and me, not being mortal enemies anymore, just being, like, friends."

"Oh, huh. Friends?" Her fingers unfurled a bit. "Yeah, good question. I guess I hadn't thought about it, really."

"If you'd rather not tell anyone-"

"No! That's not it, of course. I want to tell people. I just think it'll be kind of, I dunno, shocking, you know? We've been at each other's throats for so long, it's going to be weird when we're not."

"It's just that I don't like lying to Mercedes."

Santana smiled grimly. "Yeah. Mike knew something was up, and I didn't tell him. I'm such an ass. Though, there's something he's not telling me either. He just thinks I'm too distracted to notice."

Brittany nodded. "So, what if we just told them? Our best friends. No one else would have to know."

"Maybe we should wait. I mean, at least until after Saturday. There's a lot riding on all of this, and I don't want any distractions."

"That makes sense. I guess you're right."

Brittany resumed playing with Santana's fingers. "Thanks again, Santana. For everything. For helping me, and, you know, everything."

Santana only grunted. There was a distant look in Brittany's eyes, and she couldn't take her eyes away from the image of her hands, a deep honey brown, tangled in Brittany's pale, pink ones.

"Santana?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you first knew that you liked girls?"

There was a buzzing underneath Santana's skin, and she tried to keep her voice steady as she replied. "I dunno. I just always noticed ladies, and thought about them the way you think about guys."

Brittany smiled, and gave a sideways glance to Santana. "How do you know I only think about guys?"

There was a pause, and Santana was sure Brittany could hear her gulp as she tried to come up with a response.

"Well, I know you went out with that wide receiver last year... "

"And the captain of the girl's soccer team before that." Brittany finished for her.

Santana blanched. She'd heard the rumours, but, at the time, wasn't sure if she believed them. "So, what? You're-"

"I see what I want, and I go after it."

Brittany's voice was a low husk, and Santana sneaked a look at her, and couldn't help but meet her eye. She was looking directly at Santana, her blue eyes growing dark in the low light of the car. And now she was leaning forward. Santana swallowed again.

"I wanted to dance, and I danced. I wanted to be the best Cheerio I could be, and I did that. I wanted to be captain of the math team-"

Santana licked her lips, unconsciously. "And what do you want now, Britt?"

There was a pause as Brittany pulled on Santana's wrist. Santana watched her bite her lip in anticipation.

"Now, I want-"

"Brittany!"

There was a thud as two small hands slapped on Santana's passenger side windows. It took all of Santana's willpower to slide her eyes away from Brittany, and look to see the little Pierce leaning up against the car, staring in.

"Momma says you should bring your friend in, or let her go home cause you can't stay out in the car all night!"

Brittany rolled down the window. "Belle, sweetie, try to keep from leaving handprints all over the windows."

Santana pulled her hand gingerly out of Brittany's lap. "Oh, it's okay, she was just, um, trying to get our attention. I should probably go home anyway. We're supposed to be doing some family game night or something."

"Oh, okay." The disappointment was clear in Brittany's voice, but she put on a smile. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Santana started up her car, and Brittany got out, grabbing her book bag out of the backseat and leaning down through the open window.

Santana swept the flour baby into her arms and placed her in the vacated passenger seat, making sure to buckle her in.

"Yeah, tomorrow. Actually, Britt…"

Santana paused.

"Yeah, San?"

"Maybe I'll come and pick you up tomorrow? Since it's the last day of the project with the baby. It's kind of a special occasion."

Brittany brightened considerably, and her smile turned more genuine. "Roz is going to be ticked that we never came up with a name. Well, technically, you never came up with a name."

"Me?" Santana responded, laughing.

"Yeah you. I came up with a million names, and you shot them all down."

There was no edge in her voice, and Santana smiled even wider.

"Well, I can't help it that I've known a lot of stupid bitches in my life. I don't want our daughter having all that baggage."

Brittany tried to not let her heart jump out of her chest at the sound of Santana calling her 'our daughter' and put on her best cheeky grin. "Well, we should come up with something."

"I'll leave it up to you, Britt. I'm sure whatever you name her will be great."

There was a pause as the two tried to come up with a way to make the moment last longer. When there was none Santana gave a small wave.

"I guess I'd better get going. Don't want to piss off the parents."

"Yeah."

"I'll see you tomorrow. I'll text you when I'm leaving my house."

"Yeah. See you, Santana."

"Bye Brittany."

Brittany watched Santana drive away and her little sister ran back up to her, grabbing her hand and dragging her inside.

"Britt! Can you read to me tonight?"

Brittany smiled at Belle. "Sure, honey, but first I've got to finish my homework."

Belle sighed. "Fine. You would have finished already if you weren't looking at Santana all the time."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean every time I see you with her. You're always looking at her. It's kind of gross, Britt."

"You're just mad because you have a crush on her."

"Do not!"

Brittany smiled at her younger sister and stuck out her tongue.

"Anyway, if you like her it's okay, Britt."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she's nice and she brought us Skittles that one time."

"Well, I'm glad you approve."

They were in the house, and Brittany swatted at her sister's backside.

"Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed and I'll come up when you're all tucked in."

Belle laughed excitedly and rushed up the stairs, two at a time. She'd luckily inherited her height from her mom's side of the family, and looked like she'd be as tall as Brittany, all told. Brittany dropped her bookbag by the steps, and went into the kitchen to grab a snack. She could hear her parents wrangling with her siblings upstairs and hoped they weren't having too much of a problem. She was enjoying a banana when her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Baby Mama: Ginger

Brittany smiled, and typed back a reply.

B. Pierce: Like Ginger Rogers? Isn't that a bit obvious, Santana?

There was a pause, and then three small dots told Brittany that Santana was typing a reply.

Baby Mama: Haha, I guess you're right. Back to the drawing board.

B. Pierce: I guess so. :P

Footsteps sounded behind Brittany and before she had a chance to turn around, she heard a body sink down in a kitchen chair.

"A little late getting home today, Britt?" Her mother asked, sighing as she wrung the bath water out of her shirt.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Mom. I was a bit busy."

"Hanging out with Santana again?" Her mother's face scrunched into a frown, and Brittany walked over to her, desperate to smooth it away.

"It's not like that, Mom. She's cool."

"Brittany, she stuck you to a chicken."

"And I got her left at a farm. We've both done things to each other that we regret. But, that doesn't mean we can't put the past behind us."

Whitney Pierce sighed, and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "It's not that I don't appreciate this new mature attitude, Britt, but I worry. She is not harmless. We learned that the hard way. And you've been spending a lot of time with her, and I can tell that you're developing feelings-"

"Oh mom, you sound like Belle."

"Oh? And what did my very astute daughter have to say about your relationship?"

"Well…" Brittany began, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "She said that I look at her all the time, so I must be getting a crush on her."

"Did she mention that you talk about her all the time?"

Brittany hesitated. "No, um, not really."

"Well, you do." Her mother said, gently. "It's always 'Santana said this', or 'Santana did that'. Look, I don't mind you liking someone, Brittany. And you know, boy or girl all I care about is that the person makes you happy. You know that. But, this isn't that nice girl you dated last year from dance camp. This is Santana Lopez. I would have thought she rose up from hell if I didn't see the birth announcements Maribel and Antony sent out when she was born. She's trouble."

Brittany shook her head. "You don't understand her like I do, Mom."

"Well, make me understand. What do you see in her?"

"She-she's kind! I mean, not right away, but one time we were in the park and she found this nest of baby birds and she called the vet to find out what to do with it. And she always helps her little sister practice the piano. She works hard. Her grades are so good, way better than mine. And she loves being on the Cheerios, even if she doesn't always show it. She's really sweet to me, and always makes sure that I'm comfortable. She's polite to you and dad-"

"That's more of a recent development."

"I dunno. I like her. At first I just thought I wanted to kiss her, but now I know it's more than that. I think I really like her."

Whitney sighed. "It's up to you, Brittany. Just be careful, okay? Remember that your father and I love you, and we only want what's best for you. You can always come to us if you need anything. Or Mercedes, I trust her too. I trust the both of you, just… Just be careful."

Brittany nodded. "I will, Mom, but you don't have anything to worry about."

"I hope not."

Brittany stood, placing a kiss on her mother's cheek. "I'm off to read a story to Belle. 'Night, Mom."

"Goodnight, Britt."

\

"So, hanging out with Pierce lately, huh? What's up with that?"

Santana looked up at the purring voice that spoke to her as she dug through the contents of her locker. She had been thinking about loose ends to her plan all day, and considering the competition was the day after tomorrow, she had a lot on her plate. The last thing she needed was Quinn getting all up into her business.

She looked up and tried to play it cool. "Not really."

"Oh please, Lopez. I saw her getting out of your car the other morning, and Dave told Blaine who told Tina that she saw you two at the mall the other day. Tina didn't believe them, but I know for a fact there's something going on with the two of you."

Santana pulled her flour baby out of the locker, and slammed the door shut. Brittany had put some ridiculous pair of overalls on her, and squeezed a beanie over her 'head' ("So, she won't get cold, San). Santana tried not to think about how silly she looked as she turned to glare at Quinn.

"Since when are you listening to Girl Chang? She's a gossip monger at best, and a liar at worst. If she told me that it was sunny outside, I'd go out in my galoshes. The girl is a mess."

"So, you're telling me you didn't give her a ride the other day? Cause I'm pretty sure she's the only person in school that wears a duck themed jacket over her Cheerios uniform."

Santana looked around quickly, and seeing no one was watching her, hissed to Quinn. "Fine. Is that what you want to hear? I gave her a ride."

Quinn stuck her arm on her hip and cocked her head to the side. "The question is, why?"

"Because, Fabray, we're working together on Roz's stupid flour baby project, and I tried to get another partner, but it was too late, so now I'm dealing with it."

"And that's it, huh? The greatest of McKinley feuds is put to rest because of a stupid flour baby?"

Santana protectively turned the baby away from Quinn, wrapping her arms around her.

"She's not stupid. I mean- What I mean is, it's a project, and that's all. We have to work together for Roz, and once it's over, it's over."

"So, you two are not going to be sitting around a campfire, singing kumbaya anytime soon?"

Santana scoffed. "Please, Fabray, do I look like the type?"

There was another pause as Quinn looked her up and down. "So what is the plan?"

"There is none."

The answer was definitive.

"Come on. Are you telling me that you are just going to start working this project with Brittany, for a month, take care of your little abomination here, and then call it a day, without one single act of petty revenge or retribution?"

"Look." Said Santana, levelling her gaze at Quinn. "I just want to get through this project. No mind games, no elaborate ruses, no lies. Nothing. Just me and the A I so richly deserve."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"So, you don't have any gentle feelings creeping up on you regarding, one, Brittany S. Pierce."

Santana shook her head as the bell rang. "I've got to get to class, Q. I'll see you at practice this afternoon.

"Yeah, see you around."

Quinn smiled to herself, as she watched Santana walk away.

"So, by now, most of you have heard about the JBL incident."

Coach Roz's voice carried over the classroom, bringing an end to side conversations, and generally quieting the din that was still in full effect as her class got settled in their seats.

Everyone looked at Jacob, who was sitting next to his partner, Lauren, and who smiled meekly.

"Well, because he is clearly dumb as hell, we're going to have to push back the project a week. That means that you all are going to be responsible for your babies a bit longer."

The entire class groaned, some of them even going so far as to throw balled up pieces of paper and thumb tacks at Jacob.

"Thank you, fellow students for shouldering this responsibility with me."

"Shut up, Jacob. If my grade goes down because of this, it's going to be on you." Their classmate Sam shouted out.

Brittany crossed her arms, and glared at Sam. "It's not his fault. Well, it is, but it's a lot of pressure to get everything done and-"

"What would you call it, then? Look, Britt, I get that you have a soft spot for any poor souls that come your way, but this guy is a lost cause. Now I'm stuck with this stupid baby for another week- Ouch!"

Sam was broken off by Santana who'd leaned forward and thumped him in the back of the head.

"Can it, Trouty mouth."

Sam pulled his larger than average lips into his mouth. "What's it to you, Santana? It's none of your business."

"Well, I'm making it my business, and I'm telling you to lay off."

"Since when are you defending Brittany?"

"Since now. Do you want to make this a thing, Evans? Cause I'd love to make it a thing."

Sam spent a few more moments giving Santana the evil eye before shrugging and turning back in his chair. The rest of the class sat silently as if they'd just witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall, or a particularly vicious fist fight. Santana looked around suddenly.

"What?"

There was no response, but Coach Roz decided it was about time she got her class under control.

"Chill out, Santana. Anyway, for the rest of you, just keep doing what you're doing, or do better if you've been doing a terrible job. Another week means maybe not all of you will fail my class. Keep that in mind."

There were murmurs of agreement, and the shock of seeing Santana Lopez coming to the rescue of Brittany Pierce (though she certainly didn't need it, she'd sparred with Sam before) seemed to wear off, if only a bit. They were all shaken out of the moment when the bell rang to signal the end of class.

Santana tried not to make eye contact with anyone, especially Brittany, and gathered her things quickly before heading out the door. Brittany caught up with her near a quiet hallway and pulled her inside.

"Santana, you didn't have to do that."

"Whatever, he was being an ass."

"It doesn't matter. I like Sam, and he didn't mean anything by it anyway."

"Brittany, you just can't let people walk all over you. If you do that, people are going to think you're soft."

"You never thought that." She said, accusingly.

"Of course I did. But, you proved me wrong by kicking my ass. The first time I met you I thought you were going to be some pushover. You sat there and listened to Rachel tell you about her first dance recital for the better part of half an hour, and I figured it would take all of a week to crush you. But I tried and it didn't work, and then a week turned into two, and then it was a month, and then a year, and now we're juniors, and I just-I dunno. I regret that I wasted all that time, Brittany. You're a good person, and I see that now, and I regret so much all the time that I spent mocking you, and trying to cut you down, and all that time I could have been using to get to know you. Cause I like you, and I like you a lot, and I don't want to mess that up, but sometimes I wonder if you could ever trust me. If you could ever really like me too."

Santana's speech was delivered at a rapid fire pace, and she tried and failed to catch her breath a few times during it, but in the end was left almost panting.

Brittany didn't know what to say. She walked closer to Santana until she was only a breath away, and tugged on Santana's hand to bring her closer. And then, without thinking, she did the only thing she'd wanted to do since she had been sitting on her bed, staring into chocolate brown eyes, desperate and longing; she did the only thing she could do to convince Santana how much she liked her already, and how much she was sure she'd like her in the future.

Brittany kissed Santana.

At first Santana's eyes widened in shock. She'd seen Brittany leaning in, with that dazed look on her face. She thought she'd known what to expect, but kissing Brittany was nothing like she expected. Her eyes fell closed and she leaned into Brittany, wanting the full weight of her on her lips. It was both too slow and too fast, and she found herself getting short of breath. It was like molten lava was coursing through her veins, but shivers ran up and down her spine. Brittany's lips were soft, so soft, and tasted vaguely of vanilla. Santana ventured to run her tongue along the bottom one, and was surprised when Brittany opened her mouth just a bit. Brittany gripped Santana by the back of her arms, and then one arm snaked up, grasping at the back of her neck, and tilting her head in the right position. Santana surrendered herself fully to the kiss, and let Brittany take control.

Brittany pushed Santana back a bit, until they ran into a wall. Then, she used the angle, and her height advantage to dazzle Santana's mouth, spinning Santana around until she was dizzy from the high. The kiss volleyed between gentle and fierce, passionate and sweet, and everything in between. Santana pulled away with a pop, and tried to catch her breath.

"Brittany-" She said the name almost like a prayer.

"Hmmm?" Brittany responded, while going back to cover Santana's lips with her own. She nipped and bit softly with her canines, taking pleasure in the little moans and squeaks that escaped from the girl underneath her. With a soft turn, her thigh was between Santana's legs, and Brittany leaned forward a bit, bringing a pressure that both sated Santana and made her crave even more. The move sent Santana scrabbling for Brittany's back, searching for a handhold on her tight Cheerios' uniform to bring her closer. Brittany leaned her head down, pulling almost harshly on Santana's hair, sweeping it to the side and running her lips along Santana's neck. She ran a thick swipe along Santana's pulse with her tongue, and then along her jaw. The moaning became louder now, and Brittany couldn't decide if she needed Santana's hands on her as quickly as possible, or if she wanted to steal more precious seconds making her moan over and over. She returned her lips to Santana's mouth, swallowing the moan she made as Brittany brought one hand lower, rounding Santana's ass, and squeezing it firmly.

Footsteps nearby made Brittany come up for air, but she didn't move, just leaning over Santana's shoulder, placing a forearm against the wall, and tucking her forehead into the crook of her elbow. Her leg was still between Santana's, her other arm still tucked around her shoulders, her body still almost pressed flush. They both stood there, panting as the voices became louder, and when they passed by, Brittany leaned back. Just enough to look at Santana, just enough to gaze deep into Santana's eyes, watching her blown pupils and swollen lips, staring at the base of her throat and the pulse that thrummed there.

"That was…" Santana couldn't finish. She swallowed.

"Yeah." Brittany finished for her. She breathed for a moment more. "Kissing the wide receiver wasn't like that. Or the soccer captain for that matter."

Santana gave a nervous laugh, which brought Brittany's attention back to her more fiercely.

"Sorry. I mean, sorry, I should have asked. But you were just so cute, and I couldn't think of another thing I wanted to do in that moment." Brittany stammered.

"Does-does that mean that you really like me?"

Brittany pulled away a bit more from Santana, searching her face, then she leaned low, waggling her eyebrows. "Did that kiss not tell you everything you needed to know?"

Santana gave the nervous laugh again. "I'd rather hear you say it."

Brittany's face became serious, and she extricated herself from Santana's body, taking both of her hands. "Santana Lopez, I like you. I officially, unequivocally, completely, passionately like you. Like, a lot. And I regret the time we spent fighting just like you do. I just, I mean, I just like you."

Santana stood for a moment, searching Brittany's eyes for something that she wasn't saying, and smiled grimly. "I guess that's that then."

"I would have thought that would be great news."

"Britt, it's one thing for us to tell everybody that the feud is over. That we see each other as human beings after all. It's an entirely different thing to tell everybody that we're, you know, making out and stuff."

Brittany's grip faltered. "I thought you said you liked me."

"I do!" Santana took over the hold now, pulling Brittany's hands to her chest. "I do, and I'm so, so happy that you like me too. But, I'm just thinking about the logistics of the whole thing."

"Logistics. Santana, I mean, I can understand in theory what you're saying, but what does it matter if the other kids know that we're hanging out? That we're gals being pals? It won't make any difference to them."

"You know how this school works. We've crafted these lines, and without that structure, who knows how this will play out? We could become pariahs. And I didn't crawl to the top of the Cheerios' pyramid to go back to being a basic bitch."

"So, what, we just keep this a secret forever?"

"No! What? No. We just have to be careful and try to control the backlash, should it come to that."

"And how do we do that?"

Santana leaned back against the wall with a thump. "I have no idea."

Brittany turned and stood beside her, leaning against the wall as well. "Well, at least we've got some good news out of this whole JBL disaster."

"What's that?"

"We have another whole week to come up with a name for the baby."

\

After school, Santana had to pick Selena up from school, so Brittany was forced to find her own way home, hitching a ride with Mercedes. She'd saved up money all summer from working as a secretary at her dad's dental practice and bought a clunker that her parents would cover the insurance on. Brittany loved Mercedes' car, and had spent plenty of boring afternoons driving around in it with no real destination in mind, but today she found herself longing for a particular convertible. Artie had tagged along, and Brittany had stayed mostly quiet on the way to his house, but after getting Artie inside, and once she'd slid into the passenger seat, Mercedes made a disapproving noise.

"What?"

"What 'what'? You've been sitting over there since we got out of school, looking dreamily out the window. You kissed somebody today, Brittany Susan Pierce, and I want to know who."

Brittany tried her best to look shocked. "And what makes you think that I kissed somebody today?"

"Well, firstly…" Mercedes said, doing her best to keep her eyes on the road, but rolling them simultaneously. "Your ears are turning pink, and they always do that when you're about to lie."

Brittany futilely pulled down the bright yellow toboggan she was wearing over her ears.

"Secondly, you've got that faraway look in your eyes that you get when you get a crush on somebody, and it's worse than I've ever seen it because I mentioned ice cream, and you didn't demand that we stop at that place on the way back to your house and get you some rocky road."

Brittany still didn't reply.

"And thirdly, this is the first time that you've ridden home with me all week, and we've barely talked, and yesterday you said you had to get off the phone because your rabbit was yelling."

Mercedes voice was a little sad, and Brittany hurried to fix it.

"Well, she was, 'Cedes. Tommy had stepped on her foot, and Timmy was trying to comfort her, and I think one of them fell down the stairs in the process. It was a whole big production. Dad ended up giving a ten minute lecture on 'bunny safety'."

The frown didn't clear from Mercedes' face. "So, what, that's the reason your ears are pink?"

Brittany thought for a moment. She couldn't- No, she wouldn't lie to her best friend anymore. She took Mercedes' hand and took a deep breath.

"I did kiss somebody today."

Mercedes squealed, and looked around, quickly pulling the car over. "Who is it? Lucas, from bio? No, no, that guy from health class, Sam! Oh, was it that girl who wouldn't stop making goo goo eyes at you in the cafeteria the other day? I think she's a Cheerio!"

"Well-" Brittany began nervously. "You're half right. She is a Cheerio."

Mercedes scrunched up her face in thought. "Well, I know it's not Quinn. Though, I've heard rumours. There are a few upper classmen, but nobody I thought as really your type. Oh! Leslie something or other, you always liked her-"

Brittany squeezed her eyes shut. "It's Santana."

There was a moment of silence, and she was loathe to look at her best friend. She was only glad that Mercedes had pulled the car over before she'd heard the news.

"Santana?" Came the whispered reply.

Brittany opened one eye, and gazed at Mercedes, her eyes wide in shock, her mouth formed into a perfect, tiny 'o'.

"Santana Lopez? How are you even-? How is this even-?"

"The flour baby project. Remember everybody had a partner, and she's mine, and at first I thought I was going to hate it, but then Roz kind of blackmailed us, and I figured why not, and over the past couple of weeks, I've really gotten to know her, and she's AMAZING, Mercedes. I really, really like her, and I'm even more sure of that because today I kissed her and it was like nothing else I've ever experienced."

Brittany hoped that her explanation would make sense to Mercedes. She just hoped that her friend wouldn't disown her, but Mercedes just sat there, looking at her in disbelief.

"Mercedes? 'Cedes? Please say something. You're kind of freaking me out."

There was another long pause, and suddenly Mercedes' face split into a large grin and she pumped her fist.

"I knew it!"

"What-"

"I knew you were up to something, and I knew that it had to do with someone you weren't supposed to be doing something with. At first I thought it was that scrub that you had to dump last year, but were still acting all crazy over, and then I was watching you in history one day and Santana walked by, and everything clicked. I thought I was going to have to pull you off of her, but you smiled at her, and tried to play it off.. Girl, bye! I invented that trick."

Brittany tried to collect her thoughts. "You're telling me you knew?"

"I didn't know everything, but I knew something was up. But, seriously, Brittany, Santana Lopez? She's the one who made you think your grandmother had joined the circus."

"Well, that one's on her. She'll never get that three hundred bucks back from Cirque du Soleil."

Mercedes got quiet for a moment as she thought. "Is that who you're talking about when you were wondering if someone could change? Santana Lopez? Do you really trust her, Brittany?"

"I really do, Mercedes." Brittany said, nodding. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away. I just didn't know what would happen. I didn't even know if I wanted it to happen. But now I know that I really like Santana. I thought she was a bad person. We all did. But, I know how she really is. Everyone thinks she's a bad person, but she isn't."

"It's okay, Britt. It's okay." Mercedes patted Brittany's arm. "Look, if you like her, and you think she's changed, that's good enough for me. I'm going to be keeping an eye on her though. That's a promise."

Brittany leaned across the car's center console, wrapping Mercedes up in a tight hug. "Thank you, 'Cedes. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Britt. Now, lemme go so we can get back to your place. It's about time that we had a nice night in and gab about your newfound lady love."

Brittany blushed. "Okay, but I dunno if I can tell you everything."

"You're going to tell me everything about that kiss, that's got you blushing from ear to ear." Mercedes started up the car, and pulled out onto the lazy, suburban street.

"I don't even know how to describe it, MJ. She was just perfect. Like, her lips, her eyes. I didn't want to let go. You know when you kiss someone, and it's like falling into a vat of cotton candy while angels sing you lullabies?"

Mercedes got a faraway, wistful look on her face. "Yeah, I've been there."

"Well, it was like that. I felt like I was drowning in her eyes. But, in like a good way, like, her eyes were rocky road, and I was just, you know, slowly sinking into them."

"Well, that is something."

"And you know what the best part of it is, Mercedes?"

"What's that?"

"She really likes me too. She feels really bad about what we did to each other, and how much time we wasted, you know? And I know she wants to end this feud once and for all."

"But how, Britt? This has been going on for two years, and as a survivor of the Great Soda Wars of freshmen year, and the Bugle Binge of sophomore year, I don't know how this school will deal with a Brittana reconciliation."

"Well, they'll have to figure it out. People are always saying make love, not war, right?"

"I don't know if they mean it literally."

Brittany seemed to turn an even brighter red. "Well-well, I mean, me neither. I just mean, oh my god."

Mercedes laughed at her friend's discomfort and pulled into the driveway. "I knew what you meant. I don't know how you managed to hide this from me for so long. You're pretty obvious."

Brittany turned towards Mercedes, taking her hand, and giving her a serious look. "I'm really sorry, MJ. I didn't want to hide it from you, but I hadn't even known myself what was going on until, well, for a long time. And I didn't want to tell you just in case…. I know you have a lot of stuff that you might not be so quick to forgive her for, and I don't blame you for that. I just hope that you'll try."

"Britt, if she's serious about turning her ways around, and you two really like each other, I want you to succeed." Mercedes shook her head ruefully. "Only you could go from worst enemy to girlfriends overnight. You are something else, you know that Brittany Pierce?"

Brittany smiled. "Yeah, that's why you love me."

Mercedes only laughed as she followed Brittany into the house.

\

The night before the competitions, Santana had convinced her parents to let Brittany have a sleepover. Of course, they'd have to stay in separate bedrooms and be in their own bedrooms by lights out, but at least that way they'd have a little more planning time before the big day. Brittany was a little jealous of how much Santana's parents seemed to trust their daughter. They didn't belabour the fact that Santana had a girl spending the night, and just told her to make sure that they kept it down, and didn't wake up Selen, once she'd gone to bed.

Earlier that day, they had set the first part of their plan in motion, and it had worked pretty well. Santana figured that the best way to use Jane would be to make sure she was on the ground with them, once they got to the Cheer competition in Columbus, which, of course, just so happened to also be where the math tournament would be happening. So, they'd gone to Sue's office right before practice to try and convince her that letting Jane tag along on the day of.

"And why would I do that?" Sue snapped, seemingly more annoyed with the fact that her two head Cheerios had interrupted her designated 'Sue Time' than anything else.

"Well, because she's got potential." Santana blurted, having spent much less time thinking of excuses than she probably should have before coming into Sue's office.

"Oh please." Sue groaned. "I've seen more potential in a paper bag than in that girl."

Sue got up from her lotus position on the floor, and crossed the room, pouring herself one of her patented "shakes". The word was used loosely. It was no more shake than a can of motor oil, but it kept the girls on the team down to a pyramid stackable weight. Santana, Brittany, and most of the upper class Cheerios had spent the better part of a year on the stuff, up until it was outright banned by Principal Figgins after attention had been brought by some of the parents. Sue always kept some around, though, just in case, though, and Santana grimaced as she watched Sue chug a glass full of the stuff.

"You haven't seen what we've seen, Coach. She's got something, and I think-"

Sue didn't turn around before cutting Santana off. "No."

"But Coach-"

"I don't want the incoming girls getting any ideas that there's special treatment for the newbies. And besides, I haven't had the chance to break her the way I want to."

Brittany could see the storms gathering behind Santana's eyes, and she laid a calming hand on her arm.

"She's our special project, Coach."

Sue turned to look at Brittany, and raised an eyebrow before turning her gaze to Santana. "Special project?"

"Yep. Us. Together. We're going to get her into fighting shape, and leave a legacy for the Cheerios. You already have your hands full with the other girls, and we thought, that is, me and Santana, that this was something we could tackle as a team. Now that the flour baby project is done, that is."

Sue seemed to consider for a moment before taking another swig from her bottle. Santana watched her Adam's apple bob up and down as she tried to swallow the thick concoction. She slammed the cup down on her desk.

"So, this is a team up project? Like, build a bear, but build an idiot?"

Brittany ignored the barb and nodded happily. "Yep! And it means that Santana and I can keep working together. Like, into the future."

Sue pondered for another moment before squinting her eye at Brittany, over to Santana, and then back to Brittany again.

"I don't know what you two are up to, but if I find out that you've tried to cross me I will not hesitate to end you." She growled.

Santana could feel the pit of her stomach drop out, but when she looked at the happy way that Brittany nodded, she felt a bit more confident.

"Nope, nothing like that, Sue. We're just trying to help make a better squad. I've realized… Actually, Brittany helped me realize that a team is only as strong as the girls who make it. And I want to lend a hand. I've been slacking off as a captain, I'll be the first person to admit that, but I want to do better."

Santana tried to put on her most genuine of smiles, and Brittany could nothing but try not to smile herself at the falseness in it, but she kept her eyes glued ahead, silently begging Sue to come around to their way of thinking. Another moment of consideration, and their plan came crashing together with a wave of Sue's hand.

"Fine, but she's your responsibility."

"Got it!"
"Yeah, yeah, we know."

With that, Brittany grabbed Santana by the arm, and lead her out of the office, and into the hallway. She could feel Santana getting more annoyed, and didn't want her getting into it with Sue. They could have lost their only shot at pulling the plan off if Sue and Santana had gotten into a screaming match. It wasn't the end of the world if Jane couldn't go, they would have figured things out somehow. But this was perfect, things had gone perfectly, and they now just had to make sure everything else went just as smoothly.

After a grueling Cheerios practice, and back at Santana's house, they laid in a hammock in Santana's backyard, chatting about nothing in particular. Brittany was starting to love being at Santana's house. The piece and quiet was one thing, she rarely got such a luxury at her parent's house. But it wasn't just that. No one shouted at the dinner table, or was naked, or had to be carried off by their ankles because they were covered in ham. No one started a screaming match about who ate the last of the cornbread. People passed things when they were asked, and talked about music and art and more than the newest Barney song. Granted, Selena was almost twelve, and four of Brittany's siblings were under ten, so that made a difference. Of course, she loved her family, and wouldn't want them any other way, but there was something to be said for quiet evenings spent around a civilized dinner table, with the cutlery laid out just so, and the water and wine glasses set in perfect alignment.

Brittany had told Santana this, and was surprised when she got a laugh in return.

"What?" She asked, turning a wary eye to Santana, but keeping a small smile on her face. "Are you laughing at me?"

Santana turned slightly in the hammock, careful not to upset their balance before wrapping an arm around Brittany. "Of course not, Britt. I just think it's funny because I feel the same way."

"You think my family is too loud?"

"No. Well, kind of. I mean, they're loud, but I like it. My family is so buttoned down sometimes, yours is like a breath of fresh air. I never know if the dog is going to try to jump in my lap, or Timmy is going to try and give me a frog he caught in the backyard."

Brittany began to laugh. "He just dumped it right on you! I swear, all the kids have a crush on you."

Santana turned a bit more towards Brittany, and pressed her lips against her temple. "But, I've got a crush on only one Pierce."

Brittany smiled, leaning into Santana's embrace. "Oh yeah, lemme guess. Is it Melody?

Santana shook her head, moving the kiss from Brittany's head, and down to her ear, earning a gasp in return.

"Um, Timmy? Or Tommy? I still can't believe you can tell them apart. It took me at least a year to finally figure it out." She said, rather breathlessly.

"What can I say? I have a talent." Santana said, pressing her lips further down to Brittany's jaw, and peppering the space there with kisses.

Another gasp from Brittany, but she continued, doing her best to ignore the shivers going down her spine. "Uh, maybe, um, Ethan?" The last part of the question came out weakly, and Santana stopped kissing suddenly, and sitting up, nearly knocking them out of the hammock.

She leaned over Brittany, staring down on her, her face twisted into an impish question mark. "Actually, is it too late to change? I'm pretty sure Ethan is the cutest Pierce."

Brittany hid her smile with a frown, and locked her hands behind Santana's head. "Yes, it's too late, sorry. I guess you're stuck with me."

Santana looked down on Brittany, smiling. "Well, if I'm stuck with you, I guess it's okay."

She leaned down and brought her lips onto Brittany's. Since the other day in the hallway, they'd spent more than their fair share of time making out. Santana kept waiting for the fireworks behind her eyes to stop going off every time she kissed Brittany, but it really didn't show any signs of stopping. They fumbled in the hammock for a few minutes more until the sound of laughter from the television show Santana's parents were watching drifted into the back yard, and they were both reminded that they weren't really alone.

Santana, who had managed to position herself mostly on top, settled herself into Brittany's arms with a sigh, and laid her head down on Brittany's chest, her ear pressed close, listening to her heartbeat. They lay there for a few more minutes, enjoying the sound of the night time surrounding them.

"Brittany?" Santana said, shyly.

"Yeah, San?"

"Can I ask you a question? You don't have to answer it if it's too personal."

Santana could feel Brittany nodding above her.

"Yeah, Santana, anything."

The way Brittany said 'anything' brought Santana's heart into her throat. She had to clear it a few times to find her voice.

"Your dad. He's, well, um, he's Asian. But you look like your mom. Plus, all your siblings look like the both of them. Where's your real dad? I mean, I know Pierce is your real dad, but I mean the guy, who, you know, your mom and him had you or whatever? Anyway, sorry, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Brittany squeezed Santana a little tighter, trying to pull some of the nerves out of her. "It's okay, Santana. I don't mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course."

There was a moment's paused, and Santana waited while Brittany gathered her thoughts. She was listening closely to Brittany's heartbeat and could have sworn that she heard it speed up a little bit. She moved her arms so she could more closely hold onto Brittany, and returned the squeeze.

"You can tell me whatever you want."

Brittany sighed. "It's not that. It's just a little embarrassing, I guess."

"Well, then don't worry about it. You don't have to tell me. I know that Pierce is your dad. I don't have to worry about anything else."

"But, I want you to know."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've probably told maybe six people ,like, ever. They're all people who mean a lot to me. And you're one of them now, Santana."

Santana felt like her heart was going to burst. She'd only had a few people trust her the way that Brittany had in just a few short weeks. She'd thought Brittany very naive. She seemed to trust too easily, and love too quickly. But, she realized that Brittany only did that with those who she saw as worthy of her affections. She was quick to allow someone in, but if they didn't earn her trust, she was confident in refusing them. But, somehow, inexplicably, Santana had been given another chance, and she was determined not to squander it. She squeezed Brittany again.

"My mom had an affair when my parents first got married, and my mom had me. I never met my dad. I don't even think he knows I exist."

There was barely any emotion in Brittany's voice. She'd long since stopped being sad about the whole thing. Sometimes she'd wonder about the mystery of it all, but Pierce had been in her life for so long that she didn't bother thinking about it much anymore.

"But, Pierce Pierce raised me. He's my dad."

Now there was a note of defensiveness in Brittany's voice, though she tried to hide it. Santana looked up at Brittany, and gave her a solid kiss on the chin.

"And I definitely owe him one. He's ten out of ten as far as daughters are concerned."

Brittany laughed. "Okay, now I know you're talking about Melody."

Santana giggled, and wiggled her fingers over Brittany's ribs, causing her to giggle. "I guess I just have to tell Pierce Pierce that I'm in love with one of his daughters, and let him figure out which."

Brittany stopped laughing abruptly, and tried to sit up.

"In love?" She asked, a little breathless.

"Well, I just mean, I mean, that um-"

Brittany took the opportunity to tackle Santana, sending them both tumbling off the hammock, and onto the grass below.

"Somebody's got a crush, somebody's got a cruuuuush!" She said in a sing song-y voice while she continued to mercilessly attack Santana's stomach.

Santana used her thighs to gain some momentum around Brittany's waist, and swung over her, straddling her body.

"Oh, you've got it coming for you now, Pierce!"

Brittany shrieked, and tried to wiggle away, only to be held fast to Santana, who was doing her best not to keel over as she laughed.

"Girls! Come in, it's getting late." Came a voice from the back door.

They stopped their wrestling match guiltily, and untangled themselves.

"Coming, Mrs. Lopez!" Brittany squeaked. She waited for Santana to stand, and grabbed her hand, leaning closely into her side. "And for the record, 'I just mean, I mean, um' you too."

Santana was too shocked to catch the mockery. "Seriously?"

"Unless you'd rather I get Melody over here."

"Shut up, you."

Checking to make sure that Maribel had already gone back inside, Brittany snuck a quick kiss onto Santana's cheek. Then, grabbing her hand more securely, tugged her back inside the house.

The movie they were watching, one with lots of gore (Brittany had insisted), was wrapping up when Santana went to the kitchen to refill the popcorn bowl. Coach would kill them if she knew how much they were snacking the night before a competition, but she didn't care. It was movie night, and Brittany had insisted that it wasn't movie night unless they had snacks. She'd wanted gummy worms, and Santana had managed to talk her down from that, so she considered it a win.

She wouldn't say she spent much time trying to convince Brittany of something one way or another. Brittany was her own person, she had her own thoughts and ideas, and had done pretty well for herself before Santana came along. But they were very different, that was for sure, and Santana always had fun meeting her head on and wrestling on some random issue. Literally or otherwise. She had always admired Brittany's stubbornness, and it seemed to her that whatever differences they had between them, they had that in common. They both liked a challenge, and they both like seeing what the other was capable of. Brittany was smart. Santana knew that, of course, but there were some things she wasn't good at. Santana knew that she almost always sucked when it came to literature. That was thanks to a mild form of dyslexia, that made reading a chore. But she could calculate the number of pieces of popcorn in a bag based on dimensions and average size, and Santana didn't have to know anything about math to know that was some next level stuff.

Over the course of a month, she'd gone from absolute hatred to begrudging admiration, to full out adoration, and her head was still spinning. They hadn't said the words really (her slip up on the hammock notwithstanding), but there was something intense about the feelings she had for Brittany. A part of her worried that it was a silly school girl crush, but some deeper part of her, maybe that voice that was always telling her the truth, knew that wasn't the case.

Santana opened the refrigerator, leaning in for a second, before pulling out a bottle of water. She let the door close, but opened it again to grab one of those orange sodas that Brittany liked so much (it was actually from her dad's stash, but he couldn't complain if she took it for a guest), and went to stand next to the microwave, and watch the popcorn pop. Santana heard the footsteps behind her before she heard her mother's voice.

"Is the movie over already, Santanita?"

"Si, Mami. But we thought we might watch a couple episodes of Real Housewives before we go to bed."

"You have to be up early, corazon. I don't want Sue sending another scathing email about how we are the gatekeepers to the Sue's soldiers, and should be keeping you on a strict routine." She sighed. "I swear, if you weren't so dead set on working with that woman I would have strangled her years ago."

Santana shrugged. "She's tough, Mami, but she's going to get me in whatever school I want to get into in the whole country."

"Your grades are good enough for that, mija."

"But you know they're not enough."

Maribel didn't respond, but walked around the counter, standing close to her daughter.

"And Brittany?"

Maribel could feel Santana stiffen beside her, but she didn't say anything, simply waiting, listening to the microwave hum near them.

Santana cleared her throat, thinking quickly. Of course, she knew that her parents might not approve of her new relationship with Brittany. She and the other cheerleader had spent the better part of two years driving each other up the wall, and now they were… Well, whatever they were. She'd never come home crying because of one of Brittany's pranks, but that didn't mean that she'd gone to bed every night dry eyed. And her parents had to know that. At the very least they saw the trail of broken school supplies she'd left in her wake, as she furiously marched from one room to another. They'd certainly turned those feelings around. And quickly at that. It hadn't even been two months prior that she had been buying eight dozen pairs of overalls (for what would be dubbed 'the denim massacre'), overcharged her father's card, and had to pony up some of her summer's babysitting money to make up the difference.

Maribel crossed her arms, leaning back against the counter. "You two looked pretty comfortable outside in the hammock."

"We weren't doing anything, Mami." Santana said defensively.

Maribel leaned into Santana, nudging her gently with her shoulder. "I wasn't implying that you two were doing anything you shouldn't have been doing, mija. I'm talking less about what you were doing, and who you were doing it with."

Santana stood still for a moment. "You mean because it's Brittany."

"Mhmmm."

"Well, what can I say, Mami? She's um, well, I guess she's not as bad as I thought she was."

"Santanita, she told everyone you were allergic to bees, and poor Finn Hudson got covered in stings when he lunged into that hive for you."

"Yeah, and I trapped her in that honey tornado."

Maribel sighed.

"I just mean, Mami-" Santana interrupted. "That neither of us was a complete angel. But, I know her now-"

"And how can you be sure of that?"

"Brittany doesn't have a dishonest bone in her body!"

Maribel raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help the skeptical look that crossed her face.

"Ok, ok, well, maybe a few bones. Some metatarsals. But she's not bad. And, I guess I kind of like her."

"Kind of?"

"Really, I guess. Like, really like her." Santana turned to her mother shyly. "Is that okay?"

Santana turned more as Maribel put an arm around her shoulder.

"Your father and I love you, Santana. And we trust you. You have always done what you're supposed to do in school, and you've always been the most hard headed person I've ever met."

Santana laughed.

Maribel continued with a smile. "Seriously. I'll never forget how many arguments we used to get into when you were a toddler. Over silly things like what you were going to have for lunch or what you were going to wear. Long after most kids would have given up, I'd check in on you, and you'd still give me that huff and turn your shoulder. Time outs, spankings, groundings, none of it worked. I just had to believe that we'd raised a good kid, and let you figure it out on your own. So, I did."

She took Santana's hands in her own, and looked into the girl's eyes.

"And I still do. But, I will never, never forgive her if she breaks your heart, Santana. So, if you like her, if you really like her, make sure you know what you're doing. Because I pity her if she's made Mama Lopez angry."

She put an arm around Santana's shoulder, pulling her in close, and kissing her softly on the crown of her head.

"Just remember what I've said, Santana. Okay?"

Santana nodded, swallowing around the lump in her throat. She wasn't exactly sure why she was feeling emotional. But knowing that her mother loved her enough to look past her and Brittany's bad blood, to see the potential in their relationship. A part of her was also thinking about Mike. She hadn't given him enough credit. Yeah, Brittany had put her through some stuff over the years, but also, Mike was a good guy. If he got to know Brittany, he would be able to appreciate her as much as she did. She needed to make this right. She turned, hugging her mom, and burying her face in her shoulder.

"I screwed up with Mike, Mami."

Maribel had been kept abreast of the situation with her daughter's best friend, and smiled gratefully. "I'm glad you've finally figured that out."

"How do I fix it?"

"Mike has been around in this house almost as much as Selena. He will always belong. Just make sure that he knows how much he means to you."

"Yeah."

They stood for another moment in silence, when suddenly the microwave beeping startled both of them. Santana stood up, grabbing the hot bag of popcorn carefully, and putting the whole thing, bag and all, into the bowl.

"I guess I'm going to go this out there. Gracias, Mami."

"Aw, mi corazon, I'm just happy that you're happy. Remember, don't stay up too late. You want to be well rested for the match tomorrow."

"Si, mami. I promise. Te amo."

"Yo te quiero tambien, bebe."

Another kiss on her temple, and her mother left Santana to her own devices, continuing up the stairs and to bed. Santana walked sheepishly into the living room, where Brittany bounced up from the couch at her approach, grabbing the popcorn bowl and one of the sodas.

"You almost missed the best part, Santana. Vivian was saying that Monica stole her potato salad recipe, and Jenny pushed Sarah into the pool. But, I think now they're going to make up before Madison's book release party."

She opened the bag of popcorn and emptied it into the bowl, setting the bowl in her lap, and grabbing the flour baby off of the couch (where she'd put her in Santana's spot, and had her wrapped her in a blanket), and setting her in Santana's lap. She leaned against Santana's side, grabbing the other girl's arm and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Britt?"

"Yeah?" Brittany answered absentmindedly.

"You said when you told Mercedes… About, you know, us, she took it pretty well?"

Brittany thought for a moment, then pushed pause on the DVR, sitting up and facing Santana.

"Yeah, she was. I mean, she was a little shocked, but she got over it pretty quickly. And she was happy for us. Well, more for me. She told me to make sure I wasn't getting in over my head, but she's done that with anyone that I've dated."

Santana's eyes went wide. "You think we're dating?"

"You don't?" There was a panic in Brittany's voice that Santana hurried to calm.

"No, no. I mean, yeah. I mean, we hadn't said it or anything, but, I dunno, Britt, doesn't dating someone require actual dates?"

"Santana, we've gone of a date almost every night this week." Brittany rolled her eyes.

"No, we took the baby to Breadstix-"

"Where we had dinner and shared an appetizer."

"Well, before that we went to the movies."

"Where I insisted on paying for both tickets and our snacks."

"The ice skating-"

"Was definitely a date. That's why we went all the way to Westerville, so no one would see us."

Santana cocked her head to the side, thinking. "Oh, yeah."

Brittany smiled and settled back down against Santana's side. "So, the precedent has kind of already been set, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"And you could do a lot worse than me, the mother of your child."

Santana smiled, and buried her face in Brittany's hair. "Point taken."

After a few more seconds, she sighed. "But Mike…"

She trailed off, and Brittany spent a few moments running her fingers through Santana's hair calmingly before she responded.

"What about Mike?"

Another sigh. "I just don't know how to make it right with him. I know I screwed up, and I just want him to know how sorry I am. I want to tell him about us."

Brittany took Santana's hand, and played with her fingers. "He's going to be happy for you. For us. Trust me, San, he loves you, you know? You can trust him."

"I know, I know. I just don't want to have screwed up things too much."

"He's your best friend, right? He'll come around. Sooner rather than later."

Santana put her arm back around Brittany, and squeezed gently. "And how do you know?"

"Cause you talk about him all the time, duh. And also, I've seen him around. Everybody likes him. Even people that, you know, haven't always liked you."

"Like who?"

"Like Mercedes. She's got a few classes with him, and says he's a nice guy."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Santana didn't respond to that, but reached for the remote (careful not to jostle Brittany too much), and continued the episode.

"So, Veronica finally went into the pool, huh?"

"No, it was Jenny who pushed Sarah. Let's start over from the beginning, I don't want to you miss anything."

Santana smiled and settled into the couch, pulling Brittany closer. "Thanks, Britt."

Another AN: I wanted to put this at the bottom so people wouldn't feel the need to read a bunch of stuff, but I wanted to give a shoutout to all the Anon reviewers who have been leaving positive words of encouragement on this story. This story started out as kind of a lark, but it's grown from there, thanks mostly to all the support I've gotten. You all rock. You've been seeing into the characters in a really amazing way, and giving me insight into my own story (of course, with characters who are already fully formed), and I can't thank you enough for that. Feel free to PM me, and chat about whatever. I really love meeting new people in the fandom and making new friends! -frankie