Chapter 4

"I don't really miss it." Brittany muses out loud to Santana's earlier question. The pair was walking hand in hand from the subway after finishing their impromptu musical with tickets that they got off some guy in the park after their meal. Dodgy, but it was legit.

"I mean, I did enjoy the mall tour with the TroubleTones and the stint I did after that." She eyes Santana and pulls her closer. "But I didn't like being away from you like that for so long." She shrugs and rubs her hands on Santana's shoulders. "I love dancing. But it isn't that I don't love teaching also."

"I know, Britts. I just keep wondering 'what if'." Santana looks over to Brittany as they walked the last block towards their shared house. "What if you had followed Rachel and toured with her after her musical went international? I know you enjoyed performing on Broadway."

Brittany pulls Santana to an abrupt stop. "Santana." She looks shorter woman in the eye. "Are you actually questioning the fact that I would much rather have spent my mid 20s with you in New York rather than being in some exotic foreign country with Rachel Berry?" Brittany makes a face. "Are you serious right now?"

Santana blushes in the cold air. "When you put it that way ..." She mumbles and trails off.

Brittany pulls the brunette closer and gives her a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, darling. Where's this insecurity coming from?"

Santana puts an arm around Brittany's waist and hugs her a little closer. "I just don't want you to have any regrets." Honest brown eyes looks into blue. "I want you the happiest that you can be, at all times."

Brittany resumes walking and swings their arms between them. "No regrets, love. I'm happiest when I'm with you. No matter where we are, or what we are doing."

Santana puts her hand into her pocket and gives Brittany a smile. "I sure hope so, baby."

When they arrived home, Brittany suggests a warm bath to counter the effects of the New York winter on their bodies. Santana had agreed enthusiastically and had gone about to light up scented candles and setting the speaker closer to the bathroom, playing all the good old Christmas classics that she knows Brittany loves during the season.

"Here, let me help you." Santana appears behind Brittany and gently took the robe off her shoulders. "Better get into the water fast, love." She murmurs, setting the robe by the rack that they had next to the basin.

Brittany gingerly puts a foot into the water and tested it's warmth before stepping in fully and letting the warm water soak her cold bones. "Mmm, San, this is nice." She holds a hand out. "Come join me inside."

Santana walks over to Brittany and hugs herself. "In a while, Britt, I've just gotta get the ... umm ... lavender oil from the cupboard out first." She gives Brittany's outstretched hand a kiss. "Be right back." She disappears out of their bathroom and into their bedroom.

Brittany raises her eyebrow at Santana's behaviour but decides to let it pass. She could hear Santana opening and shutting a few drawers in their bedroom. "The oils are in the drawers beneath our toiletries!" She helpfully shouts out to her girlfriend.

"Ye .. Yeah, got it, Britt!" Santana replies, her voice muffled by the closed door.

Brittany's phone chimes at the same second Santana appears back in the bathroom, her fingers already removing the robe that she was wearing. "C'mere." Brittany holds out her hand again and gestures for Santana to take it to get into the tub.

The brunette gives her a shy smile, her cheeks flushed from the warmth of their heated bathroom and sets the bottle of lavender oil down. "Just where you said it would be." She takes Brittany's hand and gently sets herself down in the warm water. "Mmm, that is nice." She swims closer to the blond on the other side of the tub and caresses Brittany's face. "Thanks for suggesting the bath." Santana places a kiss on Brittany's smiling lips.

Brittany turns Santana around so that the brunette's back was facing her front. When Santana relaxes against her, Brittany moves her arms around the shorter woman and pulls her closer, anchoring them together in the warm water. Santana uncaps the bottle of oil and pours a generous amount into the water.

She splashes it around and gently rubs the scented bath water on Brittany's thighs, making the blond moan slightly behind her. "Your knee causing you problems again?" She murmurs gently to the blond hugging her. "I know how it gets when it's cold."

"Mmm. It's all right." Brittany's voice rumbles in her chest. "Nothing I can't handle." She hums when Santana leans over and massages her calf instead. "This massage is definitely worth falling down the icy steps for." She jokes, her laughter bubbling up some more when Santana pinches her calves. "Ow!"

"That'll teach you to joke about it some more." Santana threatens, fingers gliding up to tickle Brittany's sensitive sides.

Brittany giggles and wraps her arm around Santana's tighter. "You do know that you're the more ticklish one between the 2 of us, right?" She whispers into Santana's ear, her lips brushing against Santana's sensitive earlobe. "And this tub isn't really big enough to run far." Her fingers ghosts around her girlfriend's waist.

Santana sucks in a breath. "Britt ..." She warms slowly and tries to turn around in the tub to face Brittany only to have Brittany hold her tighter.

The only response she got was Brittany's low chuckle as she gently sucks on the curve of Santana's neck.