Short and sweet chapter this time around. I think you'll like it, though. :) Thanks to all for reviewing and following! I really appreciate it :)
...
Brittany rolled over and checked her phone to see it was 10:30 in the morning. Of course, she'd been up for a couple of hours now, but she always had a hard time waking Santana. Since getting up around 8, she had already cleaned the kitchen, made coffee and tea, fixed some pancakes, and then cleaned the kitchen again.
Saturday mornings usually went something like this. Brittany tried to keep herself occupied for as long as possible before reaching a state of boredom that drove her to wake her girlfriend up. When that happened, the blonde would crawl back in bed and trace her fingers lightly over her Santana's back or arm until she hummed a response.
Today, however, was different. Today was Santana's birthday; and since it was a special day, Brittany decided to let her girlfriend sleep in as late as she wanted.
Brittany had to use her resources to find out when Santana's birthday was. If she hadn't asked Sam when they first started dating, she would have never known since Santana didn't mentioned it. If it were anyone else, Brittany probably would've called them out. But since she knew Santana so well, she just figured she didn't like to make a big deal out of it. But birthdays were Brittany's favorite thing. And she wanted to make today memorable.
Around 11:15, Santana stirred in her sleep, which caused her to wake up. She groaned a little, stretched, and reached out for Brittany who was next to her reading. The blonde put down her book and smiled. Then she used her lips instead of her fingers and kissed a trail up Santana's arm.
"Mmm," the brunette mustered up after several more kisses.
"Morning," Brittany whispered against warm skin.
"Mmm," she hummed again, not ready for words just yet.
"Happy birthday, pretty girl."
"Ughhh," Santana turned over so she was lying on her back and put her hands over her eyes.
"What?"
"How'd you know?"
"What do you mean, how'd I know? I'm your girlfriend. It's like my job to know these things."
Santana sighed, acknowledging that she was right.
"I'm sorry. I just don't like my birthday," she shrugged.
"Well I assumed that much," Brittany said, slipping under the covers and sliding closer. "Why?"
"I don't know, I never really have. I don't get what all the fuss is about," she explained casually. When she saw Brittany's blue eyes pressing for more, she continued. "And it reminds me of family stuff I'd rather not think about."
Noting the deflated tone in her voice, Brittany decided that was a story for another time.
"Okay," the blonde accepted.
"You don't have something planned, do you?" Santana asked, fearful of the answer.
"No..." Brittany said, quickly averting her eyes from the ones that were staring her down. "I mean, yes. But it's nothing big...we can cancel. We can do whatever you want. It's your day."
Brittany's last sentence repeated in Santana's mind and guilt tore through her. It was then she noticed that she was about to get mad over the fact that her girlfriend, who clearly cared about her, put together something to make her happy. She didn't do it for herself or for the credit. She expected nothing in return; it was all for Santana. This was a new concept, and the realization itself was probably the best birthday gift Santana would ever receive.
"No, it's okay. Let's stick to your plan."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Santana nodded, sealing the deal with a quick kiss.
"Okay," the dancer beamed. "I promise it's not a big deal."
"If you planned it, I'm sure I'll love it."
Brittany smiled wider now and then adjusted herself in bed so she was now in Santana's lap, straddling her.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't have anything planned until dinner. What do you wanna do, birthday girl?"
"I get to pick anything?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Mhmm. Anything."
"I have a few things in mind," Santana smirked, pulling the blonde down to meet her lips.
...
The two spent the day in bed, watching Netflix among other things. Around five o'clock when it was time to get ready for their reservations, Brittany headed over to the closet and picked out a red dress.
"Wear this," she said, handing the dress to Santana.
"Ohh, fancy, huh? And what are you gonna wear?"
"You'll see," Brittany winked before heading into the bathroom to change.
...
The night Brittany had planned would not have been possible without the help of Sam and Puck.
Sam had figured out the logistics of transporting them from place to place, and he had also called ahead to the restaurant and club to make special arrangements for their arrival. Puck, on the other hand, did his part by not giving away the surprise during that week of work.
First, Brittany took Santana to her favorite Italian restaurant. When they sat down, she explained that this was the place that she wanted to take them on their first date.
"Ya know, after you turned me down all those times...I finally got the nerve to ask you to dinner," Brittany teased.
"I know, I know. And then I said no and offered up the brilliant idea that I make you dinner instead. That was a sad excuse for a pasta dish."
Brittany laughed and nodded.
"I wish we could've had our first date here," Santana said more seriously. "But I'm really glad we're here now."
"Me too," the blonde agreed with a warm smile.
...
When they finished dinner, Sam picked them up and took them to Santana's favorite club in the city. The two had never gone there as a couple, but Brittany had heard many stories of Santana's past crazy nights with her two best guy friends.
Sam led the two girls past the bouncers and upstairs to the VIP lounges.
"You look so unbelievably hot," Santana whispered in Brittany's ear as they walked. She had been admiring her tight fitting black dress since dinner. "That dress. I've never seen it before."
The blonde smirked, "It's new. I got it for you."
"You're amazing."
"Happy birthday, baby," she said just as Sam stopped at their booth where Puck and a few of Santana's friends from the station were waiting.
"Bottle service, motherfuckers!" Puck greeted loudly, handing Santana a bottle of champagne.
"What?" Santana gasped, still trying to identify faces and figure out how this whole thing was put together. "What are you guys doing here?!"
"Brittany invited us," Puck said, flashing a huge grin at the blonde. "Didn't you know? She's a genius. And I like her better than you now."
Generally, Santana hated surprises. And her birthday. But right then, looking at all the people she was surrounded by, she couldn't find one thing to complain about. Her eyes found Brittany's, and she reached out for her hand.
"Happy birthday, Santana," Puck said to her before turning to the group to propose a toast.
"To Lopez!" he yelled, throwing his hand and bottle of liquor in the air.
...
The rest of the night couldn't have gone better. Puck, Sam and the others from the station polished off plenty of alcohol and were finally able to hang out in a stress-free environment. No one thought about the FBI agent's arrival in two short days. They all just relaxed and had a much needed good time.
Santana spent the night split between socializing with her friends and being completely absorbed in Brittany. The dancer got along with Puck and the guys great, and she seemed to be particularly adorable for some reason that Santana couldn't quite pinpoint. Santana was so happy, she even let Brittany dazzle her on the dance floor (which was the blonde's personal favorite part of the evening).
By the time they got home, their buzz had worn off and they were both exhausted. It was past two in the morning when they took off their dresses and crawled into bed.
"I got you something," Brittany said, sitting up and fighting off a yawn.
"You what?" Santana asked as the blonde rolled over and reached for something under the bed.
"Brittany, you didn't have to get me anything. This night, it's been amazing. I don't need anything else."
"Oh, shush. Open it," the dancer said, handing her a black box.
Just as Brittany suspected, Santana looked as though she were in pain as she opened the present. Her face changed dramatically, though, as she pulled a silver necklace from the box. Santana ran her fingers over the small, silver anchor charm that hung from the end of the chain.
"You know, just to make sure you won't float away," Brittany explained.
Santana was speechless. She said a silent thank you to the fact that the lights were off so Brittany couldn't see her fighting off tears.
"Please," she said, turning so Brittany could put on the necklace for her.
Once it was secure around her neck, Santana still didn't quite know what to say to tell Brittany how she was feeling. How grateful she was. And how no one had ever treated her this way before. So instead, she placed her hand on Brittany's cheek and leaned in for a kiss. It was soft at first, but then became more passionate, urgent even. Santana wanted to make sure this kiss was different.
When she pulled away, she cleared her throat, "I love it. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Brittany said, almost breathless. Even this far into their relationship, Santana still had a way of giving her butterflies. Like the kind that made you shy. The kind that were addicting. In that moment, Brittany felt nothing but butterflies.
...
It had been almost an hour since the girls had stopped talking and settled down to go to bed. Brittany, however, couldn't sleep. It was like her mind was running on high. As usual, her curiosity got the best of her and she tapped Santana lightly to see if she was still awake, too.
"Are you scared?" Brittany's voice sounded sad.
It took Santana a minute to comprehend the question. "Of what?"
"Him," she said softly, needing no more explanation.
"No, I'm not scared."
"Why not?"
Santana rolled over so their foreheads were almost touching, "Because. He might be intimidating, but he's really just a coward. It's only a matter of time before we catch him."
There was a long pause as Brittany let the girl's words sink in. She couldn't help but still feel uneasy.
"I'm scared," she admitted, trying to control her breathing.
Hearing those words sent Santana into her protective mode. Instinctively, she put her arm around Brittany's lower back and pulled her closer.
"Baby, don't be scared. He's never going to come close to you. I won't let it happen."
"I'm not scared of that. I'm scared for you," she said, the sincerity in her voice clear. Santana half-smiled at the sentiment and began moving her fingers back and forth on Brittany's back.
"Nothing's gonna happen to me, Britt. It's gonna be okay."
Santana tried to assure her, but Brittany said nothing in return. The brunette ran the pad of her thumb across her girlfriend's cheek.
"Hey, are you crying?"
Brittany shook her head, sniffled a little, and wiped away her lingering tears.
"Why are you crying?"
"I'm not crying," the blonde insisted.
"Okay. You were like half a second ago, though," Santana said with a light-hearted smile.
Brittany took a deep breath and tilted her head up so their eyes met.
"I love you," she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That's all."
Santana could feel her own tears start to form and she kissed Brittany hard before they could fall.
"I love you, too. So much."
Santana gave her a contagious smile, and now, Brittany was crying a different sort of cry. A few tears of relief and happiness fell as Santana soothed her with kisses and words, "I promise that everything will be okay."