February 10, 2017

"Teenage Dream?! How cheesy is that?" Sugar put her head on her desk as she laughed. "You are so lame."

"Laugh all you want, Sugar." Santana said. "But I'm doing the most romantically epic lead up to Valentine's Day that anyone has ever seen. Meanwhile, your girlfriend is noticing. Do you really think your Sugar Motta brand Valentine's gift will suffice? Good luck getting lucky any time in the foreseeable future."

Sugar stopped laughing and her eyes darted quickly from side to side. A moment later the realization that Santana was probably telling the truth hit her.

"Goddammit, Lopez."

Santana stuck out her tongue at Sugar. "Anyway, I didn't come here to regale you with stories about how I'm sweeping Brittany Susan Pierce off her feet, which I totally am, I came here to tell you about my interview with Vogue."

"Oh yeah." Sugar said, absently fiddling with the knobs of the gigantic control board that sat in the corner of her office. "How'd that go?"

"Well, you know I was working at that advertising firm for a while out in LA. It was probably the one job out of all the temp ones that I actually liked. I figure I've got an eye for knowing what people want. Sex sells, all that."

"Are you going to get a job being one of those ladies that lounges on Ferraris and stuff?" Sugar said dreamily. "I'm actually kind of getting into the idea."

Santana snapped her fingers a few times in Sugar's direction. "Snap out of it, Sugar, that is a hundred percent not what's going on."

"Seems like a waste." She said in a sing song voice.

"Anyway, I met with their head of PR, cause Kurt's got the hookup, and they've got a spot for me! I start next week."

Sugar clapped her hands excitedly. "Congrats! We'll have to have a party! I'll invite everybody, and we'll get Daddy's yacht brought up from Jersey and hit the bay!"

"No, no, that's not necessary, Sugar. Super baller, but not necessary. Just in case, keep it in your back pocket."

Sugar nodded excitedly.

"But, in the meantime, I'm seeing Brittany again tonight."

Sugar cocked her head to the side. "Isn't it weird? Brittany seeing you and that guy at the same time?"

"I dunno, I don't think about it." Santana shrugged. "I mean, it's not like they're married or something. And as far as Mercedes knows they've only been on a handful of dates. Anyway, we don't talk about it."

"You're not worried that it might become an issue? He can't be happy that the woman he's seeing is seeing her ex at the same time."

"Are you trying to stress me out, Sugar?"

"No, sorry, my bad. Just something to think about."

"I spend most of my time trying not to think about it, so... "

"Fair. So, what have you got planned for today?"

"It's a surprise, but Mercedes is helping me out." She began ticking points off on her fingers. "Mercedes is my number one on this project. She knows people, she's hella rich, and she's strangely invested in seeing us back together."

Sugar huffed. "I am all those things. Why didn't you ask me?"

"Because, unlike you Sugar, Mercedes can keep a secret. I tell you, and the next thing you know you're giggling about it with Jane in front of Brittany's office. Though I probably could have counted on Jane to keep you quiet."

Sugar smiled wistfully. "Yeah, she's good at shutting me up. She's got this thing she does with her tongue-"

"No, no, no. I am not hearing that. I am not listening to it. I rebuke it." Santana plugged her fingers in her ear.

"Fine, but the girl is hot, Santana."

Santana shuddered a few times. She and Sugar had known each other too long. It was like she was little sister to her. The last thing she wanted to hear about was Sugar's sex life. She was curious about her relationship with Jane.

"How'd you two meet, anyway? Like, what was the thing about her that made you pay attention?"

"Brittany hired her. She's working on her MBA full time, and she's been supporting herself since high school. Her parents kicked her out when they found out she was gay, so she paid her way through undergrad, and now she's doing it again. Then Brittany met her at a mentor function, and basically hired her on the spot. You know Britt, Santana, she hates having people work for her, but she's been without an assistant for so long, and things were piling up. The last one the school sent quit after a week because Brittany kept calling him in and drawing on him with markers."

Santana laughed. She'd been the subject of that treatment once or twice. Brittany said it helped with her process, but Santana just thought it was a way to alleviate boredom.

"So, how'd Brittany know that Jane would stick around?"

"I think I figured that out pretty early. Jane doesn't take shit from anybody, but she works harder than any person I've ever seen. She's got this laser focus, and when she decides she wants to do something, she goes for it. It's super impressive."

"I can see that. She's got a good head on her shoulders."

"I get it, but I don't really, I guess? I've never had to really work hard for anything. The producing, it comes pretty easily to me, and the money and perks are great, but I know that I can drop it whenever I want, and I wouldn't be destitute. Jane won't even let me pay for her school. I really wanted to, you know? I told her I'd love to let her be able to work less, and spend more time with me. But she wants to do it for herself, she wants to have the pride that comes with it. And at first I didn't understand it, but I'm starting to more and more."

"That's really cool, Sugar."

"Can I tell you something I haven't even told Mercedes yet?"

"Always." Santana said, conspiratorially.

"I'm gonna to ask her to move in with me. I got a key made and everything. My daddy bought the place as a rental property a few years ago, so it's all paid off. I think she'll be fine with it. Rent is so expensive here anyway."

"What do you think she'll say?"

"I dunno. That's probably why I haven't asked her yet. Hell, I haven't even told her I love her yet, but I've thought it a hundred times."

"You've got it bad, Sug."

"Right?!" Sugar sighed, stood up and stretched. "She's, like, the best thing in my life right now. Besides you guys, of course."

"Want my advice?"

"Always." Sugar echoed.

Santana laughed. "I think you should just tell her how you feel. I think she might surprise you. Now, I'm not saying she'll move in with you tomorrow, but I've talked with her. I know that she likes you. Which is a mystery to me, because I've known you for years, and I can barely stand you."

"Oh please, Santana. If it weren't for me, Brittana would never of existed."

"How do you figure that?" Santana scoffed.

"Um, it was my planning of the Valentine's Day thing at the Sugar Shack that got you guys making out on the dance floor. Hello?"

"Do you really think that was the first time we made out? That wasn't even the first time we made out in front of other people."

"Ah, but it was the first time you'd made out in front of other people as girlfriends."

Santana looked like she wanted to argue, but she let Sugar have it. "Fine."

"Does that mean that you're going to tell me about your date plans for tonight?"

Santana slung her bag over her shoulder. "Nope! But, you have reminded me that I should head out. You'll hear all about it from Mercedes at some point, I'm sure."

"Whatever." Sugar pouted.

Santana put an arm around her neck, and pulled Sugar towards her, semi-roughly. "You know you love it, nerd." She planted a kiss on the top of Sugar's head, and released her.

"See ya later."

"See you, Santana, good luck."

Sugar went back to her desk, and pulled open a drawer. Her house key sat inside, wrapped in a red ribbon. She eyed it for a few moments, and then closed the drawer with a sigh.

\

Santana sat nervously in the darkened apartment. She'd lit a few candles, to add to the atmosphere, but most of the lights were coming from the billboards and other apartments outside. The room was almost empty, save for what Santana had brought. She was glad though, it'd made things a lot easier to get set up. As she sat there, listening to the rattle of the chair as she wiggled her leg, she was wavered constantly between being elated, and texting Brittany and telling her not to come. This was probably her grandest gesture yet. She had gone back to the list of dates that she'd come up with when this all seemed like a good idea. She'd come up with the list on her way to NY, sitting next to an old couple who looked more in love than ever. She wanted to be that couple with Brittany one day, and in the meantime, she wanted to wow her.

The list was overly romantic, and a little excessive, but she'd decided to go on with it anyway, because a bad plan was better than no plan at all. Which is what brought her to tonight. To their first apartment away from Rachel and Kurt. Granted, she'd loved living with Kurtchel (something that she'd never admit to anyone out loud), she always felt at home with them, even when they were driving each other crazy. This was why, as much as she gave Rachel a hard time, she wouldn't have wanted to be in the city without her.

But the apartment she stood in now, it was different. It was the place where she and Brittany finally felt like they could be themselves. It was also the place where more than once one of them had surprised the other one naked or wearing some very, very risky lingerie. Santana smiled at the memory, then shifted in her seat when she thought of what came immediately after.

She had worn pretty sexy lingerie, but it was under the dress she'd chosen for the night (red, Brittany always loved her in red). She'd curled her hair so that it tumbled over her shoulders, framing her face. She had put a lot of effort into pretending that she hadn't tried, but a part of her really wanted to impress Brittany. Everyday closer to Valentine's Day felt like another day closer to some important deadline. She couldn't explain it, but there it was. She'd set the goalpost in her head, and now there was no changing, it wasn't for lack of trying though.

A ding on the elevator alerted her to company, and she stood up, rubbing her hands over the dress a few times. She'd told Brittany that there was a surprise at this address, and to show up at eight, but beyond that, she hadn't said much. A part of her wanted to play this as close to her chest as possible. Especially since she had only recently been thinking about cancelling the whole thing. She opened the hall door, and peered down. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Brittany step out of the elevator. She hadn't told her to dress up, but as always, Brittany was a vision. She wore blue (the color that Santana said always made her eyes sparkle), with her hair down.

Santana waved her her from the doorway. "Hey! I'm here."

"What is all this, Santana? I figured we'd be going out to dinner or something." Brittany said, suspiciously.

"Well, that's kind of it. I mean, we are out, and we'll be having dinner. But, it's more than that."

Brittany came to a stop in front of the doorway, and looked at Santana seriously. "You know how I feel about surprises, Santana."

"Yes, you love them."

"That's pretty accurate, actually." Brittany laughed. "But on top of that, I like to know what they are as soon as possible."

"I can help you out with that." Santana stepped into the apartment, out of Brittany's way, adjusting the dimmer to give them both a better view. "Voila."

Brittany stepped into the room and gasped. Lined along the walls were hundreds of pictures of the two of them. Some were just Brittany and Santana, some had friends from high school or college. Some had Brittany's little sister, Ashley, or Santana's parents. They covered the walls and showcased every single era of their life since the moment they'd first met, in dance class together in middle school.

Brittany walked to the nearest wall and touched the corner of a photo. It was the two of them, plus Mercedes and Sugar when they'd broken off from the main group and formed their own glee club, the Troubletones.

In the picture, they stood on stage, their faces bathed in spotlight glow, holding their arms high as they finished a musical number. Brittany still remembered that night, the roar of the crowd, the feeling of invincibility. Also, the feeling that for the first time in a long time, they were actually being seen, instead of just fading into the background. She smiled to herself.

"This is amazing, Santana." Brittany gestured to the room.

Santana reached out a hand to her. "It's just the beginning. Come on."

Brittany was surprised how quickly her hand reached out for Santana. She was worried that she might have hesitated, or thought too long, but as soon as she saw Santana's hand reached out to her, her own moved of it's own volition. She didn't even have to think about it. The part that might have worried her was quickly shushed, and shoved to the back of her brain. Her hand fit into Santana's just like it used to. Their fingers intertwined. She felt like she was home.

"Oh! Sorry." Santana fumbled in her other pocket, pulling out a tiny remote. She hit a button and after a few moments the first strains of 'I Second That Emotion' began to play.

Brittany grinned. Santana had spent a few weeks one summer crafting what she called the perfect Motown playlist for her, and she sometimes still listened to it on repeat. This song was one of her favorites.

"I thought we could take a tour, enjoy some amazing music and…" She gestured towards the table she had set up in the corner. "Have some dinner afterwards. It's this Italian place called Carmine's. Sugar raves about it, but it probably won't be as good as Breadstix."

"I'll try to keep an open mind." Brittany laughed.

Santana tugged on Brittany's hand, and lead her to another wall. "I guess we should start at the beginning of our Brittana journey. Middle school."

Brittany settled into the warmth of Santana's hand, and smiled again. "Let's go, then."