Saturday, August 18th
Show #53, Netherlands
After the two girls made up backstage, they made it back just in time to join Pink and the crew for the finale of Perfect.
"Are you sure you want to go out there?" Santana asked as Pink and the other dancers were getting ready to take the stage for the encore.
"We can skip it tonight," she continued, not wanting to make the blonde do anything she didn't want to.
"No," Brittany said as she shook her head with a smile. Even though part of her just wanted to curl up in her bunk with Santana, she knew that this was what the singer lived for. "I want to hear you sing."
Santana grinned in return as she gave her dancer a kiss on the cheek while reaching down and coiling her hand around Brittany's.
"Alright, let's go!" Pink yelled as she motioned for her fellow singer to join her.
"I'll meet you out there, okay?" Santana whispered in her ear as she reluctantly let go of Brittany's hand.
The blonde nodded with confirmation as Santana made her way over to Pink who slung her arm around the brunette as they took the stage.
Like usual, their appearance for the encore sent the crowd insane. Once the opening line indicated to the fans what song they'd be singing, the cheers got even louder. From backstage, Brittany listened to the two girls' voices run together smoothly through the first verse.
When the chorus hit, the other dancers and crew emerged on stage and Santana instantly found Brittany at her side. Throughout the rest of the song, Brittany had a death grip on Santana's hand. Even after the final lyric was sung, she would not let go. In unison with the rest of the crew, they took a final bow and headed backstage, still with their hands intertwined.
By the time they reached her dressing room, Santana's fingers were losing circulation.
"Easy, killer...time to let me go," Santana joked as she tried to slip her hand out of Brittany's so she could pack up her make up that was laying in a mess on the counter.
"No," Brittany said weakly with her eyes glued to their hands.
"Come on, Britt. I gotta get my stuff so we can get outta here," she persisted. As she headed to the mirror, she felt Brittany pull her hand tighter. She turned around to see Brittany shaking her head, still looking down.
"Britt?" Santana said in confusion as she tried to interpret the look on the blonde's face.
"I...I just don't want to let you go. Not again," Brittany said in the saddest of voices. She picked her head up to lock her watery eyes with Santana's.
Even though Brittany was serious, Santana couldn't help but smile softly at the quite literal interpretation of the metaphor that the blonde had created in her mind. Santana took a step forward and grabbed her other hand.
"Hey, that's not gonna happen. Okay, babe?" Santana leaned in and gave Brittany a kiss before she could even refute. The worry that had consumed Brittany began to slowly diminish. Santana could see it was still lingering, so their lips met again and the brunette kissed her worry away.
"Not in the way that you mean at least..." Santana said with a chuckle when they parted. "You're gonna have to let go of my hand though."
Brittany smiled in return and laughed as she wiped away the hint of tears.
"You promise?"
"I promise," Santana nodded.
"Pinky promise?" Brittany asked with an eyebrow raised as she let go of Santana's hand for the first time in order to extend her pinky.
Santana rolled her eyes and smirked until she saw that the blonde was looking at her in a stern and demanding way. Quickly, her face changed to mirror Brittany's seriousness and she recovered by offering her pinky as well.
"Yes, I pinky promise."
"Okay, good," Brittany said, beaming. This time, it was her turn to place a playful kiss on Santana's lips.
...
"Do you know how much I missed your bunk?" Brittany asked as she cuddled up next to Santana.
"No, tell me," the brunette replied.
"Well, I missed it terribly. Mike snores so loud and everyone on my bus never shuts up. I like it here."
"And you're sure I'm not a part of that equation somehow?" Santana asked sarcastically.
Brittany laughed and squeezed Santana tighter, nestling into her usual spot.
"I think you are maybe a little bit."
"Just a little bit?"
"Mhmmmm," Brittany said behind a huge grin. She laughed at herself for a second before putting an end to her own joke, "I'm just kidding, S. You're the only thing I missed."
That was an understatement, she admitted to herself. Brittany hadn't gotten a real, good night's sleep since the last time she was with Santana. Her restless mind either kept her from falling asleep or from staying asleep through the whole night. She had gotten used to living off of less than six hours of sleep a night.
"I just missed falling asleep next to you. It was hard without you," the dancer clarified.
"I know, Britt. Me too," Santana said, pressing a kiss to Brittany's temple.
For a while, the girls fell silent. Neither was sleeping...in fact, Santana was wide-awake. They both seemed to be appreciating where they were. For the first time in a long time, they were struck with an overwhelming feeling of ease. There was no place in the world either of them would rather be.
"Puck and Sam snore wayyyy louder than Mike does, anyway," the blonde said, sending Santana into a fit of laughter.
Sunday, August 19th: Day off
It was Brittany's idea. Getting a hotel in Paris, that is. Once the dancer realized they had two nights in beautiful city, there was no convincing her otherwise that they would spend a night outside of the tour buses.
"Come on Sannnn," she persisted. "It'll be just like the movies! We can get a room that overlooks the Eiffel tower and we can eat French fries and take a bath in the fancy bathtub."
At first, Santana was not all excited about the idea just because of the money it would cost. Sure, she was getting paid to go on tour, but she wouldn't see that money until after the last show. For now, her budget was pretty tight. The only money she had for spending was what they made from merch, and even then she had to divide that up with Puck and Sam.
"I'll pay for it, S. Please? If you don't come, I'm going by myself," she said as she pouted, flaunting her blue eyes and begging Santana to agree.
Brittany's puppy face was Santana's weakness. She looked at the blonde with skeptical eyes and she tried to keep a straight face. Soon enough, she was smiling at how ridiculously cute her girlfriend was.
"So is that a yes?" Brittany asked at the sight of Santana's grin.
"I guess it is," Santana said with a shrug. Upon hearing the brunette's confirmation, Brittany practically shrieked in excitement and attacked Santana with kisses.
...
When they first got to the hotel, they didn't stay long. The two checked in and got settled, but then went out to explore. They ate dinner at some small restaurant and then continued on their journey through the beautifully lit city.
Santana felt like the biggest tourist but she didn't even care. They walked around in awe of their surroundings and took pictures whenever possible. Brittany took French in high school, so she tried to talk to some people while they walked around. After a few attempts at a conversation, she found that her memory was failing her. When she tried to ask for directions, she just ended up saying that her name was Brittany and that she loved ducks. It made Santana laugh every time.
They saved the Eiffel Tower for last and when they got there, they both were mesmerized by the iconic structure.
"It's so much cooler in person," Brittany said, eyes glued to the glowing tower.
"So much cooler," Santana agreed. As she stared, her mind took her back in time. The sight of the Eiffel Tower that she'd only seen in movies and books made her reflect on how she even got to be there.
"I can't believe it," the singer said, her head shaking in astonishment.
"Can't believe what?"
"Everything. That I'm actually here. That you're here. That I'm on tour with Pink and that I'm in love in Paris. If someone would've told me that I'd be here, in this exact position, a year ago, I wouldn't slapped them in the face and called them a liar," Santana said, still looking up at the tower in front of them.
"It is amazing," Brittany agreed as she smiled and looped her arm through Santana's. She leaned in and gave the brunette a kiss on the cheek just as she held the camera in front of her and snapped a picture.
"Hey! I wasn't ready!" Santana protested.
"That's okay, San, it's super cute," Brittany said as she flipped through the camera's memory to the latest picture.
"Doubt it."
"Don't doubt it. You're adorable," Brittany said as she wrinkled her nose and pressed it against Santana's cheek, burying kisses up and down her face.
"Britt!" Santana said between fits of laughter. Almost instinctively, she turned her head and her lips met Brittany's. They kissed softly with no rush or haste. It was passionate and beautiful and Brittany couldn't help but smile midway through.
"I love you," the blonde said when they parted.
The sound of those three words would never get old to Santana. The brunette placed her hand softly on Brittany's cheek and admired everything about her. She loved the way her hair fell around her face, the way her eyes shined blue and the way she grinned like she didn't have a care in the world.
"I love you, too," Santana replied before kissing her girlfriend again.
Sure enough, that one picture ended up being Santana's favorite from the evening, and probably from the whole tour. While Brittany was kissing her on the cheek, Santana's wore a huge smile. She was perfectly happy; she was filled with bliss; she was completely alive. Each time Santana looked at the picture, she was brought back to that precise moment and that exact feeling of perfection.
That single picture seemed to make everything worth it. The struggle, the hurt...it didn't matter anymore. It was all in the past and they only had the future to look forward to. And with her head resting on Brittany's shoulder as she gazed at the Eiffel Tower, the future seemed pretty bright to Santana.
Wednesday, August 22nd
Show #56, Milan
"Can I see?" Brittany asked as she scooted closer to Santana. The two sat side by side at the table in the dancer's bus, both freshly showered after their show in Milan. Brittany smelled extra delicious and her scent practically had Santana intoxicated. She nodded and moved her laptop over so the blonde could see too.
There were only four shows left, and as the tour was drawing to a close, Santana was working more and more at organizing her final collection of songs that she had put together since the first show.
"I'm trying to narrow it down. I can only have about 12 songs for the next album," Santana explained as she scrolled down a list of songs in Garage Band that seemed endless. "They're not all done yet or anything. They're mostly rough demos and a few only have the chorus recorded."
"Holy crap," Brittany gasped. "You're like a song-writing machine."
Santana laughed quietly before responding.
"I guess you could say that. I have them split up into categories though. These are the songs I definitely want to record…I'm on the fence about these…and those ones are duds," she explained.
As Brittany studied each column, she couldn't help but notice most of the songs in the "record" column were about her: Someone Like You, Faster, Goodbye Apathy, Edge of Desire, Breathe In Breathe Out, True Like Your Name, and mostly recently, Song For You.
"Can I hear some?" Brittany asked after she realized that she hadn't heard most of the songs on the list. The only new material she had been exposed to were the select songs Santana decided to include in her set. However, Santana shook her head with a tight-lipped smile.
"Come on, San! Please!" the blonde begged.
"I told you, B…I wanna wait until I can get in a real studio. Garage Band is great for the road, but the quality kind of sucks," Santana said.
"That's okay. Just play one. I only wanna hear one," Brittany said as she took advantage of Santana's weakness for her sweet antics. She delicately placed kisses up the brunette's neck and onto her cheek, as she waited for a response. "How about True Like Your Name? I've never heard that one."
Santana sat still with a fake, angry face as she relished in the feeling of Brittany's lips against her skin. Without saying a word, she pressed play on the track and the chorus began to play.
Brittany listened to the demo recording of her girlfriend singing with only an acoustic guitar behind her. Santana's voice sounded rich and extra raspy, which only added to her enjoyment of the song. When the short recording ended, Brittany kissed Santana on the cheek as a thank you.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"No," Santana admitted with a smirk. "Did you like it?"
"Loved it."
"Good. I like that one too," the brunette said. As she moved the track closer to the top of the record list, a memory from the day she wrote it popped into her head. She smiled as she recalled it was the day she realized that she was in love.
Sunday, August 26th
Show #60, Vienna
Santana never thought the last day of tour would actually come. She tried not to think about all of the lasts that were about to happen. It would be her last time playing her set on the Funhouse Tour, her last time participating in her pre-show routine with Brittany, her last shot of tequila with Puck, and her last time sharing the stage with Pink. Everything seemed so final, and that feeling was very unsettling for Santana.
So far, she'd been successful in keeping those thoughts in the back of her mind, but as she sat in her dressing room she could feel reality creeping up on her. For a while, she stared in the mirror and she let herself completely zone out.
"Boo," Brittany said softly as she snuck up on Santana who was sitting on a stool. She wrapped her arms around Santana's neck and hugged her from behind.
"Hi," Santana replied with a weak smile.
"What's wrong, babe?"
"Nothing," the brunette replied as she reached to grab her mascara to finish applying her makeup.
"Nothing? It doesn't look like nothing," Brittany said as she moved to lean against the counter in front of the mirror so she was now facing Santana.
"I just can't believe it's over," the brunette said.
"I know, it's weird."
"So weird," Santana agreed.
"You know it's just the beginning though, right? The tour may be over but this is just the beginning for you, for your career, for us."
As Brittany spoke, Santana could feel her somber mood disappear and be replaced by hope.
"There's a lot to look forward to, S," Brittany said with a smile.
"You're right," Santana said before she stood up and took a step into the blonde's open arms.
"Whoa! Whoa! Don't want to interrupt anything!" Puck said over-dramatically as he pretended to shield his eyes. He entered the dressing room with a bottle of tequila in one hand and a couple of shot glasses in the other. Sam, Artie, Mike, Courtney and Erin trailed him and soon enough, the dressing room was full of their friends.
Too distracted by her embrace, Santana couldn't even muster up a comeback. Instead, she smiled smugly and let Puck have his moment as the jokester. When the two parted, Brittany went to sit on the couch and mingle with Courtney and Erin.
"Last show, Lopez! Can you fucking believe it?" Puck said, placing the alcohol on the counter next to his friend.
Santana shook her head and shrugged…but when her eyes caught Brittany's from across the room, a smile spread on her face.
"Yeah, let's make it count," she said.
"Yeah, definitely. Hey, Sam...come join us for the last shot," Puck said as he summoned the blonde boy who was sitting on the arm of the couch next to Erin.
As the three of them were circled together, Puck poured the shots and handed each of his band mates a glass.
"Hey, before we do this," Santana said as she cleared her throat, "I just wanna say thanks for, ya know...everything. This tour wouldn't have been the same without you guys."
"Awwwww," Puck said, throwing his arm around Santana. "Look, Sam! Lopez is a softy."
Sam laughed and rested his hand on Santana's back.
"Yeah, yeah. Say whatever you want. I'm serious, though. You guys are the best."
"We know," Puck said before kissing the girl on the top of the head. It was a rare but sincere form of affection between the best friends, and it filled Santana's heart. "But we should be thanking you. These couple of months have been the best of our life, right Sam?"
"Definitely. Thanks, Santana," he said sincerely.
"Alright, alright, enough with this sappy stuff," Santana said, grinning. "Let's do this."
"To not fucking up," Puck said as he held his shot glass in the air. Santana laughed, remembering this toast as the same one from their first show.
"To not fucking up," Santana and Sam replied in unison. The three gulped down the shots and gathered themselves for their set. Puck and Sam went to give their girls a hug, and Santana turned around to see Brittany who was looking at her with a sheepish smile.
"What?" Santana said with a chuckle as she took a step closer.
"Nothing, it's nothing. I'm just proud of you," the blonde said with warm eyes.
"Really?" the singer asked with a hint of surprise in her voice.
"Of course I am, San. Number one fan, remember?"
There was something about hearing that phrase that drove Santana crazy. It instantly put a smile on her face. Somehow, it made her feel like she was the fangirl and Brittany was her superstar.
"Mhm, I remember. Come here," the brunette said as she tugged on Brittany's t-shirt and pulled her in for a kiss.
"Jesus, Lopez, let's go," Puck said as he chuckled and rolled his eyes. Sam led the way and Puck followed him out of the dressing room, waving Santana to follow.
"Good luck, San," Brittany said with a peppy smile.
"Thanks, babe. See ya after!" Santana replied before chasing her boys down the backstage hallway.
...
Santana's final set felt like a dream. It was serene and magical…yet parts of it were a blur. As she sang the chorus to Faster, she tried to commit everything she was experiencing to memory. She looked around the arena and first snapped pictures in her mind of the rowdy crowd, then her best friends on stage, and finally Brittany who was at the side of the stage, watching her with loving eyes.
Santana scanned the sea of people in front of her and watched them sing the words to her and Brittany's song back to her. She closed her eyes as she sang the final line of the song, wanting to forever remember the joy that came with sharing their song to the world.
...
The rest of the six-song set flew by and before she knew it, she was backstage with her friends again, having a couple of drinks and reminiscing on their favorite tour memories.
"Dude, remember that time when Puck nearly missed the bus and he had to chase it down two whole blocks?" Mike said, inciting a chorus of laughter within the dressing room.
"Yeah, yeah, very funny. Didn't notice I was gone, did ya Lopez? Thanks for the help with that one," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Yeahhhh, sorry about that, Puck," Santana said while biting her lip, trying to hold back her own laughter.
They swapped stories back and fourth all through Artie's set until it was time for Pink and the dancers to take stage. The group of friends parted ways and Artie, Santana and her band mates took their normal spot in the sound pit just as the set began. The curtains flew open and Pink exploded onto the stage.
Like usual, her performance was charismatic, entertaining, moving, and flawless. Although she sounded amazing, Santana could tell that Pink was extra emotional knowing it was her last show of the Funhouse Tour. Each line packed a powerful punch and the notes that she belted were held a bit longer. Ultimately, it made for the best performance Santana had ever seen.
Usually, she and the boys would make their way backstage as Pink began to play So What…but tonight they left a song early to prepare for the last finale with the rest of the crew. The three ran to their dressing room and gathered the bouquet of various shades of pink flowers that they had hand selected earlier in the day.
Right on time, Puck, Sam and Santana met Pink and her dancers backstage after her last song of the normal set. The makeup team quickly went to work, touching Pink up while someone else handed her a water bottle.
"You ready, Lopez?" Pink yelled over the sounds of the rambunctious crowd. "One last time!"
The brunette nodded and they linked arms. Santana shot Puck a wink as he stood a couple feet back with the flowers behind his back. The two singers took the stage and greeted the thousands of fans who were already on their feet.
They sang with a kind of power that Santana didn't know was possible. When the second chorus rolled around, both of the girls were fighting tears. The only thing that kept Santana from losing it on stage was the tight squeeze of Brittany's hand around hers.
As the last chorus began, each crewmember took the stage with the dancers and performers. Every behind-the-scene person that had any part of making the tour a success was now standing on stage, getting the standing ovation they deserved.
Feeling the current surging through the stadium, Pink decided to try something new. She repeated the chorus once more, but this time she let the audience sing the words on their own without any assistance from her or Santana. The band continued to play, but the music could barely be heard over the screams of the crowd.
It was a once in a lifetime moment; it felt like time stopped completely. Brittany and Santana listened in amazement as the crowd sang the words to the anthem with the force of an army.
By the time the audience finished the final chorus, there wasn't a dry eye on stage. Even the boys were tearing up. Discretely, Puck handed Santana the flowers. The brunette then turned to her idol, and now one of her best friends, and handed her the bouquet.
Upon receiving the flowers, a floodgate of tears began falling down Pink's face and she suffocated Santana with a bear hug. The crowd's cheering echoed which made it sound ten times louder as everyone formed a single file line for a final bow. The line stretched across the entire stage and in unison, the crew and performers bowed several times, waving, laughing and smiling between each one.
"Thank you!" Pink said, over and over again with various, grateful comments added in each time.
"See you next time!" she finally yelled as the group of people on stage began to slowly exit to the left.
After another minute of waving and thanking the crowd, Santana and Brittany walked off stage together, tangled in each other's arms. Brittany had her arms over the brunette's shoulders while Santana was hugging the blonde's waist.
Even though both of the girls were still crying from the emotional finale, neither was too upset. It was hard to be when they were wrapped in each other's arms.
….
Thanks for reading! Hope you liked this chapter. It was pretty fun to write. Happy Brittana is the best. I'm thinking there's going to be one more chapter, so be on the lookout for that soon hopefully.
Thank you to all who have followed this story. Whether you've been sticking with my painfully slow updates or if you've just discovered it, I appreciate all of the story alerts and favorites and reviews!
In case you were curious, here is a list of the songs that were said to be written by the fictional characters in the story:
Hold My Heart - Sara Bareilles
Love On The Rocks - Sara Bareilles
Let The Rain - Sara Bareilles
Moving Backwards - Ben Rector
Someone Like You - Matt Wertz
Faster - Matt Nathanson
Goodbye, Apathy - OneRepublic
Edge of Desire - John Mayer
Breathe In, Breathe Out - Mat Kearney
True Like Your Name - Steve Moakler
Song For You - Alexi Murdoch
We Owned the Night - Lady Antebellum
Glitter in the Air - Pink
I hope I didn't forget any but I think that's it! Again, thanks for reading!