Hi guys. I'm not going to bother saying much here because I know I'm in ALL of your bad books haha SORRY!
Jess jumped high into the air, before landing down onto her knees, pounding her fist on the sprung wooden floor as the last beat of the music ended with a shattering of glass.
"Okay, that was great, guys!" The director clapped, "Take five."
Panting slightly, she climbed to her feet and took a deep breath, grimacing at her red cheeks in the full-length mirrors in front of her and straightening her baggy vest top. She wiped her brow on the back of her arm, surveying the other seven dancers as she pulled out her hair tie and shook out her short locks. A few of the other dancers had grouped together and were chatting quietly, looking unimpressed and glancing over their shoulders, whilst a couple had moved over to the benches by the wall where they had all abandoned their belongings.
Her gaze followed a tall blonde as she sat down on one of the benches, and Jess quickly tied her hair back into it's messy bun before turning away from the mirrors and moving over to her water bottle.
She grabbed her towel, dabbing at the back of her neck and lifting her vest slightly to wipe away the sweat on her abdomen, side-eying the blonde subtly as the girl lowered her water bottle and frowned.
"Hey. Um, do you know if there's a water fountain anywhere?" She asked the raven-haired girl between them.
The girl looked up slowly, her lip curled and eyebrow raised. She stared at the blonde for a second, and Jess scowled, before she shook her hair, "There isn't."
The blonde gave a slow nod, before turning away and rolling her eyes subtly, "Okay. Thanks."
"Here." Jess reached into her bag for her second water bottle, sure she would regret it during the next break before stepping across to the blonde, "You can have mine."
The girl looked up, her eyes widening slightly as she blurted, "You're English."
"Don't hold it against me?" She chuckled as the girl gave her head a small shake.
"I'm sorry." She frowned before giving her a shaky smile, "I mean...thank you."
She shrugged, "No worries." Her mouth twisted slightly and she looked down as the girl took the bottle from her hand, before grinning, "I'm Jess."
"Brittany." The blonde nodded, giving her a wide smile.
Jess swallowed, the solid blue of the girl's eyes making her stomach twist and jump nervously, and she gave a small nod before taking a step back, "Wouldn't want you passing out." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, "It would totally ruin the aesthetics of the dance. Mirror images and all."
The girl giggled, before straightening her expression self-consciously, "Well, thank you for your concern."
"Okay, partner up!" The director suddenly called, and Jess whirled around, "Find your guys and let's take it from the top."
"Yo, England!" Mike hollered, "Let's do this." He grinned from across the room, and Jess rolled her eyes as she turned back to the girl.
"Well. Duty calls, ey?"
The blonde nodded, and she sent her another grin before turning away and crossing over to Mike, moving into their starting positions as the other dancers joined them in the middle of the studio, and the music started.
Though she tried to focus on the steps, biting down on her lip as she frowned with concentration, she constantly found her gaze shifting back to the blonde, watching the way the girl danced and moved, her face bright and open with enjoyment.
"Hey." Mike scowled, dragging her attention back to their footwork, "What's the matter with you?" He hissed.
"Sorry." She replied in a low voice, forcing herself to focus on the moves as he bent down and held his clasped hands out in front of her, "I'm just distracted." She placed her foot on his hand, giving the boy a nod before he launched her upwards.
Flipping in the air, she landed deftly as the boy gave her a stern look, "Well, get un-distracted. Before somebody gets hurt."
"I said sorry!" She whispered as they broke apart, moving to the centre of the group. She gritted her teeth, forcing her gaze to stay trained on her own reflection in the mirror before placing her hands on the floor, her fingers spread wide as she leaned over, lifting her legs high and holding her pose.
Flicking her legs back, she straightened up once more, ignoring the slight head-rush. She turned back to the mirrors, but found the blonde looking back at her, stilling her movements slightly. Mike cleared his throat loudly, ushering her out of the centre to take her place with a scowl, and she grimaced apologetically before moving to her next position.
The song ended once more, and the director shut off the sound system, moving forwards and nodding slowly, "That was great, guys. Really tight. So tomorrow we'll be practicing with the singers for the first time, but if you can do it all just like that, should go off without a hitch. Get yourselves home, get lots of rest ready for an early start tomorrow." He nodded, "See you later."
Jess nodded to herself, moving over to her bag and throwing her bottle and towel in quickly before zipping it up, as a familiar boy appeared in the doorway.
"Knock knock." Kurt smirked, one eyebrow raised is he stepped into the studio, "Pick up for a sweaty, English dancer."
She turned, swinging her bag onto her back and crossing to where the boy was waiting, "Hey, Kurt." She smiled, wiping at her pink cheeks, "Sorry. You alright?"
"I'm good, it's fine." He nodded, his gaze sweeping the room, "Speaking of fine, who is that tall boy who seems to have no bones in his arms and abs that won't quit?"
Jess chuckled, following the boy's eye-line before nodding, "That's Mike. Hate to break it to you but he's very straight, sorry."
Kurt tutted, "They always are." He nodded before looking to the girl, "Or are you just saying that because you've got your eye on him?"
"Ha!" She snorted, "No. And if I did, I'd have ruined my chances today - he's not very happy with me." She remarked wryly.
"Why?" The boy frowned.
She shrugged, "Just distracted." Her gaze flitted over to the blonde again, before she turned to her friend with a smile, "Shall we go?"
"Sure." He nodded slowly, before asking, "Who's the blonde?"
"Which blonde?" She shrugged casually, but Kurt scoffed.
"The one you were just staring at." He replied bluntly, waving his index finger between Jess and Brittany.
She frowned, grabbing the boy's finger and tugging it down, "Shh! What are you doing?" She hissed, relieved to find Brittany still packing away her stuff, entirely unaware.
"So there is something." He nodded smugly, and she rolled her eyes.
"Maybe." She shrugged, "I don't know. She's quite cute, we'll...we'll see."
Kurt gave a knowing smirk, but jerked his head to the door, "Well, we don't have time for you to fall in love right now. You owe me dinner."
She sighed, rolling her eyes before following after the boy, "Whatever. Remind me not to bet against you again."
As Kurt snorted, she looked back over her shoulder to see the blonde swinging her duffel bag over her shoulder and picking up the water bottle Jess had given her with a small smile. "Just choose your bets better." The boy shrugged, "As if you could ever win when we're betting over Ru Paul's Drag Race."
Jess grinned, barely listening to the boy as Brittany looked up and caught her eye, before she stepped out of the door, and they were gone.
-o-
"So, I'm starving." Jess announced bluntly as she zipped up her bag the next day, and turned to the blonde, "Wanna get something to eat with me?"
Brittany stared silently for a second, before nodding, "Okay."
"Cool." She grinned, but the blonde suddenly frowned.
"I don't have anything to change into, though. I'd have to just go in..." She looked down, finishing disappointedly, "the oldest sweatpants I own."
Jess chuckled, "It's fine, neither do I." She shrugged, "And you'd look cute in anything." She added, before realising what she had said and averting her eyes bashfully, "Sorry. I meant, you know...it's fine."
Brittany gazed at her, nodding and giving her a slow grin, "Okay."
"Doubt we can go anywhere good, mind." The brunette frowned, "Don't think The Ritz would accept us - you wearing your hi-tops and me wearing," she glanced down, "...quite a revealing vest. Huh."
"At least we're equally inappropriate." She shrugged playfully, swinging her bag onto her shoulder.
Jess chuckled, "You and me stickin' it to The Man." She held up her fist in a show of solidarity, and Brittany giggled, "How about we just walk up the road and find somewhere to eat that's willing to have us?"
"Could be a hot-dog cart, but alright." The blonde agreed, following the girl out of the door.
-o-
"Sorry, could we have the bill please?" Jess asked the passing waiter, who nodded, before turning back to the girl, "Well, tonight's been great, joggers and all."
"Joggers?" Brittany replied with a frown, and the brunette rolled her eyes self-deprecatingly.
"Sweats." She corrected with a nod, "Sorry."
The other girl nodded slowly, giving her a wide smile, "No, it's cute. I like learning the British words for random things like sweats, like asking for the bill instead of the check. Your accent is cute."
"Well thank you, California girl." She grinned as the waiter reappeared with the check, and she nodded her thanks, "It's been a pleasure entertaining you with my wit and wisdom - and apparently most of all, my accent."
Brittany nodded, smiling cheekily, "Well, your wit and wisdom left a lot to be desired." She replied, earning a playful glare from the brunette, before she nodded to the check, "So how much is it?"
Jess grabbed the slip of paper, holding it to her chest tightly and shaking her head firmly, "Not telling."
"Well, how much I do I owe you? If we're going Dutch?" She shrugged, but the other girl rolled her eyes.
"Absolutely nothing. I'm paying."
The blonde raised an eyebrow, licking her lips and thinking back to her friends' words of advice before nodding slowly, attempting to keep the shake from her voice, "You know that if only one of us pays...technically it's a date?"
"Is that the rule in America?" Jess asked interestedly, and for a moment Brittany worried that the girl hadn't understood her meaning, before the girl shrugged, "In England the rule is that if you ask someone on a date...it's a date."
-oOo-
"You know," Santana sighed impatiently, "For someone who dragged me out of bed for a 'big announcement', Sam isn't very good at being punctual."
"Out of bed?" Jess repeated incredulously, "It's seven pm, what were you- never mind." She trailed off with a grimace.
"Hey!" They heard the boy holler from down the street, turning to where he and Rachel were striding purposefully towards them, "Thanks for coming." He grinned excitedly.
"So, what's the news?" Quinn asked tensely, "Are you all clear?"
The boy frowned, "Ahem." He held up his index finger before placing a hand on the door, "Please keep all arms and legs inside the car and leave all questions until the delegated question and answer section at the end. And follow me."
Santana and Quinn exchanged a bemused glance, raising their eyes at the tiny brunette, but Rachel merely shook her head and followed the boy through the door. Quinn shrugged as Jess glanced to Brittany, offering her a tight smile.
"Well, hello again." She murmured under her breath.
Brittany nodded, glancing to their friends before smiling and pushing through the door, "Long time no see."
"I'm sorry again, about today."
"It's fine." The blonde shook her head, "Don't worry about it, it's-"
"What are you two whispering about?" Santana asked loudly, frowning at the pair as they all clustered by the bar.
Brittany's eyes grew wide, but Jess scoffed, covering quickly, "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Is it a super awesome incredible wedding surprise?" She asked hopefully, before winking, "It is, isn't it? I bet it is."
"You fucking wish." The English girl rolled her eyes as the barman came over, opening her mouth to order before Sam cut her off swiftly.
"Drinks all round, please!" He bellowed with a wide grin, "All the beer! All on me! Thank you, kind sir."
Quinn chuckled, her eyebrows raised incredulously as she shook her head slowly, "I'm guessing it's good news, then?"
Sam shrugged, "Maybe not? Maybe I want to drink myself to death before the cancer can take me? You don't know." He grinned slyly, sliding the bottles down the bar for Jess and Brittany, who caught both drinks with an alarmed grimace, before passing one over to the brunette.
Once the group all had drinks, Sam leaned casually on the bar, taking an exaggerated sip as Santana rolled her eyes.
"Well?" She urged impatiently, "What's the big news?"
"As if we couldn't guess." Brittany chuckled, but the boy gave her a stern look, and she back down good-naturedly.
"Okay!" He began importantly, standing up straight and clearing his throat and announcing, "As of today..? I am...officially...dun dun DUU-"
"Sam!" Quinn snapped, and the boy chuckled.
"I am officially cancer free!" He whooped loudly, fist pumping in the air and screaming quietly, mimicking the noise of a roaring crowd as he held his arms aloft, lifting the hem of his t-shirt over his head and bouncing on the spot as Quinn pounced in to hug him, and Jess and Brittany high fived before crowding in on the boy, the whole group wrapping him up in a tight hug as he beamed giddily.
As they broke away, Jess slapped her hands down on the bar, "Okay, I know I sound like a broken record, but this is definitely a time when I'm allowed to order-"
She was cut off as the rest of the group chorused, "Shots!"
"Exactly!" She grinned as the barman raised his eyebrows to her.
"You know," Santana frowned, "I'm pretty sure that since I became friends with you, my alcohol intake has doubled."
Rachel snorted loudly, "No, I've been friends with you for years. Your alcohol consumption has always been worryingly high."
"Don't forget frequent." Brittany added good-naturedly, "Before I met you two I was practically a Mormon."
"Mormon." Jess nodded sceptically, picking up the tray of shot glasses from the counter, "Really?"
"Yeah, real All-American girl next door, huh?" Santana replied, one eyebrow raised knowingly.
The blonde glared at the two girls, but nodded, "Yeah, that's right."
"Come on." Sam grinned, "Let's go sit down."
They crossed to their usual booth and piled in on both sides and the boy sighed contentedly, "So, wedding talk!" He grinned, "Now that I know I'm not going to be half-bald in all the photos, I have a renewed sense of vigour!"
"No." Quinn shook her head, "Tonight is not about the wedding."
The rest of the group turned to look at her slowly, their eyes wide and incredulous.
"Someone check her temperature." Brittany nodded to the girl, frowning suspiciously.
"Well, we always talk about the wedding." The blonde shrugged, "Tonight let's...talk about other things."
Santana nodded, turning to her friends and raising her eyebrows, "So what have you guys been talking about? Aside from the wedding?"
"Erm..." Rachel began, "Today I talked about the benefits of a dairy-free diet."
"Okay." Quinn nodded, before turning to Jess, "Anything else?"
The brunette glanced to Brittany, who shifted awkwardly, opening her mouth to reply flatteringly, "Um...today we talked about...morning glory, and...period euphemisms." She trailed off quietly, averting her eyes as the blonde sighed with dread, subtly dropping her head into her hands as the group stared blankly.
"It...makes more sense in...context."
"I don't want any context." Rachel replied quickly, but Santana's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Hold on..." She frowned, gesturing between the girls, "You both had this conversation?" She asked.
Brittany's heart sank as Jess shrugged and nodded, and Quinn's eyebrow raised before she smirked slowly, "So...what were you two doing today?"
"We just..." The brunette shrugged, glancing to Brittany to see the girl looking back at her through gritted teeth, "bumped into each other, at the gym."
"Brittany doesn't go the gym." Rachel tilted her head knowingly, her eyebrows creasing slightly, "But then again, you know that."
The tall blonde shrugged, "No, we weren't at the gym, we just bumped into each other outside the gym." She explained, and Jess nodded convincingly
"So where we're you going?" Sam asked interestedly, "Anywhere good?"
"Nope." She smiled tightly, "Just for groceries."
Santana nodded slowly, "So you've changed grocery stores? Cool."
"Which gym was it, again?" Quinn frowned, "I don't know where there's a grocery store near a gym?"
"And where were you going, Jess?" Rachel asked, smiling sweetly, but the girl rolled her eyes.
"I know what you're all doing, you little fuckers." She nodded, looking to them all in turn, "There's nothing going on, we weren't sneaking about and we're not having a secret affair. Hate to disappoint."
Santana quirked an eyebrow, "You both seem more disappointed."
"She wishes." Brittany snorted, wiggling her eyebrows at the brunette.
Jess narrowed her eyes, but tutted arrogantly, "I don't need to be disappointed." She shrugged, giving the girl a wink. "It's only a matter of time."
"Ooh." The rest of the group chorused, turning to look at Brittany as Santana clapped giddily, hissing to Quinn,
"This is so much more than I hoped for when I started this!"
The blonde snorted, miming stirring a mixing bowl before looking back to Brittany. The girl's cheeks had pinked, but she merely rolled her eyes, lifting two of the shot glasses and handing one to Jess, who took it with a raised eyebrow.
"I sense a challenge." Sam murmured dramatically, and Brittany gave a slow nod.
"May the best girl win." She smirked, tapping her glass against the brunette's before tipping her drink back and slamming the glass down on the table, forcing away the grimace that threatened to take over her steely expression.
Rachel grinned slowly, "Oh, this wedding just got so good." She hummed, and Quinn turned to look at her with a frown, "I mean, better. Better."
"Awful save, Berry." Santana nodded.
Jess swallowed, clicking her tongue as she placed her glass back down on the tray gently. She held the blonde's gaze as she licked her lips, before smiling brightly, "Bring it on."
-oOo-
"Jess, the chairs are arriving in twenty minutes!" Quinn urged, tapping restlessly on the dashboard as the brunette rolled her eyes.
"Well, I am going as fast as the speed limit and therefore the law WILL ALLOW ME!" She roared in response, shooting the girl a glare as they rounded a corner at speed.
The blonde's sighed impatiently, "Okay...well then, break the fucking law! Because if those chairs arrive and there is no one there to accept the delivery and tell them where to put the chairs, we will have to spend the rest of the day hunting down a truck of chairs, which means we will miss our appointment with the florist. We will then have to set up sixty chairs, and there will be no flowers and do you want to sit on the floor at my wedding?" She ranted hysterically as Santana shook her head wryly.
"Yeah, Jess. Why do you want to ruin our wedding?"
"Why do you want to ruin my wedding?" Quinn repeated, raising her eyebrows expectantly.
"Our wedding." Santana interjected quietly.
The brunette glanced between them, recoiling slightly, before shaking her head, "Alright, fine." She nodded as Brittany chuckled.
"Keeping your licence is not as important as this, Jess." She grinned at the girl in the rear-view mirror, "Prioritise and get that foot to the floor."
She gave the blonde a wry glance, before nodding and pressing her foot down, shaking her head despairingly.
-o-
"Yes." Quinn nodded, giving the men a charming smile, "Yes just over there would be perfect. Thank you so much, like I said, I'm terribly sorry." She nodded as she backed away, turning back to her friends and sending Jess a glare.
The brunette rolled her eyes, before giving the girl a bright grin, "Well, we made it in time for the chair men!"
"No thanks to you." Santana added, her eyes narrowed playfully. Brittany gave a gentle shrug.
"So!" Rachel clapped her hands together, "What do you need us to do?"
Quinn took a deep breath, gazing around the garden for a second before giving a slow nod, "Okay, we need to put up the fairy lights all around the yard. Obviously the marquee people will put up the rest but you know, there's the fence and tree and everything. Which leads me to...someone needs to do the picture tree, might take two." She tilted her head thoughtfully, "I've got all the pictures, but they need laminating and then tying to the branches."
"Oh, and we've got all the linens now, too." Santana nodded, "So we can make the beds."
"I'll make the beds." Rachel grinned, before admitting quietly, "I love hospital corners."
Brittany shook her head slowly, "That's pathetic."
"But neat." The tiny brunette finished seriously.
"Okay so we're meeting the florist in..." Quinn glanced at the time on her watch, "just over half an hour."
Jess snorted, "Don't you mean fourteen hundred hours?"
"Laminator's in the study." The blonde replied bluntly, "And for the record, you are not yet forgiven."
Brittany chuckled quietly, before adding, "Don't worry, Quinn, if she tries to sabotage anything again I'll laminate her face!"
"Oh no." She deadpanned, rolling her eyes, "Foiled again."
They made their way into the study with the stack of pictures Quinn had pulled from her satchel, and the other three watched them go before Rachel turned to the couple with a grin.
"See what I did there?"
Santana chuckled, nodding slowly and biting her lip in an attempt to hide her glee, "Nice work, Welford."
"I strive for a Welford level of subterfugery." Quinn sighed wistfully, "What do you think about last night?"
"I think Brittany is melting, slowly but surely."
The other brunette hummed sceptically, her eyes narrowed, "Mm, Brittany seems pretty confident that she won't get her way, though."
Quinn shrugged, "It's a front. Jess always gets her way."
"Just like you." Rachel grinned, "Speaking of which, I'd better go get the new bed sheets, huh?"
"Yup." The blonde nodded, "Unless you want to join Jess on my list."
-o-
"So you think we can fit two on a page?" Brittany frowned.
Jess nodded, "Yeah, definitely."
"So how about I laminate and then you can cut them and hole punch them? Then we'll both tie the strings on and go outside to hang them all up?" The blonde suggested with a shrug as she unpacked the small machine and plugged it in on the desk.
"Alright, Quinn." Jess sniggered.
They set about their task in easy silence, both seated on the floor in the centre of the room, Brittany handing the laminated pictures over to the brunette who would cut the edges and hole punch the centres before placing them in a neat pile.
"Jess...I've been thinking." The blonde began quietly, her gaze never leaving the machine in front of her as she fed the plastic in gently.
She glanced to the girl, raising her eyebrows interestedly, "Okay, about what?" She asked, before continuing her regime.
Brittany took a deep breath, "You and me."
"Oh." The brunette's movements stilled, and she sat up straight to look at the girl, her eyes widening, slightly hopefully, "What about us?"
"After the wedding," the girl frowned, finally lifting her gaze to the girl's, before turning away again, "when Santana and Quinn go away to Italy, I...I think maybe we should have some space."
Jess gave a slow nod, "Okay..." She took a moment to process, before adding, "That's fine, but...mind if i ask why?"
"Well," Brittany gave a long sigh, "at the moment we're seeing each other all the time, because we have to for the wedding but then," she shook her head, "after that I think I just want a break. You know?"
"I don't mean to sound cruel but...didn't you get two years of that?" The brunette shrugged.
The taller girl nodded considerately, "Yeah." She replied slowly, "But in the first year I was just kind of waiting for you to come home. And then you stayed on and I was just mad at you but..." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second before admitting, "I need to let go of you."
"You don't." Jess shook her head bluntly, her brow furrowed with anguish.
"I do." She urged, "I really do, Jess." The girl looked away again, trying to hide her shining eyes as she fed another plastic wallet through the machine, "I've been clinging to the idea of you for two years- longer, in fact. And yeah, it's been nice having you back but...at some point it'll be permanent and so, I need to come to terms with that." She shrugged, "And I need to be able to just...be over it."
Jess frowned, nodding slowly through the girl's explanation, before blurting, "Is this about yesterday? When I kissed you?"
The blonde opened her mouth to reply, shutting it again indecisively before shrugging and replying, "Kind of. Not really. A little."
"Right." She answered slowly.
"I'd been thinking about it before yesterday." Brittany admitted with a nod, "I want us to be able to just be friends without any...weirdness. Right now we're making it work for the sake of our friends but I don't want us to just make it work for our friends. I want it to just be easy, I want us to be able to be friends." Jess nodded, taking a deep breath and sucking her teeth thoughtfully.
"Okay." She gave the girl a small smile, "That's fine. After the wedding we'll...take some space, to get over it." She replied, her words slow and considered, until she added, "Unless...I break you down before then."
Brittany looked up, her eyes glinting with interest before she smiled slowly and shook her head, "You won't get anywhere."
"If you say so." The smaller girl grinned, "Then it won't matter."
The blonde took a deep breath, nodding slowly, "Well then, when will you decide to give up?"
Jess gave her a lopsided grin, picking up the stack of completed pictures before leaning over to the blonde, answering in a low voice, "When you stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?" She scoffed, raising one eyebrow and willing her heart rate to slow to an acceptable pace, the girl's proximity causing her stomach to knot and flutter.
The brunette's tongue darted out, before she dug her teeth into her bottom lip, "Just like that." She murmured, before swallowing hard and climbing to her feet, exiting the room without a backwards glance.
"Fuck."
She pushed herself up, rolling her eyes as she grabbed the roll of coloured string from the desk, before collecting scissors from the kitchen and following the girl out into the garden, where Quinn and Santana were stood with a middle-aged woman, gesturing to the chairs and archway.
Brittany sent them a cheery grin as they passed, making her way down to where the English girl was already stood by the tree, looking up at the branches. She wandered over, taking a deep breath and standing beside the girl, giving her a side-long glance, "Are you okay?"
"Yup." She nodded, giving her a bland smile before nodding to the tree, "Better get your artistic eye out."
"Damn, I left it in my dresser." She tutted, and the brunette chuckled before dropping the stack of pictures on the floor, plucking the first from the top.
"So I think if we kind of spread them out, you know?" Jess shrugged, "We don't want all the childhood pictures together and all the photos of our friends together, etc etc."
Brittany nodded, unravelling a length of thread and cutting it off, holding it out to the brunette, who threaded the picture onto the length, assisting the taller girl in tying the tight knots. She swallowed hard and took a deep, shaky breath as the girl's fingers brushed her own, forcing her expression to remain blank and impassive. Unwilling to show the brunette any sign of weakness, she gritted her teeth, and Jess chuckled.
"I don't think I've ever seen you look so serious about anything." She grinned as the blonde took the picture and held it up to the tree.
"I don't wanna get it wrong and suffer Quinn's wrath." She joked, looking back to the girl with her eyebrows raised, "Here?"
The brunette nodded, her eyes trained on Brittany, "Looks good to me."
They continued hanging the photographs from the tree, occasionally discussing placement, but otherwise remaining silent. Brittany bit down on her lip, distinctly aware of their stark transition from the day before, and she glanced up to the bedroom window, the aching in her chest curbing her desire to smile at the memory.
Jess watched the girl out of the corner of her eye as she reached up to nimbly tie another length of string to a branch, allowing the picture to drop and swing back and forth. With a small frown, she stilled it's motions, peering at the photographing and smiling. She opened her mouth to call the blonde, but saw the girl's steely expression, and looked back to the picture with a sigh.
"What are you staring at?" Brittany raised an eyebrow, startling the girl, and Jess turned to her with a tight smile, turning the photograph to show the girl.
"Remember this?"
The blonde focused on the picture, her brow furrowed, to see her own face beaming back at her, accompanied by Jess, Rachel and Santana, all clad in ridiculous cardboard outfits and tin foil hats. She giggled, taking the picture from the girl's hand to look closer at the champagne spraying towards the camera.
"Of course I do." She nodded, "Our second date."
Jess grinned, "Our first kiss, complete with staring friends and all." She peered over the girl's shoulder at the picture, before grimacing, "Ugh, remember that bitch?" She tutted, pointing to a girl wearing a pink jacket in the back of the picture.
"Ugh, Molly." Brittany spat, "Yeah, I do."
"Wonder where she is now." She chuckled.
The blonde sneered, "Probably living with her perfect husband and her perfect children in a perfect house and scorning the homosexuals."
"She was such a dick." Jess added, her lip curled, before tilting her head thoughtfully, "Think we can cut her out of it?"
Brittany's mouth twisted with consideration, but she shook her head, "We'd have to reprint the picture and re-laminate it. Plus Rachel would probably be furious that we'd cut off half of her amazing costume."
"Alright." The brunette tutted, "We'll just get drunk and black out her teeth."
-oOo-
"What at you thinking about?" Santana asked with a small smile as she turned to the blonde beside her, her gaze brazenly roaming the girl's naked body.
Quinn rolled over onto her front, propping herself up on her forearms to look at the girl, her legs kicking in the air, "Brittany, you?"
"Puck." She giggled, lifting her head and resting it on her palm, "Why Brittany?"
"Well, her and Jess are getting along again, which is great." She nodded, her brows creasing and causing a small line on the bridge of her nose, "I just wonder what changed. Did Brittany ever tell you why she was so mad?"
Santana shook her head slowly, "No. I think she probably told Rachel, but I've never pried."
Quinn gave a thoughtful nod, taking a deep breath before answering warily, "I kind of feel like I don't get it, because she knew what she was getting herself in for, you know? She told Jess to go; she was supportive. Does that make me a terrible friend?" She looked to the girl, but the brunette shook her head.
"No. I don't really get it either." She admitted, "I don't understand her reasoning but...I support her. Always."
"Of course." The blonde nodded, "I just wonder, that's all. So Puck? Why?"
A grin spread slowly across the girl's face, "I was thinking how crazy it is that he has a baby. Puck. Has a baby."
"I know." Quinn chuckled.
"Do you think we'll have kids?" The brunette asked, raising her eyebrows at the girl, "I've always assumed we will." Quinn nodded, "Like, when it's been mentioned in the past."
"Yeah, totally." She smiled, "I wanna have kids with you."
Santana grinned, wiggling her head excitedly, "Yey." She chuckled, "Okay, when do you think we'll have kids?" She asked challengingly, raising an eyebrow.
"Well..." The blonde frowned, "Maybe two years? Three?" She gaze around thoughtfully, "When I imagine it, I always think it would be nice to have a couple years just to be you and me. Enjoy being married." She shrugged.
"Me too." She nodded, "I like that we think the same."
Quinn grinned, "So what would you call our kids?"
"Well, what would we have?" The brunette shrugged, reaching over to rest her hand on her girlfriend's waist, "Do you want boys or girls?"
"One of each." She replied promptly.
Santana gave her a nod, "Sounds good to me. I like the name Isla."
"Hmm." The blonde smiled, "I like Isla. Isla Fabray-Lopez. It's not a name I've ever considered, but it like it."
"What would you name her?"
Quinn chuckled, "I always said when I had a daughter I'd name her Kiki Prunella."
"You're not naming my daughter Kiki Prunella." Santana giggled, "Sorry. That idea is out."
"It's fine." She snorted, "I think it was more of a rebellious move to piss off my parents. I loved the idea of telling them their grand-daughter was called Kiki Prunella."
Santana grimaced, "Can we stop saying Kiki Prunella? It's making me feel a little ill."
"So what would you name our boy?" Quinn grinned,
"Freddie." She nodded.
The blonde gazed around thoughtfully, "Freddie Fabray-Lopez."
"I'd call him FFL for short." Santana added mock-seriously, "What about you?"
"I like Seth."
"Seth and Isla. Seth Fabray-Lopez." She tested out the names, before nodding with a smile, "I like it, too."
Quinn grinned, leaning over to rest on the girl's body and place a gentle kiss to the middle of her chest. The brunette watched with a wide grin, chewing on her bottom lip as the girl placed a trail of kisses up her neck, before pulling away and smiling, "Perfect."
"Our little two-point-four family."
She nodded, never breaking the girl's gaze as she took a deep breath, "I can't want wait to meet them."
"Me neither."
-oOo-
"I miss you already." Jess whispered into the darkness, staring at the ceiling above them. Her admittance was greeted with silence, and she turned her head to look at the blonde.
"We need sleep." She murmured, suddenly frowning sadly, "You have a long day tomorrow."
The brunette sighed, pushing herself into a sitting position and switching on the lamp before shifting across until she was pressed against the girl, laying back down with her head on the girl's chest. Brittany wrapped her arm around Jess' shoulders, holding her tightly against her as the girl gave a loud sniff.
"I'll be back before you know it." She urged quietly, and the blonde rolled over until they were facing other, their bodies pressed flush. Jess frowned, her gaze searching the blonde's face, "I love you so much. I want to remember every single thing about you."
Brittany gave her a sad, shaky smile, before nodding, "Don't forget a single thing. Because I will remember...everything about you."
She pressed her forehead to the girl's, lifting her hand to wipe a tear away with her thumb, "I promise." She nodded, adding, "It's only a year. And then I'll be right back here."
"If only." The taller girl sighed wistfully, but Jess shook her head.
"Back where I belong." She replied firmly, "It'll only be a year."
Brittany gave a small chuckle, shaking her head, "You don't know that, though, what if you stay on?" She shrugged, "They'll probably offer you it, and you should take it."
"But I miss you too much already." Jess admitted in a choked whisper, "I already want to be back with you. And I'm not even gone."
"No." The blonde frowned, "You're getting a once in a lifetime opportunity. You can't waste it, please."
She nodded, "I know. I know." She took a deep breath, "But I will be back. I'll come back home to you, I promise. It's only a year."
"Okay." Brittany, "Okay. Come back to me."
Jess nodded again, swallowing hard and brushing a blonde tendril of hair away from the girl's face, "I'll miss you so much."
"I'll miss you, too." The blonde nodded, her lip trembling slightly as she smiled, "And I'll miss this t-shirt." She stroked her fingers down the large rabbit design, but Jess smiled, shaking her head.
"Keep it." She shrugged, "It's yours now.
Brittany lifted her eyes to nod at the girl, "Okay."
"Tell me everything about you." Jess requested suddenly, "Anything and everything that I don't know yet."
The blonde gave a small chuckle, glancing away thoughtfully, "I don't know what to say. You start. Tell me enough to last me through the year."