Brittany sat on the edge of the sofa, the reflection of Santana's silhouette dancing on the coffee table.
"Just because I couldn't remember, doesn't mean I ever forgot." Santana's eyes brimmed with tears as the blonde moved closer to hold her.
"What happened, Brittany? Why couldn't I remember you or the kids?" tanned arms moved around the blonde's waist as the Latina broke a gentle sob "I'm scared, Britt."
Brittany squeezed the tan hands a little tighter as she peppered her cheeks with kisses "I'm scared to baby."
"Can you remember everything?" Brittany tucked a stray piece of dark hair behind Santana's ear.
"No, I remember you, I remember the kids, I remember the plane hurtling towards the ground but everything is blank, I-I don't remember what our life was like." Santana stuttered as she searched Brittany's eyes.
"Do you want to know the truth?" Nervousness flickered in Brittany's eyes as she looked away from the latina.
"The truth about what?" Santana edged a little closer on the couch as she bit the whites of her nails.
"We were so unhappy towards the end Santana, we tried to put on a brave face for the kids and the Glee reunion but, we got into a huge fight the night before we were in the plane crash, you told me you didn't love me anymore and I told you I wanted a divorce, we stepped on to the plane not saying a word between us and I never got the chance to tell you how much I loved you, how grateful I was to have you in my life, how thankful I was to call you the mother of my children."
Tears brimmed in Santana's eyes, her heart pouring out of her chest as she broke a sob "I remember now, I never meant a word of it Britt, I was just so angry and stressed and- and I didn't know what I was thinking."
Her voice trembled as sobs hiccupped from her throat.
Brittany pulled Santana closer, her face pressing into the long tanned neck "We weren't happy anymore Santana, we both got tired, we got old and we grew apart, we just forgot each other."
"I love you, Britt. I fell in love with you all over again."
"Me to San, I never stopped loving you."
Santana wiped her tears away with the back of her hand "I made myself forget because I felt so guilty about everything, I couldn't understand why you weren't here and I didn't think I'd ever see you again so I made myself forget everything so I could carry on, the trouble is I think I forgot a little too much."
Brittany cracked a small smile as she stroked the nape of Santana's neck "I think we all did, we've been stuck here for so long Santana, this place isn't where were supposed to be, it's where people come, to come to terms with death. You made this world and housed us all in it, keeping us safe from the truth, but you got so lost along the way, that's why they had to come back, to guide us."
Santana blinked as she recalled the last few weeks, a monsoon of tears pooling down her face as she remembered all the different people she'd encountered, who died long before herself who came back to guide her.
"Will and Emma came back for you, Lord Tubbington came back for me."
"Who did Sue come back for?" Santana blinked in confusion as she remembered her old cheerleading coach.
"She came back to help us find our way back to each other, we were both so lost up here."
"Oh god, Ethan and Jessica!? Brittany they're orphans now, I'm not going to be there to walk Jessica down the aisle, Ethan's never going to be able to sit in your lap at bedtime again, how do we leave them behind?"
"San, we've been up here for a long, long time."
Santana blinked her eyes again as she seen Brittany brace herself, trying to find the words to explain whatever it was that was troubling her.
"we've been up here so long, that Ethan and Jessica are kind of grown up now."
Santana dug her nails into the couch a little deeper as she held Brittany's gaze "how grown up, Britt?"
"Well, Jessica just had her junior prom and Ethan has enlisted…"
Santana blinked in confusion, "we've been here for twelve years? How is that possible Britt?!"
Brittany shuffled a little closer to the Latina, "time is faster down there than it is up here, a week here is a year down there, and I have to say San you look really good for forty!"
Santana whined as she pushed her head into the pillow "I'm twenty eight Britt!"
"…You'd be so proud of the kids San; they're both so like us."
Santana pulled the blonde to her side, stroking her cheek "I'm so sorry, for not loving you the way I should have done twelve years ago, but I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere ever again." The words felt foreign in her mouth.
"The kids will be okay Santana, they've been doing okay for the last twelve years. They got the pay out from the airline after we died, your grandma and my parents took care of them when they were growing up, they're great kids San and Jessica is so pretty, she has your eyes."
Santana closed her eyes as she felt her heart crack in two from all the things she'd missed, Birthdays, Christmas's, Soccer games, Dance recitals.
Santana stood up, grabbing Brittany's hand, pulling her towards the door in the hallway she'd never been able to open, stepping inside to find two single beds and more teddy bears, photos and memories than she could remember in that moment.
"Look at all this stuff Britt" she grasped the photo off of the shelf of the two fresh faced women holding a tiny baby in their arms "I remember when Ethan was born like it was yesterday."
Brittany walked over to the bed, her calm resolve slowly melting as she picked up the soft plush teddy bear from her daughters bed, breathing in the scent as tears trickled down her face.
Two tanned arms finding themselves wrapped around her waist as they held onto each other for a moment, anchoring them back into reality as she clutched the teddy bear to her chest.
"Can we sleep in here tonight San? I just want to sleep in here one last time like we used to when Ethan was first born and we didn't want to leave him on his own in case he woke up." Her voice was barely a horse whisper as tears flowed down her cheeks.
"I think I'd like that."
Santana laid down on the single bed, pulling the blonde next to her as Brittany rested her head on Santana's chest, the lack of a heartbeat not going unmissed upon her.
"I can't think of anyone I would rather spend an eternity with Britt."
"Me neither San."
"What do you think will happen once were asleep, now that we know the truth?"
Brittany smiled as she clutched onto her wife a little tighter
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter, we have each other now and that's all I need."