I will never forget the overwhelming elation I felt after my time jump back to the present. Despite the sheer exhaustion I felt as I stepped back out of the time machine, I still forced myself to stay up late into the night so I could properly document everything I had seen while it was still fresh in my mind.

From that day forward, I did everything I possibly could to ensure that the future I had seen would become a reality. I built my life around that one dream and hoped against hope that everything would turn out the way I'd been told.

As long as I had that, I knew I'd be happy.

I woke up the following morning both exhausted and a little disoriented. Rubbing my tired, puffy eyes with the back of my hand, I slowly glanced around my childhood bedroom, trying to remember exactly how I got there. For the briefest moment, my mind entertained the idea that the previous night had all been a dream. That I was back in high school and I hadn't completely ruined everything with Santana. Those thoughts were immediately thwarted, however, after realizing I was still wearing the same clothes from the night before.

Releasing a defeated huff through gritted teeth, I rolled over to bury my face into the soft pillow below as I fought back the tears that were springing to my eyes. I honestly can't remember how many times I had cried since the night before. What I can say, however, is that I absolutely hated it.

I hated the weight of uncertainty I felt pressing down on my chest. I hated not knowing where Santana and I now stood. I hated even considering the fact that we might not even be an 'us' anymore. I just-I hated the entire situation and wished nothing more than to be able to change it, but I knew I couldn't. The ball was in Santana's court, and I needed to respect that and give her the time and space she needed to decide where the two of us would go from there. I already knew what I wanted, but before all else, I wanted her to be happy.

That was the most important thing to me at that point.

Letting out another small sigh, I pushed myself up off the bed and blinked away the unshed tears as I retrieved the discarded shoes I had kicked off during the night. After slipping them on, I straightened the jacket I was still wearing and took a deep breath before cracking open the bedroom door and making my way downstairs.

I kept my gaze lowered as I made my way into the kitchen where everyone was gathered for breakfast. It didn't take me long to notice the absence of laughter or early morning chatter that was usually found at our family meals. Instead, there was just an eerie silence that somehow only seemed to get quieter as everyone became aware of my presence. Unable to look anyone in the face, I quietly mumbled, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going home. I'll be sure to check in soon."

I had just taken a small step back to leave when I suddenly heard my sister's voice call out, "Wait, Britt. Hold on."

Looking over towards the table where she was seated, I felt my eyes widen as I noticed who was sitting beside her.

Santana.

"I-I've got to go," I quickly stuttered as I quickly stumbled back out of the room and away from the woman I'd been in love with for as long as I could remember. There was a sudden squeaking of a dining chair against the kitchen floor, followed by a rush of footsteps, but that didn't stop my beeline towards the door. It wasn't until I felt a hand on my arm that I was finally forced to halt my footsteps.

"Brittany, wait!"

Turning around, I found Hailey standing there with a somber look on her face. Unable to continue looking at her subdued expression, I shifted my focus to the old rug partially covering the wood flooring beneath my feet and muttered, "I need to go home. Layla's probably wondering where I am."

"Britt, please. Aren't you curious to find out why she's here?"

Her question was met with silence as I maintained my downward gaze. It was already taking everything in me to keep my emotions in check, and I was fairly certain that any attempt at speaking would completely shatter my resolve.

My sister, however, seemed to take my lack of leaving as answer enough as she allowed her shoulders to slump forward slightly and continued to softly explain, "We came home at about two o'clock this morning to find Santana a cold, sobbing mess on the steps of the front porch. While Dad and I left to go find you, Mom stayed behind with her to try to figure out what happened. Britt, it took her nearly an hour of coaxing before Santana finally agreed to come inside to warm up."

That statement got my attention as I instantly snapped my eyes up to her and asked, "What? Why?"

"Because she feels terrible about leaving you down in the basement alone. You are the last person she'd ever want to hurt, and yet she still managed to do just that," she explained as she ducked her head a little in an attempt to meet my eyes. "Her and I have been in there for the past three hours going over the science you discovered because she's trying to understand. She wants to know what happened and how it happened as best as she can so that nothing is lost between the two of you."

There was a long silence that passed as she let me take in everything she had said. Unfortunately, her admission only worked to make me feel worse about the entire situation that I had force Santana into. I couldn't stand thinking about how I had to put her through this and made her feel guilty about what happened the night before. All I wanted to do was go back and change everything I had done, but I couldn't. I was stuck.

"I-I really do need to go. Layla's waiting for her morning walk," I insisted as I slowly turned to continue my path towards the front door, but then I heard another voice cut in.

"Mind if I join you?" Santana suddenly called out as she made her presence known. Spinning back around, I looked over to find Santana cautiously peeking out of the kitchen as she added, "I'm sure Del is itching for a chance to get out of the house, too."

I don't think I'll ever forget the way she looked in that moment. It hurt me to see her so tired and so very, very sad, yet even with the subtle bags under her red-rimmed yes, she was still the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on. In that moment, I hated myself for causing the vibrancy of her eyes to dim and refused to let myself deny her anything after everything I had put her through. So instead, I just mumbled out a feeble, "That's fine. Let's go," while giving a slight nod towards the door.

We arrived at the park nearly an hour later with Layla and me just a step behind San and Del as we made our way over from the parking lot.

Normally, we would walk from Santana's house since she lived only a few blocks away, but I decided it'd be best to have a way to quickly leave in case things didn't go well during our expected talk. If we had trekked all the way to the park, then we both would have had to make the trip all the way back to her house, and I honestly didn't even want to consider having to put either of us through that sort of ordeal. So, I chose to drive instead, despite Santana's obvious confusion to our change in routine.

Once we were inside the gates of the dog park, we let the pups off their leashes so we could have some time to talk alone while they played with the other dogs. The only problem was that Layla didn't immediately take off like she normally would. Instead, she continued to look up towards me with a concerned expression while Del excitedly sprinted away from where we stood.

This dog, I swear, has always been too perceptive for her own good.

"Layla, go play with Del," I mumbled to her as I made a shooing motion with my hand, but she only sat down in front of me and made a small whimpering noise. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep or the way things had been going for me since the night before, but I instantly became frustrated with the dog and growled out, "Layla. Go!"

Tears almost instantly started welling in my eyes as I watched Lay cower down at my feet but still refused to leave my side. Unable to continue looking at her, I stormed off towards our usual bench, feeling her and Santana's eyes on me the whole way over.

I took my seat at the far end of the bench, knowing Santana would take her normal seat that the center like we would on any other day. From out of the corner of my eyes, I could see them each cautiously making their way over to me, both unsure of whom I'd lash out at next. The thing is, I didn't want to lash out. I just wanted to go back to the way things were before, and the reality that it was practically impossible for that to happen had unsettled me to no end.

Neither of us made any move to talk once she was seated on the bench. Instead, we just sat there silently watching Delgado run around the open field for a while Layla laid curled up at my feet.

"Britt," Santana suddenly called out after about half an hour of us sitting there, causing my body to slightly jolt in surprise. Knowing she had my attention, she asked, "Brittany, do you think we could maybe talk about last night?"

Hearing her question, I felt a fresh round of tears pricking my eyes and glanced down at Layla, who instantly picked up her head to look at me. Just then, Del came trotting up and plopped himself down next to his best friend, finally realizing she wasn't going to come play with him. Briefly glancing between the two dogs, I gritted my teeth and hung my head.

"No, San. Please, not yet. Not with the ki-" I quietly begged before abruptly stopping myself myself mid-sentence to reword my thoughts. "Not with Layla and Del here. I just-I can't."

I couldn't do it. I couldn't have this talk with her while the kids, as I had recently taken to calling them, were sitting there watching us.

Damn it, I hated this.

"Oh, okay," she responded dejectedly as she looked down at her lap. "Can we, um-Can we maybe go, then? You know, since it doesn't look like the pups are up for playing today. We can maybe let them out into the backyard or something until we're done talking."

Knowing I needed to stop avoiding the inevitable, I quietly answered, "Yeah, sure. We can go. Which house?"

"Either one is fine with me."

"Okay, we can go back to yours if you want. You know, since it's closer and all," I suggest, shifting my focus over in her direction to gauge her reaction.

She instantly glanced back up at me with a hopeful look, giving a quick nod of her head as she answered, "Yes, of course. Anything you want to do is fine with me."

"Alright, then I guess we should go then," I reply as I push myself up off the bench and start leading us back towards the car with our two dogs in tow.

I was seated at Santana's dining room table, staring out the large bay window before me as I waited for the woman in question to return. We had been back for only a few minutes now. Just enough time for her to let us inside and ask if I wanted anything to drink as she made her way over to let the dogs out into the backyard. I immediately took her up on her offer, to which she quickly responded with a nod before making her way over to the kitchen.

"Here, Britt. I made some hot chocolate to help warm us up," San informed as she placed a mug in front of me. The same one she had decorated for me as part of a date night a few months before.

Lifting my fingers up slightly, I absentmindedly traced them across the scarlet and grey letters of my name written out in her neat handwriting, only pausing when I reached the little paw print dotting the 'i' in my name. "Thanks, San," I respond as I look up towards her with a small, grateful smile.

"No problem," she whispered with a barely-there smile as she took the spot across from me, gently setting her own decorated mug down on the table in the process. One with her name written out in maize and blue.

These were the mugs we used anytime we drank hot beverages at San's house, and I couldn't help but wonder if this would be our the last time using them.

Letting out a small sigh at the thought, I looked up at the woman in front of me to find her already looking back and instantly darted my eyes away from her to peer outside, instead. There was a long pause as we both sat there, watching Layla and Delgado happily playing around in the yard, when a thought suddenly popped into my head.

"Would the pups still be able to see one another if we were to break up?" I unintentionally wondered out loud, causing Santana to flick her gaze over in my direction with a wide-eyed expression.

"You want to break up?" she blurted out in a trembling voice.

"What? No, of course not. I was just curious," I respond as I looked down at the table once more, nervously fiddling with the cup between my hands as I cautiously asked, "Why? Do you?"

"No, not at all," she firmly answered without a second thought.

Her reply instantly put my entire being at ease as I brought a hand to my chest and released a long, drawn out breath I felt like I had been holding in since the night before, airily whispering out, "Oh, thank God!"

Her eyes instantly scrunched up in confusion. "You thought I was going to break up with you?"

"Well, what was I supposed to think after what happened last night?" I inquired as I shifted my focus back up towards her just in time to see her flinch at the question. Feeling I had come across a little stronger than I had intended, I quickly explained, "I mean, I completely understand why you left. Don't get me wrong. I just-I honestly didn't know what to think when you never came back, so I guess I just assumed the worst."

"Britt-Britt, no," she reaffirmed with a deep frown and shake of her head as she brought up a hand and rubbed at her brow. "Shit, I've too busy thinking about how you were probably going to break up with me that I hadn't even thought of how my actions might have looked from your perspective. I-I would never, Britt. I need you to know that."

"Okay, I believe you," I replied honestly, though I was still finding it a bit hard to wrap my head around the fact that we both still wanted to try to work through this.

Santana stared at me for a long moment, trying to get a read on the sincerity of my previous statement. She must have eventually found her answer because she visibly relaxed and gave a slight nod of her head that seems to be more for her benefit than it was mine. "Okay, good. So, since we both now know that neither of us want to break up, do you think we maybe talk a little about last night?" she carefully edged out.

And so I did.

Now that she knew my biggest secret, I found it relatively easy to be upfront with her about everything else, from the early days spend watching my dad tinker around in the basement to that very first trip to the planetarium. From collecting parts in the junk yard to years spent researching alone in the library. From befriending Quinn to my days as a Cheerio. From my impulsive trip to the future to my inevitable bouts with heart problems.

We both sat there for the best part of two hours discussing all the ins and outs of my time traveling, with me filling in all the blanks Hailey wasn't able to do during her explanation earlier that morning. After working through the more serious subject matter, the conversation eventually shifted to a more relaxed, lighthearted tone. Santana even started getting a little playful with her questions, much to my relief.

"Alright, so back to the subject of our alleged marriage, since you keep saying future us got hitched but refuse to give me any sort of details on the matter," she teased with a sly grin as she looked at me with challenging eyes. "Who asked who?"

"Asked who what?" I questioned coyly as I made my way over to the living room couch after letting the dogs back in, realizing that the main serious part of our conversation had thankfully passed.

"Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about, Britt!" San playfully chided as she followed me into the room. "Who proposed?"

"Mm, classified," I hummed out while doing my best to suppress the grin that was threatening to spread across my lips as I plopped down on the couch.

"Aw, you're no fun. This is the tenth question you've said classified to," the brunette groaned as she sat down beside me, placing a hand on the top of my thigh to help support her as she leaned in towards me.

"Actually, it's only been eight, and I have already warned you that I wasn't going to answer any of those types of questions in fear that they might upset the space-time continuum," I joked while involuntarily tilting my body forwards toward her.

"Like I said: no fun," San teased back.

"Yeah, yeah. How does it feel knowing you are dating a complete bore?"

"Well, I wouldn't go as far as saying you're completely boring. I mean, you are pretty awesome in bed, after all."

I instantly felt my brow raise at her comment. "Oh, is that right?"

"Yeah, plus you get me free puppy swag for Del, like flea and heartworm prevention, which is also a pretty sweet deal."

"And don't forget his discounted food, baths, and annual vaccines," I listed off the top of my head.

"Yes, exactly! Thank you!" Santana exclaimed a little too enthusiastically to be considered enitrely truthful, causing me to roll my eyes. Releasing a small giggle at my response, Santana added, "Plus, you're super caring and loving and basically everything I've ever wanted out of a lifelong gal pal."

I felt my eyes instantly bug out at her comment as I gave her shoulder a light shove and practically shouted, "Oh my God, San! Please tell me you did not just refer to me as your gal pal!"

"Oh, you don't like that one?" she asked, feigning ignorance. "Okay, how about super-mega-foxy-awesome-hot girlfriend and future wifey?"

"Now, that's more like it," I purred out in a voice just above a whisper.

"Good because I thought so, too," Santana agreed as she slipped a hand behind my neck and brought our lips together.

The kiss heated up quickly as we each became more and more needy, and before either of us knew it, San had somehow made it onto her back with her hand dragging mine up under her shirt to cover a bra-clad breast. Just as we were about to take things a little further, there was a sudden small bark beside us. Pausing our sweet lady kisses, I pulled away to find Layla and Del staring at us with their heads cocked to the side in a curious manner.

"Um, San," I lightly giggled out, glancing back down at Santana, who was still in a bit of a daze. "I think the pups are trying to tells us something."

Letting her head slowly loll to the side, she took a minute to assess the situation before allowing a small frown to appear. "Ugh, damn dogs. I was really looking forward to finally experiencing make-up sex with you," Santana grumbled as she allowed me to help her back into a seated position before her eyes suddenly widened in panic. Snapping her gaze up towards me, she quickly amended, "Not that our normal sex isn't already out of this world because, like I said earlier, you're kind of amazing at the horizontal tango. Probably all those years of dancing you did in the past, to be honest. At least, that's my theory, but-"

"Okay, Baby, I think you've made your point," I quickly cut in before she could continue with her nervous ramblings while giving her a light kiss on the lips. "Either way, we'll have plenty of time for all that later on when the kiddos aren't around. For now, let's just simmer down and maybe put on a movie? That sound okay?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Okay, let's see what they want to watch," I replied as I glanced over at the two dogs who were still staring at us. "What are you two in the mood to see? The Fox and the Hound?" I asked, causing the dogs' ears to perk up before they started barking and excitedly bouncing around the room.

"Okay, alright! We'll watch the damn Fox and the Hound! Now, calm down!" Santana laughed as she pushed herself up off the couch and attempted to walk over to the television without getting tripped up by the pups.

I awoke sometime later to the soft patter of rain on the window.

Blinking my eyes awake, I slowly glanced around at my surroundings to find the television displaying the main menu of the DVD while the dogs fast asleep in their beds on the floor in front of us. Shifting my gaze from the kids to the woman who was curled up into my side, I couldn't help the smile I felt tugging at my lips as I leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. I kept my eyes on her as I allowed my head to rest against the back of the couch, deciding to let myself wake up a little before getting up.

Eventually, I felt awake enough to be able to carry San to her bedroom and carefully sliding myself out from beneath her so I could stand up. Slipping a hand around her back and beneath her legs, I slowly picked her up bridal style and carefully made my way down the hall and into the room. After gently placing her down on the bed and tucking her in, I took a moment to smooth a stray hair before quietly making my way back over to the door to leave.

"Stay," I heard San suddenly rasp out, her voice heavy with sleep.

Turning around, I assured, "Don't worry. I know how much you hate me driving in the rain. I was just going to grab a blanket from the hall closet and set up a little place on the couch or somethi-"

"No, I mean stay here," she stressed. "Sleep with me."

"I don't know, San. Are you sure?"

"Yes, Baby, I'm more than sure. Please stay with me."

With her consent, I slowly slipped under the covers while being sure to stay on my side of the bed. After a brief moment of us just lying there, however, San started to scoot her way toward me. Rolling over onto my side, I shot her a curious look and watched as she gently grasp my hands in hers to bring them up around her torso.

"S-San, I-"

"You can hold me, Britt. It's okay. I promise," she groggily mumbled out before a look realization flashed across her eyes as they widened slightly. "Unless you're not comfortable with this."

"No, of course I am," I reassured as I wrapped my arms more firmly around her, bringing her a little closer to me in the process. "Sorry, I just didn't want to assume anything."

"It's alright, Britt. Just know that everything from before still stands and that this whole time-travel thing hasn't changed anything between us, okay? I still love you very, very much and would very much like to continue doing this life thing with you because I truly believe the same things as I did before," she informed before taking a deep breath and admitting, "To be completely honest, I've always felt like we were going to make it. This only confirms it."

"Aw, San," I muttered as tears clouded my vision. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Britt-Britt. Don't ever forget that," she whispered, giving me one last peck on the lips before nuzzling her nose into the hollow of my neck as she got ready to go to sleep with me not far behind.

Author's Note:

First and foremost, I just wanted to apologize for making everyone wait so long after the cliffhanger I left off on last chapter. It was never my intention for that to happen, but you know... Life.

Anyways, thank you all so very much for sticking with me all this time. I appreciate it more than words can say. That being said, I would like to announce that this will be second to last chapter for this fic, excluding the epilogue. If you're saddened by that fact, don't fret! I'm fairly sure there will be a sequel-of-sorts that will eventually come. It just might take a little while.

Oh, and there might also be another little sequel-of-sorts in the works for one of my other past fics, which I am extremely excited for! It's probably my favorite verse I've written for, besides this one, so I'm really excited to get back writing for it again!

Again, thank you all so much for everything. Your continued interests in these stories is what helps keeps me going, so I just can't thank you enough!

Hope you all have a lovely day and that I get to see you all next time for the last chapter before the epilogue!

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