A/N: Short one but I figure it's better to post sooner with a short chapter than wait two months for a slightly longer one. I'll try to post more often with shorter chapters.
"…and then Santana had to pick up the bill for $200 worth of cupcakes…"
Santana shot Blaine the deadliest look she could muster. Her so-called friend was doing the one thing she had asked him not to do - tell embarrassing stories about her.
"Aww." Brittany leaned over and gave Santana a kiss on the cheek.
"That is amazing." Quinn managed to stop laughing enough to talk. "You know Santana, I'm stating to see you less intimidating with each story."
"I'm still super intimidating and if you repeat anything that is said at this table, I'll behead you," Santana threatened.
"Be nice, sweetie." Brittany grabbed Santana's had and kissed it. She sort of loved how mad Santana was getting.
They had ended up going to dinner at the hotel's five-star restaurant, Breadstix. Quinn had secured them the VIP table and they were now waiting for their dessert.
Santana did love how sweet Brittany was acting at the expense of her embarrassment, so maybe it wasn't so bad. "I could tell you some stories about Bush Brow here."
Brittany listened as Santana told a story about the time Blaine fell off a balance beam while trying to impress some boy. She looked around the table and loved that she was spending time with her girlfriend and friends. It also made her a little sad. If she moved, she wouldn't have this anymore.
Brittany looked at Santana and watched the big smile on her face as she told the story. Her smile was amazing and Brittany hated the thought of not seeing it on a daily biases. If she moved, she wouldn't just be breaking Santana's heart, but her own.
After dinner, the trio went to The Elixir for drinks. While Santana really wanted to be alone with Brittany, she had to admit she was having a great time being out in public with her girlfriend and letting everyone know they were together.
"Don't drink too much tonight," Kurt said handing everyone their drinks, "Save some liver for my party tomorrow."
"Don't worry," Santana said, "I can handle my liquor. It's Blaine here who is a light weight."
"I am not!"
"Really?" Santana reached and pinched Blaine's cheek. "Cause you've had one sip and you're already turning red."
Quinn turned to Blaine. "Yeah, he's totally red."
"Can you guys leave me alone." Blaine went to take a drink then decided not to.
"You girls are mean," Brittany said, "You don't know that he's red cause of the drink. Maybe he's hot."
"Thank you Brittany," Blaine said.
"Or maybe he's red cause Kurt's here." Brittany looked at Kurt as his eyes went wide.
"Uh…I need to check on the customers down the bar. I'll be back in a bit."
Santana laughed as Kurt bolted to the other end of the bar and Blaine looking like he wanted to crawl under a rock and die.
"Awww." Quinn grabbed Blaine's hand. "Come on. Let's go dance and take that drink with you. Let's see if we can get you to a tomato red."
Santana watched her friend being dragged away by her new friend. She turned to Brittany. "That was awesome. Way to embarrass him."
"Oh, I didn't mean to," Brittany said, frowning, "Should I go apologize? I think they'd be cute together."
"It's fine." Santana gave her a quick kiss. "I was just teasing. How about you and I dance?"
Brittany smiled. "Really? It's almost 10. I thought you said we'd just have a quick dinner and leave."
Santana put her drink down and kissed Brittany again. "I'm having fun. You were right Britt. Being out in public and hanging out is great. Besides, I like showing you off as my girlfriend."
"Me too. Especially here at the hotel cause now all the women know you are mine and to stay away."
"Oh, possessive," Santana said with a chuckle, "Don't worry honey, I'm all yours."
Brittany got off the bar stool and extended her hand. "Let's dance."
The music was fast and the dance floor crowded. Santana led Brittany near Quinn and Blaine and soon they picked up the beat and blended with the crowd. Santana just let loose and let all the stress of the week leave her as she danced with Brittany, who was proving to be an amazing dancer.
Brittany laughed and kept pace with Santana. This was a new side of Santana she was seeing. One where Santana was lost in music and really letting go. There were so many sides of Santana she still needed to see.
At around one, and many drinks later, Santana wanted to call it a night. They were seated at the bar again and Santana leaned in to talk into Brittany's ear. "Britt. Let's go to bed. I'm tired."
Brittany kissed Santana's cheek. "OK. I'm sleepy too."
Quinn and Blaine decided to stick around a bit more. "Are you sure Quinn?" Brittany asked her clearly tipsy friend. "How about I get Mike to get you a car."
"Don't worry Britty Britt." Brittany laughed. Quinn was totally drunk. "I'm staying in the 'otel this weekend. Sooo many parties! I got me one of the VIP suites!"
"Good." Brittany was glad Quinn wasn't going to be heading home alone in her state.
Santana put her arm around Brittany's waist. "Blaine will make sure Quinn…" Santana stifled a yawn. "…Mmm.. Blaine will make suer she get to her room. Right Blaine?"
"Yup!" Blaine was nearly as drunk as Quinn but Santana knew he would get Quinn back to her room safe.
"OK." Brittany hugged them both and followed Santana out of the club. They walked through the casino with their arms around each other. "It's so crowded tonight."
"Weekends." Santana leaned in to Brittany a bit more. "We're going to bed right when the fun is just starting in this place."
"I think the fun will be back in your room," Brittany teased.
Santana laughed and kissed Brittany's neck. "Even if we just pass out on the bed, it'll be more fun than these tourists are having." They reached the suite elevators and luckily they were the only ones inside. "Britt, I will do my best…" Yawn. "...to stay awake so we can have some fun."
"Just being with you is fun," Brittany said, kissing the top of Santana's head. Brittany hoped that Santana was in fact too tired to do anything. She wanted to talk to Santana first, about the possible move before they slept together.
The elevator opened to their floor and headed to Santana's room.
"I'm so tired!" Santana kicked off her shoes as soon as she got inside and watched Brittany do the same. "Sweetie, how do you feel about cuddling?"
"I love it!"
They went to the bedroom and without a second thought, Santana began to undress. Brittany stopped and watched as Santana's dress hit the floor and she was left in nothing but her underwear and bra.
Santana looked up to see Brittany blatantly gawking at her. "Did this wake you up?"
"A little." Brittany smiled.
"Just a little?" Santana put on her best hurt expression as she walked closer and caressed her arm. "How about now?"
For the second time tonight, sadness washed over Brittany. Santana was so beautiful and made Brittany happier than she thought she could be. Could she really leave Santana? She wasn't sure anymore. "You're so beautiful."
The serious tone Brittany suddenly worried Santana. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I…I have to talk to you about something." Brittany took a breath, she had to tell Santana now.
A hundred scenarios went through Santana's head. None of them good. "OK, you're kinda scaring me."
Brittany kissed Santana's forehead before heading to the bathroom and returning with a robe. Santana took the robe and wrapped it tight around her body. She didn't feel sleepy or drunk anymore.
Brittany sat on the bed and motioned for Santana to sit next to her.
"Are…" Santana cleared her throat. "Are you going to break up with me?" She hadn't meant for her voice to sound so meek.
"No!" Brittany grabbed Santana's face and gave her a kiss. "No way."
Santana felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her chest. She laughed. She had never felt this scared at the possibility of being dumped. She'd had women break up with her and for the most part, Santana moved on quickly. She knew this would not be one of those times she could do that.
"What's so funny?"
"I'm just so relieved," Santana said, "You just got so serious that my first thought was that you were dumping me."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I guess I always assume the worst." Santana took Brittany's hand in hers. "What did you want to talk about?"
Brittany took a deep breath. "OK. So, this isn't a sure thing but it is something that I've had planned for a while. Before we met."
"OK."
"You know Jenny is super smart…" Santana nodded. "And she has always wanted to go to Berkley and she got her wish."
"That's awesome!" Santana felt weirdly proud, almost as if her own sister had gotten accepted.
"It totally is," Brittany went on, "So, I never doubted she'd get in and…well, we had planned for, umm, for me to be closer to her when she left."
Santana's smile faded. "Wait, are you…are you moving?"
Brittany shook her head. "I don't know. I mean, the plan had always been for me to move to San Francisco with my grandparents. This way I would be with them and I could visit Jenny on weekends or she could visit us. They're the only family I have."
"I was wrong," Santana said, "This is the worst." The thought of losing Brittany when she had just found her made her chest feel like it was being squeezed by a vice grip.
"I'm sorry," Brittany said softly, "I should have told you sooner but I didn't think it mattered until…"
"Until what?" Santana said, her tone harsh. "How could you think this wouldn't matter?"
"Up until a couple of weeks ago, we were just friends," Brittany explained, "And now, it's all complicated."
Santana got up and started to pace. "Well, I'm sorry for complicating things." Santana was a little angry at the moment. "So, even if we hadn't gotten together, you were still like my only friend here and you were just going to leave."
"But Blaine came and I knew that by the time I left you'd have tons of friends." For the first time, Brittany was seeing the mean Santana her employees probably saw. Brittany didn't like mean Santana.
"Well I'm glad you thought things through," Santana said sarcastically. "So when are you leaving?"
"I'm not…I mean, I don't know." Brittany wasn't sure what to say anymore. This was not going as she imagined. "I…just want to make sure Jenny's OK at college."
Santana crossed her arms and kept her expression firm. "Of course you do." Her brain was telling her she was overreacting. Telling her Brittany made these plans before they met. Telling her that Brittany would do anything for her sister. That didn't stop her from feeling hurt and angry at Brittany leaving when they had just started being a couple. "I'm going to get ready for bed." She went to the bathroom and closed the door.
Brittany quickly wiped away the tears that had started to form and was glad she hadn't cried in front of Santana. She got up and went to get her sleep clothes from the drawer she had claimed earlier. As she picked out her grey shorts and kitty v-neck shirt, she wondered if she should just go home.
"Damn it." She couldn't go home, not tonight. She was so tired and still felt the buzz from the drinks she had. She never got completely drunk, she had learned to control her drinking to make sure she never got more than buzzed. She didn't want to be like her father. She quickly changed and waited for her turn in the bathroom.
Santana pulled up her thin black pajama pants and looked at her self in the mirror. She was an idiot. She felt horrible for how she had reacted. She'd always had a temper but she never thought she'd lose it on Brittany. Santana finished washing up, put on her matching tank top and stepped outside where she saw Brittany sitting on the bed already dressed for bed.
"Can I?" Brittany asked, almost in a whisper.
Santana nodded stepped aside to let Brittany into the bathroom. She noticed that the bed sheets had already been pulled down and Fat Elvis now sitting on the nightstand. She got into bed and used her main remote control to turn off all the lights in the suite but kept the two bedside lamps on.
She needed to apologize. She needed to have a talk about this with Brittany where she actually listened to the plan Brittany mentioned. "I ruined everything."
She made herself comfortable and waited for Brittany to finish getting ready. After a while, Santana started to doze off. She faintly heard the door open and waited to feel Brittany get into bed. She never did.
When Brittany stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Santana between the sheets, eyes closed. Brittany quietly made her way to the living room and to the couch she had turned into a bed with a pillow and a blanket.
"What are you doing?"
Brittany had been so focused on being quiet as she got into "bed" that she didn't notice Santana appear in front of her. "Going to sleep."
"On the couch?"
"I figured since you're mad, you didn't want me with you in the bed." Brittany looked down at her hands not wanting to look to see the anger in Santana's eyes. She also didn't want to stare at Santana's chest since she was not wearing a bra under that shirt.
And just when Santana didn't think she could feel any more of an asshole, she was proven wrong. "Britt, look at me. I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I'm just upset at the situation." She extended her hand. "Grab that pillow and come to bed. Please."
Brittany nodded and looked up. There wasn't any anger in Santana's eyes, only concern. She took Santana's hand and followed her to the bedroom. They settled into the bed, which was a thousand times more comfortable than the couch. Santana scooted closer to Brittany and spooned her from behind. "I'm an asshole," Santana whispered into Brittany's ear. "I overreacted. I'm sorry. I just…I don't want you to leave."
"I don't want to leave you, Santana." Brittany leaned back to get closer. Being held by her girlfriend felt amazing. Brittany felt safe, she felt at home.
Santana place a kissed on Brittany's cheek. "We'll talk about this tomorrow. Go to sleep Britt."
Brittany felt a lot better knowing Santana wasn't mad at her. She had taken care of he sister, just like she had promised her mother. She was starting to realize that Jenny was right. Maybe it was time Brittany did something for herself.
####
Somewhere during the night, Brittany had turned into the big spoon. She took a deep breath and Santana's scent filled her nostrils. The smell made her moan. She tightened her grip on her girlfriend and took another deep breath.
Brittany was still somewhere between fully awake and asleep but she was aware enough to know exactly where she was and who she was with. She buried her face in the crook of Santana's neck and continued to breathe Santana in.
"Mmmm." Brittany smiled. Waking up to Santana in her arms was the best feeling in the world. She wanted to do this again. And again. And again.
Brittany slowly opened her eyes and focused on the woman in her arms. She felt content, happy. How could she give up this feeling?
She knew it was still early because the sun had yet to make an appearance. She suddenly wondered if Santana was a morning person or if she was cranky when she woke up. Did Santana like sleeping in or getting up early?
"Britt." Santana felt a comforting warmth enveloping her and she knew it was Brittany. She tried to hold on to this feeling of perfection but her mind reminded her that Brittany had made plans to move and this feeling may not be something she would be able to enjoy in the future. She opened her eyes. "You awake?"
"Yeah," Brittany whispered, "It's super early. The sun isn't out yet."
"Too early. We should sleep." Santana turned in Brittany's arms and kissed her neck. How could she just let Brittany go? Santana knew she couldn't. Maybe she could move to San Francisco with Brittany. She'd have to get out of her contract with the hotel and she'd end up losing a lot of money, but she'd be with Brittany.
Brittany lifted her head to get a better look at the clock. "It's 5:13."
"Too early," Santana repeated and burrowed herself into Brittany's arms.
They fell asleep again and the next time they work up, the sun was shining bright.
"Wake up," Brittany softly said into her girlfriend's ear, "The sun is up."
"No," Santana whined. She was still enveloped in Brittany's arms, her face practically buried in Brittany's chest. "What time is it?"
"Late. 7:30."
Santana's pulled back to look at Brittany. "How in the hell is 7:30 late? We just went to bed."
Brittany smiled. "I guess you're not a morning person."
It took Brittany almost an hour to get Santana to get out of bed. She let Santana sleep while she took a shower but had to practically drag her out of bed to get her to take a show of her own.
By 9:15, they were showered, dressed and hungry.
"Do you always get up so early?" Santana asked as she grabbed her purse. They were on their way to the buffet for breakfast.
"Yeah." Brittany shrugged. "I love breakfast and I don't want to miss it."
Santana let out a chuckle. "God, you are adorable."
Brittany shrugged again but this time with a smile. "So you're not mad anymore?"
"No," Santana said as she closed the distance between them, "We obviously have a lot to talk about." She placed a kiss on Brittany's lips. "But let's eat first."
"OK."
Santana wanted time to prepare for this talk. Brittany had mentioned that she didn't want to leave but would Brittany leave her sister? Her family? That feeling of her chest in a vice grip returned as they got in the elevator. She took a deep breath and put the thought out of her mind for now.
###
Breakfast was delicious. Brittany thought the food was almost as good as her sister's. After her third plate of breakfast food, Santana gave her a funny look.
"How do you have such a hot body but eat like a lumberjack?"
"Breakfast calories don't affect me." Brittany took a forkful of eggs and ate.
"I guess they don't," Santana said with a laugh.
"Do you want to talk now?" Brittany asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
Santana wiped her mouth with her napkin, her plate practically empty. "Yeah."
Brittany pushed her plate aside. "Before you moved here," Brittany began, "I couldn't wait to leave this city. I love my friends and all but after what happened with my mom…I just wanted to leave. But I couldn't. Jenny needed to stay here for school so for years I told myself that I wouldn't have to stay here forever. I thought about leaving everyday."
Santana leaned back in her seat and said nothing. She wanted to let Brittany tell her story before she asked her to stay.
"But…" Brittany smiled. "Ever since that day I picked you up at the airport, I haven't thought about leaving. I haven't felt sorry for myself, that my life is a mess. I mean, not as much."
Santana just smiled back. She desperately wanted to tell Brittany she loved her, but not yet. She wanted Brittany to finish.
"You have made my life better, Santana." Brittany took a breath hoping that the feeling of wanting to cry would go away. "I can walk through a casino now without freaking out. I'm having more fun and not worrying so much. You make me feel like everything is going to be OK. Even with my dad back, I know I can handle that because I have you."
Santana leaned forward and reached across the table to take Brittany's hands in hers.
"After mom…all the plans I had got dropped. I just had to work and take care of Jenny. The only plan I had left was moving." Brittany squeezed Santana's hand. It felt good talking about this.
Santana cleared her throat. "What, um, what does Jenny think? About the move?"
Brittany chuckled. "She thinks that I need to stop taking care of her and focus on myself."
Santana made a mental note to send Jenny some really expensive chocolates. She may be just a teen but Santana was realizing Jenny was mature beyond her years. "Maybe she's right. I mean, she's almost 18 Britt. You don't have to be responsible for her, you did your job and Jenny turned out to be an amazing person."
"My mom did most of the work," Brittany said. She let go of Santana's hand and took another sip of her coffee.
"But you made sure Jenny kept on the right path," Santana encouraged, "You put your life on hold to continue raising her and now she's ready to take care of herself. Britt…Jenny's right. It's time you continued on with your own life."
Brittany felt a tear fall down her cheek. "For years, all I've had to focus on was taking care of my sister and the thought of not having to do that anymore makes me feel…."
"Sad?" Santana asked softly.
"Relieved." Brittany wiped away her tears. "I'm a horrible person, right? For feeling like that?"
Santana got up and slid into Brittany side of the booth to give her a hug. "No. Honey, no. You are not a horrible person. It's perfectly normal to feel like that. You had to put your life on suddenly on hold and now is your chance to get back to that life." Santana hugged Brittany tighter. "You are the strongest person I've ever met, Britt."
Brittany let out a small sob before pulling back from Santana. "Thanks," she said wiping her eyes, "I needed to hear that." She looked around and noticed that some of the people around them were staring. "Can we go back to your room?"
"Of course."
Less than 20 minutes later, Santana was holding Brittany in bed again, stroking her hair. "You OK?"
Brittany nodded against Santana's chest. "I kinda scared."
"About what?"
"Can I just pick up where I left off? I mean, I can probably go back to school this fall to finish my semester but I'd have to work overtime all summer to pay for it. And I don't have my camera and equipment anymore. I …"
Santana squeezed her eyes tight then opened them. She thought back to Blaine's advice about not trying to swoop in and be Brittany's hero and fixing all her problems. But it was hard when she could more than afford to pay for Brittany's tuition and get her all the camera equipment she needed. "Britt…"
Brittany sat up and faced her girlfriend. "Don't."
"What?"
"I know what you're thinking."
Santana tried to play dumb. "I'm not thinking anything."
Brittany smiled. She knew Santana was eager to help her but Brittany wasn't sure she wanted to just take Santana's money like that. "I'll figure this out, OK? Right now, all I know is that I really want to finish art school and graduate. And I also know that I don't want to leave you."
Santana sat up. "I don't want you to leave either."
"My grandparents are gonna be sad," Brittany said with a small smile, "But I know they'll be happy I'm finishing school."
"So you're staying?" Santana asked, hopeful.
Brittany simply nodded, a smile on her face.
Santana lunged at Brittany and hugged her tight. "You won't regret staying. I promise."
"I know I won't," Brittany said. It was time she got back to building her own life.
-TBC-
