A/N: I know, I know. I've been a horrible writer and I offer you the most sincere apologies for the delay in updating. What I thought would be a relaxed summer vacation with tons of free time to write and update turned out to be a working holiday where I get home tired and don't even feel like turning my computer on. I'm really sorry for taking so long to update and I'll try to avoid it from happening again! Thank you for still reading!

Now on with the story.


Santana sat in her office, barely paying attention to her surroundings. The only thing she could think about was last night and everything that had happened between her and Brittany. It seemed unrealistic to think they were finally on the right track. Both of them were single, both of them were interested and apparently this time things could actually work out.

Her own excitement scared her, she didn't want to feel too confident, but it was hard not to after so much fighting and struggling. After trying to run for so long, it felt nice to want to stay for once.

She closed her eyes and leaned against the chair, closing her eyes and remembering the moment they shared at the park and their intense session outside her apartment. A smirk appeared on her face just thinking about Brittany teasing her and she shook her head to herself. Brittany had definitely grown into a more confident person. She knew what she wanted and exactly how to get it.

Santana grabbed her cellphone and started writing a text message, her smile getting impossibly bigger with each word she typed.

'Been thinking about you all morning'

She was about to hit 'send' when a voice startled her.

"The hell are you doing smiling like that?" Olivia asked from the door, her arms crossed across her chest.

Santana laughed, "What, I can't smile now?"

"Well, it's not that," Olivia said, walking into her office and taking a seat in front of her, "it's just that last time we spoke you sounded sad and heart-broken. Now you're sitting here with your cellphone in your hand and an incredibly stupid grin plastered on your face."

Santana blushed a little and put her phone down. "I forgot to tell you the rest of the story..." she explained.

Last time they had talked, Santana had told Olivia about the walk she and Brittany had over the High Line and how she had decided to end things for good. The next day had been so full of emotions -with Brittany showing up at her place, then Tommy being in her apartment, and finally their date- that she hadn't had the time nor the energy to talk to her again.

She quickly filled her in with the details and Santana kept laughing as Olivia's mouth got closer and closer to the floor as she recalled yesterday's events.

"So that clearly explains your 15-year-old smile."

"Shut up."

"I swear, you look like a teenager after his first kiss."

"Well, it definitely wasn't my first kiss."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Did you guys...?"

"No, no, no." Santana said hurriedly.

"I don't believe you."

"I promise!" Santana said, raising her arms in innocence, "not because I didn't want to, though. She seemed to want to take things slow."

Olivia let out a big laugh, "Ha! She's teasing you!"

Santana chuckled, "I know, right? And she did a damn good job. I can't get her out of my mind."

Olivia smiled, glad to finally see her friend smiling. Happy, even. "So where does this leave you guys? Are you dating? Is she your girlfriend?" she said, stretching that last word in a mocking tone.

Santana glared at her friend, shrugging. "I don't know. Definitely not girlfriends or anything... not yet anyway. She hasn't asked."

Olivia laughed, "Oh, so she's going to have to ask?"

"Of course!"

"Why can't you ask?"

"I already poured my heart out to her once and she rejected me. I'm not about to do it again."

Olivia sighed, looking at her friend. "You know you'll have to let that go, right?"

Santana crossed her arms across her chest defensively. "Let what go?"

"What happened between you two back in high school."

"But-"

"No buts," Olivia interrupted her. "If you want things to work this time, you're going to have to let it go."

"...I don't know if I can." Santana admitted after a long pause.

"Well, you're going to have to try harder then."

"But it's part of what happened. It's part of our story."

Olivia nodded in agreement. "I know. I'm not telling you to forget about it, but you're going to have to forgive her for it... Believe me, if every time you guys fight or every time she does something you don't like you go back to the same argument, bringing up what happened between you two years ago, then it won't work."

Santana swallowed, considering this for the first time. "How can I...?"

"Forget about it? Forgive her?"

Santana nodded shyly. She was so excited minutes ago and now she was doubting everything, what if she could never forgive her? Olivia saw the hesitation in her eyes, so she spoke up again.

"It won't happen over night, that's for sure. But first, you have to do your best to avoid saying anything to her about it. Don't rub it in her face every time something is not right- And then... You have to slowly convince yourself she's a different person now. You have to understand this Brittany right here is not the same one that broke your heart years ago."

"How can you be so sure?"

"For starters, she broke up with her boyfriend this time." Santana nodded. That was true. "And no one is the same after so many years. We all grow up. She's shown you that much."

Santana smiled, relaxing a little bit more again. "Thank you," she said sincerely. She didn't know what she'd do without her friend.

"You're certainly welcome. Now, focus on your job. We have that big case coming up, remember?"

Santana rolled her eyes, "I may look fifteen, but I'm not. Don't worry, Olivia. It's all taken care of."

"Good," Olivia said, standing up. "I'm happy for you, San," she smiled, "I just hope this time nothing gets in the way."

Santana nodded, "I'll make sure nothing does."

Olivia left her office and Santana quickly picked up her cellphone again. She re-read her message ('Been thinking about you all morning') and after pondering for a few seconds, sent it.

Not long after, her phone vibrated and she got a message.

'I've been told that's a good sign'

Santana raised an eyebrow. Who was this Brittany? So confident and sure. It's like she knew she had Santana wrapped around her finger.

'You've been told right. You know what else is a good sign?'

'What?'

'How I haven't been able to stop thinking about my lips all over you'

Santana smirked when the reply didn't come right away. She had obviously caught Brittany off guard and she could imagine her thinking how to respond.

'Santana...' was all she got back.

'Brittany...'

'I'm at work'

'So am I. And...?'

'And I don't think it's good for us to talk about this when I'm surrounded by kids'

'Well, don't let them read your texts'

'I'm pretty sure it's written all over my face by now'

Santana smiled. It was weird, even back in high school they had never talked like this, but it still felt familiar. To anyone around them it would seem rushed, but this case was an exception. They had been together before, years ago, but together nonetheless. Santana still knew, after all this time, what made Brittany squirm and even though she was sure there were many new places she could discover, she knew she could still push the right buttons.

'I bet you look completely adorable all flustered right now'

'I don't look adorable. I look horny' Santana laughed out loud at this last word.

'Well, you can always come to me to fix it ;)'

'Whatever happened to taking things slow, San?'

'I never agreed to that. You kinda imposed it to me'

'It's for the best'

'Says who?'

'Me'

Santana smiled. She didn't know what Brittany was up to with this whole 'take things slow' thing, but she sure hoped to be able to change it soon.

'I hope you have a great day, B'

'You too, San'

A while after there was a knock on her door. She looked up, only to find a guy holding a bouquet of flowers, reading a card he was holding in his hand.

"Uhh... Santanaaa... Lopez?" he asked, finally looking up to see Santana nodding. "These are for you, miss."

Santana frowned, walking over to him and taking them from his hands. "Thank you," she said, signing the paper he was holding.

"Have a good day," the guy said before turning around to leave.

Santana smelled the flowers and smiled. She didn't remember the last time she had received flowers. She walked back to her desk, grabbing an empty vase and putting them in it, before reaching for the card and reading it.

I hope you have a wonderful day. Certainly after last night, my day will be the best ever.

-B

"Ooh, getting flowers now?" Olivia startled Santana.

"My God! You're such an intruder."

Olivia smiled, "Can't blame me. The guy walked into the office asking for you. I had to come see it myself. Santana Lopez getting flowers? Doesn't happen very often."

Santana smiled, "I know."

"So, who are they from?" Santana rolled her eyes at the question. "Well, you never know!" Olivia defended herself.

"Brittany, obviously."

"Obviously," Olivia mocked her, getting a glare from Santana. "I'll leave you to your flowers then," she said and quickly left.

Santana sat behind her desk, admiring the flowers for a while. It was such a sweet and nice gesture. She grabbed the phone and texted Brittany again.

'Thank you for the flowers'

'You liked them?'

'I loved them :) They're beautiful'

'Not as beautiful as you'

Santana smiled, shaking her head,

'When did you get so cheesy?'

'Must be the time of the year'

'Must be...' Santana replied, and hesitated only briefly before sending a second message. 'Any chance of seeing you tonight?'

Santana waited anxiously for a reply. She felt ridiculous. She really looked like a fifteen year old asking a girl out for the first time, waiting for an answer, dreading a 'no'.

'Thought you'd never ask'

Santana felt herself breathing again and she smiled. '7, my place?'

'I'll see you there :)'


Santana looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. She was nervous all over again. She looked around her apartment, making sure everything was clean and tidy. Brittany would arrive any time now and she wanted everything to be perfect.

She remembered the last time she had invited Brittany to her apartment she had been nervous as well, but this was a different kind of nervous. A better one at that. She was excited to be able to spend some time with the blonde now that they were on the same page.

She looked at herself in the mirror, the tight black dress hugging her in all the right places. Even though they were not going anywhere tonight, she wanted to look nice. And if she could admit it, also a bit desirable. She wanted to make Brittany regret wanting to take things slow.

She was startled from her thoughts when she heard the bell ring. She approached the intercom and spoke.

"Yes?"

"It's me," she heard the cheerful voice say on the other side, immediately knowing who it belonged to.

"Come on in," Santana said, pressing the button to open the gate and then walking towards the door to open it. When she did, she found Brittany standing on the other side, holding a bottle of wine in one hand and ice cream on the other.

Brittany stood there silently for a few seconds, and Santana couldn't help but smirk at the look on her face once her eyes landed on Santana's body. She just stood there, letting Brittany's gaze wander all over her.

"Hi-i..." Brittany said, softer than she expected.

Santana grinned, eyeing the girl standing in front of her. She was wearing tight jeans and a blue shirt that looked amazing with her eyes. "Hey you," she said, stepping aside and letting her come in.

"Um, I brought you some wine and ice cream," Brittany said shyly. "I didn't realize we were going out," she said, still not taking her eyes away from her.

"Oh, we're not going anywhere." Santana took them from her, putting the ice cream in the fridge right away and leaving the bottle of wine on the counter. "Thank you," she said, smiling and turning back to look at Brittany who was still standing by the door. "You can come inside," Santana added, chuckling softly. "I don't bite."

Brittany laughed, shaking her head. "Too bad," she teased, causing Santana to raise an eyebrow.

"Don't even go there, Pierce."

Brittany's cheeks turned red. "Sorry."

"Oh, don't be. I just won't be held responsible for my actions if you go down that road," she winked at her and Brittany smiled.

"I cooked for ya," Santana said, taking Brittany's hand and forcing her to fully enter the apartment.

"Really? Yum! I love when you cook," Brittany said, smiling brightly and not bothering to let go of Santana's hand even after she was inside the apartment and the door was now closed behind them.

"It's in the oven, but it should be ready anytime soon," Santana said, smiling really big as they stood in the middle of her apartment. "You want some wine?" she asked, turning around and letting go of Brittany's hand to get the glasses, but was soon stopped when Brittany grabbed her hand again and tugged at it.

Santana turned around surprised and looked questioningly at Brittany, who was still looking at her up and down.

"Hi..." Brittany repeated, pulling her closer.

"Hey again," Santana said, chuckling softly. She swallowed soon after under Brittany's intense glare.

"You look beautiful," Brittany admitted softly, smiling when she saw the color raise to Santana's cheeks.

"Th-thank you," Santana said, looking around shyly.

"I feel bad not taking you out tonight..." Brittany started, "You look so beautiful, I feel everyone should have the chance to admire you," she said, tugging Santana's hand once again, forcing her to take a step closer. Now they stood in the same space, looking at each other, "But on the other hand..." Brittany continued, moving her free hand to play with a strand of hair that was over Santana's shoulder, "I want you all for myself," she whispered, moving her hand up Santana's neck, finally resting it against Santana's cheek.

Santana closed her eyes at the contact, unconsciously leaning against Brittany's palm, taking a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

"Th-that's good," she stuttered, swallowing to try and speak normally, "because I want you all for myself as well."

Brittany smiled, taking one last look at Santana's lips before licking her own and leaning in to kiss her.

A small gasp escaped Santana's lips as she felt Brittany's press against hers. She squeezed Brittany's hand right before letting it go and wrapping her arms around her waist. She could feel Brittany moving her other hand to cup her cheek as well, pulling her impossibly closer.

The kiss started slow, first their mouths closed, just exploring each other's lips, their hands holding each other closer, as if to prevent any of them from pulling away. Then Santana felt Brittany's tongue slip between her lips, parting them immediately, and from then on nothing could stop them.

A throaty moan could be heard in the room, though none of them knew who it belonged to; they were too busy exploring each other's tongues. One of Brittany's hands moved down to Santana's neck, grabbing the back of it and Santana's hands started moving towards Brittany's waist, holding on to the bottom of her shirt, fighting every urge to slip her hands beneath the fabric.

Beep!

The sudden ring made them both jump, breathless and flustered. They looked at each other shyly, their hearts beating fast. Santana looked to her side at the oven, suddenly wanting to kick the inanimate object.

"I guess dinner is ready..." she muttered.

Brittany chuckled, just as frustrated. "Seems that way."

"Take a seat," Santana said, pointing towards the couch. Brittany nodded and did as told.

Santana opened the bottle of wine and poured them both some before taking dinner out of the oven.

"I don't know if you remember them," Santana said, turning around with both dishes in her hands. "You used to have them at my house back in high school."

Brittany looked at the food in front of her, frowning. "Hmm... tacos?" she asked, although it didn't quite fit.

Santana shook her head, "Nope. Enchiladas."

Brittany grinned, grabbing a fork right away, "No way!"

Santana laughed, "So you remember them?" she asked, taking a seat next to the blonde. She remembered how much Brittany liked them whenever there was any at her house, so she decided to make them tonight.

"I do! I just never remembered the name! I tried going to a couple of Mexican restaurants years ago and I don't know if they didn't have them or I didn't explain myself very well, but I could never eat them again ever since we..." Brittany stopped talking once she realized where she was leading the conversation.

Santana softly placed a hand on Brittany's knee and squeezed it slightly, "It's okay, Britt."

Brittany paused before replying. "Is it? I don't want to ruin this..." she said, pointing at the apartment and then at them.

"You won't ruin anything," Santana said, smiling at her. "We can't pretend it never happened, so it's okay to talk about it or mention it, but it doesn't mean anything anymore. We're here now and that's what matters."

Brittany smiled so big, Santana couldn't help but do the same. "Agreed."

Brittany ate her enchiladas really fast and even nodded when Santana asked her if she wanted a bit more.

"I didn't remember you liked them this much," Santana teased, although she did remember.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to eat them again."

"I'm glad you could, then."

Brittany nodded excitedly. "This is the best day ever. You, enchiladas, what else could a girl ask for?"

Santana laughed, "You're ridiculous, you know that, right?"

"So I've been told," Brittany said, smiling and leaning in to softly kiss Santana's cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

Brittany shrugged, "Everything. From cooking to being here to forgiving me to giving me another chance."

Santana smiled, grabbing Brittany's hands in her own, rubbing her thumbs over them. "Thank you for being here and wanting another chance."

They sat there for a while, looking into each other's eyes with a goofy grin on their faces. Both of them couldn't really believe it was happening. They were actually spending an evening together, not fighting, not living in the past and actually enjoying their present, together.

Santana was the one to speak up again, "Some ice cream?"

Brittany nodded. "It's cookies and cream."

Santana smiled. "Delicious."

She served them two balls of ice cream each and cleared the tables in front of them before sitting down next to Brittany. She turned on the TV, leaving the same channel that was on and snuggled further into the couch, sighing contently.

"This is nice," she said, grinning up to Brittany.

Brittany nodded in response, placing a soft kiss on top of Santana's head. "Very nice indeed," she said, snuggling closer to Santana, placing an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer.

Santana smiled, leaning her head against Brittany's shoulder, fitting perfectly. She finished her ice cream soon after, leaving the bowl on the side, wrapping now her free arm around Brittany's waist.

In the meantime, Brittany was waiting for her ice cream to melt before eating it. It was something she always did since she was a little girl. Because she had her arm around Santana she couldn't use the spoon to mix it, so she sat it on her lap for a while waiting for it to melt on its own.

Santana noticed this, knowing the way Brittany liked eating her ice cream. She tried to sit up, so Brittany could eat it properly, but Brittany kept her arm in place, pushing her back to her original position.

"Nuh huh," she said.

"But Britt, your ice cream,"

Santana's head moved up and down as Brittany shrugged, "It's okay, it'll melt eventually."

Santana smiled and relaxed again, moving her hand down to grab the spoon on the bowl.

"I'll help you," she said and as Brittany grabbed onto the bowl, Santana started moving the spoon around it, helping it melt faster.

"Thank you," Brittany said and soon after it was ready for her to eat it. She grabbed the spoon and tried to guide it to her mouth without spilling any, Santana's eyes following the spoon to see if she was going to make it. The first try was successful and Brittany grinned proudly.

"Didn't think you'd make it," Santana said, chuckling.

"Ha! Should've known better," Brittany said, grinning widely.

She kept eating without spilling anything for a while, Santana's eyes going back to the TV until she heard a soft 'uh oh'. She lifted her head a little bit and looked at Brittany, who was looking at her own chest. Santana's eyes followed hers and she spotted a few drops of ice cream on Brittany's chest, right above her shirt's v-neck, and a bigger trail going down, beneath it.

Before Brittany had the chance to try and grab a napkin from the table, Santana used her index finger to wipe a few drops, then bringing the same finger to her mouth, licking it and hmming as she did so. It was supposed to be an innocent, maybe a bit playful, move. That was until she felt Brittany swallow harder than usual, her chest not moving anymore as she was holding her breath.

Santana's eyes moved upwards and locked them with Brittany's. They stared at each other for a few seconds, the air around them getting thicker. Santana's stomach tightened and she suddenly wondered what the ice cream would taste like combined with Brittany's skin.

She grabbed the bowl, which was still sitting on Brittany's lap and moved it to the side, leaving it on a table. Before Brittany could even question what she was doing, Santana was straddling her, her legs on each side of Brittany's, their eyes locked.

"Wha-aaaah," Brittany said, her question caught in her throat as she saw Santana lean forward and felt her lips kissing the spot that minutes before had been touched by her finger. A louder moan escaped her lips when she felt Santana's tongue licking the same spot, and then moving further down.

As if on their own, Brittany's hands gripped Santana's waist, leaning her head back to rest against the couch, leaving Santana more space to explore.

"Best..." Santana whispered, licking Brittany's chest, "ice cream..." she licked again, this time closer to her collarbone, "ever..." she finished, the last word an octave lower as she licked Brittany's neck now. She could feel Brittany's grip getting even tighter around her waist, and she didn't think she could get more turned on.

That was until Brittany grabbed the spoon, put some more ice cream on it and poured it over her chest again, this time the melted ice cream rolling further down her shirt.

Santana sit up a little bit, an eyebrow shot up as she looked at Brittany, who only smiled in return.

"Your shirt is going to get ruined, Britt," Santana said, to which Brittany grinned mischievously.

"Then I guess I'll have to take it off..."

Santana's mouth opened as she watched Brittany pull the t-shirt over her head and throw it to the floor. Her eyes immediately fell on her exposed skin, only a black bra covering the rest of her upper body. Santana unconsciously licked her lips, watching the ice cream still rolling down, almost reaching Brittany's belly button.

"You're beautiful..." Santana whispered, almost breathless. Her hands ran up and down Brittany's side, causing the blonde to take a deep breathe. Her skin was so smooth, her stomach was perfect... everything about her was perfect.

It didn't take much longer for Santana to lean back in and kiss Brittany again, the taste of ice cream in their mouths making the kiss even more delicious. She then started kissing her way down again, Brittany's back arching under her touch, moving further into her mouth as Santana's lips traveled down her skin.

She licked every single inch, running the tip of her tongue over her ice cream-covered skin, Brittany's breathing getting heavier at the combination of cold and hot. Santana also kissed and sometimes softly bit her skin, her mouth going everywhere. She could feel Brittany's hands moving from her waist up her sides, until her fingers tangled with her hair, pressing her face down every time she leaned in to kiss and lick.

Once Santana had licked the ice cream all over again, she went to grab the bowl. Brittany tried to reach it as well, hitting Santana's arm in the process, making her knock the bowl towards them, spilling it all over the couch.

"Shit!" Brittany jumped, "I'm sorry!"

Santana quickly stood up, looking around to find something to clean the mess with. "It's okay Britt, don't worry," she said, still trying to recover from what she had been doing seconds ago.

Brittany stood up, trying to stop the ice cream from moving further into the couch with her hands. Santana stopped and looked at her, chuckling softly. "Britt, leave it," she said, placing a hand softly on the blonde's arm, pulling her away from the mess. "I'll clean it up," she said, handing her a few napkins to clean her hands.

Brittany nodded and looked at her apologetically, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Relax..." Santana said, walking over to her and unwrapping her arms, wrapping them around herself. She kissed her collarbone, her proximity reminding her -as if it were necessary- that she was still wearing only just a bra. She was ready to start kissing her skin again when Brittany's hands on her shoulders stopped her.

Santana looked up at her, frowning. "I guess that was a sign," Brittany said, pointing at the couch.

"A sign? Of what?"

"I should go," Brittany said, smiling slightly.

"I... wha... why?"

"Remember that take things slow thing?"

Santana rolled her eyes playfully, "Yeah, you keep bringing it up..."

"I just don't want you to regret anything," Brittany said shyly.

"Britt, I'm a big girl, I know what I'm doing."

Brittany blushed despite herself, "Yeah, no, I know that..."

Santana smirked. "Then, what's the problem?"

"I want it to be right..."

"It is right, Britt... or are you...?" she trailed off, wondering whether this was about her at all.

"No, no. God, no," Brittany said reassuringly, "I just want it to be perfect."

Santana narrowed her eyes, wondering why it should be such a big deal. It's not like they had never slept together before.

Brittany took a step closer, cupping her face and leaning in to kiss her softly. "I promise it'll be worth the wait," she whispered before kissing her again.

Santana smiled, "Okay. If not, you'll have to make it up to me."

Brittany laughed, "No problem." She reached for her shirt and pulled it over her head, back on. She gave one last look at Santana before turning around and leaving.

Santana ran a hand through her hair, looking around and finally starting to clean up the couch. She was going to have to keep herself busy if she didn't want to go insane.

Brittany was going to be the end of her. She knew that for sure.


A/N: Thank you for the patience! I really am sorry for the long wait and I hope it doesn't happen again. Thank you for still reading and for reviewing, I love to hear what you guys think.

Also, I think we're probably nearing the end of this fic. It'll probably be a couple more before it's a wrap. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the rest of it as well :)