Santana woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar bed. 'Where the hell am I?' she thought to herself, temporarily forgetting the entirety of last night's events.
"Wow, I think I am pruning." Santana said as she rubbed her fingers together." How long do you think we've been swimming?"
"A while. How bout we go in for the night?"
The brunette smiled. "Sounds like a plan."
The two girls climbed up the ladder, stealing a few kisses along the way. Brittany unlocked the poker room beside the gas dock and grabbed her and Santana a couple of towels.
"Man, I need a shower after that swim." Santana said she wrapped her towel around her waist.
"Well, I'd offer you a shower on my boat, but I don't have one."
"Yeah, and Steph and Quinn are taking the boat for the night." The brunette replied as she grabbed two beers from the cooler outside the door. "I don't want to wake them up."
Brittany took a beer Santana had offered and quickly thought of a plan. "Well, we can just go to my house for the night." She gave the Latina a quick kiss on the cheek and headed out the door.
"Wha- what?" Santana stuttered from behind.
Brittany turned around. "We can go to my house. Shower. Sleep. And hey, we can even sleep 'in'. You know how loud the docks get in the morning…"
"But what about your parents?"
"What about them?"
"Well, I just…"
"What?"
"Well, I just thought…ya know, we could like cuddle and stuff." Santana said shyly. "I wanna cuddle.
Brittany tilted her head and giggled. "So what's the problem?"
"Don't you think your parents might be a little weirded out if you brought a girl home and cuddled?"
Brittany laughed. "Santana, my parents know about you. You're not just some girl. And they are hippies – nothing weirds them out."
Santana sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, slightly pissed off that the bright sun piercing through the blinds next to her had woken her up. Deciding she was not yet ready to get out of bed, she plopped back down and drowned herself in the covers. She felt the space next to her. 'Warm.' She thought. 'Brittany must have just woken up.'
"Brittany, are you sure about this?" Santana asked as she climbed into a dinghy the blonde had snagged from the end of the dock. "I can wait to take a shower. We can just-"
Brittany cut her off. "Santana, get in. It'll be fine."
With reassurance, the brunette got in and found a comfortable, familiar spot next to Brittany. She entwined her hands with the blonde. "Okay, let's go."
Santana turned in the bed. 'Grrrrrrr' she thought to herself. She wondered why Brittany was even awake before she was. 'Why couldn't I have woken up first? Brittany never wakes up early. 'Grrrrrr.'
"Brittany, I know you're more of the 'water' person than I am, but isn't it like 'illegal' to be out here without lights on out this thing?"
"You're not required to have lights on small watercraft, but you're also not supposed to be on the water after dusk without them either. So, I dunno really."
"What if we get hit by a boat, Brittany?"
"Ahh, we won't silly. I know these waters like the back of my hand. Anyway, if it'll make you feel any better, there's a spotlight up front. You can be in charge of that." The blonde smiled.
Santana found a spot on Brittany's lap and held the small spotlight straight ahead to look for any obstacles in the way. The blonde wrapped her left arm around hr girlfriend's waist, holding her close as she navigated the prop with her right. The two traveled by dinghy underneath the familiar bridge that led them to Mattox Creek, through the curvy waters that followed, and finally made it to the small opening that led to the T-Dock.
The brunette was definitely awake now, but not wanting to get up at all. She could hear Brittany and her parents talking in the other room. 'Do they know I'm here?' she thought as she squinched her nose and stared at the ceiling.
Brittany secured the dinghy to the small dock and helped Santana up. "Brittany, are you sure about this?" Santana was hesitant to follow Brittany into her house.
"Yes, silly. My parents are in bed, no worries."
"Okay." The brunette tucked her a few stands of hair behind her ear and grabbed Brittany's hand to follow her. The blonde led her girlfriend up a small path from the water, past a few trees, and to her house.
They showered separately at opposite ends of the house - Santana doing so in Brittany's bathroom. When she was done, she emerged into the blonde's bedroom, clean in a tank top and boxer shorts Brittany had lent her. Brittany, who had been catching up on some long overdue email, turned around from her desk to see Santana.
"Hey you. Feel better?"
"Much." Santana said, sitting on Brittany's lap. "Tired though."
The blonde nodded with a yawn. "Me too."
Santana crawled into bed behind Brittany and spooned her from behind. She kissed the blonde on the cheek before whispering a soft "I love you." in her ear.
Brittany smiled softly to herself as she grabbed Santana's hand and entwined her fingers with her own. "I love you too." Both girls, so tired from swimming and in much need of rest, fell asleep quickly in each others arms and, by Santana's definition, cuddled.
Brittany came into the bedroom with a fresh cup of coffee for Santana. "Good morning sleepyhead."
The brunette laughed at the irony. "Haha, since when do you get up at a decent hour?" Santana smiled as she took a sip of her coffee.
Brittany sat on the bed beside her. "Since I have something to wake up to in the morning." She winked at the Latina and touched her free hand. "Come on, my parents want to meet you."
"Is it the only way out of the house?" Santana asked with a boo-hiss.
"Yep."
"Okay then." Santana got up, checked herself in the mirror, and followed Brittany out and into the dining room.
Brittany's parents perked up from their newspaper and coffee when the girls emerged from the bedroom. Brittany's dad turned to her mom and whispered with a smile, "Now I know what all the fuss is about."
Brittany's parents had adored Santana. Brittany's mom left for work shortly after Santana had emerged from the bedroom. Before leaving, she had offered a welcomed introduction and 'nice to meet you' to the brunette. Brittany, her dad, and Santana spent the better part of the morning fishing on the dock behind the house. The brunette chatted freely and with comfort with Brittany's father and, yet again, was surprised with how well she seemed to fit in with Sandy Point.
They cleaned and cooked the fish they had caught for lunch. Brittany's mother had returned to join them on her lunch hour. The foursome sat on the back porch and ate.
"Mr. and Mrs. Pierce, you have a beautiful home." The Latina said as she looked out at the water."
"Oh Santana, " Brittany's mom patted her on the hand. "No need for formalities. You can call me Jenny." She smiled as she whispered to her husband. "Very polite she is, big points for her."
Brittany's father gave an uneasy, yet reassuring smile as if to say to his wife 'whispering is rude.' He looked up at Santana and offered a sincere smile. "Yes, and you can call me Danny."
Jenny whispered again to her husband. "Look how happy Brittany looks."
Danny patted his wife on the leg as he said quietly through his teeth. "Stop whispering, honey." She momentarily agreed, re-focusing her attention to Santana.
"So, Santana. You are from Chicago, right?" With a full mouth of food, the brunette just nodded with a smile. Brittany's mother continued with her game of twenty questions.
"And what do you do there?"
Santana finished her food. "I'm a psychologist. I have my own practice in the downtown area."
Jenny turned to her husband and, again, whispered. "Oh honey, she's a doctor. More points for her!"
Brittany uneasily looked at her father as if she were asking for some type of help. She then looked at Santana with apologetic eyes. "Soooo…." Danny broke in. "What are you girls doing for the rest of the day?" He looked between the two girls.
"I'm not sure." Santana said, glancing to Brittany, remembering that it was the blonde's turn to plan the day. "It's still up in the air I think. Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be fun."
Jenny noticed the intimate glance that her daughter and Santana had just shared. "Oh Santana, I have never seen Brittany this happy! I'm so glad you—"
"Mom!" "Jenny!" Brittany and her father said in unison.
After lunch, the girls helped Brittany's parents clean up and decided to head on back to the marina side of town. Danny and Jenny walked the girls to the dock. Brittany's mom grabbed Santana in a hug. "Oh, it was so nice to meet you, dear. Come back whenever you like. You're always welcome. Mi casa es—"
"Mom!"
Danny gave her a hug as well. "It was very nice to meet you Ms. Lopez. I hope to see more of you around here in the future."
Brittany and Santana got in the small dinghy and headed out toward the marina. They slowed down as they passed underneath the small bridge that led to Mattox Creek. Santana, who was hand in hand with Brittany, looked at the blonde. "You're parents are, I dunno…awesome."
"I told you - they're hippies. Hippies are always awesome."
They got back to the marina just after two. Brittany suggested that they split up for the rest of the afternoon as she had a lot of things to do in preparation for her night with Santana. The brunette reluctantly gave in and both girls agreed to meet up later that evening.
Santana spent her free time with Steph on their boat. They cleaned and organized to prepare for their trip back north. Brittany dropped by the yard to say hi to the guys and helped Finn with a few things in the office. Brittany looked down at her watch. "Damn," she said to herself. "I've gotta get going, bro. Will you be around later? I may need your help with a few things."
"I'm always here, sis. Catch me in the yard after work."
"Okay, sounds good." With that, the blonde was out the door. She looked at her watch again. She had a few hours until she had to meet up with Santana, but she had a big night planned and would need help from the guys in order to pull it off in time - and without Santana knowing.
Brittany ran up to the store and picked up a few small things she needed and then headed back to her parent's house. She drove up and found her mom and dad on the front porch. "Hey honey, where's Santana?" Danny asked his daughter.
"She's back at the marina. I can't stay long, I actually wanted to know if I could borrow the Durango."
"Well sure honey, but what for?"
"Umm, well, I need the row boat for the night, but I am not rowing it all the way to the marina from here – that would take hours."
"Yes it would." Brittany's mom added. "Are you, uhh, planning a special night for Santana, dear?"
Danny and Brittany both looked at Jenny, rolled their eyes, and then looked back at each other.
Keys are in the truck. I'll go grab the row boat for you."
Brittany smiled. "Thank you." She looked back at her mom before going to the truck. "And yes, Mom, I am planning something special for Santana tonight."
Jenny waited until her daughter turned back around to do a secret happy dance.
Brittany left her parent's house and headed back to the marina. She found the guys in the yard, as expected.
"Hey Pierce," She heard rumble from the trio.
She hurriedly replied. "Hey. You guys are taking the rest of the day off."
Finn looked up at the blonde. "But it's not even three yet."
"I know. You can stay on the clock – I don't care, but Santana is leaving in three days and I need your time more than this marina does right now. No arguing."
Finn, Puck, and Artie looked at Brittany and nodded.
"Okay, what do you need us to do?" Artie asked.
Four hours later and only 3 minutes tardy, Brittany arrived at Santana's boat as they had planned. "Hey you." Santana said from the bow as the blone climbed on board. Santana greeted Brittany with a kiss on the lips. "So, what are the plans for tonight?"
The blonde smiled. "I can't tell you that yet. I can tell you, though, that you are going to need something warm to wear and…" Brittany looked at her girlfriend's bare feet. "…tennis shoes."
"Okay, anything else?" Santana asked.
"Nope, I think that's it."
"Alright, well lemme go grab something and I'll be ready."
Brittany was hoping Santana would need to go down to her cabin to get something warmer. She smiled to herself. This may just work.
The blonde turned Santana's VHF radio on and the volume up. She set the channel on 16, left a note on the bow, and hurried off the boat before she came up from the cabin. Once Santana did emerge, she noticed there was no sign of Brittany. She heard her radio going off on the bridge. "Pretty Eyes to Short Stuff, over."
Santana picked up the radio. "Brittany, where the hell did you go?" The brunette looked around the marina from her boat for her girlfriend.
The blonde smirked on the other side of the radio with Puck, Finn and Artie around her. "Why the cussing? Over."
"Brittany Pierce, I have waited all afternoon to see you and I did, for what – like two seconds? And now you're gone again! OVER."
"Woah, she sounds pissed." Artie said.
"She's not pissed, she's just frustrated." Brittany replied, then holding the radio up to her mouth. "Well, now you know how I felt last night. Over."
Santana smiled. "Okay, you got me there. So what are we doing? Over."
"Santana, you'll see me soon enough. I left a note for you on the bow. I gotta go, I love you."
"Brittany? Britt-?"
When Santana didn't get a reply, she knew either her girlfriend had turned her radio off or wasn't responding for a reason. Frustrated, she went to the bow to retrieve the note that Brittany had left.
The blonde and the guys watched with binoculars from the office. "She just read the note." Puck said.
"Okay, you guys remember everything right? You know what you're doing? Oh, and Puck, don't forget to—"
Finn butted in. "We got it, sis. You need to go – we'll see you later."
Brittany smiled. "Okay." She hugged the trio. "Thanks again for this."
The brunette read the note again.
Santana,
When the tide is high, Pathfinder won't lead you home.
Brittany
P.S. Sorry for leaving so soon. xoxo
"What the hell is this note supposed to mean? No 'I love you'? No 'go to blah blah blah and I'll be there'?" Santana secretly cursed Brittany before regaining her composure. She mumbled to herself once again. "Okay. Pathfinder, that is Finn's boat. I need to go there I guess."
The brunette made her way down the docks in search of the Pathfinder, but quickly realized she had no idea where Finn actually docked his boat. She saw Emma and her husband to the left, gassing up their boat. She ran down to them. "Hey guys."
"Well hey honey, how are ya?"
"I'm good. Look, do you know where Finn keeps his boat?"
"Which one, sweeite? He has about twenty."
"Pathfinder. The big one." Santana motioned with her arms, still clinging Brittany's note in her hand.
"Oh yes." Emma replied. "It's down on the other side, on D-Dock…slip 210 I believe."
Santana started running in the direction of Emma's finger before even saying goodbye.
The brunette ran down the pier again, noticing on the way that it was getting dark…the sun was starting to set. Santana got to D-Dock in no time, and found slip 210. Instead of Finn's boat, however, there was a small row boat tied up in it's place with a note on the back bench. She hopped down into the small boat and picked up the note.
Santana,
Tonight is about remembering, tomorrow about not forgetting. Steer straight and turn left under the dock for a trip down memory lane.
Love,
Brittany
Santana folded the note and tucked it into her back pocket as she had done with the first. She untied the single rope securing it to the dock, grabbed an and slowly began to row forward.
"Finn, when's low tide?" Brittany asked her brother as she checked her charts in the office.
"7:23."
"Awesome. Sunset is at 7:45 tonight. This will work perfect. She'll be able to clear the underside of the docks and still be able to see the sunset when she's through."
Once under the pier, she had a bit of a time making the turn. "Damnit, Brittany. At least I made it easy for you." She finally made the turn and noticed arrows above her, taped to the underside of the dock. Santana followed the arrows straight for a few minutes until she got to one directing her to turn right. She made the turn and looked up and around her in awe.
"You want me to do what?" Puck asked Brittany.
"I want you to take this camera and take pictures of everyone in the marina that Santana met this summer."
"For what?"
"Don't worry about 'for what'. Just do it. You ARE getting paid for this." Brittany smiled.
There were white Christmas lights tacked above her, along the entire length of the underside of the dock. Lit candles had been placed on the ledges to her left and right. Santana realized she was underneath the large dock she had spent so many of her nights on this summer. She kept on slowly along the semi-wide path, admiring her surroundings along the way. As she stared at the lights above her, something lightly tapped her face.
Santana ceased rowing, turned around, and grabbed what had hit her. It was a Polaroid of Finn and Artie working in the yard, taped to a string.
Brittany smiled as she and Finn tacked the pictures underneath the dock. "You're nuts, you know that, right?" Finn said as she cut another piece of string and handed it to his sister.
"I am not!" She hissed, looking at her brother. She looked up to pin up another stringed-photo and added. with a shrug and a smile "I'm just in love."
Santana turned back around to find dozens of photos, strung in a line along her path. She started moving again, pulling them down along the way. There was one of Will, Emma and Sue holding a beer bong. There was one of Sam and Mercedes and Tina and Mike, all with margaritas in hand. Santana smiled when she got to the picture of Kurt, Rachel, and Blaine. Rachel was, of course, flashing her flamboyant smile while the others stood smug, pretending to be annoyed by her.
Santana got to the last picture just before emerging from under the dock. It was of her and Brittany, taken at sunrise earlier in summer. The Latina smiled as a tear began to build up in her eye. She touched the picture with her fingertips before flipping it over to find another Pierce-written message. 'Never forget us.' was all it said.
"Fuck, I didn't make you cry either, Brittany!"
She got to the end of her path beneath the docks and found one last thing tacked at the very end. Santana pulled it down as she emerged from just under the gas dock. It was a map with another note tucked in it. Again, she read.
Santana,
Hop in the dinghy, turn on the radio, and follow the map. You'll see me soon.
I love you,
-B
Santana started the small engine on the dinghy. She looked at the map, which had arrows pointing to where she needed to go. She had learned the waters well this summer and knew she wasn't going far. She knew she was headed to Mattox Creek.
She went under the bridge and soon found a faint light ahead of her. She was close. She slowed her speed down as a familiar voice came across the radio. "Pretty Eyes to Short Stuff, over."
Santana picked up the radio and giggled. "This is Pretty Eyes. Is that you in front of me?"
"No, but you'll see me at your next stop. Bring the radio with you." A disappointed Santana obliged, though she wanted to see her girlfriend.
Santana slowly pulled up to her destination on the map to find Artie on a small dock with
a jet ski. "Hey Lopez! How are you?"
"I'd be damn better if I could see Brittany right now, but—"
"Ahh, shut your hole, sweetie. We're going there now." He started his jet ski and motioned Santana to get into the tube that was tied behind him.
Artie flew through the curvy waters of Mattox Creek just at sunset with Santana behind him, swaying left and right. He went under the smaller bridge Brittany had introduced to her earlier in the week and into the vast lake in front of her parent's house.
"Okay, and I need you and Puck to pull the floating dock out in the middle of the lake." Brittany instructed to the two guys. "I'll do the rest."
The blonde continued. "And I need you to bring her there on your jet ski." She pointed at Artie, filling him in on the rest of her plans.
Artie pulled up to the floating dock in the middle of the lake with Santana in tow. The brunette climbed out of the tube and onto the dock to greet Brittany. She was so happy to see the blonde she hadn't noticed her surroundings.
There was a table set for two with candles lit all around. Rose petals covered the table and the large square dock, music played in the background. Brittany pulled back from Santana's embrace. "Hi."
"Hi." The Latina replied, giving her girfriend an intimate kiss on the lips.
Finn pulled up to the island dock in a row boat and delivered dinner to the girls. "Dinner is served." He said with a Mr. Belvidere accent.
The girls laughed as he tied the row boat to the dock. "Well, I'll see you guys later." With that, he dove head first into the water and began to swim back towards his parents house.
Santana looked at Brittany with a 'what the hell?' expression.
The blonde smiled and simply said, "We're gonna need the boat later."
"Well, that was nice of him."
"Eh," Brittany shrugged with a smirk. "He owed me a favor."
Santana and Brittany enjoyed their dinner by the candlelight. They listened to the soft music that Brittany had asked her parents to play loudly from her house afar. They stole glances and shared smiles under the moonlight.
"This is amazing, Brittany. All of this, is just too much."
The blonde smiled. "We're not done yet. Are you finished eating?"
"Yep, I am stuffed."
"Okay then, we have one more stop to make. Grab that extra bottle of wine on the table." Brittany looked back at Santana before stepping down. "You did bring the radio, right?"
Santana confirmed with a nod.
Brittany grabbed her bag and smiled as she helped Santana down into the boat, stealing a quick kiss on the cheek along the way.
They rowed rowed to the opposite end of the lake, somewhere Santana hadn't been before. The girls got out, and Brittany pulled the smalled boat far onto land, assuring it wouldn't drift away with the tide. The blonde clasped her hand with Santana's a led her down a narrow path along the water.
To Santana, it seemed like hours they had been walking. For the other, it was a semi-familiar place, as it was a part of her parent's property, but she had never made her way here with someone else before. Still hand in hand, they walked a bit further until they came to a steep cliff-like hill.
"Okay, we're almost there." Brittany said as she turned around. "Can you put the radio an wine in my backpack?"
After Santana obliged, she asked, "Now what?"
"Now we climb."
"Climb?" Santana asked.
"Yes."
"Brittany, it's dark out here. Isn't that, I dunno, like a bad idea or something?"
"No." Brittany kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. "Trust me. Just follow me and don't let go. This rope is strong - we've used it for years."
The girls, using the same thick rope, climbed quickly but cautiously up the steep hill, Brittany first, Santana following behind. In no time, they were at the top. Brittany helped Santana up.
"That wasn't so bad, now was it?"
Santana brushed some dirt off of her pants and stood up. "I guess not. So, where are we?"
The blonde led her girfriend a little further, to an opening that overlooked the river. "These are the cliffs of Bluff Point."
"Artie, can you follow me in your car to the Point? I need to leave the truck up there for later tonight."
Santana and Brittany hopped on the tailgate of the Durango, which was facing the overlook of the water and the lights of Sandy Point. "This is gorgeous, Brittany. I never knew this was here."
"Well, now ya do." AThe blonde said as she clasped her hand with Santana's.
Santana opened the bottle of wine they had brought from dinner as Brittany grabbed a couple of glasses she had snagged earlier from her boat. Santana poured each of them a glass and they toasted the night.
"Santana, will you grab the radio from my bag?"
The brunette found the radio and handed it to Brittany, then placed her head softly on the blonde's shoulder.
Brittany smiled as she turned the radio on. "Alright guys, light 'em up."
Brittany looked at the patrons of the Sandy Point Marina. "Just be there are 10. The guys will fill you in on the rest. Oh, and keep your radios on 16."
"Don't worry, Pierce. Finn, Puck, and I are taking the dinghys and others are going seperate so they'll be lots of us out there."
In the water below, about 40 of the boats normally docked at the Sandy Point Marina lit up in unison to the shape of a heart for Santana and Brittany to see. Santana's jaw dropped as she slowly lifter her head from Brittany's shoulder. She turned to look at her summer girlfriend with a small tear creeping from her eye.
The blonde softly smiled and, with a quiver in her chin, simply said, "Because you have mine, Santana."